 Catholic community members address Downhill Derby controversy
by The TartanMay 11, 2013“Forum
online only!
Laughter is supposed to be the shortest distance between two people, at least according to Victor Borge. It is a great misfortune that this simple and powerful means of communion was flagrantly subverted at a recent Carnival event, whose title seemed to be a CMU-nym for "lighthearted." The Anti-Gravity Downhill Derby float that set out to mock both the pope as well as community standards of respect was calculated for exclusion of, among others, Catholics who actually think of their "pope" in familial terms.
Since Catholics on Carnegie Mellon's campus are made of hardy stock, we consider the architects of this float themselves more the victims of their own narrow and tasteless humor than we are; it differs only in degree from the sneering humor we have become perhaps too accustomed to over the years from a variety of sources. Still, we grieve the chance to conspire with them in laughter. Even had we ourselves been the object of ridicule, it would have been fun, since "angels can f...
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Father Joshua Kibler, director of Catholic campus ministry for University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, and Chatham University
Corina F. Ramirez, president of the Catholic Newman Club
Shannon Gallagher, secretary of the Catholic Newman Club
Steven Pepin, former president of the Catholic Newman Club
Kyle Anderson, CIT Ph.D. '13
Zacharias George, MS E&TIM '13
John Oravec, SDS '14
Christopher Sickler, SHS '15
Kate Uncapher, CIT '15
Lauren Williams, DC '15
Maria Marta Ferreyra, associate professor of economics
Gregory Lehane, professor, drama and music
Natalie Baker Shirer, associate professor, drama, voice and speech”
Response to Jared Cohon's email concerning Anti-Gravity Downhill Derby
by The TartanMay 11, 2013“Forum
| Ivy Krislov
online only!
An open letter to President Cohon and others concerned:
Let me start by explaining something about myself. I have PCOS, or poly-cystic ovarian syndrome. The syndrome results in a low level of estrogen being produced by my body, making me skip my period, feel ill, gain weight, and suffer from bad mood swings. Around one in 10 women are affected by this syndrome. It is precancerous, if left untreated. Guess what the treatment is?
It’s birth control.
In the past and present, the institution of the Roman Catholic Church (not that I DO NOT say Catholicism) has been responsible for attempting to limit women’s access to birth control, whether they use it for this reason or for others. Condoms have been similarly stigmatized. This causes many women to face risks that will never be present for men, including myself. So, yes, I do have a stake in this conversation, the one that the girl on campus — who will hopefully remain unnamed — started during the Anti-Gravity Derby during Carni...
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Ivy Krislov
Dietrich College '14”
 Women's tennis takes second place in UAA Conference Championships
by The TartanMay 02, 2013“Sports
| Abby Smith
The Tartans took second place in the UAA Conference Championships for the first time since 2009 in women’s tennis this weekend, sealing an overall record of 12–7.
The women’s tennis team began their championship run with a 9-0 victory over the University of Rochester on Thursday morning, marking head coach Andrew Girard’s 300th career victory.
The Tartans started the match with three wins in doubles action as junior Katie Cecil and sophomore Angela Pratt won 8–3 at No. 1 doubles, sophomore Bryn Raschke and first-year Brooke Tsu won 8–1 at No. 2 doubles, and senior Alex Tapak and sophomore Lydia Utkin won 8–1 at No. 3 doubles.
Cecil won her No. 1 singles match, followed by a No. 6 victory by Raschke. First-year Elizabeth Martin and Tsu each turned in wins at No. 3 singles and No. 4 singles, respectively.
The final two singles victories came from Pratt at No. 2 singles and first-year Abbey Hamstra at No. 5 singles.
On Friday afternoon, the team beat the No. 10 Washingto...
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Editor’s Note: Elizabeth Martin and Alex Tapak are staffwriters for The Tartan.”
Ultimate team ties for fifth at Regionals
by The TartanMay 02, 2013“Sports
| Karthik Nagalingam
The Carnegie Mellon men’s Ultimate team, Mr. Yuk, took part in the USA Ultimate’s Ohio Valley Division-I College Open Regionals this weekend. The team went 4–2 this tournament and ended up tying for fifth after being awarded the third seed at the onset of the tournament.
Head coach Aaron Kane said the team was disappointed with the overall result, having high expectations of finishing in the top two. The team took solace in the fact that the loss came against the best schools in the conference. Captain Nipunn Koorapati, a master’s student in electrical and computer engineering, said, “[We] wanted to be a strong contender in the region, and we definitely were, regardless of the final place result.”
Mr. Yuk had a busy weekend, with six matches over the course of Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, the tournament featured a round robin format, in which teams were split into groups of four and played three matches against the other members in the group.
Carnegie Mellon faced Sain...
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We should experiment with drug laws
by The TartanMay 02, 2013“Forum
| Kyle Henson
Anyone who has watched writer David Simon’s HBO television series The Wire is familiar with the term “Hamsterdam.” Hamsterdam refers to a section of Baltimore where the sale and consumption of drugs are legal on the show.
Hamsterdam came about because the drug trade on mainstream street corners became too disruptive to everyday citizens. People were murdered and taxpayers moved out of the city to the neighboring county to avoid violence and drug culture. As a result, a rogue cop created Hamsterdam, comprised of empty row houses where the drug trade is legal and regulated for violence.
Hamsterdam was incredibly successful. Street corners were peaceful. Crime decreased by 14 percent in the district. Groups that distributed clean needles and condoms set up in Hamsterdam and reached people in the shadowy underworld of the drug trade that were once unreachable. Narcotics Anonymous set up in Hamsterdam and saw an influx of members looking to stop drug use. Cops even started chargi...
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Kyle Henson (kahenson@) is a staffwriter for The Tartan.”
Mathletes take fifth at Putnam competition
by The TartanMay 02, 2013“Sci/Tech
| Desiree Xu
Though practicing math problems may sound dull and even repulsive to some, three students happily put their math skills to the test by representing Carnegie Mellon in the William Lowell Putnam Competition, one of the most prestigious math competitions in the country. They took fifth place in the competition.
Each participating school sends a representative three-person team to compete. The school’s ranking is essentially the sum of the team members’ individual places, with lower-sum teams ranking higher. The team members — sophomore mathematics majors Albert Gu and Michael Druggan, along with first-year Science and Humanities Scholar and mathematics major Linus Hamilton — regularly attend the weekly Putnam seminar, taught by assistant professor of mathematical sciences Po-Shen Loh. There, they prepare and practice math problems from topics covered by the undergraduate math curriculum including analysis, algebra group theory, combinatorics, and more.
The teammates also met for...
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The changing faces of Carnegie Mellon: A presidential retrospective
by The TartanMay 02, 2013“News
| Greg Hanneman
When it came time to give a title to his final speech before the student body, retiring Carnegie Tech president John C. Warner had a few ideas.
“Old presidents never die, they just lose their faculties,” he joked to his audience in December 1964.
As Jared Cohon, Carnegie Mellon’s eighth president, prepares to step down from the position, The Tartan takes a look back at the history of Carnegie Mellon’s other presidents and the events that marked their terms.
The information for this article was obtained from a combination of The Tartan’s own archives, minutes and notes from the university’s board of trustees, five published books on Carnegie Mellon history, and interviews with people involved in the university’s history and presidential searches.
The resulting 110-year historical picture reflects the Carnegie Mellon of today. The institution’s presidents themselves have embodied the contrasting disciplines, backgrounds, and approaches inherent in the modern multi-faceted...
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Editor's Note: Brent Heard contributed to this article.”
Horoscopes
by The TartanMay 02, 2013“Comics
| Kairavi Chahal
Some of the friends you made this semester will stick with you for the rest of your life.
Now is the best time to start a big project since you are pumped and ready to take on the world.
Summer break is a well-deserved breather for you, so don't do anything stressful.
Don't get your hopes up, because chances are, it's not going to happen.
If you push too hard, those around you may not appreciate it.
You may feel like you are being wise, but carefully consider your actions.
Don't give in to temptation. Resist and you will reap bigger rewards later.
There will be a lot of struggles this week, but don't let them get the better of you.
Pay attention to important issues this week, but not any more than they deserve.
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. You may want to hang out in large groups rather than with just one friend.
Nature calls, but not in that way. Try to de-stress before finals with a nice hike or a fishing trip.
Don't forget to look up from the paperwork once in a while.”
Steelers' draft pick adds youth
by The TartanMay 02, 2013“Sports
| Carl Glazer
The NFL Draft — and the TV spectacle that it has become in recent years — ended this weekend. The Steelers came into the draft aimed at getting younger members on their offensive line and the entirety of their defense. The Steelers also had to replenish some of the depth at their skill positions like quarterback, running back, and wide receiver, after losing players to both free agency and age.
The Steelers’ first-round pick, the 17th overall, was Jarvis Jones, an outside linebacker from the University of Georgia. Jones does not have the prototypical physical attributes desired in a standard 3–4 outside linebacker, but more than makes up for it with his speed, strength, and quick play recognition. He was drafted to replace all-pro linebacker James Harrision, who was cut as the Steelers desperately tried to get under the salary cap this offseason.
Picking Jones is not without risk, though, since he comes with a shaky injury past. Jones started his career with University of Sout...
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A comprehensive movie guide: 2012–13
by The TartanMay 02, 2013“Take a look back at this school year in film through this thematic, approachable list of movies
Pillbox
| Andie Park, Joe Anthony Martinez
This isn’t your typical high-brow list filled with Oscar nominations or European art films. Let’s face it: Argo was far from the best picture of the year and only won Best Picture because it kissed Hollywood’s butt and featured the comeback of Ben Affleck and his amazing facial hair. The films listed below are the ones that impacted college students. They’re actually exciting, and they took us to another world without leaving us hopeless or depressed at the end (*cough* Amour cough ). In no particular order, we present to you some of the best films of the 2012–13 school year.
Facing Morality Without Sentimentality
Flight
Don’t let the trailer fool you. While at first glance it may seem like a ridiculous plot centered around Denzel Washington commandeering an upside-down airplane, Flight presents a very real and very difficult struggle over addiction and responsibility. Washington gives a powerhouse performance as the alcoholic pilot driven to humility and accep...
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_One Night in Beijing_ whisks students away
by The TartanMay 02, 2013“'The White Serpent' performance explores ancient Chinese legends, poetry, and song
Pillbox
| Diana Pacilio
For students who grew up in more homogenous areas, coming to Carnegie Mellon can be eye opening in many ways. One of the perks of this community is the diversity seen on campus.
While this diversity is easily seen walking from class to class, each group also has representation on campus through the many organizations that celebrate the culture with which they identify.
One of these organizations, Awareness of Roots in Chinese Culture (ARCC), chose to share Chinese culture through its annual show, One Night in Beijing . Directed by ARCC president Victor Dong and One Night in Beijing coordinator Dennis Liang, this production is one that helps students feel connected to Chinese culture.
Because it is the one big event for ARCC each year, students old and new begin working on the show nearly two months in advance, and they find it extremely rewarding. First-year undeclared Dietrich College student Vira Shao said the reason she joined the production was that she felt “out of...
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Dollar movie
by The TartanMay 02, 2013“Pillbox
| Matthew Zurcher
Looper
7:30 10
In Looper, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis play the same dude, divided by time travel — one’s the hero, the other’s the villain. Writer/director Rian Johnson has an inspiring faith in love — in this case, showing that it can drive someone to evil. The film’s virtue is in its pure strength as both a genre-based product and a vessel for human observation. Looper has a few interesting things to say about time travel, but it has more poignant insights on sacrifice, morality, and fatherhood. It’s an intensely interesting picture that will one day be recognized as a pillar of science fiction.
Zero Dark Thirty
7 10 1
Last year’s media frenzy surrounding Zero Dark Thirty mostly centered around its depiction of torture in the hunt for Osama bin Laden. It’s unfortunate because, while those sequences play like an artsy version of 24, the film is otherwise an extraordinary procedural. Jessica Chastain turns in an explosive performance as Maya, a CIA agent who spearheaded the bin Laden investigation. A series of great supporting performances, a tense and forceful screenplay, and a final 50 minutes that will glue you to your chair make this a political procedural not to be missed, and one of the best pictures of 2012.
Mulan
8 10 12
Take a trip back to your childhood with 1998’s Mulan , certainly one of the finer Disney musicals of that decade. The film, set during China’s Han Dynasty, depicts the journey of a woman who masquerades as a man in order to join the army and fight against a Hun invasion. Since it’s a Disney musical, she is required to carry along a colorful pair of animals of different species — in this case, a dragon and a cricket. Mulan lacks the memorable songs of The Lion King or Aladdin , but is markedly improved by a level of visual splendor rarely achieved in animation.”
Track and field teams finish UAAs on right foot
by The TartanMay 02, 2013“Sports
| Vinay Viswanathan
The men’s and women’s track and field teams traveled to New York City last weekend to compete in the UAA Championships, hosted by New York University. The women’s team finished in sixth place of the seven teams in competition with 53 points, while the men claimed second with 177.
Throwers from both teams exhibited tremendous performances at the UAAs. Zachary Erra-Hernandez, a junior thrower who is finishing off a season full of new personal records, won the discus event, throwing 44.69 meters. First-year Paul Hamerski threw 52.36 meters in the javelin in a third-place performance, while junior Nathan Cheek and David Markowitz added fourth- and sixth-place performances, respectively, in the javelin. Gino Pilato placed third in the discus with a 43.79-meter throw.
Junior distance runner Joshua Newby cited the throwers as one of the key components to the Tartans’ success at UAAs, saying, “the throwers were clutch today.”
On the women’s throwing side, senior Sarah Menio threw t...
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Men's tennis places fourth in championship
by The TartanMay 02, 2013“Sports
| Abby Smith
The 16th-ranked Carnegie Mellon men’s tennis team suffered a tough 6–3 loss against Case Western Reserve University on Sunday morning to take fourth place in the UAA Conference Championships. This makes the Tartans’ record 13–7 for the season.
“We’ve had some tough losses to deal with this weekend, but they’ve been against good teams and we’re looking ahead now,” first-year Yuvraj Kumar said.
The team received points in the match against Case Western from the doubles win by sophomore Bryce Beisswanger and Kumar, along with a win by senior Duke Miller at No. 3 singles and a No. 6 singles victory by senior Jooho Yu.
Although the Tartans led 4–3, the match point came down to the No. 1 and No. 2 singles games, both of which were heart-wrenching tiebreakers. Both sophomore Christian Heaney-Secord and Kumar won their first sets but fell in the last two sets.
Yesterday’s loss was especially tough after a 5–4 loss to No. 3 Emory University Eagles just the day before. Yu and soph...
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A Person's opinion
by The TartanMay 02, 2013“Forum
| Kelsey Scott
The Tartan is ready to kick back and relax after finals, so we asked "How do you prepare for finals?"
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President’s cabinet searching for applicants
by The TartanMay 02, 2013“Forum
| Peter Masters
Hello Tartans,
One part of Carnegie Mellon’s Student Government has been a President’s cabinet. This cabinet works with the President and Vice President to help make different initiatives come to fruition during the school year. This year, our cabinet will be split into two different branches. The branches and the descriptions of their roles are listed below.
A Chief of Staff will also be selected to oversee and connect these two branches. Members of the cabinet should expect to spend 2–4 hours a week on cabinet-oriented work, of which one of these hours will be a weekly meeting.
We hope to have a cabinet full of Carnegie Mellon students who are passionate and excited about making a difference for students on our campus. Here’s a basic description of what we’re looking for:
Cabinet Task Force
The first of these branches is a Task Force that will act as the core group of cabinet representatives who work to make sure events run smoothly and board initiatives are achie...
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Peter “Batman” Masters
batman@cmu.edu
Student Body Vice President-elect”
Advice for awkward people
by The TartanMay 02, 2013“A departing columnist offers a final blessing to his (two) loyal readers
Pillbox
| Patrick Hoskins
Dear Patrick,
Is it true? Is this really your last column? Who will I turn to to solve my existential crises? Who will offer pithy solutions to my banal problems?
Thanks,
Ire Necessary, Escaping Everyone, Doubtless Yearning Oncoming Unavoidably
Dear I NEED YOU,
(No one’s ever said that to me before.) Take a deep breath. I know it will be hard. I’m not sure what I’ll do when I can’t bestow my pearls of wisdom to my two loyal readers. I may have to walk up to people on the street and tell them how to properly live their lives. I’ve done that before, but who knew mothers didn’t want a 22-year-old dude telling them how to raise their kids? Is it my fault they’re doing it wrong? (Answer: Yes — I should have addressed it in this column.)
Once I’m gone, you’ll probably try to find some other substitute, going up to other dashing young men you meet and asking them for advice. When I’m gone, someone else will be taking over this column — although that pers...
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Did you know?
by The TartanMay 02, 2013“Pillbox
| Catherine Spence
100 years ago: Apr. 3, 1913
The Tartan reminds students that school spirit means more than just cheering at athletic events. Students heading home for the Easter holiday are urged to reach out to graduating seniors from their hometown and promote the advantages of a Carnegie Tech education.
50 years ago: Apr. 24, 1963
The sixth glass door collapsed in Skibo Gymnasium. As with the previous five broken panes, it is unclear why the door appears to have fallen and shattered. The Tartan suggests that Skibo should hold off on replacing the door to air out the stench of the gymnasium and spend other funds mopping up other areas of campus.
25 years ago: Apr. 26, 1988
The Housing and Dining Office was informally accused by two students of breaking the dorm room entry policy over spring break. One student had a refrigerator unplugged over the break that caused his milk to spoil and stink up the room.
10 years ago: Apr. 21, 2003
A newly approved exam policy pu...
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Calendar
by The TartanMay 02, 2013“Pillbox
| Allison Cosby
MONDAY 4.29.13
Gaypril: F to eMBody. McConomy Auditorium. 7 p.m.
This free event celebrates transgender art, bringing transgender visibility, education, and art to campus. The event will feature spoken word and hip-hop performances.
TUESDAY 4.30.13
Celebration of Education. Rangos Hall. 4:30 p.m.
In the annual Celebration of Education, Carnegie Mellon recognizes distinguished faculty members for their contributions to the university and their dedication to teaching. Students are welcome to attend.
MFA First-Year Academic Panel Presentations. College of Fine Arts 303. 6:30 p.m.
First-year Master of Fine Arts candidates will present academic research related to their artwork. Tuesday is the first day of presentations and will feature students Isla Hansen, Jaewook Lee, and Dakotah Konicek. The second day of presentations will take place on May 7 at 6:30 p.m. in the same location, and will feature Rafael Canedo, Jingjing Chen, and Lucia Nhamo. The presen...
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Abumrad offers a science journalist's perspective
by The TartanMay 02, 2013“Radiolab co-host describes the tensions that are integral to both discussing science and doing his job
Pillbox
| Allison Cosby
Fighting with your best friend, studying for a challenging exam, pulling on a rubber band until it almost snaps — all of these things create what we define as tension. But what about a well-told story? According to Radiolab co-host Jad Abumrad, that involves tension, too.
Abumrad and his co-host Robert Krulwich have spent years developing Radiolab , a popular NPR program now in its 11th season that has become known for its accessibility in dealing with challenging scientific and lofty philosophical questions. Abumrad and Krulwich ask real questions and look for real answers that can be understood by real people — and they do so in an entertaining and engaging way. That’s something that few can brag about.
Abumrad’s talk on Tuesday, hosted by AB Lectures, was humorous, honest, and inspiring. His story is one of uncertainty, setbacks — and, well, tension. He embodies some combination of journalist, musician, producer, scientist, and philosopher, but he is none of these things...
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PHI to shut down; students grieve
by The TartanMay 02, 2013“News
| Amy Tsien
Panther Hollow Inn — known among students as “PHI” — formally announced that it is closing by the end of May after many years of operation.
This news met with a great deal of attention within the university community and from local residents.
The news of PHI’s closing drew a substantial response from the campus community, with many students concerned that this closing was an effect of Carnegie Mellon’s desire to develop the area surrounding Craig Street.
Despite initial speculation that the closing may have been part of the university’s Master Plan, Vice President of Campus Affairs Michael Murphy released a statement stating that it was not the university who had purchased the bar.
Student body president Will Weiner confirmed this statement.
“I got in touch with Vice President of Campus Affairs Michael Murphy and he confirmed with me that CMU did not buy the bar,” Weiner said. “Beyond that, I’m really not sure.”
Within hours of the news of PHI’s closing being s...
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_Arrested Development_ to return next month
by The TartanMay 02, 2013“Nearly a decade later, fourth season of the television comedy will premiere on Netflix
Pillbox
| Laura Scherb
After a seven-year hiatus, the critically acclaimed television comedy Arrested Development will return with a new season starting on May 26. The show, originally produced by and aired on FOX, was cancelled in 2006 due to low ratings and a lack of viewers — even though it won multiple awards, including six Emmys and one Golden Globe.
For years, there were rumors that a spin-off movie based on the show was being written and produced, Arrested Development has remained off the air and the screen since 2006. Now, the show is back — but as opposed to airing weekly on FOX, the fourth season will premiere solely on Netflix, which will release all 15 episodes simultaneously.
Renowned for its tongue-in-cheek attitude toward issues like homosexuality, incest, alcohol, and tax evasion, but Arrested Development focuses on the drama surrounding the Bluth family — drama that they cause and inevitably exacerbate. Sometimes touching and sometimes just plain weird, the show has one consta...
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Jewelry exhibit sparkles and shines
by The TartanMay 02, 2013“Carnegie Museum of Natural History presents Garden of Light
Pillbox
| Nikita Mishra
Tucked away at the back of the Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems in the Carnegie Museum of Natural History is a small room filled with dazzling jewels and stunning necklaces, bracelets, brooches, and more. While they look as though they could belong to royalty, in reality the precious gems in this room are the works of artist Paula Crevoshay as part of the Garden of Light exhibit.
As one enters the room, a large turquoise and gold necklace glittering under its display case immediately catches the viewer’s eye. Strategically placed at the center of the room, this necklace drew several visitors to the exhibit and was unarguably the main attraction. Nevertheless, the multitude of sparkling artifacts lining the walls could capture the attention of jewelry aficionados and those indifferent to jewelry alike.
Crevoshay, who has been designing jewelry for more than 30 years, began doing so as a hobby. After four years of learning ancient metal techniques used in India, she launched ...
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The Garden of Light exhibit will be on display at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History through Aug. 11.”
Romeo & Juliet stays relevant, vibrant
by The TartanMay 02, 2013“School of Drama presents classic in a current context that preserves play's power
Pillbox
| Joey Peiser
If you’re currently reading this article and don’t know the story of William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet , you should probably just stop reading. No? All right, if thou doth persist. The timeless classic tells the story of young lovers Romeo and Juliet whose respective families are locked in a perpetual feud. Their love goes through multiple trials until they finally find peace in committing suicide in each other’s arms.
Just about everyone has been told this story, so what makes a production of the play stand out is how the story is told. The School of Drama’s production of Romeo & Juliet , directed by voice and speech professor Don Wadsworth, definitely takes an interesting and relevant approach to the time-tested tale.
This Romeo & Juliet is set in the modern day, and this setting helps bring forth many of the central themes of the play. Phone cameras and Facebook statuses figure prominently in the characters’ actions, and costuming and music choices firmly establish t...
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Thistles & Thorns
by The TartanMay 02, 2013“Forum
| Tartan Board
At the close of every school year, The Tartan reassesses the year’s events. We present here a list of the people and happenings that are worthy of recognition. Thistles go to people and events that had a positive effect on the campus community and the world at large. Thorns go to those that have negatively impacted the community.
A thistle to departing University President Jared Cohon, for his 16 years of unfailing and loyal service to Carnegie Mellon. We at The Tartan wish him a happy retirement.
A thorn for the recent outbreaks of mass violence. Shootings and other tragedies across the nation, including those in Boston, Mass.; Aurora, Co.; and Newtown, Conn. have taken innocent lives and disrupted the daily peace that the average citizen should be afforded.
A thistle to Randall Munroe and his webcomic xkcd , which recognized that Carnegie Mellon has the best hash bashers as part of a competitive April Fools update.
A thorn for the U.S. Se...
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JFC responds to editorial about budget remarks
by The TartanMay 02, 2013“Forum
Last Monday’s article “Joint Funding Committee’s budget remarks out of line” questions the professionalism of the JFC in an unacceptable manner. In addition to drawing inaccurate conclusions, the article fails to recognize the increased transparency of the budget process.
The JFC makes decisions by considering how best to maximize every student activities fee(SAF) dollar to improve student life. Our comments on budgets are both justified and in line with our mission: questioning why previously granted repair expenditures continue to be requested, stating resource constraints, and noting lack of clarity in fiscal behavior are all necessary for responsible allocations. We also include our metrics for travel and food, giving organizations insight into our decisions.
AB Concerts’ budget increase is another point of contention. As Carnegie Mellon’s best-known tradition, Carnival impacts every student. Largely funded through Spring Carnival Committee, Carnival would not exist withou...
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Divya Krishnan and Niharika Ray
JFC Representatives”
BSA stuck in the pocket of religious benefactors
by The TartanMay 02, 2013“Forum
| Justin McGown
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA), after delaying their decision regarding a change to policies banning gay members, has announced a new and baffling stance: You can be gay and a member of the Boy Scouts as long as you are under the age of 18. This stance means that, if gay, you can achieve scouting’s highest honor, the rank of Eagle Scout, but you are banned from becoming an adult leader to pass on the valuable skills, insights, and knowledge you have acquired as a scout. This decision is an indication that the BSA is in the pocket of religious institutions, including those of the Mormons, Catholics, and Methodists, who sponsor almost half of members nationwide , according to the BSA. It seems as if the BSA would rather remain there than take a stand for a semblance of fairness.
Clearly, this is an unsatisfactory solution, particularly for proponents of integrating members of the LGBT community into the Boy Scouts. It ...
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Justin McGown (jmcgown@) is online editor for The Tartan.”
Racial profiling must be put to an end
by The TartanMay 02, 2013“Forum
| Satvika Neti
It’s almost funny now — how quickly the media and the American public suspect people of different colors of committing heinous crimes, rather than people of their own race. It’s as if every time a terrorist act like the Boston bombings occurs, people forget the anthrax scare, the Westboro Baptist Church, and even the Ku Klux Klan — all acts of terror committed by someone not of color. All certain people can see anymore are suicide bombers, the planes that crashed into the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001, and that these incidents were caused by people of a different race or nationality.
This racial profiling needs to stop. The public targets and harasses people they suspect to have committed a crime because of their skin color.
Racial profiling is not helpful even if the public does catch the criminal — it is harmful no matter what. People have argued that racial profiling is okay because the net effect is the safety of the American people — who cares if one person gets hurt ...
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Satvika Neti (sneti@) is a staffwriter for The Tartan.”
Student Senate meeting minutes
by The TartanMay 02, 2013“News
| Brent Heard
Special Allocation: Enactus
Enactus petitioned the Senate for $3,000 to fund Project eLuma, a charity concert to be held during Carnival. This event was specified in the Joint Funding Committee (JFC) budget, but due to some confusion the money was never received. Because the Enactus representative was unable to answer some important questions, the Senate voted to allocate $0.
Academic Affairs
The creation of the “Thrive” wellness course is still under way, but is currently awaiting approval from Carnegie Mellon’s administration and undergoing standard checks and procedures.
