Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Sept. 19, 2001, edition 1 / Page 3
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SUjr iatly (Bar Hrrl Public Input Key to Plan For Carrboro Though side-by-side, Chapel Hill and Carrboro face different devel opment challenges in upcoming years. For Chapel Hill, the headaches stem from the University. Two issues recendy popped up: a fiscal equity pol- icy and UNC’s Development Plan. Last week, the Chapel Hill Town Council perused a memo randum of under standing between the town and UNC about who should pay what As UNC expands, it will require greater JONATHAN CHANEY CITY COLUMNIST municipal services from the town, such as police and fire protection. The University - owned by the state - doesn’t have to pay the property taxes which cover these costs. Town officials have long complained about the University’s lack of financial assistance, and they think it’s time UNC pay its fair share. UNC protests, saying that a major research institution pays the community back in many ways. They have a point. A lot of what makes Chapel Hill such a unique town (the people, intellectual climate, down town vibrancy) can either direcdy or indirecdy be tied to the University. Many UNC faculty and administra tors call Chapel Hill “home,” provid ing a wealthy tax base for the town. After all, the average price of homes in the town is well over $300,000 - resulting in lucrative tax revenues. And just this week, Oliver Smithies, a UNC researcher and professor of pathology, won the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research. The Lasker Award is considered “America’s Nobel.” Such national achievements bring atten tion and prestige to the town itself. But as UNC brings in more stu dents and expands the campus, awards can only go so far. The strain on municipal services will increase. It would be best for UNC to agree to shoulder some of the costs. The bill should not be split 50-50, but UNC should help alleviate some of the prob lems it exacerbates. The University just received the fis cal equity proposal last Friday, so it is taking more time to review it before agreeing to any changes. On another front, a 29-page report on the town-gown committee’s pro posed equity policy was given to the council last week. The report details many of the agreements between Chancellor James Moeser and Mayor Rosemary Waldorf during the past four months of meet ings. While most of its contents have been informally agreed upon by the two bodies, there were new proposi tions that raised a few eyebrows among town officials and residents. One part of the University’s proposal is intended to give the town notice: We plan on expanding beyond the southern campus border into already developed neighborhoods -and we will acquire land in that path. The proposal asks that the town recognize that intent With Master Plan expansion, UNC plans on building more graduate student housing and a campus corridor along Mason Farm Road. Of course, the University doesn’t actually own this property it has already planned to devel op -but minor details like that will be the center of a protracted battle between the town and UNC down the line. Tonight at 7 p.m., the Town Council will have a public hearing on the Development Plan. The Town Council is expected to vote on the Development Plan on Oct. 3. The University’s “statement of intent” is a bad planning move. Not only is it banking on housing a good number of graduate students on land it doesn’t even own, but it assumes - unfairly - that res idents in the Mason Farm Road area should be willing to pack up and move because “We’re Expanding.” Carrboro, on the other hand, has less drama in their development future. But officials are still planning ahead. Last weekend, more than 100 residents took part in discussions over the town’s “Vision 2020,” the urban development plan for downtown Carrboro over the next 20 years. Such a large turnout speaks to the area’s uniqueness - since so many peo ple were Willing to shape the town’s growth in the face of last week’s events. There’s no way such civic involvement would happen in my hometown. While Carrboro’s development may not hinge on two governing bodies butting heads, public input should be the blueprint for its future growth. Columnist Jonathan Chaney can be reached at jhchaney@email.unc.edu. Nimda Nixes Network Access Bv Rob Leichner Staff Writer A nationwide computer worm struck the UNC network Tuesday morning, spreading quickly and preventing students from accessing the Internet. Jeanne Smythe, director of computing poli cy at Academic Technology & Networks, said the worm, called Nimda, is carrying out a denial of service attack that uses up most of the network bandwidth. Starting at 9:45 a.m. Tuesday, Nimda invad ed more than 40 campus computers through Microsoft Internet Explorer, Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Outlook Express, Smythe said. As the worm used up network bandwidth try ing to spread to other computers, many net work services became inaccessible. “A denial of service attack means that so many computer resources are used that other work can’t get done,” Smythe said. UNC officials began working to resolve the W \ I*|lm V\ * m DTH/LAURA ROTOSDO Mike Tapp (left), Andy Swanson and Grover Wrenn from Orange County Emergency Management light candles for a Tuesday night vigil in Hillsborough. More than 200 residents and officials attended the vigil, organized by the Board of Commissioners. Orange County Vigil Aims to Heal Red Cross officials say they will need more blood donations in the next few weeks to support relief efforts for attack victims. By Heather Apple Staff Writer HILLSBOROUGH - More than 200 resi dents and Orange County officials gathered Tuesday night to remember the victims of the tragedy that took place one week ago. The Orange County Board of Commissioners organized