[2485] in UA Exec
Re: World Cafe Idea
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Andy Trattner)
Tue May 17 10:59:54 2016
Reply-To: trattner@mit.edu
In-Reply-To: <ADE287FC-16D6-4F4C-997C-3C354BC41217@mit.edu>
Date: Tue, 17 May 2016 10:59:48 -0400
From: Andy Trattner <trattner@mit.edu>
To: Sally Susnowitz <susnowit@mit.edu>, ua-exec <ua-exec@mit.edu>,
Bettina K Arkhurst <b_ark@mit.edu>, Drew Bent <drew3x@gmail.com>,
Mehmet Efe Akengin <akengin@mit.edu>, Justin Carrus <jcarrus@mit.edu>,
Sarah Melvin <smelvin@mit.edu>, Linda Jing <weijing@mit.edu>
Cc: world-cafe-discuss@mit.edu
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Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
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Yesterday morning I was stretching my legs when I recalled my friend's
advice to stretch slowly. In the long run, quick dynamic stretching doesn't
get you far, whereas deliberate and yoga-like stretches really enable a
much wider range of muscle movement and activity. But this stretching
requires will power. It can be harder due to discomfort. You have to
breathe. Once you can force yourself to do this, it becomes second nature
and then you get super stretchy! But it definitely takes time, and more
than one attempt.
In the same way, community-building and apathy-combating are very difficult
things to tackle because it can be hard to gauge nuanced progress on short
timescales. It is unclear sometimes how effective events, programs, etc.
actually are at achieving their respective purposes. And it can be painful
to do things differently than they were done before, even to try a slight
modification on an existing practice, just like stretching.
Sally brings up some great points, and I have spoken to a few people
individually about their ideas as well. To move forward and stop spamming
the millions on the ua-exec list, let's move the discussion over to
world-cafe-discuss@mit.edu. It is a self-owned, public list (an experiment
in crowd-sourcing), so feel free to add or remove yourselves. I only put on
a few people/positions of relevance, but I don't want to dictate this
discussion.
My goal here is to simply present an interesting idea and connect people to
see if we can pool some great ideas like those of Alice, Cory, Bettina, and
Sally to try out a potential event/tradition/thing which might be of great
benefit to our community. I am excited to see where this goes (especially
since the event is so doable and appealing!) and I hope you will join us in
at least writing a couple concerns or questions or ideas on how to make
discussion productive in the document below.
*TO DO:*
1. *Add yourself* to (or remove from) *world-cafe-discuss* on Moira if
you want to continue the discussion
2. *Jot down* some *thoughts* *in* this communal *brainstorming document
<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fMbRFW5-n0N30oeuoFXk2yhEB7GJnz_sUyV=
-lsNrFK0/edit?usp=3Dsharing>*
so
when this world cafe happens, it happens effectively
Future discussion will occur through the world-cafe-discuss email list.
Let's follow up (please remind me) in 2 weeks to see what people have
written in the document and begin setting a date and venue and attendance
structure.
Happy Tuesday! Happy Summer!
Andy :)
262-314-4291
On May 16, 2016 8:05 AM, "Sally Susnowitz" <susnowit@mit.edu> wrote:
> Hi everyone,
>
> Good to connect with you via email! I hope to connect with you more in
> person.
>
> Your ideas are great, yet they are moving in quite a different direction
> than mine, based on what I was thinking about when I had the chance to ta=
lk
> with Andy. Sorry I didn=E2=80=99t articulate them more when we spoke, An=
dy! But
> the idea came up pretty near the end of our great discussion.
>
> The idea of a World Caf=C3=A9, as I see it, is that it is casual, people
> represent themselves and their own experiences, and it=E2=80=99s a chance=
to talk
> about broad questions =E2=80=94 and to listen to other people=E2=80=99s o=
pinions without
> judgement. For that reason, breakfast or lunch is usually a better venue
> than dinner (more caf=C3=A9-ish), no one is an assigned representative of
> anything, and the atmosphere is quite different from the formal
> student-administrator dinners that serve quite a different function.
