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.
Barnhart, Nelson announce ‘design exercise’ for room assignment and move-in processes
Twenty-five percent of undergraduate students described their dorm’s room assignment process as “stressful” on the 2017 Quality of Life survey.
Spring pre-registration, UROP application deadline
The final deadline for spring pre-registration is today at 5 p.m. Students must also select preferences for spring CI-H/CI-HW subjects by this time.
Students want transparency and collaborative approach in new vice president of IS&T
“SIPB has not had opportunities to give input on recent IS&T decisions before they were finalized. In the future, we would love to work more closely with IS&T leadership and committees to provide student perspectives on decisions before they are finalized,” Angel Alvarez '20, SIPB chair, wrote to The Tech.
New spam quarantine system causes problem for MIT email users
Some outstanding issues are that messages forwarded to external accounts are flagged as spam, and external email providers may flag Microsoft Exchange Online Protection’s “Spam Notice” emails, according to IS&T’s knowledge base.
Student Center card-access hours cutoff is 9 p.m. over IAP
This IAP, the Student Center is card-access-only from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. This is a pilot by the Campus Activities Complex that moves up the cutoff for card-access hours from 11 p.m. during the semester to 9 p.m. during holidays, breaks, and IAP, according to Michael Foley, director of the CAC, in a statement emailed to The Tech.
Old squash court in Walker to be remade into dedicated meditation, prayer, reflection space
The proposal noted that once the space is sufficiently publicized and well-known, it is expected to receive 30–60 users per day.
Athena lounge on fifth floor of Student Center closed for renovations
In the meantime, the Coffeehouse Lounge located on the third floor has new printers and is open to students as a study space (card access is required). The color printer that was in the Athena lounge is now on the first floor of the Student Center.