Portions of SidPac to close for repairs
Sidney-Pacific, MIT’s largest singles graduate dormitory, will undergo renovations starting this coming summer to replace the main heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system. As a result, sections of the building will be temporarily closed for renewal, displacing 370 residents from their rooms to other ends of the dormitory, off-campus, or elsewhere in the graduate dormitory system.
Barnhart announces period of reflection after death of Wang
President L. Rafael Reif announced Tuesday the death of Phoebe Wang ’17, who local media reported was found dead in her MacGregor dorm room. In response to her death, as well as the deaths of several other members of the MIT community in recent months, Chancellor Cynthia A. Barnhart PhD ’88 and student leaders will call on the community to spend 15 minutes this coming Monday at noon to reflect on the effects of the recent deaths.
Reif announces death of Phoebe Wang, sophomore in mechanical engineering
Phoebe Wang '17, an undergraduate student residing in MacGregor House, has died, President L. Rafael Reif said in an email to members of the MIT community on Tuesday evening.
Task Force releases report on proposed education reforms
The Institute-wide Task Force on the Future of MIT Education, whose scope is as sweeping as it sounds, wants to rethink pedagogy at MIT and enable “modularity” and “flexibility” in courses.
‘MIT Strong’ team to race in marathon
MIT has backed its own team, MIT Strong, to run the 2014 Boston Marathon in memory of MIT Police Officer Sean Collier, who died in violence following bombings at the 2013 marathon.The MIT Strong team is made up of 40 individuals, both affiliated and unaffiliated with MIT. A diverse group composed of students, faculty members, alumni, and facilities workers will be running the marathon on the team.
Sharma and Ndengeyingoma win election for UA presidency
On March 21, after weeks of campaigns from three tickets, Shruti Sharma ’15 and Billy Ndengeyingoma ’15 emerged as the winners of this year’s Undergraduate Association elections for president and vice president. In preparation for their upcoming administration, Sharma and Ndengeyingoma have described three overarching themes for their tenure on their campaign website: the MIT educational experience, communication and visibility, and the residential campus of the 21st century.
Three UA tickets face off in debate on student issues
This year’s Undergraduate Association (UA) President/Vice President debate, co-hosted by The Tech and the UA Wednesday evening, featured three tickets. Each pair of candidates discussed the merits of their platform and addressed campus-wide issues, from student government transparency to dealing with student concerns over Title IX.
Alcator C-Mod experiment operates with restored funds
In a large, press-filled event at MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC) Monday, scientists and legislators celebrated the restoration of funding to Alcator C-Mod. The ceremony began with the press of a giant red button, signifying the restart of nuclear fusion experiments at the facility.
Haldun Anil elected as next president of IFC Exec Board
This year the Interfraternity Council (IFC) will be led by Haldun Anil ’15, a member of Theta Chi who will serve as the president of the newly-elected executive board. The organization, according to Anil, has hopes of “bettering communication to outside entities” and working towards a state where “we as a campus are much more connected and there is a stronger bond in [the] community.”
‘Boston ban’ imposed on Boston FSILGs
In late October, the Boston Licensing Board (BLB) put assembly limits in place for MIT’s Boston-based fraternities, sororities, and living groups (FSILGs), effectively restricting social gatherings by setting the assembly limit equal to the residency limit. These limits have continued into IAP. There are hopes for Boston to approve the licenses by the beginning of the Spring semester. The restriction continues to impact all FSILGs on the Boston side, including 19 of MIT’s 27 fraternities, 3 of the 6 sororities, and 2 of the 6 independent living groups.
Four MIT seniors are among Marshall Scholarship winners
Four MIT seniors recently received the prestigious Marshall Scholarship. According to the MIT News Office press release, these undergraduates — Kirin J. Sinha, Catherine E. Koch, Colleen Loynachan, and Grace C. Young — will join the 30 other U.S. winners in pursuing a graduate degree for two years at the U.K. institution of their choice.
