Continuous . VPDo MiT News Service ~U~ III1~~l~ Cambridge Since 1881 1 I MMassachusetts Volume 106, Number 35 4-- H-i Friday, September 12, 1986 . Noble- sues for tenure Former STS professor seeking $1.5 million By Harold A. Stern Leon Trilling. of the AAUP, said in an inter- David Noble, a former assis- They voted unanimously to view that "MIT is not legally tant professor in the department recommend that the STS depart- bound to comply with AAUP of science, technology, and soci- ment grant him tenure, he con- standards.... But the courts ety, is suing MIT over his failure tinued. frequently lean upon AAUP to receive tenure in 1984. The Despite the favorable recom- standards as the accepted norm." civil action, filed in Middlesex mendation, Kaysen, on behalf of Noble's willingness to go public Superior Court on Tuesday, re- the STS faculty, announced in unpopular with colleagues Stephen P. Berczuk quests that either Noble be rein- Feb. 1984 that the department Prof David Noble answers questions Tuesday about his stated as a tenured associate pro- would not put Noble's name for- Noble asserted that there exist- $1.5 million lawsuit against MIT while his attorney looks fessor, or he be awarded $1.5 ward, Noble said. (Please turn to page 2J on. million in damages. Noble claimed that this deci- Noble, a member of the STS sion was made on political rea- faculty from 1975 to 1984, sons. claimed that the department re- "The STS program was influ- Gorm site to be announced fused to grant him tenure be- enced by the administration to By Michael J. Garrison - there are not a lot of [poten- building MIT housing in the Sim- cause "Noble's scholarly work the extent that they felt that An outside source has pre- tial housing] sites." plex area. "From day one [MIT sharply criticized MIT as an insti-l granting David tenure would be pared a report for the MIT Plan- Only land 'along the river" is agreed to] not put anything in tution, and that the plaintiff's detrimental to the program's po- ning Office detailing possible sites zoned for institutional housing, Simplex that is untaxed," he public speech criticized MIT's ties sition in the university," Noble's for a new graduate housing fa- Dickson said. "Once you stray said. Dormitory housing is free with industry and MIT's improp- counsel said. cility, said Senior Vice President out of [MlivT's] immediate locality of property tax. er use of publicly-created univer- William R. Dickson '56. Dickson . you can't say, 'I'm going to Noble also accused Reintjes of Types of potential housing sity resources for private com- making slanderous statements declined to reveal the contents, build housing,' [without] a spe- mercial benefit," according to the concerning the quality of Noble's but said he will be more explicit cial permit from the city." MIT may not build a complete- deposition. work. Reintjes made statements when he speaks before the Grad- Zoning laws prohibit institu- ly new building in order to add The statement named President to the STS faculty objecting to uate Student Council meeting on tional housing in most of Cam- more housing space to the Insti- Paul E. Gray '54 as a co-defen- Noble's portrayal of Reintjes' Sept. 18. bridge, Dickson said. Exceptions tute, Dickson speculated. It is dant, along with former Provost work. in Forces of Production, "We acknowledge that gradu- can be granted by the Zoning much cheaper to renovate an ex- Francis E. Low; Carl Kayseni, di- Noble's social history of industri- ate housing is one of the higher, Board, he said, but applicants isting building, he explained. rector of the science, technology, al automation, Noble accused. if not the highest, priority issues 'shave to have a pretty strong "We are looking very seriously at and society program; and Profes- of the Institution," Dickson said. case." the likeliest of those opportuni- sor Emeritus Francis E. Reintjes. Noble denied information and re- President Paul E. Gray '54 an- The construction of housing is ties." view [For a summary of the "State- nounced the search for a gradu- 4'neither permitted nor denied" in Conversion of an existing ment of Claims," see page 11.J Noble then attempted to ob- ate housing site at a GSC meeting the area immediately surrounding building would bring the fastest Noble held a press conference tain copies of reports, to "find last spring ["Gray talks to GSC MIT, Dickson added. This "mid- solution to the problem, Dickson at the Harvard Law School to an- out who did what." He was de- members," April 29]. At that dle ground" is where MITr hopes said. "It takes about a year to nounce the suit on Tuesday. He nied access to all information, he time he said he would rank the to concentrate, he said, since the plan [the construction of a new began by reading a statement, in claimed. top four possible sites by August. City of Cambridge could grant building] and two years to build which he claimed that '/in the "I know this is in violation ... "It took a little longer than we them a permit without having to it," he elaborated. Renovation light of widely accepted academic Of AAUP [Anerican Association had anticipated," -Dickson ex- go to the.