News Briefs
Claude Canizares, MIT Vice President and Bruno Rossi Professor of Physics, will be stepping down at the end of the current academic year. He will leave his position on June 30 and will take a sabbatical after stepping down.
MIT fraternities and sanctions
The DU case differed in several ways from other MIT fraternity suspensions in recent years.
Corrections
The “Saferide route changes to go into effect in Dec.” article from the Tuesday, Nov. 25 issue of The Tech incorrectly suggested that the living groups affected by the removal of the Bay State Road stop was a complete list. Student House independent living group was not included in this list but will also be affected by the change.
MIT Football’s historic season ends Saturday in second playoff game
The MIT football team’s historic undefeated regular season and first-round playoff win are, according to Head Coach Chad Martinovich, “just part of the progression.”
Three from MIT become Rhodes Scholars
Two current MIT seniors, Anisha Gururaj ’15 and Elliot Akama-Garren ’15, and one graduate, Noam Angrist ’13, were named Rhodes Scholars on Saturday, Nov. 22. They will begin graduate studies at Oxford University next year.
Behind the suspension of the MIT Delta Upsilon fraternity
When MIT’s Technology Chapter of the Delta Upsilon fraternity was suspended this past April, there was no clear indication of the cause to outsiders. Other than the vague “inappropriate behavior” mentioned in a press release, neither Delta Upsilon International nor MIT explained why they were shutting down the chapter for two years.
Riding the temperature roller coaster
We enjoyed an unusually warm day yesterday, with temperatures topping out at 64°F (18°C) — that’s 18°F (10°C) warmer than the average high temperature for yesterday’s date! Today’s high temperature will be a whopping 29°F (20°C) colder than yesterday’s thanks to the passage of a cold front late yesterday afternoon. These cold temperatures won’t last long, though, due to an area of low pressure forming off of the North Carolina coast tonight. As this system tracks northward, winds in Boston will become southerly, making for a mild day tomorrow with a high temperature of 56°F (13°C). Of course, there is a trade-off — rain showers are likely early tomorrow morning, although chances of precipitation will taper off as the morning progresses. On Thursday, temperatures will take a swing in the other direction thanks to the passage of a cold front Wednesday night; expect seasonally cool temperatures in the low 40s°F (6°C). Expect a colder high temperature in the mid 30s°F (2°C) on Friday as this cold airmass behind the front settles in.
Institute Double Take
As the harsh winter begins to settle in, I wanted to take one last chance to capture a Boston sunset before the weather became too cold. Luckily, this past Sunday the temperature rose to a balmy 50 degrees, and there happened to be a beautiful sunset with a nice mix of clouds. I set up under the BU Bridge, facing southwest into the sunset. I decided to try out a technique I’d just read about, taking a series of about 300 pictures after the sun set, every 5 seconds from 5:00-5:25 p.m. (official sunset time: 4:13 p.m.). The aperture and ISO were set to maximize exposure time, helping one photo to blur into the next.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
On October 6 and October 14, MIT Libraries hosted sessions to solicit student input on the upcoming renovations of Hayden Library. I was present at the second session, and was alarmed by much of what I heard. More specifically, I believe that many of the proposed changes and renovations will result in a library that fails to adequately support researchers who rely on timely access to print materials.
Roger Federer, Switzerland are victorious in Davis Cup
Roger Federer helped Switzerland win their first ever Davis Cup title when he beat Richard Gasquet 6-4 6-2 6-2 in the fourth match of the tie, giving the Swiss an unassailable 3-1 lead. The Swiss were given a dream start when Stanislas Wawrinka defeated French No. 1 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-1 3-6 6-3 6-2. The French pulled even when Gael Monfils crushed Roger Federer in straight sets, 6-1 6-4 6-3. There were serious questions about Federer’s fitness, as less than a week earlier he had to give Novak Djokovic a walk-over in the season-ending Barclays ATP Tour Finals.
New England Revolution reach the MLS Cup final
The New England Revolutions reached their first MLS Cup final since 2007 after holding the New York Red Bulls to a 2-2 draw in the second leg of the Eastern Conference Championship game at Foxborough on Saturday. Coming into the second leg with a 2-1 advantage, the Revs came back from a goal deficit twice in the game, with Charlie Davies scoring both goals. This game might well have been the last time the former Arsenal and Barcelona forward Thierry Henry made an appearance in the MLS, although reports of his retirement are still unconfirmed.
Red Sox sign on Sandoval, Ramirez
Following a forgettable 2014 season in which the Red Sox went from first to worst, general manager Ben Cherington and the front office wasted no time in landing free agents Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez. A big part of Boston’s struggles last season was the lack of offensive production, and following the trade-deadline day arrivals of right-handers Yoenis Cespedes and Allen Craig, the Red Sox were in need of a left-handed power bat.
