Thank You to These Community Members

The following MIT community members have been recognized for going the extra mile. Thank someone today.
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Stefan Helmreich

...for your email check-ins, which have given us tireless reassurance and support for all students, faculty, and staff, I thank you. Our anthropology department is beyond fortunate.
Anonymous, History, Anthropology, Science, Technology & Society

Fuquan Gao

Fuquan’s responsiveness to the massive demands on his time has been Herculean. His constant presence and commitment to the department has always supported our efforts mightily, but are simply admirable in getting a large group of individuals with varied IT experience online in a short period of time. Even more impressive, Fuquan has supported our whole department (staff, students, faculty, visitors) as an IT department of one. Today, more than ever, his efforts mean that the Department of Political Science can continue to provide the outstanding education it is known for providing.
Political Science HQ Staff, Political Science

Laura Ryan

Laura Ryan runs the Humanities Film Office in SHASS. She was receiving email from many instructors within SHASS who utilize the HFO for their classes who were unsure of if/how the HFO services would continue as staff were being asked to work remotely and classes were being moved online. Laura stayed clear headed and proactive during a time when many others were experiencing heightened emotions. She devised and communicated a clear plan to ensure business continuity for her office. Thanks to Laura, even with classes moving to online formats and staff being instructed to work remotely, there will be no break in the services offered by the Humanities Film Office. Thank you, Laura!
Alicia Mackin, Literature Section

McCormick House Team

Thank you, thank you and once more! We constantly brag about having the best team on campus, and you have risen to the occasion one more time. Navigating unprecedented waters you knew our students needs and how to tend to them. Night and day there was someone in the lobby our residents could go to for help with their carts and suitcases during the move out.
To Tarfah, Al, Ryan, Marcy, Diego, Divya, Ashley, Scott, Zemirah, Diana, Salo, Margaret, Samir, Megan and Stella, THANK YOU for being such a caring and wonderful team.
To Emma -and Jun- We have trouble finding words to convey our appreciation. This challenge has tested us all, and it's a A+ for you.
McCormick Heads of House, R&F, DSL

Airport Shuttle Drivers

Thank you so much for getting us all to the airport on time and reducing the stress of figuring out how to get there last minute!
Sam Mendez

David Singer

David has been a fearless leader throughout this process. He has simultaneously done the hard administrative work of getting people online/out of their offices while also showing empathy for the mental and emotional hardships this placed on his team. He has somehow made us all feel like a priority, and has been uniquely human in his interactions with all members of our political science family. We could not have asked for a better head of department during this time, and I'm sure we will have many more praises to sing by the end of this period.
Political Science HQ Staff, Political Science

MIT MBA Sisterhood

The entire collective of MBA 2020 women has created a solidarity movement to support each other, share resources, and cope with the mental health and emotional effects of social distancing. We have shared music, recipes, games, books, professional development resources, and have started virtual book clubs, exercise routines, virtual wine nights, and career support chats.
Anonymous

Daria Johnson

Daria Johnson, Undergraduate Academic Administrator, worked tirelessly last week after the students received word that they would have to leave campus to make sure that Literature students felt supported. She arranged a lunch and free books drop-in to give students a physical space to feel safe, people to talk to, an opportunity to say goodbye to their teachers and other members of the Lit@MIT community, food to make sure they were not forgetting their own health and well being, and books to give them an opportunity to do something that would help to take their mind off of the difficult situation they were in. Thank you, Daria!
Alicia Mackin, Literature Section

President Reif

Thanks for your ongoing series of communications with the MIT community. They are consistently honest, thoughtful, and inspiring, virtues that aren’t always found in the communications from other presidents. You’ve reminded me of the pride I take in being an MIT grad! Thanks again.
Gene Clements, MArch 68

Dustin

Our GRA has been extremely helpful and diligent in our time of need. 41W loves him immensely!
Somaia Saba

Communications staff at MIT

Right from the beginning, you have done an incredible job of informing the community and letting us know -- far ahead of the pack -- how things were shaping up at MIT and in Cambridge. As the mother of a '21, I have always been grateful for the education and the experiences available to my son. Now, I see how well my family's faith has been placed. Thank you for keeping us informed and managing information in this chaotic, fluid climate. Be well, all.
Wendy Plump

Lian-Ee Ch'ng and Heather Fleming

HUGE kudos to Lian-Ee and Heather who are working tirelessly to plan a safe and smooth ramping down of non-critical research activities at the Bhatia lab. I am also SO grateful for their efforts to foster a super creative + productive online work environment for the lab during this challenging time. Thank you for all that you do!
Tarek Fadel, Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research / Bhatia Lab

ALL MIT ADMINISTRATION

You are amazing, MIT. We are so grateful for your turning on a dime to keep our kids safe and keep the classes rolling and research going. There is no better place in the world than MIT!
Judy Rosman

