[Undergrads] Important Student Announcements from the Undergraduate Association

[Martin F. Holmes]

Dear Undergraduates,

Welcome back to MIT!  I hope you have enjoyed IAP and are starting to get into
the swing of the spring semester.  During break, a number of important issues
and initiatives that impact you have emerged and I would like to quickly bring
them to your attention.  Clearly it is important that the UA work towards
improving your life, so I hope you will notice a drastic improvement in the
performance of the Undergraduate Association this semester, both in terms of
substantive policies and student transparency.  Since many of the topics in
this email will directly impact you, I encourage you to take a second to glance
through the sections.  We always strive to serve you better, so I welcome any
comments, concerns, or questions.

Sincerely,
Martin F. Holmes
UA President


1)  Housing:  W1 Dormitory Founders Group ? Today at 6pm in Ashdown!
2)  Energy:  MIT Re-Generator ? Today at 6:30pm in Stata!
3)  Grad School:  Kaplan Test Prep Opportunities ? Feb. 24
4)  Discussion:  Provost Reif Town Hall ? Feb. 25 at 8pm in W20-400
5)  Financial:  MIT Insurance Waiver Deadline ? Feb. 28
6)  Interaction:  Student-Faculty Dinners ? Feb. 29
7)  UA Positions:  Housing Chair and Webmaster ? Mar. 3
8)  Feedback:  Respond to the President, Provost, Chancellor ? Mar. 3

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
1)  Housing:  W1 Dormitory Founders Group ? Today at 6pm in Ashdown!

A new MIT community is forming and we are looking for students to be part of the
Founders Group for W1 (currently Ashdown).  If you are interested, please
attend the Informational Meeting at 6pm Thursday, February 21 in the Hulsizer
Room in Ashdown or contact W1foundersgroups at mit.edu for an application.

This group of 10 undergraduates would live in the W1 colony (based in the new
NW35 through August '10) and be actively involved in creating the new
community, structuring the government, and forming the culture of W1. 
Applications are due 2-25-08.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------
2)  Energy:  MIT Re-Generator ? Today at 6:30pm in Stata!

Did you know that MIT spends $1 Million PER WEEK on non-renewable energy?  Do
you want to change the fact that we emit 270,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide
per year?  Join the already huge group of undergrads and grads bringing
change...

MIT RE-GENERATOR

Students Walking the Talk on Energy and the Environment Thursday, February 21,
6:30 to 9:00PM Stata Center, R&D Commons (Food will be served).

SPARK a new project team
or
PLUG INTO an existing one

http://sustainability.mit.edu/Generator

FUNDING AVAILABLE: Working groups who pull together an exciting project have the
opportunity to be funded by the MIT Energy Initiative.

If you have questions about the Generator, contact Adam Siegel
<asiegs at mit.edu> or Chris Kempes <ckempes at mit.edu>


-----------------------------------------------------------------------
3)  Grad School:  Kaplan Test Prep Opportunities ? Feb. 24

Grad school practice tests (MCAT, LSAT, GRE, GMAT) will be held on campus on
Sunday 2/24.  This is a good way to gain familiarity with the real tests and to
establish a benchmark for your strengths and weaknesses by section and by
question type in order to determine your preparation strategy.  To register:
www.kaptest.com/practice, for more details: kevin.richard at kaplan.com


-----------------------------------------------------------------------
4)  Discussion:  Provost Reif Town Hall ? Feb. 25 at 8pm in W20-400

The Provost will speak at an open forum for all undergraduates on February 25 at
8pm in the UA Office (W20-400).  This will be a terrific opportunity for you to
meet one of MIT?s most senior administrators and to ask any questions related
to student life, academics, research, and more.  The Provost has been
exceptional about following through on commitments, so this may be a terrific
opportunity for you to make progress on any of your own projects.

The Provost shares responsibility with the President, the Chancellor, and the
academic Deans for the supervision of the educational and research programs of
MIT.  The Provost is the chief academic officer of the Institute with
responsibility for budgeting and planning of these programs.  The Provost,
working with the Executive Vice President and the Director of Budget and
Financial Planning, also has responsibility for coordinating the budgeting and
capital planning of the Institute.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------
5)  Financial:  MIT Insurance Waiver Deadline ? Feb. 28

Students have been automatically enrolled and billed for the MIT Student
Extended Insurance Plan for the Spring 2008 term.  Those wishing to waive the
plan must do so online by February 28, 2008.  If students wish to enroll
themselves or their dependents for the spring term, the deadline to do so is
also February 28, 2008.  Go to http://web.mit.edu/medical for more information.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------
6)  Interaction:  Student-Faculty Dinners ? Feb. 29

Interested in getting to know a member of the MIT faculty?  Need a
recommendation?  Like free food?  This spring, the UA will present the first
annual institute-wide student?faculty dinner program.  Groups of 3-5 students
will be able to get together and invite a faculty member to dinner.  Each group
will be free to arrange a convenient date, time, and location and will be
reimbursed $20 per person.  Signups will be first-come, first-serve starting on
February 29.  More details will follow soon, but please start thinking about
groups and faculty members now.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------
7)  UA Positions:  Housing Chair and Webmaster ? Mar. 3

Want to have a major impact on housing, REX, early returns, deferred
maintenance, and more?  Apply to serve as Chair of the UA Committee on Housing
for the spring semester.  Send a statement of your qualifications and goals to
ua-admin at mit.edu by March 3.

Want to put your coding skills to use?  Interested in redesigning the UA
website, aiding with UA transparency, and collaborating with IS&T on a number
of projects?  Apply to serve as the UA Webmaster.  Send a statement of your
qualifications and goals to ua-admin at mit.edu by March 3.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------
8)  Feedback:  Respond to the President, Provost, Chancellor ? Mar. 3

Throughout the course of the year, the President, Provost, and Chancellor have
posed a number of abstract, complicated questions to the UA.  Having thought
about these questions in detail, we?d love to collect your thoughts on these
extremely important issues.  The compilation will be shared with each of these
the senior MIT leaders to determine potential solutions to any problems.  Reply
to ua-admin at mit.edu with any thoughts by March 3.

A)  What is the current state of the MIT community?  What are its strengths and
weaknesses?  How should MIT think about micro-community and macro-community?  In
what ways can MIT foster community?

B)  What would an ideal relationship between students and the administration
look like?  What level of access, influence, and participation should the
students have to impact the decision-making process?  What types of decisions
require student input?

C)  As access to educational information becomes more readily available across
the world, what will bring college students to MIT in the future?  Furthermore,
what will draw students into the classroom given the availability of the
technological sources?

D)  If you had a sizeable amount of money to use to improve any aspect of
student life or learning at MIT, what would you spend it on?

E)  Do you have any thoughts or opinions on the current MIT financial aid model?

F)  Do you have any thoughts or opinions on the current state of advising at
MIT?