Thursday, September 2, 2004

by Greg Leiserson
Managing Editor

Difficulties in the registration process for personal computers have
kept many students off the campus network since the annual requirements
were put in place Monday, preventing them from completing routine tasks
such as checking email and browsing the internet. As of Wednesday
afternoon, 900 students were registered and roughly 700 were both
registered and no longer quarantined.

According to Robin Jacobsen, Manager of Client Services for ITS, “high
levels of virus traffic related to the sasser worm, korgo, netsky, and
gaobot [hit] all unprotected computers on the network” as soon as
students started returning to campus. A scan of the residential network
Wednesday morning found more than 58,000 virus infections. Jacobsen
also noted that some of the prevalent viruses on campus “can allow
remote control of machines or remote shutdown of services and operating
systems…but are identified and removed with up to date virus
software.”

In working to address the registration issues, ITS staff made a number
of adjustments to campus manager and the registration server on
Wednesday. Staff met in the afternoon with dorm consultants to learn
about the common problems they face in the residence halls. ITS has
also assembled a response team that will be reviewing problem reports
from the dorm techs and visiting dorms to help with registration
processes.

Jacobsen could not provide foolproof advice for how to connect to the
network, commenting that ITS has not seen one specific problem but a
number of different issues including firewall problems, password
problems, and network bridging. She did recommend, however, that
students using spybot stop doing so, since it will remove the ePolicy
agent used by ITS to manage campus security.

A sizable fraction of those computers that remain quarantined have
problems due to incorrect firewall settings. As outlined by Jacobsen,
“this is in part due due to the fact that ITS recommends different
firewall settings for different operating systems.” All non-OS based
firewalls should be turned off as well as the operating system
firewalls for computers running any Mac OS or Windows XP Service Pack
1. The OS firewall in Windows XP Service Pack 2 does not cause problems
with registration.

Concerns about processing speed have led ITS to allow students to
temporarily disable the On-Access Scanner when engaging in other
processor-intensive tasks such as watching videos or playing games.
However, Jacobsen said the “actual updates don’t [use any] more
resources than loading a web page.”

Despite the challenges being faced by ITS, students seemed largely
unsympathetic. While unwilling to be quoted in a campus wide
publication many students commented that given the time ITS staff
members had to prepare for the registration process, they expected a
higher level of service.

Also marking the beginning of the new school year, ITS has engaged in a
new public awareness campaign for the policy for copyright violations
and other forms of illegal file sharing. After being served with three
notices, students will be barred from accessing the campus network.

Remarked Judy Downing, Director of ITS, “the three strikes [signs
around campus] do not actually represent a change in policy.” After a
difficult series of file sharing violations involving one student last
spring, ITS and the Dean’s office worked together to craft the current
practice.

According to Downing, nearly 100% of students are “very, very
cooperative” when they receive a notice of copyright violation and
remove the material or stop file sharing. A number of students over the
years have received two notices, but only one has received three.

As part of the policy, students who work for ITS may be asked to give
up their employment if they are guilty of violating copyright. Downing
commented on the matter, “because it involves a computer many people
seem to think it isn’t as serious [a crime]. I don’t think we can
accept that behavior in employees.”

*****

by Victoria Swisher
Living and Arts Editor

Each year, before returning sophomores, juniors, and seniors arrive on
campus, Freshman Orientation welcomes the new first-years to Swarthmore
College. The theme of this year’s orientation was “Home on the Range,”
providing an opportunity for new events to be planned in addition to
the usual activities that occur yearly during the orientation.

The Orientation Committee is determined from applications, and it works
in conjunction with Campus Advisors (CA’s) to organize Freshmen
Orientation week. Highlights from this year’s week of activities
include events which students from older classes remember, such as the
trust walk and ice cream socials. Unique events were also centered
around the week’s western theme. Freshmen enjoyed a “Hoe Down” on
Parrish Beach, complete with mechanical bull and slip ‘n slides, Saloon
Night in Upper Tarble, and a Four-Square Dancing Festival in the Field
House. Roger Shaw ’08 especially enjoyed Swat Theater because he found
the Harry Potter theme to be “effective and funny, yet informative”.

