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Volume 128, Number 61 Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 Tuesday, December 9, 2008 Initial Dining Proposal Includes Possible Automatic Meal Charge By Austin Chu mitted its first set of proposals to be habits. During the term, this money Staff Reporter evaluated by an outside consultant. could be applied toward meals at Amid reports that the Blue Rib- One of these proposals includes a house dining locations and on cam- bon Committee on Dining is consid- “minimum nutritional fee” to en- pus restaurants, gift cards for Star ering the possibility of an automatic courage students to invest in their Market or Trader Joe’s, or fraternity, meal charge for most undergradu- nutritional well being. sorority, or independent living group ates, the Undergraduate Association This proposal, variously de- dining membership fees. Senate last night passed a bill de- scribed over the past week and con- The revelation that the Blue Rib- manding more transparency in the firmed by members of the commit- bon Committee on Dining had al- committee’s deliberations. tee, would require undergraduates ready sent proposals to an outside The Blue Ribbon Committee on to pay a certain minimum amount consultant prompted students to call Dining, formed in the fall of 2007 by for food-related expenses per term. for more transparency. Currently, former Dean for Student Life Larry By making this amount a sunk cost, members of the committee are not G. Benedict to investigate the struc- the proposal hopes to encourage stu- ture of campus dining, recently sub- dents to establish better nutritional Dining, Page 15 Some Floor Faculty Will Vote Next Plans Gone; Week on GIR Changes Issue 49 of SCEP Survey: Students Like Some Changes By Pearle Lipinski be offered in different “flavors,” each Yuanyu Chen Staff Reporter with a specific area of focus. The Christine Chen ’12 checks out ornaments on display at the ‘The Tech’ The MIT faculty will vote to ap- flavors would be akin to the current MIT Glass Lab Holiday Sale in Lobby 10 on Dec. 8. The sale prove changes to the General Insti- varieties of the biology GIR, where featured colorful pieces made by students and instructors at tute Requirements recommended by students can take 7.012, 7.013, or the MIT Glass Lab. Was Stolen the Education Commons Subcom- 7.014, which focus more on human By Nick Semenkovich mittee of the Committee on the Un- biology and genetics, neurobiology Editor in Chief dergraduate Program on Wednesday, and development, and ecology, re- This occasional feature will fol- Dec. 17. spectively. low up on news stories long past their The Student Committee on Edu- In the SCEP student survey — Tuition Announcement Will Come prime. In this edition: MIT’s removal cation Policy surveyed students for which was run before the final report of floor plans their opinions on the changes. 753 of the ECS was released but after the Sooner Than Usual After from the Facili- upperclassmen (24 percent) and 345 interim report was released — 78 The Institute will announce its 2008–9 tuition and financial aid ties website, and freshmen (33 percent) responded to percent of freshmen and 71 percent budget sooner than usual, said Secretary of the Corporation Kirk D. Deadline what ever hap- the survey. The results were present- of upperclassmen agreed or strongly Kolenbrander after the Friday, Dec. 5 MIT Corporation meeting. The pened to Issue 49 of The Tech? ed to the faculty in November and are agreed with the introduction of fla- tuition announcement is usually made in March. available online along with recom- vors. Students generally liked the At its meeting, the Corporation also discussed Six floor plans removed from web mendations from the committee at flexibility, but some students voiced News tuition and financial aid along with the provost’s Earlier this year, The Tech noticed http://ua.mit.edu/committees/scep/. concern that they would be influ- first report on diversity, intended to be an annual that a series of floor plans had been enced too much by the flavors they report similar to that presented to the faculty each removed from MIT’s listing of floor Students like “flavors,” neutral on chose when they had to decide on a Briefs year. But the majority of the time at the meeting, plans at https://floorplans.mit.edu. Foundations courses major. Others worried that since not which keeps private minutes, was spent discussing the coming budget In addition to the nuclear reactor, The ECS final report recom- all flavors would be equivalent in cuts, Kolenbrander said. at least six floors do not have plans mended that the same core subjects content, professional schools would available on the facilities website: of the science, mathematics and en- News Briefs, Page 13 Floor 8 of Buildings 16 and 56, Floor gineering (SME) GIRs remain but GIR Survey, Page 14 7 of Building 46, Floor 00 of Build- ing 68, and Floor 6 of Buildings E17 and E18. The plans for those floors Meet JoVE: have been replaced with PDFs that request users contact the Drawing Information Systems group. The YouTube It is not clear exactly when the floor plans were removed, though the “last modified” time returned by the Of Scientific server indicates that the plans may have been pulled as early as Jan. 16, 2007. Journals It’s also unclear why the floor By Zeina Siam plans were taken down; The plans Staff Reporter may have been removed because of Science journal meets YouTube security concerns or Nuclear Regu- in the Journal of Visualized Experi- latory Commission requirements. ments; an open-access peer-reviewed At least some of the floors are online journal, accessible at jove. likely to contain highly radioactive com, that has been publishing vid- Cesium-137 sources that are part of eos of biological research from labs Gammacell Irradiators used in biol- across the country, including many ogy research. Documents from MIT’s from MIT. Environmental Health and Safety Of- One of the journal’s goals is to fice imply that MIT owns multiple ir- provide an effective means of com- radiators, and indicate that additional municating advanced lab techniques training is required for “radiation that would be more difficult to com- workers who will use the Gammacell municate in a traditional text jour- Irradiators in the Center for Cancer nal. Research, Department of Biology, or Aditi Verma—The Tech Research videos range from the Biological Engineering Division.” Adam Kerry Boyles, music director, conducts “Southern Harmony” by Donald Grantham during “Microcontact Printing of Proteins MITSO’s concert “Eroica” on Dec. 5 in Kresge. for Cell Biology,” to “Obtaining Issue 49 stolen from stands Eggs from Xenopus Laevis [African If you missed the Tuesday, Oct. 21 clawed frog] Females.” issue of The Tech, you aren’t alone; JoVE featured a project by MIT Many copies of Issue 49 were stolen biology graduate student Randal p i n i o n from the newsstands, likely because This is the last issue O World & Nation ������������2 Halfmann, in July. of an article regarding delayed reno- of The Tech for 2008. Response to Opinion ��������������������������4 In his video, Halfmann demon- vations of the W1 dormitory. We return Jan. 7, 2009, ‘Trust the Police?’ ��������4 Arts ��������������������������������5 strated a protocol he developed for The article, “W1 Dorm Project De- screening hundreds of proteins at layed As Funds Dry Up,” detailed how and will publish each Ne w s Campus Life ������������������8 once for their potential to form amy- MIT, weighing its financial liquidity, Wednesday during IAP. Grad student gets Comics / Fun Pages ����10 loid in cells. Halfmann explained decided to postpone $90 million reno- that his lab is interested in amyloid Good luck on finals! pretrial probation ������12 Sports ��������������������������20 After Deadline, Page 15 JoVE, Page 17 Page 2 The Tech December 9, 2008 Wo r l d & Na t i o n Deep in Debt, Tribune Seeks Car Dealers, Hoping for a Bankruptcy Protection By Richard Pérez-Peña The New York Times Bailout, Brace for Closings Tribune Co., the newspaper and television chain that publishes The Los Angeles Times and The Chicago Tribune, filed for bankruptcy pro- By Clifford Krauss brands, as General Motors is talking sented to Congress last week to save tection on Monday. The New York Times about doing. These laws have been a the company, he called for reducing The move came less than a year after Sam Zell, a Chicago real As Denny Fitzpatrick, a Chev- big impediment to auto companies in that number to 4,700 over the next estate tycoon took control of the Tribune chain and took on $13 billion rolet-Hummer dealer near Oakland, the past as they sought to cut their three years. in debt that threatens to cripple it in the face of a sinking economy and Calif., has watched the top Detroit dealer networks. Industry experts note that Chev- a collapse in advertising. auto executives plead for money But this time, many analysts rolet, GM’s flagship brand, has about Zell said the company had enough cash to continue operating its 12 from Congress, he has been rooting say the sheer scale of the economic three times as many dealerships as newspapers, 23 television stations, national cable channel and assorted for them — but with no great con- downturn is reducing the likelihood Toyota but sells about the same num- other media holdings, and the company insisted that the filing would viction. that many dealers will fight to stay ber of cars. That network is a legacy have no effect on employees’ payroll and benefits, or on the vast major- With a bailout moving through in what has become a money-losing of the era when GM controlled 60 ity of their retirement accounts. Capitol Hill, “we have a chance of business. percent of the domestic market, in- But in light of its shrinking cash flow, Tribune decided to file for being hung with a softer rope,” said The National Automobile Dealers stead of 20 percent or so today. The bankruptcy in a Delaware court, with the urging of some of its major Fitzpatrick, chairman of the Califor- Association has predicted that 900 of high number of dealerships means creditors who met with Tribune representatives over the previous three nia New Car Dealers Association. the nation’s 20,770 new-car dealers too little business for each, and it days. His gallows humor is typical of will have gone out of business by the also means General Motors is paying dealers these days who believe they end of this year, and many automo- higher transportation costs to send are on the chopping block, whatever bile industry experts say that esti- vehicles and spare parts to multiple Liberals Wondering When Obama’s happens to the Detroit automobile mate will rise to thousands in 2009. dealerships. companies. All three carmakers have Auto dealerships are an econom- Mark LaNeve, a GM vice presi- Team Will Reflect Them told Congress they need to cut their ic force everywhere in the country, dent for sales, service and marketing, By Peter Baker dealer networks as a fundamental el- employing some 1 million people. In said in an interview that it was vital The New York Times CHICAGO ement of their survival plans. Even the past, their sales accounted for as for the company to reduce the num- President-elect Barack Obama’s appointments have tilted so much as Congress works on a bailout for much as 20 percent of sales tax reve- ber of dealerships to have “a healthy to the political center that they have drawn praise from the likes of Karl Detroit, many dealers are still likely nue for state and local governments. competitive retail channel.” Rove and Rush Limbaugh. That alone would seem enough to set off a to be nudged, or forced, out of busi- The prospective dealer shut- LaNeve said a competing for- revolt in his liberal base. But a month into Obama’s transition, many on ness. downs would be an acceleration of a eign-car dealership with higher sales the political left are trying to hold their tongues. It is possible fights could erupt trend that goes back a decade. Gen- “has more money to invest in their In assembling his team to date, Obama has largely passed over pro- between some dealers and the auto eral Motors, which had 8,150 dealer- facilities, in their people, in training, gressives, opting to keep President Bush’s defense secretary, tapping a companies. Virtually every state has ships in 2000, has pared that number in the customer, in advertising, and retired general close to Sen. John McCain and recruiting economists stringent laws that make it difficult to 6,400 as its share of the car mar- that puts us at a competitive disad- from the traditionally corporate, free-trade, deficit-hawk wing of the for manufacturers to alter dealer ket has shrunk. In the plan that Rick vantage. That’s why you do dealer party. The choices have deeply frustrated liberals who thought Obama’s contracts, even when they abandon Wagoner, GM’s chief executive, pre- reduction.” election signaled the rise of a new progressive era. But so far, they are mainly muting their protest, clinging to the be- lief that Obama still means what he said on the campaign trail and remaining wary of undermining what they see as the most liberal presi- Five Charged in 9/11 Attacks dent sent to the White House in a generation. They are quietly lobbying for more liberals in the next round of appointments, seeking at least some like-minded voices at the table. And they are banking on the idea Seek to Plead Guilty that no matter whom he installs under him, Obama will be the driving force for the change they seek. By William Glaberson guilty pleas could be accepted. mastermind of the 2001 attacks. “I’m The New York Times The case is likely to remain in lim- not trusting any American.” GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba bo for weeks or months, presenting Mohammed and the others pre- Military Jet Crashes in San Diego, The five Guantanamo detainees the Obama administration with a new sented their decision almost as a dare charged with coordinating the Sept. issue involving detainees at the naval to the U.S. government. When Henley Killing Three on the Ground 11 attacks told a military judge on base at Guantanamo Bay to resolve raised questions about the procedure By Will Carless Monday that they wanted to confess when it takes office next month. for imposing the death penalty after and Sharon Otterman in full, a move that seemed to chal- At the start of what had been a guilty plea, some of the detainees The New York Times SAN DIEGO lenge the government to put them to listed as routine proceedings Mon- immediately suggested they might A military aircraft crashed into a residential neighborhood here on death and injected new complications day, Henley said he had received a change their minds if they could not Monday, igniting an intense fire that killed three people in one house in the Bush administration’s military written statement from the five men be assured they would be executed. and destroyed at least one other home and two cars, fire and police commission system here. dated Nov. 4 that said the five planned The announcement Monday sent officials said. The request, which was the result to stop filing legal motions and “to shockwaves through the biggest case The crash, in the University City suburb of San Diego, occurred of hours of private meetings among announce our confessions to plea in in the war crimes system here, which as the plane, an F/A-18D, was preparing to land at Marine Corps Air the detainees, appeared intended to full.” some government officials say the Station Miramar about two miles away, the Federal Aviation Adminis- undercut the government’s plan for Speaking in what has become system was designed to try. With the tration said. The pilot ejected from the aircraft and was transported to a high profile trial while drawing in- a familiar high-pitched tone in the 9/11 case suddenly at a critical junc- a local hospital in stable condition, said Staff Sgt. Leonard Langston, a ternational attention to what some of cavernous courtroom here, the most ture, the new administration in Wash- public affairs officer at Miramar Station. the five men have said was a desire for prominent of the five, Khalid Shaikh ington will likely find it more compli- Witnesses said they heard two booms, the second louder than the martyrdom. But the military judge, Mohammed, said, “we don’t want to cated to carry out Obama’s pledge to first, as the plane corkscrewed to the ground, trailing a plume of black Col. Stephen R. Henley of the Army, waste our time with motions.” close the detention camp here. Brooke smoke. The pilot, they said, parachuted to the ground, apparently land- said a series of legal questions about “All of you are paid by the U.S. Anderson, a spokeswoman for the ing in a local high school playing field. how the commissions are to deal with government,” continued Mohammed, presidential transition office, declined capital cases had to be resolved before who has described himself as the to comment. We a t h e r Standard Deviation Forecast: High Situation for Noon Eastern Standard Time, Tuesday, December 9, 2008

