Snapchat not an excuse to Researchers look at creative Student designers shine at share explicit photos • A5 collaborations • A6 Lunar Gala • B8 FORUM SCITECH PILLBOX thetartan.org @thetartan February 18, 2013 Volume 107, Issue 18 Carnegie Mellon’s student newspaper since 1906 Scam warning for CMU Arts Pass program under review CMU campus area ALVIN MATHEW community warning people Junior Staffwriter about the woman. “She’s stopped a couple times,” Many Carnegie Mellon Scheimer said, “but then re- University students have re- appears.” University Police cently been targeted by an already knows the identity individual soliciting money of the woman; she has been in the Oakland area. The given a Defiant Trespass Or- suspect, described as an der by Carnegie Mellon that African-American wom- warns her against continuing an, has reportedly been her activity. But this has not fabricating stories to solicit stopped her from continuing money from students and to harass people in the area. Pittsburgh residents. Most recently, a female The suspect, who ap- student from Squirrel Hill pears to be in her 40s, has emailed the police about an been seen driving a purple African-American woman in Chrysler Sebring sedan and a car who stopped her and a black Chevrolet Blazer SUV asked for cash. in the Oakland area, as well Carnegie Mellon officer as a silver Toyota Camry and Daniel Janeda notes that a minivan. Carnegie Mellon the woman is highly skilled University Police, University at her craft, and her use of a of Pittsburgh Police, and the 3-year-old child during her Pittsburgh Bureau of Police attempts “makes people com- have been trying to stop her, passionate to want to help but they need assistance. her.” Despite some aware- According to lieutenant ness about this woman, she Gary Scheimer, the univer- has remained very effective sity has had issues with the in her attempts. suspect since 2011. According to Scheimer, Scheimer noted that the the woman has been tried suspect has posed as vari- in court multiple times. ous individuals, including “a Scheimer said that a Universi- flight attendant who ran out ty of Pittsburgh detective has Photo illustration by Kelsey Scott/Operations Manager of gas, someone who had filed charges against her, and The Arts Pass program allows Carnegie Mellon students free access to museums and art galleries all around Pittsburgh. to go to a hospital,” among she is due in court soon. How- LAUREN WILLIAMS and venues throughout Pitts- Botanical Gardens. Students Graduate Student Assembly, others. ever, past charges against the Junior Staffwriter burgh, including Carnegie can gain free access simply by CFA Dean’s Office, and the Although it seems that the woman have been “dismissed Museum of Art, Carnegie Mu- showing their Carnegie Mel- Office of the Dean of Student students approached were multiple times” because vic- Carnegie Mellon Univer- seum of Natural History, Carn- lon Student ID card, and the Affairs. not susceptible to the scam, tims are not willing to spend sity student government is egie Science Center, Carnegie museum or venue then bills Without the Arts Pass, stu- the suspect has allegedly valuable time and effort pros- currently sponsoring a survey Science Center’s Highmark Carnegie Mellon per student dent admission to these loca- been very convincing. ecuting a woman who did not to measure the usage of the SportsWorks, the Andy War- visit. tions costs anywhere between According to police re- steal much money from them Arts Pass Program. The Arts hol Museum, the Mattress The program is spon- $10 and $20. ports, the woman stays in her in the first place. She usually Pass Program offers students Factory, the National Aviary, sored by the Student Dormi- car and fakes a breakdown. will take small amounts of free admission to museums and Phipps Conservatory and tory Council, Student Senate, See ARTS, A3 She is “persistent and has cash, occasionally soliciting even given her cell phone $50 from a victim. number and had people go Another part of the prob- to ATMs.” Furthermore, she lem with prosecuting her has has commonly brought along been that some feel her only Obama for America scientist speaks a young boy of about 3 or 4 crime is lying, which would years old, whom she calls her not warrant a major penalty. MADELYN GLYMOUR der to maximize its chances of you guys are capable of solv- But the most important de- son, to manipulate individu- Janeda notes there is a “slip- Contributing Editor getting the 270 electoral votes ing.” cisions, Ghani said, took place als into helping her out. pery slope because she’s ask- necessary to win the election? Ghani first discussed how not at the state level, but at Already, there have been ing