UA Modifies Fee Referendum by Andrew L

UA modifies fee referendum By Andrew L. Fish dent Affairs directs part of tu- [for student activities]." Rodri- The Undergraduate Associ- ition to the UA - currently giv- guez said the UA was trying to ation Council modified the pro- ing about $7 per student every have the endowment added as an posed student activities fee refer- term. item on MIT's Campaign for the endum at their meeting last Rodriguez explained the five Future. Thurday. The revised referen- year limit was placed on the stu- The limit was also enacted to dum, which will on the ballot of dent activities fee to demonstrate address the concern of some stu- the March 9 UA elections, calls that it was a temporary measure dents that the fee would take the for the activities fee to last only -to be used for activities while pressure off the ODSA to provide five years - a limit which was the UA worked to build up a per- more funds for student activities. not originally proposed. manent endowment. He said the The guildines for FinBoard are Meanwhile, the UA Finance time limit would "force the UA meant to make that body ac- Board, which would be responsi- to work hard on the endowment (Please turn to page 2) ble for distributing the activities fee funds, is considering adopt- ing a set of written guidelines to Shrinking profits close alleviate fears that FinBoard would not be able to manage the UA store indefinately funds. By Andrew L. Fish The store had been making Mark Kantrowitz '89, president The Undergraduate Associ- substantial profits during its first of the Association of Student Ac- ation convienence store has three weeks of operations. Dur- tivities, submitted a draft of closed indefinately after 21 days ing the last week of classes last guidelines to FinBoard, which is of operation, according to UA fall the store netted $1127. Dur- currently considering them. Fin- President Manuel Rodriguez '89. ing the last week of Independent Board will have the guidlines The store was closed because of Activities Period profits were "polished" by Saturday, and they sagging sales and "the need to $156, and during the first week of wili then be approved by the UA Tugrulbey Kiryaman change the merchandise," Rodri- the spring term the store made Executive Board Sunday, accord- Battle of the Bands in Walker this past Thursday. guez said. $555. But the store lost $70 the L L_ ___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ L_ __IC __ _ = __ 1 ing to UA President Manuel Rod- The store had not been break- next week, and only made $10 in riguez '89. ing even over the past several its final week of operation. Search underway for Both moves seem designed to weeks, so the UA Executive Rodriguez said the trend in improve the chances that referen- Committee decided to temporar- sales made it clear that "drastic dum will be approved by the stu- ily cease its operations, Rodri- action" would have to be taken head of- visual studies dent body. guez said. He said students need - noting that on its last day of By Sally S. Vanerian tecture department Set up the Although the UA had collected Friedman committee to address different merchandise during the operations the store only grossed A nation-wide search is pre- about 500 signatures on petitions term, and that the store would $20. sently being conducted to find a the specific problems of the visual supporting the original fee pro- studies program, according to reopen once the restocking was The store is currently a low person to head the visual studies posal, the UA Council opted to complete. priority for the UA, Rodriguez program in the Department of Dean of the School of Architec- place the revised proposal on the ture John de Monchaux. Rodriguez said there would be said. He said members have Architecture, according to David ballot without a petition drive. "no purpose in having the store "much more important things to Friedman, chair of the committee Since a few faculty members The proposal calls for the imple- involved in the visual arts pro- open" with its current mechan- take care of" - such as the up- formulating a plan to revitalize mentation of an $18 term fee to dise. The store was "not provid- coming elections, the activities the program. gram in the Department of Ar- go directly to the UA. Currently chitecture will be leaving soon, ing a service" once the term got fee referendum, the UA report The committee was formed in (Please turn to page 18) the Office of the Dean for Stu- underway, he explained. (Please urn to page 2) response to criticism of the pre- sent program last fall by the ad hoc Committee to Review the Rally calls fe to aid homeless Americans Arts at MIT. That committee was By Michael Gojer "shocked by the state of the pro- ATLANTA, GA - With the gram," which was in "drastic de- "Super Tuesday" primaries only cline," reported Chairman Paul one week