Money @ MIT (The Archives) : 9. About MIT / About SFS / About Me

The Blog is Dead. Long Live the Blog.

barkowitz — Thu, 30 Jun 2005 23:22:00 GMT

This blog is officially closed and will now only exist as an archive of past posts.

Please visit the new blog at http://daniel.mitblogs.com.

Feeling "Found"!

barkowitz — Wed, 29 Jun 2005 04:44:00 GMT

Some of you have probably only (fairly) recently found this blog. Others of you have been reading the blog for a while, checking in sometimes on a daily basis to see if there is a new post, and what else is going on.

But probably not many of you (perhaps other than me) have been here since the first ever post (which was way back in October) in which I announced the beginning of this experiment. If you don't remember, here is a small recap for you...

This year, my “not-to-miss” show has to be “Lost.” For those of you who haven't seen it or haven't heard about it, the premise is this: an airplane crash-lands on a deserted (?) island somewhere 1000s of miles off course and the survivors have to battle themselves, the island, and the monster on the island to survive. Kind of Survivor meets Gilligan's Island meets The Twilight Zone. I have to say, I am riveted to the TV for this show. Created by JJ Abrams, who is also the creator of “Alias”, it is tightly-written, suspenseful, and gripping.

I don't want the reveal; I don't want to know what the monster is in actuality, or why the paralyzed man can now walk, or whether Jack's father is dead or alive. I want to maintain the mystery.

Interesting, since my purpose in keeping this blog (as well as I can) is to dispel the mystery.

I am Director of Financial Aid here at MIT, a position I have held for the past two and 1/2 years. This is a great place to work, and I can only imagine how wonderful it must be to be a student here, but my role is to be a part of the mystery behind helping families pay for the cost of MIT. I have a wonderful group of peers and colleagues in Student Financial Services who work to make sure that we do the best we can to help families afford the expense of MIT.

But sometimes I wonder if students get lost. If they think of the financial aid process kind of like the deserted island, full of pitfalls and unseen monsters. (OK am I stretching the metaphor too far here?).

So this blog will kind of be a “what do I need to know now” guide along with my rantings and ravings on whatever subject seems to be around and about. Feel free to engage me in dialogue, although if you want your conversation with me to be private, please email me at [moneyman] at mit dot edu (expressed this way to avoid spam).

Well, a lot has happened since October! Thanks to your participation this blog has become a real two-way communication tool for me and my office, and we have learned as much from you as (I hope) you have learned from us.

But now it is time to close the book on this chapter and open a new one.

As of July 1, 2005 this blog will no longer be updated or maintained. Instead, I invite all of you to join me at the new MIT blog site at http://daniel.mitblogs.com. The new hosted service (similar to what Ben's blog has always been) allows much more flexibility and creativity. I am looking forward to playing with it. (I will be checking feedback on this blog during the month of July, but then will only check in here much less regularly).

So change your links, change your pointers, and come and hang out with me at the new location!

And thank you for helping me make this dream a reality. Hopefully you have felt a little less lost on your journey. Hopefully you've felt this process to be more like a guided journey than a deserted island. Hopefully you understand more about what we do and why we ask the things we do. And hopefully, this process and the blog has helped dispel some nervousness and anxiety.

Self Help Redux and an Update

barkowitz — Wed, 22 Jun 2005 14:32:00 GMT

Hey all!

Sorry for the long delay in posting but life has been crazy for me... Since we last spoke:

I've traveled to Philadelphia for a 568 group meeting. We've started discussing proposed changes and refinements to the methodology we use to determine financial aid (look here for a more detailed discussion of our methodologies) and the meeting was an attempt to try to build consensus of some of these issues.
I've traveled to Fenway for a terrific Red Sox win over the Pirates. My father's day gift was seats at the game on Sunday, and a great game it was! The Red Sox won 8-0. After the game, we got to participate in the annual Father's Day Catch (where they let dads and kids on the field and hand out soft (very soft) balls, which with you can play catch with the kids). It was a BLAST! They even changed the sign on the Green Monster (the scoreboard) to honor fathers (a photo follows - note that I don't know anyone in the photo).
We all have been busy reading, reading, and doing more reading. At this time of year, we are trying to finish reading all currently completed upperclass student files so that you can have a financial aid award prior to the July 10^thbill. At this point, there are still about 200 complete files we are reviewing and we hope to have these decisions out the door in the next two weeks.
Reading and packaging Graduate Students. We have also been working with the application files of Graduate Students and notifying you of your eligibility for loan funding. At this point, we have awarded over 500 Graduate Students with more award packages on the way weekly. (As a point of information, we are adopting an email-only notification policy for Graduate Student award letters -- make sure to open the Word document we send you and print it for your records). A photo of our Graduate process manager, Elizabeth Barnes, in which she expresses joy at this move, follows:
We have been hard at work processing Self-Help forms. At this point, we have processed all of the Self-Help forms we have, assigning you the best programs for term-time work and student loans for which you are eligible. I hope in the rest of this post to expand on what you need to do now for follow-up on these programs.

