Happy Spring Break! The Weather MIT’s Today: Mostly sunny, 54°F (12°C) Tonight: Clear and calm, 32°F (0°C) Oldest and Largest Tomorrow: Sunny, but cool, Newspaper 45°F (7°C) Details, Page 2 Volume 127, Number 14 Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 Friday, March 23, 2007 Holmes/Wyne Elected UAP/VP in Landslide Twelve Undergraduate Voter Turnout Up 11 Percent From Last Year’s UA Spring Elections By Mei-Hsin Cheng Percent STAFF REPORTER With voter turnout up 11 per- cent, Martin F. Holmes ’08 and Ali Admitted S. Wyne ’08 won the Undergraduate Association elections for president and vice president in a landslide vic- tory. To Class Holmes and Wyne captured 1,019 out of a total 1,847 votes (55 percent). Holmes and Wyne will re- Of 2011 place UA P/VP Andrew T. Lukmann ’07 and Ruth F. Miller ’07. By Marissa Vogt Amidst the controversy of the STAFF REPORTER 2008 Class Council race, Phi T. The size of the freshman class Ho ’08 and Rajat Bhalla ’08 were will increase next year, which is ad- elected president and vice president, mittedly good news for the 12,443 respectively. Vivian Tang ’09 and applicants to the Class of 2011. Deepa Mokshagundam ’09 won the Nearly 60 more students were admit- 2009 Class Council presidential and ted this year, but because the num- vice presidential elections, although ber of applicants also increased, the their running mates were not elected. ArtHUR Petron—ThE TECH acceptance rate fell to a record-low Jason A. Scott ’10 and Laura H. Han Undergraduate Association President-elect Martin F. Holmes ’08 and Vice President-elect Ali S. Wyne 12.3 percent for the Class of 2011. ’10 won the uncontested 2010 Class ’08 talk with Wendi Zhang ’08 on Thursday. The 1,533 admitted students span Council presidential and vice presi- he looks “forward to making a lot of ide by starting a Harvard Bridge Saf- companies to become more involved 50 states and 66 countries. Forty- dential elections. positive changes and protecting a lot eRide and expanding the size of the in the Career Fair, eventually result- eight percent of those admitted are A table of results, including vote of things in MIT that make it unique Cambridge West shuttles. ing in “greater funding opportuni- women and 24 percent are under- totals, is available on page 11. compared to other colleges,” includ- Holmes also described the imme- ties.” The Career Fair holiday is not represented minorities. Of students ing Residence Exploration and inde- diate goal of creating an Institute hol- likely to happen this coming year, ranked in their high schools, 49 Holmes, Wyne optimistic pendent dining options. iday for the Career Fair. Holmes said but “2008 has a good chance,” Hol- percent are valedictorians and 90 Holmes, who is the president of Wyne, vice chair of the UA Sen- that they want to make a Career Fair mes said. However, the Registrar’s percent are in the top five percent of the 2008 Class Council, said that he ate and a Tech opinion staff writer, holiday so that students have “more Office already has a schedule of key their class. and Wyne are “extremely excited” said that he and Holmes have estab- time to prepare” for the Career Fair. dates, including student holidays, Dean of Admissions Marilee and “extremely pleased with the lished their priorities for the next few Holmes said he hopes that MIT will Jones said that the target size for the election results.” Holmes said that months, including improving SafeR- benefit by encouraging students and Elections, Page 11 freshman class has increased from 1,005 to 1,020. The admissions of- fice is anticipating a yield of 66.5 MIT Pistol Team Claims percent, which would be similar to last year’s yield, allowing them to ad- mit 10 of the 500-600 students who have been placed on the waitlist. National Championship “It was very, very hard to select Engineers Beat Out Military Schools For Big Win such a small number of students in such a large and stellar applicant By Travis Johnson (6,372), Army (6,365), and Navy pool. It gets worse that way every Sports EDItor (6,322). MIT’s top individual per- year as applications grow,” Jones Here’s something to brag about formers were co-captains Daipan wrote in an e-mail. over spring break: MIT students have Lee ’07, who placed third overall, better aim with a pistol than their and Diana Nee ‘07, who placed third Admit rate higher for women counterparts at among women. Though exact data for this year the Army, Navy, MIT students do so well in pis- are not currently available, Jones said Sports Coast Guard, tol because “they are focused, disci- that the ratio of male to female ap- and Merchant plined, detail-orientated, and excep- plicants