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Volume 129, Number 22 Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 Tuesday, April 28, 2009 BC ‘Dance Till You Drop’ Stunt Fizzles Out BRC, DPC Fake Bomb Placed on Kresge Oval Prompts Cambridge Police Bomb Squad Response By Michael McGraw-Herdeg by the Cambridge Fire Department, Release and Greg Steinbrecher who was called by the MIT Police Staff Reporters at about 5 a.m. Friday to ensure that On Friday morning, a dormitory the inciting object was not danger- Separate floor’s publicity stunt was a dud. ous. The Cambridge Bomb Squad Eventually, bomb squad person- responded to what appeared to be a nel used a crowbar chained to a cartoon bomb made of concrete, ad- winch on the front of a fire truck to Draft vertising the annual Dance Till You remove the block from the ground. Drop party held by the Burton Third After the block was flipped over, the Bombers. bomb squad declared an all-clear, Dining On Friday morning, students and Facilities employees with a fork- watched as bomb squad mem- lift removed the block. bers sent a robot to inspect the ob- The “bomb” turned out to be a ject, which was painted black with heavy concrete hemisphere made to Reports “DTYD” written in orange letters. look like it was buried in the ground, By Nick Bushak A man in a protective suit inspected with a rope “fuse” glued on top and Editor in Chief the “bomb” up close. A small explo- with metal spikes attached to the Draft proposals describing the sive charge was detonated next to bottom that made it hard to remove future of dining at MIT have been re- the concrete in an effort to trigger from the ground. leased for public review by both the any possible explosives embedded Eric D. Schmiedl ’09 said that student-run Dining Proposal Com- inside. he saw MIT police sergeant Gerald mittee and the Blue Ribbon Institute Burton-Conner will be billed by P. Doyle at 3 a.m. that morning and Committee. the city for the costs of the multi- informed him that there was a hack The two recommendations agree hour effort, residents were told by shaped like a bomb on Kresge Oval. on increasing on-campus dining op- Barbara A. Baker, Senior Associate Schmeidl is a Tech photographer. Greg Steinbrecher—The Tech tions, especially for breakfast, but dif- Dean for Students. Those costs are Noah S. Jessop ’09, the outgoing A Cambridge Bomb Squad officer attempts to disable a device fer significantly on mandatory meal not yet clear, but may reach tens of Undergraduate Association Presi- placed on Kresge Field on the morning of April 24. The device was, plans for dorms with dining halls and thousands of dollars. in fact, a cherry-bomb-shaped concrete block advertising for this on the future of dining halls in dorms, The bomb squad was called in Bomb on Kresge, Page 15 weekend’s annual DTYD party hosted by the Burton 3rd Bombers. with the administration’s proposal re- quiring mandatory $500–600 dining fees for students living in dorms with dining halls. Sophomore Lives Dream MIT Medical Is Prepared in Both plans would do away with the current $300-per-semester House Din- Case of Swine Flu Outbreak ing Membership, which gives students To Run Boston Marathon a 50 percent discount on any food By Michael McGraw-Herdeg effective way to fight swine flu will purchased from house dining halls. In- Melissa Gymrek ’11 Inspired by High School Coach Executive Editor involve educating the community stead, both suggest a declining-balance By Ramya Sankar to the finish line. MIT’s emergency planning arm is about coughing etiquette, hygiene, meal plan program that would give Contributing editor Gymrek (pronounced GIM-reck), prepared to handle an outbreak of the and what to do if you get symptoms. students a certain amount of money to “All of a sudden you hear a buzz one of a handful of MIT students who swine flu, although administrators The disease, Influenza A subtype spend at house dining halls during the and it gets louder, and as you turn run the marathon each year, joined say they expect the disease to mani- H1N1, has been confirmed in 40 peo- semester. Money left over at the end of onto Route 16, the buzz turns into a almost 30,000 other runners and fest less like a pandemic and more ple in the United States, including 28 the semester would be forfeit. roar of sound,” even more spectators from around the like a tough flu season. in New York, the Centers for Disease The proposals disagree on the said Melissa world on Monday, April 20, for the For several years, MIT has pre- Control said on Monday afternoon. minimum required house dining com- Feature Gymrek ’11, 113th Boston Marathon. She clocked pared an emergency pandemic plan Although the disease is “just” the flu, mitment for students living in dorms recalling what she heard after mile ten a time of 3:42:30. which includes cancelling classes or it comes after the year’s flu season with dining halls. The BRC report of the Boston Marathon. On the day of the marathon, Gym- final exams, suspending nonessen- has subsided, and it has concerned suggests replacing the required $300 “It’s a wall of sound with thou- rek got up at 4:30 a.m. to head to the tial research, changing Commence- health officials because it is blamed House Dining Membership with a sands of people cheering for you,” she ment, and even sending students said, describing the scene all the way Marathon Runner, Page 15 back home. But right now, the most Swine Flu, Page 14 Dining Reports, Page 13 Sloan Sales In Short ¶¶Jean Cui ’09 will be on “Jeopardy!” Conference: on Thursday. She competes against Lawrence Sullivan and Liz Murphy Panels & Talks from Fairfield, CT and Arlington, VA, respectively. Cui is pictured at right Mean Business with “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek. By Robert McQueen ¶¶Stephen D. Immerman, Sr. As- Associate Editor sociate Dean in Student Life, is being laid off, as are other personnel in It was Friday, April 17, and by “Jeopardy!” Productions Inc. the time I left my final class of the the Division of Student Life. Dean day, Campus Preview Weekend was Colombo declined to make available Student Life Costantino “Chris” Co- already in details on personnel laid off. Immer- lombo from Columbia last August. full swing. man has been at MIT since 1979, and Score: Columbia 2, MIT 1. Reporter’s Making my has nine months of notice before the way down layoff takes effect. In the meantime, ¶¶Apollo 13 is showing for free in Notebook the pre- his office has been relocated from 26-100 tomorrow at 7 p.m., courtesy frosh-packed Infinite, I had some- building 5 to building W98, west of of LSC and Aero-Astro, commemo- thing far different planned for the the Hyatt hotel. rating the 40th anniversary of the afternoon than CPW. I was headed Apollo moon landings. down Memorial Drive to the Hyatt ¶¶Daniel Barkowitz, Director of Regency, where the 3rd annual MIT Financial Aid, moves to Columbia ¶¶Tuesday is Produce Stand Day! Eric D. Schmiedl—The Tech University effective June 1. The Sloan Sales Conference was attract- Hackers installed a solar-powered Boston MBTA-style subway Outside East Campus. move follows his boss defecting to ing a crowd of businessmen from car riding on the wall around MIT’s Great Dome on Monday, Columbia earlier this fall — Eliza- prospective entrepreneurs to some April 27, visible from Killian Court. The train’s next stop is ¶¶DormCon elected officers last beth M. Hicks is now Associate Vice of the top sales experts in the nation. listed as “Baker House,” referring to a hackers’ tradition of night. See table, p.15. President of Student Administrative Arriving at the conference at asking, “Is this the way to Baker House?” when discovered Services and University Registrar Send news information and tips to in strange or illicit locations by officers of the MIT Police. Sales Conference, Page 15 at Columbia. MIT took Dean for [email protected].