>
> I would hope to get frank individual views about student life at MIT from
> a range of students and staff that can be considered and maybe followed u=
p
> by whatever formal events you think would be useful.
>
> So, far from informing students about the administrative structure, we
> might ask them to describe what the administrative structure IS, and list=
en
> to what they think, mistakes and all, and maybe learn where they do or
> don=E2=80=99t get information. The World Caf=C3=A9 is a learning experie=
nce, not a
> lobbying experience. People come away with the chance to hear a range of
> ideas and to form personal relationships, rather than positional ones.
>
> Does that make sense?
>
> Your thoughts?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Sally
> **********************************
> Sally Susnowitz
> Director, DSLx Life Learning
> MIT Division of Student Life (DSL)
> Phone: 617-258-7344
> Email: susnowit@mit.edu
> Office: W32-119
> http://lifelearning.mit.edu
>
>
>
> From: Andy Trattner <trattner@mit.edu>
> Reply-To: Andrew L Trattner <trattner@mit.edu>
> Date: Monday, May 16, 2016 at 7:49 AM
> To: Alice M Zielinski <alicez@mit.edu>
> Cc: Daysi N Gomez <gomezd@mit.edu>, Sally Susnowitz <susnowit@mit.edu>,
> ua-exec <ua-exec@mit.edu>
> Subject: Re: World Cafe Idea
>
> Hi Alice,
>
> That is great feedback! I totally agree 100%, and it sounds super useful
> to require informed attendance (and some briefing on the importance of
> being informed) so that these participants can better discuss and also
> bring discussion back into their living groups and communities, decrease
> apathy, etc. Perhaps the participants could be limited to the UA and a fe=
w
> applicants or invitees with demonstrated background.
>
> I often complain about event-based mentality at MIT, but events definitel=
y
> have the potential to do a lot of good when thoughtfully executed.
> Re-reading my initial email, I want to clarify that this idea is perhaps
> most useful in supplementing existing events, some of which are more
> informative or introductory by design, which is totally necessary as well
> (I learn a lot at each event I go to!).
>
> I forgot to mention one of the main motivators was the Student Leadership
> Summit (see below) which occurred this past semester. In my mind, this
> event attempted to span both the introductory and outcome-based mindset,
> and I think it was unsuccessful with the latter. It was not clear how the
> selection process worked, students that attended the event found themselv=
es
> frustratingly assigned to topic areas outside of their focus, and the
> format seemed to bring about ideas which are perhaps decent feedback to
> top-level administrators, but perhaps never make it to the actionable sta=
ge
> with the concerned parties at lower levels. I got the sense that the resu=
lt
> was a bunch of notes that vague people might look up maybe sometime in th=
e
> future.
>
> The event succeeded in educating the participants on basic things that
> students should perhaps know, such as administrative structure
> <http://orgchart.mit.edu/>. It (somewhat) demonstrated that the
> administration is interested in doing things with students and for
> students, definitely a nice counterpoint to some of the stigma and
> silliness that tends to float about the student body with respect to the
> administration. The missing link is exactly what Alice points out, to be
> mindful of how to obtain a positive, useful direction forward. This is an
> extremely difficult problem, but perhaps this is something we students ca=
n
> help provide perspective on.
>
> I sent this email A. to stimulate discussion about this hard topic (yay
> Alice!) and B. to seek out students interested in helping guide the event=
.
> Both these are difficult things to do, but perhaps the only involvement
> necessary for B. is to do A. and bring some cohesive suggestions on how t=
o
> best create productive action to the Chancellor's office, and they can
> arrange the whole thing like the Summit below!
>
> In addition to lovely discussion, does anyone have suggestions on who
> might be good to involve in this? Possibly to attempt the "world cafe" fo=
r
> next fall semester?
>
> Looking forward to hearing all of your thoughts.
>
>
> __________
> *EMAIL SENT FEB 17, 2016:*
>
> I am writing to invite you to attend the 2016 Student Leadership Summit o=
n
> Friday, February 26. This annual summit provides an opportunity for Dean
> for Student Life Chris Colombo, Dean for Undergraduate Education Denny
> Freeman, and me to build a collaborative working relationship with studen=
t
> leaders around campus community needs and other issues affecting the MIT
> student body.
