Established 1881 WEATHER, p. 2 MIT’s Oldest and Fri: 60°F | 45°F Largest Newspaper Partly cloudy Sat: 69°F | 53°F Partly cloudy tech.mit.edu SUN: 72°F | 57°F Chance of showers Established 1881 Volume 132, Number 18 Friday, April 13, 2012 Additional updates to orientation report Changes to lottery, FPOP charges By Derek Chang switches. NEWS EDITOR “We concluded that REX should Established 1881 focus more on celebrating dorm The Review Committee on Ori- culture,” noted Henry J. Humphreys, entation (RCO) released its final senior associate dean for student recommendations on Orientation life. There will be no housing lot- last week with more updates on tery for freshmen to change their the state of Residential Exploration summer dorm room assignments, (REX) and freshman pe-orientation but freshmen may still request for programs (FPOPs) for this fall. The a dorm change. Freshmen will still JOHN A. HAWKINSON—THE TECH biggest changes are that REX will no participate in floor rush within their Architects Toshiko Mori and Maya Lin, center, break ground for Novartis’ new building at 181 Massa- longer include a freshman adjust- respective dorms, and have the op- chusetts Ave. The new building, on the former Analog Devices lot, should start to rise up in early 2013. ment lottery to change dorms, and tion to opt-in for a dorm change, To the right of Lin are outgoing City Manager Robert W. Healy, Cambridge Mayor Henrietta Davis, Mas- an additional fee will be charged to but the default state will be to stay in sachusetts Governer Deval Patrick, and Novartis’ Mark Fishman. FPOP students arriving early and the dorm they are assigned from the staying on campus. The timing of summer lottery. FSILG Recruitment will be subject In the past there has been a to further committee-based assign- freshman social event on Tuesday ment, but no change in timing will night of orientation that is organized What do studentsEstablished want 1881in a pres.? be made for this coming fall. by the Student Life Orientation Pro- grams and Experiences committee Advisory group says experience, connections, approachability REX to introduce students to (SLOPE), but that event will be elim- dorm culture inated for the coming year. Dorms By Stephanie Holden would like to nominate. dents’ desires for increased inter- Among the updates confirmed are now allowed to plan REX events STAFF REPORTER Bryan Owens Bryson G, a action with faculty, better quality is that the adjustment lottery for all on Tuesday night, though they could graduate student on the Student of teaching, and the opportunity incoming freshmen will be elimi- not previously. On April 6, the Student Adviso- Advisory Committee, wrote in an to have input in important Insti- nated. Previously, members of the “We are working for better co- ry Committee to the Presidential email, “Each forum consisted of tute decisions. The report offers freshman class — except those lot- ordination of events so that events Search released their preliminary a presentation by the committee some vague suggestions as to how teried into dorms with binding as- during orientation week do not con- report, entitled “The Student Per- about the search process and the to act upon these concerns. For signments such as Maseeh and flict as much,” said Humphreys. spective on the MIT Presidency.” student committee’s role in the instance, the students voiced an McCormick — had a chance to en- The Friday night social event, Drawing upon the responses they process. Later in the presentation, “urgent need to develop certain ter an adjustment lottery to change which has traditionally been at the received from six town hall meet- we described the job functions of metrics for evaluating and re- dorms if they were not satisfied with New England Aquarium, is still in ings, each of which were attended the president and the structure warding good educators” beyond their assignments received in the place. REX events may still not be by between 10 and 60 people, as of the MIT administration. After how successful professors are in summer. held during this period. well as hundreds of student re- the presentation, the committee their research, and advocate that According to an Orientation Sur- sponses from online forms, paper presented someEstablished general discus- any1881 extra efforts that professors vey conducted by Charles H. Stew- FPOPs see small changes questionnaires, focus groups, and sion questions and smaller sub- make to be more accessible to art III, McCormick housemaster and All FPOPs next year will start on informal discussions, the SAC groups discussed the questions, students “should be encouraged professor of political science, most Wednesday or Thursday and end on described in their 20-page report and these smaller subgroups had and