Comics Ph o t o Es s a y s Ben Folds World & Nation ��2 rocks MIT! Next Act ��9 Opinion ��4 Spring Weekend Photos ��10 Campus Life ��6 Ben Folds, Sara Bareilles ��11 Comics / Fun Pages ��7 Sports ��16 Page 7 Page 11 MTG’s “Bare” ��12 Page 2 The Tech April 28, 2009 Wo r l d & Na t i o n China Loves Its Pakistani Offensive Puts Truce Knockoff Cell Phones By David Barboza The New York Times SHENZHEN, China With Taliban on Shaky Ground The phone’s sleek lines and touch-screen are unmistakably familiar. So is the logo on the back. But a sales clerk at a sprawling electronic By Carlotta Gall The operation indicates that the Under the February peace agree- goods market in this Chinese coastal city admits what is clear upon and Ismail Khan government is trying to challenge the ment, the government agreed to the closer inspection: This is not the Apple iPhone; this is the Hi-Phone. The New York Times militants, though similar efforts in imposition of Shariah courts and “But it’s just as good,” the clerk says. ISLAMABAD, Pakistan the past have been sporadic or short- both sides agreed to stop fighting. Nearby, dozens of other vendors are selling counterfeit Nokia, Mo- The uneasy truce between the lived, and the Taliban have expanded The military has ceased operations torola and Samsung phones — as well as cheap look-alikes that make Pakistani government and Taliban their reach from Swat into Buner, a in the Swat Valley, but Taliban mili- no bones about being knockoffs. militants in the Swat Valley appeared district about 60 miles from Islam- tants have insisted they will remain “Five years ago, there were no counterfeit phones,” said Xiong increasingly fragile on Monday as abad, the capital. armed until the Islamic courts are set Ting, a sales manager at Triquint Semiconductor, a maker of mobile government forces attacked militants Local residents poured out of Dir up and functioning. phone components, while visiting Shenzhen. “You needed a design in a neighboring district for a second on Monday, as government paramili- Government officials said they house. You needed software guys. You needed hardware design. But day, causing the main negotiator to tary forces backed by artillery and would continue to try hold the Swat now, a company with five guys can do it. Within 100 miles of here, you break off talks. helicopter gunships pursued militants peace agreement together, but have can find all your suppliers.” Maulana Sufi Muhammad, the for a second day. A military spokes- demanded that militants cease their Technological advances have allowed hundreds of small Chinese radical cleric who has been mediat- man, Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas, said activities in several districts adjoin- companies, some with as few as 10 employees, to make what are known ing peace talks between the govern- some pockets of militant resistance ing Swat and lay down their weap- as shanzhai, or black market, cell phones, for as little as $20 apiece. ment and the Taliban in Swat, halted remained in Lower Dir, but that most ons. Several provincial officials have negotiations on Monday to protest of the area was cleared. At least 37 expressed growing frustration with the military operation in the Lower militants and one paramilitary sol- Muhammad and his failure to make GM Says It Must Shrink Dir district west of Swat, his spokes- dier have been killed in the two days the militants follow the agreement. man said. of fighting, the military said. Despite the inroads the Taliban Severely to Survive “We are suspending talks with the Taliban militants in their strong- have made, Afrasiab Khattak, a se- By Bill Vlasic government until the military opera- hold of Swat reacted with a warn- nior official from the Awami Na- and Nick Bunkley tion in Dir is halted,” the spokesman, ing that they would resume fighting tional Party who has led negotiations The New York Times DETROIT Amir Izzat, said. He said that the unless the operation was stopped. A from the government’s side, said the For all the uncertainty surrounding a possible bankruptcy filing by Taliban still adhered to the February spokesman for the militants, Mus- authorities would not tolerate Tali- General Motors, the troubled automaker said Monday that it must be- peace agreement governing Swat, lim Khan, described the agreement ban attempts to expand into districts come drastically smaller if it hoped to remain a viable company. but that talks would only resume as “worthless,” in comments to The beyond Swat. GM said it would eliminate another 21,000 factory jobs, close 13 when the military operation stopped. Associated Press. Also on Monday, “We assure the people of Pakistan plants, cut its vast network of 6,500 dealers almost in half and shutter The government said it acted against a group of armed militants seized that that it is not going to happen,” its Pontiac division. militants in Lower Dir after a local control of the telephone exchange he told journalists. “We are not go- By the time it is finished, GM expects to have only 38,000 union police officer and an administrator in Bahrain, a town north of the Swat ing to allow the emergence of paral- workers and 34 factories left in the United States, compared with were killed. Valley, local officials said. lel states and of private armies.” 395,000 workers in over 150 plants at its peak employment in 1970. One goal of this latest plan was to persuade the Obama administration that it is willing to take harsh measures and cut its bloated infra- structure to match its declining share in the United States. Obama Nudging Views on Absent such steps, the government has said it was reluctant to lend the company more money. For the first time since it toppled into financial crisis last year, GM appears to be earning government support. Race, a Survey Finds By Sheryl Gay Stolberg contentious on his plate right now: on both fronts, but many do not ex- A Quiet Day In Iowa As Same-Sex and Marjorie Connelly whether Congress should investigate pect either the recession or the war to The New York Times the harsh interrogation tactics autho- be over by the end of his term. Couples Begin To Marry Barack Obama’s presidency rized by his predecessor, George W. It is not unusual for new presi- By Monica Davey seems to be altering the public per- Bush. Sixty-two percent of Ameri- dents to enjoy substantial public The New York Times DES MOINES ception of race relations in the Unit- cans share Obama’s view that hear- support at this point in their terms. In a way, life looked unexpectedly ordinary here on Monday as ed States. Two-thirds of Americans ings are unnecessary. But Obama’s 68 percent job approval Iowa began allowing same-sex couples to marry. now say race relations are generally As Obama approaches the 100th rating is higher than that of any re- The large, angry protests some had imagined never materialized in good, and the percentage of blacks day of his presidency, Americans cent president at the 100-day mark. this city, the state’s most populous. Neither did the crowds of couples who say so has doubled since last seem to have high hopes for him; Former President George W. Bush from all over the nation that some feared might create a carnival-like July, according to the latest New York 72 percent said they are optimistic had the approval of 56 percent of the atmosphere captured in earlier images from other places. Times/CBS News poll. about the next four years. By and public at this juncture. By noon, no protesters could be found outside the marriage license Despite that, half of blacks still large, Americans expect the presi- The nationwide telephone survey office. Extra sheriff’s deputies assigned to keep order milled around say whites have a better chance of dent to make significant progress in was conducted Wednesday through the Polk County recorder’s office, looking bored. And an early-morn- getting ahead in American society, revamping health care, energy and Sunday with 973 adults. For purpos- ing line of dozens of same-sex couples waiting to apply for licenses the poll found. Black Americans re- immigration policy, issues central to es of analysis, blacks were oversam- had dwindled into a few people discussing recent rainfall patterns. main among the president’s staunch- his ambitious domestic agenda. pled in this poll, for a total of 212, Given polls showing that most Iowans object to same-sex marriage, est supporters; 70 percent of black But the optimism is tempered by who were then weighted back to their Shawn Regenold and Steve Kearney of West Des Moines had feared a respondents now say the country is a feeling of resignation about two proper proportion in the poll, accord- tense, perhaps overwhelming scene. Instead, they found a quiet build- headed in the right direction, com- of the most difficult challenges the ing to the Census. ing where, every so often, couples receiving licenses burst into rounds pared with 34 percent of whites. president faces: reviving the econo- The margin of sampling error is of applause and where, on the front steps, a local pastor married a few The poll found broad support my and ending U.S. military involve- plus or minus 3 percentage points for smiling couples as television cameras rolled. for Obama’s approach on a variety ment in Iraq. Most Americans say all adults, and plus or minus 7 points of issues, including one of the most Obama has begun to make progress for blacks. We a t h e r Forecasting: Just Half the Battle Situation for Noon Eastern Daylight Time, Tuesday, April 28, 2009

By Cegeon J. Chan 130°W 125°W 120°W 115°W 110°W 105°W 100°W 95°W 90°W 85°W 80°W 75°W 70°W 65°W 60°W Staff Meteorologist 40°N A TV meteorologist can make a perfect prediction, but yet, on days like yesterday, the public can be outraged by what they perceive as a “busted forecast.” How can that be? Whenever there are sharp temperature gradients, simple generic forecasts 1056 for the public cannot resolve the small scale (approx 10 km) variability. As ex- 35°N pected, yesterday’s sea breeze resulted in cool spring-like conditions with Boston in the lower 50s°F. However, 10 km away from the coast, it was significantly warmer, with temperatures 70°F. So how should the meteorologist communicate this forecast to the reader?

They cannot just pick one side and communicate that forecast, since roughly 1030 30°N half live on either side of the coastal front. The best way is to describe where the coastal front lies as a function of space and time. However, communicating this adds a new dimension to the forecast. So it’s not only up to the meteorologist to convey this large spatial variability in the temperature, but it’s also up to the readers to be aware of the complexity on certain days. 25°N Nothing is complicated about today’s forecast. With sufficiently strong south- westerly winds, a sea-breeze will not form. Expect high temperatures to break the record of 90°F. However, this summer air will be short-lived, as a cold front arrives tomorrow night, leaving behind more seasonable temperatures for the rest of the week. Extended Forecast Today: Mostly Sunny. Highs near 94°F (35°C). Weather Systems Weather Fronts Precipitation Symbols Other Symbols Southwest winds 10 to 15 mph, gusting up to 35 mph. Snow Rain Fog High Pressure Trough Tonight: Cloudy. Rain overnight. Lows in the upper 40s°F. (9°C). North - - - Showers Thunderstorm

winds 10 to 15 mph. Q Q Q Q Warm Front Light Low Pressure Haze Tomorrow: Sunny. Highs in the lower 60s°F (16°C). LLLLL Cold Front Moderate Compiled by MIT Thursday: Sunny. Highs in the lower 60s°F (16°C) Hurricane Q Q Meteorology Staff L L Stationary Front Heavy Friday: A storm approaches. Rain possible. Highs in the lower 70s°F (22°C). and The Tech April 28, 2009 Wo r l d & Na t i o n The Tech Page 3

