Survey: few meals missed despite plan inflexibility
“It’s a big scam,” one student wrote of MIT dining in response to a survey The Tech sent out to undergraduates. Is it?
Dining plan now mandatory for Thetas, no plans for more dining communities.
Some Kappa Alpha Thetas were disappointed this past month when they found that their renegotiated lease contract for their sorority house on dorm row with MIT included a new provision: all members living in the house must be on a Dining Plan. However, Senior Associate Dean for Residential Life & Dining Henry J. Humphreys said that any fears of other current cook-for-yourself communities being put on the dining plan are unfounded.
Thousands attend Sean Collier memorial service
On Wednesday, MIT cancelled classes for the fourth time this academic year. This time, however, it was not for a natural disaster or terror threat, but for a memorial — a celebration of the life of Officer Sean A. Collier.
The role and function of the Institute-wide HDC
Next time you have something to say about the dining halls, consider talking to the members of MIT’s House Dining Committee (HDC).
Residential dining at the Institute
Among residential four-year universities in the U.S., providing some sort of dining plan for their undergraduates is commonplace. While plans vary, a significant number provide buffet style all-you-care-to-eat service. Until Fall 2011, MIT was not among that number.
Administration reflects on the future of dining
Now that the new dining plan has been in place for almost four semesters, how could it improve? Although the House Dining Program is unlikely to change in the short term, the system will be evaluated after next year in an assessment driven by student opinion and data that Residential Life & Dining can gather about usage of the plan, feedback about the quality of food, and other metrics, says Henry J. Humphreys, senior associate dean of Residential Life and Dining (RL&D).
Students discuss the value of the dining plans
The five MIT dining halls on campus — and their respective food quality — have produced a variety of comments, both good and bad, from students around the Institute. According to The Tech’s online survey, students tend to pick the lowest meal plan available to them. Moreover, given the choice, many students would prefer meal plans much lower than their own. When asked what they would change about dining at MIT, students responded saying they wished for rollover meals (where not used meals would be transferred to more meals the next week), relax the requirement for underclassmen to subscribe to costly meal plans, and add more variety to the food while also making the plans more friendly to those with dietary restrictions (i.e. vegan-friendly).
Graduate alumni survey published
If you’re a graduate student, how do you think you’ll view your MIT experience once you graduate? In order to get the answers to questions, like how worthy the degree has actually turned out to be in real life, how satisfied the graduates are, and what is the range of salary a MIT graduate receives, MIT’s Office of the Dean for Graduate Education has surveyed alumni who graduated in 1987, 1988, 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2007, and 2008. Among the 15,806 total graduate alumni, 3,692 responded, giving an overall response rate of 31 percent for Doctoral Alumni and 20 percent for MBA and other Master’s Alumni..
Carjacking victim recounts tale of harrowing night
The 26-year-old entrepreneur had just pulled his new Mercedes to the curb on Brighton Avenue to answer a text when an old sedan swerved behind him, slamming to a stop. A man in dark clothes got out and approached the passenger window. It was nearly 11 p.m. last Thursday.
Over 3K attending SpringFest concert with Macklemore tonight
MIT is gearing up for its highest attended Spring concert in recent memory, according to UA Events Committee members Daniela M. Yuschenkoff ’14 and Lindsey C. Osimiri ’14.
Exclusive Feature: Dining at MIT
The Tech investigated the state of dining, evaluating whether opinions have changed since the introduction of the new plan. We ran a survey to gather student opinions on various aspects of the dining system. 24 percent of the undergraduate population, including 564 students that are currently on a meal plan — 30 percent of the students currently enrolled in the meal plan — responded. We hope that this feature on the state of dining sheds some light on areas where residential dining can be improved.
Shorts (right)
WASHINGTON — The White House said Thursday that it believes the Syrian government has used chemical weapons in its civil war, an assessment that could test President Barack Obama’s repeated warnings that such an attack could precipitate U.S. intervention in Syria.
Warm and pleasant weekend ahead
A high pressure system moving northeast from the Midwest will reach New England on Saturday, providing clear skies and light winds. The high will remain over our area throughout the weekend and into next week. The slow movement of the high is due to a large Atlantic ridge (i.e. another high) which is temporarily blocking the normal movement of weather systems along the jet stream. The high will therefore stay close to us, keeping skies clear and winds light. These two features will ultimately allow high temperatures to average around 65°F (18°C) or above through at least Monday. By late weekend, the light winds should start bringing air from the southwest, giving a small rise in overall temperatures. Any chances of rain appear quite slim today, despite that some remnants of a dissipating low pressure area over Canada will reach us and bring some clouds. Any clouds today will disappear overnight, and clear skies will rule our region through early next week.
