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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.
China’s Actions Delay Malaysian Jet Search 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.
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.
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.
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.
Michelle Obama Tours China to Promote Study Abroad and Foreign Affairs During spring break, Michelle Obama and her two daughters, Malia and Sasha, visited China to empha
At the March 21 Student Government (SG) meeting, the final three midyear reports were presented.
Practicing upwards to three times a week, building relationships that last a life time and doing it all in the name of slam poetry is RIT’s Poetry Slam Team, who is headed to the national competition in Boulder, Colorado.
The center for Media, Arts, Games, Interaction and Creativity (MAGIC) hosted a presentation on consumer data mining and management through private companies by Natasha Singers, a New York Times reporter for the Sunday business section. Singer specializes in writing about the business of consumer data. Her presentation discussed the current state of the consumer data business and its striking similarities to various fictional books on advanced societies.
The Academic Senate meeting on March 6, 2014 covered three main topics: the Smoking Policy, the Strategic Planning Initiative and RIT Policy E7.0. The Smoking Policy The Task Force for the Smoking Policy, instated in October 2012, is co-chaired by Assistant Vice President for Student Wellness Donna Rubin and Associate Director for Wellness Michael Stojkovic. It was established as a wellness initiative for RIT. The task force is comprised of students, faculty and staff.
On February 17, RIT Admissions announced that it was closing the Facebook group for RIT’s 2013 freshman class. Citing harassment concerns, a student employee of Undergraduate Admissions removed the regular student administrators and announced plans to delete the page within days. Student reactions were mixed, with some students decrying the move and others supporting it. Others wondered what the move meant for other online student-led Facebook groups.
As of January, 55 percent of Americans own a smartphone, according to the Pew Research center. Concurrently, RIT’s Public Safety released its newest feature of campus safety for students in the form of a smartphone application called TigerSafe on December 7.
Policy C16.0, left untouched for decades, has resurfaced in order to add some changes. C16.0 details the procedures for how smoking is handled on campus. The current version restricts smoking in any indoor area and prohibits smoking within 25 feet of any residential building. The committee overlooking the policy aims to make stricter changes for a potentially healthier RIT.
The Most Expensive Olympics Comes to a Close Overall Russia’s expenditure into the Olympics cost the nation $51 billion dollars in investments, according to CBS news. This is largely due to the reconstruction of Sochi in preparation for the games. However Russia managed to drastically improve its city within seven years’ time by transforming the city into a bustling resort town. "Now we can see our country is very friendly," said Boris Kozikov of St.
At the February 28 Student Government (SG) meeting, the general manager of the Grace Watson dining hall gave a presentation on its current and future suitability efforts. Various senators also presented their mid-year reports and progress updates.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.