Americans Shifing Italy Seizes Millions in Assets from Four Banks Religious Affiliations By Claudio Gatti The New York Times By Michael Paulson Americans change denominations or drifting away, and a number of un- With municipal bond investigations spreading to Europe from the The Boston Globe religions, or, increasingly, drop out affiliated folks end up coming back United States, Italian authorities have seized about $300 million in as- Catholics who leave their faith of institutional religion altogether. and getting involved,” he said. sets of four global banks — JPMorgan Chase, Deutsche Bank, UBS say they drifted away from the church Among the most striking findings The researchers said the number and Depfa — whose officials have been accused of fraud. because it did not meet their spiritual is that most people who change reli- of people surveyed who converted to The Guardia di Finanza in Milan, the financial police of Italy, took needs or they stopped believing in its gious affiliation leave the denomina- Catholicism, as well as the number over real estate properties, bank accounts and stock holdings on Mon- teachings, according to a new study, tion in which they were raised by age of people moving in and out of non- day to assure it could collect from the banks if their officials were while Protestants often tend to cite 24, and many change religious affili- Christian faiths, was too small to be found guilty and the banks were held responsible. circumstantial factors, a move, a ation more than once. analyzed in this study. The seizures stem from the banks’ handling of a $2.2 billion mu- marriage, or a problem with a par- The study also explores the grow- Last year, Pew released the eye- nicipal bond issue and related financial contracts known as swaps that ticular minister or congregation. ing ranks of the unaffiliated, about 16 popping estimate that 1 in 10 Ameri- Milan undertook to retire other debt in June 2005. The lead prosecu- Altogether, Americans are percent of American adults, accord- cans is now a former Catholic. About tor accused the bankers of misleading the city and falsely claiming switching in and out of churches at ing to Pew. The study finds many of half of the former Catholics are now that the deal would generate savings. If all the costs had been properly unprecedented rates, with about half the unaffiliated cite objections to reli- Protestants, and about half are now included, the prosecutor said, the entire deal would have been illegal of Americans today saying that they gious people or religious institutions unaffiliated. under a national law that allows restructuring of debt only if it pro- have changed their religious affilia- as the reason for leaving organized But the new study suggests that duces a savings. tion at some point during their lives, religion, rather than a conclusion the sexual abuse crisis played at Alfredo Robledo, the prosecutor in Milan, suspects the banks made according to a study released Mon- that God does not exist. About one most a minor role in the decision of $130 million in illicit profits, according to information obtained in a day by the Pew Forum on Religion & third of the unaffiliated say they are Catholics to leave. Only 2 percent of joint investigation by the Italian business newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore and Public Life. open to finding the right religion. former Catholics who are now unaf- The International Herald Tribune. He is also investigating transactions “Americans change religious af- “In American Christianity, you filiated volunteered the abuse scan- by the banks with other local Italian governments and the possibility filiation early and often and for vary- see a lot of talk about how vibrant dal as the main reason they are no that public officials received kickbacks. ing reasons,” said John C. Green, it is and how people are moving in, longer Catholic. When prompted by a political science professor at the but there’s also a huge open back an interviewer, 27 percent said con- University of Akron who oversaw door that they must be leaving out cern about the abuse scandal was a U.S. Plans Attack and Defense in the study. of,” said D. Michael Lindsay, an as- factor in their departure. The churn within American reli- sistant professor of sociology at Rice Former Catholics who are now Web Warfare gion was one of the key findings of University. unaffiliated often said they left be- By David E. Sanger a major study released last year by “It’s not so much that science dis- cause of disagreements with the The New York Times the Pew Forum. The new study at- proves religion, so people abandon Catholic Church over homosexuality, Just as the invention of the atomic bomb changed warfare and de- tempts to explore the reasons why their faith. It’s more like a gradual abortion, birth control, or gender. terrence 64 years ago, a new international race has begun to develop cyberweapons and systems to protect against them. Thousands of daily attacks on federal and private computer systems in the United States have prompted the Obama administration to High Court Considers Whether a review U.S. strategy. President Barack Obama is expected to propose in coming days an expansion of the $17 billion, five-year program that Congress approved last year, the appointment of a White House of- Voting Rights Rule is Still Needed ficial to coordinate the effort, and an end to a running bureaucratic conflict over cyberturf. By Adam Liptak rights era, the justices may be asking Obama.” The most exotic innovations under consideration would enable a The New York Times themselves the inevitable question: The act was a triumph of the civil Pentagon programmer to surreptitiously enter a computer server in WASHINGTON Is a law rooted in the age of Jim rights movement. It took on, as the Russia or China, for example, and destroy a “botnet” — a potentially Ellen D. Katz is a liberal law pro- Crow still needed in the Obama era? Supreme Court said in upholding it destructive program that commandeers infected machines into a vast fessor and a big fan of the Voting The central question before the in 1966, the “insidious and pervasive network that can be clandestinely controlled — before it could be un- Rights Act of 1965, which she calls court, though, is this: Did Congress evil” of state officials defiantly com- leashed in the United States. the most effective civil rights legis- overstep its constitutional power in mitted to denying blacks the right to Or U.S. intelligence agencies could activate malicious code that is lation in American history. “It’s sa- 2006 by reauthorizing Section 5 of vote. secretly embedded on computer chips when they are manufactured, cred,” she said. “It’s holy.” the act, which requires states and lo- At the act’s heart is Section 5, enabling the United States to take command of an enemy’s computers But Katz is torn about what the calities with a history of discrimina- which requires state officials to get by remote control over the Internet. That, of course, is exactly the kind Supreme Court should do in a case tion to obtain federal permission be- permission from the Justice Depart- of attack officials fear could be launched on U.S. targets, often through asking it to strike down a central part fore making changes to their voting ment or a federal court before they Chinese-made chips or computer servers. of the law. She cannot shake the feel- procedures? make even minor changes to voting ing that the election of the nation’s “Obama inexorably shapes how procedures. Such federal intrusion first black president has changed ev- we understand Section 5 today,” Katz into state affairs through “preclear- Sides Line Up on Sales Tax Increase erything. said, adding that the court should take ance” rather than subsequent litiga- “This election was momentous,” the unusual step of finding a way to tion was needed, the Supreme Court In Massachusetts said Katz, who teaches voting rights force Congress to take a fresh look at said in 1966, to address “unremitting By Andrea Estes and legal history at the University of the law, which expires in 2031. and ingenious defiance of the Consti- The Boston Globe Michigan, “and it arguably presents Theodore M. Shaw, a law profes- tution” by state officials. Lobbyists lingered in the Massachusetts State House Monday, stop- the moment when Congress should sor at Columbia and a former presi- The court has repeatedly upheld ping lawmakers in the halls and urging them to reject tax hikes. On close out this regime.” dent of the NAACP Legal Defense the act. Just last month, even as it the other side of the issue, advocates for the homeless and mentally That Barack Obama is president and Educational Fund Inc., said the limited another part of the law, three ill marched with union officials, filling the corridors with chants of is not directly relevant to any issue in court should not place too much relatively conservative justices in the “Raise Revenues! Stop the cuts!” the case, Northwest Austin Munici- weight on a single election. majority acknowledged that more The targets of their fervor: state representatives who began debat- pal Utility District No.1 v. Holder, “We’ve had a profound moment, work was needed to ensure equal ac- ing whether to help solve the state’s recession-induced budget crisis by No.08-322, which will be argued on and we’re in a different place,” Shaw cess at the polls. Some state officials, increasing the state sales tax to 6.25 percent from 5 percent. Wednesday and is widely considered said. “But race still plays powerfully mostly in the South, bristle at what “We had perfect attendance of all the special interests,” said Repre- the most important of the term. Yet as in electoral politics in this country. they say is the stigma, burden and sentative John Quinn, Democrat of Dartmouth. they consider whether to cut off one If it weren’t for the Voting Rights federal intrusion that come with be- Business groups, restaurants, healthcare companies, and unions of the great legal legacies of the civil Act, there would be no President ing covered by Section 5. were all represented. The state’s retailers argued against the sales tax hike, which represents a 25 percent increase in the tax, saying it would be disastrous for businesses crippled by the recession and would send US Jet Frightens New York customers fleeing north. James Klocke, executive vice president of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, said his group’s members were lobbying against a sales tax hike, instead favoring an increase in the gas tax of In Photo Op Gone Wrong 25 cents a gallon. By A. G. Sulzberger take publicity pictures near the Stat- not typically approach local airports “We think the most pressing financial need is on the transportation and Matthew L. Wald ue of Liberty. by flying low over the harbor. front,” Klocke said. “The gas tax would be dedicated to both the pre- The New York Times Aides to President Barack As the fright wore off, Mayor Mi- vention of a toll increase and fixing the MBTA’s finances.” It was supposed to be a photo op- Obama, who was not on board, said chael R. Bloomberg and other local portunity, a showcase of Air Force he was incensed when he learned of leaders questioned why the Federal One alongside the sweep of New the event Monday afternoon. The Aviation Administration had ordered Circulation Still Falling York City skyline. White House later issued a formal local officials, including the New But as the low-flying Boeing apology. York Police Department, not to alert At Newspapers 747 speeded in the shadows of sky- Witnesses described the engine the public in advance. By Keith O’Brien scrapers, trailed by two fighter jets, roar as the planes swooped by of- An FAA memo last week said in- The Boston Globe the sight instead awakened barely fice towers close enough to rattle the formation about the exercise “should US newspapers, already squeezed by falling advertising revenues, dormant fears of a terrorist attack, windows and prompt evacuations at only be shared with persons with a suffered steep circulation declines in the six-month period ended in causing a momentary panic that sent scores of buildings. Some sobbed as need to know” and “shall not be re- March, with both The Boston Globe and Boston Herald taking large workers pouring out of office build- they made their way to the street. leased to the public or the media.” hits, according to a report released Monday. ings on both sides of the Hudson “As soon as someone saw how The breakdown of communica- The Globe’s paid daily circulation fell 13.7 percent, to 302,638 cop- River. close it got to the buildings, people tion went deeper. Bloomberg said ies, while that of the Boston Sunday Globe dropped 11.3 percent, to “I thought there was some kind literally ran out,” said Carlina Rivera, he first learned of the exercise when 466,665, compared to the same period last year, according to the Audit of an attack,” said Paul Nadler, who 25, who works at an educational ser- his BlackBerry started buzzing with Bureau of Circulations figures. sprinted down more than 20 flights vices company on the 22nd floor of 1 messages from people asking if he The Herald’s daily circulation fell at an even greater rate, down 17.4 of stairs after watching the plane Liberty Plaza, adjacent to the site of knew what was going on. percent to 150,688 copies; paid subscriptions of its Sunday paper fell from his office building in Jersey the Sept. 11, 2001, attack. “Probably “First thing is, I’m annoyed — fu- at slower rate, down 9.6 percent to 95,392. City shortly after 10 a.m. “We ran about 80 percent of my office left rious is a better word — that I wasn’t Local newspapers owned by GateHouse Media Inc., such as the like hell.” within two minutes of seeing how told,” Bloomberg said. Enterprise of Brockton and The Patriot Ledger of Quincy, took smaller In fact, the blue-and-white plane close it got to our building.” “Why the Defense Department hits, with the daily Patriot Ledger down 6.2 percent and the Enterprise with “The United States of America” Under federal regulations, in ur- wanted to do a photo-op right around down 5.5 percent, the report noted. emblazoned on its side was one of ban areas, airplanes must fly at least the site of the World Trade Center Nationwide, daily circulation of 395 newspapers in the survey fell two regularly used by the president. 1,000 feet above obstructions like catastrophe defies imagination,” he an average of 7.1 percent from the same six-month period a year ear- It was soaring above Lower Manhat- buildings and bridges, and jetliner said. “Had I known about it, I would lier, according to the bureau. That’s nearly double the rate of decline tan, Staten Island and Jersey City flights over Manhattan are typically have called them right away and from the March 2008 period, when daily circulation fell 3.6 percent. so government photographers could at 8,000 feet or more. And planes do asked them not to.” Page 4 The Tech April 28, 2009 Op i n i o n We’re Problem-Solvers. Let Us Help. MIT prides itself on educating the best and brightest scien- whole. But in order for MIT to take advantage of our creativity Chairman tists and engineers — in short, the world’s best problem solv- and problem solving skills, it must approach its problems in a Austin Chu G ers. Why is it then that the MIT administration’s default modus more straightforward and transparent manner. Without hard num- Editor in Chief operandi is to lock students out bers and data to look at, the students can offer nothing but blind Nick Bushak ’10 of the chance to help solve the shots in the dark. Business Manager Editorial problems the Institute faces to- Even if, as administrators claim, the data truly points to only Mark Thompson ’11 day? the solution they chose, releasing that data can only build student Managing Editor The cutting of eight varsity sports is the latest in a line of top- support for the varsity team cuts. We’re rational people, but we’re Steve Howland ’11 down decisions that have left students as the group most affected also scientists, trained to always look for evidence to back up hy- but least empowered to help. In deciding to cut entire sports and potheses. This is why students have protested: we want to see the Executive Editor in deciding which sports to cut, MIT’s athletics department told reasoning behind decisions that could alter our daily lives. Michael McGraw-Herdeg G students to trust that administrators had made the best possible By obscuring the data, MIT leaves open an ominous possi- News Staff decision — without giving students a real chance to look for bet- bility: perhaps the data does not really match MIT’s conclusions, News and Features Director: Arkajit Dey ’11; ter solutions. and personal or systemic bias had some effect. Athletics adminis- Editors: John A. Hawkinson ’98, Jeff Guo ’11, We appreciate the effort administrators made to keep the trators hurt their credibility by refusing to release the reasons and Natasha Plotkin ’11; Associate Editors: Emily Prentice ’11, Elijah Jordan Turner ’11, Pearle community informed through town hall meetings, but there is a the data behind their decisions. Lipinski ’12, Robert McQueen ’12; Staff: difference between having a chance to provide input and having In the next three years, all areas of the Institute will be seeing Daniela Cako ’09, Ji Qi ’09, Yiwei Zhang ’09, a chance to provide meaningful input. In explaining the decision even bigger cost cuts. If administrators follow the model of the Yuri Hanada ’10, JiHye Kim ’10, Joyce Kwan to cut entire sports, administrators shared only vague rationales varsity sports cuts, the MIT community will continue to roil in ’10, Jenny Liu ’10, Yan Huang ’11, Ryan Ko ’11, Lulu Wang ’11, Omar Abudayyeh ’12, while refusing to disclose the numbers behind their decision. turmoil. But the effects of these cuts on community morale can Jessica Lin ’12, Meredith Lis ’12, Maggie When it came to choosing which sports to cut, it was only after be blunted by giving students, faculty, and the wider community Lloyd ’12, Sandhya Rawal ’12, Zeina Siam the sports had been chosen that administrators shared the detailed a chance to do free consulting work and possibly come up with ’12, Aditi Verma ’12; Meteorologists: Cegeon criteria of an ancient “Health and Vitality” report giving broad innovative, better solutions. Chan G, Garrett P. Marino G, Brian H. Tang G, Angela Zalucha G, Elizabeth Maroon ’10, qualitative categories with which to evaluate sports. And they still When student issues come up, give us access to the same Vince Agard ’11. have not detailed how those criteria were scored or weighted. data, constraints and ranking factors that administrators or so-

Production Staff MIT students have tremendous intellect and problem-solving called “experts” have, and allow the us to put forth proposals. We Staff: K. Nichole Treadway ’10, Alexander W. abilities; it’s what we’re trained to do. And as the most affected have come to the Institute because we want to solve problems — Dehnert ’12. parties, students have a strong incentive to help solve the budget MIT should give us the opportunity to solve those have the most Opinion Staff problems facing the athletics department and the Institute as a impact on our daily lives. Editor: Andrew T. Lukmann G; Staff: Florence Gallez G, Alejandro Rogers B. G, Gary Shu G, David Weinberg G, Keith A. Yost G, Josh Letters To The Editor Levinger ’07, Krishna Gupta ’09, Aditya Kohli ’09, Jennifer Nelson ’09, Daniel Yelin ’10, Ethan Solomon ’12. that the bomb was fake. I can think of only rass the students. I believe that the campus A Parent’s Reaction two possibilities for the actions of the campus police chief should investigate and take steps Sports Staff When I first saw the pictures of the police. The first is that they do not “know their to improve what may be a strained relation- Editors: Aaron Sampson ’10, David Zhu ’12; “BOMB” it reminded me of something that beat.” The second is that there must be some ship between the student body and the campus Staff: Michael Gerhardt ’12, Nydia Ruleman ’12. I might see in a Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoon. friction between the students and the campus police department. Arts Staff Then I read the story in The Tech and discov- police that would cause them to disregard Editor: S. Balaji Mani ’10; Staff: Sudeep ered that campus police were notified at 3 a.m. what is an obvious “hack” and try to embar- Jeff Dudley Agarwala G, Bogdan Fedeles G, Joanne Y. Shih ’10, Kevin Wang ’10, Sun K. Kim ’11, Maggie Liu ’12, Samuel Markson ’12.