>
> More specifically, the summit allows us to:
>
> - Meet one another and learn about the goals and challenges faced by
> all participants
> - Educate students about MIT administrative processes and student
> governance processes for overall decision-making
> - Identify opportunities and ways that students can work with the
> administration and with each other during the academic year
> - Brainstorm how we might work on specific challenges and
> opportunities in the MIT residential experience
>
> Please note that this event is by invitation only. You were nominated by
> an MIT staff member to participate because of your demonstrated commitmen=
t
> to and potential for leadership. We expect about 30 undergraduate student=
s
> to attend.
>
> The summit will run from 10:30 AM to 2:00 PM in the Mezzanine Lounge
> (W20-307) in the Student Center, with lunch.
>
> Please respond to this email with your attendance plans by noon on
> Thursday, February 18. We look forward to engaging in this important
> discussion with you.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Cynthia Barnhart
> Chancellor
> __________
>
> Happy Finals!
>
> Cheers,
> Andy
> _____
> *availability*
> <https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=3Dandtratt%40gmail.com&ct=
z=3DAmerica/New_York>
>
>
> On Sun, May 15, 2016 at 11:49 PM, Alice Zielinski <alicez@mit.edu> wrote:
>
>> Hi Andy,
>>
>> I just wanted to drop a quick note about this thought based on my
>> experiences with student-admin discussions: I like the idea and likewise
>> believe that it can be fruitful. My only concern would be ensuring that =
the
>> students in attendance are up to date on policy and have a foundational
>> understanding of how policy and influencing operations works. Otherwise,
>> this could easily become a round table event that is very introductory i=
n
>> the sense that due to the massive amount of onboarding required to bring=
a
>> student to the level of understanding that is conducive
>> to influencing change, no actual forward work or thinking would get done=
.
>> If the goal would be to just garner feedback of varying quality and/or
>> interact with students without a real sense of expecting direct outcomes=
,
>> then the background understanding of the students wouldn't matter so muc=
h.
>> I think it's just something to consider and of which to be mindful.
>>
>> Best,
>> Alice
>>
>>
>> On Sunday, May 15, 2016, Andy Trattner <trattner@mit.edu> wrote:
>>
>>> Hi Daysi,
>>>
>>> I forgot to follow up with you on our conversation of a couple weeks
>>> ago. I was speaking with Sally (cc'd), and we came to this awesome "wor=
ld
>>> cafe" idea based on what Sally had done previously as head of the Publi=
c
>>> Service Center.
>>>
>>> There are administrators who feel like they lack student feedback or
>>> simply don't know how to obtain a broader perspective than perhaps what
>>> Institute committee members feed them or perhaps just would like more
>>> opportunities to interact with students. There are also students who do=
not
>>> have time nor inclination to join committees or lobby student leaders t=
o
>>> convey their perspectives (and perhaps tend to complain after a policy =
is
>>> announced rather than trying to influence its course).
>>>
>>> The idea to help these people get in touch is to bring ~30 students and
>>> ~30 administrators together for a 3-course dinner where each course
>>> requires a seat change and possibly a guiding discussion question for e=
ach
>>> table. Perhaps each participant would get 10 cards with name and email =
so
>>> that if a discussion is particularly fruitful, the members can follow u=
p
>>> with one another by exchanging contact cards. Sally mentioned that she
>>> could possibly help with the venue and food, and it seems that this wou=
ld
>>> not be too hard to handle once per semester in terms of just inviting
>>> people to a date and time, and polling for some questions. Perhaps UA
>>> members could use it as a sort of banquet or general hang-out.
>>>
>>> Not sure if this description makes sense; feel free to call or we can
>>> get coffee and chat about it. I see it primarily as an opportunity to g=
et
>>> more actionable feedback and better relations among the student body an=
d
>>> administrators/faculty than current events such as the mental health fo=
rums
>>> or random dinners with admins held recently in dorms. These tend to be =
more
>>> confrontational or just descriptive as opposed to productive and helpin=
g to
>>> envision the future. Do you have any thoughts or additional things you
>>> might see this being useful for?
