Apr 10 2013

Hacker Mitnick to Speak

Dennis Gosnell

Assistant Editor

Rose State Live has invited former hacker Kevin Mitnick to talk about his 30 years experience in computer security and his books at 3 p.m. April 12 in the Tom Steed Community Learning Center as part of their cultural series.

The presentation “Art of Deception: Are YOU in Danger of Being Conned” free event and seating is limited. After he speaks, the opportunity to purchase “Ghost in the Wires” and ‘The Art of Deception: Controlling the Human Element of Security” as well as have them signed by Mitnick.

Mitnick’s “Ghost in the Wires” details his time as a hacker. NY Times reviewer J.D. Biersdorfer wrote about how he was able to talk anybody into giving him any kind of information he wanted, such as personal information on the F.B.I. agents tracking him down and personal passwords. His adolescent hobby of studying tactics to circumvent security systems let him penetrate some of the toughest computer systems in the world.

Mitnick has made appearances on shows such as 60 Minutes, Court TV, National Public Radio, as well as a guest spot on the ABC spy drama “Alias.”

For more information on the event or to RSVP for seating call 733-7458 or visit rose.edu/rslive.

Mar 15 2013

Bond passage secures funds for campus improvements

Chelsea Ratterman

Editor In Chief

The $22 million bond that Rose State sought passed on March 5 with a 64 percent approval rate. This means that RSC will be able to remodel the LRC, Aquatic Center and upgrade the IT systems equipment. Project start dates have yet to be set.

The Aquatic Center will be receiving part of a $2 million allotment for upgrades. Photo by Marisa Caban

The most visible updates will be to the LRC, which has grown to house many services within the two-story building. According to Chris Meyer, dean of the LRC, with the new construction they will be able to offer more conducive spaces to the needs of Academic Testing, Tutoring, Disability Services, Distance Education and Instructional Support. Meyer also said he hopes to see the LRC lobby host more cultural events, guest speakers and community events.

“We are preparing to have a building that is a place where visitors find an inviting and welcoming environment to study, train, work, research, relax, and gather in clusters,” Meyer said.

In the opinion of many students and staff on campus, the most needed update will be to the equipment that provides the campus with Internet services. According to John Primo, vice president of Information Technology Services, the targeted areas will be the replacement of fiber optic infrastructure and the installation of a backup generator to keep campus resources running in the event of a power outage.

“The ability to provide robust, production-level quality wireless Internet access to faculty and students is going to improve their accessibility to online resources and course materials using their mobile devices,” Primo said.

Finally, the Aquatic Center will be receive updates to the infrastructure around it. Holes and wood rot have been found in the exterior walls, and these will be fixed alongside other upgrades.

Other projects in the bond election are for a Student Union lounge renovation, replacing ceiling tiles, flooring, lighting and exterior doors of various buildings, a sign on the S.E. 15th Street entrance and restroom renovations across campus to bring them up to ADA standards.

Feb 27 2013

Bond election to bring needed campus changes

Dennis Gosnell

Assistant Editor

Brandon Whit, Architecture Major, is a member of the student senate, whose legislation brought attention to needed changes on campus. Photo by Bryan Mangier

RSC administrators are seeking improvements to the college through the Campus Advancement Plan, or CAP for short.

When students visit the LRC they will have noticed that the offices for the Testing Center, Students with Disabilities, and the Student Tutoring are crammed into a small section of the building. With $7 million of the proposed $22 million, the LRC will expand to accommodate not only new offices, but also new spaces for students to read in a quiet and comfortable environment.

“It is simply not built to accommodate the traffic,” Dr. Terry Britton, RSC president said. “And the archives section, where we are trying to build the history of RSC, is too small, and does not have the appropriate heat and air to keep the archives safe.”

The Aquatic Center is also in need of repair, according to Britton. “Pools, once they get old, you can’t fix it and the machinery parts are no longer available.”

Of some concern is the roof of the Aquatic Center, which leaks when it rains. Some doors in the Aquatic Center are warped enough that they will not open or close.

Along with these renovations and upgrades, the Student Union will receive a makeover for students to feel more at home. RSC is a commuter college and has no housing or places for students to simply hang out and relax between class periods, according to Britton. So, the plan is to revamp the Student Union and Aquatics Center with $2 million of the $22 million in funds.

Of the $22 million, $5 million will be used to place new fiber optic lines throughout the campus, and upgrade the campus network.

A new sign is to be added on S.E. 15th St., costing $220,000.

$4 million in funds will cover basic maintenance of facilities throughout campus, with new ceiling tiles, lighting, flooring, and external doors placed in various buildings across campus. The rest of the funds will be similarly used to renovate restrooms and mechanical instruments in the Health and Environmental Science Building.

The 2005 bond issue the college received will be paid off in 2015. The proposed 2013 bond issue will run from 2013 – 2028. More information about the 2013 CAP Bond election can be found on flyers through out campus. Voting on this bond issue will take place March 5th.

For the status of the bond issue, check out our story covering the election here.

