Mandatory Dining is Gone for Ashdown Undergraduates
MIT has quietly discontinued a novel mandatory dining fee program in which approximately 50 undergraduates living in a dormitory were required to pay $600 this fall and in return got free dinner five nights a week.
Hard Times in Workplace Mean More Grad Apps
As jobs get scarcer, several graduate departments at MIT are experiencing a jump in applications for the 2009 school year. Departments anticipate a drop in acceptance and enrollment, partially due to increased financial caution in the current recession.
Madoff Collapse Wipes Out $2M Grant from Picower Foundation
In 2002, the Barbara and Jeffry Picower Foundation gave MIT $50 million to build building 46 and establish what’s now the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT. At the time, the Picower Foundation had $1 billion in assets.
Governor Patrick Selected to Speak at 2009 Commencement
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, leader in clean energy policy and proponent of education and research, will give this year’s commencement address. Those involved in the decision and student leaders praised the choice, while students’ opinions ranged from impressed to indifferent.
Technology Leaves Fingerprints on the Stimulus Bill
To rally support for his administration’s economic recovery bill last week, President Barack Obama invited about a dozen chief executives, seven of them from technology and energy companies, to the Oval Office.
Brass Rat Unveiled;LHC, Koch Highlight New Additions to Ring
Unveiled amid laughter and hijinx at Kresge Auditorium last Friday, the Class of 2011 Brass Rat features a forward-facing beaver and all the usual winks and nods, this year depicting the goddess Athena, hackers on the Dome, and a salute to the newly-completed Large Hadron Collider.
Ragon Donates $100 Million to Start HIV Research Institute Near Kendall
MIT alumnus Phillip T. Ragon ’71 pledged $100 million last Wednesday to fund a multidisciplinary research institute dedicated to developing an HIV vaccine. The Ragon Institute will bring together scientists, engineers, and doctors from MIT, Harvard, and Massachusetts General Hospital under Bruce Walker, an AIDS researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Mingling Wit with Wisdom, Ninja Motivator’ Teaches
Josh Shipp is in your face, but on your side. Last Sunday evening, the twenty-something “motivational ninja” spoke at Kresge Auditorium to a crowd of about 200, pausing in between wisecracks to encourage students to make positive choices.
Majority Vote on GIRs Isn’t Good Enough at Special Faculty Mtg.
The faculty defeated a motion to revise the General Institute Requirements on Wednesday. The vote, 81 to 69 in favor of the motion, lacked the three-fifths majority required to amend the rules and regulations of the faculty, which govern the current GIRs.
ATO Departs MacGregor, Repairs To Their House Not Yet Finished
The Alpha Tau Omega house, damaged last summer from a pipe leak, has completed repairs and is undergoing inspections. ATO plans to move into the house in late March to early April, pending housing approval by the Cambridge Licensing Commission.
MIT Senior Bartolotta, Star Basketball Player, Plans to Play Pro Ball
At first, Jimmy Bartolotta laughed at the thought of bringing his considerable basketball skills to Massachusetts Institute of Technology, envisioning a comical scene of ball-playing nerds, the rocket scientists of tomorrow, being stomped game after game by teams filled with dumb jocks. But he wound up there anyway, where he leads his team and his conference in scoring and now wants to destroy the myth that eggheads can’t play.
News Briefs
According to one of its owners, the popular Goosebeary’s food truck will return to its familiar location next to MIT Medical next week, ending an approximately 4-week hiatus. Members of the MIT community were baffled by the disappearance.
Police Log
<i>The following incidents were reported to the MIT Police between Oct. 24, 2008 and Jan. 15, 2009. This summary does not include incidents such as false alarms, general service calls, or medical shuttles.</i>
Proportion of African- American Students Who Pass A.P. Exams Low
More than 15 percent of the three million students who graduated from public high schools last year passed at least one Advanced Placement exam, the College Board said Wednesday, but African-American students were still far less likely to have passed, or to even have taken, an A.P. exam than white, Hispanic or Asian students.
Curriculum Changes Proposed
MIT worked toward revamping its General Institute Requirements in 2008. Possible curriculum reforms would simplify the structure of the HASS requirement, add flavors to core science classes, and introduce pilot versions of broad-themed humanities classes geared towards freshman.
Students Ask for More Involvement
Several important events relating to changes in housing policies and hacking incidents affected students in the past year. Student perception of being omitted in several important decisions led to the creation of a student group voicing these concerns. A newly formed Task Force attempted to tackle some of these concerns and increase student involvement in the decision-making process.
From the Editor
As the next semester begins, <i>The Tech</i> looks back on the news stories of 2008 with this <i>Year in Review</i>. Take a moment to look back at the many news stories that affected MIT, and the handful of MIT events that impacted the nation.