ervingMa

error in every caption, every mintin every paper, as she for threeyears put the good of the Techover her social and academic ob­ligations.

I could fill a 12-page issue withreasons to like Tammy. Tammycame in with a wealth of experi­ence, two years under her belt ed­iting her community teen news­paper. There, the editor was headhoncho, in charge of both editorialand business staffs. At the Tech,Tammy's broad expertise was theglue that held the Tech together.

1 was amazed at Tammy'sversatility. When a spare articleneeded writing, Tammy pickedit up at a moment's notice, aboveand beyond the necessary wordcount. When a spare photo need­ed taking, Tammy strapped up hercamera and took it. When I wastoo lazy to do pay splits, Tammylogged in and did it so the writerswould get their checks on time.

Tammy collected and laid outthe mints every week, somethingI know must've bored someonewith her writing talent. Tammylaid out the comics and single­handedly put together the tediousRotation issues, writing the un­written articles, placing the un­

lines and arranging theContinued on 7, Column 1

ed are the less communal dinnersand less coherent community. Inadditi0I1, some of the items cited

,,,,,,iti'\IP, were also consideredsuch as thc ster­

ile social environment and highercost to live in In addition,

is isolated geographicallyfrom the rest of the houses andisolated SIncelacks one lounge forresidents.

The obvious thatwill have en-

trance of freshman. believethat community will de-

more steadily with fresh­man. Interim Vice-ChancellorChris Wetzel said, "Avery's go­ing through a transitional phase.There would be a positive growthin the community. In the pasttwo years the Avery communityhas tried to eome together. Morepeople want to stay here now." Inaddition, Avery residents want toincrease the interaetion betweenundergraduates and graduate stu­dents.

Wetzel explained that he stayedin Avery because he had a lowroom-pick in his own house, andhe liked Avery. He also said, "Av­ery wants to be inclusive, to beas accommodating as possible.We don't want to force people todo things, but we want people tomeet each other. It's a tough bal­ance." Former Chaneellor RyanWitt also agreed that achievingthe right balance for Avery is cru­cial.

Avery's inclusion of freshmanrepresents an opportunity for theresidents to establish new tradi­tions. Chris said, "To lay it all

DAVID CHEN

61

tor:

Continued on Page 8, Column 1

The futurecontroversialcussed last

hall.

nesses. andHouser, Director of the Career

Center, served asthe "I have no agen­da," he said, also noting that hehad moderated before for variousgroups and clubs, and for previ­ous Avery discussions.

The participants had five min­utes to brainstorm their thoughts,and then they shared their thoughtswith others at their tables. Eachtable had about five participants,who consolidated their pointsonto a poster paper to paste at thefront of the room.

The posters from the tableswere then discussed among theentire audience. The strengthsthat most people agreed on are thediversity of Avery, including themix of undergraduates, graduatestudents, and faculty. Some alsoliked the clean and quiet atmo­sphere, in combination with thebetter food served in Avery. Mostnotably, however, many partici­pants cited the flexible nature ofAvery, since the lack of traditionscreates less pressure.

Some weaknesses that they not-

transition.If you have any idea what I'm

talking about, you're probablyTammyMa.

But such was the nature of herjob: no one knew what happenedbehind the scenes. No one said"thank you" as Tammy workedquietly, worked devotedly, fixingevery grammatical mistake, every

By KEVIN BARTZ

Managing Tech

was completely invisible to infra­red since glass is insulating.

Observations from Spitzer havealready suggested or given addi­tional evidence to various theo­ries regarding galaxy and planetformation. In light of the heat offar-away stars, it now seems cer­tain that suns form when dust,much of it from asteroid colli­sions, coalesces into the giant fu­sion reactors. The true extent ofthe spiral geometry in the Whirl­pool Galaxy is also only seen ininfrared.

--------Continued on Page 8, Column 4

L. Tran/The CalljiJrnla Tech

Members of the Tech staff pose after thei.r ulti.mate lunchm{~etingwith editors Ma and Matt Walker.

BoD photos. Ted Jou bunnyears. The good fight over the AS­CIT minutes. Recruiting her ex­boyfriend to do the mints. Head­ing up a last-minute scramble toreport on the Vectors cancellation.Quietly holding down the fort asshe took social flak for a Tech in

one of headlines, bylines and ser­vice on the front lines to a Techthat, over Matt's 49 issues, hascome into its own. It's a legacyfor which we as students, ben­eficiaries of Matt's selfless work,owe him a tremendous debt ofthanks.

Over Prefrosh Weekend, Mattwas paired with Abe Fetterman'05, a rabble-rouser I broughtaboard in spring 2002 to ener­gize a then-listless Tech. "Myideal host would be named AbeFetterman," Matt bad written onhis questionnaire. Little did Mattknow what he was getting him­self into!

True to Abe's tradition, Matt'sfirst few articles struck up a con­troversy. In his Nov. 4, 2003"Homelessness: No Joking Mat­ter," Matt criticized Dabney formaking light of homelessnessby dressing as hobos at a Rud­dock dinner. Needless to say, thatangered the seven-house titans.Then-Ruddock President Rob-

7, Column 3

or will soon be no longer opera­tional. When all four were opera­tional, NASA will be able to scanthe heavens in almost the entireelectromagnetic spectrum. Thevisible wavelengths turn out to beof only marginal usefulness dueto cosmic dust.

Infrared is useful for studyingstars and other bright objects, ashot objects can be very easily dis­tinguished from dust clouds. Todemonstrate, a scientist coveredherself in an opaque plastic bag.When she was viewed throughan infrared camera, her form andfeatures were clearly revealedeven under the bag as her bodyradiated waves of heat. She thenheld a panel of fully transparentglass over her face. This time, she

By KEVIN BARTZ

By JON MALMAUD

ews irecto StepsDown After Issue 49I broke into the usual giddy­

faeed sales pitch. "And you getthree free units, and $30 an arti­cle, and if you're really good, youcan go on to become an editor andbe famous!"

The prefrosh in front of mebroke into a dry smile. Little did Iknow, he would be the one of thehapless few who would buy mypitch--hook, line and sinker.

There's a reason besides hisshaved head that we call MattWalker '06 "The Rock"; he's thesingle most dependable reporterand editor I know. When I neededa same-day article on StephenWolfram's talk, Matt delivered.When I needed someone to fill inthick-aver-thin lines between ar­ticles, Matt delivered. And in fall2003, when I needed someone totake over a Tech I no longer hadtime to maintain, Matt delivered.

Nearly three years to the daysince I pitched the Tech to a pre­frosh in Ruddock, Matt Walkerleaves behind a storied legacy--

---------Continued on

Space. The final frontier. Ac­tually, deep ocean will probablybe the final frontier. The Spitzerdeep-space infrared telescopedoes, however, paint an intriguingpicture of the penultimate fron­tier. Michael Warner, a projectscientist working at the SpitzerScience Center, gave a lectureWednesday evening on how theheat-seeking telescope is helpingastronomers shed some light oncosmic mysteries.

