I n T h is I s s u e ...
The Student Newspaper of Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Literary Events.......... ...A Origami A rt............... ....11 Police L o g ................. ....12
Wednesday; September 3, 199
Volume Twenty-five, Number Fourteen
They're he-ere... The Class of ‘01 has arrived by Alisort Keach Features Editor
This year’s New Student Orienta tion successfully welcomed 700 new students into the WPI community. Saturday, August 23 was move in day for the Freshman and it didn't take long for them to feel right at home thanks to the Orientation Lead ers, RA’s and WPI faculty and staff. As usual the students couldn’t get through orientation without learning about the WPI plan and its empha sis on project work. This year there were 25 orientation teams that were “hired” by WPI to create a virtual com m unity through web pages. They not only had to come up with a persona for their fictitious member of the community, but they had to follow guidelines to give that stu dent a schedule for four years. For example, team 11 had to create a page for a ME major who did their Suff. in European History, their IQP in London and their MQP in Puerto Rico. From there the New Students could let their imaginations run wild See Orientaion, cont’d to page 2.
Stats on Class of2001 Courtesy o f WPI News Service
NEW SPEAK STA FF P H O T O / ED CA M ERO N
“We couldn’t have asked for a better year,” says Robert G. Voss, executive di rector o f admissions and financial aid, reflecting on the Class of 2001. “Fortyeight percent of the 690 incoming stu dents were in the top 10 percent of their high school class, 76 percent were in the top 20 percent, and there are 30 Merit Scholars - more than double last year’s class.” At 163, the number of women in the class is at an all-time high (157 women enrolled last year); the incoming fresh men have a median SAT score o f 1,300, the highest as far back as records exist; financial aid costs are lower than ex pected; the number of enrolling interna tional students is up; and applications set a new record. “What a year it’s go ing to be!” says Voss.
Incoming freshman pick up their information packets in Harrington Auditorium on Saturady, August 23rd.
WPI among top 50 National Universities in U.S. News & World Report rankings Courtesy o f WPI News Service
WPI moved up to the top 50 National Uni versities as reported in the latest issue of U.S. News & World Report’s America’s Best Colleges. The Sept. 8 issue hit on newsstands on Monday, Sept. 1, and ranks WPI 48th, tied with two other universities. Since moving from the top Regional Uni versity category several years ago to the National University rankings WPI had been listed in Tier 2 , an alphabetical listing from 50-115. “We can all feel proud of our ranking and of WPI,” says WPI Provost John F. Carney III. “It's very gratifying that WPI is finally receiving some of the national recog nition it deserves.” The rankings arc based on a methodology that places weights on academic reputation, retention, faculty resources, student selec tivity, financial resources, value added, and
alumni giving rate. The U.S. News press release also announced that WPI was among the top national institu tions with Best College Values at 36th. This ranking lists colleges that relate the cost of at tending an institution to its quality. It will ap pear on the newsstands Sept. 8. As U.S. News noted these “best values are calculated in rela tion to a school’s discounted price (tuition plus room, board, fees, books and estimated per sonal expenses, minus the average of needbased grants). Because U.S. News believes that the best values are found among colleges that are above average academically, only the top half of national institutions in the quality rankings are considered. WPI was also listed as 7th among the na tional universities with the highest propor tion of engineering majors. Additional infor mation on the rankings can be found at the U.S. News & World Report World Wide Web site at www.usnews.com.
T a b le o f C o n t e n t s N ews ..............................................2,3,9 Commentary............................... 3,6,7,9 History.................................................3 Announcements.................................. 3 Arts & Entertainment.....................4,5,9
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So whafs the ratio??
West Street House................................ 6 Club Corner ........................................ S Classifieds ......................................... 11 Comics ............................................... 11 Police l j) g ......................................... 12
3 I N N s tu d e n ts a s s a u lte d o n c a m p u s Three Worcester men were arrested early Saurday morning after a series of assaults and batteries on the WPI campus and in the surrounding area. At 10:45pm Friday night, four WPI students were assaulted on the Morgan access road near Alumni Field. Four or 5 men in a car attacked the students with a weapon believed to be a tire iron. Two of these students were injured. Approximately 15 minutes later, near the corner of Highland and West Streets, an other person, not a WPI student, was as saulted by the same men. At 12:35am Satur day morning, a WPI student and a visitor were attacked in front of Founders Hall. They caused a com m otion and the WPI and Worcester Police arrived on the scene. WPI police officers, Will Mosley, Bob Vandal, and Dave Westerman apprehended three of the perpetrators after they tied the area. Investiga
tions are being conducted to find the other men. The persons who were injured were taken to UMass Medical Center where their inju ries were treated; they were later released. Earlier Friday night, there were numerous other reported instances similar to the one described above on Park Ave. and in the sur rounding area. The WPI police department has the fol lowing suggestions to students: Utilize the police escort service by calling 831 -5433, or the SNaP escort serive by call ing 831-5566. Familiarize theselves with the location of WPI's 21 emergency phones and report sus picious persons, vehicles, or activity to cam pus police. Travel with a companion after the hours of darkness, especially in areas which are not well lit.
Making strides against breast cancer by Alison Keach Features E ditor
A team from WPI will join the fight against breast cancer on Sunday, October 5, by walk ing in the fifth anniversary Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, a five-mile pledge walk in Boston for the American Cancer Society. The Student Activities Office, who is put ting together the WPI Making Strides Against Breast Cancer team, is inviting all students, fac ulty and staff for a day of fund raising for an
important cause, on the occasion of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The Making Strides Against Breast Cancer route starts and ends at the Hatch Shell on Boston U’s scenic Charles River Esplanade. Registration takes place from 8:00 to 10:00a.m. and transportation will be provided if needed. A pproxim ately 4.600 M assachusetts women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and 1,1 (X) Bay State women will die from the disease, according to the American See Cancer, continued to pa ge 9
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Orientation: The Class of 2001 has arrived at WPI Continued from page 1.
and that is exactly what they did. It’s apparent that the Freshman guys noticed the
lack of women on this Campus because the m ajority of the pages were for virtual women, like Victoria S. Secret. All the
Freshmen took part in Playfair, an event designed to break the ice and to introduce them to their class members, took place Saturday night.
Monte Carlo Night at the Black Jack Tables.
Leadership: New department heads Continued from page I.
M athem atical Sciences D epartm ent. Walker earned his bachelor’s degree at Rice University and his mater’s and doctorate at New York University’s Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences. Walker, whose research interests are in numerical analy sis and applied mathematics, has been a mathematics professor at Utah State Uni versity since 1986. He was Utah State’s College of Science Researcher of the Year in 1994 and in 1987 was one of Utah’s first recipients of the Governor’s Medal for Sci ence and Technology. Walker succeeds Gordon Branche, who had been interim department head from 1991 until his recent retirement. Kahlid Saeed assumed the leadership of the Social Science and Policy Studies De partment on Sept. 1. He succeeds Douglas W. Woods, who has been department head since 1984. One of the world’s leading ex
perts in system dynamics computer mod eling, Saeed was previously professor of infrastructure planning and management in the School of Civil Engineering at the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok. He earned a B.Sc. in electrical engineering at the University of Engineering and Tech nology in Lahore, Pakistan, an M. Eng. in industrial engineering and management at the Asian Institute, and a Ph.D. in system dynamics and economic development at MIT. His research interests include public policy, infrastructure systems design, main tenance and operation, sustainable devel opment and organizational learning and innovation management. The author of numerous articles, monographs and books, he received the Jay Wright Forrester Prize in 1995 for his book Towards Sustainable Development. He was president of the In ternational System Dynamics Society in 1995.
