Hack Payback: A Token of Our Gratitude

[Undergraduate Association President]

Dear Members of the MIT Community:

For almost as long as MIT has existed, hacks have been a proud hallmark
of the Institute.  Over the past few years, however, the penalties for
being caught hacking have become increasingly harsh.  It is very
disappointing that some members of the administration have chosen to
foster an atmosphere that attempts to punish and discourage hacking, one
of our greatest traditions and a manifestation of the uniquely clever
and hard-working spirit of the MIT undergraduate, while externally
promoting it through books, the MIT Museum, recruitment efforts, and the
press.

Thankfully, there have been a few instances where members of our
community have taken a stand against this hypocrisy.  We all saw a
recent example of this when The Tech published a letter ["Admiration for
Hack", April 13, 2004] written by Professors Hal Abelson and Gerald Jay
Sussman, noting a donation they made to the hacking community through a
check reimbursing a student who had been fined.  

These professors' noble act has inspired us to go one step further.

As a thank you to those of you who have enriched the culture of the
Institute for the past four years but have been fined while doing so,
the Office of the Undergraduate Association President would like to
reimburse you for your trouble.  If you were fined while involved in a
substantive hack at the Institute during the period of June 29, 2000 to
April 27, 2004 and have documentary evidence of this, please bring the
evidence along with a short statement describing your hack to the UA
Office (W20-401) and place the materials in the mailbox of either the UA
President or UA Vice President.  After making a submission, please
notify us via e-mail.  A number of those who respond will be
reimbursed.  Submissions are due Friday, April 30th at 7:00pm.

Sincerely,
Pius A. Uzamere II and Jacob W. Faber
UA President and Vice President