Removing viruses from computers will improve network speed

Dear Editor:

Many of you reading this might have noticed that our internet on campus hasn’t been too great this semester. There were some real issues earlier on in the semester and the problem seemed to be viruses such as the blaster worm. CIT took action, blocking IPs of those computers infected by such viruses and it seemed like this would put our network back to its healthy state.

Unfortunately, this was not the case. Many computers are still infected by such viruses and the biggest problem with these viruses is that usually those infected do not realize that they are, as it really doesn’t have much of a direct impact. These viruses are taking up a large portion of our bandwidth; thus we are not getting the speeds we should be getting.

You might ask, “Why not start blocking IPs of those infected again?” The problem is that CIT doesn’t seem to be able to do this anymore and it would require a lot of time and effort for them to resolve the current situation.

This is why I would like you to take a few minutes to help resolve the situation. It is very easy to remove these viruses from your system, by installing anti-virus software and scanning your computer once. CIT has one available for download with step-by-step instructions on how to install, at http://www.macalester.edu /cit/safecomputing/how_to_install.htm. Your few minutes will help out the college network (and maybe even get rid of some other viruses on your system). Thank you.

Tak Iwanaga ’04
 

More support for threatened Russian Department

Dear Editor:

For a long time, Macalester has distinguished itself from its peer institutions nationwide through its celebration of internationalism and multiculturalism. College publicity and recruiting efforts have quite rightly revolved around Kofi Annan, globalization and other catchphrases of the new 21st century.

The ongoing debate over the future of the Russian department at Macalester provides the community with an opportunity to reiterate its enthusiasm for its sense of character and mission. If Macalester is genuinely committed to internationalism and multiculturalism, the school will maintain its investment in small programs like Russian, even if they may appear “unprofitable” according to conventional standards.

Some have begun to argue recently that Macalester can no longer afford such exotic courses of study. Proposals exist to transform the Russian department into a token area studies program or eliminate it entirely. It stands to reason that cutting Russian and other small programs over the next few years would allow the college to re-channel limited resources into bigger departments like Biology, Economics, Political Science and Psychology.

Perhaps it is time for Macalester to prioritize the bottom line and begin to evaluate all programs according to a single cost/benefit ratio. If that is the case, however, the Macalester community ought to be honest with itself and with others about its now conditional commitment to internationalism and multiculturalism.

David Brandenberger ’92