pasadena, california 10,2003 hopefuls face in mid- … · mcgruder stated his belief that...

8
FEBRUARY 10,2003 Finally, on the subject of politi- cal activism, McGruder claimed that civil disobedience was ineffec- tive and cited the Million Man March and the WTO protests as examples of its failure. He also said that if Martin Luther King were alive today, he wouldn't be popu- lar enough to get assassinated. The Left, McGruder went on to say, should use the same means as the "enemy" to get in power, including methods of which King or Ghandi would have disapproved. When OJ. Carlton, IV '03 asked McGruder if the Right is the enemy, McGruder responded, "What lec- ture did you think this was?" After the lecture, Carlton, when asked about his thoughts on the talk and McGruder, said that "on the whole, I felt that Mr. McGruder was a backwards-thinking individual and less than worthy of the distinc- tion of a 'Voice of Vision.' He's a clever man and knows how to stir up controversy, but his systematic Continued on Page 8, Column 2 For them, a key issue is how to al- leviate complaints about Rotation. J.R. Heberle '05 had many differ- ent ideas, suggesting "no under- graduate course work to be due be- fore the Monday of the following week." He also advocated "openly informing the frosh at Frosh Camp about what houses do during Rota- tion," including the meetings where upperclassmen "scrutinize" the frosh. Neda Afsarmanesh '04 held that the IHC "can come up with a clear statement about when a frosh should talk to a House president and what it means." Underlying the platform of Joe Olivier '04 is his idea "that the freshmen should be very strongly encouraged to visit all of the houses during non-after-dinner-Rotation receptions." He added that "fresh- men deserve to see what members of the respective houses do during their free time." Yussanne Ma '04 promised sim- ply that "when approached with specific complaints, I will certainly act to resolve them and I feel this would be much more effective than promising to change things that people mayor may not want changed." Libin Zhang '05 took a similar ap- proach, saying "the incremental Rotation changes this year were well received and I hope to continue to implement any necessary mod- Continued on Column 1 in Mid--year Elections would be turned out if he doesn't say what the master wants to hear. On the subject of President Bush, McGruder stated his belief that Bush "stole the election" and in the process disenfranchised 20,000 black voters in Florida. McGruder went on to criticize Bush for his policies on everything from his ef- fort to make war on Iraq to domes- tic issues like the University of Michigan's affirmative action case. On the subject of the tensions with Iraq, McGruder revealed that in high school, he had planned to en- ter the Naval Academy but that he realizes now that it would have been a serious mistake and that currently, he would be unwilling to die for his country. McGruder went on to criticize the media for hijacking hip-hop and ruining it like every other Black art form. Adding to that, McGruder said he agreed with the sentiment that, Eminem, like Elvis, is over- rated trailer trash who is overshad- owing much better Black artists. previous ASCIT administrations. The amendment proposes that three fourths of any budget surplus be rolled over to the next fiscal year, with one fourth deposited in the endowment. Joanna Cohen '05 thought that the amendment created "a good, com- prehensive set of rules" and Janet Zhou '04 agreed that "the majority of the surplus should be put directly toward the students the next year." Matthew Walker '06, however, dis- agreed, proposing only "one fourth rolling over to the next year. In the long run, this will surely serve our posterity much better than simply rolling the money over." Each candidate has shown a great interest in student involvement dur- ing their time at Caltech. While only a freshman, Walker has written regularly for this newspaper and ap- plied for the interim ASCIT trea- surer position when it became avail- able. Cohen served on the Page Social Team and the ASCIT Execu- tive Social Committee this past year. Zhou is running for reelection, having been elected ASCIT Trea- surer last year in addition to serv- ing as assistant social chair of Fleming House and associate edi- tor of the Big T. In one of the most wide-open elections, six different students are running for IHC Chair. They are among the most experienced can- didates in any election, many with prior experience in public service. Hopefuls Face PASADENA, CALIFORNIA By ROBERTLI True to his reputation, Aaron McGruder, the creator of the well known comic strip "The Boon- docks," gave a controversial talk to a packed Beckman Auditorium au- diencelast Tuesday evening. Starting off by declaring that he "did not like lectures and was not about to give one," McGruder nev- ertheless talked at length about his views on a number of politically charged topics. His first point concerned Colin Powell, whom he called "the thing that stands between this planet and World War III" and the person that would have won the Republican primary in 2000 had he chosen to run. In spite of these characteristics, however, McGruder stated that Powell was still, as singer and ac- tivist Harry Belafonte put it, just a "House Negro," one who kisses up to the master in order to be allowed to live and work in the comfort of the master's home and one who D. Karla/The California h Aaron McGruder, creator of "The Boondocks" comic strip, shares his political views on Tuesday's "Voice of Vision" lecture. He succeeded in ruffling many feathers. Comic Ponders Dynamic needs to "change its image from that of a resume-building commit- tee and work harder to serve stu- dent interests" and proposed that the BoD ask for more student input and address their specific concerns. Both Fetterman and Scanziecka advocate one-to-one communica- tion between the BoD and the stu- dent body so that students feel more comfortable expressing their con- cerns. BoD veteran Jewell pointed to the ASCIT Minutes as the single most important form of communication with the student body, but added that the BoD should also actively communicate with students by go- ing to dinners and opening up the political process. As for ensuring the objectivity ofthe minutes, both Jewell and Fetterman said they would submit the report for the ap- proval of the rest of the BoD be- fore sending it off for publication, while Sczaniecka held that she "will not make selective omissions or al- terations to serve [her] own agenda." Jewell also championed the re- cently-passed ASCIT Publications Amendment as the most important measure to ensure accuracy and an unbiased tone in the minutes. There are also three candidates running for ASCIT treasurer, for whom a hot-button issue is a pro- posed bylaw amendment regarding the ASCIT endowment created this past year from $50,000 saved by By TED JOU and JIALANWANG News Analysis In an election field nearly double the size oflast year's, 37 candidates representing all factions of the po- litical spectrum face off in what many see as a turn- ing point in ASCIT's history. In contrast to last year's meager slate of 23, this year's profusion of can- didates as well as the high voter turnout of over 500 for the presi- dential and vice presidential races the week before last is widely seen to signal a greater interest in stu- dent government. The three candidates for ASCIT secretary, for instance, have all been outspoken and involved members of the student body in the last few years. Joe Jewell '04, the current ASCIT secretary, has also served as ASCIT FDaL and as a member of the student housing committee and the Avery council. In contrast, the other two candidates have been strong critics of ASCIT: Abe Fetterman '05 as a Tech writer and Anna Sczanziecka '04 as co-orga- nizer of the Olive Walk sit-in the December before last. Asked how AS CIT could improve its communication, the candidates had a variety of proposals. Fetterman felt that communication should work through the house structure and also proposed that the minutes be divided into two sec- tions: one for important announce- ments and another for records of votes and other less important de- tails. Sczaniecka said that the BoD MATTHEW WALKER Perlmlt1tmg Study VOLUME CIV, NUMBER 15 ERIC PETERS Many famous men have strolled 1500 at Beckman Auditorium, the Caltech campus over the where an impressive lineup offam- years-far too many to list. But ily members and friends of the what could possibly happen on Dodger legend sat down for an campus that. would bring Bob event which could be called noth- Graziano, the president and chief ing less than an all-out celebration operating officer of the Los Ange- of the life of Lasorda. les Dodgers, along with other cur- Joining Lasorda on stage for the rent and fonner Dodger executives, event were Hall of Famer Sparky a former owner of the Dodgers, as Anderson; NCAA Baseball Coach well as legendary baseball manag- of the Century, Rod Dedeaux; ers Sparky Anderson and Rod former LA and Brooklyn Dodgers Dedeaux? GM Buzzie Bavasi; former Dodg- The answer: Tommy Lasorda-a ers owner Peter O'Malley; and man whose name is synonymous former Dodgers pitcher Charlie with Dodger, with over fifty years Hough; along with Lasorda's wife as a player, scout, coach, manager Jo and daughter Laura. and executive behind his name. Stories were shared shining light Last Friday, an evening honoring on all aspects of Lasorda's life- Lasorda began at the Athenaeum both on the field and off. Jo Lasorda with a dinner for Caltech faculty related their first meeting, in which and guests and ended before a Lasorda tried, to no avail, to get a packed house of approximately date out of her after seeing her in Continued on Page 8, Column 1 D. Karta/The California Tech Tommy L.A. Dodgers vice prlesildellt for external affairs and former Lakers welcomes onto the This past Wednesday, Caltech President David Baltimore spoke at a Congressional hearing in support of a new Senate bill that would out- law human cloning, but allow re- search of cloning. The bill, entitled "The Human Cloning Ban and Stem Cell Re- search Protection Act of 2003 ," was introduced by Senators Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Dianne Feinstein (D-Ca- lif), Arlen (R-Penn), ward M. (D-Mass) Tom Harkin The places up to $1 and 10 years prison- while still allowing so- matic cell nuclear transfer, though only under heavy government regu- lation. Voicing support for research into stem cell cloning, Dr. Baltimore said, "Cellular therapies are the of the future." Also favor of stem cell research were actor Kevin Kline, paraplegic fonner triathlete, policewoman Kris WOULD ALLOW STEM CELL STUDY

Upload: others

Post on 21-Aug-2020

0 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 10,2003 Hopefuls Face in Mid- … · McGruder stated his belief that Bush"stolethe election" andinthe process disenfranchised 20,000 black voters in Florida

FEBRUARY 10,2003

Finally, on the subject of politi­cal activism, McGruder claimedthat civil disobedience was ineffec­tive and cited the Million ManMarch and the WTO protests asexamples of its failure. He also saidthat if Martin Luther King werealive today, he wouldn't be popu­lar enough to get assassinated. TheLeft, McGruder went on to say,should use the same means as the"enemy" to get in power, includingmethods of which King or Ghandiwould have disapproved.

When OJ. Carlton, IV '03 askedMcGruder if the Right is the enemy,McGruder responded, "What lec­ture did you think this was?"

After the lecture, Carlton, whenasked about his thoughts on the talkand McGruder, said that "on thewhole, I felt that Mr. McGruder wasa backwards-thinking individualand less than worthy of the distinc­tion of a 'Voice of Vision.' He's aclever man and knows how to stirup controversy, but his systematic

Continued on Page 8, Column 2

For them, a key issue is how to al­leviate complaints about Rotation.

J .R. Heberle '05 had many differ­ent ideas, suggesting "no under­graduate course work to be due be­fore the Monday of the followingweek." He also advocated "openlyinforming the frosh at Frosh Campabout what houses do during Rota­tion," including the meetings whereupperclassmen "scrutinize" thefrosh.

Neda Afsarmanesh '04 held thatthe IHC "can come up with a clearstatement about when a froshshould talk to a House president andwhat it means."

Underlying the platform of JoeOlivier '04 is his idea "that thefreshmen should be very stronglyencouraged to visit all of the housesduring non-after-dinner-Rotationreceptions." He added that "fresh­men deserve to see what membersof the respective houses do duringtheir free time."

Yussanne Ma '04 promised sim­ply that "when approached withspecific complaints, I will certainlyact to resolve them and I feel thiswould be much more effective thanpromising to change things thatpeople mayor may not wantchanged."

Libin Zhang '05 took a similar ap­proach, saying "the incrementalRotation changes this year werewell received and I hope to continueto implement any necessary mod-

Continued on Column 1

in Mid--year Elections

would be turned out if he doesn'tsay what the master wants to hear.

On the subject of President Bush,McGruder stated his belief thatBush "stole the election" and in theprocess disenfranchised 20,000black voters in Florida. McGruderwent on to criticize Bush for hispolicies on everything from his ef­fort to make war on Iraq to domes­tic issues like the University ofMichigan's affirmative action case.

