About Hadrian

MIT '12 grad, now studying political economy at Carleton University. Formerly the assistant head soph of the MIT Soph Team (2011), production coordinator for the MITSC (2011-2012), and editor-in-chief of the mitZine (2010-11). @hadrianmk

Opinion: Three Ways to Pick a President

Vote USCDisclaimer: the views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of the mitZine or the MITSC.

When voters head to the (virtual) polls this week, they will be making a choice based ultimately on one of three criteria: platform, campaign, or character.

Many students will vote for a platform. They will peruse the candidates’ websites and identify promises that appeal to them. They may even take a more holistic approach and vote for what they deem the best overall vision for the USC.

Others will vote for a campaign. They have watched the videos, attended the debates, and followed social media. They have seen the candidates jockey to differentiate themselves and judged them on their public face.

The remaining students will vote based on the character of a candidate. They have taken the platforms and campaigns with a grain of salt, opting instead to focus on the qualities and experiences that distinguish each potential president.

Unlike some years, however, none of this year’s candidates have stood out in all three categories. None of them are unequivocally deserving of the position, and that makes things difficult for independent voters. To help make sense of your options, I offer here my endorsements for USC president based on the category you believe is most important. I welcome feedback in the comments below. Continue reading

USC Debate Analysis: Candidates Play it Safe

Vote USC The USC presidential campaign is starting to take shape after the candidates made their first debate appearance in front of a packed Mustang Lounge last night. For three hours, Adam Fearnall, Claire McArthur, Logan Ross and Jon Silver fielded questions about their platforms and personalities from USC insiders while #VOTEUSC tweets were projected live on the wall.

The Big Winner?

No one, really. But there wasn’t a big loser either. For the most part, all of the candidates played it safe, concerned more with finding their public speaking confidence than boldly defining their vision. All four remained calm and composed through a barrage of vague and repetitive questions that earned appropriately vague and repetitive answers. Continue reading

Jordan Coop, Kelly Mark acclaimed as FIMS President, Councillor

FIMSFor the third year in a row there will be no elections in FIMS.

Third year MTP student Jordan Coop will be next year’s president of the MITSC, while third year MIT student Kelly Mark will be the MITSC’s Vice President External (USC Councillor). Coop and Mark will succeed incumbents Zach Valliant and Jess Bronstein, respectively, in May. Continue reading

FIMS Is Broken, But We Can Fix It

FIMSTuesday’s Rogers Chair event gave FIMS students the opportunity to weigh in on the question “What is FIMS and is it working?” A panel of undergraduate and graduate students offered their takes on the program, followed by a general discussion about FIMS and its interdisciplinary mandate. I was fortunate to be one of three undergrads asked to speak, and my presentation addressed some of the overarching, structural issues facing FIMS’ undergrad programs. With this article I hope to bring some of these issues into the online public sphere. I encourage feedback from anyone in FIMS or beyond. Continue reading

FIMS Update: applications, Zine survey, and Ja’mie’s big day

It’s an exciting time of year for all the FIMS fans out there. Between events and applications and ITR and midterms and recovering from reading week (still?) there’s a lot going on and an awful lot of stuff to keep track of. Thankfully, your friendly neighbourhood mitZine has you covered.

Here’s all the big stuff going on in FIMS for the rest of the year.

Continue reading

“Real” Debate Entertaining, Few Surprises

Although all the usual USC and campus media suspects were in attendance, the number of simply interested students at the highly-anticipated “real” debate tonight was impressive. I was lucky to even find a seat at the back of Huron’s Great Hall, where I took in the evening’s festivities with fellow Zine writers Steve Wright and Julian Uzielli. The event was exceptionally well-run—free wine and cheese is always a plus—so big ups to the Huron, Brescia, and King’s students’ councils for making it happen, and to Dan Moulton for moderating an entertaining debate.  Continue reading

MITSC talks to USC presidential candidates

The ContendersThis started as an email to Arden Zwelling but turned into the kind of thing I figured some other people would want to read too, at which point it occurred to me that I had my own publication.

Zwelling, for those who have actively stayed out of the know, is the incredible force of nature behind the Gazette’s “Blog the Vote“. I have no idea how big his readership is, but as the editor of a campus publication that gets zero feedback, I totally respect how much work he’s putting into original content that’s keeping people interested and engaged. This post is something of an homage.

The USC presidential candidates came to the MITSC’s weekly meeting Tuesday night to give our faculty their pitches and answer some questions. Although I’ve been following the campaigns closely, it was the first time I’d met the three of them in person and it really changed my perspective. Apparently there’s only so much you can learn about a person from a video, a poster, and a rabid, dogmatic campaign team. It’s a shame the majority of voters (who are, incidentally, the minority of students), will never actually talk to the candidates themselves.  Continue reading

SONGS: Top 10 of 2010

The mitZine’s eccentric editor-in-chief reflects on his peculiar and extensive collection of alternative and techno music. This list features some exceptional indie hits and club mainstays, as well as groundbreaking electronica tracks.  Continue reading