Photography Staff Editors: David M. Templeton ’08, Andrea Robles ’10, William Yee ’10, Rachel Fong ’12; Associate Editor: Allison M. Alwan ’12; Staff: Vincent Auyeung G, David Da He G, Perry Hung G, Maksim Imakaev G, Arthur Petron G, David Reshef G, Martin Segado G, Noah Spies G, Scott Johnston ’03, Martha Angela Wilcox ’08, Chelsea Grimm ’09, Peter H. Rigano ’09, Eric D. Schmiedl ’09, Seth A. Villarreal ’09, Diana Ye ’09, Biyeun Buczyk ’10, Arka P. Dhar ’10, Helen Hou ’10, Monica Kahn ’10, Diane Rak ’10, Jongu Shin ’10, Dhaval Adjodah ’11, Monica Gallegos ’11, Vibin Kundukulam ’11, Michael Y. McCanna ’11, Michael Meyer ’11, Kari Williams ’11, Andrew Shum ’12, Meng Heng Touch ’12.

Campus Life Staff Editor: Michael T. Lin ’11; Staff: Roberto Perez-Franco G, Danbee Kim ’09, Sarah C. Proehl ’09, Ben Shanks ’09, Christine Yu ’11; Cartoonists: Daniel Klein-Marcuschamer G, Jason Chan ’09, Michael Ciuffo ’11, Ben Peters ’11, Michael Benitez ’12.

Business Staff Advertising Managers: Joseph Maurer ’12, Greg Steinbrecher ’12; Operations Manager: Sherry Yan ’11; Staff: Michael Kuo ’10, Heymian Wong ’10, Nikhil Sud ’11, Connie Chan ’12, Mengjie Ding ’12, Eric Trac ’12.

Technology Staff Director: Quentin Smith ’10.

Editors at Large Contributing Editors: Ramya Sankar G, Shreyes Seshasai G, Nick Semenkovich ’09, Caroline Huang ’10, Jessica Witchley ’10; Senior Editors: Brian Hemond G, Charles Lin G, Satwiksai Seshasai G, Benjamin P. Gleitzman ’09, Ricardo Ramirez ’09, Angeline Wang ’09, Praveen Rathinavelu ’10.

Advisory Board Paul E. Schindler, Jr. ’74, V. Michael Bove ’83, Barry S. Surman ’84, Robert E. Malchman be given higher priority. Once submitted, all letters become property of ’85, Deborah A. Levinson ’91, Jonathan E. D. Opinion Policy The Tech, and will not be returned. Letters, columns, and cartoons may Richmond PhD ’91, Karen Kaplan ’93, Saul Editorials are the official opinion of The Tech. They are written also be posted on The Tech’s Web site and/or printed or published in any Blumenthal ’98, Frank Dabek ’00, Daniel Ryan by the editorial board, which consists of Chairman Austin Chu, Edi- other format or medium now known or later that becomes known. The Bersak ’02, Eric J. Cholankeril ’02, Jordan Rubin ’02, Nathan Collins SM ’03, Keith J. tor in Chief Nick Bushak, Managing Editor Steve Howland, Execu- Tech makes no commitment to publish all the letters received. Winstein ’03, Akshay R. Patil ’04, Tiffany tive Editor Michael McGraw-Herdeg, and Opinion Editor Andrew T. Guest columns are opinion articles submitted by members of the Dohzen ’06, Beckett W. Sterner ’06, Marissa Lukmann, Joseph Maurer, and Ethan Solomon. MIT or local community and have the author’s name in italics. Col- Vogt ’06, Zachary Ozer ’07, Marie Y. Thibault Dissents are the opinions of signed members of the editorial umns without italics are written by Tech staff. ’08, B. D. Colen. board choosing to publish their disagreement with the editorial. Production Staff for This Issue Letters to the editor, columns, and editorial cartoons are writ- Editors: Austin Chu G, Steve Howland ’11; ten by individuals and represent the opinion of the author, not neces- To Reach Us Associate Editor: Michael McGraw-Herdeg sarily that of the newspaper. Electronic submissions are encouraged The Tech’s telephone number is (617) 253-1541. E-mail is the eas- G; Staff: Greg Steinbrecher ’12, Quentin and should be sent to [email protected]. Hard copy submis- iest way to reach any member of our staff. If you are unsure whom Smith ’10. sions should be addressed to The Tech, P.O. Box 397029, Cambridge, to contact, send mail to [email protected], and it will be di-

