Thursday 17 March 2005

Top Biz Schools Extend Hacking Penalty
Even Thinking About Doing It Earns Rejection

After rejecting 119 applicants who alledgedly peeked at their files on-line, the Harvard Business School announced they are extending the penalty to those who even 'thought about hacking'. No information was provided on how many additional applicants this would effect.

Sources indicate that the other schools affected by the hacking - Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Duke, Carnegie Mellon and Dartmouth - are expected to follow suit.

Only Stanford has taken no action against the alledgedly hackers.

Earlier this month, an unidentified hacker tapped into a forum, online, on Business Week's website and posted instruction on how applicants could log onto the schools' Web sites to check their admission status. More than 100 applicants to Harvard alone tried to access their admission records. Some saw nothing, while a few found rejection letters in their files.

All of the schools use an online application and notification program - ApplyYourself - made by a Fairfax, Va., company.

Steve Nelson, executive director of the MBA program at Harvard Business School, defended extending the penalties.

"Even thinking about taking this illegal action shows signs of corruption, a lack of morals and suspectability to giving into unethical temptations. At Harvard, we only want those that can rise above the fray and walk the straight-and-narrow".

A growing buzz of criticism has been aimed at Harvard, and the other schools, that the penalty of rejection is disproporationate to offense, including citing the schools for lacking better security of their records. Some have suggested that this incident offers the business schools a dynamic oppportunity, a 'teachable moment'.

Nelson dismissed the criticism.

"We have to draw a line in the sand - do we, as a university, want to put out into the community strong, ethical leaders, or criminals, who will use illegal tactics to gain their lot?

Rumors circulated that the applicants, from all the schools, were wisked away on a private jet to an undisclosed university that is known for having loose, or no guidelines at all, in their interview program, for interrogation.

All the business schools declined comment, citing their application process is private.


Iraq Parliament Holds First Session Amid Chaos

Hey, somebody wake up the janitor.

The Iraqi transitional national assembly, the first freely elected parliament in a half-century, held their first session yesterday, after a nearly 3-hour delay. The 275 members had to wait for over one-hour for someone to locate the custodian, to open the convention center.

Once in inside the heavily guarded building, additional delays followed as the assembly had to wait for the room to be set with chairs and desks. Members made impromtu and impassioned speeches while waiting and numerous scuffles broke out between Shiites, Kurds and Sunnis, mostly over petty loyalities and neighborhood differences.

At least 45 members were accompanied by goats and livestock, indicating they feared theft of their property while in session. This earned the vocal displeasure of a small group of other members.

Still another delay surfaced when members of the U.S. Coaltion insisted on hanging the Ten Commandments on the wall behind the dias. Heated words were heard and a comprise followed with the Koran being hung alongside the Commandments.

Nonetheless, President Bush, in a statement, cited the day as 'historic' and 'a bright moment'.

The only motion submitted and approved by unamious vote? Authorizing supplying the custodian with a cellphone