THE TUFTS Where You Read It First VOLUME L, NUMBER 61 DAILY THURSDAY,DECEMBER 8, 2005 Housing numbers to Along with MCAT book, pick up a Quran come out before finals First test of new reciprocal lottery system BY MARC RAIFMAN rewritten to allow it to hold Daily Editorial Board more than one number for each student at a time, Moodie Numbers for next semester’s said. Changing the code housing lottery will be released delayed the release of the lot- within the next few days. tery numbers. This will be the first use of a “The original goal had been new lottery system, approved to provide all three numbers by 69.1 percent of student immediately,” he said. respondents to an online sur- The program can only post vey Nov. 10-13. one number at a time online, so The system makes sopho- next year’s numbers must be more year numbers reciprocal removed before future years’ of senior year numbers. numbers can be posted, “If you have the fifth best according to Dean of Students number [for sophomore hous- Bruce Reitman. ing], you’ll have the fifth worst The numbers cannot be number [for senior housing],” removed from the Web site Assistant Bursar for Housing until every student logs on and Operations Jim Moodie said. checks. The system will be used for To determine the order in future years but will not affect which they choose rooms with current sophomores and jun- roommates, current freshmen iors. and futures students will aver- “It would be hard to imple- age their lottery numbers with ment changes for the sopho- those of their roommates. JAMES HARRIS/TUFTS DAILY more or junior class,” Tufts The order was previously Lance Laird, right, from the Boston Healing Landscape Project and the Department of Pediatrics at Boston Community Union President determined by the higher num- Medical Center, speaks Wednesday in Goddard Chapel with University Chaplain Reverend David O’Leary. The Jeff Katzin said. “A current ber of the pair. This change was program, “Muslims, Culture, Health and Healing,” addressed challenges Muslims face in a western health- sophomore who had a great made to prevent two students care system, such as language barriers and a lack of understanding about fasting during Ramadan and daily number last year isn’t going to — one with a bad number, one prayer. “Islamic Medicine means the best medicine humans can come up with,” Laird said. “It is encumbent be in favor of the system.” with a good number — from on us as humans to do all we can to alleviate suffering, but the final outcome is in God's hands.” Junior year lottery numbers pairing up and getting an early will continue to be randomly lottery pick both sophomore assigned. and senior years. Freshmen will receive their “For the reciprocity to be lottery numbers for next year meaningful, you had to go to Stumbling blocks don’t deter Web site on Friday, Dec. 9, according to a averaging,” Reitman said. press release from Director of At the lottery in the spring, Residential Life Yolanda King. Moodie expects appointments team; changes expected by next year Sophomores and juniors to be scheduled for certain BY BRYAN PRIOR for comment. was rejected by Neustadt, may receive their numbers as ranges of numbers. Roommate Daily Editorial Board Senior Java Developer Inga University President Lawrence early as today or as late as pairs would be expected to Milner said the team began cre- Bacow and Jeka, according to Monday, Dec. 12, Moodie said. come in for the appointment A team of University person- ating a static template for the Milner. Freshmen will receive their for the range that into which nel is working on changes to site’s design over the summer. A couple of years ago Tufts numbers for the following two the average of their numbers the main Tufts Web site, but “That has been outsourced made a major investment in a years before the lottery in falls. progress is slow. already to another company,” system called Content March. Sophomores will also The final decision for this has This past summer, Director she said. Management, Milner said. “The receive their numbers for the not yet been made, but it will be of Web Communications Pete The University hired Boston- system is used to update con- following year next semester, made by Reitman and King. Sanborn was assigned a team of based Stoltze Designs. “We tent on the Web site,” she said. Moodie said. Freshmen who were forced seven to make the Web site chose him because we liked his “Only a limited number of peo- An ad published in Monday, into living in triples this year more efficient and user-friend- portfolio of work, his simplicity ple are able to add, edit, delete Dec. 5’s Daily from the Office of will get a bonus from the new