Course 15 Undergrad Office

I am not even a course 15 major, only a minor, and the amount of support and kindness I received from the course 15 office is the best representation of MIT culture. I am grateful for all their kind and timely emails, and how they always keep their doors open, literally and figuratively. Thank you, Scott, Natalie, and Austin!
Hatty Wang

Cameron Cler

As the GRA for my floor, Cameron responded with incredible support and empathy, staying strong in a time that was no less difficult for her than it was for anyone. Cameron worked to make sure that every student had somewhere to go, and personally reached out to offer her support. Without Cameron, this would have been unbearable.
Willem Guter, Computation and Cognition

Erica Tsai

She's been generous with her time and resources helping me during transition off campus - I know of few graduate students who are invested in undergraduates the way she is.
Anonymous

Next House Exec

Even when they're also stressed about the accelerated moving out process themselves, they also have the extra responsibilities that all Next House residents' necessities are taken care of. From having endless emergency meetings, buying boxes ahead from the announcement, reserving a lot of PODS, calming the other undergrads' anxieties by answering all our questions on Piazza, and I'm sure there're many more that we're not aware of. Thank you so much for being heroes!!! We hope we can pay you all back when we come back this Fall :D
Next House Resident, 6-3

Cameron Cler

Cameron has been there for us in every way possible since the news came that'd we'd be going home. Her door has quite literally been open this entire week, and I've seen more than a few students walk in randomly, only to be met with hugs and a sympathetic ear.
Helena McD

Krishna Rajagopal

Krishna is an individual who leads with his head and his heart. He is always upfront with what he knows, and more importantly, what he doesn't know. He never loses sight of the fact that he is responsible not just for the output of the Office of Digital Learning, but the staff as well. The values of any organization reflect those of its leader. We are a stronger team because of his values.
Lindsey Weeramuni, Open Learning

The Entire MIT Community

I have always felt that MIT has taken the high road when it comes to crisis, difficult decisions, and abuse and harrassment issues. I harken back to the Vietnam War days, when a small group of us closed down MIT for 6 weeks, and worked with President Jerome Wisener to help redirect MIT research policies for defense related projects. We also worked within the architectural community throughout Boston to raise awareness. MIT has always been in the forefront. Thank you to the whole community.
Bob Parker, M. Architecture, 1970

MIT Facilities Staff

Thank you to the Facilities staff who have continued to maintain campus systems and are undertaking the task of cleaning the Institute. This is no small feat, and without them we would not have a safe environment to go back to. I'm very appreciative of your sacrifices for the good of us all.
Debi Kedian, MIT Energy Initiative

Michel Goemans

Michel has always been an effect department head, and I appreciate his leadership and attentiveness to all of us in the math department especially in this trying time.
Ethan, Mathematics PhD

Communication Staff at MIT

Regardless of the personal inconvenience to my son and our family, the university has done an exemplary job in communicating clearly, often, and with great precision. I have children in other institutions and can say that MIT's communication has been exceptional. Thank you
Becky Landy

Alumni and studens who have rallied to help each other

From the alumni effort to coordinate & distribute resources to the students (both grad and undergrad) who worked around the clock last week to support each other in ways both practical and emotional, as always I'm reminded that our students (current and former!) are amazing, caring people and we are lucky to have them.
T.L. Taylor, CMS/W

President Rafael Reif

For his clear communication of events and updating the entire MIT community on actions he and the MIT staff take with concern and compassion for students.
Charles Puccia

Arthur Grau, Professors Sheffi, Lo, and Pentland, and the MIT community

Thanks to the team that put together an important and very timely webinar to bring calm, practical, and expert guidance to us in this pandemic.

This webinar gave me tremendous comfort that together we can identify and address the challenges that this global pandemic has brought.

It has made so very proud to be an MIT alumni. Thank you.
Ted Schadler, MIT Sloan MOT Program, S.M 1996

Mary Callahan

Mary worked tirelessly day and night over the last ten days or so on the academic continuity plan for our students. Without her efforts we would not even be able to contemplate continuing this semester in any way, shape or form.
Peter Hayes, Registrar's Office

Karrie Peterson

Thank you , Karrie, for your thoughtful and generous offer of additional staff to help support the work to transition the Libraries collections to support remote learning and work.
Deborah Lenares, MIT Libraries

HR

Thanks, HR, for giving us an opportunity to publicly express our gratitude for the many acts of caring and kindness that are making these weeks bearable.
Jane Abbott

Rob van der Hilst and Taylor Perron

Rob and Taylor have provided EAPS with a highly readable torrent of clear and current info. As importantly, they have conveyed it with caring and warmth, and a vivid appreciation for the pain and anxiety our staff and students are experiencing. A principle of communication theory is that every communication contains, in varying proportions, some component of information and some component that bears on relationship. In these difficult times, it's so important to package the crush of information together with the feeling of compassion and empathy. Thanks, Rob and Taylor.
Jane Abbott
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