Student Life Archives

Here’s a poorly kept secret: College and university dorms are hotbeds of Internet-based movie piracy.

Now, even outsiders have figured out how to use college networks as hiding places for illegal cyber-goods, according to an Atlanta security firm.

Such “warez” pirates, as they sometimes are known, use the schools’ massive bandwidth to slip in and sock away large movie files largely unnoticed.

They do so by instant messaging or using so-called “peer-to-peer” forms of file transfer, says Dan Ingvaldson, leader of the X Force Research and Development team for Internet Security Systems.

The pirates don’t have the bandwidth to distribute the massive files on their own, so they must steal resources from unwitting schools, Ingvaldson says.

College connections can be up to 10 times faster than a home broadband connection.

The pirates find nearly unlimited storage space on campus networks for their pirated movie files. That space includes students’ own computer hard drives, which are continually connected to the networks.

A new Gateway PC with an 80-gigabyte hard-drive could easily hold a 2-gigabyte compressed movie file without the owner knowing it, Ingvaldson says.

Colleges often don’t catch on because they’re too busy trying to balance security and the openness students, faculty and staff require for their work, he says.

Steve Cawley, chief information officer for the University of Minnesota, acknowledges the problem.

He says periodic scans of the university’s networks regularly turn up two to four computers a month acting as busy servers that offer up pirated movies, music or software.

They are quickly shut down.

Annabelle de St. Maurice

In a country where the Senate recently turned from a Republican majority to a Democratic majority based upon one man’s change in party affiliation, and in a state where the battle for one of those Senate seats is fierce, the fight for the student participation in politics is an essential one to many WU students.

As the Nov. 5 mid-term elections come closer, both the College Democrats and College Republicans have taken up actions to help get their parties’ candidates elected across-the-board. The groups maintain that the fight for U.S. Senator between Jean Carnahan and Jim Talent, who formerly taught at WU, is especially key to the Senate.

Some members of the College Democrats and College Republicans have had a chance to intern with the campaigns.

According to the groups, simply voting is one of the best ways to become active in politics. Missouri is one of the few states that allows students, usually not considered residents, to register and vote.

Junior Aaron Gordon, president of the College Democrats, explained the group’s purpose involving Missouri politics.

“Our mission is to support the Democratic Party on all levels and in all elections,” said Gordon. “We are able to accomplish that, especially here on campus, by conducting phone banks to gauge public support, by organizing letter writing campaigns to inform the public, by canvassing the campus to show support for our candidates, and most importantly, by registering people to vote and get them actively involved in that most important way.”

Junior Kelley Mesa, president of the College Republicans, believes voting is key to the involvement of students in any political campaign.

“Voting, especially an educated vote is so important,” she said. “I believe the Senatorial election between Jim Talent and Jean Carnahan is going to be extremely tight, and every vote can make a difference. So I hope our work here at WU, where we have 20 really devoted members, our work in St. Louis, and the College Republicans across the state will be a part of the decisive difference.”

Sophomore Joy Rosenthal, co-campaign coordinator for the College Democrats and liaison between Carnahan’s office and the group, knows the rigors of student participation.

“We are in contact with many offices around the state for Democratic candidates, but we are in constant contact with the Carnahan office here in St. Louis,” said Rosenthal. “We feel we can have an impact on this election, and the Carnahan office has us organizing activities, canvassing, running phone banks, working in the office, and helping plan special events. We are in an unique position to inform many first-time voters.”

The number of outlets for student political participation is matched by the desire many campaigns have for young adults to get involved. Senior Tracey Gunn, the student youth coordinator for the Jim Talent campaign, was a member of the Nationwide College Republicans, as well as an intern for Missouri Senator Kit Bond earlier in her college career.

“The campaign and Republican Party believes College Republicans and America’s young adults will play a huge role in elections. Send your resumes to the campaign offices and get involved,” said Gunn. “The campaign leadership is open to college students actively participating in important areas; internships help get students energized and determined.”

