By SPEC
SPEC 2013. From left to right: Fabián Kozynski, Boris Braverman, Rachael Harding, Bernhard Zimmermann and Steven (Shiou-chi) Chang. Courtesy of SP Photofile Committee.
The Sidney-Pacific Executive Council (SPEC) and the House Council would like to warmly welcome all of our new residents. You’re joining an amazingly diverse, active graduate community of almost 700 students. In order to serve and unite a community this large, SP has a wide variety of traditions and institutions, some of which we’d like to introduce here:
Hall Councilors and Hall Dinners: Sidney-Pacific is divided into 13 halls, and hall councilors are your floor’s representative. If you have any questions, concerns, or issues, they’re a great first resource to turn to. Plus, they organize monthly dinners and outings – basically, excuses for everyone in your hall to come together, hang out, and enjoy some free food. During orientation, each hall will be holding a mandatory hall meeting for all of its new residents to go over housing policies, roommate agreements, etc. Afterward, both new and returning residents are invited to the first hall dinners of the new academic year – please talk to your hall councilor for more details.
Sidney-Pacific Orientation: The next few weeks of Orientation are very exciting, and there are many can’t-miss events:
- Our three staple large events – the Orientation BBQ & Movie (Aug 27th, 6:00-11PM), the Orientation Brunch (Sep 1st, 12:00-1PM), and our Orientation Dance Party, named “Are You Ready?” (Sep 6th, 9:00PM-1AM). These are open to the entire graduate community and usually attract crowds of up to 400-600 people. SP is generally known around campus for its large social events (we have 2-3 every semester, in addition to Orientation), so keep your eyes open for announcements during the semester. Some of the great events we held just this past year included the Wine & Chocolate Party, a Halloween masquerade, an Iron Chef competition, and a large Cultural Festival.
- During our first week of orientation, residents get to know each other better with Open Doors Night (Aug 31st, 8:00-11PM), an event where 30-40 residents, both old and new, host small room parties for an evening. It’s a great chance to break the ice, meet your new neighbors, and maybe even show off some of your culinary skills. We’re currently recruiting hosts. Contact your Hall Councilor for more information!
In addition to our large events, SP organizes a number of smaller events, such as a Scavenger Hunt, a sports competition and a bike trip to a nearby farm (where residents get to enjoy amazing ice cream). All of these great events are organized by members of the Sidney-Pacific House Council. For the full list of events, please check out the orientation calendar in this newsletter, the official SP orientation guide, or our online Google calendar (http://goo.gl/P2FA3T[a]) and orientation map (http://goo.gl/maps/o0km1).
Residents and friends enjoy the orientation brunch last year. Courtesy of SP Photofile Committee.
Monthly Brunch: Every month, Sidney-Pacific and Ashdown each provide a free Sunday brunch (12:00 – 1:00 PM, Mark Multipurpose Room on the 1st floor) that’s open to the entire MIT community. From scrambled eggs to chocolate-chip banana pancakes, and from roasted potatoes to fresh seasonal fruits, our brunches are not to be missed. Just don’t forget to bring your own silverware – we’re all about sustainability here! We have an enthusiastic, committed team of residents who volunteer every month to cook brunch mostly from scratch for over 300 people. As always, volunteers get to skip the lines and eat first. If you’d like to help out behind the scenes, come down to the MP Kitchen anytime between 8 AM – 12 PM.
Weekly Coffee Hour: Every Wednesday night (9:00 PM – 10:00 PM), SP residents are invited to the MP room for free fresh fruits, snacks, and of course, coffee – there’s tea and other drinks, too. Occasionally, we’ll have specialty menu items (such as a seasonal soup) or additional programs (such as a bike auction or a hobby fair). Once a month, we partner with a student group for a larger, culturally-themed coffee hour; last year, groups of students from India, Egypt, Turkey and France, among others, came to show their traditional foods, dances and music.
Sidney-Pacific Inter-Cultural Exchange (SPICE): Even though SP residents represent more than 50 different nationalities, we believe that merely assembling a “diverse” group of people is not enough. The benefits of diversity come from actively sharing and learning about each other’s different cultures, beliefs, and worldviews. SPICE is a dinner discussion program that facilitates this cultural exchange. At the beginning of the year, residents who sign up for SPICE are assigned to groups of 10-12 people. Over the course of the year, these groups meet about every other week for a subsidized dinner; at each dinner, members of the group discuss a particular topic, such as “How does your family celebrate various holidays, such as the New Year?”or “What do you and your family consider to be taboos?”
Housemaster Dinners: We’re very fortunate to have Professor Andreas Schulz and Berit Johannes as our new Housemasters to support our residential programming and development. New residents will have the chance to meet them, along with our adorable “Housemaster-in-Training” Felix, during our Housemaster Welcome Dinners in the middle of September. Please check your e-mail for your personal invitation. In addition, over the course of the year, residents will receive special invitations to other Housemaster gatherings, such as the Thanksgiving and Holiday dinners, dinners with professors, and so forth.
SP Interest Groups: Are you interested in attending a Boston sporting event? Do you often play Settlers of Catan and other board games late into the night? Would you be interested in learning about new places to eat or going out to a movie with your fellow SP residents? Over the past year, SP residents have organized these and many other great activities through SP Interest Groups. Basically, these are open, opt-in mailing lists that residents sign up for to connect with other residents of similar interests. In addition, if you can get a group of SP residents together for an activity, you can receive funding – that’s right, SP will partially subsidize that restaurant or concert trip. Go to https://s-p.mit.edu/myacct/interest_groups.php to learn more.
Volunteering at SP: All of the programs and resources run by the House Council would not be possible without the help of resident volunteers like you. Come on out, get involved, and meet other SP residents. There are many ways to get involved, from grilling at the barbeque to spearheading environmental initiatives, or even writing for this newsletter. No experience is required! You can find out about ways to get involved by signing up for the Volunteer mailing list in your “My Account” settings here: https://s-p.mit.edu/myacct/resident_edit_entry.php
Our vision for this year is: “Sidney-Pacific: Dive in”. SP is a great opportunity for people from various backgrounds to meet and exchange ideas, and we want to foster community and togetherness within the building, for residents new and old. We encourage you to get involved and make SP yours by joining us in some of our traditions. More importantly, we look forward to creating some new traditions – if you have any questions, suggestions, or ideas, please contact us at spec@mit.edu. Enjoy orientation, and we look forward to meeting you!