\I MIT's The Weather Oldest and Largest Today: Mostly sunny, 60°F (16°C) Tonight: Windy. 45°F (7°C) Newspaper Tomorrow: Chance of rain, 75°F (24°C) Details, Page 2 Volume 119, Number 48 Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 Friday, October 8, 1999 MIT, Microsoft Join in I-Campus Alliance Bacow .,. / By Rima Arnaout "[Professor Abelson and I are] ASSOCIA TE NEWS E/)/TOR going to manage the interactions Receives MIT shocked the community between this program and other with the anJ)ouncement of an indus- groups and programs ... to make trial partnership with Microsoft sure this is a program that con- Corporation Wednesday. The initia- tributes to the Institute," Magnanti Reports tive, called I-Campus, involves a said. $25 million contribution from "We anticipate that many stu- RSSC, SAC Submit Microsoft over the next five years. dents will be working on the pro- _, In return, MIT offers access to its jects ... graduate students working, Conflicting Reports -i faculty and research facilities. and we hope to engage a fair num- Research will focus on the ber of undergrads as UROPs," By Sagara Wickramasekara development of educational technol- Magnanti said. STAFF REJ'ORTF.R ogy, said Thomas L. Magnanti, dean Two groups working to redesign of the School of Engineering and a Scope of partnership unclear the residence syst"em at MIT, the member of the MIT -Microsoft steer- The goals of MIT -Microsoft Residence System Steering ing committee. research have not been well-defined Committee and the Strategic "To say that there's $25 million past three initial projects. Advisory Committee to the specifically for education is an enor- Abelson said Microsoft wanted Chancellor, presented reports to mous opportunity for MIT," said to keep the deal confidential until GREG KUHNEN-TIfE TECH Chancellor Lawrence S. Bacow '72 Professor Harold Abelson '73, c,o- the official announcement "because Students at Microsoft's Futurefest storm the stage to grab copies of this week. director of project I-Campus. Microsoft Office 2000 which were being given away as door prizes. Bacow declined to comment on "Our main objective at least at 'YIicrosoft, Page 16 either of the reports until he reviews the outset is to improve learning on both the RSSC report and the I,' campus ... to take programs that Unified Proposal from the SAC. we're currently doing and improve Braude Focuses on Coalition-building Bacow plans to meet with each them for our current stUdent body," group separately. Magnanti said. By Frank Dabek sions. In his previous experience as can't effectively petition 'their elect- Before presenting the report to Project I-Campus will be more EDITOR IN CHIEF a housing lawyer and member of a ed leaders, Braude said. He hopes Bacow, the RSSC released the visible to students than other MIT Jim Braude's campaign for tax and budget advocacy group, that a democratically elected mayor report to the community in relationships with industry. "This is Cambridge City Council stresses Braude said that he took pride in will lead to "greater participation [in September and held student feed- . really focused on the development coalition-building among city lead- the "consensus [he has] been able government] on election day and back forums to gather input. Along of educational technology," said ers along to fuse." after." with the amended final report, the Chancellor Lawrence S. Bacow '72. with the hot Braude also supports direct elec- "Democracy is the cure for what RSSC provided Bacow with the By contrast, other partnerships Election issues of a tion of Cambridge's mayor. The ails a cynical electorate in minutes of said forums. between MIT and industry "aren't strong mayor is currently chosen from Cambridge," Braude said. designed to engage students as mayor, among the city councillors. RSSC report largely unchanged learners but rather in their capacity '99 affordable Instituting a strong mayor would Role of universities "We believe that none of our I as researchers," Bacow said. housing, and development. require amending the city's charter. Braude hopes to further integrate ... recommendations in this final report ,I The partnership with Microsoft Coalition-building is important Braude hopes to begin the process Cambridge's universities into the have changed significantly from will be overseen by a steering com- to Braude since he has seen "petty with a "high profile debate" on the city's culture. "Both Harvard and those of the draft document in mittee of MIT and Microsoft mem- personal conflicts standing in the issue of a strong mayor. MIT should see themselves as far September," the report stated. J bers, including Abelson, Magnanti, way" of important issues in Cambridge government is limit- more citizens of Cambridge and far Apart from a few clarifications and Microsoft Research Vice Cambridge such as affordable hous- ed because voters don't know President Richard Rashid. ing and the easing of racial ten- "where the pressure points are" and .Braude, Page 23 RSSC, Page 18 Council Candidates Create \. Students' Political Alliance By Kevin R. Lang have issues, but let that not be a ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR threat to the re'st of the city." Speaking from the steps of De Francisci supports rent con- Boston City Hall, city council candi- trol, increased college dormitory dates from MIT, Emerson College, construction, and expanded hours \ ) and Northeastern University for public transportation. He sup- announced the formation of the ports running one line of the Green College Students' Political Alliance. ' Line past the Fleet Center, the the- Emerson College senior ater district, Kenmore Square, and Giovanni de .Francisci began gather- other entertainment areas late at ing support for the CSPA in June to night to discourage drunk driving. represent the concerns of college De Francisci has been endorsed by students in the Boston area. De Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Francisci is running for Boston City De Francisci said that student Council from District Eight as a participation is key to the CSP A's write-in candidate. success. "] urge you all to register to "I'm doing this to launch other vote," de Francisci said. He candidates' campaigns," de expressed confidence in candidate's Francisci said. "College students chances for election success. "We make up a very large percentage of can win this election," de Francisci the city." said. "It's all about momentum." "- While some Boston citizens see DUSTIN LEDBEITER college. students as transient resi- _MIT candidate supports CSP A Martha Nussbaum, Abdullahl An-Na'im, and Susan akin discussed issues raised in Susan akin's dents, "the concerns of the city and MIT student Erik C. Snowberg new book, Is Multiculturalism Bad for Women?, on Wednesday as part of the authors@mit series. the concerns of college students are so similar," de Francisci said. "We CSPA, Page 27 Stephen FUN Despite party regulations, recent World & Nation , , ... 2 Hawking The Tech on-campus events have avoided Opinion ,. .4 gives cosmol- welcomes metal detectors with Institute Arts ' .. , , 6 ogy lecture. Fairytales@MIT. consent. On The Town 8 Sports , .. 32 Page 14 Page 10 Page 15 ... , ~, f, ' .. I ... ' ....~,' Page 2 THE TECH' October 8, 1999 WORLD & NATION Chechen Propaganda War Heats Up LOS ANGELES TIMES Vajpayee's BJP Wms Large MOSCOW As Russia's new war in Chechnya gains force and casualties mount, the Chechen side is using the Internet to publicize its side of the story and its claims of civilian casualties. Majority In Indian Elections On the opposite side, Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin has taken By Pamela Constable regional tensions over Kashmir and ment in April by a one-vote margin. personal control of Russia's effort in the propaganda war, launching a THE WASHINGTON POST international controversy over Congress party leader Sonia new government information center. NEW DELHI, INDIA India's nuclear weapons program. Gandhi, issued 'a statement saying Putin's move underscores the high stakes for him in the renewed The Hindu nationalist Bharatiya India and Pakistan have tested her party will "accept unhesitatingly Chechen war. He has gambled his position as the anointed heir to Janata Party headed by Prime nuclear weapons and missiles capa- the verdict of the people." She said President Boris N. Y~ltsinon winning the conflict. He is determined Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has ble of delivering them in the past 18 the election result "calls for intro- not to repeat the mistakes of the 1994-96 Chechen conflict, in which won a comfortable majority in months, and they fought in a 10- spection, frank ass.essment and deter- Russia lost the propaganda war badly and suffered a humiliating mili- India's parliamentary elections. week border conflict this summer in mined action." The 53-year-old tary defeat by the Chechen guerrillas. The decisive outcome promises the mountains of Kashmir, the long- Gandhi, the widow of the assassinat- He flatly denied Thursday that Russian tanks had fired on a bus in the nation a period of political sta- contested Himalayan region. , - ed prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, took northeastern Chechnya on Tuesday, killing dozens of civilians. bility for which it has long yearned Vajpayee appears eager to return the party reins last summer in what But the Chechens had already posted photographs on the Internet and sol id ifies the evolution of to the negotiations with Pakistan turns out to have been an unsuccess- showing a bus shot to pieces and the mangled corpses of several Vajpayee's BJP into a mass political that he initiated last winter, suggest- ful attempt to revive its fortunes. women passengers. movement after years of being ing. his re.:election may lead to A' relaxed and triumphant "If such an incident had really taken place, Chechens would not viewed as a fringe religiQus group.