SAO institutes attendee sign-in policy for student group summer events
The SAO and CAC wrote to the clubs that the policy change was made “to address reported concerns around safety, security, and overall capacity during reduced summer hours.”
MIT received thousands in donations from Epstein Interests
Ito wrote, “I take full responsibility for my error in judgment. I am deeply sorry to the survivors, to the Media Lab, and to the MIT community for bringing such a person into our network.”
HackMIT no longer admits all MIT students
Workshops and talks will be open to the entire MIT community.
Economist Daron Acemoglu named Institute Professor
Acemoglu is the winner of the 2005 John Bates Clark Medal and co-author of the New York Times bestselling book Why Nations Fail.
Inaugural John M. Deutch Institute Professor Suzanne Berger reflects on her research, MIT
Berger: "That experience of collaborating with engineers and scientists was what really changed my whole direction intellectually. Learning how to see the world through their eyes as well as through the eyes of a social scientist made a great difference in my own work."
Professor Patrick Winston dies at 76
Suri Bandler ’17: Winston had "a deep sense of humor, a shocking love of chocolates, and a core that is MIT through-and-through."
Next House required to implement opt-out for first-year squatting despite house vote against it
Next House President Jessica Tang ’20 said discussions with Barnhart and Nelson led Next Exec to think that they could “vote on whether an opt-out option was to be implemented at all.”
Reif emphasizes the value of immigrants in light of U.S. government actions against Chinese researchers and scientists
Vice President of Research Maria Zuber emphasized that improving security relies on identifying processes and organizational structures that need to be enhanced, rather than targeting any particular ethnic group.
Insurance waivers to be processed by Gallagher Student Health, possibly fewer students will be able to waive extended plan
Waiver requests will also need to be submitted by Aug. 15. This is earlier than previous years, when the deadline was typically around Aug. 31.
Interim ICEO Alyce Johnson reflects on her time at MIT
“I always felt like I belonged. That’s a very enriching feeling.”
ISO responds to work authorization delays affecting international students’ internships
“In the coming year, we will continue our efforts to encourage departments to put in place professional development and experiential learning requirements,” David Elwell, associate dean and director of the ISO, wrote.
Provost announces broadened search for ICEO, new associate provost position
The associate provost will work with other administrators to “ensure equitable practices during the faculty hiring, promotion, tenure, and review processes.”
Work authorization delays interfere with international students’ summer internships
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) requires that students apply for OPT no more than 90 days before their projected start dates. In past years, this has typically been enough time for applications to be approved, but this year, processing times appear to be stretching towards four to five months.
Michael Bloomberg speaks at Commencement
In his speech, Bloomberg announced the launch of Beyond Carbon, a climate action initiative, by Bloomberg Philanthropies, his charitable foundation.
UROP summer payroll, summer session classes
UROP summer payroll opened June 3 — remember to submit timesheets weekly!
Data presented on Phase One of the CUP Experiment
The percentage of first-years who reported “feeling overwhelmed by all they had to do” increased from 49 percent in 2015 to 65 percent in 2019.
Remembering Aliza Akhtar (1999–2019)
“Sometimes you just meet those people that are literally angels, who are too good for this world. Aliza was that person,” her close friend Layal Barakat ’22 wrote.
West Campus Village deemed financially infeasible
“We don't believe [the feasibility study] determines that the Village was a bad idea in any way; it just is not the right time for it,” wrote Alice Zhou ’20, president of the Panhellenic Association.
6-9 Masters of Engineering approved
The 6-9 MEng. program consists of 66 units of coursework, an additional four graduate classes in EECS and BCS, two mathematics classes, and a 24-unit thesis.
Majority of paint and chalk art to be removed from Simmons this summer
Simmons is not a “mural building,” and “the planned cleaning and painting will help restore original finishes in the building," David Friedrich, senior associate dean of housing and residential services, wrote.
Committee to plan for new varsity weight room in the fall, gymnastics facility will stay as is in meantime
The committee will be formed by early August, charged by early September, and conclude their work by the end of the fall semester.
Upper-level students can no longer ‘rank or pick’ new students to live in their communities
“We feel very strongly” about eliminating mutual selection as it is currently “operationalized” from here onwards, Nelson said.
Alumnus on silence around Senior House
Now that a year has gone by, it is time for the administration to report on how the students who were thrown out of their “home” have adjusted to their changed life at the Institute.
Alumnus on Sheryl Sandberg’s 2018 commencement speech
The MIT community should think critically about Facebook’s hypocrisies and misdeeds, even as we heed Sandberg’s imperative to “do all the good we can, knowing that what we build will be used by people — and people are capable of great beauty and great cruelty.”
Issues with MIT’s sexual harassment initiative
Without transparent and open applications for joining the working groups, and without the full release of working group recommendations, each of us is less able to evaluate and define the best actions we should take to improve the MIT community.
Out of the cave
When writing, you gradually come to see the contours of your idea. What began as a vague homogeneous blob of a thought comes into focus as a set of distinct facts which you travel between to form your narrative or argument.
Spooky times await
The things that go bump in the night is a phrase that brings us back to our childhood days of fear. It makes us think of the creepy creatures hiding just beyond our periphery, waiting to sneak out from the back of our minds to confront us in the dark. ‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’ tries to capture the essence of this childhood fear.
Here Be Draugens
While aesthetically striking, the short and ultimately lackluster gameplay of 'Draugen' falls into the category of games worth playing once (or thereabouts).
If only ‘Yesterday’ could feel like Now
'Yesterday' delivered on the marketed Beatles humor, but there wasn’t anything else under the surface.
Another anime rhythm game
Developed by China-based PeroPeroGames, most of the musical selection in 'Muse Dash' comes from Chinese artists, ranging from energetic themes to love ballads to instrumental soundtracks.
Horror in broad daylight
The horror in this movie is definitely disturbing, though I personally expected more. A good amount of the horror takes place off-screen, and we are only ever exposed to the aftermath, which leads to the film feeling less like a horror movie and more like a study of grief and its emotional impacts.
An unsatisfying revenge story
When the movie ended, the guy sitting next to me literally laughed for a whole minute. Now, I don’t know about you, but I don’t think that’s the kind of reaction any thriller-branded movie should get. In this case, however, it was well-deserved.
Rock ‘n’ roll, baby
I particularly enjoyed the musical aspect of the film. It was a great way of implementing some of Elton John’s greatest hits, such as “Tiny Dancer,” “Rocket Man,” “I’m Still Standing,” and “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.” Even if it did lead to the film feeling more episodic, songs were often used to seamlessly transition between large moments in John’s life.
‘Detective Pikachu’ fails to shock
Ryan Reynolds provides a hilarious voice acting performance, which was never doubted. But is there anything more to this movie than his charm?
‘The Sun is Also a Star’ wants you to know it’s woke
“It does no harm to the romance of the sunset to know a little about it.”
Boredom blues
You can learn a lot from an experience even if it’s not the most ideal. Be curious and be open to possibilities.
Auntie says farewell
Auntie invites would-be advice-givers to hang up their own shingle next year and start giving advice. To ready the path for the next generation, she will offer some reflections on the principles by which she has written this column.
The languages of science and faith
You don’t use the Bible to learn about any quantitative theory, England explained, “because that’s not the language that it’s speaking.” However, it understands scientific reasoning, and it’s interested in the human experience, and how we as ordinary people understand what is alive and not alive.
How mathematicians study wave equations
“Best breakthroughs are done by people who bring ideas from different fields into the one they think they are expert on,” said Staffilani.
