WRGW News at 6: Wednesday, April 24th, 2013 by Wrgw_News on Mixcloud
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Showing posts with label Evan Ritscher. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Evan Ritscher. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Friday, March 29, 2013
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Thursday, February 21, 2013
GW Welcomes Former CIA Director to Discuss Hacking, Cyber Warfare, and Drones
by Evan Ritscher
GW welcomed former CIA and NSA director General Michael Hayden for a conversation with Director of the School of Media and Public Affairs Frank Sesno on the role cyber attacks have in espionage and warfare. The conversation touched on topics ranging from cyber attacks and hacking to the use of drones in the War on Terror. The event, which was held Tuesday night, comes just weeks after the New York Times published an article outlining an attack against it’s own computer system from Chinese hackers and the same day as another Times article claiming that a great deal of major cyber attacks against U.S. companies and organizations come from a Chinese military unit working from outside Shanghai.
Hayden said that espionage against the United States is by no means surprising but what is troubling about this type of hacking from the Chinese is that they aren’t stealing secrets; they are stealing control. When asked if he knew what the Chinese want to do with America’s cyber network, Hayden, in the fashion of a true intelligence office, said he did not know nor, could he speculate. But, he did say that “bureaucracies do what bureaucracies do” adding that every nation-state has a contingency plan, and that these examples of hacking may simply be the most rational plan for a Chinese contingency plan.
While Hayden insisted that China is not an enemy of the United States he maintained that Chinese espionage remains disturbing and that it “should not stand.” He went on to say that there are some things we can do to further protect ourselves and reduce the Chinese cyber threat.
“We can be more robust in defending our networks,” Hayden said.
Hayden also asserted that the U.S. can make Chinese cyber behavior a part of the U.S.-China relationship, economically, diplomatically, or otherwise. Essentially, using the American consumer market as a bargaining chip to stop the Chinese from hacking American computer networks.
In one of the most interesting points in the discussion, Hayden argued that before the United States can substantively move forward with regards to cyber security, the American people have to make a decision about what they believe the proper role of the government is in protecting America's cyber network. What we permit and prohibit the intelligence community will be key in deciding what an American cyber security apparatus will look like.
“Because we haven’t worked that out, your network is less protected," he added.
Stressing the importance of sharing information from private companies and citizens to effectively protect American organizations as well as critical pieces of American infrastructure, Hayden asked if we wanted the government’s defense of American computer networks to resemble the military, the police, the fire department, or the Centers for Disease Control. While admitting that he “did not have a good answer” to his question, Hayden said that he believed that private businesses should be the supported group, while the government should play a supporting role.
The challenges of modern espionage in the Internet age are compounded further Hayden says because he questioned the level of espionage needed to combat global threats is possible in a society that is increasingly demanding more transparency at every aspect of national life. Answering his own question, Hayden couldn’t say what the result would be but did say that it certainly doesn’t help U.S. security.
“The implication is we will be marginally or significantly less safe,” he said.
Espionage is still important and necessary, he argued but much more difficult simply because there is so much more information that needs to be stolen.
"Cyber warfare has the whiff of August 1945" he said, referencing the way the dropping of the atom bomb changes warfare in the 20th century and compounding the importance of cyber security and espionage.
The discussion also touched on the controversial use of drones. The General said he supported the use of drones even to kill American citizens without traditional judicial process because the United States is unequivocally at war and appropriate steps must be taken. While the legality of such drone strikes was defended by Hayden, he did concede that it was a narrow legality and unsustainable in the long term without further changes.
"Keep it in your tool kit," he said, referencing drones. The implications of such actions were not lost on the General, however, who called for a commission of sorts comprised of both the legislative and executive branches to become involved in the use of drones.
In offering advice for students interested in working for the CIA, Hayden said that applicants should learn a second language.
