N o Dilbert. Election Results: N o Foxtrot. Sorry. Mike Astle is the new ASCIT Secetary see page 9
THE CALIFORNIA TECH
VOLUME XCVIII, NUMBER 25 PASADENA, CALIFORNIA FRIDAY, APRIL 25,1997 Student--faculty conference: focus on Student Life Committee
BY ERIK STREED undergraduate population. An about the current system. The over agenda for the session started out loaded advising schedule of professors Editors Note: Last week was pretty with broader topics such as internal in the Engineering and Applied Sci busy between prefrosh weekend and communications and advising for ences division cited as a particular die student faculty conference. Since both the undergtaduate and gradu source of concern. !he prefrosh were here, the Tech edi ate communities. Hot subjects such After these two moderately Ill" felt that it would be better to hold as the failure of Avery"House". Drug peaceful sections the issue of Avery off full coverage of the studendac and Alcohol Policy at Cal tech arose. If Avery was to become the airy conference. Many sensitive is~ (DAPAC), and dying traditions such center of the Cal tech Community it sues that nceded [0 be addressed were as fireballs . has so far failed in its mission. A brought up. Extensive coverage of The afternoon starred out with round oflaugher followed the expres Ihese could unfairly bias prospective a discussion on communication sion of this purpose for Avery. While students against attending Caltech by within the Caltech Community. Avery clearly has better food then any presenting a skewed view and high, Questions about the existance of a other board option currently available 5ghting known problems out of pro Weekly Calander and an to the undergraduate population. its portion. Even so, we the editors feel Ombudsman's office were raised by dining hall is noC designed to host Earth Day '97 at Caltech mat the srudent,faculty conference students who did not know where large influxes from the seven houses. tIon groups. BY TERRY MORAN "'ould be covered in depth to reach chey were. It was generally concluded This led to a joint Blacker Hovse! This year's celebrations promise !he many of you who didn't attend. that the creation of a Single compre, Avery dinner being canceled at the The sixth annual Caltech Earth to be even more robust than past years' Please responsd with your comments hensive listing/database of Caltech last minute earlier this year. Several Day Celebration is to be held today, with over twenty groups presenting a
and suggestions [0 personnel and the potentially usefull Avery policies cited by undergradu Friday, April 25, from 1l:30am to breadth of environmental issues and oIitors@trch.(aitreh.,du. skills they possess would be a good ates as being contradictory to effec 2:00pm in Winnett Quad. The Earth efforts that are currently being ad thing. tive student involvement. interest, and Day Celebration was started in 1970 dressed, with booths from the Ameri Beginning after lunch, the stu, Discussion then progressed to growth included no cats, murals, or as an international celebration of the can Council for an Energy Efficient dent~ee had the highest the current advising system for un' showering. These are all staples of Earth meant to promote and increase Economy, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife attendence of the day. However un' dergraduates and graduate students. undergraduate life in most of the awareness of environmental concerns Service, the Pure Food Campaign, and flergraduate turnout was still less men A need was expressed that the cur, seven houses. A major binding force and policy, and was introduced to the Hemp Shak of Claremont. among average day in Bi 1, which is also rent advising system is outmoded and in the existing houses are waited din' Caltech in the hopes of increasing the others. in Baxter Lecture Hall. In addi change should be looked into. Dean ners. Dinner is when houses come community's environmental aware Earth Day will also give hungry rion, only a handful of faculry ll'Iem Jean Paul Revel expressed his frustra, together as a group to eat and ex' ness by the Caltech Environmental participants a chance to really "taste" bers and relevant staff were present. tion with the syndrome of secretar' change information though Task Force in 1991. Cuttently coor the bteadth of the bounry of the earth Conspicuously absent was Kim West, ies signing yellow addl drop catds in annoucements. The Student Life dinated thtough the efforts of the by serving a wide varkty of tasty or Ditector of Residence Life, for whom place of consultations with professors Committe~- informed the group Caltech Environmental Task Force. ganic foods and foods produced by en student life is a daily concern. about course change decisions. Sev, present that lack of interest in waited the Caltech Y, and the Graduate Stu vironmentally friendly processes for J. Strangely. the committee dedi, eral students felt that the need to have dinners killed them at Avery. Ttans dent Counsel. Many of the boothes dollar donation, ptovided by the tlted to student life had the fewest an advisor (or a secretary) was super fer student Dusan Misevic identified will also give fairgoers a chance to Whole Foods Market, Red Doot bumber of undergraduates on it fluous and thought that they were re' possible sources of Avery's inactivity purchase from a truly unique selec Cafe, and other organic food sellers. (Christie Edwards and Jim sponsible enough to select classes for in stating, "Who went to Avery? tion of environmentally friendly The celebration's atmosphere will Buckwalter) who did not appeat to themselves. Students with poor and People who got kicked out of theit goods with proceeds going towards be complemented by the preformance many diverse environmental protec- he an accurate representation of the good advising experiences testified SEE A~C ON PAGE 5 of the reggae and African band Alula. Fourth Annual Media Science Symposium will be May 1
