Volume 126, Number 55 Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 Tuesday, November 21, 2006 Petition Drafted for Institute Divestment Sudanese Government Cited As “Genocidal”
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Drop Date Tomorrow; No School Thursday, Friday MIT’s The Weather Today: Sunny, humid, 88°F (31°C) Oldest and Largest Tonight: Partly cloudy, 66°F (19°C) Tomorrow: Sunny, 86°F (30°C) Newspaper Details, Page 2 Volume 126, Number 55 Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 Tuesday, November 21, 2006 Petition Drafted For Institute Divestment Sudanese Government Cited as “Genocidal” By Marie Y. Thibault night, the petition had garnered 343 EDITOR IN CHIEF signatures. As an MIT Corporation advisory Zainabadi plans to present the pe- committee continues deliberating tition to MIT Corporation’s Advisory whether MIT should divest from Su- Committee for Shareholder Respon- dan or not, a petition supporting di- sibility at their next meeting before vestment is gathering energy around bringing it before the Corporation’s campus. A lecture planned for next Executive Committee. week is expected to open and add to Graduate Student Council Presi- campus discussion about divestment. dent Eric G. Weese G, also a member The petition reads, “We, the un- of the ACSR, said that the committee dersigned, request the Massachusetts checked the number of signatures on Institute of Technology divest from the petition at its last meeting. offending companies doing business Zainabadi hopes that the ACSR with the genocidal government in will decide to divest and will choose Sudan immediately (no later than De- a model of “targeted divestment” for CHRIS PENTACOFF cember 31st 2006).” the divestment, as was proposed by MIT hackers changed the Harvard motto “Veritas” to “HUGE EGO” on both sides of the Harvard score- The petition’s author, Kayvan the Sudan Divestment Task Force. board (seen in inset) for the Harvard-Yale football game on Saturday night. Harvard lost the game. Zainabadi G, said that the petition had 229 signatures on Nov. 9. As of last Sudan, Page 16 Fire Alarms Triggered at Student Life Fee May be Increased Resolution Addresses Problems With Fee, Benefits of Greater Funding Dorms, Prank Suspected By Nick Bushak whether an increase will be neces- ate also proposed that the fee be di- By Valery K. Brobbey son. The odd nature of the situation The Student Life Fee could in- sary. Such an increase would be the vided into separate student activities STAFF REPORTER “leads us to believe they were de- crease from the current $100 per first in the history of the Fee. and facilities fees. Fire alarms at Baker House, Bur- liberate acts,” Associate Director of term to an as yet undecided amount The Undergraduate Association The UA and GSC joint resolu- ton-Conner and Simmons Hall were Housing Dennis Collins said, though in the next year because of inflation and the Graduate Student Council tion asserted that “the structure of set off simultaneously early Friday MIT is unsure whether it was a prank and a more active student body, ac- passed a joint resolution last week, the [Student Life] Fee is unclear” morning by unidentified parties, or not. cording to Dean for Student Life listing five issues that must be ad- and that “students do not currently forcing residents into the street. As a Carlson said that at this time Larry G. Benedict. As of yet, no dressed before the Student Life Fee result, MIT may be fined by the city the MIT Police does not have a list final decision has been made as to is changed. Separately, the UA Sen- Student Life Fee, Page 17 of Cambridge, though it has not been of possible suspects. “To be honest, yet. I don’t know what the motivation All three alarms were triggered might be,” he said. In Short from pull stations in the dormito- Carlson said that although three ¶ Finboard allocation applications ries, not smoke detectors, according for IAP and Spring 2007 are due to MIT Police Captain David Carl- Fire Alarms, Page 17 tomorrow at 5 p.m. The application can be found online at http://web. MIT Takes First Place, High mit.edu/finboard/www/. ¶ The Thanksgiving airport shuttle, departing from the Kresge Ranks in Puzzle Challenge parking lot, is available today and By Joyce Kwan which sparked the emergency evacu- tomorrow for a fee of $7. Advance STAFF REPORTER ation, was incomprehensible except reservations are required online More than 235 teams of col- for references to “killer gummy at http://web.mit.edu/facilities/ lege students from all across North bears.” transportation/shuttles/airport.html America explored an island recently The actual event was the College discovered by Puzzle Challenge, an annual compe- ¶ The Toys for Tickets program, Feature scientists in the tition held by Microsoft on Veteran’s sponsored by MIT Parking and hopes of tracking Day this year at each specific US Transportation, will run between the mysterious device that caused an university and one in Canada. This Nov. 27 and Dec. 18. New toys or initial team of explorers to evacuate is the second year the competition clothing along with their receipts in a state of catatonia. The original can be exchanged for settling an out- research team’s final radio report, Puzzles, Page 16 standing parking ticket fine of equal or lesser value at MIT Medical, MIT Police Station, or the Parking and Transportation Office. Stephen J. Madden ¶ Julie T. Norris was appointed as MIT NEWS OFFICE interim director for the Office for Sponsored Programs and will as- Stephen J. Madden, Jr. ’59, a retired professor who taught in several sume her new position starting Dec. MIT departments, died Oct. 7. He was 70. 