Dean for Student Life
The 2002–2003 academic year was a very exciting and productive year for the Division of Student Life (DSL). In fact, some have said it has been one of the best years ever in terms of improving the quality of student life and community spirit on campus.
This year has brought many impressive accomplishments. This report highlights several themes: shared services, integration, and collaboration. DSL staff members have diligently pursued these themes, and this report reflects significant progress toward the goals.
Since in many cases the projects described are collaborative between different units, many accomplishments will be mentioned in several different sections of this report. One example of such a success brought about through our collaborative efforts was the problem of overcrowding in the undergraduate residence halls. The Chancellor's Office, Offices of the DSL, Graduate Students' Office (GSO), Student Life Programs (SLP) and Housing, the Housemasters, DormCon, Graduate Student Council (GSC) and Housing and Community Affairs (HCA), the Enrollment Management Group, and the Housing Strategy group all worked together to eliminate overcrowding, one of the most important accomplishments at MIT this year.
Hundreds of accomplishments filled our year at the DSL. However, I would like to highlight some of our overarching successes:
- Oversaw the successful transition of all freshmen living on campus for the first time in MIT's history and eliminated overcrowding in the undergraduate halls at the same time
- Opened two new residence halls: Simmons Hall, including its new Dining Program, for undergraduates, and Sidney-Pacific for graduates, and invested $5.8 million in maintenance and renovations of our other residence halls plus $2.5 million for the Next House dining renovation and $3 million to replace windows in Baker
- Opened the Z Center, and made major renovations to other athletic facilities
- Implemented the recommendations of the Dining Board resulting in a major, new, multifaceted dining program on campus
- Completed the physical makeover of the student center, including the opening of the new Latino Cultural Center
- Oversaw a new FSILG recruitment plan as well as the implementation of the FSILG financial transition plan
- Continued the BASICS program and began a normative marketing campaign on alcohol education
- Distributed $400,000 of the new Student Life fee monies to student groups and organizations on campus
- Continued the process of reforming our student discipline system and writing a Student Roles and Responsibilities document
- Improved communications with students by putting up the DSL web site, expanding the number of advisory committees, and scheduling routine meetings with the various student governance groups
- Centralized responsibility for all DSL financial functions, and began the integration of these functions into a common "shared services center."
There is a new, shared sense of productivity and achievement, as well as a heightened level of morale on the part of all the staff and students who have made these and all the other accomplishments possible this last year. Finally, there is a sense of momentum building as we begin the 2003–2004 school year, and we all look forward to continued improvement in student and community life at MIT.
More information about the Division of Student Life can be found on the web at http://web.mit.edu/dsl/.