Subject: Fake Housing Assignments This morning fake housing assignments were sent out to freshmen. The location varies highly. I'll include an example at the end. Also, for those who ran froshpref: > From: phaedo@gregor.MIT.EDU (housing lottery assignment server) > Subject: Need to verify your status for Freshman housing > Subject: Need to verify your status for Freshman housing > Reply-To: sao@MIT.EDU > > Hi. We're sorry, but you don't seem to be a match in our database of > new freshmen and transfer students. Could you please bring some > verification of your freshman or transfer status to the Residence and > Campus Activities office so that we can try to help you. > > The RCA office is in W20-549 (on the fifth floor of the Student Center). I wonder who requested me for a roommate.... >From house-lottery@PAN.MIT.EDU Mon Aug 29 05:19:43 1994 Received: from ATHENA-AS-WELL.MIT.EDU by po7.MIT.EDU (5.61/4.7) id AA18259; Tue, 30 Aug 94 06:49:46 EDT Received: from M2-225-9.MIT.EDU by MIT.EDU with SMTP id AA10499; Tue, 30 Aug 94 06:49:45 EDT From: house-lottery@PAN.MIT.EDU Received: from PAN.MIT.EDU by m2-225-9.MIT.EDU (AIX 3.2/UCB 5.64/4.7) id AA18714; Tue, 30 Aug 1994 06:49:44 -0400 Received: by PAN.MIT.EDU (5.57/4.7) id AA37619; Tue, 30 Aug 94 06:49:43 1994 Date: Tue, 30 Aug 94 06:49:43 1994 Message-Id: <6197832473.AA37619@PAN.MIT.EDU> Subject: Your Fall Term Housing Assignment Subject: Your Fall Term Housing Assignment To: jered@MIT.EDU Status: R Dear Freshperson: We are pleased to inform you of your new MIT Institute Housing Assignment for the coming Fall term of 1994. You have been assigned to room: W31-202 In many dormitories, this room assignment is merely a temporary arrangement until the dorm housing authorities can coordinate a more permanent assignment within said dormitory. You should carefully consult a map of the campus found within your "Hitchhiker's Guide" to locate the aforementioned room. Some of you at this point may notice that you have been given a less traditional housing assignment. Please read the rest of this message carefully for an explanation of your housing situation. Each year, far more freshpersons are admitted to the Institute than we have facilities to house. In the past, we have been occasionally compelled by circumstances to "crowd" some number of students into large dormitory rooms designed for 2 or 3 fewer people. To compensate, a generous 25% reduction in rent was offered to these students in accordance with Commonwealth of Massachusetts health and fire safety codes. Alternatively, we have resorted to placing some number of students together in a large barracks-like area in one of the campus athletic facilities or in the spacious basement of one of the graduate dormitories. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, a handful of those few hundred students who have been assigned to these living arrangements found them to be somewhat undesirable. You will be happy to know that this year we have given more careful thought to the needs and desires of the students most affected by these arrangements. We have hired several specialists in undergraduate housing psychology and, at great expense to the Institute, we have devised some very exciting new options for several students. You are one of the lucky few randomly chosen to have their requests withdrawn from the normal housing lottery to allow you to participate in this innovative new housing experiment. We are confident you will find this to be a delightful educational experience and a pleasurable way to start your student career here at MIT. Specifically, we have arranged for you to share a four person room with five other persons in a specially renovated space in Campus Police Cell Block H. In face of the recent crime outbreaks in the Greater Boston Area, this living arrangement will provide you with a much needed sense of security. You will have a unique opportunity to meet an eclectic variety of diverse persons whom you might not otherwise encounter in your years at MIT. We trust that you will find this rare opportunity to broaden your social horizons to be a quite delightful boon to your MIT experience and an unexpected added value from your hard-earned MIT tuition dollars. The nightly curfew enforced by the Campus Police in this lock-down facility will also be a great way to keep yourself on a regular sleeping schedule throughout the term. To assist in this, of course, special prior arrangements will be made for the Campus Police to issue an all-points-bulletin to locate and return you to your quarters each and every night so as to best ensure your safety. Think of them as your own personal Institute bodyguards! Please be sure to go to your new housing assignment as soon as possible to check in with the housing personnel awaiting your arrival. Assignments within rooms will be done on a first-come, first-serve basis. We will do everything we can to make this an enjoyable first term for you and your roommates. Arrangements are already being made in the event that you may choose to extend this experiment into the second term. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this arrangement please do not hesitate to directly contact our offices. You can arrange to meet with the housing consultants who helped devise this housing program so that you may thank them in person. They are: Dr. James Tetazoo, Ph.D. Dr. Jaqueline Rann, D.o.M. 3-120 2-214 Phone: 9-936-4225 Phone: 9-637-3761 ext.