UA Xnsf Soon Use~~~~~Aftless?
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Continuous MIT Cidge News Setvic e%1~~P~~ ~LI Cambridge Since 1881 - I I g|the| p1 Massachusetts Volume 99. Number 32 . A_W Tuesday, -September 18. 1979 UAXnsf soon Use~~~~~Aftless? Feature By Ron Rarnas Jerry Hammnond, '80 Nominia- F~ij nuse in HYory- tions Committee Chairman, has aired some definite opinions about the newly proposed With a Fret neeld Undergraduate Association Con- By Laur Famhie stitution, "I don't think we need a Editor's note: is the firsi in a series ofarticles about new constitution at all. The old This the histories one has served us well and doesn't of buildings occupied by MITfratenities. The "roots" of the Phi Gamma Delta (Fiji) House at MIT can be need to be replaced. Instead of traced back to the late 1890's, when author Winston Churchill decided wasting time working on a new that the Fenway would be an ideal place to build a home for his step- constitution the UA should be daughter. However, since her marriage fell through, Churchill sold the planning projects and activities house to Bostonian SNV.R. Thayer. Until 1921, Thayer leased the home for the student body." to Miss Chamberlayne's Finishing School for girls. That year Thayer Hammond expressed amaze- made up his mind to sell the home, and Miss Chamberlayne refused to ment at the furor caused by the buy it. new constitution. "A big -deal is At this time the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity was eagerly looking being made over something around for a home to buy. The rent fAo their house on 491 Corn- relatively minor. John Hakala monwealth Avenue was becoming exorbitant. In a desire to find a and Chuck Markham (UA Presi- suitable home, Iota Mu, the active chapter at hlIT, created the dent and Vice-President) thought Malcolm Cotton Brown trust. the old constitution was ineffec- Bill Robertson '22 discovered the house on 28 Fenway Street and put tive, so they wrote a new one. it before the cautious trustees. At first, two of the three members were However, it isn't up to them Jerry Hammond, Nominations Committee Chairman. reluctant to buy the building, because the treasury of Fiji was limited. whether or not the constitution is However, by taking out four mortgages for a sum of $75,000, the house adopted, but all undergraduates." Hammond. to be involved get involved. was finally bought from Thayer on August 1l,1921. One point in the new constitu- Hammond -admits that not However, those who don't will Because the original owner, Winston Churchill, liked old 1French tion is the transformation of the enough students are involved in not, no matter what constitution architecture, the Fiji fraternity is living in a house modeled after a King Nominations Committee to the government but does not see the we have. The present one, loose- Louis XV mansion. The interesting features include four flights of a Nominations and Elections Com- new constitution as a solution. He knit as it may be, works, and French spiral staircase, a sky light, and intricate carvings in the wooden mission (NEC). NEC members concluded, "Students who want that's the important thing." parts of the building. The servants' quarters have been converted into would be nominated by the laundry, television, and pub rooms. The mahogany panelling on the General Assembly rather than be main floor walls is invaluable, as the wood and craftsmanship are now selected by outgoing NEC ft. ma 0 O As rare and expensive. As a result, the entire building is now appraised at members, as Nomcrcomm now approximately $600,000. does. Besides taking over Norm- 9%0ace Zncex Like many old mansions, Fiji house has a legend of its own: when cornm's usual duties the NEC will the house was first bought, a man named Dick twitcher Whitney sup- conduct all UA elections. As posedly jumped from the second floor without any clothing into a pile Chairman of -Nomco-mm this By James Xanthou An MIT education is definitely Ratio of Standard of snow. After he did hot appear for a few hours, the men of Fiji and -change would directly affect their neighbors fished him out to find him cold, but still alive and well. Hammond. 