College Republicans hold meetings every Monday night from 8 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in Park Small Conference Room. This semester, they will focus on Talent’s Senate election and St. Louis County Councilman Kurt Odenwald’s re-election. Contact College Republicans at [email protected].

College Democrats could not be reached to provide times and locations, but also hold weekly meetings. Contact Aaron Gordon at awgordon@

If proper condom use were on a final exam, many college students apparently would flunk the test.

A study published this month found that an alarming number of male college students use condoms incorrectly, raising the risk of exposure to sexually transmitted diseases and the likelihood of unintended pregnancy.

Forty-three percent of study participants reported that in the preceding three months, they had put on a condom only after sex had begun, 15 percent said they removed the condom before sex was over, and 40 percent reported not leaving enough reservoir space at the condom’s tip, among other errors. The study was published in the journal Sexually Transmitted Diseases.

“In all, at least half of the men in our survey made at least one mistake, some more serious than others,” said Richard A. Crosby, an assistant professor at Emory University’s school of public health. “We saw more errors than even we anticipated.”

The study’s results dismayed public health experts, but did not surprise college students.

“All of my friends use condoms, and all talk about making the same stupid mistakes,” said Alex Conte, 22, a fraternity brother and graduating senior at William Paterson University.

“Most of the time, the guy’s drunk, he’s in the middle of having sex and only then remembers, ‘Oh yeah, I’ve got to put that on.’ When you come right down to it, sex is a spur of the moment thing and you don’t want to bother with a condom. You get a girl, and the last thing on your mind is stuff like remembering to squeeze the tip of the condom to leave enough space.”

The study involved 158 male, heterosexual, unmarried, sexually active condom users enrolled as undergraduates at Indiana University. Their average age was 20. Crosby speculates that male students at other universities probably have similar rates of error, and suggests more research be done. Another question for further study, he says, is what sort of sex education the men received in high school.

Of the men in his study, three in 10 reported putting on the condom upside down in the preceding three months at least once, then flipping it over and unrolling it properly. The problem is that semen or germs that touch the condom’s outer surface will then be introduced into his partner’s body.

Sixty percent of the study participants said they had not discussed condom use with their partners before sex.

One-third of the men in the study reported losing erections from condom use, and nearly one-third reported condom breakage or slippage during sex.

Sex educators worry that the details of proper use will become even more lost with the rise of abstinence-only sex education programs. Since 1996, the federal government has committed nearly half a billion dollars to programs that promote abstinence and avoid mentioning any benefit of contraceptive use.

For their part, abstinence advocates say the study underscores how uncertain condom use can be.

“Besides, even if people do put it on correctly, they still can get someone pregnant or pass on disease,” said Richard Panzer, director of Free Teens USA, an abstinence group in Paterson. “To hang your faith and entire future on a piece of wafer-thin latex does not seem wise.”

The head of health education at Rutgers University, however, believes education needs to be more detailed, not less. Fern Walter Goodhart sends peer educators into dorms, sororities, and fraternities, armed with condoms and anatomically correct models for practicing. The educators even encourage students to practice blind-folded or with the lights out, to be sure they’ll know what they’re doing when they’re fumbling in the dark.

“You want them to replicate the skill in the environment in which it’s going to be used,” Goodhart said. “And you pray that they’ll be sober when they’re doing it.”

Ever since AIDS gripped the nation, health experts have called for consistent and correct condom use. The American public has clearly heard the first part of that message; condom use has skyrocketed. But the public health campaign has not included details on how exactly to use them.

That knowledge gap accounts for the chasm between the theoretical efficacy of condoms and their actual success. When used correctly, condoms are 98 percent effective in preventing pregnancy. But, given user errors, the pregnancy failure rate among typical condom users falls between 12 percent and 14 percent.

