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Show !PAGE 9 UNIVERSITY JOURNAL OPINION · T HURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2000 NEW SEMESTER: STARTING -OVER A s SUU students and faculty get into the momentum of a new semester, many are reminded of the best and worst things about starting over at SUU. We at the Journal would like fo take this opportunity to fully appreciate our most favorite things and sufficiently spurn our'least favorite things about new semesters. Bests • New classses. It is fully refreshing and rejuvenating to enter into a new set of educational experiences. The possibility of new classes gives students the opportunity to learn new things , see new students, experience different in,tructors and start over again with a clean slate. The drudgery of last semester is gone , the new semester is fresh and that is how many students go into their new classes: fresh . • Progression. A new semester means that an old semester has already passed and the new is under way-many students have credits under their belts and are steps closer to,_graduation, graduate school , and careers. A new semester reminds us that we are progressing , that we have come a long way, and that we have accomplished something in the past. If we give it our best, the onlydirection we can go is up. • New opportunities. In many instances, there are vacancies where past students have left a job, internship or opportunity for other things such as graduation or other duties or opportunities. This gives other students open opportunities. They only have to keep their eyes open . There may be lab assistant, work study, or iFlternship opportunities now that are just waiting for qualifi~d student applicants . For instance, a cartoonist is needed at the Journal. Anyone interested can call 586-7750. ,Worsts mThe Bookstore. A paragraph like this could likely be seen in every student newspaper across the nation: besides long lines and competition for book availability, a bookstore is also a place where students dunk a great deal of money. Although books are a strong and important educational key and are, to a student's education, a good investment. they are still expensive-almost too expensive for the standard student, definitely too expensive for the financially struggling student. The woes of many students across the country can be summed up in one qubte said by another. · 1 have spend $377 so far and I still have four more books to go.· • People complaining. There is nothing in the world which is perfect, that includes SUU . With the benefits come detriments, with joy comes sorrow, with happiness come woes. Every student at SUU came here of his or her own accord and free will to earn an education and a degree. When people complain about parking, tuition, books, fees. instructors, etc.,they usually do so without thinking about the situations at other schools (which, in the case of parking is worse at the U of U) or what can be done to solve the problems. Most of all, it gets on the nerves of others around them. • Getting into the swing of things. It may be hard to slow down the often play-time momentum of breaks such as Christmas Break. It makes it hard for some students to get motivated once again . However, this does often get fixed and leaves students with full and opportune semesters. SOUTH(Rf,1 UTAH Uf,IIVERSITY • CEDAR CITY. UTAH DIRECTING ST.A.FF ANO DESK PHONE NUMBERS: Editor Kamitynn Egan 586-7750 Associate Editor Anna Turp,n 586-7759 Opinion Director Cami Perl(Jns 586-7759 Photo Editor Con<y Foster 586-7750 Copy Editor Deborah Perry 586- 1992 Focus Editor Jessica Slonquost 586- 1992 Arts Editor Lizzy Rugg 865-8443 Sports Editor Jasen Asay 865-8443 Ad Manager Miranda Mabbutt 586-7758 Faculty Advisers Larry Saker 586-7751 Moms Brown 865-8556 SENIOR STAFF WRITERS AND REPORTERS' DESK 586-7757 5a6.S4S8 • Troe U,...rs,ty Joumal OS l>"l>l•shed ••..., MOnday and Thuts<lay "' the 8ClOdemoc YNf by "" the llludenl !>Ody ot Soulhe<n UUll'I Unvers11y 11 recelV9S adv'""*" from the unrte<Slly s comm<nc.11>0n depa<1mtnt and from the utWets.ty adm111cstrabon The v..ws and op,n1ons e).pre-ssed in the Journal ant tnose of rnd1V1c:tuai ..nien and do not necusny reflect !he ..ews ol the 1ns11Wllon. laaAly stall or student body "' gene,al The unsogned e<li!cnal direcby above II lho opnon ol the UtwefSlly Jouma/ as a s,ngle entity LettllB 1a !he edilot mu" be lype<I and ondude !he name lOnd pt,one ....,,,_ Only 1h41 name WII be pnnted N ames will not be wilhhetd ..,.,., 1/l'Y QrQJm$1anceS end the ocfltO< rese,ves tdmrcl pnv,Jeges Leners must be subfflllted by 5 pm Thursdays to, indullon ,n Monday _ ,, and by 5 p m M ondays fo, Thursday ed111on$ Grievances: Any ondovodual w,u, a gr.,.ance ~ I !he Journal sho<Ad tllrtct such prot,lem first to !he If unruotved, INII g,,evance sl\oukl !hen t,e d•rec1ed 10 Ille faculty the Journal Steenn9 Comm,aee which ,s chaored by Or Frw> G Purson. 586-7971 Univwslty Joumlll· Offoees ,n SUU TacnnoloQy lluold,ng 011 Mad al SUU. Ced:arC,ty Utan 84720 f Al< C435) 58&-S487 E-ma,i - • JOUMal@sw eo., CJPRlNTED ON RECYCLED PAPER PLE,,SE RECYCLE Tl11S COPY l ACCESS Students' privacy being violated 'Access' is a recurring column through which students, faculty or staff may Qomment on issues of concern to our readership . To submit to 'Access,' contact Cami Perkins , our opinion director, by phone at 586- 7759, or by e-mail at joumal@suu.edu. Today's column is by Bill Justesen, a senior Spanish major from St.George. I am clearly disappointed in this violation of university and federal policy (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act [FERPAJ of 1974 ). A university should exercise due caution to protect its benefactor's from wandering eyes. When those eyes belong to unscrupulous characters. students . suffer needlessly because of the lack of careful, thought-out safeguards. FERPA w~s enacted to provide the student with Last year, Southern Utah University's MIS reasonable assurance that their educational department closed an apparent loophole that records were held private. Granted, information allowed any student with a username and such as student names, telephone numbers, and password to view other student's , - - - - - -- - -- - -- ~ e-mail addresses are considered social security numbers. This I I f · public" or " directory loophole was ironically granted am C eafJ y information." A student can on the Public (Z :) drive via disappointed in this specifically reques t that such NetWare Administrator, a tool Violation Of information not be released to used in networking classes on the general public , but never campus. university and should a student have to request After returning to school since a social security number last spring, however. I found that federal policy. A withheld from public view. the same application aga in university should Maybe I would not be so displays my social security defensive about this issue if I number for the entire student. take care to protect knew that suu were continually body to view. The number its benefactor's from updating and creating tougher appears in addition to my full, security barriers. The problem is wandering eyes. tha't the average person has legal name. My s9cial security number, access to such sensitive. and unfortunately, is not the only one pr~sently spoon-fed, information; observable through this program . Other students' someone does not n~d to be a hacker or cracker numbers appear, although the total number of to breach any security whatsoever compromised students is few. The ma1ority of My privacy, along with others, is being violated. student numbers are protected. If the university cannot protect my social security The breach appears to occur only to students number , it needs to follow the lead of the with the new username naming convention - four Uni versity of Utah and switch to another letters and fo ur numbers . Others and mine numbering system. information might disp lay bec ause we are Because of the recent lackadaisical safeguards, returning students, or new students, but I can only SUU faces an enormous liability with this issue soeculate the cause. esoec,allv as it continues to resurface. .· \ |