Folk Dance Club de-recognized by ASA
As of Nov. 1, the MIT Folk Dance Club, which sponsored Israeli, contra, and international dancing groups, is no longer recognized as a student group by the ASA, marking the end of a six-decades-long tradition at MIT.
E38 and E39 exterior restorations in progress
Buildings E38 and E39 in Kendall Square are being renovated as part of the Kendall Square Initiative. They will contain retail space, graduate housing, and the MIT Admissions office, among other things.
Vassar Street undergrad residence hall foundation almost complete
Work on the foundation for a new undergraduate residence hall on Vassar Street is nearing completion, and work on its superstructure — the construction above ground — is scheduled to start this week.
Visa issues prevent several international students from attending iGEM Giant Jamboree
Several international students found themselves unable to attend this year’s iGEM Giant Jamboree, the culminating event of the iGEM synthetic biology competition, due to visa issues relating to their nationality.
Harvard admissions trial in progress
Harvard is defending its admissions practices in a trial that alleges it discriminates against Asian-American applicants. The trial started Oct. 15 and is set to end by mid-November, according to The Crimson, Harvard’s student newspaper.
Voting, Burchard Scholars, spring housing forms
Voting day is Tuesday, Nov. 6. Check your polling place at vote.org/polling-place-locator. For many who live on campus, your polling place is at Kresge Auditorium.
Kate Trimble appointed Office of Experiential Learning director
One challenge Trimble expects to face is how decentralized experiential learning is at MIT, as it is spread over multiple programs, departments, and clubs; she hopes that the OEL will help students navigate these different offerings.
Barnhart and Nelson plan changes to housing selection process
In an email sent to house presidents, VPSL Suzy Nelson pointed to “negative aspects” of current housing lotteries such as “rejection for some due to house ‘rush’” and asked the presidents to consider how the housing selection process can be used to “affirm MIT’s values on diversity.”
More humidity, clouds, and rain
A low pressure system is pushing a warm front northwards through New England today, evicting the recent cool, dry air mass and replacing it with much warmer, more humid air.
MIT to conduct reassessment of engagements with Saudi Arabia
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who allegedly authorized the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, visited MIT in March.
Family weekend, voting, PE classes
If you are voting absentee, check your state’s requirements and deadline as soon as possible; if you’ve already received your absentee ballot, don’t forget to mail it back in time.
Nor’easter season is coming
The recent rainy and at times stormy period culminated Tuesday afternoon in a bizarre sequence of New England autumn tornadoes, the closest of which occurred only about 30 miles south of the MIT campus.
Faculty share opinions on College of Computing in meeting, forum
“I sit on the bridge” between computing and other fields, Professor of Physics and EECS Isaac Chuang ’90 said at the meeting. “And I’m waiting for the bridge to collapse.”
MIT recycling rate cut in half due to contamination levels
In an effort they call “Reusable Revolution,” Davis and her team are working alongside custodial services and UA and GSC Sustainability to help the recycling rate recover.
MIT-Imperial College London exchange program begins
MIT has launched a two-year pilot for a multi-departmental exchange with Imperial College London, in an effort to fill the gap left by the termination of the Cambridge-MIT Exchange (CME) in 2017.
MIT to launch $1 billion College of Computing in September 2019
“The college has been created, but it has not been designed,” Susan Silbey, chair of the faculty, said in a faculty meeting Wednesday.
Harvest Co-op closes doors after months of losses
Harvest Co-op Markets closed its Massachusetts Avenue location Oct. 12 as a result of financial insolvency.
MIT considering renaming Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Two years after Cambridge renamed Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day, students and faculty critical of celebrating Columbus due to his treatment of Native Americans discuss the future of the holiday at MIT.
The MIT Corporation, explained
Understanding the Corporation — its membership, function, and potential conflicts of interest.