Monthly Archives: April 2014

Why become an SP Officer?

By Marianna Sofman, James Pelletier, Pedro Perez, and Steve Levine,

If you have ever wanted to become more involved in the SP community, now is your chance!  SP Officer applications are now open! Become and officer and you can:

  • Gain leadership experience
  • Get guaranteed SP housing in 2014-15
  • Get priority on room selection

If that wasn’t enough to convince you, read what some current officers have to say about their experiences in the SP student government:

Marianna Sofman, 1st Floor Hall Councilor

mariannaAs I neared the end of my first year at MIT, living at SP, like everyone else, I needed to decide the fate of my living situation for the next year. Luckily, this was not a tough decision. My first year at MIT was not only defined by my research experience, classes, and the amazing people in my department, but this was all enhanced by the welcoming community at SP. I loved having a sense of home and family each and every day at SP with my friends and roommate, and I have enjoyed participating and volunteering at all the events that were organized. I knew that one way or another, I not only wanted to stay at SP, but I also wanted to become more involved by contributing more to the vibrant community here. Becoming a hall councilor was a swift and easy decision because frankly, I did not want to move, but I also enjoyed the prospect of the great flexibility that being a hall councilor offered. I felt that in addition to serving as a friend, confidante, and source of advice to incoming residents, I could organize fun events for my residents, further fostering a sense of community. I also like organizing joint hall events so my floor can meet and mingle with other floors- who doesn’t love making friends? More importantly, being a hall councilor allows me to connect with other officers on a regular basis at our dinners, officer meetings, and SP volunteer events. I love my SP family, and I’m looking forward to engaging with them in the future.

James Pelletier, Social Chair

Pelletier_JamesI have very much enjoyed the social co-chair experience. As social co-chair, I dressed up as Guy Fieri and guests threw playing cards into watermelon halves; learned some salsa from the MIT Ballroom Dance Team; dressed up as a nucleus, with a big transparent garbage bag full of red and blue balloons; will purchase several hundred pounds of corn starch to make a small pool full of a liquid on which people can dance. Wow – I now realize several of the social events we organized gave me a chance to wear absurd costumes! But the point is, as a member of the SP House Government, you will have many opportunities and a budget to do what you enjoy and share it with the MIT community! I had not before planned, publicized, or registered large events; interacted with MIT EHS, MIT Police, City of Cambridge, and various other groups; submitted reimbursements; or ordered food for hundreds of people – all these were great learning experiences. Above all, I feel thankful for the enthusiasm and generosity of the SP Helpers and SP Community.

Pedro Perez, Aquarium Chair

Generally speaking, people become residential officers for three perks: 1) interacting more closely with fellow students, 2) improving their living environment, and 3) integrating better within the larger MIT community. Well not this guy right here:

pedroIn fact, my initial motivation to become the Aquarium Chair was to secure housing. Well that, and being able to work with fish, which I have a long-standing passion for. Unfortunately, I had to partake in the aforementioned “perks”. It was truly awful, I had to plan and attend free-of-charge trips for Whale Watching and the New England Aquarium. To make matters worse, I had to take a group of people with me and socialize with them. I even became friends with some of them, the horror. In addition, thanks to SP-sponsored officer events, I met some dudes, formed a band, and have been playing all over campus in different music showcases for the past year. We even had an event with over 200 people, what a snore. Finally, thanks to being an officer, I get constantly invited to community events by other officers. Just the past few weeks, I’ve had to drink free beer from a brewery, go salsa dancing, and play in an intramural basketball team that made it to the playoffs. So unless you’re willing to put up with having an interactive social life, attending unique events all over the city, and learning about neat hobbies from your fellow colleagues I highly advise you against becoming a Sidney Pacific Officer. It is truly not worth it 😉

Steve Levine, Publicity Chair

steveI was at first extremely hesitant about becoming an SP officer. Would I have the time? I don’t know the other officers well, would I fit in? Would it actually be fun? But now, I can say with certainty that it’s easily been one of the best decisions I’ve made since living here. It’s gotten me so much more involved, and made SP feel like so much more than just four walls and a bed. Since becoming an officer, I started meeting many of the awesome people living right here in this same building.  I started volunteering at a lot more events, such as brunches, CoSI lectures, and coffee hours (a lot of fun by the way!). It’s that sense of involvement – of making SP partly your own through service – that I find the most gratifying about being an officer. And to me at least, it really matters. In grad school especially, I find it’s way too easy to ignore a crucial aspect of living life – branching out and meeting people. Becoming an officer and being generally active around SP has allowed me to do that fantastically. Plus, I do something I enjoy as a publicity chair – computer graphic design (I help make many of the elevator posters. And sometimes I make giant displays for the lobby, or even slides for the infinite corridor projectors). So, if there’s one takeaway about my experience so far, it’s yes – becoming an officer certainly has been rewarding, and has made SP feel much more like a home to me.

