Finally, Nadal Falls at the French
The Parisians all wanted to see it. No doubt the television networks were banking on it. Tennis fans universally last week were anticipating the next chapter in what’s become an historic rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the French Open finals.
MIT Will Eliminate Some Varsity Sports
Faced with a staggering budget cut, MIT’s athletics department is preparing to relinquish the Institute’s claim to the most varsity sports of any university by cutting some of those sports.
Students Abduct Tim The Beaver, Demand Sports Teams Spared
Proving once again that nothing is safe in this economy, MIT’s mascot Tim the Beaver was kidnapped Saturday afternoon. The kidnappers, who said they were pressured to action while varsity sports at MIT were being threatened, demand that students’ voices be heard and are seeking a guarantee that all 41 varsity sports are kept at MIT for at least one more year.
Pistol & Gymnastics Among Eight Varsity Sports To Be Slashed
Eight of MIT’s 41 varsity sports will be cut at the end of the academic year — alpine skiing, golf, men’s and women’s gymnastics, men’s and women’s ice hockey, pistol, and wrestling.
Varsity Sports To Be Cut After CPW, Before May
As administrators of MIT’s athletic department continue to deliberate on which of MIT’s 41 varsity sports will be cut, student athletes have little to do but wait for the decision, which is expected before the month’s end.
Faculty, Staff Salaries Frozen
Faculty and staff salaries will be frozen next year for faculty making more than $125,000 a year and staff making more than $75,000 a year, President Susan J. Hockfield announced at Wednesday’s faculty meeting. MIT’s $10 billion endowment has lost 20 to 25 percent of its value, Hockfield said in a letter to the community sent yesterday.
Salary Freeze Announced for Faculty Earning Over $125k and Staff Earning Over $75k, Including MIT’s President
Faculty and staff salaries will be frozen next year for faculty making more than $125,000 a year and staff making more than $75,000 a year, President Susan J. Hockfield announced at Wednesday’s faculty meeting.
Anonymous Benefactor’s Money Will Keep Empty W1 Looking Good
Partial renovations to the W1 residence hall, the former Ashdown, will begin this spring after all, thanks to a gift from an anonymous donor. Work will be limited to the exterior of the building, and will not impact the Institute’s plan to delay the opening of W1 until after 2010. The size of the gift was not disclosed.
March Madness Not Mad Enough As All Top Seeds Dominate
You would expect the crowd at Satisfaction Restaurant and Bar in downtown Durham, NC to be filled with shirts of dark blue in late March, supporting Coach K and the perennial college basketball powerhouse Duke University Blue Devils. Well, not this year.
New, Upgraded Tennis Bubble To Be Completed September 15
Students returning to campus may notice a familiar sight missing from view next to Briggs field. The J. B. Carr Indoor Tennis center, known simply as the tennis bubble, was taken down last spring as part of an ongoing project to replace the structure. A new bubble will be in place by September 15, according to John B. Hawes Jr., MIT senior project manager.
MIT Medical, Mental Health Guard Access To Your Information
What information about your medical care does MIT share with other people?
More MIT Students Are Using Mental Health Services
One in six students used MIT’s Mental Health Services in the 2006–2007 school year, a rate that has increased by about fifty percent in seven years, according to data provided to <i>The Tech</i> by Chief of Mental Health Services at MIT Alan E. Siegel.
Baseball Has Lost Focus: It’s Time To Talk About Policy, Not Clemens
Why is it that baseball fans care more about finding truth in the past than building trust for the future? Will accomplishing the former really help the latter, or is this constant questioning of history purely driven from the anger caused by one of our heroes (potentially) cheating?
Volleyball Second in Fourth Annual MIT Invitational Tourney
The men’s volleyball team, ranked eleventh in the nation, lost to no. 12 Ramapo College 30-25, 26-30, 30-25, 34-32 in the championship match of the fourth annual MIT Men’s Volleyball Invitational on Sunday. Ramapo, a public liberal arts college in New Jersey, won the title in its first appearance in the tournament, denying the Engineers their third MIT Invitational title.
MIT Sailing Team Finishes Sixth in Competitive ICSA/Gill Coed Dinghy National Championship
The MIT sailing team finished sixth this week in the ICSA/Gill Coed Dinghy National Championship. Senior co-captains John M. “Jack” Field ’08 and Julie C. Arsenault ’08 sailed in the B division boat, while Brooks L. Reed ’09 was the skipper for the A division boat with Elizabeth A. Hass ’10 on crew. Gabriel B. Cira ’08 also crewed with
Cheering Against Boston Sports Is Fun, Believe Me
What's the easiest way to have more fun than you ever thought possible while watching sports in Boston? Start cheering against the Boston teams. Seriously.
GAME OF THE WEEK O’Keefe Scores Twice in Final Minute to Beat Wheaton by One
Down by one with a minute left, the women’s lacrosse team was facing elimination in the quarterfinals of the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference Tournament. Samantha F. O’Keefe ’09 and the MIT offense wouldn’t stay down though, as O’Keefe scored two goals in the final minute to propel MIT to its first semifinal since 1995.
Saturday Marks First Ever Athletics Weekend at MIT
Think MIT students don’t care about athletics? Think again. The inaugural Athletics Weekend will begin this Saturday at MIT, as ten varsity sports spring into action in conjunction with a series of campus wide events.
MIT Volleyball Takes Down Rival Harvard During Senior Night
Senior night ended in triumph for the men’s volleyball team, as the Engineers defeated Harvard University for the first time since 1999 in front of an energized Rockwell Cage on Wednesday night. After dropping the first game, MIT came back to defeat its rivals from down the river, 22-30, 30-26, 30-28, and 30-27.
