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Fri'day e
September 2, 2002
@2002 The Michigan Daily
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Vol. CXIII, No. 14

One-hundred-eleven years of editorialfreedom

Scattered thun-
derstorms dur-
ing the day,
clearing into the
evening and
turning to sun
on Saturday.

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79/51

www.michigandaily.com

Courant offered permanent provost job

:w By Megan Hayes
and Maria Sprow
Daily Staff Reporters
Capitalizing on his 30 years of experience at the University,
interim Provost Paul Courant was publicly offered the perma-
nent position by President Mary Sue Coleman at yesterday's
Board of Regents meeting.
Coleman said she consulted many people regarding the
decision, including deans and faculty, and ultimately selected
him to maintain stability within the administration and to take
advantage of his previously established relationships with fac-
ulty members.
"Given all that, rather than have another large search, we
needed to do this and move forward," she said, adding that
Courant had been critical in acquainting her to the University.

Courant has served as the interim provost and executive vice
president of academic affairs since Jan. 1. He took the position
over after University Vice President and
Secretary Lisa Tedesco stepped down as
interim provost in order to focus more
attention on the presidential search.
The position bec!mane vacant after for-
mer Provost Nancy Cantor left the Uni-
versity in Spring 2001 to head the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Cham-
paign.
Courant, who earlier told The Michi-
gan Daily that he was focusing on day-
to-day affairs as interim, said he now can Courant
look at the position's long-term possibilities.
"President Coleman just told me that we were moving in

this direction in the last couple of days," he said. "I can see far-
ther over the horizon now."
He said he believes his biggest challenge will be to keep the
University's tuition as low as possible while still improving
education.
"The provost has an opportunity to invent new knowledge,
to invent new courses of studying that other universities can't
provide," Courant said. "The two biggest challenges are to
make sure that we are always that kind of place and that we
can take advantage of being that kind of place."
Over the last year, Courant has been involved in raising
tuition 7.9 percent and planning the budget, the naming of
leadership positions in the Life Sciences Institute, the recom-
mendation of history Prof. Terrance McDonald to fill the inter-
im LSA dean position, and repeatedly provided the campus
community with the University's position during last year's

negotiations with the Graduate Employees Organization,
among other things.
Courant said he is eager to continue helping and serving
students as provost.
"In the beginning and in the end what this University has to
be about is the students," he said. "They are the guiding vision
of what we do."
Courant will assume his new title Oct. 1 and hold it until
July 31, 2005 unless it is extended. The appointment must still
be formally approved by the regents, though yesterday they
expressed their support.
"You've given us a lot to think about," Regent S. Martin
Taylor (D-Grosse Pointe) joked during the meeting.

Job market
weak, but
remains
promising
By Ted Borden
Daily Staff Reporter
Like many of last year's seniors, 2002
Engineering graduate Dave Cohen natu-
rally assumed he would be able to find a
job, despite the nation's weak economic
environment. But almost five months
after leaving college,
Cohen is still looking
for employment.
"It's difficult for
people coming out of
college. I'm up against ~.,.
people with three to
five years of experi-
ence," he said, noting
that as job openings
have shored up, the
market of job-seekers
has grown, in light of mass layoffs fol-
lowing the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
"There's a lot of people looking," he
added. "Probably only half of my
friends (from high school and college)
have jobs. And engineering is one of the
better job markets at the moment."
Cohen is not alone. Although
Michigan unemployment rates
decreased for the month of August,
overall, the number of Americans
asking for unemployment benefits is
on the rise. According to government
statistics released last week, jobless
claims, hovering 'at 418,500, are the
highest in four months.
"We know the anxiety is high right
now," said Lynne Sebille-White, assis-
tant director of recruitment services at
the University's Career Center. "Things
seem to be in a holding pattern.
Employers seem to be on the fence."
Sebille-White recommended that stu-
dents begin their job searches early,
regardless of what industry they are
interested in, and consider a broad num-
ber of employment options.
"You never want to put your eggs in
one basket with a job search," she said.
She added that pharmaceutical, edu-
cation and federal government positions
seem to be among the more favorable
hiring areas at the moment.
Jeanne Wilt, assistant dean of admis-
sions and career development at the
Business School, noted in light of weak
hiring conditions, Business School stu-
dents are being more realistic.
"Last year, everything was so much
of a change ... (students) had to adapt,"
she said. "They know off-campus job
skills ... are more important than ever."
According to Wilt, the Business
School has seen lighter recruiting, but
"tried and true companies are still com-
ing to campus. They know how impor-
tant the relationship (with the Business
School) is."
As for students and job searches, "its
part of their focus all the time," Wilt
said. "It's a lot of work, but it's part of
the reason why they came to the Busi-
ness School."
Sebille-White noted the Career
Center's upcoming job fair Oct. 3, to
be held at the Michigan Union, which
will be one of the largest of its kind
on campus this fall. More than 80
employers will be present, including
Bank One, Procter & Gamble and
Bloomingdale's. The event is open to
all students.
As for Cohen, he said he plans to
attend an upcoming job fair for engi-
Alk 11I..~ ,..1.,,4...1----------__-t-----.

