Non-profit organization U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 14 ☆ Lexington, VA T h e C adet 24450 Run independently by cadets since 1907 $ 1 . 0 0 VOLUME XGIir Friday, November 3^ 20()0 Number 10 ■ .;C';■ Network Crashes; VMI Network lacks administrators Friday by Jason Mounts entirely dysfunctional, so the Internet worked sometimes. Cadet Asst. News Editor With the Internet This past weekend down, many cadets did not know what proved frustrating for many cadets to do with their weekends. Comments Sports on page 4 while they tried to cope with downed on the problem ranged from “I wanted Internet services on Post. The Internet to sit in a comer and cry,” to “I wanted went down on Friday and remained to strangle somebody.” With cadets down until Monday morning when net­ relying heavily on the Internet for com­ work administrators returned to their munication with friends and loved £0 offices, facing a barrage of complaints. ones, lack of accessibility made for a a p ,' -ft Network administrator lonely weekend and caused many to c; called in engineers and found the prob­ find alternate sources of amusement. lem was in a connection from the cen­ CO Wyatt Hollar, ’02, said, “It makes ev­ tral computer that deals with network erything boring, you know. You’ve got addresses on Post. The Primary Domain 2S nothing to do.” 5 Controller, an on-Post computer that The networic technician controls Internet addresses on Post, was did not know about the problem until Cats Escape with Win functioning, but one of the ports on a Monday morning when many cadets who device called a “hub” went bad. The were standing outside her office informed “hub” is a physical link between the her. Lack of communication was the big­ PDC and the “router”, which resolves gest reason why this proved to be such an all Internet addresses on Post. The par­ inconvenience. If network administrators •s: 0, ticular port that PDC was plugged into had known about the problem earlier, they by a wire malfunctioned, rendering the could have fixed it easily and the Internet PDC incapable of transmitting to Bar­ could have been woridng as early as Sat­ racks Internet connections. urday. Once the problem was. Problems with the discovered, it was easily solved. The net­ Internet can usually be fixed easily, so work administration brought in engineers this is not the chief concern of Col. Soccer Closes out Season who told them that the problem was with a Donald Samdahl, Interim Network port on the hub. They then took the wire Administrator. “My chief concern is out of that port on the hub, plugged it into a that we know about (problems] in a Opinion on page 2 different port, and rebooted the system. timely fashion so we can begin fixing Internet access was not them,” Samdahl said. Samdahl wants immediately shut down in Barracks, but to set up points of contact in barracks— rather declined as the Internet was in­ cadets—to alert the network adminis­ Mock Election creasingly used. Most Barracks connec­ tration to any problems with the net­ tions did not work, but many faculty work. Results; Sex in came back to their offices Monday to VMI has hired a new find they could use e-mail and the permanent network administrator: it Barracks, Pork VMI's Finest impersonated by trick-or-treaters from the community during the traditional Internet. The port on the hub was not had been without one since August 1. Chop Platoon Halloween celebrations in VMI's Old Barracks on the evening of Halloween. Cadet In Focus Trick-or-Treaters Conduct Raid in Old Barracks Features on page 5 by Magnus Nordenman ents made their way around the safety of the children out to get Cadet News Editor stoop. some candy to take home. This op­ The Virginia Military Insti­ “I think it’s a neat idea to eration was planned and conducted tute opened its barracks’ gates to bring kids into barracks for trick-or- by Justin Prior, ’01, who holds an the children of the faculty and staff treating,” said Dan Schindler, ’01. “To internship with the Lexington City as well as to the local community them the barracks is a little bit like the Development Association. for “trick-or-treating” on the castle in the middle of nowhere.” “[The Association] asked evening of Halloween. This has Later the same night, the Rats me if VMI would like to help out been a long tradition at VMI and took over and did some trick-or-treat­ with the celebrations and help keep many first classmen stocks up on ing of their own. The Rats’ costumes people safe. This was a great op­ candy and other treats in