#9 Enjoy your new housing assignment and have an exciting first term here at Tech! Sincerely, Jack Florey, B.S. Dean of Freshperson Housing Assignments P.S. The following digital signature tracking sequence is automatically appended to the end of all official Institute e-mails so that you need not worry about being deceived by fraudulent messages from un-authorized sources. If you receive any apparently official Institute e-mails which lack this exact verification signature, you can be sure they are in fact not authentically originated. -----BEGIN KERBEROS E-MAILS AUTO-AUTHENTICATION SIGNATURE----- Version: 5.0 MITXXXACHgcv69CgCAcVGCCCCAK6c96c6ca6cCh63487854317844874SAE236x 87362DKE123823989ADPruLZ123898813FlOrEyIzGoB23B1FFizzzK00Ld00D8 2aIHTFP2v45v4vq45v5554gx42424242ElV1sHEliVZBYgoB123asdkjh?1238z adhzoink12656SNARK9912386MunKiSPunK66712388123987123dk12985jdkw -----END KERBEROS E-MAILS AUTO-AUTHENTICATION SIGNATURE----- Subject: such excitement... If people can track down any of the other variants of the hack housing assignments, I, at least, would like to read them and be amused. [Hmm, I should have had the forsight to ask the frosh who was telling me about it earlier today to send me a copy...ah well, if any of you hear of frosh telling about it, ask them to forward you a copy for your amusement.] Do we know if 5E/3E/Random/etc. are claiming credit -- or if the names were included simply as cannonical names to use on hacks? Subject: Re: such excitement... > If people can track down any of the other variants of the hack > housing assignments, I, at least, would like to read them and be amused. I have all of them. I have all the files we found on the machine the mail was sent from. All of the different rooms where there; I recall 7 but I'm not sure. Subject: housing assignments Here are the specific descriptions of all of the hack room assignments letters. The text of all eight letters is the same except for each location and its one-paragraph description. W15-103: Specifically, we have arranged for you to share a four person room with five other persons in a specially renovated space in the MIT Chapel. This will afford you the rare opportunity to explore a wide range of religious activities. In addition, you should find the sonorous cathedral pipe organ to be a delightful alarm clock to wake up to each morning at sunrise when the Solarian Followers begin their mass. This should have the added advantage of helping you to maintain a regular early morning waking schedule so that you might take full advantage of various other sunrise offerings here at the Institute, such as crew racing and working at the 24 hour Coffee House. Since the Chapel has no regular bathing facilities, we have made special arrangements with Physical Plant to install a large shower curtain around the east side of the Chapel Moat so that you and your roommates may bathe in privacy. A clothes line will also be strung from the Chapel steeple to offset the lack of laundry facilities. W20-308: Specifically, we have arranged for you to share a four person room with five other persons in a specially renovated space in the back of the 24 hour Coffee House. Your room comes equipped with several couches, a large TV set (with cable), and a Jolt Cola machine. These items should provide for most of your needs. For the purposes of studying, you will be given priority for the use of the Coffee House tables. Another special benefit of your living arrangement will be free coffee in unlimited amounts. Just think of the convenience of living in the middle of the Student Center, with a food store, a cafeteria, a bank machine, and an Athena cluster only a floor or two away! W31-202: Specifically, we have arranged for you to share a four person room with five other persons in a specially renovated space in Campus Police Cell Block H. In face of the recent crime outbreaks in the Greater Boston Area, this living arrangement will provide you with a much needed sense of security. You will have a unique opportunity to meet an eclectic variety of diverse persons whom you might not otherwise encounter in your years at MIT. We trust that you will find this rare opportunity to broaden your social horizons to be a quite delightful boon to your MIT experience and an unexpected added value from your hard-earned MIT tuition dollars. The nightly curfew enforced by the Campus Police in this lock-down facility will also be a great way to keep yourself on a regular sleeping schedule throughout the term. To assist in this, of course, special prior arrangements will be made for the Campus Police to issue an all-points-bulletin to locate and return you to your quarters each and every night so as to best ensure your safety. Think of them as your own personal Institute bodyguards! 