DSL releases Fall 2020 on-campus COVID-19 policies
Pods will allow groups of up to six students in the same residence hall “to socialize in certain settings that do not require 6 feet physical distancing” or face coverings.
87 first-year students opt for gap year
“Typically, between 10 and 15 students will defer in a given year,” Schmill wrote in the email, but given the “higher than expected number of admitted students” who chose to accept their offers of admission, the Class of 2024 will end up being of “similar size to other classes.”
Advanced Standing Exams and math diagnostic to be administered online using proctoring software
Fall ASEs and the math diagnostic typically take place on campus during orientation week. Rajagopal wrote that the decision to move the exam dates up was to ensure the start of the semester was “less hectic for students.”
MIT to implement new campus visitor policy Fall 2020
To maintain low on-campus population density, “visitor access to campus will be significantly limited and discouraged through the end of 2020.”
About 900 undergraduates will live on campus in fall
Approximately 900 undergraduates — about 700 seniors and 200 first years, sophomores, and juniors — plan to live on campus in the fall. All undergraduate dorms except Burton-Conner will be open in the fall.
New international students with F-1 visas cannot enter US for fully-online coursework
A DHS July 24 broadcast message writes that the March guidance “applies to nonimmigrant students who were actively enrolled at a U.S. school on March 9, 2020.” ISO interpreted the message and accompanying FAQ in its update for new international students.
Task Force 2021 and Beyond discusses its goals and organization during forum
Ironside said that the task force’s goal is to develop a “blueprint for a better and stronger” post-COVID-19 MIT “through broad community engagement and thorough analysis.” Reif added that the task force does not “wait for the future to happen to us” but instead hopes to “create the future we want for us.”
FLI students drive revisions to Fall 2020 financial aid
FLI leaders Eleane Lema ‘21 and Tanner Bonner ‘22 wrote in an email to The Tech that the original distribution of the grant “directly excluded low-income students” because only students with an EFC greater than $5,000 were eligible to receive the full grant.
UA-led BLM fundraiser matches over $25,000 in donations to five organizations
As of press time, the UA has received receipts from 138 donations, totaling $27,000, from students, alumni, staff, and faculty.
Administrators hold town hall to discuss recent Fall 2020 decisions
Barnhart said that she was “confident” that even “if conditions do not get better,” the plan to invite all first years, sophomores, and juniors on-campus in the spring can “remain intact.”
Fall on-campus undergraduate housing form opens
The form asks students to indicate their housing intentions for the fall, their residence hall and rooming preferences, and their preferred move-in date and time.
Incoming first years, sophomores, juniors may request on-campus housing through SHARP
The website writes that students will be sent an email with a link to the application July 17, and the SHARP team plans to release decisions by the end of next week. Students whose applications are rejected may submit an appeal.
SAT/ACT requirement suspended for 2020–2021 admissions cycle
Schmill wrote that the decision to waive the testing requirements came after the College Board and ACT announced disruptions to their testing. Additionally, the admissions office considered the potential health consequences of taking the exams during the COVID-19 pandemic.
ICE and DHS agree to rescind July 6 directive on international students
Burroughs said that the rescission of the guidelines “moots” the temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction motion requested in MIT and Harvard’s lawsuit and will “preclude the enforcement” of the July 6 directive and its FAQ “on a nationwide basis.”
MIT graduate students, Barnhart, and Waitz file declarations in lawsuit against DHS and ICE
Waitz wrote that since the July 6 ICE directive, “ISO has fielded hundreds of calls and emails from students” with concerns over their visa status, the state of their home country, class participation, financial loss, or “deferral or foregoing their academic programs.”
UA and GSC join amicus brief filed in DHS, ICE lawsuit
The brief writes that international students have “contributed immeasurably to the advancement of American higher education and to the American economy,” whose “participation has become an integral part of the American educational experience.”
A, B, C, D/NE, F/NE grading system to be implemented in fall
PE/NE grading can be applied to “any subject including those used to fulfill” GIRs, “minor,” and “departmental requirements.” The decision to grade a class under PE/NE “must be made by drop date,” Danheiser wrote.
UA hosts forum to discuss MIT’s Fall 2020 opening decision
Jones said that dorm assignments will be determined using a housing lottery that will be released later this week. Students will rank their choice of dorms, and highest priority would be given to those who “want to move back to their old dorm.”
The MIT Police Department, explained
The MIT Police Department (MITPD) has moved to the center of campus conversations following nationwide protests about police brutality against Black communities.
UA expresses disappointment in MIT’s Fall 2020 decision
The statement writes that the Institute’s fall decision does not match the contents of community feedback in charrettes, surveys, and the Team 2020 website, which “left many with a broad sense of what the fall would like.”