Established 1881 TODAY IS reGistration DAY! WEATHER, p. 2 MIT’s Oldest and TUE: 79°F | 62°F Largest Newspaper T-storms WED: 81°F | 60°F Sunny tech.mit.edu THU: 74°F | 53°F Mostly sunny Established 1881 Volume 133, Number 34 Tuesday, September 3, 2013 E52 renovations to finish in 2016 The construction on old Sloan will affect surrounding traffic By Austin Hess The renovationsEstablished will have 1881 NEWS EDITOR an impact on automobile and pedestrian traffic surround- Renovations begin this week ing E52 beginning this week. In for E52, the original Sloan Build- an email to the MIT commu- ing. The structure, built in 1938, nity, Chief of Police John DiFava is undergoing interior and ex- wrote, “On Tuesday, September terior upgrades expected to be 3, Ames Street will become two completed in early 2016. way from Memorial Drive all the According to the MIT Capi- way to Main Street. Re-stripping tal Projects website, “Building of the lanes is scheduled to take E52 has not been significantly place on Tuesday and the pat- upgraded over time.” The site tern change will remain in effect indicates the lower floors will through the end of construction. be used for student-related Beginning on Monday, Septem- Sloan School administration, ber 23, the section of Wadsworth the fourth and fifth floors will Street from Memorial Drive to be for the Economics Depart- Amherst Street will be closed to ment, and there will be a glass- traffic.” Established 1881 enclosed addition to the build- According to the MIT facili- ing to create sixth and seventh ties website, Wadsworth Street floors for meetings and confer- will reopen as a one-way street ences. The trees along Memo- in February 2014, and return to a rial Drive will be replaced, and two-way configuration after the other landscaping changes will renovation ends. A section of JESSICA L. WASS—THE TECH occur. The people displaced by Ames Street will return to one- Building E52 is set to undergo a renovation scheduled to be completed in 2016. Traffic patterns on the surrounding the renovation have moved to streets will be affected starting with the closure of Wadsworth Street later this month and the conversion of Ames St� Building E17. E52, Page 11 into a two-way street all the way through to Memorial Drive� Somerville SafeRide shuttle CMS and Writing join forces Comparative Media Studies just always had a lot in common,” pilot program implemented (CMS) and Writing (21W), formerly said Paradis. Such commonalities Established 1881 two separate majors, are now un- will be the strength of the new pro- Simmons shuttle stops also relocated to front of dorm der the CMS/W program. The two gram, which will benefit from con- majors will remain essentially the taining faculty from what were pre- By William Navarre December. The new route is de- gram’s continuation is contingent same from an academic point of viously two different majors. “That’s signed to meet the transportation on ridership numbers, according view — their undergraduate and the main reason,” said Paradis, “just MIT’s shuttle programs are un- needs of graduate students living to the announcement in the Aug. graduate programs will still remain to get together and share some of dergoing several changes in the off-campus by connecting Imman 26 GSC Anno. separate — but the new program the areas of interest.” He also com- upcoming semester. Square, Union Square, and East Additionally, as of Aug. 30, the aims to encourage students in both mented on the increased coherence In response to a proposal made Cambridge to Main Campus. The Tech Shuttle and SafeRide stops at majors to take classes in the other. of the curriculum, since the faculty in May by the Graduate Student shuttle will run during normal Simmons Hall were relocated to James G. Paradis commented will now be able to plan out both Council (GSC) Transportation MIT Saferide hours of 6 p.m.–2:30 the east side of the building from that There was much overlap be- majors together. Subcommittee, a pilot program for a.m. Sundays through Wednesdays the west side, making them closer tween the two majors in addition to In the 2012–2013 year, CMS a new Somerville SafeRide shuttle and 6 p.m.–2:30 a.m. Thursdays the many cross-listed classes that had 15 students total, while Writ- route will run from September to through Saturdays. The pilot pro- Shuttles, Page 8 already exist, according to CMS/W ing had three (all juniors at the section head and professor James time), but neither major is absorb- G. Paradis. “Media studies is con- ing the other, Paradis said — “This cerned with journalistic types of makes both majors much more things, and the writing program interesting.” always taught journalism, so we —Bruno B. F. Faviero The application deadline for Feb- IN Short ruary SB and Advanced Degrees Tomorrow is the first day of Fall is this Friday, Sept. 6. Submit your classes! application by then to avoid a $50 late fee. All students must submit Fall regis- tration by Friday, Sept. 6. Deadline for second-term juniors to submit the HASS Concentration A fire was reported in Building 3 Proposal Form and for final-term on Monday at 11:15 a.m., according seniors to submit the HASS Con- to emergency.mit.edu. The building centration Completion Form is this was evacuated and no injuries were JESSICA L. WASS—THE TECH Friday, Sept. 6, subject to a $50 late fee. DanceTroupe was one of many student performance groups to showcase their talents at Fri- reported. The fire was extinguished, day’s Activities Midway. All ASA recognized groups are invited to the Midway to give incoming according to an emergency alert text Send news information and tips to freshmen a look at activities on campus� message. 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They had battled for a month over an increase in fees that that another rush of Syrians across lamoun area north of Damascus N CBS was seeking for the right to retransmit CBS stations in those BEIRUT — Two days after Presi- the borders meant that roughly a and declare they will push forward cities and some other locations on Time Warner Cable systems. dent Barack Obama shocked Syri- third of the country’s population while some of the government’s Another key issue was whether CBS would retain some digital ans by delaying expected American had now been displaced; he es- personnel and weapons remain rights that it wants to sell to Web-based distributors like Netflix missile strikes, the country remains timated that the number of Syr- dispersed to avoid being targeted. and Amazon. off balance, with the military still ians seeking refuge in neighboring The state news agency, SANA, In a memo to the CBS staff, the corporation president, Leslie bracing, the rebels still hoping to countries was approaching 2 mil- said the military had killed foreign Moonves, said, “The final agreements with Time Warner Cable capitalize on the confusion, civil- lion, with some 4.5 million being fighters as they tried to infiltrate -ar ATIO deliver to us all the value and terms that we sought in these dis- ians increasingly fleeing across the driven from their homes in Syria. eas closer to the capital. Opposition cussions. We are receiving fair compensation for CBS content and borders and everyone uncertain Both the government and the figures have seized the moment to we also have the ability to monetize our content going forward on whether the attack has been called armed opposition have moved to argue for a more comprehensive all the new, developing platforms that are right now transforming off for good. capitalize on Obama’s decision to strike, backed by increased aid to the way people watch television.” Businesses were open and wait for congressional approval for their forces, to try to shift the bal- —Bill Carter, The New York Times shops busy in government-held a strike. The government has por- ance in the conflict, which began areas around the country on Mon- trayed President Bashar Assad as three and a half years ago with Rupee continues decline on day, residents say, but not all gov- a hero for facing down the Ameri- peaceful protests but have devolved & N ernment troops had moved out of cans, and his supporters have circu- into civil war after bloody govern- weakness in Indian economy the schools and other civilian areas lated jokes on social media mock- ment crackdowns.