MIT’s The Weather Oldest and Largest Today: Sunny, warm, 72°F (22°C) Tonight: Mostly cloudy, 55°F (13°C) Newspaper Tomorrow: Sunny, 70°F (21°C) Details, Page 2 Volume 123, Number 47 Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 Friday, October 10, 2003 ‘Ghetto’ Dorm Party Sparks Race Debate By Sam Hwang ents to litter, paint graffiti, play loud and Keith J. Winstein rap music, and steal. STAFF REPORTERS “And after you pass out from all An East Campus party invitation the 40s, you can rest up in the Wal- employing racial stereotypes has cott lounge tent-city-designed to triggered controversy around cam- look and feel like those dirty places pus, drawing condemnation from where real poor people live,” the President Charles M. Vest and sub- invitation said. jecting its organizers to a discipli- Another invitation read, “Callin nary investigation. all you playas, pimps, hos, gangstas, The organizers, Philip J. Butler and bitches… there be a party goin ’04, Leonid Drozhinin ’04, Ankur down.” M. Mehta G, and Kabir J. Mukad- dam ’05, say their announcement UA president attended, complained (see page 14) was intended to make The “Ghetto Party” occurred last fun of gangster rappers. “It’s a paro- Thursday evening at 10 p.m. and dy of how gangster rap glorifies this was attended by about 30 students. JOHN CLOUTIER—THE TECH lifestyle,” Butler said. The organizers insist the party A photo exhibit entitled “Being LGBT and at MIT” stands in Lobby 10 on Thursday. The photo col- But several students and Vest included rap music but no racially- lection showcased lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered students, faculty, and staff at MIT. said they found the announcement themed material. “The only thing Organizers plan to make the display a semiannual event. offensive and racist, as perpetuat- that matched the e-mail was the ing the same stereotypes the orga- music,” Butler said. nizers say they intended to lam- At about 11:30 p.m., the presi- poon. dent and vice president of the The organizers have apologized, Undergraduate Association, Pius A. Smoking Ban To Impact Dorms writing in an e-mail (see page 15) to Uzamere II ’04 and Jacob W. Faber the Campus Committee on Race ’04, arrived at the party, said Uza- By Lauren E. LeBon now display “No Smoking” signs. be locked as private spaces. Relations that, “We have recognized mere and the organizers. NEWS EDITOR While large lounges are clearly Assistant Director of Housing that we have trivialized a racially Uzamere and Faber spoke with Smoking is no longer permitted public spaces and student rooms are Operations Carl A. Seagran also sensitive topic.” Drozhinin and said the party and in public spaces of student dormito- clearly private spaces, many are was not sure of the policy since it is announcement were derogatory and ries, in accordance with the newly unsure whether the rules apply to not specifically outlined in the Cam- Invitation, party found offensive offensive. established smoking ban in Cam- suite common rooms. bridge ordinance. In an e-mail invitation, the orga- “This isn’t just an issue of two bridge. Contracts Counsel Margaret W. Suite common rooms, which are nizers said the party would include students being offended, namely According to Section 8.28.090 of Brill, a member of MIT Senior features of Bexley Hall, Senior “KFC, malt liquor, and boxed Jacob and I,” Uzamere said. “This the Cambridge Municipal Code, as Counsel’s office, interpreted the House, and Burton-Conner, are wine.” The invitation included a is a lot of people who were offend- of Oct. 1 private student rooms are Cambridge ordinance for the MIT spaces that are shared by residents document known as the “Walcott ed.” the only acceptable areas for smok- community. Brill said that the rules of a small group of dormitory Manifesto,” written last year by res- Uzamere stressed that “we were ing in a university dormitory, and governing smoking in suite common rooms. In Bexley Hall, some com- idents of the Walcott section of only then if the dormitory allows spaces would be left to the interpre- mon rooms double as hallways Third East, that encourages recipi- Party, Page 15 smoking and all of residents of the tation of house managers and house- between different areas of the dor- room request in writing for their masters. mitory. room to allow smoking. Denise A. Vallay of the Housing Jessica E. Hinel ’05, a Overseers of a building are Office said she was not sure about deskworker at Senior House, said required by Cambridge law to the smoking policy for suite that the house manager had not prominently post “No Smoking” lounges, but believed that it may be informed residents about whether or signs in areas where smoking is not allowed. Rebecca