2. Norris previously served as direc- Madden, a mathematician by training, worked at Draper Labora- tor of OSP for 10 years. tory and taught in the Departments of Mathematics, Aeronautics and Astronautics, and Earth and Planetary Sciences. ¶ The virtual Opening of the Much of his research involved celestial navigation, flight, fluid me- MINDY ENG—THE TECH Books begins next Monday, Nov. 27. chanics, and gravity. As part of the Apollo missions, he was respon- A simplified “Triforce” symbol from the “Legend of Zelda” video Groups can then begin requesting sible for determining the precise location of the moon throughout the game series appeared on top of the Great Dome early on the Campus Activities Complex space mission, allowing the deployment and redocking of the lunar module morning of Saturday, Nov. 18. The hack was in celebration of for the 2007-2008 academic term at the new Nintendo Wii game console along with the Zelda: Twi- http://cac-ems.mit.edu/VirtualEMS/ Madden, Page 18 light Princess game. Login.aspx. The Tech will not publish on NEWS NEWS World & Nation . 2 Friday, Nov. 24, because of the Tonegawa to step down as UA Committee on Orientation Opinion . 4 Thanksgiving holiday. Normal director of Picower . Page 12 releases report . Page 14 Comics / Fun Pages . 6 publication will resume next MBTA to lighten wallets. Page 12 UA progress through Arts . 9 Tuesday, Nov. 28. Wiki: it’s not just for mid-semester . .Page 15 Police Log . 12 research anymore . Page 13 Sports . 20 Page 2 THE TECH November 21, 2006 WORLD & NATION US Considers Temporary Electricity Prices Rise Amid Troop Increase in Iraq By David S. Cloud THE NEW YORK TIMES WASHINGTON Flaws in the Utilities Market Pentagon officials conducting a review of Iraq strategy are consid- ering a substantial but temporary increase in American troop levels By David Cay Johnston fornia,” said Robert McCullough, an power, in which a few firms control and the addition of several thousand more trainers to work with Iraqi THE NEW YORK TIMES economist whose Oregon consulting the market. The commission says that forces, a senior Defense Department official said on Monday. A growing chorus of large indus- business is advising some of those anyone manipulating markets will be The idea, dubbed the “surge option” by some officials, would in- trial power users, municipal utilities contending in lawsuits that prices are discovered either by the monitors in volve increasing American forces by 20,000 troops or more for several and consumer groups say there is a being manipulated. each regional market, by competi- months in the hope of improving security, especially in Baghdad. That reason the price of electricity has not The government agency that over- tors or utilities that buy power, by the would mark a sharp rise over the current baseline of 144,000 troops. fallen since the federal government sees the electricity market — the commission or even by the public. But some officials and senior military officers are arguing against opened the heavily regulated utility Federal Energy Regulatory Commis- Allowing producers of electric- the idea, saying that it could undercut a sense of urgency for Iraqi units industry to competition a decade ago. sion — set the rules before allow- ity to compete for utility customers to take on a greater role in fighting the insurgency and preventing sec- The new markets, they argue, do not ing market prices for electricity to should assure the lowest possible tarian attacks. Gen. John P. Abizaid, the head of the U.S. Central Com- work right. replace regulated prices. A coalition price, the commission says. mand, told Congress last week that the military is stretched so thin that They point to a variety of reasons. of large industrial companies filed a But the opposite has sometimes such an increase could not be sustained over the long term. For one thing, when electricity complaint in September, arguing that been true. “There are people who believe that a short-term surge would have a producers offer to supply power for the energy commission had failed to For eight hours last May, for ex- beneficial impact, but there isn’t universal agreement on that yet,” said use the next day, utilities pay every- ensure proper competition and that ample, the price of a megawatt of the senior official, who said that President Bush was scheduled to be one the highest price accepted.