“I rarely run into a teenager who uses condoms correctly,” said Dr. Robert Johnson, head of the adolescent and young adult division at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark. “Just last night, one youngster in my office told me, ‘Oh, I’m safe because I always put it on just before I (ejaculate).’ By the way, he was there to be treated for chlamydia. They don’t realize you can get someone pregnant with preejaculate fluid, and that they can contract or transmit disease by simple contact.”

“As the World Turns,” the popular mid-day soap opera, will be filming on the Hilltop Campus today. The show was supposed to be filmed at Tulane University, but hurricane Isadore forced the show’s producers to change locations.

Producers are not sure where they will be filming. According to Allan Locher, the show’s publicist, the executive producer and technical crew have arrived on campus last night to scope out the university. They will also meet with WU representatives who will suggest filming locations based on what parts of the university they would like to see highlighted in the show. The rest of the cast and crew will come to campus around 9 a.m. today.

In the plot, characters Aaron, Lucy and Alison are on the run from the authorities after starting a fire in the fictional town of Oakdale, where the show takes place. On the run, they’re going from college to college, having thus far visited nine schools. At WU, Lucy’s and Aaron’s fathers, along with the Oakdale Chief of Police catch up with the fugitives.

Along with the show’s main cast, the shoot will also feature 20 extras from WU. The extras were cast through the Performing Arts Department.

The Campus Week of Dialogue (CWOD), a week-long effort to spur discussion about racial issues and improve race relations across campus, will culminate later today with a race rally at 4:30 p.m. in the Brookings Quadrangle.

The rally is a new installment to CWOD and will include performances from different student groups and appearances by people known nationally for their devotion and contribution to issues regarding race around the country.

Beginning with a lecture by NAACP Chairman Julian Bond on Friday, September 20, this year’s CWOD has continued with a race-related event every night, featuring activities such as “Not PC Jeopardy,” a game show about common racial slurs, and “Speak Up, Speak Out,” a discussion forum where students talked about personal race-related experiences.

CWOD began four years ago as a national initiative on race by former President Bill Clinton. Since then, it has been growing in support, fueled by an increasing awareness of racism’s extensive influence on contemporary cultures.

“It’s a chance to talk about something people are afraid to talk about openly,” said senior Cindy Chang, a member of the CWOD steering committee.

“Face Race,” this year’s CWOD theme, encourages both students and faculty to take notice of and talk about racial issues on campus. It promotes open dialogue through a series of programs and speakers.

According to senior Jason Green, co-chair and publicity director for CWOD, the discussion of issues involving race is one that needs to be approached by all students.

“It’s saying: It’s here, let’s look at it, let’s talk about it,” he said.

Through Student Union, a steering committee coordinates the CWOD for Race Relations. Although this year the committee has expanded into more of a Student Union group, it still remains an SU initiative, according to Chang.

One of the main points of discussion CWOD encourages is about issues normally considered taboo. According to Green, when planning the programs, committee members tried to be as diverse as possible, to draw in more participants.

“We’re not trying to present one side of the issue the ‘right’ way,” said Green. “[We try] to present the most balanced week possible.”

Sophomore Danielle Silber attended two CWOD events. At the first forum she attended, the discussion revolved around perceptions of race, which later progressed into the concepts of different races in the U.S. and “white privilege.”

“They were really amazing,” she said. “It’s really important to have these types of forums on campus.”

Silber also said that traditionally, the same people attend each event, which is not always conducive to having a dialogue that reaches beyond multiple racial boundaries.

“I feel like the people who were there were a majority of women and minorities, and the population on this campus, in my mind, that would be most benefited by this forum were not present,” said Silber. “It’s happened that, in my experience at WU, in any type of multicultural or racial forum this happens.”

The week also featured a slide show on Monday called “Faces,” by architecture Professor Bob Hansman, about an art program aimed at kids in housing projects. Through his visuals, Hansman showed the audience what he learned about any kind of judgment, racial or otherwise.

