Student leaders consider governance overhaul
At the Undergraduate Association (UA) Senate meeting on Monday, March 28, UA President Vrajesh Y. Modi ’11 proposed a total overhaul of the UA Constitution to address internal organizational issues, in conjunction with 42 UAS 14.2, the Bill to Unify the Undergraduate Student Voice at MIT. The UA passed a bill proposed by Senate Speaker Jonté M. Craighead ’13 — 42 UAS 14.1 — which formed an ad-hoc committee to review the current structure of the UA and to consider the changes proposed in 14.2. Together, the bills may mark the beginning of the end of the UA Senate.
McCormick refugees flee to MacG, BC
Sophomores and juniors at McCormick Hall have been given the option of moving to Burton Conner or MacGregor next fall due to dissatisfaction with the new dining plan. The former McCormick residents will be integrated as formal residents of their new houses, residing in non-dining communities that maintain the single-sex aspect of living in McCormick.
Disaster-struck Japan faces power gap for months
TOKYO — The term “rolling blackouts” has become shorthand for noting one way Japan is trying to cope with its national calamity.
Referendum exposes dining dislike
From March 16 to March 17, students cast ballots not only to elect the next Undergraduate Association’s (UA) president and vice president, but also to respond to the dining referendum sponsored by UA Senator Shuang Chen ’13 of Simmons Hall. A vast majority elected Allan E. Miramonti ’13 and Alec C. Lai ’13, the only official running ticket, to the presidency; likewise, a majority of students expressed mild to strong disapproval of both the new dining plan recommended by the House Dining Advisory Group (HDAG) as well as the process by which HDAG proposed recommendations for the plan.
Medical panelists may have financial conflicts of interest
Doctors with private financial conflicts of interest dominated some of the panels that wrote guidelines on cardiovascular health in recent years, according to a medical journal study released Monday.
Researcher’s post goes viral
As the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in the Pacific brought the world’s third-largest economy to its knees, millions of people around the globe watched with baited breath to see whether Japan’s damaged nuclear reactor, Fukushima I, would be the next Chernobyl. Two days later, a blog post entitled “Why I am not worried about Japan’s nuclear reactors” went live on , a site which was registered that same day. Only hours later, Jim J. Cramer of CNBC’s Mad Money called the post — after it was reproduced at — the “best piece on the nuke issue,” via Twitter. The original author of the post? Josef Oehmen, a researcher at MIT’s Lean Advancement Initiative (LAI).
Ethnic clashes fuel debate over US plan to leave Iraq
KIRKUK, Iraq — Many in this divided city want U.S. troops to stay longer than President Barack Obama’s administration has said they will, and a tense standoff last week showed why. Kurdish troops from the north were in positions on the outskirts of Arab neighborhoods.
CORRECTIONS
Due to editorial deadlines, a March 18 opinion column about the nuclear reactors at Fukushima includes a timeline of events only through March 15. Developments between March 15 and March 18 are not reflected in the column.
MIT dominates USNWR graduate science and engineering rankings
MIT took the top spot in nearly all science specialties and many engineering specialties in U.S. News and World Report’s (USNWR) recently-released 2012 graduate school rankings. MIT was ranked first in overall engineering and ranked third behind Stanford and Harvard for business.
UA might see drastic changes
Three bills proposing major restructuring to the UA was presented to the Senate last night. Two of the bills, one submitted by Vrajesh Y. Modi ’11, current President of the UA, and the other submitted by Jonté D. Craighead ’13, current Speaker of the Senate. Both offer competing solutions to the problem of fragmentation among the five undergraduate governing bodies: UA, IFC, DormCon, Panhel, and LGC.
Student shuts down laptop thief
Yesterday at 12:30 p.m., a suspected laptop thief was caught and handcuffed in the Stata Center after CSAIL researchers chased him down. Wesley D. Graybill G said that he saw the suspect making a dash for the exit, jumped in front of him, and slammed him into the wall. The suspect slipped by, but Graybill chased him down and was able to pull him to the ground. The researcher caught up and held down the suspect until the Campus Police arrived.
CORRECTIONS
An article published on Tuesday about the UA debate omitted Alexander W. Dehnert ’12 from a list of UA officials who have recently resigned. In February, Dehnert resigned as Living Group Council Senator and UA Chief of Information Technology.
Fact or fiction?
Have you been wondering what “Fact or Fiction” means, or what Gossip Girl, Glee, and BU have to do with women at MIT? Jessica L. Trudeau, Fact or Fiction committee head and program administrator at the MIT Community Development and Substance Abuse Center (CDSA) describes Fact or Fiction as a media campaign — created by the CDSA — to “challenge MIT undergraduate women to think about female identity at the Institute.”
Nuclear plant safety questioned by scientist group
With Japan’s nuclear industry facing intense scrutiny after the devastating earthquake and tsunami, critics of nuclear power in the United States are increasingly shining a spotlight on U.S. regulators and power companies.
US relations with Saudi Arabia chilled
WASHINGTON — The brutal crackdown in Bahrain poses the greatest Middle East democracy dilemma yet to the Obama administration, deepening a rift with its most important Arab ally, Saudi Arabia, while potentially strengthening the influence of its biggest nemesis, Iran.
UA Finance Board Spring II allocation results
Note: Spring 2011 marks the first time FinBoard has allocated funds in two spring cycles. This year, funding from Spring I allocations rolls over to Spring II; some groups did not submit Spring II budgets.