The Tech (ISSN 0148-9607) is published on Tuesdays and Fridays dur- Mass. 02139-7029, or sent by interdepartmental mail to Room W20- rected to the appropriate person. You can reach the editor in chief by ing the academic year (except during MIT vacations), Wednesdays during January, and monthly during the summer by The Tech, Room W20-483, 84 483. All submissions are due by 4:30 p.m. two days before the date e-mailing [email protected]. Please send press releases, requests Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Mass. 02139. Subscriptions are $50.00 of publication. for coverage, and information about errors that call for correction per year (third class). Postmaster: Please send all address changes to our mailing address: The Tech, P.O. Box 397029, Cambridge, Mass. 02139- Letters, columns, and cartoons must bear the authors’ signatures, to [email protected]. Letters to the editor should be sent to 7029. Telephone: Editorial: (617) 253-1541. Business: (617) 258-8324. Facsimile: (617) 258-8226. Advertising, subscription, and typesetting rates addresses, and phone numbers. Unsigned letters will not be accepted. [email protected]. The Tech can be found on the World Wide available. Entire contents © 2009 The Tech. Printed on recycled paper by The Tech reserves the right to edit or condense letters; shorter letters will Web at http://www-tech.mit.edu. Mass Web Printing Company. April 28, 2009 Op i n i o n The Tech Page 5 Roll Back the DAPER Cuts! Not All Institute Departments Are Created Equal asked to make the kinds of budget reductions ing a severe impact on student life. Further- porting critical aspects of the MIT experience. Ethan Solomon expected by the Provost and the Chancellor. more, services like MIT Dining can and should Despite what the administration might think, From a student perspective, the programs of- be significantly restructured to save costs. Last the best way to encourage future donations is Last week, the Department of Athletics, fered by DAPER amount to much more than fiscal year, MIT subsidized $513,000 in losses prove they use those dollars for worthy causes Physical Education, and Recreation (DAPER) the dollars it takes to fund them. Varsity sports to MIT Dining services. — not by announcing drastic cuts and hoping announced that eight of 41 varsity sports would are a valuable aspect of community for the 20 MIT made those payments despite research alumni will “step up” to fill the gap. no longer be offered following the end of this percent of students who participate in them which indicated very few students were con- It is entirely acceptable for the university academic year. Citing the need to reduce its and a source of school pride for many more. tent the MIT dining system as a whole — there to cut departmental budgets when the interest budget by 15 percent over the next three years, Indeed, the MIT varsity pistol team, which will were high indicators of dissatisfaction in the collected on our now $7.5 billion endowment the varsity cuts are intended to help DAPER no longer exist following this year, has claimed infamous consultant’s report to the Blue Rib- is not what it used to be. However, some cuts, to shave off nearly $1.5 million in costs. The two national championship titles in the last 5 bon Dining Committee, leaked this past Feb- like asking DAPER to shave off $1.5 million, cuts; which eliminated varsity alpine skiing, years by defeating competitors like the U.S. ruary. In contrast, DAPER has been asked to are very public, high-profile and emotionally golf, men and women’s gymnastics, men and Army and Navy. cut $485,000 from its budget which supports charged decisions which will affect alumni women’s ice hockey, pistol, and wrestling; The cuts threaten MIT’s varsity program services students genuinely enjoy. perception of the Institute. were met with significant student opposition in as a whole — members of the 33 teams who Disparities like these must be examined Already, the AP, New York Times, and Boston the weeks leading up to the announcement. survived understand that it may have simply by Dean Colombo, Chancellor Clay and other Globe have reported on the varsity cuts — MIT Unfortunately, the been an arbitrary met- administration officials in the context of the is the most publicly esteemed university to make need to eliminate eight ric on the “Health and budget cuts they have asked valuable depart- such drastic sports reductions thus far. Members sports arose due to a While it is regrettable, divisions Vitality Report” which ments like DAPER to make. It is simply not of the senior administration must realize that destructive level of ad- saved their squad. To true that every department should have to make the 5% per year figure need not, and should not, ministrative inflexibil- like the MIT Libraries can be many students, sports the same 5 percent per year budget reductions apply universally. It is the professional obliga- ity and short-sighted play an important emo- in order for the process to be “fair.” This is true tion of the administration to waive in part or in financial planning on forced to shutter small operations tional and social role in not only in terms of the role some departments full the budget cuts they have asked DAPER the part of the MIT their lives. play in student life or academics, but from a to make. The difference should be subsidized administration. The … without having a severe The same cannot be long-term financial planning perspective — the through the endowment or by making major administration must impact on student life. said for other depart- MIT administration must consider how cuts changes in failed departments like MIT Din- re-evaluate the priori- ments and programs at might affect our public image or relationship ing. Only by doing this can MIT hope to restore tization of budget cuts the Institute. While it with alumni. alumni confidence, support a valuable aspect of across Institute departments and understand is regrettable, divisions like the MIT Libraries Alumni who generously gave to MIT in student life, and re-establish itself as an innova- that some departments can afford to make cuts can be forced to shutter small operations like years past are now seeing how their donations tor and a leader in harsh economic times. which others cannot. the Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences were directed towards the quixotic obsession Dean Colombo, Chancellor Clay, Provost DAPER is a department which cannot be library and the Aero/Astro library without hav- with building our endowment rather than sup- Reif — The ball is in your court. Hugo Chavez Is Not Your Friend Obama’s Foreign Policy Runs into an Inconvenient Truth for legitimacy or the psychological impact it These are not the positive-sum games is hardly an attractive area for foreign invest- Keith Yost would have on democratic movements to see of Obama’s ideology — these are zero-sum ment. The country’s credit rating continues to the leader of the free world greeting a despot games. We get stronger only when Hugo gets fall. Mr. Chavez knows that he cannot steal “We will extend a hand if you unclench like an old friend. weaker. There is no middle ground, there is foreign assets and raid central bank reserves your fist.” There may be some validity to these criti- no mutual gain, there is only a winner and a forever. If he tries to raise taxes or cut the From the moment of his inauguration, cisms, but they miss the forest for the trees. loser. spending of his socialist apparatus, his entire President Obama made it clear that his was a Obama should have been grimacing when he Only one topic has the distinction of being “revolution” could unravel in a sea of popular new kind of diplomacy. Rather than dwell on shook Chavez’s hand — not because of the a true net benefit to each side: oil. discontent. the past and continue the conflicts of old, he symbolism of a smile, but because Chavez Hugo Chavez is a petrocrat. Oil sales pro- What is poor Hugo to do? More important- would work to further shared interests between represents the perfect vide a third of his ly, what will Barack do? the U.S. and any country that was willing to nightmare for Obama’s country’s GDP and This is a rare opportunity. For once, the oil cooperate. foreign policy ideol- Obama’s brand of foreign half of his federal bud- pendulum has swung back to our side and we At the recent Summit of the Americas, it ogy. get. Since taking of- hold the upper hand against petro-states. The appeared Obama’s policy was paying some Obama’s brand of relations … depends on the fice, he has maintained United States is the only serious buyer Hugo form of dividend. Under the previous admin- foreign relations is his popularity only has — distance and the difficulty of refining istration, Latin American countries mostly fell predicated on the exis- assumption that there are enough through a lavish system Venezuela’s exceptionally heavy crude make it into one of two camps: neglected or hostile. tence of positive-sum of public largesse, paid much more difficult for him to sell elsewhere. But this time around the summit was full of games. It depends on shared interests between countries for with our willingly For once, Hugo needs us to buy more than we grinning, back slapping, and handshaking the assumption that to make cooperation worthwhile. given money. need him to sell. If we slap a sizable tariff on aplenty. Even Hugo Chavez, who not long there are enough shared Back in the wild Venezuelan oil, we can put a serious squeeze ago claimed Obama had Bush’s “stench” and interests between coun- days of $150/barrel, on Hugo’s budget without significantly harm- called him a “poor ignoramus,” could be seen tries to make cooperation worthwhile. But the world was Hugo’s oyster. Climbing oil ing American consumers. getting chummy with the fresh-faced com- there are almost no shared interests between prices made it so that the ordinary Venezuelan Hugo Chavez is not our friend. He is our mander-in-chief. the United States and the Chavez regime. could enjoy a rising standard of living even as enemy. Now is not the time to coddle and ap- Back in the United States, talking heads Hugo Chavez wants to steal foreign assets Chavez grossly mismanaged the economy and pease him. This is our moment of greatest le- immediately began chattering about the sig- in the name of his Bolivarian revolution. We extravagantly gave away his country’s wealth verage, our golden opportunity to give Hugo nificance of a grinning Obama shaking the would like him to compensate others for the as foreign aid. Now that oil has returned to an ultimatum: change your ways or suffer the hand of Hugo Chavez. To some, the summit- things he nationalizes. Hugo Chavez has de- $50/barrel, the government purse is run- consequences. cum-photo-op was an inexcusable betrayal of bauched democracy in his country and wants to ning light and the real damage that has been There is much to be said about the merits of American ideals and an incalculable propa- weaken it abroad. We are committed to liberty done to Venezuela’s economy is becoming ap- cooperation, but President Obama should not ganda victory for the autocratic Chavez. Many everywhere. Hugo Chavez funds terrorism. We parent. forget that there is a time and place for a good began philosophizing about dictators’ thirst are sworn to fight it. After repeated nationalizations, Venezuela strong cudgel as well. Trouble Finding a Home at MIT Complicated Lotteries Make Housing Selection Difficult clude the dorm where they are currently living. to be their next home. the waitlist. Maggie Liu What I have discovered after talking to many In my case, the housing switch lottery was For those not quite sure about their housing other participants of the lottery is that putting even more complicated. I had several options to arrangements, my advice is to give housing As my first year at MIT draws to a close, down a single preference does not guarantee choose from in terms of housing arrangements transfers more thought. Once a student enters I’ve noticed how a great number of procedures that one will move out of their dorm. In fact, but many of these depended on other peoples’ the April or December lottery, it is as if he and requirements at the Institute are far more if one really wants to move out, this may hurt standings in the lottery. has given up his place complicated than they need be. During CPW, their chances. For instance, I would in their current dorm. a prefrosh had asked me about the housing lot- The key to the housing switch lottery is the have been perfectly For those not quite sure about Are you ready to leave tery. Since this conversation was taking place date of application. The popularity of one’s happy staying in my your dorm? For what within the realms of a frat party, I advised him dorm and the number of people who wish to current dorm with my their housing arrangements, my specific reasons are to just read all the pamphlets that would be sent move in is important, but the date of applica- freshman roommate. you seeking to trans- in the mail over the summer. The wide-eyed tion is a factor that one can control. In my per- However, her decision advice is to give housing transfers fer? Are you trying to prefrosh was persistent: “Can you just explain sonal case, I submitted the switch form in late to room with me was more thought. move to a dorm with it?” Sighing, I pulled him over and explained December. This was, of course, before I found dependent on wheth- all of your friends? that if I were to cover the housing lottery in its out that the April Lottery is binding. Even af- er or not one of her Keep in mind that it is entirety, it would’ve ruined the party mood. He ter the official deadline for the housing forms, friends would be able to transfer into our dorm. difficult for a horde of people to all move to dutifully took my words and went off to attack one may update their preference in choice of Unfortunately, no one knew their placement the same dorm. Have you actually been in the another student about triple majoring. housing and the most recent housing updates on the waitlists until the lottery opened. Even dorms you’ll rank and seen them for what they The housing lottery is a formidable and override the previous requests. However, one then, no one was guaranteed to keep their place really are? These are questions well worth ask- cumbersome process, even the second time cannot withdraw from the lottery once they in the waitlist due to preference updates. The ing yourself. around. I recently entered the housing switch enter and if they are reassigned, even if the lack of concreteness and sometimes somewhat Don’t be hasty with your decisions. Like the lottery for a dorm-to-dorm transfer next school dorm is low on the individual’s preference, random reassignments throughout the process advice offered in the freshman housing lottery year. I probably should have read the fine print the student must accept the assignment and irked me. pamphlets, housing often plays a significant more closely — apparently, the system is bind- move. This is not to say that the Undergraduate role in one’s enjoyment of their time at MIT. ing during the April and December Lottery but This facet of the system caused much con- Housing staff is totally at fault. Despite my On the other hand, one can always enter mid- nonbinding for mid-semester assignments. sternation among many people who were as- frantic updates, constant switches and persis- semester assignments if they are truly unhappy The housing lottery for upperclassmen signed to dorms that were ranked below their tent questions, they always responded prompt- with their reassignments. Personally, I am quite (and rising upperclassmen) is quite similar to first choice. Having thought that they had an ly. However, the system should either be al- happy with my reassignment but, had I known the one the incoming freshmen face. A student advantage because they were upperclassmen, tered so it is not binding or students should be more about the system and considered all my ranks their preference for the other dorms they sometimes they did not consider that any of warned more overtly that the lottery is binding options, I would have had a much less stressful would like to move into, and they cannot in- their preferences of dorms had the possibility and of the tentative nature of one’s place on experience. Page 6 The Tech April 28, 2009 Ca m p u s Li f e Brouhaha Rhythm Life in the Woods By Michael Lin chance to try a change of pace (option #1 in the of the Mythbusters get to burn off half his hair safety the gift shop. Campus Life Editor anti-writer’s block handbook) presents itself, on national television in at least two seasons’ As it turns out, the Shop at Walden Pond Here I sit at Walden Pond, known to the I’m going to take it. Which brings me back to worth of intro montages. Then there was the doesn’t have any snow globes or collectible literary world as the once-home of Transcen- Walden Pond. usual college-students-on-tour fare: signing shot glasses. What is does have are some t- dentalist Henry David Thoreau. Presumably, I have to be honest: I’m not really sure why the guestbook, taking photographs, watching shirts with interesting quotes on them and a what was once a source of inspiration for it’s called a pond, and I found out this morn- the females in the party flirting with the pre- wide assortment of finger and hand puppets. Thoreau could also serve as inspiration for ing that Wikipedia shares my confusion. When sumably-life-size but suspiciously short statue My friend and I spent enough time with those me, so here I sit with my pen and pad, sur- my friends and I first saw it, we could have of Thoreau himself. to regress my brain to an eight-year-old’s state rounded by nature and awaiting my muse. sworn that it had more Taking a stroll and to make my friend feel at least a little Granted, I’m sitting in a van in the parking of a lake-like persua- around the “Pond,” we bored. My friends aren’t MIT students, and I lot, but the parking lot’s surrounded by na- sion, although the point I have to be honest: I’m not noticed that the wa- suspect I found the beaver puppets to be much ture, and the van’s doors are wide open to ad- arose that we could at ter was actually fairly funnier than they did. While I was there, the mit the singing of birds, a cool New England least see the other side, really sure why it’s called a pond, shallow for a consid- clerk at the cash register happened to be giving breeze, and the sound of an ice cream truck one of two theories as erable distance out a small electromagnetism lecture to some tour- playing “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” to the defining charac- and I found out this morning from shore (the second ists on the workings of generators and motors. Yay, nature. teristic of a pond. Still, theory), and that most I imagine they didn’t find that as interesting as Every subspecies of writer, including the it’s been called a pond that Wikipedia shares my of the people trying to I did, either. columnist, is familiar with the challenge of for ages. It’s in print as confusion. take long walks on the It’s hard to say whether the trip to Walden finding subject matter. (For those of you play- such. You can’t argue miniscule beach were Pond was a success or not. I experienced some ing at home, this becomes most obvious when with that. having to walk several literary culture, got some much-needed sun- they start writing about the challenge of finding The first thing we did when we got there laps back and forth. Along the way, we saw the light, and spent the afternoon with friends, but inspiration.) As much as I’d like it if something was take a look at the replica of Thoreau’s hov- original site of Thoreau’s bachelor pad, reason- most of what I wrote that day was scrapped. exciting, interesting, and fit to print conve- el where he spent two years without television ably close to the water and far from civiliza- Apparently, the counter at a diner a few blocks niently happened to be every week, more often or Internet access, the poor soul. And people tion, as much so now as then. It was, on the up Massachusetts Avenue can be just as inspir- than not, I instead get to face the challenge of say writers don’t suffer for their art. The most one hand, a great setup for a writer, and, on the ing as a natural haven in the heart of a New making the mundane sound interesting (see immediately noticeable aspect about the cabin other hand, a perfect setup for a horror movie. England forest. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I issue 17’s piece on dental hygiene). I haven’t is that it looks about as large as a dorm room Fortunately, we were traveling by day, so we need to get going. Opportunities for exciting, the faintest idea of whether it’s working or not, but turns out to be quite a bit roomier that it were safe, at least as far as we knew. At any interesting, and fit to print events are few and but I will say that the writing exercise has done appears. I haven’t felt that same combination rate, the pond-lake was small enough to walk far between, and at this point, dinner is close wonders for my class papers. So naturally, if a of pity and envy since watching Adam Savage around once quickly before heading for the enough for me.