“I really learned to beware of first impressions,” he said. “You may think that [a person] is the biggest jerk, but they could be the most important person in your life.”

This theme of watching out for and preventing discrimination continued throughout the week, eliciting an array of reactions from the student body.

“To a lot of people, it’s educational and enlightening, and opens their eyes to things they might not have seen [before],” said Chang. “For others, it’s a chance to talk about something people are afraid to talk about openly.”

However, this year’s CWOD has brought with it changes and improvements from programs in past years.

“This year we really tried to focus on less events but more quality of events,” said Chang.

The smaller line-up gave the students involved a chance to be more organized and really solidify the message that they wanted to send, according to Chang. It also provided a chance for more involvement in the planning of the week.

“This year [we] included different multicultural groups,” said Green. “It was a chance to present a different perspective.”

Chang highlighted the goal of this year’s rally.

“The [goal] of the rally is to bring together everyone that’s been involved all week and also to encourage people to continue [discussing] after the week is over,” she said.

Tuesday, Sept. 24

4:50 p.m., LARCENY-THEFT, SIGMA ALPHA EPSILON-A cell phone that was left unattended was stolen. Loss estimated at $100.

Wednesday, Sept. 25

No criminal incidents reported.

WUPD also reported two non-criminal/non-disciplinary reports. The first was an informational report filed Tuesday, the second was a lost article also reported Tuesday.

Law student in critical condition after Forsyth

accident

Debra Newman, a Washington University law student, was struck by a car while crossing Forsyth Boulevard Tuesday night. Witnesses reported that Newman began to cross the street when she stepped in front of a car traveling eastbound at 30 to 35 mph.

When police and ambulances arrived, she was breathing but unconscious. She was transported to Barnes-Jewish Hospital where she is being treated for multiple fractures to her skull, a brain contusion, and a fractured ankle. As of Thursday afternoon, she was in critical but stable condition.

Department of Education receives $10 million grant

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded WU’s Department of Education in the College of Arts and Sciences a $10 million grant to build the St. Louis Center for Inquiry in Science Teaching and Learning (CISTL). The project, which is anticipated to take five years, will begin in January and receive funding from NSF with review in May 2004. Successful review will result in funding through 2008. According to The Record, CISTL will focus on improving science learning “through research and researched practice.”

Olin and KETC-TV 9 to produce show together

KETC-TV Channel 9 and the John M. Olin School of Business will debut a half-hour TV program that will use various St. Louis companies to explore business strategies. Called “Stl Biz,” the business magazine will premier on Friday, Sept. 27. The episode, which includes an interview with NBC sportscaster Bob Costas, will focus on sports marketing. The series is hosted by Jon Hart, an Olin MBA graduate and local entrepreneur. The weekly show will air Friday at 8 p.m. and will be rebroadcast at 11 a.m. on Sunday.

Visiting East Asian Professionals program offers series in journalism

Washington University’s Visiting East Asian Professionals (VEAP) program, will increase its presence on campus this semester with visiting Asian journalists, workshops, and short courses. Established a year ago with a grant from the Freeman Foundation of New York, the VEAP program will bring journalists Nozomu Nakaoka, Man-peng Tiao, and Sang-Hun Choe to WU to speak in “Covering East Asia: Journalism East and West,” which lasts from Oct. 15 to Nov. 5. The colloquium is free of charge and open to the public. Those interested can contact University College at 935-8772, or check online at http://artsci.wustl.edu/ucollege/.

Students aspiring for a “Renaissance education” can consider the new humanities major being planned by a committee of professors from nine departments, spanning from Art History to English to Romance Languages.

This program, which professors may name “Text, Tradition, Context and Criticism,” combines several subjects into a major of interdisciplinary studies. Students will begin the program by taking courses similar to the current Text and Tradition freshman program.

