The Weather Today: Partly cloudy. Breezy. Low MIT’s 28°F (-2°C) High 46°F (8°C) Tonight: Partly cloudy to mostly Oldest and Largest clear. Much colder. Low 17°F (-8°C) Newspaper Tomorrow: Mostly sunny. Cold. High 26°F (-3°C) Details, Page 2 Volume 128, Number 4 Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 Friday, February 15, 2008 Bertucci’s Dismisses Two of MIT’s Offers To Accept TechCASH By Ryan Ko with each vendor [the contract] and STAFF REPORTER the fee used to cover the costs of our Bertucci’s has declined two of- TechCASH system,” he said. fers from MIT within the past two Bertucci’s declined both MIT’s months to accept TechCASH at its initial offer and a second, improved popular location in Central Square, offer, said Hoffman. Regarding the according to Undergraduate As- per-transaction fee in the second sociation Dining Committee Chair offer, Director of Campus Dining Christopher K. Hoffman ’08. Richard D. Berlin III said, “We went A campus-wide survey conduct- as low as we could ever go.” ed by the UA in the first week of Bertucci’s was unavailable for November 2007 initially suggested comment. Bertucci’s as one of two restaurants “The fee wasn’t as much a stum- to be approached by MIT regarding bling block with Bertucci’s as the TechCASH. According to Hoffman, nights of operation,” said McDon- Bertucci’s was the “overwhelming ald. Campus dining halls are least DAVID He—THE TECH On Feb. 7, Charlize Theron received Hasty Pudding Theatricals’ 2008 “Woman of the Year” Award favorite” in the survey, with around accessible on Friday and Saturday at Harvard. She was accompanied in the parade by Hasty Pudding Theatricals’ Vice President David 20 percent of students voting for it. nights, which are already Bertucci’s Andersson, President Evan Eachus, and other members dressed in drag. The runner-up was the Pour House busiest nights, according to McDon- Bar and Grill in Boston, a popular ald. The UA survey was to identify restaurant for students. dining options for students on nights Director of Enterprise Services when campus dining is unavailable, John M. McDonald initially ap- said Hoffman. Pour House is a very MIT Discusses Community Impact proached Bertucci’s over winter va- popular option for students on Satur- cation with a standard TechCASH day nights because of its half price offer — similar to those presented to burger promotion. At Cambridge Town Gown Meeting other off-campus vendors. Accord- On Feb. 3, Hoffman asked the ing to Hoffman, the offer involves UA Senate and UA Dining Commit- By Emily Prentice Richard L. Amster, Jr., the director tional 207,000 gross square feet for the purchasing of an additional card tee via e-mail to solicit letters from STAFF REPORTER of Facilities Planning and Construc- classrooms. The Sloan expansion is reader similar to a credit card reader, their respective constituencies ask- On Tuesday night, MIT met with tion. MIT’s major upcoming project expected to be finished in 2010. as well as the use of a phone line or ing Bertucci’s to accept TechCASH. the Cambridge Planning Board at is the Koch Institute for Integrative The report also included informa- internet connection. MIT would also Hoffman has since compiled several the annual Town Gown meeting to Cancer Research. Amster said that tion about the construction of New charge a per-use fee, according to report on its relationship with the MIT “plans to break ground next Ashdown (NW35), the new graduate McDonald. “We typically negotiate TechCASH, Page 13 Cambridge community, includ- month.” The site for the building is dormitory to be located at the corner ing the status of past and pending at the intersection of Main St. and of Pacific St. and Albany St. New building projects. Lesley University, Ames St., on part of the current lo- Ashdown, which will include 550 Harvard University, and Cambridge cation of the East parking lot. beds, will be completed in time for College also presented at the public New parking will be provided by the Fall 2008 semester. meeting, which evaluates the institu- the Sloan School expansion, where The current Ashdown House, tions’ impacts on the community. an underground parking lot will in- at 305 Memorial Dr., will be trans- The updates on the state of con- clude 425 parking spaces. The Sloan struction at MIT were provided by School will also receive an addi- Town Gown, Page 12 Student Center Subway Responds To Complaints With Cameras, Name Tags By Lulu Wang brought directly to the attention of 2007. According to UA President STAFF REPORTER the manager. The owner’s phone Martin F. Holmes ’08, the most com- The Subway located in the Stu- number and e-mail are posted on the mon criticisms were directed toward dent Center has recently made sev- counter to further encourage com- slow service and food that was not eral changes to service following munication between