Thursday, April 14, 2005 Opinion 4 Famed satirist Joel Hoard bids farewell Sports 9 Women's golf returns from trip to legendary Pete Dye course Weather Iih b v V AN ABOR WE KN JMAGAZIN itijni5u H1: a1 LO: 32 TOMORROW: 62/3S One-hundredfourteen years ofedtorialfreedom www.mickigandaily.com Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXV, No. 119 ®2005 The Michigan Daily Unemployment rate goes down 0 State's job losses among the highest in the nation despite recent gains LANSING (AP) - Michigan's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped to 6.9 percent in March, marking its lowest rate in nearly a year, the state said yesterday. But even with the improvement, Michigan - which has had one of the nation's highest Computer breeches worry Sexperts By Tiffany Teasley For the Daily A recent chain of incidents involving com- puter security breeches on college campuses has experts questioning the current security policies that universities nationwide have in place to protect the personal information of students and faculty. Three incidents involving computer hacking and stolen information occurred within a span of two weeks at three universities. The most recent breach transpired on March 28 when a laptop that contained about 100,000 Social Security numbers of University of Cali- fornia at Berkeley members was stolen from the school's campus. Three days earlier, infor- mation in the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University was hacked into, which could have exposed nearly 21,000 North- western members' personal information to the culprits. A similar incident occurred the week before at California State University at Chico where a security breach may have revealed the personal information of 59,000 California State affiliates. The most recent significant incident involving University information security occurred nearly a year ago when a student reported a bug in Wolverine Access. This glitch created the possibility for the dis- closure of personal information, said John Howell, the University's chief of informa- tion technology security. "It was not hacking, but the University felt that there was a very small probability that someone may have referenced it, although this was not indicated," Howell said. Notification was later posted on Wolver- ine Access further explaining the situation, along with the University's security poli- cies. Howell said the University has taken various measures to ensure the safety of its students and staff and is confident in the policies set forth by the University to maximize information secu- rity. "There are always elements in place for bal- ancing between computer security, ease of use and functionality," Howell said. Despite the protective measures colleges " may have in place, universities still need to fur- ther develop their security systems, said Aileen Soules, associate dean of California State Uni- versity at East Bay. "In some ways we're more vulnerable then ever," Soules said in regard to universities across the country, Soules, who is an expert of privacy policies, said she feels the policies of colleges and uni- See SECURITY, Page 7A unemployment rates for months - still lags behind the national unemployment rate of 5.2 percent in March. And there were signs of weak- ness in the monthly report, including another loss of manufacturing jobs. Economists caution not to read too much into one month's numbers. The state's jobless rate has danced between 6.7 percent and 7.5 percent for the past two years, with the March rate coming near the lower end. "We really need to see several months of data to indicate a trend," said Bruce Weaver, an analyst with the Michigan Department of Labor and Eco- nomic Growth. "The change (in the rate) is a posi- tive indicator, but it's just one month of data." The March rate was the lowest since April 2004, when Michigan's unemployment rate was 6.7 percent. The state's jobless rate was 7.1 percent in March 2004. Michigan's jobless rate was 7.4 percent in Feb- ruary, according to revised figures released yes- terday. Total employment increased by 17,000 people last month, and there were 28,000 fewer unemployed. But a monthly survey of employers was not as positive. The payroll jobs survey, which does not include farm jobs or the self-employed, indicated a loss of 17,000 jobs in March. About 6,000 of the lost jobs were in manufacturing, mostly due to short-term layoffs in the auto industry. The state has lost 20,000 manufacturing jobs since March 2004, according to the survey. While Michigan's economy has diversified in recent years, the state still is largely tied to manufacturing. "If you're heavily into a declining sector, it won't be easy no matter who is in political office," said Charles Ballard, a Michigan State University economist. "Manufactur- ing has been declining for decades." Other employment sectors have remained stable in the past year, including construc- tion, finance, education, health services and tourism. POET'S SOCIETY Tensions rise as pullout proceeds NEVE DEKALIM, Gaza Strip (AP) - Jewish settlers in Gaza have collected hundreds of tents and are stockpiling food for thousands of supporters they expect to arrive in coming days to help resist this sum- mer's evacuation. An Associated Press reporter saw piles of hundreds of tents, sleeping bags and cans of food in a Gaza warehouse yesterday, and settlers said more is on the way. Removal of the 21 settlements from Gaza and four from the West Bank is shaping up as a traumatic social episode in Israel's history. There are warnings of opposition, even armed resistance, against thou- sands of police and soldiers who are to take down veteran settlements in those territories for the first time. