Giving Back to Many Communities: The Secret Lives of Roland Tang

By night, Roland Tang is one-quarter of the amazing housemaster team at SP. You’ve probably seen him at various SP events with his wife, Annette, and their two adorable kids, Joshua and Samuel. As one of the housemasters, Roland helps build community at SP by organizing events (such as the Thanksgiving dinner, or Finals’ Breakfast), supporting the SP leadership team, and providing a general source of support (academic, personal, mediation, etc.) for residents.

Most residents see Roland only in his capacity as a housemaster and his commitment to serve the SP community. Yet, by day (and depending on the day), Roland wears a different but analogous hat. Roland works as a pediatrician for the South Cove Community Health Center (SCCHC), which serves over 25,000 underserved Asian children and families in the greater Boston area. In addition to seeing clinical patients, Roland spends half of his time at the SCCHC in outreach and community work – he teaches weekly nutritional health sessions at a local elementary school, and he administers the Reach Out and Read program that provides families with free books and tips to improve early childhood literacy.

ABCD presents Dr. Roland Tang with his award. (Source: http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs017/1102336366115/archive/1107905859912.html)

Beyond his work at the SCCHC, though, Roland further gives back to the community through his involvement in the Chinese Church Head Start program. Head Start is a US government-funded program that partners with and funds local organizations to help improve health and childhood development outcomes for low-income families. The Chinese Church program faces special challenges in reaching out to a largely underserved, immigrant population, one that faces language and cultural understanding barriers to navigating the American medical system. Since 2003, Roland has been an active volunteer for Chinese Church, from running parent health education sessions to training staff. He currently is a member of Head Start Health Advisory Committee.

For all of these efforts, this past October, Roland was honored by Boston’s ABCD (Action for Boston Community Development) as one of its “Community Heroes of the Year.” So, if you see Roland around, please thank and congratulate him.

By George Lan, SP President

Get Enough Sleep Before Your Finals

Xiaolu Hsi, MIT Medical Psychologist

Xiaolu Hsi, MIT Medical Psychologist

Finals week is stressful.  One of the most effective way to help maximize your good testing performance and to reduce your stress is ensure you get adequate sleep, regular sleep and good sleep.  Sleep deprivation impairs attention/focus, processing sleep, working memory and cognitive flexibility, critical to learning and problem solving.  There is empirical evidence that whether you get adequate sleep (that’s at least 8 hours) and if you get it regularly (that’s at least a week before the exam) significantly affect your grades. Here are some simple tips:

  1. Get 8 hours of sleep every day.
  2. Get up as close to the time of sunrise as possible (count backwards for 8 hours to note when you should go to bed).
  3. Set an alarm on your phone an hour before that to remind yourself you should get ready for bed.
  4. For those of you who have trouble falling asleep, turn off your ceiling lights an hour before bed time and stop using laptop and any other mobile device for reading an hour before bed time.
  5. Open your shades so day light would naturally come into your room in the morning.
  6. If you exercise regularly, you should not exercise within three hours before your bedtime (or at midnight). Rather, you may get more out of it if you exercise in the morning.

For research on effect of sleep deprivation on cognition, search “Robert Stigold”, a renowned sleep and cognition researcher and father of a MIT student. Good luck on finals and get adequate sleep!

By Xiaolu Hsi, MIT Medical Psychologist

Trip to Arboretum

The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, established in 1872, is the oldest public arboretum in North America.

Arnold Arboretum in autumn (Photo courtesy of Chelsea He)

SP residents visited the Arnold Arboretum at the end of autumn (Courtesy of Dawsen Hwang)

The SP trip to the Arnold Arboretum, organized by the Plants chair and Bikes chair, drew a huge crowd; more than twenty people came including 5 bikers and 2 runners! A warm and sunny day set the stage for one of the last  public tours this year. Our quirky tour guide (fun fact: his day job is a driving trucks) showed us stories and characteristics of many plants around the park. In fact, he encouraged us to use all of our senses, include touching the spikes on the trees!  In the end, the tour lasted 2 hours,  much longer than we planned. Not only our understanding, but also appreciation of plants was fostered through this substantial and fun tour.

For interested readers, the Arnold Arboretum is located at the Forest Hills Station at the end of the Orange Line. In addition to taking the T, we also recommend biking or jogging there. For more information see:

http://arboretum.harvard.edu/

Here are some thoughts from the residents who attended the trip:

“This event was very well planned and organized. The trip was full of fun. I took a lot of pictures there. It was a fantastic trip to learn, to relax, and to think. I highly recommend this to my friends and I’d love to go again!” – Sheng-Ying (Aithne) Pao

“I really enjoyed this trip!” – Jagdish Ramakrishnan

“This is a great time to see the New England foliage. I had lots of fun learning about the plants too.” – Amy Zhou

By Dawsen Hwang, SP Plant Chair

Sweeping My Way to Glory: The Trials and Tribulations of a First-Time Curler

Last weekend, I achieved a longstanding dream of mine.  I finally went curling.

