NOTICE: Retraction of Vol. 144 Issue 18 Guest Opinion Piece
After careful deliberation amongst the Executive Committee and our faculty advisors, we have decided to pull this article, which was signed by the MIT Coalition for Palestine (C4P), from publication. This article is being retracted in full. Our decision was made in light of increasing hostile rhetoric and action against Professor Daniela Rus and her laboratory.
NOTICE: Opinion Section Temporarily Suspended Until Further Notice
The Tech Editorial Board has identified critical flaws in the standard operating procedures of our Opinion section that we feel must be corrected before we continue to publish articles from this section. We at The Tech adhere to the highest journalistic standards, and we see it as a serious disservice to the Institute community to continue operating this section without having addressed these issues.
Trump within reach of victory as votes are tallied
Note from the Editor-in-chief: This piece will be updated as the results from the election continue to be reported.
MIT Runs on Dunkin’
Donuts, dollars, and dismissals: The Student Center Dunkin’ encounters friction between management, ownership, and MIT.
For Your Thoughts: American Healthcare
Each time I make a visit to a hospital, I am austerely reminded, no niceties spared, that our glorious nation’s top-of-the-line medical system is in complete and utter shambles.
News Analysis: A Wider War in the Middle East
The information laid out in this article is gathered through cross-referenced fact finding from independent primary news sources with correspondence capabilities in the Middle East as well as from verified secondary reporting and publicly available documents.
“ESP is imploding”: Crises, overhauls, and cancellations plague Educational Studies Program into the fall semester
Publisher’s Note: The information presented in this article is a synthesis of several interviews held with current and former members of ESP alongside extensive internal and external documentation reviewed by The Tech. These accounts, and references to consequential incidents and executive-level decisions made that underscored the group’s current state of affairs, were corroborated by documented information—such as meeting reports and internally-circulated records, emails, and private text messages among members—obtained by The Tech.
I Saw a Stranger on the Street Today
I long to be next to the strangers that could have been my entire world. But there’s a reason we’re strangers, now. A reason that when I look into their eyes, I don’t see anything but distance. A reason why our orbits drifted apart.
Into uncharted territory: The Coalition for Palestine and the challenges of a student movement entering its sophomore year
As the fourth week of fall semester approaches and students have begun to lock in their calendars and schedules over the coming months, an unexpected calm takes hold. Coming from the heels of the most chaotic spring semester in recent history—as the ongoing Israel-Hamas war continues to shake up communities nationwide—many had expected the fall semester to have begun the same way the previous one ended: conflict and pandemonium.
Institute sees precipitous decline in racial minority enrollment for incoming class year
MIT’s incoming Class of 2028 is the least racially diverse in recent memory. In the Institute’s first admitted class following the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down affirmative action, 16 percent of students are Black, Hispanic, Native American and Pacific Islander, a significant decrease from the 25 percent in an aggregated profile for the previous four classes.
Words of love, words of life: MTG’s “Spelling Bee” spins a spellbinding tale of the evolution of self
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Radio Silence
I could scream and yell and plead for help all I want, but I will never get a response. All I will be met with is radio silence.
The subliminal mindf**k America: Green Day and the pitfalls of anti-establishmentarianism
Green Day had sweet-talked me into an image of them as the working class heroes of a new anarchist generation—but as someone whose politics runs quite leftist, much of the meta-messaging in the concert fell quite flat.
Course 6-7 curriculum restyled as explosive rise of machine learning takes hold in academia
Early this month, the Registrar’s Office published an updated MIT Bulletin for the 2024–2025 academic year and introduced significant modifications to course curricula for numerous departments, including Course 6-7 (Computer Science and Molecular Biology).
Zesiger pool assault under police investigation, new facility policies implemented in response
On July 25, a Timely Warning notice was made public following five reported incidents of indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of 14 at the Zesiger Sports and Fitness Center. The assault is said to have occurred on July 24 between 7:30 a.m. and 8:50 a.m. while the victims were swimming in the lap pool. The suspect, described as a male around 30 years old with a mustache, was last seen wearing a lime green shirt and carrying a duffel bag.
