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Jan. '95 Board Candidate Survey
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Jan 23 23:26 UTC 1995 |
Ajax's January 1995 Board Candidacy Survey
This is a 27-question survey e-mailed to the board candidates on Tuesday,
January 17, 1995, in the evening. Responses received by noon on Saturday,
January 21 were collated for easy reading, and are presented below. Typos
may be mine or the candidates'.
The questions are designed to differentiate candidates. Most of the questions
below intentionally concern controversial issues. There are a small number
of personal questions.
Answers are listed by login id of the candidates:
carl: Carl T. Miller
kentn: Kent Stefl Nassen
popcorn: Valerie Mates
robh: Robert Henderson
scg: Steve Gibbard
srw: Steven R. Weiss
tsty: TS Taylor
Candidates: Please answer with your personal opinion. If you would vote
differently from your opinion (for example if most Grex members disagreed
with you), you can mention that too. Elaborate on yes/no questions as you
see fit. Keep responses to two 70-character lines or less. Longer responses
will be truncated.
Disclaimer: I live with a candidate, but this survey is designed to be as
objective as possible. I'm a Grex member, and have never run for the board.
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Post-survey addendum: Deadline was extended until today (1/23) due to downtime
during survey period. Responses that were long (more than two 70-character
lines) were truncated without a line mentioning the truncation (it's generally
pretty obvious). One candidate interpreted two questions in the same number
(e.g., question #5) as warranting two 2-line answers, and declined paring the
answers down.
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General Questions
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1. Describe yourself. Examples: age, hobbies, what you spend your days doing.
carl I am 39, single and work as a repairman for the Ann Arbor Public
Schools. I'm also a student of life, spirituality and computers.
kentn Age 38; doctoral candidate in business at UM; hobbies computers, read-
ing, etc.; I work as a Grad Student, Data Archive Specialist, and Res.
popcorn I'm a computer programmer, Grex staffer, former chair of Grex's
board, and I plan to open a new business in the next few months.
robh I'm 26 years old, and my hobbies include reading, programming,
and hitting people with wooden sticks.
scg I'm a computer and bike addict, and have been Grexing for over two
years. I also am a student at Community High and work for the U of M.
srw Age 49 and I am a Computer Scientist at Comshare, Inc. Hobbies include
Grex, writing shareware, investing, skiing, playing music, math, more.
tsty Age is inconsequential; hobbies are computers, hardware electronics,
tutoring and learning more. Time spent trying to make an honest dollar
2. What are your strengths and weaknesses? (Ok, that's the last of the stock
questions!)
carl I have good diplomatic/people skills and can become assertive when it
is appropriate. Main weakness: becoming over-committed in projects.
kentn Have managed people, operated a small business, I like solving prob-
lems, and have a business education. Who in their right mind lists wea
popcorn Strengths: Technical skills, people skills, familarity with Grex.
Weaknesses: Possible time crunch if I ever get a life off-line.
robh Strengths - I know a lot about Unix and how to use Grex in general.
Weaknesses - Hardware. Don't ask, I can't tell.
scg My greatest weakness at this point seems to be in writing short enough
answers for this survey.
srw Strengths: software expert, technologist, established professional,
Experienced Grex Staffer. Weaknesses: nitpicker, source of technodrift
tsty Quite well trained for analysis and synthesis of integrated systems,
both mechanical and personal. Sometimes I forget to eat.
3. Generally, if you had no opinion on a board issue, 90% of Grex members felt
one way, and 90% of non-paying users felt the opposite, how would you vote?
carl There is no way I'd not have an opinion. I would trust my sense of
awareness/judgement and vote according.
kentn Depends, it's not always a popularity contest. I'd try to take all
points of view into consideration, as well as what is feasible and bes
popcorn I honestly don't know how I'd handle this. It would depend on the
specifics of the issue.
robh I would ask the non-paying users why they opposed the issue, and
see if I could change things to please both groups.
scg I probably wouldn't notice who was paying and who wasn't, so I would
probably vote with the greater number or best arguments.
srw I would vote with the members as I represent them on the board.
