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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (May 4, 2004)
AGGIELIFE: Cyber Circus. Page 3A www (lu luiH.coin PACE DESIGN BY: LAUREN ROUSE SHARON AESCHBACH • THE BATTALION >N was A&M Associate Professor of History Robert list of professors who students should not to take, tech addresses his afternoon class after the Resch brought what he calls his "shamey," a doll Young Conservatives of Texas placed him on a hung from a coat rack, to class Monday. ‘Hall of Dishonor’ FCr names profs deemed biased in class for ctions :ore By Rhiannon Meyers THE BATTALION The Texas A&M chapter of the Young Conservatives of Texas released a “Professor Hall of Dishonor” Friday containing the names of six A&M professors whom YCT tented are biased in the classroom. Matthew Maddox, chair of the YCT, said ilie names of Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, Patrick Slattery, Robert Resch, Ernest jObadele-Starks, Linda Parrish and Vaughn Bryant were posted on the YCT Web site as examples of professors who indoctrinate students with their political bias. There has been rampant classroom bias lit public and private universities for the last several decades,” Maddox said. “We decid ed to have a ‘Hall of Dishonor' at A&M teause these incidents of bias in the class- toom are widely known, and they continue 10 happen. These professors never had to tower to bias in the classroom.” Maddox said YCT borrowed the idea Bum the University of Texas YCT chapter tot did the same thing last fall. Maddox said YCT decided on these six professors because they are professors of students in YCT. He said the organization researched the professors and, in some cases, attended classes to get quotes from the professors. “We have good evidence on these peo ple that these are solid cases of bias,” Maddox said. Bonilla-Silva, a sociology professor, said that because YCT is infamous for its right- wing agenda, he is not surprised that YCT targeted progressive professors. Bonilla- Silva said YCT is fearful that these profes sors are becoming effective voices of oppo sition, and that YCT is using intimidation, defamation and racist e-mails to try to run these professors out of town. “Know that we will not leave town because of you (YCT),” Bonilla-Silva said. “We believe that Texas A&M University, and the Aggies, need to be educated across the board and cannot just take courses with people who share their (YCT) views. Bonilla-Silva said student evaluations in his classes have been high, and that a majority See YCT on page 6B UT Watch drafts statement of possible illegalities by regents By James Twine THE BATTALION Members of the University of Texas dent Government Watch Group have •ed a report stating that the UT System ird of Regents may have lobbied for tuition filiation before it became an issue. Tuition deregulation for public universi- was a topic of discussion during the n session of the Texas Legislature. UT Watch has drafted a report titled ’toic Institution - Private Agenda: The lv ersity of Texas System's Campaign for b°n Deregulation,” which provides an d ne of possible illegalities of the UT te m lobbying for tuition deregulation to it becoming an issue of consideration. UT pushed for deregulation before it ’Considered by the Legislature and often blet l in a blatant manner,” said Nick wellenbach, a UT Watch member. UT Watch uncovered most of its infor- lor > through public records, which are ^ to public viewing under the Texas -U Records Act, Schwellenbach said, rrhwellenbach said the UT System was ,n 8 a political agenda that was unpopu- Under Watch Members of the University of Texas Student Government Watch issued a report stating that the UT System Board of Regents lobbied tuition deregulation before it was supposed to. The report states that UT System officials: • Met with state legislators . Made monetary contributions . Lobbied illegally for tuition deregulation - RUBEN DELUNA • THE BATTALION SOURCE : NICK SCHWELLENBACH, UT WATCH MEMBER lar with students. The system should benefit the students because the government is, by definition, the servant of the people, he sai . “Ce are laws that limit state agencies See UT on page 5A Transit Services hears bus route suggestions By Natalie Younts THE BATTALION The transportation consult ant hired by Texas A&M to improve Transit Services said a balance needs to be created between supply and demand of bus service. Mark McLaren, a partner in SR Beard & Associates, the con sultant firm hired by A&M, said the amount of bus service provid ed should reflect the needs of dif ferent routes at different times of the day. McLaren spoke to a crowd of bus riders, bus drivers, student leaders and apartment owners Monday night. He told the audience he wanted their comments so that he could begin formulating a transit plan. Kimberley Cunningham, a senior community health major, said Transit Services should have more direct routes that don’t drive in loops. Cunningham said she likes the Bonfire and Yell Practice routes, but that she would like to see more direct and shorter routes, such as Wehner Express. “I love Wehner Express ” she said. “I can get there quick and easy.” McLaren said A&M is differ ent because it operates like a small city. He said Transit Services cur rently has a good system, offers lots of services and serves many people who rely on those services. McLaren said A&M Transit Services will be a challenge because students are moving far ther from campus as Bryan-College Station expands. He said connect ing private