[wplug-plan] Re: [wplug] read my lips: no new guidelines

[Michael P. O'Connor]

Beth I maybe become unpopulare too, but I share your oppions here.  I do
think that as long as you reserve the room for us as a group you do have
some rights to make so reasonable guide lines, or say you will not get
the room, for no more than it is your name that stands the chance of
being hurt, if it were me, I would have grave consers about getting a
room for the group if such things are not addressed, I think you are
being very forgiving in this one. and to the "#2 sensorship is bad"
sensorship is not always bad, as I was telling some one else there are
times when you have to sensore things, lets take the fcc on broadcast
tv, almost any one can get there hands on a reciver, even a child, so
some standards have to be set, what standards they are I don't know, but
I am sure of one thing nudity should not be promited, also I have
question if foul langauge should be alowed.  As you said before there
are little children that come sometimes and do we want to be the ones to
introduce them to this kind of stuff (for me I don't want to be a part
of something that will do that)

On Wed, 2001-11-14 at 23:02, Beth Lynn wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> As I see it, the problem that people had with
> my trying to set a guideline breaks into two
> parts.
> 
> #1 I have no authority to make a decision of
> that will effect WPLUG. The board of WPLUG is
> the only governing body of WPLUG in which I am
> not a member. I know I am not a member of the
> board because the board did not decide that I
> should be.
> 
> #2 sensorship is bad.
> 
> Ok, this is my final response, after this, I
> rest my case.
> 
> Response to #1
> 
> For the meetings, who is in charge here? Who
> presides over the meetings? Who is to intervene
> if there is a conflict between members at a 
> meeting? Who is to make sure that the room is
> left clean? Who organizes lunch? Who organizes 
> snacks? Who decides what movies to watch? Who is 
> the go-to person if someone has a question about 
> wplug in general at a meeting? Who takes donations 
> for WPLUG at meetings? Who is to make sure the
> carts are returned at the end of the day? Who is
> to be responsible if something is lost, stolen,
> or damaged?
> 
> So at any given time at a WPLUG meeting, I have
> been at least one of these people.
> But I'm only one person.
> 
> Truth be known, I do not want it to be this way.
> I would like there to be Chair and co-chair to preside
> over the meetings, handle member to member problems,
> and make quick executive decisions when waiting to
> make policy isn't praticle. I would like there to
> be a tresurerer to accept donations, handle lunch
> and snacks. If this annoying chain of emails is what
> kicks WPLUG in the pants to get moving, then WPLUG
> would be in the better for it.
> 
> As the person who has the name on the room,
> I am responsible for the condition of the room
> and the contents of. I would be responsible if
> there was an incident worth reporting to the
> university during the hours that WPLUG has a
> meeting on campus.
> For this reason I inisit on...
> * An attendance list, with people's real names of
> everyone who enters the room.
> * Everyone respect the physical property of the
> room (ie furature, carts, carpet, computer, etc.)
> * The room is clean when we leave.
> * Meetings begin and end close to the the designated
> times.
> * Everyone contucts themselves with respect to the
> other attendees, this includes but not limmited to
> a) Do not bring pornography
> b) Ask the whole group before doing something that 
> may be distracting to others.
> c) Do not touch other attendees property without
> asking
> d) Try not to insult another attendee.
> 
> These things seem to be common sense to me. I do
> not just make rules just to make rules. It's
> because shit has happened and someone has to deal
> with the situtation so it doesn't repeat. When I
> reserve the room, I put my name and my job on the 
> line. I invite WPLUG to be on campus, which can 
> bring in 30 or more people at a time. Someone needs
> to take authority over what people can and can't do
> while they are here. No one thus far has stepped
> forward so so far it has defaulted to me. It is
> abundantly clear that many do not want that person 
> to be me.
> 
> Bottom line is I need at least one person from the
> board who can make the claim that they are in charge 
> of each meeting that I can go to if there is a problem
> during the hours of the meeting. No one so far has
> stepped forward so it has defaulted to me.
> 
> I don't like it you guys don't like it, but that's
> the way it has been. Are we in agreement that it is
> time for a change?
> 
> Response to #2
> 
> As an employee of CMU School of Computer Science,
> I am held to the reasonible persons principle in
> everything I do as a representive of CMU.
> 
> Is it reasonible for me use CMU facilities to 
> publicly display films to an all-ages audience
> that may be offensive? No.
> 
> Moveover, I don't think it is legal for anyone to 
> show R movies without parental permission. 
> Movie theaters and movie rental places can't do it 
> so neither can I or WPLUG.
> 
> All I was trying to do is to give people a reality
> check. People bring their small childern to wplug.
> There have been attendees younger than 16. The parents
> of these childern should have a right to censor what
> their childern see. If a parent drops off their child
> at WPLUG, that child becomes a captive audience in
> the room, therefore it would be my fault if something
> was shown that the parent did not want to see.
> 
> WPLUG is a diverse group of people from with many
> different policitical, religious, and personal
> standards. I wouldn't want it any other way.
> With this in mind, I beg you to respect the values
> of others by letting them choose what it is they
> want to view at WPLUG meetings. In my opinion the
> best way to do this is to ask the general list if
> they would have a problem with a particular movie.
> That way, everyone gets a chance to look at a review
> to see if there's anything that they would find
> horribly offensive and object. It isn't good enough
> to ask those present at the meeting if the movie is
> ok since some people do come in the middle of the
> meeting.
> 
> It was never my intension to say that I alone get
> to judge what is decent or not.
> 
> The truth is I felt rather bad about people being
> offended by the material, and I just wanted to say
> that this is what I guidelines I would go by. I
> thought it went without saying that it was subject
> to final apporoval by the board. That was my bad.
> 
> Thank you for reading my concerns.
> 
> I'll shut up now and let the plan make their own
> decision. 
> 
> I will live with whatever they decide, even if 
> they feel I'm so horribly wrong that I should no 
> longer reserve rooms for WPLUG. In that case, I 
> will transfer the room to be in Brian Sammon's 
> name.
> 
> Since many object to the way I have attempted to
> keep the room orderly. Things did get out of
> control, but hey, I'm only one person. Over this
> one incidient, my judgement has become very 
> unpopular, therefore I do not plan on running for 
> any office unless I am endorced by serveral members.
> 
> I am not giving up being a member of WPLUG.
> This is a great opportunity for WPLUG to grow
> internally. My work has not been in vain.
> 
> 
> Thanks,
> Beth Lynn
> 
> --- Robert Dale <rdale at wplug.org> wrote:
> > 
> > To address anyone's concerns about wplug censoring
> > videos,
> > wplug does not have any nor recognize the "new"
> > guidelines addressing
> > video playing.
> > 
> > However, CMU has rules
> > (http://www.cmu.edu/enrollment/sa/filmcopy.html)
> > of their own to which wplug must abide while using
> > CMU facilities.
> > 
> > Thank you.
> > 
> > -- 
> > Robert Dale
> > 
> > wplug member since 1998
> > 
> > 
> > _______________________________________________
> > wplug mailing list
> > wplug at wplug.org
> > http://www.wplug.org/mailman/listinfo/wplug
> 
> 
> 
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-- 
Michael P. O'Connor 
mpop at cs.cmu.edu
finger mpop at cs.cmu.edu for more infomation