MacGregor Dining Program Closed Due To High Costs
Because of inconsistent food quality, low attendance, and high costs, the MacGregor Dining Pilot Program ceased operations as of Tuesday. The program, which served dinner in MacGregor weekly, was instated to test the potential for a full-service dining hall in the dormitory. The program suffered from a $7500 deficit last semester in food and labor costs.
New Invention Gives People ‘Sixth Sense’
Ever wanted to be able to manipulate images on a computer the way Tom Cruise did in <i>Minority Report</i>? A new Media Lab invention, sixthsense, lets you do just that as it allows users to manipulate digital information with hand gestures.
Tuition Increase is Lowest in 8 Yrs, High Relative to Inflation
Chancellor Philip L. Clay PhD ’75 announced at Wednesday’s faculty meeting that tuition and fees will increase from $36,390 to $37,782 for the 2009-2010 academic year, marking the lowest percentage increase in eight years. But with respect to the inflation rate of 0.09% over the last year, the 3.83% increase in tuition represents a greater financial burden on families as an MIT education is now more expensive relative to family income.
Faculty, Staff Salaries Frozen
Faculty and staff salaries will be frozen next year for faculty making more than $125,000 a year and staff making more than $75,000 a year, President Susan J. Hockfield announced at Wednesday’s faculty meeting. MIT’s $10 billion endowment has lost 20 to 25 percent of its value, Hockfield said in a letter to the community sent yesterday.
Salary Freeze Announced for Faculty Earning Over $125k and Staff Earning Over $75k, Including MIT’s President
Faculty and staff salaries will be frozen next year for faculty making more than $125,000 a year and staff making more than $75,000 a year, President Susan J. Hockfield announced at Wednesday’s faculty meeting.
Leaked Dining Report Suggests Massive Dining Reforms, Mandatory Meal Plans
Mandatory meal plans, all-you-can-eat (AYCE) dining halls, and longer service hours have been proposed by a consulting firm tasked with suggesting a future dining strategy for MIT. The proposal also recommends expanding dining hall service to include breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Leaked Dining Proposal Prompts Student Response
Mandatory meal plans, all-you-can-eat dining halls, and longer service hours are some of the recommendations made in a consultant’s report for the future of MIT dining, which was leaked to dormitory e-mail lists this weekend. Several days earlier, student leaders had raised concerns that the proposal had been delivered to administrators but not to members of the Blue Ribbon Committee on Dining.
Overall Reaction Mixed, But Vocal Segment Opposes Meal Plan
Hastily-produced signs decorated the walls of the Infinite on Monday, highlighting phrases from a proposal to revamp dining that students found objectionable.
Text of Letter to Guest Columnist
The below letter was sent as an e-mail to Gila Fakterman, one of two authors of the Jan. 28, 2009 opinion column “Expecting More from an MIT Professor: How Prof. Chomsky’s Talk Failed the Community.”
UA Calls for Dissolution of Blue Ribbon Dining Committee
The Undergraduate Association Senate passed a bill Monday calling for the dissolution of the Blue Ribbon Committee on Dining and the creation of a UA-chosen replacement committee comprised of students, faculty, and staff which would give students more say in the decision-making process. The bill also demands that plans described in the leaked consultant’s report to the Blue Ribbon committee be scrapped.
Dining Report Was Kept Under Wraps; UA To Discuss
Undergraduate Association President Noah S. Jessop ’09 announced on Wednesday night an emergency meeting of the UA Senate to discuss “concerns brought forth about the Blue Ribbon [dining] committee.” According to Jessop, members of the UA Senate and Executive Board were concerned about a lack of transparency after a student saw a copy of the independent consultant’s report to the committee on the desk of an administrator before most members of the Blue Ribbon Dining Committee were notified about the report’s completion. The students expected that the report would go directly to the committee. As UA president, Jessop is a member of the Blue Ribbon committee.
Clay, Reif, Stone Form Planning Task Force; 150-Member 3-Level Hierarchy Will Help
How is MIT reacting to the current economic situation? In a letter released to the MIT community on Monday, the MIT administration unveiled details of a new task force charged to reevaluate and recommend changes in MIT operations to improve financial efficiency.
Ben Folds to Perform for Spring Weekend
Twenty students in conjunction with the Student Activities Office have selected Ben Folds to headline this year’s Spring Weekend concert on Saturday, Apr. 25. Leading up to the main event will be a new festival and a series of events coordinated by student groups.
Mandatory Dining is Gone for Ashdown Undergraduates
MIT has quietly discontinued a novel mandatory dining fee program in which approximately 50 undergraduates living in a dormitory were required to pay $600 this fall and in return got free dinner five nights a week.
Hard Times in Workplace Mean More Grad Apps
As jobs get scarcer, several graduate departments at MIT are experiencing a jump in applications for the 2009 school year. Departments anticipate a drop in acceptance and enrollment, partially due to increased financial caution in the current recession.
Madoff Collapse Wipes Out $2M Grant from Picower Foundation
In 2002, the Barbara and Jeffry Picower Foundation gave MIT $50 million to build building 46 and establish what’s now the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT. At the time, the Picower Foundation had $1 billion in assets.