Police Review Panel Begins to Meet
The panel charged with reviewing Campus Police policy in response to the Joseph D’Amelio arrest and firing met for the first time last Friday, according to Dean for Student Life Chris Colombo, who sits on the panel.
Swine Flu Q&A
<b>¶ I feel sick. Should I go to Medical? </b>Yes. Especially if you think you might have influenza, you should call the Medical Department for an appointment (617-253-4481). If none are available, you will be directed to MIT Medical’s urgent care (open 24 hours a day, free for students).
Sloan Sales Conference: Panels & Talks Mean Business
It was Friday, April 17, and by the time I left my final class of the day, Campus Preview Weekend was already in full swing. Making my way down the prefrosh-packed Infinite, I had something far different planned for the afternoon than CPW. I was headed down Memorial Drive to the Hyatt Regency, where the 3rd annual MIT Sloan Sales Conference was attracting a crowd of businessmen from prospective entrepreneurs to some of the top sales experts in the nation.
Highlights of the Dining Reports
¶ For students living in dorms with dining halls, the administration’s Blue Ribbon Committee would require either a $600 declining-balance plan or payment of a $500 opt-out penalty. The UA’s Dining Proposal Committee proposes a mandatory $300 declining-balance plan for those students.
Sophomore Lives Dream To Run Boston Marathon
“All of a sudden you hear a buzz and it gets louder, and as you turn onto Route 16, the buzz turns into a roar of sound,” said Melissa Gymrek ’11, recalling what she heard after mile ten of the Boston Marathon.
MIT Medical Is Prepared in Case of Swine Flu Outbreak
MIT’s emergency planning arm is prepared to handle an outbreak of the swine flu, although administrators say they expect the disease to manifest less like a pandemic and more like a tough flu season.
BRC, DPC Release Separate Draft Dining Reports
Draft proposals describing the future of dining at MIT have been released for public review by both the student-run Dining Proposal Committee and the Blue Ribbon Institute Committee.
BC ‘Dance Till You Drop’ Stunt Fizzles Out
On Friday morning, a dormitory hall’s publicity stunt bombed.<br> The Cambridge Bomb Squad responded to a heavy concrete block painted to look like a cartoon bomb, advertising the annual Dance Till You Drop party held by the Burton Third Bombers.
Pakistani Offensive Puts Truce With Taliban on Shaky Ground
The uneasy truce between the Pakistani government and Taliban militants in the Swat Valley appeared increasingly fragile on Monday as government forces attacked militants in a neighboring district for a second day, causing the main negotiator to break off talks.
Shorts (left)
The phone’s sleek lines and touch-screen are unmistakably familiar. So is the logo on the back. But a sales clerk at a sprawling electronic goods market in this Chinese coastal city admits what is clear upon closer inspection: This is not the Apple iPhone; this is the Hi-Phone.
Shorts (right)
With municipal bond investigations spreading to Europe from the United States, Italian authorities have seized about $300 million in assets of four global banks — JPMorgan Chase, Deutsche Bank, UBS and Depfa — whose officials have been accused of fraud.
Americans Shifing Religious Affiliations
Catholics who leave their faith say they drifted away from the church because it did not meet their spiritual needs or they stopped believing in its teachings, according to a new study, while Protestants often tend to cite circumstantial factors, a move, a marriage, or a problem with a particular minister or congregation.
High Court Considers Whether a Voting Rights Rule is Still Needed
Ellen D. Katz is a liberal law professor and a big fan of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which she calls the most effective civil rights legislation in American history. “It’s sacred,” she said. “It’s holy.”
US Jet Frightens New York In Photo Op Gone Wrong
It was supposed to be a photo opportunity, a showcase of Air Force One alongside the sweep of New York City skyline.
Obama Nudging Views on Race, a Survey Finds
Barack Obama’s presidency seems to be altering the public perception of race relations in the United States. Two-thirds of Americans now say race relations are generally good, and the percentage of blacks who say so has doubled since last July, according to the latest <i>New York Times</i>/CBS News poll.
Forecasting: Just Half the Battle
A TV meteorologist can make a perfect prediction, but yet, on days like yesterday, the public can be outraged by what they perceive as a “busted forecast.”
Trouble Finding a Home at MIT
As my first year at MIT draws to a close, I’ve noticed how a great number of procedures and requirements at the Institute are far more complicated than they need be. During CPW, a prefrosh had asked me about the housing lottery. Since this conversation was taking place within the realms of a frat party, I advised him to just read all the pamphlets that would be sent in the mail over the summer. The wide-eyed prefrosh was persistent: “Can you just explain it?” Sighing, I pulled him over and explained that if I were to cover the housing lottery in its entirety, it would’ve ruined the party mood. He dutifully took my words and went off to attack another student about triple majoring.
We’re Problem-Solvers. Let Us Help.
MIT prides itself on educating the best and brightest scientists and engineers — in short, the world’s best problem solvers. Why is it then that the MIT administration’s default modus operandi is to lock students out of the chance to help solve the problems the Institute faces today?
Roll Back the DAPER Cuts!
Last week, the Department of Athletics, Physical Education, and Recreation (DAPER) announced that eight of 41 varsity sports would no longer be offered following the end of this academic year. Citing the need to reduce its budget by 15 percent over the next three years, the varsity cuts are intended to help DAPER to shave off nearly $1.5 million in costs. The cuts; which eliminated varsity alpine skiing, golf, men and women’s gymnastics, men and women’s ice hockey, pistol, and wrestling; were met with significant student opposition in the weeks leading up to the announcement.
Letters to the Editor
When I first saw the pictures of the “BOMB” it reminded me of something that I might see in a Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoon. Then I read the story in <i>The Tech</i> and discovered that campus police were notified at 3 a.m. that the bomb was fake. I can think of only two possibilities for the actions of the campus police. The first is that they do not “know their beat.” The second is that there must be some friction between the students and the campus police that would cause them to disregard what is an obvious “hack” and try to embarrass the students. I believe that the campus police chief should investigate and take steps to improve what may be a strained relationship between the student body and the campus police department.
MIT Track Sweeps NEWMAC Championships Men’s Tennis Claims 11th Consecutive NEWMAC Crown
The MIT men’s and women’s track and field teams captured titles today at the 2009 New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Track and Field Championship hosted by Mount Holyoke College. This marks the second time in three years that the Engineers swept the NEWMAC Championship, as the men and women each earned conference titles in 2007.
Brouhaha Rhythm
Here I sit at Walden Pond, known to the literary world as the once-home of Transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau. Presumably, what was once a source of inspiration for Thoreau could also serve as inspiration for me, so here I sit with my pen and pad, surrounded by nature and awaiting my muse. Granted, I’m sitting in a van in the parking lot, but the parking lot’s surrounded by nature, and the van’s doors are wide open to admit the singing of birds, a cool New England breeze, and the sound of an ice cream truck playing “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Yay, nature.