On the subject ofthe tensions withIraq, McGruder revealed that inhigh school, he had planned to en­ter the Naval Academy but that herealizes now that it would have beena serious mistake and that currently,he would be unwilling to die for hiscountry.

McGruder went on to criticize themedia for hijacking hip-hop andruining it like every other Black artform. Adding to that, McGrudersaid he agreed with the sentimentthat, Eminem, like Elvis, is over­rated trailer trash who is overshad­owing much better Black artists.

previous ASCIT administrations.The amendment proposes that threefourths of any budget surplus berolled over to the next fiscal year,with one fourth deposited in theendowment.

Joanna Cohen '05 thought that theamendment created "a good, com­prehensive set of rules" and JanetZhou '04 agreed that "the majorityof the surplus should be put directlytoward the students the next year."Matthew Walker '06, however, dis­agreed, proposing only "one fourthrolling over to the next year. In thelong run, this will surely serve ourposterity much better than simplyrolling the money over."

Each candidate has shown a greatinterest in student involvement dur­ing their time at Caltech. While onlya freshman, Walker has writtenregularly for this newspaper and ap­plied for the interim ASCIT trea­surer position when it became avail­able. Cohen served on the PageSocial Team and the ASCIT Execu­tive Social Committee this pastyear. Zhou is running for reelection,having been elected ASCIT Trea­surer last year in addition to serv­ing as assistant social chair ofFleming House and associate edi­tor of the Big T.

In one of the most wide-openelections, six different students arerunning for IHC Chair. They areamong the most experienced can­didates in any election, many withprior experience in public service.

Hopefuls FacePASADENA, CALIFORNIA

By ROBERTLI

True to his reputation, AaronMcGruder, the creator of the wellknown comic strip "The Boon­docks," gave a controversial talk toa packed Beckman Auditorium au­diencelast Tuesday evening.

Starting off by declaring that he"did not like lectures and was notabout to give one," McGruder nev­ertheless talked at length about hisviews on a number of politicallycharged topics.

His first point concerned ColinPowell, whom he called "the thingthat stands between this planet andWorld War III" and the person thatwould have won the Republicanprimary in 2000 had he chosen torun. In spite of these characteristics,however, McGruder stated thatPowell was still, as singer and ac­tivist Harry Belafonte put it, just a"House Negro," one who kisses upto the master in order to be allowedto live and work in the comfort ofthe master's home and one who

D. Karla/The California h

Aaron McGruder, creator of"The Boondocks" comic strip, shares his political views on Tuesday's "Voiceof Vision" lecture. He succeeded in ruffling many feathers.

Comic Ponders Bush~Powell Dynamic

needs to "change its image fromthat of a resume-building commit­tee and work harder to serve stu­dent interests" and proposed thatthe BoD ask for more student inputand address their specific concerns.Both Fetterman and Scanzieckaadvocate one-to-one communica­tion between the BoD and the stu­dent body so that students feel morecomfortable expressing their con­cerns.

BoD veteran Jewell pointed to theASCIT Minutes as the single mostimportant form of communicationwith the student body, but addedthat the BoD should also activelycommunicate with students by go­ing to dinners and opening up thepolitical process. As for ensuringthe objectivity ofthe minutes, bothJewell and Fetterman said theywould submit the report for the ap­proval of the rest of the BoD be­fore sending it off for publication,while Sczaniecka held that she "willnot make selective omissions or al­terations to serve [her] ownagenda."

Jewell also championed the re­cently-passed ASCIT PublicationsAmendment as the most importantmeasure to ensure accuracy and anunbiased tone in the minutes.

There are also three candidatesrunning for ASCIT treasurer, forwhom a hot-button issue is a pro­posed bylaw amendment regardingthe ASCIT endowment created thispast year from $50,000 saved by

By TED JOU andJIALANWANG

NewsAnalysis

In an election field nearly doublethe size oflast year's, 37 candidatesrepresenting all factions of the po­litical spectrum face off in what

many see as a turn­ing point inASCIT's history.

In contrast to lastyear's meager slate

of 23, this year's profusion of can­didates as well as the high voterturnout of over 500 for the presi­dential and vice presidential racesthe week before last is widely seento signal a greater interest in stu­dent government.

The three candidates for ASCITsecretary, for instance, have all beenoutspoken and involved membersof the student body in the last fewyears. Joe Jewell '04, the currentASCIT secretary, has also served asASCIT FDaL and as a member ofthe student housing committee andthe Avery council. In contrast, theother two candidates have beenstrong critics of ASCIT: AbeFetterman '05 as a Tech writer andAnna Sczanziecka '04 as co-orga­nizer of the Olive Walk sit-in theDecember before last.

Asked how ASCIT could improveits communication, the candidateshad a variety of proposals.Fetterman felt that communicationshould work through the housestructure and also proposed that theminutes be divided into two sec­tions: one for important announce­ments and another for records ofvotes and other less important de­tails.

Sczaniecka said that the BoD

MATTHEW WALKER

Perlmlt1tmg Study

VOLUME CIV, NUMBER 15

ERIC PETERSMany famous men have strolled 1500 at Beckman Auditorium,

the Caltech campus over the where an impressive lineup offam­years-far too many to list. But ily members and friends of thewhat could possibly happen on Dodger legend sat down for ancampus that. would bring Bob event which could be called noth­Graziano, the president and chief ing less than an all-out celebrationoperating officer of the Los Ange- of the life of Lasorda.les Dodgers, along with other cur- Joining Lasorda on stage for therent and fonner Dodger executives, event were Hall of Famer Sparkya former owner of the Dodgers, as Anderson; NCAA Baseball Coachwell as legendary baseball manag- of the Century, Rod Dedeaux;ers Sparky Anderson and Rod former LA and Brooklyn DodgersDedeaux? GM Buzzie Bavasi; former Dodg-

The answer: Tommy Lasorda-a ers owner Peter O'Malley; andman whose name is synonymous former Dodgers pitcher Charliewith Dodger, with over fifty years Hough; along with Lasorda's wifeas a player, scout, coach, manager Jo and daughter Laura.and executive behind his name. Stories were shared shining light

Last Friday, an evening honoring on all aspects of Lasorda's life­Lasorda began at the Athenaeum both on the field and off. Jo Lasordawith a dinner for Caltech faculty related their first meeting, in whichand guests and ended before a Lasorda tried, to no avail, to get apacked house of approximately date out of her after seeing her in

Continued on Page 8, Column 1

D. Karta/The California Tech

Tommy L.A. Dodgers vice prlesildellt for external affairsand former Lakers welcomes onto the

This past Wednesday, CaltechPresident David Baltimore spoke ata Congressional hearing in supportof a new Senate bill that would out­law human cloning, but allow re­search of cloning.

The bill, entitled "The HumanCloning Ban and Stem Cell Re­search Protection Act of 2003 ," wasintroduced by Senators Orrin Hatch(R-Utah), Dianne Feinstein (D-Ca-lif), Arlen (R-Penn),ward M. (D-Mass)Tom Harkin Theplaces stricq:lemllti(~s

up to $1 and 10 yearsprison - while still allowing so­matic cell nuclear transfer, thoughonly under heavy government regu­lation.

Voicing support for research intostem cell cloning, Dr. Baltimoresaid, "Cellular therapies are thethe~raI)ies of the future." Also

favor of stem cell researchwere actor Kevin Kline, paraplegicfonner triathlete, policewoman Kris

WOULD ALLOW STEM CELL STUDY

Page 2: PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 10,2003 Hopefuls Face in Mid- … · McGruder stated his belief that Bush"stolethe election" andinthe process disenfranchised 20,000 black voters in Florida

NEDAAFSARMANESH '04Fleming, UDAL, Tech Editor, Fleming Li­brarian

CHAIRJR. HEBERLE '04Lloyd, Lloyd Treasurer

"Rotation is somewhat of a necessary evil."

SystemsJustin Kao

TechnologyLeo Stein

TharsbeetsTim Tirrell

CirculationChris Crabbe

The Tech is publisbed weekly except during vacationand examination periods by the Associated Students ofthe California Institute of Technology, Inc. The opinionsexpressed berein are strictly those of the authors and ad­vertisers.

Letters and submissions are welcome; e-mail submis­sions to tech@ugcs,caltech.eduasplain-textattachments,including the author's name, by Friday of the week be­fore publication. Sorry, the Tech does not accept anony­mous contributions, The editors reserve the right to editand abridge all submissions for any reason. All writtenwork remains property of its author,. The advertising deadline is five p ,m, Friday; all adver­tising sbould be submitted electronically or as camera­ready art, but the Tech can also do simple typesetting andarrangement. All advertising inquiries should be directedto the business manager at [email protected] information, please send mail to "Subscrip­tions" or call (626)-395-6154,

VOLUME eIV, NUMBER 15

Caltech 40--58. Pasadena, CA 9H25editorial desk: (626) 39~153

advertising desk: (626) 395-6154editorial e-mail: [email protected]

advertising e-mail: [email protected]

Kevin Carl BartzTammy Yee Wing Ma

Editors-in-Chief

DAVID KAHN '06Dabney

"I feel as ifthis year's government will havea great dynamic for change, especially withour new President and I would be excitedto be a part of it."

GUNNAR RISTROPH '06Blacker

"I'm going to restore respect to the posi­tion of FDAL."

FDALCORINNA ZYGOURAKIS '06Lloyd

"If you have an idea to improve campuslife, I want to hear from you."

MENG-MENG FU '06Lloyd

"I hope to generate a more efficient and fairsystem for the distribution of club fundingby regulating club activities and memberparticipation."

UDAL

ANDREA VASCONCELLOS '05Fleming, ASCIT FDAL

"Since the Director at Large bylaw did notpass, perhaps part of my job could be tooversee some of the ASCIT committees orat least be a liaison."

Vi TranBusiness Manager

RYANOLF '05Lloyd, Ruddock

"Obviously we need to improve the qual­ity of The California Tech."

Andrea Vasconcellos '05 sugges:ted"ASCIT's relation with to

for classes or seminars."'05 would "like to review how

the are push towardsrevamping the so that editors are re-warded for editorial work." He alsosuggested a sort of train-ing for the newly elected Tech editors." Bothcandidates have written for this newspaperbefore.

The failure of recent bylaw amendmentsthat would have eliminated the FDAL posi­tion showed that maintaining a freshmen-onlyposition on the BoD is important to students.

How do this year's four FDAL candidatesfeel? All expressed the sentiment that it ismost important simply for freshmen to havea voice and a vote on the BoD to representtheir class. Asked what they hope to accom­plish during their term in office, the candi­dates replied with goals that go beyond theofficial duties of the FDAL as club liaison.

Corinna Zygourakis '06 vowed to "workhard to be the voice of the freshman class onan ASCIT BoD focused on reform." DavidKahn '06 would like to represent freshmaninterests and make ASCIT more responsiveto students' needs. Gunnar Ristroph '06, whocampaigned successfully to defeat the afore­mentioned amendment, would show peoplethat FDAL can be an "effective and impor­tant office" and further promised to take onthe task ofoverseeing student representativesto committees. Meng-meng Fu '06 would

on Column 3

ANNA SCZANIECKA '04Lloyd, December '01 Student Protest

"The BOD needs to change its image fromthat of a resume-building committee andwork harder to serve student interests."

ABE FETTERMAN '05Ruddock, Tech Commentary

"Writing unbiased, objective notation ofevents is a simple task and can be achievedif one's personal motivations are set aside."

TECH EDITORSKEVIN DUNCKLEE '05PETER SAMUELSON '05Blacker, Blacker Social Team

"We would like to improve the content ofthe paper, as well as settle the disagreementsbetween the BoD and the Tech, as it willmake for a stronger, unified voice for stu­dent issues."

