Editor’s note
In 2016, MIT turned its focus outward, developing new ways to take action on research, elaborating on the part of the Institute’s mission that commits it to “bring knowledge to bear on the world’s greatest challenges.” Within MIT, students took action to engage the administration on issues of identity, politics, and student life.
Banned undergraduate students allowed to return to MIT
The two undergraduates who had been barred from returning to MIT by President Donald J. Trump’s executive order on immigration were welcomed back to campus Feb. 3.
Letter from the Editor
The Tech printed its first issue in 1881, in the year of the twentieth anniversary of MIT's founding. The founding board of editors set a mission for the fledgling publication, brought into being by “public spirit:” The Tech would provide “an avenue for the expression of public opinion.”
Letter from the Editor
From ongoing research and new publications, to awards, events, and initiatives, there is no shortage of news on MIT’s campus. Between start-ups, student life, classes, and competitions, how should we judge what to report on, and what to leave aside?
Immigration order blocks two from campus
Two undergraduates are unable to return to campus after an executive order issued Jan. 27 by President Donald J. Trump barred nationals of seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the U.S.
Trump blocks student’s return to MIT
MIT undergraduate Niki Mossafer Rahmati ’18 was denied re-entry to the United States because she is an Iranian citizen.
Admins race to respond to EO within court's window
MIT President L. Rafael Reif called Friday’s executive order on immigration “a stunning violation of our deepest American values.”
Students protest in D.C. on inauguration weekend
Standing on the National Mall on Friday, I was immersed in a crowd of red ‘Make America Great Again’ caps and fuzzy gray ‘Trump’ beanies. Mist condensed into light rain as Donald J. Trump began his inaugural address.
Attorney: no comment on judge’s reasons for ‘dangerousness’ ruling
Angel De La Cruz, a student in Course 6 and a resident of Senior House, was ordered held without bail Jan. 13 for allegedly possessing firearms in his dorm room.
MIT student held without bail for allegedly keeping guns in his dorm room
Angel De La Cruz, a student in Course 6 and a resident of Senior House, has been ordered held without bail for allegedly possessing firearms in his dorm room. His hearing is scheduled for Feb. 13.
John Kerry urges climate action in MIT address
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urged action on climate change at an address Monday morning at MIT’s Sloan School of Management, while voicing confidence in the economic potential of renewable energy to drive positive change.
Nazi quote in Baker under investigation by MIT Police
MIT Campus Police and the Title IX Office are investigating an incident in which a phrase invoking the Holocaust was found written on a whiteboard in Baker House.
In case of DACA repeal, MIT will fight for undocumented students
Undocumented students would be able to continue their studies at MIT even if DACA were repealed, Chancellor Cynthia Barnhart PhD ’88 said at a UA Council meeting on Nov. 30.
Tim Cook, Apple CEO, to be 2017 commencement speaker
Timothy D. Cook, chief executive officer of Apple, Inc., will be the commencement speaker for the Class of 2017.
With new CAP procedures, more students return to MIT
The percentage of students who successfully applied to return to MIT after having been on leave increased to 98 percent this fall, from a historical average of roughly 70 percent.
How to leave MIT (and come back)
Over 30 students have taken time off from the Institute through the “leave of absence” designation implemented by the Committee on Academic Performance last spring.
Respecting the process, opposing the outcome
Americans voted in a legitimate election Tuesday, and the result was that Donald J. Trump will serve as the 45th president of the United States.
Survey to assess declining 6-1 enrollment goes undergrad-wide
A survey created to assess declining enrollment in Course 6-1 (Electrical Engineering) has been repurposed into an undergraduate-wide survey regarding students’ perceptions of academic majors.
75% of undergrads drank underage, The Tech's survey on alcohol and drug use finds
A majority of MIT students have never smoked tobacco or marijuana, but drink alcohol on a monthly or weekly basis. Most feel confident in their ability to care for someone who they believe has had too much to drink; in the 12 months prior to taking The Tech’s alcohol and drug survey, 45 percent of respondents had encountered at least one person they thought was in physical danger as a result of alcohol poisoning. Respondents from Senior House, fraternities, and off-campus living groups were more likely than other students to have tried marijuana in the year before the survey was administered.
Adam Littlefield, PKT resident assistant, dies
Adam Littlefield, a student at the New England School of Law and graduate resident assisstant of MIT’s Phi Kappa Theta fraternity, died Sunday morning.
Sprinkler causes flood in New House entrance
The latest water damage to New House was not caused by another burst pipe, as some residents feared, but by a sprinkler triggered when an air conditioning unit in the house manager’s office overheated early Tuesday morning.
