CampusTHURSDAY OCTOBER 2, 2014 / VOLUME 141, ISSUE 16 Times SERVING THE UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER COMMUNITY SINCE 1873 / campustimes.org Student organization protests financial aid system BY JULIANNE MCADAMS Protest members, plans to NEWS EDITOR transfer after this semester. The organization is still in the A new student organization, the process of establishing a presence Peaceful Protest of the Financial on campus and communicating Aid System, formed this summer with the administration. to question the transparency and Dean of Admissions and sympathy of UR’saOffice of Financial Aid Jonathan Burdick Financial Aid. said he is looking forward to the The creation of this group has dialogue the group will introduce given rise to controversy over between students and Financial which aspects of the current Aid. He has communicated with system can and cannot be Wark over Facebook, but not controlled by UR. Collaboration extensively as he has been abroad with Students for a Democratic working for Admissions. Society (SDS) and coordination “I love student activism,” with administration and Students’ Burdick said. “I think that Association are pending. students should ask tough The group formed when questions and participate in policy Sophomore Alex Wark received [...] I would relish any chance to his financial aid package and [...] explain everything we think saw that it had been reduced by PARSA LOFTI / PHOTO EDITOR we’re doing with Financial Aid $13,000 per year. He created The executive board of the Peaceful Protest of the Financial Aid System. From left to right: Sophomores Kelsey Fenner, Alex and get their insight on how it a Facebook group to gauge Samuelson, Alex Wark, Hayley Weinberg, Samantha Worme, Maggie Curtis, Megan Forney, Lindsay Wrobel. might be better.” interest from students in similar “We’re all a family, and when currently-unrecognized club, said that they have had their Burdick will meet with situations, and within a week a classmate is struggling because noted that several students, financial aid reduced greatly,” Students’ Association Oct. 20 to there were over 500 members. they don’t know about their including herself, are in situations Fenner said. discuss these issues. He stated Wark noted that the interested academic future, it affects the similar to Wark’s. Fenner’s aid was cut by 94 that, as far as he remembers, it students included not only people people that they know and the “We are concerned about the percent, doubling the amount is the first time since his term at impacted by changed packages, people that they work with.” Financial Aid system because of tuition she has to pay per UR began in 2003 that a student but also people whose friends Sophomore Kelsey Fenner, there have been a lot of people year. As a result, Fenner, along group were affected. an executive member of this [...] who have come to us and with several other Peaceful SEE PROTEST PAGE 4 UR Optics captures national attention with creation of “cloaking device” BY ALLIE KONZEL through free space,” Howell said. cloak. The device and the object CONTRIBUTING WRITER The attention has brought the being cloaked act as air. The light University into the pop-science that goes in through the lenses will BY RYAN RUBENZAHL spotlight. Plastered across social come out as if there was nothing in CONTRIBUTING WRITER media sites, the “Rochester Cloak” the way, providing a clear image of has been compared to Harry the background behind the object. Physics professor John Howell Potter’s invisibility cloak. Choi When they found that the design and Ph.D student Joseph Choi speculated that the comparison worked, they tried to simplify it. of UR’s Optics Department to Harry Potter may have arisen The simplest design that they developed a new design for a from an inconsistency with the came up with was a four-lens cloaking device, capturing national use of the word cloak. Howell and design. By carefully calibrating attention. Choi’s isn’t the type of cloak that the power of the lenses with the By using a set of four lenses, you can wear, however it does hide distances between them, Howell Howell and Choi were able to and conceal. and Choi were able to create a achieve a system that includes a The intensity of the media multi-directional cloaking device region where the light coming attention caught Choi and the that works even when viewed from from one end is bent around rest of the Optics department off multiple angles. and back out the other end. This guard. Choi said he was surprised While refining the concept creates an “invisibility pocket” to see all of the popularity the of creating a cloak using lenses, that can conceal an object from cloaking device attracted. Choi and Howell ran into a few an outside