Spitzer is one of one of theformerly four major NASA tele­scopes scouting the depths ofour extraterrestrial domains, theothers being Hubble, Chandra,and Compton. Two of those are

D. Karta/The CalijiJrnla Tech

Spitzer Science Center Scientist Michael Warner discusses how the Spitzer Telescope, formerly SIRTF,is helping astronomers improve their understanding of the cosmos.

Spitzer Telescope Reveals PlanetaryFormation, Space Life Possibilities

VOLUME CVI, NUMBER 20 PASADENA, CALIFORNIA MARCH 14,2005======================= ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;-

2 THE CALIFORNIA TECH NEWS MARCH 14,2005

In

MelodyGrubbs

100k

AdamCraig55%

Write-In2%

The Tech is published weekly except duringvacation and examination periods by the As­sociated Students of the California Instituteof Technology, Inc. The opinions expressedherein arc strictly those of the authors andadvertisers.

Letters and submissions are welcome; e­mail submissions to tech@tech.caltech.edu asplain-text attachments, including the author'sname, by Friday of the week before publica­tion. Sorry the Tech does not accept anony­mous contributions. The editors reserve theright to edit and abridge all submissions forany reason. All written work remains propertyof its author.

The advertising deadline is five p.m. Friday;alladvertising should be submitted electroni­cally or as camera-ready art, but the Tech canalso do simple typesetting and arrangement.All advertising inquiries should be directedto the business manager at business@tech.caltech.edu. For subscription infonnation,please send mail to "Subscriptions."

Matthew H Walker Robert MorellNews Director Circulation

Tammy Yee Wing Ma Vi Tuong TranManaging Ellitor Business Manager

The California TechCaltech 40-58, Pasadena, CA 91125

editorial desk: (626) 395-6153advertising desk: (626) 395-6154

editorial c-mail: tech@tech.caltech.edu

VOLUME CVI, NUMBER 20

Ryan

Truong­Cao450/0

Tech EditorsN

UDAL

Leibs41°k

I rd Ti42°A>

ElizabethShay19%

CRC COdPChair, First RoundNo

100k

Write-In10k

AleksCheckin

19°k

Franklin Jiron21%

Write-In2%

~_.Write-In%

ParvathyMenon55%

No15%

Write-In15%

No18%

t

BoC SecretaryNo

24%

SecretaryNo

11%

Write-In1%

Treasurer

FDALHanwen

Yan13%

11

MeaghanPacely330/0

AntonShuster

Kelly Un59%

JamesBerglund

24%

dPPres

DmitriyKernasov

kiy530A, Jean

No14%

No110/0

Write-In10/0

Montague1

Write-In.,--,--, ..,

1%

Chairman

Social DirectorNo8%

MelodyGrubbs

130/0

RockyVelez38%

Director ofAcademic Affairs

Senior Class

Meng-MengFu

56%

THE CALIFORNIA TECH COMMENTARY MARCH 14, 2005 3

courtesy of wh'w.athletics.caltech.edu

Katherine Harvard wraps upher amazing season with hersecond visit to Nationals.

Men's Basketball: Year inReview

This year, the Men's Basket­ball team observed numerousimprovements over the previousseason.

Team scoring increased 43%,as junior Jordan Carlson andfreshman Bryan Hires lead theteam in scoring. Team field goalpercentage improved just as dra­matically, from 25% in 2003­2004 to 36% this season. Teamdefense improved significantly aswell--opponents' scoring dropped17% this year, and opponents'field-goal percentage fell as well,from 55% in 2003-2004 to 46%this past season. Part of the defen­sive improvement was no doubtdue to improved defense inside.The team's shot-blocking morethan quadrupled this year, to 2.4blocks per game.

With a good mix of seasonedveterans and talented newcom­ers, the future of the program is

Women's Water Polo at CSUEast Bay Invitational

The Women's Water Polo teamheaded north this past weekendfor a match at UC Santa Cruzfonowed by a four7match tourna­ment at the CSU East Bay Invi­tational. The team lost to UCSC,4-11. This was followed by lossesto CSU East Bay (3-15), CSUMonterey Bay (2-11), and twolosses to Sonoma State (0-9 and3-11 respectively).

Sophomore Preetha Sinha ledthe team in scoring on the tripwith four goals. Senior BethDorman and junior Bekah Easonfinished with three each. Seniorgoalkeeper Delia Davies had 26saves.

The team plays next March19th-20th at the Claremont Mudd­Scripps Invitational. Its nexthome match is the Caltech Invita­tional, Mareh 22nd at the CaltechClassic, where the team will hostprograms from all around thecountry.

ough Losses

UCVancssa

Women's Sabre as"wild card" alternate for Nation­als after 5-7 at Regi<)llclls.Senior H;:lormalOSabre also went 5-7, tlnlshmgin the region.

This marks the final meet formost of the team. As for Harvard,she win travel to Rice Universityin Houston Texas for the 2005NCAA Championships, March17-20.

Congratulations to the wholeprogram on another outstandingseason!

Just one week earlier, Zortmanhad set a new record with a throwof 117 feet, 8 inches. Should Zort­man post a mark of 38.9 meters,or 127 feet, 7 inches, she will pro­visionally qualify for the Division1II NCAA Championships.

Meanwhile at Trinity Univer­sity, several Caltech Track andFielders set personal records intheir events. Among the high­lights, Senior Helen Tai posted a4.55 meters in the Women's Longjump. Freshman Rene Davis hadpersonal bests of 36.02 meters inthe Discus and 27.00 meters inthe Javelin. Junior Dmitriy Ker­nasovskiy set career marks in the400 Meter Dash (55.83) and theLong Jump (5.16 meters).

The team competes next at theSCIAC Multi-Duals this Fridayand Saturday.

Fencing: Harvard qualifies forNational Championships atNCAA Western Regionals

Forthe secondI straight year,SophomoreFencer Kath­erine Harvard

I will representI Caltech at theI NCAA Champi-

I~~~~s. ~tst~~~I Regionals host­I ed by StanfordI University, Har­I vard was 11-1! in her bouts, fin­I ishing the yearI rankcd 2nd in

coul1esy of www.athletics.caltech.edu i the Western Re­Senior Kristen Zortman set a new glOn.school record in women's As aShe is on Harvard,

omore

Track & Field: Zortmanbreaks team

COrllp(~tesatmost of her teammates

traveled to San Antonio, Texasfor the Trinity University Invi­tation, Senior Kristen Zortmancompeted at the CSU NorthridgeAll-Comers in her signatureevent, women's javelin.

