Sidney Pacific Newsletter

Crowd-sourced content from our graduate student community
Volume 17 Issue 4
On Tuesday March 12, our new SPEC (Sidney Pacific Executive Council) was elected (voted by SP Officers)!
From left: Matt Johnson (VP of Info); Linda Zhong (VP of Res Life); Lucio Milanese (President); James Salamy (Chair of the Halls); Webster Guan (VP of Resources).
 
Read more about the new SPEC here!
SPEC Elections took an impressive 2 hours of speeches, Q&A, and discussions. Thanks to all SPEC candidates who took the time to prepare speeches, and to SP Officers for coming and casting their votes! (photo credits: SP Photofile Chairs)
Words from the outgoing SPEC
Olivia: "Serving on SPEC has been one of the highlights of my time at MIT and taught me leadership skills that I’ll use throughout my career. I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to help make a positive difference in the building and look forward to remaining an active member of the SP community."
Karthik: "It's been an honor to work with such a dedicated, passionate, and creative SP government team. I'm confident the community will grow even more under new officers' leadership and look forward to seeing the results as a "civilian" resident next year!"
Sami: "The thing I enjoyed the most while being SPEC was the great teamwork we have. I was honored to be part of a team of 70 brilliant MIT students who were all not only experts in their research but also in what they did at SP."
Zack: "Serving the SP community as a member of SPEC this past year was a highlight of my time at MIT. Through SPEC, I have had the opportunity to meet and work with community members who are passionate about making SP a better place. I look forward to seeing SP continue to grow and become a home for more graduate students in the coming years!"
AJ: "It has been my genuine joy to serve SP by being on SPEC this past year. I enjoyed contributing to the SP community, and I learned many life-long lessons over the past year. In the future, I'll miss serving SP in an official capacity, but I look forward to remaining involved in the community as a Helper!"
Thanks for a great year, Olivia, Karthik, Sami, Zack, and AJ!
SP Saint Patrick's Day Dance Party (3/17)
Amongst green-colored decoration, attendees enjoyed the food, the photo booth, and the music! The Saint Patrick's Day Dance Party was the last event organized by this term's Social Chairs. We really had a lot of fun events and unforgettable moments with all of you guys. We are very grateful to have so many SP Helpers with us to make these events possible. (contributed by Justin Hou; photo credits: SP Photofile Chairs)
 
Tips to stay healthy (contributed content by anonymous)

As students at one of the most prestigious technical institutions in the world, there are going to be days when we feel stressed and we cannot function as efficiently. Here are simple things that we can do individually:
  1. Exercise! Many health care professionals recognize that simple exercises like walking, running and yoga can reduce anxiety by producing endorphins, which act as painkillers and “mood elevators”, and by reducing stress hormones like cortisol. You don’t have to be a bodybuilder to hit the gym. Visit the SP gym on the first floor for 30 minutes of cardio or weight-lifting for a healthier heart and mind! See the link here.
  2. Participate in some of the fun group activities at SP! We at SP aim to integrate a large community of diverse interests by setting up both fun and professional activities, from coffee hours, cultural dinners, and movie nights to bringing in distinguished MIT faculty to discuss their research. 
  3. Long term: Plan to broaden your academic horizons! Even though many of us have interests in mathematics, nanotechnology, machine learning, etc., we can always serve to expand our academic horizons by taking classes in new fields. Take computer science classes if you’re a biologist. Take materials science classes if you’re a physicist or mathematician.  By diving into new fields, we discover what we are good at and make connections, which can inspire us to work harder and reduce anxiety.
  4. Student Mental Health and Counseling. MIT has great resources to deal with anxiety and stress. If you’re having trouble sleeping, having troubles related to your personal or professional life, addictions, or other stresses, you can speak to a clinician, set up an appointment, or visit during walk-in hours from 2-4 pm on weekdays. To make an appointment, dial 617-253-2916. 

Do you have feedback on the newsletter? Do you want to contribute content to the next newsletter? Feel free to reach out at sp-newsletter-chair@mit.edu!