VOLUME?92 NUMDER SOVvoLe~~h9E _ MTMIT, 92 C_CAMBRIDGE, NU~M~3EIR MASSsACHUsETTS 58_ TUESDAY,.....MBERTrIeD^Y, NOVEMBER 28,281972 97 F VE CENTS Caruad proi jIied ~pa-ss-failr studyL sals I~nfagot 'cage By Lee Giguere cluding, but not necessarily, 5. Evaluate the freshman im A special- committee ap- grades) is determined. pass/fail grading system as it awi9Q g~~~~gg Professor of Mathematics operates this year and make Harvard Professor Samuel L. He was finally taken to the pointed two weeks ago by Facul- committee recommendations as to its Popkin is now serving a jail Norfol k County Jail in Dedham ty Chairman Hartley Rogers will Arthur Mattuck, in "en ' Case chairman, said, before Thanks- continuation and/or mnodifi- for a contempt charge, last vlea, after losing an review freshman pass-fail and sentence giving, that he planned to call cations in the future. (This after refusing to answer ques- eleven{th-hour appeals effort be- prepare "recommendations as to its continuation and/or modifi- the first meeting of the commit- report should be made to the tions before a Federal Grand fore Federal District Court Chairman of the Faculty.) W. Arthur Garrity, Jr, cations in the future." tee for sometime in early De- Jury investigation into the Pen- Judge' was unwilling Rogers told The Tech that he Pop)kin can only be held for The Freshman Pass/Fail cember. Mattuck tagon Papers case in Boston. to discuss his own opinions on hoped to bring the pass/ffail The Assistant Professor of the rermainder of the Grand Jury Grading Committee was ap- pointed in accordance with the the issue before the committee question before the Faculty in lGovernment, an expert on Viet- session , which is scheduled to March. if the Faculty vote last spring to con- met, but did emphasize that namese village life, is a friend end $a nuary 12. However, be At mid-winter last year, con- is extended he faces a tinue pass/fail for a single year serious consideration would and colleague of Daniel Ellsberg, term given to student views on the tinuation of the freshman pass/ who originaly leaked the Penta- possiblle eighteen month term. while the effects of providing "meaningful evaluations" (in- program. fail grading system had appeared gon documents to the press in The other members of the to be headed for approval, but a 1971. Popkin testified before icommittee -are: Professor of few weeks befcore the program the Grand Jury last March for Electrical Engineering Arthur C. was to come before the Faculty, some eight hours, but refused to ·Smith, Professor of Physics it was learned that medical answer questions concerning his MIT - Robert I. lHulsizer, Associate schools were requesting connection with Ellsberg or Professor of History Arthur students to provide more infor- other colleagues who may have Kaledin, Professor of Nutrition mation about their freshman been involved. He did state that Emily Wick, Assistant Dean for year. Because of concern that he neither participated in or Student Affairs Peter Buttner, some students might be handi- knew of any plan to publish the Matthew Farber '75, Sandra capped by having only pass/fail Papers. - Cohenr '73, and Michael Cedars grades for a large portion of Popkin has fought a legal '73. Mattuck, Smith, Buttner, their pre-meed requirements, the battle against the contempt Cohen and Cedars were members program was continued for only ruling since March, having been of the Hulsizer-Hein Committee one year. refused by both the Fitst Circuit which reviewed pass/fait last Late last spring, a special Court of Appeals and the IUS spring; in addition, Buttner is committee co-chaired by Hul- Supreme Court. the Executive Officer of the sizer and Associate Professor of Last month the First Circuit Freshman Advisory Council, the Psychology Alan Hein explored Court of Appeals ordered administrative group most imme- the problem and recommended Popkin to respond to some of with pass/fail, that "The Faculty interpret their his diately concerned the questions, which involved while Wick was formerly MIT's 'responsibility to provide each knowledge before June 1971 only pre-med advisor. freshman student with meaning- that a study of the war was ful evaluation of his or her work' December 1, the snow closing number will be 253-SNOW. being conducted. As of Specifically, the committee is to include the responsibility to i charged to: identify and record outstanding 1. Monitor the operation of work in terse and concrete the freshman pass/fail grading terms." In addition, the commit- 8~~~01l e 9:shaken system this year, noting in -tee suggested that when grades particular what form the are computed anyway (as in a 0 oye SCr -indlier hanadleed by any reasonable com- standable (if not excusable) set 'meaningful evaluations' take. subject taken by