Once again, Zortman broke herown school record, with a markof 36.5 meters, or 119 feet, 9inches.

building a young program. "Aplayer like Shannon is ajoy to anycoach. You know that once shecommits to something, she willdedicate herself to improving andmotivatingothers."

"[Athletics]forces you tobe committed,and to get yourwork done ontime," saysLewis.

Lewis saysit helps her tohave the com­mitment andsupport of herteammates."To know ev­eryone who'sthere wantsto be there­

one'sPolo - Sh:anllOn

I,ewisShannon Lew­a Senior from

DC

Student-Athlete

forher role as teamleader and orga-nizer.

Coach Clinton Dodd says "Shehas been the most conscientious,responsible person on the teamfor the last four years. She hasalways excceded expectations asour distance specialist."

Women's Water Polo CoachCalla Allison agrees and is grate­ful to have Shannon's help in

courtesy 0 \VVv'\'V'.athletics.ca tech.edu

Senior Isaac Gremmer (P/tb) (left) has led Caltech both at theplate and on the mound. Senior Jason (SS) leads theteam in hitting.

15% to 25%. Team assists morethan tripled to 161. Total stealsincreased 60%. The team's totalblocks shot upward from 11 in2003-2004 to 71. That improve­ment helped lead to opposingfield goal percentages fallingfrom 46% to 41 %.

The team set several season re­cords for points scored, most fieldgoals made, most three-pointersmade, total rebounds, total assistsand total blocks.

With a talented core of now­seasoned freshman and more re­cruits on the way, the future of theWomen's Basketball program atCaltech is extremely promising.

arvard QualifiesRecord,

Fencing'sBreaks

town West.first game will beat 11 :00 AM. StUldeIlt-f\thilete Sp()Ui!~ht.

Women's Basketball: Year inReview

The Caltech Women's Basket­ball team improved by leaps andbounds this past season, boostedby the best recruiting class in theprogram's history,

In comparison to last year, teamscoring shot up an astronomical128%. Team shooting rose from

By MIKE RUPP

Caltech Baseball: Team HostsAlumni Game

The Caltech Baseball teamhosted its 2005 Alumni Game thispast Saturday, with many formerBeavers returning to give theirbest efforts against this year'steam.

After giving up two runs in thefirst, freshman starting pitcherShawn Surdyk settled down,shutting out the Alumni in hisnext four innings.

An RBI-triple by senior short­stop Jason Quimby tied the gamein the third inning. He was im­mediately followed by senior firstbaseman Isaac Gremmer, whodoubled him in. Caltech wouldscore three runs in the inning.

In the bottom of the eighth,Caltech pounded in another fiveruns, most notably with a basesloaded two RBI single by juniorcatcher Tim Boyd.

The alumni had their last chancein the top of the ninth, putting twomen on base with two outs. Butjunior centerfielder Dan Soudekmade an incredible catch to endthe game. Final score: Caltech 9,Alumni 2.

Gremmer was the top playerfor the Beavers with three RBIsand pitching four shut-out inningsof relief. Gremmer, who has wonthe Caltech Baseball Alumni Tro­phy in each of his three previousseasons, currentlyleads the team inRBIs with sevenin five games.Quimby leads theteam with ninehits.

The team playsits next

CAMPUS OFK<1:CE:

515 S,WilsonAvc.· MIS 100-63(626) 395.()300 • www.cefcu.org

rate .,and no

and caU

branch t(lr an ap]l!ic:atiion.or come in our

IVCDA: Your savings federally insured to $100,000 by the Nation3!. Credit UnionA.drninistration, LLS. GU\iernnlcnt agency. CEFCU is an Equal Oppol1:1.1nHy Lender,

it to join

deposit in om !llgJll-yleKLfederaJ1y insured savingsaccount, and a

membership fcc. Jmt visitour on-campus branch,

4 THE CALIFORNIA TECH COMMENTARY MARCH 14,2005

+_ .....uw ........... +tt

ltech

By HAMILTONY FALK

cOUl1esy of N.. Pierce

Marathoner and Tech Editor Matthew Walker brings the baton home for the CaUechteam.

I've now been writing for the Tech forabout 14 months. and 1 regret that my con­tribution to what has been a fine newspaperis about to come to an end. The incomingeditor and 1 do not share the same opinionsabout the Tech, so I'll be resigning as a col­umnist, at least for the time being. If yourrereally desperate for more articles, feel freeto e-mail HamiITony@gmail.com. If forsome reason I actually get a few e-mails,I might write some articles and send themto the folks who've asked. Or 1 might not,I'm a lazy person.

I'd like to let everyone know that due tosome "constructive criticism" in a posterput up by Adam Craig during his campaignto take over the Tech, I'll be making somechanges to my writing style. If you'd liketo read what he wrote about me, I've in­cluded it below. First of all, 1 promise thatI won't use any more parenthetical com­ments (and I'll stop blatantly lying) or us­ing footnotes I .

Those were the two main problems withmy writing personally (I can't believe ittook me so long to realize that my paren­thetical comments were breaking up theflow of my words, making my paragraphsawkward) but 1 think 1 can also learn fromthe advice given to others. 1 think 1 willavoid qualifiers, which are somewhat use­less, because of course things either areor are not whatever adjective 1 choose todescribe them, modifying an adjective isjust comically ridiculous. 1 think 1 shouldalso make sure that I don't use anythingderived from the term "surprised" with­out explaining why exactly I found thesethings surprising (I supposed I'd better justassume anyone who reads my articles aretoo dumb to figure these things out on theirown).2 I'll avoid using any sort of techni­cal jargon, especially if I mention research.Instead of typing "laser" for example, I'llexplain what the acronym means: LargeAlien Super Exploding R-zapping thing. I

promise that I will no longer use rhetori­cal questions, since we all know they'reuseless anyway, right? If I should decideto ask my readers a question, I will leavesome space after it for them to answer, likethis. Do you think rhetorical questions con­tribute to the persuasiveness or eloquenceof an editorial? _

I'll also avoid metaphors, since they arclike a deadly flower, beautiful to see, butfull of bees. I promise not to have "undesir­able breaches of un-improper prose style."I also promise to figure out what exactlythat means. I will never dare mention thename of another newspaper, not even theNew York Times, The Wall Street Journalor even The Toronto Sun. 3 Using refer­ences like this, as well as the other thingsI'm correcting, no longer meet with mystandards for clarity, conciseness, fluidityor vividness.

Here is the section of Adam Craig's pro­paganda referring to me:

"In 'The Art of Becoming A Man: [etc],'Hamiltony Falk makes five parentheticalcomments and three comments set apartfrom the rest of the text as footnotes. If theyare relevant enough to appear in the articleat all, then they are relevant enough to in­corporate into the body of the paragraphsin which they appear. Otherwise, the other[We can assume he meant author here. Thisman is editing the Tech now. Oops, I for­got I'm not allowed to write parentheticalcomments.] should be exclude them com­pletely. Parenthetical snippets and tangentsbreak up the flow of the words, making theparagraph sound awkward."

