Carnegie Mellon Celebrates Martin Luther King Jr

SCITECH FORUM SPORTS PILLBOX Study evaluates hybrid Kanye West’s video crosses Manoli’s block secures Pittsburgh’s civil rights vehicles [A4] the line [A7] victory [A10] history [B8] Carnegie researchers fi nd dialects College ACB ‘anonymity’ could Impressive swim and dive Refl ecting on musical successes using Twitter [A4] lead to libel [A7] performance [A10] of 2010 [B6] Monday, January 17, 2011 Carnegie Mellon’s student newspaper since 1906 Volume 105, Issue 14 Carnegie Mellon celebrates New poetry dialogue club packs a punch Martin Luther King Jr. Day CHRISTA HESTER improvement, education and Junior Staffwriter CLAIRE GUSTAVSON pate.” local high schools will share spiritual development, time Junior Staffwriter Today’s activities kick off their “personal narratives management, and struggles at 12:30 p.m. with a School dealing with individual ex- “Come, come, whoever against adversity. Martin Luther King Jr. of Drama tribute to King and periences with racial differ- you are, come and join us” is Lasting hundreds of years, Day, falling annually on the diversity at Carnegie Mel- ence and discrimination.” the mantra of the Rumi Dia- much of his poetry focuses third Monday of January, lon in the University Center The students are re- logue Club, a student organi- on continual transformation represents more than just (12:30–1:30 p.m., Rangos cipients of writing awards zation here at Carnegie Mel- in an effort to become more a three-day weekend to the Hall). Afterwards, there sponsored by the Carnegie lon that centers itself around unifi ed with God and people. Carnegie Mellon campus. will be a presentation of the Mellon Creative Writing a message of love, tolerance, According to a famous poem Observed nationwide since “Martin Luther King Jr. Day Program, Student Affairs, and respect for life. The club written by Rumi, “Discard 2000, the holiday encour- Writing Awards” (1:30–2:30 and the Offi ce of the Presi- bases its values off the works the old if you desire new- ages people to refl ect on the p.m., McConomy Auditio- dent.” A more informal Po- and teachings of 13th-century ness” (Mathnawi II: 1270). poet Jalal ad-Di n Muhammad The poem typifi es the college past, specifi cally the Civil rium), in which students See MLK, A3 Rights Movement, and to from Carnegie Rumi, a devout Muslim and experience where, especially consider King’s messages Mellon and Sufi mystic who believed in at Carnegie Mellon, transfor- in the context of current the transformative and unify- mation and modernization times. This year, Carnegie ing powers of love. The Rumi play key roles. Mellon is hosting a range of Dialogue Club puts these be- As Yeniterzi pointed out events in observance of the liefs into action by organizing throughout her speech, Rumi holiday and of the legacy of workshops and seminars that was not really a poet, but an Reverend Dr. Martin Luther address and resolve cultural educator who used the me- King Jr. differences. They also offer dium of poetry to convey his With subjects ranging Turkish language classes in a ideas. He stressed the impor- from King’s life to social continuing effort to “bridge tance of critical thinking as a justice along with activities cultural gaps between Carn- way of life, saying, “Reason encompassing both formal egie Mellon students.” is what enables one to have lectures and poetry slams, The club recently had an vision to follow on the path Carnegie Mellon’s Martin event in the University Cen- of transformation and self- Luther King Jr. Day celebra- ter on Jan. 12 where anyone improvement” (Mathnawi I: tions offer something for interested in learning more 2582). For those who value everyone. Events begin at about Rumi and Turkish cul- education, espeically stu- 12:30 p.m., and afternoon ture could come and partici- dents, these words are indeed classes have been canceled pate. UC Connan, where the potent and pertinent. To use so that students and faculty event was held, was packed Yeniterzi’s analogy, “If the can participate. and lively with old and new world is a body, knowledge is “It lets people go to the friends chatting and catching what gives it life.” events in a frame of mind up. Yeniterzi’s speech was that is relaxing and not True to their message of followed by a hauntingly stressful and to get some- acceptance and tolerance, beautiful nay, or reed fl ute, thing out of the events,” the crowd of attendees was performancwe by Serkan said Natalie French, a junior diverse in age and ethnicity, Imisiker, a profi cient musi- civil and environmental en- gathered together through cian of the fl ute, after which gineering major. “It is really the commonality of a thirst Polat gave a speech titled important to be aware for learning and a love of “Why Learn Turkish?” Po- and able to partici- Turkish food. The