Wednesday September 11, 2013 year: 133 No. 65
the student voice of
The Ohio State University
www.thelantern.com
thelantern National security measures in question post-9/11
sports
LIZ YOUNG Campus editor young.1693@osu.edu
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Braxton Miller’s protectors
Marcus Hall (79) and Corey Linsley (71) are two of five players with the duty of keeping Miller upright this season.
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Though Sept. 11, 2001, happened 12 years ago Wednesday, some effects of the terrorist attacks on United States national security are still felt by Americans today, as some Ohio State students have experienced. “Security has changed, not just the airport, but businesses and sporting events. It is not as high as before, but everyone is still aware of 9/11,” said Wade Kesterson, a third-year in accounting. Terrorists attacked the United States Sept. 11, 2001, when two airplanes hijacked by members of the Islamic extremist group al-Qaida struck the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and a third hit the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. Another attack was prevented by aircraft passengers, who brought down a plane in Pennsylvania that was overtaken by terrorists, killing everyone on board. Nearly 3,000 Americans were killed in the aircraft strikes. The U.S. responded by declaring war against terrorism, including all nations, organizations or people involved in the 9/11 attacks, on Sept. 18, 2011. The Transportation Security Administration was created in November 2001 to “strengthen the security of the nation’s transportation systems and ensure the freedom of movement for people and
Security has changed, not just the airport, but businesses and sporting events. It is not as high as before, but everyone is still aware of 9/11. Wade Kesterson third-year student in accounting commerce,” according to the TSA website. That presence is often felt in the nation’s airports, where the TSA screens passengers and baggage for content and banned items. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security was later created in November 2002 to “coordinate and unify national homeland security efforts,” according to its website. According to its budget briefs, Homeland Security has a budget of nearly $60 billion in total budget authority for fiscal year 2014, up $23.8 billion from the $36.2 billion total in 2004, the earliest year for which the budget brief was available on the Homeland Security website. John Mueller, a senior research scientist at OSU’s Mershon Center for International Security Studies, said he thinks much of the spending hasn’t been looked at closely enough to be justified, but even those that have been looked at don’t have promising effects. “Most of those examined don’t come out looking very good, but they haven’t really been evaluated,” Mueller said. “Most of it (the money)
U.S. beats Mexico ‘dos a cero’ Midfielders, Mix Diskerud (14) and Alejandro Bedoya (11) celebrate after USA’s second goal as Mexico defender, Diego Reyes, watches from the field.
seems to have been poorly spent or it certainly seems to have been spent with inadequate (knowledge).” Mueller, who co-authored a book called “Terrorism, Security, and Money: Balancing the Risks, Benefits, and Costs of Homeland Security,” said much of the money was spent immediately after 9/11 to help increase the feeling of security. “After 9/11, a huge amount of money and effort was thrown at the problem,” Mueller said. “That’s obviously understandable, but if you do that in your private life or in your business life, eventually you have to go back and reevaluate that at some point.” Mueller also said polls show the public doesn’t feel much more safe despite the spending. “In terms of public opinions, they haven’t changed much at all,” Mueller said. “It’s still about the same as it was at the end of 2001.” On Sept. 11, 2001, a Washington Post poll found 87 percent of Americans were either a great deal or somewhat concerned about the possibility there will be more major terrorist attacks in the U.S. In April 2013, Washington Post found 69 percent of Americans were concerned. Some OSU students said they don’t feel security has changed much since the immediate aftermath of 9/11. “The security has stayed the same level because security has become the norm,” said Carol Rieth, a second-year in biochemistry.
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OSU aims to add new faculty members through $400M plan DANIEL BENDTSEN Lantern reporter bendtsen.1@osu.edu
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Playing in the mud
The Pretty Muddy women’s 5K is set to come to Ohio this weekend, guaranteeing runners will get messy.