Student killed, three others injured, by allegedly drunk driver
Esquivel was a rising senior in Course 6-3. From Healdsburg, California, he was in New York for the summer interning at the mobile marketing firm, Appboy. He was a co-captain of the wrestling team, and a brother of Lambda Chi Alpha. In an email to the MIT community, Chancellor Barnhart wrote, “We are a tightknit community, and we will continue to care for and turn to each other during this difficult period.”
Committee to explore ideas for future of MIT OpenCourseWare
The 12-member committee is charged with reviewing and “refreshing” OCW’s original goals, as well as identifying paths for the future of OCW. In doing so, they will survey other open education providers and technologies, as well as gather feedback from within MIT.
DSL realignment consolidates support resources
In an effort to improve coordination between student support resources, four existing programs will be combined into a new department under the DSL: S3, VPR, Student Disability Services (SDS), and Community Development and Substance Abuse (CDSA).
Admissions reports record-high yield for class of 2020
A record-high percentage of students admitted to the class of 2020 will attend MIT next fall.
New House faces possible destruction
New House will need to be “thoroughly repaired or demolished,” DormCon President Kate Farris ’17 said in an email.
Institute launches $5 billion comprehensive campaign
Called the MIT Campaign for a Better World, the initiative has already garnered $2.6 billion from more than 77,000 donors.
RAK Week connects people across campus
An open mic night in the Media Lab Friday evening marked the finale of RAK Week, a week-long series of events on campus aimed to help people “connect through small acts of kindness.”
CAP report recommends creation of “leave of absence”
A two-year “leave of absence” and a reaffirmation that students on leave are expected to return to the Institute to complete their degrees are among the recommendations detailed in a report released yesterday by the Committee on Academic Performance (CAP).
MIT mulls ending in-dorm summer storage
Undergraduates may have to find places other than their dorms to store their belongings over the summer.
UA leaders to review gov’t diversity after vote to endorse BSU recommendations fails
The Undergraduate Association Executive Board will be conducting a survey to evaluate the UA’s diversity across multiple lines of identity including race and gender. The survey is motivated in part by a vote by the outgoing UA Council to not endorse a set of recommendations made by the Black Students’ Union (BSU).
Humphreys resigns post as Senior Associate Dean for Residential Life and Dining
Henry J. Humphreys is resigning from his position as Senior Associate Dean for Residential Life and Dining, effective Jan. 29.
Actor Matt Damon to speak before class of 2016 at June commencement
Actor and filmmaker Matt Damon will be the commencement speaker for the Class of 2016, MIT announced Dec. 10.
Matt Damon to speak at MIT's 2016 commencement
Actor and filmmaker Matt Damon will be the commencement speaker for the Class of 2016, MIT announced Thursday.
Sit-in for divestment by president’s office hits one-week mark
Members of student group Fossil Free MIT are staging a sit-in outside of President L. Rafael Reif’s office in protest of what they see as inadequacies in MIT’s climate action plan.
MIT will not divest, announces climate change 'action plan' with key role for industry partners
MIT said Wednesday it would not divest from fossil fuels, instead announcing efforts to strengthen collaboration with industry — seeking $300 million in new energy research at MIT over five years — as part of a much-awaited “plan for action on climate change.”
Standing firmly by industry ties, MIT climate action plan has everything but divestment
See here for an updated version of this article.
Can MIT divest while accepting oil money? An activist weighs in.
In anticipation of President L. Rafael Reif’s upcoming announcement about MIT’s climate action plan, The Tech spoke with Geoffrey Supran, a graduate student in materials science, about his work on the MIT Climate Change Conversation Committee and student group Fossil Free MIT. We asked about his expectations for the announcement, his thoughts around divestment, his own research, and how he became a climate change activist.
Alumna runs for city council seat, joins slate
Mariko Davidson MCP ’13, who earned a master’s degree in city planning at MIT, is running for Cambridge City Council. Two other MIT alumni are currently up for reelection.
Dissolve 'Unconference' seeks to address inequality
The Dissolve “Un-conference” — which despite the name is hosted in collaboration with the ongoing Solve — will tackle questions of global inequality Thursday.
MIT, BU will offer legal advice for free to student founders
MIT student entrepreneurs will soon be able to get independent legal advice from two law clinics opening on campus.
Arts on the Radar
Arts on the Radar, a “block party for the arts” hosted by the List Visual Arts Center in collaboration with MIT’s Program in Art, Culture and Technology (ACT) and Arts at MIT, took place on Sept. 4.
New sorority opens on campus
This semester, Delta Phi Epsilon will open a new chapter at MIT and become the seventh sorority on campus. Its recruitment will begin after MIT’s existing six sororities hold their bid nights.