Senate has received money from the university to help the creation of “Thrive,” and has also submitted an application for a grant that funds initiatives striving to impact campus culture.
Additionally, Senate did not receive a large number of responses to the current draft of the “Thrive” syllabus, but did receive a few of very good quality.
Senate members were invited to give additi...
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Campus Crime and Incident
by The TartanMay 02, 2013“News
| Brent Heard
Underage Drinking
April 19, 2013
At 3:53 p.m., University Police were summoned to Donner Hall in reference to a loud party. Further investigation revealed that seven underage persons had gathered in a room and possessed alcoholic beverages. All of the alcoholic beverages were seized and disposed of, and each of the seven students were issued a citation for underage drinking.
Underage Drinking
April 19, 2013
At 3:05 a.m., a University Police officer on patrol observed a female Chatham University student passed out at the first floor entrance to Wean Hall. CMU EMS responded and aided the female, who regained consciousness. Pittsburgh medics were summoned to handle transportation to UPMC Presbyterian hospital. A citation for underage drinking was issued by mail.
Underage Drinking/Disorderly Conduct
April 21, 2013
At 1:52 a.m., University Police were dispatched to assist Pittsburgh Police officers at the intersection of Wilkins Avenue and Wightman Street. A Pittsburgh ...
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Campus News in Brief
by The TartanMay 02, 2013“News
| Brian Trimboli
Researchers develop touch-based technology
Recently, Carnegie Mellon researchers demonstrated technology that allows users to turn almost any surface into a touchscreen.
The system, christened WorldKit, was created by researchers at the Human-Computer Interaction Institute. WorldKit allows someone to rub most surfaces to “paint” a remote control for his or her television and create other ad hoc interfaces.
Doctoral student in human computer interaction (HCI) Robert Xiao emphasized that WorldKit does not need the complex project setup of previous, similar technology.
“Depth sensors are getting better and projectors just keep getting smaller,” Xiao said in a university press release. “We envision an interactive ‘light bulb’ — a miniaturized device that could be screwed into an ordinary light fixture and pointed or moved to wherever an interface is needed.”
The system does not require prior calibration; WorldKit automatically adjusts its sensing and image projecti...
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University expands toward Craig Street
by The TartanMay 02, 2013“News
| Chloe Thompson
Attendees of an open Town Hall discussed the fate of Craig Street on Wednesday.
Led by Vice President for Campus Affairs Michael Murphy, the Town Hall informed the audience and the Simonds Commission — which is the group of trustees, faculty, and senior administrators responsible for new projects and renovations to Carnegie Mellon properties — about the development plan for Craig Street. The Town Hall also served as a forum for community members to discuss their own opinions on the project.
Carnegie Mellon owns and leases several properties in the Craig Street area, including the recently acquired diocesan property near Central Catholic High School on Fifth Avenue.
The Institutional Master Plan for Carnegie Mellon outlines the future development of the campus and properties held by the university in the surrounding area. Murphy stressed the university’s desire to strike a balance between collegiate interests and those of the community: “We have to have the right mission, t...
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New SMART IDs to be issued this fall
by The TartanMay 02, 2013“News
| Brian Trimboli
Students were recently asked to vote on a new design for the Carnegie Mellon student ID card.
Next year, every Carnegie Mellon student, faculty member, and staff member will receive a new SMART ID card. Those who currently have a sponsored or affiliated ID will not receive a new SMART card, as the technology on the new cards is being used for public transportation access. Currently, such access is marked by a bus icon on the ID card.
The transition to SMART cards comes as a result of a new agreement between the university and Port Authority of Allegheny County (PAT). According to the HUB’s website, “SMART cards contain a computer chip allowing a cardholder to simply “tap” his or her card on the PAT bus (or incline or T) reader in order to gain transportation access.”
The change in Carnegie Mellon’s agreement with Port Authority also resulted in an increase in the transportation fee that students pay — from $110 to $120, according to the HUB’s website.
Other than the ch...
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Town Hall Presentation on Two Major Campus Projects
by The TartanMay 02, 2013“News
| Lauren Williams
A Town Hall presentation open to all members of the Carnegie Mellon community was held last Tuesday to discuss two major Campus Projects: the construction of the Sherman and Joyce Bowie Scott Hall and the upcoming additions to the University Center.
Ralph Horgan, associate vice provost of Campus Design and Facility Development, began the meeting with an overview of the two projects. Dean of the College of Engineering Jim Garrett then discussed the history of the Scott Hall building.
The Scott Hall project began seven years ago as a vision of a nanotechnology laboratory. This vision took its first step toward reality when Carnegie Mellon alumnus John Bertucci (E ’63, TSB ’65) provided funding for a feasibility study. Gary Fedder, Carnegie Mellon professor and director of the Institute for Complex Engineered Systems (ICES), then put together a proposal for the building, which at the time did not receive funding. The university eventually approached Sherman Scott about possible f...
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Phone game helps illiterate Pakistanis find employment
by The TartanMay 02, 2013“Sci/Tech
| Brooke Kuei
A simple telephone game called Polly hardly seems like a life-changing technology with the potential to aid developing countries. However, Carnegie Mellon Language Technologies Institute professor Roni Rosenfeld and Ph.D. student Agha Ali Raza’s use of Polly to help illiterate people in Pakistan get in touch with prospective employers does indeed have that potential.
Polly is a simple game in which a caller can record a message, add various funny sound effects, and send it to a friend. The user begins the game by calling Polly’s number. “It’s a missed-call mechanism,” Raza said. “When you call, Polly doesn’t pick up, but instead calls you back so you don’t have to pay for the call. This is because the people with whom we are working with are generally poor so they are sensitive about the air-time cost.”
Next, the user records a message. Polly then plays back the message with several different sound effects, such as the “I have to run to the bathroom” effect, the “drunk chipm...
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SciTech Briefs
by The TartanMay 02, 2013“Sci/Tech
| Michael Setzer
Hookah smoke has carcinogens and carbon monoxide
Despite the common misconception that smoking hookah is safe, researchers analyzing regular hookah smokers have identified that using a hookah three times a day exposes one to more carbon monoxide and the carcinogen benzene than smoking a half-pack of cigarettes. The study asked 13 healthy volunteers who smoked both cigarettes and hookah to only smoke hookah for four days. After a week, the volunteers were asked to smoke only cigarettes for a week. On average, the volunteers smoked hookah three times a day and had eleven cigarettes per day.
The researchers took urine samples and determined that the amount of benzene, which is linked to leukemia and lung cancer, was higher when the users smoked hookah instead of cigarettes. Breath tests also indicated that volunteers smoking only hookah had 2.5 times the amount of carbon monoxide in their breath than when only smoking cigarettes.
Source: ScienceNews
**Studies show ...
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How Things Work: One-way mirrors act as useful surveillance tools
by The TartanMay 02, 2013“Sci/Tech
| Nivedita Chopra
If you ever find yourself being interrogated in a room similar to one found in Law and Order , you might wonder if the mirror in the room is a one-way mirror, a mirror that is reflective on one side but transparent on the other. Once you know how one-way mirrors work, however, you can understand various ways to tell them apart from ordinary mirrors.
Let’s first look at how normal reflective mirrors work. Basically, a reflective mirror is a glass sheet with its back surface silvered. The silvered surface reflects the light that falls on the mirror. This reflected light creates the perception of an image behind the mirror.
One-way mirrors, on the other hand, have only their front surface partially silvered. This coating is very thin and allows a large amount of the light falling on the mirror to pass through, while reflecting the rest. The reflected light gives the perception of an image. The rest of the light passes through to the other side.
But if one-way mirrors let ligh...
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Researchers create battery for edible robot pills
by The TartanMay 02, 2013“Sci/Tech
| Sonia Katharani-Khan
Robots that track your inner body’s functions may seem like science fiction, but Carnegie Mellon researchers are working to create electronically active, edible medical devices that can be implanted in a patient’s body. This development would essentially allow patients to ingest devices such as drug delivery systems or biosensors in pill form, and would be far less invasive than traditional methods of implantation. The device would move through one’s gastrointestinal (GI) tract like food. Christopher Bettinger, assistant professor of materials science and engineering and biomedical engineering, along with Jay Whitacre, professor of materials science and engineering, have completed the first step in the process by designing edible power sources for such devices.
The battery, designed with materials that are safe to consume, is also meant to be taken in pill form. “We have designed a battery that is made of simple, biocompatible materials that are consumed daily in common diets.......
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MFA students showcase their creations
by The TartanApr 25, 2013“The Miller Gallery hosts Basement Miracle , the 2013 master of fine arts thesis exhibition
Pillbox
| Xiyu Wang
There is an alien world in the subterranean depths of Doherty Hall, a world in which fine arts students feverishly try to imbue their creations with artistic spirit. Last week, a chunk of that world was excavated for the rest of campus to see.
Basement Miracle , the 2013 master of fine arts thesis exhibition, opened last Friday in the Miller Gallery in the Purnell Center for the Arts. The MFA thesis exhibit, organized annually by the School of Art, features the work of graduating master of fine arts students and offers an opportunity for the students to display their work in a professional gallery exhibition open to the public.
The exhibit, which consists mainly of sculptures and installations, spans all three floors of the Miller Gallery. The works use a variety of media and touch upon many different subjects, although there are some common themes such as the integration of technology and science. The exhibition draws a sizable crowd of both Carnegie Mellon students and the ...
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Basement Miracle is open through April 21 in the Miller Gallery of the Purnell Center for the Arts.”
_Game of Thrones_ returns for third season
by The TartanApr 25, 2013“The highly popular HBO series leaves viewers thirsting for more after exciting premiere
Pillbox
| Laura Scherb
Warning: This article contains spoilers.
Season three is coming — dark and full of terrors. And most importantly, when you’re on Game of Thrones , you either win or you die.
The long-anticipated release of the third and most recent season of Game of Thrones aired last night on HBO. Since the end of season two, which aired in late May last year, the hype has only escalated recently.
The series, based upon the book series A Song of Ice and Fire by American author George R. R. Martin, was launched in April 2011. Martin originally intended the series to be a trilogy but has since decided to extend the series to seven novels, all of which are about as thick as encyclopedias. The novels, five of which have been released, follow characters whose stories are strewn with more plot twists than an M. Night Shyamalan movie.
Because Martin is positively cruel with his characters, it’s impossible to say who the main characters are: Just as you’re getting used to following one, ...
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Humanities students are worthy of pay
by The TartanApr 25, 2013“Forum
| Emily Dobler
If I had a dollar for every internship opportunity that had everything I was looking for until the fine print of “unpaid, academic credit available” — why, I'd probably be able to afford to take the job.
As a professional writing and English double major, I have never had a paid internship. My work, in and out of school, has never been paid. When comparing summer plans with my peers — coming from a variety of majors, mostly in the technical fields — their reactions are always the same: “Don't take the job, then! Hold out for someone who'll pay you. Isn't that technically slave labor?” And, unsurprisingly, my answer is always the same: “There are no paid, fulfilling jobs for me to take, especially in this economy.”
I may be biased, but I believe the problem of unpaid internships exists almost entirely in humanities fields. I have never witnessed a computer scientist forced to choose between a fantastic, experience-boosting unpaid internship and a boring, unrelated internship th...
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Emily Dobler (edobler@) is a staffwriter for The Tartan.”
Engineers push for collaboration on shale gas research
by The TartanApr 25, 2013“Sci/Tech
| Michael Setzer
The energy climate of the nation, and especially southwest Pennsylvania, was been transformed by the discovery of the Marcellus Shale. The fracking boom has been a source of controversy, and has brought up many important questions regarding the economy, the environment, and policy. Recently, researchers from Carnegie Mellon have traveled to Washington, D.C. to speak with policymakers and share their recently completed 30-page policy guide on shale gas.
The team that traveled to Washington included engineering and public policy professor of the work and assistant director of policy outreach for the Scott Institute Deborah Stine, civil and environmental engineering professor Jeanne VanBriesen, associate professor of engineering and public policy and professor in the Tepper School of Business Michael Griffin, head of the mechanical engineering department Allen Robinson, and Ph.D. student in engineering and public policy Austin Mitchell. All are also associated with Carnegie Mellon’s...
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Beta Theta Pi suspended over sexually explicit recordings
by The TartanApr 25, 2013“News
| Jackson Lane
In an email to the entire campus community sent last Friday, Dean of Student Affairs Gina Casalegno announced that the university is investigating allegations regarding the filming and circulation of sexually explicit photos and videos in the university’s chapter of the national Beta Theta Pi fraternity. The university is also investigating whether these alleged videos and pictures will constitute a violation of the university’s community standards or the law. Pending the outcome of the investigation, both the university and the fraternity’s national chapter have suspended the university’s chapter, colloquially referred to by students as “Beta.”
According to Casalegno, University Police initiated the ongoing investigation after an anonymous student raised concerns about “alleged videos and pictures of a sexual nature being taken inside the chapter facility of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity by certain members of the organization and shared by email with other members [of the fratern...
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Magic-8-Ball-oscopes
by The TartanApr 25, 2013“The answer is...
Comics
| Kairavi Chahal
Very doubtful.
Signs point to yes.
Outlook good.
Don't count on it.
Better not tell you now.
It is certain.
Yes.
Outlook not so good.
Concentrate and ask again.
Without a doubt.
Reply hazy, try again.
My reply is no.”
CMOA shows intricate prints
by The TartanApr 25, 2013“Japan Is the Key... is more thought provoking than eye catching
Pillbox
| Rachel Cohen
Tucked away in a side gallery on the second floor, Japan Is the Key… is a small and seemingly nondescript new exhibit at the Carnegie Museum of Art. The exhibit, which opened last Saturday, features Japanese color woodblock prints, watercolors, and ivory figurines made in the first half of the 19th century.
Although the exhibit is fairly small — filling only three small rooms — it probably could have been condensed further. The exhibit is largely homogenous, mostly because nearly all of the works are from the same time period and use the same medium. Oftentimes, the walls are lined with a long series of works by the same artist. Aside from the occasional watercolor and the small ivory collection in centrally placed display cases, the works almost exclusively consist of color woodblock prints. Even the color palette of pale reds and sea blues is very similar from print to print.
The exception is a striking series of taller, narrower prints by Torii Kiyonaga and Tamagawa Shuch...
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Calendar
by The TartanApr 25, 2013“Pillbox
| Allison Cosby
MONDAY 4.1.13
Hey Marseilles. The Underground. 7 p.m.
Seattle-based indie folk band Hey Marseilles will perform at The Underground in a concert sponsored by AB Underground. The concert is free and open to the public.
TUESDAY 4.2.13
Allan Chochinov lecture. Margaret Morrison A14. 5 p.m.
Designer, journalist, and educator Allan Chochinov will give a lecture as part of the School of Design lecture series “How Do You Design the Future?” The lecture is free and open to the public.
WEDNESDAY 4.3.13
Open Mic Night. Skibo Café. 6 p.m.
AB Skibo presents Open Mic Night at Skibo Café. The event is free and open to the public.
Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic and Choirs Concert. Carnegie Music Hall. 8 p.m.
The Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic and Choirs will perform Anton Bruckner’s Te Deum and Robert Schumann’s Symphony No. 4. Ticket information can be found at music.cmu.edu.
THURSDAY 4.4.13
wats:ON? Festival 2013: NOISE. College of Fine Ar...
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Want your event here? Email calendar@thetartan.org .”
A Person's Opinion
by The TartanApr 25, 2013“Forum
| Jonathan Leung
The Tartan is ready for adventure, so we asked "What's your favorite off-campus location to visit in your free time?"”
Dollar movie
by The TartanApr 25, 2013“Pillbox
| Matthew Zurcher
Hyde Park on Hudson
9:30 11
Remember your high school history textbook? Remember those little boxes on the side that kept the reading from becoming too tedious? Hyde Park on Hudson is one of those boxes. Bill Murray portrays President Franklin Delano Roosevelt during a 1939 weekend getaway with his mistress and the King and Queen of England. Those who enjoyed The King’s Speech will probably find something interesting here.
Lincoln
9:30 12:30
This is like your high school history textbook if it were written by William Shakespeare and narrated by Morgan Freeman. Daniel Day-Lewis turns in an unsurprisingly virtuosic performance as our 16th president, for which he won his third Academy Award. The screenplay, written by celebrated playwright Tony Kushner, is immaculate, documenting a few months leading up to the passing of the Thirteenth Amendment. Spielberg’s direction seems appropriate as well, highlighting the detail of the extraordinary process.
Les Misérables
9:30 12:30
Everyone knows the songs and the story. This most recent adaptation of the famous musical has garnered a lot of praise for its supposedly admirable decision to record the singing live. Unfortunately, the cast of movie stars are clearly not trained for the stage. Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe shout through their roles, everything at absolute full volume. The fact that Anne Hathaway and Samantha Barks are able to transcend this veritable disaster in brief roles is a testament to their talent.
West Side Story
7 10
This is one of the all-time great Hollywood musical productions. Of course, when you’re adapting material like this — Leonard Bernstein’s score and Stephen Sondheim’s lyrics — it’s hard to screw up. But this colorful masterpiece is a delight from front to back, swaying effortlessly between emotional ranges. The singing and dancing never falter and the production design is something to behold: New York rendered in gleaming, vivid Technicolor.”
 Did you know?
by The TartanApr 25, 2013“Pillbox
| Catherine Spence
100 years ago: Mar. 6, 1913
The varsity basketball team competes at its final away games against Geneva College and Westinghouse this week. The team is confident that it can win these final two games and excited about a successful season overall. The athletes encourage everyone to come out to these final games.
50 years ago: Mar. 27, 1963
Red and silver parking meters go up all over campus, most notably near Skibo Gymnasium and on Margaret Morrison Street. Students are reminded that the Donner Hall lot is only open during sporting events and that cars parked in the lot at any other time will be towed at the owner’s expense.
25 years ago: Mar. 22, 1988
Apple, Inc. hosts an event titled StraightTalk to discuss software design with current students. The event is the first of its kind on any college campus. Students have the chance to show off their original software and listen to a lecture by Apple systems engineer Paul Hudspeth.
10 years ago: April 1, 2...
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Advice for awkward people
by The TartanApr 25, 2013“About robot boyfriends and recompense
Pillbox
| Patrick Hoskins
Dear Patrick,
I just read the April Fools’ Day issue of The Tartan, and I am very offended. Your article insulted my club/major/personal identity. I demand recompense! What’s the best way to go about attaining it?
Thanks,
Brusquely Upset, Satisfaction Yearned, But Otherwise Decent Yarn
Dear BUSYBODY,
Easy now, let’s not start throwing around heated words like “recompense” when we don’t really mean it. Okay, so you were offended, and you found a joke off-putting. Why? Does it make light of a serious subject? Do you just not like jokes at your expense? Take a moment and think about this. It’s a little too easy nowadays to cry outrage and complain to people in power when a joke simply didn’t land well.
If a joke actually was offensive, then I’m sure it was not intended to be so hurtful. Yes, many jokes are at peoples’ expenses. They are also funny. It’s too easy for both the joker and the butt of the joke to forget the people at either end. Let’s not...
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Need advice? Send queries to advice@thetartan.org .”
Students start vodka label
by The TartanApr 25, 2013“Fortis uses distinctive distilling process to create sweet taste
Pillbox
| Amy Tsien
Student-made robots, famous fashion labels, top-notch actors, and world-class writers are born every now and then from Carnegie Mellon. Nevertheless, senior economic and statistics major Doug Heckmann, senior mechanical engineering major Casey Parzych, and senior information systems and business administration double major Anthony Lorubbio still managed to surprise the community by developing their own vodka label, Fortis.
The three have been working on this project since the fall of their junior year. Seeing how well they work together, one would have thought that they have been friends for a long time. Yet, in fact, they did not meet until their entrepreneur class that semester. As a result of their different majors, Heckmann, Parzych, and Lorubbio have knowledge and expertise in all different areas, making them a diverse and extremely strong team.
Fortis' delicately sweet taste differentiates it from other brands, a result of its unique distilling process with fair-trade...
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Midway Market removal neglectful of organizations
by The TartanApr 25, 2013“Forum
| Tartan Board
In 2011, Spring Carnival Committee erected a tent known as Midway Market on Carnival’s Midway in Morewood parking lot. As part of a two-year experiment, Midway Market served as a location where organizations without booths could interact with students, alumni, and other guests.
However, Midway Market will be absent from this year’s Carnival celebration.
While the Midway Market tent lacks the flair of the booths, an option for promotion should be made available to smaller organizations that are unable to participate in booth building.
Spring Carnival embraces every aspect of Carnegie Mellon’s unique campus culture, and the event must continue to represent every part of this culture by remaining inclusive to all parties involved. While most large organizations on campus — particularly Greek chapters — have the manpower and resources to build booths, smaller organizations are unable to do so, largely due to the limited membership. Midway Market provides a way for smaller organ...
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Wavves' new album shows musical maturity
by The TartanApr 25, 2013“Alt-rocker's Afraid of Heights explores same themes with fresh perspective
Pillbox
| Joey Peiser
“Growing up sucks.”
This sentiment was all over the radio in the ‘90s when bands like Nirvana, Radiohead, Weezer, and other alt-rock misfits ruled the airwaves, but it has recently been lacking in much of newer popular music. That being said, Nathan Williams, who performs under the name Wavves, clearly went back to his childhood CD collection (remember those?) in preparation for his band’s fifth outing, Afraid of Heights , released last Tuesday on Mom+Pop records.
The record draws heavily from and pays homage to the greats of punk and alternative music in both musical and lyrical style. Like those artists he emulates, Williams writes songs about self-loathing, boredom, and a general disdain for just about everything — but with melodic, quiet verses and choruses with guitars and drums turned all the way up, they sound fun enough to shout along with the car windows down.
Williams has been recording under the name Wavves since 2008 with a rotating lineup of backing musicians....
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_Spring Breakers_ proves wildly entertaining
by The TartanApr 25, 2013“James Franco and Gucci Mane bring college-age debauchery to the big screen
Pillbox
| Andie Park
If you love spring break, partying, and Britney Spears, go watch Spring Breakers now. If you hate spring break, partying, and Britney Spears, go watch Spring Breakers now. Go straight to the nearest theater playing it. Even if that means taking the 61D all the way to the Waterfront in this endlessly miserable Pittsburgh weather, it’s time better spent than sitting in your bed whilst having a Vampire Diaries marathon with a jar of Nutella in your hands.
Spring Breakers is the latest project by controversial director Harmony Korine. Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson, and the otherwise-obscure Rachel Korine (wife of the director) star as four bored college girls who just want to have fun. However, their idea of fun entails stealing a car to rob a local Chicken Shack, going to insane parties, and getting tied up with some messy drug dealers. James Franco plays one such drug dealer named Alien who is incredibly suspicious, yet declares himself a “gangster with a hea...
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Track and field teams host, succeed in mini-invite
by The TartanApr 25, 2013“Sports
| Vinay Viswanathan
The men’s track and field team seized victory in its home mini-invitational on March 30, besting squads from Denison University, Allegheny College, SUNY Fredonia, and Waynesburg University. The men’s squad succeeded in both the running and field components of the competition, winning six field events and three track events.
The women’s team placed second behind Waynesburg University, winning four of the five events and scoring 129 points. First-year distance standout Rekha Schnepf said, “I think that for our second outdoor meet, both teams are looking pretty strong.... People are just improving a lot, because after going through indoor, everyone’s had at least a few experiences running in track events.”
The distance teams for both squads are performing at high levels. Sophomore Erin Kiekhaefer, senior Emily Wobb, and sophomore Halley Bayer placed second, third, and fourth respectively in the 1500-meter run. Bayer also won third in the 800-meter run, with a time of 2:25.44. Sen...
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Men's tennis wins one, loses one this past weekend
by The TartanApr 25, 2013“Sports
| Elizabeth Martin
online only!
The Carnegie Mellon men's tennis team traveled south this past weekend to compete against two top ranked teams, Washington and Lee University and Johns Hopkins University. The Tartans defeated the Washington and Lee Generals 5–4 and lost to the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays 2–7.
In Lexington, Va., the Tartans opened with doubles. Sophomore Thomas Cooper and senior Jooho Yu led the team with a win at No. 3 doubles. In singles, the Tartans won four matches to take the match. First-year Abhishek Alla's win at No. 2 singles, first-year Yuvraj Kumar's win at No. 4 singles, and senior Harsha Rao's win at No. 6 singles tied the match at 4-all. Senior Duke Miller won at No. 3 singles in a second set tiebreaker to clinch the match for the Tartans.
Kumar said, "It was great to bounce back from a disappointing loss in doubles and win a quick victory in singles."
On Sunday, the Tartans battled the Johns Hopkins University Blue Jays and lost 2–7. Cooper and Yu won again in doubles, while the...
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Changes in NL Central means hope for Pirates this season
by The TartanApr 25, 2013“Sports
| Carl Glazer
Baseball’s opening night game last Sunday between new American League (AL) West opponents, the Texas Rangers and the Houston Astros, began a season that will introduce one of the most sweeping changes in Major League Baseball. The season will also hopefully see the Pittsburgh Pirates achieve their first winning season since 1992.
The most notable of these changes is the Astros’ move from the once-six-team National League (NL) Central to the previously four-team AL West in an effort to balance the divisions and to give teams a more even field in which to win their division and guarantee a playoff spot.
With this move, the AL and NL are now balanced at 15 teams apiece, forcing Interleague play to shift from a three- to four-week novelty during May and June to a year-round necessity. The Pirates and the rest of the NL Central should be relieved that their six-team divisional logjam is finally remedied, even if it means removing the pitiful Astros. Unfortunately for the Pirates, t...
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Majidi receives award to continue work on ‘soft robotics’
by The TartanApr 25, 2013“Sci/Tech
| Ligia Nistor
Assistant professor of mechanical engineering Carmel Majidi recently won an award from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) Young Investigator Program. The award comes with a $360,000 grant that will be used in part to fund a Ph.D. student working for Majidi in the field of soft robotics.
Soft robotics is a new domain in robotics where the robots are made of soft materials, as opposed to the types of rigid materials that conventional robots are made out of. These soft materials include elastomers, which are soft rubbers that are elastic and very stretchable. They can also be composed of fluids or gels.
One of the motivations behind soft robotics is to make robots and machines that are more life-like than curren robots. “The idea is that if robots and machines are made out of soft materials, then they will exhibit more of the functionality and properties that natural organisms have,” Majidi said.
According to Majidi, “The award addresses a very important chall...
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Crime & Incident
by The TartanApr 25, 2013“News
| Brent Heard
Armed Robbery
March 23, 2013
University Police were summoned to take a report of an armed robbery. A student stated that while leaving a party on Wilkins Avenue, a black male in a silver sedan pulled alongside the sidewalk and offered the student a ride back to campus. Due to the student being intoxicated, he only recalled various parts of his encounter with this unknown male. The student does remember the male pulling out a handgun and ordering him to hand over all of his personal belongings. The unknown male then ordered the student out of the vehicle. This investigation is ongoing.
Assisting an Outside Agency (Noise Complaint)
March 24, 2013
University Police assisted the Pittsburgh Police in handling a noise complaint at 5324 Beeler Street. The residence was cited by city police for a violation of the city ordinance related to “noise complaints.” While inside the residence, officers confiscated a street sign that was unlawfully removed from the area near the Collaborativ...