and the relative acceptance Marine Academies. tionally competitive,” Head Coach rates for each group were about the The Engineers captured their of Pistol Will Hart Jr. said in an e- same as last year’s. Those numbers second national championship in mail. Nee concurred and said in an show that the acceptance rate for three years by beating the four e-mail, “We are used to exercising women was nearly 26 percent for aforementioned academies, one concentrated focus and self-disci- women and 10 percent for men. The other military school, and four ci- pline, which are both really impor- acceptance rate for all applicants was vilian schools in a three-day compe- tant qualities to be a good shooter.” 13 percent, with the number of male tition held last week at West Point Teamwork is another of the Engi- applicants nearly tripling the number and sponsored by the National Rifle neers’ advantages. “The MIT pistol of female applicants. Data from the Association. team is always, by far, the most tight- classes of 2008 and 2009 showed The final scores in the open di- ly-knit team at nationals,” Nee said similar trends, and can be found in vision, which includes both male and female competitors, was MIT Pistol, Page 13 Admissions, Page 11 Cal State Faculty Could Soon Go on Strike By Lisa Munoz An arbitrator will continue work- The faculty walkout would be THE NEW YORK TIMES ing with administration officials and the largest in the history of Ameri- LOS ANGELES the California Faculty Association, can higher education, although the Faculty members of California the union representing some 24,000 union says it would be a rolling State University, the nation’s largest Cal State instructors, to end the strike — that is, it would begin on four-year university system, over- deadlock, which centers on sala- one of the system’s 23 campuses OMARI STEPHENS—ThE TECH whelmingly authorized a strike on ries. But if meetings over a 10-day and last there for two days, then Cai P. GoGwilt ’10 plucks the strings of his cello during the Wednesday after nearly two years in “quiet period” now break down, a move on to another campus for intermission of the MIT Symphony Orchestra’s concert last Fri- which they and the administration strike could begin as early as next two days, and so on. In this way, day, March 16. See more photos and a review on page 8. failed to negotiate a contract succeed- month, said the union’s president, ing one that expired in July 2005. John Travis. Cal State, Page 12 Because of the Spring NEWS In Short World & Nation ����������� 2 Break holiday, The NY sues loan company ¶ TimesSelect, the restricted online 2005. TimesSelect includes pieces Opinion ������������� 4 content of The New York Times, is now from columnists like David Brooks, Tech will not publish Page 11 Comics / Fun Pages ����� 6 free to students and faculty with .edu Maureen Dowd, Thomas Friedman, next week. Regular Moscow university e-mail addresses. Sign up on http:// Bob Herbert, Nicholas Kristof, Paul Arts ���������������� 8 www.nytimes.com/. This service al- Krugman, and Frank Rich. publication will resume investigates complaints Sports ������������������������� 16 lows access to content from the Opin- April 3. Page 11 ion section. It has been restricted to Send news information and tips to paying subscribers since September [email protected]. Page THE TECH March 3, 007 WORLD & NATION U.S. and South Korea Remain More U.S. Soldiers Deserted Apart on Trade Negotiations By Choe Sang-Hun THE NEW YORK TIMES SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA Than Was Earlier Reported Trade negotiations between the United States and South Korea have failed to narrow gaps on issues like agriculture, automobiles and tex- By Paul Von Zielbauer to the toll of wartime deployments “It is just unbelievable to the tiles, leaving them for next week, negotiators said Thursday. THE NEW YORK TIMES and point to the increasing percent- GAO to hear that the Army does not “There have been some gains made in the four days of talks,” Min A total of 3,196 active-duty sol- age of troops who are on their sec- know what that number is,” he said Dong-seok, the assistant agriculture minister, said after his meeting diers deserted the Army last year, or ond or third tours in Iraq or Afghani- in an interview Thursday. with Ambassador Richard Crowder, the chief American agricultural 853 more than previously reported, stan. Noting that the problem with the negotiator. “Those that have not been resolved will be referred to a according to revised figures from the An Army spokeswoman, Maj. desertion numbers comes at a time ministerial-level meeting next week.” Army.