shopping centers with private housing will be a goal. Mike Menchaca, a bus driver and senior agricultural develop ment major, said traffic on Ross Street causes unacceptable delays for buses. Menchaca said traffic on the street should be limited to University vehicles and delivery trucks between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. He said closing the street to traffic would make the bus routes easier and smoother. Menchaca said the street has three main bus stops, which should make the travel time of the See Transit on page 2A Sasser Worm -The Sasser worm takes advantage of a flaw in the Microsoft operating system and then randomly looks at other network addresses. - As a result, the worm creates network traffic making the network run slow. - It is important to download and apply new security patches and virus protection software updates. - On-campus residents who have been infected with the worm will be blocked from accessing the network so that it does not spread. ANDREW BURLESON • THE BATTALION SOURCE : TOM PUTNAM, DIRECTOR OF COMPUTING AND INFORMATION SERVICES Sasser sneaks into Microsoft Windows operating systems By Jibran Namji THE BATTALION Computer users with Microsoft’s Windows XP or Windows 2000 operating systems are the target of a new Internet worm that spreads from computer to computer without user intervention. The worm, nicknamed Sasser, takes advantage of a flaw within the Microsoft operating systems, which was recently fixed by a patch issued by Microsoft Corporation. However, due to the fact that many users do not consistently update their security patches and virus protection, many systems are still vulnerable, said Tom Putnam, director of Computing and Information Services. “Once the worm gets into a machine, it starts randomly looking at other network addresses,” Putnam said. “As a result, it creates a lot of network traffic, ultimately making the network really slow.” Sometimes the network becomes so slow that peo ple think the network has gone down, Putnam said. “This is not a local problem; it’s spread all over the world,” he said. Putnam stressed the importance of updating security patches and virus protection software. “Current Microsoft systems come with some thing called Microsoft update,” Putnam said. “Every time you log in, it will go and check to see if there’s an update. Run it, put it on automatic and when it says there’s an update, install it immediate ly. It’s as simple as that.” Putnam said this security update has been out for weeks, and that the worm is spreading only because people have not bothered to install it. Michael Sconzo, the head security analyst for CIS, said students who live on campus and whose been infected with the worm will be blocked from accessing the network so the worm does not spread. “It’s just amazing how convenient it is to do something (on the Internet) and suddenly have it taken away from you,” said Walter O’Bannon, a freshman mechanical engineering major whose computer was recently infected with the virus. Sconzo said CIS recently installed what are called “magic boxes” in each residence hall and selected departments, which scan the networks for worm traffic. If a worm is detected, the boxes iso late the computers from which the worm originates and blocks them from accessing the network until the worm is removed. A&M offers free anti-virus software for any A&M student and the software is available at Help Desk Central, or by calling 845-8300. Police detain 16 suspected of planning bomb attack on NATO summit in Turkey By Suzan Fraser THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ANKARA, Turkey — Police foiled a suspected al-Qaida-linked plot to bomb a NATO summit in Istanbul next month that President Bush is scheduled to attend, and insisted Monday the city is safe. Private CNN-Turk television said three of the suspects had been plotting a suicide attack on Bush and other Western leaders at the summit, but officials could not confirm the report. Authorities detained 16 alleged members of Ansar al-Islam on Thursday in the northwestern province of Bursa, Gov. Oguz Kagan Koksal said. The suspects were also planning to attack a syn agogue in Bursa and rob a bank to raise funds, Koksal said. Prosecutors questioned them Monday and asked a court to press charges of membership in an illegal organization against nine of them, the Anatolia news agency reported. The other seven were released, and it was not clear if they could still face charges. Nine others were questioned in Istanbul but also were released, officials said. The crackdown on the group comes amid heightened security in the run-up to the June meeting of NATO alliance leaders, fol lowing a series of bombings in Istanbul in November. More than 60 people were killed when suspected members of a Turkish al-Qaida cell bombed two synagogues, a London-based bank and the British Consulate. Turkish offi cials have charged 69 suspects in the bombings. Their trial starts later this month. Istanbul, which will also host a European song contest this month and a meeting of foreign ministers from Islamic countries in June, is safe, said Gov. Muammer Guler. “There is no question of a sit uation that will affect the (NATO) meeting,” Guler said. “We have taken every precaution.” The Ansar al-Islam suspects appeared Monday in a court in Bursa, where they could face charges including membership in a terrorist group, possession of explosives, violating gun laws and holding fake identity docu ments. They were caught after yearlong police surveillance, Koksal said.