Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!jarthur!jvogel
From: jvogel@jarthur.Claremont.EDU (Jeff Vogel)
Newsgroups: news.admin
Subject: Re: Do you restrict your users?
Message-ID: <4556@jarthur.Claremont.EDU>
Date: 22 Feb 90 05:56:37 GMT
References: <90042.134648LRL@PSUVM.BITNET> <1990Feb12.083329.18289@deimos.cis.ksu.edu> <2283@promark.UUCP>
Organization: Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA 91711
Lines: 39

In article <2283@promark.UUCP> mark@promark.UUCP (Mark J. DeFilippis) writes:
>At Adelphi University we do not allow undergraduates to post as we feel their
>knowledge-base limits the positive contribution they can make to the computer
>hierarchies.

That is truly a shame. Undergraduates are a bit more prone to immaturity
that grad students and up, but speaking as one, we are a bit more capable
than you think of understanding the material in the comp. and sci. groups
and even contributing.

>Much of the comp groups deal at an applied level that most experienced people
>in industry are familiar with.  Other groups deal at the graduate level.
>Prime examples are comp.arch, comp.theory, sci.math, etc.

Not always. In fact, I could readily comprehend %90 of sci.math when I read
it, and all of my posts but one (which was not wrong, but posted instead of
E-mailed) were helpful. Many of my friends who work with computers may not
have understanding on the graduate level, but know more about the systems
than many of the graduate students who work here.

>But for now, they cannot post, and I am sure experienced industry people,
>and grad. students out there are happy with that.

This is snobbery. Less likely to be able to help is not equivalent to unable
to help. I'm not sure about the caliber of undergrads at your college,
but many undergrads here are taking grad school level courses at the same
times, and others have expended a good deal of effort learning about the
areas that interest them.

I honestly ask: grad students and people with actual jobs, do you really not
want us around? Have you so forgotten (or perhaps, not forgotten) your
undergrad days as to feel we are not useful?

BTW, I favor a mandatory semester of reading news before being able to post.
That would at least let people know what is really annoying to other
readers, and give a chance to pick up basic netiquette.

-- 
|  Jeff Vogel, Harvey Mudd College, CA : jvogel@jarthur.claremont.edu  |