<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">Dear undergrads,</span><div style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<br></div><div style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">Believe it or not, MIT believes in some work-life balance. There are <b>rules governing</b> when and how <b>tests and assignments</b> are given <b>near the end of the semester</b>. </div>
<div style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><br></div><div style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
We're only at week 4 of the semester, but <b>p</b><b style="background-color:transparent">lease check if <span class="il">your</span> classes comply with MIT's rules</b> for end-of-term tests and assignments. <span class="il">Your</span> professors might not be aware of these rules! You can find a <b>summary of the rules at the end of this e-mail</b>, but here are a few examples:</div>
<blockquote style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);margin:0px 0px 0px 40px;border:none;padding:0px"><ul><li style="margin-left:15px">No tests are allowed after May 10th</li>
<li style="margin-left:15px"><font color="#222222" face="arial, sans-serif">For classes with finals, no assignments can be due after May 10th</font></li><li style="margin-left:15px"><font color="#222222" face="arial, sans-serif">Take-home finals must be open-book and open-note</font></li>
</ul></blockquote><div style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><b>Your professors should have given you a</b> <b>final</b></span><b> schedule of all exams and major assignments by last Friday</b><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"> -- the end of the 3rd week of classes. </span></div>
<div style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><br></div><div style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><b><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">If you think one of </span><span class="il" style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">your</span><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"> classes is breaking a rule</span></b><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">, you can </span><b style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">report the violation anonymously</b><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"> to the UA Committee on Education, and we'll talk to <span class="il">your</span> professor. </span></div>
<div style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><br></div><div style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
To report a violation, <b>visit </b><b><a href="http://ua.mit.edu/issues/educational_policy/violations/" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">http://ua.mit.edu/issues/educational_policy/violations/</a></b>. If you have any questions, feel free to <b>email <a href="mailto:violations@mit.edu" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">violations@mit.edu</a></b>.</div>
<div style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><br><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">Thanks for taking the time to check <span class="il">your</span> syllabi. Hopefully we can help if there are any issues.</span><br>
<br><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">Best,</span><br><font color="#222222" face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">Naren Tallapragada</font><br><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">Chair, UA Committee on Education</span></div>
<div style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><br></div><div style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
---<font color="#222222" face="arial, sans-serif">----</font><br><b>A Brief Summary of the Rules for Undergraduate Classes:</b></div><div style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<b><br></b></div><div style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><b>Classes with Final Exams:</b><br>- No test given after May 10th.<br>- No assignment due after May 10th.<br>
- Optional Self-Study assignments can be assigned between May 10th and May 16th. However, these cannot count for a grade in any way, not even as extra credit or as substitutes for earlier assignments.<br><br><b>Classes without Final Exams:</b><br>
- No test given after May 10th.<br>- Only one assignment due between May 10th and the last day of the class (which may be before May 16th!)<br>- This one assignment may be both an oral and a written report if derived from the same project.<br>
<br><b>Take-home (ex camera) Finals:</b><br>- Must be scheduled through the Registrar.<br>- Offered over one afternoon — beginning no earlier than 1:30 P.M. and ending before 7:30 P.M.<br>- Students are allowed unrestricted use of resources.<br>
<br><b>Excused Absences from Finals:</b><br>A student may be excused from a scheduled final examination for reasons of illness or significant personal problems. Undergraduates should contact a dean in S^3<br>(<a href="http://web.mit.edu/uaap/s3/" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">http://web.mit.edu/uaap/s3/</a>) if they wish to seek an excused absence.<br>
<br>A more comprehensive listing of regulations is available at: <font color="#1155cc" face="arial, sans-serif"><u><a href="http://ua.mit.edu/issues/educational_policy/termregs.pdf" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">http://ua.mit.edu/issues/educational_policy/termregs.pdf</a></u></font><br>
<br>Any violations can be reported anonymously at: <font color="#222222" face="arial, sans-serif"><a href="http://ua.mit.edu/issues/educational_policy/violations/" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">http://ua.mit.edu/issues/educational_policy/violations/</a></font><br>
<br>For more information, feel free to email: <a href="mailto:violations@mit.edu" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">violations@mit.edu</a>.</div>