So, now it is time to turn to the steps you need to take to finalize your loans and term-time work:

If you asked for student loan funding, you were awarded one (or more) of the following three loans: Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Direct Subsidized or Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, or MIT Subsidized Technology Loan. I will talk about the differences between these programs below, but first let's address what you need to do to take advantage of these programs.

For any of these programs, you must complete an online Entrance Interview. Your Entrance Interview can be completed through WEBSIS by following this navigation path: For StudentsàFinancial RecordàLoan Entrance Interview. All students who plan to take a loan during their academic career must complete a Loan Entrance Interview prior to any funds being disbursed to the student account.
For the Federal Direct Subsidized or Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, you must complete a Master Promissory Note (MPN). Students can access an online version of the MPN here. In order to access your MPN online, you will need your PIN used during your FAFSA application process. Alternatively, you can wait until Loan Signing sessions in the Fall (see below) and sign your MPN in person. Once you sign an MPN, you will no longer need to sign annually; instead, your award letter from us will identify the amount of your new disbursement under this program.
For the Federal Perkins Loan, you will need to sign your Master Promissory Note (MPN) when you arrive on campus in the Fall. We will announce loan signing dates and locations in the Fall. At that time, you will complete an MPN which will allow us to offer you loans under this program in later years without having to resign loan notes each year.
For the MIT Subsidized Technology Loan, you will need to complete a MIT Technology Loan Cosigner Application (these forms are not yet ready, we will send you one once they are complete and ready for distribution). The MIT Tech Loan is a cosigned loan so you will need to have someone serve as your cosigner. Once they have been approved as a cosigner, we will then send your cosigner a Promissory Note for them to complete and send back to us; we will then notify you that you need to come sign the same Promissory Note.

Now for some details on the loans themselves:

The Federal Perkins Loan is a subsidized loan (meaning that no interest accrues on the loan while you are in school) and features a 5.00% fixed interest rate. There are no borrowing fees on the loan. Repayment on the loan begins 9 months after graduation (or when a student withdraws or drops below half-time). The repayment period is 10 years and there is a minimum monthly payment of $40. There are specialized deferment and cancellation provisions which will be identified on the MPN.
The Federal Subsidized or Unsubsidized Stafford Loan is a loan featuring a variable interest rate (capped at 8.25%, and set annually on July 1). The loan will either be subsidized (see definition above) or unsubsidized (meaning that you can either pay the interest while you are in school, or have the interest added to the loan principal you repay). For July 1, 2005 - June 30, 2006 the in-school rate for Unsubsidized loans is 4.7% and the repayment rate for all loans in 5.3%. Fees are deducted from the loan you borrow (a 3% origination fee with a 1.5% rebate given back), and repayment begins 6 months after graduation (or withdrawal or less than half-time enrollment). The standard repayment period is 10 years with a minimum monthly payment of $50 (there are other repayment options available). There are deferment and forbearance provisions which will be spelled out in the MPN.
The MIT Subsidized Technology Loan is a subsidized loan. The interest rate is 7% fixed and repayment begins 6 months after graduation, withdrawal, or less than half-time enrollment. There are no borrowing fees, and the standard repayment period is 10 years. The minimum monthly payment is $50.

So let's talk about work:

If you asked for term-time employment, you were awarded one (or both) of two funds, either Federal Work Study or MIT Work. In either case, the majority of terms are the same; the only difference pertains to who pays your wages (either all from MIT or shared between MIT and the Federal Government). I will be providing a much longer post on Student Employment (when it is more timely) and highlighting what you need to do to find a job on campus, but at the present time, I will just briefly discuss several items of which you may want to be aware.

