[email protected] Vo l u m e CXI, Nu m b e r 7 Pa s a d e n a , Ca l i f o r n i a No v e m b e r 16, 2009

After 3 years Caltech Students Get Photo by Alan Gee Another Concert Alternative Rock Band Third Eye Blind performs to Crowd This Last Saturday

Third Eye Blind’s lead singer reaches out towards the crowd and in an attempt to relate he revealed that he had “never successfully completed a problem set in his entire life.” Many students felt a (temporary) boost in self- esteem. Photo by Alan Gee Photo by Talia Weiss Talia Photo by

Anthony Chong, ASCIT President, introduces the band to a Third Eye Blind band member Brad Hargreaves. growing crowd of students. Caltech-Occidental Concert Band CLUE to make a Gives First Concert of Year comeback By Casey Jao TQFR results could be viewed by By Mythili Iyer conductor, said he had recently instruments - a swingin’ tuba, the entire Caltech community, not been introduced to the sound of a saxophone playing a march, St a f f Wr i t e r Contributing Wr i t e r just the undergraduates. CLUE Asian band music and hoped to a dulcet piccolo melody, and After nearly two years of disuse, was a service by the students for incorporate it more into the band’s trumpet fireworks. His piece, the ASCIT student course review the students. TQFR was primarily The Caltech Occidental Concert repertoire. “Themes and Pertubations,” was Band gave its first concert of service is coming back. The CLUE a means for faculty to get feedback The concert continued with a an odd but spirited combination -- the name of the service -- grew on their teaching. the 2009-2010 year on Friday guest conductor, assistant professor of instruments. evening, finishing to a standing inactive in 2007 as students turned With the help of the Academics of Geology Paul Asimow, who led The band finished with its to the online Teaching Quality and Research Committee (ARC), ovation from a packed auditorium. the band in a rendition of Richard tour de force “Angels in the The ensemble, played a varied Feedback Reports (TQFR) for the administration renovated Strauss’ “Allerseelen.” Asimow’s Architecture,” written by noted course evaluations. But student TQFR last winter to be more program that was a fitting end introduction of the piece elicited composer Frank Ticheli. The to a term that included a feature dissatisfaction with last year’s faculty-centric. laughs from the crowd as he band was fortunate to have the revision of TQFR is spurring a “To improve teaching at article in the LA Times and an related the spirited tale of a young opportunity to rehearse with opportunity to work with one of revival of the earlier system. Caltech, we need to give faculty Strauss secretly studying the Ticheli himself prior to the From its debut in 2004 to last constructive feedback,” wrote the preeminent living composers works of Richard Wagner under concert. of band music. winter, TQFR served students vice-provost Melany Hunt, the his disapproving father’s nose. The Caltech Occidential essentially the same purpose as TQFR administrator, in an email. The first half of the concert, the The piece, a wistful recollection Concert which is open to audience was treated to the band’s CLUE. While CLUE was student- “When we revised the survey, of the beginning of a romance, students, faculty, alumni, and run and TQFR overseen by the we changed the questions so that Carnagie Hall performance, the gave the band the chance to community members associated highlight of a trip last spring to administration, they both served they focused more on teaching demonstrate its dynamic range, with Caltech, Occidential, and as online forums for students to effectiveness rather than course New York City. with dramatic outbursts followed the Jet Propulsion Laboratory After intermission the band provide and view feedback on popularity.” by lyrical song. rehearses once a week and gives courses and professors. At the The revisions also removed opened with Tetsunosuke Next up was composer and three major concerts, one per Kushida’s “Collage for Band,” end of each term students were students’ written comments serial soloist Les Deutsch. A academic quarter, the next of asked to complete anonymous from public view. Previously the a piece inspired by Japanese member of the JPL staff, he which is this coming February at folk songs, coaxing new sounds questionnaires for their courses, completed questionnaires were performed an impressive piece Occidential College. and their evaluations were reviewed prior to release for from their instruments. William of his own composition in which Bing, the band’s longtime published along with thse of their Please see CLUE, Page 2 he played no less than four peers. But unlike with CLUE, In This Issue Will Students Ever Rossum’s Again see the ASCIT Minutes page 1 Universal Robots Calzookie? CLUE page 2 page 3 page 2 Comics page 4 A Caltech Story page 4 Title 2 No v e m b e r 16, 2009 Op i n i o n Th e Ca l i f o r n i a Te c h Will the Calzookie ever return to Caltech? How long will royal decree keep http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/