10-1000: Specifically, we have arranged for you to room with five other persons in a four person police cruiser on top of the Great Dome. This living arrangement will provide you with a magnificent view of downtown Boston. Your accommodations will include free coffee and doughnuts, provided daily by Campus Police via their traffic monitoring helicopters. Conveniently, this living arrangement provides quick access to 10-250, one of the most frequently used lecture halls for freshperson classes. You will also be glad to hear that, in the winter months, you will be provided with gasoline to fuel the car for heating purposes. As an additional benefit, after the first month, you will be waived the $500 roof access fine. 26-1: Specifically, we have arranged for you to share a four person room with five other persons in a specially renovated space in the Building 26 freight elevator. You will find this location to be conveniently close to 26-100, the lecture hall most attended by freshpersons both for classroom instruction and for LSC movie viewings. Moreover, this living facility provides many unique advantages. For instance, in the winter when the main campus tends to be chilly, you will have the ability to elevate your living quarters to equalize the ambient temperature, humidity, and air pressure to the taste of you and your roommates. Furthermore, you will have the unique opportunity to tell all your classmates that you have truly been "shafted" by the Institute. And last, but surely not least, should you find any nearby office occupants to be distractingly loud or unruly, you will be able to move your entire room to a more quiet location with a mere touch of a button! 10-340: Specifically, we have arranged for you to share a four person room with five other persons in the posh and beautifully re-furnished Emma Barton Rogers Womens' Lounge. We are delighted to inform you that you and your fellow roommates will be the first men to enter this room since it was constructed in 1861. This unprecedented extension of official Institute policy will be an inaugural gesture by the Administration to begin allowing the same privileges for men that have long been enjoyed only by our female students. Of course, certain special restrictions will have to apply so as to clarify the intent of these accommodations as an expression of solidarity with our lacy community members. For instance, you will be expected to wear female undergarments with your normal attire and wear tastefully feminine cologne at all times. We are confident that you will find this stipulation non-problematic as an open-minded non-gender biased MIT student. 57-014: Specifically, we have arranged for you to share a four person room with five other persons in a specially renovated space adjoining the Alumni Pool. You will have an exquisite view of the pool through a newly installed plexiglass wall in the diving well. This aquatic living arrangement will easily accommodate all your personal hygienic needs. As a special benefit, you will have first priority access to the swimming pool. We expect that this will provide you with ample opportunity to effortlessly pass the swimming test which is mandatory for all MIT students. 51-201: Specifically, we have arranged for you to share a four person room with five other persons in a specially renovated space in the top floor of the MIT Sailing Pavilion. Not only does this special facility afford a spectacular view of downtown Boston and the Charles River but it will also inspire you to pass your mandatory swimming test early so you can partake in the exquisite sailing conditions on the pristine Charles, named after our own beloved Institute President. Moreover, the diligent exercise and training drills performed by our own celebrated MIT Crew Team at 6AM each and every morning, rain or shine, will no doubt help to keep you on a regular early morning sleep schedule. As a consequence, you will be able to take full advantage of all daylight hours, especially precious during the winter. Subject: Lottery hack Cool. Were any of us in on this or was this just an East Campus hack? Looked to me like both 5E and 4W were in on this? Florey and Tetazoo? And did the freshmen actually get these messages or was it shut down or erased before they got to them? I'm just curious about how fascist Athena is these days about this sort of hack. I recall them violating people's privacy in the bast by groveling through their email inboxes... just wondering if this is still their policy. Anyway, this was pretty cute. Wonder if any of the frosh are even clueful enough to realize that they've been hacked? I'm about to fall out of my chair imagining some total dweeb trying to show up at C.P. to check into their cell! What a roar!! Subject: Re: Lottery hack I don't know who was in on this. It was sent by someone logged in as root. Perhaps the culprit logged on before or nearby, but how to tell? The freshmen did actually recieve these messages, and I heard (but you know how it is when you hear from someone who heard from someone etc) that someone did go to coffeehouse asking about it. From bal@martigny.ai.mit.edu Tue Aug 30 16:39 EDT 1994 Subject: from zephyr instance white-magic [Just read --bal] Time: 12:56:46 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: BILL-THE-CAT From: Jered J Floyd Out of curiousity, where is W31-202 (my forged housing assignment.) Time: 12:53:39 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: HUBBLE From: Big Mac I believe that is CP headquarters. at the least it is second floor of DuPont. Time: 13:07:17 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: CASCADE From: "Imperial Battleship: @i(Halt the flow of time!)" How widespread have the fake housing assignment messages been? Time: 13:08:03 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: BILL-THE-CAT From: Jered J Floyd I would like to know too. The letters are in a form, but they still have a lot of specific info. Would it be