Experts discuss Boston busing anniversary To commemorate the 30-year anniversary of court ordered school desegregation through busing in Boston, a Ford Hall Forum sponsored lecture was held Thursday at the Old South Meeting House. A panel of experts and Boston Public School and city officials spoke about the 1974 decision. Despite progress, panelists and audience members agreed on certain areas that still need the school board’s attention, including the need for greater community involvement in schools and further student preparation for jobs with sufficient salaries. Panelists included lecturer Ron Ferguson from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, Ted Landsmark, chairman of a mayoral task force on current school assignment policy and Ellen Guiney, executive director of the Boston Plan for Excellence in Public Schools. “There were some very hard years for children in Boston Public Schools,” Guiney said. “I don’t want to paint too rosy a picture though, there are still hard times and there is lots of work ahead.”

Physical Therapy Club to hold fund-raiser The Physical Therapy Club will hold a fund-raiser to benefit the Free Wheelchair Mission charity Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Bell in Hand Bar near the Haymarket MBTA stop. The charity transports and assembles simple plastic wheelchairs for third-world countries whose citizens are in need of wheelchairs but cannot afford them, said senior Kate Violet, the Physical Therapy Club’s president. “It’s a smaller charity … we were thinking about doing [a fund-raiser] for the March of Dimes or something, but this charity is up-and-coming,” Violet said. “These people in third world countries, they can’t afford to get a wheelchair; they’re just so unfortunate.” The event is open to everyone 21 and older, with $10 tickets available at the door. For more information, visit www.ptd.neu.edu/ptclub.

SGA announces first round of nominees The nomination process has begun for the Student Government Association (SGA), which will hold a special election for its president at a joint senate meeting Oct. 28. Two nominations have already been put forward, said interim President Erin McFadzen, including Bill Durkin, current vice president for academic affairs and Nicole Martino, current vice president for student services. “I think nominations are going well,” McFadzen said. “I’m looking forward to filling the seat and moving on with SGA’s agenda for the year, as we have been trying to do for the last few weeks.” Daniel Quintal, former SGA parliamentarian, was also nominated, but must first submit his allegedly expired senator nomination forms before being eligible to run for president, said Vice President for Administration and Public Relations John Guilfoil. Nominations will close Oct. 21 at noon, one week before elections, McFadzen said.

Chartwells CEO to speak at Stetson West The Xhibition Kitchen in the Stetson West dining hall will be hosting Steve Sweeney, the CEO of Chartwells, Wednesday at noon. Sweeney, an accomplished chef who has won various awards for food presentation in New York and Boston hotel and restaurant shows, will demonstrate to students how to make quick soups they can whip up in their residence hall kitchens, said Debbie Fantasia, campus marketing manager for Chartwells. “He chose the subject just thinking students were coming into the cold weather,” Fantasia said. Fantasia said the event could be useful to upperclass students who have their own kitchens as well as freshmen who are looking forward to upperclass housing. The event is included with students’ meal options, Fantasia said, and anyone can “just come in and grab lunch and come back to the XK and watch the presentation.”

Time runs out for voter registration The Student Government Association (SGA) is putting together one final effort to help register students to vote in the upcoming presidential election before the Massachusetts state deadline passes today. According to U.S. Census polls, only one in five 18 to 24-year-olds voted in the 2000 presidential election. SGA is doing its best to help change that, starting with the NU campus, said Vice President for Academic Affairs Bill Durkin. In addition to working with the Resident Student Association to register students in the residence halls, SGA will have a table out in the library quad for last-minute registration, Durkin said. “I think if we can get the [young voters] out there, then we can really make a difference in the election,” Durkin said. “We saw in 2000 in certain states that our votes do matter.”