Learning from Emailgate

Imagine a local school called the "Country Jamboree Rainbow School."  The name is a bit long and clumsy; so most of the kids say "Country Jamboree" and the teachers call it "CJRS." 

The school is good at generating revenue.  A bookstore sells supplies and shirts proclaiming school pride.  Teachers and parents are expected to pay to park at the school.  CJRS even has a food kiosk after school.  While it has some juice, it makes more money by emphasizing soda and candies. 

While many teachers are troubled by the school's attempts to profit off of the students' basic needs for supplies, transportation to the school, and food, they realize the school benefits from the revenue.  In the end, they hope it's for the sake of promoting education; though many question the school administration's priorities. 

During class teachers and students often do projects; and sometimes they express their school pride by placing "CJ" on a picture of the school or some other craft; and some of the parents and teachers wear homemade shirts saying "Country Jamboree" on them. 

Unfortunately the school finds out that some parents have been setting up a farmers market table.  Above the table is a sign saying "Country Jamboree Children's Bake Sale."  Concerned that these parents are misleadingly suggesting this is a school-endorsed operation, the school's principle consults a lawyer. 

At some point the school writes an email.  But it doesn't address the parents operating the bake sale.  It notifies every parent, faculty, and staff who has created, or allowed a student to create, anything with the school's name or initials.  The lawyer-approved email warns them that they are violating the state's education code, adding "in order to avoid any future legal action we are requesting that you remove any reference to Country Jamboree Rainbow School and cease to use it now and in the future."  Then, the administration sends an email to all of the staff and teachers asking them to "please help us get this word out."  Only it misleadingly claims that the notification was sent only to parents. 

When parent and faculty backlash leads to an article, the school's principal tells the local newspaper that the school, "was not threatening to take people to court."  But he fails to explain what the letter meant by "future legal action."  When trying to explain the motivation for the letter, the principal says, "The reasons for it is so the school doesn't get misrepresented in some way or make it look like the school is endorsing a product or issue"; but he fails to explain why all uses of "Country Jamboree," "CJ," or "CJRS" warrant a cease and desist order warning persons of "future legal actions." 

Admittedly Santa Rosa Junior College's Emailgate is different than Country Jamboree's actions in one important way.  SRJC did not send its cease and desist notification in response to all uses of its name or initials.  SRJC focused on student, staff, and faculty email accounts using the school's name or initials.  

But the similarities between SRJC's actions and CJRS's actions seem alarming.  While I applaud the college's attempts to stop persons from misrepresenting the school, and I accept the JC's proprietary claims against another's attempt to profit off of the college's name, I am disturbed by SRJC's cease and desist notification to everyone merely using the letters "srjc" within their email username.  For email not only is a common part of most student's lives, it's a common part of their learning process.  In fact, students with online assignments usually are required to use email; and creating an account with the letters "srjc" in the username is more likely to be an expression of pride than an attempt to misrepresent or profit off of the college. 

Did President Agrella fail to understand this?  Did he not care?  The first suggests to me someone who is out of touch with today's students.  The second suggests someone who is, at best, indifferent to education.  By itself, the first would be a troubling trait for a college president; but, when it's coupled with a heavy-handed legalism toward students and teachers, it's a combination that's hostile to our learning environment.  By itself, the second character trait should be avoided when hiring a college President; but, when coupled with a heavy-handed legalism toward one's own students and colleagues, it's a character trait that should be avoided in human beings. 

Michael Aparicio teaches philosophy at Santa Rosa Junior College.  He's a regular contributor to, and editor for, Empire Report.  "Rojo Reports" is our collection of his news articles.  "The Gadfly" is our collection of his news commentaries.  Taken together, they are Michael's attempt to provide a balance of newsworthy reporting and thought-provoking questioning.