Police Log
<i>The following incidents were reported to the MIT Police between April 24 and May 7, 2007. This summary does not include incidents such as false alarms, general service calls, larcenies, or medical shuttles.</i>
PSC to Restructure by Fall '07
The Public Service Center is currently undergoing a restructuring that will be complete in the fall. Several PSC programs are going to be passed over into the hands of student groups, who will then run the programs with occasional help from the PSC.
MIT Corporation Statement on Divestment
MIT shares the concern of many in our community for the extraordinary human tragedy taking place in the Darfur region. The situation is sufficiently grave that MIT in this case is making an exception to its long-standing policy of not speaking with a single institutional voice on matters of public debate not directly affecting MIT's core mission of education, research, and service.
Funding Is Uncertain After Daytime Shuttle Donor Ceases Support
The Daytime Boston Shuttle, which runs from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays during the school year, may not have sufficient funding for next school year, according to Undergraduate Association President Martin F. Holmes '08. One of the two major sources for funding — a private donor — will no longer be available to cover the costs of running the shuttles throughout the school year, Holmes said.
Mass. Governor Deval Patrick Announces $1 Billion Plan to Advance Stem Cell Work
In the most sweeping policy announcement of his new administration, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick proposed Tuesday $1 billion in funding for scientific research, a package designed to cement the state's reputation as a global powerhouse of medicine and biotechnology.
Wheelock and 11 Other Colleges Raise Cry on School Rankings
Wheelock College, along with 11 other small liberal arts colleges, is urging other institutions to stop using the US News & World Report rankings to promote themselves, arguing the rankings are too subjective.
Sherley Seeks Tenure Process Review; MIT Police Posted at Lab
James L. Sherley, an African American associate professor in the Biological Engineering Department, said that he remains steadfast in staying at MIT until the Institute assesses the validity of his charges of discrimination in the tenure process. According to Sherley, the administration agreed to reassess problems in the tenure process through an external panel in exchange for Sherley ending his hunger strike. The Institute says that there is no agreement for external review of the tenure process.
MIT Rejects SAE's DRM Policy, Prompts Review
Following opposition by MIT, the Society of Automotive Engineers halted implementation of digital rights management controls aimed at restricting access to SAE documents. On April 19, SAE issued a press release stating that they would not enable DRM controls "on the Society's Digital Library of technical papers for licenses at colleges, universities, and other academic institutions."
MIT Chooses to Divest From Sudan
Ending months of speculation, MIT yesterday released a statement on the issue of divesting from corporations involved with the Sudanese government.
Prof. Sherley's Press Release — May 7, 2007
Today, May 7, 2007, at about 1:30 pm, Professor James Sherley was informed by an officer of the MIT Police that MIT's upper administration had ordered that MIT police officers be posted near his laboratory from now until his scheduled forced eviction from MIT on June 30. The reason given was to reduce anxiety among neighboring MIT laboratories as the announced date of Professor Sherley's unilateral forced eviction by Provost Rafael Reif approaches.
Students at Harvard on Hunger Strike For Security Guard Wages
A Harvard University sophomore was hospitalized early Tuesday after going on a hunger strike to lobby for fairer wages and working conditions for campus security guards.
Government Probes College Ties to Loan Companies in Boston
Wading into a roaring national controversy, Attorney General Martha Coakley is investigating whether Massachusetts colleges have improper relationships with loan companies, her office said yesterday.
Teaching Lacking at Harvard, Say Undergraduates
Joshua Billings, 22, says he did not come to Harvard for the teaching.
Team From Baker House Walked For Hunger, Raised $5K For Project Bread
Would you walk 500 miles to fight hunger? How about 20 miles?
Charles D. Paton
Charles D. Paton, retired director of the Electrical Engineering Laboratories, died April 29. He was 78.
Shinkansen Exterminated After Complaint of Cockroach Activity
A March 21 complaint against Lobdell’s Shinkansen Japanese restaurant prompted an inspection on the same day that found minor cockroach activity in the restaurant, according to health reports from the Cambridge Inspectional Services Department. The restaurant was exterminated the following day and three follow-up reports, including one from May 9, found no evidence of roaches, said Richard D. Berlin III, director of Campus Dining.
Yield For Class of ’11 Reaches 69 Percent
As of yesterday, a total of 1,053 students of the 1,533 who were admitted to the Class of 2011 had chosen to enroll, giving MIT a record 69 percent yield, Interim Director of Admissions Stuart Schmill said in an e-mail. According to Schmill, a more final yield number will be available next week. “There are still some outstanding offers out there,” Schmill said.