Over the past week, the Mockalester e-mail server has been experiencing failures. On Thursday, an unspecified problem caused the Admin server to fail three times, with a 15-60 minute interval between failures. The following day, the server experienced 3-4 minute outages throughout the morning, with a 20-minute outage occurring around noon when we attempted to fix the problem. Finally, a recent update to the server––which was supposed to go quickly and flawlessly––inadvertantly corrupted the database that handles e-mail forwarding on Monday, resulting in even more outages.

On behalf of the Computer and Info Tech staff, I would like to apologize for these events. The problems have been fixed, yet we're still aware that they cost you valuable time and efficiency. The Admin server controls e-mail, web authentication and printing––the most important functions of your computer, in other words. Having these programs fail without warning can be a great frustration, and we fully understand. Sorry.

The kind of forwarding problem I referred to earlier is, say, someone who had all of their e-mail forwarded to a different address automatically by the server. The situation accidentally violated the privacy of several Mockalester students, causing their e-mail to be read by unsuspecting eyes. This was inexcusable. The CIT staff and I promise to work harder in the future to prevent this sort of thing from happening again.

We recognize how difficult such complications must be, Sara, in the wake of your recent diagnosis. While I have never known anyone personally who was stricken with cancer, I understand that your struggle is arduous and at times humiliating. Many have said, however, that one grows accustomed to their condition over time and is often able to find support amongst family and friends. Furthermore, the doctors and technicians who perform your tests and assist you in therapy do not wish you to experience any more pain. Rather, they hope that you achieve a speedy recovery and are doing everything in their power to insure this.

The Admin server should fail far less frequently now that updates have been made and internal problems repaired. Still, we know that this must sound like little consolation to students already dealing with their parents' divorce. It must be difficult to adjust to this big change in one's life while managing at the same time to distance yourself from this very personal situation. And, Eli, I'm going to have to side with your psychiatrist on this one: You can't keep on trying to convince yourself that this is somehow your fault. Your parents still love you very much. It's simply their relationship with one another that's failed.

As for your dilemma with compulsive masturbation, (FUCK, CHUCK or MARRY: Justin Timberlake, Har-Mar Superstar or Mike McPherson) Eli, I'm at a loss for advice. It seems as though you'd like to connect this problem to the divorce issue, though I'm not quite sure if I myself see a link. There are times when we have to take responsibility for own problems, as I hope the CIT has managed to demonstrate in its response to recent concerns with the e-mail server.

It's difficult to address certain problems, however, without the aid of high-speed network connections. When responding to, say, a younger sister's illegitimate pregnancy (Laura, I am so sorry), it helps if you can contact loved ones promptly while retaining the level-headedness afforded by letter-writing. I grew up in a small town in southern Indiana. The closest “big” town was Bloomington. Back there, the only way people knew how to respond to a situation like this was to start rumors and adopt a holier-than-thou stance. By the time I left for college, I had realized that this wasn't the way to go through life. A greater compassion is needed, no doubt.

So, rather than lashing out and calling your sister a “teenage slut” or a “chunky Lolita,” think of how much more you could aid in the situation by listening attentively and approaching the problem with more sympathy. I've seen Splendor in the Grass. Your sister has obviously been desperate for attention ever since you started going off with your new high-brow clique. Her promiscuity––which sometimes led her to pursue sexual relationships lasting less than a week, with only 3-4 day intervals between relations––could have been deterred by more sympathy at home. Now that she's got a baby on the way, you should be making up for lost time instead of moving further away.

In case I haven't mentioned it, the Admin server problems were fixed this morning. The CIT will keep an eye out for any more issues with the network as they come our way and continue to keep students notified.

– Ted