ROC SECRETARYLAWRENCE STEWART '04Dabney,ARC

"When the professor doesn't actually seeyour work, but instead it's graded by somegrad-turkey who sees the job as a paycheck,there is no motivation to do honest work."

ARC CHAIRKATHRYN HSU '04Lloyd, Core Curriculum Steering, ARC

"Regardless ofhow theARC chair electionturns out, 1will continueto work on resolv­ing the issues that surface through the con­ference."

SECRETARYJOE JEWELL '04Lloyd, ASCIT Secretary, ASCIT FDAL, Stu­dent Housing Committee, Avery Council

"I believe that the BoD should communi­cate actively with students in the houses andoff-campus by attending dinners, publiciz­ing meetings well and in general openingup the political process."

HARRIS NOVER '04Ruddock, BOC

"The confidentiality of participants in a[Boe] case must be respected."

LEO STEIN '06TAMMYMA '05KEVIN BARTZ '05Lloyd, Fleming, Tech Editors, Fleming Li­brarian

"We've built the content base from barely3,000 words weekly to over 10,000 on aregular basis, even though it meant givingup much ofthe automatic weekly $200 en­dowed to Tech editors in the past."

ELIZABETH FELNAGLE '05Ricketts, Ruddock, Freshman Admissions

"I'd like to increase communication be­tween faculty and students, starting withpublication of student evaluations."

cal proposal, stating that ASCIT should notstage any social events, but shouldthe events thrown by the houses. Hesuggested that ASCIT give the houses moremoney for inter-house parties and should buyequipment such as scaffolding and a publicannouncement system that would be avail­able for house events. Rarrick would also startup an ASCIT arcade.

Vivian U '06 proposed a "scientific" eventin which people dressed up as their favoritescientists and impersonated them.

Of all the candidates interviewed, KimHiscox '05, who is currently serving as in­terim ASCIT treasurer, is the only one withexperience organizing a formal dance, expe­rience that could be useful for planning forthe annual ASCIT Formal. She describedplanning her Senior Prom, which took placeon a yacht in the San Francisco Bay. Both Uand Hiscox agreed that the ASCIT Carnivalneeds some major work, if not elimination.

Alex Sheive '06 is also running for ASCITDirector of Social Activities but turned downrequests to be interviewed.

The ASCIT upperclass director-at-large hasbeen in charge of overseeing ASCIT's publi­cations since a little t and Big Tfailed to comeout three years ago. For the three UDAL can­didates, the big question is how they mightfoster improvement of the quality of thisnewspaper, since that has been a commoncomplaint.

PO-SHEN LOH '04DEBBIE LEE '04Blacker, Ricketts

"For the [commencement] speaker, wethought of a 'standard' kind of speaker,Jin1my Carter, but personally we would pre­fer someone out of the ordinary: SamDonaldson."

HARRIS NOVER '04KATHLEEN KIERNAN '04Ruddock, BoC

"For a commencement speaker, we wouldlike someone who is relevant to the Caltechexperience, but who is also interesting andnot 'just another scientist.'''

CRC CO-CHAIR

JIM REBESCO '05Page, Page Vice President, Page AthleticsTeam

"Mediation is often a better solution to aconflict than punitive action, so action bythe CRC ought to be used as a 'last resort. '"

LISA WANG '04IRAM PARVEEN BILAL '04Ruddock, Page, Faculty Curriculum, ARC,Institute Programs

"In a day that's meant for us, wouldn't itbe awesome to have an undergrad speakerselected by all 234 members of our class?"

NICHOLAS WALL '05Dabney, CRC

"The honor code applies to every aspect ofour lives while at Caltech; to deny this is tosurrender our trust in each other."

MANUEL GARCIA '05Ricketts, Institute Grievance Committee

"A student co-chair should also be some­one who can interpret the details of a casefrom the perspective of the student in ques­tion."

SPENCER RARRICK '04JON LEE '04Dabney, Dabney Treasurer, Dabney Secre­tary

"Personally, even at myoId age of 21, 1really enjoy playgrounds."

SENIOR CO-PRESIDENTS

BRANDON BALLARA '04BEN MATTHEWS '04Dabney, Dabney Social Vice President

"I believe that Mr. T would be an excellentcommencement speaker. Perhaps not aspeaker but definitely someone who could'pity us fools.'''

and make ARC and ASCIT pro-ce<~dillgs more and Be-cause director academic mustdeal directly with faculty who are often re­luctant to make any changes in the curricu­lum, an additional question is just how eachcandidate would convince the faculty thatsome changes need to be made.

From her experience on the HSSCommitteee, Felnagle was impressed by thefaculty's eagerness in approaching the SFCand became convinced that establishing apositive dialogue will help effect change. Shealso advocated diligence toward the organi­zation of the SFC, ombuds meetings and re­search about how competing schools dealwith academic issues.

Hsu favored getting broad-based studentsupport for changes via petitions and surveysto give faculty evidence of student sentiment.In addition, she would discuss changes withfaculty before submitting a proposal to workout any objections so that the final proposalwould have addressed both faculty and stu­dent concerns.

The candidates for ASCIT Social Directorboast many different proposals for ASCITsocial events, but no matter who is elected, itlooks as though the much-maligned PrefroshWeekend carnival is about to go the way ofASCIT parties.

Spencer Rarrick '04, current jarnroom man­ager and Dabney treasurer, had the most radi-

RUMI CHUNARA '04GRETAJO '04

. Fleming, Lloyd, Faculty Advisor

"The senior class gift has to be somethingthe whole class wants."

2

"ASCIT and IHC have very different roles­both equally important in the up keepingof student life, but still very different"

JOSEPH OLIVIER '04Dabney, CRC, UASH, Jamroom

"A view of each house, established outsidethe dinner receptions, would be a monu­mental help in the freshmen house-deci­sion-making process."

YUSSANNE MA '04Blacker, Blacker Vice President, ASClTExecu­tive Social Committee, Blacker Social Team

"I think that there will always be a groupof people who are discontented with Rota­tion and I cannot honestly claim to be ableto make a change that would make every­one happy with Rotation.

LIBIN ZHANG '05Ruddock, Tech Commentary

"I will cooperate with ASCIT to ensure asmoothly running government, but 1 willdissent if mandated by the people."

JEREMY PITTS '04Ruddock, Ruddock Vice President

"My job IRC chair would not be to do what1 think is best, but to do what other peopletell me is best."

TREASURERJOANNA COHEN '05Page, ASCIT Executive Social Committee,Page Social Team

MATTHEW WALKER '06Ruddock, Tech News, Tech Commentary

JANET ZHOU '04Fleming, ASCIT Treasurer, Fleming SocialTeam, Big T Associate Editor, Tech Editor

SOCIAL DIRECTORALEX SHElVE '06Lloyd

"For too long its duties have been summedup as running ASCIT Formal."

VIVIANU '06Lloyd

"I think that ASCIT social events shouldbe fun and should pertain to the interest ofthe majority of the students."

SPENCER RARRICK '04Dabney, Jamroom, Dabney Treasurer

"I personally believe thatASCIT should notactually throw social events, but rather playmore of a supporting role for events whichthe houses throw."

KIM HISCOX '06Fleming, Interim ASCIT Treasurer

"Ifelected to Social Director, I would hopeto gather input from the students to deter­mine what social events are actually en­joyed."

1, Column 5

est and reasonable reforms."Jeremy Pitts '04 emphasized gleaning "a

lot of input from freshman to try to alleviateas much pain as possible for next year's fresh­man."

Both candidates for director for academicaffairs are currently student co-chairs ofcom­mittees for the upcoming Student-FacultyConference: Kathryn Hsu '04 of the CoreCurriculum Committee and ElizabethFelnagle '05 of the Humanities and SocialSciences Committee. Asked about the threeacademic issues they would focus most on ifelected, the candidates had a variety of re­sponses.

Hsu would like to tackle some longstand­ing student complaints about CS 1 and Core1, follow up on the quality of the menu classesand freshmen labs and try to solicit more stu­dent involvement on academic issues.

Felnagle would focus on clearing up HSSgraduation requirements, make faculty evalu-

Page 3: PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 10,2003 Hopefuls Face in Mid- … · McGruder stated his belief that Bush"stolethe election" andinthe process disenfranchised 20,000 black voters in Florida

drea (track). Guests: TomPresident-elect), Galen LoramPresident-elect), Liz (HoC Sec­retmy), Kevin Dl1neklee (ASClT lights man­ager), Lionel Jingle, Cris Cornell, TamaraBecker.

Meeting called to order at 10: 15 p.m.Guests: Kevin gives a report on the ASCIT

Lights. He reports that they were used forabout 15 different events last year, by allseven houses plus Avery. He has developeda manual for their use and suggests delay­ing this year's new equipment funding tonext year so that we can buy cooler stuff.The BoD later votes to give him the yearlybonus of $50 stipulated for good work (5­0).

Liz reports that the BoC laptop crashesall the time, including during preliminmy in­vestigations and cases. The BoC two yearsago bought a refurbished laptop to savemoney, but now it looks as if it will have tobe replaced again, This is probably a matterfor next year's budget, but we will recom­mend to the next BoD that they budget for anew and more reliable BoC laptop. It couldalso come out of this year's budget surplus,Lionel Jingle requests $200 of Interhousefunding for Ricketts House (Apache), whichis later approved (5-0). Cris and Tamara areorganizing a wine-tasting event with CathyJurca and Tom Mannion. They present abudget requesting a total of $250 fromASClT for food, wine, and wine glasses, Theevent will be limited to 12-15 students ages21 and older, but they plan to repeat it atleast once a term and eventually form a club,The BoD later votes (3-1-1, Marcus opposed,Basit abstaining) to fund them for the full$250. Marcus voted no because he objectsto the 2l-plus age stipulation, saying "Weshould break this law whenever possible.Civil disobedience is completely justified."

General Meeting: Joe requests $200 ofMultihouse funding for Lloyd House for theannual capture the flag match and barbecuewith Blacker, which is approved (5-0), Tedmailed a formal letter to the IRS, reportingthat the IRS was "reasonably friendly" onthe phone and that we can probably get outofpaying any penalties for the forgetfulnessof the 1999-2000 BoD in filing taxes. Healso recommends that BoD members writehandbooks for their successors (which he hasdone for Tom), and fill out critiques of eachother,

Marcus reports that there are two newhouse presidents: Mike Davenport ofBlacker House and Jason Schadewald ofRuddoek House. He then requests $200 inlnterhouse funding for the Dabney HouseDrop Day party, which is approved (5-0).Basit reports that the Student/Faculty Con­ference is now on April 23, and that the Fac­ulty Board has been asked by the provost tovote to grant a holiday from classes for thatday. Jialan reports that the ASCIT OfficersInstallation Dinner will be the evening ofFebruary 28 at the home of Vice Presidentfor Student Affairs Margo Marshak. TomMannion will be cooking. The current BoDwill be having lunch with Margo Marshakon February 7 to discuss current issues fac­ing tbe student body. The yearbook will alsotak.e a photo at that time.

Elections are next week, February 12 from10 a.m until 10 p.m. Ted has four proposedbylaw amendments to discuss, but not voteupon yet. Theyinclude a "Club Amendment"to more carefully define clubs, a "DuesTimeline Amendment" to change the timefor proposed dues change votes to first termfrom third term, a "Big T AssessmentAmendment" to fold Big T dues into gen­eralASCIT dues and increase the amount ofmoney given to both the Tech and the Big T,and a "BoD Policies Amendment" thatmakes technical changes to the way in whichthe ASCIT BoD passes resolutions and poli­cies.