Since Grex is a charitable place, I'd expect this to be very rare.
tsty For the members given only the conditions listed.
4. If you had a very strong opinion on a board issue, but it was opposite to
the opinion of 90% of Grex members and non-paying users, how would you vote?
carl First, I would talk and listen as much as possible before the vote.
Only in an emergency would I override others wishes.
kentn Depends, it's not always a popularity contest, I'd try to take all
points of view into consideration, as well as what is feasible and bes
popcorn Again it would depend on the issue. Possibly relevant: I'm not a
strong proponent of Grex's move, yet I'm putting a big effort into it.
robh Unless it involved Grex doing something illegal or dangerous
to the system, I would support what the users want.
scg The board has to represent the members. I would argue in coop for
my position, but would vote for what the members want.
srw If I had a strong opinion, It would be because of a good reason. I
would second-guess myself a lot, and then vote my opinion if it held.
tsty For my position; persuation is slow. I'm willing to be wrong. Remember
please, that unanimity is unnecessary, often counterproductive.
Realistic Issues (in the survey writer's opinion)
-------------------------------------------------
5. Should a Grex user who won't reveal their true identity to anyone, but pays
member dues, receive voting rights? Should s/he receive all member rights?
carl Yes, if s/he reveals self to staff. Otherwise, no, for security
reasons since we are on the internet.
kentn Yes. Pursuant to whatever policies we have regarding identification
for Internet access, yes.
popcorn Current policy says the user can have voting rights but not Internet
access. I'm comfortable with this policy.
robh No. It's fine with me if the Treasurer is the only one who knows
who they are, but *someone* has to know.
scg Voting rights, probably (if that's legal). Internet
access is a different story, due to the need for authentication.
srw No, No. I support anonymity as a feature of Grex, but not giving
individuals a way to buy votes or purchase access to repeatedly spam
tsty Yes; yes.
6. Do you think Grex should seek 501(c)3 non-profit status, barring major
legal hurdles? Should a lawyer be hired to resolve questions? (coop item 32)
carl At this point I'm in favor of the idea. A lawyer could be hired if/
when it seems appropriate, after considering alternatives.
kentn If 501(c)3 status will help Grex's donators and increase donations,
yes, though right now it doesn't seem to be holding us back. I think w
popcorn Seeking 501(c)3 status is a good idea. If a lawyer's time is
affordable, hiring a lawyer is worth considering.
robh Yes, and I'll go a step further and suggest we look seriously at
re-incorporating as a cooperative in the legal sense.
scg Tax exempt status is good, if we can get it. Still, we should do
what's good for Grex, even if that puts 501(c)3 in jeopardy.
srw Yes, we should seek this.
No, I don't believe it should require hiring a lawyer.
tsty Yes; eventually yes.
7. In the first half of 1994, did you favor moving Grex from its old location
to its new location? Do you favor the move today?
carl Yes. ;-) Yes, even after my back and feet started complaining.
kentn Yes. The staff needed 24 hour access and a better environment.
Yes. We still need the access, etc.
popcorn Then and now, I don't think the move is urgent. Other people do. It
will be good to be done and have more staff energy for other projects.
robh Yes, and yes. Limited access to the hardware is the biggest problem
the Grex staff has these days, and I want to resolve that.
scg I didn't know much about the issue then, but if I had known about it I
would have supported it. I also support the move now.
srw I have always favored it and still do.
tsty I favored moving Grex as soon as possible and with the grateful recog-
nition of the benefits that Ken Ascher has allowed us. Still yes.
8. What proposed approach did you like best for solving the problem of not
reaching quorum during the most recent election? (coop items 54 & others)
carl I liked the idea of amending the bylaws concerning quorum and
having a new election.
kentn Removal of all voting quorums, except those applying to board session
votes.
popcorn I favored lowering or eliminating quorums. Quorums force uninterested
people to cast uninformed votes & allow some strange voting loopholes.
robh My preferred approach was allowing members to abstain. But
I was also in favor or srw's proposal to eliminate quorums.
scg The voted on policy was the best choice at the time. Now we need
to see if it needs improvement.
srw I proposed the abandonment of quorums.
tsty Leading with ideas for discussion, and generating more ideas from
other people.