If you want to access the jobs that are currently available, click here. Some jobs for the Fall are already listed, but many employers will add jobs in August knowing at that point what their needs are and that you won't until August be able to apply for the jobs anyway. Think of this as kind of an “online bulletin board” for available positions.
If you were awarded Federal Work Study you may want to consider Community Service as a way to meet your term-time employment. Community Service is only available to Federal Work Study recipients; these jobs are off-campus assignments in the community at large where you can direct your passion for public service into positive use by working in a local non-profit agency and getting paid to do so. Again, much more information on Community Service jobs for 2005-2006 will be available as we get closer to the Fall. (If you didn't receive Federal Work Study but you want to participate in Community Service, you may still be able to if you received a Federal Perkins or Subsidized Stafford Loan. If this is the case, all you need to do is complete a modified Self-Help form, indicating your changed decision as to your Work / Loan distribution, and indicate your interest in participating in Community Service on the form. Make sure to return the form to us and indicate on it that it is a revised form by checking the box at the top.)
Regardless of which program you have, be sure to bring your original documents with you in the Fall to prove your eligibility to work. As you may be aware, before anyone can work in any job, we must prove your eligibility to work by completing an I-9 Form. Part of the I-9 Form, asks us to confirm your citizenship status by examining your actual eligibility documents (such documentation can include your Passport, Social Security Card, Birth Certificate, Driver's License, etc). You must have your original documents with you at MIT at the time you complete the I-9 Form, so be prepared to bring these with you to campus in the Fall.

So much more to discuss, but so little time. I need to get back to reading. Questions? Comments? General feedback?

Sometimes You Get What You Don't Pay For...

barkowitz — Tue, 14 Jun 2005 15:56:00 GMT

What a warm weekend in Boston -- humid, hot and sticky. It's nice that summer has arrived, but I would prefer to have my heat without humidity! This weekend was my choir's end of year performance. We were in a room with no A/C; and I had six or so costume changes (some including a woolen tuxedo and another with a heavy leather jacket). I'm ready for a break in the weather!

One event I happened to miss during my visit to Aspen last week was the annual Dean for Undergraduate Education Infinite Mile Award Reception. The Infinite Mile award is to recognize staff who undertake “outstanding achievements” in their support of students, staff and faculty. Take a look at this year's award winners; you may recognize some of the recipients (especially the three named at the end of the page).

Off to the main purpose of the post: for those of you who may be looking for ways to limit your out-of-pocket expenses, may I suggest you consider “Student House” as an option?

Student House is one of the members of the FSILGs (the Fraternities, Sororities and Independent Living Groups) at MIT. The FSILGs as a group are residence alternatives for upperclass students (Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors) who want to live in an independent residence, but with MIT presence (in the form of a residence-based advisor). While each of the FSILGs represents a great opportunity to form a close-knit, cohesive bond with a group of MIT students, I want to focus this particular post on Student House because of its unique history and its relevance to the work we do in Student Financial Services.

Student House was originally established as a residence for students with financial need. In its organizational structure, it is established as a cooperative residence; students do work (light cleaning, cooking, etc) during the semester in exchange for a significantly reduced living expense. There are about 30 students who live in the residence, both men and women, and the student rooms vary from singles to doubles to triples.

So, financially, what is the benefit? Since your monthly rate to Student House (at least for 2004-2005) is about $350 a month, and that figure includes room and board (dinner every day, lunch and breakfast available for you to take with you, combined shopping list for food), by living at Student House you wind up reducing your out of pocket expenses by about $5500 (coincidentally the amount of the student self-help award). Since we don't reduce your financial aid budget if you live in less expensive housing, you can certainly save the cost of your annual self-help by living at Student House.

If you are interested, you certainly do need to be willing to be an active participant in the maintenance of the house, but in this case, if that appeals to you, you can certainly get what you don't pay for. Rush will occur during the Fall of your Freshman year, although Student House is pretty flexible about Rush (I think they even still have a very small number of vacancies for this Fall for current upperclass students who may be interested).

Do any current or former residents of Student House want to comment on their perspective on Student House? Any comments about other FSILG residences?

There really are blue skies here... (and fine art too! -- edited June 7, 10:30 Central)

barkowitz — Mon, 06 Jun 2005 04:48:00 GMT

Some pics of my first day in Aspen. If you click on the picture, it will take you to a (much) larger image of the same photo.

