1975 v3 i19

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The student newspaper of Worcester Polytechnic Institute Tuesday, November 18, 1975

Volume 3, Number 19

Meal tax ruled applicable to

coll_ege~

by S.B. Fme The tax commissioner of Massachusetts has recemty made a ruling that all insti· tutions in Massachusetts who serve meals must pay the 8 per cent meal tax. This ruling includes private colleges. President Henard as president of ACM is leading the fight against this ruling. Three colleges Including Holy Cross are filing for an in· junction to stop the collecting. A Judge Lynch who has already rejected one college court appeal is again presiding over the court activities.. Also as of November 19, 8 per cent tax will be charged on all meals less than a dollar. This has two Implications tor WPI students. Most of the meals bought at the snack bar cost less than a dollar. This means students who eat at the snack bar

who never had to pay tax before will now have to pay it. Thus the lines will be slower because of cashiers groping with unaccustomed tax charges, and because of a shortage of change which has been widespreak in the country for a couple of years. But the people who buy at the aneck bar will not be the only people affected by the new tax. Previously the WPI food service evaluated breakfast as less than a dollar thus saving students tax on one meal. Now breakfast will have an 8 per cent tax on It just like the other meals. WPI students on ttle meal plan will soon be receiving a bill tor the tax. David Lloyld vice-president in charge of business for WPI said he would appreciate if all students

Social committee by !Jean Brown

With the Social Chairman elections upon us in a few weeb, I think a number of things should be made clear about the history of the social fee, the responsibilitiee of the social chairman, and the general phlloeophy of programming activitlee for the WPI campus community. When the social fee wu voted by the student body about eight years ago (presently $30.00-yearl it was because of a combination of things. Thera not enough fundi for the students to spon80r their Junior Prom Weekend; there were few if any films, and hardly any lm811 concerti for the coffeehou•; and finelfy, the Peddler was running a deficit and unless funding was provided, the yearbook would cease. From that period of time to the preeent the social fee has broedened to include aH kinds of programa for all kinds of mueic t11te1. Films, both foreign and American, big weekend concerts. a fine an. program, and many Isolated events for both the WP.I and the Worce.tlf community. If students era to understand the social program et WPI, he- she must re.llze that the direction in which the funds are apent depet Ids a greet dMI on the perticular individual or indivlduall who are elected to the social chairman poehion. If you can for now overtook the Pub Stereo syatem controversy and obfectlvetY look at thil years other activitlea, can then ... exactly what hla been offered to you • .tudenla It WPI. Remember • you kJok et thele progttms thlt they are being offered for II the students at WPI with II thc.e diffefent mulic ~ to pllele. Whether or not you take advantage of thele progrem. It then

w•

vou

vour choice. 1875-1978 SOCIAL COMMITTeE PROGRAMS Fl'elhrNn ~tion Mixer with TRUK Fraehmen Orient1tion Concert with Jack Flash Lany Coryell Concert John Paine - Larry C.rsman Concert In Alden Spectrum Fine Arts Program Cinernatech Film Serie1 Free Fridey Flicks

would make an effort to get the bill paid as soon as possible. WPI has to pay a total of $20,000 in meal taxes to the state. Prompt payment of the bill will help the school ease the burden. The meal tax for terms Cand 0 will be included in the bills. Norman Rossi, heed of the food service has calcualted that the 731 students on the meal plan, some paying $860 for the seven day plan and some paying $765 for the ftve day plan, would have paid over $48,000 if they had been paying the tax from the beginning of term A. The snack bar which grosses about $300 a day would pay $3,600 in taxes for the thirty weeks that school Is in session and for only five days a week. But there are even two more aspects to the problem. First the state run schools are

trymg to evade paymg the tax by seeki an exemption. They argue that they 1 state owned and are therefore exempt fr< paying taxes. President Hazzard thinks tt tf the state schools win this exemptton will be a great blow to t~Verv private colla in this state. Also there is a question of how far t tax covers. Do fraternities who serve rna hava to pay the tax? For that reason public elementary and high school5 have pay the tax? They qualify under t category of serving meals. These l questions the state is going to have answer. In anyone wishes to fight the l'lll tax, write your state representati¥1l a senator and keep writing until he is foro to do something.

vote now, it's your money

Herbie Hancock - Mahavlshnu Concert New Faces Program (three mini-concerts In Alden) Two will be held in Nov.-Dec. Black Film Festival for lnterseuion (par· tially funded by Social Committee) "Grease" Theatre performance Emmett Kelly Jr. Circus Peddler 1975-1978 funding (.a60Q.OOI Junior Prom Funding (.5000.001 Video Tapes shown In Wedge and Daniela Bump and Boogie Nights (purchase of recorda) Coffeehouse live shows (folk singers, bands etc.) Spree Day Entertainment and beer Besides the planning or selecting of these programs there are many other arees of responsibility that the social chairman must assume. I'd litce to just mention some of what It involved during a big concert weekend. Contracts must be reviewed for all concerts so that the social chllrman may become familiar with all requirements whether they be staging, lighting or aound riders. The hall must be readied for 1 concert whether it be in Alden or Harrington. For Harrington, this mee.-. locating students to help set up the atage, chairs, and the floor covering. Students must be provided for unloading equipment tor the performers sound and then loedlng It after the concert. Clean up and bre.kdown afterwarct. must also be completed, not to mention student MCUrity inside end outside of the building. ticltet ....,.., and publicity on and off of the campus. The point here ia that it ila ful time extra-currlcullr ICtMty and cannot be done alone. Every .aclal chairman needs volunwrs from the student body lnweeted In helping melee the concerti wort< amoothly. There mult be other students who wiU be raeponeibte for

specifiC .,... of the concert program It

cannot ,. done -'one. Students who complain about the ~&laction of concerts and the running of thoee concerti must come forward end offer their help. Remember the IOclal chalrmlln II an elected poeltion not a peld one. For all those hours of wortt, whit the aodltl chairman needa In nrtum It student body cooperation, hard wortt, and support.