Reorganization of Global Programs Courtesy o f WPI News Service
The Interdisciplinary and Global Stud ies Division (IGSD) has been reorganized to support the anticipated expansion of the Global Perspective Program. Several staff changes have been made as a result of this reorganization. Three WPI faculty members will share responsibilities for the division. Hossein Hakim, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and former IGSD chair, will direct the Global Studies Program; Richard Vaz, associate professor of electri cal and computer engineering, was ap pointed director of program development; and social science and policy studies Pro fessor Douglas Woods is the director of the Interdisciplinary Studies Program. Natalie Mello Acuna, who came to WPI
in 1994 as program manager of the REAL IZATION Consortium, has been appointed IGSD program administrator. In her new role she will be responsible for promotion and support of the Global Perspective Pro gram and for on-campus IQP programs, in cluding organizing annual fairs for on- and off-campus project programs and develop ing and implementing orientation, re-entry and on-campus cultural programs. Eliza beth Jolic has been promoted to adminis trative assistant and Nora Schweizer has joined the IGSD staff as administrative sec retary. 'T h e reorganization of the IGSD’s ad ministrative structure and the addition of new staff to our division has increased our ability to take the IQP and global programs to new frontiers and to firmly establish W PI’s leadership in these areas,” says Hakim.
groups did an amazing job on this project, which was designed by Professor Jonathan Barnett and Chris Milici, considering they only had two days to design them and then get them onto the web. The students also added links to their own web pages, so if you want to see what the class of 2001 is all atout go check out: http://www.fpe.wpi.edu/orientation, that’s where all the pages are located. There was also one new feature to this years Orientation Program and that was a
community service program on Wednesday. All the groups met on the Quad and then set out to clean the streets and parks around WPI. One group even dredged up two shop ping carts from the Big D out of Salisbury Pond (they obviously were not warned that there are highly lethal toxins in the pond). Overall it was a fun and informative week for the New Students, but that was only the beginning. Good luck at WPI class of 2001!
IS HERE! THURSDAY
SEPTEMBER 11 8:00 p.m. 2 4 Granby Street (OfT S h r e w s b u r y S tr e e t, by G a llo A u to D e a le r s )
QUEST is a weekly m eeting open to all stu d en ts from Worcester area colleges and universities. The setting is informal, the program real and relevant and th e coflee-bar is open during entire m eeting time. YOU'VE BEEN SE A R C H IN G ....... For Answers For Open D iscussion For Friends Give QUEST a try and YOU decide if you w ant to join u s again.
FOR M ORE INFORM ATION OR TRANSPORTATION FROM W .P.I. OR H O M E O R APARTM ENT, CALL: Jason, Rod, or David (508) 770-1131, W orcester, MA
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Travels with Charlie: My life with the Vietcong by N. Wolf Winset Newspeak S ta ff Writer
I have half-interest in a pair of cats. They’re not much in terms of dividends and such (in fact, it’s really a losing invest ment monetarily), but they do well as a sort of loss leader to my sanity. The cats’ ex ecutive was on vacation in Rome, visiting her family and enjoying the Mediterranean, so I wound up as acting CEO for several weeks. They tolerated my cramped college flat with feline grace, enjoying the loft, discov ering the nooks and crannies behind vari ous desks and bookcases, and exploring all three dimensions of my room and the apartment, leaping and jumping and see ing how high they could hide when any one came home. They refrained from eat ing the apartment’s iguana, which was gen erous of them, and even endured the pres ence of my soon-to-be-departed (one way or another) granola-eating leftist vegetar-
ian roommate with regal bearing. All good things must come to an end, however. My summer and the cats’ holi day ended more or less simultaneously, and the three of us drove back to New York, discussing our trip and plans for the fall. Sadly, the cats decided to begin a rendi tion of ‘One Hundred Bottles of Beer’ in their carrier, and I was forced to don head phones and a walkman to drown out their impassioned chorus. Upon arrival, the cats became silent. I unloaded their various possessions: litter box, food, bowls, stuffed animals, scratch ing post, medication, vitamins, towels, se curity blanket, vacuum cleaner, and carrier (avec chattes), and managed to lug every thing into the house before it started to rain. Opening the cage released an explo sion of fur. Gladstone, the white cat, burst upstairs, taking the treads two by two and immediately hiding under the bed. Disraeli, the tabby cat, still recovering from her near-loss of an eye to a rival, was more
H is t o r y
This day in History September 3 1752 This day never happened, nor the next 10 as England adopts Gregorian calendar. People riot thinking the government stole 11 days of their lives. 1783 Treaty of Paris signed ending the US Revolutionary War. 1826 USS Vincennes leaves New York to become first warship to circumnavigate globe 1940 First showing o f high definition color TV. 1971 Watergate team breaks into Daniel Ellsberg’s doctors office. 1976 Viking 2 soft lands on Mars and returns photos. September 4 1882 First district lit by electricity— New York’s Pearl Street Station. 1888 George Eastman patents first roll-film camera and registers “Kodak.” 1950 First helicopter rescue of American pilot behind enemy lines. 1983 Greg LeMond becomes only American to win cycling’s Road Championship. September 5 1774 First Continental Congress assembles in Philadelphia. 1885 First gasoline pump is delivered to a gasoline dealer in Ft Wayne, Indiana. 1953 First privately operated atomic reactor-Raleigh, North Carolina. 1972 Palestinian terrorists kill lOat 1972 Munich Olympics. 1977 Voyager 1 launched toward fly-by of Jupiter and Saturn. September 6 1620 Pilgrims set sail from Plymouth, England to the New World. 1899 Carnation processes its first can of evaporated milk. 1941 All Jews over age 6 in German territories ordered to wear a star. 1966 “Star Trek” premiers on NBC TV. 1966 Race riot in Atlanta, Georgia. 1976 Russian pilot defects to Japan in a MIG 25 jet fighter. 1983 USSR admits to shooting down KAL Flight 007 on Sept. 2.
subdued, marching from room to room and rubbing against all of the furniture, mark ing and claiming everything in the house. I was forced to sit on the floor. Watching this, I was kinda hurt. After having the cats for so long, I wanted them to be a little less happy to be home. Hadn’t I provided fresh litter every night? clean water? entertaining roommates? gypsy dancers? Despite all of these accouter ments, they really just wanted to go home. I started thinking about that on the drive back. Any place you spend several years is going to become your home, one way or another. There’s an old axiom in econom ics that people like what they know. That is, someone living in the mangrove jungles of Guiana might really, on an objective ba sis, marginally prefer the cold windswept inland steppes of the Ukraine; someone who buys pumpernickel might really prefer cinnamon raisin; someone who sleeps with redheads might really prefer blondes. .. but it doesn’t matter. Because you grew up in Guiana, eating pumpernickel in bed with redheads, it’s the best thing in the world. It feels natural. Anyplace else just. .. isn’t home. If you move, emigrate, com mit bigamy, switch your morning toast, you’re still an expatriate. J ’ai grandi a I’lle du Diable.
Having an alma mater works along these lines. Between the ages o f 18 and 22 (or maybe 24 or 25 for CS majors), people grow up a lot. They become more themselves. They settle into their skin. They have a lot of firsts: first all-nighter talking about life, first all-nighter cramming for an exam, first all-nighter drunk pushing down parking meters with a Consortium Shuttle Van downtown (don’t ask), first performance on stage, first hangover, first serious rela tionship, first break-up. . . and it all hap pens right here. All those memories are linked to this place. Alden Hall - beautiful. West Street - the heart o f the campus. Goddard Hall - the building that literally sucks. Classrooms and dormitories, with time and reflection, become a stage setting, friends and experiences turning mythic with time, into movies and celluloid heroes. Rick from Casablanca; Han Solo from Star Wars; that weird guy in Differential Equa tions who lost it in class, stripped naked screaming arias and showtunes, who was finally captured by Campus Police on the
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quad with a net. . . with time, all become equally real or unreal in the steam tunnels of the brain. There’s a continuum to the experience. Alumni come back (reassuringly, often with very expensive cars) year after year, drag ging wives and children and looking dazed, muttering “Was all that really so long ago?”. Seniors bitch about finding a job. Freshmen bitch about finding Kaven Hall. Money is found and plans are drawn for buildings that won’t be finished for years to come. Even those o f us who wander alone, prophets with spiritual cloak and staff, have our souls bound by place. No matter how many cities and lands visited, no mat ter how often one is moved by the exigen cies of time and situation, there is still some burg, some field, some port that we belong to, where we are lantsman. There are mythic lands in our collective imagination, of varying sizes and intensities. Boston during the Revolution. Carson City during the mining frenzies. Chicago in the Twen ties. Spain tom by Civil War. Every border town that ever was. But some myths, some of our colour, some o f the glint and the gleam and the wood or stone or steel in our eyes, we make for ourselves. We bind ourselves to our past, strand by strand, day by day. One opportunity of college is to share that binding, that experience, with other people. Freshman year, A-Term. Every person who has been to this school un derstands those words, and what they mean. Sitting under the tree in front o f Alden, surrounded by the branches, in a quiet cathedral of birds. Making love in the overgrown Higgins House gardens. A psychotic desire to kill certain professors (poison? firearm? garrote?). Years from now, at a chance reunion in an airport wait ing for a connecting flight, you will recog nize the common scars and tattoos of a classmate, and laugh for weeks at the shared secrets and mysteries. You are an initiate. Note to Class o f 2001: It is not necessary to experience all of the firsts mentioned in this article during the first two weeks o f school. Traditionally, one loses ones virgin ity during Homecoming: hence the name. Also: Do NOT skip classes, it catches up to you -way- fast. No one on this planet can learn Calculus III in two weeks.