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Campus News in Brief
by The TartanApr 25, 2013“News
| Noël Um
CMU students win energy competition
Seven multidisciplinary Carnegie Mellon students took first place in a Department of Energy competition against 14 university teams to create strategies that cut energy waste and improve efficiency among commercial buildings.
The Carnegie Mellon team received the “Most Innovative” award for its entry, which strives to increase energy efficiency in commercial and industrial buildings in Fort Worth, Texas by the year 2020. The team also won “Best Proposal” for its “Everything Store” case study.
Team members include electrical and computer engineering master’s student Jie Yee Chan; architecture Ph.D. students Adrian Chong and Chao Ding; business master’s student Donald Johnson; and engineering and public policy (EPP) Ph.D. candidates Alan Jenn, Mili-Ann Tamayao, and Allison Weis.
“The team was up against some challenging competition, and this is where the practical problem-solving, interdisciplinary approach that is the culture at Ca...
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PayTango dances its way to success
by The TartanApr 25, 2013“News
| Lauren Williams
Four Carnegie Mellon seniors launched PayTango, a fingerprint-based payment method that eliminates the need for identification and debit cards. Senior information systems majors Brian Groudan, Umang Patel, and Christian Reyes, and senior human-computer interaction and industrial design double major Kelly Lau-Kee developed PayTango in the Tech Startup Lab course taught by computer science assistant professor Luis von Ahn in fall 2012.
Groudan, Lau-Kee, Patel, and Reyes effectively combined their talents to search for a solution to a universal problem: People have to carry around too many cards. Credit cards can be lost, card numbers can be stolen, and it can be a hassle to pull out a card while holding a cup brimming with hot coffee.
They invented a much easier method of payment that uses fingerprints instead of cards.
“Biometrics was a really good way for us to explore how to eliminate the need to carry around extra ‘stuff’ to identify yourself. And that’s kind of the visi...
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Plagiarism service solicits students
by The TartanApr 25, 2013“News
| Alvin Mathew
A website called Lashzone, which functions as a paper mill service, recently sent a number of emails to Carnegie Mellon students. The university staff and administration views these emails as threats to academic integrity. They also coincide with the university’s current attempt to update its policy on academic integrity.
According to Lashzone’s website, the service offers “professional assistance on post-secondary homework, assignments, essays, lab reports, assignment revision...etc.” Students wishing to spend money for the site’s services would send their assignments to the website, prepare for another major event like a test during the week, and then simply receive the requested, completed assignment in a reply email before the due date.
Holly Hippensteel, dean of student affairs, notes that although multiple students forwarded the Lashzone emails, “We don’t know how many students were contacted.”
Student reaction to the solicitation from Lashzone was mixed. First-year e...
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online .”
Sparse attendance at election debates; leave students wanting more campaign details
by The TartanApr 25, 2013“News
| Brian Trimboli
Candidates for student body president (SBP), student body vice president (SBVP), student body vice president of finance (SBVPF), and student body vice president of organizations (SBVPO) responded to questions about their platforms in Monday’s and Tuesday’s student government election debates. The president and vice presidential debate, held on Monday in McConomy Auditorium, featured Lindsay MacGillivray, a junior biology and psychology major, and Peter Masters, a sophomore international relations and politics and environmental policy double major, against Thomas Healy, a junior mechanical engineering and engineering and public policy double major, and Caitlin Jones, a junior business administration major. The audience for the debate was sparse; fewer than 20 of McConomy’s seats were filled.
In addition to representing the student body’s wishes in their decision-making, the positions eligible for election play an instrumental role in dictating the functioning of crucial student go...
Read the full article
online .”
Court must favor same-sex marriage
by The TartanApr 25, 2013“Forum
| Kyle Henson
Proposition 8, California’s ban on gay marriage, and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) which prevents same sex marriages from being recognized at the Federal level, went before the Supreme Court last week. The court has several options regarding these two laws, but it should dismiss the Proposition 8 case on procedural grounds and overturn DOMA in the name of states’ rights.
Potential rulings on Proposition 8 could be wide and varied. It could strike the amendment for just California because the California Supreme Court ruled a gay marriage ban unconstitutional. This decision would be considered a narrow ruling. The court could also say that any state ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional and strike it down for the country, similar to Roe v. Wade . This would be considered a broad ruling. Additionally, the court could dismiss the Proposition 8 case altogether, saying that to continue a lawsuit, you must have been harmed in some way, and the supporters of Proposition 8 have no...
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online .
Kyle Henson (kahenson@) is a staffwriter for The Tartan.”
Online activism does not produce lasting change
by The TartanApr 25, 2013“Forum
| Braden Kelner
Last week, the Supreme Court considered the constitutionality of Proposition 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Proposition 8 bans gay marriage in California, while DOMA denies federal marriage benefits to those in same-sex marriages. Inspired by the Human Rights Campaign , an organization working for LGBTQ rights, many Facebook users changed their profile pictures to a pink equal sign against a red background in support of marriage equality.
While support for gay marriage is admirable, Internet activism doesn’t result in true change when it comes to controversial issues. If they want success, social media campaigns must focus on getting people out from behind their computer screens.
Currently, social media is unable to motivate users to create lasting change. According to Malcom Gladwell, a staffwriter for The New Yorker , social m...
Read the full article
online .
Braden Kelner (bik@) is Forum editor for The Tartan.”
How Things Work: Bees
by The TartanApr 25, 2013“Sci/Tech
| Brooke Kuei
Bees are a lot smarter than most people credit them. How do bees know where to find the best flowers? When they find these flowers, how do they tell other bees where they are? These are tasks that may appear trivial at first glance, but actually involve complex and miraculous processes.
Howstuffworks.com explains that bees use two main tools in their search for food: a solar compass and an internal clock. Bees use their solar compass to remember the location of objects relative to the sun. Since they are able to see polarized light, their solar compass is unaffected by whether it is a sunny or cloudy day. The second tool, a bee’s internal clock, keeps track of how long the bee has been searching for food.
What is amazing about the combination of these abilities is that bees are even aware of how the sun moves throughout the time that they are searching for food. This means that when the bee returns to its hive, it can tell its hive mates exactly where the food is relative to t...
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online .”
SciTech Briefs
by The TartanApr 25, 2013“Sci/Tech
| Kelsey Scott
Human – Neanderthal hybrid identified
Skeletal remains found in Riparo di Mezzena, a rock-shelter in northern Italy, may belong to the first known human-Neanderthal hybrid. Current studies focus on analyzing the jaw structure, which differs drastically between Neanderthals and modern humans. The structure of this jaw was a blend between a Neanderthal’s receding lower jaw and a modern human’s prominent lower jaw. The genetic analysis revealed that the remains contained mitochondrial DNA of a Neanderthal, suggesting that the individual would have been the descendant of a female Neanderthal and a male Homo sapien. This study indicates possible “ethnic cleansing” of the Neanderthals by sexual assault. Further research will reveal more information about Neanderthal and human interactions.
source: Discovery News
Shortcut to international space station
Last Thursday, two Russian cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut arrived at the International Space Station a mere five ho...
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online .”
Experiences at German university reveal issues
by The TartanApr 25, 2013“Forum
| Mogan Ramesh
My preparation for the interview to study abroad seemed perfect. The opportunity to leave RWTH Aachen University, Germany for Carnegie Mellon sounded like the opportunity to travel to a better place.
When I found myself being assessed on my capacity to represent my home university abroad, I displayed my enthusiasm for Carnegie Mellon, a place I read about in Randy Pausch’s The Last Lecture . There was, however, one question that I had not seen coming:
“As an ambassador for our university, what is it that you would tell an American in order to make him come here for a year?”
At the time, Carnegie Mellon seemed to be an escape from a place whose strengths I did not yet recognize. There are several flaws of my university and the approach it takes to educating future engineers.
With four to five courses each semester, the workload in Germany — particularly having problem set after problem set thrown at me — was frustrating. Instead of fostering interests in a specific subj...
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online .
This article is the first in a series of articles detailing the realizations of an exchange student studying at Carnegie Mellon.”
_Game of Thrones_ returns for third season
by The TartanMar 31, 2013“The highly popular HBO series leaves viewers thirsting for more after exciting premiere
Pillbox
| Laura Scherb
Warning: This article contains spoilers.
Season three is coming — dark and full of terrors. And most importantly, when you’re on Game of Thrones , you either win or you die.
The long-anticipated release of the third and most recent season of Game of Thrones aired last night on HBO. Since the end of season two, which aired in late May last year, the hype has only escalated recently.
The series, based upon the book series A Song of Ice and Fire by American author George R. R. Martin, was launched in April 2011. Martin originally intended the series to be a trilogy but has since decided to extend the series to seven novels, all of which are about as thick as encyclopedias. The novels, five of which have been released, follow characters whose stories are strewn with more plot twists than an M. Night Shyamalan movie.
Because Martin is positively cruel with his characters, it’s impossible to say who the main characters are: Just as you’re getting used to following one, ...
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online .”
Online activism does not produce lasting change
by The TartanMar 31, 2013“Forum
| Braden Kelner
Last week, the Supreme Court considered the constitutionality of Proposition 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Proposition 8 bans gay marriage in California, while DOMA denies federal marriage benefits to those in same-sex marriages. Inspired by the Human Rights Campaign , an organization working for LGBTQ rights, many Facebook users changed their profile pictures to a pink equal sign against a red background in support of marriage equality.
While support for gay marriage is admirable, Internet activism doesn’t result in true change when it comes to controversial issues. If they want success, social media campaigns must focus on getting people out from behind their computer screens.
Currently, social media is unable to motivate users to create lasting change. According to Malcom Gladwell, a staffwriter for The New Yorker , social m...
Read the full article
online .
Braden Kelner (bik@) is Forum editor for The Tartan.”
Engineers push for collaboration on shale gas research
by The TartanMar 31, 2013“Sci/Tech
| Michael Setzer
The energy climate of the nation, and especially southwest Pennsylvania, was been transformed by the discovery of the Marcellus Shale. The fracking boom has been a source of controversy, and has brought up many important questions regarding the economy, the environment, and policy. Recently, researchers from Carnegie Mellon have traveled to Washington, D.C. to speak with policymakers and share their recently completed 30-page policy guide on shale gas.
The team that traveled to Washington included engineering and public policy professor of the work and assistant director of policy outreach for the Scott Institute Deborah Stine, civil and environmental engineering professor Jeanne VanBriesen, associate professor of engineering and public policy and professor in the Tepper School of Business Michael Griffin, head of the mechanical engineering department Allen Robinson, and Ph.D. student in engineering and public policy Austin Mitchell. All are also associated with Carnegie Mellon’s...
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online .”
Magic-8-Ball-oscopes
by The TartanMar 31, 2013“The answer is...
Comics
| Kairavi Chahal
Very doubtful.
Signs point to yes.
Outlook good.
Don't count on it.
Better not tell you now.
It is certain.
Yes.
Outlook not so good.
Concentrate and ask again.
Without a doubt.
Reply hazy, try again.
My reply is no.”
CMOA shows intricate prints
by The TartanMar 31, 2013“Japan Is the Key... is more thought provoking than eye catching
Pillbox
| Rachel Cohen
Tucked away in a side gallery on the second floor, Japan Is the Key… is a small and seemingly nondescript new exhibit at the Carnegie Museum of Art. The exhibit, which opened last Saturday, features Japanese color woodblock prints, watercolors, and ivory figurines made in the first half of the 19th century.
Although the exhibit is fairly small — filling only three small rooms — it probably could have been condensed further. The exhibit is largely homogenous, mostly because nearly all of the works are from the same time period and use the same medium. Oftentimes, the walls are lined with a long series of works by the same artist. Aside from the occasional watercolor and the small ivory collection in centrally placed display cases, the works almost exclusively consist of color woodblock prints. Even the color palette of pale reds and sea blues is very similar from print to print.
The exception is a striking series of taller, narrower prints by Torii Kiyonaga and Tamagawa Shuch...
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online .”
Calendar
by The TartanMar 31, 2013“Pillbox
| Allison Cosby
MONDAY 4.1.13
Hey Marseilles. The Underground. 7 p.m.
Seattle-based indie folk band Hey Marseilles will perform at The Underground in a concert sponsored by AB Underground. The concert is free and open to the public.
TUESDAY 4.2.13
Allan Chochinov lecture. Margaret Morrison A14. 5 p.m.
Designer, journalist, and educator Allan Chochinov will give a lecture as part of the School of Design lecture series “How Do You Design the Future?” The lecture is free and open to the public.
WEDNESDAY 4.3.13
Open Mic Night. Skibo Café. 6 p.m.
AB Skibo presents Open Mic Night at Skibo Café. The event is free and open to the public.
Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic and Choirs Concert. Carnegie Music Hall. 8 p.m.
The Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic and Choirs will perform Anton Bruckner’s Te Deum and Robert Schumann’s Symphony No. 4. Ticket information can be found at music.cmu.edu.
THURSDAY 4.4.13
wats:ON? Festival 2013: NOISE. College of Fine Ar...
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Want your event here? Email calendar@thetartan.org .”
A Person's Opinion
by The TartanMar 31, 2013“Forum
| Jonathan Leung
The Tartan is ready for adventure, so we asked "What's your favorite off-campus location to visit in your free time?"”
Dollar movie
by The TartanMar 31, 2013“Pillbox
| Matthew Zurcher
Hyde Park on Hudson
9:30 11
Remember your high school history textbook? Remember those little boxes on the side that kept the reading from becoming too tedious? Hyde Park on Hudson is one of those boxes. Bill Murray portrays President Franklin Delano Roosevelt during a 1939 weekend getaway with his mistress and the King and Queen of England. Those who enjoyed The King’s Speech will probably find something interesting here.
Lincoln
9:30 12:30
This is like your high school history textbook if it were written by William Shakespeare and narrated by Morgan Freeman. Daniel Day-Lewis turns in an unsurprisingly virtuosic performance as our 16th president, for which he won his third Academy Award. The screenplay, written by celebrated playwright Tony Kushner, is immaculate, documenting a few months leading up to the passing of the Thirteenth Amendment. Spielberg’s direction seems appropriate as well, highlighting the detail of the extraordinary process.
Les Misérables
9:30 12:30
Everyone knows the songs and the story. This most recent adaptation of the famous musical has garnered a lot of praise for its supposedly admirable decision to record the singing live. Unfortunately, the cast of movie stars are clearly not trained for the stage. Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe shout through their roles, everything at absolute full volume. The fact that Anne Hathaway and Samantha Barks are able to transcend this veritable disaster in brief roles is a testament to their talent.
West Side Story
7 10
This is one of the all-time great Hollywood musical productions. Of course, when you’re adapting material like this — Leonard Bernstein’s score and Stephen Sondheim’s lyrics — it’s hard to screw up. But this colorful masterpiece is a delight from front to back, swaying effortlessly between emotional ranges. The singing and dancing never falter and the production design is something to behold: New York rendered in gleaming, vivid Technicolor.”
Did you know?
by The TartanMar 31, 2013“Pillbox
| Catherine Spence
100 years ago: Mar. 6, 1913
The varsity basketball team competes at its final away games against Geneva College and Westinghouse this week. The team is confident that it can win these final two games and excited about a successful season overall. The athletes encourage everyone to come out to these final games.
50 years ago: Mar. 27, 1963
Red and silver parking meters go up all over campus, most notably near Skibo Gymnasium and on Margaret Morrison Street. Students are reminded that the Donner Hall lot is only open during sporting events and that cars parked in the lot at any other time will be towed at the owner’s expense.
25 years ago: Mar. 22, 1988
Apple, Inc. hosts an event titled StraightTalk to discuss software design with current students. The event is the first of its kind on any college campus. Students have the chance to show off their original software and listen to a lecture by Apple systems engineer Paul Hudspeth.
10 years ago: April 1, 2...
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online .”
Advice for awkward people
by The TartanMar 31, 2013“About robot boyfriends and recompense
Pillbox
| Patrick Hoskins
Dear Patrick,
I just read the April Fools’ Day issue of The Tartan, and I am very offended. Your article insulted my club/major/personal identity. I demand recompense! What’s the best way to go about attaining it?
Thanks,
Brusquely Upset, Satisfaction Yearned, But Otherwise Decent Yarn
Dear BUSYBODY,
Easy now, let’s not start throwing around heated words like “recompense” when we don’t really mean it. Okay, so you were offended, and you found a joke off-putting. Why? Does it make light of a serious subject? Do you just not like jokes at your expense? Take a moment and think about this. It’s a little too easy nowadays to cry outrage and complain to people in power when a joke simply didn’t land well.
If a joke actually was offensive, then I’m sure it was not intended to be so hurtful. Yes, many jokes are at peoples’ expenses. They are also funny. It’s too easy for both the joker and the butt of the joke to forget the people at either end. Let’s not...
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Need advice? Send queries to advice@thetartan.org .”
Midway Market removal neglectful of organizations
by The TartanMar 31, 2013“Forum
| Tartan Board
In 2011, Spring Carnival Committee erected a tent known as Midway Market on Carnival’s Midway in Morewood parking lot. As part of a two-year experiment, Midway Market served as a location where organizations without booths could interact with students, alumni, and other guests.
However, Midway Market will be absent from this year’s Carnival celebration.
While the Midway Market tent lacks the flair of the booths, an option for promotion should be made available to smaller organizations that are unable to participate in booth building.
Spring Carnival embraces every aspect of Carnegie Mellon’s unique campus culture, and the event must continue to represent every part of this culture by remaining inclusive to all parties involved. While most large organizations on campus — particularly Greek chapters — have the manpower and resources to build booths, smaller organizations are unable to do so, largely due to the limited membership. Midway Market provides a way for smaller organ...
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online .”
Activists should be respectful of university members
by The TartanMar 31, 2013“Forum
| Tartan Board
Activists protesting organ harvesting in China, as well as activists from the Human Rights Campaign, have begun regularly appearing on campus this past week.
In particular, the issue of alleged organ harvesting in China is both incredibly important to discuss and deeply complex.
However, perhaps the methods activists are employing to bring attention to this issue could be re-evaluated.
One of the activists’ most common locations is the main entrance to campus — the first step on the stairs facing Forbes Avenue. This position requires most students to pass them on the way to class.
While this minor inconvenience is not a huge issue, it discourages students from being receptive or active listeners. If a student is running late to class, stopping to talk to a person with a flyer can seem trivial and irrelevant.
The other major problem with the activists’ campaign is the actual content of their flyers. The content borders on sensationalism in its attempt to raise awaren...
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online .”
Wavves' new album shows musical maturity
by The TartanMar 31, 2013“Alt-rocker's Afraid of Heights explores same themes with fresh perspective
Pillbox
| Joey Peiser
“Growing up sucks.”
This sentiment was all over the radio in the ‘90s when bands like Nirvana, Radiohead, Weezer, and other alt-rock misfits ruled the airwaves, but it has recently been lacking in much of newer popular music. That being said, Nathan Williams, who performs under the name Wavves, clearly went back to his childhood CD collection (remember those?) in preparation for his band’s fifth outing, Afraid of Heights , released last Tuesday on Mom+Pop records.
The record draws heavily from and pays homage to the greats of punk and alternative music in both musical and lyrical style. Like those artists he emulates, Williams writes songs about self-loathing, boredom, and a general disdain for just about everything — but with melodic, quiet verses and choruses with guitars and drums turned all the way up, they sound fun enough to shout along with the car windows down.
Williams has been recording under the name Wavves since 2008 with a rotating lineup of backing musicians....
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online .”
_Spring Breakers_ proves wildly entertaining
by The TartanMar 31, 2013“James Franco and Gucci Mane bring college-age debauchery to the big screen
Pillbox
| Andie Park
If you love spring break, partying, and Britney Spears, go watch Spring Breakers now. If you hate spring break, partying, and Britney Spears, go watch Spring Breakers now. Go straight to the nearest theater playing it. Even if that means taking the 61D all the way to the Waterfront in this endlessly miserable Pittsburgh weather, it’s time better spent than sitting in your bed whilst having a Vampire Diaries marathon with a jar of Nutella in your hands.
Spring Breakers is the latest project by controversial director Harmony Korine. Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson, and the otherwise-obscure Rachel Korine (wife of the director) star as four bored college girls who just want to have fun. However, their idea of fun entails stealing a car to rob a local Chicken Shack, going to insane parties, and getting tied up with some messy drug dealers. James Franco plays one such drug dealer named Alien who is incredibly suspicious, yet declares himself a “gangster with a hea...
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online .”
MFA students showcase their creations
by The TartanMar 31, 2013“The Miller Gallery hosts Basement Miracle , the 2013 master of fine arts thesis exhibition
Pillbox
| Xiyu Wang
There is an alien world in the subterranean depths of Doherty Hall, a world in which fine arts students feverishly try to imbue their creations with artistic spirit. Last week, a chunk of that world was excavated for the rest of campus to see.
Basement Miracle , the 2013 master of fine arts thesis exhibition, opened last Friday in the Miller Gallery in the Purnell Center for the Arts. The MFA thesis exhibit, organized annually by the School of Art, features the work of graduating master of fine arts students and offers an opportunity for the students to display their work in a professional gallery exhibition open to the public.
The exhibit, which consists mainly of sculptures and installations, spans all three floors of the Miller Gallery. The works use a variety of media and touch upon many different subjects, although there are some common themes such as the integration of technology and science. The exhibition draws a sizable crowd of both Carnegie Mellon students and the ...
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online .
Basement Miracle is open through April 21 in the Miller Gallery of the Purnell Center for the Arts.”
Men's tennis wins one, loses one this past weekend
by The TartanMar 31, 2013“Sports
| Elizabeth Martin
online only!
The Carnegie Mellon men's tennis team traveled south this past weekend to compete against two top ranked teams, Washington and Lee University and Johns Hopkins University. The Tartans defeated the Washington and Lee Generals 5–4 and lost to the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays 2–7.
In Lexington, Va., the Tartans opened with doubles. Sophomore Thomas Cooper and senior Jooho Yu led the team with a win at No. 3 doubles. In singles, the Tartans won four matches to take the match. First-year Abhishek Alla's win at No. 2 singles, first-year Yuvraj Kumar's win at No. 4 singles, and senior Harsha Rao's win at No. 6 singles tied the match at 4-all. Senior Duke Miller won at No. 3 singles in a second set tiebreaker to clinch the match for the Tartans.
Kumar said, "It was great to bounce back from a disappointing loss in doubles and win a quick victory in singles."
On Sunday, the Tartans battled the Johns Hopkins University Blue Jays and lost 2–7. Cooper and Yu won again in doubles, while the...
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online .”
Changes in NL Central means hope for Pirates this season
by The TartanMar 31, 2013“Sports
| Carl Glazer
Baseball’s opening night game last Sunday between new American League (AL) West opponents, the Texas Rangers and the Houston Astros, began a season that will introduce one of the most sweeping changes in Major League Baseball. The season will also hopefully see the Pittsburgh Pirates achieve their first winning season since 1992.
The most notable of these changes is the Astros’ move from the once-six-team National League (NL) Central to the previously four-team AL West in an effort to balance the divisions and to give teams a more even field in which to win their division and guarantee a playoff spot.
With this move, the AL and NL are now balanced at 15 teams apiece, forcing Interleague play to shift from a three- to four-week novelty during May and June to a year-round necessity. The Pirates and the rest of the NL Central should be relieved that their six-team divisional logjam is finally remedied, even if it means removing the pitiful Astros. Unfortunately for the Pirates, t...
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Majidi receives award to continue work on ‘soft robotics’
by The TartanMar 31, 2013“Sci/Tech
| Ligia Nistor
Assistant professor of mechanical engineering Carmel Majidi recently won an award from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) Young Investigator Program. The award comes with a $360,000 grant that will be used in part to fund a Ph.D. student working for Majidi in the field of soft robotics.
Soft robotics is a new domain in robotics where the robots are made of soft materials, as opposed to the types of rigid materials that conventional robots are made out of. These soft materials include elastomers, which are soft rubbers that are elastic and very stretchable. They can also be composed of fluids or gels.
One of the motivations behind soft robotics is to make robots and machines that are more life-like than curren robots. “The idea is that if robots and machines are made out of soft materials, then they will exhibit more of the functionality and properties that natural organisms have,” Majidi said.
According to Majidi, “The award addresses a very important chall...
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online .”
Campus News in Brief
by The TartanMar 31, 2013“News
| Noël Um
CMU students win energy competition
Seven multidisciplinary Carnegie Mellon students took first place in a Department of Energy competition against 14 university teams to create strategies that cut energy waste and improve efficiency among commercial buildings.
The Carnegie Mellon team received the “Most Innovative” award for its entry, which strives to increase energy efficiency in commercial and industrial buildings in Fort Worth, Texas by the year 2020. The team also won “Best Proposal” for its “Everything Store” case study.
Team members include electrical and computer engineering master’s student Jie Yee Chan; architecture Ph.D. students Adrian Chong and Chao Ding; business master’s student Donald Johnson; and engineering and public policy (EPP) Ph.D. candidates Alan Jenn, Mili-Ann Tamayao, and Allison Weis.
“The team was up against some challenging competition, and this is where the practical problem-solving, interdisciplinary approach that is the culture at Ca...
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online .”
PayTango dances its way to success
by The TartanMar 31, 2013“News
| Lauren Williams
Four Carnegie Mellon seniors launched PayTango, a fingerprint-based payment method that eliminates the need for identification and debit cards. Senior information systems majors Brian Groudan, Umang Patel, and Christian Reyes, and senior human-computer interaction and industrial design double major Kelly Lau-Kee developed PayTango in the Tech Startup Lab course taught by computer science assistant professor Luis von Ahn in fall 2012.
Groudan, Lau-Kee, Patel, and Reyes effectively combined their talents to search for a solution to a universal problem: People have to carry around too many cards. Credit cards can be lost, card numbers can be stolen, and it can be a hassle to pull out a card while holding a cup brimming with hot coffee.
They invented a much easier method of payment that uses fingerprints instead of cards.
“Biometrics was a really good way for us to explore how to eliminate the need to carry around extra ‘stuff’ to identify yourself. And that’s kind of the visi...
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online .”
Plagiarism service solicits students
by The TartanMar 31, 2013“News
| Alvin Mathew
A website called Lashzone, which functions as a paper mill service, recently sent a number of emails to Carnegie Mellon students. The university staff and administration views these emails as threats to academic integrity. They also coincide with the university’s current attempt to update its policy on academic integrity.
According to Lashzone’s website, the service offers “professional assistance on post-secondary homework, assignments, essays, lab reports, assignment revision...etc.” Students wishing to spend money for the site’s services would send their assignments to the website, prepare for another major event like a test during the week, and then simply receive the requested, completed assignment in a reply email before the due date.
Holly Hippensteel, dean of student affairs, notes that although multiple students forwarded the Lashzone emails, “We don’t know how many students were contacted.”
Student reaction to the solicitation from Lashzone was mixed. First-year e...
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online .”
Sparse attendance at election debates; leave students wanting more campaign details
by The TartanMar 31, 2013“News
| Brian Trimboli
Candidates for student body president (SBP), student body vice president (SBVP), student body vice president of finance (SBVPF), and student body vice president of organizations (SBVPO) responded to questions about their platforms in Monday’s and Tuesday’s student government election debates. The president and vice presidential debate, held on Monday in McConomy Auditorium, featured Lindsay MacGillivray, a junior biology and psychology major, and Peter Masters, a sophomore international relations and politics and environmental policy double major, against Thomas Healy, a junior mechanical engineering and engineering and public policy double major, and Caitlin Jones, a junior business administration major. The audience for the debate was sparse; fewer than 20 of McConomy’s seats were filled.