By Angela Zalucha 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 Staff Meteorologist 40°N As you’re recovering from Monday morning’s low of 14°F (normal low: 30°F), take comfort in the fact that Wednesday’s high temperature is forecasted to approach 60°F (normal high: 43°F). Often the media quotes the climatologi- cal average highs and lows as part of their statistics, but an often overlooked piece of information is the standard deviation, especially in mid-latitude cli- 35°N mates like Boston. You may have noticed that the variation in temperature dur- ing the winter season is quite high. For example, in January of this year, the

lowest temperature for the month was 7°F, and just five days later, the high 1034 temperature was 67°F! Yet during the summer, the temperature stays within a narrower range. This difference between the season has to do with the temper- 30°N ature gradient that exists between the equator and the poles. During the winter, 1009 the gradient is the strongest in a tight band that weaves across the U.S. Depend- ing on the north-south position of that band near Boston, we may see very cold weather (if it is south of us), or very warm weather (if it is north of us). And if that weren’t enough, this week holds the potential for some memo- 25°N rable winter storms. The first round, which looks to be mainly rain, will im- pact us Wednesday. Another storm on the horizon for Friday or Saturday is still rather uncertain, but holds the possibility for significant snowfall.

Extended Forecast Today: Cloudy with temperatures steadily increasing. Afternoon tempera- tures around 40°F (4°C). Weather Systems Weather Fronts Precipitation Symbols Other Symbols Tonight: Cloudy with temperatures steadily increasing. Chance of rain show- Snow Rain Fog High Pressure Trough ers late. Temperatures reaching 50°F (10°C) by early morning. - - - Showers Thunderstorm

Tomorrow: Rain. High 57°F (14°C). Q Q Q Q Warm Front Light Low Pressure Haze Tomorrow night: Rain, possibly freezing rain or snow late. Low 34°F (1°C). LLLLL Cold Front Moderate Compiled by MIT Thursday: Partly cloudy. High 38°F (3°C). Low 26°F (-3°C). Hurricane Q Q Meteorology Staff L L Stationary Front Heavy Friday: Sleet and snow. High 35°F (2°C). and The Tech December 9, 2008 Wo r l d & Na t i o n The Tech Page 3