State police respond to road rage shooting near Sailing Pavilion
On August 18 at around 5 p.m., state and city police swarmed an intersection of Memorial Drive near the MIT Sailing Pavilion in response to an incident that has since been labelled a “road rage shooting.”
Rifts amongst faculty laid bare in closed-door meetings amidst interim student suspensions and heightened campus tensions
Publisher’s Note: The two faculty meetings described in this article on May 15 and May 17 were held in executive session as closed-door discussions. The information presented is a synthesis of several interviews held with attendees of the meeting and other individuals familiar with the situation. These accounts were corroborated by additional documentation obtained by The Tech.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ’75 SM ‘76 slams alma mater in congressional speech as Washington erupts in protest
“It’s not only the campus protesters who get it wrong. It’s also the people who run those campuses,” Netanyahu said, about halfway through his speech. “Eighty years after the Holocaust, the presidents of Harvard, Penn, and I’m ashamed to say my alma mater MIT couldn’t bring themselves to condemn the calls for the genocide of Jews.”
Pro-Palestinian student protestors receive notices of suspension from MIT administration
This is a developing story. Updates are issued live as new developments in the situation occur. Headlines are subject to change.
Breaking: MIT President Sally Kornbluth announces Deadline for clearing Pro-Palestinian encampment in Kresge Oval
In a statement to the MIT community at 1:44 p.m. May 6, MIT President Sally Kornbluth set a deadline for clearing a Pro-Palestinian encampment of 2:30 p.m. A letter signed by Chancellor Melissa Nobles to those within the encampment warned of varying degrees of academic suspension to students who remained.
Voices, Voices
What more glorious purpose is there to behold than the all-consuming act of eternal war with oneself?
Future of Latino Cultural Center uncertain as Sin LíMITe, Latino CPW events face low turnout in spring semester
The Spring 2024 cohorts for Sin LíMITe and Ebony Affair were both opened for all admitted students, regardless of cultural or ethnic identification. Sin LíMITe’s 2024 cohort dropped in enrollment to around 40 students, which also included some participants who did not identify as Latino—a first for the program.
Interphase EDGE hit with declined enrollment for current cohort amidst student speculation of broader trends
Student enrollment for the 2024 Interphase EDGE program has reportedly declined to around 30 students, according to student sources.
Premature reports of Noam Chomsky’s death refuted by account from family of ongoing recovery
In June, reports of renowned linguist, philosopher, and political activist Noam Chomsky’s apparent death surfaced across several news sites and social media platforms.
Independence Day celebrations ensue with annual Boston fireworks show
On the evening of July 4, thousands of spectators gathered around the Charles River esplanade to watch the annual Boston Independence Day fireworks show.
Celtics parade attracts hundreds of thousands to the streets in celebration of Celtics’ 18th NBA championship
On Friday, June 21, hundreds of thousands of Bostonians—with some reports placing the estimate of attendees to over a million—took to the streets geared in bright green to celebrate the Boston-based basketball team Boston Celtics’ 18th championship title, their first championship win in 16 years.
Music Listening
On my good days, it was punk. On my bad ones, it was goth. At my worst, it was Penelope Scott.
Israeli and Jewish students celebrate community and culture amidst pro-Palestinian protests
In the final weeks of the semester, Israeli and Jewish students came together on a number of occasions to celebrate community, culture, and identity in the aftermath of pro-Palestinian protests on campus.
Majority of interim student suspensions stemming from on-campus pro-Palestinian protests lifted
23 different students received these suspensions; over the following weeks, they engaged in what they described as stressful, demoralizing meetings with representatives of the administration while continuing to engage in increasingly escalated process action, in a weeks-long review process that ultimately saw many of these sanctions lifted.
Dear Ex-Girlfriend
When I met you in the fall, you were just what I needed.
