[898] in Discussion of MIT-community interests
Re: Discuss Mandatory Dining at the UA Town Hall Meeting Tonight
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Thomas G Cadwell)
Thu Oct 4 16:03:36 2001
Message-ID: <200110041931.PAA24340@biohazard-cafe.mit.edu>
Date: Thu, 4 Oct 2001 15:31:14 -0400
Reply-To: "Documentation at http://web.mit.edu/beland/talk/talk.html"
<MIT-Talk@MIT.EDU>, Thomas G Cadwell <tcadwell@MIT.EDU>
From: Thomas G Cadwell <tcadwell@MIT.EDU>
To: MIT-Talk@MIT.EDU
In-Reply-To: Your message of "Thu, 04 Oct 2001 14:44:45 EDT."
<uv6adz72qjm.fsf@suspiria.ai.mit.edu>
I would suggest a much more likely case is simply that the administration could care
less what the student body thinks, because we cant really do anything to them, and they
are not accountable to us in any way, at least now.
1) Fundamentally, the administration only cares about the quality of students and
research associated with MIT, as well as its stature as an institution, and that
boils down largely to money and external prestige. The pressure regarding money often
has encouraged certain decisions (Trying, perhaps successfully, to destroy the ILG
system since they are a liability issue -- the last thing MIT needs is say a 100 million
dollar lawsuit if one burned down with people inside or another person drank themselves
to death, and sued blatant negligence vs teh school in some form)
2) Most of their initiatives in the school revolve around this, including student
body ones. Its fundamentally politics -- interacting with the local government,
the press, and the community of researchers and universities nationwide.
Its not about actually doing something positive, but making people think you have.
Kinda like the freshman on housing, the mandatory meal plan, whatever. Its about
external image, prestige, and being able to say you carea bout students. They actually
dont (imagine that!)
3) No matter how upset you get, they will continue to behave in this fashion because
they are accountable to the MIT board, which only cares about the things I mentioned
in #1. The only way they are going to feel a sting is if alumni donations continue
to slide in the newer classes, but this wont matter until they ARENT getting
multi-million dollar donations from the people of these classes when they have such
wealth to give. They want to kill the ILG system? Fine -- when I'm
45 and wealthy I'll find better nonprofits to donate money to. Thats the example
you guys should take too if you are upset. Dont support something you dont believe in,
or offer large conditional gifts (I.E. Bribe them later on if you care enough) :P
That in mind, there are many MIT administrators, particularly at the middle levels,
that are very pro-student, often because its their job to be so, or sometimes because
they have the luxury of being able to pick "Sides". But the guys
running the show are not accountable to us, and in fact often have pressures contrary
to our interest :) The mental health thing recently was an example of media
pressure and liability pressures happening to be in the same direction as student
opinion.
Tom