GW welcomed former CIA and NSA director General Michael Hayden for a conversation with Director of the School of Media and Public Affairs Frank Sesno on the role cyber attacks have in espionage and warfare. The conversation touched on topics ranging from cyber attacks and hacking to the use of drones in the War on Terror. The event, which was held Tuesday night, comes just weeks after the New York Times published an article outlining an attack against it’s own computer system from Chinese hackers and the same day as another Times article claiming that a great deal of major cyber attacks against U.S. companies and organizations come from a Chinese military unit working from outside Shanghai.
Hayden said that espionage against the United States is by no means surprising but what is troubling about this type of hacking from the Chinese is that they aren’t stealing secrets; they are stealing control. When asked if he knew what the Chinese want to do with America’s cyber network, Hayden, in the fashion of a true intelligence office, said he did not know nor, could he speculate. But, he did say that “bureaucracies do what bureaucracies do” adding that every nation-state has a contingency plan, and that these examples of hacking may simply be the most rational plan for a Chinese contingency plan.
While Hayden insisted that China is not an enemy of the United States he maintained that Chinese espionage remains disturbing and that it “should not stand.” He went on to say that there are some things we can do to further protect ourselves and reduce the Chinese cyber threat.
“We can be more robust in defending our networks,” Hayden said.
In one of the most interesting points in the discussion, Hayden argued that before the United States can substantively move forward with regards to cyber security, the American people have to make a decision about what they believe the proper role of the government is in protecting America's cyber network. What we permit and prohibit the intelligence community will be key in deciding what an American cyber security apparatus will look like.
The challenges of modern espionage in the Internet age are compounded further Hayden says because he questioned the level of espionage needed to combat global threats is possible in a society that is increasingly demanding more transparency at every aspect of national life. Answering his own question, Hayden couldn’t say what the result would be but did say that it certainly doesn’t help U.S. security.
"Cyber warfare has the whiff of August 1945" he said, referencing the way the dropping of the atom bomb changes warfare in the 20th century and compounding the importance of cyber security and espionage.
The discussion also touched on the controversial use of drones. The General said he supported the use of drones even to kill American citizens without traditional judicial process because the United States is unequivocally at war and appropriate steps must be taken. While the legality of such drone strikes was defended by Hayden, he did concede that it was a narrow legality and unsustainable in the long term without further changes.
In offering advice for students interested in working for the CIA, Hayden said that applicants should learn a second language.
"The more exotic the better" he said. "If they teach it in your high school, it's probably the wrong one.”
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Thursday, November 15, 2012
U.S. News and World Report "Unranks" University
By Evan Ritscher
U.S. News and World Report has changed the George Washington University’s national ranking in light
of erroneous data the school provided to the news organization over the course of the past decade.
Earlier, U.S. News ranked the school
as the nation’s 51st-best university. However, in a statement
released Wednesday, the news organization announced they will remove GW from that
list and will classify the university as an “unranked" school. U.S. News will
not re-examine the university until next fall for the 2014 rankings, if the
school can prove the accuracy of its new data submission.
The move comes as GW announced on November 8th that for close to 10 years, it had been incorrectly calculating important information about students who decided to attend the university. As a result, the university had been giving flawed data on its admissions process and students to organizations like U.S. News and similar institutions that use the data in their ranking of colleges and universities.
Among the most important data GW incorrectly reported to the ranking organization was statistics on the portion of students who ranked in the top 10 percent of their class. In some cases the actual data was 20 percent lower than what the school reported.
For example, for the class of 2015, the university claimed 78 percent
of students were in ranked in the top 10 percent of their high schools. In
actuality, the number was 58 percent. Such flawed data, which U.S. News and
World Report claims makes up 6 percent of its methodology in determining school rankings, lead
to the organization’s decision to “unrank” the university.
U.S. News classifies schools as "unranked" if they fall into the second tier of national universities, if they are liberal arts colleges, regional colleges, or regional universities, or if they fail to pass U.S. News’ own cutoff level. However, it is unclear what specific criteria U.S. News used in its decision to remove GW from its rankings.