In addition to representing the student body’s wishes in their decision-making, the positions eligible for election play an instrumental role in dictating the functioning of crucial student go...
Read the full article
online .”
Court must favor same-sex marriage
by The TartanMar 31, 2013“Forum
| Kyle Henson
Proposition 8, California’s ban on gay marriage, and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) which prevents same sex marriages from being recognized at the Federal level, went before the Supreme Court last week. The court has several options regarding these two laws, but it should dismiss the Proposition 8 case on procedural grounds and overturn DOMA in the name of states’ rights.
Potential rulings on Proposition 8 could be wide and varied. It could strike the amendment for just California because the California Supreme Court ruled a gay marriage ban unconstitutional. This decision would be considered a narrow ruling. The court could also say that any state ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional and strike it down for the country, similar to Roe v. Wade . This would be considered a broad ruling. Additionally, the court could dismiss the Proposition 8 case altogether, saying that to continue a lawsuit, you must have been harmed in some way, and the supporters of Proposition 8 have no...
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online .
Kyle Henson (kahenson@) is a staffwriter for The Tartan.”
Internet activists capable of getting the word out
by The TartanMar 31, 2013“Forum
| Satvika Neti
Unless you don’t use Facebook, or you have been living under a rock for the past week, you have probably seen in your news feed that many profile pictures are now equal signs.
Internet social activism is a growing trend that you can advocate with the press of a button — and it keeps hitting social media users with different campaigns. The most recent one before the current campaign for marriage equality was Kony 2012.
Obviously, there are many criticisms to this kind of activism, the most germane being that it doesn’t do anything to further a cause. Liking a Facebook post and changing your profile picture does not help the Supreme Court decide anything in the coming months, just as changing your profile picture to feature Kony last April did not end up really helping the people of Uganda.
But the silver lining to this — the good side to what is almost affectionately called slacktivism, a combination of “slacker” and “activism”, — is that it gets the word out.
Internet a...
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Satvika Neti (sneti@) is a staffwriter for The Tartan.”
How Things Work: Bees
by The TartanMar 31, 2013“Sci/Tech
| Brooke Kuei
Bees are a lot smarter than most people credit them. How do bees know where to find the best flowers? When they find these flowers, how do they tell other bees where they are? These are tasks that may appear trivial at first glance, but actually involve complex and miraculous processes.
Howstuffworks.com explains that bees use two main tools in their search for food: a solar compass and an internal clock. Bees use their solar compass to remember the location of objects relative to the sun. Since they are able to see polarized light, their solar compass is unaffected by whether it is a sunny or cloudy day. The second tool, a bee’s internal clock, keeps track of how long the bee has been searching for food.
What is amazing about the combination of these abilities is that bees are even aware of how the sun moves throughout the time that they are searching for food. This means that when the bee returns to its hive, it can tell its hive mates exactly where the food is relative to t...
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SciTech Briefs
by The TartanMar 31, 2013“Sci/Tech
| Kelsey Scott
Human – Neanderthal hybrid identified
Skeletal remains found in Riparo di Mezzena, a rock-shelter in northern Italy, may belong to the first known human-Neanderthal hybrid. Current studies focus on analyzing the jaw structure, which differs drastically between Neanderthals and modern humans. The structure of this jaw was a blend between a Neanderthal’s receding lower jaw and a modern human’s prominent lower jaw. The genetic analysis revealed that the remains contained mitochondrial DNA of a Neanderthal, suggesting that the individual would have been the descendant of a female Neanderthal and a male Homo sapien. This study indicates possible “ethnic cleansing” of the Neanderthals by sexual assault. Further research will reveal more information about Neanderthal and human interactions.
source: Discovery News
Shortcut to international space station
Last Thursday, two Russian cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut arrived at the International Space Station a mere five ho...
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Experiences at German university reveal issues
by The TartanMar 31, 2013“Forum
| Mogan Ramesh
My preparation for the interview to study abroad seemed perfect. The opportunity to leave RWTH Aachen University, Germany for Carnegie Mellon sounded like the opportunity to travel to a better place.
When I found myself being assessed on my capacity to represent my home university abroad, I displayed my enthusiasm for Carnegie Mellon, a place I read about in Randy Pausch’s The Last Lecture . There was, however, one question that I had not seen coming:
“As an ambassador for our university, what is it that you would tell an American in order to make him come here for a year?”
At the time, Carnegie Mellon seemed to be an escape from a place whose strengths I did not yet recognize. There are several flaws of my university and the approach it takes to educating future engineers.
With four to five courses each semester, the workload in Germany — particularly having problem set after problem set thrown at me — was frustrating. Instead of fostering interests in a specific subj...
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This article is the first in a series of articles detailing the realizations of an exchange student studying at Carnegie Mellon.”
High energy, laughs galore
by The TartanMar 02, 2013“Comedian/writer presents memorable, exciting show
Pillbox
| Xiyu Wang
“Why don’t we eat penguins?”
It’s a question that is not often asked, but one that comedian Hannibal Buress asked nonetheless at a performance last week at Mr. Small’s Theatre, where he claimed he would pay $500 to wrangle a penguin and eat it.
Buress is a Chicago-based comedian who has written for Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock . He has also been featured on Comedy Central programs and has appeared on various talk shows, including the Late Show with David Letterman , Late Night with Jimmy Fallon , and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson .
Mr. Small’s Theatre, where the show was held, was a very colorful venue. Converted from a church into a performance space, the theater has an interesting atmosphere and interior, although there was not enough seating for a comedy show. The venue is usually used for concerts and musical performances, which was clear from the fact that nearly all the seats were folding chairs.
The show started off with a bang. Buress came in af...
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Frequent Blackboard outages demand conscious use
by The TartanMar 02, 2013“Forum
| Tartan Board
It is difficult to graduate from Carnegie Mellon without taking classes that require Blackboard. Carnegie Mellon students can access a customized version of the website through their Andrew accounts.
However, as of late this website has been more of a curse than a blessing. Frequent outages and planned downtimes that last longer than anticipated have plagued the system and frustrated users for weeks. This semester alone, there have been approximately eight downtimes. The latest outage occurred on Feb. 26, according to Blackboard’s downtime log, which can be found at www.cmu.edu/blackboard/downtime .
While these problems are being addressed and hopefuly remedied, students and teachers alike should still be conscious of how and when they use the website.
Professors and students should take into account that Blackboard already reminds users to have backups of every necessary file and to plan alternative ways to collect work.
Ins...
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Student passion unveiled at TEDxCMU
by The TartanMar 02, 2013“News
| Brian Trimboli
TEDxCMU, a conference devoted to bringing together innovative thinkers, brought 11 speakers — including two Carnegie Mellon students — to the University Center’s McConomy Auditorium on Sunday to give short talks that covered a wide array of topics, ranging from urban revitalization to delivering happiness in students’ daily lives.
Ketaki Desai, a third-year graduate student in public policy and management and presdient of TEDxCMU, described the idea behind TED talks. “TED is basically a conference that was started by journalist Chris Anderson, and the idea was that people should be able to describe what they’re doing in 15 to 18 minutes or even less. The idea was to inspire people with things that everybody was doing, because there was no way to know what people were working on,” Desai said.
The theme of TEDxCMU this year was “Spark”; the event’s goal was “to spark collaboration and foster connections between participants, encouraging aspiring individuals to follow their dream...
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Horoscopes
by The TartanMar 02, 2013“Comics
| Kairavi Chahal
It was Jay-Z in Sydney with a B-52.
It was Colonel Mustard in New York City with a strawberry daiquiri.
It was Tom Cruise at a Scientology convention with a sword.
It was Fred Flintstone in Las Vegas with a quarter.
It was your mom in Cancun with an ugly Christmas sweater.
It was Paul McCartney in Daytona with a bag of chips.
It was your boyfriend or girlfriend in Puerto Rico with a rusty nail.
It was you in the Gates Hillman Complex with a huge tub of Ben & Jerry's.
It was your best friend in Miami with a pool noodle.
It was Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in Cabo with a hot tub.
It was that guy in Barcelona with fire.
It was the Pope in the Bahamas with holy water.”
_DYO_ is both whimsical and philosophical
by The TartanMar 02, 2013“School of Drama presents well-executed, surprisingly thought-provoking production
Pillbox
| Laura Scherb
The mood was set from the moment the audience entered the studio space: stark staging with harsh geometric lighting patterns, the spicy incense floating through the air, and an actor laying in the dust on the stage, twitching and writhing every few moments.
During the School of Drama’s Thursday night performance of DYO (or Please Take Care of Me) , the meaning of life was questioned, fate was twisted, and caution was thrown to the winds of chance. The play, which ran for a little over an hour, was based on a variety of writings by Japanese author Haruki Murakami adapted by senior drama major Tegan McDuffie, who also directed the production.
Every part of the set and each costume served a purpose, even if it was a small, seemingly inconsequential one. Little touches, such as spraying fruity scents into the air to evoke the free winds of summer, only served to make the play more dreamlike and deliciously ambiguous. The massive amount of attention that this must have required fr...
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Advice for awkward people
by The TartanMar 02, 2013“About spring break road trips and hookups
Pillbox
| Patrick Hoskins
Dear Patrick,
Spring break’s coming up, and I’m going on a road trip with some friends. I’m a little concerned about it, though. How can I make sure our road trip goes well?
Thanks,
Hoping Imminent Trip Triumphs, Helplessly En Route On Arduous Diversions
Dear HIT THE ROAD,
Lucky for you, I’m a connoisseur of road trip films. I’ve seen ’em all. I know all the tricks. First things first: The point of road trips is to engage in multistate shenanigans predicated upon simple misunderstandings, like pretending to be in a historically black fraternity or holding an amusement park hostage with a BB gun.
While your shenanigans may not be as great as those, you should still engage in as many as you can. That means doing things like pulling over for every “World’s Largest ______” you pass, going to biker bars while cross-dressing for convoluted reasons, and reassembling your car with duct tape. Sure, it won’t be the same as traveling with Kristen Stewart in ...
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Need advice? Send queries to advice@thetartan.org .”
Did you know?
by The TartanMar 02, 2013“Pillbox
| Catherine Spence
100 years ago: Feb. 13, 1913
The second competition to find the perfect Carnegie Tech song is under way. Entries are due at the end of March. Students and alumni of all ages and talents are urged to submit a song. The only criteria for the song are that it has to be original, cheerful, inspiring, and appropriate.
50 years ago: March 13, 1963
All graduating students who intend to receive bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degrees in 1963 are reminded to submit $10 to the Office of the Registrar. Doctoral graduates must submit an additional $25 deposit to be returned upon completion of a doctoral thesis.
25 years ago: March 8, 1988
Carnegie Mellon’s pre-med club, Carnegie Care Unit, hosts Robert Glue from the University of Pittsburgh. The club is a network of students intending to work in medicine, and speakers come once a month to discuss different areas of the healthcare field. The group also organized the Safe Sex Symposium earlier in the school year.
**10...
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New exhibit graces Warhol
by The TartanMar 02, 2013“Contemporary art pays tribute to Pittsburgh legend
Pillbox
| Sophia Chang
Entering the Andy Warhol Museum is like entering a strange, neon-colored land. The giant Brillo box statue across from the entrance and the neon purple and yellow cows printed on the walls are signs of the eccentric work that is to come.
The museum currently features a special exhibit called Regarding Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years , which celebrates the 50th anniversary of Warhol’s “Campbell’s Soup Cans.” The exhibit, which opened Feb. 3, showcases some of the most influential work Andy Warhol ever made — think of the Marilyn Monroe silkscreen images and the Elvis Presley prints — as well as work from other artists that have emulated Warhol since his legendary art rocked the world.
Each floor of the museum has huge photos of Andy Warhol, along with famous quotes that exemplify his character. The last floor of the museum, part of the permanent collection, is dedicated to Andy Warhol’s life and features his diploma from Carnegie Mellon — a nice link between the past and th...
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Regarding Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years is showing at the Andy Warhol Museum through April 28.”
Voice majors leave audience in stitches
by The TartanMar 02, 2013“Sophomore Convocation organizes classic songs into hilariously original musical
Pillbox
| Amy Tsien
Kresge Theatre was filled with uproarious laughter last Thursday at a production written and produced by the School of Music sophomore vocal performance class, The Curious Murder of a Person Not Particularly Liked . Convocation is a requirement for all students in the School fo Music, but instead of a standard formal performance of one solo after another, the students comically arranged classic songs into a musical that swept the crowd away. Every scene had its own unique and standout character.
The story follows the mysterious death of an abhorred hotel owner and manager, Rick Felicino (played by Grant Braider). Detective Geoffrey Hansen (Ethan Crystal) leads an investigation into Rick’s death and the quirky community that surrounded him, which bridges into a series of hysterical character studies. The show concludes with the reveal of the villain’s identity, which comes as a huge surprise to both the audience and the characters on stage.
The performance kicked off with a _B...
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No one leads men’s club volleyball team quite like Gaston
by The TartanMar 02, 2013“Sports
| Vinay Viswanathan
Senior mechanical engineering major Taylor Gaston has been part of the men’s club volleyball team since his first year and is hoping to wrap up his illustrious volleyball career at Carnegie Mellon on a high note.
Gaston has been a standout outside hitter and captain on the club for four years, and has also been heavily involved as the manager of the varsity women’s volleyball team.
The Harrisburg, Pa. native says that “[the team has] gone through a rebuilding phase, but we’ve gotten a lot of younger guys as the team has progressed.”
Gaston has excelled in his position as a captain. First-year Daniel Lee said, “Taylor has been a really strong captain because he’s a role model who leads by setting an example, both on and off the court.” Lee added, “He’s incredibly supportive and consistently looking for ways to improve your play.”
Entering the season, Gaston hoped that “we would get out of the rebuilding phase and that we would be more strict, committed, and involved.”
...
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Pittsburgh sports see flurry of activity, show signs of improvement
by The TartanMar 02, 2013“Sports
| Carl Glazer
This week was an interesting one for Pittsburgh sports fans. The Penguins are succeeding even with some injury issues, the Pirates are starting spring training, and the Steelers are setting themselves up for what will likely be a very busy off-season.
While this may be a slow time in terms of Pittsburgh sports, things are about to heat up with the NHL Playoffs, the start of the MLB regular season, and the NFL draft all on the horizon. Hopefully each team makes the right moves now to put themselves in a position to win when it counts.
Hockey
It seems like déjà vu for Penguins fans. As we near the halfway point of this shortened season, yet another of the Pittsburgh superstars has gone down with a concussion.
The only difference is that this time it is Evgeni Malkin, not Sidney Crosby, who is out for an indeterminate time period.
Malkin was injured last Friday against the Florida Panthers, after taking a brutal hit from Panthers defenseman Erik Gudbranson.
Malkin was...
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Women's basketball falls short
by The TartanMar 02, 2013“Sports
| Elizabeth Martin
The Carnegie Mellon women’s basketball team finished its season at the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) South Championship last Wednesday with a 94–80 loss to the Juniata College Eagles (19–8). This was the first time the Tartans have made it to the championships since the 1999–2000 season, and marking an end to the first winning season in 10 years. The Tartans’ final in-season record was 13–12.
In the week prior to the ECAC Southern Championship, the Tartans suffered losses at Case Western Reserve University and Emory University. But these losses were hard-fought battles. At the Feb. 23 game against Case Western, the Tartans had a 22–10 run in the first half, with senior Emily Peel leading with a high shooting percentage.
This is typical of Peel, who finished the 2013 regular-season campaign averaging 13.9 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. She also posted 30 blocks for an average of 1.2 a game to lead the team in all four categories.
Peel closed the regular seaso...
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Women’s tennis advances to final ITA round, loses 5–4
by The TartanMar 02, 2013“Sports
| Abby Smith
The Carnegie Mellon women’s tennis team traveled to Greencastle, Ind. this weekend and advanced to the final match of the International Tennis Association (ITA)’s Indoor Championship, where the team suffered a tough 5–4 loss to the Johns Hopkins University Blue Jays.
Their advancement to the final rounds of competition on Sunday was not a novelty for the fifth-ranked Tartans, who won the inaugural championship in 2009 and were runners-up in 2011.
The Tartans immediately established their competitiveness and dominance in the competition, first advancing to the semifinals on Friday.
The Tartans started the match with a sweeping double play. Senior Alex Tapak and first-year Brooke Tsu opened with an 8–1 win at No. 3 doubles.
Junior Katie Cecil and sophomore Angela Pratt doubled up to claim the Tartans second point with an 8–4 win at No. 1, followed by a 8–3 doubles win by sophomores Bryn Raschke and Chelsea Motie.
“The doubles did an excellent job this weekend,” Pratt...
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How Things Work: Genetic Engineering
by The TartanMar 02, 2013“Sci/Tech
| Raghunandan Avula
Since the discovery of DNA in the ’50s, scientists have been trying to understand exactly how it can influence minuscule details of a living organism. Modern techniques of genetic engineering aim to manipulate an organism’s genome in order to change biological mechanisms at the molecular level. These techniques are being applied to a variety of fields — from medicine to agriculture — and with recent breakthroughs in genetic engineering, unbelievable ideas such as cloning may not be so far-fetched.
DNA exists in the cells of all living organisms and stores information on how the cell should grow, proliferate, and interact with neighboring cells. DNA is comprised of genes, which function as recipes for how cells should build proteins. These proteins then control everything the living organism does by facilitating specific chemical reactions. This can be thought of as a “lock-and-key” mechanism of sorts: A protein with the correct shape can bind perfectly around certain molecules an...
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SciTech briefs
by The TartanMar 02, 2013“Sci/Tech
| Lachlan Lancaster
Researchers find possible genetic links in psychiatry
A new study by Jordan Smoller, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, has found similarities in genomes linking five very different psychiatric disorders: schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism, clinical depression, and attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD). The findings suggest that these disorders have roots in areas of the genome that code for major brain-signaling functions and may help to treat the disorders in the future.
The study was based on genetic data amassed from over 60,000 participants — both with and without illness — all around the world. The writers of the paper suggest that this could be the largest collaborative genetic study to date.
Source: The New York Times
Big meteorite hunters travel to Antarctica
A team of meteorite hunters traveling across the East Antarctic Plateau on snowmobiles in late January stumbled across quite a large find. A meteorite, found buri...
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Campus News in Brief
by The TartanMar 02, 2013“News
| Noël Um
Professor given $6-million DARPA grant
Franz Franchetti, an associate research professor of electrical and computer engineering, received a $6-million grant from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
The grant provided by DARPA will be used to develop new software in order to protect motor vehicles from incoming cyberattacks.
Franchetti’s project is part of a DARPA effort called the High-Assurance Cyber Military System, which hopes to develop a greater level of security to protect against against cyberthreats.
“This is an extremely challenging project as we work to develop secure robotic systems that are resilient to cyberattacks,” Franchetti said in a university press release.
Franchetti will spearhead the software development project and will be joined by Carnegie Mellon faculty members.
The professors collaborating with Franchetti on this project include professor of electrical and computer engineering José M. F. Moura, professor of c...
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University initiative aims to support alumni entrepreneurs
by The TartanMar 02, 2013“News
| Alvin Mathew
Carnegie Mellon has been offering students and alumni an opportunity to start their own businesses since June 2012 with support from the Open Field Entrepreneur’s Fund (OFEF).
This fund awards money and resources to Carnegie Mellon alumni who graduated within the past five years.
David Mawhinney, an assistant teaching professor of entrepreneurship at the Tepper School of Business, serves as managing director of the fund.
“The fund was made possible by a gift from a gentleman, Jonathan Kaplan,” Mawhinney said, “who created the Flip Video camera and later sold it to Cisco Systems.
His wife, Marci Glazer, also helped found the fund. It’s a fund for young alumni from zero to five years of graduation to make their own jobs and follow their dreams.”
The OFEF is part of the “Greenlighting Startups” initiative at Carnegie Mellon, which aims to promote and translate ideas and creations from labs to the market. Last year, the fund awarded a total of $300,000 to six different...
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A Person's Opinion
by The TartanMar 02, 2013“Forum
| Kelsey Scott
The Tartan is ready to relax. So we asked "What are your plans for Spring Break?"
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Pitt should be sweating over student concerns
by The TartanMar 02, 2013“Forum
| Braden Kelner
It’s time to look into where your university apparel comes from — at least if you own University of Pittsburgh-branded clothing.
Pitt students are uniting to encourage their university to affiliate with the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC), an independent organization founded by students, university administrators, and labor rights experts that aims to end labor abuses and to defend workplace rights in factories, particularly in sweatshops that produce university apparel.
Duquesne University, Chatham University, and Carnegie Mellon are among the 180 organizations already affiliated with the WRC.
While Pitt has the right to not affiliate with the WRC, the university’s response — or lack thereof — is unacceptable.
Joe Thomas, founder of Pitt’s chapter of Americans for Informed Democracy, delivered multiple letters to Chancellor Mark Nordenberg last fall asking for Pitt to affiliate with the WRC. During a meeting with Vice Provost and Dean...
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Braden Kelner (bik@) is Forum editor for The Tartan.”
Rap videos no basis for abuse case
by The TartanMar 02, 2013“Forum
| Xiyu Wang
There has been recent controversy over “Lil’ Poopy,” 9-year-old rapper Luie Rivera Jr. from Massachusetts, due to the nature of the YouTube videos in which he stars.
In these videos, Lil’ Poopy references all the staples of the rap genre — money, drugs, and women. The particular video that garnered the attention of state child welfare officials, however, is most controversial because the fourth grader is seen slapping a woman on her rear end.
Before we get into any discussion of the ethics of Lil’ Poopy’s videos, I would like to make one thing clear: Lil’ Poopy is a terrible rapper. Although it may seem a mean thing to say about a 9-year-old, I think it’s important to establish that the boy is not some Mozart-esque child prodigy that the world would greatly suffer without.
If he had been, it would make my position more defensible: This child should not be taken away from his parents and the videos themselves do not warrant an in...
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Xiyu Wang (xiyuw@) is a staffwriter for The Tartan.”
What's New?
by The TartanMar 02, 2013“Housing changes for the 2013 room selection process
Special
| Christa Hester
Room selection application process
Housing and Dining Services has launched a new online portal application process in the hopes that Room Selection 2013 will be faster and more efficient. All eligible students can participate in Room Selection for the 2013–14 academic year via the housing portal at http:/ www.cmu.edu/housing/roomselection .
Room retention policies
Students wishing to retain their current rooms must fill all vacancies in their room, suite, or apartment through pull-ins. Students who retain but fail to fill vacancies will be paired with other residents in half-filled rooms, meaning that said students will either be assigned a new room or a new roommate who also failed to fill vacancies. The “Roommate Profile” section of the housing portal application at https://web.campusservices.cmu.edu/housing/roommates/index.html can be used to find other students looking for roommates.
Housing rates
Housing rates for the 2013–14 academic year are expected to in...
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Housing Calendar Spring 2013
by The TartanMar 01, 2013“Important dates and deadlines for room selection
Special
| Christa Hester
March:
Wednesday, March 6 – Room selection application (for all phases) opens online at noon
Wednesday, March 13 – RA, CA, SIH, and Mentor Housing License Agreements and Limitations forms due
Friday, March 15 – Rosters for Greek houses due
Monday, March 18 – Henderson Wellness House applications due by noon
Tuesday, March 19 – Information Table. 11 a.m.–1 p.m., Wean Commons, University Center
Wednesday, March 20 – Deadline to retain current room ends at noon
Thursday, March 21 – Information Table. 11 a.m.–1 p.m., Wean Commons, University Center
Friday, March 22 – Henderson Wellness offers sent out
Monday, March 25 – Pull-in and walk-in meetings
Tuesday, March 26 – Pull-in and walk-in meetings
Tuesday, March 26 – Open house for Fairfax, Shady Oak, and Neville Apartments at 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday, March 27 – Block housing applications due by noon
Wednesday, March 27 – Information session for block housing groups, time TBA
Friday, March 29 – Block housing time slots rel...
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A complete calendar of room selection 2013–14 events and deadlines can be found at http://www.cmu.edu/housing/roomselection/timeline/index.html .”
Cheap dates for your Valentine
by The TartanFeb 10, 2013“Celebrate Valentine's Day on a college-student budget
Pillbox
| Sophia Chang
Valentine’s Day is the one special day of the year when it’s socially acceptable to shower a loved one with extravagant displays of public affection. However, because we’re poor college students, it can be hard to find creative (but cheap!) ways to show your love. We’ve come up with a list of ideas of epic things to do on Feb. 14 that won’t break the bank.
Phipps Conservatory is a great idea for newer couples. With beautiful flower displays and free admission for Carnegie Mellon students, it’s a cute way to get to know someone without cleaning out your wallet.
For the more adventurous, outside-the-box couple, the Mattress Factory is a great option. The museum, which showcases contemporary installation art in the Mexican War Streets, has many interesting art displays, and admission is free for Carnegie Mellon students. James Turrell’s Pleiades is a special highlight — an installation in which you can sit with your significant other in the dark for 10 minutes.
To tak...
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University too involved with military institutions
by The TartanFeb 10, 2013“Forum
| Christopher D. Conte
Carnegie Military University: That’s what David Meieran, a Pittsburgh activist, has dubbed Carnegie Mellon, alluding to the fact that Carnegie Mellon participates extensively in research for the Department of Defense, the CIA and other military-related organizations. But how extensive are Carnegie Mellon’s ties with the U.S. military?
Meieren claims that every department at Carnegie Mellon has some ties with the military, specifically naming the Psychology Department, the Philosophy Department, the Software Engineering Institute, and, of course, the Robotics Institute, which works largely on the idea of future combat systems, a vision that more armed forces will be unmanned, operating on elaborate network and robotics systems.
Some robotics projects include Gladiator (an unmanned combat vehicle equipped with an M-35 machine gun, and a launcher that can fire CS gas), Crusher (an unmanned ground vehicle), and Dragon Runner (a surveillance vehicle).
Many other projects are con...
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Christopher D. Conte
Senior Business Administration and Statistics, B.S.”
Boring boxes no more: Cake mix gone wild
by The TartanFeb 10, 2013“Nine creative takes on the average cake mix to spice up your baking repertoire
Pillbox
| Laura Scherb
Cake mix is the bane of bakers everywhere. It’s a miracle when you’re in a pinch, when you’re feeling lazy, or when you’re just absolutely craving that from-a-box taste that nobody should like but almost everyone actually does.
But when you use a cake mix just to make a cake, something inside you dies a little bit. The little baker inside you who serves as your baking Jiminy Cricket sits down and puts his head in his hands and sobs. Isn’t there a compromise — something that can make everyone happy?
Of course there is. In fact, there are a lot of options. So without further ado, here’s a selection of recipes that uses cake mix in unexpected ways to make something fabulous, even more so.
Cake Mix Cake: Enhanced Version
You might be skeptical, but you won’t believe how much more delicious and homemade this version tastes.
1 box of cake mix
1 teaspoon of vanilla
3 eggs
¼ cup of vegetable or canola oil (or applesauce as a low-fat option)
1 cup of milk
Instead of ...
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Sexual assault at universities
by The TartanFeb 10, 2013“News
| Anna Walsh
Sarah was a first-year at Carnegie Mellon when a friend sexually assaulted her.
