Hockfield addresses MIT community on Wed.
After two difficult years, MIT has “aligned its budget with economic realities” and has improved the institute’s economic resilience, President Susan J. Hockfield said at the annual State of the Institute forum on Wednesday.
HASS system gets simpler
“The new HASS system is very flexible. It’s not a pain in the ‘HASS,’” said Rui Hu ’12.
Bacteria and bat sex at Ig Nobels last night
Have you ever wondered if bats fellate each other?
PBE & IFC spar over key points
Several details have surfaced regarding the Phi Beta Epsilon (PBE) suspension. PBE alumni continue to send letters to <i>The Tech</i>, Dean of Student Life Chris Colombo, and President Susan Hockfield. IFC president, Ryan Schoen ’11 said that the PBE hazing took place between last fall’s pledging, through and including initiation (January 2010).
Corrections
The photo of the tent at East Campus desk on page 9 of Tuesday’s issue was incorrectly attributed to associate news editor Jingyun Fan. The photo was taken by Anna E. Brunner ’12.
Graduate Resident Tutors have had less money to work with since 2009
Budget cuts have decreased residential life funds across the dorms, shrinking the money available to housemasters and GRTs. In McCormick Hall, for example, the housemasters experienced budget cuts of 10 percent for both this year and for the previous year, according to housemaster Charles H. Stewart III
The old HASS system
MIT’s commitment to producing well-rounded graduates means that, in addition to a rigorous scientific curriculum, students are expected to complete a number of classes in the wide range of topics collectively referred to as HASS: Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. Until now, the requirement consisted of three components: three distributive classes, three-to-four classes toward a concentration, and one or two electives.
Beta gets 4-year ban on parties
Beta Theta Pi (Beta) is under social probation until fall of 2014, the result of an alcohol-related rush violation this year, according to IFC President Ryan Schoen ’11. They will not be permitted to hold social events (parties) outside of Rush for the next four years.
Stem cell work can continue, for now
The Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia decided Tuesday afternoon to allow federally funded human embryonic stem cell research to continue, while the federal government appeals a lower court injunction that barred the work.
Student’s online musings show<br />state of mind before a suicide
It started with a Twitter message Sept. 19: “Roommate asked for the room till midnight. I went into molly’s room and turned on my webcam. I saw him making out with a dude. Yay.”
Wet & muggy today, clearing for weekend
Make sure you have a poncho as heavy rain will dominate the weather for most of today. An umbrella might not work since winds will also be gusts approaching 40 mph. Some flooding may also be possible in low lying areas, along with ponding of water on most roads. Today’s high humidity and rainfall is the result of low pressure riding northward along the East Coast. Temperatures should not reach 80°F like on previous days, but it will remain muggy until a cold front finally pushes through tonight, ushering in cooler and drier air. In response to the front, the weekend looks perfect with highs in the 60s°F and sunny skies. Good luck staying dry today!
U.S. presses Israelis on<br />renewal of settlement freeze
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is trying to cajole the Israeli government into a 60-day renewal of the freeze on Jewish settlement building by offering it security guarantees, ranging from military hardware to support for a long-term Israeli presence in the strategically sensitive Jordan Valley, according to lawmakers and other officials briefed on the proposals.
20 light-years away, planet may be able to nurture life
It might be a place that only a lichen or pond scum could love, but astronomers said Wednesday that they had found a very distant planet capable of harboring water on its surface, thus potentially making it a home for plant or animal life.
Shorts (left)
The MBTA is to release real-time data Friday telling riders where subway trains are located and how long it will take for the next train to arrive.
Shorts (right)
In many ways, it had the makings of the kind of classic late-campaign political dust-up that happens so regularly in high-profile California campaigns: the celebrity lawyer, the illegal immigrant, a welter of conflicting allegations and conspiracy charges, a candidate willing to take a lie-detector test and the scene of reporters clustered in a swanky lawyer’s office overlooking the Hollywood Hills. News conferences were streamed live on TMZ.com, the scandal-chasing Hollywood website that has become a force in politics and celebrity in this town.
North Korea offers peek at leader’s presumed heir
North Korean state media released a photograph on Thursday of Kim Jong-un, the son and presumed heir of the ailing dictator, Kim Jong-il, the first verified image of the young man as an adult.
