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www.collegian.psu.edu
Vol. 99, No. 85 16 Pages ©1998 Collegian Inc
USG Senate president resigns position
Jason Covener
resigned as USG Senate president
Court
name
in USG case
By TIM SWIFT
Collegian Staff Writer
Former Undergraduate Student
Government Senate President
Jason vener was not the only
USG member named in court docu
ments from the investigation
regarding computer tampering in
the USG office.
Covener allegedly obtained USG
members and other students' e
mail messages and then distributed
the information to USG members,
including fraternity Senator James
Hornick. town Senator Rick Soll
- former CSG Communications
Director Jeff Schlanger and USG
Supreme Court Justice Bryan
Weis, according to the documents.
The complaint states Covener
asked Sollman to intercept elec
tronic communications that had
been captured by a keystroke mon
itoring program.
Interviewed on two separate
occasions by police, Sollman first
denied any involvement with
Covener. Later, he said he
retrieved information for Covener
in March 1998 that was logged by
the monitoring programs on USG
office computers.
Yet Sollman said last night he
was unaware of the exact informa
tion he provided Covener and
assumed it included Covener's own
documents from his former USG
post as political and international
affairs director. Only after obtain
ing the information for Covener
did Sollman say he was made
aware of the keystroke monitoring
programs.
Sollman said he has cooperated
with the police investigation and
has been subpoenaed in the case.
Keystroke monitoring is a
process by which a person can
view or record the commands
ACLU holds rally to increase group awareness
By STEVE DANA
Collegian Staff Writer
The Penn State chapter of the American
Civil Liberties Union carried satirical
signs during a rally Friday afternoon on
the corner of College Avenue and Short
lidge Road. The ACLU sponsored the rally
in an effort to raise awareness among stu
dents and police of its presence on cam
pus.
The main issue the rally addressed was
the ticketing of students driving on cam
pus without registering their cars with the
university.
"The rally is in response to driving tick
ets. We feel they are against civil rights,"
ACLU member Heather Keegan (graduate
industrial relations and human resources)
said.
Only students registered at Penn State are
required to pay the registration fee in order
to drive on campus, ACLU members said.
But Penn State Police Services said this
is untrue.
By TIM SWIFT and
TRACY WILSON
Collegian Staff Writers
Following his arrest Friday and facing
possible expulsion from the Undergradu
ate Student Government, Jason Covener
resigned from his position as USG Senate
president and East Halls senator at an
emergency senate meeting last night.
Charged Friday with three counts of
unlawful use of a computer, three counts
of interception of electronic or oral com
munications and one count of criminal con
spiracy, Covener allegedly obtained USG
members and other students' e-mail mes
sages, then distributed the information,
according to a Penn State Police Services
press release.
Collegian File Photo
Covener announced his resignation
papers
others
entered and the computer's
response, according to the National
Institute of Standards and Technol
ogy. By recording characters as
users type them, keystroke moni
toring programs allow viewing of
e-mail and other information.
The programs were found on
three of the six functioning com
puters in the USG office, according
to the documents.
Covener was charged with three
counts of unlawful use of a comput
er, three counts of interception of
electronic or oral communications
and one count of criminal conspira
cy, according to a Penn State Police
Services press release.
The Penn State Network Security
Office determined the retrieved
information also was sent electron
ically from a USG office computer
to Sollman's personal computer.
Sollman said after he provided
Covener with the files, he deleted
them from his computer, adding
Covener never told him that he
used the information to read any
one's e-mail.
However, Schlanger said Coven
er had "bragged" to him about
being able to obtain passwords and
e-mail messages. Skeptical,
Schlanger asked for proof. Covener
then gave him a disk containing e
mail messages.
Schlanger turned over the disk to
the Network Security Office dur
ing Spring Semester 1998, which
later notified Penn State police.
The information on the disk includ
ed e-mail messages from USG
President Caroline Casagrande to
former USG President and current
town Senator Jaime Desmond,
Schlanger said.
Desmond, former USG Vice
President John Polk, former USG
Treasurer Travis Freehauf, former
Please see USG, Page 2.
"(The ACLU is) not reading the regula
tion right. They misinterpreted the rule,"
Penn State police supervisor Clifford Lutz
said. "We don't give tickets for driving on
campus."
Lutz added Penn State police give tickets
to people parking in parking decks and
who have not registered their vehicles
with the university.
"The ACLU could be confused. Parking
enforcement stopped people using decks to
show affiliation with the university. If they
are students and their vehicle is unregis
tered, they are ticketed," Lutz said.
