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Comment by ok_dad | Hacker News Reader

MIT buildings, not the whole campus. I guess I don't see the big deal, I can't even get on the campus of my old university without a government-issued identification, and if I were caught in the non-public buildings I would certainly be arrested or at least escorted off-campus by some security tough guys. I guess MIT had a culture of openness, but that's being changed now, so kinda sad for those who went to MIT.

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You and I have very different experiences. At the places where I've been a student and worked, it was possible and permitted to enter the vast majority of buildings (I think all academic buildings, but I'm hedging with "vast majority"), during working hours (something like 8am to 6pm), without any identification or permission. Importantly, this always includes libraries.

I know people who, when considering faculty job offers from universities, use "are libraries open to the public" as a proxy for other valuable properties of the university. It seems like a pretty good heuristic to me.

I've been asked for ID exactly once on a university campus---I needed security to let me into my office building in the middle of the night because I'd forgotten my wallet in there, and they needed to record my name for some record. The officer didn't seem interested in _checking_ the ID so much as copying down the name.

I would be surprised if this were true for MIT libraries, it certainly is not for Harvard. Otherwise, many academic buildings were open. But not libraries because tourists would be disruptive.

pre-covid, you could go into MIT libraries as a member of the public. This was well known in Cambridge exactly because it was in stark contrast to the policy for Harvard libraries. You also could get on the wifi and access all the journals MIT had electronic access to.

MIT's openness is a huge wedge issue in the Harvard-MIT culture wars. That sounds like stupid elitist junk, but makes since historically. MIT wasn't always... "MIT". Not too long ago, it was just another college. Its open culture combined with proximity to austere academic/government/private institutions is one of the two reasons that it grew to be the behemoth is it now. The literal openness to the public has long been a huge source of "soft power" for MIT.

(The other reason for MIT's rise being WW2 and the military-industrial-academic complex ofc)

Even with this topic set aside, MIT has been turning into just another Harvard, which is a real shame. MIT alum used to be very proud of the fact that any and all were welcome to participate in many aspects of campus life.

the other other reason for MIT's rise was its acceptance of Jewish scientists fleeing Germany in the pre WWII period, while the ivy league schools* still had (anti) Jewish quotas.

also, MIT was not a complete slouch before that, as Harvard proposed absorbing MIT in the early part of the 20th century.

* which weren't technically ivy league yet, that league being found in 1954

Interesting. My own alma mater UCL was founded on openness to women and Jews and has thrived on that ticket of inclusivity. It was early to the table in admitting overseas students when most UK universities only recruited provincially.

When visiting central London I sometimes feel like a walk around the Gower Street quad, and seem able to mooch about the campus and poke my head into familiar lecture halls - even though it's central London location would seem to make theft/vandalism a threat.

I think a lot of this physical security lockdown nonsense is post-pandemic culture, and obviously the profitability of "security industries"

Public libraries allow anyone in -- BPL for example. I used to study there all the time, but I didn't think it was that disruptive. This is just one opinion but I actually really like this as a heuristic and will probably use it myself. Libraries should be open to all!

Not as many people are trying to enter BPL as, say, Widener Library.

Widener also has some areas that have to maintain absolute quiet. I have found this generally doesn't work if tourists are allowed in.

The MIT library is open to anyone who can get into the cluster of buildings that contains it (along with the main building, the infinite corridors, math and CS and many other disciplines). You won't be able to check out books if you aren't from MIT, but you can stroll and read and scan at your pleasure.

Harvard is the odd one out here.

Your experience matches mine, except for the libraries. In my experience at 3 private eastern US universities (two ivy leagues and one liberal arts), all libraries required university IDs or a pass to enter beyond the lobby. I do not know what was required for a non-university person to obtain a pass.

MIT has public spaces and a museum too that recently reopened in a new place. They hosted events at the Cambridge science festival a couple of weeks ago as well. The Cambridge symphony orchestra is using their performance hall again (after a Covid break) .

Though there were a few groups that would use their classroom space for meeting and I wonder if that is going to end. The quasi public dance events and the board game group in walker memorial might be student only (alumni and affiliates would also shut out)

The unsaid issue is of course bathroom access…

New president for MIT next year, so everything there is a little up in the air.

I'm guessing this is a private university? As long as you don't look very obviously hostile I find it hard to even wave down campus security, let alone them caring enough to ID people on campus. Computer labs and especially some science areas are locked off by specific keycards, but that's not something even existing students could do without asking for clearance.

But on the flip side, there was a private art university that did want my id when I drove on. They generally let me in no problem as long as I stated my business (Library), but I guess they wanted to make sure they were aware of any non-students coming in.

You know, I thought I mentioned it in there but I guess not. It was a military academy, so very different.

I feel bad hearing about how open things used to be at MIT and other places, I don’t like it very much that it’s changing.

The state school I attended required ID to enter every building. The library may have been an exception, I don't recall.

They have a museum and stuff, used to be open to public (paid entry?, can't remember). Is that still available?

The MIT museum is at a separate location: https://mitmuseum.mit.edu/

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