Snooping isn’t as fun as you might think. Perhaps the one thing college IT staffers like least about their jobs is when they are ordered to see if faculty or staff members are visiting Web sites forbidden by college policy, such as porn sites.
Technology auditor Cynthia Davis had to do that at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston back in 2003, and told officials that at least 300 university employees were surfing X-rated Web sites. This weekend the Austin American-Statesman reported that the health center fired one employee and placed a written reprimand in the personnel files of nine others.
But Ms. Davis alleges the real retaliation was directed against her. In a lawsuit against the health center, she contends she was pressured to leave her job late in 2003 because of her investigation. Officials vehemently deny that.
The litigation continues. Meanwhile the health center has issued new and stringent guidelines about computer use, including a prohibition against viewing obscene material. —Josh Fischman
