Future Olympics Host City Contracts to Include an Anti-Discrimination Requirement

According to the Human Rights Watch, the International Olympics Committee (ICO) has announced that all future host cities must sign an anti-discrimination clause in response to the controversy over the 2014 Sochi games and the discrimination against the LGBT community. The ICO has announced a new clause that cities will be required to sign in order to host the games to all prospective bidders for the 2022 Olympic Games...

At the September 26 Senate meeting, a discussion on the winter and summer intersession was held, the new Finance Committee for Greeks was being reviewed and another update of the PawPrints site was presented.

Summer and Intersession Discussion

Fernando Naveda, director of calendar conversion, brought up the idea to bolster RIT's summer presence since there is little student activity during that period. He wants to ask students what they would like to see over the summer, in terms of what kinds of classes and programs they would like to participate in....

Campus wide, hearts sunk a little bit deeper on September 17, when the notification was sent out from RIT Message Center that “RIT mourns the loss of Rulon Andrew.”  Another student to pass before his time, Rulon was thirty years old and a student in the RIT Saunders College of Business’ Management Information Systems program.  He was expected to graduate in May 2015 and had previously graduated NTID with an A.S. in Business in 2012. 

 As his former professor, Mark Pfuntner, said of Rulon, “He was a leader, not by his words, but by his actions.”  Community-centered, Rulon served on the Student Advisory Board of the RIT Leadership Institute...

One of the most common idioms in the English language is “Don't judge a book by its cover.” The same idea doesn’t apply to the library, though, because RIT’s Wallace Center went through some renovations to its main entrance and first floor to provide a more welcoming space and to foster an open learning environment.

The renovations, designed in part by HBT Architects, started in spring of 2013 and ended in fall of the same year.

Some of the main concerns taken into account for the renovations were student input and student workspaces. In fact, one of the highly influential designers of the renovation is a 2010 RIT graduate...

During the Student Government (SG) presidency of Greg Pollock (2011-2012), the TE3 was introduced. The TE3 is a bus service that allows RIT students to venture into the city of Rochester over the weekend for free; it still continues and has become a popular service and a part of the campus’ culture. The service also allows students to find new and adventurous things to do outside of the RIT main campus in Henrietta. The TE3 was originally supposed to be in a testing phase in order to move to a paid model in the future. While plans for that change are still in the works, finding the right way for students to adapt has been a challenge...

With more than 15 dining locations on campus, RIT Dinning Services works to give those with dietary restrictions a variety of healthy choices. Every restaurant and market on campus serves food options for those with alternative eating styles from vegan to halal to all types of food allergies. In fact, RIT vendors pride themselves on providing multiple options, making sure that you won’t get bored of your diet during your year on the RIT meal plan. 

Gracie's

Most first year students will eat many meals at Gracie’s, not just because it is the main cafeteria on campus but because it offers three meals a day, six days a week, plus brunch and dinner on Sundays...

Your venture into the great unknowns of college will begin with understanding how you will eat for the next eight months. While signing up for your housing assignments, you should have chosen a meal plan in order to complete the form. There are a variety of meal plans depending on your year status, where you live and your preference. This short guide will show you what you can do with your meal plan and what options are available to you. More detailed information can be found on the RIT Dining Services Website at www.rit.edu/fa/diningservices...

The American Sign Language and Deaf Studies Community hosts a talk on Understanding Anxiety and Depression in Deaf culture. How can we remove the stigma of depression?

Terrence Pegula, current owner of the Buffalo Sabres and multi-billionaire, has acquired the Buffalo Bills for $1.4 billion in a deal that has many Buffalo residents and fans excited to see what the future for the team holds.

In this week’s Beyond the Bricks, a raging California wildfire has forced Californian authorities to evacuate hundreds of homes near Silverado Canyon. A coalition of countries is now banding together against ISIS after Obama gave the go-ahead for a series of airstrikes in Iraq. Obama’s health care program might have another series of complications for millions of Americans, which may cost them profoundly in the long run.

Wegman’s had partnered with RIT to create a new School of Nutrition attached to the College of Health Sciences. The Objective is to train students to become nutrition leaders...

The current crisis in Ukraine has grabbed the attention of major headlines around the world. As Ukrainian forces battle pro-Russian rebels, the world watches attentively to see the events unfold. Here's a timeline of the major events leading up to the situation.

Obama made an announcement on ISIS and the threat from the Middle East, the Men’s Rights Activists meet in Detroit, and Scotland is close to voting for Independence from the UK.

Jennifer Hayes, a highly admired and respected interpreter and faculty member passed away last spring. A memorial scholarship is being set up in her honor; the scholarship will provide one hearing and one interpreting student the money to study abroad.

During the September 5 Student Government Meeting, the progress of an alternative to SIS was discussed and the latest project based around creating petitions was revealed as ready to be rolled out.

On August 29, the annual AppleFest was held outside the Student Development Center. A time of festivities and celebration for NTID students, it continued until 7 p.m. when the crowd of nearly 100 students and faculty filled the M-lot circle for a special ceremony. Candles were passed out and lit, posters with farewell messages were shown and laughter lingered in the air for deceased 24-year-old Timothy Holmes...

At the August 29 Student Government (SG) meeting, Senate members introduced themselves and went over procedures and basics. The director of clubs and organizations was voted on during this meeting. Updates and projects worked on over the summer along with future projects in the works were presented.