Pakistan Raids Militant Camp Microsoft Offers to Reduce Search Data in Europe Impliciated in Mumbai Attacks By Kevin J. O’Brien The New York Times BERLIN By Jane Perlez nymity, said about a dozen people had terrorist suspects long demanded by Microsoft offered Monday to abide by a European privacy panel’s and Salman Masood been arrested in the raid, which took the Indians. request that it reduce the length of time it kept records of Web searches The New York Times place in Muzaffarabad, the capital of The raid Sunday appeared to be if its rivals, Yahoo and Google, did the same. ISLAMABAD, Pakistan Pakistani-administered Kashmir. the first step by the Pakistanis that at Google and Yahoo, in separate statements, said that for now they After mounting pressure from the The official at first said that Lakh- least tacitly recognized the U.S. and were unwilling to change their policies. United States and India, Pakistani vi, an operational commander for Indian claims. Microsoft said it made the offer in a letter to the Article 29 Working authorities raided a camp run by the Lashkar, was among them, but later Counterterrorism experts familiar Party, a European Commission advisory panel made up of data protec- militant group suspected of carrying backed away from the assertion. with the behavior of the Pakistani se- tion commissioners from each of its 27 member countries. In April, the out the Mumbai attacks, Pakistani and Lashkar-e-Taiba was founded 20 curity services said there was a need panel recommended that search engines keep search records no longer U.S. officials said Monday. years ago with the help of Pakistan’s by Pakistan to be seen to be doing than six months before making the data untraceable. The operation appeared to be Pak- intelligence agencies as a proxy force something to alleviate the U.S. and In- Microsoft’s MSN Live Search currently retains search data for 18 istan’s first concrete response to the to challenge Indian control of part of dian pressure, as well to avert the pos- months. Yahoo keeps data for 13 months and Google for 9 months. demands from India and the United Muslim-dominated Kashmir. sibility of an Indian military strike. The advisory panel was to meet Tuesday and Wednesday, but its States to take action against the mili- U.S. intelligence and counterter- Still, the effectiveness of that ac- members are postponing a decision on whether to take any action tants suspected in the attacks, which rorism officials told The New York tion might be less than India or the against the companies until at least February, when the companies are have raised tensions between the nu- Times that Pakistan’s spy agency, United States would like, they said. In to make presentations before the panel. clear-armed neighbors to their highest Inter-Services Intelligence, has con- the past, Pakistan had detained mili- John Vassallo, a lawyer for Microsoft, said Microsoft was not will- point in years. tinued nurturing the group, even after tants under pressure from the United ing to act alone because doing so would create a commercial disad- The Pakistani authorities said that 9/11, when the Pakistani government States and Britain, and then quietly let vantage. among those arrested was Zaki ur- pledged to sever its ties with militant them go, said Sajjan Gohel, the direc- “We support the commissioners’ recommendations but are asking Rehman Lakhvi, who Indian and U.S. groups. tor of the Asia-Pacific Foundation in them to ensure these are uniformly observed,” said Vassallo, who is officials say masterminded the attacks While they say there is no hard ev- London said. based in Brussels. “Otherwise, to do so unilaterally would put us at a for the militant group, Lashkar-e-Tai- idence linking the ISI to the Mumbai A senior Pakistani official said the disadvantage.” ba, according to a State Department attacks, investigators and intelligence operation was part of a gradual effort official in Washington. officials have pointed to Lashkar as to bring the militants under control. U.S. Embassy officials could not the likely culprit. This comports with the general view Budget Woes Force New Hampshire verify the claim independently, he The Pakistani government has among civilian politicians that Paki- said. Neither would Pakistani officials resisted the notion that Pakistani stan cannot afford to appear as though To Defer Jury Trials in Islamabad. citizens may have been involved in it is being coerced into shutting down By Abby Goodnough A senior Pakistani security official, the Mumbai attacks, and it has so far militant groups that have been created The New York Times BOSTON who spoke on the condition of ano- refused to hand over 20 criminal and to fight India. The Superior Court system in New Hampshire will take the unusual step of halting jury trials for a month early next year because of a wid- ening state budget crisis. John Broderick, the state’s chief justice, said suspending trials was Plea by Blackwater Guard Helps essential to avoid layoffs in the judicial system, which has already cut $2.7 million from its budget. The measure will save about $73,000, the monthly amount spent U.S. Indict Five Others on stipends for jurors. But the head of an association representing civil trial lawyers said it could have a harsh impact on plaintiffs, many of By Ginger Thompson white Kia sedan “that posed no threat pro-military part of the country than whom have already waited years for a judgment in their case. The New York Times to the convoy.” Washington, D.C., where the Justice “What are they going to rely on in the interim?” said Ellen Shem- WASHINGTON He told investigators that although Department made public its case. itz, executive director of the New Hampshire Association for Justice. In the first public airing of an he could not clearly see the front pas- The indictments and the defen- “Some of these people have been harmed by the wrongdoing of others, investigation that remains a source senger in the Kia, he noticed that the dants’ cross-county legal maneuver are out of work as a result and are looking to the courts to protect their of international outrage, the Justice passenger was moving his arms, ac- set the stage for the first test of the rights and provide some kind of financial remuneration.” Department on Monday unsealed cording to the documents. government’s ability to hold private Officials at the National Center for State Courts said that while its case against five private security “Defendant Ridgeway then fired security contractors accountable for court systems across the country had made cuts they were not aware of guards, built largely around the chill- multiple rounds from his M-4 assault what it considers crimes committed any others suspending trials. In perhaps the closest parallel, Vermont is ing testimony of a sixth guard about rifle into the front passenger’s side overseas. They are also likely to pro- closing its district and family courthouses a half day per week for the the 2007 shootings that left 17 un- windshield of the white sedan, kill- duce protracted arguments on techni- rest of the fiscal year to save $300,000. suspecting Iraqi civilians dead at a ing the passenger,” the documents cal matters aimed at scuttling the case Suspending jury trials to save money is not unheard-of. Vermont busy Baghdad traffic circle. read. The statement went on to say well before a jury has the opportunity stopped holding civil trials for five months in 1990, and New Hamp- In pleading guilty to manslaugh- that even after it was clear the driver to evaluate the guards’ actions. shire effected a one-month suspension in 2001. Other state courts have ter, the sixth security guard, Jeremy of the sedan had been killed, several The shooting by Blackwater tried to do it but have been overturned. P. Ridgeway of California, described others in the convoy continued to fire guards that day ignited outrage about how he and the other guards used au- on the car, and at least one of them the use of private security contractors tomatic rifles and grenade launchers launched a grenade. in war zones and severely strained re- Fewer Students Seen Taking to fire on cars, houses, a traffic of- After the car was in flames, ac- lations between the United States and ficer and a girls’ school. In addition cording to the statement, “Defendant the fledgling Iraqi government. Graduate School Admission Tests to those killed, there were at least 20 Ridgeway recognized that there had The case remained a sore point By Tamar Lewin people injured. been no attempt to provide reason- during the Bush administration’s ne- The New York Times The six guards were employed by able warnings to the driver of that gotiations with Iraq for an agreement In bad times, the conventional wisdom has it, people flock to gradu- Blackwater Worldwide, the largest vehicle.” setting new rules for the continuing ate school. But there is at least one sign that in this recession, that may security contractor in Iraq; the com- The five guards named in the presence of U.S. troops. Ultimately not happen. pany, based in North Carolina, has indictment rejected those asser- a major provision of the agreement After years of steady growth, the number of students taking the not been charged in the case. tions, and in a legal move aimed at ended immunity for private contrac- Graduate Record Examination, which is required for most graduate Ridgeway said in court docu- challenging the venue for the case, tors working in Iraq. U.S. officials re- programs, is on course to decline this year. ments that the episode in Nisour they surrendered to federal authori- stated the government’s commitment At the start of the year, the Educational Testing Service, which ad- Square on Sept. 16, 2007 started ties in Salt Lake City, Utah, in what to pursue justice in the Nisour Square ministers the $140 exam, projected that 675,000 students would take when the guards opened fire on a is considered a more conservative, shootings. it by year’s end. Now the service estimates that the total will be only about 621,000. A record 633,000 students took the GRE last year, up from 577,000 Riots Continue in Greece Over in 2006 and 539,000 in 2005. David G. Payne, the service’s associate vice president for college and graduate programs, said it was too soon to predict what the decline would mean for next fall’s enrollment. Police Killing of Teen “On a percentage basis, it’s a very small decrease,” Payne said. “I By Anthee Carassava of the past several days. es in the capital. The Greek police think there are several things going on. The perception that there’s a The New York Times A strip of five-star hotels was and military have not been permit- lack of available credit may be contributing. It may be a question of ATHENS, Greece ransacked, including the Grande ted to enter college campuses since timing, with people delaying their tests. There’s been such financial Violence by youths angry over Bretagne, where a life-size scene 1973, when tanks quashed a student disruption that there’s a kind of freezing effect.” the killing of a teenager by the po- of “The Nutcracker” was knocked uprising at Athens Polytechnic, lead- lice raged across Greece for a third down, and the Athens Plaza, where a ing to at least 22 civilian deaths. day on Monday as thousands of po- guard said guests had to be evacuat- Panagiotis Sotiris, 38, a spokes- Justices Turn Back a lice officers failed to contain some ed. A small fire burned in the lobby man for Uniting Anti-Capitalist of the worst rioting in recent years. of the Foreign Ministry, The Associ- Left, a coalition of leftist groups Challenge on Obama’s Citizenship A march through downtown Ath- ated Press reported. that helped take over the Athens Law By Kate Phillips ens on Monday night turned violent, The rioting began Saturday, School on Monday, told Reuters that The New York Times as demonstrators threw concrete shortly after a 15-year-old was fa- the violence was connected not only Without comment, the Supreme Court on Monday declined to take slabs, rocks and flaming gasoline tally shot in what the police said was to the killing, “but is a struggle to up an appeal by a New Jersey man who questioned President-elect Ba- bombs at the officers and smashed a confrontation with a mob. The gov- overthrow the government’s policy.” rack Obama’s eligibility for the presidency, based on his birth to a father storefronts. A government Christ- ernment has charged one police offi- “We are experiencing moments from Kenya and a mother who was a U.S. citizen. mas tree along their path was set on cer with premeditated manslaughter of a great social revolution,” he said. The case, originally brought in New Jersey courts by Leo Donofrio fire. in the case and another as an accom- In the northern city of Salonika, of East Brunswick, contended that Obama could not be considered a Rioting also intensified in the plice. 300 students battled with the police “natural-born citizen” — a constitutional ground for becoming president country’s second largest city, Salo- Senior security officials said they on Monday, overturning scores of of the United States — contending that he had dual nationality at birth. nika, and spread to Trikala, a city in had put the country’s 45,000-mem- trash cans and setting them ablaze. State officials in Hawaii have declared that Obama was born there in the agricultural heartland. ber police force on alert in one of the In Veroia, about 40 miles from Sa- August 1961, and is a U.S. citizen, but that has not stopped a small squall Schools were shut in Athens, biggest security mobilizations since lonika, an estimated 400 stone- of Internet-fueled rumors trying to debunk his citizenship. the capital, and high school and Athens was host to the 2004 Sum- wielding students clashed with the The issue of his birth certificate has long been the subject of rumors, university students spilled onto the mer Olympics. Panayiotis Stathis, police, who retaliated with tear gas. to the point that Obama’s Web site posted a copy of it on its “fightthes- streets, leading to scattered violence a spokesman for the Athens police, In Trikala, a student march turned mears” minisite to try to stanch the innuendo during the campaign. throughout the day. But the evening said security forces were “trying to violent and a police officer was in- Last week, Top of the Ticket, the politics blog of The Los Angeles demonstration, which had attracted control the situation” while using re- jured. Times, noted that Justice Clarence Thomas of the Supreme Court was thousands and was organized by the straint in putting down any protests. In Athens, some 15,000 police circulating Donofrio’s appeal for emergency consideration among the Communist Party, was accompanied As night fell Monday, rioters were officers fanned out across the city, members of the court. by some of the worst of the violence barricaded at two university campus- the authorities said. Page 4 The Tech December 9, 2008 Op i n i o n Letters To The Editor That was the first failed assumption of the wan- ers have been arrested on a roof or the dome Chairman Response to ‘Trust nabe hackers. recently. Benjamin P. Gleitzman ’09 the Police?’ If they were serious about testing DiFava’s I can’t say whether informing the MIT Editor in Chief word, they should have tried to contact DiFava Police ahead of time is the solution for hack- Nick Semenkovich ’09 The “Wannabe Hackers,” in a Letter to the — not whoever happened to be on CP duty ers, but playing games with the MIT Police Editor published Nov. 21, 2008, described an that night. “Informing” the Campus Police is is definitely not one. Trust doesn’t appear out Business Manager “experiment” that they performed to test the not the same as “talking to” the Campus Po- of thin air, it has to be built. DiFava tried to Austin Chu G trust between students and the MIT Campus lice. The wannabe hackers made no effort to build trust with students by coming to East Police. A good experiment is based on valid have any sort of dialogue with the Campus Campus, a home to many hackers. The ac- Managing Editor assumptions, and uses sound logic to draw a Police. Merely telling a police officer that you tions of the wannabe hackers are destroying Jessica Witchley ’10 conclusion. The wannabe hackers’ experiment are about to do something illegal is not a very trust. Executive Editor did neither. credible or practical approach. The wannabe hackers’ experiment was Michael McGraw-Herdeg G The wannabe hackers say that they “decided The wannabe hackers say that “this was a based on faulty assumptions, lacked reasoning, to take DiFava at his word,” based on an earlier perfectly legal observational exercise.” False. and lacked integrity. The only thing that they News Staff article in The Tech. What The Tech prints is not Calling in a hoax is against the law. They assert got right in their letter to The Tech was the way News and Features Director: Angeline Wang necessarily DiFava’s word; especially when he that going ahead with a hack would probably they signed it. ’09; Editors: Arkajit Dey ’11, Jeff Guo ’11, made it clear during his meeting with the stu- have resulted in arrest. This is a claim without Vinayak Ranade ’09 Natasha Plotkin ’11; Associate Editors: Ryan dents at East Campus that it was off-the-record. any real supporting evidence, since no hack- President of East Campus Ko ’11, Emily Prentice ’11; Staff: Curt Fischer G, Ray C. He G, Ramya Sankar G, John A. Hawkinson ’98, Daniela Cako ’09, Diana Jue ’09, Ji Qi ’09, Yiwei Zhang ’09, Yi Zhou ’09, Nick Bushak ’10, Yuri Hanada ’10, JiHye Kim ’10, Corporation: Please Help! Joyce Kwan ’10, Jenny Liu ’10, Joanne Y. Shih ’10, Yan Huang ’11, Elijah Jordan Turner ’11, Lulu Wang ’11, Omar Abudayyeh ’12, Jessica A Message to the MIT Corporation from the Campaign for Students Lin ’12, Pearle Lipinski ’12, Robert McQueen ’12, Aditi Verma ’12; Meteorologists: Cegeon these concerns? ning, the Building Committee, the Enroll- Chan G, Garrett P. Marino G, Jon Moskaitis G, Rachel Meyer, Stephanie Schmit, • Strengthening Community: We can elimi- ment Management Group and other impor- Roberto Rondanelli G, Scott Stransky G, Brian H. Tang G, John K. Williams G, Angela Zalucha nate tensions that have taken their toll on MIT’s tant bodies. G. and Chris Varenhorst sense of community. • Advance Notification: A system needs to • Educating Student Leaders: There is no be designed to request input and foster involve- Production Staff Too often, students are not included in the better way for student leaders to gain leader- ment for all changes involving students the ad- Editor: Steve Howland ’11; Staff: K. Nichole process of making decisions at MIT that di- ship experience than by starting with the issues ministration is considering, at least seven days Treadway ’10, Alexander W. Dehnert ’12. rectly impact them. For example: they care about most. before those decisions are finalized. Opinion Staff • Housing: Freshmen on campus. Closing • Strengthening MIT’s Decisions: Involving • Community Conversations: Senior ad- Editor: Andrew T. Lukmann G; Staff: Florence the W1 grad dorm. Removing a floor from students brings a fresh perspective to the table ministrators, including the President, Provost, Gallez G, Gary Shu G, Keith A. Yost G, Josh NW-35. Deciding on the new W1 floor plan. and ensures stakeholder buy-in. Chancellor, Executive Vice President, Vice Levinger ’07, Krishna Gupta ’09, Aditya Kohli Transitioning Green Hall. Delaying W1. • Publicity: We have an opportunity to por- Chancellor, and Dean for Student Life should ’09, Jennifer Nelson ’09, Daniel Yelin ’10, • Dining: Requiring a dining hall in W1. tray MIT as an innovative leader in student in- attend monthly town hall meetings with stu- Ethan Solomon ’12. Overpricing inferior food. Limiting food se- volvement and avoid bad press about MIT los- dents. Sports Staff lection and dining hall hours. Mandatory meal ing its much-vaunted culture of collaboration. • Presidential Office Hours: The President Editor: Aaron Sampson ’10; Staff: Nydia plans in some dorms. Planning to remove • Alumni Donations: Once students leave should follow the lead of many of MIT’s peer Ruleman ’12, David Zhu ’12. kitchens. MIT, they will remain more engaged with the institutions by having open office hours for one • Student Support: Arresting hackers. Issu- community as alumni. hour per week. Arts Staff ing a premature statement to the press on Star • These Concerns will Persist: Student in- • Visiting Committees: The UA and GSC Editor: Praveen Rathinavelu ’10; Staff: Bogdan Simpson. Changing Financial Aid. Increasing volvement was the focus of the Corporation should have the opportunity to present to Visit- Fedeles G, Andrew Lee ’07, Tyson C. McNulty ’08, S. Balaji Mani ’10, Tina Ro ’10, Kevin undergraduate enrollment. Failing to comply Joint Advisory Committee last year; it has been ing Committees. Wang ’10, Maggie Liu ’12. with Americans for Disabilities Act handicap an issue for decades. • TSE Legitimacy: The Task Force on Stu- requirements. Students need your help. Together, we dent Engagement should have an active web- Photography Staff Students raised the issue of student in- need to foster a cultural shift where admin- site with agendas, minutes, blogs, and mem- Editors: David M. Templeton ’08, Andrea volvement with senior administrators last istrators better involve students in Institute bers. MIT has had serious problems in the way Robles ’10, William Yee ’10; Associate decision-making. Together, we need to ensure it involves students in decision-making for de- Editors: Allison M. Alwan ’12, Rachel Fong year. Student government leaders from the ’12; Staff: Vincent Auyeung G, Alex H. Chan Undergraduate Association and Graduate administrators place a higher degree of trust cades. The specific issues we raise may be new, G, Alice Fan G, David Da He G, Perry Hung G, Student Council authored a letter with Phil and respect in the student body. We need to but the fundamental problems have troubled Maksim Imakaev G, Dmitry Kashlev G, Arthur Clay and Kirk Kolenbrander for the Fac- establish processes and structures which en- MIT well before our time. Petron G, David Reshef G, Martin Segado G, Quick research shows protests at MIT in the Noah Spies G, Scott Johnston ’03, Christina ulty Newsletter, which acknowledged past sure clear and effective methods for commu- Kang ’08, Martha Angela Wilcox ’08, Chelsea problems and established the Task Force on nication and student involvement in decision- 1960s (divestment), 1970s (ROTC), 1980s (in Grimm ’09, Ana Malagon ’09, Peter H. Rigano Student Engagement (TSE) to address these making. While students understand the need loco parentis), and 1990s (freshmen on cam- ’09, Eric D. Schmiedl ’09, Jerzy Szablowski concerns. for compromise, we feel it’s only fair that we pus). More recently, there have been protests ’09, Seth A. Villarreal ’09, Diana Ye ’09, Daniel on campus in 1999, 2002, 2004, 2007, and P. Beauboeuf ’10, Biyeun Buczyk ’10, Arka Twenty-seven professors signed a statement have a voice in the decisions that affect our P. Dhar ’10, Mindy Eng ’10, Helen Hou ’10, of support for the TSE in the newsletter. Ac- lives. 2008. Today, we should not need to protest: our Monica Kahn ’10, Diane Rak ’10, Jongu Shin cording to the newsletter, the TSE was “charged We have brainstormed some structural and concerns should have been addressed a long ’10, Dhaval Adjodah ’11, Monica Gallegos ’11, with developing a philosophy guiding student procedural ideas which we believe will help time ago. Michael Y. McCanna ’11, Michael Meyer ’11, Nobody benefits from this controversy. Kari Williams ’11, Sherry Yan ’11, Andrew involvement, recommending opportunities for solve our concerns. While we understand the Shum ’12, Meng Heng Touch ’12. greater student participation, and proposing Corporation does not have the authority to We realize this, so we prefer a more re- methods to ensure success.” implement all of these changes, we would ap- sponsible approach than movements of the Campus Life Staff This year, the TSE has only had two official preciate any support you can give for the fol- past. Unfortunately, we have made very little Editor: Charles Lin G; Staff: J. Graham Ruby meetings. A third TSE meeting was only called lowing ideas: progress so far. This issue is not going away, G, David Shirokoff G, Jason Chan ’09, Sarah to inform students of the delays to W1. The TSE • Publication of Minutes: MIT should es- and neither are the passionate students who are C. Proehl ’09, Michael Ciuffo ’11, Michael T. Lin ’11, Christine Yu ’11; Cartoonists: Daniel has not started to examine ways to strengthen tablish a website to post minutes from Cor- dedicated to change. Please, let us address this Klein-Marcuschamer G, Roberto Perez-Franco process or structure. President Hockfield hopes poration, Academic Council, Presidential and difficult issue once and for all in a serious and G, Ben Peters ’11. the TSE will be no longer necessary after this Faculty committee meetings. productive manner. academic year. • Committee Representation: The Un- Let us stop asking “why should we involve Business Staff Several students, faculty, and administra- dergraduate Association and the Graduate students?” Advertising Manager: Mark Thompson ’11; tors on the TSE report that the committee has Student Council should have at least one Let us instead ask, “why not?” Operations Manager: Michael Kuo ’10; Staff: Neeharika Bhartiya ’10, Jennifer Chu ’10, been ineffective since its creation, especially at representative on the Academic Council, the Rachel Meyer ’10, Stephanie Schmit ’11, Heymian Wong ’10, Connie Chan ’12, Sandra addressing its original mission. Corporation, the Executive Committee, the and Chris Varenhorst ’09 are members of the Chen ’12, Mengjie Ding ’12, Joseph Maurer Why should you care about addressing Committee for the Review of Space Plan- Campaign for Students. ’12, Greg Steinbrecher ’12, Eric Trac ’12.