Overall, the experience seemed to be positive for the new students.
While Shaw stated, “I didn’t feel like I gained anything by being in a
CA group, even though the CAs were friendly and nice,” Mark Loria ’08
found that the CA’s were “helpful, approachable, and answered
questions.” Both Shaw and Loria agreed that Freshman Orientation week
helped make their transitions to college life easier.

Jeffrey Mao ’06, a CA, commented, “The OC [Orientation Committee] and a
lot of CA’s put a lot of time and care into the whole orientation
deal–whether it was making the door signs or helping people move in or
getting the events set up–and so hopefully it was all worth it in
giving the freshmen a good memory that they can look back on.”

*****

* Nearly half a million people have been ordered to evacuate as
Hurricane Frances approached Florida on Wednesday. The storm, coming
just weeks after Hurricane Charley ravaged the state, is expected to
hit land as early as Friday night. Weather forecasters believe that
this is the first time in a century two Category 4 storms have hit a
single state in one season. It is hard to know exactly what areas
Hurricane Frances will affect, but early forecasts predict that it will
hit a much wider area than Charley did.

* The Kobe Bryant rape case was dropped on Wednesday, after officials
said that Bryant’s accuser would no longer cooperate with the
proceedings. The outcome was not unexpected, as the prosecution’s case
has been slowly weakening over the past few months, particularly
because of the accuser’s decision to sue Mr. Bryant in civil court.
Throughout the court proceedings the defense argued that their
encounter was consensual, and a central question during the proceedings
had been how much information about the woman’s prior sexual history
could be released to the court.

* In a speech before the Republican National Convention on Wednesday,
Vice President Cheney denounced Democratic nominee John Kerry for his
national security positions, while praising Bush for his economic role.
Along with Cheney, a long line of Republicans and one Democrat, Senator
Zell Miller of Georgia, spoke on similar themes. Sen. Miller introduced
President Clinton at his nominating convention in 1992, but has since
become increasingly alienated from his party. Despite arrests of nearly
1800 people, protests against the Republicans continued on Wednesday,
with some (belonging to the AIDS activism group Act Up) even managing
to make it inside the convention hall.

* Heavily armed insurgents seized a school in southern Russia on
Wednesday. Four to seven people are believed to have been killed in the
initial raid, but hostages still remain trapped inside with the
insurgents. The exact number of such hostages remains unclear. The
attack comes only a day after a subway bombing in Moscow and only a
week after the bombing of two Russian airliners. These attacks are all
believed to be tied to the separatist conflict in Chechnya, which has
been going on since 1994.

*****

Swarthmore Coalition for the Digital Commons Meeting
Science Center 101, 10:00 p.m.

*****

SPORTS UPDATE

by Alex Glick
Sports Editor

The men’s soccer team kicked off the season last night with a 1-0
victory over the Cabrini Cavaliers in a tight match full of amazing
defensive play and hustle by the Garnet. Michael Bonesteel ’08 led
Swarthmore to victory with his goal off of a Matt Schiller ’07 assist.
Cabrini’s players were very physical throughout the game, but the
Garnet kept their cool and played tough to put themselves in the win
column.

Both teams were evenly matched at the start of the game with possession
changing hands several times. Dave Hoyt ’06, Alex Elkins’ 06, and
Duncan Gromko ’07 played solid defense to thwart any chance of a
Cabrini goal. Schiller was very aggressive while showing tremendous
speed and effort when going after the ball.

With less than 7:45 left in the first half, Schiller took a corner kick
and placed the ball in perfect position for Bonesteel to head it into
the net. This was all Swarthmore would need to seal their victory.
Swarthmore Coach Eric Wagner said, “Matt Schiller couldn’t have served
a better ball.” He added, “It was a great goal” and “an excellent run
though the box.” Bonesteel said, “The atmosphere was just great” and
added “the crowd really got me pumped.” He acknowledged that the team’s
hard work in preseason definitely paid off.

