Week in Brief

JULIA TIERNAN/YH GOING ONCE...: The South Asian Society raised $841 at a "slave auction" on Wed., Feb. 19, to benefit South Asian community advocacy groups in New York and New Haven.

Trans International Express, operating from New Haven's Tweed Airport, will offer three flights a day to JFK during the week and one flight a day on weekends, according to Edwin V. Selden, executive director of the Tweea

Offering students a special round-trip price for under $100, these new flights could become tough competition for the existing airport transportation services, such as Red Vans and Connecticut Limousine.

New Haven Mayor John DeStefano, Jr., said this proves the once-troubled airport is on the right track. "The city considers this an independent endorsement of the airport's potential," DeStefano spokesperson Michael Kuczkowski said.

--Kate Feather

Law prof to investigate mortgage fraud
City officials have tapped Law School Professor Robert Solomon to serve on a city committee that will investigate real estate speculation in New Haven neighborhoods.

The five-member committee will examine how and why houses in poorer neighborhoods have been "flipped," or sold for prices above their true value because of real estate speculation and alleged mortgage fraud. "We want to investigate flipping, see who's doing it, whether or not the city is being hurt, and if it is being hurt, what we can do about it," Solomon said.

If the committee determines that the speculators are engineering false mortgage appraisals, their actions will be considered fraudulent and will be punishable by law, according to Solomon.

--Alan Schoenfeld

Committee to seek new Saybrook Master
Three months after the resignation and arrest of Saybrook College Master Antonio Lasaga, the University has formed a search committee for a new Master. The committee, made up of five students, three faculty members, and three fellows of Saybrook College, is not directly responsible for naming the Master. Rather, it will recommend 10 to 12 potential candidates to University President Richard Levin, GRD '74, before Spring Break.

Taking into account the delicate circumstances, the committee wants to be certain to consider student concerns. "We're making an effort to cultivate involvement from the students in Saybrook," committee member Catherine Hinsdale, SY '99, said.

An informal coffee break has been scheduled for Mon., Feb. 22, to allow for student input. After three or four more meetings, the committee will send its recommendations to Levin. A final decision is expected by the end of the semester.

--Siobhan Oat-Judge

Yale Model UN earns top honors at Harvard
The Model United Nations Team at Yale (MUNTY) cleaned house at the four-day Harvard National Model UN conference (HNMUN) from Thurs., Feb. 11, to Sun., Feb. 14. The Yale team took the top delegatation crown, and 19 team members won best delegate awards, at HNMUN, the largest college MUN conference.

"[HNMUN] was extremely challenging because we were compe-
ting against 2,500 students from six
continents," said team captain Patrick Bock, PC '00, who won a best delegate award for his performance in the Security Council committee.

Claire Love, MC '02, who won the best delegate award for her performance in the World Health Organization, added, "I think winning [HNMUN] will establish a reputation for MUNTY and will lead to us
being able to attend conferences overseas next year."

--Sheela V. Pai

TYLER MERTES/YH PARTY ON: With additional funds from President Levin the YCC plans to land a big-name Spring Fling band.

Levin pledges more money for Spring Fling
For the second straight year, University President Richard Levin, GRD '74, has stepped in to help bring a big-name band to Spring Fling. Levin has increased his annual contribution to the band fund by "a sizable amount" from the original $25,000, Yale College Council President Zach Kaufman, SY '00, said.

"We needed more money to get the type of big-name band students want to see," Kaufmann said. "With the additional funds [Levin] has provided, we have been aggressively pursuing headlining bands that we can now afford." YCC Spring Fling Chair Jim DiTullio, JE '01, added that the extra money "let us stay a little more realistic with our band choice."

DiTullio confirmed that the YCC is currently considering a handful of bands. According to DiTullio, based on a survey of over 1,500 students, the three main types of music groups requested were hip-hop, pop, and alternative. "We should be hearing something within the next two weeks, hopefully by next week," he said. Kaufman, however, would not reveal the names of the bands with whom the YCC is negotiating because he said such a revelation would jeopardize the process.

The money from Levin goes straight to the band--the YCC has other sources of funding for food, staging, and lighting.

--Alan Schoenfeld

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