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Student council fears DTO reads their e-mailsStudents are allowed to use their university e-mail accounts for private e-mailing, but not for commercial activities.

Moreover, it is not allowed to put copyright-protected music, software or literature on the Internet. This is stated in the code of conduct, as established by the executive board. The Technical Support Service (Dutch abbreviation: DTO) has the right to check whether students break this code of conduct by reading student%s personal e-mails. The student council of TU Delft is unhappy with this situation. But, according to TU-jurist, Roland Driece, there is no cause for concern. ”Employees of TU Delft have better things to do,” Driece maintains. ”Furthermore, DTO will only intervene if the system is overloaded or if there are concrete suspicions of abuse of the university network.”

Should Delta have press freedom?

”I sincerely believe in press freedom in a high quality, independent weekly,” stated Rector Karel Wakker, during a student council organised discussion with TU Delft students last Monday. However, the dean of Aerospace Engineering, Professor Theo de Jong, questions the need for freedom of the press. In last week%s issue of Delta, he argued that the executive board should not sponsor a weekly that is in any way critical of the university, thereby damaging the strategic and financial interests of this university. In reaction, Delta received letters from readers who disagreed with De Jong, arguing that within a university there must be an open atmosphere for discussion, that the open exchange of ideas is the foundation of education, and that Delta should play an active part in this process.

Student council fears DTO reads their e-mails

Students are allowed to use their university e-mail accounts for private e-mailing, but not for commercial activities. Moreover, it is not allowed to put copyright-protected music, software or literature on the Internet. This is stated in the code of conduct, as established by the executive board. The Technical Support Service (Dutch abbreviation: DTO) has the right to check whether students break this code of conduct by reading student%s personal e-mails. The student council of TU Delft is unhappy with this situation. But, according to TU-jurist, Roland Driece, there is no cause for concern. ”Employees of TU Delft have better things to do,” Driece maintains. ”Furthermore, DTO will only intervene if the system is overloaded or if there are concrete suspicions of abuse of the university network.”

Should Delta have press freedom?

”I sincerely believe in press freedom in a high quality, independent weekly,” stated Rector Karel Wakker, during a student council organised discussion with TU Delft students last Monday. However, the dean of Aerospace Engineering, Professor Theo de Jong, questions the need for freedom of the press. In last week%s issue of Delta, he argued that the executive board should not sponsor a weekly that is in any way critical of the university, thereby damaging the strategic and financial interests of this university. In reaction, Delta received letters from readers who disagreed with De Jong, arguing that within a university there must be an open atmosphere for discussion, that the open exchange of ideas is the foundation of education, and that Delta should play an active part in this process.

Editor Redactie

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