for money.” “You don’t need to solve Ghani — and the rest of the the campaign identified the the individual level. “I’m not dozens of cases of people be- However, Scheimer feels the entire problem to do Obama campaign’s technical states in which money would taking actions in a state. I’m ing scammed. She has been a line has been crossed with something useful,” Obama staff, headed by chief technol- be most effectively spent. not trying to convince a state spotted throughout the Oak- the particular individual be- for America chief scientist ogy officer Harper Reed and “That’s the reason data and to register to vote. Every ac- land and Squirrel Hill area, cause she is partaking in “a Rayid Ghani told the packed chief innovation and integra- machine learning and analyt- tion a campaign takes is at a and University of Pittsburgh coercive action with theft by audience in the Gates Hill- tion officer Michael Slaby — ics are so important: because very individual level, with a Police have also been trying scam, so it’s just a matter of man Complex’s Rashid Audi- solved the problem with data it’s all about resource alloca- couple of exceptions.” to thwart her attempts. Most getting victims to come tes- torium on Thursday. A Carn- mining and machine learning. tion,” Ghani said. “I have a According to Ghani, the recently, she has attempted to tify.” The fact that she has egie Mellon graduate, Ghani “We used a lot of heuristics limited amount of resources campaign made contact with get money from individuals also disregarded the Defiant faced a problem that was easy because we had to solve the and I need to spend them in about 135 million people via in the Squirrel Hill area. Trespass Order will help the to phrase but hard to solve: problem before the election. different states to maximize phone calls and door-to-door Scheimer noted that in Au- police build a case against Where should the Obama We could have spent years on my chances of getting 270 canvassing. They used data gust 2011, University Police her in a future trial. The po- 2012 presidential campaign this thing. But this is an exam- votes. We had a lot of money from publicly available voting chief Thomas Ogden sent out put its money, advertise- ple of other problems ... very but it’s still finite, and you can an email to the entire campus See CRIME, A3 ments, and volunteers in or- similar in nature that a lot of only put it in so many places.” See SCIENTIST, A3 Town hall maps out direction in search for new VP, CFO Murphy currently chairs sition and to make sure that president Jared Cohon, who the committee and also as we move forward, we have worked at Yale University and serves as interim VP/CFO un- your input.” Johns Hopkins University. til a successor is named. With that, Murphy posed “We tend to presume that The town hall follows the three discussion questions the ideal candidate will come university’s public posting of for the audience before open- in with an understanding and the open vice–president and ing up the floor to questions: enthusiasm [for] … the struc- chief financial officer position “What are the great reasons ture of a large private institu- on several public job boards. to come to Carnegie Mellon? tion like Carnegie Mellon,” The university is also What are the challenges of said Murphy. contracting with executive the VP/CFO position? And However, as audience search consulting firm Stor- what are some of the core member and Vice Provost beck/Pimentel & Associates qualities that committee for Education Amy Burkert, to aid with less publically vis- should be looking for in can- pointed out, “[Carnegie Mel- ible forms of recruitment. didates?” lon’s] aspirations and the Commenting on Storbeck/ Attendance at the open league in which we want Pimentel’s role in the search, town hall consisted primar- to play is much higher than Murphy noted, “Often people ily of other members on the what the university actually don’t want to be identified search committee, who both has these resources to do, as candidates, particularly if asked questions as audience and it won’t be a walk in park they’re currently in high pro- members and joined Mur- for CFO to navigate this real- file positions.” phy in answering questions ity constantly.” Storbeck/Pimentel also posed by the attendees. Carnegie Mellon’s endow- facilitated Carnegie Mellon’s The town hall sparked a ment of $1 billion is a frac- recent recruitment of Subra great deal of discussion in tion of the endowments of Photo by Jonathan Carreon/Contributing Editor Suresh as its new president. particular about how the the other private institutions Members of the university community discuss issues surrounding the selection process for a new VP and CFO.