IDEAS

The idea of the MIT Housing Group is to be a useful organization first and foremost for students, but also for faculty and the Institute. As such, the group's functions will include:

Organizing Internal Networking Events - This will provide an opportunity for students throughout the Institute to get to know each other. Instead of awkward mixers, graduate students from planning, architecture, real estate, business, and other disciplines who have an interest in housing can learn from each other about classes, jobs, cities, academic works, etc. This will also provide a venue for those within a particular program to get to know each other better. For example, there are many students interested in housing who are in different program groups within the planning program (i.e. policy, design, international, and environmental).

Career Events - Career services staff at MIT often worry about holding career panels, fairs, or recruiting sessions because of a paucity of committed students. With a broad contingent of students interested in housing, the MIT Housing Group will work collaboratively with MIT career services staff to organize housing specific career events that will benefit students and employers.

Organizing External Networking Events - External networking and social events will be organized with other student groups such as GSDHousing at the Graduate School of Design or the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD) group at the Kennedy School. With a large and organized group of housing-oriented students, we could sponsor bigger and better events and exchange information about courses, careers, and other such topics. For example, GSDHousing sponsored a series of events in the fall that included lectures, tours, and social outings. Their kick-off event featured MIT's very own Xav Briggs, who spoke about his new book on housing, race, and opportunity. Another one of their events was a movie night at MIT. In other words, the collaboration already exists, but can be codified and extended.

Boston-area Resources - There are many housing resources throughout the greater Boston area that students should be aware of and connect with. These include the Citizens Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA), the Massachusetts Association of CDCs (MACDC), Rappaport Institute, Pioneer Institute, Center for Urban and Regional Policy, Lincoln Institute, the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard, a wide array of local CDCs, ULI's young Boston group, other organizations of young professionals in the urban development field, and various governmental and semi-public entities such as the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and others. The Group will both link to these organizations through the website and invite them to specific functions.

Website - The Group's website will be an updating repository of information. One section will be dedicated to upcoming housing events in the Boston area and elsewhere along with summaries of the events by participating MIT Housing Group members. The site will also include a booklet for new MIT students that highlights housing faculty and courses, provides comparisons between similar courses, such as the various offerings for real estate finance, as well as opportunities for students such as the Affordable Housing Development Competition. The website will also provide the space for students to submit their own works - papers, designs, financing plans, etc.

Publishing - While this piece of the student-group may be a ways off, publishing student and/or non-student work focused on the housing field could take a variety of forms. For example, it could start as an informal compilation of student works, interviews, editorials, etc focused on housing issues broadly and over the years could evolve into a bona fide MIT Housing Journal. Modeled off of the Law Review system, it could be a fully student-run and edited journal that publishes student work, faculty work, or both. Currently, there are no forums for students to share what they have created, researched or written about.

Other - Since this organization is just getting off the ground, there are many other possible ideas that could be explored. The above list is neither refined nor comprehensive, but rather represents the beginnings of a vision. If you have ideas or suggestions, email Erica Sims.