>>>
>>> Sally may want to add some details or perspective, but I guess the main
>>> question is, who do you think would be the best person on the UA side t=
o
>>> help make this happen?
>>>
>>> Cheers,
>>> Andy
>>> 262-314-4291
>>> _____
>>> *availability*
>>> <https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=3Dandtratt%40gmail.com&=
ctz=3DAmerica/New_York>
>>>
>>>
>>
>> --
>> Sent from my mobile. Please pardon brevity and typos.
>>
>> Alice M. Zielinski
>> Electrical Engineering & Computer Science
>> Massachusetts Institute of Technology '16
>> alicez@mit.edu
>>
>
>
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Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
<div dir=3D"ltr"><p dir=3D"ltr">Yesterday morning I was stretching my legs =
when I recalled my friend's advice to stretch slowly. In the long run, =
quick dynamic stretching doesn't get you far, whereas deliberate and yo=
ga-like stretches really enable a much wider range of muscle movement and a=
ctivity. But this stretching requires will power. It can be harder due to d=
iscomfort. You have to breathe. Once you can force yourself to do this, it =
becomes second nature and then you get super stretchy! But it definitely ta=
kes time, and more than one attempt.</p><p>In the same way, community-build=
ing and apathy-combating are very difficult things to tackle because it can=
be hard to gauge nuanced progress on short timescales. It is unclear somet=
imes how effective events, programs, etc. actually are at achieving their r=
espective purposes. And it can be painful to do things differently than the=
y were done before, even to try a slight modification on an existing practi=
ce, just like stretching.</p><p>Sally brings up some great points, and I ha=
ve spoken to a few people individually about their ideas as well. To move f=
orward and stop spamming the millions on the ua-exec list, let's move t=
he discussion over to <a href=3D"mailto:world-cafe-discuss@mit.edu">world-c=
afe-discuss@mit.edu</a>. It is a self-owned, public list (an experiment in =
crowd-sourcing), so feel free to add or remove yourselves. I only put on a =
few people/positions of relevance, but I don't want to dictate this dis=
cussion.=C2=A0</p><p>My goal here is to simply present an interesting idea =
and connect people to see if we can pool some great ideas like those of Ali=
ce, Cory, Bettina, and Sally to try out a potential event/tradition/thing w=
hich might be of great benefit to our community. I am excited to see where =
this goes (especially since the event is so doable and appealing!) and I ho=
pe you will join us in at least writing a couple concerns or questions or i=
deas on how to make discussion productive in the document below.<br></p><p>=
<br></p><p><b>TO DO:</b></p><p></p><ol><li><b>Add yourself</b> to (or remov=
e from) <b>world-cafe-discuss</b> on Moira if you want to continue the disc=
ussion</li><li><b>Jot down</b> some <b>thoughts</b> <b>in</b> this communal=
<b>brainstorming=C2=A0<a href=3D"https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fMbRF=
W5-n0N30oeuoFXk2yhEB7GJnz_sUyV-lsNrFK0/edit?usp=3Dsharing">document</a></b>=
=C2=A0so when this world cafe happens, it happens effectively<br></li></ol>=
<div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Future discussion will occur through the=
world-cafe-discuss email list. Let's follow up (please remind me) in 2=
weeks to see what people have written in the document and begin setting a =
date and venue and attendance structure.</div><div><br></div><div>Happy Tue=
sday! Happy Summer!</div><div>Andy :)</div><div>262-314-4291</div><p></p><p=
dir=3D"ltr"><br></p>
<div class=3D"gmail_quote">On May 16, 2016 8:05 AM, "Sally Susnowitz&q=
uot; <<a href=3D"mailto:susnowit@mit.edu" target=3D"_blank">susnowit@mit=
.edu</a>> wrote:<br type=3D"attribution"><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quot=
e" style=3D"margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-styl=
e:solid;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
<div style=3D"word-wrap:break-word;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:14px;font-fam=
ily:Calibri,sans-serif">
<div>
<div>Hi everyone,</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Good to connect with you via email!=C2=A0 I hope to connect with you m=
