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.