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MIT’s The Weather Oldest and Largest Today: Clouds and rain. High 59°F (15°C). Newspaper Tonight: Clear and breezy. Low 44°F (7°C). Tomorrow: Sunny. High 57°F (14°C). http://tech.mit.edu/ Details, Page 2 Volume 129, Number 55 Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 Friday, November 20, 2009 Professors Discussed Classes Dropped Over the Term, by Week Drop Date 25% Add Date Fall 2009 Diversity at Faculty 20% Spring 2009 15% Meeting Wednesday Fall 2008 10% By Meghan Nelson student’s GPA and instead will be STAFF REPORTER listed on the transcript with an expla- 5% Faculty members unanimously nation of the disruption. passed two motions at Wednesday’s Percent of Total Classes Dropped Total of Percent 0% faculty meeting: one establishing Recruiting Minority Faculty Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 Week 11 Week 12 academic guidelines for prolonged Professor of Chemical Engineer- SOURCE: RI ROMANO, REGISTRAr’s OFFICE emergencies on campus and the sec- ing Paula T. Hammond ’84 presented This term, drop date occurred during week 11 of the term, while in the previous two terms, drop date hap- ond scheduling the September stu- the findings of the Initiative on Fac- pened during week 12. Students drop the most classes during the week of drop date, closely followed by dent holiday on the same day as the ulty Race and Diversity, created in the first week of term and the fifth week, around the time when many first midterms take place. fall career fair. 2007 to study how race affects the Later, a team of faculty working way faculty experience MIT. within the Initiative on Faculty Race Through demographic analysis, and Diversity presented recommen- surveys, and interviews, the team ex- dations for increasing and sustain- amined how race affected the lives of ing the levels of minority faculty faculty members. After identifying More H1N1 Clinics Expected to members at MIT. They are expected key problems in the way MIT han- to produce a full report by mid-De- dles diversity, they developed recom- cember. mendations for implementation. Occur as More Vaccines Arrive The faculty voted swiftly to ap- In terms of recruiting, they found prove the emergency procedures and that 36 percent of MIT underrepre- By Ana Lyons Another 100 to 150 students were by the Center for Disease Con- guidelines under which the Institute sented minority (URM) faculty have ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR vaccinated on November 11 when a trol between April and October 17, will operate during times of “sig- MIT degrees, and 60 percent of MIT MIT Medical vaccinated nearly Medical clinic was opened up to all 2009. nificant disruption.” Such events are URM faculty were drawn from other 1,050 students against the H1N1 students under 24, due to low turn- Medical has documented over defined in the new amendment as in- positions at MIT, Stanford, and Har- flu-virus last Tuesday as part of a out from the original target group 480 cases of “influenza like illness- cluding “natural disaster, civil unrest, vard. “We are not gaining from cer- quickly arranged clinic. of children under 17. Extra vaccines es” over the past ten weeks, although or pandemic illness,” which causes tain pools of talent,” said Hammond, Medical will hold an appoint- that went unused would have expired Associate Medical Director of MIT “substantial absenteeism among stu- saying that to increase diversity MIT ment-only clinic for an additional after 24 hours. Medical David V. Diamond notes dents or instructors,” and “prevents must expand where it searches for 200 students between 9:00 a.m. and Between the three clinics, MIT that not all of these cases are H1N1 academic work from progressing.” potential faculty. 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 24 will have vaccinated about 1,350 and that not all H1N1 cases are re- The Institute has shut down three To increase retention of URM in E23. students, or over ten percent of its ported. times in its history — due to an in- faculty members, the group’s report Undergraduate and graduate combined 10,000-member student Although Medical hopes to even- fluenza pandemic in 1918, student will suggest that MIT assign mentors students interested in receiving this body. tually make the vaccine available for strikes in 1970, and a blizzard in to act as both advisors to and advo- vaccine must be under age 24 and Medical anticipates supplying free to the whole MIT community, 1978 — but before Wednesday, no may arrange appointments by call- more vaccines to students, staff, and Diamond said that the main problem formal emergency academic proce- Faculty Meeting, Page 14 ing 617-253-4865. MIT community members in future with increasing outreach is that the dures had ever