BY MAX BENAVIDEZ on the news media, science report Blaine Baggen, vice president at ing. and the public. In a world of KCET and producer of PBS's The Former presidential advisor and news groups, Java applets, one-thumb Astronomers; H arry Gray, director CUrre nt U.S. News & World Report browsing, digital signatures, Web of Caltech's Beckman Institute; Rob editor-at-large David Gergen; USC TV, and streaming audio and video, ert Lee H otz, science writer for the Annenberg School for what is the role of traditional media Los Angeles Times; and Kathy Saw Communication's new dean, Geoff and what will the landscape of news yer, science reporter fo r The Wash Cowan; N P R science host Ira reporting and delivery look like in the ington Post. F1arow; and Caltech astronomer and new century? Will the Internet The symposium will begin with Avery greets summer with a water fight. NASA advisor Anneila Sargent are dominate reporting of science? Will a panel discussion at 9 a.m. in Ramo among the featured participants at the more conventional means of news Auditorium on the Caltech campus this year's Media and Science Sym delivery be able to maintain their rel in Pasadena. A question-and-answer IN THIS ISSUE posium at the California Institute of evance! What happens to public session will follow. Activities will Technology on May 1. trust in the freewheeling world of on continue after a lunch break. The THE USUAL THIS WEEK'S The theme of the fourth annual line news and information? keynote address in the afternoon will symposium is "The 21st Centuty: In addition to Gergen, Cowan, be presented by Gergen. Following STUFF F EATURES The Multimedia Age:' The focus this Flatow, and Sargent, the 1997 sym a question-and-answer session, the year will be on emerging communi posium participants will include John symposium will adjourn at approxi Announcements ...... 8 ASCIT Minutes ...... 4 cations technologies and their effect Beard, news anchor for Fox News; mately 2 p.m. Circle of Fire ...... 3 ASCIT Movies ...... 5 Dean's Corner...... 6 Bookwornl...... 7 The Outside World ...... 3 IHC Minutes ...... 4 2 April 25, 1997 OPINIONS THE CALIFORNIA T ECH would be out in the middle of the necessary. if they promotc the Rules are necessary for a civil society desert, since to build the airport greater good of society. This does and expand it the right of eminent not mean I suppOrt more govern. Before government, we lived in less dangerous lives in order to glve domain has probably been used. ment intervention in life. T he dif. a state of complete "freedom," in up a hit of our freedom. Zoning laws are yet another ferences between my views and In Mr. Steven's article, he men~ which we could do anything we Eminent domain is one such example of the governmem telling those of Mr. Stevens. thus, ca n be tions what he sees as the govern~ wanted to. However, people example. Eminent domain refers to people what to do with their land best characterized as follows: he be ment continuing to encroach on formed government, giving up the government's practice of fo rc~ for the greater good. Due to the lieves that the fundamental righu our rights as individuals. Although some of these rights, in order for ing people to sell their land so rhe fact that the morons in my county of the individual arc just that, fun I must agree that taxes are much protection and the advancement of governmenc can build important back home refused to vote for zon damental and God-given, and that higher than they need or should be, the general good. infrasrrucrul.'"e, such as interstates ing laws, I have a gravel pit in my government should not be able to the idea of ridding ourselves of The government's use of zon ~ and airports. backyard. _ transgress them, no matter wh The principle of private property in jeopardy Please send submissions for letters to the editor to BY NEIL STEVENS shift this way, too. No, there was chooses? for the unilateral confiscation of no mass support for the IRS this The public also takes for property, under the auspices of an The California Tech Ever since the first person past tax day, but look at Bob granted basic services. The last audit, with little recourse for the Calrech 40-58 was punished for stealing, govern~ Dole's loan to Speaker Gingrich. time you traveled down a freeway, citizen. Pasadena, CA 91125 ments have protected our right to CNN-Time polls show that a did you think about where the Apathy must end. Politics in properry. But, this trend is chang~ majority of Americans feel that land came from? Well, I did. this country used to be an inte ~ or by electronic mail to mg. Dole's loan is wrong. Whenever the government de~ gral part oflife, an interesting di~ With the inception of income Why is that! I don't quite un cides that it wants your land, i ~sion from the day~to~day [email protected]. tax, eminent domain, and "sacri~ derstand. The way I see it, Dole buys it from you at "market" value. grirld. Issues mattered, and par ~ fice," it seems that our govern~ is a private citizen, and he is I place market in quotes because ties were responsible to the Deadline for submissions ment, with no opposition from choosing to loan money to an ~ a market implies free choice, people. Many a party in this is Monday at 5 p.m. on the people. is trying to take our other citizen. Who are the pub ~ which a citizen lacks in claims of country has faded in the past, but the week of publication. property from us, instead ofkeep ~ li e, the government, or a bunch of eminent domain. Where's the the modern R epublicans and ing othcrs from making off with bankers in New York to say outcry? Democrats are entrenching them ~ The editors reserve the right it. whether some Kansan has the What about taxes? Estate selves endlessly. And, with this to edit or refuse to print any Public opinion is starting to right to loan his own money as he taxes of 50%, income taxes of 38%, party entrenchment comes gov ~ lercer for any reason. and more, all enforced by an m ~ ernment entrenchment. dependent set of tax courts, s ub ~ Only the citizens can change SUMMER WORK-STUDY ject to different standards than anything, and we must. Othe r~ traditional civil and criminal law. wi se, more of us will lose our free THE CALIFORNIATECH APPLICATIONS NOW T here is staggering potencial here choice, OUf homes, or our savings. Caltech 40-58. Pasadena, CA 911 25 phone: (818) 395-6153 AVAILABLE advertising: (818) 395-6154 e-mail: [email protected] advertising: [email protected] The TID EWorld rSS N 0008-1582 Information and applications for 1997 Summer Work-Study are available in the Financial Aid Of by Carol Casey VOLUME XCVlIl , NUMB ER 25 fice. If you are interested in Summer Work-Study, APRIL 25.1997 please submit the required application as soon as PASADENA, CALIFORNIA possible, but no later than June 2, 1997. Your Caltech students still holding out for a [...., [vornl-NORo Ryan c,, ~ Terry M"r;m Aulumn uMlijcn t .. _ entire financial aid application must be complete great summer job should consider the Erik SlIcal by June 2 to be considered If awarded, the work TIDE program. It is a chance to help Kjcrslin EoLo.'" n Wren MunlEumc ry rAm-up study funding will begin July 14, 1997. improve the teaching of a Caltech -- TcrryMnr,lll J:K1.j""UCS ..... Frechc l course by working with the faculty Ben BroUlik), -M ic W...... c.