“One night when I was really drunk I somehow ended up at his apartment,” she said. “He’s a cool guy, but he was drunk too. And I started kissing him and it was fine — like, I was fine with that — and then he went further and then I said no, but then he kept on continuing and I was drunk at the time so … I kind of just went with it.”
“That’s my story. It’s a very typical college [story],” Sarah, now a senior, added.
Her story is indeed typical of many experiences of university women. According to a study released last year by the Department of Justice (DOJ), nearly one in four college women are victims of rape or attempted rape. At Carnegie Mellon — which has 2,664 undergraduate women, according to the university’s institutional research and analysis department — that means that over 660 female undergraduate students are likely to have experienced sexual assault or attempted sexual assault by the...
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Editor's Note: contributing editors Emily Dobler and Madelyn Glymour and personnel manager Chloe Thompson contributed to this article.
Some names changed and last names withheld to protect the privacy of students.”
Horoscopes
by The TartanFeb 10, 2013“Comics
| Kairavi Chahal
Pisces like their independence, so do not suggest moving in together.
Material items aren’t the way to a Libra’s heart; put some thought into the gift.
These lovers like surprises. If you’re dating an Aries, surprise him or her.
Scavenger hunt. Do it.
Slip a love letter under your crush’s door.
Humor and creativity are key to wooing a Sagittarius.
You’ll have to go all out for your Valentine if he or she is a Leo.
Take a trip down memory lane with your Valentine.
Make a grand gesture to your significant other. It will be well received.
Cute, cuddly teddy bear holding a heart? No. iTunes gift card? Yes.
Virgos will probably spend V-day studying, but let them know how you feel.
Cancers are pretty easy to impress, so a hand-drawn card should do it.”
Did you know?
by The TartanFeb 10, 2013“Pillbox
| Catherine Spence
100 years ago: Jan. 23, 1913
The School of Applied Design offers Carnegie Tech students the university’s first music courses. The goal is for talented, interdisciplinary students to emerge from Carnegie Tech with a variety of skills to bring to the workforce.
50 years ago: Feb. 20, 1963
Want to drown your sorrows? The Donner House Council invites students to a Mourning Party in the dormitory. Both misery and cocktails will be plentiful, and the evening will include live music. Students are jokingly instructed to dress only in drag in order to partake in the festivities.
25 years ago: Feb. 9, 1988
A Valentine’s quiz for couples asks students, “What is your biggest worry about making love?” Answer choices include (a) forgetting user ID, (b) having roommates walk in, or (c) running out of whipped cream. Other answers that fit this category include fighting over whose QPA is higher.
10 years ago: Feb. 10, 2003
Carnegie Mellon alumnus Paul Smith (DC ’82) ...
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Dollar Movie
by The TartanFeb 10, 2013“Pillbox
| Matthew Zurcher
Flight
7:30 10 12:30
Denzel Washington turns in another admirable performance in this frustrating picture. He plays airline captain William “Whip” Whitaker, a pilot struggling with alcoholism and cocaine addiction. The film suggests an interesting premise — that we would rather be in a plane piloted by a cocaine-addicted but controlled drunk than by a sober, panicky stickler. But Flight is primarily concerned with punishing Whip for his addiction. Still, the movie contains one of the most exciting and excellent scenes of last year and a seriously convincing performance of oft-explored material by one of our greatest living actors.
The Master
7:30 10 12:30
Much has been said about The Master . Advertised as a Scientology exposé, audiences were startled to find a dense, demanding character study. Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman are at the center of this film, playing an emotionally battered WWII vet and a charismatic cult leader, respectively, who enter into a deeply complicated relationship. Director Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the greatest living cinematic maestros; he created the masterpieces There Will Be Blood , Boogie Nights , and Punch-Drunk Love , all before his 40th birthday. The Master is a harrowing experiment that displays utterly electric cinematic force. Anderson continues his deconstruction of 20th-century America with one of the five best films of 2012 — a must-see.
Life of Pi
7:30 10 12:30
Anyone who has read the novel upon which this film is based will attest to its seemingly unfilmable structure and aesthetic. “But how do we get a tiger in that little boat?” they asked. “CGI, I guess,” replied some savvy studio executive. CGI, indeed. Life of Pi gives us an excruciatingly boring story mixed with some of the most unthinkably spectacular visual creativity. Director Ang Lee (_Brokeback Mountain_, Crouching Tiger , and Hidden Dragon ) crafts the last 40 minutes of this film in an uncommon display of computer-generated spectacle. While the film hasn’t done particularly well in the American market, it is setting international records.”
Awkward advice for people
by The TartanFeb 10, 2013“About masturbation etiquette
Pillbox
| Patrick Hoskins
Dear Patrick,
My roommate never leaves the room. I mean never. I can’t masturbate in the bathroom because I live in Stever and we have communal bathrooms. My grades are dropping because all I can think about is masturbating. Do you have any recommendations on where I can get a fix? I’m thinking about Wean because I think that’s more isolated. Help a brother get his nut.
Thanks,
Cohabitant Here, I Can’t Keep Enjoying Nothing, Can’t Handle Ordeal, Kinky Eroticism Required
Dear CHICKEN CHOKER,
First, thank you for writing in! I haven’t gotten a real question in two years, so this is a real treat for me! My first advice would be to try to go home with a girl (or boy) at a party. But if you do, try not to make your desperate need for sex sound like you’re a drug addict (“Get a fix”? Seriously?). That’s a real turnoff.
You shouldn’t masturbate in public, but there are a lot of good places on campus to masturbate. Just try to go at night. The bathrooms i...
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Need advice? Send queries to advice@thetartan.org .”
_Final Fantasy_ proves to be anything but final
by The TartanFeb 10, 2013“After 25 years, the video game series prevails as a popular, compelling, high-quality franchise
Pillbox
| Ryan Black
Just over 25 years ago, a game called Final Fantasy appeared on store shelves in Japan for the Famicom (known to us as the Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES). According to an interview in Beyond Final Fantasy — a bonus DVD from European versions of Final Fantasy X — the game’s creator, Hironobu Sakaguchi, truly believed it would be the last game he would ever make: hence, the ominous name. What he did not anticipate, however, was that Final Fantasy would be a gigantic hit, taking the video game world by storm and doing extremely well in both Japan and North America, where it was released almost three years later.
The game was first proposed around the time the original Dragon Quest was released; it had demonstrated that role-playing games could sell well. Its success was so great that a myth began circulating that after the third game in the series was released, Japan had to pass a law that Dragon Quest games could only be sold on weekends or holidays, because so ma...
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Veronica Falls radiates teenage angst
by The TartanFeb 10, 2013“Indie pop band gains musical confidence in Waiting for Something to Happen
Pillbox
| Chloe Lula
The glum shoegazers that make up indie pop band Veronica Falls return tomorrow with their sophomore album installation, Waiting for Something to Happen . The newest release is certainly a ray of sunshine in one of the year’s darkest months, suffused with jangling guitars, flowing harmonies, and bittersweet hooks.
Veronica Falls’ Waiting for Something to Happen is a euphoric departure from the brooding, punk-inspired tropes of “Right Side of My Brain” and “Beachy Feeling,” songs from the band’s 2011 self-titled album. Instead, it is a more polished and pop-inspired iteration of the last record, showing the band’s evolution into a more poised and confident entity.
The album’s emotional motif is one of coming to terms with growing up; the lyrics obsess over lost love and loneliness. “Teenage” — possibly the best song on the album — captures the fear and wonder we feel before we understand how fleeting young love can be. The song begins harmlessly enough, as Roxanne Clifford an...
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Corrections
by The TartanFeb 10, 2013“News
| Brent Heard
The article "Reports reveal allocation of university spending" (News, Feb. 4) misstated that the number of Carnegie Mellon employees is 12,539. It should be clarified that this figure includes university contractors. Additionally, the data on the National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, and Carnegie Mellon's total operating expenses were misstated. They should be $75,536,000, $71,220,000, and $966,321,000, respectively.
The photo accompanying the article "Mike McDermott jumps and vaults to UAA success" (Sports, Feb. 4) was mistakenly credited Kate Groschner as a Staff Photographer. She is the Photo Editor.
Will Weiner was mistakenly referred to as a fifth-year student in multiple articles in the Feb. 4 issue. He is a senior.
Read the full article
online .”
Walk the Moon creates lively atmosphere
by The TartanFeb 10, 2013“Despite awkward age disparity in audience, indie rock band invites listeners to let loose
Pillbox
| Josh Smith
Cincinnati-based band Walk the Moon performed at the Altar Bar in the Strip District last Wednesday. Noted for its indie pop and its hit “Anna Sun,” the band is no stranger to Pittsburgh or the Altar Bar — it opened for Neon Trees last August. Even for moderate fans, the show fostered an appreciation for what Walk the Moon tries to do: create a fun performance.
Similar to Mr. Small’s Theatre, another local tour stop for bands, the Altar Bar serves as a good location for smaller bands. The Altar Bar, a renovated church-turned-concert venue, provides both a sense of history as well as an intimacy you lose in other, larger locations.
Unlike Mr. Small’s, however, the Altar Bar is more accessible and easier to get to for young concert-goers. A majority of the crowd seemed to be high-school students, while the 21-and-over section seemed to be occupied by their parents. While this isn’t a bad thing in and of itself, having a noticeable age gap among the audience can be distracting.
...
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online .”
Artist presents kitschy work
by The TartanFeb 10, 2013“CMU alumna Shana Moulton showcases poppy video art
Pillbox
| Samantha Ward
Video performance artist and Carnegie Mellon alumna Shana Moulton (CFA ’04) creates kitschy and endearing work with a poppy aesthetic that contradicts its exploration of the hopelessness of the individual. As the first speaker of the 2013 School of Art Spring Lecture Series, Moulton spoke of her experiences both at Carnegie Mellon and after graduation, as well as her current work at the Andy Warhol Museum.
Moulton’s work is largely based on a fictional character formulated in her graduate years spent at Carnegie Mellon, named Cynthia. Cynthia is a hypochondriac and an agoraphobiac, stuck in endless delusional attempts to find comfort while being plagued by technicolor hallucinations. Cynthia’s environment is clean, loaded with pastel-colored products, and coated in false hope. Her series of videos — entitled “Whispering Pines” after the mobile home she grew up in — follow Cynthia in her quest to find fulfillment in all the wrong places: cheap “as-seen-on-TV” beauty products, fad ...
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Sports mentality to blame for cheating
by The TartanFeb 10, 2013“Sports
| Carl Glazer
Every spectator would like to think that sports are clean and pure. In fact, sports are based on the –premise that each competition takes place on an even playing field, with only size, skill, and wit determining the outcome. This premise is unfortunately flawed.
The same competitive drive that makes athletes train for hours a day to become their best also drives them to find any edge possible to gain an advantage.
Lance Armstrong was supposed to be the poster child for doing things the right way. In a sport filled with doping, Armstrong was the glimmer of hope that training and natural ability can out perform drugs.
After his publicized bout with cancer, Armstrong went on to win seven consecutive Tour de Frances, setting a new record for the sport. He met accusations of doping with fierce rebuttal, then used his fame to create and lead Livestrong, an organization dedicated to fighting cancer, branded by those trademark yellow Livestrong rubber bracelets.
This idealis...
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Emerson hits the slopes for CMU
by The TartanFeb 10, 2013“Sports
| Abby Smith
You may have seen first-year electrical and computer engineering major Shepard Emerson merrily biking around campus. However, you may not have seen him swiftly skiing down the slopes at the speed of light, barely visible.
The first-year athlete is the top male skier for the Carnegie Mellon Ski & Snowboard Club this season. He also placed second in a slalom race in Elk Mountain on Jan. 26 and a race in Blue Knob on Jan. 19 among some of the top skiers in the nation, including members of the very competitive Pennsylvania State University and United States Naval Academy teams.
“I’ve been pleased with the results so far. I’ve faced some really good competition with Penn State and Navy, but I’ve shown that I can compete with the best of them,” Emerson said.
Emerson is certainly no stranger to the slopes. He has been skiing since he was four years old and racing since he was 10. Hailing from Norwich, Vt., there was no shortage of great off-trail skiing and mountains for Emerson g...
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Womens’ basketball best in decade
by The TartanFeb 10, 2013“Sports
| Elizabeth Martin
Carnegie Mellon’s women’s basketball team celebrated two victories at home this weekend against Brandeis University and New York University. The Tartans’ wins were particularly special as yesterday was Senior Day, marking the last home game for seniors Emily Peel, Elissa Goldner, and Tori Baggio.
The Tartans defeated the Brandeis University Judges on Friday with a score of 58–50, making the team’s record 12–9 and 4–6 in the University Athletic Association (UAA). Senior forward Peel’s performance was crucial in the game as she led the Tartans with 21 points.
At the break, the Tartans were up five points, and their lead continued throughout the second half. Peel shot seven for eight in the first half for a total of 17 points.
When Brandeis took the lead, Peel scored seven points to put the Tartans back ahead 13–9 with around 40 minutes left on the clock. The Tartans shot 43.3 percent on the court for the first period and forced the Judges into 11 half-turnovers the same per...
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Editor’s note: Gabrielle West is a Sports Co-Editor for The Tartan.”
Suresh qualified for position of ninth CMU president
by The TartanFeb 10, 2013“Forum
| Tartan Board
Carnegie Mellon announced Subra Suresh as its choice for the new university president last Tuesday. Set to take office on July 1, Suresh is currently the director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), and has served as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s dean of engineering. According to The New York Times , he also co-authored more than 240 journal articles, registered 21 patents, and wrote three books on materials science.
The Tartan congratulates Suresh on becoming our new president, and thanks the members of the Presidential Search Committee for their excellent choice.
Suresh is extremely qualified for the position — given his past experience in leadership roles — and has shown a strong commitment to the advancement of academic and scientific research throughout his career.
Although Suresh left his position at the NSF four years earlier than the date specified by his si...
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Don't turn to stimulant pills for academic success
by The TartanFeb 10, 2013“Forum
| Tartan Board
In light of a recent article in The New York Times describing the death of college-age Adderall user Richard Fee, it is important to remember that Adderall and other stimulants are not the route to academic success.
Here at Carnegie Mellon, the use of stimulants may not seem as prevalent or widely discussed as on other college campuses. It is not uncommon, though, to hear students talk about using Adderall in the library or other studying facilities, especially during finals week.
While prescription medications used to treat A.D.D. and A.D.H.D. may seem like the answer to a tired brain before a late night of studying, it is important to consider the effects of these pills.
There are better ways to achieve success in college without using stimulants.
There are serious risks associated with Adderall, including physical and psychologi...
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A Person's Opinion
by The TartanFeb 10, 2013“Forum
| Kelsey Scott
The Tartan has been hitting the books hard this week. So we asked "What is your favorite place to study on campus?"
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Consider campus living
by The TartanFeb 10, 2013“Forum
| Catherine Spence
Time to ask yourself the age-old annual college question: Where are you living next semester? As Housing and Dining Services begins its housing fairs and prepares to introduce its StarRez application for handling room assignments, Carnegie Mellon students have big decisions to make regarding where they will be sleeping next fall. With options ranging from West Wing to Webster Hall, it’s time to start evaluating where to live and why.
Living on campus has its benefits, especially for students without cars and those very involved in extracurricular activities. Remaining on campus also means that basic necessities like toilet paper and paper towels are always at one’s disposal. Besides these perks, staying on campus also takes a lot of the work out of being a resident.
Imagine if you move off campus and your window breaks; Facilities Management Services isn’t going to come make sure your bedroom window ...
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Catherine Spence (cspence@) is a staffwriter for The Tartan.”
Time to build a climate for discussion
by The TartanFeb 10, 2013“Forum
| Xiyu Wang
Though it may seem strange to think of it in the middle of winter, the world is getting warmer. The year 2012 was the hottest on record for the continental United States, according to climatecentral.org .
Last summer, 19 states had their warmest year on record, and 48 states experienced above-average temperatures. Furthermore, 2012 had the second-highest number of extreme-weather; the number of heat waves, droughts, and wildfires that hit the country ensured that.
What’s more, global temperatures worldwide have begun to increase each year. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, each year since 1980 has been recorded as warmer than average .
With these startling facts, you would think that climate change would spur a great deal of discussion in politics and ...
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Xiyu Wang (xiyuw@) is a staffwriter for The Tartan.”
Campus News in Brief
by The TartanFeb 10, 2013“News
| Noël Um
CMU students given Microsoft fellowship
Gennady Pekhimenko, a Ph.D. student in the department of computer science and Jeff Rzeszotarski, a Ph.D. student in Human-Computer Interaction Institute are both recipients of the 2013 Microsoft Research PhD Fellowships.
According to the Microsoft website, the Microsoft Research PhD Fellowship is a two-year fellowship program for outstanding Ph.D. students nominated by their universities.
This program supports men and women in their third or fourth years of Ph.D. graduate studies. The fellowship recipient award will cover all tuition and fees for two academic years.
Pekhimenko’s research focuses on energy and performance characteristics of modern memory subsystems. Particularly, this research involves the application of novel algorithims for the compression of chip caches and memory storage designed to increase capacity while decreasing necessary hardware changes.
Rzeszotarski’s research is focused on online content genera...
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Crime & Incident
by The TartanFeb 10, 2013“News
| Brent Heard
Theft
Feb. 1, 2013
University Police were summoned to the E&S Library to take a theft report. A student left his backpack unattended in the E&S Library for approximately 15 minutes, around the time of 1:35 p.m. When the student returned from getting food he found that his MacBook Pro laptop and LED Monitor were missing from his backpack. University Police are investigating this incident.
Odor of Marijuana
Feb. 1, 2013
University Police arrived at Stever House to investigate an odor of marijuana. Upon arrival, officers made contact with two individuals exhibiting signs typical of smoking marijuana. Both students were issued internal discipline citations.
Noise Complaint/Underage Drinking
Feb. 1, 2013
University Police were summoned to Resnik House for a noise complaint on the fourth floor. Officers made contact with the several occupants of the room and cited five Carnegie Mellon students for underage drinking.
Credit Card Fraud
Feb. 5, 2013
A Carne...
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Student Senate Meeting Minutes
by The TartanFeb 10, 2013“News
| Brent Heard
Academic Affairs
Potential academic developments include an early course evaluation available for students before the end of the semester, as well as the possibility of a new machine room that could benefit students in mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, and Robotics Club. A proposed undergraduate and graduate networking event was also discussed.
Special Allocations
A large portion of the Student Senate meeting was devoted to the discussion of special allocations for student organizations.
Allocations were granted to SPIRIT for a fashion show, Ballroom Dance for Scotch Ball, Chabad for a menorah, the Baseball Club for a batting cage, and to the International Film Festival.
An allocation of $840 to the Asian Student Leadership Conference was referred back to the finance committee, $8,000 for the Lacrosse Team for a tournament was tabled until the next meeting, and $8,000 in spring break funding to Global Medical Brigades was referred back to the Senate Execut...
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University sells bonds to fund Scott Hall construction
by The TartanFeb 10, 2013“News
| Lauren Williams
The university will be issuing tax-exempt bonds to finance the construction of the Sherman and Joyce Bowie Scott Hall, Carnegie Mellon Treasurer Jay Calhoun recently announced.
Scott Hall will be the new home for nanofabrication, the biomedical engineering program, and the Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation; it will be located between Wean and Roberts Hall and will link Hamerschlag, Porter, Roberts, and Wean Hall in an attempt to provide greater campus connectivity.
The project is estimated to cost $95 million, consisting of $35 million in gifts and $60 million in bond financing. Issuing bonds is selling debt: The issuer owes the holder money and is required to repay them with interest. Initial investors who buy the bonds tend to be larger institutions.
Carnegie Mellon decided to borrow $60 million, because this amount allows the university to retain its Standard and Poor’s AA– credit rating. This credit rating, along with its stable outlook, is a “strong ra...
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Hot Chocolate: The good, the bad, and the ugly
by The TartanFeb 10, 2013“Pillbox
| Su Baykal
online only!
The arrival of winter leads to the arrival of snow, and that calls for the hot drink that can warm up a frozen pair of hands like no other: hot chocolate. While only a simple mixture of warm milk and melted chocolate, this drink can do wonders for the weary, cold, and runny-nosed student. Choices are abundant on and around campus but are in no way equal, both in terms of taste and price. While some boast the rich complexity of good chocolate, others offer little more than warm water and sugar, making a taste test more than necessary during these times of cold and suffering.
The Underground
The first, and possibly most questionable, choice of hot chocolate on campus can be found at the Underground. If students can brave the distinctive odors surrounding the campus eatery located under Morewood Gardens, $1.50 will get them a large hot chocolate. There is nothing commendable about the hot chocolate at the Underground. A first whiff from the paper CulinArt cup will reveal a c...
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SciTech Briefs
by The TartanFeb 10, 2013“Sci/Tech
| Nivedita Chopra
Breakthrough in limiting carbon dioxide emissions
By mimicking the way sea urchins create their exoskeletons, physicists have developed a means of converting carbon dioxide pollution into harmless calcium carbonate or chalk. Lidija Siller and her team at Newcastle University realized that they needed a catalyst to speed up the process of absorption of carbon dioxide into water. While examining sea urchins that absorb carbon dioxide into their skeletons, they found that nickel was abundant on the exoskeleton of urchin larvae. By adding nickel as a catalyst to the absorption process, they were able to almost completely remove the carbon dioxide.
By diverting gases from chimneys into water tanks saturated with nickel nanoparticles, the carbon dioxide present in the emissions can be almost completely eliminated, as it will react with the water to form chalk.
Source: Discovery News
New York Times investigates recent hacker attack
Chinese hackers compromised ...
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Henson was ill-informed
by The TartanFeb 10, 2013“Forum
| Michael Gallen
Kyle Henson’s column on on Jan. 28 was an ill-informed and hysterical piece that added little to the gun control debate.
His treatment of executive orders was downright embarrassing. Although he tries to depict them as an usurpation of power by President Obama, in fact the first executive orders date back to the time of President Washington, with their justification generally traced to Article II of the Constitution. Obama’s executive orders, which Henson amusingly never actually describes in detail, followed the exact purpose he claims they should have — providing guidance on how to enforce laws.
More troubling is his poorly thought-out attitude toward the Constitution. The Constitution was written in the 18th century, in a context completely alien to anything Mr. Henson would recognize, both politically and culturally. A multicultural nation of 300 million people cannot be governed in the same way as a small, slave-hol...
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online .
M. P. Gallen
History Ph.D. candidate
Dietrich College”
Don't be afraid to like scary movies and television shows
by The TartanFeb 10, 2013“Forum
| Braden Kelner
Everyone who has met me knows that I like scary movies and the month of October more than your average Halloween fanatic. I have a box of Halloween decorations hidden in my apartment, a banner reading “Be Very Afraid” above my bed, and a collection of horror movies on a living room shelf.
Recently, I started watching American Horror Story’s first season on Netflix. Even though my friends know how much I like the horror genre, many of them still wonder how I can stand watching movies and shows like this.
While I can’t give a singular answer to that question, I can pinpoint aspects of the horror genre that make my spine tingle with pleasure.
It’s about the story. Yes, many horror movies consist of mediocre acting and unoriginal plots. Some people also say that horror movies are pointless gore-fests created to make a few bucks at the box office.
While these stereotypes can be seen in some movies, there are, without a doubt, several horror movies with dynamic plots that le...
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Braden Kelner (bik@) is Forum Editor for The Tartan.”
Psychologists study brain after injury
by The TartanFeb 10, 2013“Sci/Tech
| Raghunandan Avula
It is difficult to undermine the importance of the human brain in regard to our survival and daily functions. When the brain is affected by injury, it can have long lasting detrimental effects making simple things such as remembering what you had for breakfast very difficult. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University’s Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging have successfully combined different techniques to learn about how the brain performs simple functions before, during, and after an injury.
Scientists have hypothesized that when a specific portion of the brain is damaged and can no longer function, the brain activates secondary regions to supplement those that are damaged. Marcel Just, a professor of psychology at Carnegie Mellon and senior research psychologist Robert Mason had the unique opportunity to combine Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Simulation (TMS) with Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to measure what parts of the brain are activated and how they coordina...
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School of Music hosts Brown Bag Concert
by The TartanFeb 09, 2013“First chamber concert of the semester kicks off with bagpipes, Mozart, and plenty of talent
Pillbox
| Joey Peiser
The Carnegie Mellon School of Music kicked off its Brown Bag Chamber Music Concert series last Tuesday with the one sound Carnegie Mellon students just can’t seem to get enough of: the wail of bagpipes. Students, faculty, and any others who want to listen to some top-notch music while snacking or eating their lunches are invited to the concerts, which will take place in McConomy Auditorium at noon every Tuesday through March 12.
The concerts are an informal and (best of all) free way to reap some of the benefits of being on a campus brimming with so much talent. The performance opened with a number of bagpipe tunes by master’s student in bagpipe performance Andrew Bova — everything from marches to folksy jigs rooted in tales of one-eyed wives, 200-year-old feuds, and a lot of characters with the prefix “Mc” attached to their surnames. The sound of the pipes managed to cut above the hustle and bustle of the Employment Opportunities Conference outside the auditorium, as numerous he...
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Seth Cordts shoots for academic, athletic success
by The TartanJan 27, 2013“Sports
| Abby Smith
Sophomore Seth Cordts, affectionately known by his coach and teammates as “Zeff,” knows how to dunk and do it all.
The mechanical and biomedical engineering double major has maintained a rigorous course load while playing on the Carnegie Mellon men’s basketball team.
His hard work and persistence have proven to be a necessity to the team, which currently stands at a 1–6 University Athletics Association Conference record. “We’ve had a lot of tough breaks and close games,” Cordts said.
Yet he still holds onto his preseason expectations of a “great season,” as long as his teammates “forget about the past losses, and finish out strong.”
The Tartans’ luck seems to be slowly reversing. The team won 75–74 in an overtime thriller against the University of Chicago Maroons yesterday.
Cordts proved crucial in overtime, putting the team ahead shortly before junior Asad Meghani, one of the team captains, made the game-winning basket.
Cordts believes the biggest team accomplishm...
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School of Music presents _The Tender Land_
by The TartanJan 27, 2013“Aaron Copland's Depression-era opera features charming cast, brilliant staging
Pillbox
| Xiyu Wang
Opera has traditionally been perceived as the land of fat ladies in Viking helmets, passionate love affairs, and duels to the death. It’s not a medium that often brings to mind farmers in the American Midwest during the ’30s.
Last week, the Carnegie Mellon School of Music put on a production of Aaron Copland’s The Tender Land , an American opera about a Great Depression-era family, and its broken hopes and future dreams. The opera focuses on the conflict between Laurie Moss, a young woman who wants to see the world and be free of her overprotective family, and her mother and grandfather, who have provided for Laurie over the years and only wish to guarantee her a bright and successful future.
At the front and center of the production is the music. Copland, who was known later in life as the Dean of American Composers, was influential in creating a distinctly modern, American style of composition. The music of The Tender Land , though not as complex as some other works, is no...
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Our Constitution must be respected, not abused by a king
by The TartanJan 27, 2013“Forum
| Kyle Henson
In the wake of the recent shooting in Newtown, Conn., President Obama issued a series of 23 executive orders designed to act in place of gun control legislation. While they may be well intended, these executive orders are completely unconstitutional, incorrect, and abhorrent.
