CUA Student Shot While Visiting Friends in Brookland

NOV. 15, 2:00 P.M. — A CUA student was shot in the abdomen during an altercation with four men at a Brookland house early Sunday morning, but the bullet missed vital organs "by millimeters and inches" and he was treated and released.

Daniel Grugan, a senior finance major, was visiting friends at a house on the 1000 block of Newton Street NE at about 4 a.m. Sunday morning when two men approached the house and asked to join the group. In an interview from his home in Pennsylvania, Grugan said no one at the house knew either of the men, and asked them to leave.

An argument ensued after the men, whom Grugan described as black males, claimed the students were being racist and did not leave. Twenty minutes later, he said, two other men, a "younger black male and a white male," joined the first two men. The four men remained at the porch of the house.

One of the first pair of men then struck a student at the house, whom Grugan declined to name. At that point, Grugan said, the group forced the men to leave, out of concern for the safety of women at the house.

The students chased the four men onto Newton St., where Grugan said the man who had punched a student fired "three or four rounds" at the group, one of which struck Grugan in the left abdomen and exited through his lower back. The assailant was 20 to 25 feet from Grugan, standing from behind the car, Grugan said, before entering it and driving away.

"I didn't think I was shot," Grugan said. "I didn't feel anything. I took 4 more steps, he sped off and I looked down and felt pain and realized I was struck."

The bullet "missed kidneys and vital organs by millimeters and inches."

Police arrived quickly, Grugan said, and an ambulance came within five minutes of the incident. Grugan was taken to Washington Hospital Center, where he was treated and released. He said he was staying at his home in Pennsylvania, where his mother and sisters, who are nurses, can monitor a hematoma that developed from the gunshot wound.

Grugan said it is common for "people from the neighborhood to try to get into parties. Most of the time they're very nice about it, but sometimes there's altercations."

News reports said the car in which the men fled was described as a dark-colored Honda or Acura.

Grugan said he would return to campus to finish the semester, and "graduate as quickly as possible…with my life."

Grugan said police were trying to tie the incident to another crime that occurred just five hours earlier, where a man was shot and killed after leaving a wedding reception at St. Francis Hall at the Franciscan Monastery. Robbers demanded money from four people leaving the reception, beat three of them with pistols, and shot the 57-year-old man after he threw money at the assailants.

Gates' Column: Are We Impossible to Please?

Americans are greedy, selfish, and impatient people. We're also a bunch of hypocrites, and we like it that way.

We want the best of everything, but we don't want to pay for it. We can't buy something unless it is on sale. The great once-a-year-blowout-ultimate-markdown-sale-extravaganza is our best friend. We demand the highest quality items but only if we can get it at a basement bargain price. We want the plasma screen with the mail-in rebate.

Cell phones are the greatest invention in the world, but we hate it when everyone else is using one. They go off at inconvenient times. Why can't they wait? The guy ruined the movie. Can you hold on? I'm not getting any service.

We like to share our stories of amazing places and amazing things, but we get angry when we have to deal with crowds. We say everybody should see this or that; everybody should stay here or there. When's the off-season?

Nature is beautiful and we love to be outdoors. Unless its raining, snowing, frosting, blowing, hot, cold, buggy, muggy, muddy, arid, humid, windy, or scary. High-tech gear is awesome. There are boots, backpacks, rug sacks, knapsacks, water bottles, trail mix, and walking sticks. We then complain about wearing a poncho in the rain.

When we do get what we want, we still want more; unless it's better to be cutting back. The large isn't enough, we want Supersized. We're on the Atkins diet. Can you hold the bun?

We like our down time, but waiting is for the weak. Fancy restaurants are meant for leisurely meals and unhurried conversation. If your food is not ready in 15 minutes, your meal is free.

We don't like to be bothered, but we hate it when we can't find a person when we need help. Why do they always ask you how your meal is? They don't really care. Where is the waitress? I need the check.

We all want our own gas-guzzling SUVs. Yet, traffic is our archenemy. We sing the praises of mass transit, but we hate fare hikes and cringe at crowded Metro cars. Don't those tourists know you walk on the left, stand on the right?

We all want to be multi-billionaires, but few of us want to actually work for it. The snooze button is our best friend; we can be a few minutes late. It's okay to take off early on a Friday. What are sick days for? God, I can't wait for a vacation. Please tell me the boss is not in today.

This is how things work in America. We're pushy, we're showy, we're uncooperative, we want things now, and we hate to be bugged. We dislike incompetence, slowness is looked down on. We roll our eyes, we gossip, we nag, we brag. But we get things done and we go on with life. This is progress in America. It's not pretty and it drives us nuts, but we wouldn't have it any other way.

