Faculty panel discusses rooming process design exercise
“We know there are some students who stay put because it’s the easy thing to do,” said John Essigmann, head of Simmons Hall and former head of New House. “What we need to do as a community is to find ways to get people to want to get out and explore.”
EECS department releases new computer science minor requirements
The new minor requires a total of 72 units, with up to 12 units of introductory level subjects, up to 63 units of basic level subjects, and at least 12 units of advanced level subjects.
IAP course Designing the First Year proposes improvements restructuring GIRs and learning communities
One team’s project, GIR Up, would “redefine and restructure the first-year GIR experience” by replacing final exams with a “culminating and interdisciplinary project.”
MIT COOP building to be demolished, replaced
The building the COOP currently occupies at 325 Main Street will be demolished and replaced with a new commercial building.
Cool, calm weekend ahead
The weekend will once again feel like winter, with highs in the lower 30s °F, lows around 20 °F (-7 °C), and breezy winds.
Spring registration, blood drive, PE classes
A blood drive will be held in La Sala de Puerto Rico on the second floor of the Student Center next Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 1 p.m.–6 p.m. and next Tuesday from 8 a.m.–1 p.m. Visit the following website for more details and to make an appointment: http://web.mit.edu/blood-drive/www/.
Swastika drawn on Black History Month poster
The paper with the swastika also had messages that read, “Still, once the Buddhists saw it was being used for hate, they stopped using it. This is disrespectful,” and “This is wrong, the German one is turned."
Protest against MIT’s role in the war in Yemen held during xFair
The protest called out Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, and General Atomics for selling weapons to Saudi Arabia and the UAE. In particular, Lockheed Martin produced a bomb that was used by the Saudi-led coalition in an airstrike on a school bus in Yemen that killed more than 40 children in August 2018.
Black student groups hold die-in
The die-in lasted four minutes to remember how police left Michael Brown, Jr.’s body uncovered for four hours.
Reif decides that MIT will not sever ties with Saudi Arabia
Seventy-six percent of non-faculty comments either strongly opposed or leaned against the recommendation to continue ties with Saudi Arabia.
Thirty-three students move via spring housing lottery
“Since 2014, an average of 92 percent of undergraduate switch requests have been fulfilled each semester,” Director of Residential Services Jennifer Hapgood-White wrote.
Working group formed to rename GRT, GRA roles
The working group is looking to propose a unified name for the GRT and GRA positions, as well as to revise the GRT and GRA hiring agreements.
MIT, other universities raise concerns over proposed Title IX regulations
The proposed regulations would require universities to implement “quasi-judicial” proceedings, in particular through cross-examination during live hearings.
Hayden Library to undergo renovations in 2020
Hayden Library is set to undergo renovations, with construction expected to begin in January 2020. The library will close at the end of the fall 2019 semester and reopen in fall 2020.
Chilly day, Groundhog Day, registration day
Wind chill as low as -14 ºF is forecasted for today. Be careful and wear protective clothing when going outside.
Spring registration, P.E. registration
Spring registration opens for all students Jan. 28.
MIT’s vice president of communications to leave for Yale
Nate Nickerson, vice president for communications, will leave for Yale University after nearly 15 years at MIT. Nickerson will lead Yale’s Office of Public Affairs and Communications as the vice president for communications starting March 1.
Commencement could be moved a week earlier
Options include replacing the final day of IAP with spring registration day and reducing the finals period from five days to four.
Around half of first-year students took one fewer GIR in the fall
Academic exploration subjects to be offered include 5.001 (Frontiers in Molecular and Materials Science), 12.00 (Frontiers and Careers in Earth, Planets, Climate, and Life), and 21G.012 (Exploring Globalization through Chinese Food).
Dorm presidents respond to room assignment design exercise
As the process of reassessing dorms’ room assignment and move-in procedures continues, The Tech reached out to presidents and other leaders in each of MIT’s ten dorms to ask about their current procedures and how potential changes would affect their communities.