from today, nearly 6000 L. Joskow to a faculty meeting people gathered here three days last November. ago to pressure presidential can- Hundreds of students were didates about the plight of the es- routinely turned away from timated three-million homeless classes every term for lack of Americans. The demonstrators staff, Joskow said. In fact, there sought to dispel myths about the was a good chance that the pro- causes of homelessness and to gram would disappear within five convince candidates that federal years, as faculty members retired support for low-income housing or shifted their interest to other -which-has been cut by 75 per- areas, Joskow reported to the cent since 1981 - is necessary to faculty. stem it. All six major Democratic can- Following the issuance of the didates spoke at the march, Joskow committee's report, Pro- which took place only blocks vost John M. Deutch '61 agreed away from a Democratic debate to create the new post of associ- in Atlanta on the same day. None ate provost for the arts, who of the Republican candidates at- would be responsible for coordi- tended, though the National Co- nating the arts at MIT. Also in alition for the Homeless -the response to the report, the archi- organizers of the march -said they had invited all of them. Goldman sets "The great myth as far as homeless people are concerned," new US mark said one formerly homeless speaker at the march, "is that Michael Gojer/The Tech Jan Goldman '89 broke an- homeless people are a bunch of Almost 6000 demonstrators gathered in Woodruff Park in downtown Atlanta Saturday to other US record on the last day no good people that don't want sway presidential candidates on the issue of homelessness in the United States. of the 1988 Winter Olympics in to work." He and others stressed Calgary, Alberta. Goldman fin- the difficulties of finding housing hopeful Sen. Albert Gore of Tlen- cost housing and relentless unem- ished 10th in the women's 5000 on low wage jobs. nessee claimed that, while there ployment." Demonstrators agreed meter speedskating event Sunday Demonstrators said that often has always been homelessness in that shelters and soup kitchens with an American record time of the almost homeless would be America, it has never been as bad are no longer enough, that low- 7:36.98. She edged out teammate forced to choose between paying as in the last seven years. cost housing was imperative. ; 2 : v }\0 :: ' : :: ; :~~~~~~: "A black in Chicago has less The National Coalition's three Mary Docter, who held the re- their heating and utility bills and ": ''& I htd '-' cord briefly with a time of paying for food."Twenty percent chance of living to one year [of point agenda includes establish- 7:37.00. of the homeless are working but age] than a child in Costa Rica," ing a "national right to appropri- -','Band*.... .:-.. ,..,~~~~~~~~;-.,.,- ·. - .. .. ,.--.~(X1:=:: · .-.;..,..*A... .... they cannot make enough to af- according to Jones. "Most poor ate shelter," enforcing existing Yvonne van Gennip of the ford adequate housing," accord- people are white, and female, federal programs that should be Netherlands won the event with "s-'''^Zx~~i e '',.2.', -::,.'' I- a ing to Rev. Larry Jones, Director and young," said Democratic aiding the homeless, and restor- world record ttime of 7:14.13. of Feed the Children Ministries. contender Jesse Jackson. ing federal housing programs to The silver and bronze medals Democrats at the march While "historically, it took the their 1981 funding levels. All the were wone by East Germans An- blamed the cuts in spending for dislocations of war, famine, major Democratic candidates drea Ehrig and Gabi Zange, who programs for the poor on the Re- plague or civil strife to deprive have accepted those three points, posted times 7:17.12 and 7:21.61 publicans and the almost eight people of their homes on a large according to the Coalition, while .:S A C ,'.,ii~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:·· respectively. year-old Reagan administration. scale," reads a pamphlet pre- the Republicans have not. ":'-* F7 -' '--i S:·-: .: -. - -- . -.. Goldman finished 18th in 1500 Since 1981, the federal housing pared by the National Coalition, Denmonstrators at Saturday's meter speed skating event which budget has been cut from $32 bil- "today the catastrophes are qui- march came from 50 cities was held Saturday. lion to $7.5 billion. Democratic eter: dramatic shrinkage of low (Please turn to page 18) _B PAGE 2 The Tech TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 1988 Ib~~ks ~ - M I 11 --- 'U FinBsoard to consider aI >a-Ine Qatre_ until Saving OiB mnP- 'e s new funding guidelines -W%% galm 4m~r~ %-kic t nhtained (Continuedfrom page 1) UA could have helped fund this mO ot& pm .o ----- m E--=NW babies is countable for its decisions, event.

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