Lobby Seven’s Empty Plinths To be Replaced Via Competition
Unnoticed to thousands of students, faculty, and tourists passing through Lobby 7 every day, MIT’s iconic William Bosworth-designed entrance has sat unfinished since its construction in 1939. Now, the Class of 1954 is preparing a student design contest to fill the four bare pedestals in the corners of the lobby.
DSL Visiting Committee Here Next Week; UA Req’s Forum
On Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 9–10, the MIT Corporation’s Visiting Committee for the Division of Student Life will visit MIT. The Undergraduate Association hastily passed a bill requesting the committee hold a forum open to all students; the bill was passed on Monday, Nov. 2, well after the committee’s schedule at MIT has been set.
IFC and Panhellenic Council Elect Officers
The IFC’s newly elected executive board will be take office on Wednesday November 11, led by President T. Ryan Schoen ’11. The board has modified its positions, combining the former programming and recruitment chairs into one position and creating a new publicity chair.
BC, Fraternities Are Evacuated After Construction-Related Fire
A cloud of black smoke towered above the former Alpha Tau Omega fraternity on Wednesday morning after a fire broke out at around 8:15 a.m. in a construction trench, according to the MIT News Office.
Was Your Bike Eaten by Obama?
The bicycle rack under Building 9 was hastily removed on Wednesday, Oct. 21 in preparation for President Obama’s visit the following Friday. About twenty bicycles were cut off the rack and their broken locks were left lying in a pile on the pavement.
Nozette ’83 Charged with Espionage; Could Be Sentenced to Life in Prison
Last Thursday, MIT alum Dr. Stewart D Nozette PhD ’83 appeared before the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and plead not guilty to committing espionage against the United States government. He will be returning to court on November 10 to face a sentence that could put him in prison for life.
Cheung Elected, Stohlman Trails
Leland Cheung G has secured a position on Cambridge’s City Council in Tuesday’s election, according to unofficial results released Thursday evening. Tabulation of votes was complicated by the high number of auxiliary, or write-in, ballots, of which there were 3,590.
Division of Student Life Visiting Committee Membership
Division of Student Life Visiting Committee Membership
MIThenge is Fast Approaching Predictions for 2009–2010
MIThenge is a twice-annual moment when the stars align — or at least the sun does — with the Infinite Corridor.
Police Log
<i>The following incidents were reported to the Campus Police between Sept. 25 and Oct. 14. The dates below reflect the dates 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>
Panhel Executive Board
Position Name Affiliation President Arti V. Virkud ’11 Alpha Phi Executive VP Veronica E. Wilson ’11 Alpha Chi Omega VP Recruitment Diana M. Wieser ’12 Kappa Alpha Theta VP Recruitment Programming Megan E. Kercher ’11 Alpha Chi Omega VP Programming Kimberly M. Sparling ’12 Sigma Kappa VP Public Relations Tracey A. Hayse ’11 Pi Beta Phi VP Finance Judy Hsiang ’12 Alpha Epsilon Phi
Schmidt, Google Chief, Talks about His Plans
It seemed to be a meeting like any other: brownies and fresh apple cider for refreshments, professionals engaged in conversations, and a frenetic sense of purpose filled in the air. That is, until Google CEO Eric E. Schmidt walked through the doors to the room.
IFC Executive Board
Position Name Affiliation President T. Ryan Schoen ’11 Kappa Sigma Vice President Clark D. Minor ’12 Phi Kappa Sigma Executive Assistant Ben D. Harvatine ’12 Phi Kappa Sigma Judicial Committee Chair Garrett R. Fritz ’11 Sigma Nu Risk Manager Ian L. Matts ’11 Kappa Sigma Recruitment & Programming Chair Spencer J. Parra ’11 Sigma Nu Public Relations Chair Kris T. Swick ’12 Phi Kappa Theta
12 Slain, 31 Wounded in Shootings at Fort Hood
Twelve people were killed and 31 others were wounded Thursday in a shooting rampage at the sprawling Fort Hood Army post in Central Texas, apparently by an Army officer firing two handguns.
