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{\large\bf 9.70 Group Discussion -- Week 3 -- 21 February 1990}

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{\large Group T8}
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\noindent In attendance: Julie, Chris, Andy, Regina, Lori, Maureen, Steve

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The meeting started with Lori handing out the minutes from our last
meeting. The question was raised, since the previous minutes mention
it, what exactly {\it are} the similarities between the 9.70 class and
a T-group?

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We then started a discussion about the possibility of frustration
developing midway through the class. Most of our group agreed that it
is a possibility. One member brought up his experience with 9.06 and
how it got frustrating deciding what to discuss and what not to
discuss. Another member said that it could get frustrating analyzing
yourself anlayzing your behavior in the class. It would result in a
situation like standing in front of a mirror and looking at your
reflection in a mirror in front of you; the result is infinite
recursion, like the infinite number of images of yourself in the
mirror. There was general agreement that the untraditional nature of
the class could get frustrating, especially for MIT students who are
used to knowing what they have to learn and how they are going to
learn it. The question in people's minds would be ``What's the purpose
of the class?''

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A suggestion was made that there should be a ``leader'', as opposed to
several ``leaders'', to suggest ideas and topics to discuss. It would
be easier for one person to ``lead'' than for a group of people to
``lead''. Along the same lines, one member said she looked upon the
class as more of a ``rap group'' where a leader would use a few
provocative statements or questions to help generate discussion among
the group. 

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The conversation then turned to reminiscing about the old Student
Center. Then about PE classes, Pistol in particular. Then onto the
morality/legality of a new kind of gun. With that, a discussion
started on laws that are outdated but that were still on the books as
of a couple of years ago. These included so-called ``Blue Laws'', such
as it is (or was) illegal to walk down Mass Ave holding hands with
someone. Also discussed were various customs in different countries,
such as not shaking hands with the left hand, and their possible
origins.

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The discussion then turned to current events, such as death and crime
and AIDS. There was an accident in California in which 6 people died,
4 of which were rescuers attempting to save two people who fell
through the ice. This brought up a discussion on breathing liquid
oxygen and the experimentation of it on mice. Then a theory as to the
origins of AIDS brought up, which involved the fact that the brains of
monkeys are considered a delicacy in parts of the world and the AIDS
virus could have started from eating infected brains. On a completely
different subject, crime on campus was discussed, including recent
break-ins at Random and Burton. It is an interesting experience having
to confront a criminal face-to-face and confirm that he was the one
that broke in. General questions of security on campus were raised,
how quickly CPs respond, and how crime on campus has changed or not
changed over the past several years. 

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It was finally decided to try to come up with some suggestions for the
next steering committee as to what topics should be discussed at the
next class meeting. Very few were suggested. Those suggested were:

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\noindent 1. What is the similarity between the 9.70 class and the
T-groups mentioned in Chapter 8 of {\it The Social Animal}.

\noindent 2. What is the purpose of the class? What can we learn from this
class that we can't from just observing one of the groups we are a
part of?

\noindent 3. What should the purpose of the steering committee and/or
Professor Chorover be? Like a leader in a T-group or like a teacher in
a class?

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