Prof. Continues Hunger Strike
Fifteen MIT faculty members from different departments called for measures to ensure fairness in the grievance review of tenure denials after an African American associate professor began his hunger strike last week to protest what he believes are racist motives behind the denial of his tenure.
Still Awaiting Decision on Sudan
A decision on whether MIT should divest from corporations involved with the Sudanese government will have to wait until at least early March. Although the last meeting of the Advisory Committee on Shareholder Responsibility was on Dec. 15, the next meeting will be at the beginning of March, close to the next MIT Corporation meeting on March 2, said Michael Baenen, staff to the ACSR. The delay of almost three months has made some students and ACSR members unhappy.
Troubles, Complaints Grow For School Built on Profits
The University of Phoenix became the nation’s largest private university by delivering high profits to investors and a solid, albeit low-overhead, education to midcareer workers seeking college degrees.
Jensen Now Heading Up Chem. Eng. Department
Chemical Engineering Professor Klavs F. Jensen was named the new head of the Department of Chemical Engineering as of Feb. 1. The former head of the department, Robert C. Armstrong, stepped down after nearly 11 years in office, according to the MIT News Office.
The Snow Machine
Many New England ski resorts have had to make a majority of their snow this season since Mother Nature has been reluctant to lend a hand. While it has been a famine for Boston and surrounding areas with about 2 inches (5 cm) of snow this winter recorded at Logan Airport, a feast of snow has been unleashed downwind of Lake Ontario in recent days. As of Thursday morning, Parish, NY had received 88 inches (224 cm) of snow this week.
Harvard to Include Practical Courses in Curriculum
All Harvard undergraduates should take classes that help shape them as citizens in the 21st century, including courses on the United States and foreign societies, according to a final report proposing the first curriculum overhaul in three decades.
Controversial MIT-Related Cases Resolved Last Year
MIT administrators and lawyers may be breathing a bit easier in 2007, for 2006 saw the resolution of three controversial, protracted, legal and procedural battles. In two cases related to alleged student suicides, MIT settled out-of-court with the families of the deceased, and in a third case, MIT acquiesced to Department of Defense desires and allowed the DOD to handle an investigation into alleged fraud by MIT researchers.
Panhel Reports Record Bid Numbers
Sorority recruitment experienced a banner year, with a record 154 bids being given out to women who went through the recruitment process, a 12 percent increase over last year’s 137 bids. Most of those bids were spread out evenly among four of the five chapters.
Students Defer After-College Plans to Teach For America
“I just want to give back to the community,” said Lindsey R. Sheehan ’07, describing her plans to teach high school math for the next two years.
AEPhi Sorority Decides Not To Continue Leasing House
Starting next fall, the sorority Alpha Epsilon Phi will not have a house to come home to. The sisters of AEPhi have decided not to renew a two-year housing lease, said incoming AEPhi President Elizabeth Katcoff ’08. The reason for the decision is not financial, she said, but is because the house has not played as big a role in helping the sisters spend more time together, as had originally been hoped.
Building Plans Revealed At Meeting
Along with existing building renovations from past years, MIT now plans to construct multiple new facilities and living space for several academic disciplines and for the increasing graduate student population. The plans were presented to the Cambridge Planning Board at its annual public town gown meeting Tuesday night. The town gown meeting also included presentations from Harvard and Lesley Universities, reviewing the institutions’ current activities, student population data, institutional housing, and future development plans.
New Grad Dorm NW35 Budget Increased
In a rapid reversal from their position of the last month, senior administrators in charge of overseeing the budget and scope of the new graduate dormitory NW35 have reinstated the fourth floor of the building, which would house 97 out of 548 students. The building is already under construction and is scheduled to open in Fall 2008.
News Briefs
Problems resulting from a routine software upgrade caused MIT Card readers across campus to stop working Tuesday night. The Card Office has not been able to explain why outages were observed after 9 p.m., since their records suggest the outage should have occurred between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.