the Subway and prepared to satisfaction. complaints from MIT students. its customers. Hoffman said that both the owner Employees now wear name tags, Christopher K. Hoffman ’08, and manager of Subway were re- which allow customers to easily Chairman of the Undergraduate sponsive to complaints after being identify an individual in case of a Association Committee on Dining, approached by Hoffman and Hol- dispute or other follow-up. A com- recalled that the UA first drew at- mes and agreed to make a number ment box has also been added so tention to the complaints during the suggestions or complaints can be Senate retreat in mid-November of Subway, Page 14 Ex-Northern Illinois University Student Slays Five Students, Wounds 16 Others By Monica Davey gun, the authorities and witnesses jured. Hospital officials said several and Susan Saulny said. of the students had been shot in the THE NEW YORK TIMES The man shot again and again, head. DEKALB, ILL. witnesses said, perhaps 20 times. The gunman, whom the authori- With minutes left in a class in Students in the large lecture hall, ties did not immediately identify, ocean sciences at Northern Illinois stunned, dropped to the floor. also died of a self-inflicted gunshot ERIC SCHMIEDl—THE TECH University on Thursday afternoon, Five people, all of them students, wound, Peters said, noting that the Petek Saracoglu ’09 performs “The Woman Who Loved to Make a tall skinny man dressed in black were killed, John G. Peters, the presi- man’s body was found on the stage Vaginas Happy” at a rehearsal of “The Vagina Monologues.” stepped out from behind a curtain dent of Northern Illinois University, of the lecture hall. Police from the The Monologues will be performed this Friday and Saturday. on the stage of the lecture hall, said said at a news conference on Thurs- nothing, and opened fire with a shot- day evening. Sixteen others were in- Shooting, Page 17 Comics NEWS CAMPUS LIFE / ARTS World & Nation ............. 2 Researchers discover a solar Figuring out Fashion: A Valen- Opinion .................... 4 system that resembles our own tine’s Day New Look Campus Life ................ 5 Page 5 Arts ....................... 6 Page 10 ‘Blue State’ Movie Review Comics / Fun Pages .......... 8 Page 8 Page 6 Sports .................... 20 Page THE TECH February 15, 008 WORLD & NATION U.S. Agrees to Produce Data Top Officials Make Bleaker On Iran’s Nuclear Ambitions By David E. Sanger and Elaine Sciolino Assessment of U.S. Economy THE NEW YORK TIMES The Bush administration has agreed to turn over to international By Edmund L. Andrews Stock prices, which normally up speed later in the year. But, he said, inspectors intelligence data it has collected that it says proves Iran THE NEW YORK TIMES rally when the Fed hints it will lower “the downside risks to growth have worked on developing a nuclear weapon until a little more than four WASHINGTON borrowing costs, tumbled instead. increased,” noting that spiraling loss- years ago, according to American and foreign diplomats. With the credit markets once The Dow Jones industrial average es in home mortgages have dragged The decision reverses the United States’ longstanding refusal to again deteriorating, the nation’s two dropped 175 points, or 1.4 percent; down the credit markets and shaken share the data, citing the need to protect intelligence sources. top economic policymakers acknowl- broader stock indexes dropped by the broader economy. The administration acted as the International Atomic Energy Agen- edged Thursday that the outlook for similar amounts. While trying to be optimistic, cy is scheduled to issue a report as early as next week on Iran’s past the economy had worsened, as both Anxiety is escalating among in- Paulson said that the administration’s nuclear activities. Administration officials hope that the nuclear in- came under criticism for being over- stitutional lenders and major borrow- forecast “would be less, but I do be- spectors can now confront Iran with what the Americans believe is the taken by events and failing to act ers, as the panic over soaring default lieve we’ll keep growing.” strongest evidence that the Iranians had a nuclear program. boldly enough. rates on subprime mortgages that be- Many Wall Street economic fore- The Bush administration’s refusal to turn over the data has been a In testimony to Congress, Ben S. gan last summer continues to spread, casters, however, are already estimat- source of friction with Mohammed ElBaradei, the director general of Bernanke, the chairman of the Fed- freezing up credit for municipalities, ing that the risks of a recession are at the agency, who has argued that Iran must be given a fair chance to eral Reserve, signaled that the Fed hospitals, student loans and even in- least 50-50, and a growing number examine some of the case that Washington has developed.