the Orange County Ceremony of Remembrance, held on East Margaret Lane in Hillsborough. Orange County Commissioner Moses Carey touted the candlelight vigil as an opportunity to reflect. “I think it is appropriate for all officials and citizens to take time off to recover,” he said. Commissioner Stephen Halkiotis said the vigil’s success was not determined by its turnout. “If we have five people, I feel that’s a service we have met,” Halkiotis said. Congress Appropriates $2,500 WT DTH/REBECCA O'DOHERTY Jon Curtis (left) and Justin Young wait for some action at the Student Congress meeting Tuesday. News problem by protecting the network from the infected computers as soon as they were dis covered. “I know we certainly responded quick ly on campus to isolate any problems,” Smythe said. “Any that we have discovered we have iso lated and put in the penalty box.” But Nimda still can resurface because it con tinues to attack computers off campus and can be transmitted via Web sites or e-mails. “If (students) are using Internet Explorer, Oudook or Oudook Express, they have to be careful,” Smythe said. She added students should take precautions to protect their computers from the worm. In Internet Explorer, students should disable file downloads and Java Script applications, and in Oudook, students should disable autopreview and not open any unexpected e-mail attachments. Additionally, Microsoft Windows can be updated to include the latest antivirus programs by choosing the Windows Update icon from the Start menu. Besides slowing down the network, Nimda also damages the individual computers it infects. David Snyder, of the Orange County Red Cross, stressed the organization’s need for ongoing support in dealing with the crisis. “(There will be a) continuing need (for blood donations) over the next couple of weeks at least,” he said. Diane Ellis, executive director of the Orange County Red Cross, added that the county’s chapter presently has the most volunteers of any county in the state. The chapter has seven volunteers at the sites of the disasters, three in New York and four in Washington, D.C. The ceremony was held under a clear evening sky, while a flock of geese flew over head in unity, capturing the spirit of the event. Halkiotis presided over the ceremony, emphasizing the far-reaching effects of the tragedies. “Everyone in America, including everyone in Orange County, has been or will be affected,” Halkiotis said. The Sheriffs Department Honor Guard fol lowed Halkiotis by carrying in the flags of the United States and North Carolina. Six members of the Orange High School Band .then accompanied the singing of the “Star Spangled Banner,” followed by speeches from town officials. Student Body President Justin Young said the University community must unite and be tolerant in the wake of last week's attacks. By Elizabeth Michalka and Joe Monaco Staff Writers After finding about SIB,OOO that the former student body treasurer tucked away in an investment account. Student Congress tried to remain frugal when considering six student groups’ funding requests Tuesday night. Members voted to distribute about a tenth of the amount available for fall subsequent appropriation funds after elimi nating certain requests they deemed unnecessary. Earlier this semester, student government leaders thought Congress was facing a shortage in fall subsequent appropria tion funds, which are distributed to a variety of student orga nizations. The funds are composed of money left over from the annual budget in February and of reversions - unused money student groups must return at the semester’s end. But recently officials located about SIB,OOO that former stu dent body treasurer Patrick Frye transferred into an invest ment account without informing other leaders. This amount brought Congress’ funds back to normal levels. After Frye put the SIB,OOO into the investment account, an See CONGRESS, Page 7 Smythe said the worm has the ability to delete and replace some files saved on the computer. While the worm affected some students, oth ers barely noticed it. But the inability of pro fessors to access the Internet during class was one of students’ major complaints. Ryan Morris, a junior from "ML Pleasant, said the computers at the business school were hit hard. He could not print an assignment before class because he could not log in, and one of his professors could not give a Power Point presenta tion. “I didn’t leave until 3:30, and (die com puters) were still down,” Morris said. Gina Flakes, a sophomore from Georgia, said she was puzzled when many of her AOL Instant Messenger buddies signed off at once Tuesday afternoon. She said she assumes Nimda was to blame for making the network inaccessible for her friends. She said, “All of a sudden my whole fist was wiped out” The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu. Afterward, Jackie Payne, an Orange High School senior spoke about last Tuesday and how it not only affected her day at school, but her fife as well. She described her classmates’ reactions on the day of the event. “They had expressions of shock, sympathy, confusion and pure fright,” Payne said. As residents began to fight their candles, Orange County poetjaki Shelton-Green spoke, delivering a message of unity in the face of tragedy. “Let us now begin to spread and embrace the promise of hope,” she said. The vigil ended with a rendition of “America the Beautiful,” as community members filtered back to their homes and fives. But their thoughts remained with the victims honored by the ceremony. After the vigil, Delta White, a resident of Chapel Hill, expressed a common feeling about Tuesday’s tragedies. “I still feel numb,” she said. It’s the worst thing that’s ever happened. I look at it and I cry. I can’t help it. “My heart goes out to all those people.” The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu. Pundits: