From: sears@tree.egr.uh.edu (Paul S. Sears)
Newsgroups: alt.comp.acad-freedom.talk
Subject: Re: Open Access Computing NOW
Date: 15 Dec 1992 16:49:58 GMT
Organization: University of Houston
Reply-To: sears@tree.egr.uh.edu
NNTP-Posting-Host: thanatos.egr.uh.edu

In article <9212120733.AA03282@cmcl2.NYU.EDU> schuyler@acf9.nyu.edu  
(Gabriel M. Schuyler) writes:
#From my reading of the past few months of CAFnews, it has come to my
#attention that we are all fighting our own separate battles with the
#adminstration of academic computing facilities.  I recently transfered  
from
#UC Santa Cruz to New York University and was appalled to see that NYU  
does
#not have a policy of giving a full UNIX account to the students.
#
#You can get a VAX Shell that lets you use mail and telnet, but FTP is out
#of the question.  It requires a faculty sponsor to get an account, and
#since I am not currently enrolled in a CS class, I had to ask the dean of
#the college to sign the form that would allow me a UNIX account.
#
#Basically, I believe that access to the internet is an information  
resource
#like any other (e.g. the library) and that the University should allow
#access to the internet to all students without question.
#
#So, what I'd like to see is a UNIFIED front on getting complete access to
#the Internet for all students.  I propose an organization of students,
#faculty, sysadmins &c with a document describing an "Open Access  
Computing
#Policy" that we could get signed by people across the country.
#
#This way, we can have a piece of paper with endorsements from the leaders
#of the industry that we can give to the computing department and the  
board
#of directors of our colleges and propose that they adopt it, so that all
#students can have access to the Internet.
#
#I only read the caf-news, so please reply in a manner that will reach me. 
#I am willing to put a lot of work into this.  If you've got ideas, or  
would
#like to see an Open Access Computing Policy at your university, please  
send
#me e-mail.
#
#It's about time someone ensured Open Access for all students at all
#Universities.  All aboard. . . ?
#
#-Gabe
#-----
#Gabriel M. Schuyler   -  55 second ave #3    -   Macintosh Consultant
#schuyler@acf9.nyu.edu -  New York, ny 10003  -   Pager: 917.879.0345

It is kind of interesting to read what people have written when they don't  
have a grasp of the entire situation.  Here, at the University of Houston,  
we have a similar policy.  All students can get a "student" account on the  
main academic VMS cluster here if they show proof of enrollment (i.e., fee  
statement).  This account allows for UseNet News, Email, and text editing.   
There is not an ability to use the various compilers or other specialized  
utilities.

A few years ago, I also hopped on the bandwagon, claiming that all  
students are entitled to a *nix account and should have unlimited access  
to all benefits of internet access including telnet and ftp.  I became the  
secretary of the Student Chapter of ACM here on campus.  We tried to make  
a difference and pressured Academic Computing for changes.  We got some  
changes, we didn't get others...

I learned after making alot of friends in Academic Computing that they  
_do_ have a goal (one that is measurable and currently in action) to  
provide complete access [Open Access] to computing resources to every  
student on campus.  Our campus has 34,000 students and this will be no  
small task!  However, at this stage, it is simply a matter of resources.   
There are already 8,000 students on the Academic cluster and resources are  
tapped to the bone.  Imagine adding another 25,000 students!

So, for now, to stretch the limited resources of Academic computing as far  
as possible, there are differing kinds of accounts, depending on your  
need.  If you just want an account, you get a student account.  If you are  
enrolled in a CS or other computer class, you get a "class" account.  If  
you are doing research for faculty or group, you get a graduate or  
undergraduate research account.  If you are staff, you get a staff  
account.  If you are faculty, a faculty account.

This structure has a long way to go to please everyone on campus.   
Students gripe about limited access or that there account is going to  
expire at the end of the semester.  Faculty and staff complain that they  
can't seem to get enough disk quota to do all their work.  Everyone  
complains when the system is down because one of the ancient disk  
controllers burned up.  However, in the 5 years I have been here (as a  
student and staff), I have seen the changes, although they are alittle  
slow, happen in the policies of Academic Computing.

It basically boils down to resources, and in general, resources boil down  
to finances.  And if New York is anything like Texas, Higher Education is  
having it's budget slashed every year by the state government, while the  
demand for Higher Education resources (all resources) is ever increasing.   
Are you willing to pay heavily for the resources you demand now?   
Currently, our computer usage fee is $40/semester.  To provide some of the  
computing resources that is demanded by everyone would require the fee to  
be more than $400/semester.  And no one is willing to pay a 10 fold  
increase in fees when every other fee is increasing left and right...

So, before you dive too deeply into the pool, see what the direction of  
the computing center at NYU.  Talk to the people in the know.  Talk to the  
operators, the grunts, the underpaid and overworked computing  
professionals.   They can give you the most realistic picture of the  
future of computing in your institution (it is pretty bright here at UH!).   
If it looks good, then keep on them and see what the timetables are.  Form  
a student organization to keep pressure on your computing center to keep  
moving.  But, in the battle of student wants vs money, the students will  
always loose...

--
Paul S. Sears                *  sears@uh.edu (NeXT Mail OK)
The University of Houston    *  suggestions@tree.egr.uh.edu (NeXT
Engineering Computing Center *  comments, complaints, questions)
NeXT System Administration   *  DoD#1967 '83 NightHawk 650SC 
          >>> SSI Diving Certification #755020059 <<<
"Programming is like sex: One mistake and you support it a lifetime."
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