Letters to the Editor
As one of the steering committee members of the Israel@60 week at MIT, I was perplexed and bothered by the placement of a blatantly anti-Israel ad in the Tuesday, May 13 edition of <i>The Tech</i>. The events we coordinated were designed to celebrate Israeli culture and the contributions of Israeli society with a general good will toward sections of the student demographic that may share divergent attitudes toward Israel. The week was explicitly non-political, non-propagandistic, and strictly NOT anti-Palestinian/Arab.
The Graduate Student Council: A Year Ahead
It is well-known that MIT is unique in its path-shaping commitment to the pursuit of knowledge and in the translation of cutting-edge research into the practical realm. Less well-known is that MIT is unique, compared to other major universities, in having graduate students make up a significant majority of our 10,000-strong student body.
Corrections
Because of an editing error, the article “Head of Mechanical Engineering Dept. Will Leave His Post in July” (Friday, May 9) implied that outgoing department chair Rohan Abeyaratne said he wanted to hire more energy researchers working on “micro and nanotechnology.” While he said the lab should continue to increase its energy research, he has actually already hired “micro and nanotechnology” faculty experts during his tenure as department chair; he did not say that the department should hire more.
Knowing When to Ask for Help
I’m not depressed. I don’t have suicidal thoughts, and in no way do I view killing myself as an answer to anything. But for the past school year, I’ve been seeing a psychiatrist at MIT Medical. Why? Well, because sometimes, there’s just no one else to talk to.
Stop Spying on Freshmen
The Inter-Fraternity Council recruitment rules this year include mandatory use of the Clearinghouse system.
Cheat Sleep!
Sleep deprivation is one of the oldest forms of torture. A good night’s sleep is one of life’s best cheap thrills.
Affordable Dental Care for Graduate Students
Most MIT graduate students lack dental insurance and defer dental care as a result. At present, to obtain dental care, graduate students must either pay for services in full, have insurance under their own prepaid plans from private insurers, or have coverage under their parents’ or spouse’s plans.
Improving Nutrition at MIT
There is no way around fueling your body if your hope is to have success, energy, and health. Many MIT students lack the basic nutritional balance needed to perform at their highest cognitive and/or physical potential.
Letters to the Editor
Given the endless attention in the past few issues to China’s human rights abuses as the summer Olympics in Beijing approach, I thought this photograph (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3128202.stm) found in a German archive could spark further discussion about possible parallels between China today and Nazi Germany.
Creating an Open Dialogue Between Students and Medical
As the clinical director for campus life at MIT Medical, I’ve been fortunate to partner with dedicated and passionate students to advance many health-related projects in the last six years. During that time, my colleagues at MIT Medical and I have given considerable thought to approaches to support the health of individual students, but also the entire campus community. As a means of advancing this dialogue, I’d like to share our philosophy with you and discuss some areas where we can continue to improve.
Woes of Urgent Care
Students enrolled at MIT are guaranteed free access to help at Urgent Care, regardless of whether they use the MIT Student Extended Insurance Plan or an outside provider. Sounds great, right? Free round-the-clock coverage for problems such as strep throat or headache, conveniently located right on campus.
About Resilience and Mental Health
Since coming to MIT Mental Health in 2002, I have been impressed by the resilience of MIT students.
Letters to the Editor
In the last issue of the Tech, Miguel Valença Pires G has labeled the response of the MIT Chinese student community to recent cartoons as “a type of attack,” raising a question “what chance do more basic human rights stand?” However, the author misunderstands the response of Chinese students and I do not agree that it is a type of attack. Moreover, I doubt that the author even knows what <i>basic</i> human rights means, especially to people living in China.
Foreign Policy Principles for the Next Administration
Restoring America’s standing in the world must surely rank as the next administration’s foremost priority. Unfortunately, the three remaining presidential candidates have yet to articulate a clear strategy for achieving this (admittedly daunting) objective. Whoever prevails in November should ground their strategy in seven principles and policies. I do not regard the first three as particularly controversial — the experiences of the past decade or so yield them quite naturally — and, as such, I present them without comment:
Letters to the Editor
In the May 2 issue of <i>The Tech</i>, Miguel Valença Pires describes the reaction of some Chinese students to the cartoons critical of their country as a personal “attack,” and advises “brushing aside the criticism” or “taking it at face value.”
Letters to the Editor
I have never really been too energized about the cause of Tibet (worthy, no doubt, but just not one of my “pet” causes) and was somewhat ambivalent on the whole issue of the Olympics in China. On one hand, it would be nice to have the Olympics hosted in a place that was more representative of the values the Games are so frequently said to stand for, on the other hand it would be a bit hypocritical of me not to allow my televised sports entertainment to come from a place that already produces pretty much everything else I consume. Even the fact that China is taking this chance as an opportunity to show off its new-found wealth didn’t bother me — hosting and competing in Olympic Games has always been about nationalism, determining who has the best genes, the best doctors, the best coaches, and sometimes even the best athletes. However, the seemingly organized uproar that has been created by an apparently significant portion of the Chinese population at MIT and elsewhere to the vocal criticisms of a few semi-organized activists has managed to change my mind.
Corrections
Because of a typographical error, the April 15 editorial “COD Should Face Tough Questions” misstated the middle initial of the Committee on Discipline’s former chair. He is George E. Apostolakis, not George J. Apostolakis.