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Student Leaders Report
Community@mit.edu
When I sat down to write this, I looked at the past Student Leader Reports to prevent myself from being redundant. I soon realized that I couldn’t not be redundant. There is certainly a theme that is raised in almost every one - the MIT community. I thought for a while about what that statement even means. Why is everyone always saying it? People around campus – students, alumni, faculty, administrators – are constantly stressing the importance of "community at MIT" and sometimes the lack of it. It is important for all of us to take a step back and think about what we, as a whole, are trying to achieve. MIT is already a community, though maybe not the one everyone wants. Every person who comes to campus (and even some who don't) play an integral part in making MIT what it is. There are also many subcommunities within the whole. From the student perspective we have living groups, sports teams, extracurricular activities, departments, and classes. Many of these communities are very strong and this is what students so often try to protect.
It seems that many of us – myself included – think that there needs to be a sense of broader community at MIT. While this is not news, I think it is worthwhile to take a moment and think about what that implies. MIT as a whole has to embrace the idea. To make a functional community at MIT there needs to be a sense that we are all moving in the same direction. At this point, I believe, we face a large disconnection between what occurs on campus and what we are trying to achieve.
I don't mean to imply that there is no sense of community as a whole. In fact, in response to the tragic events of September 11th, I saw one of the most impressive displays of community at MIT since I have been here. Seeing so many faculty and staff reach out to help students in their classes, at the Killian Court event and afterward, really made me realize what MIT can do when it faces a clearly defined challenge. Looking out over Killian Court I truly felt like a part of a greater whole. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for helping with the events and for being there for students to talk to – students really took notice of the efforts that were made. But things are more difficult with broader, less defined challenges.
In difficult times communities seem to be able to come together to strengthen themselves. As hard as it is to look positively at the results that stemmed from such tragic events, I found myself thinking how lucky the freshmen were for getting a chance to experience such a large sense of MIT community at such an early point in their MIT careers. I hope that it instilled in them the sense that they can go to administrators and faculty for help or to talk about something that they care about, even when there is not the sense of urgency that was prompted earlier this month.
After a few weeks, another much smaller issue occurred for the undergraduate students of this campus. Several meal plan proposals came to students for feedback. Each of the proposals had two main characteristics – they were expensive and they were mandatory (at least to a degree). I think all of us realize how important food is at MIT. I know that one of my main motivations to get to my early morning Friday class was the snacks and orange juice. While a mandatory meal plan might sound like a great idea to some – people eating together in dining halls, no worries if someone forgot to put money on their card – it did not take into account the many other effects on existing student life that a meal plan could have. People who work extra hours to pay for their living expenses, those with restricted dietary needs, the cooking communities throughout campus, the FSILGs and people who would just rather eat out than on campus, felt that their communities and practices were being threatened. Others couldn't comprehend how a set level of income would motivate a vendor to provide good food and service. The decision that "mandatory" was an unchangeable part of the plan was not made with student input, nor were students aware that this was coming. After many meetings, a campus-wide petition and lost sleep, it was announced that the process would be revisited with more students and they could entertain other options besides mandatory meal plans. While no decisions have yet been made, at least student input – rather than feedback – is being taken into account.
The freshman class has now lived through their first example of the division between students and the nebulous mass known as "the administration" that they have been hearing about since they got here. Each time decisions are made and students are left out of the process until time for feedback, a larger and larger level of mistrust grows. I am not trying to point fingers in this column. I know much of what happens is misunderstood and part of a general lack of communication throughout MIT. While I understand how these problems arise, it is imperative that we work to make the process better. It is important that whether it is a change in student life or a change in education, when decisions affect students there should be ample input as well as feedback. Students recognize these effects early because they can relate any change to their daily lives. This is also true in the case of faculty. When decisions are made regarding teaching or advising, it is the faculty who best know how it will affect their lives and work. If "community building" decisions continue to be made without the input of key players, the distrust will continue to mount from all sides and this will place a further divide in what we are really trying to achieve.
A community needs to be aware of and engaged in issues and decisions that affect its members. In general, I don't think students are well informed about issues that affect the faculty at MIT. While some of you may find it difficult to understand why students feel so strongly about certain ideas, we often find it difficult to see where your opinions and ideas stem from. We are not fully aware of the pressures of research, writing, teaching, and tenure. We may not know about the other obligations you have to industry, your families, or other organizations. In order for a broader sense of community to form, we each need a little bit of knowledge about the various groups involved.
Overall, MIT has committed itself to creating a greater sense of community. The Task Force on Student Life and Learning established that MIT is working towards an educational triad of research, academics, and community. If this is truly the direction that MIT is moving in, it has to be developed by members of all of the groups at MIT. Students will not partake in valuable research without the help of the faculty. Academics is also a two-way street. Community cannot be imposed, but rather it has to be developed. This is hard to grasp when so many changes are being made to the current community in an attempt to create a different one.
Please take the time to talk to students to find out what they are concerned about and to listen to their perspectives. Even if you don't agree, you can offer your ideas with an explanation as to why you might not agree. At the very least, both sets of ideas will be out on the table for discussion. I think many people would agree that when you put specialists in a room together they can often hash out a product that is better than any one that was developed by an individual.
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