observer. Through the “I think it’s really cool and I’m obstacles. The design was first COURTESY OF URMC knowledge of how light behaves in very happy and very thankful attempted using cheap lenses. A new children’s hospital will be opening in 2015 as a part of Strong Memorial Hospital. air, how light behaves in lenses, and for it,” said Choi. “The Optics The result was unsatisfactory, The goal of the new quarters is to provide space and comfort to patients. a series of mathematical equations, department is a great department and the illusion lacked clarity. a functioning cloaking device was to be a part of. They have really This problem was solved using Howell and Choi are still looking Another problem is seeing the achieved. great training programs and more expensive lenses, called into making many improvements. edges and unwanted rays near the Professor Howell stated the simulation software that really achromatic lenses, which are Making the cloak bigger and edges of the lenses. Choi called it exact goal that the UR Optics helped for this project.” encased in a special coating. These increasing the range of sight the “edge-effect” and stated that Department achieved. The device is a paraxial ray optics lenses allow for a clear image of angles from which an object would there are ways to minimize this “We were able to find a system of cloak and satisfies an equation for the background, and a successful appear invisible are some of the unwanted appearance. lenses that exactly replicated light what is called the ideal or perfect concealing of the object. main goals. SEE INVISIBLE PAGE 4 INSIDE IMPORTANCE OF UR KINKS INTEVIEW WORLD NEWS RECAP THIS CT BEING EARNEST Read a review of The Opposite An anonymous interview with A brand-new column dedicated of People (TOOP)’s production the founder of UR Kinks, a to informing students about of “The Importance of Being Facebook page dedicated to global news. Written by Senior Earnest.” sexual fantasies. Jenny Hansler. PAGE 13 A & E PAGE 7 FEATURES PAGE 3 NEWS PAGE 2 / campustimes.org NEWS / THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2014 WEEKEND FORECAST COURTESY OF WEATHER.COM FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY Mostly sunny Rainy Cloudy Chance of rain: 20% Chance of rain: 80% Chance of rain: 30% High 76, Low 60 High 59, Low 43 High 53, Low 44 PUBLIC SAFETY UPDATE GPS stolen from car in Hill Court lot ALI KOMAR/PHOTO EDITOR BY ADAM KADIR alumnus. The group first SHACK-A-THON CONTRIBUTING WRITER stated that they thought it was the front entrance Three participants pose outside their shack during Habitat for Humanity’s Shack-A-Thon on Friday, Sept. 26. 1. On Sept. 14 at 7:53pm, to the residence hall area. a Public Safety Officer They then changed their was stopped and advised story and stated that they of a car in Hill Court lot knew they should not THIS WEEK ON CAMPUS under Phase Bridge with have been in the area. THURSDAY a broken window. The The three were warned OCTOBER 2 officer located the car and and sent on their way. found the front passenger MAX AT THE GALLERY TAPAS NIGHT LET’S TALK ABOUT... SEX Understimulated MEMORIAL ART GALLERY, 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM HOYT AUDITORIUM, 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM window smashed out. The The Memorial Art Gallery is now offering a weekly Tapas night Got any burning questions about sex you’ve always wanted to have officer was able to track undergrads climb featuring live music, wine, beer, and tapas plates for purchase. answered but were too afraid to ask? Ask Dr. Marie-Joelle Estrada, down the owner and she library fire escape Normal museum rates apply, half priced admission from 5 - 9pm. lecturer of psychology at the University of Rochester specializing in reported to the vehicle. No reservation necessary! interpersonal relationships. Come for the free condoms, stay for the The owner stated that she 3. On Sept. 27 at 12:57am, valuable information about sex. parked the car at 1:00pm a Public Safety Officer FRIDAY and it was fine. The owner was alerted to persons OCTOBER 3 checked the car and found climbing the fire escape a GPS unit removed from on Rush Rhees Library. EXHIBIT: BEYOND ROCHESTER’S ’64 RIOTS - 50 CINEMA GROUP FILM: HOW TO TRAIN YOUR the center console and Officers responded and YEARS SEEKING TO MAKE ONE CITY DRAGON 2 some other items in the car located four persons on RUSH RHEES LIBRARY FRIEDLANDER LOBBY, HOYT AUDITORIUM, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM had been thrown about. A the fire escape facing 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM A sequel to the popular kid’s film about a Viking boy learning to ride Frederick Douglass View an exhibition about the three days of rioting in 1964 that his dragon.