Threat of attack
in cyberspace
brought to light

By Margaret Engoren
Daily Staff Reporter
Responding to national security
threats revealed by last September's ter-
rorist attacks, the United States has acted
to increase the safety of the American
people. Sending warplanes to
Afghanistan, creating the Office of
Homeland Security, and increasing bor-
der and airport control, the United States
has flexed its muscles in an effort to
secure its interests.
But one important avenue for attack
may have been overlooked.
The "National Strategy to Secure
Cyberspace," a report presented
Wednesday by a White House panel,
stresses voluntary cooperation and edu-
cation as means to defend the nation's
critical systems from cyber-attacks. It
suggests computer users - from home
PC buyers to corporate technology offi-
cers - evaluate their vulnerabilities to
assess the risks to their own corners of
cyberspace.
"The possibility of cyber attack has
not received the attention that other
potential forms of attack have because
stacked against anthrax, a computer
attack doesn't seem to carry the same
weight," said Harris Miller, president of
the Information Technology Association
of America. "So far, computer attacks.
are considered to be a huge nuisance,
not a life-threatening problem."
The potential, however, for a "life-
threatening" cyber-attack is real,
Miller said.
"Anyone who uses a computer to do
something it is not supposed to do can
become a cyber crimirral," Miller said.
"Using a computer to tell a railroad
switch to switch in the wrong direc-
tion, causing a train to derail, is a
cyber crime.
"The worse-case scenario would be
what the FBI calls a 'swarming' which is
a combined physical and cyber attack.
For example, consider a physical terror-
ist attack, such as the events of Sept. 1 1
coupled with a cyber attack involving

the shut-down of communication lines
so rescue workers could.not respond."
These sorts of scenarios are the rea-
sons Miller and others work to educate
people on both the potential for attack
and means of defense.
"The risk is there for people in both
the private and the public sectors and it
comes from both domestic and overseas
sources," University computer science
Prof. Karen Langona said. "It is impor-
tant for people to understand the threat
and to act to prevent it."
Miller stresses that cyber-terrorists
could target citizens and universities as
well as businesses and organizations in
an attempt to cause financial failings or
endanger lives.
. "A cyber-terrorist attack could be on
citizens or they could be part of the
attack. In the University environment,
students are probably pretty well protect-
ed, but at home,.without a firewall, it is
fairly easy for a bad person to use your
computer as a base for a denial of serv-
ice attack to overwhelm a system - any
system. They could use your computer
to take down other websites, like the
denial of service attack that took place
in February 2000 when university com-
puters were used to take down Ebay.
Universities were, at the time, not very
careful in protecting their servers. They
became part of the problem, not the
solution. Universities are now much
more careful with their servers."
Although it is impossible to complete-
ly secure personal computers and busi-
ness systems, Langona and Miller agree
that maintaining defenses with current
software packages is a must.
"I don't currently see a fool-proof
way to avoid the threat of a cyber terror-
ist attack," said Langona. "But we must
stay vigilant with our defenses. Smart
people are working on both sides - to
protect us and to attack us."
Miller believes a three-pronged
defense system of "technology, people
and processes" is needed to protect
against cyber terrorist attacks.
See ATTACKS, Page 3A