A. Masterson G, a not smoking was permitted in suite permitted. Lounges and hallways in graduate residence tutor at Bexley common rooms. Hinel said that MacGregor, Bexley, East Campus, Hall, was also not sure of the policy, Senior House residents researched and Senior House, where smoking but believed that suite common was once allowed in public spaces, rooms are fair game since they can Smoking, Page 12 New UA Web Site Tracks Reactions Progress of Year’s Goals To ’03 Rush By Marissa Vogt students ‘this is what the UA has ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR done for me’” Positive A new feature of the Undergrad- “We hope to increase account- uate Association Web site launched ability in the UA as well as to make By Chen Zhao today will track the progress of vari- sure the goals of the UA are aligned ous UA goals throughout the term. with the goals of the students,” Uza- On a whole, fraternity rush The list is scheduled to be posted mere said. chairs and freshmen reported satis- at 9 a.m. this morning and will faction with Rush this year, but are include a description of each goal, the Variety of goals on Web site making current progress, a target implemen- The goals on the Web site are suggestions tation date, and contact information. sorted into three categories: commu- Analysis to improve “It’s going to be a centralized nication, concrete change, and com- the rush location where students can check up munity. process for future years. on what the UA is doing,” said UA The Web site, Wong said, is not While some students said that President Pius A. Uzamere II ’04. an all-inclusive list, but rather high- they would like to see a longer Rush The Web site will be updated at lights of some of the more important to give freshmen a better chance to least every two weeks, Uzamere projects whose progress will interest learn about fraternities, others have said, and will include the goals of students. said that a shorter Rush, that ends PETER R. RUSSO—THE TECH both the UA Senate and the UA Some of the goals include creat- before classes become too intense, A herd of circus elephants marches down Vassar Street Cabinet. ing a UA question and answer col- would be better. towards downtown Boston Thursday morning. The Ringling Part of the motivation behind the umn in The Tech, connecting Sim- Many students agree that Rush Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus will be at the Fleet Cen- Web site is “to keep us all account- mons with the rest of the west side should be earlier. Taku Iida ’04, a ter through Oct. 19. able,” said UA Senate Speaker Yun- Ling Wong ’04. “It will explain to Goals, Page 12 Rush, Page 9 NEWS AND OPINION Comics FEATURES World & Nation . 2 Three opinion columns and Akshay Patil of Sinking Positive Opinion . 4 comprehensive news coverage of tries his hand at drawing comics. Features . .7 the “Ghetto Party” debate. Events Calendar . .18 Sports . .20 Pages 5, 14, 15 Page 16 Page 9 Page 2 THE TECH October 10, 2003 WORLD & NATION Recall Complete, Schwarzenegger Agent’s Death Leads to Leftist Plans His Next Steps THE NEW YORK TIMES LOS ANGELES Rebukes in Spanish Parliament Arnold Schwarzenegger moved quickly Wednesday to prepare for governing, naming a prominent Republican congressman to run his By Dale Fuchs ers like Saura of Catalonia. was under way. Political pundits transition and suggesting he would call on President Bush to provide THE NEW YORK TIMES “When news came to light the expected Aznar’s Popular Party to federal aid to California, now in Republican hands. MADRID, SPAIN arms of mass destruction in Iraq was suffer in regional elections in May, Schwarzenegger, who will become only the second governor in Opposition party politicians a lie, Bush interrupted his vacation, but, after the war’s quick official U.S. history to emerge from a recall election, held a post-election sharply criticized the government of Blair appeared and gave explana- end, the party managed to hold on to news conference here that set a tone of confidence, good humor and Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar on tions on the death of Kelly, but most of its seats in regional and reconciliation. Thursday after the assassination of a Aznar has refused to give explana- municipal legislatures. “I made it very clear in my campaign that I will be the peoples’ Spanish intelligence agent, Jose tions,” Saura told an audience on On announcing the decision to governor,” Schwarzenegger said. “That is the most important thing: Antonio Bernal Gomez, in Iraq. Thursday at the Autonomous Uni- send troops to Iraq, Aznar said ini- governor for the people, not for special interests, but for everybody.” The leader of the Catalonian versity of Barcelona.