WEATHER, p. 2 MIT’s Oldest and THU: 65°F | 49°F Largest Newspaper Partly Cloudy FRI: 63°F | 54°F Cloudy thetech.com SAT: 70°F | 50°F Mostly Sunny Established 1881 Volume 138, Number 11 Th ursday, April 26, 2018 New Computer and Urban Sci. major proposed by faculty Joint major to be voted on in May By Matthew Baldwin as autonomous vehicles are rapidly STAFF REPORTER becoming a part of society. “Auton- omous vehicles are going to have a Th e motion to establish a new major impact on cities,” EECS As- joint major that combines Courses sociate Department Head Saman 6 and 11 was approved at the fac- Amarasinghe said in an interview ulty meeting April 18. Faculty will with Th e T ech . vote on the major in May. New York University, the Uni- Th e major, called Computer versity of Chicago, and North- and Urban Science, will require eastern University already have a the fundamental classes of both similar major in place. Harvard, Course 6 (such as 6.00 and 6.042) Stanford, and Columbia, among and Course 11 (such as 11.001 and other schools, are in the process of 11.188). Students will then be able developing one. MIT wants to “lead to choose from a wide range of rather than follow in this emerging ALEXANDER JERMOE SANDBERG—THE TECH classes in both departments. fi eld,” Eran Ben-Joseph, head of A group of attendees talks as the Black Students’ Union’s Ebony Affair Gala kicks off in Walker Sat- One of the main motivations for urday, April 21. This year, the BSU is celebrating its 50th anniversary. the major, is that technologies such Joint Major, Page 2 MIT Medical shortens Urgent FEATURE Care hours to end at 8 p.m. Coyote visits MIT New schedule part of e ort to improve patient care campus, leaves By Christina Warren open until 11 p.m., being closed feedback from students and other STAFF REPORTER earlier, MIT Medical Executive Di- patients about how convenient it quietly in the night rector Ashley Hague said in an in- has been,” Hague said. MIT Medical has changed its terview with Th e Tech. Th e shorter After April, Urgent Care will keep hours of operation on a trial basis hours have allowed for a redistri- its new hours of operation, though Approx. , coyotes live in MA for the month of April. Th e Urgent bution of resources to expand the the other offi ces will revert back Care clinic is now open for fewer hours of the other services, which to their usual hours. However, de- By Susan Gendreau night, retreating by day to urban hours (8 a.m.–8 pm. daily), while are now open the same hours as Ur- pending on available resources, parks, “caves” beneath porches other services, including the phar- gent Care. Hague suggested that the new hours MIT is not isolated from nature. and decks, and empty buildings. macy, the radiology offi ce, and the Th is is advantageous, as it allows may eventually become permanent. Case in point: this young Eastern Upscale Newton is home to so medical laboratory, have expanded students requiring other services Th e changes to the Urgent Care coyote, calmly sunning itself on many coyotes that the city has set their operational hours. to have all of their medical services hours are part of a larger restructur- March 16 between Buildings 18 up a coyote-sighting web page. Very few visits occur in the hours available on campus at the time of ing of many aspects of MIT Medical. and 6. A passerby spotted it and In January, Boston police shot a before 8 a.m. or after 8 p.m., so there their visit, rather than them need- Two years ago, MIT Medical Di- alerted MIT police, who roped off coyote in an alley near Louisburg was little loss due to the Urgent ing to seek external care, according the area. Th eir call to Cambridge Square. Care clinic, which was previously to Hague. “We’ve gotten positive Medical, Page 2 Animal Control established that Sharing a city with coyotes can the coyote was not a threat if left lead to confl ict. To humans, coy- alone; so an offi cer kept tabs on otes pose little danger if left undis- the courtyard until midnight to turbed; rabid coyotes are rare, and ensure that no one tried to pet the healthy coyotes normally attack visitor. Some time that night the humans only in self-defense. But coyote quietly left, unremarked. to cats and dogs, coyotes are pred- Encounters like this are not ators. Coyotes can scale a six-foot unusual. Coyotes are highly adapt- fence or dig under