'He caims, "The not cheap, as an article in Time Allowance to Starting comparing private colleges Salary Since then Fiji fraternity members have from time to time attempted to quality of ourineinbership will reenact this legend. decline under the selections revealed; MIT was rated as the methods. In addition we will be most expensive private institution Yeare Ratio t. 3snaaHpoia" lqBjBigR . C Bai' 1 LePPg LtSBOI& given even more duties." in the country. Another major change is the The cost of attending MIT has 1975 5.52 increased by 45% just over the last creation of a Steering Committee 1976 to replace the Agenda Conom'it- five years. Why, then, do so many 5.67 tee. This Steering Committee people attend the Institute? One 1977 5.70 common assumption is that as could become very powerful. It 1978 could act for the GA between this society becomes more 5.61 meetings and in addition has technological, an MIT graduate 1 979 5.22 presidential veto power over the commands a greater starting actions of the GA. '*This commit- salary in return for the high tui- tee is totally unnecessary. It in tion he pays. median monthly starting salary of fact has almost the same duties as That assumption can be ex-. recent MI T engineering the 'UA President and Vice- amined by comparing the stan- graduates. This ratio was 5.22 for Preside-t. If.they did their jobs dard allowance for an MIT stu- the academic year which ended in the Steering -Committee would dent, as determined by the Stu- 1979, with a standard allowance have no reason to exist," added dent Financial Aid Office, to the of $8,350 and-a monthly starting r PIII 9 ---- -L ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_~~~~~YF1- Ya~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~salary of $1600; 5.61 in 19789 5.70 in 1977, 5.67 in 1976, and 5.52 in 1975. The ratio remained fairly con- stant over the five-year. period, and if the study were expanded to in- clude other years, the ratio would probably still remain fairly con- stant. It may appear that MIT stu dents are not getting their money's worth out of this fine education, especially when this same ratio method produces as good if -not better results for engineering students at several A mnember of Fiji, an MIT fraternity located in a French-style mansion. large state schools. {Photo by Gordon Haff) Just examining these ratios however, is rather narrow- minded, because there are many other factors which must be con- ff~~~~~ .I. -~~b sidered. As Robert Wleatherall, I Director of Career Planning and The Republican party's Placement, explained-, "The benefit of an MIT" education is chances in 1980 are goods and the conservative, mood of the found less in the immediate salary nation and the perceived inep- Tle golf team started its than in the horizon and varied op- titude of President Carter have portunities which are available." season with two wins, and started a parade of R-epublican Concepts such as greater ability coach Jack Barry believes that candidates.Page 4^ to choose among numerous jobs with experienced upperclgs,- and rapid upward job mobility men and eager freshmen, the are harder to measure with ratios. team could do well this year. Weatherall -said he believed that Despite the efforts of hur- Page 8. Gicarne Fred, it was the Who MIT graduates experience these r * ) * that took New York by storm The Who leaves the stage after stunning a New York audience employment advantages to a! last weekend.Page 6. last weekend. See related story and additional pictures on page greater extent than other 6. (Photo by Jon von Zelowitz) graduates. -1I~--,- CC- -,~rrl u r - ' I- e C4 I I PIIYYLI-I IL Ib---_l--- P -- * NA _~sB~PL\GE 2 THE TECH TUESQ;DAY, SEPTEMBER-18, 19l I II -0 IHACKITO GI1ANDE 1** * * * * * * * dIN I SOO()N.Paid-* A - I L I~ _ Is P· R a. -- pr- rg s- - glsal -P PIPILb611- . - ,-~- East Germans fy over wall - Two East German families floated over the Berlin Wall to freedom in a homemade balloon Sunday. This NMITH ilele 1Idy hy Schedue - was the second attempt made by the two couples. West German police were amazed that the 4.5 square toot platform stayed aloft with the eight people and said this was the first balloon crossing of the Wall. - Rosh Hashanah ServIko@ Elephants cross the Alps -Ex-teachr Jack Wheeler, two elephants and five other people crossed the Alps following the route of Han- nibal's march to Rome in the third century B.C.E. They arrived Sunday ORTHODOX CONSERVATIVE REFORMA on the Italian side of the Clapier pass, proving that elephants can be marched across the Alps. Mezzanine Lounge Sala de Puerto Rico MIT Clhapel MIT Student Center -- MIT Student Center 48 Massachusetts Ave. 84 Massachusetts Ave. 84 Massachusetts Ave. Nllation Friday, 6pm Bpm 7pm Reagan leads in Globe poll Former California governor Ronald September 21 Reagan would draw 50 percent of the vote in the New Hampshire Saturday, 8:30am 8:30am 9am Republican primary, according to a poll sponsored by the Boston September 22 7pm 7pm Globe. Reagan would draw four times as many votes as his leading con- Sunday. 8:30am 8:30am tender, Senator Howard Baker (R-Tenn3. If former President Gerald September 23 7pm Ford entered'the primary, pollsters say he would win by a small margin.