nno uncem ents
Community service opportunity
September 7 1880 Geo Ligowsky patents device to throw clay pigeons for trapshooters. 1940 German Air Force blitz London for first of 57 consecutive nights. 1948 First use of synthetic rubber in asphalt, Akron, Ohio. 1956 Bell X-2 sets unofficial manned aircraft altitude record 126,000 feet plus.
The Aiternative Sentencing Project, a component of Y.O.U., Inc., is currently seeking volunteers to interview, place and monitor first time, non-violent juvenile and adult offend ers who have been mandated to complete community service work. This is an excellent introduction to the Criminal Justice system. For more information, please contact Elizabeth Pierie at (508)849-5600 ext. 247.
September 8 1900 6,000 killed when a hurricane and tidal wave strikes Galveston, Texas. 1920 US Air Mail service begins New York to San Francisco. 1939 FDR declares “limited national emergency” due to war in Europe. 1941 Entire Jewish community of Meretsch, Lithuania is exterminated. 1944 First V-2 rocket lands in Britain. 1967 Surveyor 5 launched, makes soft landing on Moon September 10.
RTA now operating Consortium Shuttles Courtesy o f WPI News Service
The Worcester Regional Transit Author ity assumed operation of the Colleges of Worcester Consortium shuttle service on
Aug. 25lh. Anyone with a valid college photo ID may use the service, which also allows riders to transfer into the WRTA system and travel anywhere that system goes, says COWC Executive Director Fred Baus. Shuttle schedules will remain the same.
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WPI to host two important literary events this Fall WPI will be hosting two important liter ary events during the Fall, both celebrat ing famous Worcester-born writers. One event is a reading by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, Stanley Kunitz, to be held in conjunc tion with the unveiling of a bronze plaque recognizing Kunitz’ boyhood home. Tow other plaques, commemorating the childhood homesites of poets Charles Olson and Eliza-beth Bishop will also be unveiled. The sec ond event is a scholarly conference devoted to the life and work of 2(>hcentury poet, Eliza beth Bishop. On Monday, September 15, WPI student Timothy Adams, '98, will unveil three bronze plaques that have been placed on the child hood homes or homesites of prominent 20th century poets Stanley Kunitz, Elizabeth Bishop and Charles Olson. The first plaque to be uncovered will be at 3 p.m. at 4 Norman Avenue, the boyhood home of Charles Olson. Next will be the Elizabeth Bishop plaque, at Our Lady of the Angels Church, 122 Main Street, the site of Bishop’s grandparents’ home, where she lived in 1917-1918 and about
11, the Elizabeth Bishop Conference and Po which she wrote in her memoir, “The Coun etry Festival will be held on the WPI campus, try Mouse.” Finally, at 4 Woodford Street, in Gordon Library, Alden Hall and the Beckett the Stanley Kunitz plaque will be unveiled. Conference Room in Fuller Labs. Fifty schol Kunitz, a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, will be ars from all over the present at this U.S. and from Brazil, site, now the Japan, England, home o f Gre Germany, Australia gory and Carol and Canada will give Stockmal. papers on the life Lateral 7:30 and works of Eliza p.m. in P er beth Bishop (1911reault Hall, in 1979), a major force W PI’s F uller in 2 0 lh century Labs, Stanley American poetry. K unitz will The scholarly con give a poetry ference is the foun reading of his dation of a wider, works. A re ception w ill Stanley Kunitz will read some of his writings on week-long celebra tion, a city-wide po follow outside campus. etry and arts festival, Perreault. WPI to be held at college campuses and cultural students Sean Dunn and Timothy Adams institutions all over Worcester. The events will preside at the event and introduce include poetry readings, an art exhibit of Kunitz to the audience. Bishop’s paintings, a book display, an ex On Friday and Saturday, October 10 and
hibit of materials relating to the Bishop family’s construction business, a literary tour, and a ceremony at Bishop’s gravesite. Prominent poets who will be reading at the Conference and Poetry Festival include Sandra M cPherson, Kathleen Spivack, Donald Hall, Adrienne Rich, Mark Strand, Frank Bidart, and Lloyd Schwartz. There will also be a staged reading of Elizabeth Bishop’s 'T h e Diary of Helena Morley” by Worcester State Professor of theatre, Ann Marie Shea. Coordinating all the events of the Eliza beth Bishop Conference and Poetry Festi val is the Worcester County Poetry Asso ciation. Other sponsors include Assump tion College, Becker College, Clark Univer sity, C o lleg e o f the H oly C ross, Quinsigamond Community College, WPI, Worcester State College, Worcester Tele gram and Gazette, Fletcher/Priest Gallery, W orcester C ultural C o m m issio n , Shrewsbury Public Library, Worcester Pub lic Library, and the Worcester Historical Museum.
CD Review: “This The Trip,” by Sister7 by Joshua Millard, Newspeak S taff Writer
A couple of decades ago, the United States government funded a top-secret experiment in which geneticists combined the DNA of M elissa Etheridge, Fiona Apple, Joni Mitchell, and Meatloaf. Really. O kay, not really , but listen in g to Sister7’s lead vocalist, Patrice Pike, you might think so. Pike fronts the band with vocals and guitar, and sings with a very strong, soulful voice that at times sounds eerily similar to Melissa Etheridge. It’s a
shame, actually, that such a powerful voice is singing lyrics as incomprehen sible as those found on Sister7’s newest album, on the Arista Records label. The band, formed six years ago and al ready solid with two albums under their collective belt, recently released their third CD, “This The Trip,” a groove-heavy rock album that showcases both the band’s light rhythm section, and Pike’s inability to write anything that makes much sense. There are a few out-standing tracks on the album; Know What You Mean starts good, has a very tasty verse, and a braininfesting chorus hook. Say Goodbye
starts with a “remember the 80’s” speed guitar riff that would be annoying if it weren’t downright amusing, then jum ps into a mellow space-jazz verse, and is one of the few tracks that this reviewer would dare label “dynamic.” Under the Sun fea tures some nice guitar licks, has a solid chorus and has lyrics that are actually somewhat coherent (a rare treat on “This The Trip;” one wonders if Pike trips a little too much when she writes lyrics). Even the hidden track (track 67, for you numerologists out there) is likeable, not to mention softer than the majority o f the album’s tunes, and one has to wonder why
Sister7 would *hide* a track that offers some dynamism to an otherwise very ho mogenous CD. Flesh and Bones is another song that features some of the band’s better work, with an attention-getting first verse (Pike’s voice piped over a drum beat, and nothing else) and a descending chorus that builds up the sort o f musical tension that the al bum lacks in general. However, Flesh and Bones, with its unnecessary final chorus, also brings up the album’s main short-com ing: gratuity. All through “This The Trip” there are See CD, continued on pg 9
Sampler spotlights 16 local sites JIM
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Courtesy o f WPI News Service
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Tours, exhibitions, performances and programs for children are some o f the highlights of the Salisbury Street Sam pler, a ful 1-day festival which will take place Saturday, September 20,1997, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This event is de signed to satisfy the curiosity o f many area residents who regularly travel by the churches, museums, performance halls, and h is to ric s tru c tu re s th at g ra ce Salisbury Street and yet have never had the opportunity to go inside and explore these buildings and the institutions they house. The Salisbury Street Sampler is open to the public free o f charge. It is spon sored by Polar Corporation with support from: Greater Media Cable WGMC-TV 3, the W orcester Telegram and G a zette, and radio stations WTAG AM 580 and 96.1 WSRS Worcester’s Lite Rock. The following is a list o f the participat ing institutions, their street addresses, and b rief d escrip tio n s of the events planned for the Salisbury Street Sampler: American Antiquarian Society, 185
Salisbury Street, will feature a general ori entation to the programs and collections of the society including: behind-thescenes tours, exhibitions, video show ings, and presentations by AAS staff. A dditionally, a m ini-concert of n in e teenth-century American music will be held at selected times in the Goddard Daniel’s House, 190 Salisbury Street, d i rectly across the street from the main li brary. A m erican Red C ross, 61 H arvard Street, will offer tours of their building, constructed by Stephen Salisbury II. Armenian Church of Our Saviour, 91 Salisbury Street, will offer tours during the day, as well as a series of choir per formances. A light lunch will be avail able from 1 1:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Blackstone Valley Heritage Corridor, Roger Williams National Memorial, 1 De pot Square, Woonsocket, RI, will con duct tours and interpretive programs on the area’s early industrial history and the beginnings of the Blackstone River at Salisbury Pond. Central Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra/Tuckerman Hall, 45 Salisbury See Sampler, continued to page 5.