Water Outages in Mil. South Shahan Halls Cause Problems

Two unrelated water outages caused inconveniences for students and faculty at the end of last week. The problems occurred in Millennium South and another in Shahan Hall. In addition, a water line fracture on the south side of campus flooded the lawn behind Conaty Hall. These incidents follow a recent sewage problem in the Pryzbyla Center that flooded numerous offices and closed the third floor Student Restaurant approximately a month ago.

The outage in Millennium South resulted in a lack of hot water for cooking, cleaning, and showering this past weekend. According to several residents, the hot water was out all day Saturday and returned sometime Sunday morning.

This outage forced some students to seek other shower sites. "I got back from a scrimmage against Navy men's basketball on Saturday night and wanted to shower, but couldn't because the hot water was out in our dorm," said junior physics major Matthew Spierenburg. "I had to go over to Ryan to take a shower with hot water."

An electrical board control system failing to turn on gas heaters in the dorm caused the problem, according to Kevin M. Petersen, the director of Facilities Maintenance & Operations (FMO). "The water in that building [Millennium South] is heated by electronically controlled gas heaters that fire instantaneously when the hot water level is low," Petersen said. "Apparently on Saturday there was a malfunction and the ignition to turn on the heaters did not go off and no water was heated, leading the building to run out of hot water."

Nevertheless, someone reported the outage shortly after the supply of hot water ran out, and FMO responded to the call. In response, FMO sent an emergency response team to Millennium South to assess the situation. They concluded that the malfunction was caused by faulty electrical printed control boards in the heating system, according to Petersen.

Despite the crippling malfunction, FMO was able to fix the situation for the time being. This allowed for the heating system to work until the required part could be obtained.

Besides the hot water problems in Millennium South, water service was completely interrupted in Shahan Hall, home of the National Catholic School of Social Service, where a water main broke. "The water was shut down on Wednesday when the break occurred, meaning that the building had no working water service," said Petersen.

In response to the situation, FMO posted notices in the building the rest of the last week directing people to use restroom facilities in McMahon Hall and Mullen Library, according to Petersen. Furthermore, to fix the situation, FMO needed to dig down approximately 12 feet in front of the building to find the pipe. They then had to dig by hand to find the crack, leading to the weeklong outage in Shahan. "When we found the break, we replaced the broken water main by running a new pipe from the building to the water meter outside the building," Petersen said.

FMO restored water service to Shahan Hall as of 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon, according to Petersen.

In addition to these two plumbing problems, a main that brings water supply to Spaulding Hall, a vacant dorm adjacent to Conaty and Spellman burst underneath the grassy area behind Conaty, causing flooding on the lawn there. "The flooding was caused by a break in the water line to Spaulding," said Petersen. "Once the valve to Spaulding was isolated, the water was shut down."

The break did not cause any residents on campus to lose water service. "As Spaulding is no longer occupied or heated, the water will be left off, Petersen said."

FMO was unable to determine the cause of the break. Nonetheless, Peterson speculated, however, that it was the result of the recent cold weather which caused stress and strain on the pipes, since they contract and expand with the temperature change.

Network Crippled by New 'Gaobot' Worm

A computer worm unleashed across the University's computer network caused problems for students and faculty members. The worm, known as the Gaobot, infected a number of computers across the network, resulting in limited or no connectivity to the Internet.

The University first detected this virus late Tuesday, according to William Lantry, director of the Center for Information Planning and Technology (CPIT). "After detecting the virus as having infiltrated the University network, we immediately contacted the various virus prevention and detection companies to obtain a solution," Lantry said. "Within 24 hours we had a fix for the infected computers on campus."

Most infected systems on-campus were repaired when they rebooted their computers after installing the patch to fix the problem. In addition, the residential network routers were configured to protect each building from the problem, Lantry said. Most of the campus network affected was repaired by Thursday.

Some computers, however, were still infected with the virus after the fix was implemented. Weak passwords for user systems may have caused the continued problem, Lantry said. "The program in question, the Gaobot, is not actually a virus, it is instead a type of program called a bot, that propagates a worm," Lantry said.

CPIT is attempting to keep the program from spreading further by blocking the program at the connection with the outside Internet. Despite this prevention, they do not know how it has been spreading around campus. According to Lantry, the network is safe for use considering this week's infection. "As far as universities go, we are pretty secure," said Lantry.