~lcn;,1 ..... ,- t .. w..m instructor in developing computer Erik Sll"ccd M),bnwy c:.llah"n Maso.m Porter Neil SICVCIlll based teaching tools. Courses cover a J-[-" hn Halfickl Sam_w_Stm Tim nnc r 1997 -98 UPPER CLASS MERIT ...... ["" wide range of disciplines. K so the BoD may vote [0 appoint a played ineerhouse fOr fewer chan cwdve onsideration,Jeremyagrees ie's okay. bue business manager for the Tech . "rms. Am [earns are responsible for [dis Carl as he leaves,"Don'[ scarc copy. Meeeing opened ac 23:58. reporting special cases to the IHC. ingyet .. :'. The Board has approved Mic Sana Clause: doesn'[ <> Lori Hsu, Mike Westover, Adrienne [he ASCIT copier has no[ been in (Ruddock). A noee:"Marcy (Blacker) Sunday is bes[. We decide i[ doesn'[ taking prefrosh [0 0'0/ is probably bad. Bourque, Kir.n Shebr, Baldeep scalled ye< . is drunk offhis ass and wants someone matter. We decide Sunday is bes[. We Lori says ma[ Tom is giving cad, Sadhal. Satterwhice [he Veep looks abou[ [0 call him. He is very sorcy he carl[ talk about moving rotation from Sun house $3500 fOr improvemenes, whKh Guests present: Ryan Cox, Erik nervously, growls, and finally leaves. make i[ [0 che IHC meeting:' Geoff day [hrough Sa[urday [0 Sacuhlay can be used fOr JUS[ aboue anychingex Screed, Mic Wesccoa[, Abeaharn Kuo. Adrienne reports that several (Ricke",) is ac a house meecing. chrough Friday. We decide beginning cepe for alcohol. RYAN Cox AND ERIK STREED CDs were lelt a[ che prefrosh parcy. Before che mwing begins, Lori Sunday is bes[. We decide beginning Since che more peoplecha[ sign up. (Tech t:dicurs- Gods) reporc [hac che Among chem is a Wagner CD. De ptines oue agendas while S[eve shows Sarurday is besc. We decide beginning the more interviews we get [0 give, Lori Tech has lost some potential advertis spite the entertainment value of See off his 10 I Dalmarians pen and Judy Sunday is bes[. The secretary decides asks us [0 remind che houses [0 sign up ing revenue due to a somewhat lack ing hundreds ofTechers leap upon a cries [0 call Marcy. The phone has far shehas a headarhe. We cemember cha[ for &culcy-sruden[ committees. We'll luster performance on the part of the common target with intent to shower, more man cwdve buttons on i[ and Judy we were supposed [0 be calking abou[ pick interview rimes next week. last business manager in the last few [he OJ forruna[ely did no[ play [he 'isn'[ an enginett, so she doesn'[ really call an even[ fOr Cal[exh la and we decide a Brett pipes up ..."My back was weeks. larcer disc. If you Jefr your CDs a[ [he Marcy pun[ is bes[. hooked up [0 his fron[ ... I had my cam. Baldeep has noching [0 reporc parcy, con[acc Adrienne in Lloyd 207. The meeting begins. Brett suggests skydiving for an eea so I was taking picrures. I'U bring related [0 his position as Frosh direc SUDDS (Supplemen[acy Un Prefrosh social events 3re dis interhouse event, where participants mem n Meeeingclosed a[ 23:43 co ineer agree mar sruden[ [rained bartenders passes oue a Iette< [0 Kim Wes[ abou[ "let's go [0 Baja and gee plaseered· view another potential Tech business would be preferable [0 profOssional bar DAPAC and me cevised eligibilicy rules Kirschvink, whose freshman ineeres[ cender. ltwould becheaper and promoce for Intemouse. Lori passes out an sheec, by me way. is on file at me Res house un icy. Besides, we all fo llow agenda wich me 17m prefrosh roscer me LiJe office. DAPAC anyway. If Marcy were here, presidents have received. Brett got a Scevecells Geoff(Rickerrs) charhis SUCCESSisFUN! he would agree, prefrosh schedule mac ins[rucced all ref; didn'[ show up fOr baskecball char Presents ... Ineerhouse: RA clause: RAS can prefrosh women co show up [0 his room afremoon, bu[ Geoff says "I don'[ pay play fOr che house mey live in. Non- ar2AMonSarurday. Geoff(Dabney) any attention to Inrerhouse ath1erics .~ Brett wanes [0 have a[ sIam dunk Hew. contest at 3:00 on Saturday for the rARfS ARE ROUNDTRIP FARES 00 NOT INCLUDE FEDERAL T~ prdiosh. Geoff (Ricketts) is confused. c., III. , •• yew WMm ~ . . ~ so Brett hdps him oue: ''Have you ever ! .' I seen Michad Jordan ... Do you knoW Come see.,. ~ i who MichadJordan is! Am I going[OO ~ fast for you!' Evecyone dse agrees cht Ii! Dynamic Speaker & Employment Expert slamdunk concesc is okay. so Geoff giv still in its sterile phase." graduate days at Cal tech. A want to reassure you guys that. With the students and common co mplain was voiced the administration (whatever acceptance of pranking faculty warmed up over the is· by several students that Resi that exactly is), as far as I can Gary Lorden, Vice President ofStu dent Affairs: other undergrads ob· sue of Avery, the Student Life dence Life comes down from tell has always liked pranks .. .! I want to reassure you guys that "(Avery) doesn't Committe plunged into the is· on high with seemingly arbi mean some people nociced that, the administration (what like a place that sue of Caltech traditions. trary rules and regulations: that Beckman Auditorium ever that exacrly is), as far as I I:nilet1:racls live:' Terry Moran While Director of Residence "We don't know who is mak; looks a little like a wedding can tell has always liked pranks. to sum up the views of Life Kim West was not present jng the rules:'. While the stu; cake, or a merry-go-round or I mean one of the endearing undergraduates when he to defend the restrictions cur· dents generally understood something like that- well, qualities about Tom Everhart ) really isn't a stu rendy placed on students by that limits need to be set, the they made a