Meeting adjourned at 11:27 p.m.Respeetfully submitted,Joe JewellASCIT Secretmy

We are honored to be running forsenior for the classof 2004. would like to share with

of ideas for making ourout from the myriad of

bitter, ambitious, dull science-typesthat have characterized previous se­nior classes, The question you shouldbe asking yourself when you vote forsenior class president is: "Do I trustthese men to represent my class, inyour and our final year at Caltech,with matters ofextreme gravity?" Theanswer is indubitably clear: Oh,Yeah,As for concrete promises, we pledgethe following to you, our peers: DitchDay will, indeed, occur despite ru­mors to the contrary. There will be agift given by us, the senior class, toCaltech despite wishes to the con­trary. This gift will be something forthe students of a future Caltech. Aspeaker will speak at our Commence-

GretaJo andRumi Chunara

The duty of Senior Class Co-Presi­dents is not a political matter, but ajob of making sure our time at Techcomes to a memorable closing. Toaccomplish this, we chose to run asCo-Presidents. Since we are both al­ready involved in student activities,we can make a great team to repre­sent what the Class of 2004 wants. Inrecent years, students wanted to knowhow the commencement speaker waschosen, but instead were left in thedark. We will not let administrationdrown out our classmates' voices, andwe will update the students about theselection process. Ditch Day is some­thing that sets Caltech apart fromother schools. To keep this unique­ness, we will work hard with the un­dergraduates and administration tomake sure we have a great Ditch Daywith as many freedoms as possible.Because the Senior Gift is somethingbought by the senior class itself, wewant to make sure that our gift issomething that the whole class willbe proud of. Let's have a gift that ismeaningful as well as novel, and notjust your typical bench or tree. How­ever, we don't want to only focus onthese three things. Another event wewant to make more memorable isSenior Dinner, possibly having it ina different location than just Chan­dler.

We sincerely hope that you give usthe opportunity to serve as your Se­nior Class Co-Presidents. Thank you.

ment. It will be in the form of an ad­dress. This individual will be famous,and it will be someone who doesn'tsuck. In conclusion: "Fat, drunk andstupid is no way to go through life,son."

Harris Nover andKathleen Kiernan

The senior class co-presidents mustbe able to provide options which in­spire enthusiasm and further ideas onthe part of the senior class. However,we feel that the most important re­quirement for the co-presidents is notthe ideas they have on their own, buttheir ability to listen to and incorpo­rate the ideas of others. Ifelected, weplan to be accessible and open to ev­ery member of the senior class, so thatwe can have a ditch day, a commence­ment, and a class gift in which we canall take pride.

We will look for a commencementspeaker both who has something tosay which is particularly relevant tothe Caltech experience, and who also

Lisa Wang andIram Parveen Bilal

Oh my God, we are almost seniors!The time for our commencementspeaker, our senior class gift and ourditch day is finally here. With 6 teamsvying to serve you, it might appearthat no matter who gets elected, thesame old thing is going to happencome Ditch Day & graduation time.Give us a chance to show you whatwe can do. Our Commencement issomething we want to remember forthe rest of our lives; it's a time to re­flect upon 4 years of tough-love ex­perience with Tech and celebrate oursurvival through it all. Feel less thanthe newlygrads fl'om MIT & Harvard,cause they've got congratulatory re­marks lined up from some WorldBank President or NSF Head? In aday that's meant for us, wouldn't itbe awesome to have an undergradspeaker selected by all 234 membersof our class? We're serious aboutmaking this happen, if that idea in­terests you; we'll fight to have onemember ofour class - chosen by yourvotes and selected from among thebest speeches submitted- be the fIrst­ever undergrad speaker at a Caltechcommencement. And what about the

Huh? What are these guys doinghere? Zoom out: Two seemingly apo­litical people not the types to leada parade. Zoom in: Anatural team thatwon't need to schedule times to meet.Different [Po cooks up crazy ideas;Debbie's the artsy one] yet similar[both are responsible and want to gobeyond the job description]. Focus:A pair that came up with a eoncreteidea to unify our class - and allundergrads - together in an unpree­edented way, possibly start a Caltechtradition, and write our class down inCaltech history, all through a DitchDay senior prank ** (which for ob­vious reasons we can't tell more abouthere). And with many more suchideas to come.* Unfortunately, Ad­ministration didn't support our cur­rent plan because it was too big (Po

will be entertaining. One way to dothis is to consider individuals fromgroups likely to produce speakerswith these qualities. We suggest fromthe scientific TV community Bill Nyeand Beakman. From the comic stripcommunity there are Scott Adamsand Bill Amend. From the science fic­tion/fantasy community there are NeilGaiman, Terry Pratchett, LarryNiven, Orson Scott Card and manyothers. We also feel that the speechdelivered is more important than thename of the person giving it. In thisvein we'll make an effort to investi­gate the past public speaking experi­ences of prospective speakers.

We would like the senior class giftto be useful to future generations ofTechers and help improve their qual­ity oflife, even ifonly in a small way.We would like to avoid more tradi­tional gifts such as a bench or a bor-

last few weeks of school? Per tradi­tion, it'll be one ofthe rare times thatour association with Tech is· cel­ebrated with dinners and receptionsas opposed to killer problem sets andexams. We want to continue the tra­dition of the Student Concert, theReception with the President, the Se­nior Graduation Banquet at the Ath.,etc., but to give you a graduation ex­perience that's uniquely yours, weplan to fund-raise for a '04 cruise/tripthat'll take everyone off-campus fora few days to chill, reflect, and havea good time. And how will we makeany of this happen? Lisa successfullyfund-raised for, planned, and orga­nized major campus events such asthe Caltech Chinese New Year &Moon Festival Parties, and took a sig­nificant role in organizing the 2002ASCIT Formal. Iram has directed andled the OASIS annual cultural showand helped in coordinating variousother campus and club activities. To­gether, we organized the Int'I WeekCultural/ Fashion show last year andare working on it this year too.Speaker & PR-wise, we won't let youdown b/c Iram has experience offounding and leading the CaltechPublic Speaking Club, and Lisa hasbeen involved with SASS (Social Ac­tivism Speaker Series), the group that

checked on Friday). But we'll try tothink up a less controversial prank ina similar vein. So we still can't tellabout it here, but if you're a curiousjunior, just contact us or ask around-word might have spread by now.*For the commencement speaker:we'd like an engaging non-scientist,but we're open to suggestions. Morespecifics are in Ted's election article.*Thanks for reading! =)

ing sculpture. Some more interactiveideas we've had are to get a sauna ora participatory zen rock garden. Ofcourse, all the above are simply ourideas. We're far more interested inwhat you, the senior class, have tosay.

Sincerely, Harris and Kathleen

Jon Lee andSpencer Rarrick

Here's our top 5 list of c9mmence-ment speakers:

1. Matt Groening2. Conan O'Brian3. Andy Richter4. Mike Myers5. Dana Carveythat is all.

brought UN weapons inspector ScottRitter to campus. We've networkedwith all the major administrativeplayers at Tech, from the President'sOffice and VP for Student Affairs toAlumni Relations and the Y, so weknow who we can count on to sup­port the interests of the Class of 2004.

et!e

CAMPUS OffiCE515 S. Wilson Ave.· MS 100-63(626) 395-6300· www.cefcu.org

e

These advantages are just part of thelifelong benefits ofGredit Union member­ship. At CEFCU, you'll also find some ofthe highest rates on savings and lowestrates on loans in the nation!

See for yourself. Visit us onlineat www.cefcu.orgor in person. Or,call (626) 395-6300 for a VISA applicationand magnify your financial power today!

NOT YET A MEMBER? All it takes to join is a$5 deposit in our high-yield,federally insured savings account, and a 25e membership fee. Just visit ouron-campus branch and apply for your low-cost VISA at the same time.

II tou Loo

Can Sure theis Alvvays... !

losercash advances) if your bill is paid in full within 25 days of yourstatement date

.. Student credit limits from $5011 to $1,1100 and more.

.. Plus, you can access this VISA at our on-campus ATMs!

At......Fine

Some banks try to disguise their high-cost credit cards with "teaserrates" or introductory offers. They sound great. ..until you read the tinytype. That's where our Credit Union VISA is different.

Our VISA is a straightforward, honest card. No gimmicks. No hiddenfees. Just:

.. A low fixed rate

.. NO annual fee

.. NO cash advance fee

.. NO finance charge whatsoever on new purchases (excluding

Page 4: PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 10,2003 Hopefuls Face in Mid- … · McGruder stated his belief that Bush"stolethe election" andinthe process disenfranchised 20,000 black voters in Florida

Fetterman. PS: I am sure that if! amelected to this position I will haveenough work to do that I will not feelthe need to write commentary on ex­citing campus issues for the Tech, ifyou know what I mean (and I knowyou do).

place last year. I want to serve asASCIT secretary because I would liketo see the BoD change from a resume­building committee to a group thatserves the student body out of genu­ine interest.

Lawrence Stewart

lege to serve the student body, and Iam excited about the opportunity torenew my commitment as your rep­resentative for another year.

The Boe is absurdly secret. I be­lieve it should be run in a fashionmore like our current judicial systemand less like a secret tribunal. We stu­dents should be directly accountableto one another, and the system shouldfollow accordingly. The BoC pro­ceedings should be made available tostudents.

quizzes and finals. I'd also like to seea precise statement of class policieshanded out at the beginning of everyclass. Much of what the Board seesis the result of miscommuni-cation between and 0

sors. I will take more care tostudentscalled before thenecessary forsecrecy should only out of ne-cessity, not out of habit. I alsoport releasing additional staltisticaJdata about cases so thc cOlnrrlUnitycan get more of a sense of how thehonor code is working. Being Secre­tary is a big job. Having served asRuddock's rep for the last year, I feelI have the experience tohelp the Board run smoothly, Iknow what I'm getting into. If youhave any questions about the job I'vedone so far, I encourage you to askthe other BoC reps for their opinions.

While one duty is to take down theminutes which will be published inthe Tech, the Secretary is also an in­tegral part of the Board of Directors,third in line to the President Himself.Nothing would please me more thanbeing Tom Fletcher's third-in-com­mand, except perhaps being TomFletcher's third-in-command and alsotaking notes during meetings. Thisdefinition of the position of ASCITSecretary, while not directly writtenin the Corporation's Constitution,does well enough that we can use itto answer the next two questions. Thelast question, how I got tricked intocoming to Caltech, is a much longerstory that I am sure all of us (or atleast most of us) have our own ver­sion of. I bid you Adieu, Abe

Purebred Y4 German, V. Irish,V. Lithuanian, V. Unknown 19 year old

male Lloydie with Polish last namedesperately seeks a mate of any species to

preserve bloodline. Interested matesplease approach Lloyd 125.

serves, and open dialogue is an im­portant part of this. In my two termson the ASCIT BoD, first as FreshmanDirector at Large and currently asASCIT Secretary, I have been a stead­fast and vigorous defender of stu­dents' rights to fair representation, eq­uitable treatment, and full informa­tion, both within the student body andto the administration. I have a recordof fighting hard to preserve thoserights, and I've taken on everyonefrom David Baltimore (on parking,health insurance, and "Vectors")down to Kevin Bartz (to ensure un­biased and uncensored ASCIT Min­utes) to sustain them. The job is notalways easy, but I consider it a privi-

administration's attention. It is one ofthe things I am most proud of in mylife, and while my parents weren'tthrilled to learn that I blew off part offinals week to organize it, I did it be­cause I knew it had to be done. I think.it's great that students have beenmuch more proactive on campus overthe last year. However there is stillroom for improvement. The BoDneeds to ask for more student inputand focus on the issues that concernthem. I also think the BoD should en­courage interaction between thehouses by sponsoring more non-com­petitive events. I had a great time atdecompression, Ricketts' bowlingwith Lloydies, and Dabney's commu­nist takeover of dinner, but I cannotfor the life of me remember the sup­posed BoD dessert night that took

The honor system is one of the mostimportant things about life at Caltech.I believe that the honor system doeswork, but also that it could work bet­ter. I would try to improve thetem in a variety First off,coming freshmen are not adeqllatelyprepared. On the whole,and the at frash campfocus far too much on the pnxe:dureof what when someone isBoCed, not enough on the actualsubstance of the honor code. Thehonor code is not simply about cheat­in!!: on tests. It also is not a tool forth~ administration to setRather, it is about treating othersfairly. This is a simple truth which Ifeel has largely been lost. I would alsoeducate the faculty more about thehonor code. Many professors don'tseem to get it, with too many in-class

tea as a way of lifeCome experience teas

from all over the world!700 E. Colorado Blvd.