The Garnet, especially Marty Griffith ’05, showed great footwork in the
second half, faking out Cabrini a great deal. Defense continued to be
an asset for Swarthmore in the second half, and goalie Nate Shupe ’05
blocked all three shots taken on him during the game to earn the
shutout.

Cabrini played rough the entire game, and one of their players was
given a red card in the second half and removed from the game. A
Cabrini fan was also forced to leave the area. Wagner said, “I’m very
pleased with the composure our players showed,” noting that his team
played hard and did not let their emotions get the best of them.

In reference to the victory, Bonesteel said, “the team played great
overall.” Wagner added, “It’s a great step for us this season.” The
team returns to action this weekend, hosting the Garnet Alumni Classic.
Swarthmore will play SUNY-Farmingdale on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. and
Wesley on Sunday at 4:30 p.m.

*****

by Lauren Janowitz
Gazette Reporter

The sun was beating down on Clothier Field at 4:00 p.m. yesterday, but
despite the heat the Swarthmore field hockey team trumped the Widener
Pioneers 1-0 in their season opener.

The Swat girls immediately went on the offensive and the majority of
the first half was played on the Widener side of the field. The attack
was lead especially by Jessica Larson ’06, Heidi Fieselmann ’06, and
Lindsay Roth ’07. Numerous attempts were made at the goal, but each
time the ball just missed. The first goal of the game came about
fifteen minutes in, when Chelsea Ferrell ’05 skillfully shot the ball
past the Widener goalie.

The Garnet continued to fight, and were awarded a number of penalty
corners, but were unable to score any more goals. The first half ended
1-0, with Swat leading.

The Pioneers came back onto the field in the second half determined not
to lose, and at once launched an attack on the Swatties. The tables
were turned, and suddenly the girls were fighting to keep the ball away
from their own goal. Val Marone ’05 and Julie Monaghan ’07 worked hard
on defense, while goalie Karen Lorang ’07 stopped everything that came
her way.

With about twenty minutes left on the clock, the Garnet finally
overtook the Pioneers and took the play of the ball back to the other
side of the field. Despite earning several penalty corners (11 in the
game overall), the Swat girls weren’t able to score again, but at the
final buzzer they emerged the victors, 1-0.

Unsurprisingly, the team was thrilled with their win, especially after
having lost to Widener 3-2 in last season’s opener. “The game went
really well,” said Fieselmann, “The team clicked both on and off the
field. Our hits were on, and we saw the entire field. We went in and
played; the whole game was a lot of fun.”

The team’s next game is on Saturday the 4th at Goucher; the next home
match is at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, the 7th, against Notre Dame (MD).

*****

by Anya Carrasco
Gazette Reporter

The Garnet Tide began its 2004 soccer season with a 4-1 victory over
the Neumann Knights. With just a few minutes into the game, Natalie
Negrey ’07 scored her first of two goals with an assist from Jane Sachs
’07. The crowd of 150 cheered energetically, and the positive vibes
continued after the key save from Kristen Traband ’08.

After a goal by the Knights threatened their leading status, the Garnet
picked up new energy and Negrey scored her second consecutive goal with
the aid of Monica Larimer ’05. With the Garnet in control of the field,
Sachs defended her way through the Knights’ opposition to score the
third goal of the game.

With a lead of 3-1 the Garnet confidently defended their half of the
field. Putting an end to the back-and-forth play, Sachs’s second assist
aided Danielle Tocchet ’07 in making her first collegiate goal, which
was the final one of the game.

The Garnet Tide made a strong opening yesterday evening. They
anticipate a similar performance when they return to the field on
Saturday, September 4th when they host Widener, Alvernia, and SUNY
Cortland in the annual Swat Kick-Off. Swarthmore will take on Cortland
at 1:00 p.m. at Clothier Field.

*****

Today:
There are no contests scheduled for today.

Tomorrow:
Volleyball at Moravian Tournament (Bethlehem, PA)

*****

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Ordinarily he was insane, but he had lucid moments when he was merely
stupid.”
–Heinrich Heine

*****

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