2
Monday, April 9, 2001
MIT Plans to Make Course Materials Available on Internet
By Koen de Vries
Staff Writer
The Massachusetts Institute of
Technology announced Thursday that it
plans to put most of its course materials
on the Internet for free - making it acces
sible to both students and the public.
Patti Richards, director of communi
cations at the MIT Lab for Computer
Science, said the program will cost $7.5
million to $lO million annually for each
of the 10 years it will take to put all the
course materials online.
U.S. Seeks Quick Resolution to China Standoff
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON - As the standoff
over the detained crew of a downed
American spy plane entered its second
week, top Bush administration officials
said Sunday a quick resolution was cru
cial to avoid further straining U.S.-
China relations.
Continued delay in sending the 24
Americans home could have repercus
sions on Capitol Hill, said members of
Congress, citing a possible trade fight
later this year and an upcoming decision
on U.S. weapons sales to Taiwan.
The administration refused again to
apologize for the collision between a
Chinese fighter jet and the U.S. plane,
which was forced to make an emergency
landing on an island in southern China.
The Chinese jet and its pilot are missing.
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Richards said MIT is still looking for
the majority of funding for the project.
She emphasized that the program will
span the entire university by incorpo
rating all departments. “It will involve
nearly every course at MIT, but only the
content of the courses.”
Richards said this would include
basic teaching materials such as lecture
notes, course outlines and reading fists.
But she stressed that MIT was not
offering long-distance learning.
“It’s not a substitute for going to
school at MIT,” Richards said. “We are
During the weekend, the Chinese
military took a tough stance on who was
to blame and has called for an end to the
surveillance flights. U.S. officials said the
flights will continue.
Secretary of State Colin Powell said
the United States was “sorry” about the
pilot’s fate as he used a word the admin
istration has generally avoided. But he
emphasized the United States should
not and will not apologize for the colli
sion of the planes.
Powell, Vice President Dick Cheney
and the president’s national security advis
er, Condoleezza Rice, said an extended
standoff threatened to make it harder to
repair relations between the two countries.
“I don’t want to put a timetable on it;
every day that goes by without having it
resolved raises the risks to the long-term
relationship,” Cheney said on NBC’s
looking at the Web in a positive way.
Imagine if every university does this;
what an incredible repository of infor
mation this would create.”
MIT Faculty Chairman Steven
Lerman echoed Richards. He said the
main purpose of putting course materi
als online was for reference.
He added that MIT would not offer
courses online and emphasized that visi
tors to the MIT Web site would not earn
credit. “It’s very much like putting a text
book online,” Lerman said. “This will be
a great reference for research and educa
“Meet the Press.” Administration offi
cials were careful to avoid spelling out
specific consequences of further delay.
Shifting from a diplomatic to a per
sonal level, the White House said the
president was answering the missing
pilot’s distraught wife, who had written
Bush and accused his administration of
being “too cowardly” to offer an apology.
“The purpose of the letter is to
respond in a humanitarian way, in an
American way, to a widow who is griev
ing,” Powell said on “Fox News
Sunday.” “Whatever you think about
the politics of it, she’s lost her husband.”
“We have expressed regrets, we’ve
expressed our sorrow, and we are sorry
that a life was lost,” Powell said, refer
ring to the missing pilot.
. In comparison, he offered this expla
nation for the U.S. position on an apol
News
tion, particularly in developing countries.”
Lerman also said the course materials
would not be for sale. “Obviously
there’s no financial gain, but we are
enhancing the image of our university.”
And he said MIT expects to attract a
worldwide audience. “We’re doing
something useful for the world, doing
the right thing,” Lerman said.
Other Internet sites that provide
course material are not worried about
competition from MIT.
David Heiserman, general manager
at Free-Ed, an Ohio company that offers
ogy to Beijing for the collision: “The
question of apology is something quite
different, because then we are being
asked to accept responsibility. And that
we have not done, can’t do, and there
fore won’t apologize for that.”
Cheney rejected the description of
the crew as “hostages” by Rep. Henry
Hyde, R-111. Cheney said the United
States has access to them and they were
being treated well. But Sen. Christopher
Dodd, D-Conn., said, “We’re getting
precariously close to that.”
Bush spent the weekend at Camp
David, conferring with aides, including
Rice and senior adviser Karen Hughes.
Rice said Bush had not personally called
Chinese President Jiang Zemin because
that is an option he can use one time
and “one (he) wants to use when it real
ly might make a difference.”
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free education resources through its Web
site, said he thinks it is a great initiative.
But Heiserman said he does not think
MlT’s program is a novelty.
“I don’t see how this is different from
World Lecture Hall and other Web sites
where college professors put up notes,"
he said. “But it’s going to save us a lot of
time in putting together our Web site.”
But none of the UNC-system schools
will follow MlT’s footsteps, said
Gretchen Bataille, UNC-system vice
president for academic affairs.
Bataille said some professors already
Campus Calendar
Today
6:45 p.m. -The Black Student
Movement invites all to the African
Dance Extravaganza to be held with
“The Magic of African Rhythm” in
the Union Auditorium. There will be a
dance workshop open to the campus
following the performance at 8 p.m.
Admission is free.
7 p.m. -Carolina Style Dance
Company’s Spring Performance will
take place in Memorial Hall. Tickets are
$4 in advance and $5 at the door. Come
out and enjoy a night of dance!
7:30 p.m. -The Dialectic and
Philanthropic Societies will hold a
debate on the topic “Resolved: The
nations of Europe should each maintain
their own monetary systems.” The regu
lar meeting of the societies will be held in
the Dialectic Chambers, 308 New West
Guests are welcome to attend and speak.
8 p.m. - Sen. Cal Cunningham will
be speaking to the Young Democrats
(Eljp Daily ®ar MM
offer their course materials online, but
that the system does not have the money
to implement a similar program. “We’re
anticipating a budget cut, so we’re not
planning on any decision like that”
She added that she thinks most stu
dents would prefer to see money spent
in other areas. “I think most students in
our system would like to see us spending
money on other priorities, like student
aid and faculty salaries.”
The State & National Editor can be
reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.
in 105 Gardner Hall.
8 p.m. - The first Life Skills
Seminar will take place in 103
Bingham Hall. Attorney Carol Badgett
will be there to give legal advice con
cerning rental contracts and landlords.
Badgett will also answer any questions
about general legal concerns.
Tuesday
6 p.m. - An informal interest
meeting will be held in 431 Greenlaw
Hall for Alpha Epsilon Omega
Christian Sisterhood. All those inter
ested are encouraged to attend.
8 p.m. - Blank Canvas will hold its
annual show at 7:30 p.m. in Memorial
Hall. Tickets are $2 and will be avail
able in the Pit.
alir Saily (Ear Hrrl
Monday, April 9,2001
Volume 109, Issue 27
RO. Box 3257, Chapel Hill, NC 27515
Matt Dees, Editor. 962-4086
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