By Jessica Torrez-Riley

September 11 Tribute and Vigil to host filmmaker The fifth annual September 11 Tribute and Candlelight Vigil will take place at 7 p.m. Monday, September 11 on Krentzman Quad. The Budget Review Committee provided funds to bring documentary filmmaker Ric Burns to the event. Burns’ latest documentary is about the rise and fall of the World Trade Center. The Pep Band and the Downbeats will also perform. The tribute is sponsored by the Student Government Association, Kappa Sigma Fraternity, the College Republicans, Northeastern Democrats, the Resident Student Association (RSA), the Pep Band, the Downbeats and the Spiritual Life Center. The rain location will be in the West Addition of the Curry Student Center.

– Jessica Torrez-Riley, News Staff

Apple, Dell issue battery recalls for affected laptops Last Friday, Apple Computer, Inc. recalled the lithium-ion rechargeable batteries manufactured by Sony for the 12-inch iBook G4 and the 12- and 15-inch PowerBook G4 because of a potential fire hazard due to overheating. Apple is urging customers to stop using their batteries and order a replacement immediately. The batteries were sold worldwide from October 2003 to August 2006, and Apple is offering a worldwide exchange program to replace the defective batteries with new ones free of charge. To see a list of recalled serial numbers and for more information, go to the Apple website at support.apple.com/batteryprograms. Dell also recalled 4.1 million Sony manufactured lithium-ion batteries for their notebook computers, which were sold from April 2004 to August 2006. More information can be found at www.dellbatteryprogram.com.

– Jessica Torrez-Riley, News Staff

Journalism professor awarded for work in field Walter Robinson, the newest professor at the Northeastern School of Journalism, was one of five New England journalists awarded the 2006 Yankee Quill Award for their work in the field of journalism. The award will be presented by the Academy of New England Journalists at the Omni Parker House Nov. 16. Robinson worked at the Boston Globe for over 30 years and won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2003. He graduated from Northeastern in 1974. The other recipients of the award are: Gary Lapierre, managing editor on WBZ radio; David Offer, executive editor of Central Maine Newspapers; Chris Powell, vice president and managing editor of the Journal Inquirer and William Lloyd Garrison, editor of the abolitionist paper The Liberator in the 1830s.

– Jessica Torrez-Riley, News Staff

SAT scores nationwide take sharpest drop since ’75 The College Board announced last week that the combined average SAT score for the high school class of 2006 dropped seven points from last year. It was the biggest one-year drop since 1974-75. The average math score was 518 out of a possible 800 points, down two points from last year, and the reading average was 503, down five points. The length of the SAT was extended to three hours and 45 minutes when a writing section was added in 2005. The price of the new SAT rose from $28.50 to $41.50. The number of students taking the SAT declined by 1.5 million. Men outscored women on the math and critical reading sections by an average 37 points, but women scored an average 11 points higher on the new writing section, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.

– Jessica Torrez-Riley, News Staff

Menino directs city agencies to assist with move-in In order to ensure a smooth transition for Boston college students moving into popular off-campus areas like Allston and Brighton, Mayor Thomas Menino directed all housing enforcement and city agencies to provide extra assistance and resources during the busy move-in period. Mayor Menino started the 2006 Student Turnover Campaign last Thursday by participating in a walk-through of the heavily-populated areas and handed out “Welcome to Boston” packets, which contained important information for first-time residents. The purpose of the campaign is to help prevent common problems that arise when large numbers of students simultaneously move out and move into leased apartments during the first week of September, according to a release from the Mayor’s office. Problems include major traffic violations, excess garbage and debris on the streets, as well as units that violate sanitary codes. For any apartments that don’t meet sanitary and safety standards, the mayor opened a 24-hour hotline for students to call and request an inspection. City inspectors and officials will also be out in force making surprise inspections, directing traffic, ticketing for trash infractions, and helping with the flow of traffic.

– Jessica Torrez-Riley, News Staff