Anna SczanieckaLet me begin by saying that I

haven't served on a lot of commit­tees or held a lot of offices. Instead, Ibelieve it is more important to do thethings I feel passionately about andto improve life for those around me.I played volleyball for Caltech be­cause it was fun, I tutored junior highkids in math because I enjoyed it, andI helped organize the campus widesit-in because I wanted student opin­ion to be taken seriously. First termof 2001-2002, many students weredisgruntled, yet few knew what dowith their grievances. I worked to­gether with a handful of students toorganize the sit-in to bring the cam­pus together, give students a chanceto speak out, and get the

Joe JewellThe Secretary's job is all about

communication, and if re-elected Iwill continue to play an active role inunequivocally communicating theviews of the student body to the ad­ministration. Improving the quality ofCaltech student life should beASCIT's top priority, especially nowin this critical and uncertain time forthe Caltech undergraduate commu­nity. I also see the position as an op­portunity to facilitate communicationbetween ASCIT and its members,through the Minutes and other me­dia. The Board of Directors ought tobe held accountable to the students it

What does it mean to be secretary?Isn't that just a job for people whosem0in qualification is typing speed?Why would we even elect such alowly office? How did I get trickedinto coming to Caltech? These arequestions I often ask myself duringtimes of deep thought and introspec­tion, such as during lecture or perhapswhilst sitting on the john. In any case,I thought that as that is where you aremost likely reading this, I might at­tempt to answer such questions. Tobe Secretary is akin to being both ascribe and a wise man simulta­neously, a cross between Secretary ofState and his administrative assistant,the Secretary to the Secretary ofState.

JOB OPPORTUNITY! Lambda epsilon omicron,WANTED: undergraduate work "Two lovers to a midnightstudy students to participate in meadow camel High in thegammy-ray astronomy research hills, to lie there hand in hand/

project at JPL. The job requires data Like effigies and look up atprocessing and research on gamma the stars." - Jude of Saltwatersources using data obtained by theBATSE experiment onboard the Hey Jude,NASA Compton Gamma-Ray " ...but thy eternal summerObservatory between 1991 and shall not fade,

2000. Employment would be full nor lose possession of that fairtime (40 hours/week) during the thou owest ... "summer and part-time during the - Farmland Lion

school year under the Caltech Work- I-"""'----"'I"'...-"""I~ .....-_IStudy program. Salary will be

between $14 and $20/hour depend­ing on the experience of the student.If you are interested in applying forthe position, please call Dr. James

Ling at (818) 354-2819.'

newspaper and say, "oh, that's wherethe money is going." Much ofASCIT's money is reserved forpeople who specifically request it, butmany undergrads don't even knowhow much money is available, orwhat it can be used for. For example,I'm surethere are students who aren'taware that ASCIT reserves $200 ayear for pranks. One of my goals isto make sure that everyone knowsabout these opportunities. As ASCITtreasurer, I will help connect the BoDto the students it represents.

CALIFORNIA

seriously all serious suggestions, andI will pursue the student good in ev­ery way necessary and possible. Al­ready, I have gone to the top of theadministration to hunt down answersto student questions in my capacityas a Tech reporter, and I will returnto fight for the students. Help me help

Vote Matt Walker.

tions posed by students.3) organizedand implemented the student-facultylunches program, which allows stu­dents to take a professor of theirchoice to the Athenaeum free ofcharge, promoting increased student­faculty interaction.[TJI]4) exposedthe interest for wine tasting and cook­ing classes, and proposed them to theBoD and Tom Mannion, who hastaken up the idea.I am not just a bunchof promises. As the associate editorof the Big T last year, I came throughand delivered a quality product. Ihave the experience and motivationto get things done.[TJl ]Are therestats on how many students/profes­sors?

CA License # OD15121

Authorized Agent

Blue ShieldofCalilornia

If you are in-between jobs, have just gotten married, had a child, or

experienced another significant life change, make sure you have the health

coverage that fits the new you.With Blue Shield of California's Deductible

PPO Plans you can choose from among four annual deductible levels, so

you're certain to find a plan that meets you needs and budget. Call today

to compare coverage and see how affordable a Blue Shield

Deductible PPO Plan can be: (626) 792-4219Polenzani Benefits3452 E. Foothill Bl., #514Pasadena, CA 911076261792-4219e-mail: [email protected]

Your Life. Your Shield,'"

I'll admit: I know a lot of cynicalundergrads who criticize ASCIT,complaining, "where does all themoney go?" They pay their dues andput money into an organization thatthey say doesn't give them anythingin return. I always find myself on thedefensive in these conversations; Imention such services as the ASCITDVD library, the formal, funding forall the clubs on campus, and ofcoursethe Tech that you're reading rightnow. I think that it's time I put mymoney where my mouth is; I want tobe the ASCIT treasurer so I can be apart of what I always stand up for. Iwould like to see a copy of ASCIT'sbudget published in the Tech - it iscurrently available online, but thetypical Caltech student probablydoesn't have time to search for it.Publishing it in the Tech will make iteasily accessible to all ASCIT mem­bers; they will be able to open the

Soon, fellow Techers, you will electthe next Treasurer to represent andprotect your investments in our stu­dent association, ASCIT. Unfortu­nately, I can't make grandiose prom­ises like doubling the house budgetsor increasing ASCIT funds by mil­lions of dollars. What I can promiseis to fulfill the basic responsibilitiesthat you should expect and demandfrom a Treasurer. Checks will comeout on time. ASCIT won't get auditedfor turning in taxes late. Training willbe available for new accounting soft­ware. The Treasurer will be accessibleto all who have budget concerns.Ad­ditionally, I have ideas to increase theproductivity of BoD meetings and toprovide motivation for on-time BigT and little T delivery. Most impor­tantly, as Treasurer, I will work forthe good of the students. I will take

Cohen

4

Matt Walker

Janet ZhouAs ASCIT treasurer this past year,

I have I) filed the taxes for both the2000 and 200 I fiscal years that wereneglected by previous treasurers,which are crucial in retaining ournonprofit corporation status.2) super­vised the transition of our accountsto a Caltech agency account, whichsaved ASCIT $10,000 a year in ac­counting costsJ) set up the ASCITendowment (~ $50,000 value) withmoney previous treasurers had losttrack of, which will earn us a $3500return this coming year and providesa foundation for growthA) set upHouse endowment accounts for eachof the seven houses, so that housescan also run fundraising programs,and benefit from ASCIT's nonprofitstatus.As a student leader and mem­ber of the BoD, I have 1) met with ad­ministration many times to campaignfor increased communication withstudents, which will result in upcom­ing regular town hall meetings at­tended by top administrators and opento all interested students.2) been veryopen with undergrads with any infor­mation I may know on any issue.When the ASCIT BoD visited houseslast tenn, I was always in attendance,and gave complete responses to ques-

® Registe~edrnark of the Blue Shield As-sociatio.n, an association of independent Blue Shield plansDeductIble PPO Plans are not available to mdlvlduals 65 or older.

A12047-SMPA

Page 5: PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 10,2003 Hopefuls Face in Mid- … · McGruder stated his belief that Bush"stolethe election" andinthe process disenfranchised 20,000 black voters in Florida

5

interacting with the student body anddoing the legwork required to helporganize, fund, and rally support forany suggestion that will increase thequality of the social lives of the stu­dents of this institute. That is the job,please exercise your rights and votefor whomever you think can do itbest.

est to ensure that those events are thebest possible. I think that this upcom­ing BoD has a chance to revolution­ize the way our student governmentgives back to the students, and asSocial Drrector I would aspire to planevents that everyone can enjoy.

Sd1hJlmblerl~er Ltd. is a $ i:3 billionte,chll1oilo~:y services active inmore than 100 cOl.mtries. when wepr,on1ise you the world, we mean it.

And careers at Schlumberger are"borderless," which means youhave lifelong opportunities to moveacross disciplines and divisions.So you can follow your heart andintellect.And explore the boundariesof science and technology as youexpand your own horizons.

If you have a passion to excel and wanta future without limits, you'll discover wespeak your language. In any language, it's theopportunity of a lifetime.Take a minute tovisit our website at www.slb.com/careers.

Cal Tech Interviews!Information Meeting:

February 17, 2003 • 3:00pm - 5:00pmBrennen Conference Room

Interviewing:February 1S, 2003

BS or MS Degrees:All Engineering and 1.1: disciplines, Geoscience,

Chemistry, Physics, Math

The history of all hitherto existingASCIT Social Directors is the historyof half-assed struggles. The positionis due for a change. For too long itsduties have been summed up as run­ning ASCIT formaL The student bodyneeds to be asked if this poorly at­tended event is worth the six thou­sand dollars allotted for it. Allegedly,there have been other ASCIT socialevents, but they are prrrnarily disor­ganized, ill conceived, and duly ig­nored. The Social Director must workwith the members ofASCIT to spendtherr money in a way that creates rec­ognizable value. The housingsystem's profound effect on the so­cial life of the campus must be ac­knowledged and enhanced, ratherthan ignored. These things involve

will make every effort to reflect yourperception of Caltech policy. How­ever, while navigating through theCRC proceedings, I will also attemptto keep an open mind and rememberthat I am only one voice of many. Iswear to maintain utmost confidenti­ality and demonstrate respect for allindividuals involved in CRC cases,as well as those brought before therouting committee. I hope to continuethe fine leadership that has guided theCRC in past years.

After serving as interim ASCITtreasurer for the past five weeks, Iknow that there is a consensus amongthe students that there is room for im­provement in the department of so­cial events. I think that there shouldbe some research and polling done tosee what events are really wanted bythe student body and to figure outways to improve them. Traditionshould not always dictate whether ornot an event should take place; "well,we did it last year," is not a sufficientreason to continue with an event thatis costly and that few people enjoy.If elected to Social Director, I wouldhope to gather input from the studentsto determine what social events areactually pleasurable to the studentpopulation and then work my hard-

possibility of starting this up again(assuming some appropriate ma­chines could be found.) I'll make nopromises in terms of organizing so­cial events. Once again, I believe thatthe houses are much better at this thanASCIT, whomever the social direc-tor be.

Nicholas WallIfelected to the office of CRC Stu­

dent Co-chair, I would act as a mod­erating influence at the routing com­mittee and CRC hearings. I realizehow difficult it can be to address theinterests of the entire Caltech com­munity, but I hope that my experi­ences as a CRC member this year willprovide insight toward future coursesof action. Serving as a representativeof the undergraduate population, I

is one common interest that unitesTechers, we can hold a Scientist Im­personation Contest in which partici­pants will dress and perform experi­ments like therr favorite scientists andwin prizes. Such an event would beentertaining and educationaL

IR: That sounds interesting. Is thereanything else you want to add?

Viv: Yes, I like DONUT... and oh,"a vote for me is a vote for U!"

