Welcome, Parents T's The Weather Oldest and Large T day: Partly unny, 63°F (17°C) Tonight: Clear, brisk, 46°F (8° ) ewspaper Tomorrow: Mo tly sunny, 66°F (190 Details, Page 2 Volume 118, umber 50 Friday, October 16, 1998 Committee Sets Out To rvam Freshman Curricul by 2001 By Alex lanculescu the weight of tbe world," Hodge Professor of Media Arts a d STAFF REPORTER said, Sciences tephen A Benton will co- Plans to dramatically restructure One major focus of the new chair this committee, the freshman curriculum by 2001 group looking at the freshman year The committee may propose a were announced last week by Dean is cutting down the academic pace series of experimental subjects to be for Undergraduate Curriculum Kip of MIT and to design course sub- offered as soon as next year and V, Hodges PhD '82, although noth- jects so that they are more interac- even as early as the spring, Hodges ing has formally been decided upon tive and group-based, Hodges said, said, Students would take the class- as of yet "There is currently too much es on a voluntary basis, he said, Dubbed the "Educational Design pace and pressure, and not enough "We hope to come up with a Project," the goal of the proposed time for quiet reflection to see the design by the end of this academic restructuring is to improve the spirit entire breadth of opportunity at the year, and to initiate a pilot program of first-year students and prepare Institute," Hodges said, before we actually implement the them for further study in their changes," Hodges said, major, Hodges said. Committee will propo e changes Hodges said that the collabora- "Freshmen typically get burned A student-faculty subcommittee tion between the administration and out half-way through the semester. of the Committee on the faculty is not that typical, calling it It's sad for us to see freshmen so Undergraduate Program and the "fairly unusual," enthusiastic and excited during Dean's Office has been formed to The CUP has the traditional Orientation, and then by late outline the scope of the changes to October to see them seem to carry the freshman year. Hodges and Curriculum, Page 25 MIT Graduate Wms Nobel Prize For Ball Effect Theory Advances By Brett Altschul Laughlin, a professor at Stanford ing at Bell Labs in 1982 when NEWSEDITQR tormer and Tsui di covered the AJAl BHARADWAJ-THE TECH University, shared the prize with Agneta Cederstrom '99 battles a Brandeis University oppo- MIT graduate Robert B. Horst L. Stormer of Columbia effect. In 1983, Laughlin, then at the nent for the ball. ,MIT tied 1-1 In double overtime. Laughlin PbD '79 shared the Nobel University and Daniel C. Tsui of Lawrence Livermore National Prize in physics this week with two Princeton University for their work Laboratory, provided the theoretical other researchers, in discovering the fractional quan- explanation of the effect in terms of tum Hall effect. fractionally charged particles. The prize includes $978,000, It was a "confluence of things Regatta, Speeches, and Concerts Will which will be divided among the from engineering that prepared me three recipients. for understanding the fractional Despite Laughlin's connection to quantum Hall effect and coming up Round Out Parents' Weekend Events MIT, it has been three years since with an explanation," Laughlin said an active member of the Institute during a television interview at By Karen E. Robinson All day Friday, most depart- in additional tours and events, has won a obel. In 1995, Professor Stanford. STAFF REPORTER ments invite parents to visit their before the annual family weekend of Chemistry Mario J. Molina The fractional quantum Hall MIT's annual Family Weekend student's classes, and there are also dinner on Saturday evening. shared the Nobel Prize in chemistry effect is the latest addition to a set begins today, with scads of activities various open houses around cam- Afterwards, the student a cappel- for his r~search on ozone depletion. of theories, the first of which was pIanned to acquaint parents and sib- pus, including tours of the Media la groups will present their annual formulated in 1879. , , lings with their student's life at the Lab and other facilities. Many dor- family weekend' concert in 10-250, Discoveries ade a decade ago Institute, as well as events for fami- mitories and living groups also wel- and the MIT Symphony Orchestra All three researchers were work- Nobel, Page 20 lies whose students are too busy to come parents and families to drop will perform in Kresge Auditorium. help them explore the campus. by or dine with them. A new event this year is a facul- - At 6:30 p.m., the MIT Concert Hundreds of parents will attend ty lecture, given by Nobel Laureate Band, Brass Quintet, Brass About 675 parents and family Jerome 1. Freidman. Freidman, who Ensemble and Festival Jazz members