IIT - Inventing the Future

Today is the last day of finals week here at the Illinois Institute of Technology and I’m sure all of our Scarlet Hawks are excited for the summer!  Throughout this week, the Office of Campus Life hosted several Stress Free Zone activities to help brighten up finals week. 

The MTCC Ballroom became an open study area with snacks each day of the week, a great change of scenery from Galvin Library.  Galvin Library is open 24 hours since Saturday morning until Friday evening to accommodate all of students' needs for finals week!  On Monday, the MTCC Welcome Center became a relaxation hub with massage chairs and an oxygen bar (with 16 different aromatherapy scents).

Tuesday, Scarlet Hawks got to make friends with Toby, a therapy dog, and his owner Donna.  Toby’s best trick was playing dead!  Did you know that just petting a dog can lower your blood pressure?  Donna said that next year she would bring more puppies to play with!

Outside of the MTCC on Wednesday, giant bouncies were set up for a field day!  Flirty Cupcakes also stopped by to hand out free treats!! 

A roller rink was set up in the Hermann Hall ballroom on Thursday for students to skate away their troubles!  Roller derby next year???

Thanks Office of Campus Life and Union Board for all of these great events!  Congratulations Class of 2012!!  Have a wonderful summer everyone!

The discussion for the first Campus Sustainability Forum of the Spring 2012 semester centered around Consumer Choice versus Government Policy.  Kath Duffy from the Dill Pickle Co-Op in Logan Square represented the power of consumer choice and creating change through sustainable purchases.  Ashley Craig from the Environmental Law and Policy Center presented how government policies provide a roadmap for businesses and incentivize them to do the right thing.  Although it was set up debate style, both speakers seemed to agree that sustainable change can and should be created through various avenues and means.  Current IIT Stuart School of Business Environmental Management and Sustainability candidate, Brock Auerbach-Lynn, moderated the discussion.

Ashley Craig presented first.  She discussed how Illinois specifically has a lot of opportunities for renewable because policies within the state encourage and provide incentives for wind power and solar power.  She shows how this differs from state to state and directly correlates to the policies in place within those states.  She also talked about the United States as whole, stating that policies in the US allow gasoline to be $4 per gallon instead of the $8 per gallon in Europe.  This is because Europe chooses to place a higher tax on gasoline to encourage the use of public transportation rather than driving.  She also talked about how policies encouraged the development of nuclear energy. 

Kath Duffy used her experience creating the Dill Pickle Food Co-Op as a basis for her discussion.  She illustrated that the increasing profits at the Dill Pickle is directly related to increased education of people about food production processes and sustainable practices (i.e. purchasing in bulk). Even though the price points are more expensive at the Dill Pickle, consumers are realizing the benefits of sustainable food practices.  The growing demand for these types of products (organic, vegan, gluten-free, etc) allows for a wider variety of offerings since businesses are incentivized to create these types of products.  She also discussed how the Dill Pickle works closely with the farmers market in Logan Square (claimed to be one of the best in Chicago) rather than competing with them.  Additionally, because of the shared kitchen in Logan Square, residents of the community can also create prepared food items to sell in the Dill Pickle.  Kath illustrated how adjustments control in the various points of the production change can create broader change in an entire community. 

If you have never been to a Campus Sustainability forum, I definitely encourage you to attend.  They are FREE and the food is amazing!  Dining Services caters the event and provides locally grown and sustainable food options, including a vegan option!   

The next forum will take place on the last Friday in February.  Joe Clair, the current director of Campus Sustainability and Energy, hinted that the new director to replace him may be introduced at the next Campus Sustainability forum.   There will be another forum on the last Friday of March as well.  For more information about IIT’s sustainability initiatives, check out: http://iit.edu/sustainability/  If you are interested in getting involved as a student, check out Gangreen and Engineers for a Sustainable World, just two of the many student organizations on campus!

Jessica here with another recap on our fabulous visit day.

Thank you to everyone who came to our November Discover IIT Day! We were so pleased to be able to answer questions and show off our lovely campus. Although the day started out a little nippy it ended up being quite pleasant outside as the afternoon came on.

 Everyone checked in and then partook in a light breakfast before the welcome presentation. We then swiftly set about dividing up into Explore Your Major Sessions for some one-on-one with professors in their given fields. After the Explore Your Major sessions and a tour of the campus/financial aid overview we break for lunch!

 Macaroni and cheese, sandwiches, chicken tenders, pasta salad and brownies. Yum!

During lunchtime we offer a transfer session led by counselor BJ Engelhart. He helps answer questions about the transfer process and what students can come to expect in terms of accommodations, financial aid, and much more!

The day concludes with another round of tour/financial aid overview followed by optional tours of the IDEA SHOP and an Architecture workshop with students from IIT AIAS!

Keep looking for more visit sessions in the future! We look forward to seeing you again soon!

First of all, Happy Veterans Day everyone!!  Thank you to all the men and women that have served and are serving for the United States, not just today, but every day.

One of the wonderful traditions of Illinois Institute of Technology is International Fest or IFest!  Our university has an incredible International population, amongst the highest percentages in the country, so our International Education week truly celebrates our diversIITy!

During the evenings this week, Union Board hosted an International Film Fest, showing films like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Saawariya, The Choris, and Hero.  Fundraising for the flood victims of Pakistan happened during the day at lunch hours.  All of the donations will go to the Islamic Relief Organization.  IIT Dining Services even played a part in International Education week with its noodles from around the world Unlimited PASTAbilities lunch!

Today we were able to try dishes from Poland, St. Lucia, South Korea, Turkey, and Spain, among several others!  The I-Fest Lunch is set up similar to the Taste of Chicago, where you purchase tickets and then use the tickets to buy food from the different booths.  All of the different cuisines are prepared by current students!  ‘Yum-o’ as Rachael Ray would say!

Tonight, I-Fest continues with performances from around the world.  This year will be the 36^th annual event sponsored by the International Student Organization and the Student Activities Fund.  Festivities start at 7pm in Hermann Hall – don’t miss out!!

On Saturday, the Eid Festival is from noon until 5pm in the BOG and Morton Park.  Starting around 9pm, Union Board is hosting a multicultural dance party!!  The music will be from various cultures including Indian, African, Asian, Hispanic, and Caribbean!  There will be lots of free food and giveaways!!

And you don’t have to wait until International Education week to embrace the diversity on this campus!  You most likely have fellow students in your class that are more than willing to share their culture with you, and would be delighted to learn more about your cultural traditions! 

Also, if you’d like to share the American tradition of Thanksgiving with an international student, the International Center could use your help!  Volunteer here: http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22BHHB228KR 

And if you’re an international student looking to participate in this cultural exchange program, sign up here: http://www.iit.edu/~internat/updates%20and%20resources/ThanksGiving.php

There's still time to sign up for this Saturday's Discover IIT Day!

For more information check out our visit page or register online.

At our open house you'll meet counselors, faculty, students, and staff who will help you answer big questions and small! We hope to see you there. :)