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Volume 130, Number 62 Tech.Mit.Edu Wednesday, January 12, 2011 Corporation Talks Dining Committee Listens to Students, Trustees; No Action to Reevaluate

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Volume 130, Number 62 Tech.Mit.Edu Wednesday, January 12, 2011 Corporation Talks Dining Committee Listens to Students, Trustees; No Action to Reevaluate WEATHER, p. 2 WED: 32°F | 22°F MIT’s Blizzard Oldest and Largest THU: 31°F | 13°F Newspaper Partly cloudy FRI: 25°F | 12°F Partly cloudy Volume 130, Number 62 tech.mit.edu Wednesday, January 12, 2011 Corporation talks dining Committee listens to students, trustees; no action to reevaluate By Robert McQueen NEWS EDITOR No action to reevaluate the proposed dining plan was made by the MIT Corporation after an informal discussion took place at the Corpora- tion meeting on Dec. 3. Dining was not on the original meeting agenda. “It was on our minds,” said Corporation member Harbo P. Jensen ’74. “Clearly everyone was aware of it.” Jensen also acts as the Chairman of the Corpo- JOAnnA KAo—THE TECH ration Joint Advisory Committee on Institute-Wide President Susan J. Hockfield spoke Friday about the uniqueness of the MIT community and thanked the MIT 150 steering Affairs (CJAC), a committee made up of Corpora- committee for their work in putting together the MIT 150 exhibit. The exhibit floor at the MIT Museum was packed with stu- tion trustees, students, and faculty. CJAC acts as a dents, alumni, and faculty. There were 657 people in the exhibit by the end of the speeches. medium in which student and faculty concerns can be addressed directly to the Corporation with- out first going through the administration. The day before the Corporation meeting, Museum starts MIT 150 celebration CJAC met to review their report and presenta- tion to the Corporation. The report covered sev- Over sixty events, symposia to reflect “inventional wisdom” eral issues ranging from student involvement in administrative decision-making to student By Colleen Loynachan The opening of the MIT 150 ary contributions and will ex- theme represents the entrepre- advising. Although dining was not on the origi- STAFF REPORTER Exhibition at the MIT Museum plore how MIT can help shape neurial spirit sparked by a blend nal agenda, Jensen said that approximately one- on Friday marked the first of 150 the future. of inspiration and knowledge, third of the meeting was dedicated to that issue. What can MIT accomplish days of celebratory events for the The MIT 150 steering com- explained Mindell. Many of the “We all agreed that…there is a lot of emotion in the next 150 years? A cure for Institute’s sesquicentennial. The mittee, led by David A. Mind- festivities are open to the public, and energy behind this,” said Jensen. However, cancer? Further explorations celebration will include sympo- ell PhD ’96, planned over sixty fulfilling one of the goals of the Jensen acknowledged that after three years of underwater and in space? Artifi- sia, performances, and exhibits events guided by the theme cial intelligence? reflecting on MIT’s revolution- of “inventional wisdom.” The MIT 150, Page 11 Dining, Page 9 IN SHORT A look at Wall St. trading Mystery Hunt kicks off this Friday at 12:17 Phillip L. Clay considered for p.m. in Lobby 7. Register your team online An inside view of Fed’s bond-buying program at http://mit.edu/~puzzle/. president of UMass system By Graham Bowley dollars of U.S. Treasury securities on the getfit@mit registration is now open! Phillip L. Clay PhD ’75, who will be stepping down as THE NEW YORK TIMES open market in a controversial attempt Register your team in MIT Medical’s an- Chancellor this spring, is a candidate for president of the Uni- to keep interest rates low and, in the nual fitness challenge. Learn more at versity of Massachusetts system (UMass), according to the Deep inside the Federal Reserve process, revive the economy. http://getfit.mit.edu. Boston Globe. A UMass presidential search committee will Bank of New York, the $600 billion man To critics, it is a Hail Mary play — an conduct a round of interviews with fewer than six candidates is fast at work. admission that the economy’s persis- The MIT 150 Exhibition Public Celebra- on Jan. 13, the Globe reported last Tuesday. Clay remains un- In a spare, government-issue office tent weakness has all but exhausted the tion will be held at the MIT Museum this der consideration after a set of first-round interviews. in Lower Manhattan, Josh Frost and central bank’s powers and tested the Friday 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is free. When Clay announced he was stepping down last No- a band of market specialists are mak- limits of its policymaking. Around the vember, he told the MIT community that he planned to ing the Fed’s ultimate Wall Street trade. Snow is coming…12–18 inches of it! See go on sabbatical for a year before returning to MIT as a They are buying