Wintry cold looms for weekend
An Arctic air mass will plunge into the northeastern United States this weekend, causing temperatures to plummet significantly below normal. The cold air will begin to make its way into our region tonight, as a stiff northwesterly breeze develops on the backside of a low pressure system currently passing eastward through Quebec. Cold air advection will continue through the day tomorrow, with the wintry wind transporting frigid Canadian air directly toward the Institute. By Saturday, the cold air mass will be firmly in place, causing both high and low temperatures to be around 15 degrees Fahrenheit lower than normal for this time of year.
Over 300 faculty sign statement opposing Trump’s cabinet picks
More than 340 MIT faculty members, as of yesterday afternoon, have signed a statement opposing President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet appointments and reaffirming their dedication to “principles at the core of MIT’s mission.”
Senior Gift boycott gains ground, sparks debate
Update: This article was updated on Dec. 6 to include an additional statement by Chancellor Cindy Barnhart.
IAP registration, Toys for Tickets, food trucks
Pre-registration for IAP and spring 2017 opens today on WebSIS.
UA to sponsor annual holiday tree-lighting event
The Undergraduate Association Events Committee will host the Tech Twinkles ceremony in the lobby of Kresge Auditorium today, kicking off the holiday-themed lighting of trees and living spaces around the MIT campus.
IAP Intro to Python replaced with new course
One of IAP’s most popular courses, 6.149: Introduction to Programming Using Python, will not be offered this January. It will be replaced by a new course, 6.S080: A Brief Introduction to Programming in Python.
Departing low will give way to mostly clear skies
Cool air and clear skies will follow behind the departing front that brought widespread rainfall to Boston last night. Today, cloudy skies will stick around before being pushed out by drier air this evening. The weather remains amicable this weekend, with clear skies and highs in the mid 40s°F.
With new CAP procedures, more students return to MIT
The percentage of students who successfully applied to return to MIT after having been on leave increased to 98 percent this fall, from a historical average of roughly 70 percent.
Drop date, Port Landing, philosophy panel
The Student Center (W20) will be closed Wednesday 10 p.m. through Saturday 7 p.m. for the Thanksgiving holiday.
“Solidarity Rally” calls for MIT community to reaffirm values and support vulnerable populations
Around 300 students gathered Nov. 21 on Killian Court for a rally to demonstrate solidarity with MIT’s values and with marginalized groups on campus.
Climate justice, student activism discussed at climate change forum
More than 250 members of the MIT community filled Morss Hall Thursday to attend Climate Change: Ethics in Action, a forum on ethical responsibility in the context of climate change.
It must be winter - first snow in Cambridge, last hurricane in Caribbean
The first flakes of snow fell over Cambridge on Sunday night, marking the unofficial start of the winter season in many people’s minds. It will not get quite cold enough for snow for Boston over Thanksgiving but parts of the midwest and northeast United States have a snowy holiday weekend ahead. In Boston, high winds from the northwest will be replaced by more docile southeastern winds at the end of the week, perhaps abating the bitterness of the dropping temperatures. Over the week, a warm front will push out the current high pressure system sitting over the northeast, bringing rain and cloudy skies.
Eastgate concerned about transformer
Residents of Eastgate were frustrated to learn earlier this month that MIT Housing had decided to install a transformer in their courtyard over IAP as part of the Kendall Square renovation project. To compensate, the courtyard will be remodeled to make up for lost space.
MIT chosen to redevelop 14-acre Volpe campus
MIT was recently chosen as the partner to redevelop the 14-acre campus in Kendall Square where the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Volpe National Transportation Systems Center was housed.
Copies of The Tech taken
Copies of last week’s issue of The Tech were apparently removed from their distribution points last week.
Unity, song, drop date, Thanksgiving break
The MIT SHASS Dean's Office is hosting Unity Through Voice and Song, an event taking place today in Lobby 10, at 7 p.m.
How to leave MIT (and come back)
Over 30 students have taken time off from the Institute through the “leave of absence” designation implemented by the Committee on Academic Performance last spring.
MIT will continue to ban marijuana despite passage of question 4
MIT will continue to ban the use of marijuana on campus or at institute-sponsored events, despite the passage of the Massachusetts Marijuana Legalization Initiative last week.
Student finds potentially elevated levels of arsenic in dining hall apple juice
MIT’s dining services provider Bon Appetit swiftly responded this week to a student’s finding that arsenic levels in dining hall apple juice potentially exceed regulations by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Sunny and calm locally; first winter storm of the season in north-central U.S.
Clear skies and abundant sunshine will bring moderate temperatures and calm winds to the region through this weekend. High temperatures will remain slightly above normal in the upper 50s in advance of an incoming low pressure system from the west. That system will be this year’s first significant winter storm in the continental United States and is poised to bring heavy snowfall and possible blizzard conditions to much of the High Plains and Upper Mississippi Valley. In conjunction, a cold front will sweep across the central and eastern United States, bringing a chance of showers followed by much cooler weather to most locations.