Technology Staff The Nov. 18 article “Thousands Gather at Boston City Hall, Protest California’s Gay Mar- Director: Ricardo Ramirez ’09; Staff: Quentin Smith ’10. riage Ban” incorrectly identified two politicians, Edward J. Markey and Nikki Tsongas, as “state Congress members.” Both are members of the U.S. House of Representatives; Markey is Editors at Large Corrections from the 7th District of Massachusetts and Tsongas is from the 5th. Contributing Editors: Rosa Cao G, Brian Hemond G, Valery K. Brobbey ’08, Caroline Huang ’10; Senior Editors: Satwiksai Seshasai G, Shreyes Seshasai G, Jillian A. Berry ’08, Omari Stephens ’08, Sarah Dupuis ’10. property of The Tech, and will not be returned. Letters, columns, and Opinion Policy cartoons may also be posted on The Tech’s Web site and/or printed Advisory Board Editorials are the official opinion of The Tech. They are written by or published in any other format or medium now known or later that Paul E. Schindler, Jr. ’74, V. Michael Bove ’83, the editorial board, which consists of Chairman Benjamin P. Gleitzman, becomes known. The Tech makes no commitment to publish all the Barry S. Surman ’84, Robert E. Malchman ’85, Deborah A. Levinson ’91, Jonathan E. D. Editor in Chief Nick Semenkovich, Managing Editor Jessica Witchley, letters received. Richmond PhD ’91, Karen Kaplan ’93, Saul Opinion Editor Andrew T. Lukmann, and Contributing Editor Rosa Cao. Guest columns are opinion articles submitted by members of the Blumenthal ’98, Frank Dabek ’00, Daniel Ryan Dissents are the opinions of signed members of the editorial MIT or local community and have the author’s name in italics. Col- Bersak ’02, Eric J. Cholankeril ’02, Jordan board choosing to publish their disagreement with the editorial. umns without italics are written by Tech staff. Rubin ’02, Nathan Collins SM ’03, Keith J. Winstein ’03, Akshay R. Patil ’04, Tiffany Letters to the editor, columns, and editorial cartoons are writ- Dohzen ’06, Beckett W. Sterner ’06, Marissa ten by individuals and represent the opinion of the author, not neces- Vogt ’06, Zachary Ozer ’07, B. D. Colen. sarily that of the newspaper. Electronic submissions are encouraged To Reach Us and should be sent to [email protected]. Hard copy submis- The Tech’s telephone number is (617) 253-1541. E-mail is the eas- Production Staff for This Issue sions should be addressed to The Tech, P.O. Box 397029, Cambridge, iest way to reach any member of our staff. If you are unsure whom Editors: Austin Chu G, Jessica Witchley ’10. Mass. 02139-7029, or sent by interdepartmental mail to Room W20- to contact, send mail to [email protected], and it will be di-

The Tech (ISSN 0148-9607) is published on Tuesdays and Fridays during 483. All submissions are due by 4:30 p.m. two days before the date rected to the appropriate person. You can reach the editor in chief by the academic year (except during MIT vacations), Wednesdays during Janu- ary, and monthly during the summer by The Tech, Room W20-483, 84 Mas- of publication. e-mailing [email protected]. Please send press releases, requests sachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Mass. 02139. Subscriptions are $45.00 per Letters, columns, and cartoons must bear the authors’ signatures, for coverage, and information about errors that call for correction to year (third class) and $105.00 (first class).P ostmaster: Please send all address changes to our mailing address: The Tech, P.O. Box 397029, Cam- addresses, and phone numbers. Unsigned letters will not be accepted. [email protected]. Letters to the editor should be sent to let- bridge, Mass. 02139-7029. Telephone: Editorial: (617) 253-1541. Busi- ness: (617) 258-8324. Facsimile: (617) 258-8226. Advertising, subscription, The Tech reserves the right to edit or condense letters; shorter let- [email protected]. The Tech can be found on the World Wide and typesetting rates available. Entire contents © 2008 The Tech. Printed on ters will be given higher priority. Once submitted, all letters become Web at http://www-tech.mit.edu. recycled paper by Saltus Press. December 9, 2008 The Tech Page 5 Ar t s concert review Always Skillful, Often Breathtaking Celebrated Emerson Quartet Performs at NEC’s Jordan Hall By Joyce Kwan its signature insightfulness and energy, leading ty-seven measures and about three minutes to and veneration the ensemble has garnered staff writer to a disappointingly lackluster performance of perform, it is one of the shortest quartet pieces over its thirty-two year marriage. Particularly Emerson String Quartet a piece Dvorák composed during a particu- ever written. It is possible Webern intended to memorable were moments when the first vio- New England Conservatory larly happy period in his life. As suggested by be as frugal as possible in expressing himself. lin soared in the upper register while grounded Jordan Hall the quartet’s nickname, the piece incorporates The result is a piece of sharp dissonances and by the remaining instruments, suggesting in- December 5, 2008 elements of Czech national music, conjuring breathy harmonics that suggest profoundness, spired hope and optimism. Every note, every jovial, earthy dance rhythms, which, among as realized by the Emerson’s precise playing. phrase, received the attention it deserved, and he much-celebrated Emerson String other aspects, the Emerson failed to bring to Finally, upon the somber opening lines of the concert closed to enthusiastic applause. Quartet performed in Boston last Fri- life. the closing piece — Dvorák’s fourteenth quar- The 1019-seat Jordan Hall, considered to day, playing a mostly Dvorák concert They quickly revived the mood, however, tet — it became apparent this interpretation have one of the best acoustics in America for T that, through the juxtaposition of blasé with the beloved Ravel quartet, a piece of wide would not suffer from the lack of intensity that classical music, was adequately suited for the and breathtaking, demonstrated concert mag- emotional range that varies between reflective blighted his tenth quartet at the start of the con- performance. Chamber music, originally con- ic. calm and unrestrained rapture, and evokes the cert. That said, this quartet renounces any obvi- ceived to be performed for friends in intimate The concert, held by the Celebrity Series sound of a Javanese gamelan orchestra. The ous inclination toward the American or Slavon- drawing rooms, requires a much smaller venue of Boston in New England Conservatory’s performance was typical of Emerson excel- ic styles Dvorák so often integrated into his for its complete effect. Although the Emerson Jordan Hall, opened with an interpretation lence: tight and absorbing in its perfect sub- earlier music, making this refined piece more sounded distant at times, its compelling nature of Dvorák’s tenth quartet, also known as the tlety. difficult to interpret than the tenth quartet. nonetheless absorbed the audience. Its mem- “Slavonic,” which proved to be the only set- Following intermission welcomed Webern’s The Emerson delivered the piece in such a bers (except the cellist, for practical reasons) back of the evening. The Emerson exuded all Six Bagatelles, a very unusual piece not only way that brought me to my knees in admiration anomalously stood to allow maximum free- of its impressive technical unity, and none of because of its tonality, but also because at fif- of its artistry, no surprise given the acclaim dom for expression. Concert Choir Performs The MIT Concert Choir held their annual fall concert in Kresge Auditorium this past Sunday, Dec. 7. The choir directed by Dr. William Cutter featured “Alexander’s Feast (The Power of Musick)” by G. F. Handel and “Peaceable Kingdom” by Randall Thompson. (clockwise from right)

William Cutter, Lecturer in Music and Director of Choral Programs at MIT, takes a bow at the end of the performance.

The concert choir, open all members of the MIT community, harmonizes before their performance.

(left to right) Ian Olsen of Boston Conservatory, Elisabeth Hon Hunt G, Pauline A. Sliwa G, and Daniel P. Cunningham ’07 join the MIT Concert Choir on Dec. 7 in performing “Alexander’s Feast (The Power of Musick)” by G. F. Handel.

Photography by Yuanyu Chen Page 6 The Tech Ar t s December 9, 2008 Meng Heng Touc h —T e Tec h Yuan y u Ch en

A Cappella Groups Hold Fall Concerts (clockwise from top left) Possible” by Darlene Zschech M. Ciesielski ’11 of the Choral- on Saturday, Dec. 6 during the laries sing “American Boy” by Priscilla W. Army ’10 of the Mus- Cross Product’s Winter Concert Estelle Feat and Kanye West dur- es gets the audience going with in 54-100. ing the MIT/Wellesley Toons Fall Natasha Bedingfield’s “I Wanna Concert on Dec. 6. Have Your Babies” during the John C. McGonagle ’09 rick-rolls Chorallaries’ fall concert last Fri- the audience during a skit at the Tiffany K. Cheng ’12 of the Cho- day. MIT/Wellesley Toons Fall Con- rallaries sings “Hot ’N’ Cold” by cert last Saturday in 10-250. Katy Perry during the Chorallar- Stephanie Senna ’12 closes the ies’ “A Concert We Can Believe concert with “All Things Are Cecilia R. Louis ’10 and Thomas In” on Dec. 5 in 10-250.

Yuanyu Chen Rachel Fong—The Tech Rachel Fong—The Tech December 9, 2008 Ar t s The Tech Page 7 Dance Troupe Moves To Different Rhythms At ‘Insomnia’

The Dance Troupe fall perfor- mance, “Insomnia”, features several different dance styles choreographed by students. The show plays on Wednesday, Dec. 10 at 8pm, Thursday, Dec. 11 at 5pm and 8pm, and Friday, Dec. 12 at 5pm and 9pm in Kresge Little. (clockwise from right) Rachel N. Peterson ’09 moves to the beat. Amelia L. Laughton ’06 and Thad- deus R. Cybulski ’10 command the stage. (Left to right) Jason A. Scott ’10, Kamo Jurn ’10, and Adlai R. Gray- son ’10 get their groove on. Stephen G. Goodman ’12 and Elizabeth M. Kimball ’11 move to the beat. Dana B. Sulas ’10 belly dances. Ylaine L. Gerardin ’10 performs a ballet. Photography by William Yee Page 8 The Tech December 9, 2008 Ca m p u s Li f e Brouhaha Rhythm Waiting Until the Last Instant By Michael Lin that procrastinating is a terrible work habit, but the one hand, you have people who argue that before class (assuming you’ve finished that Staff Columnist I hope you won’t blame me too much for be- they do their best work under pressure, which if which you had to pull the all-nighter to finish), Editor’s Note: This column was originally ing less than enthusiastic to leap full-faced in you think about it, is sort of like a pilot saying and hopefully you won’t feel too bleary during intended for publication on December 2nd, but front of the fire hose. As it happens, I’m about he does his best flying at an altitude of 50 feet. the day, at least for a while. due to the lateness of submission, it was pushed to make an earnest effort to be more respon- Sure, it might be true, but no matter how many Obviously, all-nighters should be used spar- back until this issue. sible in the future, which is why I’m milking times he claims to be a leaf on the wind, good ingly, if at all, to get things done — like the It is with varying degrees of shame that I this common thread with much of the rest of luck getting anybody to be his co-pilot. At the Ghostbusters crossing the streams of their pro- admit that I’m a chronic procrastinator. Ask humanity for one more article while I’ve still same time, though, as my attention span contin- ton packs. You could solve all your problems my editor, and he can tell you that I always cut got the chance. 23 hours after my soft deadline. ues to diminish for reasons I don’t fully under- and be the big hero, or you could go to class it close. Whether or not I finish my article on We had a holiday — totally not my fault. stand, even that excuse is getting hard to … feeling like every particle in your body is si- time is often a matter of typing speed. I realize It is perhaps more accurate than quaint to Sorry, had to alt-tab out and reply to my Fa- multaneously exploding at the speed of light say that blood cebook messages. As I was saying, even that — which is probably not quite as awesome as it runs through my excuse is getting hard to fall back on. On the sounds. I suppose there’s only one way to find procrastination, other hand, it’s not that big of a stretch to say out (drink several dozen espresso-Red Bull and what with the that I’m getting the low-impact all-nighter (if cocktails), but frankly, I like keeping the blood recent blood drive such a thing exists) down to an art form, which vessels in my brain intact. on campus, the is not easy, since I refuse to use the assistance Mind you, using frequent powernaps to latter is feeling of caffeine or energy drinks. (I’m something of stave off the onslaught of slumber carries with even thicker than a purist). The trick is to take a 15-30 minute it its own risks. I don’t know about yours, but water than usual. nap roughly every two to three hours, depend- as my body runs lower and lower on fuel, it It’s hard to know ing on your latency period between getting up becomes harder and harder to convince it that what to make of and becoming alert. I find that it helps to re- the wailing alarm clock is an adequate reason the practice of put- main fully-dressed and leave your room lights to get up. As you might imagine, it wasn’t exam week special ting work off until on, to ease the transition from sleeping to wak- long before I started sleeping through my the last minute. On ing. Top it off with an hour or two of real sleep alarm clock, mostly because the fade-up from silence isn’t quite the persuasive kick I needed to jolt me out of bed in the 20% Off Store Items mornings. Fortunately, I’ve managed to fix that problem with a little electronic twid- Dec. 13—21 dling. Now, instead of using my alarm clock, I set the alarm on my portable music player, hook it up to my desk Up to speakers, and crank up the volume. Up SPERM DONORS until recently, I set the alarm to play the NEEDED $1100 a month! 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● Introduction to Nanotechnology, Feynman’s lecture “Tiny Machines” ● Latest nanomechanical instruments : Featuring the theory, components, & function (e.g. atomic force microscopy, optical tweezers) NanoNewton ● Intra- and intermolecular interactions ● Molecular origins of disease in cartilage and ! bone (e.g. osteoarthritis, osteoporosis) Podcasts ● Single cell mechanics (e.g. malaria, stem- Discussions between MIT cell-based tissue engineering) students and top scientists from ● Fundamentals of biocompatibility (e.g. around the world on their recently vascular grafts, heart valves, tissue published nanotechnological engineering, hip implants) discoveries. ● Nanoscale design of natural exoskeletons http://web.mit.edu/cortiz/www/ ● Biosensors (e.g. heparin) Nanonewton.html ● Single molecule tensile testing (e.g. DNA, protein unfolding) ● Biological and biomimetic adhesion (e.g. geckos) ● Lubrication control via polymer brushes and nanostructured surfaces ● Nanostructured composites for military applications December 9, 2008 Ca m p u s Li f e The Tech Page 9 WMBR Our Year in Lists The Best and Worst of ‘08