If a computer user is concerned that his or her computer is infected with the virus, they should check to see if the program "halflife2.exe" is running under processes in the task manager of Windows 2000 or XP. Users can download free virus software free from the school that will detect and delete the infected file.

A worm is a type of program that copies itself to the user's computer and then replicates itself to other computers connected over a network, according to a data sheet on the Gaobot worm provided by the Symantec Corporation, makers of the Norton Anti-Virus security software program. This particular worm is spread by the bot called "halflife2," and has not been as widespread as other viruses such as the "I love you" worm that affected systems worldwide.

If your computer is infected:

CPIT recommends the following if your computer is showing symptoms of the Gaobot Virus:

- Install and use an anti-virus program. Download the latest updates.
- Within Internet Explorer, choose Windows Update and download the latest operating system patches.
- Install and use an updated firewall. One is included with Windows XP.

CUA Student Shot While Visiting Friends in Brookland

NOV. 15, 2:00 P.M. — A CUA student was shot in the abdomen during an altercation with four men at a Brookland house early Sunday morning, but the bullet missed vital organs "by millimeters and inches" and he was treated and released.

A senior finance major, whose name is being withheld, was visiting friends at a house on the 1000 block of Newton Street NE at about 4 a.m. Sunday morning when two men approached the house and asked to join the group. In an interview from his home in Pennsylvania, the victim said no one at the house knew either of the men, and asked them to leave.

An argument ensued after the men, whom the victim described as black males, claimed the students were being racist and did not leave. Twenty minutes later, he said, two other men, a "younger black male and a white male," joined the first two men. The four men remained at the porch of the house.

One of the first pair of men then struck a student at the house, whom the victim declined to name. At that point, the victim said, the group forced the men to leave, out of concern for the safety of women at the house.

The students chased the four men onto Newton St., where the victim said the man who had punched a student fired "three or four rounds" at the group, one of which struck the victim in the left abdomen and exited through his lower back. The assailant was 20 to 25 feet from the victim, standing from behind the car, he said, before entering it and driving away.

"I didn't think I was shot," the victim said. "I didn't feel anything. I took 4 more steps, he sped off and I looked down and felt pain and realized I was struck."

The bullet "missed kidneys and vital organs by millimeters and inches."

Police arrived quickly, the victim said, and an ambulance came within five minutes of the incident. The victim was taken to Washington Hospital Center, where he was treated and released. He said he was staying at his home, where his mother and sisters, who are nurses, can monitor a hematoma that developed from the gunshot wound.

The victim said it is common for "people from the neighborhood to try to get into parties. Most of the time they're very nice about it, but sometimes there's altercations."

News reports said the car in which the men fled was described as a dark-colored Honda or Acura.

The victim said he would return to campus to finish the semester, and "graduate as quickly as possible…with my life."

He said police were trying to tie the incident to another crime that occurred just five hours earlier, where a man was shot and killed after leaving a wedding reception at St. Francis Hall at the Franciscan Monastery. Robbers demanded money from four people leaving the reception, beat three of them with pistols, and shot the 57-year-old man after he threw money at the assailants.

O'Connell Spoke at Bush Event on Election Night

University President Rev. David M. O'Connell, who said last month that CUA "cannot be perceived as endorsing any one politician over another in an election year," gave the opening benediction for an Election Day Republican Party celebration at the Ronald Reagan Building.

O'Connell, whose policy of barring politicians during an election year has frustrated student leaders and many faculty members, was introduced at the Bush-Cheney celebration event by Ed Gillespie, the chairman of the Republican National Committee and a CUA alumnus. When he invited O'Connell to the stage, Gillespie cited him as "the president of my alma mater here in Washington, D.C., a great institution of higher learning: The Catholic University of America."

The two-minute prayer was not partisan and did not mention any candidate by name. "We pray for our president, and for all who lead us in elected or appointed office," he said. O'Connell also asked for protection for those in uniform, to build a "culture of life that loves every person, born and unborn," and for "the most needy among us."

O'Connell and University spokesman Victor Nakas did not return two e-mailed requests for comment and two telephone calls. In an e-mail sent to The Tower in September, O'Connell said that CUA "has always been hesitant to honor or host politicians during a campaign or election, lest it be accused of partisanship. That is not a new custom. The University cannot be perceived as endorsing any one politician over another in an election year," he also wrote.

Professors interviewed by The Tower, including those in the politics department who have said that the policy prohibiting politicians during the election season was "unworkable," had mixed reactions to O'Connell's appearance at the Bush-Cheney event.