(1) Unless I feel like it.(2) Oops, there I go breaking up the flow

of my paragraphs again. I promise that inthe future I will strive to do better.

(3) Which is not only a newspaper that isnot the Tech, but is Canadian as well.

On Sunday morning, the 2nd Caltech Marathon Relay was held on the Caltech track -- head to head against the LA Marathon elitefield with a live television feed from the race course. 17 Caltech undergrads, grads, staff, faculty and alumni ran as a team, runningsplits of 400 ill.

On average, team members ran seven legs of the relay at a pace of 69 secs per lap (two team members aggravated injuries early inthe race and were unable to continue).

The team turned in a time of 2:0 I :20 for the marathon, compared to the LA winner's 2:09:35 and the world record 2:04:55. Lastyear with a team of 38 Techers, we weren't sure if we'd be able to keep pace with the elite marathoners, but we ended up breaking twohours.

This year was a lot tougher...some worried looks in the middle of the race as we started to get tired...but a great day.

Editor:Complaints Over TechFood an Old Tradition

Dear Editor,

You can check out more photos of the event at: http://homepage.mac.com/gillianqpierce/Caltech/PhotoAlbum7.html

The second CaUechof 400 m each.

Team poses for a after theircourtesy of N. Pierce

:20 finish. Each member of the 17 person team nm seven

I guess the one constant in student lifeis complaining about the state of the foodservice ("When It Comes to Being onBoard...", by Hamilton Falk). If we stepback a decade and a half, we can see wherethings used to be. Other than the ratio (7: 1at the time), food was at the top of thecomplaint list. Back then there wasn't a"Caltech Dining Service". The board con­tract was in fact by competitive bid, andindeed in some years that bid went to localrestaurants.

What did we get? Well, the cost wasabout the same or more, inflation-adjusted.There was no convenience store, no BroadCafe, no Avery Cafe, no debit cards, andno ability for students on board to eat atChandler. The Red Door was pretty much acloset next to the Y that sold coffee. Lunchand dinner were served in your house din­ing room, during the dining hours only, andif you didn't like the entree of the eveningthe one choice was "dining with the Cap­tain (Crunch)".

The only

- Jason SuraceRicketts '92

THE CALIFORNIA TECH COMMENTARY MARCH 14, 2005 5

Fabolous, Lil' Mo, Joe Budden, PharoheMonch, and more.

As a music enthusiast and violoinist my­self, I was instantly attracted to Ben-Ari'smusic. Originally, I had seen her in a tele­vised Ecko fashion show two years agoas a largely unknown freelance musician,but she definitely capture my attention,and from that point on, I stuck my headout for any news of the "hip-hop violin­ist." Although she is sure to draw detract­ing purists that say that the violin shouldnot be used in such a manner, I can onlyapplaud her for taking such bold and yetamazing steps to help refresh a genre oftendenounced for a lack of musicality and anexcess of gawdy jewelry, misogyny, andviolence. Having listened to some of herwork, I will vouch that Miri Ben-Ari is aninnovator, not only for the field of hip-hop,but for music in general. I salute Miri's ef­forts to bring out the protean musical ca­pabilities of the violin. After all, as in herown words, " .. .from Bach to Tupac, it's allmusic."

*1e5t names are registered trademarks of their respective owners.**Conditions and restrictions apply, For complete guarantee eligibilityrequirements, visit kaptest.comjhsg. The Higher Score Guarantee appliesonly to Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions courses taken and completed with·in the United States and Canada, Tile Higher Score Guarantee does notapply to peAT and TOEFL courses. tRebate restrictions apply. Visitkaptest.com/rebate for complete information.

more infc.rmath>n oror

Receive a $100 rebate when you enroll in aKaplan course between March 1st - March 31st,

courtesy of h'\vl+'.smithhody.com

Miri a talented 26 year-old violinist and composer, has already collaborat-ed with Alicia Keys and Twista, and written instrumentals for MariahCarey, Seal and BrUney Spears.

Ben-Ari's rising success has been largelyinfluenced by hip-hop's integration into themainstream. With hip-hop and R&B domi­nating seven of 10 songs currently in theBillboard Top 10, record producers havecontinually looked to incorporate new,more worldly, elements into hip-hop in or­der to draw a larger listener base. For that,Miri's sound is sure to become a mainstay.

Her upcoming album's first single, "Sun­shine to the Rain," features R&B croonerAnthony Hamilton and rapper Scarface inan smooth, easygoing beat, contrasting anindustry dominated by the hard, gangstastyle of 50 Cent and company. Even themusic video espouses hip-hop in differentlight, depicting it as a unifying force. Miristands out on a street corner, performingwith her beloved instrument, and gravitat­ing the urban masses to her makeshift stage.The attitude is positive and energetic, andthe album is sure to bring out even more,especially with hot production and rhymesfrom hip-hop's current renaissance manKanye and other contributions from Mya,

cOllliesy 'of S.

take a break from their dig;giIllg

High School in Alhambra to tutor studentsfor the upcoming SAT. He notes "For manyof the kids, they would be the first in theirfamily to attend college and break out ofthat cycle of poverty. All it really takes isfor someone to help them along and tellthem they can do it." Ex-Navy graduatestudent Patricia Neil, who led a trip to theVet's Garden to work on a micro-gardenproject says it was "fun to make an impacton a project that helps so many veterans...those who come just to sit in the garden tothose who work there to help earn moneyor a new skill". And community organi­zations too have glowing words for Techvolunteers. David GooIer, former presidentof the local chapter of Rebuilding Togethersays "Of all the volunteers that we get,Caltech students put in the most effort andenjoy it."

Check out the Caltech Y website athttp://caltechy.org for more details or signup information. If you have questions,contact Greg Fletcher, gregf@its.caltech.edu, (staff, Caltech Y) or Esther Lee,esther@its.caltech.edu, (student ExCommPresident, Caltech Y).

The event is co-sponsored by the Tour­nament of Roses Foundation, GSC, Stu­dent Affairs and the Crawford Fund.

and Notorious "Biggie Smalls" B.I.G.Drawing from rap and hip-hop's roots injazz, the fresh-faced musician began ex­perimentation on what she could do withher violin to simulate the heavy bass andfunk of these hip-hop beats. As a result,Miri Ben-Ari quickly captured the rapt at­tention of some of the biggest names in themusic world. She was not only spotted by

producer Jean, but also en-dorsed by Jay-Z and his Roc-A-Fella campand sooner than she could say "violin,"Miri was wowing audiences at the ApolloTheater and BET's hits countdown show106 and Park.