both freshmen MIT's new Centrex telephone pleme:nrt of operators. of explanations for most delays 2. Inform itself of medical and upperclassmen), the grade system got off to what some Be]rlan explained some of the in service. school admissions policy and be reported to the student as called a "rocky start." But ac- early-lterm problems faced by One of the biggest factors was the activities of the pre- part of his evaluation. Finally, cording to Mort Berlan, the In- NET, with particular reference the unusual backlog of work professional advisory system the recommendation called on stitute's telecommunications of- to thee letter which appeared on orders left over from the sum- at MIT. departments to "keep records of ficer, most of the wrinkles have the E iditorial page of The Tech mer. Many departments delay 3. Identify trends in the ad- their instructors' end-of-term been ironed out. on Nc[ovember 14. That phone phone work urntil the summer mission of MIT students to evaluations of freshman perfor- Berlan characterized Institute was" iinstalled on November 3, months when nmuch of the facul- graduate and professional mance"; these evaluations were phone service as "greatly im- and itts installation delay seems ty is gone or inactive. This sum- schools, noting medical to be released only at the re- proved," both in comparison to to haave been the result of a mer, by prior arrangemrent and school admission trends in quest of the student. The faculty earlier this term and when com- phonee company snafu, which agreement with the MIT tele- particular. voted to accept the recommen- pared with service prior to Cen- causedd it to be passed over seve- communications office, there 4. Conduct a faculty-wide dations with the proviso that trex. He stated that repairs are ral tinnes. There was, however, a was a moratorium on phone survey of opinion on pass/fail Rogers would appoint a com- now being handled more quickly more standard and under- (Please turn to page 7) grading for freshmen. mittee to monitor the system. than they were in September, although not as quickly as be- fore Centrex. And, he noted that "people who deal with the out- Ia~t aXgt ae 0F side a great deat have been inspecting such places as components, and generally rently, there are four engineers telling me that direct inward By Jim Moody Forr the past three weeks, a bakeries, waterfront installa- cluttered halls. in this office, and their work dialing is really great." ea o f three government tions, and construction sites for When the inspection is com- centers mostly around special One feature of the new sys- t imspec ctoss from the Department compliance with the provisions pleted (shortly after Thanks- requests for consultation and ad- temn that users are not likely to oL of OSHA. giving), the team will submit its vice. Also having responsibilities charge for M abor has been inspecting find so great is the for compliance To facilitate the inspection, findings in a report. to. Phillip for Institute safety is the units. Every local call t buildings message the federal Occupational the MIT campus was divided Stoddard, Vice-President for Environmental-Medical group, made by dialing "9" is now St y and Health Act (OSHA). into three areas, with an IESHA Operations. The report will indi- working out of the Medical De- m etered for the individual tele- Saft inspector, accompanied by a cate reasonable time limits for partment. Their job is analyzing phone being used for the call le investigation was pted by a recent fatal acci- Safety Office engineer, and correcting the cited violations. possible dangers from poisons, usually the relevant department For this purpose, the violations radiation, and ion streams. going calls from MIT were dent in a physics lab when a student was electro- head, assigned to each area. will be divided into three groups, metered-together, and the Insti-L gradmgaduate According to Stoddard, 1.MIT is required to report Interim reports were filed according to seriousness and ease correction of current tute paid for them in a lump cuted law states lasting such accidents to federal with copies being sent to the of correction. The can only be handled on sum, charging each"9"-ineuser all s5 as $1000/day .laxaties authorrities, who then. made a individual departments, listing penalties as high the department and laboratory a flat fee). The telecommunica- a-uti any violations that were found. for failure to take corrective tions office has the information rout]ine inspection. Fin'ing level. Also, the help of Dormcon ite safety hazards, they Citations for each violation were action within the assigned time be enlisted to help keep for billing on computer tapes de refusal to correct will ed to have the whole Insti- also issued, and must be posted limit.