O'Connell's appearance "is disturbing, since the intent of Fr. O'Connell's directive to the College Democrats and Republicans was to have 'no politicians' come to campus this fall in order that the University be perceived as non-partisan," said John K. White, an ordinary professor of politics, in an e-mail. White also said that O'Connell's introduction, in which he was called CUA's president, "makes it clear that he is there representing not just himself."

Stephen Schneck, chairman and associate professor of the politics department, said in an e-mail that he supported O'Connell's appearance because "fully participating in political life is central to the mission of every university…That's why I previously argued that Fr. O'Connell's speaker policy regarding political candidates was unworkable," he said.

"The appearance as described, in my view, is entirely inconsistent with the policy put in place by Fr. O'Connell regarding politicians on campus during an election season, a policy which I personally thought made very little sense," said Ernest Zampelli, an ordinary professor of economics, who also described the appearance as "openly and blatantly partisan."

But Rev. Francis Moloney, the dean of the School of Theology and Religious Studies, said in an e-mail that O'Connell made the appearance as a priest. Moloney said that he too would have joined in a political celebration despite being a member of CUA administration.

"I don't think offering a benediction necessarily constitutes an endorsement, nor do I think it necessarily constitutes any untoward entanglement with a partisan political group," said Associate Professor of Philosophy V. Bradley Lewis, who said he saw the appearance as "another opportunity for ministry."

Meehan's Column: It's Good to Be the King

2004. The year the Boston Red Sox finally broke the Curse of the Bambino. The year that Jennifer Lopez shocked the world by actually staying married to the same guy for more than three weeks, and the year that perpetual "also-ran" Conan O'Brien (easily the funniest man on television) was named as successor to Jay Leno's Tonight Show throne. Yes, 2004 has certainly had its share of success stories. Rocky Balboas, if you will. Proof that if you can dream it, you can (as CUA boasts) really "Do it All" after all.

On the heels of this underdog trend, I'd like to empower you, faithful Tower readers, to help make one last "not a chance" story into a veritable "happy ending" of realized dreams:

Shamelessly speaking, I want you to vote for me as CUA's Homecoming King.

Yes, I know that the hallowed pages of the Forum is hardly the proper soapbox to blatantly plug a "vote for Me(ehan)" mantra, but if this year's presidential election has taught us anything, it is that no truly successful campaign can be run without gracing the pages of the local news with a few boldfaced exaggerations tooting of one's own horn for the sake of the greater good.

And being named Homecoming King is good.

This coming from a kid from a small town in New Jersey who never so much as asked the time of day from a clock, you know. From a kid who's closest victory in a "popularity contest" was being named "Most Likely to Become a Professional Wrestler" in his high school yearbook (incidentally, how does the name "Johnny Mayhem" sound?). From a kid who's never even been "Prince" of anything, let alone "King."

"John Meehan, Homecoming King." Just think of how proud my parents would be to have something to show for their $120,000 investment in my four years at Catholic. Because, let's face it, with a mere bachelor's degree in English, it's not likely that I'm actually going to get a job after graduation.

But future plans aside, I've got good reason to believe that that Homecoming King's crown would look just perfect sitting on top of my ample-sized head (the kids used to call me "Melon Head," you know). And not only because the crown's Cardinal red fabric would really look great against my pale Irish complexion, either. No, let's just say that I think that crown would look great on my head because my hairline has taken to… ahem … "downsizing," shall we say, and I could pretty much afford any cranial coverage I can get (you'll note that the headshot that accompanies this column features me in a baseball cap for the very same reason).

And so, faithful Tower readers, in this year of all sorts of upsets, broken curses, and longshots, I'd simply like to ask that you take a moment from your busy reading of the "I Saw You's" to check my name off as your Homecoming King. Prove that the underdog is still the top dog in the hearts and minds of proud college-folk everywhere. Help make this one boy's dream come true.

Do it for the Bo'Sox. Do it for my family.

Please God, do it for my hairline.

USG Freshmen Are Sworn In At Ceremony

Freshmen USG officers were sworn in yesterday at a ceremony in Caldwell Hall. From left are President Jim Russell, Vice President Katelyn McClellan, Treasurer Jacob Gallay, and Senators James Beattie and Kyle Cocchi. Not pictured are Senators Ray Gennawey and J.P. Walsh, and Commuter Representative Michael Haresign.

Editorial: A Sad Irony

Barring politicians from appearing on campus during the election was a move by University President Rev. David M. O'Connell that frustrated many on campus. After coming so close to the end of the campaign without hosting a single politician-a sad irony for a university seated in the nation's capital-Fr. O'Connell decided to appear at a Republican celebration for the Bush-Cheney ticket on election night.

