From the Editor
At the beginning of 2010 we saw the tail end of a budget crunch that was quelled by swift, but resonable cuts. Though we are out of immediate danger, the crisis birthed many longer-term plans that will shape the Institute for years to come.
$24M donation breathes life into Ashdown
After a donation of $24 million from Fariborz Maseeh ScD ’90 in September 2010, Ashdown House (W1) will rise again as Maseeh Hall this fall. The new dorm space will allow the undergraduate population to grow by about 200 students over the next three years.
Two fraternities suffer setbacks in 2010
Fraternities had a rough year in 2010: Over the course of 365 days, MIT saw one fraternity suspended and another sued, later reaching a six-figure settlement.
Dining ignites campus controversy
Few topics caused as much tension on campus in 2010 as the ever-changing House Dining Plan, scheduled to go into effect Fall 2011. In March 2010, the Division of Student Life (DSL) formed the House Dining Advisory Group (HDAG), committed to the creation of a new dining plan with the hope to eliminate the $600,000 deficit from House Dining and to offer more options for student dining.
Budget cuts target jobs, Athena printing, student life
In late 2009, MIT announced its plans to save $130 million over the next two years. This past year marked a major move in the implementation of the recommendations made by the Institute-Wide Planning Task Force, a group charged to recommend budget-cutting activities across all departments and divisions at MIT.
MIT affiliates embroiled in Wikileaks fiasco
MIT often finds itself connected to stories of national and international significance, and 2010 was no exception. Wikileaks, an organization which publishes leaked documents online, found itself in the middle of a global political firestorm after publishing documents detailing American operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and later diplomatic cables from U.S. embassies the world over. The alleged leaker responsible for handing over these documents to Wikileaks? Bradley Manning, an Army private who had visited Pika in summer 2009 and came again to MIT in January 2010.
Year brings new HASS requirements, plans for 6/7 major
The efforts of various academic task forces over the past several years have led to major changes in MIT’s curriculum, including the introduction of Course 20 as Biological Engineering in 2006 and the elimination of double degrees in 2009. This year, these changes continued with the implementation of a new HASS system, and a new degree program combining Courses VI and VII that will begin accepting students next fall.
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.
Welcome [Back] to MIT
Editor’s Note: This editorial was originally published on August 31, 2010, at the beginning of the fall semester. We believe much of its advice is still relevant today, for any MIT student.
Yes, it’s still the economy
It is easy to look back on 2010 and say that it will not soon be forgotten, that a year of oil and information leaks, Tea Party and sanity rallies, and cyber-warfare in Iran will leave indelible marks on the world.
A look back, and ahead
MIT is a different place today than it was one year ago. On a global level, MIT is connecting to the rest of the world in ways it never has before. On a local level, MIT itself is evolving — faced with new financial realities and a need to remain competitive with peer schools, the Institute has seen significant changes to important aspects of academics and student life. Many of 2010’s changes will define MIT for years to come.
‘Patriot Probes’ at the airport
This past Thanksgiving I, like many of you, passed through Boston Logan Airport in order to get home. Prior to my trip, I had been looking forward with a mixture of giddiness and dread to the opportunity of being subjected to an “enhanced pat down,” an experience I hoped would be illuminating, if not mortifying.
The story BCG offered me $16,000 not to tell
The city was strange and the society was unnerving, but what disturbed me most about my Dubai experience was my job as a business consultant for the Boston Consulting Group.
The Year in Arts
What with earthquakes, volcanoes, and oil leaks, 2010 had almost enough disasters to make The Day After Tomorrow seem closer to everyday life. The arts and entertainment world chose to confront these events with creations of both truth and fantastical fairy tale, dark or otherwise. Perhaps the fact that a Picasso painting sold for 106.5 million dollars illustrates this strange but successful marriage between substance and imagination.
The Silver Screen in 2010
The King’s Speech, True Grit, Inception, and The Social Network garnered the most nominations for the 83rd Academy Awards. But what about the films that didn’t get an Oscar nod? Here are some of the good and the mediocre.
The biggest and best sports moments of 2010
If sports can strike awe in the collective imagination of the spectator, the player, or the manager in moments of triumph, the day after can be pretty damn good, too. The Yankees lost 22-0 to the Cleveland Indians the night before my school year began in 2004. For the entirety of the next day, I had, and seized, the opportunity to warn the Yankees fans at my high school of their team’s impending doom. As we began our classes, each student had to sign up for a day to give a presentation on current events in social studies class. My chosen date was October 28. By sheer luck, this was to become the day after the Red Sox won their first World Series in 86 years. Never mind that the momentous 2004 election was only a week away, the title slide of my presentation featured a picture of the euphoric celebration inside Busch Stadium. Let’s take one last opportunity to savor the biggest and best sports moments of 2010:
Engineers rack up impressive 2010 victories
MIT Athletics once again had an outstanding year in 2010. Several teams ended their years nationally ranked, and many others earned NEWMAC Championships and went on to compete for national championships. Here’s a look at some of the notable achievements of MIT’s teams from the past year.