The following photos were taken by the John Denver Sanctuary, a beautful public park in downtown Aspen dedicated to the memory of John Denver:

Another feature about Aspen that I have really enjoyed is the “window shopping.” Clearly, affording the items is a whole other question, but there is a store in downtown Aspen called “Pismo” that has beautiful fine art glass. Some pics (from outside and in) follow.

Departing for "Bluer Skies"

barkowitz — Sun, 05 Jun 2005 02:12:00 GMT

Tomorrow morning, I will be jet setting across the continent as I make my way to Aspen, Colorado for the bi-annual (in this case, every other year) COFHE Financial Aid Director's Retreat. For those of you who do not know, COFHE is the Consortium on Financing Higher Education, a group of thirty-one private colleges who share common interests and concerns.

This year's conference theme is “Blue Skies: Envisioning the Future” and promises to be a great opportunity to network with colleagues and talk about the greater themes in the work we do.

One presentation to which I am especially looking forward is a sort of “Technology Show and Tell” during which I will be making a presentation on blogging as a new outreach tool for financial aid offices to consider. Since Matt and Ben have already done this for NEACAC this may seem “old hat” to you, but this will be the first time I am presenting on the subject to my financial aid colleagues.

As part of the presentation, we will be logging in to the blog to see its organization and purpose, so if you want to leave a message for the attendees, feel free to do so below by commenting on this post.

Besides the log in during the presentation, I will try to log in from under the “blue skies” of Aspen daily (I am taking my laptop with me), but just in case of technical issues, don't expect many updates until after I return (on Thursday).

Con-GRAD-ulations!

barkowitz — Fri, 03 Jun 2005 07:38:00 GMT

To all this year's MIT graduates...

My hat's off to you...

For those of you who want to watch graduation live today, log on here.

Preparation for graduation!

barkowitz — Wed, 01 Jun 2005 19:37:00 GMT

Some great photos of Killian Court as MIT gets ready for commencement on Friday.

See here for the pics!

Photos were taken by David J. Broderick, Audio Visual Project Technician, MIT AV.

Update on the Federal Budget process for Financial Aid

barkowitz — Thu, 26 May 2005 17:02:00 GMT

Here is an update to where things stand on the Federal Budget end. This also updates you all as to the status of the Perkins Loan action which I know many of you participated in previously (and I thank you for your help there).

This note comes to you via NASFAA (the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators) of which I am a member. There also is a call to action in this post and I would kindly ask your participation in letting your Congressperson know that you care about the issue of Federal funding of financial aid by acting on this update. (note: The update is written to financial aid administrators and I have not changed or modified it, so some of the language may not apply to you as a student or a parent of a student).

The following letter from NASFAA President Dallas Martin is an urgent request for Association Members to contact their congressional representatives in an effort to prevent appropriations cuts and program eliminations during in the Fiscal Year 2006 appropriations process.

May 26, 2005

Dear NASFAA Member:

I am writing with an urgent request that you immediately contact your two U.S. Senators and member of the House of Representatives. The FY 2006 Appropriations bill is starting to move through the legislative process and we need your help to preserve a $100 increase in the Pell Grant maximum award and to prevent cuts or the outright elimination of several Title IV federal student assistance programs.

From our Web site reports, you know the FY 2006 Congressional Budget Resolution made one particularly positive step in a tight budget year: it provided enough funding for a $100 increase in the Pell Grant maximum award for FY 2006 (the 2006-07 award year). However, the Budget Resolution also accepted the overall figure of $843 billion for discretionary spending that was proposed by the Bush Administration. This level is 1% below last year's levels, which could lead to student aid cuts in appropriations bills.

In many respects, a Budget Resolution is not self-enforcing. The House and Senate Appropriations Committee must translate funding provided in a Budget Resolution into subcommittee allocations. The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education and related agencies has received its allocation, which is slightly more than the President's request, but less than last year's bill. From higher education association lobbying activities that NASFAA participates in, we know that the $100 increase in the Pell Grant maximum award is in serious danger during the subcommittee's legislative markup action, which is expected to take place June 8 or 9.

As unfortunate as this is, we further understand that due to the tight Budget Resolution that translated into this subcommittee's allocation, it is entirely possible that the Appropriations Committee and subcommittee will adopt many of President Bush's budget recommendations calling for elimination of Title IV programs. Those program eliminations include the following programs: Perkins Loans (both FCC and loan cancellations), Leveraging Education Assistance Program (LEAP), Byrd Honors Scholarships, Thurgood Marshal Legal Educational Opportunity Program, GEAR-UP, and the TRIO Talent Search and Upward Bound programs.