President Steven Knapp released a statement Wednesday, saying the university was surprised and disappointed by U.S. News' decision to remove GW's ranking rather than adjust it. Knapp also stated the university plans to improve safeguards meant to prevent these errors from occurring again.
U.S. News classifies schools as "unranked" if they fall into the second tier of national universities, if they are liberal arts colleges, regional colleges, or regional universities, or if they fail to pass U.S. News’ own cutoff level. However, it is unclear what specific criteria U.S. News used in its decision to remove GW from its rankings.
President Steven Knapp released a statement Wednesday, saying the university was surprised and disappointed by U.S. News' decision to remove GW's ranking rather than adjust it. Knapp also stated the university plans to improve safeguards meant to prevent these errors from occurring again.
Other schools had similar issues with misreporting data recently. Both Emory University in Georgia and Claremont McKenna University in California disclosed that they reported incorrect data earlier this year. But U.S. News did not remove either of those schools from its rankings.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Construction for New Science and Engineering Hall Sparks Mixed Reviews
By Evan Ritscher
Beginning at 8 a.m. every Monday through Saturday, many GW students are awoken by a sound that can be heard across half of campus. The noise emanates from a construction site on H Street N.W., between 22nd and 23rd streets, one of many sites across campus.
The construction site will be the home of the university’s new science and engineering hall, but right now it looks like anything but an academic building.
The area, which encompasses almost an entire square block, is currently just a deep hole in the ground containing construction equipment including about 10 bulldozers, excavators, large jackhammers, and a large crane. The giant machines that currently occupy the city street represent the dirty part of the process of change and improvement the university is currently undergoing.
GW’s Board of Trustees approved the project in 2010 after a year of planning and design. Construction began in the summer of 2011 and is scheduled for completion by January 2015.
Along with the construction of the science and engineering hall, GW is renovating Gelman Library and Ross Hall; constructing a new School of Health and Health Services building; reconstructing GW-owned properties along Pennsylvania Avenue; and constructing a new GW Museum, garage, and program space for the law school.
For university administrators, the construction, particularly that of the science and engineering hall, will further advance the school’s image as a leader in research and will also bring leaders in science to the university.
“The science and engineering hall will be that anchor that brings people into our community,” Steven Lerman, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, said in a video discussing the project. “GW can be a convening place; it will bring people from all over the world into our community.”
Peg Barratt, dean of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, also said GW “will be the hub for what is a world science center around the greater D.C. area.”
Still, the work is far from over and the school is currently in the middle of the noisy, dirty and disruptive stage of its improvement plans.
“I don’t think a day has gone by without the noise in someway disrupting me, either while I’m asleep or when I’m trying to work,” Luke Austing, a Fulbright Hall resident, said.
Brian Shear, another Fulbright resident, said he understands the work is ultimately good for the university, but wishes the school would do more to minimize impacts on current students.
In late August, GW Housing sent out an email to the residents of Fulbright, JBKO, Madison, and Munson halls saying the university was working to reduce “exceptionally noisy” activities in the early morning. The email also said the university provides free earplugs and loans white noise machines to students affected by the noise.
Regardless of the noise, the university believes the construction furthers the university’s goal of transforming GW into a hub for academic research and discussion, and the construction will continue as the university moves towards expansion.
For current students, the noise seems to be something they will just have to live with.
Beginning at 8 a.m. every Monday through Saturday, many GW students are awoken by a sound that can be heard across half of campus. The noise emanates from a construction site on H Street N.W., between 22nd and 23rd streets, one of many sites across campus.
The construction site will be the home of the university’s new science and engineering hall, but right now it looks like anything but an academic building.
The area, which encompasses almost an entire square block, is currently just a deep hole in the ground containing construction equipment including about 10 bulldozers, excavators, large jackhammers, and a large crane. The giant machines that currently occupy the city street represent the dirty part of the process of change and improvement the university is currently undergoing.
