I am severely disappointed with Penn State's position with regards to the Napster situation. I feel that President Spanier and others have buckled under pressure before all of the facts surrounding the case have come to light.

First, Napster has not been shut down by any court at this time. Suits with various artists may be pending, but legal difficulty should not prevent Penn State students from using the program. If Napster were shut down, I would be able to understand the university's policy of banning all MP3 sites, but without a legal precedent, President Spanier is wrong.

Second, what right does Penn State, or any other institution have, to decide what I can and cannot put on my own hard drive on my personal computer? They do not have that right, but President Spanier has taken the liberty to assert the authority to stop our personal freedoms at an institution that is built on free thought and rights. If the FBI has no interest in what is on my hard drive, neither should you, President Spanier.

Third, I feel the only reason Napster is a problem is the fear of a lawsuit. President Spanier seems to have no problem leaving copyrighted video games and pornography on the network. This hypocritical stance clearly illustrates a knee-jerk reaction to the legal papers sent to Penn State.

Fourth, Penn State has increased tuition again this year. I have been forced to automatically pay the "Information Technology Fee" and "Student Activity Fee" to attend Penn State. If those fees are meant to cover my use of a computer, or to cover the charges to connect to the server, then I have paid and should be left alone. President Spanier, when you go to a hotel, and you pay for your room, and they tell you that they have to take your bed because of a possible legal issue with the mattress manufacturer, and you have to sleep on the floor, are you a fully satisfied customer?

Fifth, I am sure that if the research is done properly, a direct line can be found stemming from the artists suing Napster and threatening Penn State to their parent company and down to the major contributing companies to Penn State, such as Nike or Pepsi. If so, there would be an alarming conflict of interest that President Spanier would need to account for publicly.

President Spanier, I hope you take the time to consider what I have written and reconsider Penn State's position on the Napster situation.