While volunteering as a Class Secretary requires a certain time commitment, the job shouldn’t be overly demanding. Writing your Class Notes column should be an enjoyable way for you to maintain your MIT connection! It is the responsibility of the Class Secretary to solicit news from fellow alumni in the class, to write up or summarize, to edit per Technology Review guidelines on length and other items as needed, and to submit the Class Notes to Technology Review, MIT's news magazine by the target deadline for the next publication.

The following guidelines will help answer questions that Class Secretaries might have in preparing their Class Notes columns. Note: The Tech Review editorial team will edit your columns according to these guidelines as well. Please note that these standards apply to all class publications.

a. Why we publish Class Notes. The goal of publishing the Class Notes is to strengthen the class alumni network and help foster the relationship between your classmates and with the global MIT alumni community.

b. Where we publish Class Notes. Class Notes are published six times a year in Technology Review and are available in print and online (behind user login). They are not published on unencrypted websites.

c. Your role. It is the responsibility of the Class Secretary to edit the alumni submissions and summarize comments to build an informative and objective Class Notes column.

d. Be comprehensive yet brief. Provide short updates about a wide range of classmates—career changes and milestones like marriages, births, relocations, professional or civic awards, activities, publications, unique travel, or hobbies. Try to report on life events that have happened as opposed to those that are impending, such as an upcoming wedding or birth. You will sometimes find it necessary to include some original prose to provide transitions, set the stage for a particular item, or refer to something in a previous column. Writing in your own voice will enliven your columns, but please be as concise as possible and keep commentary to a minimum.

e. Do not include lists of names. Whether you are covering class events, Tech Reunions, or an informal get-together among classmates, try to avoid long lists of attendee names. However, if you do, please be sure to include news/updates about those people.

f. Class Notes should be about alumni news, not alumni views. Please do not editorialize on classmates’ or Institute news and try to avoid sharing classmates’ personal, political, social, and religious opinions. Also, the Class Notes should not contain notes on private conversations between alumni, or from the class officers and other alumni, or alumni and MIT or MITAA, without express permission from all parties involved. Class Secretaries should use the same guidelines and judgment when classmates offer opinions on MIT policy, news, and personnel.

g. Check the facts. In general, you are responsible for the accuracy and integrity of the information you submit. Correct spelling of names is especially important. Check the Online Alumni Directory which includes addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses as well as some former names or spouse names. MIT will not publish unverifiable content or satirical news. Material that the editors suspect is false will be deleted.

h. Exercise tact and good taste. Avoid including in your columns any mocking or teasing language or inappropriate material, including disparaging or potentially libelous comments. Avoid reporting on sensitive or particularly personal news. Tech Review editors are also empowered to remove the material, as they deem appropriate.

i. Web addresses. Website addresses frequently become outdated or broken. Feel free to mention that someone has a website but leave out the URL. Today, most websites can be found easily through search engines such as Google.

j. Personal and professional solicitations. While it is tempting to use Class Notes to remind classmates about donations to MIT, alumni receive appeals from the Institute throughout the year in a variety of contacts and publications. It is fine to congratulate your class on a job well done in achieving a particular goal such as a record reunion gift number, but without an appeal to give. Sometimes alumni who are fundraising for other causes submit an appeal for their cause. While it is OK to mention that they are volunteering for a certain charity, please leave out direct requests for donations. This is also true of professional achievements—writing about a new job or founding a new company is appropriate; including an ask for clients or customers is not.

k. Privacy of scholarship recipients. The Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) forbids the publication of information from a student's education record without written permission from the student. Please do not list the names of student recipients of class or other scholarships.

l. Facebook and other social networking sites. Do not report on information you have gathered from Facebook or any other social networking sites, without verifying that the person you are reporting on knows that you are publishing their news in Tech Review. 

m. Refer to the style guide. The goal of the Technology Review style guide is to provide clear and simple guidelines to help you prepare your columns. The Class Secretary is required to follow these publications-related guidelines.

n. Support. The Class Secretary has the option of choosing another class officer to serve as a co-reviewer of the final version of the Class Notes before submission to MITAA/Technology Review.

Consider the Options of Both Print and Online Editions:

Class Notes are published both in Technology Review magazine and online. One of the advantages of Class Notes online is that the word count is unlimited, whereas the print version has a limit of 1,200 words. Online notes enable secretaries to cover news from more classmates in a more in-depth way. Some class secretaries effectively use the print version to write short teasers about classmates that refer readers to the web for more coverage. However, there is no obligation to create two columns. Secretaries only need to submit a separate online edition of their column if it is longer than the print version. If only the print version is submitted, it will be posted online.