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Sampler: Institutions provide tours different members of the Salisbury fam ily, and children’s activities and games. T rin ity L u th era n C h u rch , 73 Lancaster Street, will present tours of the Nave and Chapel of the Church along with organ concerts. The Church will also offer Noonday Prayer which will include music by the Trinity Choir. United Congregational Church, 6 In stitute Road, will offer tours highlight ing the symbolism of the church’s archi tecture and stained glass windows. A historical display will be offered through out the day. In addition, concerts by Lucia Clemente Falco on the church or gan and Chuck and Mud at the church’s Green Rooster Coffee House will also be featured. Worcester Art Museum, 55 Salisbury Street, features docent-led tours of the museum, children’s activities and dem onstrations in the m useum ’s com puter lab. Food will be sold in the Museum Cafe. Worcester Vocational High School, 2 Grove Street, will have its facilities open to the public. Worcester Polytechnic Institute will open many of its laboratories and class rooms to the public. Highlights will in clude the Electrical and Computer Sci ence Departments, the Chemical Engi neering and Chemistry and Biochemis try Departments, the Computer Science Department, and the Civil and Environ mental Engineering Departments.
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Street, will conduct tours of the hall and feature musical presentations by mem bers of the Symphony as well as by guest performers. Epworth United Methodist Church, 64 Salisbury Street, will present a historical display, offer tours of the church and demonstrate their first aid clinic. This location will also be a first aid station for the event. First Baptist Church, 111 Park Av enue, will offer tours of the facility and a mini-organ concert at selected times. An ongoing historic narration will be pre sented throughout the day. Massachusetts National Guard/Mili tary Archive and Museum, 44 Salisbury Street, will offer tours of the armory and exhibits. The New AUD, 50 Foster Street, will d isp lay h isto ric m ateria ls from the Worcester Memorial Auditorium and the W orcester Music A ssociation. A ddi tionally, tours of the facility will be on going through the facility overlooking Lincoln Square. Preservation W orcester, 10 C edar Street, will offer tours o f Institute Park and the Historic District of M assachu setts Avenue at selected times. Salisbury M ansion/W orcester His torical Museum, 40 Highland Street, cel ebrates the 2 5 151 birthday of Stephen Salisbury I with cake and punch, tours led by costumed docents impersonating
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There have been several changes to the Nintendo 64’s holiday lineup. BanjoKazooie could not be fully completed by Christmas, so a new title has emerged from Nintendo’s shadowy ranks: Diddy Kong Racing. Similar to Mario Kart 64, it will feature racers from the Donkey Kong Country series of games and will feature support for the Rumble Pak, memory cards, and four-player simultaneous play. Zelda 64, easily the most eagerly-antici pated title for Nintendo’s newest system, has increased in size to 256 megabits, or 16 megabytes. Super Mario 64, which was one-fourth this size, cost $60. Whether this capacity upgrade means a drop in ROM prices, or an expected pricetag of $80+, is unknown, but any Zelda 64 title will pro duce significant sales either way. Publication rights to Bomberman 64, another entry in a series o f titles consid
ered to be the “ultimate party game,” have b een h an d ed o v er from H ud so n to Nintendo. Sega has announced a possible sequel to Parappa the Rapper, easily one of the most unique Saturn titles ever. Players control a puppy character who overcomes obstacles with a number of rapping tunes. Also on the Saturn front is a soccer role-playing game from Enix, developers of the Dragon Warrior line. Three different commercials for Sony’s Playstation RPG, Final Fantasy VII, have been spotted on various networks. The game, expected to be the Holy Grail of roleplaying games, is being released this week, as early as September 2nd in some retail chains. Jason Alexander (George from Seinfeld), Forest Whitaker (Species), and football star Howie Long are all slated to appear in a silver screen adaptation of id’s landmark shooter, DOOM. The movie is slated for a 1999 release.
Will they play The Rain in Spain? Courtesy WPI News Service
WPI’s instrumental music organizations will once again be touring during spring break. The band, orchestra and jazz band will be in Spain from March 2 through M arch 9. The m usicians will stay in Madrid and will present concerts in that
city and in Segovia and Toledo. Members of the WPI community are invited to join the students on the trip, which will also include guided tours. The $1,375 cost in cludes transportation, hotels, and two meals each day. Enrollment deadline is Sept. 30. For more information, call Dou glas Weeks, administrator o f applied mu sic, at ext. 5696 or email dweeks@wpi.edu.
M a n d a to ry Ow~
C cu n p u fr K e cn U ttvig G ri& v x ta ttin v On Wednesday - September 3,1997 Perreault Hall 6:30 pm
Thursday - September 4,1997 Perreault Hall 4:30 pm Sponsored by the Career Development Center
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Talkin’ ‘bout a renovation by Janelle Evans Class o f ’98
Ah, A term is here. Isn’t the be ginning of the school year like a rejuvenation of the campus? New faces, new classes, a new year like a clean slate before we begin to sleep in too late and forget our homework and... well maybe that’s just me. But anyway, we also get to see all of those nifty renovations that the school worked so hard to provide over the summer. Last year, it was the fountain in all it’s water sprinkler glory...but that doesn’t work now, so it resembles a hole in the middle of campus, perhaps a relic of a once magnificent struc ture. This year, I noticed new signs and banners all over campus, the latest motif being the gray back-
ground with the crimson lettering, as opposed to vice versa. I also noticed the new Salisbury Labs 123 classroom w here th e stu d en t lounge once stood, and the reno vations of the Ellsworth Fuller apartments. My question though, was all that necessary, or could the money have been spent on more worth while renovations? For example, Ellsworth Fuller was never really all that bad looking, as opposed to Morgan, which resembles a postHolocaust camp with its dirty or ange-brow n carp ets, cram ped rooms, and bathrooms that would rival an amusement park rest room. Sure, it’s supposed to be renewed next year, but then there is the ques tion of more housing being needed to accommodate the larger incom ing classes and more women on
campus. Some of the rooms I saw in Daniels as I helped people move in were so cramped as triples, sev eral parents startin g carrying things out that they had brought in for lack of space. I would be pretty upset if I was paying for room and board and getting less than my money’s worth. But then again, I am pretty money con scious. As for the SL 123 room, it looks like the rest o f the room s in Salisbury, but it is placed smack dab in the middle o f the social area of the building. This could be very disruptive for a class, especially during exam time, and even during the first lecture on the 28*, one of the professors opted to move the class to a more quiet setting. There have to be better uses of space than
sticking a classroom in a former lounge, for example, in basements of buildings, or in some of the dead space in Washburn. I will stop complaining, but I am kind o f interested to know how things gain priority of the school “to fix” list, and if the students have any say in what gets done first. I am not talking about the little things like who will fix the spurting toilets and rampant heat ers, because Plant Services does fine with those things and the gen eral upkeep. I am talking about the big things, summer projects and huge renovations that are co n tracted out and cost a lot more money. I would bet the students would choose the student center and a new dorm over a loud class room and a cracked fountain any day if given the chance.
