Ivy League Applications Boom, Selectivity Follows
Harvard turned down 1,100 student applicants with perfect 800 scores on the SAT math exam. Yale rejected several applicants with perfect 2400 scores on the three-part SAT, and Princeton turned away thousands of high school applicants with 4.0 grade point averages. Needless to say, high school valedictorians were a dime a dozen.
Student Center Hangout Back to 24 Hours
The recent reduction in the Student Center Coffeehouse's operating hours can be traced to homeless people using the location during early morning hours, according to Phillip J. Walsh, director of the Campus Activities Complex, which runs the Coffeehouse.
Academics' Work Choices Raise Ethicists' Eyebrows
A high-powered academic team's work for a billionaire executive facing charges of improper accounting has raised questions about the appropriate relationship between academic consultants and the businesses they advise.
Preferred Dining Cost Will Increase Again
The fee for the Preferred Dining program is set to increase $25 in the fall, drawing student criticism of dining at MIT. The announcement coincided with the introduction of buffet-style dinners at Pritchett Dining last Monday. The cost of Preferred Dining has already jumped $75 since fall 2005, setting the current price at $300.
Dry Weekend Ahead
Perhaps the most startling weather event of the past week was the batch of heavy snow that paid us a visit Wednesday afternoon. Fortunately, it was too warm for any significant accumulation or ice hazards. As it turns out, April snowfalls are not uncommon in Boston. The average total snowfall for April is around 1.5 inches, which accounts for a little under 4 percent of the seasonal total. The record monthly snowfall for April is 22.4 inches, which occurred in 1996 (and is more than we've gotten for the entire year). Surprisingly, the latest snowfall ever was on June 17 in 1952! (Source: <i>http://www.erh.noaa.gov/box/AveragesTotals.shtml</i>)
Shorts (left)
The conservative presidential candidate Nicolas Sarkozy abruptly canceled a campaign visit to a neighborhood of the eastern city of Lyon on Thursday as demonstrators gathered there and warned that he would not be welcome.
Bhutto Arranges Return to Pakistan After Exile, Promotes Anti-Terrorism
As the Pakistani president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, wrestles with swelling public disaffection over his rule, one of his key political rivals, Benazir Bhutto, has embarked on an international campaign to revive her political standing.
Shorts (right)
The controversy surrounding the World Jewish Congress, the tiny nonprofit organization that won billions for Holocaust survivors, continued this week, as its chief patron, Edgar M. Bronfman, accused its former leader, Israel Singer, of misusing funds and concealing "significant information."
Sailors and Marines Released After Two Week Captivity in Iran
The 15 British marines and sailors held captive in Iran for nearly two weeks arrived back home on Thursday. But Britain's relief at their safe return was tarnished by questions about how they behaved during their detention and why they had been captured in the first place.
Companies Reopen Debate on How to Fix Health Care System
Ever since Hillary Rodham Clinton's effort to overhaul the nation's medical system was rejected in 1994, most big employers have stayed out of the debate on health care reform.
Wealthy Conn. School District Confronts Racial Imbalance
More than half a century after the landmark desegregation ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, this overwhelmingly white and wealthy town is beginning to confront the yawning racial imbalance in its cozy, well-groomed neighborhood schools.
China Turns to Brazil to Satisfy a Surmounting Hunger For Soybeans
For more than 2,000 years, the Chinese have turned soybeans into tofu, a staple of the country's diet.
Corrections
The URL given for the 2fast4U Web site was incorrect in the Tuesday, April 3 article "Blink and You'll Miss It." The Web site is at <i>www.redwired.org/2fast4u</i>, not <i>www.redwured.org/2fast4u</i>.
Discussion Today, Eugenics Tomorrow
There is wisdom in the old saying, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." The Reverend R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, is arguing that parents should take advantage of technological advances (hormone therapy) to identify and alter fetuses that will grow up to be gay. We can ill afford to let his ideas stand unchallenged.
Letters to the Editor
You know, it was a major disappointment to hear that Charles Vest would be our Commencement Speaker. Don't get us wrong, we like Chuck Vest — nice guy, good President, did some great things for MIT. But a commencement speaker is supposed be captivating and bring new insight and outside perspective to graduates who are about to enter the real world. Vest has barely left — I mean, he's still a professor here. If you want to hear him speak, go any day of the week, and knock on his office door at 32G-618. Moreover, he was President for the majority of our years here, so we already know him quite well.
MOVIE REVIEW ★★ Kibbles 'n Bits Do Not a Good Film Make
There is a lot to love about "Year of the Dog." It features well-written characters, good acting, decent cinematography, and lots of adorable canine companions — but is it a good movie? One thing is certain, it is a movie that is almost impossible to categorize. Is it a comedy or a drama? Is it worth seeing or not? I have no idea! Just for this ambiguity, "Year of the Dog" is an interesting film — it is unusual to sit through a movie and afterwards not have any idea whether you liked it or not. This also means that the film will not appeal to most moviegoers who venture to the cinema with one goal — entertainment.
INTERVIEW MIT to Movies
One of the things I like most about MIT is finding out about the varying career paths that alums take. Mark Driscoll '92 is one who took the path less traveled. Mr. Driscoll started the Hollywood based Look Effects, a visual effects company that has worked on films including "Apocalypto," "Blood Diamond," "The Fountain," and the upcoming "Next" and "Gone Baby Gone." I talked with Mr. Driscoll a few weeks ago about what he actually does and how he went from MIT to making movies.
CONCERT REVIEW Snow Patrol Is Way Cool
Last week, the Irish/Scottish alt rock band, Snow Patrol, came to Boston University's Agganis Arena to promote their most recent album, <i>Eyes Open</i>. Best know for 2004's "Run" (<i>Final Straw</i>) and "Chasing Cars," the first single from <i>Eyes Open</i>, this group's sound is best characterized as emotionally packed lyrics against a "soft-core" rock backdrop that gives them a unique sound in mainstream popular music.
INTERVIEW Writing, Directing, and Molly Shannon
You may not be familiar with his name, but you are almost certainly familiar with Mike White's work. He has written such indie flicks as "Chuck & Buck" and "The Good Girl." He also penned the big-budget "Orange County," "The School of Rock," and "Nacho Libre." White has also written for television's "Dawson's Creek" and "Freaks and Geeks."
Lacrosse Falls To Wellesley Despite 3-0 Start
Seven second-half goals by Wellesley College helped power it to a 13-7 victory over MIT in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) women's lacrosse game on Tuesday.
MIT Cycles Up 3 Spots in ECCC Standings
This past weekend the MIT Cycling Team jumped from fifth in their division to second by placing highly in three different road races at the Boston Beanpot Cycling Classic, the largest collegiate cycling race in the nation.
