Timeline
Feb. 6: At the Cambridge Planning Board’s annual town gown meeting, MIT reveals plans to construct the long-awaited Media Lab expansion; a Sloan School of Management expansion; a new cancer research facility at the corner of Main St. and Ames St.; and a new graduate dormitory, NW35, to be called Ashdown House.
New Deans, Administrators Appointed
Three new deans were appointed as heads of MIT Schools, and a new graduate student dean was appointed, marking a large change in leadership.
Successful Year for Fraternity, Sorority Recruitment
Both fraternities and sororities saw increases in their bids this year, following some changes in rush.
A Protracted Divestment from Sudan
After many student protests, MIT finally announced its intention to divest from Sudan in May 2007. The decision came from the MIT Corporation’s Executive Committee, which heard recommendations from an advisory committe in April.
Housing Sees Ashdown, Next House Changes in 2007
As construction on new graduate dormitory NW35 continued throughout the year, MIT Housing decided on the fate of Building W1, opened a new cultural house, and extended Residence Exploration to freshmen placed in Next House.
Education Sees Course Changes, Classes for Freshman Experience
Education at MIT in 2007 saw a number of changes: two undergraduate courses revamped their curricula; opportunities for freshmen expanded with the addition of project-based engineering and foundational Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences classes; and two degree programs neared acceptance by MIT.
Recording Industry Sends Demand Letters
The Recording Industry Association of America tried a new legal tactic in the past year: the association sent 63 letters to MIT in 2007 and 19 more in January 2008, asking for money and threatening to file copyright infringement lawsuits against MIT community members.
Student Influence Seen in Two Dining Decisions
In the MIT administration’s eyes, eating together builds community, and dormitory dining halls and mandatory meal plans are the best way to get at the kind of community the Institute wants. This analysis explains why when Ashdown House is renovated into the W1 undergraduate dormitory, its kitchens will be replaced with a dining hall.
Changes at Peer Institutions Affect MIT Admissions As MIT Continues Its Early Action Program
MIT saw the effects of major changes in the admissions and financial aid policies at some of the Institute’s competing universities this year.
Hacking Tradition Under Fire?
After students were found exploring the MIT Faculty Club by the Campus Police late on a Saturday night and found themselves facing felony charges, MIT found itself struggling to define exactly how it valued the hacking community. The result of MIT’s soul-searching, a statement and a set of guidelines to be included in the student handbook, was drafted throughout 2007 with input from students.
Marilee Jones Leaves Behind Complicated Legacy
Dean of Admissions Marilee Jones resigned abruptly in April 2007 after admitting to lying on her résumé, shocking the MIT community and putting herself and MIT in the national spotlight.
Tuition Rises Even as Endowment, Donations Balloon
Tuition rose by 4.1 percent last year, even as donations and the endowment increased to record numbers.
Technology Upgrades Across the Institute
Despite an early failure in MIT’s e-mail system in March, this year was a smooth year for Information Services and Technology. A few technology changes visibly impacted the student body, such as a change in phone and Internet service billing.
Microsoft Research Lab Will Expand To Cambridge, Conduct Academic Research
As other high-technology companies cut back on their research laboratories, Microsoft continues to increase its ranks of free-rein thinkers.
Commonwealth’s Memorandum In Opposition to Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss
The device worn by the defendant to Logan Airport was an assembled object. The defendant asserts that the device she wore to Logan airport does not constitute a hoax device because “separate components … cannot constitute a hoax device.” (D. Supp. Mem. 13). The defendant, however, cites no authority for this proposition and declines to inform the Court how this proposition, even if true, specifically applies to the defendant in this case. Presumably, the defendant is referring to the fact that she disconnected the 9-volt battery from the rest of her device upon leaving Terminal C. The defendant’s argument fails for two reasons. Most obviously, it fails because a person who violates G.L. c. 266, § 102A1/2, by employing a hoax device with the required intent, does not escape criminal liability because she thereafter disassembles the device. The defendant in this case can no more escape criminal liability under § 102A1/2 than can a defendant escape liability for unlawful possession of a firearm because, after he displays the firearm in question, he disassembles it. It was still a firearm at the time of the offense. In this case, the battery was attached to the defendant’s device from the time she entered Terminal C until the time she left it. It is irrelevant that she detached the battery as she left the terminal.
MIT-Affiliated Research Center Builds an Energy-Saving City
In an ever more crowded world facing environmental limits, the push is on to create entire communities with reduced needs for energy, water, land and other resources.
Oversubscribed Biology Class Will Spill Into 4-370
Although 659 people have preregistered for Introductory Biology (7.013), only 566 seats are available in the 26-100 lecture hall where the subject will be taught. Students who cannot fit in 26-100 will still be able to see the lecture via a live video stream shown in 4-370. A course instructor and teaching assistants will be in the overflow room to answer students’ questions.