[Undergrads] Next Steps and Post-Election Survey

[Sophia Liu]

Dear Undergraduates,

I want to inform you of the details of last night’s meeting. First, I am
providing some of my notes, available here.
<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Mwj16M_1h9n7L4pzlKBZ5wbcE8Ski3Q12k7ZKwHWy64/edit?usp=sharing>
Together, we agreed on our vision for MIT: that we are “a community of
hands-on problem solvers … eager to make the world a better place.” Today,
the MIT Deans will be holding Office Hours in Lobby 7 from 11 AM - 12 PM,
supplying food (!) and fostering conversations within our community.

Our next steps:

   -

   Along with Vice President Kirk Kolenbrander, the UA is working on
   planning a campus-wide event to show the support within our community.
   More on this is soon to come.
   -

   From our meeting, we decided to survey specific concerns
   <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScqr0KigPEeqaK0Gefsapx0JUTITpFFMAnk73wWD_S0KQbbHw/viewform?c=0&w=1>
   from students. We ask that you help us understand how we can increase
   feelings of safety on campus; what in particular are you worrying about?
   What sort of advocacy platform should we form? How much of that can be
   attributed to uncertainty/a lack of knowledge about the political process?
   How can MIT as an Institute support you? What sort of programming would you
   like to see? Please let us know your thoughts by midnight on Sunday,
   November 13th.
   -

   Depending on interest, we discussed holding a panel of political science
   faculty or a series of talks to more specifically address questions on
   policy changes and the political process of transitioning, to be available
   in person and then subsequently online via MITx. We also considered having
   an online forum at discussion.mit.edu, where faculty would answer
   questions.
   -

   We have emailed the Chair of the Faculty, Krishna Rajagopal, and
   Chancellor Cindy Barnhart to reach out to faculty to be more
   understanding with coursework during this time. An email went out this
   morning.
   -

   For student exec teams overwhelmed with how to broach student group
   discussions, the UA Community Committee is working with Ed Bertschinger to
   reach out as a resource and source of support.


We discussed the importance of being accepting of others’ ideas, giving
people a safe space to share their viewpoints. After receiving concerns
over the marginalization of some students over their beliefs, only by
engaging with others, and not isolating them, can we grow together.

As always, feel free to reach out to us!

Warm wishes,

Sophia Liu
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