Shorts (left)
As the House moved toward climactic votes on legislation to remake the health care system, the Congressional Budget Office said Monday that middle-income families might be required to pay 15 percent to 18 percent of their income on insurance premiums and co-payments under the proposal.
After Setbacks, Small Successes For Gene Therapy
Not long ago, gene therapy seemed troubled by insurmountable difficulties. After decades of hype and dashed hopes, many who once embraced the idea of correcting genetic disorders by giving people new genes all but gave up the idea.
Letters to the Editor
This past Friday, I came up to Cambridge from New York City to visit the MIT Museum, which I had read about some years ago. It was quite interesting to see your University’s process of founding laboratories to focus on new scientific themes, answer challenging questions and develop new technologies (as described by some of the exhibits).
Who Does Capitalism Really Work For?
In an October 27 column in <i>The Tech</i>, Ryan Normandin argues that “state capitalism” is right for America. Capitalism works, but for whom? Let’s us look at some numbers. The top 1 percent richest people own approximately 25 percent of all wealth in the US as of 2004 and that number has likely gone up. The bottom 80 percent of people own less than 20 percent of the wealth (Economic Policy Institute’s “State of Working America” 2009). So whether the current system works depends on whom you ask. Does the system work for the millions of uninsured, unemployed, and homeless? How about for the millions of hard working people that barely make ends meet?
UA Update
Senate met on Monday, November 2. Steve Baker 84, Association of Independent Living Groups (AILG) Board Member, discussed the current work of the AILG as a Senate guest before the regular proceedings. The AILG is currently working to improve their communications with current undergraduates and shift the focus of living groups from their houses to their chapters or organizations, their accreditation process, and their insurance program.
Corrections
An article last Friday about recent thefts on campus incorrectly framed a statement made by MIT Police Chief John DiFava that “We believe these two actions will directly impact the number of thefts on campus.” “These two actions,” actually refers to one arrest and one instance of charges planning to be pressed for criminal activity, not two arrests, as the article suggests.
CONCERT REVIEW Two Laptops and a Microphone
Gregg Gillis can sure play the fuck out of a laptop.”
CONCERT REVIEW Nuanced Renaissance
I’m biased, of course: Despite being part of the Western canon, the music of the Renaissance somehow remains consistently foreign. It’s all there, the underpinnings that still guide sophisticated music even today — ideas on meter, or rhythm, rules guiding the structure of melodic lines, conceptions of how voices should interact with one another all exist in this fifteenth-century world, but somehow, to hear it is mysterious. Whereas concepts of thematic development, tonal resolution or structure seem to be at the center of the majority of works of the Western canon, the engine at the center of music from the Renaissance is somehow more elusive.
INTERVIEW From Past to Present
Boston choral ensemble Cantata Singers is preparing for its 2009–2010 season featuring works by Heinrich Schuetz, J.S. Bach, Hugo Distler and Arnold Schoenberg opening on Friday, November 6 at Jordan Hall. <i>The Tech</i> interviewed conductor David Hoose about the upcoming program and season. More information about this performance and the Cantata Singers Ensemble can be found at <i>http://cantatasingers.org/</i>
DANCE REVIEW AND INTERVIEW STREB Dancers Are Brave, Indeed
Forcing me to squirm and yelp and half-cover my eyes in incredulity, the STREB company dancers returned to Boston with a bang last weekend. Considered neither modern nor contemporary dance, but more along the lines of circus, extreme sports, and Hollywood stunt-work, STREB dancers wowed me with their petrifying feats of body contortion and athleticism.
BOOK REVIEW Untangling the Traditions That Begot Early Christianity
One would be hard pressed to find something that has influenced Western civilization more than Christianity. Even in the age of Britney and Facebook, the figure of Christ — cornerstone to the faith — is considered divine by a significant fraction of mankind. Debates stirred by discussion about the historical Jesus make headlines periodically, be they triggered by the serious study of artifacts like the shroud of Turin and the James Ossuary, or by storytelling from the likes of Martin Scorsese and Dan Brown.
Sports Shorts
The women’s volleyball team defeated Clark University 25-11, 25-16, 25-8 in the NEWMAC Tournament quarterfinals this weekend.
