Financial Crisis Took a Huge Bite Out of Harvard, Yale Endowments, Reports Say
Harvard and Yale disclosed Thursday just how many billions of dollars their endowments had lost in the last year, signaling yet more belt tightening at the nation’s wealthiest schools.
Class of 2013 Yield Falls Despite Huge Increase in Number of Applications
Despite a record number of applicants and a record low admit rate, MIT’s yield fell for the class of 2013: 64 percent of students accepted MIT’s offer of admission, down from 66 percent for the class of 2012 and from a record high of 69 percent for the class of 2011. The incoming class has 1,071 students, 23 more than last year’s.
Fire in East Campus Basement Thought To Be Result of Arson
East Campus was evacuated Tuesday morning, following a trash-bin fire that occurred in the basement of the west parallel. No one was harmed, but sprinklers flooded the basement and several student rooms in Wood entry. Arson is suspected.
Appeal Denied to ATO; Fraternity Is Expelled From House and MIT
The Alpha Tau Omega fraternity lost its appeal and has been expelled from MIT, the Interfraternity Council announced yesterday.
Google Digital Book Deal Condemned by US Copyright Office
The nation’s top copyright official made a blistering attack on Thursday on a controversial legal settlement that would let Google create a huge online library and bookstore.
German Geothermal Project Suspect in Earthquake
Government officials here are reviewing the safety of a geothermal energy project that scientists say set off an earthquake in mid-August, shaking buildings and frightening many residents of this small city.
Russia Says Sanctions Against Iran Are Unlikely
Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov on Thursday all but ruled out imposing new sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, brushing aside growing Western concerns that Iran had made significant progress in recent months in a bid for nuclear weapons.
Buy a GM, Like It, Or Get Your Money Back
Can a straight-talking Texan and a money-back guarantee persuade American consumers to buy a car from General Motors?
Shorts (left)
At least five schoolgirls died in a stampede that started on a crowded stairway at a large government-run school in the Indian capital, Indian news media and police officials said Thursday.
Shorts (right)
President Barack Obama’s speech on health care failed to bridge the gulf with Republicans, but Democrats said on Thursday that the president had largely succeeded in unifying his own party by making a cogent, persuasive pitch to the American public, and by casting his plan to overhaul the health care system as a political and moral imperative.
Wilson’s District Mostly Backs His Outburst Against Obama
In Washington, Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina was sharply criticized by both Democrats and his fellow Republicans for shouting “You lie!” during President Barack Obama’s health care address on Wednesday. But here in his strongly Republican congressional district on Thursday, he was celebrated by many of his constituents for his outburst.
Intermission
The first ten days of September have been exceptionally nice with mostly sunny skies and temperatures near normal. September always seems to shake out this way for a good chunk of the month. It’s our short intermission from the otherwise variable weather we typically experience here in New England.
Treasury Secretary Says Bailout Programs Are Shrinking
One of President Barack Obama’s top economic strategists said on Thursday that the government was now starting to shrink many parts of the gigantic financial bailout that followed the collapse of Lehman Brothers last September.
Letters to the Editor
MIT has a stated commitment to the dissemination of knowledge. The Institute has pioneered the adoption of OpenCourseWare and the faculty has adopted a policy that all journal articles are open access by default. The MIT community is known for being hyper-integrated electronically, and with the increasing capabilities of Stellar and other online platforms, it is becoming ever more so.
The Dark Side of Rush
Orientation is finally over. It’s the end of the mandatory events that about 50 percent of freshmen don’t go to and the end of the leftover free food that is left sitting near Kresge for days afterwards. But the end of Orientation does not mean the end of free food. For with the end of the first week comes the beginning of the second, known as rush. During this frenetic time, the 26 fraternities battle it out to recruit as many freshmen as possible.
Editors’ Note
<i>The Tech</i> regrets printing certain inappropriate and vulgar Daily Confusion entries. <i>The Tech</i>’s readers expect inclusive and responsible content in <i>The Tech</i>’s pages.
MOVIE REVIEW Equal Parts Melancholy and Hope
Before the screening of <i>The Burning Plain</i>, one of the film critics near me explained that he had been in the hospital for the last few weeks due to a bike accident. Still tending injuries of a couple broken ribs, he joked that he was “glad that today’s movie is not a comedy.” Indeed, <i>The Burning Plain</i> is perhaps as far as possible from comedy.
THEATER REVIEW Make Way for Hybrid Villains!
The MIT Musical Theatre Guild’s production of <i>Bat Boy: The Musical</i> (story and book by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming, music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe) is briefly summarized as “Bat Boy’s search for love and acceptance,” which, though true, doesn’t quite capture the depth of the show’s… quirkiness. With a plotline that could be considered odd even by musical standards, <i>Bat Boy</i> is about neither a young Bruce Wayne nor the baseball equivalent of a roadie, although one could argue that it has elements in common with the former.
CD REVIEW Speaking to Love
At any other time during the miserable history of British music, Gerald Finzi would have been considered one of England’s greatest composers. Just his luck, he was born just as Ralph Vaughan Williams was realizing his full potential and died just in time for Benjamin Britten to be achieving his.
INTERVIEW From Dot Product to Drama
Gioia De Cari, the writer/performer of <i>Truth Values</i>, received a Masters degree at MIT in Mathematics and was enrolled in the PhD program before she left to pursue a career in acting. De Cari’s play <i>Truth Values: One Girl’s Romp Through MIT’s Male Math Maze</i> is an autobiographical solo show showing at Central Square Theater from Thursday, September 10th to Sunday, September 20th. De Cari’s play is aimed at telling her personal story of her experiences at MIT and explores the world of women in math and science. It is presented by the Underground Railway Theater and directed by Miriam Eusebio. For selected performances, the play will be followed by discussions with scientists and artists from both MIT and Harvard.
You Ready for Some Football? The Tech’s NFL Preseason Picks
Football season is upon us once again. After months of waiting, we can finally restart our fantasy leagues and spend Sundays wishing we were in front of the TV instead of finishing up pset… Anyways, here are <i>The Tech</i>’s preseason picks for the playoffs.
’09 Women’s Volleyball Season Begins with a Strong Performance
The MIT women’s volleyball team opened the 2009 campaign by winning the Gordon College Invitational for the eighth straight season. The Engineers swept Endicott College (25-17, 25-22, 25-14) and Keene State College (25-16, 25-23, 25-12) before topping the host Fighting Scots (25-10, 25-20, 24-26, 25-17) on Saturday. Katrina M. Ellison ‘10 was named the Tournament MVP while rookie Katie K. Spielbauer ’13 was tabbed for All-Tournament Team honors. Alex T. May ’10 posted 11 kills and six digs as Ellison and Cecily L. Joujon-Roche ’12 both registered eight kills and four digs against Endicott. Jennifer Li ’11 notched a team-high five blocks while Barden E. Cleeland ’10 totaled four blocks and three aces. Catherine Melnikow ’10 paced the defense with 11 digs to go along with three aces as Anna D. Dikina ’11 contributed six digs. Alyssa L. Rothman ’13 tallied 34 assists and four digs while Spielbauer chipped in six digs.
