Campus Builds Crowd-Safety Grid
A wireless network developed by UCSD researchers and made up of high-tech satellite dishes, cameras, network boxes, laptops and cell phones provided local law-enforcement officers a way to more efficiently monitor the safety of large crowds during San Diego’s Mardi Gras celebration last month.
Various points throughout the 24-square-block section of downtown were marked by the presence of equipment providing the wireless grid, and with it, police were able to monitor activity in areas without officers on patrol. The grid also enabled police to know the location of colleagues and equipment at all times.
Music Department Releases New CD
The UCSD music department has announced the release of a new CD composed of some of the department’s best graduate work in composition and performance. The pieces were selected by cellist and music professor Charles Curtis.
The album, titled sound check one, includes seven pieces, all of which are acoustic. However, some of them were manipulated by computers. Works range from contemporary interpretations of classical pieces to new works developed by department graduate students.
The CD is the first in a new series of music department releases. The next album will be developed by music professor Miller Puckette and released later this year.
Hazing Goes Beyond Greeks
Hazing rituals, well-known in Greek fraternity and sorority circles, have also been widely reported across many other types of student organizations, including athletic teams and band and performing arts groups, according to a new study by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators.
The results demonstrate that one in 20 students experienced hazing at his or her campus. Many students reported being forced to sing or chant and getting sick or passing out from being forced to drink large amounts of alcohol.
The study represents phase one of a multistep examination of hazing as an institution of student groups at colleges and universities nationwide. In the next two phases, NASPA will develop hazing-intervention models for use by administrators to combat the rituals.
