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MIT's The Weather Oldest and Largest Today: Cloudy, flurries 30°F (- °C) Tonight: Clearing, cold, 20°F (-7°C) J-«T mVK Tomorrow: Clear, windy 37"F .3°)j Details, Page 2 Volume 114, Number 13 - Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 Friday, March 11, 1994 Sankaran, Muh Elected to Top UA Positions By Jeremy Hylton The newly elected candidates - CHAIRMAN take office at the last UA Council Vijay P. Sankaran '95 and Carrie meeting of the semester. R. Muh '95 won more than half that ballots cast to win yesterday's elec- Voter turnout low tion for Undergraduate Association "Voter turnout this year was president and vice president. quite low," said UA Election Com- Sankaran and Muh won 557 of missioner Rishi Shrivistava '97. out of over 1000 ballots cast for Voter turnout was about 15 percent UAP/P, while Michael R. Evans lower than the 42 percent turnout and Colin M. Page captured 259 last year, and lower than the 30 per- votes. Roughly a quarter of the cent turnout two years ago. undergraduate student body voted in There was not enough publicity the elections. for the elections, Shrivistava said. Write-in candidates captured 236 Other than publicity, he thought . I. other votes, with 124 of them going there were two main causes for the -a''B to Lara M. Karbincr '97 and low turnout: "One being the weather Meghan A. Jendrysik '97, who on election day, the other being the called themselves the Tetris team. lack of strength among the candi- I Sankaran said he was happy and dates for UAP/VP," he said. relieved that the election was over. "I think people didn't care too He and Muh plan to use the next much one way or another about few months to finalize plans for next which candidates won as much as year. they have in previous years," Shriv- "People want to see something istava said. positive out of the UA. And regard- Only three candidates ran for the less of how many people voted and four positions available of the UA who voted, that's what people are Finance Board. Shrivistava going to be looking for. If we show explained that each candidate on the them that, then people will me more ballot received some votes and was interested and take us seriously," guaranteed a spot on Finboard. Sankaran said. Shrivistava could not provide "I haven't [talked about] a lot of exact votes count, but said that the things I want to do. There are a lot Finboard write-in candidates of ideas that will be forthcoming in received only 60 votes. "We do the next few weeks, but it will take have the ballots, but we don't have a little time to solidify," Sankaran continued. Election, Page 7 Carrie R. Muh '96 and Vijay P. Sankaran '95 Homophobia Talk, Discussion GakedStzl~en~ N e Opens Line of Communication Dorrn Net, GSC Says By Aaron Belenky There are many benefits of dor- By Daniel C. Stevenson standing and supporting of gay, les- viewpoints came out," he said. STAFF REPORTER mitory network connections, ASSOCIA TE NEWS EDITOR bian, and bisexual people," Blumen- "Both sides understanding each In a resolution passed unani- according to Jonathan D. Baker G, A discussion Monday night fol- feld said. "I was overwhelmed at other is really going to be the key to mously last week, the Graduate Stu- co-chair of the GSC housing and lowing a talk by author and gay how positive I felt it went," he said. ending this homophobia," Dye said. dent Council asked the Institute to community affairs committee. "Net- activist Warren J. Blumenfeld about "It exceeded expectations." Homophobia is the result of "a fear install network connections in grad- work connections would make a homophobia was "the kind of com- of something you don't understand. uate student residences. great improvement in the quality of munication that is needed to make Safe forum for discussion If you can get to understand it Undergraduate students were graduate student life, in the quality any progress on the issue," said "I feel generally people aren't you're not afraid of it, and it's not a given free connection to the MIT of research and in campus safety," Interfraternity Council Vice Presi- afforded the opportunity to discuss problem." campus network earlier this year via he said. dent Bryan D. Dye '96. issues of homophobia and sexual "For the first time, it wasn't just Resnet, but graduate students were The GSC resolution notes that Blumenfeld's talk, entitled orientation," Blumenfeld said, but rumors or hearsay passing back and not. But 89 percent of the respon- network connections allow access to Homophobia: How We All Pay the "MIT provided a forum for