Students protest Senior House ‘depopulation,’ new freshman program
Students protested MIT’s decision to “depopulate Senior House” Friday. The protest started with a sign-making session in Lobby 7, followed by a march to the chancellor’s office where various protesters spoke.
Editor’s Note
Last Monday morning, The Tech published our last planned issue for the month. When the decisions surrounding removing current Senior House residents from E2 and initiating the Pilot 2021 in the building were announced later that afternoon, we began to plan a special issue so that we could print about these events in a timely fashion.
Students, alums respond to Senior House depopulation and Pilot 2021
Current students and community members respond
Freshmen in Senior House: Pilot 2021
The Pilot 2021 program will include cooking kits for $2,500 a year, in-house exercise classes, and “career exploration” programming.
Administration decides to resettle Senior House residents, citing “unhealthy behavior” during last year’s turnaround period
Senior House will be mostly depopulated, and will instead house students in Pilot 2021, a new program for freshmen focused on “academics, personal development, and wellbeing.” Current residents will need to go through a “selective” application process in order to live in the dorm next year.
Tim Cook Speaks at MIT Commencement
MIT commencement took place on June 9. –- undergraduates and –– graduate students received degrees. –– bachelor, ––– masters, and ––– doctorate degrees were awarded.
Nelson: LGBT services should be above-ground
LBGT Services and the Office of Multicultural Programs will move from Walker Memorial to the duPont athletic center in W31 this summer. The move is expected to be complete this fall.
Senior Gift participation lags behind precedent
As of May 23, approximately 62 percent of the class of 2017 has donated to this year’s Senior Gift Campaign. This is a significant drop from last year’s 88 percent participation rate and a deviation from the steady increase the campaign has experienced since 2005.
Nearly a year after turnaround announcement, near-term future of Senior House is uncertain
Administrators have still not given word on who will be allowed to live in Senior House this fallwhether freshman will live in Senior House this fall. In particular, it unknown if freshmen, the current residents, or any undergraduates will be allowed to live there.
Courses 6 and 14 form a new joint major
Students can now declare a joint major in computer science and Economics. The 6-14 major was approved in a faculty meeting May 17, and the major requirements appeared on the course 6 department website in June.
Scientists observe gravitational waves — again!
The waves resulted from the merger of two black holes, and their discovery has added to our knowledge of both black holes and general relativity.
Class council budgets to remain private
While the majority of the UA Council members present voted to require all Class Council budgets to be published to undergraduates, the majority of Class Council members present voted against public transparency of the budget.
Health insurance for graduate students with dependents to increase
MIT Medical insurance rates for grad students with spouses and dependents are set to increase by 9.4% next year, 5% higher than the increase for other students.
DUSP students call for boycott of campus dining provider
MIT No Aramark, an MIT campaign launched, started circulating a petition to the MIT community last week calling on encouraging the MIT to join the national movement to boycott Aramark, aMIT’s food supplies for Verde’s (?) and (?).
Pre-registration, Playsentations, course evaluations
Pre-registration is open. Continuing students have until June 19 to initiate pre-registration for the fall.
Cool pattern continues
Fans of the past week's weather will be happy to learn that similar weather is in store for the Institute for the remainder of the week. The absence of any strong weather systems will result in mostly sunny skies to begin the day, with a sea breeze and a scattering of shallow cumulus clouds developing in the afternoon. Our proximity to the Massachusetts Bay will keep temperatures from escaping the mid-50s (°F), causing high temperatures to be some 10°F cooler than normal for this time of year.
OneWorld@MIT
The OneWorld cultural festival took place on April 29, Saturday at MIT. The first of its kind, it showcased the diverse talents and backgrounds of students. 17 solo performers and groups brought slices of their countries to Johnson Ice Rink, followed by campus-wide tent parties on Kresge Oval, Killian Court, McDermott Court, and the Walker Memorial tennis courts.
Weather, end of semester keeping us on our toes
In this season of formals, carnivals, and other end-of-year celebrations, the weather seems to be enjoying itself by keeping us on our toes. After a clear Thursday, the clouds will come rolling in with a passing front bringing a rainy and chilly Friday. Seniors shouldn't fret, though; the rain will be long gone in time for Senior Ball on Saturday night, but the sun will still be hiding in order to give each of you your time to shine. Early next week, expect warm and sunny days with cool, partly cloudy nights.