Hi, Thank you for expressing an interest in the MIT Karate Club at the recent Activities Midway. We are accepting new students beginning this Monday, September 13 and continuing for about two weeks. (This is not a rock-hard deadline: contact us if you cannot start during this period.) We'd love to have you join us, and you are welcome to practice with us for a few weeks to determine if this is the right group for you. To help you make that decision, here's a little info about us: The MIT Karate Club had been teaching men and women traditional Japanese martial arts for more than a decade. We are associated with Shotokan Karate of America (SKA) a nonprofit organization founded in 1955 by Tsutomu Ohshima, one of Gichin Funakoshi's last students. This organization exists solely to spread understanding of karate-do, or "the way of karate", as Funakoshi called it. Because we're a noncommercial group, you'll find that we're quite inexpensive compared to commercial studios - and even many other clubs. If you decide to train with us long-term, we ask that you join SKA, which costs $50 your first year and $75 per year thereafter. Also, for the past few terms, we have each contributed $10/semester toward buying some equipment and books. That's it. Our instructors are not paid and MIT graciously provides a facility. MIT's dojo (school) is quite fortunate to have a third degree black belt as a dojo leader and a second degree black belt as a dojo manager. The dojo leader may only be here for another year, so now's the time to start! Beginner's practices are held on Mondays from 9-10:30pm in the T-Club Lounge (W31-125) and on Wednesdays and Fridays from 7-8:30pm in the duPont Multipurpose Room (W31-225). Both rooms are accessible through the front door at the corner of Mass Ave and Vassar. The Multipurpose room is on the second floor, down the hall from the campus police station. I think you will find, as I have, that this is an excellent way to strengthen your body and spirit. It's a great break from your work that clears your head and gives you the opportunity to let out a good healthy kiai (yell) now and then. I've found these to be significant benefits around here. For more information, please consult our Website: http://mit.edu/karate/www/ and follow the link to the SKA site (www.ska.org). Feel free to contact me at 253-3549 or at this address with any questions about the club. Please address questions regarding previous experience in other styles to our dojo leader, Johnson Chung, at 781-788-8490 or jchung@volen.brandeis.edu. Thanks again, and I hope to see you in class! <> Ed Piekos MIT Karate Club Captain