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, winding up a visit to the United States, told NBC News earlier this week that the atmosphere around the pullout "looks like the eve of the civil war." Yesterday, Sharon told CNN he favored leaving the buildings in the settlements intact after the pullout but that depended on coordination with the Palestinians, which had not started yet. Palestinian Foreign Minister Nass- er Al Kidwa complained to CNN that Israel had not given the Palestinians information about the buildings, add- ing "there should be no reward for any of the assets, because they were established illegally." Settlers expect huge crowds to gather in.Gaza to show solidarity during the weeklong Jewish holiday of Passover this month - and orga- nizers are preparing for many of them to stay and oppose the evacua- tion, set for July. The army says it has no intention of stopping the influx, even though the presence of thousands of protesters would further complicate the opera- tion. There are plans to close the area in the weeks before the pullout. Settler spokesman Eran Stern- berg said organizers hope to bring 100,000 supporters to Gush Katif, the main Gaza settlement bloc, for Passover. He said police have issued permits for the gatherings, including concerts and marches. Preparing for the friendly inva- sion, Gaza settler activist Datya Yitzhaki said she and her husband Arye have set up a "war room." An inspection of the warehouse showed hundreds of tents, parachute mate- rial and piles of canned food. Arye Yitzhaki said the plan is to "pitch a tent in every backyard in Gush Katif." They said they expect- ed hundreds of families and youths to stay in Gaza after the holiday. Datya Yitzhaki said more equip- ment was to arrive next week, includ- ing generators and refrigerators. To accommodate the reinforce- ments, Gaza residents are refurbish- ing abandoned buildings, shacks and barracks. Official settler leaders have expressed their opposition to the evacuation in the strongest possible terms, even employing comparison with the Nazi Holocaust, when 6 million Jews were killed. While the leaders say their resistance will be nonviolent, security officials have been warning that extremists among the settlers or their back- ers might open fire on troops and police, try to assassinate Sharon or attack a Muslim holy site in bids to stop the pullout. LSA senior Angelina Schmalzried reads a story at the poetry reading for Hopwood Award win- ners yesterday In the Benzinger Library In East Quad Residence Hall. Winners gathered to' share their work with each other. Fliers for Arab students' event torn down Posted advertisements for the show have allegedly been destroyed for the past three years By Laura Van Hyfte Daily Staff Reporter In what some call a malicious act, fliers announcing Arab Xpressions - a program held by the Arab Student Association - have been torn down across campus. It is still uncertain what prompted the destruction of the fliers, said Sirene Abou-Chakra, a mem- ber of the Arab Student Association. "All the fliers and literature for this huge event ... have been taken down," Abou- Chakra said. "They're actually being destroyed. They are not taking down the stuff around (our fliers), so we are afraid that this is a malicious act." Arab Xpressions, a "comedy and poetry jam," has been held for the last three years by the ASA with the support of numerous other organizations. The fliers have been torn down every year that the performance has been held, said Dana Baki, president of the Arab Student Association. "We've put this show on for the past three years and ever year we deal with the same problem. We put them up and within hours they're turn down while (other fliers) are still intact," Baki said. Mahmoud Fadlallah, a student who helps post the fliers, expressed his dissatisfaction with the damage to the fliers. Fliers that are posted Monday night ware usually torn down by Tuesday, Fadlallah said. Abou-Chakra explained that at this time she has no idea who is responsible for the destruction. "I think if someone looks at the sign and the first thing they see is Arab - people may get a sense of distaste for the word - maybe they just don't want to see (the flier) up," Abou-Chakra said. "There is animosity in general towards Arabs," Baki added. Baki said she is uncertain of the culprits' motive or identity, yet, she said she is suspicious See FLIERS, Page 8A START YOUR ENGINES Graduate Library extends building hours for Finals week By Olga Mantilla Daily Staff Reporter At the urging of Michigan Student Assembly represen- tative Stuart Wagner and MSA President Jesse Levine, the Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library has agreed to extend its hours to students preparing for their upcoming finals. The extended hours of the Graduate Library begin on the last day of class, April 19, and will continue until April 26. During that period, closing time on Friday and Dunkle said that the University and MSA were able to compromise on the number of additional hours the library would stay open during finals. "We came up with a schedule that we could accommo- date and afford," Dunkle said. Full-time staff will be on duty during the extended hours next week, she said. "This is just one example of how effective communi- cation between MSA and University officials can yield ; ; MOVE=