Apply online at http://s-p.mit.edu/apply! The application for committee chair positions are open until April 11th and the application for hall councilor positions is open until April 15th!

Fogo de Chao – A Meat Based Treat

By Dan Kolodrubetz, SP House Cup Coordinator

Fogo de Chao, 200 Dartmouth Street, Downtown Boston. Picture courtesy of the Boston Globe.

Fogo de Chao, 200 Dartmouth Street, Downtown Boston. Picture courtesy of the Boston Globe.

Now, my Portugese is certainly weak, but I’m pretty sure that a direct translation of the name of this restaurant imported from Brazil is something along the lines of “We Love Meat!” If you feel the same way and are looking to treat yourself to some of the highest quality cuts of animal flesh to be found around Boston, Fogo de Chao is the restaurant for you.

Fogo follows the same simple format as other Brazilian churrascaria’s. You pay a flat (and admittedly high) rate for an all you can eat meal. Waiters roam the restaurant with giant skewers of meat, stopping at each table to cut off individual slices prepared the way you like. There are also a hot side dishes at the table and a fairly extensive salad bar.

Perhaps the most pleasant surprise here comes from the salad bar, which I went in thinking would merely be an afterthought to my main carnivorous goals. However, with interesting choices like hearts of palm, a giant wheel of parmesan cheese and tabbouleh to accompany some more standard salad fare, it was impossible to resist returning several times to the chilled dishes that dominated the middle of the restaurant. Personally, the raisin apple chicken salad (perhaps not particularly Brazilian, but damn delicious anyway) was a perfect compliment to the heaviness of the meat.

Not everything was as stellar as the salad bar options. The hot sides that were brought to the table were good, but did little to blow me away. While some people swear by the cheese bread, I found that it was basically a standard roll with a bit of a cheese taste. Additionally, the polenta, mashed potatoes and caramelized bananas were all tasty, but lacked the wow factor of most of the other things I ate. Of course, that didn’t stop me from eating a ton of them in between bites of meat, but I think that says more about me than the food.

Meats being fire-roasted at Fogo de Chao. Picture courtesy of the Boston Herald.

Meats being fire-roasted at Fogo de Chao. Picture courtesy of the Boston Herald.

Finally we come to the star of the meal, the glorious hunks of flesh that are appropriately paraded around the dining room with the respect they so rightfully deserve. There are around a dozen different cuts of meat. Most are seasoned very simply to allow the flavor of the animal to shine through. While the choices are dominated by beef, there is also some pork and chicken making the rounds, as well as perfectly seasoned lamb, which was probably the highlight of my meal (I’m pretty sure the guy carrying around the lamb thought I was into him baed on how many times I tried to get him back to our table). The other choices that stood out were the filet mignon wrapped in bacon (though this should surprise no one) and the top sirloin, sliced for me to be exactly medium rare, emphasis on the rare. Though those were the choices that I requested from the waiters again and again, I didn’t have a bad piece of meat among the many (many many many) that I sampled.

Overall, Fogo de Chao provides an unforgettable experience. It is a bit pricey, so skip it if you don’t like meat or aren’t prepared to really take advantage of all the options (i.e. act like a glutton while you can). Another excellent tip is to go for lunch, when the price point drops significantly. No matter how hungry you come, you won’t leave that way and probably won’t want to eat for at least 24 hours. Of course, I’m sure you’ll find room for the delightful after-meal chocolate mint, located near the door. You will want to savor every minute of this meal, because once you exit Fogo de Chao, you are reentering a world where you cannot simply get all of the delicious vegetables, cheese and mouth watering meat that you want, and that is a hard world to rejoin.

Room Review: Home sweet home with a sweetheart

By Stephanie Nam,

For this month’s room review SPeaker visited rather special roommates, Holly Johnsen and George Tucker living in a co-ed two-bedroom apartment. (If you did not know already, SP is running a pilot co-ed housing program, more details can be found on the SP website.) Holly and George have been active members of the community. Both have served on the house government for three consecutive years, including 2011-2012 when they served on SPEC together.  Additionally, George is still serving on Board of Trustees.

Clockwise (from top left) Holly at her desk, Holly's tea collection, Holly and George in their living room, Another view of the living room, dining room table.

Clockwise (from top left) Holly at her desk, Holly’s tea collection, Holly and George in their living room, Another view of the living room, dining room table.