ore in person.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Your ideas are great, yet they are moving in quite a different directi=
on than mine, based on what I was thinking about when I had the chance to t=
alk with Andy.=C2=A0 Sorry I didn=E2=80=99t articulate them more when we sp=
oke, Andy!=C2=A0 But the idea came up pretty near
the end of our great discussion.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>The idea of a World Caf=C3=A9, as I see it, is that it is casual, peop=
le represent themselves and their own experiences, and it=E2=80=99s a chanc=
e to talk about broad questions =E2=80=94 and to listen to other people=E2=
=80=99s opinions without judgement.=C2=A0 For that reason, breakfast
or lunch is usually a better venue than dinner (more caf=C3=A9-ish), no on=
e is an assigned representative of anything, and the atmosphere is quite di=
fferent from the formal student-administrator dinners that serve quite a di=
fferent function. =C2=A0</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>I would hope to get frank individual views about student life at MIT f=
rom a range of students and staff that can be considered and maybe followed=
up by whatever formal events you think would be useful. =C2=A0</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>So, far from informing students about the administrative structure, we=
might ask them to describe what the administrative structure IS, and liste=
n to what they think, mistakes and all, and maybe learn where they do or do=
n=E2=80=99t get information.=C2=A0 The World
Caf=C3=A9 is a learning experience, not a lobbying experience.=C2=A0 Peopl=
e come away with the chance to hear a range of ideas and to form personal r=
elationships, rather than positional ones.=C2=A0</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Does that make sense?</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Your thoughts?</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Thanks,</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Sally</div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div class=3D"gmail_extra">
<div class=3D"gmail_quote">
<div style=3D"word-wrap:break-word">
<div>
<div>
<div style=3D"font-family:Helvetica;font-size:inherit;text-align:-webkit-au=
to;word-wrap:break-word">
<div style=3D"font-size:inherit;text-align:-webkit-auto;word-wrap:break-wor=
d">
<div style=3D"font-size:inherit;text-align:-webkit-auto;word-wrap:break-wor=
d">
<div style=3D"font-size:inherit;text-align:-webkit-auto;word-wrap:break-wor=
d">
<div style=3D"font-size:inherit;text-align:-webkit-auto;word-wrap:break-wor=
d">
<div style=3D"font-size:inherit;text-align:-webkit-auto;word-wrap:break-wor=
d">
<div style=3D"font-size:inherit;text-align:-webkit-auto;word-wrap:break-wor=
d">
**********************************<br>
Sally Susnowitz</div>
<div style=3D"font-size:inherit;text-align:-webkit-auto;word-wrap:break-wor=
d">
Director, DSLx Life Learning</div>
<div style=3D"font-size:inherit;text-align:-webkit-auto;word-wrap:break-wor=
d">
MIT Division of Student Life (DSL)</div>
<div style=3D"font-size:inherit;text-align:-webkit-auto;word-wrap:break-wor=
d">
Phone:=C2=A0<a href=3D"tel:617-258-7344" value=3D"+16172587344" target=3D"_=
blank">617-258-7344</a><br>
Email:=C2=A0<a href=3D"mailto:susnowit@mit.edu" target=3D"_blank">susnowit@=
mit.edu</a></div>
<div style=3D"font-size:inherit;text-align:-webkit-auto;word-wrap:break-wor=
d">
Office: W32-119</div>
<div style=3D"font-size:inherit;text-align:-webkit-auto;word-wrap:break-wor=
d">
<a href=3D"http://lifelearning.mit.edu" target=3D"_blank">http://lifelearni=
ng.mit.edu</a></div>
<div style=3D"font-size:inherit;text-align:-webkit-auto;word-wrap:break-wor=
d">
<br>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<span>
<div style=3D"font-family:Calibri;font-size:12pt;text-align:left;color:blac=
k;border-width:1pt medium medium;border-style:solid none none;padding:3pt 0=
in 0in;border-top-color:rgb(181,196,223)">
<span style=3D"font-weight:bold">From: </span>Andy Trattner <<a href=3D"=
mailto:trattner@mit.edu" target=3D"_blank">trattner@mit.edu</a>><br>
<span style=3D"font-weight:bold">Reply-To: </span>Andrew L Trattner <<a =
href=3D"mailto:trattner@mit.edu" target=3D"_blank">trattner@mit.edu</a>>=
