The Topinabee junior said he filed a complaint to the provost via e-mail on Jan. 31 listing several issues, including the e-mails sent by assistant English language and literature professors Jeffrey Weinstock, Allegra Blake and Catherine Hicks Kennard.

Lennox said since CMU never responded to the e-mail complaint, he filed a formal complaint Feb. 11 with the U.S. Department of Education alleging the three faculty violated his rights under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

"The school did respond indicating they were investigating several other aspects of the complaint, but not looking into the e-mails," he said.

Central Michigan Life sent an e-mail to Provost Julia Wallace on Friday seeking comment on the complaints. Director of Media Relations Steve Smith responded on her behalf.

"As you are well aware, the university is prohibited from discussing issues publicly about its students because of federal laws that protect a student's privacy," Smith said. "While Mr. Lennox chooses to share select information he feels is relevant with the media, CMU recognizes his rights as a student, and it will maintain its standards and policies in treating every student equally."

General Counsel Eileen Jennings was unavailable for comment.

Lennox was not willing to release the e-mail to Wallace detailing the complaints he sent to the provost because it contained confidential information.

"It's a little more sensitive," he said.

Lennox said in a press release and in an interview Feb. 11 that he filed a criminal complaint with the Michigan State Police, accusing the faculty members of falsely and maliciously accusing another, malicious annoyance by writing and use of a computer program, computer system or computer network to commit a crime.

However, Lennox said Feb. 15 he never filed a criminal complaint with the Michigan State Police.

"I fully intended to file a police complaint," he said. "Unfortunately, after we have set that out and meet with lawyers, there appears to be some legal matters."

Lennox said the criminal complaints he wanted to file against the professors dealt with laws that were 80 years old, so lawyers are deciding if they still are constitutional.

Lennox said he sent the complaint to the U.S. Department of Education by mail, but David Thomas, the department's media contact, could not confirm or deny a complaint was filed.

"I'm told by our FERPA office that the privacy act precludes us from discussing complaints and we'd have no further comment on this particular issue," Thomas said in an e-mail to CM Life.

Lennox said he is not willing to speak about who leaked the e-mails.

"A professor in the English department contacted me and, (from) my understanding, contacted the blog (OutsideLansing.com, where the e-mails also were leaked) as well, but I can't speak for outsidelansing.com," Lennox said.

Chetly Zarko, editor of outsidelansing.com, said he posted the e-mail story on his blog because it seemed to be the logical thing to do. Zarko said his blog acts more as investigative journalism rather than straight opinion.

"The e-mail came from an anonymous e-mail account, basically with e-mails pasted into it," he said. "I talked to Dennis and he didn't have a major issue with publishing it, and I talked to a couple of other people and I decided to go with the story."

Zarko said he was not surprised somebody would decide it was time to make the e-mails public.

"My understanding is I didn't get all of them - just the worst," he said.

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