NEWSPEAK'S next 1ssue will be published

on December 2. All material must be submitted to Box 2472 or the NEWSPEAK office by TUESDAY, NOV. 25 to be considered for publication in that issue.

The following committees are always available for student involvement in the social committee: Coffeehouse Fine Arts Committee - Sptsetrum Ctnematech Film Committee Concem: selection and contracts publicity technical stage crew security clean up (paid positions) Students interested in any of thOM areas should see me in the Student Affairs Office Boynton 206B. I would like to maintaln an on going llat of students who are willing to assist the new social chairman-chairmen. Now for the upcoming Social Committee elections. I am recommending that all Social Chairman candidaa. spend time

previous to the election set up at a table the Wedge. At this time he-she will able to speak with the students about hit her music tastes and plans for compl social programming in the year to cor: Find out before the election how he-t Will be spending your money. What his- her music taates7 As a proepect voter you are entitled to finding out h much experience the candidateS have t in Concert programming and how rn. he- she knows about all the specific a" of funding for the year. EYefY year I h very frequent complaints from stude due to their dissltisfaction with a cone - "that's some social chairman thet \ have." Remember, I don't elect your 101 chairman, that's your Job. So vote now • get involved in the election. or forever h your tongue.

Spirit of '76 tourism by Jeff Sleeman Never let it be said thlt I don't enter Into the eplrit of the thing. Despite the humiliation of being on the toeing side (al*t 200 years later) I still con'- a fatcination for the American Revolution, and one of my flm prioritlel when I arrived here w11 to vlait Ba.ton and ... where It all started. It's quite lmpoeeible to escape the Spirit of '78 there at the moment and t.te. of British defeat and villainy are lurking in every corner - rather WMring ett.r a while. My first point of inteNat w• Breed's Hill, where the brave General Gege fought e cowardly bunch of colonlll aoldlers, who hadn't the courage to stlnd up and be shot-at litce men (look, I'm writing thil article, not you). Here I mede the exhausting cflmb up the 294 the Bu,.er Hill Monument to the cramped room at the top, where I wu eccoeted by • nair( swarm of schoolkldl. Once they got over the novelty of the wev I spoke, it w. all 1 could do to pursulde them that I wasn't a British relic of the Revolution and, 11 such, lillbll to be instantly mnaacred. I beat 1 hasty retreat. 1 next embeft(ed on the Freedom Trail, thlt INntthon walking COUrM which few visitors to Boston eacape. Like the homicidal rapid treneit cars which clatter up and down the middle of Commonweehh Avenue, I religloualy lumbered along thlt broad red line, detemllned not to mila 1 square Inch of the tU.toricll city. A~ the common, past the St:lte Houee, through King's Chapel, in Peul Revere'a hoult, down his Mall to the Old North Church, round Copp'a Hill burying ground, then back to Faneuil Hell, the Beeton m&ISICnt site, Old Stlte Hoult, Ben FrankDn's birthplace, and on and on Into the depths of

..,_of

American history Iif you caH a _mere 2 years history) fu rlouslv taking the inevltlll phota. expected of aetf·reepec11 touriat aH the while. Neither w• the 1 Party replica ship omitted by thll ardl sight-seer, and •1.60 (bllmey, flftMn bGI dutifully handed over to go on boerd • hurt the Imitation tee J)ICkage into t harbour. Rather 1 dltappointment to I that it floats, though.

•nv

My quest for history has not bf confined to Boston. Lexington and Cc cord haw been suitably "done", and No Bridge recorded for posterity from w angle on my never ending roll of Koe C136. I have queued up for hours to .t that rotton cracked bell so caret.! preaerved down in Philedelphil and CGI .way proudly bearing my authentic copy the Declaration of lndepelldenc:e, prinl on "genuine" aged parchment. v-. y won't find 1 more dedlcal*t tourist tit me. All thle leeds me to wonder how Bn. wiH be celebrating the Bicentennial rw yeer, I t I ahlill be blck home then. As y wltl no doubt be aware from your dl peru•l of the New Yortt Timee, Brftel economy Isn't exactfy thriving It I moment. and It seems unlikely that thl will be much apare caeh to celebrate a • which we loet. So unlea the Prime Mlnll . , . _ a hat round in Par111ment a rnanagee to colllct enough pennlea f01 few firewOI'b, 1 auspec1 that July 4, 11 will peaa Britain by. That is not to sav thl will forget in a huny. Regardlaea of wf the reat of the country il doing, I shill there, thirteen-star flag In one hind enc bottle of BudweiMr In the other, get1i Into the Spirit of '78.


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