Freshmen Placed in Top Four Housing Choices
A smaller percentage of incoming freshmen received their top choices in this year’s Summer Housing Lottery compared with the last two years. The Housing Lottery placed the students of the Class of 2011 in their top four dormitory choices; the last two years, the freshman class was placed in their top three choices.
What percentage of each dormitory’s new residents ranked it as their first choice in the summer lottery?
Source: Robin Smedick, Housing
Frosh Explore Dormitories, Participate in REX Events
Residence Exploration events, designed for incoming freshmen to explore the 11 undergraduate dormitories, will continue until the end of the Housing Adjustment Lottery tomorrow. Events for REX began Friday, Aug. 24.
Police Log
<i>The following incidents were reported to the MIT Police between July 24 and Aug. 12, 2007. This summary does not include incidents such as false alarms, general service calls, larcenies, or medical shuttles.</i><i></i>
Harvard Endowment Reports 23 Percent Gain For FY
The Harvard Management Company, which oversees the endowment of Harvard University, reported Aug. 21 that the endowment had posted a 23 percent gain for the fiscal year ended June 30.
Two Testing Companies Agree to Pay to Settle SAT Error Lawsuit
Two big testing organizations, the College Board and NCS Pearson Inc., said Friday that they had agreed to pay $2.85 million to settle a class-action lawsuit involving more than 4,000 students whose SAT exams were incorrectly scored in 2005.
Assoc. Director of Admissions Discusses His MIT Experiences
<i>This is the first interview in a seven-part series introducing incoming students to some of MIT’s faculty, staff, and student leaders. Today, </i>The Tech <i>interviews Associate Director of Admissions Matthew L. McGann ’00 who discusses his job, the evolution of MIT’s culture, and opportunities for first-year students.</i>
First-year Students Enjoy MIT Orientation
With the fall term around the corner, first-year undergraduate and graduate students populated the campus this past weekend to kick-off this year’s event-filled orientation programs.
Final Demographics For Class of 2011 Released
The demographic breakdown of the Class of 2011 has been released, with gender and ethnicity statistics comparable to last year’s.
Civilian Deaths in Afghanistan Prompt Criticism of NATO, U.S.
Afghan elders said Sunday that airstrikes had killed 12 civilians in the southern province of Helmand on Saturday night, but an American military spokesman blamed Taliban militants for the civilian deaths.
Bush Defends Iraq Occupation Despite Its Low Public Approval
President Bush’s Iraq strategy faces a crisis of faith these days — from the American public. And he is confronting it the way he has previous crises: with a relentless campaign to persuade people to see things his way.
Aides to Pakistani Pres. Reported In Talks With Two Main Opponents
Close aides to Pakistan’s president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, and the chief of the country’s intelligence agency are in London to hold talks with Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, the president’s two main political opponents, generally reliable Pakistani newspapers reported Sunday.
Shorts (left)
The head of the Central Bank of Iran resigned Sunday, bringing the number of key economic figures who have left President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s Cabinet to three this month.
Greek Forest Fires Continue To Advance; 12 More Killed
At least 12 more people were reported dead Sunday in fierce forest fires in Greece, as walls of flame, though slowed in somewhat calmer winds, continued to consume homes and to advance on the ruins where the Olympic Games were first played.
Shorts (right)
The retirement of thousands of baby boomer teachers coupled with the departure of younger teachers frustrated by the stress of working in low-performing schools is fueling a crisis in teacher turnover that is costing school districts substantial amounts of money as they scramble to fill their ranks for the fall term.
Iraqi Prime Minister Al-Maliki Angry At Two American Senators’ Criticism
Prime Minister Nouri Kamal al-Maliki on Sunday extended his tongue-lashing of foreign politicians who have questioned his government, saying that Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Carl Levin needed to “start making sense again” after the senators, both Democrats, called for his ouster.
Comfort Is in the Air
While freshmen and first-year graduate students are likely being comforted by Orientation leaders and various MIT administrators, mother nature is providing comfort in her own way. Not only was it hot on Saturday, where Boston tied the all-time record high temperature of 96°F, it was also humid. Generally, dew point readings above 60°F is considered humid and over 70°F is oppressive. We topped off at 74°F Saturday afternoon, a reading normally observed near the Gulf of Mexico. Is it always this humid in Boston? According to the National Climatic Data Center, the average dew point reading in Boston is 62°F for August and a much drier 55°F for September.
Welcome to MIT
Congratulations, your hard work and effort have been justifiably rewarded by your admission to the Institute. Understand that you are here for a reason — you fill a unique niche in the MIT community. Many of you have left lasting marks on your hometowns and high schools, and it is now time to start making a lasting impression on MIT.
Corrections
The Dec. 5, 2006 police log reported erroneously the charges on which two MIT graduates had been arrested. Mateusz Malinowski G and Kabir Mukaddam ’05 were arrested on charges of disorderly conduct, not indecent exposure.
CONCERT REVIEW A Concert to Remember
Growing up, my parents drove a car with only a tape player. My sister owned <i>Moving Pictures</i>, probably Rush’s most popular album, on cassette. I wore that tape out; now all the songs sound a half step up, but I don’t mind. Rush is a band that instantly made its home in my mental library and has been occupying and expanding it ever since. It’s not like I can stop them; they have 18 studio albums and five live albums in their back catalog.
MOVIE REVIEW ★★★ ½ One Dizzying Ride
The Bourne Ultimatum,” the latest release in the Bourne movie series, is the epitome of a summer thriller: action-packed with enough suspense to leave you on the edge of your seat and wanting more. “Ultimatum” picks up where the last movie, “The Bourne Supremacy,” left off, and it features most of the cast from the first two films (or at least the living characters), including Matt Damon as the title character Jason Bourne, Julia Stiles, and the amazing Joan Allen. Even if you didn’t see the last two movies, or you’re like me and forgot some of the details, the movie is still worth seeing.
INTERVIEW White Rabbits Need No Lucky Foot
L<i>ast March, I proclaimed White Rabbit’s debut LP Fort Nightly album of 2007, wildly ignoring the laws of conservative announcements and completely forgetting that there were still nine months left in the year. The claim sticks, and I’m not the only one who thinks so; since then, their calypso-infused and darkly danceable debut has garnered serious attention from music press bigwigs. The band was playlisted by Pitchfork Media, made Band of the Day by Spin, earned NPR’s Song of the Day with single “The Plot,” and named one of the top four bands to watch in 2007 by The Onion A.V. Club.</i>
MIT Can Be Hell, But the Pro Sports Scene Is Heaven
Welcome to MIT, a place often described by its students as challenging, rewarding, and, to put it politely, hell on earth. Don’t be discouraged, though — for one thing, upperclassmen love complaining about MIT, even though we wouldn’t have it any other way. For another, MIT is a sports fan’s heaven: there are 41 varsity sports, 30 club sports, and countless intramurals for those interested in working off academic stress. Look for preview articles and spotlights of these sports in upcoming issues. Right now, however, I’m going to concentrate on the professional sports scene surrounding MIT.
Ask SIPB
Welcome, especially to freshmen and new graduate students! Ask SIPB is a column published regularly by the Student Information Processing Board, the volunteer student group concerned with computing at MIT, to help students like you learn more about the computing resources MIT provides and how to make effective use of them.