IR: Well, good luck!Viv: And to everyone else who's

running for a position too.

london $319Paris $363Amsterdam $427Brussels $439Madrid $418Rome $439

Fine Hand WovenJewelryJewelry Repairs and Special Orders

1&North Mentor AvenuePasadena, California 91106

(626) 577-2077

Yarni!\)' (Emil!y) Bautista-NavarroDesigner

and NOTjust online

which might want to them.The current of interhousc aHowanceof $200 three times a year is ridicu-lously small the amountof money ASCIT sits on to men-tion gift wraps for the alsothink it would be great in-vested in some itemswhich would be too eXl)e!1ISh'et~or ,mvindividual house tolar,ASCIT could purchase more scaf­folding which several houses incor­porate into their strucl:un~s.Alth(mg:hthis is a rather large inv'est:me~nt,

be used extensively, and it lastavery long time. Another interesting(but riskier) possibility might be pur­chasing a really nice sound systemthat various entities could borrow fortheir respective events. I've heard ru­mors that in the past there was an ar­cade in the SAC. I'm interested in the

Fare is roundtrip from Los Angeles. Subject to change and availability. Tax notincluded. Restrictions and blackouts apply. cst# 1017560-40

responsible person.IR: And you said you don't like to

brag!Viv: I wasn't bragging! Otherwise,

I'd say I'm SUPER creative, orga­nized, and responsible!

IR: Fine, fine. How creative areyou?

Viv: Let's see. Here are the titles tomy last two hum (regardingBenjamin "Man on theHundred Dollar and (regardingEdgarAllan Poe) "Darth Vader? Dal'kwriter!"

IR: Uh... I'm speechless.Viv: Fine, they may be stupid ideas,

but at least they're extraordinary... Ithought. But seriously, I thought ofsome new social events that might beexciting and appealing to the major­ity of the student body. Since science

experience and through listening tothe views of many others who havebeen involved with the CRC that Ibelieve I am best suited for the posi­tion. Therefore, I ask that you pleaseolect me, Manny Garcia, for the po­sition of CRC Student Co-chair.Thanks.

A conversation between me and anIR (not infrared, not Ohm's Law V =IR, but Imaginary Reporter)

IR: You're afrosh! And you're run­ning for ASCIT Director of SocialActivities?

Viv: So? Frosh =fresh =new ideas!IR: Why do you want to run for this

position?Viv: I think it's a great way to con­

tribute to the school and it'll be a valu­able experience for me as welL Iwould also like this position to befilled by someone qualified, so,thatthe social events can be organized ina successful and fun way.

IR: Why are you qualified?Viv: Well, I don't like to brag, but

I'm a very creative, organized, and

Vivian U

reallyexcited about some socialevent? I can't think of any. I'm nottrying to say that I can change this. Idon't blame Social Direc-tors. I don't anybody couldmake ASCIT social events exciting.Not even ifMahatma Gandhi himselfwent head to head against 1984Olympic figure skating gold medal­ist Scott Hamilton. I honestly feel thatASCIT has no business planning so­cial events. On the other hand, the stu­dent houses put together some reallyexcellent interhouse parties. AsASCIT social director, I would divertthe money otherwise squandered onASCIT social events to fundinterhouse events put on by thehouses or by any independent group

CRC COdPchairManuel Garcia

Fellow ASCIT Members, I havechosen to run for the position ofCon­duct Review Committee Student Co­chair for a few simple reasons. Firstand foremost, it is my belief thatwhile the position requires a studentto be in support of institute policies,the student co-chair should also besomeone who can interpret the detailsof a case from the perspective of thestudent in question rather than play­ing the role ofjudge. Secondly, whileI am in frrm support of the HonorCode, I feel the CRC has not createda clear sentiment of trust among thestudent body. To be more specific, Ibelieve the CRC does not present it­self and sometimes does not conductitself in a manner that is beneficial tothe students involved in cases, whereimplicated students sometimes feelthat it is in their best interest to with­hold the truth or lie. Should I beelected, I would strive to create a bet­ter image for the CRC, one where a

sense of trust is established.am not afraid to admit that

"CRe'd" myselflike oth­ers at this institute, so I know what itis like to be on the receiving end ofCRC case decisions. It is this

Since its inception, the CRC hashad no clear jurisdiction. The HonorCode Handbook states, The CRC'srole is purposefully not expressed toospecifically so as not to limit its scopeand unnecessarily complicate itsworkings. The intent to streamline theworkings of the Committee, thoughwell intentioned, has raised some se­rious issues. First among these is thelack of accountability and clearguidelines. As students at a privateuniversity, we do not have any claimto due process protections. This is notan explanation for the lack of eluci­dated procedures. Rather, it is thestrongest argument for them. The ab­sence of other safeguards places apremium on a full understanding ofthe process. The CRC was created inpart from a desire to give undergradu­ates and faculty a voice. We need tomake sure that voice is not lost.

Page 6: PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 10,2003 Hopefuls Face in Mid- … · McGruder stated his belief that Bush"stolethe election" andinthe process disenfranchised 20,000 black voters in Florida

6

Meng..Meng FuTo fulfill the main duty ofthe Fresh­

man Director at Large, I plan tostrengthen communication betweenASCIT and the various undergradu­ate student clubs. By enforcing bet­ter regulation of club activities andmember participation, I hope to gen­erate a more efficient and fair systemfor the distribution of club funding.Also, I believe that by encouragingcooperation between clubs with simi­lar interests, not only will events drawmore participants, but also funds andresources can be maximized and op­timized.

In carrying out the other significantresponsibility of FDaL, I also hopeto reorganize and update the UROH(Undergraduate Research Opportuni­ties Handbook). Moreover, I believeit is crucial to provide advice for un­derclassmen, especially those with­out research backgrounds and thoselacking in resources and contactswhen seeking out research prospects.This is why I hope to establish amentoring program for underclass­men, by introducing them to upper"classmen in their respective majorswho are knowledgeable and informedof research openings.

Lastly, but perhaps most impor­tantly, I believe that I am aptly quali­fied for the position. Having servedas class treasurer and the president ofthree clubs in high school, I am fa­miliar with budgets and fund distri­bution. Also if elected, I will commitmyselffully to the position and rep­resent the freshman class to the bestof my ability, by expressing theirviews and concerns.

Corinna ZygourakisI'm mnning for Freshman Director­

at-Large because I believe that onemust get involved in student govern­ment in order to improve the life ofstudents. I have already learned a lotabout the different issues Caltech stu­dents face through my participationin various activities-from working asan editor of the Caltech Undergradu­ate Research Journal to serving on theBiology Undergraduate Student Ad­visory Committee and even playingthe violin in a chamber music group.I've enjoyed my time so far atCaltech, but I think that there aremany things that can and need to beimproved. IfI am elected, I will workhard to be the voice of the freshmanclass on an ASCIT Board of Direc­tors focused on reform. If you havean idea to improve campus life, I wantto hear from you. I'm eager to listento your opinions and learn from you,and I think I'm an easy person to talkto. I keep up with friends in all thehouses, and I want to improve com­munication between the student bodyand ASCIT. If you honor me withyour support, I will do my best to bean active and enthusiastic represen­tative of all Caltech students.-Corinna Markenscoff-Zygourakis

I, Gunnar Ristroph, will make thebest Freshman Director at Large be­cause I am competent and I care. I'mnot going to let this opportunity goto waste. For the past two terms, I'vebeen going to the meetings of the cur­rent BoD. I've seen how ASCIT func­tions and how it doesn't. The mess ofcommittees and procedures are nomystery to me. ASCIT is doing somecool things, but we can do much bet­ter. I'll be intensely active in makingthe BoD responsible and functional.We deserve more for the $55,000 ayear we pay. I give a shit. I know whatI'm doing. I will be an importantplayer in a new effective and passion­ate BoD that will keep ASCIT run­ning just like a song.

Dave KahnThe position of Freshman Director

at Large, I feel possesses certain chal­lenges for the freshman who holds it.Being so new to the Caltech commu­nity, a freshman could face difficultyadapting to the unique nature ofASCIT, or interacting with other up­perclassmen leaders. I feel confidentthat I can deal easily with any diffi­culties, and work with the BoD withboth an open mind and a sense ofhumor.

When I think ASCIT, I think oppor­tunity-opportunity to represent thestudents and make a difference. Al­though the UDaL's job is not speci­fied in the bylaws, the person has tra­ditionally been in charge of publica­tions over the past few years. I amenthusiastic about continuing that,and intend to enhance ASCIT rela­tions with publications editors andfoster a friendly, working relation­ship. The Tech has received criticism,and students and faculty alike desireimprovement. Although I believe thequality of the paper resides mainly inthe hands of the editors,I hope to useASCIT's connection with administra­tion to push for taught journalismclasses or seminars. Nevertheless, inaddition, I want to be a liaison be­tween ASCIT and committees. Therehas been a growth in committees overthe past year alone, and often times,once students are appointed, there islittle further contact, which I feel isnecessary. As Freshman Director-at­Large previously, I have enjoyed be­ing a liaison between ASCIT and

Kathryn HsuHi everyone. I've spent the past

year on the ARC (as the Lloyd rep),and in that year I've thought of somethings that could be done through theARC to help the undergraduates. AsARC Chair, here's what I'd like tochange:

First off, people don't seem to knowwhat the ARC is, but it could be twiceas effective if they did. Hopefully,adding more activities for the ARCwould counteract that. I'd like theARC to revive and maintain the Clue,which can be a valuable source ofinformation and would provide anadditional avenue of feedback oncourses and instructors for students.Also, I would work in conjunctionwith other groups on campus like thecareer center to inform students aboutoff-campus research and work oppor­tunities. In the past the ARC hasn'tbeen involved with this, but I thinkthe current efforts to let studentsknow about these opportunities arefair, at best.

I'd also like to see student involve­ment in academic affairs increase. I'dencourage more students to sign upfor faculty committees such as cur­riculum and academic policies - lastyear there were several instances inwhich the ARC had to place the samestudent on multiple committees. Plac­ing more students in fewer positionswould result in better representationfor the undergraduates.

Lastly, I'd like to call attention tothe fact that the Student Faculty Con­ference is one of the best opportuni­ties we have to command the atten­tion of the faculty. However, I amconcerned that little will occur afterthe conference. As the ARC Chair, Iwould personally contact all of thecommittees' student and faculty co­chairs and make sure that the con­cerns and recommendations broughtup at the conference are followed upon.

Thank you for reading.

clubs, and found it rewarding to re­main updated on club events on atermly basis. I hope to entertain asimilar relationship with the variouspublications and committees. Finally,any position on ASCIT involves be­ing a member of the Board of Direc­tors, whose main purpose is to hearthe voice of the students and act, re­gardless of the specific duties. It iswith passion and enthusiasm that Ihope to fulfill that role. Please vote!

