The Official student newspaper of the University of Indianapolis
A GLOBAL CRISIS > See Pages 6 & 7
REFLECTOR.UINDY.EDU
VOLUME 86 • ISSUE 3
• OCTOBER 8, 2008 •
United Nations CELEBRATION OF THE FLAGS
Many countries-one university, UIndy celebrates its diversity By Micah McVicker STAFF WRITER
Under the theme, “This is the time,” the 20th annual Celebration of Flags ceremony displayed the University of Indianapolis’s diversity on Oct. 2 in Ruth Lilly Performance Hall in Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center. The Celebration of Flags pays tribute to the many countries and cultures represented on the UIndy campus. In 1988, the first year the ceremony was held, the university had 72 students from 29 nations. Twenty years later, the university has 304 students from 54 nations, spanning all over the globe. From Russia to Jamaica, Ethiopia to New Zealand, the university features students from a large variety of walks of life, cultures, religions, and backgrounds. In addition to the diverse student body on campus, our university employs 46 faculty members from 28 nations. The International Division asked students to carry the flags of all the respective nations represented in the ceremony. Flags were carried up the aisles and flags and their bearers stood on stage as Mimi Chase, international division chair, welcomed the audience. Flags went off stage as the audience viewed a photograph slide show. As Jim Ream, theatre department chair, gave the audience the Call of Nations, the flags called were placed in the flag stand display. Radcliffe Ganda, international student representative, then told the audience his story of coming to UIndy from his home, Sierra Leone. “I could get a scholarship if I found a university in the United States,” Ganda said. Student Government President Elizabeth Semrau spoke next. She suggested that the audience should not wait, but instead, seize the moments. University President Beverley Pitts concluded the ceremony, emphasizing the Methodist motto, “Open hearts, open minds, open doors.” Collin George, physical therapy graduate student from India, carried the flag representing the United Nations. He said the ceremony is important for UIndy, but he felt the the venue of previous years, the Schwitzer Student Center Atrium, suited the program better than RLPH. Zain Irfan, a senior from Pakistan, said the ceremony is important because it shows how international the UIndy campus is. “People all around the world know of this campus and that makes people feel at home,” Irfan said.
> Additional photos on page 12 Photo by Carolyn Harless • The Reflector
IN THIS ISSUE Lady ‘Hounds begin season with national ranking
Identity theft: Students sound off on cyber security breach
Ranked for the first time in the preseason, the University of Indianapolis volleyball team embarked on the 2008 season at 16th in the nation. UIndy was also ranked first in the East Division Great Lakes Valley Conference After a loss to Northern Kentucky University, UIndy’s national ranking has dropped six spots to 22nd.
After being informed that 11,000 files on an archived server were stolen from a university that has only 4,300 students, UIndy students raise a variety of concerns about this incident. Why are they hearing about this almost two weeks later? How can students be sure their information is safe? What about my credit for the rest of my life?
> See Page 9
Photo by Willie Little
OPINION............................. 2 FEATURE ............................ 6
> See Page 2
ART & entertainment .... 4 SPORTS .............................. 9
HACKERS JEOPARDIZE SECURITY FBI is investigating the organized attack of 11,000 students, alumni, faculty and staff’s personal information By Kim Puckett NEWS EDITOR The University of Indianapolis community was notified on Sept. 30 of a cyber attack on an archived server containing up to 11,000 personal records. The compromised server contained information, including Social Security numbers, of students, faculty and staff. Scott Hall, assistant director of university communications, said the records of people who have been associated with the university for less than two years were most likely not accessed. Hall also said that the university’s main database shows no evidence of being hacked, resulting in the probable safety of anyone who has been associated with the university for less than two years. The breach of security was not discovered until Sept. 18 even though the university believes the server was accessed ten days earlier on Sept. 8. According to Jeff Russell, chief information officer for Information Systems, the delay was due to the expert work of the hackers. “Professional hackers like this find back doors and exploit them,” Russell said. “They take over a program so that it funcRUSSELL tions normally and leave no red flags.” Another delay in notification occurred between the university and the public. Students, faculty and staff were not notified until Sept. 30, 12 days after the breach was discovered. According to Russell, working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other legalities prevented the university from notifying the population immediately. UIndy was tipped-off to the security compromise by a major public university in the Midwest, according to Hall. Information Systems then shut off access to the compromised server by mid-afternoon on Sept 19 according to Russell. “It’s a complex matter when these things arise,” Hall said. “Other institutions were attacked in a similar way.” President Beverley Pitts sent a mass e-mail to UIndy students, faculty and staff notifying them of the hack. “Our investigation leaves no doubt that this was a professional job by hackers from the outside and it was well beyond our control,” Pitts wrote. “However, that
> See HACKERS on page 3
National economy affects colleges By Manny Casillas EDITORIAL ASSITANT
America is up against a major economic crisis, the likes of which haven’t been seen in decades. The national economic crisis is being felt all over the world, including on college campuses. In short, the crisis stems from the actions of major banks and lending companies that gave out loans that could not be paid back sufficiently. The debt rose considerably, and now many banks and lending institutions are left with large amounts of worthless debt, and confidence in Wall Street institutions has dropped dramatically. In simpler terms, many borrowers who took out loans and mortgages did not go through all the necessary steps that a University of Indianapolis student would embark on in order to fill out a student loan. So, the situation is similar to a college student receiving bad loans. The recent economic happenings have put Washington and Congress in
a tailspin. For two weeks, Congress and lawmakers endured intense negotiations and debates in order to try and pass a bill that will mitigate the crisis. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson proposed a $700 billion bailout plan, but many in Congress balked, leading to the long debates. After a defeat in the House of Representatives on Monday, Sept. 29, the Senate voted to pass the bill later that Wednesday. The current crisis has had indirect impact on college campuses through financial aid and student loans. Institutions such as Sallie Mae, the country’s largest student loan institution, have experienced negative consequences. “Sallie Mae was hit this summer, and it caused Congress to legislate a reduction in the amount lenders get [as far as financial aid],” said Linda Handy of the UIndy financial aid office. “About 100 banks withdrew from the Stafford Loan program… so a bailout has already happened to lenders like Sallie Mae.” According to some of those involved in UIndy finance, the campus
> See BAILOUT on page 3
Reflector Reviews > See Page 5
Sports column > See Page 10