Despite the denial from the University
Police, ACLU members still consider it a
problem.
"Anybody else can drive on campus as
long as they're not registered at PSU,"
ACLU member Brian Ecker (senior-elec
trical engineering) said.
The driving tickets are a breach of the
14th Amendment which guarantees equal
protection under the law, Ecker said.
"I think it's ridiculous that you pay so
"A lot of people in USG do not feel secure in using USG
computers. By removing Jason Covener from office, people will
feel more secure."
before the senate, adding his innocence
will come to light in court.
"I can't fight this battle in USG while
fighting my battle in court and fulfill my
duties as a USG senator," said Covener.
"My resignation will be effective at the
end of the meeting."
USG President Caroline Casagrande
called the meeting in order to resolve the
Perfecting the picture
Steven Boothe (junior-arts and architecture) works on a homework project for a class yesterday in the Visual Arts Building. Boothe is
taking ART 250 (beginning oil painting).
A broken window is boarded up at Phi Kappa
Theta fraternity, 338 E. Fairmount Ave., after an
occurrence of vandalism there last weekend.
much money to come here and you can't
even drive without registering (your car),"
Aaron Swerling (senior-agriculture busi
ness management) said.
Another issue the ACLU focused on was
restrictions on sending undercover offi
cers or students into parties.
"It's very suspicious what they're
doing," Ecker said. "In some cases it's not
illegal, but it's definitely improper."
Many students and residents showed
their support for the rally by honking in
response to the "Honk while it's still legal"
sign the members of the rally held.
"We definitely feel like we're being sup
ported by students and even residents,"
Keegan said. "The honking never stops."
Instead of beeping, Swerling showed his
support by joining the rally and holding a
sign.
"It's a good organization," Swerling said.
"It looks after the rights of Americans and
the quality of life. Though it tends to slant
to the liberal side, it doesn't exclusively
defend liberal points of view."
Tuesday, Nov. 10, 1998
Collegian Photo/Dan Saelinger
matter as soon as possible in hopes that
USG can return to its normal agenda.
Even after Covener announced his resig
nation, the senate took action.
The senate, with police reports in hand,
banned Covener from entering the USG
office and issued its official opinion disap
proving of Covener's alleged actions.
"A lot of people in USG do not feel
Fraternity victim of crime
Phi Kappa Theta fraternity
recently reported a theft and
vandalism at their house, marking
a rise in fraternity crime.
By CARRIE DZWIL
Collegian Staff Writer
Fraternity pranks have taken on a more seri
ous nature lately as at least one fraternity
house has found itself the victim of costly bur
glary and vandalism in recent weeks.
Members of Phi Kappa Theta fraternity, 338
E. Fairmount Ave., reported a case of theft and
vandalism at their house Oct. 25.
Chantal Almonord (senior -biochemistry and molecular biology) and Joya Dortch
(Junior-broadcast journalism) stop by the 2nd Annual Student Rights Rally Friday
afternoon. Julian Catchen (Junior-computer science) participated in the event.
gh Low
0 411411111 45
ier with periods of rain.
age 2 for the extended forecast.
Campus Weather Service
Published independently by students at Penn State
John Wood
USG town senator
Fraternity member Jeff Tranell (junior-ele
mentary education) said the incident occurred
between 4 a.m. and 8 a.m. when most members
were on a retreat at Stone Valley Recreation
Center. Only about six people were in the house
at the time of the theft, he said.
Thousands of dollars worth of stereo and
video game equipment and cash were stolen,
Tranell said. Someone smashed a living room
window with a cinder block, he said, and van
dalized the kitchen area.
About $1,700 worth of small electronic appli
ances were stolen from fraternity member
Jonathan Schreiter's room during the incident.
Schreiter was not in the house at the time of the
Please see FRATERNITY, Page 2.
secure in using USG computers. By
removing Jason Covener from office, peo
ple will feel more secure," Town Senator
John Wood said.
Covener objected to the ban.
"I won't be in the office anyway. My con
cern is this is a trial in progress. These are
not offenses, they are alleged. It is wrong
to pass a censure without evidence of
whether I'm guilty or not, that is for the
court to decide," Covener said.
The 16-1-5 vote in favor of the ban
reflected the majority of the senate's opin
ion about Covener's activities.
"(The resignation) was a responsible
decision on (Covener's) part. The writing
was on the wall," Fraternity Senator James
Hornick said. "He made a good decision
that will save him a lot of embarrassment
and USG a lot of time."
Collegian Photo/Andrea E. Kohler
Collegian Photo/J.M. Boyer