<br>
<span style=3D"font-weight:bold">Date: </span>Monday, May 16, 2016 at 7:49 =
AM<br>
<span style=3D"font-weight:bold">To: </span>Alice M Zielinski <<a href=
=3D"mailto:alicez@mit.edu" target=3D"_blank">alicez@mit.edu</a>><br>
<span style=3D"font-weight:bold">Cc: </span>Daysi N Gomez <<a href=3D"ma=
ilto:gomezd@mit.edu" target=3D"_blank">gomezd@mit.edu</a>>, Sally Susnow=
itz <<a href=3D"mailto:susnowit@mit.edu" target=3D"_blank">susnowit@mit.=
edu</a>>, ua-exec <<a href=3D"mailto:ua-exec@mit.edu" target=3D"_blan=
k">ua-exec@mit.edu</a>><br>
<span style=3D"font-weight:bold">Subject: </span>Re: World Cafe Idea<br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div dir=3D"ltr">
<div>Hi Alice,</div>
<div><br>
</div>
That is great feedback! I totally agree 100%, and it sounds super useful to=
require informed attendance (and some briefing on the importance of being =
informed) so that these participants can better discuss and also bring disc=
ussion back into their living groups
and communities, decrease apathy, etc. Perhaps the participants could be l=
imited to the UA and a few applicants or invitees with demonstrated backgro=
und.=C2=A0
<div><br>
</div>
<div>I often complain about event-based mentality at MIT, but events defini=
tely have the potential to do a lot of good when thoughtfully executed. Re-=
reading my initial email, I want to clarify that this idea is perhaps most =
useful in supplementing existing
events, some of which are more informative or introductory by design, whic=
h is totally necessary as well (I learn a lot at each event I go to!).=C2=
=A0</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>I forgot to mention one of the main motivators was the Student Leaders=
hip Summit (see below) which occurred this past semester. In my mind, this =
event attempted to span both the introductory and outcome-based mindset, an=
d I think it was unsuccessful with
the latter. It was not clear how the selection process worked, students th=
at attended the event found themselves frustratingly assigned to topic area=
s outside of their focus, and the format seemed to bring about ideas which =
are perhaps decent feedback to top-level
administrators, but perhaps never make it to the actionable stage with the=
concerned parties at lower levels. I got the sense that the result was a b=
unch of notes that vague people might look up maybe sometime in the future.=
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>The event succeeded in educating the participants on basic things that=
students should perhaps know, such as
<a href=3D"http://orgchart.mit.edu/" target=3D"_blank">administrative struc=
ture</a>. It (somewhat) demonstrated that the administration is interested =
in doing things with students and for students, definitely a nice counterpo=
int to some of the stigma and silliness that tends to
float about the student body with respect to the administration.=C2=A0The =
missing link is exactly what Alice points out, to be mindful of how to obta=
in a positive, useful direction forward. This is an extremely difficult pro=
blem, but perhaps this is something we
students can help provide perspective on.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>I sent this email A. to stimulate discussion about this hard topic (ya=
y Alice!) and B. to seek out students interested in helping guide the event=
. Both these are difficult things to do, but perhaps the only involvement n=
ecessary for B. is to do A. and
bring some cohesive suggestions on how to best create productive action to=
the Chancellor's office, and they can arrange the whole thing like the=
Summit below!</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>In addition to lovely discussion, does anyone have suggestions on who =
might be good to involve in this? Possibly to attempt the "world cafe&=
quot; for next fall semester?</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Looking forward to hearing all of your thoughts.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>__________</div>
<div><span style=3D"font-size:12.8px"><i>EMAIL SENT FEB 17, 2016:</i></span=
></div>
<div><span style=3D"font-size:12.8px"><i><br>
</i></span></div>
<div>
<div style=3D"font-size:12.8px">I am writing to invite you to attend the 20=
