Culture
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As a fan of “The Daily Show,” I have seen John Oliver’s work before. I watched his skits and appreciated his sense of humor, and honestly, I worried that his live show at Freeze Fest would be no different. But instead, I was met with something new as a type of brief but comfortable friendship formed. The audience became Rochester, the nerdy, overeager college kids with many faults. And John Oliver became the dude who made us acknowledge and laugh at them.
This year’s Tora-Con is set to be bigger than ever, in celebration of the event’s 10-year anniversary. Tora-Con is RIT’s major anime and Japanese culture convention, put on by the Anime and Cosplay clubs. With a multitude of new events planned, Tora-Con’s organizers believe this year will be record-breaking in terms of attendance.
“Our teacher was scared of the word ‘penis,’” said second year Psychology major Lauren Harradine. Well, not necessarily scared, she clarified. “But she couldn’t say it without laughing really hard.”
At the February 14 Institute Council meeting RIT’s budget for next year was broken down, the 10 year strategic plan was looked over, the 2015-16 school year calendar was evaluated and approved and progress of a new online class system was evaluated.
Recent RIT alumnus Steve Bodnar presented in the Xerox auditorium on February 12. He received his undergraduate degree in English/Journalism from the University of New Hampshire and came to RIT after working for a few years in his field to gain a master’s degree in Communication & Media Technologies in 2012. The purpose of his presentation was to talk about his experience doing public relations for non-profit or low-profit.
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For 15 years Jennifer Hayes worked as a staff interpreter at RIT for the science/engineering team, spending her last few years as part of the liberal arts core team. She was known as a top interpreter and signed for important RIT figures, as well as for theater plays in the Panara Theatre and Ingle Auditorium. She was married with three children. Hayes was diagnosed with stage four cancer six years ago. She died on January 30, 2014 at the age of 43.
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Various professors, sustainability directors and architects from colleges in the Northern New York region came together to discuss and learn about the sustainability efforts at this year’s sustainability conference, held January 29. Representatives from colleges including Cornell University, Monroe Community College (MCC) and RIT attended the event to answer questions and to talk about their goals to improve the quality of their campuses.
While most students were using their month off from school for rest and relaxation, a select few opted to take another available opportunity: intersession classes. Starting on January 2 and ending on January 22, students had the opportunity to take a single class in a short-yet-intense three week format consisting of five-days-a-week, three-hour classes. This style of teaching was not possible back in the quarter system and is the first time RIT is attempting it.
Illustration by Jordyn Carias
On February 9, five of RIT’s photography professors hosted the twenty-ninth annual Big Shot, an organized photo shoot where volunteers bring flashlights to illuminate High Falls in downtown Rochester. The goal was for students and community members to bring flashlights, light them simultaneously and light up High Falls. Above the Falls was the CSX railroad, who participated in the photo shoot by bringing a train from their world headquarters in Jacksonville, Fla.
Ah, Valentine’s Day! Love is in the air and you are going out with your significant other for a holiday drink. Wait, you don’t know where to start? Well come by each day leading up to the Day of Love for a new drink recipe each day including feedback from our tasting team. For each drink, we rated the drink on its appearance or first impression, smell, taste and whether or not it was Valentine’s Day material.
Ah, Valentine’s Day! Love is in the air and you are going out with your significant other for a holiday drink. Wait, you don’t know where to start? Well come by each day leading up to the Day of Love for a new drink recipe each day including feedback from our tasting team. For each drink, we rated the drink on its appearance or first impression, smell, taste and whether or not it was Valentine’s Day material.
Ah, Valentine’s Day! Love is in the air and you are going out with your significant other for a holiday drink. Wait, you don’t know where to start? Well come by each day leading up to the Day of Love for a new drink recipe each day including feedback from our tasting team. For each drink, we rated the drink on its appearance or first impression, smell, taste and whether or not it was Valentine’s Day material.
Ah, Valentine’s Day! Love is in the air and you are going out with your significant other for a holiday drink. Wait, you don’t know where to start? Well come by each day leading up to the Day of Love for a new drink recipe each day including feedback from our tasting team. For each drink, we rated the drink on its appearance or first impression, smell, taste and whether or not it was Valentine’s Day material.
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US Abortion Rate at Lowest Level Since 1973 According to the Guttmacher Institute in New York, the abortion rate in the United States is the lowest it’s been in 40 years, when the operation was legalized. USA Today stated that there has been a 13 percent decline in the number of abortions from 2008 to 2011. These numbers not only show a dramatic decline in just three years, but it is also the lowest abortion rate the United States has had since 1973.
Last year the term “friend zone” was added to the Oxford Dictionary.
Illustration by Emily Gage On January 26, Gracie’s opened a new station called Solutions, which caters to students who have dietary restrictions.
comic by Emily DeVault Word of the Month: Hypocorism (noun): a pet name. Janet’s boyfriend, Tony, would not respond to the hypocorism Fluffy, much to her disappointment. Quote: “Love is friendship set on fire.” – Jeremy Taylor
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"Torres" by Torres Review Alternative Rock 3/5 Stars
“Oh wow, cool, thanks a lot for the, uh, bouquet of roses and giant teddy bear. This is, um, really sweet of you. No, I’m only yawning because I’m just so overwhelmed by my love for you at this very moment. Here, I got you a forced smile and a pat on the back. I hope they’re the right size.”
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Nestled away on a 21 acre parcel of land on an unassuming street in Pittsford, N.Y. sits a beautiful cobblestone house. To the average passerby, this is just another beautiful old farm house, but to the RIT community this residence, known as Liberty Hill, is home to a couple we are all familiar with: RIT President Dr. Bill Destler and his wife Dr. Rebecca Johnson.
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The longer people spend on Facebook, the greater the decline in “how people feel moment–to –moment and how satisfied they are with their lives,” according to a recent study conducted by the psychology department at University of Michigan. This finding was independent of factors such as the “size of people's Facebook networks, their perceived supportiveness, and motivation for using Facebook, gender, loneliness, self-esteem or depression.”
At the January 31 Student Government (SG) meeting, there was a presentation on future smoking policy changes and elections were held for for GCCIS and CAST senators.
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We’ve all thought about it. But Pew Research reports that only one in ten people have actually signed up for an online dating site or app. Part of this is due to a long standing social stigma but slowly, as the technology improves, the options expand and society evolves, it is beginning to lift.