Review suggestions to increase Class Notes submissions from your classmates:

Specifically ask certain groups of people. For example:

• Call out people whose surnames end with A–F to submit notes, then continue through the alphabet in successive columns.
• Ask alumni from certain living groups, alumni who played sports, or were in a particular course.
• Reach out to individual classmates you are curious about, who have never submitted notes.

Ask Questions!

• What did you do over the summer?
• Have you taken any trips recently?
• What is new with your family (births, weddings, graduations)?
• What is new at work?
• Have you written any articles, papers, blog posts or books?
• What was your favorite hack while you were at MIT?
• What alumni events have you attended since graduation?
• Tell us about one that you enjoyed and why?
• Who was your favorite faculty member and why did they have such an impact on you and your education?

Please adhere to the special set of style guidelines that Technology Review has prepared for the Class Notes section. There is also an important set of helpful hints for use in writing a column.

Certain uses of the Infinite Connection or any of the information obtained through these services which are inconsistent with the Purpose, constitute a violation of this policy and are prohibited. Such prohibited uses include but are not limited to

(a) activities that are illegal (e.g., are fraudulent or violate copyright or other laws).

(b) activities that defame, abuse, harass, stalk, threaten, or otherwise violate the legal rights of others.

(c) publication, posting, uploading, distributing or disseminating any inappropriate, profane, defamatory, obscene, indecent or unlawful content.

(d) uploading files that contain viruses or other similar software or programs that may affect or damage the operation of another's computer or another's property, or that may affect the operation of the Infinite Connection or networks connected to the Infinite Connection.

(e) use that inaccurately implies endorsement, approval, or sponsorship by MIT or the MIT Alumni Association (or any individual employee or officer of the Institute or the Association).

(f) use that can be confused with official communications of MIT or the MIT Alumni Association (or any individual employee or officer of the Institute or the Association).

(g) use that can be confused with official communications of MIT clubs, classes, or groups, or their officers.

(h) use that violates MIT or MIT Alumni Association policies and procedures (you may not use information about MIT alumni for non-MIT purposes or for use by organizations not affiliated with MIT and may not use this information in conjunction with any commercial purpose(s).); and

(i) mass mailings, faxes or emails (sometimes known as spamming). The MIT Alumni Association may deny further access to all or a portion of the Infinite Connection, including but not limited to the Online Alumni Directory or Email for Life services to anyone who violates this policy.

Learn how Technology Review handles columns:

As columns arrive at Technology Review, they are compiled for publication. Technology Review will not edit columns for accuracy, so please be sure to proofread your columns before submitting it. Columns will, however, be checked for length and style. (See Technology Review's style guidelines for style specifics.)

Naming your files and submitting your column:

Please send an e-mail to classnotes@technologyreview.com with your notes attached as a Microsoft Word document. Files should be named using your class year and the issue date. For example, notes from the Class of 2005 for the January/February 2008 issue should be named "2005JanFeb08." Attach photos for the column to the same email. Start your photo file names with your class year. Please include captions with the photo file name within the email body. (see "Submitting photos" below) An email will be sent to you within a day or two of receiving the notes. However, it is your responsibility to verify that your column has been received. You may also send your columns via U.S. mail to this address:

Class Notes Editor

MIT Technology Review

1 Main St., 13th Floor

Cambridge, MA 02142

Submitting photos:

If you choose to include photos with the online version of your column, they must be submitted electronically and must meet the following specifications:

• Files must be JPEGs or GIFs.
• Include the notation IMAGE where you want each image to appear within the column text. At the end of your column text, list the photo names in the order they should appear. Each photo requires a caption that should appear at the end of your column next to the photo names.

Example:

Submitted Class Notes for the online version

Tim Z. Beaver received the Outstanding Achievement award for his many volunteer accomplishments. He has served on numerous boards and committees and been instrumental in the past 25 years of growth. IMAGE Mrs. Tim Z. Beaver was in attendance along with many other volunteers and friends. IMAGE

Images:

Tim's_Award.jpg Caption= Tim receiving his award

Audience.gif Caption= The audience cheering for Tim

Need more information?

For further information about Class Notes:

Class Notes Editor

MIT Technology Review

1 Main St., 13th Floor

Cambridge, MA 02142

Tel: 617-475-8033

fax: 617-475-8043

e-mail: classnotes@technologyreview.com

For Alumni Association questions:

Class Programs

MIT Alumni Association

600 Memorial Drive, W98-2nd Floor

Cambridge, MA 02139-4822

617-253-8824