merry-go-round when he came (incidendy he's place." However frosh her office, several professors/ manner in which they are pre; out of it not tOO many years out of town today but other; Dollerte expressed a more alumni defended the rights of se nted to the student body ago. I would love to see pranks wise I'm sure he'd be here.) He ,,,timist:ic oudook with the students in recounting the ac· needs a 10: of improvement. A like that again: [For th, full text, comes to freshman camp. He l"",menr that 'J\very house is tivitics of their own under· lack of direct communication ,,, box. ·Ed,] hangs around talking about wirh undergraduate organiza; Lorden was rebuked by things from the old days. At the alumni reunion that's going An excerpt on tions marrs what should he Professor Tom Tombrello with be held in May their devoting a whole session to talking healthy relationships on a the remark: "I have to make a about all the great pranks and when I get with other a1umis small, close-knit campus. correction to chat, Gary. The and talk about Caltech that is one of the things everyone Staff~ Faculfy;clations The biggest issue raised students that turned Beckman says is, "Why don't we do things to the Rose Bowl anymore Ellis Meng- was the death of traditions, Auditorium into a ca rousel or why don't we do the Hollywood sign anymore:'" Well, beginning with the grandest of were forced to take that stuff I'd like to bring up this time that we're saying all these the big .mswer that I know of js has nothing to do with them all: InterHouse. A myth down. I knew the students Everhart. me or any of the Deans or MOSHs or whatever wonderful things, we'd like to get these lists [0 come out had developed among the un who were involved who were or the DRL even. It has to do with the Ciry of Pasadena but, you know, people that are largely responsible for this dergraduate communiry that very disappointed about it." and what happened after the hollywood sign and so on. I th ing are sadly unrepresented at Tech. I received an e· the administration killed Terry Moran stated: "We are mean their has been a little chilling effect from the outside mail reccndy that I'd like to read [0 everyone and ask for Interhouse because it got too definiry having a breakdown in world. In the days when I was dean you could go out there your comments on. This is from Michelle Pine. She is unmanageable. Some of the trust: This was followed by after a football victory, of course we don't have a team now the administrative assistant to Dr. Tombrello and Dr. few professors On hand cor several students relating the which makes it harder, but you could go out there .. you Scheret. "I received by <-mail today my copy of the no rected this view in citing the less then appreciative manner could go out there and there'd be bonfires in the middle of tice of the Student-Faculty conference and again won valiant efforts taken to pre in which their pranks were the street and the cops would be there with the Caltech stu dered why the staff is Sene this notificacion and why we serve Interhouse in its final recieved. Chris Brichford, one dents, with the Deans, etc. That ain't Pasadena today. OK, are led to believe that we can contribute. It states in the years. A suggestion was made of rhe students involved in the so the climate;s a little different off campus, bur on campus last paragraph:We believe that all members of the Caltech to revive Interhouse using a prank on Rob Rossi com there have been some terrific pranks. Just to mention a few community would benefit from attending this conference, model similar to Apache. mented, "I don't think I'll ever from recent years. one of the Houses which will remain and your participation is needed to ensure successful dis where an invitation is needed partipate in a prank again. be nameless, near the Athenaeum did a whale in me middle of , (ussion of the problems: I no longer attend these confer- to gain entrance. cause of that. Unless the feel the reflecting pool as kind of a student comment on a very ences based on the experience I describe in the next para- Several students felt mat ing at Caltech changes and I expensive, and unlovely to some eyes. water sculpture that I graph and the fact that I don't really see any change in the DAPAC's increased enforce think thats pretty sad: was done in the reflecting pond. And they made a whale : attitude based on day to day interactions. ment represents the lastest in Many possible reasons for out of it. and the eyes rotated and so on. Evcrheart loved it. I I would like to say that I do work for two professors, The trustees loved it. So, I mean. it's not as thought there is stance of the Caltech the loss of both house sponsed , Drs. Tombrello, in Physics, and Scherer, in EE, who value something happening inside Caltech that is repressing. or adminstration's lack of trust in and spontainous pranks were I what the staff members have to offer, which is why I have supressing,ot something pranks. There was a carousel - I the undergrads. Considering raised by srudents. One inter stayed at Caltech for 18 years. I also have had the enjoy- me.111 some people noticed that Beckman auditorium looks that Cal tech has one of the esting reason was suggested by Inent of working with students both undergraduate and a little like a wedding cake, or a merry-go-round or some dryest campuses in the nation, ARC Secretary Devi Thota re graduate, who have valued what they learned from those thing like that- well, they made a merry-go-round out of many students feel that lating conversations she had of us on the staff as well as what they learned in class it not too many years ago. I would love to see pranks like DAPAC is unnecessary and overheard, "They're idea of room and lab. I have attended this conference in the past. that again. I think on days when the Trustees come around, overly protective. Even gt4.dU' why their have been less , When I did participate by asking why there wasn't some many of whom are alums, they ask the same questions:How ate student Rob Rossi com; pranks over the years is be discussion, recognition of how staff members contribute, come we haven't heard about any neat pranks:'" So, if you mented on "a lack of merry; cause the women population can contribute to the student life here