Here’s a fun fact: The words “executive” and “order” never appear together in the Constitution. Executive orders came about as a way for higher-ups in the executive branch to tell others in the executive branch, like the U.S. Department of Justice, how to better execute the will of the legislature. They are not and were never intended to replace legislation.
Imagine this hypothetical scenario that Charles Krauthammer, a Washington Post columnist, brought up when President Obama used executive orders to essentially bring the failed Dream Act into being.
Consider if former ...
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Kyle Henson (kahenson@) is a staffwriter for The Tartan.”
Help me to understand your interests, bronies
by The TartanJan 27, 2013“Forum
| Catherine Spence
In response to the massive ponies chalked on the Merson Courtyard outside the University Center last week, I’m here to say I don’t understand brony culture. For those who don't know, brony culture is centered on the television series My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic , which first aired in 2010.
I’m not saying that adults watching children’s television programs confuses me. I’ve seen my fair share of Lizzie McGuire and Hey Arnold reruns well into adulthood — but that’s where I get confused. Even the youngest students at Carnegie Mellon were in their late teens in 2010. So how do young adults stumble upon a television series whose target demographic is, according to The Wall Street Journal , “three- to six-year old girl[s]”?
Maybe the better question is, what leads college students to spend hours watching the show and drawing chalk versions of the characters in the freezing cold? The art of ...
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Catherine Spence (cspence@) is a staffwriter for The Tartan.”
Here's what's cooking at Entropy+
by The TartanJan 27, 2013“Easy recipes to make using only ingredients from the campus convenience store
Pillbox
| Laura Scherb
Entropy+ is “Carnegie Mellon’s very own campus convenience store,” according to the Carnegie Mellon Dining Services website. And yet, every time I walk in, I’m surprised by the lack of simple ingredients on the shelves. Yes, they have five dozen varieties of chips, candy, and bread. But the simple things that dedicated bakers and cooks can’t live without are sometimes inexplicably absent. On a day that you don’t feel like hiking down to IGA in Oakland or Giant Eagle in Squirrel Hill, the absence of basic ingredients can be a real buzzkill.
That being said, Entropy+ isn’t without hope. There are some things to work with there. Whether you’re whipping up a romantic dinner for two or planning on bringing a sweet treat to a meeting, here are some dishes that you can make using ingredients found at Entropy+.
Breakfast and brunch
**Omelette Casserole **
(Note: This refrigerates overnight and is baked in the morning.)
What to buy: eggs, milk, ham (optional), cheddar ...
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Police make arrest in response to high number of thefts
by The TartanJan 27, 2013“News
| Brian Trimboli
The spring semester at Carnegie Mellon has already been marked by a string of burglaries; in the past two weeks alone, four thefts have occurred. Money and laptops were stolen from Webster Hall, Resnik House, Fairfax Apartments, and the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority house.
According to the university’s crime alert email on these robberies sent out on Jan. 17, “CMU Police are working with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police regarding a burglary suspect recently arrested in our area to ascertain if there is any connection to the incidents.”
Gary Scheimer, lieutenant of the University Police, said, “We made an arrest [Jan. 23rd] for the burglary on Webster. We don’t believe that the same man is involved in the other three; he was linked to a series of burglaries that occurred here and at Duquesne University and in the city of Pittsburgh.” Scheimer said that the suspect was out on parole when he committed the thefts and is now facing charges from Carnegie Mellon, the University of Pittsb...
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Horoscopes
by The TartanJan 27, 2013“Comics
| Kairavi Chahal
Try to get away with something you normally wouldn't dare to do.
None of your options are very pleasing, but picking one is the only way you can get out of this situation.
Stop waiting for an opportunity that might not come; make the most of what you have.
You aren't picking up on the signs that are right in front of you.
The full moon is a sign; follow through with a decision you weren't sure about.
Get rid of all that stuff you had been keeping around because you thought you might need it.
You will make some decisions this week that will bring you closer to fulfilling your dreams.
Not everyone is perfect; you should forgive him/her.
What's done is done.
Listen. Like, actually [ITAL]listen[ITAL].
Remember to look for the pros [ITAL]and[ITAL] cons of everything you do.
You will receive a mysterious gift, but you won't know it.”
Paperhouse
by The TartanJan 27, 2013“On reviewing music
Pillbox
| Matt Mastricova
If you have the misfortune of living near me, you’ve probably heard me blasting Radiohead’s Amnesiac over the past couple of days. Earlier this week a friend recommended I read a review of the album by John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats on his blog, Last Plane to Jakarta . After reading the review, I couldn’t help but listen to the album on repeat.
What I found most striking about his review was its presentation. Unlike most, Darnielle’s review was posted in 10 segments released over the course 2001 and 2002, with each song considered individually. Furthermore, he did not consider Amnesiac in terms of OK Computer or Kid A , the band’s two most critically acclaimed albums.
I often find myself reading — and occasionally writing — music reviews that insist on looking at albums from a very fixed perspective. These reviews subsequently evaluate albums in terms of a band’s legacy and aesthetic, as opposed to looking at an album for what it is: a self-contained collection o...
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Did you know?
by The TartanJan 27, 2013“Pillbox
| Catherine Spence
100 years ago: Jan. 9, 1913
The Tartan runs a 12-question “sample entrance examination” titled “How to get into College” taken from the University of Wisconsin Daily Cardinal. The examination include 11 sports questions, like, “Draw a baseball diamond and name the nine positions.” The last question is, “Who discovered America?”
50 years ago: Jan. 16, 1963
The Panhellenic Council urges women to come out to the Meet the Sororities Open House. According to rush statistics from the fall, one-fifth of the women were dropped from recruitment because their GPAs were too low. The council reminds women that the minimum sorority GPA at Carnegie Mellon is 1.75.
25 years ago: Jan. 26, 1988
A man from Crafton, Pa., stole a printer at 2:40 a.m. without the employee on duty noticing. The man was later found out because of a careless mistake; he called Computer Services to ask how to clear a very specific error on the printer. The police were able to trace the call to find the ...
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Advice for awkward people
by The TartanJan 27, 2013“About finding new bartenders and rap stars
Pillbox
| Patrick Hoskins
Dear Patrick,
The love of my life, a.k.a. my favorite bartender, is gone! No one pours beer or mixes gin and tonics like her. Sure, our relationship consisted of exchanging money for drinks and the occasional small talk, but it meant something, dammit! How do I go on?
Thanks,
Oh No! ’Tender Has Emigrated, Replacement Obviously Cannot Keep Satisfied
Dear ON THE ROCKS,
I know it’s hard, but you’re going to have to move on. There are a lot of other great bartenders out there, looking for regulars of their own. Sure, you may get your heart broken again, but you’ll come back stronger. You can drink your troubles away and meet a new bartender all in one go!
But let’s say you’re not ready to move on. You stumble home after visiting yet another disappointing bartender, missing your old flame, and thinking about finding her. Lucky for you, there’s the new Facebook Graph Search©! With this handy dandy web feature, you can just look up “former bartenders in ...
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Need advice? Send queries to advice@thetartan.org .”
Dollar Movie
by The TartanJan 27, 2013“Pillbox
| Matthew Zurcher
Anna Karenina
7:30 10 12:30
Taking on a major work of classic literature is possibly the most daunting challenge in moviemaking. Anna Karenina is based on Leo Tolstoy’s epic novel of the same name and stars Keira Knightley as the eponymous main character. The film has garnered an unexpected batch of award recognition for cinematography, costume design, and art direction. The first hour is a stunning achievement — every area of artistry firing on all cylinders. This film is an under-appreciated gem of 2012.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
8 10 12
This is the granddaddy of all cult classics. Evaluated purely on film criteria, Rocky Horror is a twisted, campy fairy tale — a spectacular mess. But watching this thing late at night with a horde of inebriated compatriots is occasionally transcendent. Be ready to sing along and shout at this pop culture touchstone that should never be forgotten and should be experienced at least once in a lifetime.
Beasts of the Southern Wild
8 10 12
Beasts was the Sundance baby of 2012. Heading into the festival, it wasn’t on anyone’s radar. Afterward, it began a rapid climb to national success and critical celebration. Beasts falls under that strange heading of magic realism, telling the story of a young girl and her alcoholic father who are rocked by the devastation of a Katrina-like hurricane. Quvenzhané Wallis stars as a six-year-old forced into a life of responsibility and independence. She delivers a truly astonishing performance that was honored by an Oscar nomination.”
Fatal accident in Wean Hall
by The TartanJan 27, 2013“News
| Brent Heard
A contracting worker was killed after being electrocuted while working in Wean Hall last Tuesday.
Harold Taylor Jr. — a 59- year-old man from Mt. Oliver, Pennsylvania — worked for the Eaton Electrical Company.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported on the same day that Taylor had been working in Wean Hall at the time of the accident, and a 911 call was placed at 10:20 a.m. He was pronounced dead on the scene half an hour later.
University spokesman Ken Walters commented to the Post-Gazette that the incident was an “industrial accident” and released no further details.
The university attempted to alert students, but for some members of the student body, the Alert System text message contained typographical errors, reading, “G¿¿¿ in Wean Hall responding to an isolated incident involving an individuaX¿¿¿orking with an outside contractor. There is no cause for evacuation or other precaution.”
As was verified by those who received the complete text message, the alert rea...
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University increases tuition
by The TartanJan 27, 2013“News
| Brent Heard, Noël Um
An email sent to the student body by Vice President for Campus Affairs Michael Murphy last Thursday announced a 4 percent increase in new undergraduate tuition rates for Carnegie Mellon’s 2013–14 academic year.
For 2013, tuition for incoming undergraduate students will be $46,670. Housing costs will be set at $7,070 and board costs at $4,920, which are increases of $260 and $180, respectively.
Tuition increases are the same as those announced last year for the current academic year, with a 3 percent tuition increase for current students, a 4 percent increase for incoming students, and graduate tuition rates continuing to depend on the department and program.
A university press release claimed that this increase “continues a four-year trend of among the lowest tuition increases by the university since 1975.”
In the email, it was emphasized that the transportation fee was substantially increased due to the nature of the university’s agreement with the Pittsburgh Port Autho...
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More people should not signal tighter population restrictions
by The TartanJan 27, 2013“Forum
| Chloe Thompson
online only!
When more people currently live on the planet than ever before, should we institute laws that regulate how many children people should be allowed to have?
According to the United States Census , at the time this article was written the population of the United States was 315,213,798 people, while the population of the entire world clocked in at 7,061,807,441 people. Comprehending the existence of that many people is extremely difficult, if not impossible.
As one might expect, this extraordinary milestone elicits a variety of responses from our massive and excitable species. The two most dominant arguments in this case are between those who believe that this population explosion will eventually lead to environmental and social catastrophe, and those who believe that overpopulation is not the true problem — distribution of available resources is.
Fear of population size is nothing new. Thomas Malthus, an English economist, publi...
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Chloe Thompson (cet@) is personnel manager for The Tartan.”
University must strive to perfect CMU Alert system
by The TartanJan 27, 2013“Forum
| Tartan Board
On Tuesday, Harold Taylor Jr., a 59-year-old man who worked for Eaton Electrical Company, died in an electrical accident while working in Wean Hall. Soon after the incident, the Carnegie Mellon alert system, CMU ALERT Emergency Notification System (ENS), sent out the following message: “As you may be aware, a number of emergency first responders are in Wean Hall responding to an isolated incident involving an individual working with an outside contractor. There is no cause for evacuation or other precaution.”
While the alert was intended to calm any possible anxieties raised by the presence of medical personnel on campus, the wording of the message was imprecise and unclear, which could only serve to deepen those anxieties. Some students received an incomprehensible message containing typographical errors.
CMU ALERT ENS has been a work in progress since its creation. Sometimes students do not receive alerts in a timely fashion even when potentially dangerous situations, such a...
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Think before you tell Facebook how you really feel
by The TartanJan 27, 2013“Forum
| Tartan Board
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has asserted that they can protect online postings to the same degree as verbal discussions of working conditions. The NLRB helps union workers organize and curtail an employer’s ability to prevent employees from discussing their working conditions. However, the NLRB protections are only useful in narrow circumstances; it is still important to consider what we say online and remain professional at all times.
According to The New York Times , the NLRB recently ruled that it was illegal for a nonprofit social services provider, Hispanics United of Buffalo, to dismiss five employees based on angry posts made on Facebook. Case worker Mariana Cole-Rivera had made accusations online that other employees were not pulling their own weight. In response to her accusations, another case worker asked “My fellow co-worker...
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Lowry paints unrealistic portrait of evil
by The TartanJan 27, 2013“Author's newest book Son tells two incomplete stories set in a dystopian society
Pillbox
| Madelyn Glymour
Son , the final installment in the quartet of novels that author Lois Lowry began with the Newbery Award-winning The Giver , should really be two books. It tries to tell two stories. The first story is as beautifully executed as one would expect from Lowry, but it is cut unsatisfyingly short to make room for the second, which is too thin and rushed to make much of an impact.
The first two-thirds of Son follows Claire, a 14-year-old Birthmother from the dystopian community first described in The Giver . Birthmothers are assigned by community elders from a young age to bear the children of the community. After one difficult and traumatic birth, Claire is decommissioned and sent to work in a fish hatchery. In the bureaucratic snafu that follows, the leaders of the community forget to give her the emotion-sapping pills that the rest of the community receives. They also accidentally reveal to Claire the identity of her son: Gabe, the child whose imminent death sets into motion the ...
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Rework your newspaper
by The TartanJan 27, 2013“Copies of The Tartan prove versatile clothing material
Pillbox
| Khadijat Yussuff
While not everyone reads The Tartan, those stacks of newspapers in The Underground and all over campus may still prove useful — though in a way you might not expect. Here we’ll explore ways to adorn yourself with new school spirit swag in the form of newspaper fashion.
A Skirt or Shorts
What you’ll need:
• The Tartan
• Scissors
• Clear laminate
• Assorted sewing supplies (thread, a needle, a zipper, etc.)
Choose a pattern of skirt or shorts you want to make, then proceed to cut out the paper into the shape you desire. I personally cut out pieces of the paper and organized them in a collage-like fashion. Whichever pattern you choose, laminate the paper before sewing anything. If you’re trying to sew straight paper, it isn’t going to work.
A Detachable Collar
What you’ll need:
• The Tartan
• Scissors
• Clear laminate
• Measuring tape
• One clip button set (the kind that comes in two parts and clicks when you push them together)
Measure the...
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_Les Mis_ shines on stage
by The TartanJan 27, 2013“Broadway show demonstrates power of live performance
Pillbox
| Anna Walsh
The movie adaptation of Les Misérables may be garnering plenty of critical acclaim, but last weekend Pittsburghers had the opportunity to see the musical as it was meant to be viewed: on the stage. PNC Broadway Across America presented a 25th anniversary production of Les Mis at the Benedum Center and proved that, despite the advantages big-budget Hollywood productions may have, there is magic in a live production that cannot be captured on screen.
The iconic musical, based on the novel by Victor Hugo, documents the life of Jean Valjean (Peter Lockyer), a compassionate convict who breaks his parole to form a new life after spending 19 years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread. He is pursued by Javert (Andrew Varela), a police inspector with a fierce devotion to the letter of the law. The musical also centers around issues of class politics and unrest, as Valjean’s adopted daughter Cosette (Lauren Wiley) falls in love with Marius (Carnegie Mellon alumnus Devin Ilaw), an ide...
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Toro y Moi grows musically
by The TartanJan 27, 2013“New album presents a selection of fresh, surprising material
Pillbox
| Allison Cosby
It’s hard to break out of a genre that you helped define. Perhaps no one knows that better than recording artist Chaz Bundick (also known by his stage name Toro y Moi), who in his most recent album Anything In Return has managed to do just that.
As a pioneer of the chillwave genre just a few years ago, Bundick became known for swirling sonic explorations in his debut album Causers of This . But in his new album, he trades the low-fidelity samples for a clean production style that combines a wide range of musical influences.
Bundick recently told Pitchfork , “The album’s about me trying to be a better person” — and this sentiment is tangible throughout the album. From the honest lyricism to the array of musical influences, Bundick is no doubt trying his hardest — and succeeding.
In recent years, Bundick has become known for incorporating many genres into his own pop-focused conglomerate of funk, R&B, soul, house, and rock; Anything In Return takes that to the next leve...
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Chris Guillebeau emphasizes reinvention
by The TartanJan 27, 2013“The blogger and entrepreneur gives examples of people whose hearts are in the work
Pillbox
| Josh Smith
Blogger and entrepreneur Chris Guillebeau made a stop in Pittsburgh on his book tour to promote his bestseller, The $100 Startup , on Thursday. For those with an entrepreneurial spirit and the desire to put ideas into action, the event was both inspirational and enjoyable.
Guillebeau’s blog, The Art of Non-Conformity , details his travels around the world and the people he meets who do unconventional yet meaningful work to make a living. His most recent book, The $100 Startup , follows a similar theme, giving examples of people who have adopted the liberating lifestyle of having a career they love, finding both personal and monetary value in it.
The book tour stop took place at the Thrill Mill, a new startup incubator located in East Liberty. A large, open space that was recently renovated, the venue was conducive to the number of guests who attended the talk. As a meeting ground for local entrepreneurs and those interested in the startup environment, the Thrill Mill succee...
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Women’s basketball breaks losing streak against UChicago Maroons
by The TartanJan 27, 2013“Sports
| Vinay Viswanathan
The women's basketball team won 76–68 against the University of Chicago Maroons at home yesterday, bringing the Tartans to 11–7 overall and 3–4 in the University Athletic Association (UAA) conference.
First-year guard Amanda McHenry, sophomore guard Gabrielle West, senior forward Emily Peel, and first-year forward Liza Otto all made big plays that contributed to the team’s win. West was the Tartan’s leading scorer, accumulating a total of 17 points and establishing a halftime lead. “Our composure and focus stayed strong until the very end when we needed it most,” Otto said.
Peel and Otto both had excellent games, scoring double digits by taking advantage of rebounds and three-pointers. McHenry had a 10-point run late into the second half to break the 61–61 tie with two minutes to go.
“Our positive attitude and ability to play together within our system when the game got close helped the team win today,” said senior captain Tori Baggio.
On Friday, however, the team was no...
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online .
Editor’s Note: Gabrielle West is Sports Co-Editor for The Tartan.”
49ers vs. Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII
by The TartanJan 27, 2013“Sports
| Carl Glazer
The Super Bowl is the pinnacle of American sports. It’s the most-watched event on television, with nearly 177 million viewers tuning into last year’s big game for at least six minutes according to NBC. This year’s match-up between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers is one of the most interesting Super Bowls in recent history, both on and off the field.
The first thing anyone will mention about Super Bowl XLVII is the coaches. John Harbaugh, head coach of the Ravens, and Jim Harbaugh, head coach of the 49ers, are the first set of brothers to ever coach in the same Super Bowl. They are also the first set of brothers to come to a Super Bowl on different teams.
The “HarBowl” nearly came to fruition last year, but both teams lost in their respective conference championship games. The media have had a full year to work on every pun and nickname involving the Harbaughs and the Super Bowl and is now unleashing all of its pent-up efforts on the world.
Ravens linebac...
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Men’s swimming, diving falls at Denison
by The TartanJan 27, 2013“Sports
| Elizabeth Martin
Carnegie Mellon men's swimming competed away against Denison University’s Big Red on Saturday, falling to the national powerhouse with a score of 141–128.
Although the team lost the meet, the Tartans fought hard and saw numerous stellar performances throughout the day.
Sophomore Andrew Yee had two impressive finishes in the meet. In the mixed 1,650-yard freestyle, Yee finished third place in the event in 16:37.25, and finished the 50-yard freestyle in 4:46.34.
The Tartan’s dominance was displayed in the freestyle events. First-year Christopher Wysocki placed second with 10:00.23, followed by fellow teammate first-year Joseph Robinson, who finished third with a time of 10:24.76.
First-year Steven Geier’s time of 1:45.84 placed him second in the 200-yard freestyle, while first-year Lucas Bruder earned third place in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 50.44. Lastly, junior Terrence Wong competed in the 50-yard freestyle, placing second with a time of 22.12.
Two Ta...
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Confusion around old SIFE website
by The TartanJan 27, 2013“News
| Noël Um
There was confusion concerning the official website for the business club Enactus, previously known as SIFE, this past week.
Many students mistakenly thought that the SIFE website, www.cmusife.org , was hacked.
The club’s leaders, however, clarified that they no longer hold domain over that address.
The website that currently is a Japanese blog when translated into English, contains questions about sex shops in Osaka.
Nikita Anand, senior business administration and statistics major and Enactus senior advisor, said in an email to The Tartan, “Actually, our SIFE website was not hacked into. SIFE underwent a global rebranding and has now changed its name to ‘Enactus’. Therefore, we let our server expire so that we could get a new website that would be more fitting to our new name.”
Although SIFE recently changed its name to Enactus, which stands for “Entrepreneurial, Act, Us,” many students still refer to the club by its former name, which l...
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Person's Op
by The TartanJan 27, 2013“Forum
How did you enjoy the first big snowstorm of the season?
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online .”
Don't just blame Te'o
by The TartanJan 27, 2013“Forum
| William Park
The world of sports has always had its liars: Pete Rose, Lance Armstrong, and Barry Bonds, to name a few. Now, this shameful company makes room for one more member — Manti Te’o.
This college football season, Te’o, 22, was the owner of an incredible story. Motivated by the deaths of his grandmother and girlfriend, he carried the University of Notre Dame to a 12–1 record. Only the girlfriend — Lennay Kekua never existed. Te’o and Kekua maintained an online relationship and never met face to face; it turns out she was the fiction of another man’s cruelty. Last Thursday, during an interview with Katie Couric, Te’o admitted that he lied to cover the hoax.
That Te’o admitted the truth without a fight is enough to distinguish him from sports’ more notorious liars. Yet, it would be an understatement to say that he was just the victim of his own naiveté. Te’o, as gullible as he was, also wanted his story to be true. He cherished the attention and the meaning others drew from his story....
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William Park (wkp@) is assisant Forum editor for The Tartan.”
Obama creates divide
by The TartanJan 27, 2013“Forum
| Satvika Neti
Whether people are talking about Beyonce’s alleged lip syncing or about President Obama’s inaugural speech, everyone can agree that Obama’s inauguration was incredibly controversial.
It seems as if the gloves are off for Obama in his last term as president, and he’s not pulling any punches this time.
His speech begs the question: After such a politically charged first term and divisive second election, why would he make it such a point to introduce his liberal views in his inauguration address?
In the speech , he talked about gay rights: “Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law, for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal, as well.”
He advocated for more liberal immigration laws: “Our journey is not complete until we find a better way to w...
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How Things Work: Google Glasses
by The TartanJan 27, 2013“Sci/Tech
| Niharika Singh
Young people are notorious for being attached to their electronic devices. Now, the advent of Project Glass by Google — an initiative in wearable electronics — will only serve to strengthen this relationship. While computing devices that can be worn is not a new concept in itself, Google’s influence on the technological world means that Project Glass could be one of the most popular manifestations of an electronic wardrobe.
Project Glass aims to create glasses with a built-in camera, screen, and computer that can provide people with information in real-time about the world around them. An ABC News article stated that a prototype will be released early this year for software developers. The actual glasses are scheduled to be released next year.
According to Daily Mail , the physical structure of these wearable computing glasses is simple: They will look like ordinary glasses with transparent LED screens that can display information overlaying on whatever the user is looking at...
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online .”
SciTech Briefs
by The TartanJan 27, 2013“Sci/Tech
| Desiree Xu
Geneticist labeled ‘mad scientist’ over Neanderthal cloning
Harvard geneticist George Church was labeled a “mad scientist” for allegedly seeking a female human to bear a cloned Neanderthal baby. Church, however, claims he only theorized that studying cloned Neanderthals can help scientists better understand how the human mind works. He is blaming the public backlash on a lack of scientific literacy. “The public should be able to detect cases where things seem implausible,” Church said.
Despite media opposition, he continues to speak publicly about his research, focusing on using genes extracted from Neanderthal DNA to treat and prevent diseases. These experiments raise ethical questions, like whether the clones will be treated as subjects or individuals.
Source: Reuters
Adélie penguins: Cool, efficient killing machines
Nobody would suspect that Adélie penguins are silent assassins because of their comical waddling and bobbing on the surface of the sea. Accor...
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Professor Lori Holt receives the Troland Research Award
by The TartanJan 27, 2013“Sci/Tech
| Michael Setzer
A student comes into a laboratory and plays a video game. During the course of the game, the student is presented with unique sounds that she has never heard before. She has to quickly make a decision on where it came from, or she won’t survive in the game for long. While the student already has her own developed sense of language, how does her brain react to and learn these new sounds?
This is one of the many questions being asked in the Speech Perception and Learning Laboratory, directed by psychology professor Lori Holt, whose research explores how the brain interprets sounds. Recently, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) has acknowledged her important contributions to psychology by naming her a recipient of the Troland Research Award.
Each year, the Troland is given to only two researchers under the age of 40. Holt earned the award for her studies in “advancing our understanding of the sensory and cognitive processes that are fundamental to the perception of speech,” ac...
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Researcher receives grant to improve electrical grid
by The TartanJan 27, 2013“Sci/Tech
| Brooke Kuei
You use electricity all the time — when you charge your phone, when you turn on the lights, when you cook. But where does this electricity come from? How is it distributed to you?
The answer to these questions is an electrical grid that spans the entire U.S. and delivers electricity from suppliers to consumers through a three-part system: power stations produce electricity, transmission lines carry electricity from these stations to demand centers, and transformers that reduce voltage so the transmission lines can carry power to their final destinations.
Unfortunately, the current state of the electrical grid is inefficient. Electrical and computer engineering assistant professor Gabriela Hug, who is also affiliated with the engineering and public policy department, is working to overcome this obstacle. She was recently awarded a five-year $400,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to fund her groundbreaking research on improving our power grid’s efficiency.
...
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Campus News in Brief
by The TartanJan 27, 2013“News
| Noël Um
Researchers develop password de-coder
Ashwini Rao, a software engineering Ph.D. student, and a team of other Carnegie Mellon researchers developed a password-cracking algorithm that accounts for grammar in order to prove the concept that certain passwords are more vulnerable than others.
They tested the algorithm against 1,434 passwords containing 16 or more characters.
Their results proved that grammar, whether good or bad, made passwords more vulnerable, and that a longer password is not always a safer password.
According to a university press release, “A password composed of ‘pronoun-verb-adjective-noun,’ such as ‘Shehave3cats,’ is inherently easier to decode than ‘Andyhave3cats,’ which follows ‘noun-verb-adjective-noun.’ A password that incorporated more nouns would be even more secure.”
Rao said in a press release, “I’ve seen password policies that say, ‘Use five words.’ Well, if four of those words are pronouns, they don’t add much security.”
**Alum wi...
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Crime & Incident
by The TartanJan 27, 2013“News
| Brent Heard
Odor of Marijuana
Jan. 19, 2013
University Police was summoned to the Mudge Courtyard after an resident assistant reported that the area smelled of marijuana. Officers responded to find two individuals at the scene and confirmed an odor of marijuana.
Officers recovered a small amount of marijuana in addition to drug paraphernalia from one of the male’s possession. One student was released from the scene while charges are pending against the student found in possession of the illegal contraband.
