[UA] Focus Group on COVID-19 Academic Policies; Institute Committee Applications Due Today; Vote in UA Elections!

[Mahi Elango]

Dear Undergrads,

We hope that you are all staying safe and healthy as we near the end of the
semester. We have a couple quick updates regarding student input into
COVID-19 academic policies, Institute committees, and UA elections.

[1] Focus Group with the COVID-19 Academic Policies and Regulations Team

As part of the large group of administrators and faculty dedicated to
organize MIT’s response to COVID-19, there is a team on Academic Policies
and Regulations (APART). We are working with APART to organize a focus
group composed of around 15 undergraduate and graduate students for this
Thursday, April 30th at 4pm Eastern. The aim of the focus group is to
provide APART with student perspective on matters under deliberation at
APART as well as possibly giving input on decisions that have just been
made but not finalized/announced. Possible topics of discussion include
things such as spring term subject evaluations, summer term grading
policies, summer term pre-registration schedule, fall term class schedule
possibilities, and fall term grading policies. We are looking for ~7
undergraduates to participate. If you are interested, please fill out this
google form <https://forms.gle/xpi6jsFmzL83K1tW7>.

In addition to the focus groups, the current undergraduate and graduate
representatives to the Faculty Policy Committee will also serve on APART. Your
participation in the focus group will help add a diversity of perspective.
We are pushing for there to be more transparency and student input into the
process of decision-making about MIT’s response to COVID-19, and this is a
step in that direction. It continues to cause us concern that students are
not informed about or included in important steps of this process.

[2] Applications to be on UA Judicial Board
<https://forms.gle/E4z7ahzdygsxmwDx5> now open until May 8th

We are soliciting applications to be nominated for UA Judicial Board
(JudBoard). You can submit a few minute application here
<https://forms.gle/E4z7ahzdygsxmwDx5>. Applications are due Friday, May
8th. The purpose of the Judicial Board is to interpret this Constitution
and other governing documents of the UA in cases of dispute between the
bodies of this organization or its members. Additionally, this board hears
complaints from the student body concerning the governmental bodies and
acts to resolve the situation. This Board also oversees the creation and
operation of the UA Election Commission as delineated in the UA Election
Code. If you have specific questions, please email me and
ua-judboard-chair at mit.edu.

[3] Reminder that MIT's Institute Committee
<http://ua.mit.edu/institutecomms/> applications are due tonight at 11:59
PM Eastern. You can apply here
<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfJwhSTgDZ8LEt0DqrZg84Z0FTKcOFNrjRuHdkWRJeKYWOpdg/viewform>
.

[4] Be sure to vote in this year’s UA President and Vice President and
Class Council elections here
<https://engage.mit.edu/submitter/election/start/402199>.

We encourage you to read the candidates’ platforms, at Danielle Geathers
and Yu Jing Chen <https://danielleandyujing.wixsite.com/2020>, and Fiona
Chen and Yara Komaiha <https://www.fionayara2020.org/>.

If you have any issues voting, please send an email to ua-elect at mit.edu. If
you have any questions, comments, complaints, or concerns about voting or
the UA election process in general please send an email to ua-elect at mit.edu
and cc ua-judboard-chair at mit.edu.


Warm Regards,

Mahi Elango

UA President
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