I can’t remember when I realized that I wanted to go curling.  Presumably, it was the first time I saw it on television.  Unfortunately, we Americans are only exposed to curling once every four years during the Olympics.  While other little girls were dreaming of being Tara Lipinski and triple salchowing their way to a Michele-Kwan-ass-kicking, I was more interested in hurling stones across ice and furiously sweeping my way to Olympic gold.

Collegiate players exhibiting delivery of the stone at the 2011 National College Curling Championship (source: MIT Curling Club website, http://web.mit.edu/curling/www)

I first learned about the MIT curling club during orientation.  I was thrilled to learn that I could achieve my dream of attempting the greatest sport known to man right here in Boston.   I asked to be put on the Curling Club list serve, and before I knew it I was on a bus headed to the Broomstones Curling Club in Wayland, Massachusetts.

Upon entering the club, we were split up into two groups—veterans and rookies.  The rookies were introduced to a gentleman named Herb, who promptly gave us his best “Curling for Dummies” speech.  We were told that above all, curling was a game of gentlemen and ladies.  We were expected to shake our opponents’ hands before and after each match, and to tell them “Good curling!”

Then, I realized something startling as Herb calmly told us about the dangers of curling.  This sport takes place on ice! Of course I already knew this, but for some reason the danger of this had never entered my mind.  I was suddenly terrified, as I am a person who can barely walk across solid ground without tripping, stubbing my toe, or otherwise causing bodily harm to myself or others.  Furthermore, as if ice wasn’t dangerous enough, we were told that we would need to wear sliders under our left feet while we were delivering the stone.  Sliders are basically Teflon plates that strap on to the bottom of your shoe.  They are invaluable to curlers, but quite terrifying to klutzes like me!

A curling arena with four “sheets”. The three concentric circles are called the “house”. (Source: Wikipedia)

After Herb’s speech on curling etiquette and safety was complete, the other rookies and I nervously entered the rink.  Our former bravado was now replaced by a sudden fear of falling, and of the pain and humiliation that such a rookie mistake would incur.

We all grabbed brooms and one by one tentatively tested out the ice.  To our great relief, it actually was not very slippery.  Curling clubs must constantly spray water droplets on the ice to maintain a “pebbled” surface.  The rough surface was actually only slightly slippery without a slider, and before the end of two hours I was running and sweeping with ease.

A curling “stone” or “rock” is made of granite and weighs approximately 40 lbs. Picking up a stone on ice is not advisable! (Source: Wikipedia)

Herb showed us how to deliver a stone, how to sweep, and how curling is scored.  It turns out that the graceful delivery of the stone that looks so easy on television is actually difficult to master on the first try!  On my first attempt, I was much too afraid of falling to give myself a good push out of the starting blocks, and consequently my stone petered to a pathetic stop mere feet from where I launched it.  After that, I gained more confidence.  We even played a quick scrimmage, and I’m proud to say that I actually scored a point; a great accomplishment, considering my first attempt at delivery.

Two hours flew by, and we returned to the bus feeling very accomplished.  The veterans had returned to the ice after a long summer off, and were happy to be back.  The rookies were all very excited about their newfound hobby, and chattered about how it was even more fun than they had expected.  All were chilled to the bone, and all were content.

By Dianne Elyse Kamfonik

Share Your Interest with SP Interest Groups

SP residents cooked the Tonkatsu in Japanese interest group event

Have you ever wanted to update or share your rock music library but find no one around you is a rock fan, or wanted to go to a football game but couldn’t find anyone interested? If so, it is time to try out the SP interest group mailing list!

An interest group is a collection of SP residents who share a particular interest and use the group’s email list to update one another on events related to their common interest. One can also create events and find people who may be interested via the interest group. There are more than 200 interest groups in SP, providing you a good opportunity to make new friends and enjoy the things you love to do!

Taiwanese-style BBQ in SP courtyard

We have had several incredible events hosted through the interest group. For instance, there was the hiking trip every season organized by the hiking interest group, Japanese Tonkatsu night (a Japanese dish, consists of a breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet and fresh shredded cabbage) and karaoke night by the Japanese interest group and Taiwanese BBQ hosted by the Taiwanese interest group. Residents have also used the food interest group to go to festivals together, such as the New England Dessert Showcase and the Phantom Food Festival. You like drawing? No problem! This year, the drawing/art interest group hosted drawing sessions for SP residents to try out some different drawing skills. They are also plenty of interest groups with outdoor activities. Bike trips plus ice cream outing were hosted through the biking interest group. They have been to Walden Pond, Kimball farm, and more places waited to be explored.

