From the Realm of Necessity to the Realm of Freedom, One Webserver at a Time...and just to prove this subject line is too long...

Chuck Grimes cgrimes at tsoft.com
Mon May 14 12:18:22 PDT 2001


Not so. It was the failure to actually *read* the press release that I was complaining about... Brad DeLong

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How can you say that? I went over that press release with a fine tooth comb, and looked up the fact sheet that accompanied it and still couldn't figure out if it was free or not. Of course they said it was free, but hell that doesn't mean it is free.

Brad, how long have you been working at UC? Five or six years? That's plenty long enough to figure out that a university administration never, ever says what it means. They are the absolute masters of slime. (Leaving out for the moment all mention of unions, TA's, IP, etc) They announce great initiatives all the time and then leave out all the qualifiers, exceptions, and mention of money. Shit UC is still `a tuition free public university'. Oh, the money you pay to go there? That's a student registration fee, not be confused with tuition as such.

The libraries are `freely available' to alumni, except, you have to be an alumni--get it?--as in pay the fee to be a member of the alumni association---after all how would we know you were an alumni if you weren't a member of the alumni association?---so you buy an alumni card (nevermind, an alumus is an alumus by definition) so you can take it to the library, and get your library card, and then you can check out most books---if you can find them. I have to agree, acquisitions have not kept up with the architecture---different endowment schemes. And the alumni association of course sends me bulk mailer after bulk mailer of advertising (which I paid for), seeking contributions to a state institution---save Cal for the kids, send money now, blah, blah. That's like DMV asking for donations.

Anyway its true, I have a very conflicted relationship with Cal, love-hate, with no neutral ground. It really could and should be a fabulously generous and open place, if only.... In my scheme of how things should be, public universities are supposed to be not only open for public benefit and use, but actively contribute to the community's general well being. Certainly the educational needs of the community, and its material and social health should be part of its mission, but also the community's technological and intellectual needs, should be served as well.

Instead it's a fortress unto itself. UCB's idea of community relations is the interest relation between the state and capital. Where there is capital, the state is interested. Where there is no capital, there is no state interest and therefore no state educational institution interest. Clear as day. You got the bucks? We're interested. You don't got the bucks? Fuck off.

In any event, MIT is not UCB, but I sure recognized a very familiar ring to the text and my slime registers swung into redline territory.

Chuck Grimes



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