at Caltech, ] was guys are thinking that somehow you want some support. making and mirth" at recent at Caltech is increasing." told by a member of the faculry that the key words here you know, ru betcha we could get all kinds of support, even undergraduate parties. While the Cal tech were "faculty" and "student". He publically stated what I financial, for the right pranks. But I rhink you have to keep The final issue covered pranking reputation continues had long suspected was the attitude of some faculty and in mind that one thing has changed. I mean, one of the extensively was the loss of the on, frosh Ishi (Brain Patton students. I sat in this conference with students who had Deans ofSrudents and the Director of Residence Life liter great Caltech prank. Rob observed "When I gOt here it been in or were currently in Dr. Tombrello's Ph 11 class, ally spent weeks negotiating with the Fire Department and Rossi kicked off the discussion wasn't the same Caltech that and who had benefited from the care and concern for their the Ciry of Pasadena to avoid srudents being prosecuted relating a prank which was was in those books [Ledgends well-being, both in the work setting and personal lives, about some bonfire behavior mat in years earlier didn't cause pulled on him last year in of Cal tech, More Ledgends) by staff members. But nothing was said in support of that kind of a reaction. So, I think you do have to be aware Chern lb involving moving the Their wasn't the mutual trust those of us on the staff who try to make a difference, nor that me world outside has a lot shorter fuse, a lot less sense hand in box for midterms to between faculty and students.'" did any faculty speak up. To say that I was disappointed of humor around the Rose Bowl, around the Tournament the Ricketts pot. Vice Presi Current ASCIT president would be an understatement:' of Roses, around a lot of things than they used to. But on dent of student affairs and Kohl Gill summarized with I invited Michelle Pine to come speak today, and she campus:' Gosh, you know, I think .. I think you get a lot of Caltech alumnus Gary Lorden "Maybe that's not what said that she felt very uncomfortable, and felt that there good reaction -although the chemists. you knOw, occasion took this opportunity to speak Cal tech is about anymore:' If ally they flake- to well conceived pranks. I think the same would be .. that she would receive the same treatment. for the first time that day. "I so we should mourn [he Joss. rules apply as they always elid which is don't hurt anybody. be conscious of who your audience or target is, and just have Romeo (Leonardo DiCaprio) other West Side Story, consider a good time, because creativiry and pranks I think will al and Juliet (Claire Danes), fall that while the setting has ways be, even though it may ebb and flow in terms of fte quency, always be a pan of the culrure at Caltech. WilLi ... ".Ul'.. I I·S in love. been updated, the dialogue DiCaprio is no stranger is straight from Shakespeare. Prof. Tombrello, Department of Physics: ROMEO to the big screen, having earned However, the accents are an Oscar nomination for Best purely American, a stylistic I have to make a correction to mat, Gary. The students that +J ULIET Supporting Actor for his work choice that helps the viewer turned Beckman Auditorium into a carousel were forced to in "What's Eating Gilbert look past me variations in take that stuff down. I knew the students who were in Grape:''' He also appeared op syntax over the centuries to volved who were very disappointed about it. The design posite Meryl Streep in the see the timeless power of contest which I gave as an example of the evolution ofpranks, movie adaptation of the play Shakespeare's drama and Caltech wasn't willing to support it. How do I know... bec.ause I was the Vice President at Slumberger and I was one of the This Week's ASCIT and interpreredit in a new way. "Marvin's Room." Danes is comedy. people that kicked in some of the money to get the design Movie: William Shakespeare's His 1996 version of Romeo and best known for her work in the William Shakespeare', contest started. Caltech .. . If the administration wants stuff Romeo and Juliet Juliet is set in me fictional sub critically acclaimed TV series, Romeo andJu/iet will be show to evolve into something.like the design contest, that's not To celebrate the 400th urb of Verona Beach, Califor "My So-Called Life; which ing this Friday. April 25, at someming the students can do by themselves. That's got to I anniv"m't)I of Shakespeare's nia. There, gun-wielding earned her a Golden Globe 7:30 and 10:00p.m. in Baxter be done by some active involvement by the administration. . play of forbidden love members of the rival Award and an Emmynomina Lecture Hall. Admission is The faculry are certainly interested, but the administration I arnol'~ a world of hate, elirec Montague and Capulet fami tion. $200 for ASCIT members has to support this stuff. and they haven't. Baz Luhrmann updated lies clash and their children, Lest you think this is an- and $250 for others. 6 April 25, 1997 THE CALIFORNIA TECit FEATURES - liked it) that"] dtink to make other drinking. Actually all that happens Dean's Corner people interesting." There certainly is thac I too don't present my best is something to that. side when my brain is impai red by But people will only remain drink. Et la tete sous Ie robinet .