By Ben Shanks fatuation with gospel music. He also has a pretty big thing for ground rock music and are young, then LC gets you. They wear and Dugan Hayes drugs. Mix that up with a near-fatal double pneumonia, and you their influences — all the right ones — on their sleeves, and swirl have Songs in A&E. Spaceman still writes a powerful song, and them up into simultaneously giddy and forlorn songs about, well, 15 — High Places — s/t each cut swells with emotion. A series of instrumental tracks the same damn life all of our kind live. Its like High Fidelity, but “Dude.” — Ben hold it all together, making Songs in A&E one of those rare con- in album format. Plus they cover my favorite Pavement song. But “Duuuuuuuude.” — Dugan temporary albums that works best as a cohesive unit. best of all, Los Campesinos! released not one, but TWO fantastic albums full of this stuff in this year (the other is named We are 14 — Oxford Collapse — Bits 7 — Fucked Up — The Chemistry of Common Life Miserable, We are Doomed). Incidentally, of the seven of them, If you went to Steer Roast this year, hopefully you got to see Let’s face it. Punk died the day Dookie came out. But this six are gorgeous — just watch out for the drummer. this band rock the stage with their brand of high-energy rock. album may have done more to revive hardcore as a respectable It’s really kind of hard to describe their music as anything but genre than any other since ’94. The lyrics are great, and go back 1 — Times New Viking — Rip It Off straight-up indie rock, but somehow they manage to stand out to the old hardcore standards: sex, drugs, and hating religion. Over the summer I was telling people that Times New Vi- and are more fun than most of their contemporaries. Brutal lead vocals and standard power chords are backed by king is the best band in the world. Now that I’ve had time to let Maybe it’s the vocal harmonies between the guy with a good soaring — and, as far as punk goes, unconventional — instru- the hyperbole subside, I still think they might be. What makes voice and the guy with a bad voice, or maybe it’s the awesome mentation (flutes?!). This is the best thing to happen to hardcore them so great? Well, they write perfect pop songs and then re- bass lines that give equal time to all four strings. Either way, the since Jawbreaker came out with Unfun. cord them on the cheapest equipment possible so everything is sing-along fun of “Young Love Delivers” and the harder edge of surrounded by a ton of noise, fuzz, and tape hiss. The vocals “For the Winter Coats” are standouts, while “I Hate Nobody” 6 — No Age — Nouns are usually split between the (male) drummer and the (female) managed to lodge itself in my head — in the best way possible “L.A. Art-Punk” is the most annoying sub-genre moniker keyboard player, who alternate screaming back and forth at each — for weeks on end. since “freak folk,” but dammit if No Age doesn’t transcend the other and singing together in something that vaguely resembles awful label. These guys are a drums and guitar duo that inject harmony. And when they play live, instead of having a planned 13 — Raveonettes — Lust Lust Lust samples until their music is incredibly dense. Sorting it all out setlist, the drummer just shouts out whatever songs he wants to Who knew Rachel Ray was so damn hip? This Danish duo, can be a daunting task, but in the end, a rewarding one-it just play between taking swigs of Jack Daniels. It really doesn’t get handpicked by the chef/donut spokesman for her SXSW party, takes a few listens. Now we can only hope their Grammy nomi- any better than that. writes simple rock songs. Then they drown them out in distor- nation doesn’t go to their heads, (The nod is for Best Album … tion. Together with some filthy lyrics and naive female vocals, Packaging.) Worst Album Titles it makes a good formula — although I’m not sure I’ll ever be 1) Atmosphere — When Life Hands You Lemons, You Paint able to look at Rachel Ray the same again after listening to “You 5 — Thee Oh Sees — The Master’s Bedroom Is Worth That Shit Gold Want the Candy.” Spending a Night In 2) Marnie Stern — This Is It And I Am It And You Are It And This one definitely came out of nowhere. John Dwyer, for- So Is That And He Is It And She Is It And It Is It And That Is That 12 — TV on the Radio — Dear Science, merly of noise-rock groups Pink and Brown and the Hospitals, 3) TV on the Radio — Dear Science, Marnie Stern’s chief competition for worst album title of the decided to transform his solo project Thee Oh Sees into a full 4) Portishead — Third year, enough has been written about TV on the Radio that we band and release — a 1950s rock album? It sure sounds awe- 5) Coldplay — Viva La Vida probably don’t have to give you much background — hell, even some on paper, and it sounds even better on record. Sure, half the Entertainment frigin’ Weekly gave this album an A-. So, let’s songs sound exactly the same, but that’s part of the fun, and trust Best Album Titles summarize what we’ve learned from this album: President Bush me, this album is an absurd amount of fun. 1) Lil Wayne — Tha Carter III still sucks, delayed piano is suddenly hip as all hell, and Kyp Ma- Dwyer and Brigid Dawson sing the entire album in duet 2) Max Tundra — Parallax Error Beheads You lone probably wants to have sex with you. And TV on the Radio through what sound like telephones, both of their voices soaked 3) Jack Rose — Dr. Ragtime and Pals still write incredible music. in reverb, while the drummer pounds out killer grooves that never 4) Kimya Dawson — Alphabutt seem to get old. The best part is the awesome effect that Dwyer 5) Deerhunter — Weird Era Cont. 11 — Lil Wayne — Tha Carter III and Dawson use primarily in “Ghost in the Trees” and “Poison It’s about time Lil Wayne deposed Kanye as the biggest name Finger” when they raise the pitch of their voices at the end of a Most Annoying Musical Trends in rap. And he actually has the chops to back up his claim to the line and let the reverb carry it away. 3 — Crystal Bands title “best rapper alive” — in addition to something like 284 offi- For whatever reason, indie music goes through cycles where cial and unofficial mixtapes this year, Weezy gave usTha Carter 4 — Be Your Own Pet — Get Awkward/Get Damaged every single new band uses one word in its name. This year it’s III, a bonus disc of b-sides, and the promise that the other unre- BYOP (2003-2008, RIP) achieved what every awesome high crystal: Crystal Antlers, Crystal Stilts, Crystal Castles. While I leased tracks are coming out next year as a second Tha Carter school garage band dreams of — getting signed by motherfuck- am surprised no one has used Crystal Wolf yet, this needs to III. Ok, so maybe that’s kind of weird, but who can argue with ing Thurston Moore. And then this year they proved just how stop. such ridiculous prolifigacy when everything he puts out is solid punk rock they are when a) people were having sex in the audi- gold? And damn, for someone so monotone, he pulls off vocal ence (!!!) during their Boston show at the Paradise and b) their 2 — New Disco dynamics so well just by going from dirty to dirtier. label executives made them cut songs from their album for being How did this even get popular? It sucked in the 70s, and it Wayne pulls off “Dr. Carter” perfectly, turning a track with a too violent. I guess the idea of the ferocious (and ferociously sucks more now. End of story. concept that would have ended up being a lame skit on anyone hot) vocalist Jemina Pearl singing about “wait[ing] with knives else’s record into an ultra-chill groove with perfectly straight- after class” and killing her ex-BFF provoked too many images of 1 — Girl Talk faced humor. The counterpart “Mr. Carter” is another mellow school violence. Luckily for us the cut tracks were released inde- What could be worse than listening to a bunch of shitty top 40 highlight, and “Phone Home” is almost too much fun, but my pendently on the Get Damaged EP, and damn, the “Locomotion”- songs? Hearing a bunch of them played all at once. “Oooh, he’s favorite is “Don’t Get It,” which samples Nina Simone and ends copping half doo-wop, half punk rock revenge anthem “Becky” a biomedical engineer,” you say. “Oooh, hes so edgy — he might with 7 minutes of Wayne smoking up and talking about racism in is by far the best song of the year. And the rest of the record, an even get sued!” Gregg Gillis, we have 4 words for you: STFU. the prison system, drug laws, and Al Sharpton. Awesome. energetic and wonderfully immature blast of in-your-face rock, Oh, and put on a goddamn shirt. kicks a ton of ass too. 10 — The Fiery Furnaces — Remember Albums We’re Excited for in ’09 All right, I’ll come out and say it now: this is by far my fa- 3 — Marnie Stern — This Is It and I Am It and You Are It and 5) Fiery Furnaces. Dugan won’t let us not include this. vorite band ever, and anything they release is, in my mind, better So Is That and He Is It and She Is It and It Is It and That Is That 4) The second Tha Carter III. That’s right, he’s making an- than anything by anyone else. That said, this is a live album, so it You could argue that this is the worst album title of 2008, other one, and naming it the same thing. That’s what you get to wouldn’t be right to put it at the top of this list. But this is unlike and sometimes the lyrics are downright grating (“the future is do when you’re the best rapper alive. any live album you’ve heard before. yours, so fill this part in!”), but that’s neither here nor there — 3) The next three Los Campesinos! albums. If they can put The triple LP set boasts 51 songs, and while they are all ren- ’cause this chick can SHRED. But, unlike many male-guitarist out two in their first year, we expect no fewer than three in ’09. ditions of album tracks, most have entirely different melodies counterparts, Marnie knows when to use it. The album bursts 2) The Thermals. With their new drummer, J.J. Binks. and instrumentations, leaving only the lyrics of the originals in- with energy, and Marnie’s timely restraint makes her solos all 1) My Bloody Valentine. Reunited and looking to put out tact. And much like a Fiery Furnaces live show, the songs cut into the more powerful. Oh, and she has a kissing booth on tour, too. their first album since 1991’s INCREDIBLE Loveless, dear god, and out of each other totally unpredictably. So we end up get- Awesome. our hopes are so high for this. Kevin Shields, please don’t disap- ting the calypso arrangement of the entirety of “Bitter Tea,” the point. grandmother-less pop arrangement of “Rehearsing My Choir,” 2 — Los Campesinos! — Hold on Now, Youngster … and the chopped-up blues-tinged hard-rock arrangement of fa- These guys break so many indie rules, it’s impossible to even Got beef? Shoot us an e-mail at [email protected] and we will vorites from their other studio albums. The album art includes keep track. But when it comes down to it, if you love under- show you the error of your ways. the warning “Do not attempt to listen to all at once,” but I’ve broken that rule more times than I can count.

9 — Stereolab — Chemical Chords So this is supposed to be Stereolab’s Motown record, but I doubt anyone would have thought that if Tim Gane hadn’t said it himself. In practice, that basically means Stereolab with horns and strings, which is pretty awesome when you think about it. “Neon Bean- bag” is the crowd-pleaser, but other highlights include the classic French pop sound of “Daisy Click Clack” and the hypnotic drone of the title track, which — similar to their masterpiece “Jenny Ondioline” — is based solely on the slow repetition of two notes on a rich sounding synth. Laetitia Sadier’s half-French, half- English vocals are in fine form as al- ways, but what really sells this record for me is the return of the instrument that made Dots and Loops so great — the marimba. The marimba hook on “Silver Sands” kills me every time I hear it.