(£l)f & tu b e n t i> to s p a p e r of ttto rte c ftrr JJolptecbm t 3ln 0titu te d o Student Activities Office
100 Institute Road Worcester, MA 01609 Phone: (508) 831-5464 Fax: (508) 831-5721 E m ail: newspeak@wpi.edu H om epage: http://www.wpi.
edu/~newspeak Co-Editors in Chief
Lisa Bartee Edward J. Cameron Jr.
News Editor_______ vacant
Features Editor Alison Keach
Sports Editor
W e s t S t r e e t H o u se
Heather Mazzaccaro
____Why a circle inside a hexagon?
Advertising Manager Brandon Ngo
Business Manager
by Kelly Boyle and Tom Balistrieri, Student D evelopm ent and Counseling Center
Have you been by West Street House yet? If not, we’re located at 157 West Street and have our name and symbol on a sign on the outside of our house. The symbol is a hexa gon with a circle inside. What does it mean? The Hexagon The hexagon represents the ho listic model of counseling. This model essentially means that we consider the “whole person” when we work with someone. We will not just ask you how you feel! We are interested in all aspects of who you are. These aspects can be di vided into six categories that are represented by the six sides of a hexagon. The six categories are physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, occupational, and social. Here are some thoughts about each one: P hysical ..... the focus here is on the body - and caring for it by eat ing, sleeping, and exercising to pro mote health. (Pizza for all three meals of the day isn’t considered nutritious.) Get some fruits and veggies in there somewhere. Are you getting enough sleep? You need about eight hours of good sleep in order to be capable of your peak performance. And if typing on your com puter keyboard is about the extent of your exercise regimen, create time in your day for a twenty-minute workout. Also, an
abundance of caffeine will make you more jittery than effective. Emotional..... be aware of your emotions. Being a university stu dent, chances are you are feeling a lot of different emotions, possibly including loneliness, sadness, and frustration. And if stress has not hit you yet, it probably will soon! Make sure you have a healthy outlet for your stress. Grinding your teeth does not count and will prevent you roommate from getting the full eight hours of sleep. Instead, try an out let such as exercise, meditation, re laxing walks, or talking with friends. Taking care of problems as the come up can be a great stress reliever. Ex plore these feelings on your own or with someone else; talk to a coun selor if you’d like. In tellectu al ..... How are your study skills and time management skills? Come to West Street House if you need any tips. Notetaking skills may vary from one course to another; ask your professor or TA for help. Form study groups that meet regularly. If you need a place for the meetings, contact West Street House; we may be able to provide that space. We also have counselors who are available to facilitate your group and to lend their expertise regarding academic success. Spiritual..... Slow down! Stop to smell the roses; take time to enjoy yourself and find meaning in life. Celebrate old rituals and create new ones for y o u rself. Take chances and try new things to ex pand your mind. Also put time aside to be alone and time aside to
be with your friends...you need both. Get involved with commu nity and cam pus events. And whatever you do - laugh at your self! S ocial ..... You are surrounded by many new people and oppor tunities to be involved with both the campus community and the surrounding community. Don’t miss out - meet as many people as you can and spend quality time listen in g to and talking with them. Find people whom you share interests with by joining sports or activities. Make a visit to Student Activities to see what WPI organizations look interest ing. Want to meet people in the W orcester com m unity and do nate your tim e and energy to a w orthw hile cause? Talk with Andrea Dorow in Student Activi ties about com m unity service projects that WPI is involved in. Occupational.....now more than ever is the time to choose a career path and make connections with people in your chosen field. Talk with the Career Development Cen ter and your professors about how to meet people who are currently in the occupations that you are in terested in. This will help you to narrow down your career choices and develop important relation ships. It’s never too early or too late to plan for your future career. The CDC can also assist you in exploring careers by providing re sources, counseling, and network ing with alumni/ae. Come to West Street House to explore your val ues, strengths, and goals.
The Circle In many cultures the circle is a very sacred symbol. It has come to represent completion, life, and even the Creator. Look up at the moon; it is a circle. Consider the form in which most birds sculpt their nests. The nest is a circle with a circular egg carefully placed in side for protection. Take note of the circle o f the seasons and the circle of life. Cut a tree in two and you will find a circle. The circle is there to remind us to think holistically, to help us remember that we are emotional, intellectual, spiri tual, and physical beings. And, as we get older we become more circular in nature. We lose our edges. All things that are square try to become round. The wind and the rain and friction take the edges off a sharp rock or mountain. Time, expe rience, and knowledge help us to lose our edges as people. Our ego becomes less important. We lose the chiseled look of youth. We lose a bit of our intellectual sharpness, but we become wiser and roll more eas ily with the things life throws our way. In the Student Development and Counseling Center we try to help you with the edges of life and round them off. We want to help you in becom ing sage and wise. That takes many years. But now is the time to start. We are not JUST about helping young people who feel bad or sad. We are about helping all young people become wiser adults. We hope you will come down and talk. Get to know us. We think you’ll find it is time well spent.
Ken French
Graphics Editor
Eric Wilhelm Office Manager Ben Fischer
Photography Editor Adam Young
Circulation Manager Christopher B. Stank
Web Development Troy Thompson Josh Huber Jeff Ouellette
Typist____________ Mary Devlin
Advertising Assistant Peter Recore
Writing Staff Ken Gagne Justin Greenough Joshua Millard N. Wolf Winset
Graphics Staff______
Ken French Jessica Morgan
Photography Staff Emily Brunkhorst Jim Strickland Adam Woodbury Adam Young
Faculty Advisor_____ John Trimbur
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India: fifty years of freedom by Haris h Chaw la Class o f 99 “A t the stro k e o f m idnight, when the w o r ld sle e p s, India w ill rise to fre e d o m an d inde penden ce. ” Fifty years ago, on
August 1 5 '\ 1947, India gained its freed o m from the B ritish colonists. Now only fifty years into its independence, India is a fast m oving developing coun try, the biggest dem ocracy and a secu lar state with a popula tion o f about one billion. Today when I sit down and th in k how th is nation stands compared to other developing and developed countries, I end up with mixed feelings. Surely we do not have an equally good literacy rate as the western nations. Hu man Rights issues are also more
severe with child labor on the in crease. The practice of setting fire to brides because of inad eq u ate d o w rie s s till e x is ts . People are neither very environ mentally friendly, nor do they be lieve in ‘animal rights.’ Amongst all this confusion, India has also ex p e rien ce d te rro ris t attac k s throughout the nation. Corrup tion is on the rise where people believe in the saying ‘one man one bribe.’ Nevertheless, the m o ment we achieved independence, the age o f colonialism ended and the soul of a nation, long sup pressed, found utterance. Partition of the subcontinent was an avoidable mistake, the re sult of political antagonisms. My g ra n d p are n ts, am o n g st m any others, found themselves on the wrong side o f the door, and thus
had to migrate to India. Left with only what they could carry, they were forced to start their lives from scratch. The government in power tried to deal with the prob lem on hand, but without any im provements. Poor became poorer, with issues such as illiteracy, child labor, infant mortality, the caste system - all unresolved till the present day. And yet I do feel like celebrating. In 1947, a collective fantasy, a political entity called India came to existence. Previous to that there had been an area called In dia, but it consisted of scattered states. W hat came into being was the idea of a nation state, an invention. Thus, India is an idea more than anything else that has been around for half a century now. Ordinary people through
Beyond the margins by Justin Greenough, Newspeak Columnist
Somewhere in each and every one of our lives, there is a place beyond the margins. It is often a place far beyond the edges of the page we write our life upon and far beyond the problems of reality. It is a place where we can relax and really be ourselves...a place where we can remove the masks of daily life in a paranoid society and re ally speak our minds. And so the story goes... Tales of the Rhododendron It’s not very often that I get the time to really sit and think about my life and what it means to me. I find that I’m always so worried about what people think of me and how they react to the things I do in my daily life. I am a doer and I mean that with the strictest sense of the word. I never have time to “stop and smell the roses” if you catch what I’m saying. However, last summer, I had one particular opportunity to do such a reflec tion on my life. I was handed a small wad of paper and told to find a
place to sit alone and write a letter to myself. So, picking up the back pack I had been carrying all day, I set off toward the woods, deep in the foothills of the Smoky Moun tains. If you’ve never been to Ten nessee, you kind of have to realize that the Smokys are a little differ ent then what we’re used to here in New England. The reason the Smokys smoke is because of their lush, dense vegetation. The sur rounding greenery is jam-packed with every kind o f fern, weed, and tree you could ever think of includ ing a huge wild rhododendron. This bush, unlike the one seen on everyone’s lawn in New England, can grow to be far above your head and the leaves become long and fat. The combination of these mythicallooking plants creates a rain forest like atmosphere which gives off oxygen and water vapor in the early cool morning and creates the smoky look that the area is famous for. Anyway, I decided to grab a folding chair from a nearby cabin and position m yself in the center of a fork in the path that began to head into the woods behind the
cabin. Sitting own and beginning to write, I stared at the fork in the path. For some reason, I felt that the fork in the path symbolized my life at that very moment. So, I wrote that on the piece o f paper. As I wrote more and more, I found the need to choose a path and see where I might end up, if this truly was my life. So, picking up my chair and bag, I clamored off to the right, choosing that par tic u la r d ire c tio n b ec au se it seemed to be the most challeng ing. The trek was slightly uphill and required some m aneuvers through the rhododendrons with the articles I was carrying. How ever, I kept going. I went on for several minutes, coming upon several more forks and some dark areas overgrown with brush and vegetation. I be gan to feel weighted down by my backpack and the chair. So weary, I decided to turn back. The trek had proven quite tiresome and I had written enough on the piece o f paper during my freq u en t stops along the way. I guessed that I’d just have to wait for the real path to find out what was in store for me. As I rounded the last bend and continued past the spot where I began, I noticed a sign that I had missed before: “To the Great White Gorge”, the sign said with a large white arrow. Sud denly, I knew that the path I had chosen w as the rig h t one. It would be a long trail, but the re sults would be beautiful. Writing this final sentence on my paper, I folded it up, addressed the enve lope, sealed it shut and trotted off to mail it.