9. What, if anything, should be done when a user's login id or name offends
many users and members (e.g., "Kill A. Fag", "peniscutter", or much worse)?
carl I'd like to hear what others say before deciding. I like having
an open system with appropriate response to offensive behaviour.
kentn Ignore it. They're mostly trying to get a rise out of people.
Social pressure is best in this case. Also, educate about rseps.
popcorn Talk to them and explain problem, ask them to change name. It's a
tough question of freedom of speech vs. freedom to not be offended.
robh Absolutely nothing. I despise censorship, even when the material
offends me. I.e. someone named "Kill a Witch".
scg Grex shouldn't censor except in very extreme cases. Changed names have
aroused some anger, but not created real problems.
srw This should be decided by the community on an individual basis.
It has been handled that way in the past, and it should continue.
tsty Engage in direct and continuous communications with the baby. Lobby
for a change. Consider alternatives including a chase if necessary.
10. If an item contained very personal information about a person who wanted
it removed, do you think it should be removed? If so, who should decide?
carl This could be a case-by-case decision. I'd like to see individual
decisions made by staff with policy guidance by the Grex community.
kentn If the item was a potential legal liability for Grex, we should
consider removing it. The board should decide, based on the person's r
popcorn Another tough question. I think it should be removed, but beware of
slipping to censorship. User consensus & affected user should decide.
robh As long as the information wasn't being used to hurt the other
person, no, don't remove it.
scg Censorship should be very rare, but it would have to depend on the
case. The big question would be whether something was libelous.
srw Again this needs determination individually, but it is a little
different. Fast action is more helpful here, to be undone if needed.
tsty Yes; the person who is victimized and requested such, as the precept
to this question, makes the final decision.
11. Do you think that Grex should accept dues by credit card? If so, would
you be willing to be Treasurer, doing the added work involved? (coop item 71)
carl I think that would be a great option. I personally wouldn't be
able to devote the time to being treasurer at this time.
kentn If problems related to security can be minimized, the user fees and
the costs to Grex (including time) aren't excessive, yes.
popcorn Yes. Though danr does a great job as treasurer and I'd be delighted
if he would be willing to continue.
robh If someone else wants to implement a credit-card ability for Grex,
that's fine. But I would not devotre my time to doing it myself.
scg I don't have time to be Treasurer. Accepting credit cards would be
nice, but I wouldn't force it on an unwilling Treasurer.
srw This is not worth the trouble, in my opinion.
tsty +Could+, not necessarily +should+. It seems like too much grief though
12. If a staff member refuses to help implement some board decisions based
solely on their personal disagreement with the decisions, what should the
board do? Would you feel the same if Grex had a large staff? (coop item 59)
carl I'd like to see the board and staff get together and seek resolution
on the specific issue as well as decision-making/implementation.
kentn Depends if other staff can and are willing to implement the decision.
In general, find someone else to do it, after reconsidering staff's op
popcorn Talk to the staffer. See if other staffers can & will do the work.
Maybe find more staffers. If larger staff, I'd still feel this way.
robh I'd ask the other staff members if they would do it, and I'd ask the
staff members to attend a Board meeting and discuss things thoroughly
scg Volunteers don't have to do what they don't want to do. If no staff
will do something, help from another volunteer might be worth seeking.
srw Nothing unless all staff members refused. Then staff and board should
have a meeting to iron this out. If impossible, get a new staff.
tsty Find a staff member with less disagreement, if possible. Yes, a larger
staff (larger for other reasons) provides wider opinion range.
Less Realistic Issues (in the survey writer's opinion)
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13. If 4,096 new Grex users were going to log on, would you personally prefer
that they were all from SE Michigan, all from the U.S. (evenly distributed),
or distributed evenly throughout the international internet community?
carl I'd like to see a diverse mixture of people who like to be here.