•• interesting if they are able to carry But in face all the courage, the (With my head under the spigot) on an interesting, coherent conver' feeling of well being, of mastery _ one. But the sation. The effect of alcohol de all that is a delusion. Dtinking dots law says twenty one. pends on its concentration in the not change our realiey_ It only by Jean-Paul Revel Caltech is responsible to take blood stream and that depends on changes our perception of it. t a I k care that no one younger than that what's being consumed, by whom EtOH is a depressant and its guile about self govern ~ is exposed [0 EtOH internally. The (big, small, fat, skinny etc.) and is char it prevents us from realiz_ ment by the students if we liability to the Institute if someone how. ing it. As Bertrand Russe ll said, One of the topics which were don't trUSt them to follow rules? should be hutt as a tesult of illegal Do we really need to drown "Drunkenness is temporary sui. discussed at the recent Student/ Why not let them administer the drinking would be enormous. Of our reticence to expose ourselves to cide: the happiness that it brings is Faculty Conference was "Life at alcohol policy themselves? course we would all be affected allow us to talk to our neighbors? merely negative, a momentary ces. Caltech." The students expressed It is a good question and a dif~ emotionally, whatever the age of Is that the way to get someone else sation of unhappiness." So drink. eagerness for Faculty and Admin ficult one. Where I was born even the victims. to like us, or for us not to bezEraid ing is far from the Macho thing it istration to treat them as respon babies were given diluted wine to From the time we are born, of them knowing about us? is so often seen to be. sible adults, among other things drink. It put them to sleep, kept and perhaps before that, we are all ] vividly remember calling a In my first year at University, with respeer to the alcohol policy. them quiet, and perhaps also mar ruled by the laws of the land, laws close friend on the phone and be the practice in the lab I worked in We, the non~students, are ginally served to sterilize the wa which can only be changed if ing really turned off when the voice {in France} was to save up our"spill. criticized for not doing what we ter. enough people vote for the change. that answered was slow, somewhat age allowance." We had to account profess to believe in. How can we But here the law of the land Since most of you ate old enough slurred and seemed to belong to to the revenuers for all the alcohol says .that only at twenty one can an to marry, serve in the military and someone who was out of it.! shiver used in the lab, minus 10%, which individual legally consume alco vote, you might consider that route even now in remembering my re~ was considered to have been lost in holic btews. Before that it is defendu, to change the legal drinking age. vulsion. Yet I also am aware that transfer. That encouraged everyone verboten, forbidden. There is no question that that has not prevented me from to improve our lab technique and Now I doubt that an l8-year drinking can be a wonderful social bolstering my own courage. or quantitative transfer was the first old is necessarily any less able to lubricant. George Jean Nathan said rather making me forget my cow skill we learned. The alcohol we did handle alcohol or other dangerous (1 don't know who s/ he is, but 1 ardice at calking about myself, and not spill and did not have to ac~ practices. than someone who is twenty found the quote on the net and I broaching other difficult topics, by coune for went to make aperitifs, * * A ward Winner * * Food To Go Welcome OPEN 7 DAYS Tel: 449-8018 2475 E. Colorado· Pasadena CLASSIFIED ADS Services PREGNANT? - We are a pro fessional, married couple. a pilot and a nurse hoping to start a family through adoption. We ·have a lovely home and wi 11 teach good values and provide all emo tional. physical, spiritual and mater ial wants in life to your healthy baby. We are willing t o pay all medical expenses allo wed by law. Please help us by calling toll free: 1-888- 921-BABY. AUTO REPAIR - Complete Ser You've got a long road ahead of yo vice. Smog Che cks, Tune Ups, Oil Change, Bra kes, Electrical, Engine Repairs, Get comfortable. etc... Hrant Auto Service, 1477 E. Washington Blvd., Pasadena. (818) 798-4064 (818) 791-1993. Call for Appointment. Discount for students and staff. Jobs BIRKENSTO(K® UNIX PROGRAMK!:R WANTED - The Biological Imaging Cen ter at Cal tech needs a some one to help interface re 0FF YOUR NEXT PAIR search equipment with an SGI OF REGULAR PRICED BIRKENSTOCK SHOES I machine, via t.he serial $10 REGISTER TO WIN A FREE PAIRI port. Data acquisition and image process ing. Work BIRKENSTOCK OF PASADENA LUCHA COMFORT FOOTWEAR WALK THIS WAY study preferred; part time. 696 E. COLORADO, #11 , PASADENA 921 fAIR OAKS AVENUE, S. PASADENA 2253 HONOlULU AVENUE, MONTROSE Call or email Dr. Steve Pot 818·796-5028 818·799-6691 816-246-7206 ter x2863 spotter@gg CALIFORNIA T ECH April 25, 1997 FEATURES 7 we all consumed in the de~ the end of the book, which can be pened to them in the field. Some nt head's office, before all right if used well and sparingly are terrible, like finding that your A great compliment was, but is a poor thing to make a habit house and all your data have can hold his alcohol." out of. There are even occasional burned to the ground. Others are In fact we could nOt "hold it" books where the readers don't even worse, like dcaling with the red tape I",more than anyone else, and only meet the murderer, which violates in Uganda. The qualiry of the sto psychological dependence on the cardinal rule of fairness in mys ries varies with the writers. The that I mean char pretty soon, [cry writing. Braun also leaves a lot worst are the ones written by two became a necessary part of of loose ends which she never tics ritual, the way to reduce anxi~ people which use an odd mixrure and lower inhibitions. up and which don't really have any of first and second person narra~ It does char [00 with sexual de~ bearing on the story. tion. That is, everything is "we" and That was even known by good This particular book is about "us" but the characters are all called Bill, Bill Shakespeare that is, a food festival in the town where by their names, there is no "1". It's said in Macbeth ': . . it provokes most of the stories are set. There disconcerting and, in my opinion, desire, but rakes away the per ~ really isn't that much to say about unnecessary, but it only shows up ..,m'lnce." But Bill lived in an age it that I haven't said already. I in two or three of the stories . exposure [0 AIDS or other should say, though, that in the The stories themselves are the problems did not happen or grand scheme of things these best thing about the book. The dif books aren't that bad. The fact that ficulties in storing poisonous So you see, it is not just a ques~ I can read them snakes, absurd of not trusting you. I do, we If you hav, a book that you would lik, and his two Siamese cats, Koko and all the way culture clashes, But I would be, the Institute The difficulties in to su rr vi( w(d