Volume 127, Number 60 Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 Friday, December 7, 2007 Bldg
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The Weather Today: Partly sunny, MIT’s then cloudy, 38°F (3°C) Tonight: Chance of snow Oldest and Largest and sleet, 32°F (0°C) Newspaper Tomorrow: Mostly cloudy, then sunny, 44°F (7°C) Details, Page 2 Volume 127, Number 60 Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 Friday, December 7, 2007 Bldg. W1 to Undergo Complete Renovation Yunus Dorm to Remain Unoccupied Until Reopening as Undergraduate Dormitory in 2010 By Austin Chu Chosen as STAFF REPORTER Building W1, the current gradu- ate dormitory Ashdown House, will ’08 Class be completely renovated before re- opening as an undergraduate resi- dence in the fall of 2010, administra- tors said yesterday. Speaker In the meantime, 68 undergradu- ates will move into NW35, a new By Ryan Ko graduate residence slated to open STAFF REPORTER in August 2008. This group of stu- Muhammad Yunus, recipient of dents will form the core of the new the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his W1 community when the residence work in microlending and alleviating reopens. Additionally, the housemas- global poverty, is MIT’s 2008 Com- ters of the new W1 will be convening mencement speaker. a founders group of approximately “This is a wonderful choice,” said 10 undergraduates who will be close- W. Eric L. Grimson PhD ’80, chair ly involved in the discussions of the of the Commencement Committee. details of the new dormitory. “Yunus is known for using technical Although the founders group will innovation to impact the world.” be tackling almost all aspects of the Yunus’s development of micro- new dormitory, a few decisions have lending, through which credit is of- already been made. W1 will not per- fered collateral-free to the impover- mit smoking or pets and will have a ished for starting small businesses, dining hall and a dining program. has a repayment rate of 98 percent. MIT has decided to undertake a In 1983, Yunus founded Grameen “comprehensive renovation” of W1, Bank, which has provided credit to said Kirk D. Kolenbrander, vice 7.3 million poor people in Bangla- president for Institute affairs. Vari- ERIC D. Schmiedl—THE TECH desh, 97 percent of them women. Building W1 will undergo a complete renovation before it reopens as an undergraduate dormitory in the ous plans have been proposed over Yunus exemplifies MIT’s motto, fall of 2010. the past year, including partial reno- “Mens et Manus” (or “Mind and vation, use of the dormitory as swing Sidney-Pacific graduate dormitory. needs.” Clay added that even if MIT chosen a complete renovation for Hand”), Undergraduate Association housing, or simultaneous renovation W1 is one of the oldest buildings did not renovate W1 now, it would W1, as this plan avoids situations President Martin F. Holmes ’08 said. and occupancy. No decisions had on campus, predating even Buildings have to revisit that decision within that will “disrupt the students that “Muhammad Yunus is a person who been finalized until now. 1–10. It is “very much in need of re- the next five years. will be living in the dorm.” is a problem-solver,” he said. “He W1, located at the corner of Mas- newal,” said Kolenbrander. Undergraduate student leaders Dormitory Council President looked at an extremely challenging sachusetts Ave. and Memorial Dr., is “The original plan was to do a welcomed the decision to go with a Sarah C. Hopp ’08 said, “I’m es- and complicated problem and came currently a graduate dormitory but modest renovation,” Chancellor Phil- complete renovation, as it matched pecially happy they decided to put up with a very creative and ingenious will become vacant following the lip L. Clay PhD ’75 said. However, their own recommendations. Un- money into the dorm, because we way of solving it. His life is in line opening in August 2008 of the new “when we got into it, we decided we dergraduate Association President don’t need another undergraduate with the goals, missions, and values graduate residence NW35, located in could not do a modest renovation Martin F. Holmes ’08 said he was the northwest sector of campus near because the building has so many “thrilled” that the administration has W1, Page 15 Commencement, Page 16 Randolph Defines Role of MIT Chaplain DAPER Summer Fees By Nick Bushak first Institute chaplain. rial services. ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR The chaplain works with the re- Since beginning work as Insti- Now Permanent Having worked at MIT for 28 ligious communities to ensure they tute chaplain in January, Randolph The Department of Athletics, Physical Education, and Recreation years in a several different positions, have what they need to do their work. has worked with a number of groups has announced that last summer’s $40 access fee will now be perma- Robert M. Randolph brings a wealth He helps to plan events including to address their needs. Randolph is nent — the fee will continue for summer 2008. of experience to the table as MIT’s weddings, celebrations, and memo- working to make sure Muslim and DAPER charged students an access fee for the first Jewish communities have access to News time last summer. Previously, access to DAPER fa- appropriate dining. In addition, he cilities had been free for all students year-round. is working with the gay and lesbian Julie Soriero, the head of DAPER, announced community on “a program to ex- Briefs the change on Wednesday. Soriero’s announce- plore attitudes about sexuality in the ment came after meeting that day with representatives from the Club Abrahamic traditions and beyond,” Sports Council and the Graduate Student Council. he said. He is also working toward The fee had previously been published in DAPER’s IAP/Spring refurbishing the chapel’s organs. Program Guide available earlier this week, but Soriero said that pub- But, Randolph admits, because lication had not been intended as a commitment and discussion of re- he is the first chaplain, his role is not moving the fee had continued after publication. yet well-defined. One of his primary According to Mireille K. Akilian G, the GSC treasurer and a member goals is to get input from the admin- of the DAPER advisory board, GSC representatives were not surprised istration and students in regard to the by the decision to keep the fee in place. Akilian said that the GSC wanted role of an Institute chaplain. “My to make sure they knew about the fee well in advance of the summer, so goal is, by the end of next semester, they could include it in their cost of living estimates. Last year, most stu- to have a leadership advisory group dents did not find out about the fee until well into the spring semester. that will help me shape programs,” DAPER’s advisory board met on Tuesday, prior to the announce- he said. ment of the fee, but did not discuss the fee. Professor Robert J. Hans- Randolph would like to highlight man, chair of the board, said that while the board does not have the the diversity of religious life at MIT authority to approve fees, “it is a forum for discussion.” No one raised and see more visibility for some re- the issue to the board, Hansman said. ligious events. “When I came here in —John A. Hawkinson ’79,” he said, “a lot of people said to me that there wasn’t very much go- ing on religiously at MIT.” In con- Asbestos Board Found in Stata trast, he “found an enormous amount An asbestos-contaminated board was found in the basement of the going on, most of it going on sort of Stata Center earlier this week. under the surface,” he said. He said that “there are some tradi- News Briefs, Page 14 MARTIN Segado—THE TECH tions and some celebrations that have Robert M. Randolph, formerly senior associate dean for students, is now MIT’s first Institute Chaplain. Randolph, Page 17 In Short ¶ MISTI study abroad program struction to high school students and NEWS World & Nation ................... 2 has launched an internship and re- teachers. The Web site is an adapta- Tenure at MIT a largely male domain search exchange program with Isra- tion of the OpenCourseWare model. Opinion .......................... 4 el, bringing the number of countries Page 18 Comics / Fun Pages ................ 6 MISTI partners with to nine. ¶ IAP physical education lottery Girls make history, win top honors at closes next Wednesday, Dec. 12 Arts ............................. 8 ¶ Highlights for High School, a new at noon. PE classes begin on Jan. Siemens Science Competition Sports .......................... 20 Web site, was launched in late No- 7, 2008. Enter the lottery at http:// Page 17 vember to provide materials for sci- web.mit.edu/athletics/www/physed/ ence, technology, and engineering in- pelottinfo.html. Page THE TECH December 7, 007 WORLD & NATION Romney, Eye on Evangelicals, Bush Signals New Approach Defends His Faith By Michael Luo THE NEW YORK TIMES COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS With Letter to North Korea Mitt Romney asked the nation on Thursday not to reject his presi- dential candidacy because of his religion, assuring evangelical Chris- By Helene Cooper want to emphasize that the declara- number of warheads North Korea tians and other religious voters that his values matched theirs in a THE NEW YORK TIMES tion must be complete and accurate built, the amount of weapons-grade speech that used the word Mormon only once. WASHINGTON if we are to continue our progress,” nuclear material it produced and the The only passing mention of his Mormonism in his 0-minute President Bush, directly engag- the letter said, according to a senior need for North Korea to disclose speech here at the George Bush Presidential Library underscored just ing the man he publicly called a “ty- administration official.