a problem to put it on a zephyr instance? (fake-housing)? Time: 13:08:06 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: M66-080-17 From: sprite! Fake housing assignments?? Time: 13:08:56 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: M11-113-13 From: The answer is 42! An explanation should at least be included in the real housing assignment message. Time: 13:09:14 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: BILL-THE-CAT From: Jered J Floyd Ha-ha. Very funny. No. I was assigned to Campus Police Cell Block H. Time: 13:09:30 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: VENUS From: I'm too full to swallow my pride. who was the mail from? Time: 13:09:40 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: M11-113-13 From: The answer is 42! Jack Florey Time: 13:09:53 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: CASCADE From: "Imperial Battleship: @i(Halt the flow of time!)" I'm wondering if frosh are gullible enough to confuse them with the @i(real) messages I'm sending out this afternoon. I'm dubious about adding any notice saying "THIS IS THE REAL ONE" because, ironically, it might make the @i(real) ones look fake. Time: 13:06:05 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: HUBBLE From: Big Mac florey is up to tricks again, eh? Time: 13:10:06 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: BILL-THE-CAT From: Jered J Floyd house-lottery@PAN.MIT.EDU Time: 13:10:07 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: M66-080-17 From: sprite! Gee, how original (Jack Florey) Time: 13:10:20 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: M11-113-13 From: The answer is 42! No - it'll be fine if they see the real one along with it. But, some freshmen are probably already checking... Time: 13:10:42 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: BILL-THE-CAT From: Jered J Floyd Okay, it's long, it's going to zephyr instance fake-housing. Subscribe now (or *) Time: 13:10:45 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: VIENNA From: Immer Verdamt Kunst Craig pan? Time: 13:12:43 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: VENUS From: To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet. other freshman get fake assignments? Time: 13:13:04 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: M66-080-17 From: sprite! "zctl add fake-housing '*' '*'" Time: 13:13:11 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: BILL-THE-CAT From: Jered J Floyd No, of course not. I'm trying to share the humor. Does anyone know how many different ones were sent out? Who did it? (I think there's a clue in the fake PGP sig) Time: 13:13:00 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: VIENNA From: I say unto you: People are addicted @b(addicted) addicted to @i(information) Craig put it in bitbucket Time: 13:13:27 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: M66-080-17 From: sprite! "zwrite -c fake-housing ..." Time: 13:13:49 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: A-KIND-OF-MAGIC From: You! PC a project! I'm for sending it to a class... Time: 13:14:04 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: CASCADE From: "Imperial Battleship: @i(Halt the flow of time!)" The RCA office has already gotten a couple of frosh who came in after spending a half-hour or so trying to find nonexistant rooms. Time: 13:14:11 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: BILL-THE-CAT From: Jered J Floyd Okay, it's going to that class in 30 seconds. Time: 13:14:14 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: VIENNA From: Once I turned you on, and your were on all day, and most of the night, but no more Craig bitbucket's the best way Time: 13:14:14 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: GLACIER From: a lingering Scribe-like death Use an instance. People who are * * deserve what they get, and I don't want to bother to subscribe. Time: 13:14:47 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: A-KIND-OF-MAGIC From: You! PC a project! instance! class! email! bitbucket! Time: 13:14:59 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: CASCADE From: "Imperial Battleship: @i(Halt the flow of time!)" Marines! Time: 13:15:01 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: A-KIND-OF-MAGIC From: You! PC a project! skywriter! Time: 13:15:05 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: VIENNA From: Nice soft plastic flesh... The Andor sisters. Craig bitbucket's the best way attach bitbucket cp ~/Mail/inbox/number /mit/bitbucket/fakehousing chmod 644 /mit/bitbucket/fakehousing Time: 13:11:10 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: HUBBLE From: Big Mac did you say that it was signed "Jack Florey"? if so, that identifies who sent it (assuming no one has the gall to falsely put the blame on others). Time: 13:15:36 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: M11-113-13 From: The answer is 42! Well, James Tetazoo is one of the references given. Time: 13:16:36 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: M66-080-17 From: sprite! Don't worry, someone will probably put it in a collection of hacks RSN.. Time: 13:20:09 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: BILL-THE-CAT From: Jered J Floyd If anyone else wants mine, I'll mail it (personal zephyr, please.) Also, the person behind me just got 26-1. The building 26 freight elevator. Time: 13:17:25 