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COLOR B+W Page 8 The Tech April 28, 2009

Steal My Comic by Michael Ciuffo

Dilbert® by Scott Adams April 28, 2009 The Tech Page 9

Next Act Celebrates 25th Anniversary With ‘Sweet Charity’ This year, Next Act celebrates their 25 anniversary also a Tech Campus Life editor) look on as Vittorio with the musical “Sweet Charity,” which was also Vidal (Julian Yuen ’12) catches Charity (Priscilla the first show performed by the first group of Next W. Army ’10) falling. Act 25 years ago. The night this show was photo- graphed also featured hacks introduced occasion- Dance hall girls turn their attention to Oscar (Cur- ally into the play by MIT students, a tradition for tis B. Liu ’10). Next Act’s last show of every year. (left to right) Jessica S. Kim ’10, Gloria Yang ’11, (clockwise from top left) Dorothy Curran ’12, Tiffany J. Lin ’11, Jenna A. Berkowitz ’09, and Xindi Song ’10 perform the Kyle A. Atmore ’10 as Daddy Brubeck performs the song “Big Spender.” song “Rhythm of Life.” Oscar (Curtis B. Liu ’10) and Charity (Priscilla W. Residential Life Associate Marc Lo (left) and Dean Army ’10) have a conversation on a roller coaster for Student Life Costantino Colombo (right) inter- with a “hack” of a Godzilla by the stage crew in the rogate Priscilla W. Army ’10 as Charity. background.

Servers (Eva S. Klinman ’10 and Michael T. Lin ’11, Photography by William Yee Page 10 The Tech April 28, 2009

Chelsea Grimm—The Tech MIT Celebrates Chelsea Grimm—The Tech Spring Weekend (clockwise from top left) “Tammy” the Beaver joins stand- up comedians ANT to kick off the Fierce Forever 8 student drag show on Thursday, April 23. (left to right) David B. Kelley ’10, Patrick H. Yamane ’11, and Isaac C. Joseph ’11 build picnic tables for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Lowell during Campus Build on Fri- day, April 24. A breakdancer holds a difficult freeze at Breakonomics 2009, a large breakdance jam hosted by MIT Imobilare in La Sala de Puerto Rico on Saturday, April 25. Varun R. Chirravuri ’09 (center) struggles against efforts to toss him into a pool of water during Holi celebrations. Drag queen Takonica (Lorenzo B. Brown ’10) tries to win over drag king Chase Yrchik (Cheryl M. Kwinn ’09) with his dance moves at the Fierce Forever 8 student drag show. Chelsea Grimm—The Tech Vibin Kundukulam—The Tech

Vibin Kundukulam—The Tech April 28, 2009 The Tech Page 11

Spring Concert Features Ben Folds And Sara Bareilles

This year’s spring concert featured singer-song- Attendees are seen waiting in line in front of the writer Ben Folds and special guest Sara Bareilles Zesiger Center to get into Spring Concert 2009. on April 25 at the Johnson Athletic Center. The concert attracted not only MIT students but also Ben Folds interacts with his band on stage with audience members from other local universities. thousands of audiences on the floor.

(clockwise from top left) Song writer and vocalist Sara Bareilles, known Indie band Hotel Lights, formed by songwriter Dar- for her hit song, “Love Song,” performs with her ren Jessee, performs as the starting band. band.

A cappella group Newtones from South Newton Ben Folds is seen performing on the piano. High School sings one of Ben Folds’ songs before Folds appeared on stage. Photography by William Yee Page 12 The Tech April 28, 2009 MTG Musical ‘Bare’ Centers on Controversial Topics

MIT Music Theatre Guild performs during “Auditions.” “Bare” on April 30 and May 1–2; the show centers on the conflicts Peter (Yoni Gray ’10) seeks guid- and stories of students in a Catho- ance from Father (Dave Berger) lic boarding school. during “Confession.”

(clockwise from top left) Students rave during “Rolling.” Peter (Yoni Gray ’10) and Jason (Todd Sandstrom) share a stolen Students enjoy pot brownies dur- moment in “You and I.” ing the scene “Birthday Bitch.”

Jason (Todd Sandstrom) and Ivy Students (Hayley Ryan, Kimberly (Kimberly A. Brink ’10) enjoy a A. Brink ’10, Megan Rexius, Emma birthday kiss as students look on C. Jeffries ’11, Keri Boisclair, Dave during “One Kiss.” Berger and Matthew S. Peairs ’09) surround Peter (Yoni Gray ’10) dur- Jason (Todd Sandstrom) woos Di- ing “Epiphany.” ane Lane (Emma C. Jeffries ’11) with students in the background Photography by William Yee April 28, 2009 The Tech Page 13 Community Fora to Discuss Dining Today & Tomorrow Dining Reports, from Page 1 sociation six weeks ago as a student- [email protected]. run group charged with producing a Both committees will be releasing $600-minimum declining balance proposal to improve dining at MIT. their completed proposals either this Highlights of the Dining Reports plan. Students who do not want to buy Since then, the committee has done week or next. They will submit their into the plan would pay a mandatory its work through open meetings and final proposals to the Division of Stu- ¶ For students living in dorms with dining halls, the administration’s Blue fee of approximately $500 and get discussion on its e-mail list, ua-dpc@ dent Life, which will decide on next Ribbon Committee would require either a $600 declining-balance plan or nothing. mit.edu. steps. payment of a $500 opt-out penalty. The UA’s Dining Proposal Committee The student-written DPC report Vinayak V. Ranade ’09, chair of Copies of both draft proposals are proposes a mandatory $300 declining-balance plan for those students. suggests that dorms with dining halls the committee, said that one big road- available online at http://tech.mit.edu/ ¶ The UA’s DPC proposes closing McCormick dining in the short term, replace the required House Dining block for the DPC is the fact that MIT V129/N22/dining/. and closing Baker and Simmons dining in the long term, along with creation Membership with a required $300 de- and third-party vendors are unwilling This article was based on the first of a new centrally-located dining hall. The administration’s BRC report does clining balance plan. to give the DPC any sort of financial version of the DPC draft, released not recommend closing any dining halls. Under both plans, students not liv- data about dining. It’s “extremely on April 25. A revised version was ing in dorms with dining halls would hush-hush,” he said. released via e-mail at 12:35 a.m. on ¶ Both reports stress the need for more breakfast options, and both still be able to purchase declining- For example, the lack of data made April 28, after this article was final- support a grab-and-go system to provide fast and accessible breakfast in balance meal plans; any students who it difficult to analyze the feasibility of ized. Both versions of the DPC draft the mornings. purchased a plan, including those re- and potential savings from moving are online at the URL above. quired to purchase one, would be able MIT dining away from outside ven- to purchase meals at a small discount. dors, he said. The DPC proposal suggests clos- Ranade said that the BRC “has ing three dining halls and replacing been very forthcoming with their them with a large, centralized dining data.” They forwarded the data pro- hall. In the short term, the report rec- vided by the consultants “in a couple ommends closing the dining hall in of different formats,” he said. McCormick Hall, citing the fact that However, he also said that he that dining hall produces the largest wished the BRC was more willing to deficit on campus and the dining hall work together with DPC in crafting in Baker is just a short walk away. In their reports. He said that he was in- its long-term recommendations, the vited to a meeting of the BRC, but was report suggests closing the dining fa- not allowed to see their draft report. cilities in Baker House and Simmons Noah S. Jessop ’09, Undergradu- Hall. The dining halls in Next House ate Association president, said he was and NW35 would stay open. impressed with the report produced The proposed central dining fa- by the DPC. “The student report cility would be located in either the represents a group of students sitting Student Center or in a new building down with the proverbial Red Bulls to be constructed in space currently and pizzas working to produce a solid being used as a parking lot behind the report.” Kresge Auditorium. It would be open “Institute committees are much for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. more constrained in putting time in The administration’s BRC draft beyond their standard work day,” he report does not suggest closing any said. current dining halls, and it does not Donna Denoncourt, chair of the recommend the construction of a BRC and associate dean of residential centralized dining hall of the size sug- life, declined to comment on the draft gested by the DPC. report produced by the BRC. For breakfast in the short term, both suggest a potential grab-and-go Student feedback solicited breakfast program that would require Both the BRC and the DPC are minimal staffing but still offer stu- soliciting feedback over the coming dents healthy breakfast choices on week. their way to class. The DPC report was discussed in All you can eat options in at least the UA Senate meeting last night, and one centralized dining hall were also they continue to request that any feed- proposed by both reports. back on their draft be sent to ua-dpc@ Citing MIT’s previous history of mit.edu. unsustainable dining solutions and The BRC will be hosting public the fact that outside vendors had been forums today and tomorrow to dis- involved since 1957, the DPC sug- cuss their draft proposal. Today, they gested that MIT look into running its will hold a session in the McCormick own dining operations without outside Dining Room at 8 p.m. and the Next vendors. The DPC draft suggested Dining Room at 9 p.m. Tomorrow, moving the food trucks that were relo- meetings will be held in Baker’s din- cated behind the MIT Medical building room at 9 p.m., Simmons’ dining ing closer to Stata for lunch. room at 9 p.m., and East Campus’ The BRC report also brought up Talbot Lounge at 10 p.m. The com- the idea of marking a portion of the mittee also welcomes feedback sent to Campaign for Students fund to create a endowed fund for providing nutri- tional food at cheaper prices. The DPC report included a analy- ses of the dining systems of several Help rebuild Iraq’s universities “peer universities,” which included Harvard, Yale, and Princeton.

UA Dining Proposal Committee The Dining Proposal Committee Get involved in building partnerships was created by the Undergraduate As- Info session Solution to Crossword between MIT and Iraqi universities: from page 7 Wednesday Apr 29 Shipping textbooks to university libraries in Baghdad & Basra 7:30pm in 1-135 Advising the directors of an Iraqi government scholarship program Free Middle Eastern food!