pre-registered for this shared the 1990 Nobel Prize in Ensemble will perform their annual year's family weekend, Pullen said. Physics with Henry W. Kendall for family weekend concert in Kresge Of registered families, roughly half the discovery of quarks, will speak Auditorium. _' will be visiting freshmen, 20 percent on his work in this area. According The skeleton of activities is sophomores, 13 percent juniors, to Jill Pullen, an alumni affairs offi- largely the same from year to year, and 17 percent seniors, which is not , cer, this talk should be the "high- with different featured speakers substantially changed from previous light of the weekend." and a slightly 'different theme. years. Also eagerly anticipated this On Saturday, President Charles In addition to registered families, weekend is the Head of the Charles M. Vest will present his annu;al between 400 and 500 other people Regatta. 'Bridges over the Charles keynote speech entitled "Vision of are expected to come this weekend River, especially nearer Harvard, the Future." and register on site. are expected to be packed.' Students Other events offered during The Family Weekend luncheon and parents are encouraged ,to go Parent's Weekend will also relate with Freidman will be held today at early to secure a good view of this to this theme, Pullen said. noon. Tickets were on sale during event, which occurs on both Afterwards, parents will be invit- preregistration for $18, and can be Saturday and Sunday. ' ed to meet senior officials in the purchased before the lecture. MICHELLE POVINEUJ-THE TECH This weekend was chosen for Office of the Dean of Students and Registration for parent's week- Sarat Maharaj, art history professor at Goldsmith's College In Family Weekend partially because Undergraduate Education and par- end will occur today in Lobby 10 London, spoke at the 'Max Wasserman Forum on of the Regatta and partially because ticipate in an activities expo. from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Contemporary Art. He lectured about women of the Arab- of the fall colors displayed around Saturday afternoon, parents and tomorrow from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 Islamic World Tuesday In the Bartos Theater. the Boston area, Pullen said. students will be able to participate p.m. Bands and a comedian will per- Comics SPORTS World & Nation 2 form today on the Student Fall sports are Opinion .4 Center steps as the closing event reviewed. Arts 6 in a Friday afternoon music On The Town 7 series. Police Log 19 Page 9 Page 14 Page 28 Sports 28 Page 2 o tober 16, 1998 LO A GELE TIMES ace The cla h between Independent Coun el Kenneth tarr and the hite House escalated Thur day as new detail em rged about By George Hager Equally important to both sides Republican held their own c Ie- tarr' failure to offi ially disclo e that he gave legal advice to the and Stephen Barr were the things th bill did not do. bration in the Capitol to showca e lawyers pur uing the Paula Corbin Jones exual hara ment lawsuit THE WA 'HlNGTO POST Republicans aid they had killed a what they said were their victories against Pr ident Clinton. Ointon propo al for natio,nal testing on defense spending, the war on At is ue is whether tarr hould have informed Attorney General The hite Hou e and the of fourth- and eighth-grader , drugs and abortion, though they Janet Reno that he had counseled the Jone lawyers when he a ked Republican Congre s reached a blocked a White Hou e plan to cre- insisted they: were not toting up win- her last January to e pand hi in e tiga~ion into whether the pre ident roughly 500 billion year-end bud- ate tax subsidies for building new ners and 10 ers. lied in his depo ition in the Jone ca e. get deal Thursday with both ides schools and barred the u e of federal 'We have a package that's good Robert Bennett, the president's per onal attorney in the Jone claiming major victories and vow- money for needle-e change pro- for America that's the main thing," case, called on the House Judiciary Committee to inve tigate whether ing to take issues they 10 t to the grams designed to cut down on the said Senate Majority Leader Trent Starr may have acted inappropriately by not disclo ing that he had voters. spread of AID among drug addicts. Lott, R-Miss. 'It' not a matter of earlier had a half-dozen conver ations with the Jone legal tearn. Congress appear headed toward Democrats noted that they had who won or lost." But tarr responded that he ' did not mislead" Reno in his request approving the massive spending stopped a 177 billion, 10-year In a way, the final package was a for an e panded probe, and he once again trongly defended hi measure as soon a today, which GOP tax cut that they claimed victory for traditional politics, as actions against a barrage of critici m from Clinton defenders.