Magnuson, Morton, Stephens Achieve All-American Status at DIII Nationals
The men’s and women’s track and field teams sent three athletes to the 2008 NCAA Division III Track and Field Indoor Championships last weekend at Ohio Northern University. All three athletes performed exceptionally, representing MIT well by each earning All-America accolades.
Need Help In Filling In Your Tournament Bracket? Read On…
It’s the greatest tournament in sports, and what better time to start than the opening weekend of spring break. March madness has arrived, and starting Thursday, the top 64 teams in the country face off in search of this year’s national champion.
Pier Places Fifth in Giant Slalom at Nationals
After leading the alpine skiing team to one of its best seasons in recent memory, Timothy F. Pier ’08 performed well last weekend, this time as an individual. Pier placed fifth overall in the giant slalom at the U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association National Championship, held at Sunday River, Maine.
P/D/F Option Proposed For Graduate Students At Feb. Faculty Meeting
Professor of Biology Stephen P. Bell presented a motion at Wednesday afternoon’s faculty meeting that would allow graduate students to take subjects on a Pass/D/Fail basis, similar to the option currently available to junior and senior undergraduates. The motion will be discussed and voted upon at the March 19 faculty meeting.
Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning, Giants End Patriots’ Perfect Run
In last week’s issue of <i>The Tech</i>, I wrote that Super Bowl XLII would be the “coronation of the greatest football team in history. … Patriots win, no-contest. New England is better in every facet of the game.” Well, clearly I was wrong.
Profiles in Dedication: Athletes at MIT
To most of the world looking in, MIT is about its research. To most of its students, MIT is about the education. But for a select few, nothing gets them as excited as the athletics. The hard work and dedication of many talented student-athletes have created a strong presence for MIT in the collegiate athletic community, and their performance has helped shape a legacy that will persist beyond their graduation. These are a few of their stories.
Moments You Shouldn’t (and Probably Can’t) Forget From 2007
For the average sports fan, 2007 was filled with moments that many of us will easily forget. In five years, it’ll be difficult to pick out which team won the NBA Championship (“Hmm, it’s an odd year … I’ll guess the Spurs”) or which team won the Stanley Cup (wait, a team from California?). What will stick out in our minds are moments that we knew right away were special. Ones where teams and athletes rose above and beyond expectations, ones whose effects will be felt for years to come.
Patriots Face Final Challenge In Giants on Road to Perfection
Whether you’re interested in football or not, you’ll be watching Sunday night as the New England Patriots face off against the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII. Not because you think it’ll be a close football game (which it will be), and not because of the commercials (which always disappoint).
Patriots Stay Perfect; Giants Shock Packers In NFC Championship
While the New England Patriots’ pursuit of perfection remains intact after finishing off the San Diego Chargers, their final hurdle is an unlikely one. Apparently, the clock has not quite struck midnight for the New York Giants, who ended the Green Bay Packers’ run at a Super Bowl appearance. Before we preview the Super Bowl in next week’s issue, here are our recaps of the conference championships.
NHL Unable to Attract New Fans for Numerous Reasons
Sometimes I wonder why more people aren’t hockey fans. Sports in the United States are built around four major leagues: the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, and the National Hockey League. Sure, more people watch NASCAR than any other sport in the country; Major League Soccer has tried its best to make people to pay attention to a sport whose popularity directly correlates to the quality of the U.S. National Team; and the only thing the average person on the street knows about Major League Lacrosse is that its acronym is MLL. But for some reason, people haven’t kicked the NHL out of that group yet.
Eight-Ranked Men’s Volleyball Outlasted By No. 1 Springfield
Fans filled the stands in Rockwell Cage Saturday night as the MIT men’s volleyball team, ranked eighth in the nation, hosted the top-ranked team in the country, Springfield College. In their second match of the season, the Engineers fought hard against the Pride, managing to take a game off them before eventually losing 30-27, 27-30, 30-26, 30-25.
Ward, Longtime Administrator, Leaves SAO
Laurie Ward, financial administrator of the Student Activities Office since 2000, has moved to an administrative position in the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology. At the SAO, Ward managed the financial accounts of hundreds of student groups, processing deposits, reimbursements, and other expenses.
Patriots and Packers Predicted to Face Off In NFL Championship
This weekend’s divisional championships feature a cast of characters that would make Hollywood jealous (or at least ready to pitch a screenplay).
Patriots Take Undefeated Season Into NFL Divisional Playoffs Against Jags
As the weekend’s divisional playoffs approach, we attempt to answer a few burning questions. Will the Patriots continue their march to perfection? Will Brett Favre demonstrate why he deserved to be named the 2007 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year? Most importantly, which Manning(s) will cry this week? For your enjoyment, we offer our playoff picks.
Bowl Championship Series Doesn’t Need A ‘Plus-One’ Format
I began writing this column with every intention of supporting a playoff system for college football. Perhaps it was because I really didn’t think two-loss Louisiana State University was the best team in the nation. Or maybe it was because I felt bad for all of those University of Southern California fans, who clearly were not satisfied with just a whopping on Illinois. Having a playoff just feels fair; it’s too sad to turn teams away.
MIT Rejects SAE's DRM Policy, Prompts Review
Following opposition by MIT, the Society of Automotive Engineers halted implementation of digital rights management controls aimed at restricting access to SAE documents. On April 19, SAE issued a press release stating that they would not enable DRM controls "on the Society's Digital Library of technical papers for licenses at colleges, universities, and other academic institutions."
Science Should Influence Policy, Says Sen. Kennedy
Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D) spoke to an MIT audience recently about the Bush administration's current science policy, including the restrictions it places on stem cell research and its handling of global warming. Kennedy, who is the 2007 Karl Taylor Compton Lecturer, drew a crowd to a packed Kirsch Auditorium last Friday, April 13.