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Rush
From ECWiki
Rush is EC’s opportunity to express itself to the outside world, particularly prospective freshmen residents. With nearly a third of the dorm participating in some way or another, it brings everyone closer together – while building, giving tours, helping with ‘Dinner at the Dorms’ and throwing the Eastside party.
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[edit] Building Projects
Building safe, interactive rides and other creative structures is an integral part of Rush. It helps us to bond as well as express our interest in engineering outside of problem sets and lab. Past projects have included a 40‐foot tower, a roller coaster, a log flume ride, a zipline, a lazy river ride. a human trebuchet, and various jungle‐gym structures.
Preparation for Rush begins in June. After gathering initial ideas from residents, the rush chairs meet with representatives from EHS, the House Manager, and the Housemasters to discuss the feasibility and limits to these initial project ideas. After this initial meeting, the chairs start delegating projects to project leaders. These leaders are responsible for drafting a safety proposal from a template provided by the EHS office. These proposals often include extensive calculations, and address issues from sound structure to rider comfort. Project leaders then meet with EHS and receive feedback on their proposal, which is often revised multiple times. By mid‐August, all projects are approved and building begins during the same week that FPOPs begin. EHS visits during building and after completion to make sure the proposals have panned out, and freshmen are asked to sign waivers and wristbanded before being allowed to use any of the rides. In the past several years this system has worked well, with freshmen (and upperclassmen) thoroughly enjoying the rides.
Perhaps more important that the fun of the rides themselves, is the leadership and teamwork experience gleaned by those involved. Project leaders often go on to become Rush Chairs and continue
their involvement in other aspects of EC and greater MIT student government. They are also given project management experience, which clearly translates to real‐world experience.
[edit] Events
[edit] East Side Party
During the Sunday night of REX East Campus residents team up with Senior House to throw a large party for incoming freshmen. Much of the fun is riding the rides, but a lot of emphasis is placed on getting to know freshmen and showing them the personality of residents. During this party, there is traditionally a wrestling competition in an interesting substance, loud music, and interactive food events such as a cotton candy machine.
[edit] Power Tools Seminar
We want to get freshmen and upperclassmen involved even if they might not have extensive experience operating equipment. We try to come up with something simple that freshmen can make themselves, or something they can easily help and upperclassman project leader work on. These seminars help everyone interact safely and confidently with the equipment we have, as well as serving as a great teamwork activity for residents and freshmen.
[edit] Electrical Engineering Seminar
Similar to the power tools seminars, our electrical engineering seminars allow inexperienced residents and potential residents learn how to make their own take‐away devices. In the past we have had Mooninite‐making, radio‐making, and other light‐blinking seminars. This is a good way for freshmen to talk to upperclassmen and get to know the personality of residents, which is the most important aspect of the REX process.
[edit] Dinner @ Dorms
EC hosts its Dinner@Dorms in Walker Memorial’s Morss Hall. Early returns work with summer residents to decorate the area with spray‐painted hardhats, balloons, and confetti to create a welcoming and fun atmosphere for freshmen and parents. About two upperclassmen sit at each table and answer questions that freshmen and parents have about REX and EC, as well as life at MIT. Residents also serve food and clean up after the event.
[edit] In-house Rooming Night
In‐house rooming night is an exciting night at EC. Freshmen meet in our first floor lounge and are welcomed to EC by the President and Houseteam; they are then introduced to the rooming process by the Vice President. Each hall gives a brief description of their culture and events for the evening and the freshmen are released to explore the dorm until midnight, when they turn in their hall preference questionnaires. Halls do various activities, ranging from make‐your‐own pizza to paint‐by‐number murals to sew‐your‐own stuffed animal. At the end of the evening, representatives from each hall go through the freshmen rooming forms and try to place as many freshmen as possible in their highest ranked halls, taking into consideration their preferences with regard to smoking, cats, noise, and other questions of hall culture. Most freshmen receive one of their top three choices.