Reif joins manufacturing group
On Sept. 26, the White House announced that President L. Rafael Reif will co-chair the newly formed Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (AMP) Steering Committee 2.0. This committee, launched by President Barack Obama to strengthen U.S. manufacturing, was formed from the recommendations of a previous Advanced Manufacturing Partnership Steering Committee that reported its findings in July 2012. AMP 2.0 is composed of public university presidents and private industry CEOs from throughout the U.S.
Housing increases dorm occupancy
Two weeks ago, MIT Housing announced that six undergraduate dorms will be undergoing a temporary housing increase for the fall semester. MIT Housing sent an email to each student living in the affected dorms listing the specific rooms in their dorm that will have increased occupancy.
Students discuss the value of the dining plans
The five MIT dining halls on campus — and their respective food quality — have produced a variety of comments, both good and bad, from students around the Institute. According to The Tech’s online survey, students tend to pick the lowest meal plan available to them. Moreover, given the choice, many students would prefer meal plans much lower than their own. When asked what they would change about dining at MIT, students responded saying they wished for rollover meals (where not used meals would be transferred to more meals the next week), relax the requirement for underclassmen to subscribe to costly meal plans, and add more variety to the food while also making the plans more friendly to those with dietary restrictions (i.e. vegan-friendly).
Rao/Cornish on plans for UA
This year’s winning ticket of the Undergraduate Association (UA) Presidential/Vice Presidential election is Sidhanth “Sid” P. Rao ’14/Devin T Cornish ’14, who ran unopposed as the other ticket was disqualified when its vice presidential candidate withdrew. As Rao and Cornish prepare to take office, they have decided to create a plan to implement changes in both the UA and the MIT community, all under the paradigm of their campaign slogan: “a vision with a checklist.”
EECS considers 6-M major
This year’s new 6.S02 survey course is a first foray into what is proposed to be the new 6-M (“6-Medical”) major within Course 6 (Electrical Engineering and Computer Science). 6.02 (Intro to EECS II) is a required lab class for Course 6 majors, but was not taught this spring. In its place appeared 6.S02, Intro to EECS II from a Medical Technology Perspective, which will also be the only 6.02 option next Spring. The new 6-M major has gained popularity as a concept among students currently enrolled in 6.S02, though the class has also garnered criticism from enrolled students about how the class is taught — because the class is in its first iteration, there are still many kinks to iron out.
IAP brings changes, challenges
Independent Activities Period (IAP) is a time for many students to travel or intern off-campus, while others come back to campus early to take classes, participate in coding and design challenges, or attend some of the numerous student-run activities offered during January. Although one might expect IAP to be a quiet time on-campus since not all students have returned, January was a busy month at the Institute.
The faces of student support: the deans in 5-104
Miri Skolnik’s office is filled with a number of comfortable blue chairs, a couple of pictures, and a plain desk. Skolnik, an Assistant Dean at S ^ 3, says she loves MIT students but wishes some aspects of MIT culture would change.
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: 21 bringing down the house
On a windy Tuesday night this past week, the Lecture Series Committee ran a presentation centered around one of the most prominent references to MIT in pop culture. In the dimly light room 26-100 stood Jeff Ma ’94, the inspiration for the main character of the movie being screened: 21. Next to him was Ben Mezrich, renowned author of Bringing Down the House, which piqued Kevin Spacey’s interest in a story of MIT nerds taking down Las Vegas’ casinos (Spacey played an MIT lecturer who coached the team).
Rules of the job search
With this year’s corporate recruiting period in full swing, students and companies both sometimes seem unaware of the corporate recruiting rules set by the MIT Careers Office. Companies have been interviewing MIT students since recruiting at Fall Career Fair on Sept. 21, but while companies are allowed to schedule interviews on any day they wish, the Careers Office imposes rules that generally aim to restrict interviews from clashing and work to reduce stress and conflicts for students.
Delayed CityDays sees lower turnout
While previously a community service event involving only freshmen and some upperclassmen leaders during Orientation week, this year’s CityDays was publicized as a service opportunity for the entire undergraduate and graduate community and took place on Oct. 9, the Tuesday of the long Columbus Day weekend.
Freshmen fare well on ASEs
The Class of 2016 showed typical or better than average overall performance on the Fall semester Advanced Standing Exams (ASEs).