A community statement on MIT’s response to hate speech
n the only response from the MIT administration, the Institute opted to call this speech “extreme” and full of “provocative terms.” We will call it what it is: hate speech.
MIT Monologues 2023 takes place, featuring 17 student-written pieces & 250+ attendees
Ma: “The purpose of Monologues is simply a space for marginalized genders and if you give that space, beautiful things will happen no matter what.”
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Mar. 4 is the last day to add full-term subjects to one’s registration or to change grading methods for those subjects.
Springing, blooming, and flourishing (indoors)
The predictably unpredictable weather during the transition to spring is upon us as we see sunny conditions interrupted by cloud blankets and sprinkles of rain this weekend. Expect a storm system moving through the south of Cambridge to bring along light rain and possibly even snow on Saturday; definitely keep an eye out for slushy conditions and dress in layers. We’ll still be able to enjoy a scatter of sunshine before then on Friday, so make sure to get yourself a necessary dose of photosynthesis before bunkering down for the weekend.
MIT Reflections: Does MIT fulfill the values it claims?
Black students entered the event to demonstrate that we will not be silenced and to ensure our experiences are not sanitized for the comfort of others. This effort was organized in response to malicious events that occurred during the first week of classes, but Black people on campus deal with nearly constant affronts that spur our organizing including daily racial aggressions, traumatizing encounters with MIT police, and years-long deferrals on meaningful action to address our needs. What happened the first week of classes, detailed below, is both symbolic and symptomatic of larger issues of anti-Blackness within the Institute.
Student leaders call for real recourse NOW!
To deal with incidents of harassment and discrimination like this, the institute currently presents Institute Harassment and Discrimination Response (IDHR) as the only path for recourse, stating that it is indeed trusted by the grad population. How can this be the case when a survey run by the Association of American Universities reports that 39.4% of grad students reported experiencing harassing behavior, yet less than 1% utilized IDHR?
Posters protesting problematic protection of free expression miss the point
Apparently a very small number of advocates, upset with last year’s Report of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Freedom of Expression and the passage of the MIT Statement on Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom in December, put up posters on campus to protest what they saw was problematic protection of free expression. Their efforts were, no doubt, well-intentioned, but they were, shall we say, strategically questionable.
Cozy minimalist puzzle games to tune out lectures to
These titles are defined by significant roots in computational analysis and graph theory, with many variations of the genre spawning from early analytical problems such as the Seven Bridges of Königsberg and five room puzzles as well as practical obstacles that would eventually define the Sokoban theme.
First impressions of February’s space/simulation-themed indie video game releases
In the most recent lineup of prospective space-venturers and pioneers, three entries stand out: Kerbal Space Program 2, The Last Starship, and Plan B: Terraform. These three indie construction sim/management titles came to early access in February and have already made headway.
Ryan Wilson Shatters NCAA Division III Records in the Indoor 1-Mile and 800 Meter Distances
Ryan Wilson ’22 obliterated the NCAA Division III Records in the Indoor 1-Mile and the 800 meter events at the meets held at Boston University. On Feb. 10, Wilson ran a 3:55.29 at the David Hemery Valentine Invite, well below the vaunted four-minute barrier and more than a full second ahead of the previous record. Two weeks later, at the Last Chance Indoor National Qualifier, Wilson ran a 1:46.61, topping a record set exactly 11 years prior by Ben Scheetz of Amherst College.
The Power of Em Dashes
Yes, em dashes, en dashes, and hyphens aren’t the same.
The Growth Mindset
My fixed mindset was holding me back, not moving me forward.