One could easily argue that as CUA's president, Fr. O'Connell shouldn't have made the appearance in any case. It is especially dishonest, we think, to take such extreme measures to avoid even "the perception" of partisanship at CUA and then appear on election night in front of hundreds of Bush-Cheney supporters. It's important to note the context in which Fr. O'Connell appeared. He was introduced, quite extensively, as the president of CUA. He was also introduced by the chairman of the Republican National Committee; it's hard to imagine a more partisan presentation to the crowd of Bush-Cheney supporters.

Since many students came to CUA in large part thanks to its location in Washington, this occasion re-opens the topic of whether the University remains non-partisan by prohibiting politicians during an election year. We find it very hard to disagree with Stephen Schneck, the chairman of the politics department, who put it best: "Bringing candidates of all stripes to campus, to speak partisanly before the College Republicans, Greens, Libertarians, or Democrats-or to speak in balanced debates and panels with academic sponsorship-enriches us as citizens, as students, and as a community of academic inquiry."

The speaker policy issue, whether in the form of prohibiting certain speakers or a wholesale prohibition during an election year, is becoming a tired issue. We were encouraged to see that Fr. O'Connell met with a group of professors to develop a more coherent policy, but the administration ought to move quickly for real reform. Fr. O'Connell and others ought to meet with real students. They ought to return CUA to what it ought to be: a real university.

'America (The Book)': Who Knew Textbooks Could Be So Fascinating?

Textbooks are not known to be bestsellers. Most are dry, humorless and mind-numbingly dull. "America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction" is the exception to this rule. The writing is witty, smart and entertaining. Above all, "America (The Book)" is a laugh-out-load comedy of errors that will have you glued from cover to cover.

Jon Stewart, the book's headlining author, is best known as the host of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show." His analysis of current events is notorious for being piercing while remaining hilarious. This biting critique carries over into this text, making the book to read like a script from Stewart's show. The book takes a piece of information, adds some comedy, and spins out a text that, while sometimes inaccurate, reflects on the ironies and absurdities of American history.

For example, the book states that "the Pilgrims had come to [America to] escape religious persecution, to create a society where they could worship as they please and one day, God willing, even do some persecuting of their own." The entire book employs this kind of quick humor. While the writing is comical for the most part, it can often border on gross or obscene. Many of the jokes are sexual in nature - the reader is even given a chance to clothe the nude Supreme Court Justices. Though some may find this type of humor vulgar, most readers will merely snicker and snort before moving on to the next joke. The book is almost overly formal in its writing style while, at the same time, it smacks around the government.

"America (The Book)" does not claim to be a factual text: its main goal is to poke fun at the U.S. and the American world view. The text is broken down into a series of chapters including: "Congress: Quagmire of Freedom" and "The Future of Democracy: Four Score and Seven Years from Now." The content is clever, making the reader think twice about certain eras or aspects of American government. In the end, the most remarkable aspect of the writing is how it subtly forces the reader to actually think about the structure and history of the United States. It causes the reader to pause and reflect on just how silly or ridiculous the United States can be.

"America (The Book)" is meant to be a simple but hilarious take on the United States. What inevitably results is a reflection on our culture. The book takes the time to point out the outrageous aspects of the American government. In the chapter on campaigns, the authors point out that "election season is a time when those who already hold office put aside their responsibilities to get out there and meet the people whose needs they are now 'officially' neglecting." The government and the United States, as a whole, are fraught with these inane arrangements. The authors are sure to point out as many of these "interesting" characteristics as their publishers would tolerate.

The most unexpected part of the book is how closely it resembles an actual grade-school textbook. While the book could have been published as just a simple text, all the little details give "America (The Book)" a fullness and polish that would otherwise be missing. Like most textbooks, the authors include discussion questions and classroom activities at the end of each chapter. Graphics, charts, and alternate boxed texts are spread throughout the book. Perhaps the most humorous side-texts are those written by Samantha Bee called "Would You Mind If I Told You How We Do It in Canada?" As with other classroom textbooks, little "Were You Aware" boxes are set in the margins. "America (The Book)" is so comprehensive that it even includes a "This book is the property of:" stamp on the inside of the front cover.

All of these details, combined with the smart, witty writing, create a textbook that the reader will wish was assigned in a class. Stewart and his fellow authors have crafted a book that will find a prominent place on dorm room bookshelves everywhere.

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