Harassment Report
Jan. 19, 2013
A Carnegie Mellon student contacted the police dispatch office by phone stating that he was being followed by three students from an opposing buggy team, in a sedan, through surrounding Oakland streets. The caller led the vehicle into the police station parking lot where the caller came into the station to file a harassment report.
The vehicle fled from the lot, but was caught by police officers a few blocks from the police station. Police...
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CM-YOU Fitness Challenge encourages healthy lifestyle
by The TartanJan 27, 2013“News
| Jackson Lane
This year’s Fitness Challenge — an annual event held by the Department of Athletics to encourage campus members to exercise at least 20 minutes, four days a week — begins this Monday.
This year’s theme, entitled “CM-YOU,” emphasizes Carnegie Mellon’s global presence. “We want to raise awareness of Carnegie Mellon’s global degree programs in other countries,” said Pattye Stragar, the event’s organizer and operations manager for Fitness and Aquatics.
After signing up for the Fitness Challenge, participants pick a country, and every 20 minutes of exercise scores a point for that country. Each country’s score is tracked on a map in front of the University Center fitness desk, and at the end of the six-week event, the people on the team of the country with the most points win. “For example, if I take an hour Zumba class and I’m on Team Qatar, I’ll color in three squares on the map for Qatar,” Stragar explained.
The CM-YOU Fitness Challenge will also encourage physical activity ...
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DETOUR hosts DJ Poupon to expose college students to electronic music scene
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“Pittsburgh music collective includes Carnegie Mellon students and alumni, WRCT members, and avid music enthusiasts
Pillbox
| Christa Hester
Pittsburgh has a rich legacy of music. From trumpeter Roy Eldridge to Poison’s Bret Michaels, the Steel City has been the birthplace of influential artists in a spectrum of musical genres.
Through music collectives like VIA, Humanaut, Obvious, and now DETOUR, that legacy has endured and taken electronic dance music (EDM) under its wing. Although these groups are distinct, they work toward a collective goal: to revitalize the city’s music scene and redefine how its people party.
DETOUR, the newest music collective, aims to bring cutting-edge house and techno music to its peers while exploring the intersection of sight and sound. The group is comprised of six individuals, most of whom are or were Carnegie Mellon students and all of whom are involved in Carnegie Mellon’s radio station WRCT. These music enthusiasts are eager to expose their fellow classmates to new music in a safe space.
“There was no definite start,” Azis said. “We were all members of the [WRCT] radio station ...
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online .
Find out more about DETOUR via their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/DETOUR/254481864571260?fref=ts .
Check out Poupon at http://www.callmepoupon.com/ .
Editor’s Note: Chloe Lula is a staffwriter for The Tartan.”
Death highlights need for Web transparency
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“Forum
| Luke Masa
Another chapter in the ongoing clash between those who would like to see a free and open Internet and those who wish to regulate it came to a tragic end on Jan. 11 when programmer and prominent activist Aaron Swartz took his own life .
Swartz appeared to be under a great deal of stress due to pressure from the federal government. He allegedly hacked into networks at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and downloaded 4.8 million documents from JSTOR, a database of academic publications that many students here at Carnegie Mellon are familiar with.
I’d also wager that a lot of people here are familiar with one of Swartz’s other pet projects, Reddit, which one of his start-ups merged with.
Swartz’s suicide does not change the fact that what he allegedly did was illegal, and I can’t bring myself to fully endorse his methods.
I agree wholeheartedly that scholarly journals...
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Luke Masa (lmasa@) is a staffwriter for The Tartan.”
Professor, students take a trip to an alien destination
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“Sci/Tech
| Sonia Katharani-Khan
While students and faculty prepared for their holiday travels, Carnegie Mellon physics professor Diane Turnshek, physics Ph.D. candidate Nora Swisher, and art master’s student Dan Wilcox made preparations to embark on a journey to another planet.
Turnshek, Swisher, and Wilcox were selected by The Mars Society as part of a six-member team to explore a long-held human curiosity: the possibility of humans living on Mars. For the past 12 years, The Mars Society has been conducting experiments to gain insight into how astronauts would survive if they took an expedition to Mars.
Each year The Mars Society selects a six-member team every two weeks to travel to their Mars Desert Research station (MDRS) near Hanksville, Utah from December to May. The research station consists of a two-story cylindrical habitat for living, a building reserved for waste treatment and biological projects called the Greenhab and the Musk Observatory. For two weeks, each group lives and conducts experiments...
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Coffee grounds, plastic forks get new life at Tazza D’Oro
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“News
| Madelyn Glymour
Carnegie Mellon students and staff have come together to test out a new composting program at Tazza D’Oro.
The program, part of the zero-waste composting project at Carnegie Mellon, placed a bin at Tazza D’Oro Café and Espresso Bar. Customers now have the option of composting their food and biodegradable utensils.
Tazza D’Oro was chosen to pilot the program, organizers said, because it already uses some biodegradable cups, utensils, and containers.
This is not the first composting initiative to hit Carnegie Mellon.
“The food composting has really seemed to be something faculty, students, and staff are interested in,” Carnegie Mellon Facilities Management Services (FMS) Environmental Coordinator Barbara Kviz said.
“We just rolled out 11 new departmental composting programs. In FMS, we put our coffee grounds [in composting]. We’ve been doing it now for well over a year.”
There are also several zero-waste events held on campus. According to Kviz and senior visual art...
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The Pomegranate brings kosher meals to campus
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“Pillbox
| Su Baykal
online only!
The Pomegranate, a new dining choice on campus this semester, specializes in Middle Eastern fare. It can be found on the second floor of the University Center in the General Motors Dining Room — known to students as "the room across from Schatz Dining Room" — which overlooks the swimming pool. The Pomegranate is open 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. on Fridays.
The eatery takes up an important role on campus by being the only venue that offers solely kosher food. As its website explains, the food is “prepared at the Kosher kitchen located in Beth Salom Congregation ... under the strict supervision of Rabbi Michael Werbow.”
Not only is The Pomegranate a good choice for those who prefer to eat kosher, it is also simply good food. Among hot entrees are chicken shawarma, chicken kebab, and falafel. Each is stuffed in pockets of pita bread, along with hummus and a tzatziki sauce containing cubed tom...
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CFA alum finds sweet success in _Les Mis_
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“Devin Ilaw's role in PNC Broadway Across America tour combines artistic and commercial success
Pillbox
| Rachel Cohen
For the professional actor, it’s rare and exciting to find a role that unites both commercial and artistic success. But Carnegie Mellon alumnus Devin Ilaw (CFA ’07) believes he’s found that role.
Since graduating with a BFA in acting and musical theatre in 2007, Ilaw has landed a couple of major gigs, playing Thuy in Miss Saigon and appearing on Late Night with Conan O’Brien .
But his role as Marius in the PNC Broadway Across America tour of Les Misérables , which is now playing at the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh, is by far the most significant.
Thomas Douglas, Ilaw’s former vocal coach and an associate teaching professor of voice at Carnegie Mellon, had confidence in him from the onset. While working with Ilaw on a School of Drama project, “it was clear to me then, that he was a very special young man,” Douglas said in an email. “I’m not at all surprised to hear of his varied successes in the professional world.”
As an actor on a Broadway tour, Ilaw must undertake ...
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President Cohon threatened
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“News
| Brent Heard
Just as last semester drew to a close, University President Jared Cohon became the victim of a threat, which resulted in Pittsburgh Police protecting his house for 24 hours.
According to a report by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review , Pittsburgh Police Deputy Chief Paul Donaldson stated that a threat against President Cohon was received on Dec. 6, 2012, adding that police cars had been stationed outside of Cohon’s house in response.
There was the fear that the man who threatened Cohon may have been heading to Pittsburgh in a car bearing a Massachusetts license plate.
The threat was thought to have been received through the mail. The Trib reported that the Postal Inspector’s office is also involved in the investigation.
The University has been reluctant to release details on the matter.
Teresa Thomas, Carnegie Mellon’s assistant vice president for media relations, declined to comment on the matter to media sources.
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Legislation necessary in wake of recent tragedies
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“Forum
| Tartan Board
President Barack Obama introduced a new legislative agenda and executive orders for greater federal gun control last Wednesday, which has left both sides of the debate fiercely supporting their values. Gun control advocates have looked to the President to endorse and implement stricter gun control, especially on assault weapons. However, pro-gun activists have called such measures unconstitutional and in direct violation of the Second Amendment.
It seems that now people agree that there needs to be some change to prevent massacres like the Newtown, Conn. and Aurora, Colo. mass shootings from happening again. New legislation regarding the sale and use of firearms is a necessity in the wake of these tragedies.
One of the primary steps is to prevent the firearms already in circulation from getting into the wrong hands. This requires more efficient screening processes.
The President’s current proposal would support universal background checks on gun sales and would aim to form ...
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More steps needed for increasing safety of pathway
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“Forum
| Tartan Board
The University has recently taken an initiative to improve the path connecting the Morewood and WQED parking lots. There is a new concrete staircase, and the existing wooden steps have been renovated to include two side-by-side staircases. Lamp posts have also been installed along the path. However, the improvements to this area on the outskirts of campus should not stop here; they present the opportunity for further safety measures to be made to this path.
Unfortunately, the passage residing between the parking lot behind Morewood Gardens and the WQED office has earned a reputation as being an unsafe and frightening place to travel through, especially at night. For this reason, the path is often referred to as “the rape trail” by students. It is unacceptable that members of the Carnegie Mellon community must travel on a pathway that appears frightening enough at night to be associated with the risk of sexual assault. This association is of special concern because many first-year...
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Diversity of dining facilities should be commended
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“Forum
| Tartan Board
Carnegie Mellon has students with a wide range of ethnic backgrounds, and we pride ourselves on this diversity. Because the student body is composed of such a wide variety of backgrounds, individuals also have a wide range of dietary needs.
Housing and Dining Services concerns itself with the students’ dietary preferences at the University, and it shows. With the recent addition of The Pomegranate — a vendor offering kosher, vegetarian, and vegan options — as well as other specialty vendors like Worlds of Flavor and the Crêperie last semester, it is obvious that Housing and Dining Services hopes to better accommodate students’ needs.
According to the University’s Housing and Dining website, The Pomegranate’s owner Zur Goldblum, former chef of Middle Eastern restaurant Sababa in Squirrel Hill, created a menu “to reflect cuisines with flavors from the Middle East, Turkey, and Israel.”
In the past, students could purchase frozen kosher meals or sandwiches at other campus loca...
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Horoscopes
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“Comics
| Kairavi Chahal
Take some classes in CFA this semester; it’ll do you good.
Balancing a social life with academics should come naturally to you, but don’t get too wild at those raves.
You’re excited about the new semester and everything seems to be going great. Watch out for silly arguments with those tricky Libras.
Just remember to have some fun this semester.
Just pick a class already! Don’t take this decision too seriously.
You might bite off more than you can chew, so pick your classes and extracurriculars wisely.
You easily charm your friends with your wit, but don’t get too arrogant — stay humble this semester.
Your discipline will help you get in shape this semester.
You are likely to take the lead in a group project this semester, but don’t let it get to your head.
Befriend a Pisces to help you confront your emotions, which you usually run away from.
Break out of your comfort zone this semester and try something new.
I know winter break with the family was awesome and you’re kind of homesick, but pick your chin up and take on the semester.”
Club water polo hopes to make splash
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“Sports
| Vinay Viswanathan
The Carnegie Mellon Men’s Water Polo Club team looks to make a splash this year by expanding their team and emphasizing team-building.
Last December, the squad represented the Mid-Atlantic Division at the 2012 National Collegiate Club Championship in Middlebury, Vt.
First-year mechanical engineering and business administration double major Ted Warhoe, a utility player, said, “We were just very happy to be there. Most other teams at nationals had a full team on the bench, when we only had one substitute.”
Even without a full team, they exhibited a strong performance at the Mid-Atlantic Championships at Franklin & Marshall College, despite playing without any substitutes.
Club president Willy Elmore, a junior civil and environmental engineering and engineering and public policy double major, said, “Considering we were rebuilding, it was pretty awesome that we competed at the national level at the Division-III club tournament.”
The team worked hard, attending three tou...
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Pfenning pleased to start new job
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“News
| Nivedita Chopra
Frank Pfenning, professor of computer science, is the new head of the computer science department. Pfenning succeeds Jeannette Wing, who stepped down to become the head of Microsoft Research International.
Pfenning says that he was initially hesitant to take on the job because it meant giving up a lot of teaching and research, both of which he enjoys. “In some ways, I thought, ‘I have the ideal job, so why change?’ ” However, on the insistence of faculty members, who assured him that he was the best person for the job, he agreed to accept the position.
“A lot of things in this job are centered around people, and I like talking to people, working with people, and supporting them in what they need to do, making sure they can get the right conditions for whatever they want to do.... Those are the things that I really enjoy and think I can be fairly effective at,” Pfenning said.
However, there are a few things Pfenning is not entirely looking forward to. “Well, I haven’t really...
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Garrett becomes CIT Dean
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“News
| Brian Trimboli
James Garrett Jr., Thomas Lord Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, was named dean of the Carnegie Institute of Technology, effective since Jan. 1. Garrett succeeds Pradeep K. Khosla, who left Carnegie Mellon in August to become chancellor for the University of California, San Diego.
Garrett has been a member of the CIT faculty since 1990. He earned his undergraduate degree, master’s degree, and doctorate of civil engineering from Carnegie Mellon in 1982, 1983, and 1986, respectively.
Before being appointed dean, Garrett was head of Carnegie Mellon’s department of Civil and Environmental Engineering as well as the co-director of the Pennsylvania Smarter Infrastructure Incubator (PSII). Carnegie Mellon’s press release describes the PSII as “a research center aimed at creating, applying, and evaluating applications of sensing, data analytics, and intelligent decision support for improving the construction, management, and operation of infrastructure systems.”
Pr...
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Senate highlights Town Hall Week
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“Forum
| Anshul Dhankher
As the New Year and the new semester have both begun, Student Senate is back to work making our Carnegie Mellon community and campus a better environment for all students.
Many of you may remember our efforts to reach out and connect with students during Senate Week last fall. As a body, we were very happy with the level of engagement and excitement that students showed in stopping by the table, filling out surveys, naming their senators, and answering trivia questions about Senate.
From our perspective, Senate Week was very successful, and something that will hopefully grow to become a tradition at Carnegie Mellon.
Our goal coming into this semester is to continue our engagement with fellow students, but this time with a feedback and discussion-oriented style. To this end, Student Senate will be hosting our first ever Town Hall Week Jan. 28th to Feb. 1st! For the three days leading up to our Thursday General Body Meeting, Senators from each individual college will be hosti...
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Talk surrounding gun control not effective
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“Forum
| Satvika Neti
Understandably, after the recent shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School where 27 children were killed, some Americans have been vying for stricter gun control. While this spike is predictable after such a tragedy and statistics show it happening after just about every gun massacre, according to The New York Times , this spike is both higher and has lasted longer than usual. The children killed at Sandy Hook have shaken our social consciousness. We — and more importantly, President Obama — have decided to do something about it this time. It's not nearly enough, but it is a step in the right direction.
Washington has decided to approach the issue in two different ways. There is a faction that believes that tightly written bills and the legislative process are enough, and there is another that believes that with this sort of politically charged atmosphere, guerilla wa...
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A Person's Opinion
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“Forum
| Jennifer Coloma, Jonathan Carreon
What did you miss most about college over winter break?
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Goaltending is key to Pens’ success
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“Sports
| Carl Glazer
After months of waiting, hockey in all of its blades of glory — has finally returned to the Steel City.
The NHL kicked off its season Saturday after ending a nearly four-month-long lockout. This reduced season schedule has shrunk the normal 82-game season marathon to a short 48-game sprint to the playoffs.
Due to the shortened season, brief training camp, integration of new personnel, learning of new coaching schemes, and regaining of lost conditioning, this should be an exciting season.
Last season’s poor playoffs performance, at the hands of division rival Philadelphia Flyers, left a bitter taste in the mouths of fans and players.
Now, the Pittsburgh Penguins are ready to avenge last season’s disappointment and make a run deep into the playoffs. Hopefully, they will skate away at the end of the season with another Stanley Cup.
While the roster has undergone a bit of a shake-up, the Pens are still led by their top-tier centers, last year’s MVP Evgeni Malkin and per...
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Men’s, women’s track teams sprint to preseason success
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“Sports
| Elizabeth Martin
The Carnegie Mellon men’s and women’s track and field teams competed in the Al Hall Freedom Games on Saturday against NCAA Division- I, II, and III schools at Edinboro University. This was the first meet of the season, and was unscored.
Several men and women on the teams had strong performances that set the bar high for the rest of the track season.
Sophomore Nathan Cheek, the 2011 UAA Indoor Track weight-throw champion and Carnegie Mellon football player, placed first in the weight throw with a throw of 15.46 meters.
Several of Cheek’s fellow teammates also had excellent performances. In the high jump, first-year Mike McDermott cleared the 2.00 meter bar to place second.
Junior Daniel Cardenas Rivero represented Carnegie Mellon well in the pole vaulting event, clearing a height of 4.25 meters, placing second in the event. The running events also saw their share of strong performances.
In the 800-meter event, sophomore runner Douglas O’Connell finished second with a...
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Tartans fall to 0–4 in UAA
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“Sports
| Gabrielle West
The Tartans men’s basketball team were defeated by the No. 1-ranked University of Rochester and the No. 3 Emory University this past weekend. Their record now stands at 3–13 overall and 0–5 in conference.
Friday night, the Tartans faced the University of Rochester Yellowjackets at home.
The game started out as a battle for the lead with constant buckets from both teams. Sophomore guard Seth Cordts was a major player for the Tartans’ offense, contributing to the team’s first four points.
After the score was tied at nine, the Yellowjackets went on a run with a score of 20–18 with 10 minutes remaining in the first half, until junior forward Rob Mohen made a three-pointer to take the lead.
Rochester answered with a jump shot, regaining the lead for another nine minutes while the Tartans filled the gap.
They eventually took the lead at the end of the half from a three-pointer taken by junior guard Asad Meghani.
The second half opened with a tied score off of a threep...
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Women’s basketball team struggles to keep lead in conference matches
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“Sports
| Elizabeth Martin
The Carnegie Mellon women’s basketball team suffered two losses this past weekend: one to Emory University yesterday and again to the University of Rochester last Friday.
During a home double header, the University of Rochester Yellowjackets won in overtime 67–60, making the Carnegie Mellon women’s team record 10–5 overall and 2–2 in University Athletic Association (UAA) play.
Junior Jacquie Shaw proved to be a major asset for the game, scoring her career high total of 31 points throughout the game.
After the first seven minutes of the game, the Yellowjackets led 14–4. Carnegie Mellon gained more points, but not enough. At halftime, the score was 34–15 in Rochester’s favor.
The Tartans scored 16 points to almost tie the game 45–44, then Shaw led the team so that the Tartans were ahead 50–48 with around five minutes left. The University of Rochester women’s team fought back, but Shaw proved herself once again and was able to even the score to 55–55 before overtime. Dur...
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Editor’s note: Gabrielle West is Sports Co-Editor for The Tartan.”
Did you know?
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“Pillbox
| Catherine Spence
100 years ago: Jan. 2, 1913
The dean’s opening statement at a school-wide assembly was, “The great question is not whether ours is better or worse than other schools, but is it the best that we can make it....There is the Cornell type, the MIT type. What is to be the Carnegie type?” So 100 years later, what has the “Carnegie type” become?
50 years ago: Jan. 9, 1963
An editorial article argues that professors should empathize more with their students when scheduling exams, complaining that “the result may be three or even four exams in one day, and none receives the students’ best work.” Luckily, this degree of exam-taking seems less common today.
25 years ago: Jan. 19, 1988
The registrar’s office sent an envelope from 5000 Forbes Ave. to Morewood Gardens. The letter was returned with a request from the post office to include “the country of destination, in English, with no abbreviations.”
10 years ago: Jan. 20, 2003
A SciTech brief quotes scientist E...
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Dollar Movie
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“Pillbox
| Matthew Zurcher
The Good Shepherd
6 9 12
Ben Affleck’s buddy, Matt Damon, stars in The Good Shepherd , another (albeit very different) story that misattributes several things to the CIA. Damon turns in a spectacular performance in this muddy historical tracing of the CIA. However historically dubious it may be, Robert De Niro’s direction makes The Good Shepherd a top-shelf political thriller for the first hour. The script eventually bogs itself down in the fathers-failing-sons metaphor, but still maintains a solid level of juice. The film is worth it for Damon’s performance alone, which is possibly the finest of his career.
Argo
8 10 12
Ben Affleck chooses some flashy Oscar bait for his third directorial feature. After turning in some legitimately impressive work with Gone Baby Gone and The Town , Affleck directs and stars in Argo , a thoughtless but intense political thriller. The movie is loosely based on the Canadian Caper, a historical event during which the CIA faked a Hollywood production to extract six near-hostages from revolutionary Iran. The film succeeds in direct proportion to how much it follows history, finding great moments in its outlandish, stylish suspense but failing when trying to milk the relevance cow.
End of Watch
8 10 12
End of Watch is one of the more thrilling cop films released in recent years. Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña star in this portrait of two buddies in the LAPD. Writer and director David Ayer is probably best known for The Fast and the Furious and Training Day , but End of Watch proves to be his most impressive project. Gyllenhaal and Peña play patrol officers who get tangled up in some nasty South Central gang violence.
To Be Heard
6
In lieu of running an AB Films selection, the English department has organized a screening of To Be Heard , the debut documentary from Edwin Martinez. According to the Carnegie Mellon University Lecture Series website, “_To Be Heard_ follows the life journey of three best friends who met in a high school poetry class in the Bronx, and make a pact to always support each other. Yet, when everything starts to go wrong and the road toward their childhood dreams becomes more perilous than ever, their hopes for the future and the strength of their friendship are put to the ultimate test.””
Paperhouse
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“On Remixes
Pillbox
| Matt Mastricova
Over winter break, one of my friends downloaded a bunch of one-hit wonders. It did not take long, however, to find that someone decided that gems such as “Who Let the Dogs Out?” and “Cotton-Eyed Joe” needed remixes.
These remixes were not just bad — there was also no new perspective gained from listening to them. There was barely anything about the songs that was altered; hi-hats, bass, and synths were simply added on top of the songs with some minor equalizer manipulation. It was the musical equivalent of using Microsoft Paint to do photo manipulation.
Good remixes have a lot in common with good song covers: They maintain the most essential aspects of the song, provide a new perspective, and show an appreciation of the source material. For example, I was never a fan of Lady Gaga’s “Yoü and I.” However, after hearing Wild Beasts’ remix of it, I changed my opinion.
Wild Beasts’ remix stripped away almost every element of the song, leaving a vocal loop of Lady Gaga singing, “...
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Advice for awkward people
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“About roommates and sweet dance moves
Pillbox
| Patrick Hoskins
Dear Patrick,
I have two roommates — let’s call them “Sam” and “Bruce.” Recently, Bruce claimed Sam is a more considerate roommate than I am. That’s a bunch of bull. I’m very considerate. I’m so considerate that I take a moment every couple of days just to stop and say to myself, “Wow, that was really thoughtful of you.” How can I make Bruce admit this? Sam has a smug look on his face.
Thanks,
Requesting Opportunities Of Majorly Improving Esteem
Dear ROOMIE,
We’re gonna get considerate all up in here. Order some delicious food, and then put it in some pots and pans so it looks like you just cooked it. Then say, “Oh, hey Bruce. I made all this delicious food, and I can’t eat it all myself. Would you like some?” Still not enough? Wait until five minutes before he gets home, and then start vacuuming somewhere prominent. “Oh, hey Bruce. Didn’t see you there. I was just doing some of my weekly cleaning.” Or, “Oh, hey Bruce. I just got this Groupon to the ...
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Need advice? Send queries to advice@thetartan.org .”
Phipps presents vibrant show
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“Orchid and bonsai tree exhibit informs and captivates
Pillbox
| Catherine Spence
Trunk splitters, root hooks, and concave cutters, oh my! The Orchid and Tropical Bonsai Show , which opened Jan. 12 at Phipps Conservatory, offers guests the chance to do much more than just observe orchids and bonsai trees. The exhibit includes information on the history and location of these plants, the science and techniques behind how they are grown, and opportunities to grow your own at Phipps.
Bonsai is the Japanese art of training small trees to take on the shape and style of their larger counterparts that occur in nature. The word “bonsai” can be broken down into “bon,” which means “tray or lowsided pot,” and “sai,” which means “a plant or plantings.” These miniature trees emulate some trees that have spent hundreds of years in the wind, and others that stand upright with twisting, far-reaching, above-ground roots.
The “Sunken Garden” room is filled with a variety of miniature bonsai trees, including the willow fig leaf, Japanese pittosporum, and Chinese banyan, among...
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The Orchid and Tropical Bonsai Show is on display at Phipps Conservatory through Feb. 24.”
_Fade_ upholds band's quality
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“Yo La Tengo continues legacy with new album
Pillbox
| Matt Mastricova
After 27 years of music making, there is really only one question that accompanies the release of a new Yo La Tengo album: Will this be the Yo La Tengo that thrives in guitar freak-outs and stylistic eclecticism, or the Yo La Tengo that meticulously crafts gentle, quiet, introspective love songs? Regarding Fade, Yo La Tengo’s 13th album, the answer is a lot less trivial than it initially appears.
On first listen, Fade seems to fall into the latter category. The album as a whole radiates serenity, even on the energetic high-point song “Well You Better.” Probably the tightest song on the album, it features almost-laconic sounding vocals from Ira Kaplan, perseverating on relationship issues over a looping rhythm section and off-kilter “wah-wahs.” Songs like “I’ll Be Around” and “Two Trains” most wholly capture the same hushed, late-night-car-ride atmosphere that Yo La Tengo has been channeling since the release of And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out .
It’s tempting to si...
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From the hills of LA to CMU
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“Celebrity fashion and how to incorporate it into your style
Pillbox
| Nikita Mishra
Finding yourself in a fashion rut? If you’re uninspired by the fashion that surrounds you, a great way to find new ideas is to follow the style of the rich and famous. Celebrities are known for inspiring trends, and some are even defined by the way they dress.
The task of deciding which celebrities to imitate can seem daunting, since there are so many out there. This decision depends on your personal style. For some guidance, here is an overview of how three famous fashionistas dress and some tips on how to emulate their unique styles.
The first of these celebrities is a talented singer whose relationships are a constant focus not just for the media, but also for her music: Taylor Swift. Just as the genre of her music has been changing, Swift’s style has evolved a great deal over the past couple of months. Although her outfits could initially be described as vaguely preppy and vintage-inspired, sometimes with a bohemian influence, she has learned to successfully combine these ...
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_Friends With Benefits_ captures colorful sentiments
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“Artist Jeremy Kost channels the spirit of Andy Warhol in exhibit at Warhol Museum
Pillbox
| Joey Peiser
Most of you probably remember the Polaroid camera: the little box with a lens on top that, when you clicked the button, spat out a little white card that hip-hop duo Outkast liked to shake a little bit before an image magically appeared. It was a popular, easy-to-use device that would eventually be phased out by the development of digital photography and mostly forgotten by the public. But artist Jeremy Kost is one person whose Polaroid camera isn’t sitting in a mountain of trash alongside your dad’s Sony Walkman and VHS copies of Beauty and the Beast .
