When MIT students encounter unforeseen difficulties, it is only right for them to expect the support of the Institute. When the facts are unclear, the Institute should, at the very least, give its own students the benefit of the doubt. Unfortunately, neither has been forthcoming in recent times. Through its actions, MIT has made it clear that students can expect neither support nor trust from their alma mater. Rather than supporting their students, the MIT administration has shown that it would see its students face legal and social ostracism rather than expose itself to liability.
The Star Simpson Case
Star Simpson, after getting arrested at Logan airport for wearing a breadboard, got no sympathy from MIT, the very place that she came to in search for a community that would foster her creativity. She has since dropped out of MIT, and says the school’s reaction felt like “being disowned.” Is that the idea that MIT wants to give its students? The moment anything students do comes into question, will MIT always just blindly side against students in an effort to “reduce liability”?
Students, professors, and even some administrators were against the statements that MIT made. A protest (Tech article) was held outside of Walker Memorial, lead by students displeased by MIT’s public statements regarding Star. Patrick Winston, Professor of Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science, and Professor Keith Manning, were among the most notable figures to speak out against the statements of the MIT Administration.
These days, even much of the faculty feels as though it is at odds with the administration. If MIT is going to alienate students and faculty, what is left? MIT cannot run itself with just the administrative offices in the Infinite. They’ve said it themselves, on the Campaign for Students fundraising website - “Without students, the Infinite Corridor is just a hallway.”
The RIAA
MIT, unlike its “peer institution” Harvard, hasn’t been standing up for its students when it comes to dealing with RIAA filesharing pre-litigation letters. something that many colleges and universities are dealing with today. Is MIT really so concerned about liability that it is unwilling to give its students the benefit of the doubt, the way Harvard does?
