On Wednesday night, six respected professors gathered in 26-100 for the Seventh Annual Latke-Hamentashen Debate. Students and faculty, ushered by a yarmulke-wearing Tim the Beaver, packed the lecture hall for the humorous academic dispute over the virtues and shortcomings of the latke and the hamentashen.

The admissions office has laid off staff, will reduce travel spending by 30–50 percent, and will move much of its communication with students to the Web. The measures will help Admissions meet MIT’s mandated 5 percent budget cut for the fiscal year beginning in July.

On Thursday night, four MIT faculty members were named MacVicar Faculty Fellows in recognition of their contributions to undergraduate education. They each receive $100,000 for educational activities and research.

Last Tuesday, graduate student Geoffrey von Maltzahn was named winner of the Lemelson-MIT Student Prize and received an unrestricted cash gift of $30,000 for his innovative work in cancer therapy.