Hiking trip hosted by hiking interest group

The best of all, you can get subsidy for interest group events from SP. If you have a group of 3-5 people, everyone can get $5 subsidy; $8 per person for a group of 6-8 people, and $10 per person for a group more than 8 people. The more people attending the event, the more subsidies you can get! Moreover, extra subsidy will be provided to people who create the events, so do not hesitate to host events using the interest group!

You may wonder how can you join different interest groups and be part of those wonderful events. Here are some tips: Go to SP website and click “My account” on the upper left corner, and check the interest groups that you would like to participate in. Once you are part of an interest group, you can email its members to create events and contact Michelle Chen (Interest group chair) for subsidy (Note: you have to advertise your event through the interest group mailing list in order to request for subsidy).

Hope to see you utilizing the SP interest groups!

By Michelle Chen, SP Interest Group Manager

Movember: Hairy Philanthropy

The month of Movember, formerly known as November, will be getting a little hairier than usual this year. The “Mo” (Australian for mustache) inspired the Australian-originated Movember organization which raises awareness for men’s health and money for prostate cancer research through the growing of mustaches.  Yes, you read that correctly, mustaches.  Last year, Movember raised over $80 million for research.  Those are some powerful mustaches! This year, Sidney-Pacific is organizing the first, MIT campus-wide Movember effort where students will come together and pledge not to shave throughout the month of November.  Students form teams on the Movember.com website and each student asks friends and family to donate to his growing stache.  All proceeds are donated to Movember, a 501-(c)(3) charity, which is partnered with the National Prostate Cancer Foundation.  Sidney-Pacific has reached out across campus to recruit as many Mo Bro’s and Mo Sista’s as possible. Over 90 students have come together through 10 teams representing AeroAstro, TPP, Biological Engineering, HST, Sloan, along with a handful of the undergrad fraternities and we have raised $1300 so far! At the end of Movember, when the mustaches are fully ripe, all participants will celebrate with a Movember Gala Parte on December 1st in Boston.

Prostate cancer affects 1 in 6 men during their lifetime.  Because we all care about 6+ men, it is important that we address this issue and work together to attack the challenge of finding a cure.  Movember addresses this problem through raising awareness for men’s health and money for research. In support of these efforts, the MIT Movember goal is to raise over $3000 toward this crucial cause.  Help support MIT staches by finding the MIT Network on Movember.com, because we cannot grow them without you.

By Emily Calandrelli, SP Outreach Chair

Cooking for CASPAR

This month Sidney-Pacific students came together to cook a hearty meal for over 100 residents of CASPAR.  CASPAR is a nonprofit organization that operates as a shelter and soup kitchen.  It also provides outreach, stabilization, residential, aftercare, education, and prevention services to those in need.  The shelter and kitchen serves dinner to over 100 people every night, and it relies on the generosity of local restaurants and businesses for food donations. Over the past ten years, MIT’s graduate residences and the CASPAR emergency shelter have developed a good relationship. SP usually donates leftover food from our large events such as our summer BBQs and monthly brunches to CASPAR. In addition, last year, the Warehouse started a recurring resident volunteering program through which residents volunteer every other week to help serve dinner at the soup kitchen, and recently we have expanded that program to include Ashdown and SP residents as well.  On Sunday November 6th, SP residents cooked and baked for 5 hours and carried the food over to the CASPAR residence located on Albany Street. Pasta, meatballs, chicken, bread, cookies and brownies were served to very appreciative individuals in need.  The partnership with CASPAR is important to raise awareness of this organization’s efforts and to gain an appreciation for the tireless work that one of our close neighbors does for the community.  This effort was made possible through a Public Service Grant awarded to SP members.  SP plans on serving another dinner in December, closer to the holidays.

By Emily Calandrelli, SP Outreach Chair

Donate Food in House Cup Food Drive

Last year, SP donated 1496 pounds of food! This year, we gonna step our game up...

Remarkably generous and sporadically competitive Sidney-Pacific residents last fall raked in nearly 1500 pounds of food for the Greater Boston Food Bank during the House Cup food drive. This year, from November 6 until coffee hour on November 16, we repeat the immensely successful House Cup food drive, now retitled the Food Bank Donation Contest. All residents are encouraged to donate nonperishable food items by dropping them off with their hall councilors or bringing the food items to coffee hours on November 9 or 16 where collections take place. The hall with the most weight donated per resident will achieve eternal fame and glory while five lucky donors will win $10 Flour Bakery gift cards.

By George Chen, SP Inter-Hall Event Coordinator

Looking Back on SP Orientation 2011

The SP Orientation 2011 concluded with the Boston Aquarium tour on September 17th. We had fun dancing to the tunes of Beyonce and Lady Gaga, munching freshly grilled burgers with a chilled beer in hand, brunching on the best Sunday breakfast ever and roaming around Boston. In the Orientation Newsletter, we, the SP orientation committee, promised to bring you a series of fun and fabulous events and that is exactly what we did.  Let’s take a moment to review some of the fun we have had.

