Who is calling snow days at the Institute?
Many Boston universities and colleges have closed at least once this year due to winter weather, but MIT has remained open. Whether MIT closes is up to three or four top administrators. The Tech spoke to Chancellor Cynthia Barnhart PhD ’88 and John DiFava, the director of facilities operations and security, to find out how the decision is made.
Cause of death of Sidney Pacific resident remains undetermined
The cause of the death of Hadi Kasab, the 23-year-old graduate student who was found dead in his room last Thursday evening, had not yet been released at press time Monday.
Capital Cities and Flosstradamus to co-headline SpringFest concert
The Undergraduate Association Events Committee announced Monday night that artists Capital Cities and Flosstradamus will be co-headlining the concert during this year’s SpringFest on Saturday, April 26 in the Johnson Athletic Center.
Graduate student Hadi Kasab dead
Kasab was a graduate student in Computation for Design and Optimization and was a resident of the Sidney Pacific graduate residence.
SAT changes set to take effect in 2016
The College Board announced significant changes Wednesday to the SAT test, which is commonly used in college admissions. The news prompted a flurry of discussion across the country as students and educators alike debated the merits of the major redesign.
Humans of MIT features members of MIT community
Inspired by Brandon Stanton’s popular photoblog Humans of New York (HONY), Humans of MIT is a blog-style portrait of life at MIT.
CORRECTIONS
An article by Siva Nagarajan in the March 4 issue of The Tech incorrectly listed him as a Sports Writer.
Christie returns to the national spotlight
OXON HILL, Md. — In a return to the national political stage, Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey sought Thursday to both ingratiate himself with conservative activists and press them to broaden the appeal of the Republican Party, warning that “we’ve got to start to talk about what we are for and not what we are against.”
IN SHORT
Come to the Wellesley College Blue Notes’ concert next Saturday, March 15th at 7 p.m. and help support the Collier Memorial Fund! The concert will be held in Wellesley’s Jewett Center. More info on the group can be found at https://www.facebook.com/wcbluenotes, and any questions can be directed to ekapnick@wellesley.edu.
77 crosswalk sees timing adjustment
Urban Studies and Planning lecturer Ezra H. Glenn felt like he was waiting longer this year to cross the street at 77 Massachusetts Avenue, so he emailed Cambridge’s planning office “at the risk of sounding like a crank” and found that, indeed, ten seconds had been added to the length of the green light for vehicles.
February FNL released
The January/February Edition of the MIT Faculty Newsletter opens strongly with Prof. Hal Abelson PhD ’73, Nathan Matias G, and Ethan Zuckerman’s open letter to President L. Rafael Reif regarding Tidbit alongside Reif’s response.
Putin intends to cripple Ukraine
MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin has left little doubt he intends to cripple Ukraine’s new government, forcing it to make concessions or face the de facto partition of areas populated predominantly by ethnic Russians, from the Crimea to Odessa to the industrial heartland in the east.
CORRECTIONS
In an article about the MIT men’s volleyball team in the Friday, Feb. 28 issue of The Tech, the headline incorrectly implied MIT had an upcoming match with Juniata College. New Paltz, MIT’s opponents in the match covered by the article, were in fact the ones scheduled to face Juniata.
NEWS BRIEFS
An email sent Sunday from Burton Conner housemaster Anne E.C. McCants to the dorm’s residents notified the recipients of the most recent in a series of thefts to occur in the dorm. According to the email, a male claiming to be an MIT security employee gained entrance to the Conner 5 Lounge and left with a PS4 gaming system after the student who confronted him went to notify the police.
Demolition of Bexley awaits Corp. approval
Four months after the Department of Facilities and the Division of Student Life recommended the demolition of the dormitory, the future of Bexley Hall and 50 Massachusetts Ave. has yet to be determined.
Faculty briefed on shortage of 500–600 grad dorm beds
The Graduate Student Housing Working Group continues to solicit feedback on a January draft report, which says that the unmet demand for on-campus graduate student housing totals approximately 500–600 beds.
CORRECTIONS
In the caption to the front page picture of Alcator C-Mod in the Tuesday, Feb. 25 issue of The Tech, Massachusetts State Representative Jay Livingstone was incorrectly referenced as a Massachusetts Congressman. We regret the error.
Fraternities, sororities, and ILGs by 2013 GPA
The Division for Student Life released its Fall 2013 grade report for fraternities, sororities, and independent living groups on Wednesday. The average GPA for sorority sisters in the Fall 2013 semester was 4.46. The average GPA for fraternity brothers was 4.33. The average GPA for members of independent living groups was 4.44. The average GPA for all FSILGs was 4.38. Between Spring 2012 and Fall 2013, pika fell from 1st place to 25th place. In the same time, Tau Epsilon Phi rose from 14th place to 1st place. MIT has 39 FSILGs.