Texas A&M
The Battalion
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Vol.89 No.102 USPS 045360 10 Pages
College Station, Texas
Monday, February 26,1990
Computer virus wreaks
havoc in A&M computers
By CHRIS VAUGHN
Of The Battalion Staff
A highly efficient computer virus
that has been on the T exas A&M
campus since early this month struck
hard last week, wreaking havoc on
Macintosh computers and leaving
frustrated students with scrambled
or even erased programs.
The computer virus, named
WDEF, has been controlled by two
anti-virus computer programs and a
group of computer experts that
worked feverishly Friday and Satur
day to minimize the damage.
A computer virus is an invisible
piece of software that works inside
the computer. WDEF affected every
disk that was put inside an infected
computer, even blank disks.
“This virus is the most efficient vi
rus I’ve ever seen,” said Michael
Suggs, a senior engineering technol
ogy major who worked over the
weekend to help students cope with
the virus. “All you had to do was put
the disk in, and it was there."
Michael Fallow, a graduate stu
dent in industrial engineering, said
he noticed the virus in early Feb
ruary in the graphics lab in the Tea
gue Building. Fallow said he and
others have taken steps to stop the
virus’ growth.
“We are making great ef forts to
keep the labs clean,” said Farlow,
who works in the graphics lab. “With
the number of students involved, it’s
really hard to keep everything under
control. Eventually, though, every
thing will be stopped.”
Suggs said he didn’t discover the
virus until Thursday when his per
sonal Macintosh computer crashed.
He fixed his computer after several
hours, but lost tw’o programs com
pletely.
Suggs said he figured he got the
virus from the Learning Resource
Center in the Heldenfels Building.
“Every system disk in Heldenfels
was infected,” he said. “I worked
right then to remove the virus be
cause I didn’t want anyone else to
lose information.”
Much of the damage was being
done right then all over the campus.
One student lost 20 pages of a 60-
page document, while another lost
an entire program after it
scrambled, he said.
The computer virus originated in
Belgium, but worked its way to the
United States within days, he said.
“It was only a matter of time be
fore it got to A&M,” Suggs said.
A group of experts at Northwest
ern University in Chicago wrote a
program titled Disinfectant to com
bat the virus in January. Another
program called Eradicate was writ
ten shortly after as a preventive pro
gram.
Both programs were used all over
the A&M campus Friday and Satur
day to fight the virus. They are avail
able now to any student at any com
puter lab on campus to copy.
The damage, however, has been
done already, Suggs said.
“There is no telling what damage
it has done to people’s disks,” he
said.
Suggs said that students who just
use the Macintosh computers pn
campus don’t have to worry about
losing any more programs.
But, he said, if a student owns a
Macintosh or uses one somewhere
else, then the anti-virus programs
must be copied immediately in order
to stop the spread of the virus
through the disks.
Suggs said the WDEF virus was
not meant to cause harm, although
viruses can be written to do specific
damage.
“Any person with knowledge of
computers could write a program
that hides itself,” he said. “If some
one is sinister enough, he can write
one that does things the user doesn’t
want.”
He said he has seen a virus which
caused a shamrock to appear on the
screen on St. Patrick’s Day and a vi
rus that systematically erased every
thing in use, but WDEF had no pat-
teyn to its damage, he said.
Suggs, who does not work for the
University, said his involvement with
combating the virus was out of ne
cessity.
“I knew exactly what was happen
ing, and I was one of the few who
did,” he said. “I’m just a concerned
student.’”
Farlow said since he first spotted
the virus early this month, he is not
sure why it is now' news.
“Why it became noticeable and
newsworthy, I don’t know,” he said.
“It’s been here for awhile.”
He said students should keep cop
ies of important papers and docu
ments in order to guard against vi
ruses and computer crashes.
Photo by Phelan M. Ebenhack
Members of the bass section of the “Fightin’ fore the Military Weekend Review Saturday at
Texas Aggie Band” guard the sousaphones be- Simpson Drill Field.
Filing for spring semester’s student body elections begins today
Filing for spring semester’s student body elections
begins today.
Students interested in running for office must stop
by 214 Pavilion this w'eek between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to
pick up an application. A $5 filing fee will be charged
upon application’ request.
The offices to be elected include the student body
president, yell leaders, class officers and certain posi
tions in the Student Senate, Graduate Student Council,
Residence Hall Association and Off Campus Aggies.
Applications must be returned by 5 p.m. Friday.
Election campaigning will begin March 18, with the
election scheduled for March 29. Election results will be
announced later that day at the Lawrence Sullivan Ross
statue. If necessary, a runoff is set for Apt il 3.
Once elected, the students will serve for the 1990-91
school year.
A&M’s International Week Hance outlines tough policy
emphasizes ‘age of unity’
By ANDY KEHOE
Of The Battalion Staff
Texas A&M’s 10th Annual International Week will
begin today with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 10 a.m.
The theme for International \Veek 1990 is “Bringing
Down the Barriers: The Age of Unity,” which is a fit
ting title, Diana Glaindo, president of the International
Students Association, said.
"It’s a week full of different cultures and traditions,”
Glaindo said. “It’s also a time for everyone to learn
about one another, and hopefully break down some of
the stereotypes.”
Forty-six different international organizations will
participate in the week’s events that include a talent and
fashion show, a cultural display and an art exhibit.
A&M’s celebration of International Week began in
1980 simply as a one-day program.
“It has really grown over the years,” Glaindo said.
Today, w'e have hundreds of students participating in
the activities. I expect that it will continue to grow.”
Preparations for this year’s celebration began in the
fall.
