MIT’s First Student Life Dean To Retire at End of School Year
Dean for Student Life Larry G. Benedict will retire at the end of this academic year. As the Institute’s first dean for student life, Benedict drew fresh attention to improving the student experience, resulting in the construction and renovation of several dormitories and the expansion of residential dining among other initiatives.
College Tuition Rising at More Than Double the Inflation Rate
Tuition and fees at public and private colleges and universities rose at more than double the rate of inflation, the College Board said in reports released Monday morning.
MIT Plummets in Public Service Rankings; Texas A&M Now Ranked First
While most know about MIT’s slide into seventh place in <i>U.S. News & World Report</i>’s college rankings this year, some might be surprised to learn that in another magazine, MIT fell from first to 13th. This year, political magazine <i>The Washington Monthly</i>, which evaluates schools based on service to the country, ranked Texas A&M University first.
Cardboard Boats Compete In Head of the Zesiger Race
MIT held its first annual Head of the Zesiger Cardboard Boat Regatta Friday, Oct. 19. The event, held one day before the 43rd annual Head of the Charles Regatta, took place in the Zesiger Center Pool and ended with only one boat afloat.
Subcommittee Chosen To Refine Curriculum, Collect GIR Feedback
During last week’s faculty meeting, the MIT Task Force on the Undergraduate Educational Commons announced the formation of a subcommittee to collect feedback on the task force’s recommendations that were released in October 2006 and determine more specific recommendations for changing the curriculum.
Shorts (right)
More women with breast cancer are choosing to have their healthy breast surgically removed along with their affected breast, a new study has found. Almost 5 percent of patients decided to have the radical procedure in 2003, up from just under 2 percent in 1998.
Microsoft Drops Fight Against Antitrust Regulators in Europe
Microsoft has given up its nine-year fight against antitrust regulators in Europe, saying Monday that it would not challenge a court judgment from last month and would share technical information with rivals on terms the software giant had long resisted.
Senator Received Donations From Phone Company Execs
Executives at the two biggest phone companies contributed more than $42,000 in political donations to Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., this year while seeking his support for legal immunity for businesses participating in National Security Agency eavesdropping.
Shorts (left)
Energy experts convened by the world’s scientific academies Monday urged nations to shift swiftly away from coal and other fuels that are the main source of climate-warming greenhouse gases and to provide new energy options for the two billion people who still mostly cook in the dark on wood or dung fires.
Thousands of Evacuees Flee Fires, Find Safety in Chargers’ Stadium
At Qualcomm Stadium, to which thousands of evacuees fled throughout the day Monday to escape approaching fires, the hazy and acrid air pinched the throat. Despite those reminders of the nearby inferno, the stadium seemed an oasis of order.
Hoping to Continue Funding the War, Bush Asks Congress for $196 Billion
President Bush asked Congress on Monday to approve $196 billion to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and other national security programs, setting the stage for a new confrontation with Democrats over the administration’s handling of Iraq.
Conflict Simmers on a Second Kurdish Front in Northern Iraq
Deadly raids into Turkey by Kurdish militants holed up in northern Iraq are the focus of urgent diplomacy, with Turkey threatening invasion of Iraq and the United States begging for restraint while expressing solidarity with Turkish anger.
June or October?
Yesterday’s highs approached, and in some cases surpassed, the 80 degree mark yet again. Logan reached 81 degrees, nearly tying its record of 83 set in 1979. In fact, October to date has averaged more than 5 degrees above normal. Yesterday’s warm readings were typical of late June; our average highs should be near 60°F for late October, with average lows in the mid 40s°F. You can thank the unusual warmth of late on a persistent high pressure pattern that has been advecting the warm air into the Northeast. The warm air advection will be suppressed today by the passage of a cold front, bringing us a period of showers late this afternoon and evening. Expect the rest of the week to be more seasonable and pleasant. Our next chance of rain comes this weekend as a slow-moving system currently in the southern Plains moves our way.
Why the U.S. and Israel Are Strong Allies
The value that the U.S.-Israel relationship has to both partners of the alliance is incalculable not only because of its strategic importance, but also because it projects values that matter deeply to the American people.
Brouhaha Rhythm
There’s nothing like the lack of supervision, combined with a healthy workload, to help me realize how I work best. I’ve already taken great joy in flouting virtually every study habit I’ve ever been told about, like not listening to music with lyrics, or working at my desk instead of on the dinner table (although due to a lack of adequate cash flow for furniture, the two are the same as often as not). When better than college to twiddle with different ways to tool in search of the optimal learning method?
Talking Turkey
OK, so a turkey hangs out in Kendall Square. Big deal — I’ve seen a lot of turkeys in my lifetime. Maybe that’s just because I grew up on a rural Minnesota farm, but that isn’t an explanation for why barely anyone around here seems to know what a turkey is. You see, I walked down the path that leads past Quantum Books into East Cambridge twice a day for over a year. In that time, I saw some pretty strange episodes involving the Kendall Square turkey, affectionately known as Mr. Gobbles. I’ve seen him walking, running, flying, sleeping, munching on grass, and being chased by everyone from obese women to skinny kids.
Through My Eyes
Though my summer was extraordinary, it was also heartrendingly eye-opening. It was more than the suffocating heat, nauseating odor, and hordes of flies. Our group was welcomed by most people, but sometimes I’d find older women gazing scornfully at me, a foreigner marching in with an expensive-looking camera, here to take pictures of their pitiful living conditions.
Squid vs. Whale
Bad things exist along a spectrum. A flat tire in a thunderstorm is unpleasant. Getting jilted hurts really bad. Getting stuck on a bus to New York for eight hours, now, that’s interminably bad.