I am asking you to write a letter and send it by fax or e-mail (but not by postal mail: see below for the reason) to your member of the House of Representatives (or several members from your state if your school has students from their districts) asking:

      - That the $100 increase in the Pell Grant maximum award to $4,150 (as included in the Budget Resolution) be carried out in the FY 2006 Labor, HHS, Education Appropriations bill, AND

      - That the higher education student assistance programs slated for elimination in the President's Budget Request be restored.

Send a copy of your communication to your member or members of the House and to any member from your state who serves on the House Appropriations Committee (and, especially, members of the subcommittee of jurisdiction, which is the Labor, HHS, Education subcommittee. If your state does not have such an individual serving on either of these committees, then a copy of your communication should go to the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.); subcommittee Chairman Rep. Ralph Regula (R-Ohio); and the Ranking Minority Member on both the full House Appropriations Committee and the subcommittee, Rep. David Obey (D-Wisc.).

Finally, after determining by using the hyperlinks in the previous paragraph that your House member does not serve on the Appropriation Committee or subcommittee, please remember to ask in your letter that the member contact the Chairman and other Appropriations Committee members asking them to provide the Pell Grant increase and not cut or eliminate student aid programs.

Please send your letters ASAP, but no later than June 7. We are asking you to fax or e-mail your letter rather than using the Postal Service because a mailed letter will not be received in time. Delays in the delivery of postal mail of up to three weeks are caused by Congress's mail security system.

NASFAA is doing all we can do and we need your help if we are going to turn this around. I have seen the membership of NASFAA and the other higher education organizations respond at critical times in the legislative process and make a difference that helps our students, schools, and, ultimately, our nation. This is a critical time; please contact Congress now!

Sincerely,

Dallas Martin
NASFAA President

Another call to action... Be a STAR supporter!

barkowitz — Thu, 26 May 2005 16:40:00 GMT

As you undoubtedly know, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a Direct Lending institution, allowing you to borrow your student loans directly from the federal government, without the complicated involvement of banks and other lenders. Congress is now considering new legislation called The Student Aid Reward Act (STAR) that if passed will provide significant additional federal grant aid to needy students at Direct Lending schools.

Click here to learn more and take action.

The Direct Loan program is cheaper for the government than the bank-run Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) by about $11 per hundred dollars loaned. The STAR Act captures the dollars Massachusetts Institute of Technology saves federal taxpayers because it participates in Direct Lending instead of FFELP, and gives 50% of that savings back to Massachusetts Institute of Technology for its needy students.

Our 2003-2004 Loan Volume: $19,382,941
11% Savings to Taxpayers: $1,938,294
Annual STAR Reward funds for our school: $1,066,062*

This is the single best chance for Massachusetts Institute of Technology's neediest students to receive a significant increase in federal grant assistance for at least the next decade! Required is additional support and sponsorship in both the House and Senate for STAR to become law. That's where students can make the most difference...

Would you please do the following right away?

Click HERE to learn more and send a letter to your Senators and Members of Congress. It will take only 2 minutes. Your intervention is essential for passage of STAR and increased aid for Massachusetts Institute of Technology's students.

Please act today!

Looking for some advice, you too (U2).

barkowitz — Tue, 24 May 2005 18:14:00 GMT

Hi there.

In wandering the Infinite today, I picked up the most recent issue of Counterpoint, a great independent student publication published jointly by Wellesley and MIT students. The latest copy is entitled “Crunch Time” and has some interesting reads.

One of the articles is a relationship advice column (with some pretty frank questions and answers) entitled “Ask the Beaver.” Well, interestingly enough, it appears that the authors also have a blog of their own where advice can be sought and advice can be left. So far they are up to 20 questions. Maybe you'll find something of interest there.

On to my other topic above (and sorry for shouting, but I am very excited), I AM SEEING U2 IN CONCERT TONIGHT. They are performing at the (used-to-be) Fleet Center. I have been a U2 fan for a LONG time, but this will be my first time seeing them perform live.