Just as talented in production as she isin performing on her stringed instrument,Miri has arranged and written instrumen­tals for the likes of Mariah Carey, Seal, andBritney Spears, not to mention her maincollaborator Kanye West, making her justabout the only person in the world able tomellifluously pair a major arpeggio withan 808 Roland Drum Synthesizer. She pro­duced all of the stringed instrumentals onKanye West's multi-platinum rookie CDThe College Dropout and lent her talents inmany West-produced hit singles for Twista,Brandy, and Janet Jackson. For this, Ben­Ari has found an unique niche in the multi­million dollar business of hip-hop music.

By THOMAS TSAI

Make a DifferenceVolunteersa smile and a n;,'t",...

The Caltech Y is proud to announce itsannual Make A Difference Day, Saturday,April 2nd. Students, faculty, staff, alumniand community members will fan out tovolunteer with at up to 20 different com­munity-based projects on teams led bystudents. Project areas include light con­struction and painting, environmental andoutdoor focused work, visiting elderly anddisabled peoples' facilities, reading and tu­toring children, and sorting donated items.As always, the Y will organize meals (allthree - breakfast at the Y, lunch at the siteand a BBQ back at Caltech with volunteersfrom all the projects after the event) andtransportation for all volunteers. For thoseof you who get out of campus rarely, orhave always wanted to volunteer but hadlittle opportunity to because of the time­commitment required to set it up, this is aperfect opportunity to explore the possi­bilities With local organizations. Have timeconstraints on Saturday? Different projectsare available at different times.

First held in 2001, the event has beengrowing larger every year, from under a 100volunteers in 200 I, to 200 last year. Previ­ous project leaders have positive things tosay about their experience. UndergraduateJonathan So led a team to Mark Keppel

Making a Difference, One ayat a Time, with the Caltech Y

By SIDHARTH JAGG!

For music usually heard in chandelier­strung concert halls featuring venues ofJoshua Bell and Itzhak Perlman, the melo­dious sounds of violin usually do not cometo mind when it comes to the head-nodding,bass-thumping sounds of hip-hop. Howev­er, Miri Ben-Ari is attempting to change itall. Armed with a bow and a rosin, Ben-Ariis primed to make her mark in the musicalworld.

At first glance, it is hardly believablethat the small, Isreali-born 26 year-oldtears it up with the likes of heavy hitterslike Alicia Keys, Twista, and Kanye West,but Miri has got the flow and the soul, es­pecially when it comes to music. Like therappers that she works with, Miri spits outher verses, except with the violin. Mostrecently, she was credited with a Grammyfor her contributions in Kanye's mega-hitsingle "Jesus Walks" and will be rollingout with a new album, The Hip-Hop Vio­linist, later this year under the Universalrecord label.

Originally a classical violinist with as­pirations of composing Jazz, Miri Ben-Ariimmigrated to the United States at the ageof 16 to enroll in the Mannes School ofMusic in New York City. In America, how­ever, she was quickly drawn to the hypno­tizing beats of late rappers Tupac Shakur

6 THE CALIFORNIA TECH COMMENTARY MARCH 14,2005

STUPIDTOWNS­PEOPLE,

I

THEMUTEBUTTONS,

\

SO FAR,SO GOOD.

THATt.JASOURC.F.O.

\

HEY, I KNOW. WHYDONT YOU TRY TOGET AN APPOINT-MENT SOYOU CANQUESTION?

CALLBETWEEN

SO ITA

POLICE RELEASED THISSKETCH. THE GUY LIKESTO YELL SOMETHINGABOUT A "FIST OFDEATH."

J

programofficers a ~rmt!, I"

areQualified technical majors can

of approximately$1,500 per for up to 3 yearsprior to graduation and qualifiednon-teehnical majors can receivethis salary for up to 2 years prior tograduation. Additional informationis available at: www.navy.com.

®

~

9

-J-~~--Il'" Ii.--_--b.--"_

UM...WOULDN'TTHAT BE HISSECRETARYS JOB?

ANDYOU HIS

PEOPLE WERE AVAIL­ABLE AND ONL'{ ONEOf THEM FORGOTTO CALL IN

\,

BECAUSE. EVERY ONE OFTHEM t.JAS BE.ATEN UPIN FRONT OF THEBUILDING BY A GUYWITH PYRAMID-SHAPEDHAIR.

COULD YOUTELL ME ALLOF TIMESHE AVAlL-ABLE IN THENEXT

Educaid their "DOli-bleTake" SVlleepsltal\es, Win two

Scflolelrstlips - One for youand one for your school. Applica­tions are available in the FinancialAid Offiee, or on Edueaid's web­site: https://www.educaid.com/dou­bletake

---------""-<J---------_E E~ ~

::;,

1>1$e~

I"lI;

'"~~"

gt?

j

""T'C.'O~"""""li '--""__.lm--I

HELLO f THIS IS ASOI(THE INTERN. AMTRYING TO SET UP ACONFERENCE CALLWITH 'YOUR BOSS

OTHER

I

r~

I HATE t.JALKING \"TO WORK IN THIS .I

HIGH-CRIME. AREA)~~-'~!l...J"~'"'-~-

ASOI" YOUR POINTY­HAIRED BOSS t.JANT5YOU TO SET UP A CON­FERENCE CALL WITHALL THE DIVISIONAANAGER5.

SENIOR MANAIGEI''\HIT

HAS D~~II~~1DOUR C OUT OfTHIS HIGH-CRIMEAREA.

Awardawardeddios to encourage studentssue Ares and An.imatilon.Award are chosen based ontheir entries in a contest. The contestis open to all students pf all nations,regardless of field of study. To enterthe contest, students should down-

~AliCE I NEtD YOUR '3

AND 1 NEED 1IT RIGHT NOW. "

1========4====F..=:=l1

Sallie Mae Fund applicationsare now available for four differentscholarships. These scholarshipsare available to low income and mi­nority students to increase access tohigher education. Please visit theirwebsite for deadlinesand apIJlicati()n

The Desk and Derrick Educa­tional Trust Scholarship applica­tions are now available for studentsseeking degrees in fields related tothe petroleum, energy and alliedindustries, Six $1,500 scholarshipsare dedicated for female students;one unrestricted scholarship for$1,000 will also be available. Ap­plieations must be received by AprilI, 2005. Please visit their websitefor application forms: http://www.addc.org.