Ryan OlfI'm a real guy, and not so much in

to the political stuff, although likemost people I do it to some extent outofnecessity, and occasionally for fun.But I think being political is a dan­gerous thing, because in wearing thatmask it's possible for people to losesight of a person and focus on a po­litical entity. And who trusts a politi­cal entity? The thing that bothers memost about government is that peoplehave to plan face-to-face talks. I hearon television all the time that "talksare expected to commence..." What'sthe matter, do political entities nothave telephones? I believe in honestyand I believe people can speak theirminds but at the same time be sensi-

FelnagleSo I've been randomly telling

people I know, "Vote for me!" towhich they respond, "For what?" Af­ter telling them "Director of Aca­demicAffairs," a blank stare ensues."ARC Chair?" I add, helpfully. Theblank stare becomes a raised eye­brow. "That thing Basit does?" I say,exasperated. This usually illicits a nodof comprehension - not because theyknow what Basit does, but just be­cause they know Basit's busy all thetime. I feel running for this officewould be a whole lot easier if peopleknew what it was, so here goes: theDirector ofAcademic Affairs runs the

Kevin Duncklee andPeter Samuelson

The California Tech is one of themain sources of campus informationfor most students at Caltech, and assuch, it is an important publication.We see a need for a number ofchanges that need to be made. Com­munications and relations with theBoD need to be improved so that theTech can keep the student body in"formed of the issues that ASCIT isworking on. The writing quality ofthepaper can be improved by involvingmore students to write articles, tosupplement the feature writers. Wewill assign the best feature writers tothe important stories that affect stu­dents. Will Heltsley will be hired asAssociate Editor to assist in publish­ing a stylistically proper paper everyweek with a minimum of errors.While we plan to improve the over­all quality of the Tech, we would notpublish a purely serious paper. Hu­mor articles will continue to be pub­lished, as will Crippling Depression,Dilbert, and Foxtrot. We hope to serveyou as Tech Editors, and will workhard to bring you a quality paper.

tive and open to other people's ideasand opinions. That's my political phi­losophy. But this is Caltech, and I'mmnning for UDAL, not senator. Butfor some reason I've seen people startto view ASCIT and the BoD as a po­litical entity, and I want to eschew thatimage from the start, just in case, youknow, I get elected. What do I haveto offer? I have some publicationscredentials: edited my high schoolpaper, I've written for the Tech... ButI think my main strength is as onewho enjoys the ASCIT publicationsand cares that they are administereddutifully and with care. Publicationscan and should be the student body'screative, emotional, political, andanalytical voice. Student involvementand feedback is key. And it should beeasy with this newfangled interwebdonut website thing. I have goodideas, and there are more on the way.I work well with others and believein the Golden Rule. I'd really like todo some good around here, and I re­ally will if you elect me.

Stlldc:nt-F'lcultv Confcrence, chairsthe Academics and Research Com-mittee, and most acts asa Hason between studentsand stressed members. I'malready as for oneof the SFC committees this year, andI also worked on the Core curricu­lum committee last year. Moretantly, I've got ideas up my sleevesknow students are pushing for rightnow - cleaning up the HSS gradua­tion requirements, making courseevaluations available to the studentbody, pruning Core of redundantcourses (Ma 2b versus ACM 95, forexample), and more. Plus as a mem­ber ofASCIT, I would push to makeproceedings more visible to the Techcommunity. Meetings out on the Ol­ive Walk at lunch would be a greatway to attract passing students andget more people involved. I have realideas and a desire to hear more fromthe student body. I have experienceworking with faculty on curriculum­related issues. In tmth, I've done thiskind of stuff before, and I'm not halfbad at it.

Kevi n Bart z Ja. mnyMa and leo Sci n

Atechnical school attracts few jour­nalists. Advertisements lag amidsteconomic slowdown. Aging com­puter infrastructure meets untimelydeath. Yes, the Tech has problems­fundamental problems, problems sodeeply ingrained they're unlikely toheal on their own.

Others are more pressing. Lackingwriting, especially in commentary,commands attention. Productionhinges too greatly on a few familiarfaces, both on the. editorial side andon the writers' side. As always, moreis better-and those students repre­sented in the Tech remain too few.

The Tech is far from perfect, butwe've worked this past year to cor­recfthese problems. Given a depletedstaff lucky to come up with threenews articles any given week, we'venurtured a arewv comiis­tently cranking out seven. Collabo­rating with writers on a face-to-facelevel, we've steadily improved newswriting and, through a new assign­ment system, ensured that the beststories fall to the best reporters. Givena "photographic" effort aimed moreat clip art than at cameras, we'veopened an efficient four-person pho­tography team. And given an outdatedwax-based printer submission sys­tem, we've moved into the new cen­tury, handling everything electroni­cally. Simply stated, we've workedwith what we've had.

In another year at the helm, wewould decentralize the Tech's lead­ership, allowing Leo Stein to focusexclusively on commentary whileTammy Ma and Kevin Bartz restricttheir attention to news. We wouldcontinue our aggressive recruiting,targeting for relevant commentarythose influential in the school com­munity. We would carry on our per­sonalized attention to staff, workingwith writers to augment style andquality. And we would continue tosacrifice the weekly $200 endowedto past Tech editors to reward the mostdedicated reporters.

And, of course, we'll continue tobring you the occasional color issue.After all, from software to style, fromcomics to color, from layout to lead­ing, from photos to picas, from com­puters to copy and from this year tonext, we go the extra mile.

Page 7: PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 10,2003 Hopefuls Face in Mid- … · McGruder stated his belief that Bush"stolethe election" andinthe process disenfranchised 20,000 black voters in Florida

7

Do you feel that anyBoD position is extrane­ous? Is there a BoD po­sition which you feelneeds to be added?

really enthusiastic about helping toimprove Rotation. I've been on picksfor two years now, so I have a goodunderstanding about how the processworks. I have very concrete ideasabout how Rotation and picks can beimproved to make it a more pleasantand productive experience for every­one involved. For instance, I thinksome aspects of Rotation were notmade clear to freshmen this past year­which is one feature I would work on.I believe that I am a passionate, en­thusiastic, and responsible person. Iwould put much time and effort intothe IRC if I am IRC Chair. I'm ex­cited about all the ways I can be help­ful, so I hope I'll have this opportu­nity ... :)

-eL SSSWA TED

I've been interested in being IHCChair for a while now, but I think itreally became a passion and goal ofmine this past year when I served onASCIT as [email protected] a realappreciation for how student govern­ment works at Caltech and how muchstudents can actually accomplish.And I am even more excited abouthow I can help student life. After ayear on ASCIT I have a clear ideaabout what is IHe's turf and what isASCIT's turf-and I'm eager to repre­sent IHC and its goals. Furthermore,I think I can represent IRC well onthe ASCIT Board of Directors, andat the same time be an asset on theBoD. I've learned quite a bit abouthow both the IRC and ASCIT work,so it would be nice to be able to putthe knowledge and experience togood use. There's quite a bit that theIHC can do for students and thehouses. I am confident as IHC ChairI can be resourceful in achieving ourgoals: I've been involved in numer­ous committees and organizations oncampus (not only through ASCIT) , soI have a good idea of the various re­sources and administrators that canbe helpful along the way. Lastly, I am

ofdealing with an administration thatwon't care about me until I havemoney to donate. I know some ofmygoals are unrealistic. I want to do asmuch as I can.

WOGINEEE

The IRC Chair is a grim and thank­less job. I hope you share my beliefthat Ubin can handle its demands andliven the office up. Vote wisely: thefuture of Caltech is in your hands.Amen brother [sic].

George W. 'Dubya' Bush

AERO, MECHANICALAND ELECTRICAL

ENGINEERS AT ALLLEVELS ARE NEEDED

FOR A REVOLUTIONARYLIQUID-FUELED ROCKET

DEVELOPMENTPROGRAM.

I wasn't sure about running for IHCchair until I talked to Marcus aboutthe job. He described it as a lot oftime, effort, and no thanks whatso­ever. That was when I decided to run.I've been serving on the CRC andUASH for the last year now, and havefound those thankless jobs (and I as­sure you, they are thankless) very ful­filling. I believe that ASCIT and theIHC can do a lot ofgood for students,working with or against the adminis­tration (as needed). I believe more ofASCIT's money should go towardsinterhouse activities, and clubs. Ithink the student government standsfor more than donuts and somethingto complain about. I think ASCIT andthe IRC should work to change themost awful of Caltech's classes. Fur­ther, I want to convince the adminis­tration that we, the undergraduates,are not the "ones who should sufferwhenever the institute has a parkingor funding problem. I'm sick and tired

Joe

zational abilities is that I am currentlyin charge of this year's OPI. Anyonewho wants to know how well I canorganize things should feel free tostop by and take a look at the con­struction project going on in the Rud­dock courtyard. These things and oth­ers made me realize that I would beable to do a great job running rota­tion and picks, as well as chairing theIRC and serving on the BoD. I hopethat they will convince you too. Andfor those ofyou who need just a littleextra convincing, I don't suck, Iswear.

tinent information between the twowithout filtering according to my ownstances. To stay focused on cotnmu­nication and the promotion oEgoodwill between the two bodies,! willgenerally not involve myself in.inter­nal ASCIT controversies thatdo notbear on the goals of the IRe.How­ever, as a BoD member I will alwayslisten to and represent the opinion ofany student who offers it,just ilsI didwhile serving as house treasurer. Iwill see that student life is affectedby students, not just the will of themembers ofASCIT or the IRC.

an official who shall confront manychallenges from the Administrationand the student Houses. Who else iswilling to stick it to The Man? How­ever, some of his writings are a bithostile towards me, so electing Ubinis a sure-fire way to reduce his writ­ing spare time.

Houses are a unique and sacrosanctaspect of Caltech, but House mem­bers don't interact much outside theirown House. For example, have youbeen meeting enough new membersof the opposite sex after Rotation?While that may not seem like a prob­lem to all, a major benefit of collegeare the 'connections' one make, if youget my drift; School is not about aca­demics. Yet the IHC is not a despoticPolitburo; Ubin will welcome recom­mendations from the student body to­wards ending our andother institutional ills.

I realize it is a state-ment written by someone other thanthe candidate; but I think it is appro­priate to be 'nominating' [sic] some­one for the position of IRC Chair. Iwon't bore you with a pointless listof Ubin's past offices and responsi­bilities. His integritation [sic] is re­vealed when he did not demand a re­count after winning a surprising num­ber of votes as the ASCIT presiden­tial candidate who ran on a not-so­serious platform. He is seriously run­ning this time, so unfOliunately freedoughnuts and booze cannot be offi­cially promised.

I am a faithful reader of his Techarticles, reviewing deep social issuesin a readable fashion. His obstinancyagainst criticism and concern for theoppressed are necessary qualities in

Last Monday I was eating lunch atAvery (I had the South Americanburrito from the Latin Bistro) when Ihappened to run into Tom Mannion.After exchanging cordialities (youknow, talking about the wife andkids), Tom Mannion suggested to methat I should run for IRC Chair. Ihadn't really considered running forthis position before then, so I was alittle taken aback. I did know that Ivery much wanted to be involved instudent life at Caltech; being involvedis what I like to do, it's what makesme tick. After thinking about it for abit though, the idea became more andmore appealing. I realized that I havethe experience and qualifications todo the job well. I have served as vicepresident of Ruddock House for thepast year. This position has allowedme to deal with the IRC several times.I also have significantrotation expe­rience. I ran the Ruddock side of ro­tation this past year as well as goingto frosh camp and picks. Another ex­ample of my leadership and organi-

As IRC Chairman I will see that theduties ofthe IHC are carried out in amanner than maintains or improvesthe quality of student life. I will seethat rotation goes as smoothly andfairly as possible for all involved. Iserved on my house's picks team thisyear, so I am familiar with the picksprocess, ways in which it may be al­tered, and how to handle complica­tions that may arise, such as rotationviolations. I will see that our admin­istrators fully comprehend the effectsto life on this campus before alteringInstitute policies. I will make it clearto them that this is their place ofwork,but it is our home. At all times theChair must be prepared to address theconcerns of whole houses, which candiffer from the concerns of individualstudents. I have become accustomedthrough my house government expe­rience to dealing with such concerns.I will fulfill the Chair's primarily roleon the Board of Directors by main­taining open communication betweenASCIT and the IRC. I will pass per-

Jeremy Pitts

Yussanne MaI care deeply for the undergradu­

ates here as a community and indi­vidually. I sincerely want to do what­ever I can to make life here better foreveryone. The reason I accepted thenomination to run for IHC chair isbecause I feel that my skills will al­low me to serve best in this position.I have been Vice-President, UCC anda member of the Social team inBlacker Hovse. I am a good leaderand decision maker. Rotation will, ofcourse, be my main priority for me,in particular the welfare ofthe incom­ing freshmen. Given my active in­volvement in Rotation in the past twoyears, I am confident that I can helprun it well. I can't offer prior experi­ence with ASCIT and the IRC, onlya fresh, unbiased attitude and a very

real concern for my fellow studentsand the desire and ability to act uponthese concerns. I'm not interested inpolitics, or past rumors. I only wantto work together with the presidentsof the seven houses to ensure smoothinterhouse relations and to serve theundergraduate community.