Obviously, one of the benefits of living in Boston is the number of concerts that pass through the area. I've seen James Taylor, Duran Duran, Madonna, Jimmy Buffet, the KISS 108 Concert (a full day affairs with over 25 bands), Elton John/Billy Joel, and more. Growing up (like I did) in a much smaller metro area, I never had the chance to see acts like these live -- they just didn't travel to my part of the world.

If your taste runs to more folk and folk/rock artists, we are right down the street from Club Passim, a great local venue that has a national reputation for promoting new folk artists. New bands also appear regularly at The Middle East, another local concert venue.

I'll let you know how the concert was later...

While we are on the subject, what band is on the top of your “must see” list?

Reading anything good these days?

barkowitz — Mon, 23 May 2005 15:58:00 GMT

Hey all.

Just a brief update since I am in the middle of reading. But reading is actually what this post is about.

What are we up to in the Financial Aid area? Reading. Reading. And more reading. All of us are reading upperclass student application files in an attempt to get next year aid awards out in time for our goal date of June 15th. I'll update you as we approach that date.

But reading files isn't the only reading I am doing. I have been reading the Stephen King series The Dark Tower and I am almost done with the last book in the seven book series. What an amazing read: expansive, fantastic (as in full of fantasy), and stirring, I don't want it to end so I am savoring every page of the 800 page last book.

What are you reading? Do you use the summer to catch up on your favorite authors? Or do you read new books you have put off reading during the year? What is on your must-read list this summer. Make some suggestions for your fellow MIT students...

edited 6:20 pm

One of my friends says that whenever he interviews a candidate for a job, he asks them what are they reading. He says that what a person is reading can tell you a lot about who they are. Does what you are reading right now say something about who you are?

Want some Advising? Traveling to the Galapagos over lunch.

barkowitz — Fri, 20 May 2005 21:56:00 GMT

The Galapagos Islands are an amazing place. If you haven't read about them, or seen a “Nova” episode on them, you may not understand what I mean, but the ability to see wildlife “up close and personal” as well as to walk in Darwin's footsteps is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

In this, I am like an MIT Freshmen.

When I was a 7th grader, my school district (I was attending Curundu Junior High School in the Panama Canal Zone) had a competition in which the winner of each grade (7th grade through Senior in high school) would get an all-expense paid trip to the Galapagos Islands for a 2 week trip, as well as the opportunity to study about evolution, Darwin's theories, and work together on a group documentation project of the experience. I was lucky enough to be selected, to live on the Pato Feo (“ugly duckling” -- the name of our boat) for two weeks, to visit the islands, to swim in the open ocean with sea lions, to see penguins living next to flamingos. It was an amazing experience. And one I thought I could never relive.

Well, I did this week (at least vicariously). Imagine my surprise to see very large bird tracks lining the infinite corridor walkway:

Next to the feet was a large sign announcing a Galapagos exhibit:

Evidently, students in the Terrascope program had created a Galapagos museum designed to allow visitors to get a glimpse of what life is like in the Galapagos Islands.

Now, for those of you who don't know, Terrascope is a program for First Year students at MIT which allows participants to study Earth and Life Sciences through hands-on participatory projects. As one of the advising choices, Terrascope represents a great opportunity for students during their freshman year.

Erika Erickson and Scott Chilton were two of this year's participants who happened to be minding the exhibit when I walked through (sorry for the bad photo):

There were many exhibits to visit, including a “population slide” demonstrating the effects of human population on wildlife in the islands:

A super-size Sea Cucumber with light up display of its body parts (you're looking at the intestine here):

A Galapagos Marine Iguana replica who shot saline excrement out at you if you pushed a red button (for the love of science, I did!):

An Origami station to make your own Galapagos Penguin to take with you:

A display inviting you to participate as a field scientist by counting the number of fish swimming by:

An interactive relief map of the islands (the equator is lit on the first map, and Little Seymour island on the second):

And a house representing how humans who live on the islands need to balance the islands' need with their own:

There were many other exhibits as well, some asking you to match eggs with the birds which laid them, some showing the geological history of the islands, some showing the fragile balance that exists between political actors and how the increasing complexity of “untying this knot” threatens the future of the Galapagos itself.

All in all, an amazing exhibit. And also amazing that the students in the program spent their spring break this year in the Galapagos, visiting the islands, making notes for their exhibits, and in short getting to experience one of nature's most fascinating sites up close and personal.

I asked the two Freshmen where next year's class is going. The answer: Hawaii -- I've never been there, so maybe it's not too late for me to become an MIT Freshman.