Your move, PBE
Phi Beta Epsilon can resolve the debate over their expulsion from the Interfraternity Council and whether their actions constitute hazing by releasing the document detailing the incident in question to public review. This document, describing membership education activities for the pledge class of 2013, is the key piece of evidence in determining whether PBE’s activities qualify as hazing.
The view from Phi Beta Epsilon
At the beginning of this year’s Rush Week, an anonymous party provided the IFC Judicial Committee (JudComm) with circumstantial evidence stolen from our fraternity house of a violation of the IFC Risk Management policies connected with Phi Beta Epsilon’s 2010 initiation last January. Although the 60 day statute of limitations on JudComm complaints had long since passed since the alleged violation took place, and even though this complaint was apparently intentionally released at a moment when it would do maximum damage to the fraternity, a hearing was held.
The IFC wields its power reasonably and responsibly
David Templeton asserted in Monday’s Tech that fraternities’ self-governance through the IFC is actually hurting fraternities. He argues that out of a desire to protect that self-governance the IFC is exceedingly harsh to members that violate its rules resulting in the IFC self-governance doing more harm than good. I find his assertions false on two grounds, first because in most cases the IFC is not exceedingly harsh and second because self-governance is an extremely important part of fraternity life.
IFC clears up the facts about PBE’s hazing expulsion
Since the conclusion of the Phi Beta Epsilon (PBE) judicial process, we have heard many concerns regarding the procedures used by the Interfraternity Council (IFC). It greatly surprises us that members of our community are worried by a process that was agreed upon by every one of the member fraternities of the IFC, but we do take these concerns seriously and want to do our best to allay them.
Chic clothes, saving your conscience?
Socially conscious fashion. A conundrum in itself. For an industry that is based mostly around aesthetics and has been historically nonchalant about animals — much less the healthcare of employees — the growing attention to sustainable design and fair trade is curious. We hear about it occasionally — Natalie Portman’s line of shoes for Te Casan composed of all man-made materials, Bono and his wife’s fashion brand ROGAN — but for the most part, sustainable fashion has not hit the pavement runway.
Women’s tennis wins 8-1 vs Clark
his past Saturday, the MIT women’s tennis team visited Clark University, and left with a dominating 8-1 victory. The Engineers’ doubles teams started strong. Both the number one team of Lauren C. Quisenberry ’14 and Julia C. Hsu ’14 and the number two team of Melissa aA. Diskin ’11 and Katharine A. O’Neal ’14 won their sets 8-2, giving MIT a quick 2-0 overall lead. Then, the doubles exhibition match of Hillary E. Jenny ’12 and Caitlin R. Pomeroy ’13, who won of 8-3. Next off was the third doubles team of Jenny C. Dohlman ’11 and Jennifer A. Rees ’11, who came back from a 2-4 deficit to win the match 8-6. This sweep in doubles gave MIT 3-0 lead going into the singles matches.
Upcoming Home Events
Friday, October 1 Men’s water polo vs. Brown University 8 p.m., Z-Center Pool Saturday, October 2 Men’s heavyweight crew Alumni Race 8 a.m, Charles River Rifle vs. Wentworth Institute of Technology 9 a.m, duPont Gym Sailing: Smith Trophy 9:30 a.m., Charles River Women’s tennis vs. Mount Holyoke College 1 p.m., duPont Courts Field hockey vs. Smith College 1 p.m., Jack Barry Field Football vs. UMass-Dartmouth 1 p.m., Steinbrenner Stadium
Women’s volleyball falls in close sets
In a hard-fought NEWMAC women’s volleyball match on Tuesday night, visiting Springfield College emerged with a 23-25, 26-24, 25-22, 25-19 victory over MIT. The loss lowered the Engineers’ record to 10-7 on the year and 2-2 in conference play while the Pride improved to 14-2 overall and 4-0 in the NEWMAC.
Sports Shorts
Coming off a weekend sweep that saw the MIT water polo team improve to 2-0 in league play, junior goalkeeper Columbus Leonard has been named the Northern Division Defensive Player of the Week by the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA). Leonard helped anchor the MIT defense in a pair of wins over Fordham University, 13-10, and Iona College, 11-8.