8 — Spiritualized — Songs in A&E Jason Pierce has a man-crush on Je- sus. No, not in the “Lord-and-Savior” sense, but more as a result of total in- December 9, 2008

Page 10

Steal My Comic by Michael Ciuffo

The Daily Blunderbuss by Ben Peters

Instructions: Fill in the grid so that each column, row, and 3 by 3 grid contains exactly one of each of the digits 1 through 9. Solution on page 13.                       Solution, tips, and computer program at http://www.sudoku.com December 9, 2008 The Tech Page 11

Dilbert® by Scott Adams

ACROSS position 65 Physique 28 “__ Gay” 1 Cowardly Lion 38 Lic. to pull teeth workshops 29 Mecca pilgrims portrayer 39 Corner joints 30 Fussy person 5 Stops short 41 Writer Murdoch DOWN 31 Art house film 10 Creative work 42 News services 1 Deposits eggs 32 Chavez or Romero 14 Chills and fever 44 Mornings and 2 1958 Pulitzer 34 Nail alternative 15 Communicate by afternoons novelist 37 Silent performer PC 46 “Buffy the Vampire 3 Frug relative 40 Poem parts 16 Marlon’s “The __” 4 Answers 42 1051 letters Godfather” role 47 Freshly 5 Lo and __! 43 Working for 17 Kennel sound 48 Scottish 6 Make revisions 45 500-mi. race 18 Chicken Little’s landowner 7 Highway division 46 Half-goat men friend 49 Gulf of Bothnia 8 Extended family 48 Kicked back 20 Market island 9 Foxy 49 Some distance 21 PAT value 52 Devour 10 Excessive offer, 50 Feast on Oahu

Solution, page 13 22 Impulses 53 Bonkers perhaps 51 Islamic call to 23 Traffic order 56 Kipling bear 11 Metallic sound prayer 25 Dress 59 Mental impulse 12 The __ Reader 52 Pinza of “South 27 Map key 60 Honor student’s 13 Oriental sauces Pacific” 29 Terrifying grades? 19 Feline grind 54 Group working 33 Occupied 61 Wickerwork willow 24 Chemical suffix together 34 Very long story 62 Minn. neighbor 25 Belinda Carlisle’s 55 Fifth Avenue 35 Sandy hill 63 Operates group landmark 36 Lon of Cambodia 64 “How I Play Golf” 26 Part of U.A.R. 57 Holy cow!

Crossword Puzzle Crossword 37 Service sector author 27 Like notebooks 58 Mil. entertainers Page 12 The Tech December 9, 2008 Grad Student Receives Pretrial Probation After Assault Charge By Michael McGraw-Herdeg so were it not for the professional ap- witness to the arrest, Cambridge Executive Editor proach taken by the police officers in resident Andrew Richardson, who A graduate student has received question.” said that the police’s “efforts to sub- pretrial probation, effectively halting Bonanni was arrested at a film due the kid seemed uncalled-for, an the four charges filed against him in screening at the List Center in the overreaction.” connection with an incident at the List Media Lab, after a police officer’s But MIT’s de facto police chief, Visual Arts Center in October 2007. request to examine a marijuana John DiFava, said in October 2008 If Leonardo Bonanni G stays cigarette behind his ear turned into that he stood by his officers’ training out of trouble for nine months, the a physical altercation involving mul- and that they had responded with ap- charges of assault and battery on a tiple police officers. propriate force to subdue a belliger- police officer, resisting arrest, disor- MIT Police officer Joseph West ent suspect. derly conduct, and marijuana posses- was later treated at Cambridge City Bonanni’s attorney, Viktor Theiss, sion will be dropped. Health and Alliance Hospital for an said he was pleased by the outcome. As a condition of Bonanni’s pro- injury to his left hand that resulted “The system did what it was sup- bation, he was required to write let- from the arrest. The police report posed to do,” he said. They “took a ters to The Tech and to the officer can be found among records filed time out, and if nothing further hap- who arrested him. with the police’s criminal complaint, pens, then the case is dismissed,” he “Despite recent articles in The available at http://tech.mit.edu/V128/ said. “Here’s a guy who has a tremen- Tech regarding the MIT Police De- N49/arrest/. dous future ahead, and who wants to partment,” Bonanni wrote in his Nov. The Tech could contact only one gamble on a trial?” Chelsea Grimm—The Tech 17 letter to The Tech, “I want to as- Gene Lee ’89, a Senior Software Engineer with Walt Disney sure the student body that the officers Animation Studios, lectured on the work of the modeling and I dealt with were courteous through- animation group after a special showing of Disney’s newest out the court proceedings. I was able Letter From Bonanni to The Tech release, Bolt. The free screening and presentation were spon- to resolve my case earlier this week sored by MIT TechFair and LSC on Satuday, Dec. 6. and I would not have been able to do November 17, 2008

167 Erie Street Cambridge, MA 02139

Nick Semenkovich, Editor in Chief The Tech 84 Massachusetts Avenue Suite 483 THANK YOU M.I.T. Cambridge, MA 02139 Dear Editor in Chief Semenkovich,

As you are no doubt aware, I was arrested by the MIT Police Depart- ment in 2007. Despite recent articles in The Tech regarding the MIT Police Department, I want to assure the student body that the officers I dealt with were courteous throughout the court proceedings. I was able to resolve my case earlier this week and I would not have been able to do so were it not for the professional approach taken by the police officers in question.

Very truly yours, Leonardo Bonanni

This letter was mailed to The Tech from the Cambridge District Court. “As a condition of a Pre-trial Probation, Leonardo Bonanni was required to write a letter to your newspaper and to the Police ® Officer involved in his case — I hope this provides resolution to the

® ® matter,” wrote probation officerM arie Burke. (She was unavailable for Bose Wave music system comment on Monday; a reporter left a telephone message.)

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News Briefs, Continued News Briefs, from Page 1

MIT plans to cut spending from its general funds by five percent in 2008–9 and 10–15 percent within three years. The MIT community will have some voice in how those cuts are carried out, in a process to be announced in a letter from Provost L. Rafael Reif and Executive Vice President Theresa M. Stone SM ’76, Kolenbrander said. “Everything is on the table,” Kolenbrander said, including layoffs. Cost-cutting may affect experimentation in teaching by limiting subjects with high per-capita costs, Kolenbrander said. Many new, ex- perimental subjects like the “Elements of Design” class in new Gen- eral Institute Requirements proposal might fall into this category. Despite the recession, donations are still “solid so far,” Kolenbrand- er said. Donations for the Campaign for Students fundraiser, which hopes to raise $500 million by 2011 and claimed $277 million in October 2008, are “right on track,” he said. The student activist group also calling itself the Campaign for Stu- dents distributed flyers to Corporation members at Friday’s meeting; a similar version of their flyer is available as a guest column on page four of today’s issue. Students talked to Corporation members in the morn- ing and met with Institute student life administrators in the afternoon, said group member Christopher J. Varenhost ’09. —Michael McGraw-Herdeg MIT AV Seeks to Stop Off-Hours Lecture Hall Broadcasts MIT Audio Visual staff have implemented “a technical protocol” to prevent broadcasts like the Nov. 24 late-night showing of a couple chatting in the back of 10-250 on channel 11. The broadcast was a “technical oversight,” MIT AV manager Louis W. Graham Jr. said in an e-mail. Lectures and speeches from 10-250, and other rooms, have been regularly broadcast live on channel 11 for the past semester. Before the protocol change, the video cable connecting the 10-250 video sig- nal to MIT Cable was left plugged in, and sometimes broadcasts stayed on after lectures ended. Now, Graham wrote, “The video switching equipment will be pow- ered down at the conclusion of classes and events which require the recording or streaming services. In addition, the video patch cable will be disconnected from the signal path at the conclusion of each event.” During the Nov. 24 broadcast, which had no sound, a couple was clearly visible at the back of the room; they talked for about ten min- utes until a Tech photographer entered and told them they were on T V. MIT AV expects “there will be no repeat of the inadvertent broad- cast of video signals from 10-250 in the future,” Graham wrote. —Michael McGraw-Herdeg

Sale ends December 12, 2008. Discount can only be redeemed at The MIT Coop by Coop members with their Coop Member Card. Discount cannot be combined New Panhel Exec to Take Office with any other discounts. Discount does not apply to textbooks, college rings, cap and gowns, insignia chairs, insignia diploma frames, special orders, or website purchases. Other exclusions may apply. See store for details. The MIT Panhellenic Association, the governing council for the six sororities on campus, chose their new executive council on October 19. The new council will take office this Thursday. The new president, Minh Huynh-Le ’10, said she hopes to better unite all the women on campus through leadership initiatives. The new board will also work to support the new sorority, Pi Beta Phi, during its first year on campus. “One of our goals is to incorporate Pi Beta Phi into recruitment since next year is their first year in full fall formal recruitment.” said HOLIDAY Huynh-Le. “We hope to have a smooth integration.” Pi Beta Phi, which currently has 41 members is also in search of a chapter house. Huynh-Le said that Panhel wants to continue to “reach out to all women on campus” in its leadership programs, which traditionally in- clude Women’s Week and What Women Want, a program whose goal is “to facilitate the close collaboration amongst women on campus, BOOK SALE! successful female student leaders, MIT faculty and administrators, and inspirational speakers,” according to its website (http://web.mit. edu/womensweek/). Huynh-Le said she thought What Women Want is particularly important because it allows women to address issues that are important to female students on campus. Huynh-Le said, “I want to build upon the successes of last year so that we can have a larger impact this year.” Panhel has met with Dean 12/10/08 10am-4pm of Student Life Chris Colombo to discuss ways of accomplishing this goal. Huynh-Le also wants improve Panhel’s philanthropic efforts. She said she hopes that Panhel can take advantage of its new partnership with the Public Service Center in accomplishing this goal. Lobby of Bldg.13 —Omar Abudayyeh New Panhel Executive Council President Minh Huynh-Le ’10 Executive VP Debbie M. Yee ’11 tons of great books, VP of Recruitment Marta D. Milan ’10 VP of Recruitment Programming Jennifer E. Toyzer ’10 VP of Programming Sarika Chandiramani ’10 VP of Public Relations Arti V. Virkud ’11 each 10 bucks or less. VP of Finance and Records Veronica E. Wilson ’11

Solution to Sudoku Solution to Crossword from page 10 from page 11 http://web.mit.edu/bookstore/www          Limit 30 books per customer. MIT ID required.                                     Intriguing reading from arts to sciences.                   The MIT Press Bookstore          [email protected], 292 Main St., Cambridge (617) 253-5249 Open Mon-Fri 9-7, Sat 10-6, Sun 12-6. check our website for special Holiday hours          Page 14 The Tech December 9, 2008 Eating Disorder Treatment Treatment of Adults Suffering from Proposed GIR Changes Receive Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa Informed clinicians refer their clients to Laurel Hill Inn. LHI provides the most Mixed Reactions from Students effective treatment and deploys the highest staff-to-client ratio in New England. We GIR Survey, from Page 1 “capture modes of reasoning that 39 percent of upperclassmen and provide extensive programming in a highly facilitate design,” such as graphical 54 percent of freshman saying they structured and supervised non-institutional judge the flavors differently, and the reasoning, hierarchal reasoning, and would value the flexibility it of- therapeutic setting. Evening, day, and residential treatment as well as “unifying experience” of freshmen approximation. fered. weekly support groups in West Medford and West Somerville. Call taking the GIRs would be lost. The ECS recommended that Fifty percent of upperclass- Linda at 781 396-1116 or visit www.laurelhillinn.com. Other changes to the SME GIRs both the SME Foundations and El- men and 58 percent of freshmen propose two new categories of GIR ements of Design classes undergo supported the introduction of El- classes — SME Foundations and El- experimental and assessment stages ements of Design, but concerns Royal Bengal ements of Design. SME Foundations, before being considered as required were raised that the classes would Boston’s only authentic BengaliCuisine restaurant a 12-unit requirement, would serve elements of the curriculum, an esti- lose relevance if not major-spe- as a base to teach topics relevant to mated time of approximately two to cific, and that the lab requirement 313Mass.Ave., Cambridge many areas of science, mathematics, three years. would be better suited for science (617) 491-1988 Open Daily Except Monday and engineering, such as differential Pertaining to the introduction and humanities majors. There was T: Red Line, Bus#1–CentralSquare 11:30 am–11:30 pm equations or statistics. of SME Foundations, students re- general agreement — 70 percent Lunch Buffet $7.95 10% Discount on $15 Students would have the open of sponding to the survey were gener- upperclassmen, 76 percent fresh- Reasonably Priced Dinners taking one 12-unit class or two 6-unit ally neutral, with 30 percent sup- men — that exposure to design (or more) order with MIT ID. classes, covering the same sub- porting it and 20 percent against it. methods would be beneficial, but jects in less depth, to complete the The reception of the possibility of there were opinions that it could be Free delivery for orders over $10. Foundation requirement. Elements having the option to take two 6-unit fulfilled through other venues like Take-out, platters, and catering available. of Design courses would intend to courses was similarly neutral, with internships and existing classes, http://www.royalbengalrestaurant.com/ and thus should not be a require- ment.