The Minerals, Metals & Mate-

taught boleroInstruetor: Andre FortinWhen: 8 Mondays, 7:30-9pm,

Mareh 28 - May 23 (no class May9)

Where: Winnett LoungeCost: $40/8 week series or $6/

class for Caltech students; $56/se­nes or

$8/class for nonstudentsNo partner or dance experience

required

dents must a DEED membersponsor for their student researchgrant or Applicationsare accepted January 15 and July15 each year. For morc informationvisit: http://www.appanet,org/res

ScholarshipsThe Financial Aid Offiee has ap­

plications and/or information onthe following as well as additionalundergraduate scholarships. Allqualified students are encouragedto apply. Our office is located inthe Center for Student Services M/C 110-87. Please see our websitefor more information: www.finaid.caltech.edu/news.html

The 2005 Olive W. Garvey Fel­lowships are now available. Thisfellowship, available to both gradu­ate and undergraduate students, isawarded based on the best essayon the topic: "The great aim of thestruggle for liberty has beenity before the law." The de;adlinc

, 2005. For furthertion visit: lwp:/'/wwH·.indepel'ldimt.

Caltech Ballroom SemifonnalWhen: Sat. April 16th, general

dancing starts 9pmWhere: Dabney Lounge on

Caltech eampusWhat: Ballroom, latin, and swing

daneing; great musie and refresh­ments

Cost: free!Dress to impress!

USA Funds Access to Educa-tion are available 'now to students with demonstratedfinancial need. USA Funds willaward up to $3 million dollars inrenewable scholarships. Scholar­ships range from $750 to $1500 peraeademic year based on enrollment.Please visit their website for re­quirements and application fonns:www.usafunds.org. The deadline toapply is March 15,2005.

$5

Please join FICCIT in an EveningExploring Iranian Culture. Nowmz(Iranian New Year) Educationand Celebration

Date: Sunday, March 27, 2005Time: 6pm-midnightLocation: Dabney Hall on

Caltech CampusThe celebration will include:

traditional Persian dancers, a tra­ditional dinner, traditional Persianmusic, informative posters describ­ing different regions of Iran, and alate-night DJ for dancing.

In the minds of Iranians, theword Nowruz invokes colorful im­ages which are sumptuous, elegant,and opulent as well as delight­fully simple, refreshing, and cor­dial. Plcasc join us in celebratingthe new year and the bcginning ofspring. Reserve your scat today!For more information and reserva­tion form visit http://ficcit.caltech.edu/nowruz/

Upcoming Caltech BallroomDance Club Events:

Class: 8 weeks of professionally

advance the door. Tickctsand additional information beobtained from the CaltechOffice at 395-4652. orfree at 1-888-2CALTECH (1-888­222-5832). Or check the Folk Mu­sic Society web site at http://www.folkmusic.caltech.edu

The Beckman Political Intern­ship will be available again thissummer. The internship, supportedby friends of Arnold O. Beckman,will pay a stipend of $5,000. It al­lows a selected intern to spend thesummer working in the office of apolitician or a government agencyand to see from the inside the pro­cess of government. The applicantis expected to make arrangementswith the appropriate political per­sons or organizations. The intern­ship is open to any Caltech un­dergraduate who intends to be astudent next year.

If interested, submit a proposaldescribing where and how youwould use the stipend along withone faculty recommendation, tothe Deans' Office, 210-87, or emailmachang@caltech.edu, by MON­DAY, MARCH 28, 2005

The Irishappear at Caltech on ~"hn'<I"v

March 19 at 8:00 PM.the eelebration of Saint Pat-

alive for a morethis fine of young

men from Ireland wereBest Traditional Newcomers 2003

Irish Music M~lgazine,

Pronounced " this all-acoustic band is a to watch andhear, mixing a few tender balladswith driving jigs, reels, and horn­pipes. They feature the uniquelysweet fiddle playing of Sligo musi­cian, Oisln Mac Diarmada, in tan­dem with the rhythmic subtlety ofMonaghan banjo/bouzouki player,Sean McElwain. Their uniquelycrafted tune settings are beautifullyenhanced by two of Ireland's finestaccompanists. Tristan Rosenstockfrom Dublin, on bodhnin, brings tothe perfonnance an unmistakablerhythmic vitality, superbly aidedby Sligo's Damien Stenson on Huteand whistle. They have also addedPaul Finn from Laois on button ac­cordian. Their second album, "Giveus a Penny and Let Us Be Gone"came out last year.

The performance will be in Dab­ney Lounge on the Caltech campusin Pasadena. Dabney Hall is locatedin the eenter of the campus east ofthe intersection of Wilson Avenueand San Street.available

NEWS MARCH 14,2005 7

ree Tech Career omes ToEnd For Veteran Reporter Walker

98 Issue CotnesConclusion

THE CALIFORNIA TECH

D. KortaiThe California Tech

Dr. France Cordova, Chancellor of UC Riverside, speaks abouther experiences as a poet turned scientist.

altechity, being responsible for the firstmanned rocket-powered flight inAmerica, and co-founding thefamed Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Yet away from rocketry his lifewas also touched by a Pynchon­esque confluence of the bizarre.For as well as being one of Amer­ica's first and foremost rocket sci­entists, he was also a committedoccultist and a devout followerof the English diabolist AleisterCrowley. His mansion on OrangeGrove became famed for playinghost to black magic rituals andsexual experimentation. WhenParsons died, in a mysterious ex­plosion at the age of 37 'in 1952,he left behind him a story whichspeaks of the achievements, andpitfalls, of the unfettered' imagi­nation.

The author of Strange Angel:The Otherworldly Life of RocketScientist John Whiteside Parsonswill give a reading at Vroman'sbookstore in Pasadena on March15th at 7pm.

his mark in management. Be­sides putting out a clean, solidTech every week, Matt has as­sembled a crew of reporting tal­ent unmatched in both quantityand ability, so much that had Mattwon, he had the additional staff tosupport four new pages and threenew sections. Wow.

Make no mistake: Matt Walkerdeserved to win last Monday'selection. It's a sad election thatforces someone as dedicated asMatt out of a role made for him.But how gracefully Matt has han­dled the defeat stands says vol­umes about his character.

Matt may not have been en­dorsed by Dabney, Ricketts orTheFacebook.com. His support­ers may not have posted signssaying his opponent sucks, andno one chanted "Matt Walker" atmidnight doughnuts.

But in Matt, we had more thanpackaging: we had someone qui­et, someone determined, someonewho really cared about the Tech.Having worked both with and forhim, I can vouch for that.

"Our campaign is based on sub­stance, not noise," he wrote. Thatis the Matt Walker I'll remember:no bells, no whistles, no election­eering. Just 49 issues of good old­fashioned hard work.

Poet, Physicist Speaksn men Science

The book concerns John Wh­iteside Parsons, a pioneer in thefield of rocketry while at Caltechduring the 1930s and 1940s. Par­sons was a self-taught amateur ata time when rocketry was roundlyignored by the scientific estab­lishment and travel to the moonwas considered little more thanthe talk of madmen. His main in­spiration came from reading thescience fiction pulp magazinesof the day and he became friendswith (and appeared in the storiesof) many of the great Golden Agewriters of science fiction.

