\chapter{General Information}

(This lives in {\tt /afs/sipb/project/doc/office\_manual})

\section{What is the SIPB?}

The Student Information Processing Board (SIPB) is a service
organization whose function is to provide easy access to computer
facilities at MIT and assistance to those who use them.  We provide
services to the MIT computing community to aid in work productivity,
computer use education, and entertainment.  In short, we strive to aid
the MIT computing community in whatever (legal) endeavor users may wish
of the available computer resources. 

There is, however, another side to the SIPB: we are also one of MIT's
many student activities.  The Board is composed of MIT
students.\footnote{An ``associate membership'' category is provided
for non-students who are interested in involving themselves in our
activities.} Expertise in computers is not assumed or required for
membership, although the majority of members acquire some in time.
Members will also find themselves acquiring a lot of other skills and
knowledge too diverse to list here.  This is not as dreary as it may
sound; we generally have a very good time.