Two highlights of this comfortable living room are the couches and the large TV, which is sometimes used to play video games. A unique feature of the living area is a desk facing the door, sweetly decorated with small animals and colorful articles so that it does not seem like an office desk. There is also a bookcase with Holly’s tea collection next to a dining table by the sunny window where one can see the carefully labelled and neatly stored large variety of teas as well as mugs, pots and tea cups.

Clockwise from left: Kitchen counter, spice rack, kitchen stand with George's soda maker, Holly's recipe book.

Clockwise from left: Kitchen counter, spice rack, kitchen stand with George’s soda maker, Holly’s recipe book.

In addition to her love for tea, Holly also likes to cook. This is immediately confirmed to first-time visitors by the large and sturdy cooking counter in the kitchen with a well-organized spice rack, and a small kitchen stand with some cooking magazines above which George keeps his soda maker machine. Every month she picks the recipes from the magazines that she wishes to try, and keeps them in her impressive hand-made recipe book, and on a blog: http://holly-cooks.blogspot.com/

Overall, it was a great pleasure talking to Holly and George, and seeing how a standard dorm room can be transformed to a sweet home for a loving couple. SPeaker would like to thank Holly and George again for taking time to share a part of their lives.

 

SP Inventory Highlights: Board Game Night

By Ryan Kelly, SP Inventory Chair,

Everyone knows about SP’s extensive movie collection, but you may not know we also have an equally large collection of board games for any occasion.  As an avid gamer myself, I’d like to highlight a few of my favorite games in the inventory; I encourage you to give them a try.  There’re games for all levels, from casual party games to more in depth strategy.  Need a group to play with?  I host a game night almost every Thursday, email sp-inventory-chair@mit.edu if you want to join.

Casual Games:  for the large friend group who thinks they don’t like games

An easy go to: Apples to Apples and/or Cards against Humanity (4+ players; Undefined Time)

apples_to_applesApples to apples and its more… ahem… mature variant Cards against Humanity work well with any group size, and can be an excellent way to get to know your group, maybe more than you want.

 

A little bit of trivia, with some gambling too: Wits and Wagers (4-7 players or teams; 30 min)

wits_wagersHow many black keys are on a standard 88-key piano?  Know the answer, great.  Don’t know it, no problem.  Everyone takes their guess, then you bet on which person’s answer is the closest without going over (a la Price is Right).  This game works great with trivia buffs and novices alike, and mooching off others’ knowledge is highly encouraged.

Lies and Deception: The Resistance Avalon (4-10 players; 30 min)

avalonPlayed mafia?  You’ll enjoy this game of hidden roles, lies and deception.  In this battle of good vs. evil, the loyal knights of King Arthur try to go on quests, while the evil minions of Mordred try and spoil their plans.  Find the minions, and victory is at hand.  But just who can you trust?

 

 

A Gateway to Gaming: Accessible Strategy Games for everyone

Travel across America: Ticket to Ride (3-5 Players; 60-90 min)

ticket_to_rideWinner of the prestigious Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year), travel back to the turn of the 20th century and build a network of trains around the USA.  Every turn is simple; place a new route, pick up train cards, or acquire new routes to complete.  Sounds easy, but beware!  There are limited routes, and you’ll find yourself competing with other players to complete your routes in time.

Build your Kingdom of meeples: Carcassonne (2-6 Players; 45 min)

carcassonneAnother Spiel des Jahres winner, in this game you will cooperate (or work against) the other players as you all build a medieval kingdom.  Place your meeples to claim cities, roads, and fields for yourself.  This is another excellent entry level game with simple rules, and guaranteed close games.

 

Strategy games: for those who want a little more challenge

Draft an empire: 7 Wonders (3-7 Players; 45 min)

7_wonders2011 Spiel des Jahres winner (see a trend?), you are the leader of one of the 7 great cities of the Ancient World. Gather resources, develop commercial routes and affirm your military supremacy.  In each age of 7 wonders, you will pick a card from a hand of 7, then pass the hand to the next player and repeat until the hand is gone.  Slowly build your wonder to greatness.  The game plays differently every time, as you build a different wonder with different goals.  Do you become a paragon of science, or dominate your neighbors with your military empire?

Build a deck for domination: Dominion (2-4 Players; 30-45 min)

dominionIn Dominion, each player starts with an identical, very small deck of cards. In the center of the table is a selection of other cards you can “buy” as you can afford them. Through your selection of cards to buy, and how you play your hands as they draw them, construct a powerful deck, striving for the most efficient path to the precious victory points by game end.  The game is different every time, with 10 new kingdom cards and a new path to domination.