out th e n a tio n , c o n s id e rin g Ind ia’s size, diversity and re gional loyalties, have been com fortable with the notion of India, and believe that they “belong to ” it. The co u n try has partly a c cepted the m odern view o f the self — encom passing alm ost 1 billion souls. R ather it accom m odates 1 billion kinds o f d if ferences. A bove all, it agrees with its billion selves to call all of them “In d ian .” Each in d i vidual feels com fortable about the s tre n g th o f the n a tio n a l idea, why it’s so easy to belong to It, in spite o f all the tu rb u lence, co rru p tio n , taw d rin ess and disappointm ent o f 50 o v er whelm ing years. Indians have pride in their culture, their h eri tage. Fifty years is not enough
tim e for a country to prosper completely. The year 1997 marks the end of the First phase where we have seen India grow from an underdeveloped or a Third World Country to a fast Developing Na tion, opening its doors to foreign ers and at the same time keeping its cultural view intact. Britain considered India just an ‘abstrac tio n ’ or a ‘functional anarchy.’ T hey u n d e re s tim a te d the strength o f the Indian idea. "It m ay be the most innovative na tio n a l p h ilo s o p h y to h a v e em erged in the postcolon ial p e riod. It deserves to be celebrated b ecau se it is an idea that has enemies, within India a s w ell as outside her frontiers, and to cel e b r a te it is a ls o to d e fe n d it a g a in s t its f o e . ” (S alm an
Rushdie).
How a computer is like a child There’s more than just the annoyance by M atthew M. Lug, Class o f ‘99
Human development has been compared to that of most other ani mals, in an effort to understand the fundamental similarities between dif ferent animals. However, I have yet to see anyone compare human de velopment to that of a computer. I can understand why, after all, a com puter isn’t a living organism, but it is quite similar to one. Ideally, a com puter should process information in a manner similar to that of the hu man brain. It requires an energy source, and interacts with the out side world through various types of input and output mechanisms. Com puters occupy important positions in society, and many people have been known to speak to them; some computers even speak back. There fore, I am proposing a 12:1 ratio (or 1 year: 1 month) to compare Human to Computer development, in the same way that a 7:1 ratio is used to com pare Human to Canine development. Pre-purchase (pre-natal) Much planning goes into the purchase o f a computer. Most people spend time on research, so that they will pick the right time for the purchase and will be prepared when the time comes. It is also common for people to purchase several accessories in anticipation of the new arrival. Some people rush into the purchase and end up with something they either can’t handle, or end up not really want ing. Purchase (birth) T his phase takes longer for some people than for others, and
there are also several different methods o f purchase to choose from. When it is finally done, there is some packaging material to get through, and then the com puter comes out shiny and new. There is an immediate bond felt between owner and computer, as well as a pending increase in credit card bills. Nothing else in the w orld m atters to the new owner, a new era has begun. 0-1 month The novelty has worn off. Re ally. It was nice when it didn’t do anything, but now it requires a lot of attention, otherwise it might end up doing something that the owner wouldn’t really like. This is a period of exploration for both owner and computer, and hardly anything productive is accom plished. Frequent calls and vis its with technical support per sonnel are common. 1-3 months The co m p u ter can now do things, some are even productive, but it doesn’t always do what the owner wants it to. All basic soft ware has been installed, and the bugs are being worked out. The calls and visits with technical sup port personnel become fewer, but more serious. 4-6 months Most o f the bugs have been worked out, and new features can often be added with minimal diffi culty. Others frequently comment on the computer, and those with older ones secretly wish they had one like it. See Child continued to page 9
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C lu b C o rn e r a po Welcome back to WPI Olers! Hopefully your summer was relaxing, yet filled with service. Now it’s time to start thinking about our upcoming service projects. The first meeting is tonight in HL 218 at 6:30. At the meeting, we will be planning the rapidly approaching fall rush. Also, we will be discussing our fall service projects, so be sure not to miss out on the meeting! APO is a co-ed service organization at WPI. Any freshmen interested in joining APO should email apo, or check out our web page (www.wpi.edu/~apo).
Christian Bible Fellowship Welcome freshmen and welcome back everyone else ! I hope that this summer was a much needed break from classes and schoolwork. But now that fall’s here, get ready for an awesome time in CBF! With the beginning of the year, Friday Night Fellowship (FNF) will resume this week at 7 :00 in the Lower Wedge. FNF is a fun time of getting together with fellow believers in Christ to praise and worship God. Then we will be having Saturday Sports at 3:00 in Alumni Gym. This is a good time to have fun and meet new people. Come on o u t !! “ ....of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body. “ Ecclesiastes 12:12 (NIV). This timely bit of wisdom identifies what many o f us will be facing this year, an over whelming amount of studying. At times, we will be physically drained, just as this verse says. How can we who are of the body o f Christ deal with the exhaustion we will face ? A little later on the Bible says, “ I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. “ Phillipians 4:13 (NIV) So we m ust not rely on our own strength, but on the strength of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We who remain in Him will be given strength beyond what we need. We will run and not grow weary, we will walk and not be faint (Isaiah 40:31). So when yo u ’re feeling worn out this school year, remember these verses. Re new your hope in the Lord and as His word says, you will renew your strength and soar on wings like eagles.
Muslim Student
Gordon Library Seminar room. So please feel free to come and join us. Thanks. MSA Executive Committee
Railroad Club Now that everyone has settled in to classes, exams, etc. (right?), it’s time for the Railroad Club to begin operations. Our first meeting is tonight, at 7:00pm, in H iggins L aboratories room 005 (The Project Lab). Come on down and see what we’re all about! At tonight’s meeting, we will be plan ning an upcoming trip to the Worceser Model Railroaders’ layout, showing the new members around, deciding upon a rail road name, doing some scenery work, and maybe even some operations! An item high on the agenda is club fi nancing. One way or another, a fundraiser is going to be the only way the Club will be getting funds in the near future. We’ve also got to seriously consider obtaining a room off-campus for a permanent layout (for lack of space on campus). See you tonight!