Over the past few years, Kost has made a name for himself with his Polaroid camera, snapping images of everything from New York nightlife to celebrities and fashion models. For his first solo museum exhibit titled Friends With Benefits , which is on display at The Andy Warhol Museum, Kost turned his little box with a lens on top to a group of Pittsburgh drag performers.
Almost exclusively displayed through Polaroid photograph...
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Friends With Benefits is on display at The Andy Warhol Museum through Sunday.”
_Yours Truly_ explores many faces of love
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“Carnegie Museum of Art photography exhibit showcases images of passion, joy, devotion
Pillbox
| Anna Walsh
To celebrate their parents’ wedding anniversary, people will usually take them out to dinner or give them a gift. But artist William T. Hillman decided to go a step further: He sponsored Yours Truly: Privately Collected Photographs , a photography exhibit at the Carnegie Museum of Art, in honor of his parents’ 67th wedding anniversary.
The exhibit is a collection of “some of the finest vintage photographic prints by some of the most admired photographers in the history of the medium,” according to an introduction by the museum’s director, Lynn Zelevansky, in a pamphlet provided to visitors. Indeed, the photographs are beautiful, and the clean design of the exhibit allows them to speak for themselves.
Unlike most exhibits, which have small plaques or labels accompanying each piece, these photographs only have small, nearly unnoticeable numbers quietly identifying them; visitors who want to know the title or photographer for each piece can check the provided pamphlet. That cura...
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Yours Truly: Privately Collected Photographs will show at the Carnegie Museum of Art through March 10.”
Fiscal progress rests on work, perseverance
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“Forum
| Kyle Henson
With the quasi-resolution of the fiscal cliff comes new taxes for everyone. Some of Obamacare’s 19 taxes are starting to kick in. The payroll tax cut expired, and some new taxes on the wealthy, such as the expiration of the Bush Tax Cuts and an additional 0.9 percent payroll tax for high earners as part of Obamacare, were allowed to take place.
The increased tax burden on the wealthy, driven entirely by the wishes of Democratic lawmakers, brings to light the contrasting views that Democrats and Republicans have about the economy, especially considering that those tax increases hardly put a dent in the federal deficit.
Imagine that the economy is comprised of 10 bakeries, each making 10 pies a year for a total of 100 pies. Those pies represent gross domestic product, or all taxable income. If the pies were distributed like income in the U.S. economy, the top 20 percent would get 50 pies and the bottom 10 percent would get only one pie, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2007...
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Kyle Henson (kahenson@) is a staffwriter for The Tartan.”
Lecture Previews
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“News
| Brent Heard
Martin Luther King Jr. Day Keynote Address
Monday at 5 p.m.
McConomy Auditorium
Political adviser, humanitarian, corporate attorney, and World Economic Forum Global Leader Binta Niambi Brown will deliver the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day keynote address.
As a legal professional, Brown represented corporate clients in cases connected with over $66.5 billion in litigation, and also advised the management officials of Fortune 100 companies with respect to corporate governance and social responsibility. Brown’s pro bono work includes economic development initiatives assisting women, advocating for human trafficking victims, and working with New York City public schools.
Tepper School of Business W.L. Mellon Speaker Series: James E. Rohr
Tuesday at 12:30 p.m.
Mellon Auditorium
Chairman and CEO of the PNC Financial Services Group, James Rohr, will speak as part of the W.L. Mellon Speaker Series, discussing business leadership, strategy, and world affairs.
...
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Crime & Incident
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“News
| Brent Heard
Warrant Arrest
Jan. 12, 2013
At approximately 2:15 a.m., a University Police sergeant on patrol observed a vehicle traveling the wrong way on Forbes Avenue and conducted a traffic stop. The sergeant determined that the passenger had an outstanding warrant in Florida for felony battery. The suspect was taken into custody and transported to Allegheny County Jail to await extradition by Florida authorities.
Aggravated Assault on a Police Officer
Jan. 12, 2013
University Police responded to the Margaret Morrison Apartments on a call of an intoxicated student needing medical treatment. EMS was on scene attempting to render aid; however, the student had become combative. Police attempted to restrain the student and he began to fight, biting one officer and attempting to bite a second officer, who was also kicked in the leg during the incident.
The subject was restrained and transported to a hospital for treatment. Following his release from the hospital, the student was...
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Statistically Speaking
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“News
| Brent Heard
On Jan. 13, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association held its 70th Golden Globe Awards, an event first started in 1944 and held annually since 1961. Presenting awards for the best performances and production work in television and film, the Golden Globes has a wide viewership and a celebrity-heavy attendance. This year’s awards show was one of the most popular in recent memory. Here are some facts about the 70th Golden Globe Awards:
19.7: The number of viewers, in millions, who tuned in to the television broadcast of this year's awards.
93: The number of voting members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, as of December 2012.
1: The number of awards won by [ITAL]Lincoln[/ITAL], the forerunner for the upcoming Academy Awards.
$78,000: The estimated cost for a typical female attendee to get dressed up for the awards show.
Sources: http://www.deadline.com , http://www.examiner.com , http://www.usatoday.com , http://newsfeed.time.com .
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Campus News in Brief
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“News
| Brent Heard
New FlexMBA to be offered by Tepper School in 2013
Beginning in the Fall 2013 semester, the Tepper School of Business will offer a new option for students to complete their MBA program, titled “FlexMBA.”
According to a university press release, the new program will attempt to combine “in-person sessions, online classes and self-paced learning to deliver the same coursework, faculty, team interaction, personal leadership coaching, and career services found in the school’s highly acclaimed full-time and part-time MBA programs.”
This new program will aim to create sections consisting of 20 to 30 students, who will work toward their degree over a 32-month period. “The new FlexMBA model draws on our school’s experience earned over nearly two decades of successful graduate-level distance-learning programs and combines that knowledge with our expertise in traditional full- and part-time MBA education,” said Michael Trick, senior associate dean for education at Tepper, in a un...
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KBox combines singing and culture
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“News
| Sojin Kim
The familiar brown apartment building located on 214 S. Craig St. has recently become home to KBox, a karaoke house and business venture.
It’s purpose is to strengthen the Asian community of Pittsburgh.
The idea of the karaoke house was conceived in the fall of 2011 in Finger Lakes, New York, when 12 Chinese students — nine from Carnegie Mellon and three from University of Pittsburgh — were brainstorming a place in which Chinese students in need of a cultural haven could gather.
What began as an effort to gather Chinese students evolved into an attempt to bring together students from all Asian countries.
One year later, their idea came to life through the founding of KBox.
Inside the KBox building, rooms are decked with the latest sound systems, plush couches, and LCD TVs.
One of the co-founders, Huiman Tan — a Ph.D student in engineering and public policy — wanted a place where “Chinese students can gather, socialize, relax, re-connect with their culture.”
O...
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Kosbie advises students on happiness, well-being in life
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“News
| Nivedita Chopra
At Carnegie Mellon, we see students working terribly hard just to get that A. But do grades make students happy, or is it the learning process that matters in the long run?
David Kosbie, assistant teaching professor of computer science, addressed this question in a talk he gave on the second day of Carnegie Mellon’s Odyssey program, Jan. 11.
The talk, an invite-only event held in Baker Hall’s Adamson Wing, was attended by about 100 sophomores from various departments, including some from students from Carnegie Mellon’s Qatar campus.
Kosbie began by stating he was no expert on happiness, but just a “well-informed layperson.” He related his experiences as an applied mathematics undergraduate at Harvard.
After a year of struggling hard but performing poorly he realized that hard work alone without any heed to health and social interactions, was the wrong method for success. He encouraged students to look to their peers for support, academic or otherwise.
Relating this...
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SciTech Briefs
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“Sci/Tech
| Desiree Xu
Russia to launch unmanned probe to moon by 2015
Russia will resume exploring the moon by sending an unmanned probe, called the Luna-Globe or Moon-Globe, in 2015. Luna-Globe would have an orbital module and a probe that sends back information about samples from the moon.
The probe will be accompanied by three military satellites. According to the Russian news agency Interfax, the probe will be carried by the first rocket to blast off from Russia’s newly built facility in eastern Amur. The last time Russia successfully sent an unmanned probe to the moon was in the 1970s; Russia has yet to send a man to the moon.
Source: Reuters
'Goldenrod’ plant can respond to the scent of fruit flies
A study at Pennsylvania State University showed that solidago — commonly known as goldenrod — produces chemical defenses when it senses sex hormones released by male fruit flies. The plant releases an odor in response to repel female fruit flies, keeping them from laying their egg...
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How Things Work: The Artificial Heart
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“Sci/Tech
| Raghunandan Avula
The human body consists of 78 organs and 13 organ systems that work collaboratively like a well-oiled machine. Among the most vital is the heart, which pumps 2,000 gallons of blood per day to ensure oxygen and nutrients are being circulated throughout the body. As humans age, the heart may begin to pump less efficiently.
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), each year over 3,000 patients suffering from heart failure need a heart transplant to ensure their survival but have to wait patiently until a donor heart can be found. Unfortunately, only about 2,000 heart transplants are performed annually, leaving a few thousand people without a healthy heart. Fortunately, an artificial heart can be used in the most severe cases to allow patients to return to their daily lives until a suitable donor heart is available.
In order to understand how an artificial heart works, it is first important to know how the four chambers of a normal human heart function. Blood circulat...
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Robots use eye movement for greater social interaction
by The TartanJan 20, 2013“Sci/Tech
| Brooke Kuei
Imagine a world where robots walk and talk indistinguishably among us. Robotics professor Yaser Sheikh and mechanical engineering Ph.D. student Hyun Soo Park are working on research that will one day allow robots to understand and adapt upon social interactions.
“Currently, robots have a very good understanding of the environment around them, the geometric relationships,” Park said. “But we think that they need more information. In order for robots to be collaborative with humans as a team member, they need to understand the social context they are in. Robots can do tasks, but truly interacting with humans requires some sort of empathy.”
But how can robots possibly understand social interactions? Sheikh and Park have developed an algorithm that takes into account where people are looking in order to analyze the social context of a situation.
“The gaze is a very interesting social signal,” Park said. “Where you are looking at is a very strong cue to understand[ing] what is goi...
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Catholic community members address Downhill Derby controversy
by The TartanJan 01, 2013“Forum
online only!
Laughter is supposed to be the shortest distance between two people, at least according to Victor Borge. It is a great misfortune that this simple and powerful means of communion was flagrantly subverted at a recent Carnival event, whose title seemed to be a CMU-nym for "lighthearted." The Anti-Gravity Downhill Derby float that set out to mock both the pope as well as community standards of respect was calculated for exclusion of, among others, Catholics who actually think of their "pope" in familial terms.
Since Catholics on Carnegie Mellon's campus are made of hardy stock, we consider the architects of this float themselves more the victims of their own narrow and tasteless humor than we are; it differs only in degree from the sneering humor we have become perhaps too accustomed to over the years from a variety of sources. Still, we grieve the chance to conspire with them in laughter. Even had we ourselves been the object of ridicule, it would have been fun, since "angels can f...
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Father Joshua Kibler, director of Catholic campus ministry for University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, and Chatham University
Corina F. Ramirez, president of the Catholic Newman Club
Shannon Gallagher, secretary of the Catholic Newman Club
Steven Pepin, former president of the Catholic Newman Club
Kyle Anderson, CIT Ph.D. '13
Zacharias George, MS E&TIM '13
John Oravec, SDS '14
Christopher Sickler, SHS '15
Kate Uncapher, CIT '15
Lauren Williams, DC '15
Maria Marta Ferreyra, associate professor of economics
Gregory Lehane, professor, drama and music
Natalie Baker Shirer, associate professor, drama, voice and speech”
Response to Jared Cohon's email concerning Anti-Gravity Downhill Derby
by The TartanJan 01, 2013“Forum
| Ivy Krislov
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An open letter to President Cohon and others concerned:
Let me start by explaining something about myself. I have PCOS, or poly-cystic ovarian syndrome. The syndrome results in a low level of estrogen being produced by my body, making me skip my period, feel ill, gain weight, and suffer from bad mood swings. Around one in 10 women are affected by this syndrome. It is precancerous, if left untreated. Guess what the treatment is?
It’s birth control.
In the past and present, the institution of the Roman Catholic Church (not that I DO NOT say Catholicism) has been responsible for attempting to limit women’s access to birth control, whether they use it for this reason or for others. Condoms have been similarly stigmatized. This causes many women to face risks that will never be present for men, including myself. So, yes, I do have a stake in this conversation, the one that the girl on campus — who will hopefully remain unnamed — started during the Anti-Gravity Derby during Carni...
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Ivy Krislov
Dietrich College '14”
We should experiment with drug laws
by The TartanJan 01, 2013“Forum
| Kyle Henson
Anyone who has watched writer David Simon’s HBO television series The Wire is familiar with the term “Hamsterdam.” Hamsterdam refers to a section of Baltimore where the sale and consumption of drugs are legal on the show.
Hamsterdam came about because the drug trade on mainstream street corners became too disruptive to everyday citizens. People were murdered and taxpayers moved out of the city to the neighboring county to avoid violence and drug culture. As a result, a rogue cop created Hamsterdam, comprised of empty row houses where the drug trade is legal and regulated for violence.
Hamsterdam was incredibly successful. Street corners were peaceful. Crime decreased by 14 percent in the district. Groups that distributed clean needles and condoms set up in Hamsterdam and reached people in the shadowy underworld of the drug trade that were once unreachable. Narcotics Anonymous set up in Hamsterdam and saw an influx of members looking to stop drug use. Cops even started chargi...
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Kyle Henson (kahenson@) is a staffwriter for The Tartan.”
Steelers' draft pick adds youth
by The TartanJan 01, 2013“Sports
| Carl Glazer
The NFL Draft — and the TV spectacle that it has become in recent years — ended this weekend. The Steelers came into the draft aimed at getting younger members on their offensive line and the entirety of their defense. The Steelers also had to replenish some of the depth at their skill positions like quarterback, running back, and wide receiver, after losing players to both free agency and age.
The Steelers’ first-round pick, the 17th overall, was Jarvis Jones, an outside linebacker from the University of Georgia. Jones does not have the prototypical physical attributes desired in a standard 3–4 outside linebacker, but more than makes up for it with his speed, strength, and quick play recognition. He was drafted to replace all-pro linebacker James Harrision, who was cut as the Steelers desperately tried to get under the salary cap this offseason.
Picking Jones is not without risk, though, since he comes with a shaky injury past. Jones started his career with University of Sout...
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Track and field teams finish UAAs on right foot
by The TartanJan 01, 2013“Sports
| Vinay Viswanathan
The men’s and women’s track and field teams traveled to New York City last weekend to compete in the UAA Championships, hosted by New York University. The women’s team finished in sixth place of the seven teams in competition with 53 points, while the men claimed second with 177.
Throwers from both teams exhibited tremendous performances at the UAAs. Zachary Erra-Hernandez, a junior thrower who is finishing off a season full of new personal records, won the discus event, throwing 44.69 meters. First-year Paul Hamerski threw 52.36 meters in the javelin in a third-place performance, while junior Nathan Cheek and David Markowitz added fourth- and sixth-place performances, respectively, in the javelin. Gino Pilato placed third in the discus with a 43.79-meter throw.
Junior distance runner Joshua Newby cited the throwers as one of the key components to the Tartans’ success at UAAs, saying, “the throwers were clutch today.”
On the women’s throwing side, senior Sarah Menio threw t...
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Gallery Crawl features film, sculpture, food, vendors, live comedy of the Cultural District
by The TartanJan 01, 2013“Pittsburgh Cultural Trust presents an overwhelming overview of Downtown Pittsburgh in sweeping exhibition that shows off venues and works by a variety of artists and performers
Pillbox
| Xiyu Wang
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust held its quarterly Gallery Crawl on Friday. The Gallery Crawl is a grand tour around the galleries, shops, studios, and restaurants of Pittsburgh’s Cultural District and is free and open to the public.
The Gallery Crawl features an eclectic selection of venues, artists, and performers designed to reflect the lushness and variety of Pittsburgh’s flourishing art scene. It includes both professional and amateur works of art and performance, as well as the wares and services of independent local vendors and businesses.
With nearly 40 stops to see and even more events to visit, the Gallery Crawl was completely overwhelming. It is impossible to cover all of the events even in four hours. Throughout the night, there were restaurants filled with activity, music filling the streets, and people rushing in and out of venues; it is almost the exact picture you would think of if asked to dream of a city.
The venues that inspired the atmosphere of the night ...
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JFC responds to editorial about budget remarks
by The TartanJan 01, 2013“Forum
Last Monday’s article “Joint Funding Committee’s budget remarks out of line” questions the professionalism of the JFC in an unacceptable manner. In addition to drawing inaccurate conclusions, the article fails to recognize the increased transparency of the budget process.
The JFC makes decisions by considering how best to maximize every student activities fee(SAF) dollar to improve student life. Our comments on budgets are both justified and in line with our mission: questioning why previously granted repair expenditures continue to be requested, stating resource constraints, and noting lack of clarity in fiscal behavior are all necessary for responsible allocations. We also include our metrics for travel and food, giving organizations insight into our decisions.
AB Concerts’ budget increase is another point of contention. As Carnegie Mellon’s best-known tradition, Carnival impacts every student. Largely funded through Spring Carnival Committee, Carnival would not exist withou...
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Divya Krishnan and Niharika Ray
JFC Representatives”
BSA stuck in the pocket of religious benefactors
by The TartanJan 01, 2013“Forum
| Justin McGown
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA), after delaying their decision regarding a change to policies banning gay members, has announced a new and baffling stance: You can be gay and a member of the Boy Scouts as long as you are under the age of 18. This stance means that, if gay, you can achieve scouting’s highest honor, the rank of Eagle Scout, but you are banned from becoming an adult leader to pass on the valuable skills, insights, and knowledge you have acquired as a scout. This decision is an indication that the BSA is in the pocket of religious institutions, including those of the Mormons, Catholics, and Methodists, who sponsor almost half of members nationwide , according to the BSA. It seems as if the BSA would rather remain there than take a stand for a semblance of fairness.
Clearly, this is an unsatisfactory solution, particularly for proponents of integrating members of the LGBT community into the Boy Scouts. It ...
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Justin McGown (jmcgown@) is online editor for The Tartan.”
Racial profiling must be put to an end
by The TartanJan 01, 2013“Forum
| Satvika Neti
It’s almost funny now — how quickly the media and the American public suspect people of different colors of committing heinous crimes, rather than people of their own race. It’s as if every time a terrorist act like the Boston bombings occurs, people forget the anthrax scare, the Westboro Baptist Church, and even the Ku Klux Klan — all acts of terror committed by someone not of color. All certain people can see anymore are suicide bombers, the planes that crashed into the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001, and that these incidents were caused by people of a different race or nationality.
This racial profiling needs to stop. The public targets and harasses people they suspect to have committed a crime because of their skin color.
Racial profiling is not helpful even if the public does catch the criminal — it is harmful no matter what. People have argued that racial profiling is okay because the net effect is the safety of the American people — who cares if one person gets hurt ...
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Satvika Neti (sneti@) is a staffwriter for The Tartan.”
Campus Crime and Incident
by The TartanJan 01, 2013“News
| Brent Heard
Underage Drinking
April 19, 2013
At 3:53 p.m., University Police were summoned to Donner Hall in reference to a loud party. Further investigation revealed that seven underage persons had gathered in a room and possessed alcoholic beverages. All of the alcoholic beverages were seized and disposed of, and each of the seven students were issued a citation for underage drinking.
Underage Drinking
April 19, 2013
At 3:05 a.m., a University Police officer on patrol observed a female Chatham University student passed out at the first floor entrance to Wean Hall. CMU EMS responded and aided the female, who regained consciousness. Pittsburgh medics were summoned to handle transportation to UPMC Presbyterian hospital. A citation for underage drinking was issued by mail.
Underage Drinking/Disorderly Conduct
April 21, 2013
At 1:52 a.m., University Police were dispatched to assist Pittsburgh Police officers at the intersection of Wilkins Avenue and Wightman Street. A Pittsburgh ...
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University expands toward Craig Street
by The TartanJan 01, 2013“News
| Chloe Thompson
Attendees of an open Town Hall discussed the fate of Craig Street on Wednesday.
Led by Vice President for Campus Affairs Michael Murphy, the Town Hall informed the audience and the Simonds Commission — which is the group of trustees, faculty, and senior administrators responsible for new projects and renovations to Carnegie Mellon properties — about the development plan for Craig Street. The Town Hall also served as a forum for community members to discuss their own opinions on the project.
Carnegie Mellon owns and leases several properties in the Craig Street area, including the recently acquired diocesan property near Central Catholic High School on Fifth Avenue.
The Institutional Master Plan for Carnegie Mellon outlines the future development of the campus and properties held by the university in the surrounding area. Murphy stressed the university’s desire to strike a balance between collegiate interests and those of the community: “We have to have the right mission, t...
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New SMART IDs to be issued this fall
by The TartanJan 01, 2013“News
| Brian Trimboli
Students were recently asked to vote on a new design for the Carnegie Mellon student ID card.
Next year, every Carnegie Mellon student, faculty member, and staff member will receive a new SMART ID card. Those who currently have a sponsored or affiliated ID will not receive a new SMART card, as the technology on the new cards is being used for public transportation access. Currently, such access is marked by a bus icon on the ID card.
The transition to SMART cards comes as a result of a new agreement between the university and Port Authority of Allegheny County (PAT). According to the HUB’s website, “SMART cards contain a computer chip allowing a cardholder to simply “tap” his or her card on the PAT bus (or incline or T) reader in order to gain transportation access.”
The change in Carnegie Mellon’s agreement with Port Authority also resulted in an increase in the transportation fee that students pay — from $110 to $120, according to the HUB’s website.
Other than the ch...
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Phone game helps illiterate Pakistanis find employment
by The TartanJan 01, 2013“Sci/Tech
| Brooke Kuei
A simple telephone game called Polly hardly seems like a life-changing technology with the potential to aid developing countries. However, Carnegie Mellon Language Technologies Institute professor Roni Rosenfeld and Ph.D. student Agha Ali Raza’s use of Polly to help illiterate people in Pakistan get in touch with prospective employers does indeed have that potential.
Polly is a simple game in which a caller can record a message, add various funny sound effects, and send it to a friend. The user begins the game by calling Polly’s number. “It’s a missed-call mechanism,” Raza said. “When you call, Polly doesn’t pick up, but instead calls you back so you don’t have to pay for the call. This is because the people with whom we are working with are generally poor so they are sensitive about the air-time cost.”
Next, the user records a message. Polly then plays back the message with several different sound effects, such as the “I have to run to the bathroom” effect, the “drunk chipm...
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Students start vodka label
by The TartanJan 01, 2013“Fortis uses distinctive distilling process to create sweet taste
Pillbox
| Amy Tsien
Student-made robots, famous fashion labels, top-notch actors, and world-class writers are born every now and then from Carnegie Mellon. Nevertheless, senior economic and statistics major Doug Heckmann, senior mechanical engineering major Casey Parzych, and senior information systems and business administration double major Anthony Lorubbio still managed to surprise the community by developing their own vodka label, Fortis.
The three have been working on this project since the fall of their junior year. Seeing how well they work together, one would have thought that they have been friends for a long time. Yet, in fact, they did not meet until their entrepreneur class that semester. As a result of their different majors, Heckmann, Parzych, and Lorubbio have knowledge and expertise in all different areas, making them a diverse and extremely strong team.
Fortis' delicately sweet taste differentiates it from other brands, a result of its unique distilling process with fair-trade...
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Track and field teams host, succeed in mini-invite
by The TartanJan 01, 2013“Sports
| Vinay Viswanathan
The men’s track and field team seized victory in its home mini-invitational on March 30, besting squads from Denison University, Allegheny College, SUNY Fredonia, and Waynesburg University. The men’s squad succeeded in both the running and field components of the competition, winning six field events and three track events.
The women’s team placed second behind Waynesburg University, winning four of the five events and scoring 129 points. First-year distance standout Rekha Schnepf said, “I think that for our second outdoor meet, both teams are looking pretty strong.... People are just improving a lot, because after going through indoor, everyone’s had at least a few experiences running in track events.”
The distance teams for both squads are performing at high levels. Sophomore Erin Kiekhaefer, senior Emily Wobb, and sophomore Halley Bayer placed second, third, and fourth respectively in the 1500-meter run. Bayer also won third in the 800-meter run, with a time of 2:25.44. Sen...
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Parties must solve financial crisis before it’s too late
by The TartanJan 01, 2013“Forum
| Tartan Board
When Congress passed the Budget Control Act of 2011, it established a conundrum known as the “fiscal cliff,” which ensured that by January the government would finally address U.S. debt and budget concerns with a comprehensive, long-term solution.
The notion of the fiscal cliff relies on recognizing that the combined effects of across-the-board tax increases and dramatic spending cuts could throw the economy back into a recession. This threat would provide enough incentive for Republicans and Democrats to put aside unnecessary partisan agendas and reach a compromise. This type of guarantee was, by design, intended to increase long-term stability in the U.S. economy.
However, with less than a month remaining before the January deadline, and with Republicans and Democrats locked in a congressional stalemate, the fiscal cliff has lost its original intent.
The American people are growing more uncertain as to whether or not a deal can be reached. The longer Congress waits to c...
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Men’s basketball can’t find winning formula
by The TartanJan 01, 2013“Sports
| Gabrielle West
The Tartans were defeated by the Juniata College Eagles and the Adrian College Bulldogs this week, leaving their record 1–6.
Carnegie Mellon played the Eagles Tuesday in a constant battle for the lead. After the first four minutes of the game, the Tartans lagged behind in scoring, until senior guard Andre Moore was fouled a 15-foot fade-away jumper which he was able to connect on. This shot tied the game with less than a second to go. He missed the and-one attempt at the free-throw line, though, and the Tartans played an additional five minutes in overtime.
The Tartans were unable to score until there was 1:58 left on the clock after the Eagles went on an 8–0 run, which was ended by junior forward Rob Mohen’s jump shot.
Due to their intense defense, the Tartans were able to cut the Eagles’ lead down to six, but they fell short of the win with a final score of 76–70.
Four of the Tartans finished with double-digit points: Junior forward Sean Brophy had 10 while sophomore...
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Hunt Library’s efforts to raise awareness are sweet
by The TartanJan 01, 2013“Forum
| Tartan Board
To thank the student population for enduring the construction in Hunt Library over the semester, University Libraries and Undergraduate Marketing Organization gave out 1,000 cupcakes on Thursday to students in the library.
In addition to the free food, there were trivia questions about the library’s many resources. Students had the chance to win a Google tablet if they answered these questions correctly.
The cupcakes came as a welcome gift at a point in the semester where most students spend too much time holed up in Hunt worrying about their finals. The pastries were certainly popular: Although the library staff advertised that the cupcakes would be available between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., they ran out of cupcakes well before six.
But beyond offering free sugar, staff at the event tried to inform students about the library’s resources, both in Hunt and online. The trivia questions challenged students to learn more about the online databases on the library’s website and the d...
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The happy mask: Carnegie Mellon must address stress culture
by The TartanJan 01, 2013“Forum
| Katie Chironis
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“I can't do this anymore,” my social, |