it. Th ey hunt able; instead of retreating in the small animals, such as rats and in- face of urban sprawl, they have sects, but cats and small dogs are settled into American cities and often easier to catch. urban ecosystems. Perhaps 10,000 In one early-morning instance coyotes live in Massachusetts. in November 2017, four coyotes at- Th ough rarely seen, they are found tacked two terrier dogs near woods throughout Greater Boston. Th ey avoid humans and hunt mostly at Coyote, Page 2 nated — must bring their Choice IN SHORT of Major form to the Student Ser- Drop date is today. Students vices Center (-) by the end of have until : p.m. to submit ap- today. proved changes. e Tech is looking for science SpringFest will be held Friday writers, features reporters, and at the Johnson Athletic Center. photographers. Write to join@ Doors open at p.m. and the con- tech.mit.edu to get started. cert will start at . ALEXANDER JERMOE SANDBERG—THE TECH Send news and tips to news@ Freshmen — including those who tech.mit.edu. A display for Palestine Awareness Week, courtesy of Palestine@MIT, sits outside the Student Center. are choosing to remain undesig A NEW POKE STOP COMICS! SOLIDARITY MIT 401(K) LAW- SECTIONS Opinion . .4 They aren’t spherical, Pudgy Bird, Timmy the Frosh, and The art of Senior Haus put SUIT Arts . .5 but these poke bowls XKCD. FUN PAGES, p. 9 on display in the Student MIT alum and law Fun Pages . .9 will still make some Center. ARTS, p. 6 PUZZLES! school student argues mini-monster friends. that it has little merit. ARTS, p. 7 Sudoku, Crosswords, and Techdoku. OPINION, p. 4 FUN PAGES, p. 9 2 The Tech Thursday, April 26, 2018 WEATHER Just in time: spring has 130°W 125°W 120°W 115°W 110°W 105°W 100°W 95°W 90°W 85°W 80°W 75°W 70°W 65°W 60°W 40°N sprung! 998 By Lily Dove end and next week are shaping up STAFF METEOROLOGIST to be quite beautiful with sunny days and temperatures in the 70s. 35°N It’s a beautiful day in the Time to banish the remaining neighborhood. Flowers are begin- piles of snow back to liquid form! ning to sprout up around campus Late April is full of juxtaposi- and people are putting away their tions when it comes to the weath- 1014 winter coats. It must be spring — er. On this day in 1988, Rochester, 1025 30°N just in time for SpringFest! Bos- Minnesota, was blanketed by over ton may have procrastinated on a foot of snow. Meanwhile, the bringing around the season of next year, 33 cities in the south- rejuvenation this year, but now eastern U.S. reported record high that it’s here, go out and enjoy the temperatures for the month of 1006 weather — when the April show- April. 25°N ers aren’t getting you down, of That’s the weather. Good course. Today and tomorrow will evening and have a pleasant bring some rain, but this week- tomorrow! Extended Forecast Today: Partly cloudy with morning showers. High 65°F (18°C). Winds 5–10 mph from the south. Tonight: Partly cloudy. Low 49°F (9°C). Winds about 15 mph from Situation for Noon Eastern Time, Thursday, April 26, 2018 the west. Weather Systems Weather Fronts Precipitation Symbols Other Symbols Snow Rain Tomorrow: Cloudy with afternoon showers. High 63°F (17°C) and Fog High Pressure Trough low 54°F (12°C). Winds 5–10 mph from the south. Showers Thunderstorm Warm Front Saturday: Mostly sunny. High 70°F (21°C) and low 50°F (10°C). Light Low Pressure Haze Winds 5–15 mph from the south. Cold Front Moderate Compiled by MIT Sunday: Mostly sunny. High 57°F (14°C) and low 42°F (6°C). Hurricane Meteorology Staff Stationary Front Heavy Winds 10–15 mph from the west. and The Tech 6-11 anticipated to be Urban coyotes hunt offered starting fall 2018 vermin, benefit Joint Major, from Page 1 the joint major will, on the com- major will also easily be able to puter science side, learn how to switch to either Course 6 or 11 if the Department of Urban Stud- program, deal with data and ma- they change their minds, accord- environment ies and Planning, said at the faculty chine learning, and build systems, ing to Amarasinghe. meeting. and on the urban studies side, learn After almost two years of prepa- Coyote, from Page 1 check. One camera-wearing coy- According to Amarasinghe and about policy making, ethics, and ration, the major is anticipated to ote in Chicago ate more than 1,800 DUSP Lecturer Ezra Glenn, the two city design. be available fall 2018. in Natick.