Blue Could Fare Well in Election Dan Blue, a former speaker for the N.C. House, joins Elaine Marshall in the race for the Democratic ticket. By Mike Gorman Staff Writer Dan Blue, an 11-term legislator and former N.C. House speaker, announced his candidacy Monday for the U.S. Senate, but questions remain about whether his fellow Democrats will sup port his bid for the seat. Blue, a North Carolina native with degrees from N.C. Central and and Duke universities, served as. speaker of the N.C. House in the early 19905, only to be ousted as majority leader after the Republican sweep of the N.C. General Assembly in 1994. Blue is the fourth candidate to announce his bid for the U.S. Senate seat, following announcements by Democrat Wednesday, September 19, 2001 Rate Limiting for Dummies Here are terms to help you underctand common computer technology related to rate limiting and die new NIMDA virus. ■ Bandwidth: The amount of data that can be transmitted in a fixed amount of time. For digital services, bandwidth is usually expressed in bits per second or bytes per second. ■ “Denial of service" attack: Type of attack on a network that is designed to cripple the network by flooding it with useless traffic. For all known attacks, there are software fixes that system administrators can install to limit the damage caused by attacks. ■ File sharing: Copying a file from one computer to another over a network. ■ Network: A system that transmits any combination of voice, video or data between users. ■ Rate limiting: Helps to control network traffic loading by restricting the amount of bandwidth that can be used by a particular class of traffic. ■ Traffic: Amount of data on a system being carried by a network. ■ Worm: A program algorithm that replicates itself over a computer network and usually performs malicious actions, such as using up the computer's resources and possibly shutting the system down. sooace TH3nres.coM, webopedia, universitt of Kansas web site Network Traffic Lowered By Limits On File-Sharing ATN's new bandwidth policy has slowed access to file-sharing programs like KaZaA and Morpheus but has improved traffic. By Deb McCown Staff Writer Students are gaining easier access to the Internet on cam pus because of a recendy implemented policy limiting the space file-sharing programs can use on the campus network, network monitors said Tuesday. The new policy, which took effect Aug. 28, has successful ly prevented file-sharing traffic from clogging the network, Academic Technology & Networks officials said. Applications that allow file-sharing include the KaZaA net work, which supports die Morpheus program, and the Gnutella network. “KaZaA traffic was more than three times the amount of Web traffic,” said ATN Networking and Communications Director Jim Gogan. “Since we put the rate limit in place, Web traffic is two to three times more than anything else.” Limiting bandwidth for file-sharing programs means cutting down on the amount of network space a single user can take up at one time to use these programs. “If you imagine the network as a big multi-lane highway, there are some programs that will take up all of the highway, and other programs will have trouble getting anywhere because there’s no room on the highway,” said Bruce Egan, assistant director of ATN’s Information Technologies Response Center. “We’re not going to let you have all eight lanes; we’ll only let you have one.” The bandwidth limitations can make downloads from the file-sharing applications Gnutella and KaZaA take longer, but it makes the network easier to access for more people. “What we are trying to make sure is if you sit down at your computer to send e-mail or to go to Blackboard or go to Student Central, you can do it,” Egan said, noting that only certain applications are targeted and that other downloads shouldn’t be affected. Limiting download rates is a better solution than buying more bandwidth, which costs so much that all 16 UNC-system campuses share it, Gogan said. Some students are unhappy about the change, but more complaints centered around the shutdown of Napster, which has nothing to do with the University. ATN officials said that a number of students have expressed gratitude that file-sharing traffic on the campus network has been reduced. “We have gotten e-mail from students thanking us because they’re having an easier time getting to Web pages they need to get to,” Gogan said. Other students said they have simply accepted their reduced ability to download certain files. “I used to (download files), then it got slow, so I stopped,” said sophomore Rob Weldon, who recalls that last year the download rate was three or four times faster than it is with the new policy. “I really enjoyed just sampling different types of music, though it’s probably given me more time to do other things.” The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu. Elaine Marshall and Republicans Ada Fisher and Richard Vinroot Blue has gone against the wishes of the Democratic Party leadership on several occasions, including leading a group of eight dissident Democrats in splitting from the party line on the issue of a pro posed one-cent sales tax increase. The “Group of Eight" has delayed attempts of House Democrats to pass a tax package. In 1998 Blue also attempted to build a coalition of Republicans and black Democrats to capture the post of House Speaker. Democratic Party members are hesi tant to say if Blue’s recent actions will damage his Senate campaign. “I think that will depend on how the current session ends,” said Barbara Allen, head of the N.C. Democratic Party. “He has been in the legislature for 11 terms,” she said. “He’s been a very effec tive legislator during his time.” Ferrel Guillory, director of UNC- See BLUE, Page 7 3
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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