To me, their location is irrelevant.
kentn Yes.
popcorn Maybe 2048 local to Ann Arbor/Ypsi and 2048 spread evenly around the
world? Both types of user are appreciated!!
robh It doesn't matter to me.
scg Locals can give us a stronger sense of community, but non locals can
bring a broader perspective. Out of 4K Grexers, I'd like some of both.
srw I would like an equal mix of local, state, US, and international
users.
tsty I would not prefer an "evenly distributed" geography. Grex is not
going to be all things to all people, therefore a Grex niche.
14. Considering Grex's current budget and membership, do you think membership
dues should be changed from their current levels? If so, in which direction?
carl At this time, dues seem okay. I'd be willing to consider changes if
folks thought it would be a good idea.
kentn No. Our current dues structure is fair and reasonable.
popcorn Dues are OK where they are. Possibly, if Grex had a really big
surplus, dues could be lowered, but that's an unlikely event!
robh No. We're generating a surplus now. (And hopefully setting some
aside in case we stop making money later.)
scg Membership dues seem to be working quite well as they are. I don't
see a reason for changing them.
srw I think the dues do not need to be changed.
tsty No change needed.
15. If a known Grex member obtained root, used it evilly, and was clearly
caught, what should be done (other than fixing however they got root)?
carl I'd like to see staff (with guidance from the board and the community)
handle the situation appropriately (ie, attempt to dialog, then act).
kentn Contact the proper authorities, if by "evilly" you mean with
malicious intent and knowledge of the harm their actions would cause.
popcorn Depending on the situation, I'd favor either asking the cops for help
or talking to the user. Repeat offenders, definitely cops.
robh That's the point at which I would want someone booted off the system.
scg That would have to be looked at if it happened, but causing damage
should be treated seriously.
srw If a crime were committed by the evil act, I would support turning
anyone caught over to the civil authorities.
tsty There could be some sort of sanction invoked, based on the "evil." And
I would thank her for showing us a leak in the system.
16. If a qualified person volunteered for staff, but current staff objected
for non-performance-related reasons, would you still appoint them to staff?
carl I'd want to have a discussion with all appropriate parties before
making any decision.
kentn What "non-performance-related reasons"? I'd like to think we have
room on our staff for diversity, but they do have to work together.
popcorn No. Staff needs to be able to work together. I trust staff's
collective judgement. I think this situation is unlikely to occur.
robh Yes. The most I would do is suggest that they work on different
projects.
scg Staff being able to work together is essential for staff to work well.
Staff should play a very big role in the decision.
srw It would depend on the reasons that staff brought forward. I would
want staff to provide some very good reasons.
tsty Possibly so, delicate balance here, appointment, if effected, would
not be immediate. Take the time to work over the problems first.
Internet/Usenet Issues ("censorship" here means barring access from Grex)
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17. Do you think ftp and telnet access should be opened up to all validated
users? If not, would you if Grex's internet connection quadrupled in speed?
carl That's something I'd like to see one day. I trust it will happen
when we're ready for it to happen.
kentn Yes.
popcorn No to both, though I'd be willing to try it if Grex's internet
connection were a *lot* faster and users strongly favored it.
robh Right now, no. If we had the resources, yes I would, though I don't
even think that a quadrupling would be enough.
scg Not at this point, and a 4x increase in speed still might not be
enough, but with a big enough increase it should be considered.
srw No. Not even at full T1 speeds. I believe that we offer a huge amount
for free, and will benefit by keeping a "carrot" for membership.
tsty No; no.
18. Do you support the policy of allowing all users to read usenet, and all
validated users to post to usenet (when usenet is working)? (coop item 26)
carl Yes.
kentn Yes.
popcorn Sure!
robh Absolutely. I've found another source for Usenet, but I still
want Usenet back on Grex as soon as possible.
scg Unlike FTP, this won't slow Grex down much, so I support it.
srw Yes, I do.
tsty Yes, no.
