From: morgan@engr.uky.edu (Wes Morgan)
Subject: Re: The Schedule of Classes
Organization: University of Kentucky Engineering Computing Center
Distribution: inet
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 14:38:06 GMT

kadie@eff.org (Carl M. Kadie) wrote:
>tom@soda.berkeley.edu (Tom Holub) writes:
>
>[...]
>>I would agree, though, that it's also inexcusable to circumvent normal
>>channels to impose your view of what is 'right' on an administration
>>of people who are paid to make these decisions.
>[...]
>
>I don't believe this is correct. 

Somehow, I didn't think you would, Carl.  8)

>The administration is not paid to
>decide how and if individuals will publish public information. 

Hogwash, horse hooey, and balderdash.  *Tons* of public information is
routinely controlled by administrations.  You can get the UK salary
list <we're state employees, after all>, but you have to sign for it 
and pay the copying costs.  In some states, you can't get a state employee's
*exact* salary; you can only get the salary range associated with that
position.  You can get the US Census data, but there are bureaucratic 
procedures to be observed.  The US government routinely classifies 
"public information" as "For Official Use Only", "Confidential", "Secret", 
"Top Secret", et cetera.  It's public information, but government 
employees routinely determine its distribution.  Even when you make an 
FOIA request <which, as I understand it, defines almost all government
documents as public information>, *someone* reviews the material, possibly
making deletions before sending it to you. (I should scan in my military
records, so you can see all the deletions.)  During my military service, I 
used a text which I could show to anyone I pleased *as long as* a particular 
section was removed; when that section was present, it was a Top Secret 
document.

This discussion prompted me to examine the UK Schedule of Classes
more carefully.  Guess what I found on page 3?

	(C) 1992, University of Kentucky

I don't know the copyright status of UCB's Schedule, but I would
hazard a guess that it would change the situation somewhat, eh?

>When it
>makes such decisions, it exceeds and abuses its authority. 

Give us a break, Carl.  What good would it do to throw online
copies to whomever wanted them (or throw one up for anonymous
FTP), if those copies will be obsolete within a day?  I think 
that, in a time-critical situation such as this, the Registrar 
was actually *honoring* its obligation(s) to the students with 
its decision.

If the Registrar posted an online copy and refused to update it, I 
think we'd see a geyser of outrage.  Why should we endorse such an
action by an individual?

>The victim
>of such an abuse is under no moral obligation to submit while the
>matter is decided via "normal channels".

Do you acknowledge that: 

	- The Schedule of Classes is an important document for students?
	- The accuracy of such a document is essential to its proper and
	  efficient use?
	- The Registrar's Office is obliged to ensure its accuracy?

Course schedules change on a daily (hourly?) basis.  I just discovered 
that UK now updates its online schedule 4 times each day to account for
the rapid rate of change.  An unauthorized copy (we might as well call
it a "bootleg" - it fits the definition) which is not maintained is a
*disservice* to the students.  When students base their proposed schedules
on hh's bootleg copy and discover that courses/seats aren't available, 
they aren't going to complain to hh; they'll complain to the Registrar, 
their departments, and their faculty.  Again, I speak from recent 
experience....8(

Until last semester, I agreed with hh.  However, my online copy <made 
with permission> created more problems than it solved, thanks to my 
inability to update it <it was updated on the other systems via RSCS, 
and my versions of Unix "no hablan RSCS">.  

I don't know why hh is only confronted with charges of "hardware misuse";
perhaps he should be <somewhat> grateful that he doesn't face charges such 
as disregarding instructions of University staff in performance of their 
duties <he asked permission and was refused, for the very reasons I've 
stated.> 

--Wes

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MORGAN@UKCC         |       Wes Morgan       |        ...!ukma!ukecc!morgan 
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