Letter to the editor

To the Editor of the Herald,

I am a faculty member writing in response to the recent story proposing a ban on access to YouTube, Facebook and MySpace.

As a faculty member, you might suppose me to be in favor of this, but I am categorically opposed for several reasons.

First, including YouTube in with the social networking site is not appropriate. Yes, YouTube has silly videos-lots of them-and a person can waste a lot of time on that Web site. However, as a teacher of web based courses, I have also found some excellent educational material on YouTube and have posted assignment from that location to my classes. Blocking YouTube will block some students from that material!

I also have an FYE class, and I encourage my FYE students to form study groups.

Social networking sites are excellent ways to do this and finals time is the peak time for study groups to operate.

But my main reason is this: we claim to teach adults, yet we act more and more paternal. A student who spends too much time Facebooking will face the consequences. In fact, that student who is determined to not study will simply NOT study. I remember finals time. After a big test, I always needed a bit of "unwinding" time. Facebook may be just what many of our students need at finals time!

Treat the ASU students as adults. Let them decide how much time they have to spend on Facebook or MySpace. You cannot control all of their time!

LaQuita Saunders co-director, pre-law center

Editor's Note: The SGA proposed and approved the resolution to restrict student access to certain sites on library computers. The proposal must now go before university officials and Information and Technology Services.