people forth, it was people from both com- dents to a GSC survey last fall the Athena Computing Environ- Price, was sponsored by Gays, Les- to discuss the issues." The forum munities sitting down together," wanted connections in graduate resi- ment, the Internet, supercomputing bians, Bisexuals, Transgenders, and took the form of a lengthy discus- said IFC President Prashant B. dences. facilities, file servers, laboratory Friends at MIT, the IFC, and Lamb- sion following the talk. Doshi '95. "Once you start to com- "Just the fact that 25 percent of networks, and library facilities. da Chi Alpha fraternity. The discussion environment cre- municate, you can start to eliminate the residents were willing to spend James D. Bruce ScD '60, vice The talk was "a step in the right ated "enough safety for people to be some of the stereotypes and some of the time to fill out a paper survey president for Information Systems, direction," said GAMIT general frank, and honest, and open," Blu- the false notions." indicates the high demand for the has shown considerable interest in coordinator Kristen K. Nummerdor menfeld said. "People had the safety "Progress was made simply connections," said Mattan Kamon developing a program for graduate '94. "Progress was definitely made" to discuss issues that they were because this discussion opened lines G, GSC housing and community students parallel to the existing in regards to homophobia at MIT, probably feeling for a while now." of communication between GAMIT affairs chairman. undergraduate Resnet project, said Dye. "We're finally talking in Many issues that were taboo or and the campus at large," Nummer- GSC President Caryl B. Brown Kamon said. an open and honest way." people were afraid to bring up were dor said. "I hope that because of this G said that getting graduate students The increased number of con- Those who attended the talk brought up during the discussion, connected to MITnet is "a high pri- "advanced one step in the under- Dye said. "A lot of good, honest, Homophobia, Page 7 ority for the GSC." Athena, Page 6 nT i INSIDE ClassP~j.IL o.JfLJlLQtjAWofs 1996 Ring.Lq.J Lb TUnv%- .L L Ytleiled et/ . ILJ~~ By Amy I. Hsu mores' buddy class, is hidden in the opposite Bird's-eye view of dome STAFF REPORTER bank. The Athena owl also makes an appear- * Shakespere Ensemble About 350 sophomores turned out for the ance on the face of the ring. The class side of the ring shows a bird's-eye makes Love'sLabour' Class of 1996 ring premiere held in Walker The seal side of the ring contains the tradi- view of the Great Dome, similar to last year's, MYiemorial on Tuesday night. tional "Mens et Manus" motto, but with a few "because we liked the idea of looking down on Lost more accessible to In a departure from the traditional walk-in subtle differences. Instead of a hammer, one of MIT," said Anne T. Heibel '96, ring committee Page 8 affairs in the Bush Room, this year's premiere the men holds a gavel, to symbolize MIT's trip chair. students. featured a slide show and formal presentation to the courtroom in the Overlap antitrust law- The columns of the building hide a double suit. helix, which represents both the record number on the ring design. Each member of the ring i * Aardvark Jazz Orches- committee presented some of the specific char- The lamp of knowledge, which sits between of sophomores majoring in biology and the acteristics which makes the '96 ring unique. the two men, has a flame in the shape of a 96. recent Nobel Prize awarded to Professor of tra shows improvisation- The ring features a "kinder, gentler beaver, Beneath the motto is the Harvard Bridge, Biology Phillip A. Sharp. The columns also al dynamic, skill. Page 9 because of the friendliness of our class," said which "represents all the time we spent in tran- contain a dollar sign, representing both money Jason P. Fiorello '96, one of the committee sit to MIT," explained Michael Cho '96, anoth- spent and future money to be earned. members. "He's also holding a diploma, some- er committee member. An MIT seal, with a "nuts and bolts" look, v Demme's The Ref bal- thing we all look forward to." The Roman numerals CXXIX are inscribed is inscribed in a globe beneath the year 1996. ances humor, serious- The year 96 is hidden in the rocks on one underneath the bridge, since the class will be bank of the river, and the year 71, the sopho- the 129th to graduate from MIT. Ring, Page 6 ness. Page9 I -- 1. -- ----. -- __ Page 2 THE TECH March 11, 1994 I - -W; & N TION I-[ -L _kL A ~d LoAi io%-n 17-'v A'DL.IL/ .' iI.LI.

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