which selectively wiped out the had issue with this, I and my As a compromise, I offered as coming to this institution if not to By Daniel Haas entire staff? No. compatriots were more than a solution that each employee make oneself viable in the work Undergraduate With reasons dubious at best, willing to make it once more. be given more rigorous, CDS force? Sure, it’s not a lab tech job, the Head of Dining Services Peter The food was significantly overseen training: then allowing but it is a paying job. Let me tell you a story. A long Daily issued a royal decree stating better than not only fast food, us to work alone, as we have for I write this not as a vent for my time ago, there existed a glorious “there shall be no institution but even the very food served by years without too much incident. emotions, nor as a rallying cry for edifice dedicated to the ideals of heretofore known amongst the Dining Services for our evening To this, I was told “Student people to sit-in at Peter Daily’s freedom, liberty, and decent food peasantry as ‘Chouse’ until such a meals; and certainly better than employees are different than office. No, I write this merely to in exchange for D-Bal. time as an official CDS employee any other fresh food served regular employees. You are first remind people that there was a That time is gone from us. We may be on hand every night to in walking distance of Tech, and foremost students and our time when administration trusted now live in a dank world, the oversee and to grill and fry the especially for D-Bal. If the food full time employees are here to us enough to be able to serve underbelly of true reality, a world victuals in need of grilling or quality was that bad, we wouldn’t work. You may look at it as a fine food, but once again decided that in which incoming freshman frying.” have made the positive profit line, but there are many others we rather need to be coddled. have only heard whispers and The townspeople of Caltech margin that we routinely did-- or that want to make sure that you There was a time when you could rumors of such a magical place. would have quaked in fear had we would have seen rashes of (students) have opportunities to eat fresh food at night, rather A place where students could they known of this proclamation, food poisoning throughout the work yet make certain that it does than buying overpriced C-Store hang out from 10 pm to 2 am but most of them were not even student body. not interfere with your studies.” snacks over and over. There was every night; a place where they made aware of the decision. The proposed solution was Woah. Back up. Never were a time when a young boy could could banter with reasonably Rather, we who toil under the to hire a CDS employee (non- our grades the issue here. Each dream that one day, he too could competent student employees; a Impinger only found out in student) to oversee Chouse. employee of Chouse, just like make curly fries and joke with place where they could work free conversation with the student- We were unhappy with this, in every student waiter, like every customers from behind that of the oppression of the outside managers of Chouse. that it seemed unnecessary, but library employee, like every crystalline counter. world; a place where there were The reason given was that there acquiesced since (as we are often student working in the Y or the I ask of you only to remember three flavors of milk shake and had been complaints about the made aware), students have the Housing office, is fully aware of Coffee House, because if you the Calzookie, designed by Jesus quality of the food, especially short end of the power stick. how to manage their own time; if don’t, it will never return. Christ himself. those foods which were fried and However, weeks then passed with they aren’t, we don’t shut down In short: it was the best of times, grilled. I can say with certainty not a hint as to when it would the library in response, do we? it was the greatest of times. It was that -- at least during the shift on open. It has since been revealed Are we not adults, or at the very the time of the Coffee House. which I toiled away -- every dish that the search for an employee least, of an age where we need to But where has it gone? Why is was served with relative speed to work those hours began less learn how to manage just this kind the Red Door locked, night after and the best of quality that can than two weeks ago, when we of thing? Does administration not night? Was there some sort of be imparted upon the supply of were told it would start before the think we can handle having paying accident, or maybe some plague food we had, and if any customer beginning of term. jobs? What is the whole point of The California Tech Caltech 40-58, Pasadena, CA 91125 advertising e-mail: [email protected] ASCIT Board of Directors Meeting - Minutes editorial e-mail: [email protected] Editor-in-Chief November 9, 2009 frequently singled out, David is going to create a proposal Chris Kennelly to submit to the house Excomms to vote on whether Avery Business Managers Officers Present: Anthony Chong, Andrey Poletayev, Pallavi is a house (a similar proposal was unsuccessful last year). Chris Kennelly Gunalan, Nadia Iqbal, Michael Maseda, Laura Conwill, Maral Tim and Pallavi wrote articles for the Tech about rotation Mazrooei committee and the mural policy. Copy Editor Guests: Tim Black, Daniel Obenshain, Chris Hallacy Sarah Marzen • Operations Director: Since Thursday, Michael met with the student reps on the library committee on the books. It’s only Layout Editors Call to order: 12:11 PM Hanna Liu the old books that need synopses added. Funding Requests: Vote on the Veritas Forum proposal from last week (seeking funding for advertising and recording the November • Social Director: We have forty-five volunteers for the Photography Editor 18 event). VOTE: Approved (6-0-0) $100 for advertising. concert! Nadia’s going to figure out exactly what jobs we Tina Ding need volunteers for with Tom and Lorri. They will also figure President’s Report: Anthony is meeting tomorrow night with reps out the guest policy. Staff from houses to talk about house endowments. Dannah Almasco • Secretary: The flow chart flows now. ZeNan Chang Molly Davis Review Committee: Dano says that Jacob King, an alum, is writing Andrew Freddo a paper on the voting system we use and would like access to our data • Treasurer: ASCIT will not have to contribute funding for Michelle Jiang but with all the names taken out. The Review Committee decided the the HMC buses. All of the club funding requests for fall term Casey Jao BoD should decide if this is allowed. Andrey noted decided that he is have been submitted. Checks will be ready soon. We received Robert Karl $2000 from the alumni fund for the concert; other donors are Natalya Kostandova an alum, and a member of our committee. Vote: Approved (6-0-0) Vibha Laljani the Gnome Club, Student Life, MHF, and ASCIT. Harold Martin Officer Reports: Joel Nikolaus • Scheduling: Midnight donuts will be Wednesday, November Gloria Tran 18! Tonight the BoD is eating dinner in Lloyd. Wesley Yu • V.P. of Academic Affairs (ARC Chair): Andrey’s sending a survey soon concerning modifications to CLUE, TQFR, and Moodle. Meeting adjourned: 12:35 pm • V.P. of Nonacademic Affairs (IHC Chair): The IHC talked Circulation about appropriateness concerning houses pranking other Submitted by Laura Conwill Aryan Safaie houses and individuals. They discussed stealing and now it ASCIT Secretary Ed Chen pertains to the non-academic honor code. Since Avery is still

