Connecting with Community
Students demonstrate traditional dance at the SABC C-Function.
Credit: Alexis ErtznerThe MIT Sloan Student Life Office hosts and co-hosts a wide variety of events each year to help build connections and foster community at MIT Sloan. While many events occur every year or several times per year, we also pilot new events to find ways to help maximize your Sloan experience.
All of our upcoming events will be posted to SloanGroups and advertised weekly in the Student Life Newsletter. We've compiled a list of many of our annual and recurring events, though this list is not exhaustive and may change from year-to-year. If you are a current student and have suggestions for additional community events you want to see or events you'd like to co-sponsor, please let us know!
Student Life Events
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Each year, the Student Life kicks off fall semester and welcomes (or welcomes back) students and their significant others with a cruise of Boston Harbor aboard the Spirit of Boston and the Odyssey. This is a great chance to catch up with old friends, meet new friends, and enjoy the beauty of Boston Harbor at night (and maybe do a little dining and dancing).
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This event introduces incoming students to the many clubs at MIT Sloan. Club Fest is an open-house style reception where club leaders are available to answer questions about their initiatives, events, and member benefits. Many clubs provide the opportunity to both attend and organize a variety of events—from student-led conferences, to dinners and treks.
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The Yarn is a night when Sloanies share unforgettable personal stories with one another about the things that matter most in their lives. It is about going deeper as a community and celebrating the diversity of values, perspectives, and experiences that we share here at MIT Sloan. Be sure and check out past Yarn speakers on their YouTube page.
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C-Functions run on select Thursday evenings throughout the academic year and are co-hosted by Student Life, the Sloan Experience Committee (under the Sloan Senate), and a club. The name "C-Function" was coined to refer to John Maynard Keynes' Consumption Function; more recently the "C" in C-Function has become synonymous with community. C-Functions usually take place in Walker Memorial's Morss Hall but can also be held off-campus, and feature food, arts, and activities from diverse geographic regions (Japan, South East Asia, Brazil, to name a few) or other themes ranging from LGBT to sustainability.
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Course XV dinners allow fifteen Sloan students from across the programs to have a delicious meal at a local venue with a member of the Student Life Office. There is no agenda other than having enjoyable conversation with fellow Sloanies, making new connections, and eating a good meal. The connections made at these dinners strengthen networks, build friendships, and increase opportunities for collaboration. Signups are announced in the Student Life Newsletter approximately two weeks before each lunch and seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis by program.
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The "Ask Me Anything" series of events provides firsthand personal perspectives on elements of personal identity. Past events have addressed national identity (often tied in with C-Functions), religious, racial, sexual, and ethnic identity, the Veteran experience, and themes such as mental illness and hearing loss. Typically, a small panel of community members provides brief introductions then addresses questions that people may otherwise be hesitant to ask. Our goal in offering these panels is to advance understanding and dialogue. We encourage faculty, staff, and students to attend these events to learn more about the issues and how to be effective allies and leaders, both within the MIT community and beyond.
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At times of peak stress throughout the year, Student Life brings a day of wellness to the community, with appointments available for massage, acupuncture, and yoga. We also bring in therapy dogs (from Dog B.O.N.E.S. Therapy Dogs of Massachusetts) who are looking for belly and ear rubs, and Barn Babies (just like it sounds—kittens, puppies, bunnies, and more) to melt your stress away.
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Co-sponsored by the Sloan Senate, each semester Sloan programs and cohorts come together in the spirit of friendly competition to host the Sloan Olympics, featuring activities such as three-legged races and tug-of-war.
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Events such as Spring Gala (held at Rosecliff Manor in historic Newport, Rhode Island) provide the opportunity to pull out your most elegant clothes and enjoy an evening with your classmates.
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Student Life and the Sloan Senate team up to put on the Sloan Follies on the last day of classes each spring semester. The evening begins with dinner and a reception on Kresge lawn, with entertainment provided by The Rolling Sloans. The evening then moves into Kresge Auditorium, where Sloanies from across the programs put on a themed skit to hilariously sum up their Sloan experience for your entertainment.
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Student Life offers subsidized tickets for Sloan students to see a Red Sox game each fall at historic Fenway Park in Boston. It is a great way to meet other Sloanies, catch a Red Sox game, and dive into local Boston culture.
Some years, the Sloan Experience Committee partners with Student Life to do a similar event at select Boston Celtics games.