9/11/2001 - 9/11/2015
See page 2 for Pipe Dream’s original coverage in the aftermath of the attacks
Friday, September 11, 2015 | Vol. LXXXVIII, Issue 4 | Binghamton University | bupipedream.com
The Free Word on Campus Since 1946
Coders think 'evil' to better protect against hackers
BU named 89th best university in United States
Underhanded C Coding competition encourages malicious behavior for good
U.S. News and World Report ranking drops one spot from previous year
Alana Epstein
Alexandra Mackof
Malicious codes are usually written by hackers, but at Binghamton University these “evil” codes are being written to raise awareness about the issue. The eighth annual Underhanded C Coding competition is being hosted by Scott Craver, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at BU. The competition asks participants to create “evil codes,” meaning codes that appear to be innocent and easily pass visual inspections, but then implement unusual and unwanted behavior. The competition, which has been at BU since 2005, gets its name because entries must be written in C Code and implement underhanded behavior. The purpose of making participants create these “evil” codes isn’t to promote hacking and malicious computing behavior, but to raise awareness about it. Craver got the idea for the competition in 2005 after being inspired by a small contest at Stanford University that addressed fears of voter fraud in the presidential election; the code would look normal but would store the votes so they weren’t private or secure. “In 2004, the year the presidential election took place, there were a lot of concerns about the security of voting machines,” Craver said. “Stanford’s contest was to write a simple computer program that looks like it’s counting votes.” According to James O’Neil, a sophomore majoring in computer science, coders need to be more aware of the harmful side of hacking. “I think the competition does a good job on bringing awareness about cyber crime and hacking,” O’Neil said. “A lot of people don’t know the full extent of how much harm someone can do by hacking and I think this is a great way to show that.” The contest runs from August 15 to November 15, and Craver will select
The U.S. News and World Report 2016 rankings of best colleges were released at midnight on Wednesday, September 9. Binghamton University was ranked 89th this year, and is tied with the University of Vermont, SUNY Stony Brook, University of Colorado Boulder, University of San Diego and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Last year, BU was ranked 88th nationwide. BU also ranked among the top 50 public universities nationwide for the 18th year in a row. The ranking moved up one spot this year to 37, from 38 last year. BU is tied in this category with North Carolina State University, SUNY Stony Brook, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, University of Vermont and University of Colorado Boulder. Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Donald Nieman said that BU’s drop in the rankings was relatively meaningless, and that it was not a representation of the University’s progress. “Binghamton remains among the top public universities in the nation,” Nieman said. “Negligible changes in one of the dozen categories that are part of the formula used by US News can push a university up or down a spot or two, so it’s not appropriate to read much if anything into small variations from year to year.” U.S. News ranks colleges based on a variety of data and statistics, such as college guidance counselor rankings, graduation and retention rates, endowment size, student-to-faculty ratios and acceptance rates. Binghamton University currently reports a student to faculty ratio of 20:1, an acceptance rate of 44.1 percent and a freshmen retention rate of 91 percent. In a statement released by the University, Nieman said that the rankings reflected a level of success at BU that he is proud of.
News Editor
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See CODE Page 3
Klara Rusinko/Pipe Dream Photographer Zachary Alexander, a junior double-majoring in accounting and business administration, talks to Talia Schwartz, a junior majoring in human development, and Gabrielle Alexander, a senior double-majoring in mathematics and business administration, who both tabled for Suicide Prevention Day. There were 1100 yellow flags planted on the Spine, representing the 1100 student suicides each year nationwide.
Suicide Prevention Day breaks down stigmas Campus organizations rally to offer resources to those battling with mental illnesses Stacey Schimmel Pipe Dream News
The Binghamton University Spine became a hub for students and staff sporting ribbons and temporary tattoos to support National Suicide Prevention Day. Founded in 2000 by the International Association for Suicide Prevention, Suicide Prevention Day is meant to be a day of hope and recognition. Undergraduate interns tabled for the Mental Health Outreach Peer Educators (M-HOPE), Real Education About College Health (REACH) and the Dean’s Team on the Spine, where 1,100 yellow flags representing the 1,100 student suicides each year nationwide were planted. This was the second annual commemoration on campus. Additional student groups such as Active Minds, an organization dedicated to the destigmatization of mental health, participated this year. Yellow ribbons were handed out to symbolize hope and suicide prevention, and temporary semicolon tattoos were given out, illustrating how an author could choose to end a sentence, but instead decides to pause and go on. According to LeAnna Rice, the event
coordinator and BU’s mental health outreach counselor, mental health has become an important topic across campus and the world. “We really need to be taking care of each other, making sure we’re OK and that everybody knows the resources available to them,” Rice said. Information was available about the University Counseling Center and hotlines available such as the Binghamton Crisis Center hotline. Rice said there were no suicide deaths in the last two years on BU’s campus. However, a study from George Mason University shows that eight to 10 percent of students are thinking about suicide. Patricia Rourke, a senior counselor with BU’s counseling services, said that the tattoos they gave out spark conversations that help spread awareness. “One of the biggest ways to help one another is just being mindful and listening to other people, noticing your friends, noticing people, seeing if they look like they’re a little down,” Rourke said. “Be approachable, be accepting and let go of judgments.” Cards with suicide prevention hotline numbers were distributed and interns for REACH and M-HOPE used
a “gatekeeper” approach to engage students. These “gatekeepers” of campus, or those who directly interact with those in distress but are not mental health professionals, are trained to recognize signs of suicide through conversation: these include all 238 resident assistants and members of various organizations. Their approaches range from asking distressed students how classes are to asking whether they are thinking about ending their lives. Tori Pena, a sophomore doublemajoring in psychology and anthropology, said that students need to take action regarding mental health problems. “It’s a really big issue and we need to acknowledge it more so we can take care of the problem,” Pena said. “When somebody says they’re depressed or having a hard time, we need to stop and listen.” Sonia Reyes, an intern for M-HOPE and a sophomore majoring in sociology, said there had been a strong response from students passing by. “The turnout has been really good, a lot of students have stayed, listened to what we had to say and put out a flag for one of the students’ lives that were lost,” Reyes said. “It’s been a really powerful, enriching day.”