hundreds of billions of Finboard, Page 11 our weather coverage on page 2 for more professor. The current UMass president, Jack Wilson, will details. leave his post on June 30. Clay declined to comment on this story. Send news information and tips to —Jessica Pourian [email protected]. Early action applications up 13% 12.1 percent of EA were admitted; total applications over 17,800 By Elijah Mena ular, is expected to top 17,800, MIT early action results STAFF REPORTER (2007-2011) about a 7 percent increase from 6405 MIT received a record 6,405 last year. Rejected 6000 5684 early-action applications this Schmill said that MIT is see- 27% year, up 13 percent from last ing a shift towards early action as 5000 5019 17% year. According to Dean of Ad- opposed to regular decision. 10% missions Stuart Schmill ’86, 772 “Our early action applica- 4000 3925 applicants (12.1 percent) were tions have risen in the last sev- 3493 13% Deferred admitted, 3,887 (60.7 percent) eral years at a higher rate than 13% 3000 61% were deferred, and 1746 (27.3 our regular action applications,” 79% 72% percent) were rejected. Deci- Schmill said. “It is a general LOGAN P. WIllIAMS—THE TECH sions were released on Decem- trend that more students are ap- 2000 74% Firefighters respond to a chemical spill in the basements of build- 76% Accepted ber 15. plying early somewhere when ings 66 and 68 last Wednesday. The small spill of acetonitrile caused After regular action applica- they apply to college.” 1000 no injuries, but prompted the evacuation of buildings 66, 68, and E17, 12% and closed Ames Street for several hours. tions are counted the number of 11% 13% 11% 11% 0 total applications, early and reg- Admissions, Page 11 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 COMEDY AGAINST OUT OF THE WAY, PALIN! A NEW LOOK AT JAZZ GRANDFATHER SECTIONS CONFORMITY Keith Yost explains who can unseat The Tech catches up with PARADOX World & Nation . .2 Opinion . .4 Nina Sinatra interviews Obama in 2012. OPN, p. 5 Tamir Hendelman, an Israeli What exactly does jazz musician from LA. Hen- Arts . .6 internationally-recog- happen if you go back in Fun Pages . .7 KENDALL CHANGES? delman tells us about what nized comedian and time and kill your own Sports . .12 actor Maz Jobrani. New developments in the Central and inspires his music. grandfather? OPN, p. 4 Kendall development saga. NEWS, p. 9 ARTS, p. 6 FUN, p. 7 2 The Tech Wednesday, January 12, 2011 Gates warns of North Korea D missile threat to U.S. Doctors say Rep. Giffords’ BEIJING — Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates warned Tuesday that North Korea was within five years of being able condition points to survival to strike the continental United States with an intercontinen- tal ballistic missile and said that, combined with its expanding nuclear program, the country “is becoming a direct threat to By Jennifer Medina the victims of the attack. His aides The measure, which keeps pro- WORL the United States.” THE NEW YORK TImes said he would focus on the theme testers 300 feet back from funerals, Gates is a former director of the CIA, and his statement, offi- of service to country and avoid the is intended to head off members cials said, reflected both a new assessment by U.S. intelligence TUCSON, Ariz. — Just three debate about whether the state’s of the Westboro Baptist Church N officials and his own concern that Washington had consistently days after a bullet passed through political climate might have played in Kansas, who have praised the underestimated the pace at which the North was developing Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ brain, and a role in the tragedy. shooting and plan to picket the fu- nuclear and missile technologies. one day before the president was Instead, Obama, who was still neral Thursday of Christina Green, —Elisabeth Bumiller and David E. Sanger, The New York Times scheduled to come here to address working with his speechwriters a 9-year-old victim, and a service the shooting rampage in which Tuesday, will call for unity among Friday for Judge John M. Roll of she was wounded, doctors said Americans, while trying to hold up Federal District Court. Biden assures Karzai of U.S. Tuesday that Giffords’ chances of the lives of the victims, including At the hospital, Giffords’ doc- ATIO survival were certain. She is able their service to government, as an tors said the outcome could have to breathe on her own, although example to all Americans. He will been far worse. They said she had presence beyond 2014 she remains on a ventilator as a share some anecdotes about the done remarkably well so far. But KABUL, Afghanistan — Vice President Joe Biden met with precaution. victims from private phone calls they cautioned that there was little President Hamid Karzai here Tuesday and promised a lasting What her recovery will look he has made to the families, aides more they could do medically to U.S.
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