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: HUBBLE From: Big Mac unfortunately, that zephyr is so long that it doesn't fit on the screen, and you lose the bottom part of it. Time: 13:22:16 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: VENUS From: I'll send an SOS to the world. hmm-this might be an obvious question..but shouldn't the frost be clueful enough to realize that the assignments are a joke...and at least not go looking for them?? Time: 13:22:40 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: M66-080-17 From: sprite! Remember, some of them come from hackless backgrounds. Time: 13:22:59 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: M66-080-17 From: sprite! (I know.. how underpriviledged) Time: 13:19:08 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: HUBBLE From: Big Mac why should they be that clueful? if the only read the first three paragraphs, it isn't so obvious. Time: 13:23:05 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: M11-113-13 From: The answer is 42! Someone already noted that a couple of freshmen have fallen for it. Time: 13:23:08 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: VENUS From: A hundred people call, though not one friend hmmm--true...poor things Time: 13:23:32 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: VENUS From: You don't care so I won't cry. but aren't the assignments outrageous? Time: 13:23:59 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: VIENNA From: You pushed @i(all) the right buttons... not in the right @i(sequence), but not bad... Craig please put it in bitbucket Time: 13:23:54 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: MADMAN From: The sky is crying ... (Aug. 27) Or simply show @i{n} > /mit/bitbucket/fakehousing (there's actually almost never a need to refer to explicit mail paths in MH) Time: 13:20:26 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: HUBBLE From: Big Mac how is a freshman going to know that w31-202 is CP headquarters until he gets there? Time: 13:24:53 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: BILL-THE-CAT From: Jered J Floyd It says so in the letter! Time: 13:21:17 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: HUBBLE From: Big Mac like I said, if you only read the first three paragraphs that isn't so obvious. Time: 13:25:21 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: VIENNA From: Zapped by a heavy dose of sappy Love Craig chmod 644 /mit/bitbucket/fakehousing Time: 13:25:33 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: VENUS From: You don't care so I won't cry. i would think that they would expect some sort of dorm name and entry Time: 13:25:38 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: A-KIND-OF-MAGIC From: You! PC a project! The letter gives a complete description of the new quarters (CP Cell block D or something like that) Time: 13:26:16 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: BILL-THE-CAT From: Jered J Floyd It's in /mit/bitbucket/fakehousing, now. Time: 13:26:58 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: M11-113-13 From: The answer is 42! I love the encrypted signature: MITXXXACHgcv69CgCAcVGCCCCAK6c96c6ca6cCh63487854317844874SAE236x 87362DKE123823989ADPruLZ123898813FlOrEyIzGoB23B1FFizzzK00Ld00D8 2aIHTFP2v45v4vq45v5554gx42424242ElV1sHEliVZBYgoB123asdkjh?1238z adhzoink12656SNARK9912386MunKiSPunK66712388123987123dk12985jdkw Time: 13:27:26 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: BILL-THE-CAT From: Jered J Floyd And the P.S. The following digital signature... Time: 13:28:38 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: VIENNA From: Romance without Finance is a Nuisance Craig cute: Phone: 9-637-3761 ext.#9 Time: 13:25:09 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: HUBBLE From: Big Mac why should freshmen know to expect a dorm name and entry? in fact, there have been times in the past when that was not true for some dorms! Time: 13:29:52 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: VENUS From: When the stars threw down their spears tee hee... its ammusing hmmm--i suppose so--it still seems pretty obvious its a joke--but then i can't say how a freshman woudl view it Time: 13:30:52 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: VIENNA From: Moderation in the average, not the moment Craig ADPruLZ FlOrEyIzGoB B1FFizzzK00L IHTFP2 42424242 ElV1s what other hidden messages are in the auth? Time: 13:31:35 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: BOLOGNESE From: Thermite is a great way to say goodbye to that special someone. B1FF K00Ld00D Time: 13:32:06 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: VIENNA From: (A dimension of mind) E = mc˛ Craig oh, that's B1FFizzzK00Ld00D Time: 13:32:12 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: VENUS From: Only hope can keep me together SAE SNARK Time: 13:32:19 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: BOLOGNESE From: Thermite is a great way to say goodbye to that special someone. SAE DKE Time: 13:35:22 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: VENUS From: I'm too full to swallow my pride. is Pan a machine here? Time: 13:35:24 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: BOLOGNESE From: Thermite is a great way to say goodbye to that special someone. Nobody has mentioned the MIT yet... Time: 13:35:32 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: VIENNA From: Hit me with your rhythm stick, je t'adore, ich leibe dich Craig why? is it something real? Time: 13:35:59 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: VENUS From: @b(Turn a blind eye to the thief of your heart) i don't think so - i fingered @pan and got an unknown host... Time: 13:36:03 Date: Tue Aug 30 1994 Host: VIENNA From: I need you like a drug Craig No such host 'pan'. Subject: Re: such excitement... It was mentioned to me by a frosh, pleclair. He stuck his copy in ~pleclair/Public/HACK. As for who was involved, be sure to read the `authenticator' closely... X-Courtesy-Of: NCSA Mosaic 2.4 on Unknown Platform X-Url: http://the-tech.mit.edu/V114/N36/housing.36n.html Frosh Receive Housing Spots By Sarah Y. Keightley Editor in Chief The Student Center Athena cluster was bustling with activity yesterday evening as small groups of freshmen gave out happy cries and disappointed groans. They had just received their dormitory assignments through electronic mail. About 760 students have received assignments, and another 44 will have to wait until the second round of the housing lottery, according to Assistant Dean for Residence and Campus Activities Andrew M. Eisenmann '75. This year students entered their housing preferences using the Athena Computing Environment. Eisenmann processed this information using software on his Macintosh. The results were then e-mailed to the new students. The new system seems to have alleviated problems that came up last year. Last year's freshmen had to wait in long lines to receive their dormitoryassignments. Also, about 100 students had to wait for a second lottery, and 55 had to wait again for a third lottery. Yesterday's messages were scheduled to be sent out by 6 p.m., but there was some delay. The program's creator S. Anders Oakland had to deliberately slow down the way the program sent mail because he did not want to clog the mail server. Still, he had planned to have the messages sent by 6 p.m. Most students were happy with their permanent housing assignments. Priya Bhargava '98 took some time before logging in to learn her housing assignment. She said she was really nervous because, "You have no idea where you're going to end up." She later found out that she received her first choice, MacGregor House. Still, some students were upset by the lottery results. Gina Ferrante '98 was assigned to Burton House, which was her fifth or sixth choice. "I blocked with a friend of mine," she said. "I'm very upset because everybody was telling me you get your first or second choice." Lottery has full participation Oakland said that they were "delighted by how well the numbers added up." The total number of students with dormitory assignments and students who have pledged fraternities or agreed to live in independent living groups seems to equal the number of freshmen in the class, he said. Eisenmann said that no one seems to have missed out on the lottery. He did say that three or four students missed Monday's 3 p.m. deadline for particular reasons, and they entered their preferences manually in the Residence and Campus Activities office. The second round lottery assignments will go out today by 6 p.m., Eisenmann said. This still enables students to attend possible in-house dormitory rush events. The second round is necessary because pledging is a continual process, Eisenmann said. As students accept bids from fraternities, some sororities, and other independent living groups, new spaces are opened up in the dormitory system, he said. Several dormitories, including Baker House, MacGregor, and McCormick Hall will be doing room assignments before the freshmen actually move in on Thursday, Eisenmann said. This means that students will be able to move directly into their final dormitory room. In previous years, all freshmen started moving into their permanent dormitory assignments after the lottery results were released. They were then placed in temporary rooms before in-house dormitory rush, and had to wait a few days before getting their final room assignments. Hack assignments Prior to receiving the actual mail from housing lottery officials, some freshmen received messages telling them that they had been given "a less traditional housing assignment." For example, Eric M. Nielsen '98 was assigned to W15-103, the Chapel, and Piyush Bharti was assigned to 51-201, the Sailing Pavilion. The letter read: "Some of you at this point may notice that you have been given a less traditional housing assignment. You are one of the lucky few randomly chosen to have their requests withdrawn from the normal housing lottery to allow you to participate in this innovative new housing experiment." It is signed Jack Florey, a common pseudonym for hackers. Oakland said that his office was aware of these messages. They decided not to try to remove them from the system because they were "amusing." He hopes that not too many freshmen were confused by the "hack" message. In response to the joke, the real letter starts off: "No, you haven't really been assigned to live in a police cruiser, a freight elevator, or the chapel." Copyright 1994, The Tech. All rights reserved. This story was published on August 31, 1994. Volume 114, Number 36. The story began on page 1 and jumped to page 7. For those interested, check out the following url: http://fishwrap.mit.edu/Hacks/by_year/1994/frosh_assign/frosh_assign.html