Budget cuts cause MIT Health to close four Community Wellness programs on May 23
MIT Spouses & Partners Connect, Language Conversation Exchange, getfit, and Step Your Way affected by budget cuts
Vivian Hir–The Tech
In mid-May, MIT Health announced in a letter the closure of the following Community Wellness programs due to budget reductions: MIT Spouses & Partners Connect (MS&PC), Language Conversation Exchange (LCE), getfit, and Step Your Way. All four programs closed on May 23.
Staff members of these programs did not respond to The Tech’s request for comment by time of publication. In an email statement to The Tech, MIT News Office spokesperson Abby Abazorius wrote that the program closures “were carefully considered to ensure they would not impact any part of MIT Health’s core clinical mission.”
“We understand that the loss of these close-knit communities will be felt by participants and others across the institute,”MIT Health stated in their letter. The letter recommended community members make use of other MIT resources, such as the International Scholars Office (ISO) and the Department of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation (DAPER).
Founded in 1972, MS&PC was a support network for the spouses and partners of MIT students, postdocs, staff and faculty who were new to the Boston area. Many members of MS&PC were international spouses, meaning that they needed support and help with relocation, such as learning English or finding a community. The program organized activities and events across many areas, from Parents Connect for first-time parents to Career Connect for people who would like job assistance. In light of the closure, some MS&PC members and MIT community members have coordinated efforts to continue the program through advocacy and awareness.
LCE was an organization that hosted language exchange events for all members of the MIT community, including spouses and partners. “It’s more than learning a language — we connect people across MIT for conversation, cultural exchange, and friendship,” the LCE website said. At monthly lunch events, attendees could practice a language with either native speakers or other language learners. Besides organized events, LCE also offered a language partner matching program in which two language learners could meet up regularly in their free time for conversations.
Eleanor Li ’27 described LCE as an “amazing community,” meeting many people from the lunches. Li enjoyed the conversations she had with other Spanish learners and speakers at LCE, as she got to practice her Spanish while simultaneously learning new things. “The casual chats were fun and I learned about people’s days, passions, and some new Spanish words and expressions!” Li wrote in a statement to The Tech. Li expressed regret that the “unique experience won’t be available” for future MIT community members.
Ling Dong G found being part of LCE to be an “incredibly rewarding” experience. “The program offers a rare space at MIT for genuine, informal cross-cultural dialogue in a low-pressure environment, and gave me the opportunity to connect with members of the MIT community I likely never would have met otherwise,” Dong wrote in a statement to The Tech.
Dong was shocked and disappointed to learn about the closure of the LCE. From Dong’s perspective, LCE was not only a language program, but also a “support system” for the international community at MIT. “The LCE has long served as a point of connection for many in the MIT community — especially international students, their spouses, and visiting scholars — who rely on it not only for to learn different languages and cultures, but also for building community in what can otherwise be a very isolating environment,” Dong wrote.
In her statement, Dong highlighted the loneliness that many international spouses experience when moving to the U.S., as they may not speak English or personally know anyone in the area. Dong views the program’s closure as an “missed opportunity for MIT to reaffirm its commitment to diversity and inclusivity” and a major loss for the “broader MIT community.”
The getfit program was a 12-week winter fitness challenge from early February to April in which teams of five to eight people worked together to achieve weekly exercise goals for individuals and teams based on the number of minutes exercised. These minutes increased each week, from 150 in week 1 to 300 in week 12. Based on the average number of minutes exercised, teams could qualify for weekly prize drawings.
According to the getfit website, nearly 75% of getfit participants said that the fitness challenge made them exercise more. Furthermore, the majority continued to exercise regularly for at least six months after the challenge ended. Some participants noted other benefits, including weight loss and improved muscle tone. According to a 2024 MIT News article, the 2023 challenge had 3,385 participants on 501 teams, with a total of 12,890,676 logged minutes.
Similar to getfit, the Step Your Way program was a six-week challenge in the fall in which participants logged their number of daily steps. Individuals who met the minimum six-week total of 270,000 steps would be entered in a prize drawing.
Catherine Tang ’25 enjoyed getfit because the team-based incentives encouraged her to exercise more regularly during the winter. “I'm disappointed to see this go, as it was a part of my time at MIT [that] I really enjoyed,” Tang wrote in a statement to The Tech.
Alicia Ouyang ’19 G also appreciated getfit for its community, and she believes that the closure of getfit is a sign that MIT Health does “not understand that the investment into preventative health avoids higher costs later down the road.”