16 Student Leadership Summit on Friday, February 26. This annual summit pro=
vides an opportunity for Dean for Student Life Chris Colombo, Dean for Unde=
rgraduate Education Denny Freeman,
and me to build a collaborative working relationship with student leaders =
around campus community needs and other issues affecting the MIT student bo=
dy.</div>
<div style=3D"font-size:12.8px">=C2=A0</div>
<div style=3D"font-size:12.8px">More specifically, the summit allows us to:=
</div>
<ul style=3D"font-size:12.8px">
<li style=3D"margin-left:15px;margin-bottom:10px">Meet one another and lear=
n about the goals and challenges faced by all participants</li><li style=3D=
"margin-left:15px;margin-bottom:10px">Educate students about MIT administra=
tive processes and student governance processes for overall decision-making=
</li><li style=3D"margin-left:15px;margin-bottom:10px">Identify opportuniti=
es and ways that students can work with the administration and with each ot=
her during the academic year</li><li style=3D"margin-left:15px;margin-botto=
m:10px">Brainstorm how we might work on specific challenges and opportuniti=
es in the MIT residential experience</li></ul>
<div style=3D"font-size:12.8px">Please note that this event is by invitatio=
n only. You were nominated by an MIT staff member to participate because of=
your demonstrated commitment to and potential for leadership. We expect ab=
out 30 undergraduate students to attend.</div>
<div style=3D"font-size:12.8px">=C2=A0</div>
<div style=3D"font-size:12.8px">The summit will run from=C2=A0<span><span>1=
0:30 AM to 2:00 PM</span></span>=C2=A0in the Mezzanine Lounge (W20-307) in =
the Student Center, with lunch.</div>
<div style=3D"font-size:12.8px">=C2=A0</div>
<div style=3D"font-size:12.8px">Please respond to this email with your atte=
ndance plans by=C2=A0<span><span>noon</span></span>=C2=A0on Thursday, Febru=
ary 18. We look forward to engaging in this important discussion with you.<=
/div>
<div style=3D"font-size:12.8px">=C2=A0</div>
<div style=3D"font-size:12.8px">Sincerely,</div>
<div style=3D"font-size:12.8px">=C2=A0</div>
<div style=3D"font-size:12.8px">Cynthia Barnhart</div>
<div style=3D"font-size:12.8px">Chancellor<br>
</div>
</div>
<div>__________</div>
<div class=3D"gmail_extra"><br>
</div>
<div class=3D"gmail_extra">Happy Finals!</div>
<div class=3D"gmail_extra"><br>
</div>
<div class=3D"gmail_extra">
<div>
<div>
<div dir=3D"ltr">
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<div dir=3D"ltr">
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<div><font color=3D"#000000">Cheers,</font></div>
<div><font color=3D"#000000">Andy</font></div>
<div style=3D"text-align:right"><font color=3D"#000000">_____</font></div>
<div style=3D"text-align:right"><a href=3D"https://calendar.google.com/cale=
ndar/embed?src=3Dandtratt%40gmail.com&ctz=3DAmerica/New_York" style=3D"=
font-size:12.8px" target=3D"_blank"><font size=3D"1"><i>availability</i></f=
ont></a><font color=3D"#999999" size=3D"1"><br>
</font></div>
<br>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<br>
<div class=3D"gmail_quote">On Sun, May 15, 2016 at 11:49 PM, Alice Zielinsk=
i <span dir=3D"ltr">
<<a href=3D"mailto:alicez@mit.edu" target=3D"_blank">alicez@mit.edu</a>&=
gt;</span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-=
left-width:1px;border-left-style:solid;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);p=
adding-left:1ex">
Hi Andy,
<div><br>
</div>
<div>I just wanted to drop a quick note about this thought based on my expe=
riences with student-admin discussions: I like the idea and likewise believ=
e that it can be fruitful. My only concern would be ensuring that the stude=
nts in attendance are up to date
on policy and have a foundational understanding of how policy and=C2=A0inf=
luencing operations works. Otherwise, this could easily become a round tabl=
e event that is very introductory in the sense that=C2=A0due to the massive=
amount of onboarding required to bring a
student=C2=A0to the=C2=A0level of understanding that is conducive to=C2=A0=
influencing=C2=A0change, no actual forward work or thinking would get done.=
If the goal would be to just garner=C2=A0feedback of varying quality=C2=A0=
and/or interact with students without a real sense of expecting