existed. clinics as more of the vaccine be- vaccine is “slow in coming.” Now, if the faculty chair declares comes available. More information Regarding next Tuesday’s clinic, a significant disruption, that chair on Tuesday’s clinic can be found on Diamond said “we likely will not will have the power to change the Medical’s website. have enough vaccine next week for school calendar, class registration, all who may be interested.” assignments, exams, grades, or any Medical Fights H1N1 with More It is likely, however, that another other academic systems, depending Clinics clinic will be offered after Thanks- on the “uniqueness of any emergen- The recent clinics on campus giving, Diamond said. “Depending cy situation.” were part of federally-funded and on additional vaccine deliveries, we The procedures also established state-implemented efforts to help will designate eligibility and logis- an alternate grading scale that may limit the ongoing spread of H1N1, tics for the clinic.” be used during a significant disrup- which infected roughly 22 million tion, which includes a specific tran- Americans, based on data collected H1N1 Clinics, Page 14 script mark for incomplete work that may be replaced by a final mark if work for the course is completed by a specified date. Regents Raise Tuition If alternate grades are imple- mented, they will not factor into a In Calif. by 32 Percent By Tamar Lewin as much as it did a decade ago, and In Short THE NEW YORK TIMES what was once an educational bar- ¶ The MIT Post Office will re- BERKELEY, CALIF. gain will be one of the nation’s high- main open, the U.S. Postal Service As the University of California er-priced public universities. announced on Wednesday. The of- struggles to absorb its sharpest drop Among students and faculty fice had spent months under review in state financing since the Great alike, there is a pervasive sense that for possible closure. Depression, every professor, admin- the increases and the deep budget istrator and clerical worker has been cuts are pushing the university into ¶ Sick of squeezing through the put on furlough amounting to an av- decline. construction zone on the Infinite? erage pay cut of 8 percent. The budget cuts in California, Relief will come soon, as the proj- In chemistry laboratories that topping $30 billion over the last two ect is on schedule to finish in De- have produced Nobel Prize-winning years, have touched all aspects of cember. research, wastebaskets are stuffed to state government, including health the brim on the new reduced clean- care, welfare, corrections and rec- ¶ Registration for Mystery Hunt FENG Wu—THE TECH ing schedule. Many students are fro- reation. They have led to a retrench- is now open. The registration dead- Steven P. Bartel ’10 poses with a traffic cone as part of the zen out of required classes as course ment in state services not seen in line for teams requesting classroom MIT couture runway show during Kappa Alpha Theta’s KATwalk sections are trimmed. modern times, and for many institu- space is December 16. Register on- on November 11. KATwalk is a benefit fashion show featuring And on Thursday, to top it all tions, including the state university line at http://web.mit.edu/puzzle/ boutiques around the Boston area. Proceeds of the event go off, the Board of Regents voted to system, have created a watershed www/mailto.html to KAT’s national philanthropy, Court Appointed Special Advo- increase undergraduate fees – the moment. cates, dedicated to helping abused and neglected children. equivalent of tuition – by 32 percent The state’s higher education bud- Send news information and tips to Check out more photos of the event on page 13. next fall, to more than $10,000. The [email protected]. university will cost about three times California, Page 14 Comics Medeski, OPINI O N World & Nation . 2 Martin & Wood The Tech’s editorial on the Division Opinion . 4 at the House of of Student Life under Colombo Arts . 6 Blues Page 4 Comics / Fun Pages . 10 Capitalism and Democracy Sports . 16 Page 10 Page 9 Page 5 Page 2 THE TECH November 20, 2009 WORLD & NATIO N ‘Twilight’ Time: Girls Just Wanna Guidelines Push Back Age Swoon Over Vampires By Tom Keyser THE ALBANY TIMES UNION AlbanY, N.Y. For Cervical Cancer Tests Emily Keller, a Watervliet, N.Y., high school senior, has read the four “Twilight” books 28 times. By Denise Grady before the Obama health plan came Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., who Olivia Jaquith, a Niskayuna, N.Y., ninth-grader, flew with her mom THE NEW YORK TIMES into existence.” is a physician, said in an interview across country last year to attend the “Twilight” premiere and has since New guidelines for cervical cancer She called the timing crazy, un- that he would continue to offer Pap watched the film about 50 times.