appreciated through the right students were satisfied with their Sunday, effectively shortening some what they found to be the most a student facilitator to keep the incentives from MIT regarding summer dorm assignments. The of the longer programs such as the important challenges, desires, conversation going.” promotion and salary.” The re- survey found that students gener- Freshman Urban Program (FUP) and concerns of MIT. This pre- A few of the issues mentioned port also mentions that students ally found REX to be more relevant and Freshman Leadership Program liminary report does not contain in the report are not necessar- to learning about their own residen- the list of candidates that the SAC ily specific to MIT, including stu- Search committee, Page 16 tial community than about dorm Orientation, Page 21 Kendall committee summarizes work New plans for housing requirements, building height, & transportation By John A. Hawkinson community residents, includ- mid-May, though the city’s Management Company. STAFF REPORTER ing some MIT faculty and re- Kendall-to-Central study is The presentation was pri- tirees from 303 Third Street. not yet expected to have pub- marily conducted by David The MIT student com- Cambridge and their con- lished results by then. Dixon of Goody, Clancy & As- munity was a no-show at sultants ran through 72 slides MIT first submitted its sociates, which is conducting Tuesday’s presentation on summarizing the past year’s proposal last spring, then and facilitating the study for the reinvention of Kendall worth of work by the Kendall withdrew it while the city the city. Square. There were about 100 Square committee. went forward with its process. Dixon began by focusing people in attendance; 80 per- Sarah E. Gallop, MIT’s lo- MIT’s new proposal is being on active street-level uses in cent were the general public, cal government liaison, said guided by its participation in the area (especially retail); while the remainder were city yesterday that MIT intended the city’s process, Gallop said. covered community green- employees, committee mem- to resubmit a revised zoning It has two reps on the commit- space issues (especially the bers, etc. Two MIT students petition for the Kendall area tee, one from Facilities and were there, and also many and east side of campus in one from the MIT Investment Kendall, Page 15 IN Short There are no classes on Monday and PAX EAST Tuesday! The Tech will not publish on The east coast’s Tuesday due to the Patriots’ Day holiday. largest video Today is the deadline to enroll in the game convention meal plan for the spring. If you want in on JOHN A. HAWKINSON—THE TECH the dining plan, today’s your last day! returns to Boston Workers install an image on the side of N52, the MIT for a third year. Museum, for an exhibit in the Kurtz Gallery — Berenice Send news information and tips to Abbott, Photography and Science: An Essential Unity, [email protected]. Page 10 which runs May 3, 2012 through Dec. 31, 2012. taLLAPraGADA PUtin, ROUND three Last weeK’S wins Dine BY the sea SECTIONS World & Nation . .2 How did Putin get elected a third time? Cycling, Ultimate, gymnas- Strega Waterfront or craiGheaD? Opinion . .4 OPINION, p. 5 tics, and crew all offers great views and Who should be elected Arts . .6 dominated this past wonderful service. the next UA president? How DID the cosMos start? Fun Pages . .7 OPINION, p. 4 + 5 weekend. SPORTS, p. 22 ARTS, p. 6 PAX . 11 Impey’s new guide to how the universe Sports . .24 began is excellent. ARTS, p. 6 2 The Tech Friday, April 13, 2012 Consumer agency seems to D soften limit on credit cards fees North Korea launches rocket, In one of the first tests of its willingness to show its muscle, the new agency created to protect consumers declined Thurs- day to put up a fight. but it appears to fail The agency, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, in- troduced a proposal that would make it easier for credit card is- By Choe Sang-Hun Korean missile launching has failed.” that no object had been detected ap- WORL suers to charge fees before borrowers’ accounts were officially and Rick Gladstone The rocket, called the Unha-3, proaching Japanese territory. open. THE NEW YORK TIMES blasted off from the Soehae launch Fujimura called on the Japanese N The bureau, which began overseeing many consumer fi- site near North Korea’s western cor- people “to go about your daily lives,” nancial products last year, said it was issuing the proposed rule SEOUL, South Korea — Defying ner with China, at about 7:39 a.m., saying there was no reason to panic. in response to a federal court decision that challenged how the weeks of international warnings of the South Korea Defense Ministry Japan’s Defense Ministry said Credit Card Act was being applied.