Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Rose-Hulman Scholar The Rose Thorn Archive Student Newspaper Spring 5-1-2009 Volume 44 - Issue 24 - Friday, May 1, 2009 Rose Thorn Staff Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.rose-hulman.edu/rosethorn Recommended Citation Rose Thorn Staff, "Volume 44 - Issue 24 - Friday, May 1, 2009" (2009). The Rose Thorn Archive. 153. https://scholar.rose-hulman.edu/rosethorn/153 THE MATERIAL POSTED ON THIS ROSE-HULMAN REPOSITORY IS TO BE USED FOR PRIVATE STUDY, SCHOLARSHIP, OR RESEARCH AND MAY NOT BE USED FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE. SOME CONTENT IN THE MATERIAL POSTED ON THIS REPOSITORY MAY BE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT. ANYONE HAVING ACCESS TO THE MATERIAL SHOULD NOT REPRODUCE OR DISTRIBUTE BY ANY MEANS COPIES OF ANY OF THE MATERIAL OR USE THE MATERIAL FOR DIRECT OR INDIRECT COMMERCIAL ADVANTAGE WITHOUT DETERMINING THAT SUCH ACT OR ACTS WILL NOT INFRINGE THE COPYRIGHT RIGHTS OF ANY PERSON OR ENTITY. ANY REPRODUCTION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ANY MATERIAL POSTED ON THIS REPOSITORY IS AT THE SOLE RISK OF THE PARTY THAT DOES SO. This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Newspaper at Rose-Hulman Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Rose Thorn Archive by an authorized administrator of Rose-Hulman Scholar. For more information, please contact [email protected]. T HE R OSE T HORN R OSE -H ULMAN I NSTITUTE OF T ECHNOLOGY T ERRE H AUTE , I NDIANA FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2009 ROSE-HULMAN.EDU/THORN/ VOLUME 43, ISSUE 24 A return to Sudan News Briefs Noel Spurgeon there they started getting By Andy Klusman N e w s E d i t o r into some water filter work through an organization White House takes photo fter over twenty years called Convoy of Hope. at Rose-Hulman, civil These were ‘appropriate op in New York City Aengineering professor technology’ filters, or water The White House Office of Military Af- Dr. Robert Houghtalen has filters that would be built fairs ordered the backup plane for Air Force announced his retirement for home use, and by that One to fly low over the Statue of Liberty in from the institute at the end I mean an extended fam- New York City on Wednesday this week. of this year. However, for Dr. ily. A lot of times, what you The low-flying 747 triggered fears of a new Houghtalen, retirement does have over there is the mom 9/11 for New Yorkers on the ground. The not mean the end of his ca- and dad living with all the Federal Aviation Administration said that reer. For his retirement, Dr. married children and their the agency was aware that a Department of Houghtalen will be return- grandchildren, so it’s more Defense plane flying at low altitudes in New ing to Sudan, where he spent of a homestead, maybe 10 York City could trigger public concern, but a year on sabbatical, to do to 20 people. These con- still demanded total secrecy from the New humanitarian work. Re- crete water filters were point York Police Department, the Secret Service, cently, the Rose Thorn had of use treatment, were they the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and an opportunity to talk to Dr. would go off to a river canal the mayor’s office, even threatening feder- Houghtalen about his ex- and get the water they would al sanctions if the news was released. The periences in Sudan and his normally drink that would fly-over was ordered so that the souvenir plans for the future. make them sick, and pour it Rose-Hulman photos of Air Force One could be updated. through this biosand filter, Civil engineering professor Robert Houghtalen (left), pictured New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly Rose Thorn: You spent a and get relatively pure wa- with fellow professor Michael Robinson. Houghtalen will be re- said, “It was quite insensitive.” year in the Sudan [for your ter, somewhere between 90- turning to Sudan, the site of his sabbatical, for his retirement. sabbatical last year]. Can 95% of the pathogens would Vice President says you describe some of the be removed by the biological work you did over there? filtration process. tual capacity. He decided to don’t you come to Sudan?” to avoid “confined go over for a year and teach And after checking my top Dr. Robert Houghtalen: RT: What initially inspired English at an English cen- ten list of places to go and spaces” When I went over there, I you to take your sabbatical ter over there. After he was not seeing Sudan on it, we worked for a Sudanese hu- in Africa? there for 3 or 4 months, I told all laughed and