Status of Orientation Changes

[Vrajesh Modi, Christina Johnson, Prof. Daniel Hastings, Chris Colombo]

Dear Undergraduate Students:

Over the past several weeks, many members of the community have expressed
concern over the proposed changes to MIT’s Orientation program. The student
response at the special meeting of the UA Senate, which was intended to
communicate potential changes and provide a structure for giving feedback,
was largely negative. Two weeks ago, presidents from all of the dormitories
signed an open letter in support of Residence Exploration (REX).

We understand that students care very deeply about Orientation and REX and
that students regard these programs as vital parts of the MIT experience.
Therefore, we are writing to clarify what has been decided for this year and
what the process will be to review Orientation for future years.

*Fall 2011 Orientation Program:*
The schedule for Orientation 2011 will mirror that for 2010 with one small
exception. To save MIT resources, International Orientation will be later,
which may create an overlap with the Advanced Standing exams (ASE). If any
international student wishes to take an ASE, an accommodation will be
facilitated by the Office of Undergraduate Advising and Academic Programming
(UAAP) with the International Students Office and the department.

To be clear, the schedule for REX will be identical to last year’s schedule.
REX will not be shortened, and overlap between REX and other programming
will not be substantially increased from last year.

As in previous years, the UAAP will collaborate with the Division of Student
Life (DSL) to work out the details of the Orientation program.  As part of
this process, DSL will convene the SLOPE committee, a longstanding group of
students, housemasters, and staff that plans the student events and
activities. This committee includes representatives from the UA, Dormcon,
IFC, Panhel, LGC, ASA, and SaveTFP.

*Beyond Fall 2011:*
For future direction on Orientation beyond fall 2011, the Deans for
Undergraduate Education (DUE) and Student Life (DSL) will form a committee
this spring to review all Orientation programs.  The committee membership
will include students, faculty, and staff. Student representatives to this
committee will be nominated through the established UA nominations process,
and the UA will ensure that all stakeholders are represented on the
committee.

We all share an interest in open communication and a process in which all
voices can be heard in a representative way. We understand that there are
multiple stakeholders in Orientation, including students and faculty, and we
will continue to work together to ensure a successful Orientation for the
Class of 2015 and beyond.

Sincerely,

Vrajesh Modi, UA President
Christina Johnson, DormCon President
Prof. Daniel Hastings, Dean for Undergraduate Education and Professor of
Aeronautics and Astronautics
Chris Colombo, Dean for Student Life
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.mit.edu/pipermail/undergrads/attachments/20110217/35823ed7/attachment.htm