Wednesday, September 27, 2000

Wednesday, September 27, 2000
Volume 5, Number 15

NEWS IN BRIEF

1) Results of ITS computer registration survey
2) Show Sharples you care
3) World news roundup
4) Campus events

SPORTS IN BRIEF

1) Women’s soccer drops contest
2) Women’s tennis wins
3) World sports roundup
4) Today’s and tomorrow’s contests

WEATHER FORECAST

Today: Highs near 70.
Don’t forget about National Food Service Workers Appreciation Day.

Tonight: Clear. Lows 45-50.
Make sure you tell Tarble Joe you love him and give Andre that kiss he keeps asking for.

Tomorrow: Partly cloudy, chilly. Highs in the low 60s.
Just stay away from my butternut squash and sage orzo, buddy.

TODAY’S SHARPLES MENU

Lunch: Italian stromboli, french fries, cheese and vegetable stromboli, *butternut squash and sage orzo, broccoli, cauliflower
**Wing bar

Dinner: Turkey london broil, rice casserole, *lentil stew, corn on the cob, whole green beans
**Pasta bar

NEWS REPORT

1) Results of ITS computer registration survey

This semester, all students living on campus with computers were required to register with Information Technology Services, formerly the CC, in order to maintain access to the school’s network. The results of that survey are printed below.

1. Do you live on campus or off?

ON – 1326
OFF – 25
TOTAL – 1351

2. How long have you been at Swarthmore College?

1st year – 441
2nd year – 383
3rd year – 252
4th year – 248
5th year+ – 27

3. What kind of computer do you own?

Intel PC – 900 (67.5%)
Macintosh – 416 (31.2%)
Other – 18 (1.3%)
Total – 1334

4. Do you own a desktop or portable computer?

Desktop – 875 (63%)
Laptop – 451 (32%)
Total – 1326

5. What operating system is your computer running?

Windows 95 – 91 (6.9%)
Windows98 – 728 (55.2%)
Windows NT – 17 (1.2%)
Windows2000 – 60 (4.55%)
Macintosh – 380 (28.8%)
Linux – 30 (2.3%)
Other Unix – 1 (.01%)
Other – 11 (.8%)
TOTAL – 1318

6. Do you own a printer?

Yes – 892 (67.4%)
No – 430 (32.5%)

7. Approximately how many hours a week do you use the Public Areas?

Never – 209 (17.8%)
0-5 hours – 827 (70.4%)
6-10 hours – 114 (9.7%)
10-20 hours – 24 (2%)
20+ hours – 0 (0%)
Total – 1174

8. Which Public Area do you use (or plan on using) most frequently?

Beardsley Public Area – 404 (36.5%)
Trotter PC Public Area – 26 (2.3%)
McCabe Classroom – 184 (16.6%)
McCabe Public Area – 356 (32.2%)
Cornell Library – 136 (12.3%)
Total – 1106

9. What time of day do you use (or plan on using) Public Area computers the most?

Opening – 12 noon – 109 (9.9%)
12 noon – 4:00pm – 291 (26.6%)
4:00pm – 8:00pm – 230 (21%)
8:00pm – 2:00am – 464 (42.4%)
Total – 1094

10. How often do you wait to use a computer?

Never – 452 (41.9%)
Rarely – 410 (38%)
Sometimes – 172 (16%)
Always – 45 (4.1%)
Total – 1079

11. Do you feel that the hours the Public Areas are open are meeting your needs?

Yes – 951 (86%)
No – 154 (13.9%)
Total – 1105

12. If a Public Area was open 24hrs a day would you use it between 2:00am and 8:00am?

Yes – 533 (47.6%)
No – 587 (52.4%)
Total – 1120

13. What kind of computer do you prefer to use in the Public Areas?

Intel PC – 502 (44.6%)
Macintosh – 390 (34.7%)
Indifferent – 232 (20.6%)
Total – 1124

14. Does the software/hardware available in the Public Areas meet your needs?

Yes – 924 (83.2%)
No – 186 (16.7%)
Total – 1110

15. Information Technology Services has been striving to phase out diskettes (floppies) and have students use their network account to store files instead because of the following advantages: No more lost data due to damaged or missing floppies; higher capacity. Money is saved by not having to purchase floppy drives for public area machines. Do you feel network accounts are a viable substitute for floppies?