The schedule for International Week 1990 is:
• Monday — The cutting of the ribbon in the MSC
Flag room during the opening ceremony to symbolize
the beginning of International Week.
Also, a cultural display and art exhibit will be pre
sented from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the first floor of the
MSC. Each participating country will present its culture
with goods and crafts. Artwork showing the students’
heritages will be on display.
• Tuesday — The cidtural display and art exhibit
will continue from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the first floor of
the MSC.
• Wednesday — A Buffet International will be held
at 7 p.m. on the second floor of the MSC. Students can
taste a wide range of international cuisine prepared by
the international students. Admission is $8.
• Thursday — Round table discussions will be held
from 2 to 5 p.m. in Room 701 of Rudder Tower. It is an
See Week/Page 9
Plans callfor harsher punishmentfor criminals
Photo by Mike C. Mulvey
Hance
By JILL BUTLER
Of The Battalion Staff
Texas Republican gubernatorial
candidate Kent Hance said his crimi
nal justice program includes more
drug education, tougher punish
ment for criminals and better treat
ment of the victims of crime.
In a press conference at Eas-
terwood Airport Friday, Hance said
he wants to end plea-bargaining in
drug sale cases, minimize over
crowding in the jail system, deny bail
to certain drug dealers, deny state
benefits to anyone convicted of use
or possession of drugs, implement a
state-wide drug education program
and address the needs of crime vic
tims.
Hance said his proposals are
based on recommendations made by
a criminal justice task force Hance
recently established.
“We can turn the corner on fight
ing crime and fighting drugs,” he
said.
The former senator and congress
man said his 15 years of experience
enable him to implement his propo
sals into law.
Hance said he will build 25,000
additional prison beds to minimize
overcrowding in county jails and
stop the early release program.
He said the Brazos County jail is
overcrowded because convicted pris
oners can’t be sent to the over
crowded Huntsville state peniten
tiary.
Brazos County must pay for these
convicted prisoners to stay in the
county jail, but Hance said he will
pay for the extra prisoners with state
money.
See Hance/Page 9
Students
say pageant
discriminates
By SEAN FRERKING
Of The Battalion Staff
A group of Texas A&M students,
dressed in chains and carrying post
ers saying “We’re all beautiful” and
“Were not cows,” staged a protest of
the Miss Texas A&M Scholarship
Pageant Saturday night.
The students, who are not offi
cially part of any organization, dem
onstrated outside Rudder Audito
rium before the pageant began.
Melissa Cuthbert, a junior English
and women’s studies major from
Wisconsin, said the group staged the
protest because the University was
promoting the stereotype that
women are useless unless they are
beautiful.
Cuthbert said the scholarship pag
eant should be based on a woman’s
academic achievements. Physical
beauty should play no part in deter
mining the winner, she said.
Karen Bell, a senior psychology
major from Dallas, said A&M should
not emphasize the importance of a
woman’s body.
“It (the pageant) is making
Women purely sex objects.” Bell said.
A representative for the pageant,
Kerry Shatzer, said he disagreed
with the protesters.
“I think it’s kind of ridiculous that
they’re doing this,” Shatzer said. “All
•be girls (in the pageant) are doing
this of their own free will.”
Bell said that although the contes
tants may be participating in the
pageant voluntarily, they are hurt
ing women as a whole.
Beauty pageants, Bell said, have a
detrimental effect on society’s per
ception of women. She said many
Sophomore John Welch and junior Aimee Norton present their Auditorium. The two were among ten other students who demon
impression of the Miss Texas A&M Pageant Saturday in Rudder strated before the event. photo by Phelan m. Ebenhack
women have tried to erase the vain,
superficial stereotype that beauty
pageants seem to emphasize.
Cuthbert said the group also was
against the economic and political
factors that determine the pageant’s
winner. She said the scholarship
pageant financially discriminated
against women who cannot compete
with society’s standard of beauty.
Cuthbert said A&M, as an educa
tional institution, should promote
only those contests that are based on
talents or achievements.
“A beauty pageant on school
property seems to me totally wrong,”
Cuthbert said.
Schatzer, a junior business major
from Plano, said the $1,000 prize
was helping the contestants put
themselves through school. He said
the judging was based mainly on the
talent of the 15 finalists.
“They (the contestants) don’t
think it’s sexist at all,” Shatzer said.
He said the protesters do not real
ize the finalists had been working on
the pageant since October. They also
had spent many weekends prepar
ing for the contest, Shatzer said.
Ken Ballard, director of the pag
eant, was not available for comment.
Horn wins
Miss TAMU
pageant
Horn
She sang “A Sunday Kind of
Love” but she won a Saturday
kind of pageant.
Rhonda Jo Horn, a senior
speech communications major
from Seymore, was crowned Miss
Texas A&M at Saturday’s pag
eant.
Horn, 21, won a scholarship
for $1,000, a
$500 ward-
robe allow
ance, a gold
and diamond
pendant and
the use of a
1990 Cadillac
during her
reign.
Julie
Broyles, 19, of
Gainesville,
was the first
runner-up and Paris North, 21,
of DeSoto, was the second run
ner-up. Charlotte Marie Ber
trand, 20, of Knoxville, Tenn.,
was the third runner-up and Al
isa Zak, 19, of Plano, was the
fourth runner-up.
The runners-up won schol
arships for $500, $400, $300 and
$250.
Danielle Moore, of Port Ar
thur, won the talent competition
as a non-finalist winner. She per
formed a dance routine with pop
ular television songs as music.
Becky Brown, 18, was the non-fi
nalist winner in the swimsuit com
petition.
The competition consists of an
interview with the judges, a talent
competition, a swimsuit and an
evening gown competition.