Scam artist targeting MIT community
MIT Police are alerting the MIT community to a scam artist tricking unsuspecting members of the MIT community.
After 25 years, Nilsson will retire from MIT
Karen Nilsson, the senior associate dean for Residential Life, will retire early and leave her position on June 30.
Elite universities reconsider their ROTC bans
WASHINGTON — Administrators at Harvard, Brown, and other elite universities are softening their resistance to the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps more than four decades after the military scholarship programs were driven from campus in the face of fierce antiwar sentiment.
Silence over drunk prefrosh continues
The Department of Residential Life is investigating a Campus Preview Weekend incident during which a prospective freshman was found intoxicated and unconscious outside McCormick, according to Bexley housemaster Robert M. Randolph. “[It]appears she may have gotten the alcohol … in Bexley,” Randolph wrote in an e-mail to the <i>bexley-residents</i> mailing list.
Michael S. Feld
MIT Professor of Physics Michael S. Feld, who made fundamental contributions in the field of laser science and later applied physics to solving biomedical problems, died on April 10, after an eight-year struggle with multiple myeloma. Feld, who directed the MIT George R. Harrison Spectroscopy Laboratory since 1976, was 69.
Ashdown residents fight loading dock proposal, favor trees
MIT Real Estate plans to replace trees west of Ashdown with a loading dock and dumpster, despite disapproval from the Ashdown House Executive Committee (AHEC). According to an email to Ashdown residents from AHEC chair Matt D. Haberland G, MIT hopes the changes will “attract new industrial tenants.”
Police Log
<i>The following incidents were reported to the Campus Police between March 10 and April 19. The dates below reflect the dates the incidents occurred. This information is compiled from the Campus Police’s crime log. The report does not include alarms, general service calls, or incidents not reported to the dispatcher.</i>
MIT asks top court to review patent case
MIT filed an <i>amicus curiae</i>, or friend-of-the court, brief with the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, urging it to review <i>S</i>tanford v. Roche, a case about patent ownership whose outcome could influence claims to billions of dollars generated by federally funded, university-held patents.
Corrections
An article Tuesday about Sexual Assault Awareness Week misstated the name of one of the organizers. The group is the “Program for Violence Prevention and Response at MIT Medical,” not the “Program for Medical Violence Prevention Response.” The story also did not list all the partners involved with the week. Undergraduate Advising and Academic Programming; Community Development and Substance Abuse Center; the FSILG Office; and MIT End Violence (a program of The Technology and Culture Forum) were part of the planning committee, though these groups are not indicated on the Sexual Assault Awareness Week website as sponsors.
U.S. intensifies bid to control oil spill in Gulf of Mexico
NEW ORLEANS — The response to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico intensified abruptly on Thursday, with the federal government intervening more aggressively as the rapidly growing slick drifted ever closer to the fragile coastline of Louisiana.
Vast wind farm off Cape Cod coast gains federal approval
BOSTON — After nine years of regulatory review, the federal government gave the green light on Wednesday to the nation’s first offshore wind farm, a fiercely contested project off the coast of Cape Cod.
Leslie Buck, who gave coffee its own Parthenon in New York City, dies at 87
It was for decades the most enduring piece of ephemera in New York City and is still among the most recognizable. Trim, blue and white, it fits neatly in the hand, sized so its contents can be downed in a New York minute. It is as vivid an emblem of the city as the Statue of Liberty, beloved of property masters who need to evoke Gotham at a glance in films and on television.
Breaking down a three-way Senate race in Florida
MIAMI — With Governor Charlie Crist’s announcement on Thursday that he will run independently for the U.S. Senate, Florida will once again become a gawk-worthy stage of American politics, where the country’s desires, fears and conflicts play out.
Admitted to college with aid, needing a fairy godmother
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The envelope arrives with good news. The college is pleased to announce that the student has been offered acceptance and, if he or she is fortunate, some scholarship money.
Shorts (left)
United Airlines and Continental Airlines are in advanced discussions on a merger after making progress on how to price the transaction, people briefed on the matter said Thursday.
Shorts (right)
WASHINGTON<i> — </i>The United States is the largest shareholder in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and has played a forceful, interventionist role in financial crises since the early 1990s, in countries like Mexico, South Korea, Russia and Argentina.
Focused on the wrong thing
In many ways, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict resembles domestically sticky political conflicts in the United States and other developed nations with which we are more familiar. Consider wealth redistribution: there are two sides to the argument, each unwavering as they see their argument as both practically and morally correct. These views are enforced by a list of facts each side is capable of producing at a moment’s notice: “taxing the rich is economically inefficient; the poor need to be taught how to improve their own situations,” or “equitable distribution improves the opportunities of the poor, and boosts economic output by increasing the productivity of the disadvantaged.” Here is the problem: both statements contain some truth. What you believe depends on your values and point of view; the analysis can support any statement.
The false dichotomy
For politicians, depicting the conflict between right and left as a matter of markets vs. governments is convenient. It allows liberals to portray their opponents as anarcho-capitalists who believe that the fire department should be privatized, and lets conservatives pretend their rivals want the government to make every medical decision for its people. So long as this either-or binary paradigm is accepted by the voters, politicians don’t need an intellect capable of explaining difficult and nuanced policy trade-offs — instead they simply need the money to run ad campaigns reminding voters of the past successes and failures of governments or markets.