Expanding the presence of Solution to Sudoku from page 7 OpenCourseWare at the Faculty, staff, undergrads, grads, University of Baghdad and postdocs are all welcome [email protected] ASPIrE American Students Promoting Iraqi Education Page 14 The Tech April 28, 2009 Outbreak Fortunately Near Summer and End of Term Swine Flu, from Page 1 Relenza, antiviral drugs which are fined in close quarters during the effective against the current swine spring and summer compared with for more than a hundred deaths in flu, Heller said. other seasons. Swine Flu Q&A Mexico. Of the 40 U.S. cases, only People with asthma or pneumo- MIT’s message for now: wash ¶ I feel sick. Should I go to Medical? Yes. Especially if you think one person was hospitalized, and all nia, or the young or elderly, are at your hands; don’t touch your nose, you might have influenza, you should call the Medical Department for an 40 people recovered, the CDC said. high risk of becoming especially sick eyes, or mouth when you’re in public; appointment (617-253-4481). If none are available, you will be directed MIT plans a “large campaign of when infected with the flu. and cover your coughs and sneezes. to MIT Medical’s urgent care (open 24 hours a day, free for students). teaching people how to protect them- Monday was a busy day in Medi- While MIT plans to tell communi- ¶ What will Medical do if I think I have influenza symptoms? selves,” said William VanSchalkwyk, cal’s urgent care department, with ty members to practice good hygiene, They’ll run a rapid flu test. If it’s positive for Influenza A, you’ll be test- managing director of MIT Environ- visitors coming in because they had elsewhere, Facilities and Housing ed for Influenza A H1N1. MIT can’t run this test — they’ll outsource it mental Health and Safety. heard about the outbreak, they had staff are working to prevent illness by to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Centers for So far, most Institute planning just returned from Mexico, or their disinfecting more surfaces and clean- Disease Control, which takes a few days. has been behind-the-scenes, Van- parents had told them to come in and ing public areas like Athena clusters. ¶ I don’t feel sick. Should I go to Medical anyway? No. Try not to Schalkwyk said. get checked, Heller said. No cases of Prevention is “hard, tedious hang out around sick people during flu season. MIT Medical’s Urgent MIT’s emergency operations cen- influenza were confirmed as of Mon- work,” VanSchalkwyk said. “It’s not Care counts as “around sick people.” ter will act on measures like cancel- day afternoon. glitzy, but it gets things done.” ¶ Should I get the flu vaccine? No. There’s no evidence that this ling classes based on instructions The Institute has done prelimi- So far, no cases of swine flu have year’s flu vaccine provides any “cross-immunity” to protect you from from MIT Medical, which will be nary checks to see how many stu- been confirmed in Massachusetts. the H1N1 variant. Also, MIT Medical is out of flu shots. And, again, guided by CDC public health advi- dents are doing work in Mexico or About two dozen people in the state you should try to stay away from sick people. sories and state health agencies. other areas affected by the swine have been tested for swine flu, the ¶ What are swine flu’s symptoms? The swine flu has the same For now, MIT is paying close at- flu outbreak. “So far, the number is Associated Press reported yesterday. symptoms as influenza: fever, headache, tiredness, cough, a sore throat, tention to the situation. Anyone who zero,” VanSchalkwyk said. That number includes two young a runny or stuffy nose, aches, and diarrhea and vomiting. Fever, cough, comes into Medical with flu symp- MIT is fortunate to be facing an children in Lowell, Mass., who re- and respiratory illness are the primary symptoms, the CDC said in a toms will be tested for the flu. outbreak near the end of the semes- cently returned from Mexico and had press briefing Monday. Normally, MIT Medical does not ter, VanSchalkwyk said. Classes are influenza symptoms; test results for ¶ Has swine flu killed anyone in the United States? No. As of bother to test people who have been mostly finished could be ended early the two are expected today. Monday afternoon, the CDC confirmed 40 cases within the United sick for more than 3–4 days because if necessary. Of course, Commence- In the United States, the disease States, including 28 in New York. No one has died. In Mexico, more antiviral drugs will be ineffective, ment is a thorny issue. seems to be nowhere near as deadly than a hundred deaths have been attributed to swine flu. said Howard M. Heller, chief of in- It’s reassuring that the flu has as avian flu H5N1, which has killed ¶ Can swine flu be treated? Yes. According to the CDC, H1N1 ternal medicine at MIT Medical. come up now, Heller said, because 257 of the 421 who have contracted is susceptible to antiviral drugs oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir. MIT’s stocks both Tamiflu and people don’t spend much time con- it from 2003–2009, according to the Treatment with antivirals will shorten the duration of illness by a day or World Health Organization. two, said Howard M. Heller, MIT Medical Chief of Internal Medicine. Meanwhile, a national health ¶ Is MIT ready for a swine flu pandemic? Yes. The Institute has emergency has been declared in the worked on plans in the event of large-scale disease outbreak (a “pan- Video Games For U.S., and the World Health Organi- demic”) for years. International concern over SARS (Severe Acute Re- zation has raised its pandemic alert spiratory Syndrome) in 2003 led the Institute to make disease plans, to level 4, a signal that they consider and those plans were updated during the international concern over “pandemic” disease possible but not avian flu (Influenza A H5N1) in 2006–7. Gift Cards. inevitable. ¶ What should I do? Wash your hands. Don’t touch your eyes, Health officials have been con- nose, or mouth when you’re out in public; you might touch something cerned because most people do not which a sick person touched or coughed on. Cover your nose and have immunity to this strain. mouth when you cough or sneeze. Participants are needed for a video game research A genetically different strain of ¶ Should I go to Mexico? Avoid nonessential travel, the Centers H1N1 was big in 1976, when hun- for Disease Control said on Monday night in an advisory available on- study. Spend 20 minutes with our game and get a $5 dreds of Army recruits came down line at http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu. If you’ve gift card. By appointment only. with the flu. One died, and the gov- recently come back from Mexico and don’t ernment responded by vaccinating feel ill, you’re probably fine. more than 40 million Americans. ¶ What does “H1N1” stand for? The Times available 10am – 5pm. Monday 4/27 and The pandemic never came, and de- CDC is diagnosing cases of influenza type Monday 5/4. bate continues over whether side ef- A, which is the most common genus of the fects attributed to the vaccinations influenza virus. The H1N1 designation de- were worth it and whether publicity scribes proteins on the surface of the virus.

Contact [email protected] to schedule. overstated the disease’s dangers. “H1” indicates that this virus has a hemag- Source: Protein Data Bank glutinin protein — which allows the virus to Structure 2HU4 attach to human cells — of type one. “N1” An image of an N1 indicates that the virus has a neuraminidase neuraminidase com- protein — which allows newly synthesized plexed with Tamiflu, Political Science viruses to detach from the cells and spread based on X-ray dif- — of type one. fraction studies. Undergraduate Open Royal Bengal Boston’s only authentic BengaliCuisine restaurant House 313Mass.Ave., Cambridge Open Daily Except Monday (617) 491-1988 11:30 am–11:30 pm T: Red Line, Bus#1–CentralSquare Any interest in Political Science? Lunch Buffet $7.95 10% Discount on $15 Thursday -Majoring? Reasonably Priced Dinners (or more) order with MIT ID. -Minoring Free delivery for orders over $10. April 30th Take-out, platters, and catering available. -Concentrating? http://www.royalbengalrestaurant.com/ 4:00 - 5:30 -UROPs? E53-368

