Preferred Dining Fee to Be Frozen at $325
Campus Dining has decided to freeze the Preferred Dining fee at $325 for up to three years. The decision, which came last Friday, May 11, follows a May 4 report released by the Baker House Dining committee, which found that the average Baker resident loses $125 per term through Preferred Dining. Preferred Dining costs $300 this term; a $25 price hike for fall term was announced earlier this year.
Approved Undergraduate Association Executive Committee Members
Source: Ruth Miller '07, Outgoing UA Vice President
Police Log
<i>The following incidents were reported to the MIT Police between April 24 and May 7, 2007. This summary does not include incidents such as false alarms, general service calls, larcenies, or medical shuttles.</i>
PSC to Restructure by Fall '07
The Public Service Center is currently undergoing a restructuring that will be complete in the fall. Several PSC programs are going to be passed over into the hands of student groups, who will then run the programs with occasional help from the PSC.
MIT Corporation Statement on Divestment
MIT shares the concern of many in our community for the extraordinary human tragedy taking place in the Darfur region. The situation is sufficiently grave that MIT in this case is making an exception to its long-standing policy of not speaking with a single institutional voice on matters of public debate not directly affecting MIT's core mission of education, research, and service.
Funding Is Uncertain After Daytime Shuttle Donor Ceases Support
The Daytime Boston Shuttle, which runs from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays during the school year, may not have sufficient funding for next school year, according to Undergraduate Association President Martin F. Holmes '08. One of the two major sources for funding — a private donor — will no longer be available to cover the costs of running the shuttles throughout the school year, Holmes said.
Mass. Governor Deval Patrick Announces $1 Billion Plan to Advance Stem Cell Work
In the most sweeping policy announcement of his new administration, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick proposed Tuesday $1 billion in funding for scientific research, a package designed to cement the state's reputation as a global powerhouse of medicine and biotechnology.
Wheelock and 11 Other Colleges Raise Cry on School Rankings
Wheelock College, along with 11 other small liberal arts colleges, is urging other institutions to stop using the US News & World Report rankings to promote themselves, arguing the rankings are too subjective.
Sherley Seeks Tenure Process Review; MIT Police Posted at Lab
James L. Sherley, an African American associate professor in the Biological Engineering Department, said that he remains steadfast in staying at MIT until the Institute assesses the validity of his charges of discrimination in the tenure process. According to Sherley, the administration agreed to reassess problems in the tenure process through an external panel in exchange for Sherley ending his hunger strike. The Institute says that there is no agreement for external review of the tenure process.
MIT Rejects SAE's DRM Policy, Prompts Review
Following opposition by MIT, the Society of Automotive Engineers halted implementation of digital rights management controls aimed at restricting access to SAE documents. On April 19, SAE issued a press release stating that they would not enable DRM controls "on the Society's Digital Library of technical papers for licenses at colleges, universities, and other academic institutions."
MIT Chooses to Divest From Sudan
Ending months of speculation, MIT yesterday released a statement on the issue of divesting from corporations involved with the Sudanese government.
Prof. Sherley's Press Release — May 7, 2007
Today, May 7, 2007, at about 1:30 pm, Professor James Sherley was informed by an officer of the MIT Police that MIT's upper administration had ordered that MIT police officers be posted near his laboratory from now until his scheduled forced eviction from MIT on June 30. The reason given was to reduce anxiety among neighboring MIT laboratories as the announced date of Professor Sherley's unilateral forced eviction by Provost Rafael Reif approaches.
Al-Qaida Calls Hunt For Three Abducted U.S. Soldiers Useless
The search for three missing American soldiers abducted after an attack south of Baghdad continued Monday as the al-Qaida group that claimed responsibility for the ambush said the soldiers would never be found.
Cooler Weather on the Horizon
The past weekend's pleasant weather won't last for too much longer. A local high pressure system is keeping our skies clear for today, but will be swept offshore later in the afternoon. It will be replaced by a broad cold front, accompanied by strong storms. The front will reach us by tomorrow morning; as the boundary passes Boston, expect temperatures to plummet.
Shorts (left)
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Monday that while Russia and the United States were going through a period of uneasy relations, the problems fell far short of those of the Cold War and that the two countries continued to cooperate in a number of important areas.
Iran Is Enriching Uranium on Large Scale, Inspectors Say
Inspectors for the International Atomic Energy Agency have concluded that Iran appears to have solved most of its technological problems and is beginning to enrich uranium on a far larger scale than before, according to the agency's top officials.
World Bank Comm. Finds That Wolfowitz Violated Ethics, Rules
A World Bank committee charged on Monday that Paul D. Wolfowitz violated ethical and governance rules as bank president by showing favoritism to his companion in 2005. In response, the Bush administration mounted a last-ditch global campaign to save Wolfowitz from being ousted from office. On a day of rapid developments that intensified the furor over Wolfowitz at the bank, in the Bush administration, and at government ministries around the world, the special committee that has investigated his conduct in the last month issued a scathing set of conclusions that seemed certain to hasten a decision on Wolfowitz's fate.
Bush Orders Review of Auto Fuel Efficiency For New Automobiles
President Bush announced Monday that he had directed his administration to begin the long process of establishing higher fuel efficiency standards for new cars.
Palestinian Interior Minister Resigns Monday, Unable to Control Factions
The Palestinian interior minister, Hani al-Qawasmeh, resigned Monday, and four more Palestinians were killed in fierce factional gun battles.
Shorts (right)
The Japanese Parliament passed a bill on Monday calling for a national referendum on amendments to the country's pacifist constitution.
Letters to the Editor
The Walk for Hunger group from Baker House did a great job raising money for a very worthy organization and they should rightly be commended for their charity, but I think it's a shame that <i>The Tech</i> made no mention at all of the many other students and affiliates of MIT who took part in the event. The other students and groups may not have made as large or as organized of an impact as the Baker House team, but I feel that <i>The Tech</i> could have at least made some acknowledgement that many diverse members of the MIT community put forth an admirable effort to help the cause.
Using Terrorism to Justify Repression
The U.S. War on Terror has inspired far-reaching and unexpected consequences. Rebiya Kadeer will speak at MIT tonight on how the Uyghur Muslim minority in western China has endured one such consequence: the Chinese have adopted our rhetoric, equating Islam with violent separatism and global terrorism.
Corrections
The Dance Troupe photos on page 9 of the May 11 issue should have been credited to <i>Tech</i> photographer Brian Hemond.
Do Good, Get Rich
A significant percentage of my graduating ChemE class is going into investment banking and consulting (myself included). I'm willing to bet the other science and engineering disciplines at MIT are witnessing similar trends. My hardcore engineering friends tease me for selling out, opting for the big bucks and cushy office instead of sticking to my technical roots. Personally, I have no problem making money, and I encourage you all to make buckets. After all, money talks. But let's be original about what we choose to say with it.
CONCERT REVIEW Ben Folds 87
Every year the opening of the Boston Pops is hailed as a special event. This year Ben Folds performed eight of his original tunes with the orchestra in an amazingly inventive and collaborative performance.
Basketball, Baseball, Football, Hockey Are Not Sports Either
I have a much more restrictive definition of "sport" than Travis Johnson (<i>The Tech, </i>May 11, 2007). So restrictive, in fact, that Johnson's four favorite sports and most summer Olympic events don't qualify.
