In Short
CORRECTION TO THIS ARTICLE: An earlier version of this article incorrectly said that Debian Linux was the operating system running the new beta release of Athena. The operating system is Ubuntu, which itself is based on Debian Linux. This article has been revised to reflect this correction.
FSILGs Face Loss of Option to House Non-MIT Summer Renters
The ability of Fraternities, Sororities, and Independent Living Groups (FSILGs) to charge and accept non-student summer boarders is in jeopardy. Those boarders have been critical to struggling revenues at FSILGs.
Bareilles, Hotel Lights To Open for Ben Folds at Spring Weekend Concert
Sara Bareilles will open this year’s Spring Weekend concert, which will be headlined by Ben Folds. Folds will be bringing along the indie band Hotel Lights.
Visa Hassles May Discourage International Students
When Alena Shkumatava opens the door to the “fish lab” at the Whitehead Institute of MIT, she encounters warm, aquarium-scented air and shelf after shelf of foot-long tanks, each containing one or more zebra fish. She studies the tiny fish in her quest to unravel one of the knottiest problems in biology: how the acting of genes is encouraged or inhibited in cells.
Chorallaries’ ‘Concert in Bad Taste’ Features Comedic, Bawdy Songs
Chances are, if you’re Sarah Palin, Barack Obama, or just a member of the MIT community, you got offended by the a cappella group the Chorallaries (or the “Whore-allaries,” as they called themselves) at the <i>n</i>th Annual Concert in Bad Taste last Saturday night.
UA and Class Council Candidates
CORRECTION TO THIS ARTICLE: Because of inaccurate information provided by the Undergraduate Association Election Commission, Tuesday’s table that listed UA and Class Council candidates gave the incorrect class years for some Class Council candidates. Rishi Dixit ’12 is running for class of 2012 — not 2011 — president. David S. Zhu ’12 is running for class of 2012 — not 2011 — treasurer. Zhu is also a Tech sports editor, which the table did not disclose because of an editing error.
MLK Diversity Exhibit Vandalized Twice
President Susan J. Hockfield and Prof. J. Phillip Thompson, Chair of the Committee on Race and Diversity, have issued a statement in response to vandalism of the Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial exhibit last month (see right). The annual exhibit consisted of several student-created displays to promote diversity, human rights, and similar principles, and ran from Feb. 2 through Feb. 9 in Lobby 10.
His Name is ‘Zoz.’ Former GRT Stars on Discovery Channel
A team of four engineers prototyping a creation — sounds like a group project at MIT, right? The only difference? These engineers are on TV, in a new show “Prototype This” which aired on the Discovery Channel last October. One of the engineers is a former Senior House Graduate Resident Tutor, Andrew Brooks PhD ’07.
Technology Review and News Office Join Forces To Cut Costs, Redundancy
MIT is in the process of combining the assets, functions, and personnel of the MIT News Office and <i>Technology Review</i> magazine in order to cut spending and run communications more effectively.
New Building Process Worries Local Board; Traffic is Major Issue
MIT is meeting resistance from neighborhood residents as it hopes to construct a new building at 650 Main Street, a parking lot diagonally across from Tech Square. The 400,000-square-foot project will come before the Cambridge Planning Board on Tuesday, Mar. 3, amidst concerns from the Area 4 Neighborhood Coalition (A4NC) that it will bring additional vehicular traffic to the area and integrate poorly with the neighborhood.
News Briefs
Show your MIT student ID and skip the 5 percent meals tax at Anna’s Taqueria, Dunkin Donuts, and many other on-campus vendors — see a full list at<i> http://web.mit.edu/dining/locations/retailoptions.html</i>.
News Briefs
Bike racks on the south and east sides of the Student Center are being replaced today.
In Short
Institute Professor John M. Deutch ’61 was appointed to a federal intelligence panel on spy satellites, though the appointment was questioned by members of Congress. Deutch had served as Director of Central Intelligence from 1995–1996, and afterwards was found to have wrongly stored classified informaton on his unclassified computer systems, a serious security breach for which he ultimately received a presidential pardon.
Dining Reform Group Releases More Notes, Increases Student Say
The committee tasked with redesigning MIT’s dining system agreed to make more information public and increase student say at its first meeting since a consultants’ report to the committee was leaked two Saturdays ago.
NIH Pleads for Discretion, Hopes Grantees Hire Fast
The acting director of the National Institutes of Health begged university administrators on Wednesday to avoid even applying for stimulus money unless the universities planned to hire people almost immediately.
What Recession? Universities Can Pay Non-Presidents $1M+
While generous compensation packages for college presidents have come under increasing public scrutiny, other university employees often earn far more.
Deep Budget Cuts Are On the Way, Says Undergrad. Education Dean
MIT must focus on cost savings, Dean for Undergraduate Education Daniel E. Hastings ’78 said at last night’s Undergraduate Association Senate meeting.