A mild Thanksgiving
For those of you who will be going home, note that most of the South and the Midwest will see above-average temperature during the Thanksgiving break.
MIT departments launch DEI initiatives
Dozier said that ”we want to make sure we are honoring our commitments and that relies on transparency.” He adds that students should “continue to help us as an administration on how to best serve MIT.
Students returning to their Spring 2020 dorm given priority in housing placements
Director of House Operations Rich Hilton wrote in a Nov. 6 email to undergraduates that staple groups are “guaranteed placement in the same building together” and “may be formed regardless of class year.”
Spring building placements, Thanksgiving, pre-registration
Building placements for Spring 2021 will be shared with undergraduates Nov. 20. The building switch lottery application will be open Nov. 20–Dec. 10.
IAP grading to be A, B, C, D/NE, F/NE, without PE/NE option
Sophomores, juniors, seniors, and graduate students will receive A, B, C, D/NE, and F/NE grades on Independent Activities Period (IAP) subjects. Unlike in the fall term, students will not be able to have a subject graded on PE/NE.
Boston residents celebrate Biden-Harris victory over Trump
The festivities — which included dancing, tossing around a Trump doll, climbing atop lamp posts and traffic lights, and waving Biden-Harris flags — resulted in a traffic standstill and constant honks from cars surrounding the Common.
Spring housing application, drop date
Drop date is Nov. 18. Nov. 18 is also the last day to change a subject to or from PE/NE grading and the last day to petition for a December Advanced Standing Exam.
Remembering biology professor Angelika Amon
Amon mentored over 80 undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers during her 20 years as an MIT professor, according to MIT News.
MIT sees ‘uptick’ in COVID cases
Stuopis wrote that several of the cases were “concentrated among” students at the Sloan School of Management and appear to be the “result of exposure away from campus, and do not reflect spread from person to person on campus.”
DSL launches MIT Reboot for community wellness
The initiative aimed to “recharge” MIT community members’ “minds and bodies” amidst “the pandemic, social unrest, and a contentious election.”
First years, sophomores, and juniors invited back to campus for Spring 2021
According to an FAQ about the spring semester, housing assignments will be shared with students in “late November.” Students will be able to participate in the residential pod program with up to six pod members.
MIT PE offers ‘online conceptual’ swim class
Director of MIT PE Carrie Moore said in a statement to Bloomberg in April that “‘graduating seniors can fulfill their swim test requirement by completing an online program that teaches water safety and introduces swimming fundamentals.’”
GSC issues statement against DHS’s proposed student visa policies
The proposed rule, published Sept. 25, states that it would amend DHS regulations “by changing the admission period of F, J, and I aliens from duration of status to an admission for a fixed time period.”
Glen Shor named MIT’s Executive Vice President and Treasurer
Shor: I would say first of all, now more than ever, I'm extraordinarily proud to be a member of the MIT community. MIT is really living its values and showing its ingenuity and resilience in response to COVID-19.
CAPD releases graduating student survey results
The survey seeks to “determine the plans of graduating students and data that will assist the staff” to “provide the best related and graduate school-related service to MIT students,” the GSS website writes.
SHARP, spring housing applications, Veteran’s Day
The Student Housing Assistance Review Process (SHARP) application is due at noon Nov. 5 for seniors.
Schwarzman College of Computing launches AI Policy Forum
The AI Policy Forum website writes that the forum will develop a policy framework building on “high-level principles on social and ethical issues such as privacy, fairness, bias, transparency, and accountability.”
LEAD postpones microaggressions and bias workshop after Trump executive order
LEAD’s webpage states that the workshop, designed for staff members, would have included an “implicit bias test” for participants and techniques for “disrupting microaggressions.”
Andrea Ghez ’87 awarded 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics
Ghez is currently the Lauren B. Leichtman and Arthur E. Levine Professor of physics and astronomy at the University of California, Los Angeles. She received a B.S. in physics at MIT, and is the 38th MIT alumnus to receive a Nobel Prize.