A chat with the Chancellor
“All things students” is how you’ll often hear Chancellor Eric Grimson, PhD ’80, describe his job. The chancellor is one of the two most senior academic officers at MIT (along with the Provost). He is responsible for graduate and undergraduate education, student life, student services, and other areas that affect the MIT student experience. The Tech sat down with him last Friday to hear his thoughts about the stresses and pressures of MIT.
Student forum planned for IAP
The Tech and the Chancellor’s office will be cosponsoring a forum this IAP to discuss issues surrounding pressure and stress at MIT. Undergraduates and graduates are invited to attend.
Aaron Swartz trial may be delayed
On Monday, attorneys for Aaron H. Swartz asked the federal district court to delay his trial from February to June, and filed responses to the government’s replies to his motions to suppress evidence. Swartz is the Internet activist accused of mass downloading millions of journal articles from JSTOR with a laptop hidden in a basement network closet in MIT’s Building 16.
Wireless access points damaged, students advised to use Ethernet
As a result of the Cambridge-wide power outage on Thursday, Nov. 29, several wireless access points around campus were damaged, according to an email from MIT Information Services & Technology. IS&T is working to replace the devices, but they do not have enough replacement devices in stock to replace all of them at the present time. Most of the access points will not be repaired until new units arrive, though the message did not say when the new units would arrive or when the repairs would be complete. Until then, IS&T recommends connecting to the MIT network via Ethernet connections whenever possible. Students may visit the IS&T office in E17-110 to pick up an Ethernet cable.
In their own voices: MIT students talk pressure
At the end of the survey, respondents were asked to share any stories or thoughts they had about pressure at MIT. A few of the 500+ comments we received are published below. Thank you to everyone for sharing stories of your darkest moments, your pain, fears, and anxieties. Many of the stories were extremely personal and truly touching, and it was very difficult to select the excerpts you see here. We chose the ones that exemplified the diversity of voices on this issue.
Meltdown — The original admissions blog post
This next week and a half promises to be electrifying. We’re on the brink of an epic hurricane, a Presidential election, and either the most disappointing or the spookiest Halloween ever. But right now I’m going to talk about me, about MIT, and about why I haven’t talked to you in a month.
House calls from your neighborhood MedLink
One in four interactions with Medlinks is related to wellness and mental health, as opposed to physical ailments, according to Medlinks president Frances K. Chen ’13.
An interview with admissions blogger Lydia K.
Admissions blogger Lydia A. Krasilnikova ’14 is no stranger to life as a hosed MIT student. Her Oct. 29 admissions blog post “Meltdown” quickly went viral, with over 4000 likes on Facebook and coverage by WBUR (Boston’s NPR branch). The Tech sat down with Lydia to ask her what she thought about stress and her additional reflections after writing the piece.
Students weigh in on pressure at the Institute
Stress. It’s a known constant in the equation of life at MIT, whether it’s due to time-intensive extracurriculars, challenging classes, typical college social drama, problems from outside campus, or a combination of all these things. For The Tech’s pressure issue, our reporters searched campus to find out more about stress and pressure from a student perspective.
MIT Medical’s 24/7 emergency hotline
What do you do when you have an urgent problem and MIT Medical is closed? Since MIT Medical’s Urgent Care closed to walk-ins from midnight to 7 a.m. two years ago, a 24-hour helpline service was put into place in December 2010. People with urgent medical or emotional problems can reach the helpline at 617-253-4481. However, the type of response differs based on the time that the person calls.
Course 17 head, Sloan dean to leave MIT
Richard M. Locke PhD ’89, deputy dean of MIT Sloan School of Management and head of the Department of Political Science, will become the director of Brown University’s Thomas J. Watson Institute for International Studies in July 2013, Brown announced last Wednesday.
The cause of MIT’s major power loss
What actually happened when MIT and much of Cambridge lost power last Thursday night? Why didn’t MIT’s 20 megawatt cogeneration turbine power the campus like a lighthouse in a sea of Cantabrigian darkness? What was the root cause of the failure?
City of Cambridge gets new City Manager
On Monday night, the Cambridge City Council voted eight to one to install Deputy City Manager Richard Rossi as City Manager for a three-year term beginning June 30, 2013. The current City Manager, Robert Healy, has held the position for over thirty years, but announced this May that he would retire. Rossi has also been a longtime member of Cambridge governance, serving as Deputy City Manager since 1981.
MIT to present new ‘Infinite corridor east’ vision tonight
MIT will appear before the Cambridge Planning Board tonight to present a preview of zoning changes for the campus east of Ames St., which it intends to file with the City later this month. The meeting is at 7 p.m. at 344 Broadway, the City Hall Annex. MIT’s presentation is not expected to start before 8:15 p.m.
UA launches review of W20 and restaurant vendors
Do you have an idea of a restaurant you’d like to see in the student center? On November 5, 2012, the Undergraduate Association (UA) Special Projects committee and the UA working group on dining announced a review of the building with a focus on potential new vendors and changes to the second floor. A website, http://ua.bonfireapp.com/ideas was launched to solicit student opinion on the subject, which will be aggregated and presented to the Division of Student Life (DSL). The site allows students to submit ideas and upvote or downvote existing ideas. As of publication, the most popular restaurant suggestion is Starbucks, with 320 points, followed by Panera Bread with 270 points. The website has received roughly 100 ideas from undergraduates, with several hundred comments and up/down votes.
Power returns to the Institute
This article will be updated as The Tech learns more. Check The Tech’s storify for more information: http://storify.com/thetech/mit-during-the-cambridge-blackout
MIT chooses new digital learning lead
Last week, President Reif announced the appointment of the first director of digital learning — Sanjay Sarma, Fred Fort Flowers and Daniel Fort Flowers Professor of Mechanical Engineering. Sarma will oversee efforts to enhance education with online tools, including OpenCourseWare and MITx (MIT’s contributions to edX, the venture started with Harvard).