direct=C2=A0outcomes, then the background understanding of the students wo=
uldn't matter so much. I think it's just something to consider and =
of which to be mindful.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Best,</div>
<div>Alice
<div>
<div><br>
<br>
On Sunday, May 15, 2016, Andy Trattner <<a href=3D"mailto:trattner@mit.e=
du" target=3D"_blank">trattner@mit.edu</a>> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-=
left-width:1px;border-left-style:solid;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);p=
adding-left:1ex">
<div dir=3D"ltr">Hi Daysi,
<div><br>
</div>
<div>I forgot to follow up with you on our conversation of a couple weeks a=
go. I was speaking with Sally (cc'd), and we came to this awesome "=
;world cafe" idea based on what Sally had done previously as head of t=
he Public Service Center.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>There are administrators who feel like they lack student feedback or s=
imply don't know how to obtain a broader perspective than perhaps what =
Institute committee members feed them or perhaps just would like more oppor=
tunities to interact with students.
There are also students who do not have time nor inclination to join commi=
ttees or lobby student leaders to convey their perspectives (and perhaps te=
nd to complain after a policy is announced rather than trying to influence =
its course).=C2=A0</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>The idea to help these people get in touch is to bring ~30 students an=
d ~30 administrators together for a 3-course dinner where each course requi=
res a seat change and possibly a guiding discussion question for each table=
. Perhaps each participant would
get 10 cards with name and email so that if a discussion is particularly f=
ruitful, the members can follow up with one another by exchanging contact c=
ards. Sally mentioned that she could possibly help with the venue and food,=
and it seems that this would not
be too hard to handle once per semester in terms of just inviting people t=
o a date and time, and polling for some questions. Perhaps UA members could=
use it as a sort of banquet or general hang-out.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Not sure if this description makes sense; feel free to call or we can =
get coffee and chat about it. I see it primarily as an opportunity to get m=
ore actionable feedback and better relations among the student body and adm=
inistrators/faculty than current
events such as the mental health forums or random dinners with admins held=
recently in dorms. These tend to be more confrontational or just descripti=
ve as opposed to productive and helping to envision the future. Do you have=
any thoughts or additional things
you might see this being useful for?</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Sally may want to add some details or perspective, but I guess the mai=
n question is, who do you think would be the best person on the UA side to =
help make this happen?</div>
<div><br clear=3D"all">
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<div><font color=3D"#000000">Cheers,</font></div>
<div><font color=3D"#000000">Andy</font></div>
<div><font color=3D"#000000"><a href=3D"tel:262-314-4291" value=3D"+1262314=
4291" target=3D"_blank">262-314-4291</a></font></div>
<div style=3D"text-align:right"><font color=3D"#000000">_____</font></div>
<div style=3D"text-align:right"><a href=3D"https://calendar.google.com/cale=
ndar/embed?src=3Dandtratt%40gmail.com&ctz=3DAmerica/New_York" style=3D"=
font-size:12.8px" target=3D"_blank"><font size=3D"1"><i>availability</i></f=
ont></a><font color=3D"#999999" size=3D"1"><br>
</font></div>
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</blockquote>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<span><font color=3D"#888888"><br>
<br>
-- <br>
Sent from my mobile. Please pardon brevity and typos.
<p>Alice M. Zielinski<br>
Electrical Engineering & Computer Science<br>
Massachusetts Institute of Technology '16<br>
<a href=3D"mailto:alicez@mit.edu" target=3D"_blank">alicez@mit.edu</a><br>
</p>
</font></span></blockquote>
</div>
<br>
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</div>
</div>
</div>
</span>
</div>
</blockquote></div>
</div>
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