Course 18 moving
Handing in math problem sets may now require more exercise. In late June or early July, the entire Department of Mathematics will be moving to E17 and E18 as their current space in Building 2 undergoes a significant renovation. Undergraduate math majors have already experienced the effects of the construction, with their undergraduate lounge moved to the Compton Room, opposite 26-100, this past January. For the duration of the construction, the lounge will remain in the Compton Room. As for the rest of the department, all faculty, staff, and graduate student offices will be moved to the new “swing space” in E17 and E18, which will be shared with the Department of Economics, whose space in E52 is also being renovated.
Grant funds threatened by sequester
With over 70 percent of MIT’s yearly research funding coming from the federal government, the federal budget sequester will have a significant impact on research at the Institute.
Three suspicious packages found on campus this week
Feel like MIT’s been popping up on your phone a lot these days? The past week has seen three more reports of suspicious packages around campus — at Kendall Square and buildings 54 and E52 — causing police to issue messages to students through MIT Alert and evacuating buildings. All three alerts were cleared within an hour.
Amherst College faculty vote against joining edX
On April 16, 2013, Amherst College faculty voted 70-36 against a motion to join the edX consortium. The college would have been the second liberal arts college to join edX, after Wellesley College.
Tsarnaev’s college friends face charges
NEW BEDFORD — Dias Kadyrbayev and Azamat Tazhayakov were college roommates who clicked with Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, another soccer-loving immigrant from the former Soviet Union who, unlike them, blended seamlessly into the United States. Tsarnaev spoke perfect English and knew where to shop and how to have a good time.
‘Old’ ASA requirement leaves some unsettled
In early spring, the Association of Student Activities (ASA) emailed to all ASA-recognized student groups requiring that the information in their ASA database entry to be up-to-date and compliant with the ASA’s rules and regulations. One of the requirements was that group constitutions include the ASA Governance Clause — any group missing the clause from its constitution received a notification of such, requiring that the clause be added in order for the ASA to approve the constitution. (The Tech, as it is currently an ASA-recognized group without the governance clause, also received this request.) The clause as a requirement for ASA-recognized groups has existed for several years, according to ASA president Rachel H. Keeler ’14, but has not been uniformly enforced.
Bombing suspect reveals original plot
WASHINGTON — The surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings told FBI interrogators that he and his brother had considered suicide attacks and striking on the Fourth of July as they plotted their deadly assault, according to two law enforcement officials.
FBI agents pore over bombing suspect’s trip to Russia in 2012
FBI agents are working closely with Russian security officials to reconstruct Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s activities and connections in Dagestan during his six-month visit last year, tracking meetings he may have had with specific militants, his visits to a radical mosque and any indoctrination or training he may have received, law enforcement officials said on Sunday.
Maseeh MHEC votes to secede from DormCon
Maseeh Hall Executive Council (MHEC) emailed the Dormitory Council (DormCon) last night to withdraw Maseeh from DormCon, citing budget-related and representation concerns. A 4-3 vote of Maseeh Exec passed the motion Sunday night. Previously, Bexley had been for years the only dorm not in DormCon, and it stopped paying its yearly $1,200 tax to DormCon in 2008.
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).