DM TROJAN
Student newspaper of the University of Southern California
FRIDAY
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September 6, 2002
Of interest...
Drivers take their aggressions out on the road because society is breeding violence / 4
News Digest	2	Roundup	3
Opinions	4 |	Lifestyle	7
The Buzz	7	Classifieds	10
Crossword	11	Sports	12
vol. CXLVII, no. 8 www.dailytrojan.com
Campus sheds cables with wireless Internet
By KENNETH BASIN
Assistant City Editor
Among professors and students alike, reactions to the Information Services Divisions new wireless data network have been mixed.
The wireless Internet access, which is available in common areas, eateries, University Village and on the Row, was funded by a $460,000 grant from Enterasys Networks.
Data is transferred on the network via packetized radio waves.
"Packetized means there is a packet of information, which would consist of a header that says who it’s headed for, where it's going, and then it's received and decoded,” said A. Michael Noll, professor of communication. “It’s like an envelope with an address on it saying who it’s
TECHNOLOGY
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intended for.”
Noll said he is skeptical of the new technology’s applications at USC. One of his concerns is traffic on the network — multiple users seeking bandwidth slows down the entire network and can sometimes block others from accessing it at all.
“Just like a conversation, if you go to talk and someone else goes to talk at the same time, you collide,” Noll said.
Because of this, wireless Internet access is unlikely to replace wired
systems, he said.
In addition, there are significant security issues associated with transmitting information on a radio spectrum since it can be picked up by anyone.
“Relying on so-called complexity in the technology as a form of security never works,” Noll said.
Beyond technical issues, however, Noll questioned the usefulness and worth of the new wireless systems.
“Who cares how it works?” he said. “The real issue is what are you going to use it for and what are going to be the humanistic implications of those uses?”
Matt Slocum, a junior majoring in jazz studies, also worried about the frivolity of the new network.
“Only if you’re hardcore, wireless Internet might be for you,” he said.
I see Wireless, page 3 I
Nights of Classics
Film buffs clamoring to see more Hitchcock fare can satisfy their needs in Pasadena this month /12
Michael Ward I Daily Trojan
Outdoor surfing. Peter Scoggins, senior computer consultant specialist of the Doheny Office of Technology Support, uses a laptop computer by the reflection pool outside Leavey Library.
Patient power. Patel Ketankumar, a graduate student in pharmaceutical sciences, waits for his tram with other students outside the Joint Educational Project building.
Cruiser shifts gear on pickups
Service: Students must take tram during running hours if going to a place on route
By KEITH WAGSTAFF
Contributing Writer
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A stricter Campus Cruiser pickup policy has left many students, especially females, upset and worried about their personal safety.
The policy states that if students live on the tram route, they will be required to use the tram instead of Campus Cruiser during the tram’s hours of operations. While the policy is not new, Campus Cruiser is trying to enforce it more this semester.
Some students have expressed fear that the policy will leave them in dangerous situations.
“Girls feel unsafe walking home,” said Lisa Mann, a senior majoring in communication. “I’m scared to be at
the stop by myself.”
Campus Cruiser insists it does not have enough resources to provide door-to-door rides for everyone, especially those who just use the system for convenience rather than valid safety concerns.
Campus Cruiser gets a minimum of 350 calls every night of the week, said Andre Gaines, Campus Cruiser manager. The sheer volume of calls was a major reason that Campus Cruiser was forced to limit the amount of requests it could take.
Gaines hopes the policy will discourage students who wish to abuse the system for their own convenience.
“It’s a nice service if you’re lazy because you can just get a ride to the Row,” said Catherine Giarrusso, a senior majoring in Italian.
The cutoff point for whether a student is too close to a tram stop to be picked up varies on both the time of night and how busy the service is. A general rule is that Campus Cruiser
will not pick students up if they live only a few addresses from a tram stop.
“We will to do our job to the best of our ability with the resources we have," Gaines said. “We want to get it to the students who really need it”
A number of students have complained that Campus Cruiser told them they could not be picked up because their stops were on a tram route. They were then were forced to wait outside for long periods of time for a tram to come pick them up.
“They made me wait outside at 10:30 (p.m.) for 20 minutes in the dark for a tram, and one never even came," said Marissa Silber, a junior majoring in political science. “If a tram isn’t going to be there within five minutes, I don’t think it’s safe.” Gaines insists that student safety is Campus Cruiser’s biggest concern and that there will always be an element of danger while on campus. He said it is up to students to be I see Cruiser, page 8 I
Guides help men through process of going Greek
Involvement Framed after womens recruitment counselors, Interfraternity Councils format is less strict but as effective
By SUSHMA SUBRAMANIAN
Staff Writer
As the identity of USC continues to change, so does the process of Greek recruitment
With each year’s incoming class raising the standards of the USC student, with higher grades and SAT scores, students move farther away from the stereotype of the “frat boy” or “sorority girl," said David Rock, Interfraternity Council’s vice president of public relations.
“The guys we have now aren’t the typical Greek model kid of five years ago,” Rock said. “We had to find a different way to attract these guys to the Greek system than what we’d used before.”
IFC's solution was a combination of Rush guides who lead potential fraternity members through the Rush process and new Row activities, including Movie on the Row and a career fair with Greek alumni and USC faculty representing the skills they learned through the Greek system.
“When we were discussing how to improve Rush, a lot of people found there was no personal connection with the guys who were rushing,” said Christopher Ward, IFC’s vice president of Rush.
Ken Taylor, IFC adviser and assistant vice president of the Office of Residential and Greek Life, suggested the idea of Rush guides based on the recruitment counselors, once called Rho Chi, that the Panhellenic Council has had for years.
The Rush guides differ from Panhellenic’s recruitment counselors, who are not affiliated with their sororities. During Rush, the sorority counselors have to stay at the Radisson Hotel to make sure they give rushees an objective view of the sororities. While IFC’s Rush guides are affiliated with their fraternities, they are not allowed to promote them.
IFC’s group of 30 Rush guides helped rushees find their way through the Greek system by getting them registered and giving them tours of the Row.
“Before, a lot of the guys who wanted to Rush sort of got lost in the process,” Ward said.
When rushees were interested in a certain fraternity, the Rush guides made sure the rushees attended their events. The guides suggested houses for them to
I see Rush, page 3 I
"The guys we have now aren't the typical Greek model kid of five years ago. We had to find a different way to attract these guys to the Greek system than what wed used before.” —♦— DAVID ROCK vice president
public relations Interfraternity Council