By his early twenties, however,Parsons was a leader of Caltech's"Suicide Squad", a motley bandof young scientists whose dan­gerous rocketry experiments atthe Guggenheim AeronauticalLaboratory wreaked havoc on theCaltech campus. Despite much ofthe scientific establishment beingdead-set against him (Ca1tech'sTheodore von Karman being hissole supporter) he eventuallycame to make his dreams a real-

used too many synonyms for theword "surprise." That's actually acompliment, if you ask me.

Matt was unique in that he al­ways had feet in both news andcommentary. While he becamebest known for his news work,Matt's commentary was keen andinsightful. In a Jan. 27 piece, Mattviewed erroneous exit polls as ablessing--as a useful indicator ofvoting irregularities. Interesting,I thought. I'd never consideredthat.

In news, it was his Master Planseries that put Matt on the map. Inthree detailed parts, Matt outlinedCaltech's Master Plan for campusdevelopment. It was rare for then­CABS Director Tom Mannion tocomment on the Tech, but thatweek he complimented me onMatt's comprehensive, rigorouslyaccurate piece. Enough to makean editor's heart throb, Matt'sreporting was rife with quotes,enough to fill the top of a pagewith quote box-offs.

Adding it all up when I soughtout a successor in summer 2003,the choice was clear. Only MattWalker had the journalistic ver­satility, motivational knack andsheer dedication to be news di­rector.

As an editor, Matt has made

Continuedfrom Page 1, Column 2

ert Kern '03 wanted to sit downwith Matt for a "friendly chat." Ibegged him not to; I was sure I'dlose one of my most promisingfreshman writers.

I was silly to worry. WhereasAbe lilted in the face of contro­versy, Matt kept writing, rackingup a tally of stories that ran thegamut from Rotation to facultydiversity, from TURLI to SIRTF.He even poked fun at himselfa couple weeks later, writinga piece mocking Ruddock fordressing up as rich people at aDabney dinner. And perhaps mostsurprising: even after that fresh­man-year slight, Matt went on tobecome first vice president and,last month, president of RuddockHouse.

Matt's writing and reportingwasn't clean from the start; hecame in with no news experience.But editing the paper from weekto week, I saw Matt's writingdevelop. His later landmark sto­ries--on, coincidentally, Ricketts'"homeless" protest in May 2003and on an affirmative action mocktrial in June--had concise leadsand fit the classic journalistic in­verse pyramid. His commence­ment piece, a review of 2003 atCaltech, was a beautiful chronol­ogy of the year's events.

And now, the biggest criticismof Matt's writing that his oppo­nent could dream up was that he

Continuedfrom Page 1, Column 5

unarranged dinner schedule. enough. I don't know if she everAfter months of hand-wringing noticed, but I had to make a quick

over our impossible-to-work-with getaway because I was nearly inbusiness manager, Tammy helped tears. I was stretched thin as ittrack down new business chief Vi was, and there were still thingsTran, ushering in a three-year era to accomplish. How could I pos­of advertising stability. sibly hold things together without

With the previous business Tammy?manager gleaning a 20% commis- Thankfully, she came to hersion, money was tight at first--but senses. In the end it was notTammy was resourceful. When Tammy but I who quit early, turn­the Tech couldn't afford a digital ing the news directorship over tocamera, Tammy found a friend Matt Walker in fall 2003. Now,willing to loan a good one to the 98 Mondays later, outgoing man­Tech, which finally let us support aging editor Tammy Ma has wo­a staff of photographers. When ven the longest string of issues insomeone needed a tape recorder, Tech history. She stayed on forTammy was more than happy to three superb volumes that, withlend out her own. Graciously, the pending change in leadership,she arranged her editing schedule can rightfully be called an era.around mine. As I knocked on doors for Matt

Tammy was also a wizard at and Sonia two weeks ago, somefilling space. Working mostly on sympathetic souls suggested toSaturdays, I sometimes left whole me that if Matt were to lose lastpages blank, my only instructions week's election, it would be a sadto Tammy "Your article here." But rejection of all Tammy had donemagically, when I sat down Sun- over the past three-and-a-halfday night for finishing touches, years.everything fit together perfectly. I don't think so. The notion

Tammy provided a steady voice that the Tech would even be con­of sanity. Early on, when I tried sidered worthy of taking over byto dismiss our copy editor, she election stands as a testament tostopped me. When I made fun of just how far the Tech has come,the BoD in a caption, she edited thanks in large part to Tammy'sit out. When I put Iram's name in steadfast effort.a headline, she fixed it and pub- I'll always remember Sundayslished the paper without bother- with Tammy in SAC 40. But moreing me. than anything else, I'll remember

I know Tammy took the heat all she gave the Tech. Thanks,for controversies I instigated, Tammy.all the way from publishing AbeFetterman's attack on Ted Jou'sloyalties to penning a hard-hittingheadline on Jim Boyk's dismissal.And for putting her through allthat, I apologize.

But Tammy was always rea­sonable and, in times of trouble,loyal. Once in spring 2002, whenthe IHC put tremendous pressureon her at the last minute to rear­range the whole Tech to makeroom for a late, poorly writtenRotation notice, Tammy stoodfast, unquestionably enduringsocial repercussions. And whenRandie Kim tried to recall me thefollowing week, Tammy stood byme. That took guts for someoneas respected as Tammy in Flem­ing social circles.

One hectic Sunday in Decem­ber 2002, I asked Tammy if she'dconsider running for Tech editoragain. No, she said, she'd had

hallenges Whileext Year's Frosh

ringsampus

relation to heat-seeking technolo­gies.

Half of the telescope is black onthe outside to radiate heat awayfrom the instruments. The cam­eras have to be kept cryogenicallychilled due to their extreme sen­sitivity to thermal noise. Enoughliquid hydrogen remains to keepthe cameras cool for another fouryears, at which point the telescopewill no longer be operational.

The $70,000,000 Spitzer proj­ect has a close association withCaltech. Caltech astronomer BobLeighton developed much of thefoundation for deep-space tele­scopes when he compiled a two­micron survey of the galaxy. Histeam included many undergradu­ates that would go on to becomeNobel laureates or obtain presti­gious high-responsibility jobs atother universities and governmentagencies. No more complain­ing about star-surveying SURFs.Control over daily Spitzer opera­tion occurs at the Spitzer ScienceCenter at JPL, which receivesnearly a thousand proposals foryears requesting time on the tele­scope.

MARCH 14, 2005

Continued from Page 1, Column 3

In regard to planetary forma­tion, Spitzer has found that theycan actually form around browndwarfs, which in turn can orbitabout active stars. Another inter­esting result is that planets canform in only a million years froma star's creation, much earlierthan previously expected.