ended that On NBC’s “Today Show” Thursday manitarian organization him we were looking at the conversation. He kept com- morning, Vice President Joe Biden has called EDOS: the Educa- RH: It’s a long story, but I’ll opportunity for a sabbati- ing back to it, and he finally said that he advised his family to avoid tional Development Orga- try to make it as short as pos- cal. My number one option asked me what I wanted to “confined places” such as planes, sub- nization of Sudan. Up until sible. My son Jesse gradu- was to go to India and set do on my sabbatical. I said I ways, and classrooms because of the risk that point, they did mostly ated from here in 2006, and up a sister school for Rose- wanted to work on the fourth of contracting swine flu. Biden also said, educational work: health decided he didn’t want to Hulman, because I thought edition of the book that I “So, from my perspective, what it relates education, preschool and work as a civil engineer. He that many of our graduates coauthored. He said, “You to is mitigation. If you’re out in the mid- primary school education. was looking more broadly would be working with the can do that anywhere in the dle of a field and someone sneezes, that’s They would get grants, pri- at his opportunities and op- Chinese and Indians in the world. You can do that in Su- one thing, if you’re in a closed aircraft, or marily from European coun- tions, and he ran into some- future… but nothing was dan. We have internet here”. closed container, or closed car, or closed tries, to do this, but about six one who worked in Sudan in working out. classroom, it’s a different thing.” The months prior to me getting a humanitarian and spiri- So one time he said ,“Why Continued on page 3... Center for Disease Control and Preven- tion is advising people to avoid nones- sential travel to Mexico, which is where Graduation requirements change the first cases of the virus were detected. Lindsay Saxton As stated on the Humani- Technical and Professional five courses for a total of An American Airlines spokesman said ties Department webpage, Communications, which twenty credits must be taken A d M a n a g e r Biden’s comment borders on “fearmon- “Our goal is to better prepare counts for another humani- in order to receive a minor in gering.” students for the changing ties course. Additionally, any subject. he graduation require- dynamics of the world they all students must take two Student reactions to the Justice David Souter ments set by the Hu- will enter on graduation.” classes in each of the three changes were varied. Some Tmanities Department The purpose of the restruc- main categories, and two sudents are oblivious to the to retire are changing for the 2009-10 turing of the humanities re- others from any category. changes, while others have Supreme Court Justice David Souter is academic year. In the past, quirements is “[…] to offer There are also radical strong positive opinions. planning to retire at the end of the court’s there were four main catego- more options for students, changes to the foreign lan- Very few have voiced any current term, reports National Public Ra- ries of humanities classes: reduce potential schedul- guage requirements. Two negative opinions. Fresh- dio. The Supreme Court has heard all oral Global Studies (GL), Rhetoric ing conflicts, and improve successive classes in any man Will Kolbus said, “I arguments for the year, and is set to issue and Expression (RH), Self and the clarity and rationale for language must be taken to don’t really mind. I think hu- rulings and opinions until the end of June. Society (SL), and Values and placing courses in particular receive humanities credit, manities are important even Until a successor has been chosen and con- Contemporary Issues (VA). categories.” and a few other technicali- though this is an ’engineer- firmed, Souter is expected to remain on the Now, the curriculum is being The new graduation re- ties have changed. Under ing school.’” bench. He is the sixth oldest member on the reclassified into three main quirements are as follows: the new guidlines, a foreign For a complete list of Supreme Court. Souter has informed the categories, which are Global In order to graduate, all language class can fulfill one changes, a list of all the White House of his decision to retire. His Studies (GS), Ideas and Arts students must complete of the humanities require- courses offered and their retirement will give President Obama his (IA), and Society and Values nine humanities courses for ments in each of the three course numbers, go to the first appointment to the Supreme Court.