Panhel Selects Three Finalists In Search for Extra Sorority at MIT
The MIT Panhellenic Association chose three sororities out of eleven that applied as finalists in the selection process for a sixth sorority at MIT. National representatives of Delta Delta Delta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, and Pi Beta Phi were invited to present at MIT in April, according to Tiffany W. Guo ’09, Panhel president.
In Short
A memorial service for Professor Jin Au Kong will take place this Saturday at the Douglass Funeral Home, 51 Worthen Rd, Lexington, MA. There is a visitation period from 1–3 p.m. and a memorial service from 3–5 p.m. Photos, videos, and stories for the memorial service can be submitted to ProfessorJAKong@gmail.com.
Claerbout’s Art Now On Display At MIT’s List Visual Arts Center
David Claerbout is a Belgian artist in his late 30s. Nationality is rarely determining as regards art. Jean-Luc Godard and Paul Klee, two of the freer-floating sensibilities in 20th-century culture, were born in Switzerland, for goodness’ sake. But in Claerbout’s case it’s telling that he should come from such an in-between place: not France, not the Netherlands, but a country that draws on both for an identity that’s distinct itself yet elusive.
Women’s Colleges Struggle To Adjust To Transsexual Students
It was late on a rainy fall day, and a college freshman named Rey was showing me the new tattoo on his arm. It commemorated his 500-mile hike through Europe the previous summer, which happened also to be, he said, the last time he was happy. We sat together for a while in his room talking, his tattoo of a piece with his spiky brown hair, oversize tribal earrings and very baggy jeans. He showed me a photo of himself and his girlfriend kissing, pointed out his small drum kit, a bass guitar that lay next to his rumpled clothes and towels and empty bottles of green tea, one full of dried flowers, and the ink self-portraits and drawings of nudes that he had tacked to the walls. Thick jasmine incense competed with his cigarette smoke. He changed the music on his laptop with the melancholy, slightly startled air of a college boy on his own for the first time.
1,554 Accepted Into Class of 2012; Admit Rate is Lowest Ever
MIT released admissions decisions for the class of 2012 on Saturday; 1,554 students, or a record-low 11.6 percent of 13,396 applicants, were admitted. This year’s round of admissions saw an increase in applications from women, under-represented minorities, and international students, said Stuart Schmill ’86, Interim Director of Admissions. There was an overall 8 percent increase in the number of applications from 12,443 last year.
Fed. Education Secretary Says Student Aid Stands, Despite Market Troubles
The federal education secretary told Congressional lawmakers Friday that despite tight credit markets, students would still be able to find a lender to help them borrow money for college.
Shorts (right)
Lt. Gov. David A. Paterson ascended to New York’s highest office on Monday, pledging civility and unity in government to an enthusiastic and palpably relieved gathering of state lawmakers and officials.
Dow’s Rise Masks Turmoil In Global Financial Markets
With the Dow Jones industrial average up slightly more than 21 points by the end of trading Monday on the New York Stock Exchange, it may have looked like a calm day on Wall Street.
Simmering Resentments Led To Tibetan Backlash at China
Chinese leaders have blamed “splittists” led by the exiled Dalai Lama for spurring violent protests in Tibet and orchestrating a public relations sneak attack on the Communist Party as it gears up to host the Olympics Games this summer.
The Day After Tomorrow
This St. Patrick’s Day brought a brief respite from the rain and wind, but another storm looms just beyond the horizon. A high pressure system keeps our afternoon relatively warm, but precipitation will roll in late tonight. What begins as light snow will gradually taper into a wintry mix of sleet and rain for most of Wednesday, continuing intermittently until Thursday morning.
Bush Supports Fed’s Actions, But Critics Quickly Find Fault
President Bush on Monday welcomed the Federal Reserve’s sweeping intervention in the nation’s financial markets as his administration faced accusations that it had supported the bailout of a prestigious investment bank while doing little to address the hardships of Americans facing foreclosures on their homes.
Dozens Hurt As Serbs Clash With NATO Peacekeepers in Kosovo
Serbs in the northern Kosovo city of Mitrovica fired weapons and threw grenades at international peacekeepers on Monday, wounding dozens of police officers and NATO troops. The clash was the worst violence since Kosovo declared independence from Serbia on Feb. 17.
Cheney’s Iraq Visit Eclipsed as 43 Killed in Shiite Holy City Bombing
A bombing on Monday evening killed 43 people near the Imam Hussein shrine in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, penetrating one of the most secure perimeters in Iraq, and Iraqi police officers at the scene and several witnesses said it had been carried out by a female suicide bomber.
Shorts (left)
A prime suspect in Saturday’s East Side crane collapse — a spectacular disaster across two Manhattan blocks that has claimed seven lives and is expected to cost millions — is a $50 piece of nylon webbing that investigators suspect may have failed while hoisting a six-ton piece of steel.
MIT Figure Skating Club Holds Annual Exhibition Featuring Local, Club Skaters
The MIT Figure Skating Club held its annual exhibition last Saturday, with twelve guest programs and twenty-seven club skaters participating. The show was coordinated by Trish Fleming of the MIT Enterprise Forum, Saja A. Fakhraldeen ’09, and group lesson instructor Susan Alpert. Esther Horwich ’77 was the show’s emcee and Wellesley College alumna Amy Mossman produced the show.
MATCH OF THE WEEK Men’s Volleyball Defeats Division Rival Rivier in Strong Comeback
Victories over Baruch College and nationally-ranked No. 11 Rivier College helped the No. 13 MIT men’s volleyball team surpass the 20-win mark for the fourth year in a row as its record improved to 21-10. The Engineers held off Baruch (32-30, 30-25, 30-27) and then outlasted Rivier (23-30, 27-30, 31-29, 30-13, 15-13) to reach the milestone. Earlier, Rivier topped Baruch, 36-34, 30-24, 28-30, 30-19.
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.
Hansen, Hoover Lead Women’s Tennis Over Tough Colby College
The women’s tennis team returned home from Colby College on Saturday with a 7-2 win, bringing its overall season record to 10-3. The team’s national ranking rose from 23rd to 20th in the country.
Ramblings From Hell
I spend eight hours of my week in the undergraduate chemistry labs on the fourth floor of Building 4. If you are not Course 5, 10 with a minor in 5, or premed, I will now share with you a little secret: the labs are disgusting.
Rants and Raves
It was the beginning of my junior year, just four short semesters until my day of liberation from this stress inducing hell we call MIT. Wait … It was my JUNIOR YEAR, and I had no idea what I want to do with my life. I had to figure out my life plan just like all my other ’09 friends had already done. I needed to get an internship this summer and get ready to apply to grad schools or get a job next year. I needed to know what I was going to do, and I needed to know NOW.
Brouhaha Rhythm
On the long and not-so-distinguished list of things that we do even though we know we shouldn’t, daydreaming is bound to be in the top ten. Daydreams, also known as longings, fantasies, or delusions (depending on the subject matter), serve as a way of withdrawing from the world around us. We daydream because we’re uncomfortable, or because we’re bored, or because we think that the person sitting in the next row in math class is attractive enough to merit additional mental attention.