in this column, plrast Yum- Yum. Koko has "special pow through without and general re~ be, shirking irs responsibili~ drop it by my room (J08 Ru) and I'll ers", attributed to his whiskers, that gagging says storing poisonous minders of how if nothing was done to inform try to get it in thr ntxt wuk or so. make him able to tell when some~ quite a bit, con~ nice civilization and give you ways to resist snakes, absurd culture one is being killed and who did it, can be a pleasurable experi# side ring the is and why man The Cat Who Said Cheese clashes, and general or become a true nightmare. which he then tries to transmit to many truly ter ~ kind bothered the Koran says: "There is a devil By Lilian Jackson Braun his master. It's a flimsy premise at rible books on reminders of how nice to evolve it. The lIa " velrv grape." ** best, at worst it's a cat blacking out the market, civilization is and why Lves of these re~ You may want to talk to a city by sitting in a pyramid. Other which even I mankind bothered to searchers seem I o.,borah Southerland at the coun I really don't know why I read low points include the newspaper wouldn't waste interesting and center for advice on alcohol rhese books. They have very little column that the protagonist writes, my money on. evolve it. exciting, and go to the net at U RL with which to recommend th em~ horrible smarmy prose about noth~ just about every http: //www.inform .umd. The books are all about a man that the murderer rarely survives [0 gists about things that have hap- spicuously absent. PCI MULTIMEDIA PRO PCI MULTIMEDIA PLUS INTEL Pentium processor wI fan INTEL Pentium processor w(coaling fan VESBOOK .. 256K PipeUned Brust Cache, Triton chipset " 256K "Ipellned Brust cache, Triton chipset .. 32 MB Synchronous Dynamic RAM .. 16 MB EDO RAM expandable to 128 MB We Took The "NO" out of Notebook (50".4 facter than EOO RAM) • TEAC , .44 MB lloppy dnve _ I • lrote l Pentium proce&6or, 256KB PB cache • TEAC 1.44 MB floppy dnve .. 1.7 GB EIOe hard drive Max. standard V • 40 MB RAM ( Use OIMM) • 2.5 GB EIOe hard driv~ • PCI Enhanced IDE HD controller _ I .. 8X CD-ROM Oriv~ (6X for Dual Scan) V ·1.44 MB flOpPY drive • Matrox MGA M iII~nnium wl2 MB WRAM .. Stealth 30 wl2 MB EOO DRAM • PCMC1A Type 4 slot .. Vi~wsonic HGS 17" monitor .27 dp .. 17" 1280 X 1024 monitor .28 dp _ I .. R~movable HO (Up to 20B) • Flat screen Low-radiatlon (3 yr part, 8.. labOr) • Flat screen. 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T~inlng P-133 MHz $ 979 180 MHz $2649 Elrtencled Warr1lnty Available P-120 MHz $ 959 SAT 10 -5 lmIittd ri &h~ ~ierved Thili::ad I~ root = offu ~ 50 MHz $2269 Pnru '" .pec:ific:!r.ion~ sub';':", 10 ~ .... thc>ut IlOlitt CA 91106 (lHtl.J'f"f"n LUNt' & Hill AIOf".) liol I'""pon ~i bt. fo I' Iy'pOI''''Ph,Q) tl"1"Ors 8 1997 THE CALIFORNIA sity Women offers a number of Events ships to women who are U.S. i ( ) or pennanent residents, including Mints year po~-doctoral fellowships and cial dissertation fellowships. The i <§1 Caltech's si.th annual Earth Day ~ denotes a new announcement. national fellowship is awarded Celebrations will be held today, Fri women who are not citizens of day, April 25th. from II :3Oam to 2pm 'it7This week's ASCIT Movie is Romeo <§1 Noboru Oyarna, professor of applied ing to The To/em can contact the edi or permanent residents who on the Olive Walk. Earth Day will in and Juliet (1997). It will be showing chemistry of Tokyo University of Ag tors bye-mailing totem@cco or by e clude booths featuring campus, local, at 7:30pm and I Opm in Baxter Lecture riculture and Technology, will be giv mailing orca1ling any of them individu in in the U.S. and national environmental organiza Hall. Admission for ASCIT members ing a lecture about "New Lithium Bat ally (Mina Leung. Amanda Eckerman, tions, knickknacks, and entertainment is $2.00 and $2.50 for non-members. teries with Enormous Energy Den Peter Wang. Mason Poner, and Andrew From /he Financial Aid Office, 515 by the Magyk Band with Alula. Spon sities" on Monday, April 28th at 4pm Strauss). Wilson , second floor: sored by the Caltech Environmental <§1 The Caltech Folk Music Society in the Sturdivant Lecture Hall, 147 Task Force, the Caltech Y, and the GSC, will be presenting Louis Killen, John Noyes. From the Counseling The John Gyles Education Fund there will al so be TFM Earth Day Cake. Roberts, and Tony Barrand in an a Center offering financial assist,m .., tostuldenl.l Real food will be available with a $1 capella accompanied by concertina, til Daniel M. Hausman, professor of who are Canadian or U.S. Citizens. donation. banjo, bones, and side drum concert on philosophy at the University of Wis minimum G.P.A. of2.7 is required Saturday, April 26th, at8pm in Winnett consin, Madison, will be giving a Wil Looking fora safe and supponive place eligibility. Criteria ow,.r1lhrun 'iii' Hiroo Kanamori , John E. Smits. Ha Lounge. liam Bennett Munro Memorial Semi 3(;ad,emicl to discuss issues such as coming out, ability and financial need are zel S. Smits, professor of Geophysics nar on "Rationality and Knavery" in the Judy Library on Tuesday, April being out, dca1ing with family, cBRing ered in the selection process. and director of the seismologicallabo <§1 Cleo Laine and the John 29th, at 4pm. with a homophobic culture, and being students will receive up to $3,000. ratory. Caltech, and Thomas Heaton. Dankworth Group will be perform GLB at Caltech? Want somewhere just receive an application, send a stalnp ) If/fill/III I II .J Page House enters a McDonalds contest (many times). 