Science Fiction Society Greeting and salutations to all, new friends and old (and ancient), males, fe males, humans beings, other beings, non beings, entities, bugs, slugs, gamers, read ers, interested parties, and to all others out there; the secret is to Bang The Rocks To gether Guys! This is the first Club Comer of the new school year and what have we done so far? The WPISFS is planning the first gaming weekend coming soon (more information as it becomes available to us). New members will have the opportunity to buy T-shirts. Show your individuality by wearing this wonderful mass produced shirt! The Activities Fair was a rousing success, our guerrilla tactics intimidated...er interested a record number o f willing vic tims... er... recruits willing to participate in ritual... er... regular gaming events, science fiction fandom, and general weirdness. We managed to give away all but a small box of our excess stripped-cover library over flow. Thanks to all the freshmen who ac quired said firelighters last Wednesday. Our meetings are, as usual, at 7pm Wednesday in the Olin Lecture Hall 107. And remember: The whole point of advertising is to make you want to be just like that monkey.
Association Assalam Alikum, The MSA-Muslim Student Association is proud to welcome everybody and wish everybody a great year. MSA especially welcomes the class o f 2001 who just joined the WPI commu nity and wish them the best luck at their future at WPI. the MSA invites every body of WPI community to join us in the many activities that we plan to have this year Our plans for this year includes: Ramadan Dinner, the Annual speaker events, the library displays, sports ac tivities, general body meetings, biweekly meetings and continued daily prayer at the Collegiate Religious Center at 1:30 and 5:30 p.m. For this coming week we have a general body meeting on Thurs day, Septem ber 4th at 7:00p.m. in the
J^etogpeak... First in campus news.
Zeta Psi captures Triple Crown by Jason H utt Class o f ‘97
The Pi Tau Chapter o f the Zeta Psi Fra ternity of North America won three cov eted awards at their recently concluded National Convention. The convention, held in New York City, celebrated the 150th Anniversary of Zeta Psi’s founding. W P I’s Z eta Psi C h ap ter won the Comstock Award, Most Outstanding Chap ter Award, and the Chapter Gold Escutch eon Award. The Comstock Award, awarded
to the Pi Tau chapter for the second year in a row, is given to the chapter which best represents several ideals of the Zeta Psi Fraternity. The Pi Tau chapter also won the Most Outstanding Chapter award for a medium sized chapter after finishing as runner up for the award in the past two years. The brothers o f Zeta Psi, Pi Tau chapter look forward to the challenges ahead in de fending their claims to these awards. They will try to win the Comstock Award for an extraordinary third year in a row.
Student organizations must be recognized by September 17th Courtesy o f WPI News Service
The Student Activities Office reminds officers and advisor of all student orga nizations, including Greek-letter organi zations, club sports and academic honor societies, that these groups must be rec ognized by WPI to operate on campus. The Student Organization Council (SOC) has been established for this purpose. Organizations that have a mailbox in the Student Activities Office have re
ceived an information packet that makes this process as simple as possible; those without a mailbox may call ext. 5291 to request a packet. All materials must be returned to the SAO by Wednesday, Sept. 17. Additional information about SOC guidelines and the WPI recognition pro cess is av ailab le at h ttp :// www.wpi.ed u/+SAO. From Sept. 2-5, the SAO will offer work shops for student organization officers and advisors. Times and locations are posted on the Web pages.
BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THIS GUY IS IN CLASS. E xcitem ent and ad venture is the c o u r se d escrip tio n , an d A rm y ROTC is the nam e. It's the one c o lle g e e l e c t i v e that b u ild s you r s e lf - c o n f id e n c e , d e v e lo p s your le a d e r
sh ip p o ten tia l and h e lp s you take on the c h a lle n g e o f com m and. T h ere's no o b lig a tio n until your junior yea r, so th ere's no reason not to try it out right now .
UXCElLENCeJ
ARMY ROTC THE SMARTEST COLLEGE COURSE YOU CAN TAKE
3000 students, one Newspaper.
For details, visit 28 Harrington Auditorium (100 Institute Rd.) or call 752-7209
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Child: Your computer is growing...
Cancer: Walk for a cure
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7-12 months The com puter progresses more and more each month, and is almost as use ful as the owner had hoped it would be. There are occasional problems, but they can often be worked out without outside help. The worst seems to be over, and the owner is glad that the computer isn’t brand new anymore. It’s almost as if the com puter has become a part o f the fam ily. 13-16 months The computer seems to be developing a mind of its own. It becomes increas ingly difficult for the owner to get things accomplished with it, and some things arc ju st impossible. The computer needs an endless number of upgrades, and the owner seems to be paying more to ac complish the same things that the com-
puter could do easily just a few months earlier. 17 months on Well, the novelty has completely worn off. The computer just can’t seem to keep up with the o w n e r’s needs, and the owner’s cash supply can’t keep up with the com puter’s needs. The reasonable alternatives are to either keep the com puter around in a reduced role, or to send it to a new home, where it can be of more use. There are other options, like a mas sive upgrade or purchasing a new com puter, but those would cost quite a bit of money, and might end up causing many more problems. The owner envies people with brand new computers, and thinks back to what it was like to have one. De spite all the problems, and the enormous cost, the experience still seems somewhat worthwhile.
CD: Who needs lyrics, anyway? Continued from page 4
dragging repeated choruses and pointless guitar solos. It seems as if every other song could stand to lose a solid forty-five seconds, a fact that seems almost damn ing considering that all of the tracks fall short of five minutes as is. Wayne Sutton, the band’s lead guitarist, apparently lis tened to a lot of 80’s speed-guitar rock. A whole lot. It’s not all bad, though; for one thing,
the fact that the lyrics are seemingly mean ingless isn’t terribly relevent because the mix is very drum and bass heavy, with the vocals audible but not looming. The al bum as a whole is very danceable, and, if you are looking for something loud and full of energy, with good rhythm, this might be a good disc to pick up. Fans of Dylan-esque lyrics, or musical subtlety, on the other hand, shouldn’t bother. Unless, that is, you find a copy in the discount bin.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute, George C. Gordon Library Exhibit: August 20 to September 17, 1997 P J U ’ Z o fy v y J U
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Cancer Society. Funds raised through Making Strides Against Breast Cancer will support scientific research on the causes o f breast cancer and ways to prevent it; Reach to Recovery, a one-to-one support program for women with breast cancer; a mammography van making breast cancer screening accessible to all women; support for legislation on mammography quality
The welcome mat is out for four new profs. Courtesy o f WPI News Service
Several new tenure-track professors have joined the WPI faculty. Isabel F. Cruz, assistant professor of com puter science, earned her Ph.D. in computer science at the University of Toronto. She was previously an assistant professor in Tufts University’s Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department. Michael Demetriou, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, master’s degrees in applied mathematics and electri cal engineering, and a doctorate in electrical engineering systems from UCLA. He comes
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Worcester Photographer, Fred Richmond, shows his fascination with light and shadow through color photography
to WTI from the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Boise State Uni versity. Marianne Janack, a former lecturer at Colgate University, has joined the faculty as assistant professor of humanities. She re ceived a B.A. in philosophy and English from Colgate and a Ph.D. in philosophy from Syra cuse University. Carolina Ruiz, formerly an adjunct pro fessor, has been appointed assistant pro fessor of computer science. She holds two bachelor’s and a master’s degrees from the University of Los Andes in Bogota, Co lombia, and a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Maryland at Col lege Park.
