Wednesday, May 13, 1998
Community Briefs
BRIEFS
Job prospects good for 1998 college graduates
An annual survey done by Michigan State University found that
employers predict a 27.5 percent increase in jobs for students
graduating from college this spring.
The increase makes 1998 the best time to be looking for a job in
almost three decades, according to employment experts. The expected
lower number of graduates this year and the next, as well as a drop
in U.S. births years ago has resulted in the increased demand for
college graduates.
Competition within the job market for college graduates has
resulted in companies pressing for quick acceptance to job offers,
as well as offering incentives such as stock options and tuition
reimbursement.
John Challenger, general manager of job outplacement firm
Challenger, Gray & Christmas, says that graduates’ knowledge of
technology is a major draw.
"Technology is a part of the way companies operate today,
everywhere and in every field," he said. "Older people have a hard
time adapting to it, but these kids have been doing it since they
were ten. That’s a very powerful force."
Computers just got a little less mysterious
UCLA recently purchased 300 on-line computer classes because of
a UC Systemwide special purchasing agreement. The titles were
purchased from the CBT Systems catalog. Courses are available to
users interested in learning about Microsoft Office 97, Windows 3.x
and 95, Netscape Communicator, and web authoring.
However, most of the courses are aimed at computing
professionals, with topics in network management, programming
languages and similar advanced subjects.
The courses are free to students, faculty and staff accessing
them from a UCLA-networked computer (such as on-campus computers
and those dialing to the campus via Bruin Online).
One can access these courses by pointing a web browser at
http://cbt.oac.ucla.edu but they only run in a Windows
environment.
Administrative Information Systems and Communications Technology
Services are paying for the courses. The Office of Academic
Computing provides coordination and support of the courseware.
Academic departments can set up their own in-house servers,
enabling them to track student progress and allowing students to
run courses off the server without having to download the course to
a local hard drive.
Suspect arrested in case of odd e-mail
A man whom UC Berkeley police banished from campus after he
allegedly made threatening phone calls and sent "annoying" e-mail
messages to campus officials was arrested Sunday afternoon for
coming back to campus.
Police said John Bush, 54, has had a history of sending
"unusual" e-mails to campus administrators in California Hall,
including Vice Chancellor Carol Christ.
Bush was known to frequent the computer facility in the Valley
Life Science Building’s Life Sciences Library, where it is believed
many of the e-mail messages originated, said UC police Capt. Bill
Cooper.
Since Bush was suspected of being involved in numerous cases,
police prohibited him from coming on campus, Cooper said. Bush was
taken into custody at the VLSB in connection with the phone calls
and e-mail messages.
Bush was charged on two misdemeanor accounts of making
threatening phone calls and violating the police "exclusion" order,
according to officials in the Berkeley-Albany District Attorney’s
office.
After appearing at Berkeley-Albany Municipal Court, Bush was
released on his own recognizance provided that he "stay off of
university property, and not have any contact with university
officials," according to court officials.
Compiled from Daily Bruin staff and wire reports.