Yes – 776 (68.4%)
No – 358 (31.5%)
Total – 1134

16. When reporting a problem to a dorm consultant, are the dorm consultants:

Always friendly & helpful – 478 (42.7%)
Usually friendly & helpful – 483 (43.1%)
Not too friendly but helpful – 30 (2.6%)
Friendly, but not too helpful – 111 (9.9%)
Neither friendly or helpful – 17 (1.5%)
Total – 1119

17. While using the public areas, are the consultants:

Always friendly & helpful – 353 (32.8%)
Usually friendly & helpful – 526 (48.9%)
Not too friendly but helpful – 87 (8.1%)
Friendly, but not too helpful – 85 (8.1%)
Neither friendly or helpful – 25 (2.2%)
Total – 1076

2) Show Sharples you care

Today is National Food Service Workers Appreciation Day. Stop by the upstairs entrance to Sharples, get a sticker, and put it on your favorite Dining Services, Snack Bar, or Coffee Bar employee.

3) World news roundup

At least 28 people on board were killed and about 50 were unaccounted for when a Greek ferry carrying 511 passengers and crew sank after hitting a reef near the Aegean Sea island of Paros, coast guard officials said. The officials said they could not explain why the ship hit the reef, which is marked on maritime charts and has a navigation light.

Two teen-age boys shot each other with the same gun during a fight at their New Orleans middle school Tuesday. Witnesses said the eighth-graders, who are in critical condition, had argued before the shootings at the school where students must pass through a metal detector to enter. The younger boy got the gun from outside the chain-link fence and shot the 15-year-old, only to have the older boy grab the gun and shoot him, police said.

Defying demands at home and abroad that he step down, Slobodan Milosevic conceded Tuesday that his challenger finished first in Yugoslavia’s presidential election and declared a runoff.

New Census Bureau data showed Tuesday that the poverty rate in America dipped to 11.8 percent last year, the lowest point in 21 years, while median household incomes reached a record high.

The Supreme Court delayed any quick resolution of the Microsoft antitrust case Tuesday, sending it to a federal appeals court in a tactical win for Bill Gates and his company. The move means a final decision on whether Microsoft must be broken up could be years away.

CBS tried to capitalize on the recent popularity of the “Survivor” television series by rerunning the original six episodes. None of the six shows had a larger audience than a “King of the Hill” rerun on Fox. CBS executives cite competition from NBC’s coverage of the Olympics as a possible explanation.

4) Campus events

“Ecological Economics and the Prosperous Way Down” by Howard T. Odum, University of Florida at Gainesville
Kirby Lecture Hall, 4:15 p.m.

Public Policy Graduate School Information Panel
Fels Center of UPenn, Harris, University of Chicago, Goldman, and University of California at Berkeley
Bond Memorial Hall, 5:00 p.m.

Film Society Screening of Jan Svankmaijer’s Faust
DuPont 161, 10:00 p.m.

SPORTS UPDATE

1) Women’s soccer drops contest

The women’s soccer team fell to Johns Hopkins 6-0 Tuesday. Catherine Salussolia ’04 made 15 saves in goal, but Hopkins outshot the Garnet 28-2. The team’s record now stands at 2-5, 0-3. 15 28-2

2) Women’s tennis wins

The women’s tennis team defeated Kutztown 8-1 Tuesday. The team’s record is now 2-1 on the season.

3) World sports roundup

Continuing an unfortunate running theme in these Olympic Games, world hammer throw record holder Mihaela Melinte of Romania was escorted off the field at Olympic Stadium as she was set to compete. She had tested positive for steroids. Romania has returned its remaining two medals in the Olympic women’s all-around gymnastics competition in protest of the IOC’s decision to strip Andreea Raducan of her gold medal for taking cold medication containing a banned substance, national television reported Tuesday. …The Atlanta Braves clinched the NL East by defeating the NY Mets 7-1 Tuesday. Atlanta has won nine straight division titles over the last ten years, excepting the strike-shortened season of 1994. The Mets need one more win to clinch the NL wild card. …The Indians and the A’s both won Tuesday night, so Oakland’s lead over Cleveland in the AL wild card race stayed at 1 1/2 games with four to play.

3) Today’s and tomorrow’s contests

TODAY

Men’s soccer at Ursinus, 4:00 p.m.

TOMORROW

Women’s soccer hosts Phila. College of Bible, 4:00 p.m.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Don’t worry about the world coming to an end today. It’s already tomorrow in Australia.” – Charles Schultz