campus
SHELBY LUM / Photo editor
An Ohio State initiative aiming to hire 500 faculty members in the next decade will soon be taking requests. The university’s Discovery Themes Initiative, launched in October 2012, is a $400 million plan to expand research and hire new faculty. The initiative focuses on expanding the university’s academic focus in three areas: energy and environment, food production and security, and health and wellness. Executive Vice President and Provost Joseph Steinmetz told The Lantern the university’s discovery themes seek to “tackle the world’s biggest problems.” Steinmetz said a major factor in the initiative’s success is getting top professors to OSU by providing competitive salaries and ensuring potential new faculty that OSU can fund their research. The initiative will begin a request for proposals process this fall, Steinmetz announced in an email to faculty and staff Sept. 4. Steinmetz said in the email he anticipates the request for proposals
will bring in new faculty for Fall 2014 and another request for proposals will be made in the spring with the goal of bringing in faculty for Fall 2015. Faculty advisory boards met during the spring and summer to explore the specific needs in those three areas, Steinmetz said in the email. Representatives from those boards and Steinmetz’s office now plan to meet to prepare the request for proposals. There will be a set funding amount of each request for proposals, but the figures will not be released until the requests for proposals are finalized, Michael Boehm, vice provost for Academic and Strategic Planning, said in a email Monday. Boehm added there is no target number of faculty OSU plans to bring in for 2014 and 2015. “This is not a ‘numbers’ game. Our goal is to attract the best of the best that fits OSU’s needs and who position the university in a forward-leaning position,” he said. The Discovery Themes Initiative, however, has set a goal of bringing 500
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Columbus, OSU react to US involvement in Syria
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Presidential search update
Students and Presidential Search Committee members comment on the process in a forum held Tuesday.
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RYAN GUENTHER Lantern reporter guenther.50@osu.edu Columbus residents and Ohio State students are reacting in various ways to the potential United States missile strike on Syria. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has come under international controversy following reports that his government used chemical weapons to kill more than 1,000 Syrian civilians. Conflicts related to al-Assad’s regime have been happening in Syria for more than two years with death tolls estimated to surpass 100,000 people. U.S. President Barack Obama called for Congressional support of a targeted missile strike on Syria, which he addressed in national remarks about Syria Tuesday evening. “The purpose of this strike would be to deter Assad from using chemical weapons, to degrade his regime’s ability to use them and to make clear to the world that we will not tolerate their use,” Obama said. Fearful that involvement in Syria could lead to conflicts reminiscent of those fought by the U.S. in Iraq and Vietnam, many Americans participated in antiwar rallies that took place in cities including New York and Washington, D.C. Columbus saw a rally Sunday afternoon, as a few protestors stood in front of the Statehouse holding “honk if you oppose war” signs. Rally organizer Daniel Moore told The Lantern Sunday the U.S. should be more concerned with domestic issues than humanitarian efforts overseas. The U.S. can neither afford another war, nor should it spend its efforts to arm rebels who may one day use the United States’ weapons against it, Moore said. The White House authorized the CIA to supply arms to some rebels of al-Assad’s regime in June, but the weapons have not yet been delivered, according to The Wall Street Journal. Some students at OSU support Obama’s plan to strike al-Assad’s regime.
Courtesy of MCT
Syrians stage a sit-in at Youssef al-Azmeh Square in Damascus, Syria, Sept. 9 in a protest against US threats to launch a military strike against their country. Former OSU College Republican Chairman Drew Stroemple said he believes Assad should be stripped of power for abuses to human rights. The United Nations has reported more than two million refugees have fled Syria. “It’s a complex issue that I don’t believe either (U.S. political) party can be completely one-sided on, but it’s clear that al-Assad needs to go,” said Stroemple, a fourth-year in political science and economics. The U.S. should get involved in order to protect its biggest ally in the region, Israel, Stroemple said. Juliana Wishne, executive director of College Democrats at OSU and a second-year in political science and Spanish, said she agrees the U.S. must take a stand against the actions in Syria. Wishne said the U.S. must maintain its credibility in the Middle East as a country that will not tolerate human rights violations. “The main goal is not to stop (al-)Assad or even
to immediately help Syrian civilians,” Wishne said. “We need to send a message to countries such as Iran and North Korea that chemical warfare will not be tolerated.” A vote to follow up on Obama’s plans was scheduled to take place this weekend but was delayed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid due to recent opposition from six U.S. senators. Following an agreement Tuesday morning between Russia and Syria that will ban the production of all chemical weapons and allow Russia, the U.N. and other countries to investigate storage sites, Obama maintained his stance that the U.S. take military action against Syria if the agreement were to fail. “The United States military doesn’t do pinpricks. Even a limited strike will send a message
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