Feb 13 2013

Technology advances prove detrimental: May lead to zombie apocalypse, sort of

In the recent movie “Warm Bodies” a potential inference can be made that we, humans and all of our technological advances, are indirectly responsible for the zombie apocalypse. This may be an inference that is just simply someone reading way too deep into a simple love story.

This is not the first time that lack of communication has been cited as society’s downfall.

We revel in the advances we have made in the world of technology, but can we say it has brought us closer together? Many would say that we are even further apart than we were before, by way of making the world closer together.

Those who grew up with these technological advances face the dilemma of not knowing how to interact with each other. Many may roll their eyes at these, as they hear these same complaints from the older generations. It is considered rude to pay more attention to the beeping device in your hand than the person you are actually with. Or, it was.

What is this teaching those who can type a message faster than they can write a sentence? With technology, we have the luxury of time. We can think about what we write and go back and delete something if we didn’t. In a face-to-face conversation, that luxury isn’t afforded and we must be able to censor ourselves as the thought travels from brain to mouth. If not, it serves to create tension filled situations. The skill of censoring ourselves is being lost. There isn’t a delete button on life’s mistakes. There are only reparations.

Another complaint is the lack of editing oneself on the Internet and in texts. Spelling and grammar have gone out the window, in favor of shorthand and increasingly common slang that can confuse anyone who hasn’t caught on to the latest round of acronyms. The grammar teachers of yesteryear are rolling in their graves at the increase of “ain’t” that is used in postings all over the Internet.

We have developed a dependency on technology that will only increase as more automation is put in place to ease life. It will be a hard habit to break, but it is necessary to remember the skills we will need to know should our world of shiny buttons suddenly go dark.

Social media increases social interaction, this is true, but physical interaction is something that is necessary to society. Or else, we may be responsible for the masses of connection-seeking zombies that reside outside of the edges of society, that we inadvertently put there ourselves as our want of technology consumes us more.

Feb 10 2012

The continuing evolution of the digital age

Dennis Gosnell, Assignment Editor

Nearly five decades ago the world started to innovate industries with technological advances in leaps and bounds. Today, technology changes at the speed of light.

In the new age of Internet and social media, most people are not so concerned about the physical realm in which they live.

What is the youth of today?

Henry Jenkins, director of the comparative media studies program at MIT, and his colleagues wrote, “According to a recent study from the Pew Internet & American Life project (Lenhardt & Madden, 2005), more than one-half of all teens have created media content, and roughly one third of teens who use the Internet have shared content they produced. In many cases, these teens are actively involved in what we are calling participatory cultures.”

According to Jenkins, a participatory culture is one in which members believe their contributions matter, and feel some degree of social connection with one another (at the least they care what other people think about what they have created).

Bring back the family atmosphere

So where in past generations people would sit down around a dinning room table to spend quality time together, this family time seems to be waning in the era of technology. One survey (New York, NY — September 29, 2010 — In the 2010 Kids and Family Reading Report™) shows that reading is in a decline amongst children, due to the accessibility of technology and the decline of printed book accessibility.

But with digital books becoming increasingly popular, these numbers are likely to grow. “The study also found indications that technology could be a positive motivator to get kids reading — 57 percent of kids (age 9-17) say they are interested in reading an eBook, and a third of children age 9-17 say they would read more books for fun if they had access to eBooks on an electronic device.” – Media Room, Scholastic

What will tomorrow’s unknown bring us?

With tomorrow ever on the horizon, and changes in technology happening every hour, it is unknown what the future of education, society, and life will hold. It might be a good idea to start keeping hold of those books on the bookshelf because tomorrow they may be considered antiques.

Feb 2 2012

Dawn of a Digital Learning Day

Education has come a long way since the little red schoolhouse. Shortly after the inception of the Internet, educators looked for ways to incorporate new technology into course curriculums. For more than 15 years, digital technology has played an ever-increasing role in education.

In schools throughout the country, typing classes replaced cursive writing. This is an effort to make today’s youth develop relevant skills for the advancing technological world.

Transcending national barriers

Thanks to the Internet, like-minded individuals can find each other, even when separated by thousands of miles. As a society, we’re no longer limited to national barriers for identity. Online communities are built and strengthened by members throughout the world. The same mentality can be applied toward learning.

In previous generations, conformity was one of the hallmarks of education. There was a “one size fits all” mentality as far as curriculum was concerned. In those days, students were punished for attempting to write left handed.

The future of education

Thanks to the digital revolution in education, students with unique learning styles can connect in an environment tailored to specific needs. Educators are embracing individualistic approaches to education, which is made possible via the use of digital learning services.

In celebration of the technological advancements we enjoy today, the Alliance for Excellent Education and its partners are calling on educators and students to participate in the first-ever national Digital Learning Day, Feb. 1, 2012. Digital Learning Day will celebrate innovative teaching practices that make learning more personalized and encourage exploration of how digital learning can assist students in completing college.

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Tag Archives: Internet

Hacker Mitnick to Speak

Bond passage secures funds for campus improvements

Bond election to bring needed campus changes

Dawn of a Digital Learning Day

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