[UA] Process Committee Updates, Elections, Institute Committee Applications, and more

[Mahi Elango]

Dear Undergrads,

We hope that you and your families are safe and well, and that your
transition to virtual classes has been smooth.

[1] Updates from Ad Hoc Committee to Review MIT Gift Processes
<https://facultygovernance.mit.edu/committee/ad-hoc-committee-review-mit-gift-processes>


This committee is charged with reviewing MIT's current processes for
soliciting, processing and accepting gifts to the Institute. You can find
the interim report by the committee here
<https://facultygovernance.mit.edu/sites/default/files/2020-02_ProcessesCommitteeInterimReportFinal.pdf>.
This report provides an overview of MIT’s fundraising enterprise, which has
been compiled through ten meetings and more than sixty interviews with MIT
community members. A final report will include recommendations to policies,
structure, and practices, and is expected to be published on June 1st.

[2] Elections - Intent to Run forms due April 10th

In an earlier email, the Elections Commission announced that we are
beginning the election cycle for UA President/Vice President, Class
Councils, and the ILG/Off-campus representatives on UA Council. The intent
to run forms are due April 10th.

The President is the general spokesperson for the UA, has speaking
privileges at faculty meetings, serves as a voting member of the
Corporation Joint Advisory Committee, chairs UA Council, proposes the UA
budget, nominates student representatives on Institute committees, and
more. UA Council holds the UA President/Vice President accountable,
develops policy positions, and votes on nominations. Each class council is
responsible for class social activities.

[3] Institute Committees - Applications due April 17th

Applications
<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfJwhSTgDZ8LEt0DqrZg84Z0FTKcOFNrjRuHdkWRJeKYWOpdg/viewform?usp=sf_link>
for undergraduate spots on MIT’s Institute Committees
<http://ua.mit.edu/institutecomms/> are now open until 11:59 PM EST on
April 17th. These committees are an important way that undergraduates have
a voice in Institute affairs; undergraduate representatives on Institute
Committees are full, voting members with equal say in the variety of policy
decisions made and discussed, ranging from student life, to facilities and
buildings, to educational policy. Most committees meet 1-2 hours every two
weeks, some meeting more or less frequently. We highly encourage anyone who
is interested to consider applying, regardless of your interests,
background, or prior experience. These committees need a wide range of
student talent to fill them, and we want the undergraduate representation
on them to represent the diversity of the student body. Apply here
<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfJwhSTgDZ8LEt0DqrZg84Z0FTKcOFNrjRuHdkWRJeKYWOpdg/viewform>
by April 17th, and we will reach out shortly after to schedule interviews.

[4] Emergency Academic Regulations

Making PE/NE grading universal reduces the potential for inequalities
between students with different living situations to be magnified. Many
students do not have a stable living situation or have family
responsibilities to balance work with. An opt-in system would perpetuate
existing inequalities by giving some the opportunity to put high grades on
their records, while others would be denied this same opportunity due to
circumstance. Given an option to opt in to grading, significant pressure to
opt in would be unavoidable. One example is Harvard Medical School’s
announcement <https://meded.hms.harvard.edu/admissions-prerequisite-courses>
that it will only accept pass/fail grades for students from universities
with universal pass/fail grading. We fear that the same mentality will
exist in other admissions processes, where a decision to take a pass grade
may be viewed as a sign that the student chose to hide a bad grade.

In reality, we need to acknowledge that assessment simply does not exist in
the same way it has before. We cannot proceed as if all is normal. In many
cases — especially in hands-on engineering and arts classes — the learning
objectives laid down at the beginning of the semester no longer apply. Many
instructors are also struggling with some of the same difficulties in home
life as students, and an opt-in grading system places additional pressure
on these instructors. For these reasons we support and affirm the emergency
grading decision and hope that other universities will continue to look to
us as an example.

[5] Commencement

As you have probably seen by now, Commencement ceremonies for May 29th have
been cancelled
<https://covid19.mit.edu/update-on-commencement-reunions-and-community>,
and a virtual ceremony will take place instead, as well as an in-person
event at a future date. If you have any ideas for these events, please send
them to commencementideas at mit.edu so that staff, faculty, and student
leaders can incorporate them into the planning process.

[6] Other questions

We recognize that you may have many unanswered questions, as do we. Here
are some that we are actively working with administrators and faculty to
answer:

   -

   Projected timeline for students to return to campus for the summer and
   fall semesters
   -

   Housing and dining situation for students housed on-campus, if the
   current conditions continue past May 15th
   -

   The construction and opening plans of New Vassar and Burton-Conner
   -

   Plans for CPW, summer housing assignments, REX/Orientation, and fall
   athletics


Please let us know if you have any other questions at ua-officers at mit.edu.

Warm Regards,

Mahi Elango

UA President
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.mit.edu/pipermail/undergrads/attachments/20200402/5a1fdecf/attachment-0001.html