Ab
COLLEGE FROM THE INSIDE OUT
testing
creates
on
civil
rights
A study to determine the prevalence
of the AIDS virus among college stu-
dents has raised a controversial ques-
tion of health education versus civil
rights.
The American Civil Liberties Union
(ACLU) of New Jersey lodged a formal
protest last semester against Rutgers
U.'s participation in the anonymous
testing program.
The study, coordinated by the Nation-
al Center for Disease Control (CDC), is
designed to determine the number of
individuals on 20 randomly selected
American college campuses who have
the HIV (Human Immunodeficiency
Virus) virus, known as the "precursor
for AIDS."
The blood samples, leftovers from
those drawn for other medical reasons,
will be completely confidential and
anonymous - only the age, sex, race,
month of collection and a number will
appear on the transfer tube, said Dr.
I
Eric Neisser, ACLU legal dire
called the testing program "coer
because health care recipients
See RUTGERS, Pa
Robert Bierman, medical director of
health services at Rutgers.
Because of anonymity, those who test
positive for the virus will not be notified.
Student fined, suspended
forstarting computer vir
By Bill Jacob
Albany Student Press
State U. of New York, Albany
Last spring, officials at the universi-
ty's Computing Center found them-
selves fighting off a potentially danger-
ous virus. But unlike the measles, this
virus was high-tech.
And it proved fatal to one student's
academic career.
University officials would not dis-
close the student's name.
The student was suspended from the
university and fined $2,000 for creating
a computer virus on one of the Center's
mainframe computers, according to
Gerard Forget, the Center's director. It
was the first virus found in the school's
computer system.
Computer "viruses" are complicated
programs designed, like their biological
counterparts, to reproduce themselves,
and often execute instructions to print
out messages, change other programs,
or - what computer users fear most -
erase files in memory.
Tiny, invisible programs
have invaded the person:
computing industry like
biological virus. See Pag(
16.
Computing Center officials susp
foul play when the computer syste
gan to receive large amounts of jc
be processed, Forget said, expla
that when the student was
approached, he admitted to creatir
virus.
The student must pay $2,000 in
pensation for the two and a half d
took the Computing Center staff
the system of the virus, Forget sz
In this case, Forget said, the
was "simple by comparison," des
to eventually reach a faculty rE
cher's files. He said it was "memor
suming and destructive."
- Butya Computing Center emj
who asked not to be identified sa
student didhot mean to do any I
- I