Unauthorized Mass E-mails Draw Ire from Students

Author: Lindsey Whitton Staff Writer

On Nov. 10 and 16 three students sent unauthorized and unrelated mass e-mails. None of the students who wrote the e-mails were aware of the policy forbidding mass-mailings without permission from the Dean of Student Affairs Office.

Each of the three students received responses from other students informing them that they had violated College policy. The authors received no direct response from either the Dean of Student Affairs Office or Informational Technology Services (ITS).

Brainerd Commons Student Government Association (SGA) Senator Stoddart Pierce '04 wrote the first e-mail, addressed to all students in Brainerd Commons. His e-mail stated, "My jacket has been taken and it means a lot to me. I swear to you this jacket was the best piece of clothing I owned. That's why it was taken ... mistakenly … the person couldn't resist. I understand … Please help me out on this one because I would return the jacket to you if I had mistakenly taken your jacket." Pierce attached a picture of the missing jacket to the e-mail.

"Afterwards I realized I probably shouldn't have sent it because not everyone has access to such a list," Pierce commented. "I didn't do it as an SGA senator but just as a member of Brainerd Commons." He admitted that the e-mail had been a "rash decision" and perhaps an unconscious "abuse of power."

He is concerned, however, that there is no effective way for Middlebury students to advertise lost items. He is currently working on a plan for an official "lost and found" bulletin, perhaps in the form of an authorized weekly e-mail that includes a list of all articles lost that week by members of the Middlebury community.

Pierce said that he "instantly got all these messages back," none of which concerned his jacket and all of which reprimanded him for sending the e-mail. "In retrospect," he said, "I would never do anything like that again."

The second e-mail was sent to the entire student body by Brendan Condit '05 on Nov. 16. He wrote, "Here are links to two extremely disturbing New York Times articles about John Ashcroft and our diminishing civil liberties. They examine Ashcroft's clever measures to enhance 'security' while outflanking Congress and its irritating hand-wringing over Constitutional rights. Next, they will suggest camps in Montana for Arab look-alikes. Ashcroft is a menace to freedom, and the Bush administration is completely caving to him."

Condit said that he was deeply disturbed by the articles he had read, and he wanted to share them with fellow students. He was surprised by the predominantly negative response he received from a few students, and he said that he did not understand why people got so worked up over his e-mail. He suggested that they simply should not have read it if they did not agree with the view.

"I guess I wouldn't do it again just to save people the trouble of responding to me," Condit said.

Also on Nov. 16, Dorothy Resig '04 sent an e-mail to the entire College community including an attached list of phone numbers from businesses in the surrounding Middlebury area. She said "Hi everyone! I apologize for the all-student email ... please forgive me if you dislike this sort of thing. Basically, I just wanted to share with all of you something that I thought might be handy." A quote from the Bible appeared at the end of the e-mail. Resig said the verse was automatically added to any e-mail she sends.

She received a few responses thanking her for the list and one, from a first-year student, informing her that mass e-mails were against College policy. "I didn't realize what the rules were before," she said.

The Middlebury Handbook states on page 19, "We are obligated to avoid actions that create a public nuisance such as … unwarranted mass-mailings." Jeffrey Rehbach, director of ITS, said that there were blocks in place that should discourage unauthorized mass e-mails.

This has not happened often in the past and when it has, the College "tries to use it as an educational opportunity for the individuals," he said.