Photo illustration by BRANDON SEDLOFF/Daily
Though studies show that cocaine use is low among University students compared to other drugs such as ecstasy and
marijuana, some say it is still easy to obtain around campus.
Cocaine use quiet, low

e "
By Soojung Chang
Daily Staff Reporter

'

community

When it comes to substance abuse on
the University campus, many students
do not think cocaine use is a major issue
when compared to consumption of alco-
hol and other drugs.
"I haven't seen it as a problem," LSA
freshman Greg Baumann said. "I've

been to enough parties, but I haven't
seen any use of it."
According to the 2001 University of
Michigan Student Life Survey of under-
graduate students conducted by the Stu-
dent Abuse Research Center, the
percentage of students who reported
cocaine use is small compared to other

reported using cocaine in the past year,
while 0.9 percent reported use in the
past. month. The survey also included
prevalence rates for other drugs in the
past year, such as alcohol (86 percent),
marijuana (33 percent), ecstasy (7 per-
cent), tranquilizers (2 percent), inhalants
(2 percent) and crystal methampheta-
mine (0.2 percent).
See COCAINE, Page 7A

substances.
The survey found

that 1.9 percent

RSC, UMS to
stage Rushdie
adaptation
By Lydia K. Leung
For the Daily
A unique collaboration between the University Musi-
cal Society, Columbia University, the Royal Shake-
speare Company and the Apollo Theater in Harlem is
bringing Salman Rushdie's prize-winning novel of
modern India, "Midnight's Children," to the stage for
the first time.
"It is the honor of Michigan to have these plays,"
UMS President Kenneth Fischer said.
Besides the U.S. debut performance of "Midnight's
Children," the RSC will be performing two other plays,
Shakespeare's "Coriolanus" and "The Merry Wives of
Windsor," in the University's Power Center from March
12 to 16, 2003.
"There is a total of 16 performances this year," Fis-
cher said, noting the increase from the 12 performances

Peace Prize nominee
speaks on Iraqielfe

By Victoria Edwards
and Christopher Johnson
Daily Staff Reporters

Sewage running down the sides of streets
and rats scurrying through housing were
examples of violent poverty in Iraq that 2000
Noble Prize Nominee Kathy Kelly cited in a
speech last night to about 100 students in
Angell Hall.
Kelly urged her audience to oppose another
war with Iraq and to clamor for an end to the
economic sanctions that she says have devas-
tated Iraqi's for the last 12 years.
"The U.S. public suffers from a deplorable
lack of information," she said. "We should
maintain the cry for peace even among others'
cry for war"
Kelly expressed her frustration that
although Iraq consented to allowing weapons
inspectors within its borders, the Bush admin-
.osrrrtc is£randfr ,war - nllnir ~to the

"I can't believe that in residential and com-
mercial areas, there would be American forces
occupying the streets," Kelly said.
Kelly has participated in 16 visits to Iraq as
part of the organization Voices in the Wilder-
ness, which sends volunteers to the country to
observe the conditions of its people. She pre-
sented examples of the destitution in Iraq that
she has seen in her travels. In addition to liv-
ing on a strict diet of lentils and rice, she said
the people must nourish themselves with con-
taminated water and live in houses with no
roofs in 100-degree temperatures.
One spectator was so distraught from
Kelly's description of the people, she left the
event in tears before it finished.
"She was sent by God. I don't remember
being to a lecture where someone was so
brave and inspirational and her solution to the
world problems are simple, just through love
and courage," said the attendee, who wished
to remain ancnvmous.

JOHN PRATT/Daily
2000 Nobel Peace Prize nominee Kathy Kelly
addresses University community members
last night in the Michigan Union.
which hosted the event, said "most people
don't see the effect of sanctions on the Iraqi
neonle. Thev're lust trvina to survive, not


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