GW’s Board of Trustees approved the project in 2010 after a year of planning and design. Construction began in the summer of 2011 and is scheduled for completion by January 2015.
Along with the construction of the science and engineering hall, GW is renovating Gelman Library and Ross Hall; constructing a new School of Health and Health Services building; reconstructing GW-owned properties along Pennsylvania Avenue; and constructing a new GW Museum, garage, and program space for the law school.
For university administrators, the construction, particularly that of the science and engineering hall, will further advance the school’s image as a leader in research and will also bring leaders in science to the university.
“The science and engineering hall will be that anchor that brings people into our community,” Steven Lerman, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, said in a video discussing the project. “GW can be a convening place; it will bring people from all over the world into our community.”
Peg Barratt, dean of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, also said GW “will be the hub for what is a world science center around the greater D.C. area.”
Still, the work is far from over and the school is currently in the middle of the noisy, dirty and disruptive stage of its improvement plans.
“I don’t think a day has gone by without the noise in someway disrupting me, either while I’m asleep or when I’m trying to work,” Luke Austing, a Fulbright Hall resident, said.
Brian Shear, another Fulbright resident, said he understands the work is ultimately good for the university, but wishes the school would do more to minimize impacts on current students.
In late August, GW Housing sent out an email to the residents of Fulbright, JBKO, Madison, and Munson halls saying the university was working to reduce “exceptionally noisy” activities in the early morning. The email also said the university provides free earplugs and loans white noise machines to students affected by the noise.
Regardless of the noise, the university believes the construction furthers the university’s goal of transforming GW into a hub for academic research and discussion, and the construction will continue as the university moves towards expansion.
For current students, the noise seems to be something they will just have to live with.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Deadline to Opt-Out of School Health Insurance Program Extended
by Evan Ritscher
The deadline for international, medical nursing, and health services students to opt-out of the mandatory student health plan has been extended. Students will now have until Friday October 12, 2012 to opt-out of the student health insurance plan provided to GW by Aetna.
GW requires that all international students with a J1 or F1 visa, as well as all medical, nursing, and health services students, have health insurance and provides such insurance through Aetna for students.
To opt out, students must prove enrollment in another insurance plan. Although not every plan will be accepted. GW requires that the alternate plan provide at least $50,000 in medical benefits per condition, have an annual deductible at or below $500, be valid throughout the academic year, and cover pre-existing conditions, alcohol, drug abuse and detoxification treatment, and self inflicting injuries. The school requires that insurance last the entire year to ensure there is no disruption in students’ academic progress.
To show alternate enrollment, students can fill out a waiver form on Aetna’s student health website. Once the waiver is approved, the cost of the provided insurance will be removed from students’ tuition.
Students will still have to reapply for insurance year to year.
Prior to the extended deadline, students were to have proved alternate insurance by September 30, 2012.
The deadline for international, medical nursing, and health services students to opt-out of the mandatory student health plan has been extended. Students will now have until Friday October 12, 2012 to opt-out of the student health insurance plan provided to GW by Aetna.
GW requires that all international students with a J1 or F1 visa, as well as all medical, nursing, and health services students, have health insurance and provides such insurance through Aetna for students.
To opt out, students must prove enrollment in another insurance plan. Although not every plan will be accepted. GW requires that the alternate plan provide at least $50,000 in medical benefits per condition, have an annual deductible at or below $500, be valid throughout the academic year, and cover pre-existing conditions, alcohol, drug abuse and detoxification treatment, and self inflicting injuries. The school requires that insurance last the entire year to ensure there is no disruption in students’ academic progress.
To show alternate enrollment, students can fill out a waiver form on Aetna’s student health website. Once the waiver is approved, the cost of the provided insurance will be removed from students’ tuition.
Students will still have to reapply for insurance year to year.
Prior to the extended deadline, students were to have proved alternate insurance by September 30, 2012.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
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