Democratic senators voice health care law concerns
WASHINGTON — Democratic senators, at a caucus meeting with White House officials, expressed concerns Thursday about how the Obama administration was carrying out the health care law they adopted three years ago.
Shorts (left)
HOUSTON — Exxon Mobil reported a virtually flat profit for the first quarter Thursday, with strong earnings on its chemical business partly compensating for declines in exploration, production, refining and marketing.
Kurdish rebel group to withdraw from Turkey
ISTANBUL — The Kurdistan Workers’ Party, the main Kurdish rebel group in Turkey, said Thursday that it would withdraw all of its forces from the country by May 8 as part of a peace agreement to end a 30-year conflict with the Turkish state.
UN Security Council votes to deploy peacekeepers in Mali
UNITED NATIONS — Despite qualms about embroiling peacekeeping troops in the global fight against Islamist extremists, the U.N. Security Council voted Thursday to establish a force for Mali, where militants controlled much of the north until France intervened in January.
Technology hampers opening of exchange
Trading on the nation’s largest options exchange was delayed for several hours on Thursday because of computer problems, the latest incident to highlight the vulnerability of markets to technological shocks.
Cancer physicians attack high drug costs
With the cost of some lifesaving cancer drugs exceeding $100,000 a year, more than 100 influential cancer specialists from around the world have taken the unusual step of banding together in hopes of persuading some leading pharmaceutical companies to bring prices down.
Better communication needed
The implementation of the new House Dining Program in Fall 2011 was one of the most controversial changes to undergraduate student life in recent MIT history.
CORRECTIONS
The caption to a photo of MIT Police Officer Sean Collier in last Friday’s issue gave an incorrect age. He was 27, not 26.
Let there be light
Lighting is arguably the most important factor in many types of traditional and digital art, ranging from painting and photography to animation and architectural renders. It is surprising to know that this fundamental building block of visual art is often overlooked by artists, and many do not fully understand the full implications of light on an artwork. This book by Richard Yot serves as an instructive primer for artists of all disciplines, and at all levels, to begin to understand the intricacies of lighting. It serves as a tool to inspire continued creative manipulations of light in visual art to create extraordinary effects.
An invitation to wonder
In director Terrence Malick’s latest project, we follow the relationship between Marina, a young Frenchwoman, (Olga Kurylenko) and Neil, her American boyfriend (Ben Affleck) from Paris to Oklahoma. Their intensely passionate love struggles against the frustration and isolation that accompanies Marina’s relocation. When Marina moves back to France, Neil reconnects with a childhood flame (Rachel McAdams), whose own experiences with love and loss add another layer of solemnity and sorrow to the narration. Along the way, we briefly glimpse into the lonely life of their local priest in Oklahoma, Father Quintana (Javier Bardem), who currently struggles with a crisis of faith. Their intertwined stories create a heavy yet inspiring narrative on life, love, and God.
Existentialism in a hotel room
MIT Dramashop’s production of No Exit, based on the work of existentialist playwright Jean-Paul Sartre, takes place in the afterlife, where three damned souls are locked in a tacky hotel room together. The Tech spoke with director Adam Strandberg ’14 about his experience directing the play.
Kilts and whiskey
Think of maybe the last truly obscene word in the English language, one that’s managed to retain a little bit of shock value even in contexts where the F-word flies free — I doubt you’d hear it on a trading floor.
Diverse in style and storyline
It might be due to my biased pop-oriented ear, but it seems that it’s hard to find a rock band nowadays that maintains the essence of rock music while being original and progressive at the same time. Put some repetitive guitar and percussion sounds together with unrefined lyrics and forced hoarse voices and you’ve got yourself a group of fully-operating contemporary rock band copycats. Nevertheless, there are still a few of them that manage to captivate my attention with their rock-based roots and striking, ever-growing uniqueness. Yeah Yeah Yeahs is one of them.
Women’s lacrosse falls to Springfield College
In the regular-season finale for both squads, Springfield College defeated MIT, 11-7, in a NEWMAC women’s lacrosse game on Monday night. Kira M. Schott ’16 paced the Engineers (6-10, 2-4 NEWMAC) with four goals while Connie Nielsen registered four goals and an assist for the Pride (9-7, 4-2 NEWMAC).
Men’s tennis defeats Brandeis, 8-1
In its last home match of the regular season, the No. 20 nationally ranked MIT men’s tennis team defeated Brandeis University with a score of 8-1. The Engineers, who remain ranked sixth in the Northeast Region, are now 15-1, while the Judges fell to 7-10.