19. If a validated user *insisted* (despite discussions) on repeatedly
posting commercial ads to unrelated usenet newsgroups, what should be done?
carl Have staff dialog (with guidance from board and community) with user
and look into options on case-by-case basis.
kentn Remove posting privileges, although "commercial ads" is a grey area.
Responsible net behavior is a requirement for the privilege of access.
popcorn Give several warnings, then revoke their Usenet posting access.
robh Nuke the accounts. Period. Spammers are worse than hackers, IMHO.
scg Grex has to be a good neighbor on the net. In extreme cases
cutting off access for the user might be necessary.
srw Access to usenet should be removed to prevent such continued abuse.
It could be done temporarily or permanently, depending on situation.
tsty Make it much more difficult for that pern to post, in any of a variety
of ways.
20. Would you favor censorship of newsgroups that contained pictures of
rembrandt paintings, even though half the postings infringed on copyrights?
carl At this point, yes, especially if there are legal implications.
kentn I would favor the blocking of newsgroups *because* of the postings
that unfringed on copyrights. (That creates a possible legal problem f
popcorn Yes. I'd like to see Grex stay legal.
robh Yes. I oppose censorship, but I also oppose Grex being confiscated
by the police and remaining in impound for a year.
scg Rembrandt paintings are old enough that copyright laws don't apply to
them, as far as I know.
srw Yes, Grex cannot participate in illegal acts. If we know a group
regularly carries some copyright violations, we shouldn't carry it.
tsty Yes, unless it was an accidental posting.
21. Would you favor censorship of newsgroups that contained pictures that are
copyright-free, but that depicted deviant sexual acts such as beastiality?
carl At this point, yes.
kentn Not unless the pictures broke a law Grex would be punishable under and
the newsgroups showed us reason to expect they'd continue in the pract
popcorn Yes, I think so, even though it blurs some lines that are currently
very clear-cut by Grex's current policies.
robh If there were a foolproof way to guarantee that they were copyright
free, I would want anyone who was of legal age to have access to those
scg If Grex gets into News censorship for other than legal reasons, there
is no telling where it could lead. Censorship is not a good idea.
srw This is a matter of community standards. The Grex community is pretty
permissive on these matters, and I can live with that.
tsty Yes, unless the posting was in error.
22. Would you favor censorship of newsgroups that often contain explicit
written fantasies of abducting, molesting, and murdering young children?
carl At this point, yes.
kentn No, not unless such writings leave Grex liable under law. In general,
I am against censorship, but try to remain wary of legal pitfalls.
popcorn I don't know. I would be more in favor of getting rid of pictures
than text, but this is a difficult question.
robh No, but I sure as Hecate wouldn't read them.
scg Are those legal? If they are, as painful as it is, Grex should not
be in the censorship business.
srw Same as 21 above, except that this might go beyond the standards of
our little community. I would be comfortable with censoring then.
tsty Yes, unless the postng were an accident
Fiscal/Technical Questions
--------------------------
23. If Grex's main CPU needed replacement in a year, would you favor buying
another Sun, or changing to a Pentium or other platform? (coop item 59)
carl I'd want to hear from others (especially staff) before deciding.
At this time, I'd lean toward a pc platform.
kentn The Sun path seems to be preferred by staff (and they have to maintain
it), so I'd strongly consider staying with Sun equipment.
popcorn I'd favor choosing whichever is more powerful and less expensive at
the time.
robh If we have the person-power, yes, I favor switching to an x86 based
architecture.
scg It's the staff who would notice the difference. That's a technical
issue that the board should defer to the staff on.
srw Probably stick with Sun to keep a Sparc update path for Grex, but go
with Intel boxes for supporting hosts. (I don't feel strongly, tho.)
tsty Stay with Sun.
24. Hypothetically, if Grex had $5500 in its bank account, no unpaid bills,
and the options below cost $1250 each, which would *you* favor purchasing?
Ignore installation considerations (these are hypothetical). If you choose
four items, you'll have $500 for operating costs, though you may want to
keep more for emergencies or other projects. Remember, answer in two lines!