majority lat’s talk was a lighthearted of the event was dedicated to yet sincere argument for Alexander Moser/Art Staff distinguished guest professor learning Turkish as a way to Emine Yeniterzi from Tur- get an edge on the current key’s Rumi Social Research job market and as an expan- Center and professor Nihat sion of one’s own worldview. Polat from Duquesne Uni- After Polat’s speech the Qatar comes to campus: Resnik’s new room versity’s English as a Second meeting ended with an ebru, JENNIFER THARP Housing and Dining Services, Language program. or water marbling, perfor- Staffwriter listened to a talk by Renee Yeniterzi spoke at length mance given by Muyesser Camerlengo, associate dean and in great depth about the Demir, an artist profi cient Every year during spring of Student Affairs, about the inspiring namesake of the in the practice. Some of break, students accepted IMPAQT program between club and how the teachings Demir’s work, as well as the into the Initiating Meaning- Carnegie Mellon and Qatar. of Rumi are still applicable to club’s mission statement and ful Pittsburgh and Qatar Ties Students who apply and are living a meaningful life in the upcoming events, can be (IMPAQT) program travel accepted into the program modern world. Her speech seen online at the Rumi Dia- to Carnegie Mellon’s Qatar begin an 18-month long com- addressed many aspects of logue Club’s Facebook page, campus to interact with local mitment culminating in a life on which Rumi gave sage www.facebook.com/pages/ students while socially and spring break trip to Qatar, as advice in the form of poetry, Rumi-Dialogue-Club/177832 culturally experiencing the well as assisting in selecting some of which included self- 852240181. country. Through an initiative the next group of students. of Housing and Dining Servic- Inspired, Abel spoke to both es, however, all students will Camerlengo and Dean Tucker now have a unique chance to of Carnegie Mellon Qatar learn about Carnegie Mellon’s (CMU-Q) about the possibil- partner campus without even ity of a dedicated space within leaving Pittsburgh. Premier- the Pittsburgh campus where ing in March, the Qatar Room students could interact both will be centrally located in a visually and physically with dining space in Resnik House students from Doha. known as the “pod.” The room “It is our hope that when will offer glimpses of student you walk in the space you will life in Doha, Qatar and feature feel in some way that you have programs and activities be- walked onto the Doha campus. tween the two campuses. The We hope the furnishings, fi x- room will also enable open tures, and exhibits refl ect the communication through the culture, programs, and people use of programming and vid- of CMU-Q. Renee Camerlengo eo conferencing. and the IMPAQT students will Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons The idea fi rst originated Qatar, pictured above, will be represented in Resnik House. when Kim Abel, director of See QATAR, A3 Benefi ts of online courses outweighs use of books TURI ALCOSER Biology to Logic & Proofs to as no surprise that the OLI’s ence undergraduates, and is Staffwriter Chemistry. The site’s headline free public materials are on currently maintained by pro- gives its purpose as, “[…] to the corkboard. Students who fessor Dave Yaron’s research Laptops: They’re small, ef- enact the kind of dynamic, have taken Modern Chem- group in the Department of fi cient, and currently adorn fl exible, and responsive in- istry II will be familiar with Chemistry. the fi rst fl oor of Hunt Library. struction that fosters learn- the Virtual Lab, a Java-based “Despite this student’s Their owners are typing, ing.” And although one may web environment to simulate frustration, the Virtual Lab stooped over, with some bit- think it is just supplemen- experiments that one can per- has been shown in studies to ing their nails, even though it’s tary materials, that would be form in a physical lab. In 2010, be very benefi cial in student Friday and the fi rst week back wrong. In fact, the OLI builds over 100,000 experiments us- learning and understanding. to school. Yet it has become a a foundation for a nationwide ing the online virtual lab were Our goal is to help motivate necessity rather than a luxury goal to improve learning in in- performed across the globe. students and make chemistry to own a laptop while attend- troductory courses. Hannah Wirtshafter, a ju- exciting by connecting con- ing college. It is the future, Last year, the OLI at Car- nior science and humanities cepts to real world applica- and Carnegie Mellon takes the negie Mellon was granted $4 scholar, described her expe- tions,” said Michael Karabinos, lead in computer-based dis- million from the Bill & Melin- rience with the virtual lab.

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