On Wednesday October 17th, Yeshiva's MIS Department officially suspended Sy Syms senior Jon Ackerman's Resnet network connection, in response to a Sony Music Corporation letter to Yeshiva officials informing them that a network-user had violated intellectual property law by pirating software. Although the memo divulged no specific name, it contained an IP address - a computer's distinct information, which functions much like a fingerprint, leaving a mark automatically captured by a host computer when making Internet communications links. MIS officials claim that this IP address matched Ackerman's computer.

The Sony missive contends that a network user illegally downloaded the Michael Jackson song, You Rock My World, using Aimster, a popular Internet file sharing server. After determining the source of the bootlegging, MIS decided against directly informing Ackerman of his alleged breach in university protocol - which prohibits the use of file sharing software on the network - and terminated his connection indefinitely.

Ackerman and his roommate Michael Gottlieb awoke to find a non-functioning network link. They initially consulted with the Office of Student Finances, assuming that the suspension may have had financial underpinnings. Upon ascertaining his financial clearance, Ackerman than sought out MIS officials, who afforded him a terse "don't call us, we'll call you."

Later that day, Avi Rosman, the Coordinator of Student Services, informed Ackerman of the alleged problem, instructing him to bring his laptop to a meeting slated to take place that afternoon. "I didn't know what he was talking about," related a bewildered Ackerman. "I was as guilty of downloading illegal software as every other student at YU who uses the network, but I never even used Aimster. Why were they singling me out?"

Arriving at the meeting, Ackerman confronted Fred Trickey, the University Information Security Administrator, Ernest McNamee, the Commander of University Operations, and Rosman. Although Ackerman asserted his innocence, the officials persisted in demanding to inspect his laptop. After scrupulously scrutinizing his PC, MIS personnel came up empty-handed, locating neither the Aimster software nor the suspected MP3 file. Furthermore, Ackerman even proved that the IP address identified in the Sony letter was incongruent with the address tagged to his computer.

This inability to match up IP Addresses competently raises doubts as to the department's efficiency. "How can they dare accost someone, when they can't even turn out correct records," asked one Yeshiva College junior upon hearing of the affair.

Furthermore, despite the potentially exculpatory evidence, security demanded that Ackerman write a letter of apology to Sony, consent to signing a document obliging him to follow MIS protocol, erase all copyrighted files, and agree to allow MIS personnel to conduct random computer inspections.

Although the MIS department, the Office of Safety and Security, and the Office of Student Services refused to comment on the matter, Ackerman was a little more forthcoming. "I didn't even get a chance to defend myself," he seethed. "Every time I tried to say something I kept on getting interrupted. My rights were totally ignored and Student Services didn't seem to care."

Refusing to comply with consequences he deemed "entirely unjust," he was told to leave the room momentarily. After the interlude, Rosman, who admitted that he was not computer savvy and thus could be of little assistance, proposed that he simply erase all illegal files on his computer and sign the letter of apology to Sony. Ackerman agreed to the compromise on condition that MIS restore his Internet connection immediately. Because Rosman could not guarantee Internet reinstatement until the following Monday, Ackerman left the office with the situation unresolved.

"At this point," recalls Ackerman, "I just wanted to get my Resnet up and running. I was sick and tired of them mistreating me. These people are supposed to work for their students. And if they refused to immediately restore my Internet, why should I have agreed to their demands for something I never did anyways," he grumbled.

That evening, Associate Dean of Students Chaim Nissel contacted Ackerman again proposing the same terms. Although Ackerman vouched for his innocence, "Nissel told me that he had no knowledge of computers and that, as a result, he would not help me," recalls Ackerman. "He also admitted that he knew my roommate's students rights had been stripped when he lost his Internet connection. He knew this and he told me he was going to do absolutely nothing about it."

Gottlieb, a Syms Management Major, who was implicated only because he shared a room with the suspect, deplored the administrative response. "This whole thing doesn't surprise me in the least. YU doesn't care about its students," raged Gottlieb. "And Student Services, well they are a disservice; they lack the proper ability to adequately represent the students."

While Ackerman did eventually agree to the terms set-forth by Rosman and Nissel, he condemned the administrative reaction. "They treated me like dirt, giving me no rights whatsoever," he said. "This is a dictatorship, whatever they say goes. They show me that we students have no rights here even though we are the ones paying to be here.