Editor:

I was surprised to learn in the October 9 Notebook
that, to avoid endangering its tax-exempt status,
the university tried to limit
political speech on its computer networks.

But why stop at the Internet?  Clearly, University officials should
also ensure that no students place political campaign posters in
their dormitory windows.  All books that could be interpreted as
endorsing one candidate over another must be removed immediately
from Firestone Library.  And the University should also monitor
outgoing phone calls, to make sure that no political discussions take
place on University phones.  

I thought that one of the purposes of a university was to
ensure robust, open debate on political issues of the day.

Jeffrey Shallit '79
Kitchener, Ontario
shallit@graceland.uwaterloo.ca