MIT’s The Weather Oldest and Largest Today: Cloudy, cool, 45°F (7°C) Tonight: Partly cloudy, 38°F (3°C) Newspaper Tomorrow: Cloudy, 48°F (9°C) Details, Page 2 Volume 124, Number 15 Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 Friday, March 30, 2004 MIT Voices Opinions About Gay Marriage By Kathy Dobson groups, such as GaMIT and MIT STAFF REPORTER Queer Women’s Group, to mobilize As an amendment to the Massa- members of the MIT community to chusetts Constitution to ban same- protest the same-sex marriage ban sex marriage and establish civil amendment. unions was Nationwide, however, supporters approved of same-sex marriage have been in Feature by the leg- the minority, according to polls in islature yesterday, students, faculty, The Economist. Other MIT groups, staff and community groups such as the Tech Catholic Commu- expressed a variety of opinions and nity, hold strong beliefs that same- reactions on the same-sex marriage sex marriage or unions should not debate. be allowed. The question of whether mar- The legalization of same-sex riage, historically sanctioned by the marriage by the Massachusetts state as between a man and woman, Supreme Court before this recent can and should include couples of action by the legislature, and the the same sex has become one of the resulting debate and proposed most contested nationwide social amendment, has encouraged some issues in recent history. to accelerate their marriage plans, The fundamental dilemmas and has aroused feelings of frustra- being raised in the Massachusetts legislature inspired some student Gay, Page 23 PETER R. RUSSO—THE TECH Protesters display their disapproval of President Bush outside the Park Plaza Hotel in Boston on Thursday, March 25. The President was in town for several hours to deliver a private $2000-per- Architecture Students plate fund raising speech at the hotel. Plan Asian University By Tongyan Lin MIT participate specifically, with the Index Theorem Wins Isadore Award ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR goal of the project to “present to the By Gireeja V. Ranade Edinburgh, who on Thursday were vides a formula to calculate the MIT’s Architecture graduate stu- AUW four schemes” that are “very ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR jointly awarded the Abel Prize for difference between the number of dents are helping to design a cam- different” in order to encourage dis- After half an hour of vigorously 2004 by the Norwegian Academy independent solutions and con- pus for the Asian University for cussion by the middle of the year, explaining just the statement of the of Science and Letters. straints of a system of differential Women (AUW) in Chittagong, Pendleton-Jullian said. They will also index theorem on blackboard, Pro- “One of the things we have equations, called the index of the Bangladesh. present one scheme that “we believe, fessor of learned from the index theorem is system. The students are led by Associ- with our experience, is the best.” Mathemat- the unity of mathematics,” Singer The role of the index is parallel ate Professor of Architecture Ann These schemes are master plans Feature icssaid. to that which the difference M. Pendleton-Jullian, and are col- that will not detail rooms of the uni- Richard B. The Abel Prize is a highly pres- between the row and the column laborating with students from the versity, but will, according to the Melrose asked with a flourish, tigious award in mathematics, and ranks of a matrix plays in a system Rhode Island School of Design. AUW web site, determine “the loca- “Now doesn’t that make you want is awarded every year, starting in of linear equations. Through the The AUW is funded by a multi- tion, phasing, and general character to be a mathematician?” Obvious- 2003. theorem, Atiyah and Singer gener- national committee that aims to pro- of proposed buildings roads, paths, ly, the answer was yes! alized the concept of the equality vide education for South Asian outdoor classrooms, parking service The index theorem, which The index theorem of the row-rank and the column- women from rural or underprivi- areas, and landscape.” brings together topology, geometry “The index theorem is about the rank of a matrix, which for matri- leged backgrounds, and prepare and analysis was discovered and possibility of solving differential ces would imply a unique solution, them to take leadership positions in Project’s agenda is to teach proved by MIT Institute Professor equations,” said the Head of the Melrose said. those countries. The project is part of the Master Isadore M. Singer and Sir Michael MIT Mathematics Department The AUW requested that the Francis Atiyah of the University of David A. Vogan. The theorem pro- Abel, Page 18 Rhode Island School of Design and ASU, Page 22 Celeste Fowler Celeste Fowler of Fowler SCUBA diving, with the words