Spaceman fudges an impossibly cosmic setting to half-heartedly deliver a deeply human drama
As Spaceman concludes its nearly two-hour runtime, I can’t help but feel disappointed. I have really mixed feelings from this film — its message is fantastic, its theming is exquisite, its pacing is messy, and its execution is downright abysmal.
After the firehose: the Class of 2024 reflect upon their time at the Institute amidst commencement celebrations
On May 31, the Institute’s Class of 2024 gathered at Killian Court for the Undergraduate Ceremony, part of three day commencement proceedings. 1099 undergraduates received their diplomas.
Physics Professor Or Hen speaks out on campus protests and student conduct
Editor-in-chief’s note: This piece touches upon the ongoing war in Palestine, including associated acts of rape and killing.
In Memoriam: Jerome Connor ’53 SM ‘54 ScD ‘59
Jerome Connor ’53 SM ’54 ScD ’59, Professor Emeritus of Civil & Environmental Engineering, passed away on Mar. 31. Connor was an alumnus of the civil engineering department and taught as a tenured professor at the Institute for nearly six decades.
In Memoriam: David Lanning PhD ’63
David Lanning PhD ’63, Professor Emeritus of Nuclear Science and Engineering, passed away on Apr. 26 at the age of 96.
Pro-Palestinian student encampment clashes with administration, police force and counterprotestors
As the pro-Palestinian Scientists Against Genocide Encampment pressed on with its third week holding Kresge Oval, its continued presence has escalated into numerous clashes between the encampment and MIT officials, law enforcement at the municipal and state level, and pro-Israeli counterprotestors.
Protestors march from Cambridge City Hall to MIT calling for end to Israeli intervention in Gaza
The nationwide event, titled “Hands Off Rafah,” came after the Israeli government announced that its forces would move into Rafah, a city in the Gaza Strip.
The Boy and the Heron explores grief, acceptance, and Hayao Miyazaki’s inability to retire
The Boy and the Heron is an animated fantasy film about a boy moving to the countryside, encountering a paranormal creature, and subsequently accidentally-ing himself into a magical new realm where he learns about himself and his family in the process.
King of the Castle presents an immersive party game themed around medieval political intrigue
In all regards, King of the Castle is a near-perfect game. Its specific blend of Reigns and Dungeons & Dragons works surprisingly well, and makes for a really immersive roleplaying experience; I struggle to give it anything other than a perfect score.
The Last Worker: An absurdist anti-capitalist narrative that takes itself a tad too seriously
Despite its absurdist premise — Kurt works in a rundown shipping facility the size of Manhattan and the height of the Empire State Building, is accompanied by a robot drone with a Scottish accent, and dispatches the most whimsical products imaginable — The Last Worker takes itself as seriously as much as any story can.
Scars Above offers an intense sci-fi Soulslike experience with more fieldwork than fighting
It’s not a AAA title, so a certain level of jank and iffy design is to be expected — but for an AA-level studio, Scars Above is worth checking out for those action-adventurers looking for that unique Death Stranding/Dark Souls/Mass Effect amalgamation that this game offers.
First impressions of February’s space/simulation-themed indie video game releases
In the most recent lineup of prospective space-venturers and pioneers, three entries stand out: Kerbal Space Program 2, The Last Starship, and Plan B: Terraform. These three indie construction sim/management titles came to early access in February and have already made headway.
Cozy minimalist puzzle games to tune out lectures to
These titles are defined by significant roots in computational analysis and graph theory, with many variations of the genre spawning from early analytical problems such as the Seven Bridges of Königsberg and five room puzzles as well as practical obstacles that would eventually define the Sokoban theme.
Blue Man Group splashes into rhythm
“The character doesn’t speak. You have to be very expressive with just your body, and you get to really play with all of the implicit body language stuff that is active in everyday life and interactions. It really comes to the forefront in a Blue Man Group show when you’re not able to use words and yet you have to carry along a story and make sure the audience is there with you, understanding what you’re trying to put across.”