Strandbeests walk MA beach, Media Lab demo is upcoming
Theo Jansen’s wind-powered strandbeests (Dutch for “beach animals”) roamed the beach in Ipswitch last Saturday, Aug. 22. It was their first stop on a tour that will take them through Boston, to MIT, and that will culminate in an exhibition of the artist’s work at the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM).
Student Life Dean announces plans to retire after 7 years
Chris Colombo will retire from his position as Dean for Student Life after seven years at MIT and 40 years of service at various universities. He will continue to serve as dean until a successor is appointed.
Smith’s address to graduating class emphasizes the importance of kindness, teamwork, ‘heart’
Over 2,700 undergraduate and graduate students received their diplomas at this year’s Commencement ceremony on June 5. In all, the Institute awarded over 3,400 degrees.
Student funding to be halved in UA debt ‘crisis’
The Undergraduate Association has “run through its money” and has gone into debt. In the coming year, it will be forced to reduce its budget — much of which currently funds student groups — by approximately half.
Committee favors partial divestment
A report issued by the Climate Change Conversation Committee proposed the creation of a Climate Institute at MIT to address the challenges of climate change, and to provide a framework for the many other recommendations listed in the report.
Nobles named dean of SHASS
Melissa Nobles is the new dean of MIT’s School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS), effective July 1.
Smith’s address to graduates places ‘heart’ alongside mind and hand
Over 2,700 undergraduate and graduate students received their diplomas at this year’s Commencement ceremony on June 5. In all, the Institute awarded over 3,400 degrees.
Student group funding to be halved during UA debt ‘crisis’
The UA has “run through its money” and has gone into debt. In the coming year, it will be forced to reduce its budget—much of which currently funds student groups—by approximately half.
Faculty urge divestment in open letter to Reif
A group of 79 faculty members has signed an open letter to President L. Rafael Reif expressing their support for divesting MIT’s endowment from fossil fuel companies. The letter comes as the Climate Change Conversation (CCC) prepares to release its report to the community.
Faculty urged to weigh in on climate change, divestment
With the MIT Climate Change Conversation Committee due to report findings within the next month — and expected to recommend whether MIT should divest — Vice President of Research Maria T. Zuber has called on faculty members to join the dialogue.
Settlement requires edX to supply features for those with disabilities
EdX has entered into a settlement with the Department of Justice over allegations that the online course provider was not fully accessible to people with disabilities, in violation of federal law.
Davis and Liu sweep UA presidential elections
The Undergraduate Association announced on April 11 that Matthew J. Davis ’16 and Sophia Liu ’17 had won the election for president and vice president with 61 percent of votes cast in their favor.
SAO to put ‘checks and balances’ on student group transactions
In wake of the controversy surrounding rapper Lil B’s appearance on campus, the Student Activities Office (SAO) will be adding additional “checks and balances” to the process by which student groups can enter into contracts with outside service providers and transfer funds between other groups, according to Leah Flynn Gallant, director of the SAO.
Students reach out to each other after death of freshman
Matthew L. Nehring ’18, a resident of East Campus and a native of Colorado, died Saturday night.
Matthew Nehring, freshman of East Campus, dies
A dorm meeting was held Sunday afternoon in East Campus with representatives from MIT Mental Health and MIT Student Support Services, as well as chaplains, the East Campus graduate resident tutors, and Chancellor Cynthia A. Barnhart PhD '88.
Nov/Dec Faculty Newsletter released
This month’s edition of the MIT Faculty Newsletter touched on many of the same issues that have been at the forefront of recent student concerns. The newsletter highlighted faculty positions on issues including online learning and the Task Force on the Future of MIT Education, MIT’s response to sexual assault on campus, and mental health at MIT.
Board’s chair on future of Institute
Leadership of MIT’s Corporation changed hands this fall, with Robert B. Millard ’73 elected as the Corporation’s new chairman.
First free bitcoin reaches undergrads after launch of MIT study
The much-anticipated MIT Bitcoin Project launched last week, giving students one week to register as participants. Students who signed up and completed a survey by midnight last Sunday will receive $100 in bitcoin over the next month as the distribution phase of the project begins, though bitcoin has been distributed to some students already.
Institute considers rerouting Saferides
Students should watch for changes to the Saferide schedule this year as the MIT Office of Parking and Transportation works with various student groups to finalize and implement new shuttle routes.
Summer classes try digital tools
While researchers were running experiments in MIT labs this summer, the Institute was conducting an educational experiment of its own, piloting for-credit summer classes through the “summer@future” initiative.
Frosh who choose Maseeh will no longer be locked in
This fall, when freshmen are exploring dorms and living groups and taking part in Residence Exploration (REX) activities, they’ll have one more dorm to consider: Maseeh. Starting this September, Maseeh Hall will join the list of dorms that participate in First Year Residence Exchange (FYRE), allowing 15 freshmen to switch in and out at the end of REX.