MIT Reports to the President 1994-95

Dean for Undergraduate Education and Student Affairs

The variety and scope of the activities of Undergraduate Education and Student Affairs (UESA) is evident from the reports of the individual sections which follow. In a year in which major changes were being anticipated, the quality of the programs and capability of the staff were outstanding.

A widespread concern with undergraduate and graduate housing received major attention during the year. Despite a period of misunderstanding and confusion, the eventual resolution of this issue was a positive one. Renovations of Senior House are under way with substantial input to the planning from the current residents of Senior House. This project should be completed next summer. Issues surrounding the use of graduate housing space to relieve undergraduate crowding have been resolved amicably with the accommodation of 45 sorority women in Ashdown. The future planning for graduate housing has begun and must be carefully addressed in the coming year. The Strategic Housing Planning Committee, chaired by Dean Randolph, supplied important information and guidance in arriving at the final plans for meeting the Institute's housing needs.

The departure of Judy Jackson for doctoral study deserves special note. Dean Jackson led the Office of Minority Education (OME) for five years and her dedication to all students and her continuous quest for excellence marked a period when OME flourished and grew in stature.

Special mention should also be made of the housemasters who are leaving the system; Steve and Judy Lippard, Bill and Lynn Porter, Derek Rowell. Their contributions to the well-being of students and to the mission of the Institute have been major ones spanning many years and they will be missed.

On a personal note, the five years that I have spent working with the staff of UESA and with undergraduate and graduate students have been exciting and challenging. I leave the office with pride in our accomplishments, confidence in the future excellence of the services provided, and regret that I will no longer be an active part of it.

Arthur C. Smith

SENIOR ASSOCIATE DEAN

Highlights of the past year include the completion of the Religious Activities Building, W11, and the establishment of a Religious Life Council and Board of Chaplains. The former Center for Visual Studies has been completely rebuilt to house religious groups that had been previously scattered across campus. There is a Muslim Prayer Room, meeting space for Hillel, four kitchens with Kosher dining available and three meeting rooms which have been used with great frequency. The lower level contains offices for recognized Chaplains and a meeting space for student groups.

The former home of the Chaplains, W2 and W2A, was converted into an addition to McCormick Hall. The new residence houses 26 women and a tutor, and gives women at MIT a small residence experience with all the benefits proximity to a larger residence implies.

A group has been revising the MIT Student Conflict Resolution and Discipline Procedures. This group has been representative of the community and has made every effort to gain from the collective wisdom of MIT. The resulting document will be unveiled for the new school year and will define disciplinary procedures generally relating to residential life and beyond the scope of the Committee on Discipline.

Robert M. Randolph

CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION

Central Administration managed 25 appointments, terminations or transfers during the year. Electronic payroll was introduced to areas with large numbers of student employees, such as tutorial services and student activities, resulting in more timely payments and greater accuracy. Ten top model Macintosh computers were purchased and the new installations and redistribution upgraded computers for over a third of the staff. Training was provided for staff members concerned with student information to use the Registrar's new student information system (MITSIS). Central Administration coordinated the department visiting committee invitations and activities; responded to three internal surveys, one on disability services and two on computer usage; and was commended for its accounting practices as a result of a routine internal audit.

Affirmative Action
Affirmative Action successes in UESA consisted of the appointment of two African American males to administrative staff positions increasing minority representation to 29% of the administrative and academic staff. Over all classifications the UESA staff was 27% minority and 70% female. The table below displays the ethnic and gender profile of the 56 full- and part-time UESA staff as of June 1, 1995.

Administrative & Academic         Minorities     Non-Minorities     Total     
Staff                                                                         
       Male                     5               10                15          
       Female                   6               17                23          
   Subtotal                     11              27                38          
Support Staff                                                                 
       Male                     0               2                 2           
       Female                   4               12                16          
   Subtotal                     4               14                18          
TOTAL                           15              41                56

Eight of the 38 administrative staff were African American (four men and four women). The remaining minority members of the staff were a Mexican male, an Asian American female, and a Native American female. The four minority support staff were all female, one Asian American, one Hispanic, one African American, and one Native American.

Richard L. Brewer
Steven M. Burke
Betty H. Sultan

MIT Reports to the President 1994-95