Working so your internship works for you
Congratulations! You’ve landed yourself a summer internship. In today’s difficult job market, that’s quite an accomplishment. However, that same difficult job market is going to make excelling at your internship even more critical. While you might be using your internship to get real-world experience, escape the ivory tower for a few months, or just to earn some extra cash, remember this: companies use internships to evaluate potential future employees.
CONCERT REVIEW Los Campesinos!, take two.
I miss Aleks Campesinos. The waifish redhead keyboardist seemed even smaller in person when I saw Los Campesinos! last year. Dwarfed by the keyboard, she looked straight out of a college band recital. Same went for the rest of the band. Average height, average looks. I don’t know what parts indie rockers are supposed to play, but none of the members of Los Campesinos! were cast to fit the bill.
MOVIE REVIEW Contradictions, deceit, and dirty politics
“Cartel,” <i>noun</i>, is just another word for a trust, a coalition and in some ways, a monopoly. A cartel is also what former Bloomberg Television reporter Bob Bowdon labels the American education system. Given the United States’ persistent anti-trust efforts, shouldn’t they have already scrutinized and addressed this increasingly out-of-control industry? Perhaps the problem is that few actually know about all the messy politics entangled with our schools. In Bowdon’s 90-minute rapid-fire documentary, he makes sure that his audience understands that in addition to health care and the economy, there is another crisis in this country.
SPECIAL FEATURE Rock star of the classical world visits MIT
Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel visited MIT during Patriot’s Day weekend to receive this year’s $75,000 Eugene McDermott Award in the Arts, conducting the MIT Symphony Orchestra in an open rehearsal and taking part in a panel discussion on music education.
CONCERT REVIEW Bible stories for adults
Given the short shrift faced by choral music in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, it’s surprising that Dominick Argento has attained the status he has. Argento’s creative output includes a vast array of operas, choral works and song cycles (one of which, <i>From the Diary of Virginia Woolf, </i>earned him the Pulitzer Prize in music in 2004), yet a surprisingly small output of orchestral works: a relatively small number of symphonies and concerti, and practically no chamber works.
THEATER REVIEW Evil Dead: The Musical is a must-see
The MIT Musical Theatre Guild is currently putting on <i>Evil Dead: The Musical</i>, based on the Evil Dead franchise from Sam Raimi. Personally, I’m somewhat ambivalent regarding the “post-modern” musical, the show that is aware that it’s a musical and tries too hard to draw attention to that fact. My biggest complaint is that these musicals seem almost lazily written, with the occasional self-referential joke used to fill in wherever an in-universe one can’t be found. That’s not the case with <i>Evil Dead</i>. Rather, <i>Evil Dead</i> represents what a postmodern musical would look like with everyone involved — the songwriter, lyricist, book writer, and the characters — were wholly dedicated to making the show as self-aware as possible, and doing so stylistically rather than attempting to be ironic about it. The result is a show that revels hilariously in its horror movie roots as it deconstructs the genre at the same time. Combined with MTG’s remarkably talented, very B-movie execution, <i>Evil Dead: The Musical</i> is conceivably the most fun and entertaining show I’ve seen on campus.
Men’s lacrosse falls to Babson
The MIT men’s lacrosse team fell to the Babson Beavers, 15-9, last Saturday in conference play, snapping a three-game winning streak for MIT. The Engineers dropped to 6-6 on the year while Babson improved to 9-4. However, following the loss, the Engineers still control their destiny and can make the conference playoffs by winning their final two games of the regular season, both home contests against Norwich University and Clark University.
Cycling team wins Eastern Conference title again
For the second year in a row, the MIT cycling team won the Eastern Conference overall title, defeating several powerhouse schools on its way to the combined Division I and II title. Although host Dartmouth College won the championship weekend, the Engineers took a close second place to claim the season omnium title.
Scoreboard
Baseball Wednesday, April 28 vs. Fisher CollegeRescheduled Thursday, April 29 vs. UMass-BostonL 9-7 Men’s Lacrosse Wednesday, April 28 vs. Norwich UniversityW 8-7 Women’s Lacrosse Wednesday, April 28 at Wellesley CollegeW 7-6
Upcoming Home Events
Saturday, May 1 Men’s heavyweight crew: Cochrane Cup 8 a.m., Charles River Women’s openweight crew: Beanpot Regatta 8 a.m., Charles River Men’s lightweight crew vs. University of Delaware 9 a.m., Charles River Women’s lightweight crew: Muri Cup 9 a.m., Charles River Sailing: Geiger Trophy 11 a.m., Charles River Baseball vs. Trinity College 12 p.m., Briggs Field Baseball vs. Trinity College 2:30 p.m., Briggs Field Men’s lacrosse vs. Clark University 1 p.m., Steinbrenner Stadium Sunday, May 2 Men’s heavyweight crew: Jablonic Cup 8 a.m., Charles River Baseball vs. Worcester State 1 p.m., Briggs Field
