Houston for Commencement
Drew W. Houston ’05, co-founder and CEO of Dropbox, the online file storage service, will be the keynote speaker for the graduating class of 2013 at MIT’s 147th Commencement on June 7, 2013. While Khan Academy founder and 2012 speaker Salman A. Khan ’98 was MIT’s youngest commencement speaker in at least 30 years, Houston is even younger at 29 years of age. He won’t be more than a couple of years older than many of the addressees receiving graduate degrees.
$25 million for international development initiatives
MIT will receive up to $25 million in funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) as one of seven university partners in a newly-launched Higher Education Solutions Network. The network aims to engage institutions of higher education in addressing global development challenges. USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah hopes this initiative will “recapture the legacy of science, technology and innovation as core drivers of development — as well as inspire and support the next generation of development leaders.”
Fiscal cliff on the horizon
Unless Congress can come to a compromise regarding the fiscal cliff before the start of 2013, MIT could face up to a 10 percent cut in its federal research funding, affecting both students and faculty. The fiscal cliff refers to the mandate set by the Budget Control Act of 2011 that the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction agree on a $1.2 trillion deficit reduction package by Nov. 23, 2011; otherwise, roughly $400 billion in immediate budget cuts, or sequestration, automatically become effective in 2013.
Three months of Hubway bike sharing: how’s it going?
Yesterday was Hubway’s three-month anniversary of being on MIT’s campus since the two stations in front of Building W11 and the Stata Center opened.
Students speak on hype of Election Day Tuesday
Every election day is a historic day for the American people. But for MIT students, did it seem like “just another school day?”
MIT does not spell M-I-T-T
Didn’t think twice about wearing your MIT shirt to vote in Kresge this Tuesday? Neither did people voting in other parts of the country. Two women, one in Boca Raton, FL and another in Denver, CO, were stopped at their respective polling places for wearing MIT-branded clothing. Poll workers at both places believed that the garments, bearing the letters “MIT”, violated the state’s electioneering law, which forbids expressing support in any fashion for or against a candidate within 100 feet of a polling place.
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.
New dining: year 2
After going into effect Fall 2011 following widespread campus controversy, the house dining plans saw higher enrollment this year compared to last year, according to statistics from MIT Dining.
IN SHORT
Don’t forget to vote! For those registered to vote at Kresge with their MIT address, bring an ID and a proof of residence. This can be a paycheck from MIT, a bank statement, or a utilities bill with your campus address on it. If you don’t have these, undergrads can contact Bridgette Kelly (kellyb@mit.edu) in the Housing Office in W59 and graduate students can contact graduatehousing@mit.edu to get a proof of residence letter.
MIT Gangnam Style: gone viral
After a couple tantalizing teasers, MIT students woke up on the morning of Oct. 27 to the full-fledged “MIT Gangnam Style” video taking the Internet by storm. Since then, the MIT parody of Korean popstar Psy’s sensational “Gangnam Style” — which has skyrocketed to worldwide popularity — has garnered over 4 million views.
Siddiqui ’95 loses appeal before 2nd Circuit
Aafia Siddiqui ’95 lost her appeal before the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit yesterday morning. She was convicted in February 2010, and then appealed.
Is MIT red or blue?
Have you ever wondered whether your professor leaned right or left politically? This election season, MIT faculty and staff have given more than $300,000 in direct financial contributions to the presidential campaigns since April 2011, according to public data provided by the Federal Election Commission.
Underclassmen donate $4,000
The Underclassmen Giving Campaign (UGC) wrapped up last Friday, with students donating a total of $3966 to fund their classmates’ public service projects. As in past years, an anonymous MIT alumnus will match all student donations, doubling the amount raised to $7932.
Peer Ears: here to listen
Feeling stressed but don’t know what to do? Starting next spring, students will be able to take advantage of a new student-run program called Peer Ears, designed to allow students, or “peer ears,” to refer their peers in need to the proper MIT support resources. The program was founded by Divya Srinivasan ’13 and Emad Taliep ’14, who felt that many students were not always sure where to go if they encountered a problem. Unlike MedLinks, however, peer ears will not be trained to handle mental health issues themselves.