ly. The changes are also being of style and his knowledge of and archive the content.” Residential Life said lottery system. Their sophomore year synchronized with outside con- web designing,” Vice President The system is not the biggest numbers would be available numbers will be improved, but sultant Mark Neustadt’s pro- for University Relations Mary problem — no decision has yet Thursday. “The release date has that will not lower their senior posals for a unified marketing Jeka said. “He was also given been made on a template. been extended in order to fine- year numbers. strategy for the University. very good references.” Despite the stumbling tune the mechanism that will This is “an advantage they’re “We are trying to eliminate Cohen said Sanborn’s team blocks, change is expected be used in the distribution of given in compensation,” the reliance on ‘search’ to worked with designers to soon. “There will be little tiny the lottery numbers,” King’s Reitman said. “It doesn’t help or browse through the site,” Web model the site after the tem- changes going on throughout press release said. hurt them senior year.” Content Specialist Georgiana plate. the year,” Cohen said. Bigger The program that generates Cohen said. But a couple of months ago, changes, she said, will come by the lottery numbers had to be see HOUSING, page2 Sanborn was not available the Stoltze Designs template next year. INSIDE After Katrina, some helping hands — and some books The Daily lists its favorite albums of 2005. floor of the library. Tulane College and the University of SUNO staff are not yet clear BY CHRISTOPHER CHARRON see WEEKENDER, page 5 Daily Staff Writer University sustained an esti- Missouri. what their library needs. mated $150 million in damage. Though there are official Swarthmore has created a Tufts has joined several other The Federal Emergency sponsors for the SUNO library, small taskforce to “come up universities across the country Management Agency (FEMA) specific recovery assistance with some sort of game plan on in sponsoring a library in hurri- agreed to give SUNO 450 trailers plans are not yet in place. how we can best help SUNO cane-battered New Orleans. for student and faculty housing “We are now on intake with their library recovery,” As part of the “Adopt-a- and classrooms. The library will mode,” Michalak said. She said Spencer said. Library Campaign” of the get two double-wide trailers — SUNO still needs to let Tufts After the needs are estab- American Library Association, one for a virtual library and the know what kind of assistance is lished, the sponsor schools Tufts and seven other schools other for administrative offices. required, and when. must coordinate with each adopted the Washington “Despite the bad press it gets, The process of determining other to prevent sending the Memorial Library at the FEMA was there for [SUNO],” exactly what SUNO needs is same books and to minimize Southern University of New Michalak said. proving to be a challenging one. shipping costs. Orleans (SUNO). Washington Memorial “I have to admit a bit of frus- “We have to pay for shipping, INDEX “As soon as Katrina hit, the Library Director Mary Penny tration at not really being able so we’d rather coordinate before program was publicized by the said soon after the hurricane to get a good feel for SUNO’s we send,” Michalak said. “Too News | Features 1 ALA, and Tufts decided to hit, “I went to the ALA webpage, collection yet,” Swarthmore sci- much of a good thing can be Arts | Living 5 apply,” Tisch Library Director read about the campaign on the ence librarian Meg Spencer, the bad.” Editorial | Letters 10 National 13 Jo-Ann Michalak said. homepage and called to request coordinator of the program at Kodzis has contacted UPS, International 17 The entire SUNO campus that [SUNO] be put on the list of the school, said. DHL and other shipping servic- Comics 20 was flooded for three weeks, libraries to be adopted.” Tisch Acquisitions Manager es to persuade them to subsi- Classifieds 21 causing an estimated $350 mil- The other schools that adopt- Tony Kodzis, who is in charge of dize the costs. He has also asked Sports Back page lion in damage and wiping out ed SUNO with Tufts include coordinating with the other all books located on the first Lehigh University, Swarthmore sponsor libraries, said the see LIBRARY, page 2 tuftsdaily.com 2 THE TUFTS DAILY NEWS | FEATURES Thursday, December 8, 2005 OFF THE HILL | NOTRE DAME Notre Dame professor consults for ‘The Da Vinci Code’ BY KATE ANTONACCI devoted follower of Jesus and the first his appearance in the documentary. said there is no evidence that Jesus was The Observer witness to Jesus’ resurrection.