Speaker tackles social communities

Brian Laban / The Dartmouth Brian Laban / The Dartmouth Social communities online groups and interactive websites utilize in order to share experiences and solve problems must be developed to facilitate better relations between people, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute professor James Hendler said in a lecture, "We Are the Web: The Rise of the Social Machine," at the Thayer School of Engineering on Friday.

Historian tackles Jefferson's beliefs

Jon Odland / The Dartmouth Jon Odland / The Dartmouth Thomas Jefferson's skepticism of traditional Christian beliefs shaped his legacy and the religious views of others who lived at his Virginia estate, Annette Gordon-Reed '81 said Thursday in the lecture "Slavery, the Enlightenment, and Religion at Monticello." Gordon-Reed, the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize in history for her 2008 book "The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family," spoke to faculty, students and community members, as well as some of her own former professors, at Dartmouth Hall on Thursday. Jefferson was an Enlightenment-influenced deist who believed God was a "clockmaker" who created the universe but who does not interfere with human affairs, Gordon-Reed said.

Sig Ep physical plant to undergo construction

Courtesy of the Town of Hanover Courtesy of the Town of Hanover The physical plant of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity will undergo major reconstruction over the upcoming Summer term, in an expansion project costing an estimated $2.1 million, according to documents on the renovation filed with the Town of Hanover.

Prof seeks to clarify Life Sciences Center expense

Chris Parker / The Dartmouth Senior Staff Chris Parker / The Dartmouth Senior Staff Public conceptions of the construction costs of the Class of 1978 Life Sciences Center suffer from "misunderstandings and misinformation," professor Thomas Jack, chair of the department of biological sciences, said in a statement to The Dartmouth. A recent letter to the editor published in the Valley News questioned the necessity of the expenses of the ongoing construction of the LSC in light of recent budget cuts, according to biology professor Mark McPeek. Jack, who is away from Hanover and was not immediately available for comment, submitted the statement to clarify the project's costs, as well as its goal of incorporating sustainable building practices and providing a learning space for students. The LSC has been a public point of contention since February, when College President Jim Yong Kim discussed proposed budget cuts that included staff layoffs to a meeting of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Faculty members at the meeting questioned sacrificing staff while continuing construction of the Life Sciences Center and Visual Arts Center. The letter published in the Valley News exaggerated the costs of the construction, McPeek said. The costs are estimated at approximately $90 million, Jack wrote in the letter. The Class of 1978 contributed $40 million toward the construction of the LSC, The Dartmouth previously reported. The $9 million yearly cost to the College that has been publicly discussed "refers primarily to debt service associated with financing of the LSC, which must be paid whether or not we complete and occupy the LSC" Jack said in the letter. The College issued over $400 million in bonds in May 2008 in order to help pay for several construction projects, including the LSC, The Dartmouth previously reported. In addition to being energy efficient, the new space will "fill a serious need for classroom space on campus" and provide the lab space that will enable "the education of the next generation of scientists," Jack wrote. McPeek echoed Jack's assertions that the LSC is a worthwhile investment, even as cuts are being made in other departments of the College. While ceasing other construction projects "makes financial sense," leaving the LSC project unfinished does not, he said. "The College would lose an exorbitant amount of money if they stopped now," he added. McPeek also emphasized the long-term savings the College would gain from construction of the Life Sciences Center.

Talks highlights security issues of Google Health

Galen Pospisil / The Dartmouth Galen Pospisil / The Dartmouth Google Health, Google's new health information system, allows patients, doctors and pharmacists to share medical information over the Internet, but the sensitive nature of medical information presents unique security challenges, according to Google security engineer Umesh Shankar.

Folt steps in as full-time provost

Dean of the Faculty Carol Folt to serve as Provost

Tanner clarifies new health care act

Laura Diez / The Dartmouth Staff Laura Diez / The Dartmouth Staff Michael Tanner, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, broke the new Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act down to the basics at a lecture titled, "Health Care Reform: What Just Happened?!?" held at the Rockefeller Center on Tuesday.

Topside, Food Court to relocate

Doug Gonzalez / The Dartmouth Senior Staff Doug Gonzalez / The Dartmouth Senior Staff Thayer Dining Hall will be completely closed for renovations this Summer, and all Food Court operations will be relocated to the Courtyard Cafe in the Hopkins Center, according to acting Director of Dartmouth Dining Services David Newlove.

Sagan urges stricter nuclear controls

Students discuss liberal arts in Kuwait

Malina Simmers / The Dartmouth Malina Simmers / The Dartmouth The American University in Kuwait, the country's first private liberal arts university, faces a challenge in establishing a liberal arts curriculum in the divergent educational culture of Middle East's Gulf Region.