Text and Tradition is a first-year program that involves a comprehensive study of classical literature, political theory, modern literature and thought. It focuses on the development of contemporary thought through texts, and early Western history. Currently, students enrolled in Text and Tradition can earn a minor in the humanities. The first year of the new program entails large portions of the Text and Tradition curriculum.

This will be followed in succeeding years by a sophomore research program, a foreign language requirement, a junior year colloquium, a theory and methods seminar, and a senior year “capstone” research experience.

Professor Joseph Loewenstein of the English Department described the program as “an ideal example of the new Arts and Sciences curriculum.”

The new curriculum, instituted in 2001, emphasizes the interrelation of disciplines across academia. The new major will likely be used to attract more incoming freshman. The committee currently plans to recruit students by having brochures about the program printed and distributed to current high school seniors.

In addition, the program will result in the creation of several new courses. For example, a new Text and Tradition course will be offered next fall. This course, “Scriptures and Scripturalism,” will entail a study of the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, the Koran and other major writings in the Judeo-Christian tradition.

Though the course will be geared towards freshmen, members of the current undergraduate classes will be able to partake in the curriculum. The only prerequisite for the class is a lot of ambition, according to Professor Lowenstein. The faculty committee is reviewing ways to include students who are currently enrolled. It is critical, however, that interested students become involved as soon as possible.

Professor Loewenstein said that the program is “not just a major, but an intellectual community.”

The committee hopes to set up a group of a dozen students, depending on interest, who will live in Small Group Housing. Classes and offices for the major will likely be located in the same area. The proponents of the program thus hope to build a community where the brightest and most ambitious humanities students can associate with each other in academic, extracurricular, and social spheres.

The new humanities major is the latest addition to a series of first-year programs designed by the College of Arts and Sciences to pique the curiosity of freshmen in a variety of academic areas. Professor Loewenstein acknowledged that the program is a risky one; a great deal will be expected of students. He hopes that students will be up to the challenge.

Annabelle de St. Maurice

“We are obsessed by good health,” said Ian Hacking at Wednesday’s Assembly Series lecture, later pointing to the ability of the wealthy to alter the bodies on the large scale, as with organs and limbs, to the small, as with genes.

The philosopher, author, and professor delivered a lecture titled “Body Parts: Large and Small,” raising numerous rhetorical questions regarding medical philosophies, from transplantation to blood transfusions.

Hacking, perhaps best known for his 1990 book “The Taming of Chance” or 2000’s “The Social Construction of What,” has authored several non-fiction works on probability, logic, and the philosophies of mental illnesses and science. He currently holds joint teaching positions at the University of Toronto and Coll‚ge de France.

Addressing the means by which technology has expanded and clouded our views of the body, Hacking questioned organ transplantations, purchases of body parts, sex-change operations, sperm donations, and the concept of brain death. In a global context, Hacking said, such notions vary greatly.

In Japan, for example, citizens are wary of organ donations because they shun the concept of gift-giving to strangers, Hacking said. He added that they also don’t understand the Western notion of brain death, believing instead that death is simply the point when the body completely ceases to function. In Iraq, Hacking continued, the poor sell organs to the rich.

With these debates in place, Hacking raised similarly controversial notions in our own Western society, touching on cloning among other topics, stating of such physical manipulations, “Surgeons don’t like to have their work called engineering, but they have become [great engineers].”

“We imagine that engineers will be able to create the person who, in growing him, develops a character different from what it would have had if there had been no intervention,” said Hacking of genetic engineering. “Imagine a different soul growing into existence.” He also noted some of the wilder sides of body mutation, including optional limb amputation and sex change operations.

In his address, Hacking offered few answers to the many questions that he raised, and instead simply presented a wealth of information about such medical-philosophical debates. He advised further research into the field and into the notion of the Cartesian body.

“[The body’s] social role evolves all the time,” said Hacking as he closed his lecture. “We are experiencing a body revolution, of which the genetic revolution is only a part.[We are experiencing] a change in our relationships to our bodies as well as our energy processes.”