A r t s & En t e r t a in m e n t
“Vibrant Color” on display at UMASS Courtesy UMASS M edical Center News Service
A collection of paintings and works on paper by Judith Ellen Sanders of Leverett, Mass. Will be on exhibit at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center Gallery from September 3 through 29. “It is my goal to combine the worlds of nature and feeling with color and form to create vibrant new images of flow, renewal, expansiveness and possi bility,” said Sanders, whose background cov ers both art and science. Sanders described her upcoming exhibit at UMMC as a combi nation of vibrant colors and flowing forms
that depict “the many facets of life in all its simplicity and complexity.” In addition to “Paintings and Works on Paper,” three other exhibits will be on display next month throughout the Medical Center, in collaboration with ARTSWorcester: In the Benedict Building outpatient clinic area, “Scenes from Life,” a collection of paintings by Ann. C. R osebrooks of North Grosvenordale; in Biotech II at 373 Planta tion Street, “Happy Accidents,” mixed me dia on paper by Sarah Jeppson of Brookfield; and in UMass Hospital’s Clinic III, pastel and charcoal works by Chip Harris. Exhibits can be viewed from 9 to 5 pm.
Co m m e n t a r y
A Freshman perspective: Doing well so far by Tom Collins Class o f ‘01
H o u rs : A u g u s t- M
standards, insurance coverage, and other issues; and educational efforts. To sign up for the WPI team stop by our table in the Wedge on September 2 and 18th or come to the Student Activities Of fice. Tee Shirts are also available for $7, but your order must be placed before Sep tember 4th. For more information please contact Andrea Dorow or Alison Keach in the Student Activities Office.
The first week of college is now coming to a close. It’s hard to believe only a week has gone by. There has been so much to do in the past week I already feel as if I have been year a month. The week started with move-in and the first time (for most of us) that we met our roommates. Then we went and stood in long lines to get our college IDs and get our UNIX login names, listened to many first day lectures, and finally bid our par ents farewell (yeah!). Later on we met our orientation groups and played icebreakers. We learned a little about the upcoming project and then we went to Daka to try the fine cuisine that is served there (not!). Over the next few days we were bombarded with information on study groups, the Suffi
ciency, IQPs, MQPs, studying abroad, classes, clubs and the importance of getting involved here at WPI. We also got to see some really good lectures and shows, such as the hypnotist, T.J. and Joel, and the OLs embarrassing themselves on stage in Can We Talk? There was also PlayFair, and the BYOB (Bring Your Own Banana) social. Through all that we still had time to create a fictitious student, give them a web page, create web pages for all of the members of our groups and clean an area on campus. Not to mention the fact that we signed up for many different clubs and tried to juggle meet ings and homework from our first day of classes. I think the class of 2001 has done pretty well to adapt to the new changes and to start juggling classes, clubs, orientation, home work, figuring out where the buildings are and what exactly Daka, the Quad, and the Wedge really are.
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HIGH-LEVEL CAREERS ARE LAUNCHED WITH AIR FORCE ROTC Flying a stealth fighter is not for everyone. But for those who can meet the challenge, it’s a thrill that no other career can offer. How about you? If you’re thinking about life at Mach 2, think about Air Force ROTC immediately. It will launch the leadership skills you’ll need as an Air Force officer - skills that will serve you for a lifetime. Free flight lessons will get your feet off the ground for the first time. Start now. Contact Captain Connolly at 831-5747.
L e a d e r s h ip
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C l a s s if ie d s HELP W A N T ED Federal Work/Study Position at Student Development and Counseling Ctr., 157 West St. (near corner of Institute Rd.) Call West St. House. 831 -5540. A good place to work!
PAID. P rom ote KODAK Spring Break trips. WE’llpay you m ore than anyone else...GUARANTEED! NO RISK.. .we handle all the book keeping. Call World Class Va cations 1-800-222-4432 Our 21 * year
REAL E S T A T E SUPERSTAR STUDENTS NEEDED! Earn $ signing up friends and classmates for our credit cards. Opportunity to advance to campus manager involving hir ing & training other students. No car required. Must be out going & aggressive. Flexible hours & great income! Call Valerie at 800-592-2121 X 154. SPRING BREAK-PARTY, MEET PEOPLE, AND GET
2 Bedroom Apt. in older Vic torian. Lots o f character, stone & brick walls, wood floors, parking, privacy. Excellent WPI/Becker location. $550 per mo. Plus utilities. 508-756-6731 or 508-757-4838.___________
PERSONALS S k ateb o ard in g is not a crime in ...but carrying concealed
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rifles is! Lonely, apathetic student seeks insecure companion to delude and play jacks with. Please reply with fresh co ffee and a cho co late Dunkin’ Donuts Croissant at the Alumni Plaza fountain at noon. No circus acts.
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“Die Price Chopper. Die!” Overheard, 4lh of July. Whose side are you on, anyway? How far up does it go? Who pulls the strings? Where did the Cube go?
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Newspeak will run classifieds free for all WPI students, faculty, and staff. Free classifieds are limited to six (6) lines. Ads of a commercial nature and ads longer than six lines must be paid for at the off campus/commercial rate of $5.00 for the first six lines and 50 cents per additional line. Classified ads must be paid for in advance No information which, in the opinion of the Newspeak editors, would identify an individual to the community will be printed in a personal ad The editors reserve the right to refuse any ad deemed to be in bad taste or many ads from one group or individual on one subject. The deadline for ads is noon on the Friday before publication. All classified ads must be on individual sheets of paper and must be accompanied by the writer's name, address and phone number.
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P o l ic e L o g Friday, August 22 8:25 am - Missing Person: Hispanic Male, White Tee shirt with print on front, blue jeans, 25 years old. Reported by WPD. 1:05 pm - Assist: Rear of Morgan. Need to remove at least 10 vehicles for Daka. 1:18 pm - Trespass: Skateboarders, both have been warned for trespassing. 2:05 pm - Code 5: Rear of Morgan Hall. Removed most of the vehicles in which Daka asked for. 10:30 pm - Field Check: Asked a group of students to stay off new football turf. Saturday, August 23 12:56 am - Intrusion alarm: Higgins House 1Mfloor-basement. 1:07 am - Officers clear Higgins House, alarm activated by bat. 1:31 am - Disorderly persons: Complaint of loud group on Institute Road near West St. 3:02 am - Plumbing problem: Stoddard, complaint of toilet Hushing continuously. 4:32 pm - Trespassing: Skateboarders and bicyclists on Quad. Sunday, August 24 12:15 am - Assist: Call from student activities office re: incoming transfer student with no place to stay. 12:30 am - Re: above transfer student, OK to stay at 28 Trowbridge 12:40 am - Attempted to call back student activities, no response. Unable to locate transfer student. 11:06 am - Report: 3 tables damaged, golf cart tracks left, on quad. 11:45 am - Daniels RA reports malfunctioning elevator. 11:55 am - Report: Handicapped Access to Founders non-functional, work order filed. 6:15 pm - Assist: WPD requests WPI Police handle noise complaint at fraternity. 6:19 pm - Clear: Fraternity advised to keep volume down, further complaints will result in termination of event, WPD advised. 11:46 - Assist: Assist WPD at Salisbury Estates, noise complaint 11:50 - Officers clear Salisbury Estates, noise complaint unfounded. Monday, August 25 1:02 am - Noise complaint: Institute Road fraternity, loud music. 1:16 am - Officers clear Institute Road. 6:14 am - Hold-up alarm: Health Services. Alarm secured immediately on panel. 7:39 pm - Possible Car Theft: Salisbury Estates. 11:25 pm - Possible alcohol violation: Report of large group in front of Institute Hall, possibly with alcohol. 11:31 pm - Officers clear Institute Road, group sent on their way. 11:33 pm - Suspicious persons: Officers out with subjects at West and Elbridge Streets. I\iesday, August 26 9:28 am - Disabled vehicle: By Morgan near field. Yellow vehicle, area checked, nothing found. 3:32 pm - Note: ROTC students carrying rifles, advised to conceal. 11:35 pm - Suspicious persons: Officer out with group on Institute Road near Alumni Field. Two officers assisting. 11:42 pm - Officers clear Institute Road. Wednesday, August 27 7:30 am - Assist: WPD with car blocking driveway on Trowbridge. Student found and car moved. 11:15 am - Theft report: Athletic Department. 1:15 pm - Medical: Institute Park, male, knee injury. 3:45 pm - Trespassing: Skateboarders in Freeman Plaza.
We’ll Be On Campus Sept. 17. www.ge.com
Please check with the Career Center for m ore details or visit us on our website:
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