Techs say game over

E Reason Behind The Blocked Gaming Sites On Campus Computers

Nick McNamara /Roundup nmcnamara.roundupnews@gmail.com

Concerns about blocked websites on the campus’ wireless network were brought up by the Pierce College Academic Senate vicepresident at the senate’s bimonthly meeting on, Nov. 19 in the Campus Services building conference room.

John Zayac, the vicepresident and professor of geology, brought it up after an email from a faculty member which informed him of the blocks.

Zayac was concerned about the decision, who said it had not been brought before the senate.

“I don’t think that we should be limiting any kind of internet searches or web access without going through process,” he said.

Zayac said he would like the decision and similar decisions in the future to be looked into by some branch of the Academic Senate.

“I want it to go to a committee to talk about what is appropriate and what is not,” Zayac said.

But Mark Henderson, the information technology manager at Pierce College, said the decision was made following the usual currents and through discussion with the Technology Advisory Committee.

“It’s the normal operations of network optimization,” Henderson said. “It’s not a senate thing.”

The blocks mainly affect websites hosting games, which were slowing down Pierce’s wireless network and were put into place starting Nov. 14, according to Henderson.

“Mostly the games are the ones that are chewing up our bandwidth,” Henderson said. “Our campus bandwidth was being consumed by all the proliferation of games being played around campus.”

The usage of games was having an “adverse effect” on instruction and the Technology Advisory Committee had come to the conclusion to optimize the wireless network, including limiting the consumption of games.

Pierce student, Alex Askew, said he was “certainly not” happy with the blocks.

“If they block Minecraft, they’re going to hear from me,” Askew said.

Askew went on to say that as older students, Pierce students should have a guaranteed degree of internet freedom.

“Being pretty much all adults here, we basically should have a right to look up what we want and play what we want,” Askew said. “I don’t want to go on and have everything blocked.”

Though game sites are blocked, Henderson said any game that is related to instruction or class would be unblocked.

“If there are any sites that are related to classroom activity, we can just be given those sites and those sites will be put back in,” Henderson said. “But no one has given me any data on that yet.”

“I used to put stuff in there when I had a yoga class, but I’ve never had anything stolen,” said Kayla Cramer, liberal arts major. “I also have a hardcore lock. I’ve never trusted P.E. lockers in the first place.”

These lockers are available for the general population and several students expressed their concerns about the strange people they find prowling around.

“I don’t use the lockers but I see homeless people coming here all the time,” student Stephanie Esquivel, who is undecided on her major, said. “I saw some lady in there bathing.”

Dino Correa, a second-semester GIS major, has also seen non-students around the area.

“Everytime I go in there, there’s a homeless dude in there with all their crap laid out,” Correa said. “They have lockers.”

Law enforcement personnel say they are committed to stopping the crime spree, conducting a patrol in and around the area hoping to catch the vandal off-guard and redhanded.

Faculty members of the physical education department have become more vigilant with coaches and staff periodically looking in the locker areas, scanning for suspicious activity. The question as to who could be the perpetrator still looms, but the heavily guarded corridors of the North Gym are quiet. for now .

Incident Report for November

11-21-12 There was a physical altercation between a student and an officer in the South Gym.

11-23-12 An unknown driver hit the security gate at the intersection of El Rancho Drive and DeSoto Avenue and left the scene.