SA
COMPUTER PROFESSOR UNDER
INVESTIGATION
UTSA Professor Misuses
University Computers
Programs State Equipment
To Boost Dean
And Hillary; Bash Bush;
Promote Marxism
University Yanks
'Inappropriate' Web Pages Following
Exclusive Lightning
Exposé;
University Launches
Internal Investigation;
'Violations' Cited
RG Griffing, SAL Commentary (PARTS
ONE AND TWO)
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RG Griffing, SAL
Editor/Publisher
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Neal R Wagner
UTSA
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A University Of Texas At
San Antonio associate professor who
improperly used State computers for
political and commercial purposes has
apologized for his actions, sort of. Following
an exposé, which appeared in the San
Antonio Lightning on August 22nd, the
official website of Neal Richard
Wagner, assistant chair of UTSA
Computer Sciences, was purged of
dozens of pages because of political
and commercial content. (Click
for copy)
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UTSA rules and regulations ban
employees from using State facilitities and
UTSA's name to further such ventures.
While an individual may feel
that identification with UTSA will add
weight to his or her views on a subject
of personal concern, the involvement of
the University by individuals in a
variety of public issues is not in the
best interest of the University or its
employees and is, in fact, prohibited by
the UT System Board of Regents' Rules and
Regulations.
Wagner violated those
prohibitions, and others, by actively
boosting hundreds of links to other websites
promoting anti-Bush, pro-communist, and
pro-revolutionary agendas. He also advertised
t-shirts and novelties for sale. He endorsed
political candidates.
John Wagner
"Communist John"
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Wagner
also devoted at least 20 of those
State paid links to his son, John
Wagner. (Pictured Left) John
goes by the self-styled name of
"Communist John" and has a
separate website which advocates
communist and marxist ideals, to
which his father's UTSA site linked. (Click
for links)
If that name, John
Wagner, sounds familiar, you may
remember him from his role with the
local Express-News as a contributing
writer and a member of the
Express-News Teen Advisory Board in
2000.
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Neal Wagner's UTSA hosted
webpages also solicited sales from and
contributions to political organizations.
* * *
The website in question was
modified after the Lightning brought its
contents to the attention of David Gabler,
UTSA VP of Communications.
"The web pages ... will be
removed immediately," Gabler told the
Lightning. He agreed that they were a
violation of University rules and regs.
"We are looking into
this," Gabler promised.
Indeed, within half an hour,
those pages had been expunged, though the
Lightning has made "mirrors" of
many of them so that their true nature can be
documented, and not disputed.
* * *
Associate Professor Wagner has
been unavailable for comment, but did issue
an apology on his campus website following
the Lightning's revelations.
Wagner's remarks are reproduced
below:
Special Note: Until
recently, this site contained a few
humorous and satirical links. I agree
that the University of Texas facilities
should only be used for official or
professional business, and I have removed
these links. My intent was only to amuse
my students and capture their interest,
and I apologize to anyone who was
offended.
Let's dissect that
statement, which was issued on Friday.
Editorial comments are in blue.
Special Note: Until
recently, (Friday) this site contained a
few (1200 plus) humorous and satirical
links. (No mention of political or
commercial links) I agree that the
University of Texas facilities should
only be used for official or professional
business, and I have removed these links.
(In fact, the University has removed
those links) My intent was only to amuse
my students and capture their interest,
and I apologize to anyone who was
offended. (Amuse or persuade?)
* * *
The so called apology
doesn't end this inquiry. The words are too
thin, and are obviously intended to minimize
the offense. Many questions remain.
And surely a man of
Professor Wagner's education does not
consider more than a thousand links to
qualify as a "few."
No one questions
Wagner's right to free expression. That is
not the issue here. What is under scrutiny is
Wagner's flagrant and illegal use of State
funds and facilities to build his digital
soapbox.
If the wise scholar
wishes to compare the President to Hitler, or
claim that Bush is the
"Anti-Christ," or extol the virtues
of Marxism and Hillary Clinton, then he is
certainly free to do so. The US Constitution
which he seems so venemously to dislike
guarantees that to him.
But he has no right to
do this propagandizing using public money and
facilities. He has no right to do it in the
name of UTSA. That is wrong. In fact, it is
against the law and a serious abuse of the
trust that he holds.
* * *
How the study of
computer science is furthered by political
views is lost on this writer. Wagner was
hired to teach about computers, not political
ideology. He certainly was NOT hired to hawk
political t-shirts and boxer shorts on
University time and equipment.
UTSA officials must
take a strong stand against such abuse, or
they will have to answer for their lack of
control.
Their actions, or lack
thereof, will be scrutinized. We shall see
what we shall see.
This outrageous
activity at taxpayer expense is unacceptable.
It simply does not compute.
(Click For Part 2)
(Click
Here To Contact UTSA)
(Click
Here To Return To The San Antonio Lightning
Newspaper)
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