In the meantime, if you are an incoming MIT student, it is not too late to apply to the Terrascope program for next year. The application deadline is June 17th.

As a final memento, here are some shots of me in the Galapagos as a 7th grader... Funny how much changes in so short a time (and how little).

Whose education is it anyway?

barkowitz — Fri, 13 May 2005 19:04:00 GMT

Several updates before I begin the main thread of today's post.

First: Today I created two mailing lists. The first is moneyman (or moneyman(at)mit(dot)edu) and the second is barkowitz (or barkowitz(at)mit(dot)edu). Don't know why it took me so long to realize that I could create a mailing list with one member and by default it would serve as an alias for me with email (must be my extremely slow-headedness this time of year), but this serves several awesome purposes. It allows me to have a way for people to respond to me from the blog (use moneyman if you want to) and allows me a way to deal with those people who like to refer to me as Mr. Barkowit (leaving off the “z”) since my email address at MIT only has eight letters. So, anyway, next time you need to reach me try one of these out.

Second. Ben told me today that I broke his RSS portal. I guess my creative use of images in my page header is wreaking havoc with his new portlet. So, in the interest of being a global citizen, I am moving the Money @ MIT image off the header of the page. (Oh goodie, even more stuff to clutter the side of my page.) So, Ben, this jpg's for you!

And now on to the point of the post!

I know many of you have asked me to talk about the online billing process we use here at MIT (a process also known by its name, MITPAY). But before I can do that, we need to speak for a moment about the topic of “whose education is it anyway?”

Much of what we do at MIT operates under the principle of student privacy and student responsibility. The MIT education is the student's education, and so are all of the associated responsibilities and priveledges. This is not to say that parents, spouses, family, friends, are not important partners in securing an MIT education, but the education is not theirs.

By that same token, the records that pertain to that education belong to no one else but the student (and, of course, MIT). So grades, course notifications, financial aid statements, medical information, and bills are all sent to the student. Correspondence about the student's education is addressed to the student (even information about the financial aid award), since this is in keeping with this policy.

Now, before those of you reading this who are parents begin to think you aren't important, let me assure you -- you are! But MIT's privacy policy clearly states that the records pertaining to your son or daughter's education belong to them; not to you, to them (see here for the MIT policy as written).

While our policy is explicit, it is actually in keeping with the Federal policy on privacy as well, the so called “FERPA” Law (Federal Educational Right to Privacy Act). FERPA provides for the same level of privacy as pertains to student records, going so far as to require student release before any information can be shared about a student. FERPA is the same law that allows parents whose children are in high school or elementary school access to these educational records, but recognizes that when a child reaches eighteen or begins to attend college that parental rights to the information cease.

So what does this mean to you and the bill? Well, if you haven't gotten here (logically) already, you won't be surprised to find out that the bill is the student's bill, not a parent bill. Therefore, students receive bills from us. Parents, who -- let's be serious -- we all know pay the bill, can get access to the bill, but only if their students authorize it. The particulars of why and how I will save for my next post.

Of course, I also need to say that just because you have a right to privacy, this doesn't mean you give up the need and/or right to ask for help when you need it. MIT has many support offices and procedures to make sure that students get the guidance and help they need when (and if) they fall into any difficulties.

For the moment, though, I am curious to see your feedback on the privacy policy. What do you think about it? Does it err too much on the side of protecting a student's privacy? Is this a difficult transition for you parents reading this to make? For you students, do you think this is too much control over your own fate?

Brief update - Award Letters Mailing for International Upperclass Students

barkowitz — Tue, 10 May 2005 21:23:00 GMT

Just wanted to post a brief update for you all!

Today we mailed 112 award letters to International students who are rising Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors. Since we mailed these before the end of the term, the award notices were sent to on campus addresses. Additionally a copy has been delivered to the ISO (International Students Office). We plan on sending another batch of award letters for International upperclass students sometime before the end of the month.

Additionally we are continuing to notify upperclass students of their completion status, by either sending a missing information letter or a notice of completion. At this point, any applicant who remains incomplete will need to sign a Late Applicant Agreement form expressing your understanding of the possible repercussions of delays in your application.

We continue to be on track to send our first round of upperclass complete letters for domestic students sometime before June 15. More information, as always, will appear on the blog as it happens.

Sorry for the quick note... More later!