1\ "I want to reassure you guys that the administration . . . has always liked pranks." -Gary Lorden Looking for funding for your prank? Try ASCIT - they set aside $500 for pranks. The Y, the Student Investment Fund, and the Alumni Association may help, too. Inside World policy If you do not want your name to appear in the Inside World, e-mail [email protected]:ech.edu and tell us. The next IW will be published in 2 weeks, so submit something! Ricketts Blacker- B B Q Heming is just too cheap to pay for another sociaL All Inside Worlds mu st include the author's name, peDE Tom Mannion which will not be published, but will be released if event. Ricketts Hovse cel Enough Said. necessary. Inside Worlds may only be written by ebrates two of their favorite current undergraduates. The editors reserve the right things: Polish Constitu Oabney Page-lelia to edit any or all parts of an Inside World submis tional Day Eve (PCD E) and Polyester Night Night sion. No libelous material or ad hominem attacks drunken debauchery to will be accepted. It is the author's responsibility to Page has refused to com night. starting with the an Friday Nigh t: Wear lounge check material written about another person to see if ment about the essence of nual making-of-the-House clothes. play poker. this event. Guess. that person considers it libelous. Pole "contest" (really. piry Please submit via e-mail to Arnit and Terry tommotow). Fleming- Hawai editors @tech.caltech.edu, or drop a 3.5" Macintosh Expect loud drunk scurves Avery-??? disk in the IN box outside SAC 40 by the Wednes ramping through your vir Their website is still ian BBQ at the day before the publication date. Please also submit gin hallways singing nastier under construction. songs than any made by Mash (Come on, its Avery! Social a hard copy to the IN box. Submissions may be used Snoop Doggy Dogg. The Mash has invited everybody. events???) at a later date in future publications. Chern 69a: Darbic Interactions Dabney Condom Usage by Alley by the Dabney Hovse possible that the alley sim placed in the boxes are mi Chemists ply has amazingly high gratory creatures, who are 1 9% condom use per capita, but attracted to the alley box 2 We, the Dabney Hovse without data from the video closest to the current lO'w'er 7 25% Chemis ts, lectured on surveillance system we are Warcraft game. Some of Darbic Interactions at the currently installing, it is our detractors claim that 3 Society of Chemical So the Darbs are transport 15% ciologists' Conference in ing items from alley box Monte Carlo last month. to alley box, but we find The following are ex It is possible that this hypothesis to be with cerpts from our presenta [Lower 7] simply out merit, as Darbs do not Upper 7 tion, for review by the has amazingly appear to possess the nec 12% 4 13% Cal tech Community. high condom use essary intellect to perform such tasks. 6 per capita ... 8% 5 The expected correla 14% tion between band-aid These and other phe- and razor blade use was nomena have made not observed. However, we difficult to tell. Dabney alley boxes a ma did find a correlation be jor field of acti ve research Dabney Matches and Razor Blades tween razor blade and We observed a strange at top institutions world matchbook use. This is best phenomenon in some of the wide. We at Cal tech hope Matches explained by the hypothesis alleys: more items could be to continue to stay abreast -0-- Razor Blades that the razor blades are found in a given alley box of new developments In used to "line up" white than had been left there the this exciting new area. powdered offerings to previous week. We have Dabney House deities in several hypotheses for this. ceremonies involving In The most plausible involves Condom usage with and without lower alley 7 cense. quantum tunneling effects. Theoretically, objects could 100 Despite the fact that penetrate the barriers pre 90 only four subjects reside in sented by the walls, ceil 80 lower Alley 7, a quarter of ings, andfloors, and be ob 70 all Darbic condom use oc served simultaneously in 60 - wlo Lower 7 50 curred there. We hypoth more than one alley box. It 40 --0-- wI Lower 7 esize that the Dabney is also possible that items 30 Chemists (who both live in confined to a lonely alley 20 lower 7) find great pleasure box do not take proper pre 1 0 in dropping water-filled cautions, and produce off 0 projectiles on passers-by in spring. A third theory holds 1 2 - 1 9· 2 - 1 6· 1 - 1 5- the SAC courtyard. It is that some of the items Feb Feb Mar Mar Apr Apr 7he VabneJ Jfouse Chemists present/he firs/ annuaf .. It's Secret Evil! Secret Evil! Secret Evil! Hey there, Metal fans! Make Secret Evil! sure to get your own personal Guess the Mystery Item copy ofthe Heavy Metal mas Cross your heart, terpiece, "Secret Evi I! " And hope to die. Metallica is dead, Megadeth Stick a needle, is no more, Pantera are pos In your eye. ers. Clearly, the new Mon It's secret! It's secret! Contest sters of Rock are Secret Evil, and they're not gonna put out Cross your heart, any slow song shit. If It ain't And hope to die. a power chord, it ain't in their Stick a needle, lives of undergraduates in song. Check out the lyrics to In your eye. by Val Anderson recel ve a T-shirt de the title track: It's secret! It's secret! and Autumn Looijen Dabney House. Can you signed especially for Secret Evil There's nothing you can do. guess what the item is? you by us, the Dabney Secret Evil will get you. Months of painstak Tell Autumn or Val, or e Chemists. Shh ... Don't tell. In your heart you know it's Shh ... Don't tell. true. ing analysis have shown mail The California Tech (Hint: It's something But I'm the mother fucker, Secret Evil has got you . a clear relationship be at [email protected] found in the Dabney Al Straight from hell! This is just a song. tween the use of a mys tech.edu, and if you are the ley Boxes.) And So don t blame us. tery item and the sex first to get it right, you will We're gonna get your mother. Your the mother fucker, We're gonna get your brother. Making all the fuss. You Will not suspect. Because it's secret! And You're gonna get your mother. Dabney House Condom and Mystery Item Usage It's Secret Evil! You're gonna get your brother. Secret Evil! You're the evIl! 100 Secret Evil! You're the secret! Secret Evil! 80 You're Secret Evil! 60 Shh .. Don't tell. Secret Evil! ----- Mystery Item Hey, Don't look. Secret Evil! 40 But you won't know. Secret E vi I! 20 --0-- Condoms If you're in our book. 0 Now that's some thought pro , ~ ~ ~ ~ And .0 .0 QI m ~ so we adjoucn [0 go smile ac Educational Exchange 10904 Lindbrook Dr. che prefro"h. elY" •. 54 5, RaYll10nd Ave, 1020W estwood Blvd, los Angeles CA Respectfu11y Submitted. Saturday April 26 at the Pasadena Holiday Inn Pa~a d e na CA los An geles CA Tel: 3ro.2Bs· 3551 Two sessions 9:30a - 11 :30 11 :30 - 3:30 Te ~ 81S·)93-5595 Tel: 3ro.2M·1852 213-463·0655 C ALIFORNIA TECH STUDENT .. FACULTY CONFERENCE April 25, 1997 5 RC: Student life committee summary Excerpts on faculty