diff --git a/frontend/src/Metamaps/Filter.js b/frontend/src/Metamaps/Filter.js
index f67c6ec8..59aa1bae 100644
--- a/frontend/src/Metamaps/Filter.js
+++ b/frontend/src/Metamaps/Filter.js
@@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ const Filter = {
       $('#filter_by_' + listToModify + ' li[data-id="' + identifier + '"]').fadeOut('fast', function () {
         $(this).remove()
       })
-      index = self.visible[filtersToUse].indexOf(identifier)
+      const index = self.visible[filtersToUse].indexOf(identifier)
       self.visible[filtersToUse].splice(index, 1)
     })
 
diff --git a/frontend/src/Metamaps/Mapper.js b/frontend/src/Metamaps/Mapper.js
index 3858101d..70cbd81a 100644
--- a/frontend/src/Metamaps/Mapper.js
+++ b/frontend/src/Metamaps/Mapper.js
@@ -1,17 +1,19 @@
+/* global $ */
+
 /*
- * Metamaps.Backbone
+ * Dependencies:
+ *  Metamaps.Backbone
  */
 
 const Mapper = {
   // this function is to retrieve a mapper JSON object from the database
   // @param id = the id of the mapper to retrieve
   get: function (id, callback) {
-    return fetch(`/users/${id}.json`, {
-    }).then(response => {
-      if (!response.ok) throw response
-      return response.json()
-    }).then(payload => {
-      callback(new Metamaps.Backbone.Mapper(payload))
+    $.ajax({
+      url: `/users/${id}.json`,
+      success: data => {
+        callback(new Metamaps.Backbone.Mapper(data))
+      }
     })
   }
 }
diff --git a/frontend/src/Metamaps/ReactComponents.js b/frontend/src/Metamaps/ReactComponents.js
deleted file mode 100644
index a2495245..00000000
--- a/frontend/src/Metamaps/ReactComponents.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,7 +0,0 @@
-import Maps from '../components/Maps'
-
-const ReactComponents = {
-  Maps
-}
-
-export default ReactComponents
diff --git a/frontend/src/Metamaps/Views/ExploreMaps.js b/frontend/src/Metamaps/Views/ExploreMaps.js
index 155e8453..c9f9b78b 100644
--- a/frontend/src/Metamaps/Views/ExploreMaps.js
+++ b/frontend/src/Metamaps/Views/ExploreMaps.js
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import React from 'react'
 import ReactDOM from 'react-dom' // TODO ensure this isn't a double import
 
 import Active from '../Active'
-import ReactComponents from '../ReactComponents'
+import Maps from '../../components/Maps'
 
 /*
  *  - Metamaps.Loading
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ const ExploreMaps = {
       loadMore: self.loadMore
     }
     ReactDOM.render(
-      React.createElement(ReactComponents.Maps, exploreObj),
+      React.createElement(Maps, exploreObj),
       document.getElementById('explore')
     )
     
diff --git a/frontend/src/Metamaps/index.js b/frontend/src/Metamaps/index.js
index 5d15559c..e1aa8b34 100644
--- a/frontend/src/Metamaps/index.js
+++ b/frontend/src/Metamaps/index.js
@@ -30,7 +30,6 @@ import TopicCard from './TopicCard'
 import Util from './Util'
 import Views from './Views'
 import Visualize from './Visualize'
-import ReactComponents from './ReactComponents'
 
 Metamaps.Account = Account
 Metamaps.Active = Active
@@ -55,7 +54,6 @@ Metamaps.Mouse = Mouse
 Metamaps.Organize = Organize
 Metamaps.PasteInput = PasteInput
 Metamaps.Realtime = Realtime
-Metamaps.ReactComponents = ReactComponents
 Metamaps.Router = Router
 Metamaps.Selected = Selected
 Metamaps.Settings = Settings
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/Header.js b/frontend/src/components/Header.js
index c8c67619..ee4184d5 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/Header.js
+++ b/frontend/src/components/Header.js
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 import React, { Component, PropTypes } from 'react'
-import { objectWithoutProperties } from '../utils'
+import _ from 'lodash'
 
 const MapLink = props => {
   const { show, text, href, linkClass } = props
-  const otherProps = objectWithoutProperties(props, ['show', 'text', 'href', 'linkClass'])
+  const otherProps = _.omit(props, ['show', 'text', 'href', 'linkClass'])
   if (!show) {
     return null
   }
diff --git a/frontend/src/index.js b/frontend/src/index.js
index 176ac329..67f69141 100644
--- a/frontend/src/index.js
+++ b/frontend/src/index.js
@@ -1,8 +1,6 @@
-// create global references to some utility libraries
-import ReactDOM from 'react-dom'
+// create global references
 import _ from 'underscore'
-window.ReactDOM = ReactDOM
-window._ = _
-
 import Metamaps from './Metamaps'
+
+window._ = _
 window.Metamaps = Metamaps
diff --git a/frontend/src/utils/index.js b/frontend/src/utils/index.js
deleted file mode 100644
index 1743b9b5..00000000
--- a/frontend/src/utils/index.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,9 +0,0 @@
-export const objectWithoutProperties = (obj, keys) => {
-  const target = {}
-  for (let i in obj) {
-    if (keys.indexOf(i) !== -1) continue
-    if (!Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(obj, i)) continue
-    target[i] = obj[i]
-  }
-  return target
-}
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index bb32377d..08c4f086 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -18,26 +18,24 @@
   },
   "homepage": "https://github.com/metamaps/metamaps#readme",
   "dependencies": {
-    "autolinker": "^0.17.1",
-    "babel-cli": "^6.11.4",
-    "babel-loader": "^6.2.4",
-    "babel-plugin-transform-class-properties": "^6.11.5",
-    "babel-preset-es2015": "^6.9.0",
-    "babel-preset-react": "^6.11.1",
-    "backbone": "^1.0.0",
-    "chai": "^3.5.0",
-    "jquery": "1.12.1",
-    "mocha": "^3.0.2",
-    "mocha-jsdom": "^1.1.0",
+    "autolinker": "0.17.1",
+    "babel-cli": "6.11.4",
+    "babel-loader": "6.2.4",
+    "babel-plugin-transform-class-properties": "6.11.5",
+    "babel-preset-es2015": "6.9.0",
+    "babel-preset-react": "6.11.1",
+    "backbone": "1.0.0",
     "node-uuid": "1.2.0",
-    "react": "^15.3.0",
-    "react-dom": "^15.3.0",
-    "requirejs": "^2.1.1",
+    "react": "15.3.0",
+    "react-dom": "15.3.0",
+    "requirejs": "2.1.1",
     "socket.io": "0.9.12",
-    "underscore": "^1.4.4",
-    "webpack": "^1.13.1"
+    "underscore": "1.4.4",
+    "webpack": "1.13.1"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
+    "chai": "^3.5.0",
+    "mocha": "^3.0.2",
     "babel-eslint": "^6.1.2",
     "eslint": "^3.5.0",
     "eslint-config-standard": "^6.0.1",