Dorm demolition to take 2 months
Demolition of condemned undergraduate dorm Bexley began on June 29; a temporary park is set to be built in its place by October.
Student Life Dean announces plans to retire after 7 years
Chris Colombo will retire from his position as Dean for Student Life after seven years at MIT and 40 years of service at various universities. He will continue to serve as dean until a successor is appointed.
Smith’s address to graduating class emphasizes the importance of kindness, teamwork, ‘heart’
Over 2,700 undergraduate and graduate students received their diplomas at this year’s Commencement ceremony on June 5. In all, the Institute awarded over 3,400 degrees.
Committee favors partial divestment
A report issued by the Climate Change Conversation Committee proposed the creation of a Climate Institute at MIT to address the challenges of climate change, and to provide a framework for the many other recommendations listed in the report.
Student funding to be halved in UA debt ‘crisis’
The Undergraduate Association has “run through its money” and has gone into debt. In the coming year, it will be forced to reduce its budget — much of which currently funds student groups — by approximately half.
Things are heating up in the Boston area
With a high temperature of 88°F (31°C), yesterday was tied for the second-warmest day of the year so far, according to National Weather Service observations taken at Logan Airport. Interestingly, 2015’s hottest day so far was nearly two months ago on May 10, when the temperature reached 89°F. Since then, Boston has recorded a high of 88°F on four separate occasions, but the city has yet to reach the 90°F mark. Although 90°F is an arbitrary threshold, this statistic is a bit unusual: on average, Boston experiences 12.9 days per year with a high temperature of 90°F or higher, 3.2 of which normally occur before July 1st. The lack of 90-degree temperatures so far means 2015 will have at least the 6th-latest occurrence of 90°F in Boston’s recorded history.
Smith’s address to graduates places ‘heart’ alongside mind and hand
Over 2,700 undergraduate and graduate students received their diplomas at this year’s Commencement ceremony on June 5. In all, the Institute awarded over 3,400 degrees.
Student group funding to be halved during UA debt ‘crisis’
The UA has “run through its money” and has gone into debt. In the coming year, it will be forced to reduce its budget—much of which currently funds student groups—by approximately half.
State of New Jersey drops Tidbit inquiry
The state of New Jersey has agreed to drop its investigation into Tidbit after previously issuing a subpoena to Jeremy Rubin ’16 requiring that he turn over the program’s source code, log files, and other information.
Faculty urge divestment in open letter to Reif
A group of 79 faculty members has signed an open letter to President L. Rafael Reif expressing their support for divesting MIT’s endowment from fossil fuel companies. The letter comes as the Climate Change Conversation (CCC) prepares to release its report to the community.
New curriculum offered for students doubling in 6-1 & 8
The Department of Physics and the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science have recently announced changes to the curriculum for undergraduates double majoring in Electrical Engineering (Course 6-1) and Physics (Course 8).
Commencement to be partly cloudy
The month of June is off to its coldest start in Boston’s recorded history. Until this week, there had never (since records were first kept in 1872) been a day in June during which the temperature in Boston didn’t reach at least 50°F. However, the high temperatures on both Monday and Tuesday, June 1 and 2, were only 49°F. The unseasonable cold began to abate on Wednesday as sunshine returned, bringing temperatures into the mid-50s. This warming trend will continue through the weekend, as temperatures slowly make their way back up to seasonable levels.
Judith Layzer, professor in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning, dies at 53
Judith Layzer, a professor at MIT and an accomplished scholar who produced influential work on environmental policy and politics, died Thursday after an extended illness. She was 53.
UROP minimum wage to increase
The minimum hourly wage for MIT’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program is slated to increase to $11.50 over the next two years, according to an email from Julie B. Norman, Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education.
Marathon bomber sentenced to death
Most of the jurors were unconvinced by the defense's mitigating factors, such as the claim that it was Tsarnaev's brother who shot MIT police officer Sean Collier.
Weather
The summery weather will continue through the weekend in Cambridge as a Low over Ontario brings warm southern air our way through Sunday. The chance that this will bring some spots of rain over the weekend is low, but non-zero. The weather we are getting this week is a little warmer than average for May, so don’t burn your spring clothes just yet.
Students given additional time to move out after final exams
Undergraduates living in dormitories may request to remain in their dormitories for an additional day — until Sunday, May 24 — before they are required to move out for the summer, according to an email from Henry Humphreys, senior associate dean of Residential Life and Dining.
Marathon bomber appears to weep as aunt testifies
BOSTON — Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has maintained an impassive or stoic demeanor throughout his trial. Even as survivors told of the carnage he inflicted at the 2013 Boston Marathon, and family members described how he killed their loved ones, he barely seemed to flinch.
Faculty urged to weigh in on climate change, divestment
With the MIT Climate Change Conversation Committee due to report findings within the next month — and expected to recommend whether MIT should divest — Vice President of Research Maria T. Zuber has called on faculty members to join the dialogue.