RESUMES TO SPACEEXPLORATION

TECHNOLOGIES CORPVIA [email protected]

Page 8: PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 10,2003 Hopefuls Face in Mid- … · McGruder stated his belief that Bush"stolethe election" andinthe process disenfranchised 20,000 black voters in Florida

student body instead of relyingheavily on regular staff writers.

In a highly contested race, candi­dates from all of the seven housesare running for senior class co­presidents and they all have verydifferent ideas about commence­ment speakers and senior class giftsfor the class of 2004. CandidatesBrandon Ballara '04 and BenMatthews '04 favored Mr. T andMr. T's gold chains. Lisa Wang '04and Iram Bilal '04 had some ratherambitious ideas, suggesting as com­mencement speaker an undergradu­ate chosen by the class of 2004 aswell as a senior class Po-shenLo '04 and Debbie Lee '04 sug­gested a mural or swing as the classgift and Jimmy Carter or SamDonaldson as speaker.

Harris Novel' '04 and KathleenKiernan '04 preferred speakers onthe nerdier side and some uncon­ventional class gifts, suggesting BillNye, Beakman of Beakman'sworld, Bill Amend of Foxtrot orScott Adams as possible speakersand a sauna or zen rock garden aspossible gifts. Greta Jo '04 andRumi Chunara '04 favored reviv­ing the giant T, a big "T" that wasonce on the mountains overlookingcampus and would push for what­ever speaker the whole class wants.Spencer Rarrick '04 and Jon Lee'04 proposed Matt Groening forspeaker and along thelines of a class gift.Only of the class of 2004will be allowed to vote for theirclass co·-pn~si(lents.

In a sense, the diversity inthe senior class co-presidents' racemirrors that of the entire candidatepool. Not only are there more can­didates, but many cite those runningas more qualified and more en-

than ever. Whatever the re-of the sure-to-be-fierce elec­

tion, nearly all agree on the result:a student government that is moreactive, more dedicated moreresporlshre to their needs.

trend with thisyear's is that candidatesfrom all houses are for of­fice. While some have complainedthat in years past certain houseswere overrepresented among stu­dent government officers, this com­plaint almost surely will not comeup this year. Among this year's can­didates, there are four from Blacker,six from Fleming, nine fromDabney, II from Lloyd, three fromPage, four from Ricketts and ninefrom Ruddock. Moreover, the can­didates have had experience in avariety of activities on campus, sothe slate of new officers promisesto be the most representative of thestudent body in recent history.

This new slate of candidates hasa flavor distinct from those of thepast few years. These candidates areinformed and experienced and theycall for somewhat radical changes,but they also face unprecedentedchallenges. Not only will they facestiff competition in the election, butonce in office they will have to dealwith student apathy and a growingbudget crunch within the adminis­tration, among other issues. How­ever, these accomplished and mo­tivated students may have a betterchance than ever of meeting thesechallenges and the winners ofWednesday's elections should bewell-equipped to help solve thepressing problems that face the stu­dent body.

BoC. Calling the BoC "absurdlysecret," Stewart said he does "notbelieve that the accused have a rightto privacy. We students should bedirectly accountable to one anotherand the system should follow ac­cordingly." In contrast, Novel' heldthat "the confidentiality of partici­pants in a case must be respected...We do not want any stigma to at­tach to those individuals ... capableof living under the honor code inspite of a violation." He pledged,however, to "work with the Chairand the rest of the Board to findways to open up the BoC while re­specting the necessary limits im­posed by the Board's obligations."

Stewart's previous experience instudent government includes a yearon the ASCIT Academics and Re­search Committee and Novel' hasserved as the Ruddock BoC Rep forthe past year.

This year marks the secondtimethe student body has elected the stu­dent co-chair of the Conduct Re­view Committee and there are threecandidates competing for the posi­tion this year. Jim Rebesco '05 hasnever served on the CRC, but wasthe vice president of Page Houseand a member of the Page Ath.Team. Nicholas Wall '05 served asa CRC representative this past year.

were asked about the routingof cases to the CRC and while Wallsaid "the routing committee hasdone an exceptional job assigningproper cases to the CRC," Rebescowas wary that "as the breadth ofcases [the CRC] takes on grows, therisk of becomes se­rious."

They also both commented on thepunishments the CRC hands down,with Wall saying, "I strongly sup­port the creative sentencing oftenemployed CRC cases. A pu­nitive measure alone is a strongSV111IJOL but has little education

" Rebesco stated that "thepm,s!tn1il:y of redress allOnlerm(~arIS (lUl2:httohave been ex­

Mi~diati()nis often a bettersolution to a than Dunitiveaction, so action by the oughtto be used as a last resort."

Manuel Garcia '05 is also runningfor CRC Student Co-Chair but didnot respond to interview requests.

The two teams running for edi­tors of the California Tech bothhave some definite plans for im­proving the Tech. Incumbent editorsKevin Bartz '05 and Tammy Ma'05 have already made manychanges during their past year inoffice and along with Leo Stein '06,they intend on making further im­provements by moving toward de­centralization. Ma and Bartz wouldfocus on news, while Stein wouldbe in charge ofthe commentary sec­tion.According to Bartz, this orga­nization would create more ac­countability and more personalizedattention given to writers as well asstyle. They are also consideringadding arts and sports sections.

The Kevin Duncklee 'OS-PeterSamuelson '05 team said that thechanges the current Tech editorshave made are a step in the rightdirection, but they would like tofurther improve the content of thepaper as well as resolve the disputebetween the BoD and the Tech.They also proposed to appoint WillHeltsley '05 as Associate Editor toensure the timely publication of theTech "in proper style and with aminimum of errors." They plan onsoliciting articles from the entire

\!rbe (!California \!rubCaltech 40-58

Pasadena, CA 91126

appropriate ."McGruder's lecture is part of the

"Voices of Vision" series. Accord­ing to Denise Nash, the director ofCaltech Public Events, "The Voicesof Vision series features talks bysome of the most creative thinkersof our time... Our goal is to bringspeakers to campus who engage inthe process of questioning, explo­ration, discovery and creation intheir chosen fields [and] hopefullyinspiring and challenging our cam­pus and community to examine andconsider different viewpoints on avariety of topics ... Judging by theaudience response, AaronMcGruder's visit certainly accom­plished this goal."

The next speaker in the series willbe Lawrence Krauss, author of"The Physics of Star Trek," whowill give a talk on February 26.

Continued/rom Page 2, Column 4"generate a more efficient and fairsystem for the distribution of clubfunding," update and reorganize theUndergraduate Research Opportu­nities Handbook and establish amentoring program for freshman.

For the two candidates for Boardof Control secretary, the HonorCode is the foremost question.When asked what he might say tostudents who don't believe thehonor system is working, LawrenceStewart '04 attributed the declineof the honor code to a decrease instudent-faculty interaction. Hewrote, "When the professor doesn'tactually see your work, but insteadit's graded by some grad-turkeywho sees the job as a paycheck,there is no motivation to do honestwork... Saving our system can onlycome from embracing how we aredifferent and why we are special."

Harris Novel' '04 emphasized that"the responsibility of upholding thehonor code does not fall simply onthe Board, but on us all." He alsoheld that "more effort needs to bemade to raise student awarenessthat the honor code applies notmerely to academics, but to all as­pects of our lives."

Stewart and Novel' also expressedpointed views on the secrecy of the

from Caltech, JPL and CaliforniaCoast Baseball Academy and thePasadena Unified School District.He was given an award by theCaltech Management Associationalong with his very own Caltechbaseball jersey with his name acrossthe back.

Eleanor Helin of JPL said, "Thisbaseball star has elevated to the ce­lestial ranks ... Now [Lasorda] canwatch [his] own celestial body inthe sky" upon presenting Lasordawith his very own asteroid whoseorbit lies between that of Mars andJupiter. "I can't wait 'til it goes overSparky's house," said Lasorda.

The Pasadena Unified SchoolDistrict named a newly constructedbaseball field in Pasadena "TommyLasorda Park" in Lasorda's honor.

Before the close of the program,Lasorda took a minute to reflect onhimself and Caltech, saying, "I'mlike the professors over atCaltech ... The Dodgers are like theCaltech of baseball. They've gotprofessors there and I'm a profes­sor ofbaseball at Dodger Stadium."

Continued/rom Page 1, Column 5

hatred for everyone in a position ofpower or influence was disenchant­ing."

Carlton went on to say that dur­ing the talk, McGruder "kept harp­ing on differences between races,which, as far as I'm concerned, areartificial in nature. While I don'tdispute that we have a long way togo, I disagree wholeheartedly withthe notion that we're fighting abattle. By drawing a line in thesand and declaring those more for­tunate than him to be 'the enemy,'he is taking the struggle for equal­ity and color-blindness backwards.

.As an educated man with a work­ing knowledge of politics, heshould be supporting leaders, can­didates and other voices that makean improvement to the situation,instead of simply whining abouthow 'Any white person in thisroom could decide they want to befamous tomorrow and be fa­mous.'"

Carlton concluded by saying that"it's not a contest that one side iswinning and the other is losing; aslong as there are sides, everybodyloses."

William Fong '04, who also at­tended the event, said, "For themost part I agree with Oscar's as­sessment of McGruder on the issueofrace. However, I think McGruderis right about Bush stealing the elec­tion and I thought his characteriza- .tion of Bush was hilarious at times.But I thought McGruder's com­ments on Eminem were highly in-

THE CALIFORNIA TECH

ng asContinued/rom Page 1, Column 2

8

Courtesy ofD. BaltimoreCaltech President David Balti­more supports stem cell research.

Cautions Against

4More Defective

People in World'

Gulden and the mother offive-year­old Cody Anderson, who has beendiagnosed with a severe form ofdiabetes. In addition, a letter fromNancy Reagan was read, which im­plored the nation to not tum its backon the possibilities of cures for dis­eases that the research could find.

Dr. Baltimore also spoke outagainst human cloning, citing con­cerns that the current cloning pro­cedures are not yet safe enough toensure that the person will be bornwith out significant defects. His re­mark that "we don't want to bringmore defective people into theworld" raised concerns amongsome present that scientists want to"eliminate quote-unquote 'inferior'people," according to AndreaLafferty, executive director of theTraditional Values Coalition. Ms.Lafferty was reminded ofeugenics,the Nazi plan to control physicalcharacteristics to create the masterrace.

Refuting the claim, Dr. Baltimoreproclaimed, "All reasonable peoplehate, abhor and want to see [eugen­ics] banned from the world." Hewas unable, however, to convincethe skeptics in the audience of thisview.

Despite the large crowd and var­ied support that spoke in favor ofthe bill, chances of its passing intolaw are slim, as the Bush adminis­tration has already indicated that itwill veto the bill. The Bush stancehas been to deny funding to all clon­ing efforts, except for 70 or soprojects that were in progress whenPresident Bush took office.

the stands at one ofhis minor leaguebaseball games. Lasorda jokedaround, telling of how he was oncecalled by his wife on her comingsecond to baseball, saying, "Sheonce claimed I loved the Dodgersand baseball more than her. .. I said,"Yeah, but I love you more thanfootball or basketball."

The evening was full of laughterand thunderous applause from thecrowd, with one of the loudest re­sponses coming from a piece ofpointed criticism of Dodgers own­ership, Rupert Murdoch and FOX,by Lasorda. When former ownerPeter O'Malley came out on stage,Lasorda said, "Let's get Peter backrunning this club again!" at whichpoint the crowd erupted.

At the end of the evening, Lasordawas presented with a myriad of gifts