Director of Clubs and Organizations

The position of director of clubs and organizations was not filled last semester and was voted on during today’s senate meeting. Ashley Carrington, SG president, had chosen David Gustafson for the position, which the senate had to approve. A short discussion was held and he was voted in unanimously...

A crowd composed of college students, members of the International Socialist Organization (ISO) and various other activists rallied on August 16 in protest of the police brutality fueling riots in Ferguson, Mo...

During Imagine RIT 2013, film and animation graduate students Michael Lacanilao and Brianna Byrne displayed their elaborate and intricate project: the Escherian Stairwell.

The supposedly endless staircase that loops itself in the Gannett building has gained widespread media attention as millions of viewers were unable to explain the seamless editing done by the two students.

Lacanilao and Byrne have gone to great lengths to make the story believable, even making a fake Facebook account for the architect, Rafael Nelson Aboganda, who supposedly made the stairwell in the 1960’s...

Tractor is  Shot from Unknown Source, 390N Shuts Down

On Thursday, May 2, Interstate 390 of Rochester was shut down at 10:30 a.m. According to Rochester’s Democrat and Chronicle Newspaper, a tractor driver called 911 to report that bullets struck his vehicle. The driver heard the bullet strike his vehicle, and turned to see that there was a bullet shape hole in his rear window. Earlier in the previous week, a vehicle made a similar report.

The driver was unharmed, but the Interstate was shut down for four hours while the police commenced their investigation...

At the May 3 Student Government (SG) meeting, an update on student auxiliary services was given, changes to sexual assault policies were presented, revisions to graduate senator selections were presented and representatives from the committee for the smoking policy presented.

Howard Ward, assistant vice president of Student Auxiliary Services (SAS), brought to attention the various successes and improvements of SAS. Firstly, relations and communications with SG have greatly improved with an increase in  relations with students and staff improving as well...

Currently, there are over 140 lab assistants working all over campus, but this will be cut down to about 80 during the transition into the 2014 fall semester. Lab assistants - better known as “labbies” - work and monitor the many computer labs stationed around campus. Each college hires lab assistants through lab services. The cuts will only affect the College of Imaging Arts & Sciences and the College of Business.

Lab assistants were notified through email by lab services a little before spring break that there would be no hiring opportunities for the summer semester...

At the April 25 Student Government (SG), Kevin McDonald gave a update on diversity statistics for the campus, potential changes to the Student conduct policy were presented, bylaw changes were approved and a discussion about future bus service efforts was held.

Kevin McDonald, vice president of diversity and inclusion, presented earlier in the year to SG about the current state of diversity within the university. He has returned to give an update based on the same four areas he focused on before: access and success, campus climate and intergroup relations, education and scholarship and institutional infrastructure...

On April 22 the Supreme Court upheld the state right to ban racial preference when admitting students to college, by a vote of 6-2 according to USA Today...

On the April 18 Student Government (SG) meeting, a brainstorming session on a policy database was discussed, voting and approval of new appendices and bylaws were done, a representative from the academic affairs committee came to get feedback from the new course evaluation system and 2014-2015 SG election results were announced.

Kathleen Martin, director of university policy, discussed creating a policy “library” for students to easily navigate student relevant policies. She said the current format is disorganized, difficult to navigate and slightly outdated...

China was quickly labeled a hero when their Haixun 01 vessel reported a detection of underwater signals in April that looked like they came from the missing Malaysian plane.

According to Fox News, an Australian ship discounted China’s findings when it picked up a similar signal 300 nautical miles away from the location China determined. Countries involved in the investigation have expressed irritation with China because their announcement delayed the search.

This was not the first time Chinese vessels have reported findings that were later discounted...

Forty years ago, on September 9, 1971, the inmates of the New York Attica Correction Facility took over, taking correction officers and other employees hostage. On September 13, the state police assaulted the prison, ending the four day uprising in the bloodiest one-day encounter between Americans since the Civil War.

On April 9 Rochester’s own Chris Christopher and Dave Marshall’s documentary was presented at RIT, which was dedicated to revealing the true story of what happened during the Attica Riot...

Student Government (SG) elections are fast approaching with two pairs of candidates competing for the presidential and vice presidential positions. Ashley Carrington, a third year Finance and Management Information Systems double major, and Tyler Pierce, a third year Management Information Systems major, are going up against Joseph “Joe” Sciandra, a third year Manufacturing Engineering Technology major, and Jim “Chip” Francesca, a second year Biomedical Sciences major. 

Carrington is currently the director of finance for SG, has club and Major Student Organization (MSO) experience and was a student athlete during her freshman year...

In the April 4 Student Government (SG) meeting, representatives from the Wallace Library came to talk about recent renovations and the last mid-year report was given by the director of programming for SG.

Renovations of the Wallace Center

Jason Stryker, senior manager of circulation and facilities, and Margaret Bartlett, senior manager instruction and education services explained their recent summer renovations of the first floor of the Wallace center. Many of the renovation ideas came from industrial and interior design students.

The first floor furniture was rearranged with the implementation of collaboration stations for students...

During spring break, Michelle Obama and her two daughters, Malia and Sasha, visited China to emphasize education and opportunities from studying abroad, The New York Times reported. In a speech Obama delivered at Peking University, she talked about how crucial it is for students to communicate with other countries and learn how economies are interconnected. Although 200,000 Chinese students are studying in the United States, only 20,000 American students are studying in China. Obama said the primary reason why students do not take advantage of studying abroad in China is because of expense and fear...