Corridors of Power the SUNY Central Building in Albany -The Fourth Estate: Editorial I. I Total Integration: Total Paralysis
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Vo. 9, No. 15 @ University Community's Weekly Feature Paper * May 5, 1988 Realpolitik page 3 Lobsters page 4 Administration page 5 Polity page 7 Smithereens page 13 Drugs back page Corridors of Power The SUNY Central Building in Albany -The Fourth Estate: Editorial I._I Total Integration: Total Paralysis Welcome to ROLMphone. True, the computer, like any other man-made And the phones themselves are cheaply made. Sounds like the bad guy in a schlock science fiction device, is subject to its quirks, but the phones are not Eight months and the buttons start to stick When the film But the bad guy is really the brochure printed up an occasional luxury like a video game. A telephone volume button sticks, you've got to hold the phone at yesterday morning for the benefit of each and every system is not something that can or should be arms length in order to keep from going deaf Think of campus resident subject to periodic downtime. Even after Hurricane the Bank of New York cash machines. You really need Welcome to a flat $65 per semester charge. No Gloria, while the Three Village area was without that $10 bucks, but either the machine is "tempor- choice, either. Everybody will have a ROLMphone in power for over two weeks, the phones worked. And arily out of service" or it eats your card when you can't their room, three phones in a suite. Everybody that when ROLM crashes, you can't bypass it with any- tell if you entered in the right password because the opts to.will get an access number to punch into the thing. Al the lines are tied into the computer, a fire in buttons are malfunctioning, phone to allow off-campus calls (on campus calls are the computer room, and it's all over, no dial tone, no .All this and more for $65 dollars a semester. free). Everybody, thus, will get their own computer- way to reach the hospital, or the police, no way to call a According to Dallas Bauman, Director of Residen- personalized bill And everybody will be subject to cab. ce Life, the portion of the system for the dormitories the quirks of the tempermental ROLM computer that And it's not too difficult to get the system to crash. is leased from ROLM at a cost of about $1,000,000 a handles all the phone traffic on campus. When the system was first installed, an over-abun- year. The money from the phone charge will pay that And believe us, that computer is quirky. All the dance of incoming calls to WUSB caused the entire lease. offices on campus have had ROLM phones for over a answering-machine section to gag and shut down. The least that can be expected for the charges is year, so we've been thoroughly ROLMed atthe Press The system, when it's working is less than would prompt and competent maintenance. Before AT&T What's supposed to make the system so wonderful is be expected from IBM, the self-proclaimed leader of was trust-busted, and everyone had to rent phones, a modern, high-tech IBM manufactured computer the computer age. Just to call an ambulance you have telephones were solid, abuseable, and dependable, controlling all the phone lines. No aging electro- to dial 122-22-8888. like an old American V-8. If the phones did fail, AT&T mechanical switches, no mazes of wire to fray and Nasty loopholes exist, that have already been would send over a repairman right away. The ROLM crack. exploited by hackers with the time to poke around. A phones are more like Yugos with all the options. But the computer is, in a word, cracked itself (Or writer in 2600, a "hacker" magazine, gives all the Hopefully, repairs won't be a problem. should we say its'software', in this computer literate details necessary to "kidnap" calls going to another Residents of G-Quad have probably already seen age?) When the computer crashes, as it has a number phone to your phone. Others have been able to con- the crews installing the new phone lines. The rest of of times already, the phones crash. That means no nect two parties together and listen in on the results, a the installation will be completed over the summer, incoming or outgoing calls, on or off campus. Three sort of prank party calL Fine, until you really want to so don't be surprised in the fall when you see that weeks ago, the system was down for an entire use your phone and you discover Marburger's sec- sleek little piece of phone wizardy in your dorm weekend. Two days; no calls to or from any office. retary, or phone sex, on the other end. room. The contract has been signed. -Letter Welcome to ROLMphone. informative, but is especially so to artists to film-makers. potential writers, artists, and