1. Add 2.5 gigabytes of disk space
2. Add 5 more modems and phone lines for one year
3&4. Buy a 486, 16Mb RAM, 1Gb disk, and 9600 baud internet for one year for
a usenet news feed (3&4 meaning for a hypothetical $2500).
5&6. Buy a high speed terminal server, six 14.4 kbps modems, and one year
of six phone lines, for six high-speed dial-in lines. (Again, $2500).
6. Buy a UPS that would keep Grex running during 2 hours of power outage
7. Donate $1250 to charities
8. Double Grex's CPU speed (this is admittedly a little vague)
9. Double Grex's internet connection bandwidth for one year
10. Double Grex's RAM, from 64 megs to 128 megs
11. Make Grex available from Merit's "Which Host?" prompt for one year?
12. Pay $1250 in dividends to current members
carl I like the idea of 3&4, 8 and 9. Of course, if/when decision time
came, I'd listen to what others have to say.
kentn 8, 9, 11, save the rest for emergencies, other smaller projects, and
operating costs.
popcorn First is faster net connection and faster Grex itself. Do this with
9 and 8, then maybe 11, 2 or 3&4. Save rest of money for emergencies.
robh 12 is a joke, right? I would select 3&4, 9, and keep the
rest in case of an emergency.
scg All would be nice, but I would want advice from staff before making
a decision.
srw (3&4) Usenet, and (9) Internet connection increase. I'd add more
modems (2) also if the about-to-be added ones weren't enough.
tsty First: Terminal server & HS modei; second: 64 Meg more RAM; third: UPS
to run Grex for 2 powerless hours; fourth: cash reserve
25. Do you think any large non-emergency expenditures like the above should
be voted on by the membership, or voted on just by the board?
carl As long as our board tends to consider the membership's desires, a
board decision is okay by me.
kentn The board, with the advice of the membership and users via conference
and board meeting public discussion well prior to the decision.
popcorn I'd want to see lots of membership input and discussion, though not
necessarily a membership vote. Board should follow member consensus.
robh I'd favor discussing the options in Co-op, and possibly Agora,
and then having the Board vote, keeping in mind what the users want.
scg The Board is there so the members won't have to vote. If a member
disagrees with the board decision, they can call a vote.
srw The board.
tsty Advice from the membership, voted on by the board.
Conclusion
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26. What issues do you want the board to vote on in your first 100 days of
office? (Don't worry, this isn't a binding Contract with Grexmerica).
carl I'm not aware of anything that I would "push" for at this point. I'd
like appropriate decisions to be made or not made at appropriate times
kentn Expanding the role of staff. Staff training. Formal planning for ex-
pansion. Methods to increase donations and members. Buy new equipment.
popcorn Budgeting and planning.
robh Deciding what direction we want Grex to go in, and choosing our
hardware and software modifications accordinglly.
scg Grex needs better long term planning an a system to make sure people
know about upcoming elections.
srw Allocation of funds for a workable Usenet solution.
Informal association with HVCN, and possibly internet link expansion.
tsty The move was about the only thing needing a swift kick.Next, *I* would
appreciate a vote program that has NO method of vote/voter connnection
27. Do you have any parting comments or disclaimers about this survey or your
answers (e.g., questions are biased/irrelevent, too long, not enough time)?
carl It was just right. Concise answers are easier to work with and will
lead (I hope) to a more well-informed decision by the membership.
kentn Yes, all of the above. Not enough space allotted to respond. More than
27 questions. Should have asked earlier. In general, a good idea.
popcorn I had lots more to say on many topics.
Nice idea to do a survey - thanks!
robh None, except thanks for doing this!
scg Due to space restrictions, some answers are overly brief. Please
feel free to ask if you want more information about an answer.
srw Except for question #2, which was dumb, these questions were tough,
but fair. Thanks for doing this, Rob.
tsty Certainly terse in format, nicely direct, pushed some buttons, a lot
of 'hypotheticals,' mandated terse answers; take them in that vein.
Many thanks to those who took the time to respond!! -Rob
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