The Orientation Dance Party with the raised dance floor and a superb DJ performace (Photo courtesy of SP Photofile Committee)

The Orientation Dance Party was on the evening of September 2nd and what a party it was! With over four hundred people, this must had been the best orientation party in town. I am not the only person saying that. A couple of my friends from Sloan, who have organized spectacular parties in places like Seattle and DC, joined the party that night and were like “awesome party, dude!” Students who attended almost all the parties during this orientation season still remember Sidney-Pacific’s as the best one. I seriously hope you didn’t miss it. With the weather in our favor and the mood in the air, it was all-a-tapping for guys and girls on the dance floor. Interestingly, the raised dancing platform was actually not part of the original plan. Although it took a while to set it up, I’m glad we did it. We had an absolutely superb DJ performance. They really amazed everyone with the screen setup in front of the dance floor showing the music video of the song. It was pure joy to see so many of the new residents come and enjoy the dance party. We ended the party with a birthday celebration for George Lan, President of Sidney-Pacific.

The Orientation Brunch attracted more than 400 students. (Photo courtesy of SP Photofile Committee)

The Orientation Brunch on September 4th was an outstanding event in its own right. Over four hundred students attended, with a lot of first year students from all of the graduate houses on campus. We started the preparation at 7 AM in the SP kitchen. From cooking scrambled eggs, baked potatoes, baked beans, sausage, and bacon to cutting all sorts of fresh fruit, it was a heroic task that was accomplished in a record time by a group of fifty-some dedicated SP volunteers. Ozge, our beloved brunch chair, worked really hard and did an excellent job of managing all the enthusiastic volunteers. Three serving queues were opened simultaneously to reduce the wait time. In about twenty minutes, we served around four hundred students. They were out in the courtyard eating, chatting, mingling or just plainly enjoying the sunshine. Many residents liked the fact that the brunch menu was advertised on the corridor walls next to the queue. Seeing it in advance added to the gourmet pleasure.

The Rock ‘n Roast Orientation BBQ was held on the evening of September 10th. Every year Sidney-Pacific has a tradition of organizing the best BBQ on the campus, be it in terms of food, fun, or friends. It just runs in the SP blood and we can’t help it! A tremendous amount of preparation had to be done in advance because of the scale of the event. Fortunately, we had many volunteers showing up right from the start and many of them were new residents of SP. This was one of those “see it to believe it” type of event. Volunteers showed up, took a task and the job got done. Whether it was husking three hundred corn ears, chopping up thirty pounds of onions and forty pounds of tomatoes, grilling one thousand burgers or raising a mammoth screen for our outdoor movie screening pleasure, it was all accomplished with lots of fun. The whole event went smoothly and efficiently, thanks to all the volunteers. I sometimes wonder if these are some extraordinary people I am living with or if SP is just a unique place that makes it all happen! Perhaps it is both!

Every year Sidney-Pacific has a tradition of organizing the best BBQ on the campus. (Photo courtesy of SP Photofile Committee)

During the BBQ, residents enjoyed fresh juicy burgers, wholesome fruits, and cold beverages while being entertained by the music. Keeping in line with the international culture of SP, we served vegetarian, turkey and braided chicken burgers, besides the usual beef burgers. Was that all? Well, there was Tim the Beaver, our school’s mascot, going around shaking hands with his fellow classmates. We also had representatives from Zipcar at a table in the courtyard and they were very impressed by the turnout. After sunset, an outdoor movie was screened and many of us watched it with friends while sipping on hot coffee.

Getting to know your Housemasters in the Housemaster's Welcome Dinner. (Photo courtesy of SP Photofile Committee)

Housemaster’s Welcome Dinner, Bike Auction Coffee Hour, French Dessert Outing, and Art Crawl were all very successful events and were well-attended by the residents. All of the organizers collected good memories along the way that we will cherish for time to come.  We hope that you also had your share. We are interested to hear your feedback on these events. We’ve already heard that almost everyone could find an event that suited his or her interest. Also, many new residents appreciated the fact that we used composting in almost all of the SP orientation events, but we want to know how we can do better next year, so take a moment to fill out the Orientation survey later in the newsletter.

“All good things must come to an end” and so the orientation season has come to an end. But wait, that doesn’t mean the fun is over! We just had our ice cream outing and SPICE Coffee Hour and we have various interesting events coming up too. Please see the SP announcement and the website for the schedule of these upcoming social events.

Sidney-Pacific, Make it Yours!

By Birendra Jha and Hussam Zebian, SP Orientation Chairs