film- The I-CON committee has a makers. responsibility to produce the event This is directly related to the on minimal funding. Many of the The Cons events that Mr. Silfer frowns comment regarding just who is upon being honored, to quote Mr. Silfer help finance the programming and Stony Brook To the editor: again, "the source because of the speakers that we hope will make the We at I-CON are grateful for the product or the product because of difference. It comes as little sur- Press extensive coverage of I-CON this the source?" This wrongly suggests prise that the most well-attended year. In contrast to most of those that I-CON attendees praise the panels and talks were not those of who covered our event, it is evident packagers instead of the creative the actors, but those of author that Kyle Silfer attended some of sources. When the attendees have HarlanEllison. Itis the sort of result Executive Editor .. .... Craig Goldsmith our programming. the opportunity to meet the author that we have been working for year Managing Editor. Kyle Silfer However, there are points made of a piece of work they admired, be after year. Also the science and Associate Editor ......... Quinn Kaufman by Mr. Silfer which appear to be it in print,paint, or celluloid; it is far technology programming that Mr. Photo Editor ................ Ed Bridges coptradictory. In particular,there is more likely that the meeting will Silfer just touches upon was more Science Editor................ Ryder Miller extensive and well-attended than a comment regarding our diversity produce a greater understanding of Assistant Editor............ Karin Falcone of programming which Mr. Silfer the creativity of the individual than ever before. Both of these points described as "perpetuating-in its the faceless corporation which say something positive about the Business Manager. ......... Kristin Rusin own innocent way-the same evils packages a product We would like attendees of the I-CON program in Editor Emeritus. ......... Michael DePhillips so graphically described by its to know of any other program which ,egard to their curiosity and con- guests." Yet Mr. Silfer admits that presents the opportunity, to the cern for the future. News and Feature: Lisa Caiafa, Joe Caponi, Joe our guests are free to (and often do) same extent that ours does, to meet DiStefano, John Dunn, Socrates G. Gianis, Rob Gil- John speak out and inform the public in on an informal basis with profes- Madonia heany, R Sienna, Paula Tishin, Rich Wieda regard to exploitation of their ta- sionals in so many different fields, Vice-chairman lents. Not only is this generally from writers to scientists, from I-CON VII Committee Arts: Rob Becker, Joe Castelli, John Gabriel, Peter Kang Alexandra Odulalk Rob Rothenberg ~·//~7/~/~7~/Js5~-//~7/6~7~7~'~7/~ Graphics: Stephen Coyne, Jennifer Flatow, Greta Guarton, CJ. Morgan, Mary Rafferty, Joseph Sterin- bach, Warren Stevens, Pippy the Zinhead Proofing: Laurence Hitchens It's that time of year again when the dreaded graduation The Stony Brook Press is published most once again spirits away members of our staff So if you'd like to every Thursday during the academic year and hang out in the basement of Central Hall at odd hours, shoot summer session by The Stony Brook Press Inc, flashbulbs off in administrators' faces, play with razor blades, a student run and student funded not-for- profit corporation. Advertising policy does not or type away furiously on a battered typewriter, come down necessarily reflect editorial policy. For more and see us in Suite 020 Central Hall We'll be printing over the information on advertising call at 632-6451. Staff meetings are held weekly in The Press summer too, so if you'llbe around, put on your old shoes and offices on Monday nights at approximately pay us a visit 7:30 pm. The opinions expressed in letters and view- points do not necessarily reflect those of our staff. Phone: 632-6451 Office: Suite 020 Central Hall (Old Biology) .U.N.Y. at Stony Brook ~apo~s~··~m,~lmm/lsTmrrun/~,~~ Stony Brook, NY 11794-2790 page 2 The Stony Brook Press t'r ", CC "1 v » . r r ) · i + C r * C ~r i 1 ' i ,~L r C· Put a Gag in It Students Welcome New Chancellor by R. Sienna ation of the State University-and only one tuition hike within the next year, and his tained that a "tuition hike is inevitable in a ALBANY, APRIL 27-Amid the nearly student sat on the Advisory Committee, alleged lack of minority recruitment at year". SASU representatives feel that a deafening student chants of "Vote Down former SASU President and Trustee Buffalo State have not endeared him to chancellor should be pressuring the Gover- Bruce!", the SUNY Board of Trustees Everett Joseph, leaving students nearly students.