I have a question for Postmasters/Listserv Maintainers at University
instituions, and I would appreciate the time you take to read and reply
with thoughts.
 
  Let me start off by saying that I am biased, and that is why I'm
posting this because I want to be fair....and open to new Listserv
experiences...and this could be more of a mistake that I would like to
admit if you don't agree with me. :-)  On to the question.
 
  There is a trend here, that is, attempting to deal with increased
requsts from students on campus.  When our eyes were closed, they
started up their own www server.  This can be a good thing if it is
a secure version of the httpd code....so we looked at who was using
it and were suprised to find a number of faculty and staff who had
constructed their own www personal home pages, etc.  The powers that
be were therefore reluctant to kill the daemon...but try to enter
into an agreement with students for services that they wanted that
we were not providing.
 
  There is now a student committee...and we have agreed to provide them with
a unix box for their services, IRC, games, Zmodem, www personal pages, etc.
Now they have discovered Listserv...sigh.  A few students have said, I
want my own Listserv list.  I haven't been approached seriously yet, but
it will happen any day now.
 
  My position is that Listserv Lists on campus are for the academic
community, not for individual use for presenting one's habits, providing
recreation, or a forum for indivdual tastes, etc., I think they can do
that on usenet. :-)  Listserv currently runs on a machine that probably
can't take a lot more stress...but that aside, what are your thoughts
on this issue and have you had such requests at your institution
from students and what arguments do you use against the trival use
of listserv...I could use some about now. :-)  Ah!  There is my bias
showing.  I should also point out that we have a student Listowner, but
this person runs an internationally popular list related to academia...
I have no problem with this.
 
  Your insight/policy statements in this manner are much appreciated!
 
Cheers!  --Trish
----
Trish Forrest, Computing Services, University of Windsor
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