News

On May 30, nearly one hundred members of the FSILG community gathered at the MIT Museum for the annual business meeting of the Association of Independent Living Groups (AILG). The AILG is the formal voice of thirty-six Fraternities, Sororities, and Independent Living Groups (FSILGs) affiliated with the Institute. This particular event is intended both for reflection on the past year’s achievements, as well as looking forward to future challenges.

This year the keynote speaker was Chancellor Cynthia Barnhart SM ‘86, PhD ’88. Chancellor Barnhart spoke about the duties and challenges of her office and how she conceptualizes her role in student life. Barnhart peppered her talk with a data-driven understanding of MIT. She expressed her deep appreciation of what the FSILGs mean to MIT and the importance of a healthy FSILG community. She reserved a special mention for “all the FSILG volunteers for the time they devote to mentoring our students and future leaders."

This annual event allows the AILG to thank all the MIT staff and faculty that make the independent living experience here so special. AILG Chair Akil Middleton ‘08 and Vice Chair Pamela Gannon ‘84 mentioned a dozen outstanding contributors this year and then gave the traditional annual summary on the past year’s progress.
 
The post-dinner business meeting included elections of AILG Board members and Ombudsmen. Veteran Akil Middleton (Zeta Psi ‘08) and newcomer Cody Chamberlain (Phi Kappa Sigma ‘14) were elected to three-year Board terms. The Ombudspersons elected were Jessie Stickgold-Sarah (Fenway House ‘97), Sara Wilmer (Sigma Kappa ‘03), and Stan Wulf (Phi Delta Theta ‘65). The AILG also honored the work of retiring board member Steve Baker ‘84, a ten year AILG veteran who was traveling in Croatia. A photo album of the event can be found here.