USD Magazine, Fall 2000

ALCALA ALMANAC

ASK THE EXPERTS

Ethernet Equity Dorms now have fastest Internet link U SD students who live on campus have one more feature to write home about - an ethernet connection. Prior to the start of the fall semester, high– speed Internet access work was performed ar the University Terrace apartments on Linda Vista Road, completing etherner connections for all on-campus student dorms and apart– ments. Unlike a computer modem, which con– nects to the Internet through a telephone line, an ethernet port connects to the univer– sity's network through fiber-optic cable. "Students now can do a lot of their schoolwork from home, " says Larry Perez, assistant director of housing and residence life. "In the past, students would go through a phone modem and get a busy signal or tie up the line. Now they don't need to worry about dialing up to do schoolwork char requires a computer." The University Terrace apartments were the last of USD's seven residence areas to be connected. With most students living on campus owning a computer, the erherner connection allows access to USD's library, Web sire and online classes. Many professors ask students to e-mail assignments or to research specific Web sites char complement class materials. "Ir's a feature that you can't get at most apartments around town," says Perez. "Ir's another selling point for living on campus."

Q To be elected, a presidential candidate must win in the electoral college. What is the purpose of the electoral college? Does this mean a candidate can lose the popular vote and still be elected? A We could organize an entire political science course around this question! The founding fathers were suspicious of too much direct democracy, and the creation of the electoral college is one example of that reluctance to give "the people" the sole power to elect the chief executive. It also helps protect the interests of small states, because the founders were afraid that states with large populations would dominate if there were a direct, national election. We do not really have a national election for president, but rather 50 elections (plus the District of Columbia) on the first Tuesday in November.The number of a given state's electoral votes is the sum of their representation in Congress - the members of the House of Representatives and two senators.The electors traditionally vote for the can– didate who won the popular vote in their state, but that is not required by the Constitution and historically some electors have voted for a different candidate. In the 19th century there were instances when the winner of the popular vote nationally lost in the electoral college. This has not happened recently (although it almost happened in 1960 and 1968), and many political scientists believe it is inevitable that it will happen again. Until that time, there will be little popular demand to change the Constitution. Patrick Drinon, Ph.D. Professor of political science and dean, College of Arts and Sciences If you have a question you would like posed to our faculty, please e-mail timothym@acusd.edu or send it to USD Magazine, 5998 Alcala Park, San Diego, CA, 92110. Questions and answers are for informational purposes only and may be edited.

Long Distance Learning T wenty-three military officers were among the first gradu– ates of the new Master's in Global Leadership program, which uses rhe latest Internet-based audio and video technology to reach students who can't make it to the classroom. The graduates, including a Marine Corps lieutenant colonel and three

Navy commanders, received their diplomas in August at an Alcala Park ceremony. While they had to be on campus to be handed their degrees, the same wasn't true of the 17-course cur– riculum, which was designed especially for students living in remote locations, from a Naval base in Florida to the USS Lincoln as it sails the Indian Ocean. With a laptop computer and specialized software, students partake in interactive classroom discussions with their peers, a delivery method chat is being closely watched by the Naval Postgraduate School. "This pilot class has paved the way for officers in fleet and field units to obtain a graduate degree without disrupting their careers," says Jerry Singleton, program director. "It's an effec– tive alternative to removing individuals from their operational assignments and sending them to some other location."

FALL 2000

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