The importance of active commemoration of history
This year marked the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Nazi concentration camp. In honor of its liberation, Jan. 27 has historically served as International Holocaust Memorial Day. On that day this year, the BBC’s Big Question segment posed the following: “Is the time coming to lay the Holocaust to rest?”
The dangerous values behind the Lewin lecture takedown
With luck, the world will frown on the example set by MIT in taking down Walter Lewin’s physics lectures from OpenCourseWare.
While MIT sleeps, Night Watch keeps campus safe
New security policies in undergraduate dormitories have attracted considerable attention over the last year. While controversy has overshadowed the tenure of security contractor AlliedBarton, a more low-profile and less contentious unit, known as Night Watch, continues to operate quietly behind the scenes.
How fraternities should move forward
Editor’s Note: This column originally ran in the October 7, 2014 issue of The Tech.
Changes to drug & alcohol policies inconsistent and irrational
Editor’s Note: This column originally ran in the September 5, 2014 issue of The Tech.
The right (and wrong) reasons to buy into Bitcoin
Editor’s Note: This column originally ran in the November 4, 2014 issue of The Tech.
Enhancing student impact on community decisions
Editor’s Note: This column originally ran in the March 7, 2014 issue of The Tech.
Fighting sexual assault can’t be optional for MIT students
Editor’s Note: This column originally ran in the October 31, 2014 issue of The Tech.
OPINION IN REVIEW:
From specific changes to Institute policy to analysis of the evolving relationship between students and the administration, opinion contributors explored a wide range of issues relevant to the MIT community in 2014.
The Charlie Hebdo shootings and Islamophobia
Since the attacks on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, people of all ages and beliefs have stood together to condemn the terrorists’ actions in what has proved to be an unprecedented global response. The hashtag “#JeSuisCharlie” quickly erupted on Twitter, trending at a peak of 6,500 tweets per minute the day following the massacre. On the Sunday after, presidents, prime ministers, and an estimated one million individuals participated in a solidarity rally that spanned the streets of Paris, all in support of Charlie Hebdo.
The unnecessary cost of net neutrality
The Federal Communications Commission is set to vote on new rules to enforce net neutrality on Feb. 26 since a federal court struck down its previous rules a year ago. However, the FCC may not get the chance if Congress preempts the vote.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Those who fear relentless pursuit by powerful men with troubling secrets can now rest easier: Peter Fisher wants to protect you. Last week, he explained that MIT removed Walter Lewin’s famous physics lectures from OpenCourseWare and edX, not to teach a lesson, but to protect potential future victims from coming into contact with the former professor. Clearly, removing his MIT office, phone, and email address would not suffice: after all, some determined but unsuspecting student might yet find a way to stalk him down. No, to shield the populace from Lewin’s possible predations, MIT must do everything in its power to purge all trace of his existence from the Earth (at least for as long as he lives).
MIT was right to remove Lewin’s videos
The outcry at MIT’s removal of Walter Lewin’s popular online physics lectures has been widespread, from online commenters to MIT professor Scott Aaronson.
Campus newspapers should be cautious when reporting accusations of cheating
Punishing cheating is not easy. Academic misconduct varies in severity, and accusations of it can be wrong. Purposeful leaders resolve these difficulties by trial and error. Over time, they cultivate a sense of fairness and a shame at unfair advantage. Fair ways of meting out punishment follow.
MIT’s alternative flavor of pride
On days when life at MIT seems particularly challenging, I sometimes find myself wondering whether my efforts are driven by pride or passion.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Editor’s Note: This letter contains explicit references to sexual assault.
The future of books in Hayden Library
This fall, several articles have acquainted the MIT community with ongoing plans to redesign the library system. One effect of the planned changes will be a decrease in the space for print collections, requiring many books to be sent off-campus. We write for a group of linguists, faculty and students in Course 24, whose research and teaching relies on Hayden Library’s books, and on their immediate, on-the-shelf availability. We want to raise questions about how priorities are set and decisions made in planning the redesign of the libraries; how the community has been kept informed of these developments; and how library officials view the mission of the library in a research university like ours.
CORRECTIONS
An article about the suspension of Delta Upsilon in the Tuesday, Dec. 2 issue of The Tech incorrectly said Louis DeScioli was president of MIT DU in fall 2014. He was president of the chapter in fall 2013.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
In a letter to the editor in Tuesday’s issue of The Tech, graduate student Juliet Stanton makes several observations about the current planning process for renovating Hayden Library. On behalf of the MIT Libraries I can say that we wholeheartedly agree with her views on carefully considering the needs of the entire MIT community as we explore additional ways to meet our mission to create and sustain an environment that advances learning, research, and innovation at MIT. We are committed to supporting students like Juliet, as well as all MIT students, faculty, researchers and staff in the important work they do.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
On October 6 and October 14, MIT Libraries hosted sessions to solicit student input on the upcoming renovations of Hayden Library. I was present at the second session, and was alarmed by much of what I heard. More specifically, I believe that many of the proposed changes and renovations will result in a library that fails to adequately support researchers who rely on timely access to print materials.