news-features

JHU students build houses in Fla. - Instead of basking in the Bahamas, 12 students volunteered for

By Mollie Bailey | April 4, 2002

Over Spring Break, 12 students from Hopkins went to Jacksonville, Fla. to participate in Habitat for Humanity's Collegiate Challenge. We spent a week working with Habijax volunteers, staff and homeowners building a house at 1006 Tyler St. Most of us, myself included, had never participated in Habitat before and we didn't really know anything about the program, so we were not sure what to expect.

SLAC demands unreasonable

  | April 4, 2002

The Student Labor Action Committee (SLAC) staged a rally on the Homewood Campus this Wednesday to repeat its perennial demand that the University administration pay all of its workers and sub-contracted employees a "living wage." While we cannot fault SLAC for its tireless commitment to securing sufficient wages for all Hopkins employees, the group has once again espoused views that seem both uninformed and unreasonable.

Krieger Lab adds 50 new Dell computers

By Euna Lhee | March 28, 2002

The Homewood Academic Computing (HAC) Lab in Krieger Hall recently underwent a few innovations during Intersession, most significant being the appearance of 50 Dell Optiplex GX240 computers. Generously donated by the Dell Computer Corporation, the black, fully-loaded computers are the most current, top-of-the-line Optiplex models equipped with flat screens, Pentium IVs and new drives.

Ushering in spring with Walters exhibit

By Zainab Cheema | March 28, 2002

Perhaps there is a subconscious link between spring and Impressionist art that museums are tapping into. This season, both the BMA and Walters Art Gallery are showcasing exhibits on Impressionism as though to drive home the parallel between raw energy of brush stroke on canvas with the pulses of awakening life outside. While the BMA concentrates on the life and works of the English master J.M.W. Turner, the Walters has staged a broader, fast-paced, more comprehensive exhibit. The title says it all; "The Age of Impressionism" recreates the movement's whole momentum by skillfully organizing the canvases of Corot, Courbet, Manet, Morisot, Monet, Sissley, Pissaro, Cezanne, Renoir, Degas, Gaugin and Matisse, among others.

Dayenu: Enough is enough - Sine Qua Non

By David Leiman | March 28, 2002

An Open Letter from President Bush to Yasser Arafat: Dear Yasser, It has been a while since we last spoke. I think you know that I have been disappointed in your performance regarding achieving a cease-fire. Last week, I sent my envoy, Anthony Zinni, to meet with you and even had Vice President Dick Cheney in the area in the hopes that we were all prepared to sit down and solidify an agreement; this overture was met with three suicide bombers in as many days.

Monopoly has a knock-down chokelock on Americans

By Craig Smith | March 28, 2002

You've all played it countless times with your family or friends. "Monopoly," more so than any other board game, is America's game. But contrary to popular belief and unlike Allah, it hasn't always been around. In fact, it dates back about 70 years.

Van drivers scour Baltimore - From break-ups to drunks, Hopkins van drivers witness it all

By Maha Jafri | March 28, 2002

While the weather sucks and the meal plan may rob you blind, you can always count on help at Johns Hopkins - from the security van drivers. Ah, the heroes of Homewood, always available to take you to Superfresh or Sammy - without them, most of us would be doomed to wander the streets drunkenly on the weekends or do without groceries. Until 3 a.m., these guys are your ticket to anywhere in a one-mile radius. So who are these mysterious characters with the walkie-talkies? Why do they drive the vans? And what do they have to put up with to earn their pay?

Security to track crime via computer

By Cara Gitlin | March 28, 2002

In an effort to better monitor the residences of students living off-campus, Johns Hopkins Security is working on a computer program that will map out the locations of various crimes committed in the surrounding areas.

Post break slump - Seriously Mock-Serious

By Dave Debruin | March 28, 2002

Welcome back to lovely Baltimore, ladies and gents. I would like to be the first to congratulate you on surviving 10 days away from Orgo, Physics and all of the other rewarding and intellectually stimulating lectures you have done without over Spring Break. Tough times for all, no doubt. But let me reassure you, I'm just as motivated as you are to get right back into the swing of things.

Transit fix needed

By Maha Jafri | March 28, 2002

Last spring, students in Matthew Crenson's course, Baltimore: Place and Race, created a short documentary video, Sick Transit, examining Baltimore's lack of adequate transportation and the effect it has on the population of Baltimore City. The piece gives a brief history of public transportation in Baltimore and directly and indirectly addresses the issues of suburbanization, urban poverty in Baltimore City, and examines the role that public transit plays in what kind of jobs are available to city residents.

A two-faced Master Plan

  | March 28, 2002

For the last two years, these pages have featured many articles about the Master Plan, most of them negative. Three of the four undergraduate classes have not enjoyed an entire year free from the sound of jackhammers and the peril of construction trucks navigating Homewood's winding roads.

A subversive plan to boost revenue - Or, how lowering Maryland's drinking age to 18 will move Hopkins up in the rankings

By Charles Donefer | March 28, 2002

It goes without saying that in your time at college, someone has brought up, over some fraudulently obtained drinks, the issue of the drinking age. We've all heard the tirade: If citizens between the ages of 18 and 20 can vote, drive and are expected to fight and die for their country, why can't they enjoy a cold, refreshing beer before being shipped off to Afghanistan, Yemen, the Philippines or wherever else we're sending troops these days?

Cool games, ancient roots

By Carlos Salazar | March 28, 2002

Some of the most popular board games have ancient origins, dating back centuries. In some cases, they even predate the wheel. Games played by many American children have far-flung foreign origins and fascinating histories. Here are but a few of the most curious examples.

Last week's answers and winner

  | March 28, 2002

The winner of last week's quiz was Raj Chopra. Come around to the Gatehouse on Tuesday or Wednesday night to pick up your booze and munchies certificate.

Hopkins' Zerhouni picked to lead NIH

By Mike Spector | March 28, 2002

President Bush officially announced his nomination of Dr. Elias Zerhouni to direct the National Institutes of Health (NIH) this past Tuesday in a ceremony held in the East Room of the White House. Zerhouni is currently the Executive Vice Dean of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and now awaits confirmation from the Senate before he can fill the position.

Renovations ongoing in Garland basement

By Yasmin Madraswala | March 28, 2002

Starting in mid-February, the Office of Facilities Management began renovations in the basement of Garland Hall, which included demolition, construction and asbestos abatement. The renovations will affect certain student services offices, Hopkins Information Technology Services (HITS) and other various offices including the Office of the General Counsel.