-Zoning Board. takes only 'three quarters of a standards, [lie] should have been of University Professors] guide- plained. "You can look around Dickson dismissed the idea of (Please turnl to page 15) granted tenure." lines," Noble's counsel asserted. Noble based this claim in part "I was also informed that there upon the findings of an interde- was no appeal procedure at MIT, stabbing victims recall attack partmental review committee, and on an ad hoc basis I ap- prevented by Father's Two, he to the provost, and re- By Anu Vedantham versity Campus Police then drove which was formally charged with pealed will send a formal letter of com- soliciting letters of recommenda- ceived cursory review." Noble Matthew Denesuk '87, the vic- the two students to Beth Israel plaint to the Boston Licensing tion, and "essentially compiling a then appealed to both Gray and tim of a Sept. 8 stabbing in Bos- Hospital, according to MIT ton, is in fair condition at Beth Campus Police Chief James Oli- Commission, he said. dossier on [his] record," Noble the chairman of the MIT Corpo- Brennan has returned to said. ration, with similar results, he Israel Hospital and expects to be vieri. Brennan was treated for a classes, and Denesuk has made The committee was composed said. released this weekend. cut over his left eye. Denesuk un- arrangements with his advisor of Professor of Management of Noble's attorney also criticized Denesuk and James F. Brennan derwent surgery for a punctured and teachers to compensate for Economics Lester C. Thurow; MIT's lack of formal review pro- '87 were attacked shortly after lung, said Boston Police Officer classes missed during his hospital Professor of Political Science cedures. "The fact that MIT did they left Father's Two, a Boston John Gillespie. not have certain minimal due bar at 820 Beacon St.-While in- Gillespie said he will call the stay, Denesuk said. Walter D. Burnham; Professor of Olivieri has written a letter to Science, Technology, and Society process procedures," she said, "is side the establishment, they were students into police headquarters the Boston University Campus Merritt R. Smith; and Professor very illegal." accosted by a man for no appar- in order to start a mugshot iden- Police chief, citing the action of of Aeronautics and Astronautics Joseph Kurland, staff member ent reason, according to Bren- tification of the assailants. The nan. investigation does not have a sub- Sergeant Burke as "a very very .., r , --, .a .- . - - - - 6 ,. , ,. ,-- I As the two students left the stantial chance of apprehending opportune move," Olivieri said. bar, the same man shoved Bren- the attackers with only a verbal 'The doctor who treated Dene- nan. Denisuk and Brennan were description from the students, suk said that he probably saved immediately surrounded by a Gillespie added. [Denesuk] from serious medical group of hostile people. "I think Olivieri said he also plans to problems, thanks to the ser- they were out there even before interview the students. If he finds geant's prompt action," he con- we left the bar. .There were five that the attack could have been tinued. or six of them around Matt [Den- esuk] and a few more around Environmnentalist calls me," Brennan said. "Jim and I both estimated their number to be about ten," Dene- for .i its on pesticides suk said. Neither student had By Earl C. Yen ally die of cancer," he noted. seen any of the attackers before, "The federal government has He explained that the govern- he added. been derelict in banning hazard- ment legalizes too many chemi- "We were fighting them after ous chemicals," according to en- cals before their effects are they attacked,"' Denesuk contin- vironmentalist Lewis Regenstein, known. "It's impossible to know Eric N. Starkman ued. "I got hit in the head and who spoke last night in 10-250 the long-term effects of chemicals then I saw one of them pull out a before a crowd of 150 people. when they've only been around knife in front of me," he contin- Regenstein, whose lecture was for a few years." sponsored by the Coalition to ued. Denesuk guessed that at Regenstein strongly opposed End Animal Suffering and Ex- least two people attacked him the usage of many chemical fer- argued that the Food from behind at this point.