Adviser Tom Mannion New CLUE to be more useful for students The Tech is published weekly except during vacation and examination periods by the As- TQFR was revised. sociated Students of the California Institute Cl u e , f r o m Pa g e 1 [the questionnaire] a little to make with ARC on how to support both of Technology, Inc. The opinions expressed “Since TQFR is for professors, it more useful,” said Karthik CLUE and TQFR but we haven’t herein are strictly those of the authors and advertisers. “profanity and hateful comments.” we want to have something for Sarma, a dev team member. done anything yet,” wrote Hunt. Letters and submissions are welcome; e-mail As TQFR expanded to cover all the students,” said he. The new CLUE would operate For now, the dev team is submissions to [email protected] as plain-text attachments, including the author’s name, divisons, screening for “profanity Polateyev is working with independently of TQFR. In planning to send out course by Friday of the week before publication. and hateful comments...became the Donut dev team to restart particular, students would likely surveys for the past few quarters, The Tech does accept anonymous contribu- tions. The editors reserve the right to edit and a very time consuming process” CLUE. Last Friday he invited end up completing surveys for during which CLUE was inactive. abridge all submissions for any reason. All and “delayed the release of the undergraduates to complete an both feedback systems. TQFR Sarma hopes that the system will written work remains property of its author. The advertising deadline is 5 PM Friday; all survey results,” wrote Hunt. online survey about what they response rates might take a further be back and running by the end of advertising should be submitted electronically As students can no longer view want in a course review system. hit, said Polateyev. But ultimately second term. or as camera-ready art, but The Tech can also do simple typesetting and arrangement. All their peers’ comments, the revised He expects the new CLUE “we have to have a student advertising inquiries should be directed to the TQFR is “not very useful to questionnaire to ask about course feedback system,” he said. He business manager at [email protected]. For subscription information, please send mail students,” said Andrey Polateyev, specifics, such as teaching quality remained open to the possibilty to “Subscriptions.” ASCIT VP of Academic Affairs. or unit accuracy, in addition to the of integrating CLUE and TQFR He noted that response rates have usual general evaluation. in the future. dropped substantially since the “We’re planning on expanding “I have had some discussions