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By Sergio Santamaria / Editor’s Assistant
By Sergio Santamaria / Editor’s Assistant
The Riverside City College library is where most students go to check out a book, to copy some papers, and to do the usual studying with a couple of buddies. The biggest reason people go to the RCC library is to use the computers. Many people don’t have internet access in their home or even own a computer. So the RCC library computers are there to help that situation, but this recent occurrence might just ruin it for many people. A few students have been caught watching pornography in the library, and the question is if the library should put up filters on the computers.
A computer filter is no different than any other filter. It does exactly as it says, it filters. In this case it would be installed to filter out all of the pornographic sites. In other words block everyone out from sites they shouldn’t be on. The filter is inexpensive and can be installed overnight to every computer in the library, and the program will be controlled through a main computer through administration.
They will be able to control every computer the software is on and know exactly what web sites they are currently on. This will be a pain for the administration to undergo, but will this affect every other student using the computers for work or important projects?
There are a big number of RCC students who depend on the library computers for their rescue. Let’s say a student has a paper to do for his Anatomy class, but he doesn’t have internet. He then goes over to the RCC library to gather up on some information. He was able to get a couple of facts, but he wasn’t able to go into the sites his teacher recommended. They all came up “Blocked Site,” and this is due to the computers filter. This will become a big issue for medical web sites and artistic pages, but a much bigger issue for RCC students.
Take into consideration the students who will use the computers for work and occasionally checking their e-mail, is filtering really necessary? Yes, there are a handful of students who watched pornography before they were caught, but there is a good bunch more that will get caught off guard. Probably the biggest reason it wouldn’t be right to install filters is because it is unfair. It is quite unnecessary and embarrassing for the school district to have to be undergoing such a procedure. There should be another way to take hold of this situation unless it’s the only choice.
RCC students who use the library for their computers will be experiencing the change. Either the administration can go through every web site and make sure they are inappropriate, or they will be blocking needed web sites for many students. Computer filters will be the only solution to the RCC library, and let’s hope the public library won’t be the solution for other students.