Infrared spectrum analysis offar-away gases provokes anotherinteresting possibility. They turnout to be filled with a rich assort­ment of organic compounds. Thenewly developing field of astro­biology is now studying thesemolecules to determine if it mayhave been possible that Earth wasbombarded with organic mole­cules that catalyzed the formationof life. Of course, this would raisethe probability of life on far-awayworlds.

The telescope's design, at leastconceptually, is not overly com­plicated. It consists of a frame­work made by Lockheed Martin.A solar panel powers the telescopeas it orbits our sun. A short- andlong-wave camera designed byHarvard takes the observations,making use of infrared technol­ogy developed by the military in

Courtesy of ipac.jpl.nasa.gov

Spitzer sits atop a Delta II rocket before launch in August 2003.The telescope has since gone operational and brought in data.

Spitzer ProjectIn for

NEWS

his py,npt'ipfWP

lievesoff.

Professor Ken Libbrecht, wholives in Avery, helped begin themove to allow freshman into Av­ery. When he first came to Avery,he noticed that it was unpopularamong undergraduates, and itbecame clear why. Undergradu­ates treated Avery as a last resortif they got kicked off, and if theydid get stuck in Avery, they wouldsocialize in their own houses, giv­ing Avery a desolate feel.

Allowing freshman into Averywill achieve two goals at once.Avery can build up a commu­nity, and students in the existinghouses will be happier when theirhousing crunch will be allevi­ated. He also described his ownexperience in Page House, notingthat he would come out and findpeople he liked, saying that stu­dents naturally will come out andsocialize.

In addition, he does not consid­er the freshman as fragile as moststudents treat them. "I have kids.Just give them some pizza and aproblem set and they're happy."Finally, he notes that although noone can predict what Avery willbe in a few years, "change is ex­citing," so this should be a goodopportunity for the Caltech com­munity.

Although it was a long meet­ing that lasted for three hours,everyone was rewarded with thathallmark of Caltech social events,free food. In fact, they ordered agood number of gigantic pizzas,with diameters of one meter.

The meeting provided ideasthat Avery used during its consti­tutional convention last Thursday.They wrote up a final draft thatthe house will vote on before thisterm ends. Avery decided to writea new constitution to accommo­date many changes, most notablythe addition of freshmen. JohnSadowski organized these efforts,and he has uploaded many filesdocumenting the process and thefinal draft at http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~avery/council/.

The California TechCaltech 40-58

Pasadena, CA 91125

being Avery residents, Averyresidents who don't identify withAvery, and non-Avery students.Each participant voted for threeitems. The Avery stickers tendedto cluster on "low pressure", "di-"pr<.,t", and to all". Non-

voters the idea of Av-a resource for the entire

The existing houses can helpAvery in this stage, but theyshould not just point out exist­ing traditions; instead, Averyshould have a chance to developits own He also ex-plained that a cen-tral had hopedto have whenbecause of the costs. Inc;idellitallyProfessor Lorden mentionedhe was in House when itbecame a house, although he

discredited himselfof traditions.

Pf()fess()r Catherine Jurca andMaster of Student Houses alsoeXIJfeSse:d her own for Av­

She liked the idea of an openthat was available for any-

one to use, of member-in

issue of physical isolationwas up again. Chris said,"I encourage everyone to think ofways to get around this," althoughhe noted that Avery would have aspecial opportunity for next year,when the South House residentswill be moved next to Avery.

At this point, however, juniorJames Mao argued against manyof the previous points. He likesthe social environment as it isnow because he is busy and pre­fers social events just to get food.He also stated that any socializingwould force students out of theirshells and while some aspects ofthe houses may be consideredhazing, he argued that all fresh­men should go through the housesystem. In addition, James statedhis unhappiness with the repre­sentatives on Avery's council.

Sophomore Nick Hutzler ofRicketts House stated his ap­preciation for the benefits of thehouse environment, "I've neverfelt forced. I'm very grateful be­cause I was very introverted whenI came here. I still get my workdone but I have fun too now."

Ricketts' President Arturo Piza­no agreed with Nick. In addition,he said that the changes to Averywould not hurt his position, buthe worried about some of the stu­dents that might be harmed. Stu­dents who could benefit sociallyfrom strong house traditions, andthose on the other extreme whoprefer no traditions at all, couldbe at a disadvantage with the pro­posed changes to Avery.

One student noted that sheknew personally of one girl whofelt pushed back in after beingturned off from her house experi­ence. This caused her to becomeless social, so she argued that itmight be worth protecting thosewho don't respond well to pres­sure.

The audience then voted on theitems listed on the posters. Therewere three colors, the categories

THE CALIFORNIA TECH

Avery FacingPreparing for

8

Continued/rom Page 1, Column 5

now is a good thing." Ryan notedthat a key difference in Avery isthat there are already female resi­dents. In contrast, all existing sev­en houses established their tradi­tions when Caltech had no femaleundergraduates. some ofthe existing traditions can createa culture that may be less plc~asant

for females.Ryan also explained Avery's re­

cent events. In particular, he saidthat last year Avery had success­fully ended animosity with theIHC. He praised the housedents and Kim Popendorf for rep­resenting their constituents' opin­ions, even when their personalopinions differed significantly.

Ryan also explained that overthe past year, Avery felt closerto the seven houses when it hadto battle with the administrationover various issues. For exarrlple,Caltech Dining Services wantedto take over Avery's library andforce Avery residents to reserveit, a move that Avery residentsobviously did not like.

Many of the issues evokedstrong emotions from the audi­ence. One argument was that theexisting houses have expectationsof freshmen, which does create areal pressure. For example, theymentioned the "pass/fail frosh"attitude of the seven houses.

On the other hand, others criti­cized the social environment thatAvery provides at the moment.One member mentioned thatAvery's current social activitiesconsist of only food, and mostparticipants merely pick up someto eat back in their own rooms.Another participant, however,said, "I really like what Avery hasto offer right now," and stated thatwhile there are some weaknesses,Avery could take freshman in itscurrent state.

At this point, Professor GaryLorden gave an explanation ofhow Avery was started. "My vi­sion when I looked for fundingwas that Avery would be an asset."Professor Lorden began thinkingof Avery in 1989 and wanted thisto be a community where anyone,including undergraduates, gradu­ate students, and faculty, coulddrop in. He mentioned the cur­rent situation, "There's a sensethat Avery was spawned by theadministration and not the stu­dents. That's a little true but notmostly."

He hopes that Avery won't bethought of as "the anti-house," thenerdy younger sibling comparedto the other houses, who treat thisyoung one with a condescendingattitude. He noted that "everyoneshould relax and remember thatwe're all part of the same Caltechcommunity."

The Cal!lornia ']()ch Archives

Avery is currently a new Constitution to take into ac-count having freshmen in residence.