See RANK Page 3
University cautions students to watch where they smoke Even with e-cigarettes, smokers must stay 25 feet away from residential buildings Michelle Kraidman Pipe Dream News
Neil Seejoor/Contributing Photographer New signs have been posted around residence halls to inform students about the University’s smoking regulations. One rule is that smokers must be at least 25 feet away from buildings.
While there are a number of rules regarding smoking on campus, many students are unaware of these restrictions. To remedy this, new signs have been posted around residence halls to inform new students and remind returning ones of Binghamton University’s smoking regulations. The smoking policy is delegated through SUNY, and dictates that the BU residence halls be smoke-free, which includes hookah, e-hookah, cigarettes and e-cigarettes. Those who smoke must do so at least 25 feet away from the buildings. Sharon O’Neill, the senior associate
director of Residential Life, said that the signs, posted this semester, are in place to remind students of the smoking policy and that there is no use of hookah, e-hookah and e-cigarettes allowed. “They should be posted in all residential buildings,” O’Neill said. “They were posted because it is the beginning of the year, and we want to be sure all new students are aware of the rules.” However, many students still feel that the rules are vague, and have not been explicitly explained enough. Smokers like Michael Kosowski, a senior double-majoring in art history and Eastern European studies, said that campus needs to clarify the regulations. “If there were rules on campus, they are badly enforced because I tend to smoke
about once a week and I’ll be walking into class and I’d have a cigarette and no one will ever stop me for it,” Kosowski said. “We are state-owned property but we’re not a state park so I don’t think we should be limited in what you do. That being said I do understand that some people have big bodily responses to cigarettes so I do understand limitations.” Other students feel that BU should join other universities nationwide in creating smoke-free campuses. Deepthi John, a freshman majoring in integrative neuroscience, said she believes that the University should ban smoking altogether. “I think we should be a smoke-free
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SUNY BEST talk focuses on developing startups in the Southern Tier High-tech incubator set to open on Hawley St. in fall 2016, will offer low-rent offices for local entrepreneurs Pelle Waldron
Assistant News Editor While some students may be looking to leave Binghamton after college, others see the area as a possible beginning for their careers. On Thursday morning, SUNY BEST (Business and Education Cooperative of the Southern Tier) hosted a talk featuring speakers from the surrounding area who are involved in helping small companies get started. Binghamton University faculty and members of the community attended the talk held at the University Downtown Center. Brad Treat from the Southern Tier
Startup Alliance, Mike Driscoll from the Small Business Development Center, Laura Holmes from BU’s Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Partnership and Alan Rae, a director of local incubators, talked about the different ways in which small startups can get help developing their companies. The speakers stressed the importance of small companies sticking around and staying local to the area. Treat said that the most important factor when evaluating new companies was their ability to succeed. “Our focus is not on small businesses but businesses with high-growth potential,” Treat said. “Our focus is identifying companies with high-growth potential and
helping them get from being small to big.” However, getting these companies on their feet is not just about specifically helping the small business owners. The state government has always supported larger businesses, but according to Treat, their money will be better spent supporting smaller companies as a whole, and helping them get going. “This is the most efficient way for the government to invest and to create jobs,” Treat said. “There’s a public model of ‘let’s backstop jobs of existing companies,’ but it turns out that money can be more efficiently put to use in creating new jobs and new companies.” Rae stressed the importance of
incubators in the development of small businesses. Incubators are large office and resource spaces that are made available to entrepreneurs for low-rent rates. Entrepreneurs need these incubators to start their businesses, according to Rae. However, there is a lack of them, and he said that people need to be more aware of their importance. “There’s often a shortage of the right kinds of spaces, and particularly in the Southern Tier it is difficult for startups to find a safe place to go,” Rae said. “This is a place where they can go for three years or
See SUNY Page 3
John Babich/Pipe Dream Photographer SUNY BEST, or Business and Education Cooperative of the Southern Tier, hosted a talk with local speakers about small business support. These speakers are part of organizations that help companies get their start with advice and resources.