advance were somewhat bolder than what had portunity for VMI to show itself in Newsbriefs from the outside to give to the dressed-up kids who been exhibited by the children a few the public eye while at the same enter barracks. hours earlier. time giving cadets the opportunity The tricking and treating VMI also took its celebra­ to work some PT’s off,” Prior was limited to the first stoop in tion of Halloween downtown this stated. “Downtown was really Old barracks and was only allowed year. A dozen cadets, clad in BDU crowded. Almost 1500 people for an hour. However, during that bottoms and VMI sweatshirts, where doing stuff downtow'n on short period of time several dozen helped out with road guard duty in that, so it was busy for us," Prior children accompanied by their par- downtown Lexington to ensure the explained. VMI Pipe Band Deployed To Highland Games by Daniel Cragg petition, and sheathe and caber tossing. too.” Regimental IVaining Cadet News Writer Caber tossing involves throwing a lai^ tree The pipe band was not VMI’s only The Virginia Military Institute’s uunk. Sheathe tassing entails using a pitch­ success story in AUanta. Woodmfif, a sbc- Schedule Pipe and Drum Corps walked away fork to throw large bags of hay over a high year veteran on the bagpipes, competed as with several awards for its performance bar. an undi vidual. Woodniff placed third on the Justin Harber is staying busy with OGA matters in the Highland Games at Stone Moun­ The pipe band participated in three grade-four senior level. He is the first VMI Arts & Leisure tain, Georgia, Oct 21-23. The.se Games “mass band” competitions. At a mass band piper to win an individual award at the are “the Super Bowl for pipe bands in competition, several pipe bands play the g!imes. by Joshua Berk another part of the world. “I think the Southeast” according to Rat piper same song at once. The, pipe band won The pipe band, led by pipe ma­ everyone should study abroad be­ Chipper Woodruff. awards for best dress and best deportment, jor David Gray, ’01, drum major Eric Cadet News Writer cause it gives you an opportunity The Stone Mountain Highland as well as capturing the coveted Highhind Ham, '01, and drum captain Chris to get away from this place. You Games have been held in Atl;inta for over Heritage Trophy. Gaddy, ’01, is continuing to improve First class private Justin also learn more than VMI can 28 years now. VMI has participated since Rat Piper Brian Gould was not sur­ and will perform several more times Harber is the kind of guy who is teach you,” Harber said. Win A 1998. Tlie games are a weekend long, and prised that VMI won the best deportment outside of the VMI community this really easy-going and laid-back, Harber excels academically consist of more than just piping. Other award and said that “all the other bands were year, including at Mardi Gras in New and who is friends with just about as well. He is majoring in history, Calzone events include such traditional activities as moving (around) in fomiation wliile we Orleans and at the St. Patrick’s Day everybody. Harber came to VMI and picked up a French minor the hammer toss, a Scottish dancing com- were perfectly straight. We marched well Parade in New York City. from right down the road in good while in France. During his sec­ old Roanoke. Harber has accom­ ond class year he devoted himself from our plished many things at VMI of to studying. He could always be which he is proud. He has been ev­ found in the bowels of the library Very own erything in the corps of cadets studying into the early, morning from second corporal to this hours. It paid off though, because year’s OGA representative for this year he has earned the right "X" Golf Company.. to wear academic stars on his uni­ After his Rat year, Harber form. was chosen'to be a cadre corporal At the end of last year Humor for his company. Even though he Hiuber was elected by his Brother was one of the top cadets in his Rats to serve on the OGA repre­ company, it was a short-lived role. senting Golf Company. "1 like the Shortly after Cadre Week was OGA because it gives us an op­ Humor over Harber turned in his rank portunity to represent the Corps because he felt that he was not the to the administVation,” he said. type of person for cadre. Harber Next year after graduation Harber Gets said, “I just couldn’t yell at the plans to join the Peace Corps. He Rats, and 1 couldn’t take it seri­ wants to be able to use the skills ously.” that he learned in college to help Graphic Another exciting event for underprivileged people.