Students support HASS-D restructuring The ECS recommendations for the modifications to the HASS re- quirement are to develop First Year Focus (FYF) subjects, which are tar- geted at freshmen and have central ‘human’ themes such as poverty or justice, and to eliminate the HASS-D system, to be replaced with a three- category system. The goal of the FYF subjects is to teach students to think critically and across disciplines in the humani- ties and to foster a sense of com- munity among students, particularly freshmen. As such, students would be “highly encouraged” to take the subjects freshman year, but could choose to wait until later. New FYF classes will be developed in the next two years, and some current HASS classes will be adapted into FYF subjects. The elimination of the HASS-D categorization would be effective for the Class of 2014. Instead of the HASS-D requirement, in which stu- dents must take three classes from five HASS-D designations, students would be required to take a class from each of the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. The ECS rec- ommended grouping HASS classes by subject, not by department, to allow students to fully explore the distribution of the categories within a subject that incorporates all three. The concentration component of the HASS requirement and the Commu- nications Requirement would not be modified. Reception of the FYF subjects was not as well received as other aspects of the GIR reforms, with 56 percent of freshmen and 61 percent disagreeing with the idea that an FYF class would foster a sense of community. Many students valued the upperclassmen-freshmen inter- action in HASS classes (57 percent of upperclassmen and 53 percent of freshmen), and others thought that freshman year is already restrictive enough. Among students, there was over- whelming support for a restructuring of the HASS-D system. 61 percent of upperclassmen and 62 percent of freshmen found the system confus- ing, and only 29 percent of upper- classmen and 31 percent of fresh- men found it understandable. The proposed system was deemed clear by 79 percent of upperclassmen and 74 percent of freshmen, and students generally thought that the new sys- tem was more flexible than the cur- rent one. The ECS was founded last Octo- ber to refine and revise the recom- mendations made by the 2006 Task Force on the Undergraduate Edu- cational Commons. The Task Force recommendations were more radical than the current proposals; sugges- tions included having students select five classes from six SME categories and only having single and multivari- able calculus, along with mechanics, as requirements. A recent implemen- tation of a Task Force recommenda- tion is the move from double degrees to double majors. December 9, 2008 The Tech Page 15 UA Senate: Students on Dining Someone Took Copies Comm. Must Report on Meetings Of ‘The Tech’ and Left Dining, from Page 1 this mandatory dining fee was one report. of many ideas being considered. For The recent proposals represent Them in NW35 Lounge supposed to publicly discuss details example, James Torres ’10, president the next stage for the committee, of its meetings or recommendations. of the Dormitory Council and also a in which the committee will iterate After Deadline, from Page 1 “Frankly, I wouldn’t even mention The results of the campus-wide sur- member of the Blue Ribbon Com- through various versions of recom- the words “W1” or “disappointed”. vey conducted by the committee in mittee, noted that one initiative that mendations, comparing their ideas vations on W1. As a result of the delay, Focus on the good. The administra- the spring are also being kept secret. has broad support from the commit- against the previously gathered data. some members of the Phoenix Group tion will certainly repay us for our In an e-mail, Donna M. Denon- tee is the possibility of adding more To help with the work of sifting — approximately 50 undergraduates supportive response.” court, associate dean of Residential breakfast options on campus. through the all of the data, the com- currently living in Ashdown House Another member wrote that “there Life and chair of the Blue Ribbon Nevertheless, on Monday night, mittee has hired the consultant firm (NW35) who were slated to move into is currently a student movement called Committee on Dining, said that “the the UA Senate passed a bill without Envision Strategies. W1 and form its first community — the “Campaign for Students” … that committee has forwarded to the con- opposition directing its representa- According to Denoncourt’s e- will graduate before W1 renovations is very displeased with the adminis- sultant preliminary recommenda- tives on the Blue Ribbon Committee mail, Envision Strategies “specializes are finished. Ben Kaduk G, a mem- tration … If we choose to voice our tions based on the data collected thus on Dining to begin reporting publicly in strategic planning and operations ber of the Ashdown House Executive personal opinions to these groups be- far.” She noted that “our hope is to on the activities of the committee. In consulting for restaurants, food ser- Committee, was quoted as saying that fore we release our collective opinion, have an open avenue for reactions part, the bill directs the UA student vice and hospitality, and retail enter- “if long delays are predicted … [the what we choose to say can easily be to the recommendations after the representatives to the committee prises.” Denoncourt also wrote in her Phoenix Group] may disband until W1 misrepresented as our collective opin- Blue Ribbon committee and senior to “publish summaries of all meet- e-mail that the committee’s principal looks like a more practical option.” ion. The administration most likely leadership have had an opportunity ings, past and upcoming,” to “make consultant “has conducted studies at A few days later, many boxes of would not look kindly upon this.” to review the findings from the con- public any proposals that leave the 5 of MIT’s peer institutions.” Envi- Issue 49 were found in a lounge in Housemaster Flynn also wrote to sultant.” committee,” and to “fully report on sion Strategies lists consulting for NW35. Phoenix Group graduate res- the group, telling them to “please ig- Though the idea of a “minimum all discussions held, all proposals Harvard University, the University ident tutor Leah C. Acker wrote in a nore the headline [indicating that the nutritional fee,” along with many written, and all data considered by of Washington, Princeton University, e-mail that she was not aware of stu- group may dissolve] on p.16 of The others, has been sent to the commit- the committee to the UA.” The bill the University of North Carolina at dents in the Phoenix Group stealing Tech … They are quoting one gradu- tee’s outside consultant for feasibil- was co-sponsored by 13 UA Sena- Chapel Hill, and Ohio State Univer- copies of The Tech, and referred a re- ate student [Ben Kaduk] who has no ity evaluation, it is still in its early tors, officers, and other representa- sity among its recent projects on its porter to Suzanne Flynn, housemas- insider track on information — trust stages. Committee member and UA tives. A copy of the bill is available website. ter of NW35. Flynn did not respond me. We will survive this and come out Vice President Michael A. Bennie online at: http://tech.mit.edu/V128/ Envision Strategies should return to an e-mail request for comment. a much stronger community as well. ’10 said that he expected the current N61/dining/ their evaluations in early January, in Although it is not clear why the Let’s generate our ideas for [Dean for set of proposals to go through many According to Torres, the commit- time for the next committee meeting copies of The Tech were stolen, mem- Student Life] Chris Colombo.” more iterations before the committee tee spent much of its first year gath- later that month, according to Ben- bers of the Phoenix Group wrote to At the Ashdown House Executive finishes its work. “The student repre- ering data from which to draw its nie. each other on the day Issue 49 was Committee, however, the administra- sentatives aren’t going to let some- recommendations. Much of fall 2007 The committee has not set a published that they were upset with tion did discuss the possibility of the thing happen that will present an was spent with focus groups, while deadline for its final recommenda- the Tech article’s assertions that the Phoenix Group disbanding. unreasonable burden on students,” spring 2008 was centered around a tions yet, said Bennie. “I think we’re group may dissolve, and were still Flynn later wrote in an e-mail to he said. detailed campus-wide survey of stu- definitely in the beginning stages,” hoping that the renovations would the group that she would “write to Bennie also emphasized that all dents and faculty. According to Ben- said Torres. Bennie foresaw the take place. [Dean for Graduate Education] Steve of the proposals thus far were being nie, that survey received about 3,900 committee working at least until In e-mails provided to The Tech, Lerman and find out what was said at considered independently, and that responses and resulted in a 100-page May 2009. one member wrote to the group: the AHEC meeting.”

Have a safe and happy winter holiday! Page 16 The Tech December 9, 2008

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Presented by the Falun Dafa Association of New England Sponsored by the MIT Falun Dafa Club December 9, 2008 The Tech Page 17 Their Endowments Crumbling, Journal of Visualized Schools Make Contingency Plans Experiments Publishes By Peter Schworm stark sign of the economic times, next year because of rising unem- The Boston Globe Harvard said the value of its invest- ployment, declining home values, MIT Research Online For years, it seemed simple: ments had plunged 22 percent, or and the scarcity of private loans. Donations rolled in, the booming approximately $8 billion, in the past (Government-backed loans are ex- JoVE, from Page 1 Engineering and Computer Science, stock market multiplied them, and four months. Even that stunning pected to be widely available.) published a project titled “Patterning college endowments swelled. At the figure, university officials wrote, “We’re not agonizing over because it can encourage the propa- of Embryonic Stem Cells Using the wealthiest schools, millions became probably underestimated “the full the endowment losses,” said Bob gation of prions, mis-folded proteins Bio Flip Chip” last October. billions, and even small colleges extent of losses for this period.” The Brown, president of Boston Univer- that cause Mad Cow disease and The Bio Flip Chip is a micro- amassed sizable fortunes. university anticipates a 30 percent sity, which froze hiring and imposed Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. fabricated silicon chip containing But with the Wall Street collapse loss by next June, in keeping with a moratorium on all new construc- Halfmann said that, before film- thousands of microwells — cylinders this fall, all bets are off. Now, col- projections from Moody’s Investors tion projects in October. “All of ing, JoVE editors wrote a script for that are about the size of a cell. These leges across the country that have Service. our anxiety is around our students, him to explain the protocol based on cylinders can be filled with cells by watched years of double-digit re- That news followed a string of and their financial ability to attend. a paper he submitted, and sent a free- simply pipetting onto the chips, forc- turns wash away are scrambling to grim announcements from wealthy That’s an absolutely fundamental lance videographer to his lab to film ing cells into the microwells. readjust to a stark new economic re- universities this fall. The value of shift from the past few years.” the project. “The best way to do a project is to ality, with endowments predicted to Amherst College’s $1.7 billion en- At Wellesley College, finance “Being able to describe your do it with someone, and JoVE some- plummet by an average of nearly 30 dowment plunged 25 percent, while officials have been tinkering with work by video as well as in the sub- how comes in the middle, because percent this academic year. Dartmouth’s fell by $220 million in projection models by adjusting for sequent commentary [posted on the you get to watch someone doing it,” Universities, a pivotal sector of three months to $3.4 billion. Wil- unemployment rates and other eco- site] makes science more commu- Voldman said. the New England economy, are cast- liams College’s dropped by $500 nomic variables to estimate student nicative,” said Halfmann, who has Voldman has visited the site a ing a wary eye on nearly everything million to about $1.3 billion. Many financial need. published other research in tradition- few times since his research was they do. other schools, while declining to “It’s a major unknown and a ma- al journals. “I think the motivation published and said, “I don’t think Many schools, after racing to provide specifics, have acknowl- jor concern,” Andrew B. Evans, the barrier for other researchers trying there is anything that actually needs build glittering research centers edged substantial losses. college’s treasurer and vice presi- a new technique is lowered if they improvement in JoVE, though I am and multimillion-dollar dorms in In response to the downturn, col- dent for finance, said of potential actually see and hear how the tech- not really the target audience; people recent years, are shelving or down- leges have combed their budgets in aid requests. “But you can’t assume nique is done rather than just reading in trenches are!” scaling long-term plans. Without search of savings. MIT, whose en- the norm in this environment. You about it … I’m very happy with the hefty endowment proceeds, even dowment had been worth nearly $10 have to adjust.” exposure my work has gotten with the wealthiest schools — among billion but has not said how much What many colleges are assum- this publication format.” Good luck them Harvard, MIT, and Dartmouth it has fallen, said it would trim its ing, Evans said, is that hard times Joel Voldman, an associate pro- — suddenly find themselves in the budget by $50 million. Harvard said will not pass soon. fessor in the Department of Electrical on finals! unfamiliar situation of trimming it would reconsider both the “scale “This kind of pain will be felt by budgets and freezing hiring to off- and the pace” of planned expan- everybody,” he said. “It will not be set heavy investment losses. Even sions, including its sweeping plan a quick fix.” more worrisome, colleges are ques- to expand across the Charles River The recession will also hurt pub- tioning whether the recession finally in Allston. lic colleges, as many public state — after years of tuition increases — Tufts is projecting a 25 percent systems are bracing for steep reduc- pushes their cost beyond the means drop in the value of its $1.4 billion tions in subsidies. of most families. endowment, leading to $24 million Yet while endowment values “It’s a sea change,” said Molly in lost income next year, and sus- have plummeted, most schools still Corbett Broad, president of the pended new capital projects this fall. hold significant reserves, and early American Council on Education, The university may also be forced to signs indicate that applications to the nation’s primary higher educa- abandon its policy, in some cases, public and private schools are up. tion association. “There is a lot of of admitting all students without re- “With endowments, colleges soul-searching going on.” gard to their ability to pay, Bacow take the long view,” said Richard Most colleges are confident that said. Doherty, president of the Associa- their finances are fundamentally Brown University announced a tion of Independent Colleges and sound, and that they will be able to hiring freeze through January and Universities in Massachusetts. weather the hard times. But in many is considering which big projects “They’re saying ‘This gets us back ways, the scope of the financial cri- could be delayed. to 2006 levels, and we did OK in sis has raised the unsettling prospect Other colleges, particularly 2006.” that the landscape has permanently those whose students rely heavily Even before the downturn, high shifted. At least for now, many ad- on financial aid, said they are as tuition and stagnant incomes threat- ministrators suspect, the days of worried about their students’ financ- ened to put college out of reach for vast capital campaigns, state-of-the es as their own. Boston College has a growing segment of society, a new art fitness centers, and generous fi- called for a 2 percent budget cut to national study found last week. nancial aid increases could be over. reinforce its financial aid reserves, “There are schools that are quite Instead, finance directors are and other schools, such as Princ- worried the families and students crafting contingency plans for a pro- eton and Tufts, said they will spend they have been serving will be un- longed downturn, a sharp departure millions more on student assistance able to afford even with financial from years of ambitious expansions next year. aid to go to college,” Broad said. “If and seemingly bottomless student Colleges are expecting a sharp that happens on any kind of a scale, demand. And recruiters at private increase in financial aid requests it could be a national disaster.” colleges worry that families, reeling from declining home and invest- ment values and scarce credit, will flock to less expensive schools. The Sloan Subject Bidding (SloanBid) System “I think we’re reaching a tipping point,” said Jack Maguire, a leading Bidding Dates for Spring, 2009 Courses higher education consultant. “Col- leges are worried that some families just won’t be able to afford it any- more.” https://sloanbid.mit.edu Colleges with modest endow- First time logging in? Use your MIT ID as both your log in and password. Follow instructions on the site to ments and significant numbers of change your password or retrieve lost passwords. Once logged in, make sure and check that your information financially needy students are at the (i.e. program of study and graduation date) is correct. greatest risk, Maguire said. If they raise tuition sharply, he said, the schools risk losing families to low- Institute-wide bidding for Sloan subjects: er-cost schools; if they don’t, their financial aid budgets will likely fall Opens 9:00 a.m., Friday, December 19 well short of demand. With so many unknowns, col- Closes 5:00 p.m., Monday, December 29 leges are worried that any plans will almost immediately be outdated. “The volatility is paralyzing,” Waitlist Round for closed Sloan subjects: said Lawrence S. Bacow, president of Tufts University, which is seek- Opens 9:00 a.m., Friday, January 2 ing $36 million in budget cuts for Closes 5:00 p.m., Friday, January 9 next year. “I think everyone is ask- ing hard questions now.” The speed and scope of the shift Section Swap Round for sectioned Sloan subjects: has sent shockwaves through cam- puses. Opens 9:00 a.m., Tuesday, January 13 In September, Harvard Univer- sity announced that its endowment, Closes 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, January 20 by far the country’s largest, had Henisi. Pat, cor sum nos doloreet elesseq uatuera esectem doloboreet, con heniscidunt at, quat dolobore diam, veliquisl el ut adip eraesto duis dolor sum ex exeros ea faci ea amcommo lorper adit nullaor at, commy nosto odolenim nostrud et laore feu facidunt alit lutetue modolor accum ea am, quamcon sequat wisl ullam, consequat. Iquat. Ut el iure feugait elit, quis adionsectet ex endre facip er accum zzrit lor sustis aut verit, sed modolor eraessim et dolore duis nisis ad minit in vendrem quatums andigna feuissed enim zzriusci tem nos dipsusto od magniat wismod tat, voluptat. Ut amcon volesequisl iure deliscillam quatetum dolorpe riusto del eriusto core facilit, qui tem nonsenim zzriustrud dolore conse molestrud modolore corpercilla feu faccum quisci blan volut iustrud minim ipsum ad magnibh esequatem qui bla con volor sectem zzrit eum nonum ese dolortisis amconullaore vulla feu feu feu feum duipsus tionsectem erci tet aci endreet lor si. risen to a staggering $36.9 billion Magnim do doloreet, conulput wisi ex ex eu facincilit alit iustissed eugue vel dolore vent as of June 30. But last week, in a Please contact Scott Alessandro, [email protected], if you have questions regarding Sloan LEGAL COUNSEL Course Bidding. MIT students, family, employers and start-ups seeking U.S. legal counsel, campus or office consultation. Call: Successful bids will appear on your Registration Form on February 2 and will be posted on the James Dennis Leary, Esq. bidding website as of January 2 -- write down your password to check results! 321-544-0012 Page 18 The Tech December 9, 2008