G, a Joint Program “doing what she loved most” underneath PhD student at the the photo. Fowler was fond of SCUBA Woods Hole diving and photography, and briefly Oceanographic worked for SeaPics.com, a company spe- Institution in cializing in marine life photos. Ocean Engineer- Fowler joined the Institute community ing, died of in June 2003 with long list of accolades to metastatic her name. She earned a Cum Laude degree melanoma on in Computer Science at Princeton Univer- March 21, 2004. Fowler was 32 years old. sity within three years. During and after Fowler was diagnosed with cancer Princeton, Fowler worked in computer approximately eight weeks before her graphics for a number of top companies, death, but her parents said she was able to including Microsoft, Silicon Graphics, maintain a surprisingly upbeat attitude AvantGo, and the Scripps Institution of throughout the early months of 2004. Oceanography. She joined the Institute as “After Celeste had survived a particularly an MIT Presidential Fellow. grueling round of chemotherapy someone Colleagues and professors said that she cautiously sticking his head in her door was able to accomplish much in her short was greeted with Mark Twain's line, time in the program. Her advisor, Hanu- ‘Reports of my death have been greatly mant Singh, described her lab work as exaggerated,’” her parents wrote in an “fantastic,” but added “more importantly, obituary they sent to The Daily Star. she was an awesome personality. She was DANIEL R. BERSAK—THE TECH To commemorate her life, the Depart- Saul T. Griffith G cuts through the water on a kiteboard in South Boston’s Plea- ment of Ocean Engineering put up posters Fowler, Page 14 sure Bay Friday, March 26. The Get Up Comics OPINION World & Nation . 2 Kids shine in Chen Zhao discusses the recent Opinion . 4 their perfor- Supreme Court case discussing Arts . 6 mance at the Pledge of Allegiance. Events Calendar . .11 Axis. Sports . .20 Page 6 Page 8 Page 5 Page 2 THE TECH March 30, 2004 WORLD & NATION Attorney General Rejects Romney’s Sept. 11 Commission To Ask Bid To Halt Gay Marriages THE BOSTON GLOBE Rice To Testify Under Oath Massachusetts Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly Monday night rejected Governor Mitt Romney’s bid to seek a Supreme Judicial By Philip Shenon might lead to a compromise over sion, Rice was not required to be Court order to delay implementation of its gay marriage ruling, creat- and Richard W. Stevenson Rice. The official, who asked not to under oath, and panel officials said ing a major roadblock in the governor’s plans to block same-sex mar- THE NEW YORK TIMES be named because he had not been that no transcript was made of the riages from taking place in May. WASHINGTON authorized to disclose information, four-hour conversation. Reilly said that he informed Romney shortly after the Legislature The chairman and vice chairman declined to specify the options and The commission has required all approved a proposed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage of the independent commission said nothing had yet been decided. witnesses testifying at public hear- that the governor’s legal arguments have no validity since the SJC investigating the Sept. 11 attacks said Rice has granted one private ings to be sworn in, opening them to has twice ruled in favor of gay marriage. on Monday they would ask Con- interview to the 10-member, biparti- perjury charges if they are found to Reilly’s decision, which he delivered personally to Romney in a doleezza Rice to testify under oath in san commission and has requested be lying, while all but a handful of phone conversation just before the governor went on live television to any future questioning because of another. But the White House has the hundreds of witnesses questioned announce his plans, creates a major legal — and political hurdle — discrepancies between her statements cited executive privilege in refusing behind closed doors have not been for the governor, who is intent on blocking the May 17 implementa- and those made in sworn testimony to allow her to testify in public or sworn. tion of the court ruling. by Bush’s former counterterrorism under oath. That decision has led In separate interviews, Kean and The governor and the attorney general are potential rivals in the chief. Democrats and other critics to accuse the panel’s vice chairman, Lee H. 2006 race for governor, but Reilly, a Democrat, insisted Monday “I would like to have her testimo- the White House of attempting to Hamilton, a former Democratic night that his decision is solely based on the legal issues — namely ny under the penalty of perjury,” said hide embarrassing information about House member from Indiana, said he is convinced that Romney argument has no validity in light of the the commission’s chairman, Thomas its failure to preempt the Sept.