This is an administrative message to HOCKEY-L.  Please take a moment to
read it, it is very important.
 
(Sometime soon I will be posting some excerpts from the WELCOME to draw
your attention to suggested guidelines for INFO-HOCKEY-L, but here I will
deal with two related issues first.)
 
PART ONE (of two): POSTING HEARSAY INFORMATION
I certainly don't wish to single out JohnP for his post in response to my
question about BC, but it reminded me of an issue I had wanted to address
to the list.
 
Occasionally some of us come across information which may be true but which
may also not be intended for "public knowledge".  In particular, sometimes
this information is "hearsay" and has not actually been publicized by the
school.  Usually there is a good reason for this - often it is information
of a personal nature to one or more individuals and does not really need to
be known by anyone else.
 
My stand on this as admin is as follows:
 
Do not post hearsay information of a personal nature unless it has been
publicized and verified by the school.
 
I believe strongly that particularly in matters where disciplinary action
is involved, if the school wishes to deal with the matter privately, we
should respect their decision to do so.  HOCKEY-L is a very public forum,
and we cannot forget that.
 
An example of this arose about 5 years ago when Merrimack suspended two
players for disciplinary action and issued a release stating this and
nothing more.  I did happen to know what the transgressions were, but I
respected the school's wishes and only posted what was stated in the
release.  This is what I want other people to do.
 
However, I will also say that once in the past, when I was young and stupid
:-), I was guilty of violating this basic tenet and the result was a bit
embarrassing, something I would not want any of you to have to deal with.
It was resolved, but I still learned a valuable lesson.
 
Sometimes things happen and the reasons for the discipline *are* publicized
to some extent - not to use BC again as an example, but this happened last
year when several players were suspended for going to a previously
forbidden off-campus establishment.  Some of the details were made public
either through the school's release or through statements made by
individuals to the press, such as, if I remember correctly, Coach Jerry
York.
 
You should always state your (publically-obtainable) source for such
information.  If nothing else, it lends credence to the story and it also
allows you to point out that the information was indeed publicized.
 
I'm certain that no ill well was intended by the post, but this is still
something that I would like us all to remember.
 
PART TWO: PERSONAL ATTACKS
The second part of this post deals with personal attacks on individuals
that are posted to HOCKEY-L or INFO-HOCKEY-L.  This is another issue I have
been meaning to address but which I do not believe the above-mentioned post
falls into (just to clarify).
 
In the past, at times, we have seen people let their emotions get the
better of them and post what amounted to personal attacks on people
involved in the game - most often referees, but also coaches and players
among others.
 
Fortunately, we have not seen any of that in the game recap posts made this
weekend (btw, great job, everybody).  However, this is my stand as list
admin on this issue:
 
*NO* personal attacks will be tolerated upon anyone in any post made to
HOCKEY-L or INFO-HOCKEY-L.
 
Criticism of decisions made by referees or coaches and actions of coaches
or players is certainly okay, given that you provide a basis for your
criticism and that you do not take the criticism to a personal level.  I
believe that in the past, there have been entirely too many unwarranted
attacks upon referees in particular, and I want this to remain a thing of
the past.  I also believe the criticism of officiating has been overdone,
but I do not wish to prevent people from making valid criticisms when it
should be mentioned.
 
A good rule of thumb to follow is: do not post anything about anyone which
you would not want that person to read and which you would not say to that
individual in person if you had the opportunity.
 
Some of us are a little more brash than others :-) and might be willing to
say things others wouldn't, but I still ask you to consider that these are
real people we're talking about, not faceless entities, and for many of us,
we really don't know these people other than what we see on the ice.  And
in many cases, the individual in question will see or hear of your
comments, and it gives this forum a black eye that I know none of us wish
it to have.
 
And although I hope this is never necessary, I will close by reminding
everyone that the list admins, myself included, reserve the right to take
whatever action we feel is required when personal attacks occur on the
lists.  This is a matter we take very seriously.  The lists are meant to be
a place for people to enjoy exchanging information about and discussing a
sport we all love.  Personal attacks do nothing other than to hinder that
enjoyment for us.
 
Please feel free to email me if you have any questions or comments.
 
Thank you for reading this far, and thank you for your efforts in helping
to make the College Hockey Lists the great environment they have become!
 
---                                                                   ---
Mike Machnik                   [log in to unmask]            *HMM* 11/13/93
>> Co-owner of the College Hockey Lists at University of Maine System  <<
*****       Unofficial Merrimack Hockey home page located at:       *****
*****   http://www.tiac.net/users/machnik/MChockey/MChockey.html    *****
 
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