2.009: Fire-Extinguishing Microwaves to Coffee Tables The Product Engineering Pro- to accommodate various pieces pression system built around cess (2.009) final presentations of cookware placed at arbitrary commercially-available 50¢ car- took place on Dec. 8 in building locations on its surface. bon dioxide cartridges. 34. Students spent the semes- ter developing and prototyping Members of the Yellow Team Audience members attending products for “the home,” the take down their ModuWall por- the final presentations sat in the theme of this year’s class, and table do-it-yourself wall system. aisles of room 34-101 as most showcased them to faculty, stu- The wall system used vertical or all of the seats were taken. dents, and corporate sponsors. posts, composite panels, and The room nominally seats 325 flexible strips with industrial people. (clockwise from top left) mushroom-head Velcro (used to attach armor to tanks) to pro- J. Kim Vandiver PhD ’75 and Jared A. Sartee ’09 unfolds “eli- vide privacy and sound isolation Wenxian Hong ’10 play with a ka,” the Green Team’s collaps- for roommates. prototype of the Blue Team’s ible designer coffee table. The “DOT it” portable Braille label table featured carbon fiber and Michael L. Stern ’09 discusses maker. The label maker used stainless steel components, and the Red Team’s fire safe micro- battery powered electronics and folded flat with a twisting mo- wave. The microwave, shown servo motors to emboss Braille tion, permitting it to be slid un- partially disassembled here, characters into commercially der a couch or hung on a wall. contains built-in spark and fire available Braille labeling tape. detection systems, as well as Professor David Wallace PhD ’95 an automatic, reusable fire sup- Photography by Martin Segado (center) and several members of the Silver Team stand behind the team’s “Infinite Range” pro- totype. This cooktop featured a touchscreen interface and an array of 95 independent heating and sensing elements intended December 9, 2008 Sp o r t s The Tech Page 19

Sc o r e b o a r d Consider it the original terrain park. Men’s Basketball Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008 MIT (5-3) 76 Lesley University (2-6) 43 Saturday, Dec. 6, 2008 Tufts University (4-3) 79 MIT (6-3) 66

Women’s Basketball Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008 Albertus Magnus College (5-3) 60 MIT (2-4) 64 Saturday, Dec. 6, 2008 Bay Path College (2-5) 43 MIT (3-4) 50

Men’s Fencing Sunday, Dec. 7, 2008 Brown University 20 MIT (3-6) 7 St. John’s University 15 MIT (3-7) 12 Yale University 15 MIT (3-8) 12

Women’s Fencing Sunday, Dec. 7, 2008 Brown University 16 MIT (6-4) 11 College Students Cornell University 11 Get 15% OFF full-price items. MIT (7-4) 16 Must show valid college ID. Restrictions apply; visit store for details. St. John’s University 14 MIT (7-5) 13 Harvard Square Yale University 16 1 Brattle Square MIT (7-6) 11 Second Floor 617-864-2061

Men’s Ice Hockey Friday, Dec. 5, 2008 Made possible by the Council for the Arts at MIT MIT (3-3-1) 5 Westfield State College (4-2-1) 4 Free tickets for MIT students! Women’s Ice Hockey Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008 College of the Holy Cross (8-0-1) 6 Boston Chamber Music Society MIT (1-4-0) 1 Holiday Concert: An Evening with Mozart Saturday, Dec. 6, 2008 2 tickets per MIT student ID Manhattanville College (7-1-0) 6 MIT (1-5-0) 0 Friday, December 12, at 7:30pm First Church in Cambridge, Congregational, 11 Garden Street, Cambridge Rifle Friday-Saturday, Dec. 5-6, 2008 Virginia Military Institute 4331 Duo for Violin and Viola in B-flat major, K. 424 Massachusetts Maritime Academy 4030 Oboe Quartet in F major, K. 370 Wentworth Institute of Technology 4316 Divertimento in E-flat major for String Trio, K. 563 MIT (16-6) 4440 Peggy Pearson, oboe Squash Ida Levin, violin Saturday, Dec. 6, 2008 Marcus Thompson, viola Tufts University (2-5) 6 Rhonda Rider, cello MIT (5-3) 3

Men’s Swimming Boston Modern Orchestra Project Friday-Saturday, Dec. 5-6, 2008 Boston ConNECtion MIT Invitational 2 tickets per MIT student ID MIT 1st of 7 Saturday, January 17, 2009, at 8:00pm Women’s Swimming Jordan Hall at New England Conservatory Friday-Saturday, Dec. 5-6, 2008 MIT Invitational MIT 3rd of 7 Featuring work by New England Conservatory Composers: Kati Agocs, Peter Maxwell Davies, Michael Gandolfi, and John Heiss Wrestling Saturday, Dec. 6, 2008 Tickets available at the MIT Office of the Arts (E15-205) RIT Tournament Monday - Friday, 2 - 5:30pm in person, first-come, first-served only MIT 10th of 13 http://web.mit.edu/arts/see/freetickets/index.html Page 20 The Tech December 9, 2008 Sp o r t s The Tech’s Athlete of the Week: Jimmy Bartolotta ’09 On Saturday, December 6, James M. “Jimmy” Bartolotta ’09 scored 31 points, leading the men’s basketball team to a 79-66 victory over the Tufts University Jumbos. This impressive performance put Bartolotta’s career total at MIT over 1,700 points, making him the first Institute basketball player to reach that mark. The previous record, which had stood unchallenged for 32 years, was held by Campbell Lange ’76, who finished his career at MIT with 1,699 points. Bartolotta has been having a streak of successful games, Saturday’s match-up with Tufts marked the four- teenth 30-point game of his career, and the fourth this season. His previous three 30-point games this year came back-to-back against Curry College, Suffolk University, and Salem State College. Additionally, Bartolotta has now netted at least 12 points in 38 consecutive games, an impressive streak that dates back to his sophomore year. In the Engineers’ game against Curry on November 25, Bartolotta scored 43 points to set another Institute record for points scored in a single game. That record had stood for 46 years, having been set by David H. Koch ’62 against Middlebury College. Koch is of course better known for his presence on the MIT corporation and as the principal donor to the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research. —Aaron Sampson, Sports Editor

Men’s Ice Hockey Defeats Westfield State in Shootout Three weeks after the teams skated to a 3-3 tie, MIT and Westfield State again needed extra time with the Engineers prevailing, 5-4, Friday night. Three regulation periods and one overtime could not break the 4-4 tie and the teams headed to a shootout. Dustin P. Kendrick ’10 was the only player to score in the shootout, securing the win for MIT. The Engineers captured the lead courtesy of three unanswered goals in the first nine minutes Sports of the third period. Nick R. LaBounty ’09 (from Ryan W. Ballentine ’09) scored first, with Kev- in M. Farino ’10 adding his second goal with 13:50 left in regulation with help from LaBounty and Michael C. Kozlowski G. Jeremy D. Myers G gave MIT its first lead of the game just 1:05 Shorts later, hooking up with Kendrick and Kozlowski. Myers’ goal appeared to be enough to secure the win for the Engineers until Joshua Almedia tied the game at four with 6:40 to go. Neither team was able to break through in the overtime period and the teams headed to a shootout. Each team was denied in the first three attempts, as goaltenders Stephen L. Yablonski ’11 and Dyland Wood stood tall. Kendrick finally broke through on the fourth penalty shot to give MIT the win. —Greg McKeever, DAPER Staff Women’s Basketball Rallies Past Bay Path, 50-43 Vibin Kundukulam A key 11-2 spurt that spanned seven minutes in the second half helped propel the MIT women’s basketball team Willard J. Johnson ’09 (center) and James M. Bartolotta ’09 to a 50-43 victory over Bay Path College on Saturday. Cheryl M. Kwinn ’09 posted 13 points, 11 rebounds, and fight for the rebound during the Engineers’ game against Tufts four steals for the Engineers. on Dec. 6. The two seniors led MIT to a win with a final score Bay Path gradually established an 11-6 lead midway through the opening half before MIT fought back to even of 79-66. the contest at 12 on a jumper by Kwinn. The Wildcats notched 11 unan- swered points for a 23-12 advantage with 29 seconds on the clock. With four seconds left, Kwinn hit the front-end of her free throws as Kristen E. Whaley ’11 gathered the offensive board and scored a layup to cut the deficit to 23-15 at the break. The Engineers opened the second stanza with 10 straight points, in- cluding a pair of layups by Emily A. Prentice ’11 that put MIT ahead by two (25-23) at the 14:23 mark. Three ties ensued before a free throw from Jessica Hunt gave Bay Path a 30-29 edge. The Engineers responded by scoring 11 of the next 13 points, capped by a three-pointer from Jamie L. Simmons ’12 with 3:50 left to play. The Wildcats narrowed the gap to six on three occasions, but four free throws by Simmons coupled with a layup by Kwinn maintained MIT’s lead. —James Kramer, DAPER Staff

Up c o m i n g Ho m e Ev e n t s Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2008 Men’s Basketball vs. Emerson College 7 p.m., Rockwell Cage

Saturday, Dec. 13, 2008 Pistol USA Shooting Junior Olympics 9 a.m., duPont Athletic Center Allison M. Alwan—The Tech Daniel E. Klenk ’09 swam the 200 yard butterfly at the MIT Invitational this past Saturday. The Saturday, Jan. 3, 2009 men’s team came in first out of seven teams, and the women’s team finished third. Women’s Basketball vs. Simmons College 1 p.m., Rockwell Cage

MIT Offi cial Sports GEAR including hats, t-shirts and more items with the name of your favorite team!

To purchase items go ON-LINE: www.mitathletics.com then click on “Athletics Merchandise” ON CAMPUS: DAPER Main Desk, W35 lobby

Your purchase supports MIT sports programming. Steve Howland—The Tech -Thank you! Samir Zaidi ’09 stretches for a shot in MIT’s game against Tufts University on Dec. 6. Tufts won the match 6-3. MIT wins went to John Kucharczyk ’11, Robert Habib ’11, and Ned Carpenter CME ’10.

DAPER-merch-TechAd.indd 1 11/26/2008 1:20:24 PM