VOL. CLXXI NO. 72
RAINY
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 2014
HANOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Dennis named next Hanover Police chief
ALL TOGETHER NOW
HIGH 38 LOW 36
B y emily brigstocke The Dartmouth Staff
TREVELYAN WING/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
Students in a class on Indonesian culture and history play traditional instruments.
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SEE DENNIS PAGE 3
College celebrates half century of BASIC language
B y SEAN CONNOLLY The Dartmouth Staff
OPINION
Law enforcement veteran Charlie Dennis will take over as Hanover Police Chief this June, filling the vacancy left by former chief Nicholas Giaccone’s retirement in October, town manager Julia Griffin announced in a release yesterday. The search began in early November, she said, after Giaccone retired due to a stroke. Captain Frank Moran has served as acting police
chief in the interim. Dennis’s nearly 30 years of law enforcement experience, combined with his affability and professional insight, set him apart from the 64 other candidates contending for the position, Griffin said. “He’ll be the kind of chief who will walk down Main Street and talk with people,” Griffin said. “The type who will walk across campus and engage in conversation.” She also called him articu-
While pulling an all-nighter 50 years ago today, former mathematics professor John Kemeny and thenstudent programmer Thomas Kurtz ’63 forever altered the accessibility and prestige of computation. In the wee hours of May 1, 1964, the pair received correct answers to programs run simultaneously on two neighboring terminals. With this innovation, time-sharing comput-
ing and the BASIC computing language — standing for the Beginner’s All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code — were launched. This afternoon, a series of presentations from Dartmouth faculty, students and national experts will mark the 50th anniversary of BASIC at Dartmouth. The conference’s theme is past, present and future computing, computer science
department chair Tom Cormen said. The afternoon will begin with the premiere of a documentary on the history of BASIC, created by filmmakers Bob Drake, Mike Murray and mathematics department chair Dan Rockmore. After the screening, Dartmouth’s DALI and Tiltfactor labs will host demonstrations. The day’s events conclude with a panel that includes professor Brian David Johnson, a
futurist with the Intel Corporation, Google’s chief technology advocate Michael Jones and Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Daniela Rus, who directs the university’s computer science and artificial intelligence laboratory. The panel will speculate, taking questions on where they think computing will be in another 50 years, Cormen said. BASIC, which was first de-
veloped by Kemeny, who would later serve as the 13th president of the College, and Kurtz. The language quickly became widely popular for its accessibility and ease of use on any computer, though the code was designed mainly for the College, Kurtz said in an interview with TIME Magazine. For students at the time, BASIC and time-sharing comSEE BASIC PAGE 3
Students debate offensive Federal report talks campus nature of canceled ‘Phiesta’ sexual assault prevention
B y CHARLIE RAFKIN The Dartmouth Staff
At the Latin American, Latino and Caribbean affinity house on Tuesday evening, about 25 students discussed the recent cancellation of “Phiesta,” a charity fundraiser planned by Alpha Phi sorority and Phi Delta Alpha fraternity. Throughout the discussion, which was spirited at times, students disagreed about whether
the event was offensive. Some contended that the event reduced Mexican culture to a stereotype, particularly because it was organized by historically white organizations, while others replied that some stereotyping is inevitable and the event was not intended offend. “Phiesta” was canceled last week after students raised concerns about its theme, which they SEE DISCUSSION PAGE 5
B y PRIYA RAMAIAH The Dartmouth Staff
As part of an escalating national discussion of sexual assault on college campuses, the White House released a report Tuesday encouraging universities to better support victims and be more transparent in enforcing policy. Last week, the Department of Justice announced an 11-stop college campus tour that will focus on combatting sexual assault. Dean of the College Charlotte John-
son attended the release of the White House report on Tuesday. There, Vice President Joe Biden said, “Colleges and universities can no longer turn a blind eye or pretend rape and sexual assault doesn’t occur on their campuses,” the Washington Post reported. The report, titled “Not Alone,” announced steps to help universities identify the scope of campus sexual assault, prevent it and respond effectively to support victims. The report also SEE REPORT PAGE 5