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For more information contact Tobie Weiner, [email protected], 3-3649, or visit our website: web.mit.edu/polisci/undergrad/index.html April 28, 2009 The Tech Page 15 Burton Third Issues Apology for DormCon Election Results President Abdulaziz M. Albahar ’10 Vice-President Lyla J. Fischer ’11 Hack; Party Goes as Planned Treasurer Rachel E. Meyer ’10 Secretary Geoffrey Thomas ’10 Bomb on Kresge, from Page 1 to student culture,” there might be individual basis, with Cambridge Housing Assignment Chair Sandhya L. Ramakrishnan ’10 fewer misunderstandings like Fri- and MIT making a good-faith effort Risk Managers Nathan A. Pallo ’11, Cody R. Daniel ’11 dent, witnessed the bomb squad in day’s event. to calculate a fair cost based on the Dining Chairs Michael S. Berry ’10, Geoffrey Thomas ’10 action and saw the squad when they As of Monday evening, Smith total number of incidents across the eventually realized the “bomb” was had not been notified of the cost of year and resources utilized. a just a block of concrete. After the bomb removal. When asked about a rumored Police Review Panel Begins to Meet block was flipped, a bomb techni- Charles Lin G, a Burton Third $20,000 cost, Barber said “I don’t The panel charged with reviewing Campus Police policy in re- cian wearing a blast-resistant suit resident, said he was disappointed think it’s high.” Barber said that sponse to the Joseph D’Amelio arrest and firing met for the first time took off his suit as others posed for that the bomb squad had been called based on the people present and the last Friday, according to Dean for Student Life Chris Colombo, who photos with the block. in hours after MIT Police were told resources used, “I would say that’s sits on the panel. In a statement (see right), resi- that the concrete block was a harm- probably not too far from accurate.” Colombo said that the panel intended to produce its report by the dents of Burton Third apologized for less student prank. That rumor has not been con- end of May, and was meeting “almost every week.” the incident and said that the block “I’m just mad that the police firmed. Chemistry Professor Robert J. Silbey (former Dean of Science) was a hack meant to advertise the knew it was a hack. The police knew What is Barber’s advice on how is chairing the panel, Colombo said. Silbey could not be reached for evening’s party. it was a hack and ended up calling to avoid a situation like this? Do “not comment Monday. The event was a “big misun- in a bomb squad?” said Lin, who is use a prop that looks like a bomb … —John A. Hawkinson derstanding,” said Burton-Conner also a senior editor for The Tech. Last year it was a black plane hang- housemaster Merritt Roe Smith. David M. Barber, MIT’s hack ing from the dome of seven. It’s a Objects that look like bombs are part removal czar, said on Monday that difference in what you choose to of “very sensitive issues, and I un- costs for fire and emergency re- convey your message.” derstand that.” But, he said, if people sponse incidents such as this one are The party went on as planned on were to “pay a little closer attention calculated on an annual rather than Friday night. Web 2.0, Unorthodox Advertising, Sales Strategy Among Conf. Topics Sales Conference, from Page 1 ers have discovered new and easier mary source of revenue came from methods of acquiring information, registration fees. 12:20 p.m., I missed the morning resulting in the development of a Castro was grateful the confer- venues, including a keynote speech more symmetric relationship be- ence drew in as many people as it given by Bill McDermott, President tween producers and sellers. did. “We broke even and made a of Global Field Operations at SAP, Sellers can no longer overprice profit of $5,000,” said Castro. “Two one of the world’s leading provid- a product because consumers now weeks before the event took place, ers of business software. Picking up have more resources to compare and we were expecting a loss.” my media pass, I hurriedly made my analyze the good before committing According to Castro, the high way into the Hyatt ballroom, where to the transaction. level of attendance is a result of the I found myself amongst hundreds of Halligan also emphasized the im- economic crisis itself and how busi- Sloan students and businessmen. portance for people and businesses to nessmen are in great need of advice Despite feeling completely out of use social networking applications to and support. place in my Tech t-shirt and sneak- reach out to others. “Selling is evolv- Castro sees the MIT Sloan Sales ers, I took one of the few remaining ing,” said Halligan. “Start a blog Conference as a permanent event empty seats and enjoyed a fine Ital- about your thesis. Use Facebook. that will continue annually for many Eric D. Schmiedl—The Tech ian-inspired lunch. Use Twitter. Get LinkedIn. Start con- years to come. “This is the third time Some time after Campus Preview Weekend, vandals calling versation about your research.” we have held this conference,” Cas- themselves “Local 151” defaced the Hacking Ethics mural in Psych. professor talks sales tro said. “To me, the third time an an MIT basement as retaliation after members of the hacking In progress was the second key- Sales workshops event is held determines whether it community cleaned up graffiti in the area. note speech of the day, given by pro- Next on my event agenda was will last forever.” fessor of psychology and best-selling the sales workshops. Designed to author Robert Cialdini. Cialdini fo- be more interactive and stimulating cused his talk on the principles of than the panel discussions, the work- Gymrek Hopes to Run with Twin in ethical influence that permeate ad- shops gave the audience more room vertisements and sales. One of his to ask questions and the opportunity key principles was the concept of to partake in mock business situa- how people are drawn to scarce and tions. I opted to sit in on the one enti- ’10; Qualified at Her First Marathon exclusive products. “For every hour tled “Tough Times Demand Smarter Marathon Runner, from Page 1 sulation blanket to keep herself warm. kept notes from his races. of delay after receiving exclusive in- Sales Strategies,” though, admittedly, She found it difficult to bend down to The logbook tells a story of how formation,” he said, “there is an hour the workshop entaling the empower- Boston Common at 6 a.m. All the run- take off the transponder and said the Torres ran a marathon injured but still of decay.” ment of pre-sales in the marketplace ners were bussed over to the starting walk back to campus was painful. managed to finish. Gymrek was in- As an example, Cialdini present- was tempting. line in Hopkinton and waited around It “took me 5 minutes to get off spired by her coach’s determination: at ed a mock situation where a salesper- In the workshop, Mike Falkson, for 3 hours before they were signaled the couch,” she said after taking a the last leg of the marathon he wrote son was selling prime-quality beef CEO, President, and founder of Eti to start. nap later that evening. On Wednesday that he wanted to give up but kept go- from South America. In comparison Sales Support, presented advice and Runners start in waves and Gym- she was better and able to walk down ing anyway. to standard advertisement strategies, strategies to the audience on how to rek was part of the first wave of 1400 stairs again. The road leading up to qualifica- the salesperson could increase sales stay afloat in the current recession. runners. She started the race at 10:15 Gymrek’s love for running started tion was difficult. Gymrek, who is on six-fold by telling the customer that “Invest in your strengths,” Falkson a.m. in 5th grade, when she was offered a the cycling and triathlon teams, has he could get the beef anywhere else. said, “not your deficits.” That morning her head was filled free homework pass for joining the suffered at least one hip stress fracture The salesperson could also reveal Falkson added that businessmen with doubts, Gymrek said. She worried cross country team. She describes run- every year since high-school junior exclusive information to that cus- should give more attention to those that wouldn’t finish, but the enthusiasm ning as being in “another world.” She year. This meant that for 2–6 months tomer, such as stating that a special clients with the most value and poten- at the starting line was infectious. loves being able to run long distances at a time, she could not train. It wasn’t panel of meteorologists expected a tial. By narrowing the client base to There is “so much excitement that and sometimes she gets the feeling until April of last year that she was able drought in the next month. The sub- only those customers with the great- you forget how hard it’s going to be,” that she could keep on going forever. to seriously prepare for a marathon. sequent sharp decline in the supply est potential, Falkson said, companies she said. Gymrek competed in school cross She qualified for the Boston Mara- of this specific beef could drive the are more likely to survive in today’s Each runner was given a transpon- country meets in both middle and high thon after running her first marathon, customer to purchase more. harsh economical environment. der that they tie to their shoe which school, but only got serious about the BayState Marathon in Lowell Cialdini emphasized the impor- helps log times for runners at various long-distance runs in her senior year. last October, with a time of 3:23:57. tance of conveying exclusive in- Winding down marks in the course. The times were Her inspiration for running the Qualifying time for the women’s 18- formation to customers in order to The conference finished up with posted on the Boston marathon web- Boston Marathon was her high school to 34-year-old bracket is 3:40:00. increase sales, saying that “informa- two workshop sessions given by Di- site, where her family was able to cross country coach, Rick Torres, who Now that the Boston Marathon is tion is like bread: people rather take rector Dianne Ledingham of Bain track her progress. Though her fam- would always talk about the Boston over, she plans on training for a mara- it fresh than when it’s stale.” Accord- & Company and MIT Sloan Sales ily couldn’t make it to the race, her Marathon and wear his marathon thon in the fall, hopefully with her ing to Cialdini, customers tend to Trainer Jeff Hoffman. By then, af- friends came to cheer her on. As she jacket. When Gymrek graduated, he twin sister, who was inspired by Gym- believe in information that is more ter being in classes all morning and passed Massachusetts Avenue she gave her his race logbook, where he rek’s performance. scarce than that which is publicly conference activities all afternoon, I heard a friend scream her name and distributed. was just about ready to call it a day. looked up to wave. Biodiesel@MIT HAS A PROCESSOR ON Shortly after the conclusion of the The hardest leg of the race was the Web 2.0 conference, I met with Felipe Castro second to last mile because she said it CAMPUS! Following the lunch and keynote G, chief organizer of the conference is at “the very end of what your body addresses, three separate panel dis- and President of the MIT Sloan Sales wants to give.” But as she approached Come check it out: cussions were held, featuring topics Club. Castro and his team started the Citgo sign, which signaled the last ranging from team building to sell- organizing the event back in No- mile, she knew she had to keep going. st ing in global markets. vember 2008, just when the nation’s Crossing the finish line was exhil- Friday May 1 I attended the third, a panel ad- economic crisis was starting to turn arating. “I was very ecstatic and had 7 pm – 9 pm dressing the Web 2.0 revolution, some heads. “At that time,” Castro goose bumps,” Gymrek said, adding referring to the growing popularity said, “we knew that we would want “wow I actually did this,” recalling Check our website for the meeting location of web social networking, and next to incorporate the crisis as one of the moments after she finished. Soon after (web.mit.edu/biodiesel) generation sales models. main themes of the conference.” finishing, she covered herself in an in- Moderated by MIT Sloan Senior Castro himself had to deal with Lecturer Mike Grandinetti, the dis- the effects of the crisis in the plan- Come learn about the group, take a tour of the new cussion panel included successful ning of the event. Funding for Condo/$199K (617) 688-2581 entrepreneurs and Chief Executive this year’s conference totaled only OH Sun. 4/5 12p-1p Inman Sq processing facility in NW-14, and learn how to get Officers Brian Halligan of Hubspot, $30,000, dropping significantly from 1218 Cambridge Street Unit B a PAID UROP for the summer. And there will be Gail Goodman of Constant Contact, last year’s $80,000, due mostly to a Priv lndry&storage,H,HW more and Kevin Walker of Simple Tuition. sharp decrease in sponsorship. In- 436 sf/grt 4 student/MIT=1 mile! FOOD. [email protected] According to Halligan, consum- stead of sponsorship, this year’s pri- Page 16 The Tech April 28, 2009 Henisi. Pat, cor sum nos doloreet elesseq uatuera esectem doloboreet, con heniscidunt at, quat dolobore diam, veliquisl el ut adip eraesto duis dolor sum ex exeros ea faci ea amcommo lorper adit nullaor at, commy nosto odolenim nostrud et laore feu facidunt alit lutetue modolor accum ea am, quamcon sequat wisl ullam, consequat. Iquat. Ut el iure feugait elit, quis adionsectet ex endre facip er accum zzrit lor sustis aut verit, sed modolor eraessim et dolore duis nisis ad minit in vendrem quatums andigna feuissed enim zzriusci tem nos dipsusto od magniat wismod tat, voluptat. Ut amcon volesequisl iure deliscillam quatetum dolorpe riusto del eriusto core facilit, qui tem nonsenim zzriustrud dolore conse molestrud modolore corpercilla feu faccum quisci blan volut iustrud minim ipsum ad magnibh esequatem qui bla con volor sectem zzrit eum nonum ese dolortisis amconullaore vulla feu feu feu feum duipsus tionsectem erci tet aci endreet lor si. Magnim do doloreet,S conulputp o wisi r tex exs eu facincilit alit iustissed eugue vel dolore vent LEGAL COUNSEL MIT students, family, employers and MIT Track Sweeps c o r e b o a r d start-ups seeking U.S. legal counsel, S campus or oﬃce consultation. Call: NEWMAC Championships Baseball James Dennis Leary, Esq. The MIT men’s and women’s track and field teams captured titles 321-544-0012 today at the 2009 New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Confer- Friday, April 24, 2009 ence (NEWMAC) Track and Field Championship hosted by Mount MIT (20-10) 7 Holyoke College. This marks the second time in Worcester Polytechnic Institute 1 three years that the Engineers swept the NEW- Saturday, April 25, 2009 Sports MAC Championship, as the men and women each earned conference titles in 2007. MIT (21-10) 21 Shorts The women’s squad secured 15 All-Confer- Clark University 9 ence nods while the men added 13 honors. Sunday, April 26, 2009 Complete results can be found at http://web.mit.edu/daper. MIT (21-11) 3 —Greg McKeever, DAPER Staff Babson College 6

Men’s Tennis Claims 11th Men’s Lacrosse Consecutive NEWMAC Crown Saturday, April 25, 2009 MIT (7-7) 2 For the second year in a row, top-seeded MIT defeated No. 2 Bab- Springfield College 13 son College, 5-1, to capture its 11th straight New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Men’s Tennis Champion- ship on Saturday. In semifinal action, the Engineers (16-2) defeated Men’s Tennis No. 4 U.S. Coast Guard Academy, 5-1, while the Beavers topped No. 3 Saturday, March 25, 2009 and host Wheaton College, 5-1. MIT (15-2) 5 —Mindy Brauer, DAPER Staff U.S. Coast Guard Academy 1 MIT (16-2) 5 Babson College 1

Up c o m i n g Ho m e Ev e n t s Women’s Tennis Wednesday, April 29, 2009 Saturday, March 25, 2009 Baseball vs. Fisher College 4 p.m., Briggs Field MIT (12-7) 1 Women’s Lacrosse vs. Mount Holyoke College Bowdoin College 8 Time TBA, Steinbrenner Stadium

Thursday, April 30, 2009 Men’s Track Baseball vs. University of Massachusetts-Boston Saturday, April 25, 2009 3:30 p.m., Briggs Field NEWMAC Championships MIT 1st of 6

Women’s Track Got some thoughts on the NBA Playoffs? Saturday, April 25, 2009 Let us know! NEWMAC Championships MIT 1st of 8 [email protected] What is [ m 3 ]? Stay connected to the math department. Read the math majors magazine.

Featuring interviews with Professor Toomre Professor Miller Professor Kedlaya Second Issue Coming April 29 @ the Math Majors Lounge Brought to you by the Undergraduate Math Association. Questions? E-mail us at [email protected].