 Many upperclass students and alumni wear a large , heavy , distinctive class ring known as the " Brass Rat " . Originally created in 1929 , the ring 's official name is the " Standard Technology Ring . " The undergraduate ring design ( a separate graduate student version exists as well ) varies slightly from year to year to reflect the unique character of the MIT experience for that class , but always features a three @-@ piece design , with the MIT seal and the class year each appearing on a separate face , flanking a large rectangular bezel bearing an image of a beaver . The initialism <unk> , representing the informal school motto " I Hate This Fucking Place " and jocularly <unk> as " I Have Truly Found Paradise , " " Institute Has The Finest Professors , " " It 's Hard to <unk> Penguins , " and other variations , has occasionally been featured on the ring given its historical prominence in student culture . 
