Kiosk off-limits to personals

After a rash of personal ad postings on Kiosk, Director of Client Services Kevin Weidenbaum created a new rule forbidding the posting of such messages.

Kiosk is the computerized message board e-mail users can access and post messages on. Typical messages ask other students for rides to the airport, textbooks, and help with projects.

A message Weidenbaum posted states: "Personal ads (? seeks ? for purposes of ?, implying a sexual liaison) will not be accepted."

About four personal ads were posted, and a few of them were pranks. Weidenbaum, who determines whether a message will be posted or not, said he doesn't have time to check whether submissions to Kiosk are serious. "I don't really need this type of work," he said.

The first message to kick off the deluge sought a bisexual couple wishing to participate in a threesome, and asked that respondants be serious. Another recent message stated: "Meet a boy (such a thrilling prospect, I know).

The Boy in question is my friend Carlos … he's had some bad luck with women in the past, and now he wants to meet/hang out with someone nice and non-threatening."

Weidenbaum's posting also states: "Some `pranks' have already occurred. Yes, this means that a few people have ruined this medium for others."

One of the prank messages sought a sexual partner for a "sturdy" male, and contained an incorrect e-mail address. Weidenbaum said pranks with a sexual content can be hurtful in a way that other advertisements to the wrong person are not. "The last thing I would want to do is hurt somebody," he said.

Weidenbaum said he has no problem with personal ads. He said he received a few complaints about the personal ads, but told the complainants he had no problem with them.

After posting the personal ad rule, Weidenbaum said he received a few complaints about free speech issues.

Weidenbaum also forbids the posting of messages which he deems offensive. He also tries to keep political messages off Kiosk. The rules about Kiosk state: "Announcements should be apolitical in the broadest sense; Kiosk is not a forum for polemics."

About 1 percent of Kiosk messages are censored. Weidenbaum gave an example of a message he decided not to post. The message said, "I'm so glad Valentine's Day is over." Weidenbaum said he thought, "Well, great."

Since the beginning of the year, 3,000 messages have been posted on Kiosk.