10.19.2012

10.19.12 reportermag.com

RISING UP

EDITOR IN CHIEF Alex Rogala | eic@reportermag.com MANAGING EDITOR Amber Wilson-Daeschlein | managing.editor@reportermag.com COPY EDITOR Nathaniel Mathews | copy.editor@reportermag.com NEWS EDITORS William Hirsh Peter LoVerso | news@reportermag.com LEISURE EDITOR Patrick Ogbeide | leisure@reportermag.com FEATURES EDITOR Steven Markowitz | features@reportermag.com SPORTS EDITOR Nicole Howley | sports@reportermag.com VIEWS EDITOR Peter LoVerso | views@reportermag.com WRITERS Adam Balbi, Christina Belisle, Krista Bellardo, Nick Bovee, Kayla Emerson, Nilan Lovelace, Joanie McDonough, Emma Rogers, David Utt

ART

Do you feel engaged?

In a recent strategic plan, RIT’s Division of Student Affairs stated that one of its key goals is to significantly improve RIT’s level of student engagement. It’s an ambitious goal, and I fully support it.

However, it strikes me as somewhat abstract goal. How do you measure engagement? Moreover, how do you create it? You can certainly facilitate awareness, but true engagement requires students to want something first.

At the start of my freshman year, I was as far from involved in campus life as possible. I hated my major, and I spent most of my free time plotting a transfer. But four years later, I wouldn’t rather be anywhere else.

Somewhere along the line, something changed. However, it wasn’t RIT; it was me. I don’t recall the exact moment. My wants and desires gradually changed, and in response I sought more involvement in campus life. I aimed to push my boundaries. But without that spark of passion, all the publicity in the world wouldn’t have helped me.

Last fall, Occupy Rochester presented an interesting anomaly. Students and professionals from all walks of life flocked to New York City’s Zuccotti Park for months of protest and demonstration At its peak last October, it drew thousands. At a Rochester offshoot, dozens — including one of our staff photographers covering the event — were arrested. Even the RIT campus showed signs of the spreading passion. Yet, one year later, RIT’s campus once again feels quiet.

Admittedly, there is something to be said for increased publicity. The recent creation of two new Major Student Organizations, the On-Campus Apartment Student Association and Association for Commuter Engagement will go a long way towards fixing the disparity of information between freshmen and upperclassmen. And while social media tools such as Facebook have their role, they ultimately require passion as a catalyst.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 10.19.12 | VOLUME 62 | ISSUE 07

Cross-country runner Sam Rondeau looks towards the finish line to see his girlfriend’s finishing time while cheering for the Women’s Cross-country team at the Inter-Regional Rumble hosted by Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio Saturday, October 13. | photograph by Josh Barber NEWS

4. News Desk

Institute focuses on campus engagement.

6. Scheduling Semesters

The registrar prepares for next fall.

7. Destler’s New Gig

RIT president discusses his experience blogging for the Huffington Post.

LEISURE

8. Review

Kill it with fire.

9. At Your Leisure

11. Glitter, Pop and Duct-Tape

ritGA hosts its annual fall drag show.

FEATURES

ONLINE

12. The Internet’s Revolution

Student Activism Through the Years

SPORTS

Beards, Friends and Fundraising

Being heard.

17. Women’s Volleyball Rocks it Three Sets in a Row Despite shaky first set, team destroys Brockport.

VIEWS

19. Word on the Street

Almost as good as ghost-riding.

What should President Destler write about next?

10. That Guy

19. Opposing Views: Online Learning

Oliver Haynes adds some mood music to the quarter mile.

23. Rings

A tiny, neighing army.

Should RIT focus on expanding its online course offerings?

Events that helped shape RIT.

Unique group of enthusiasts fight disease through fundraising.

Strengthing the Force

Zumba fundraiser supports new student dance group.

Cover: Initially solid forms dissipate into pixels to represent the online identity popular today.

Just as pixelated images create obscure forms, the internet also allows us to create ambiguous identities. The way in which we communicate changeswith each technological advance, we must also learn how to better advocate for ourselves. illustration by Elisa Plance

BEYOND THE BRICKS

by Kayla Emerson | illustration by Emily Gage

DragonX Capsule Docks with ISS The Dragon capsule launched Sunday, October 7 has successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS). The mission continued despite the unexpected mid-flight malfunction of one of the Falcon 9 rocket’s nine engines, according to the SpaceX website. After the rockets fell away, the capsule followed the ISS in its Earth orbit on a slow approach. The New York Times reports that the capsule was successfully maneuvered into place with a robot arm and docked at around 9 a.m. EDT Wednesday, October 10.

Since NASA has discontinued the space shuttle program, the responsibility for moving cargo to and from the ISS has fallen into the hands of private companies. The first commercial mission to the ISS took place in May. It was a full-on test run for SpaceX technology: a Falcon 9 rocket launching a Dragon space capsule. After a successful run, a capsule containing more precious cargo was launched.

After the astronauts unpack and repack the Dragon capsule, it will go hurtling through the atmosphere and land in the ocean. It is scheduled to splash down on Earth again October 28.

Chávez Wins Election

by Smallest Margin Yet

Pakistani Girl Shot for Advocating Education

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez won his third presidential election Sunday, October 7, with 55 percent of the vote. According to the New York Times, this margin pales in comparison to his 2006 victory, where he captured nearly 63 percent of the vote. In his upcoming term, Chávez promises to continue his “21st century” brand of socialism, but did not delve into specific policy goals.

His opponent Henrique Capriles Radonski represented an amalgam of 23 parties that oppose the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, which Chávez founded in 2006. Because of the diverse interests of the opposition parties, it is difficult to unify their votes. Additionally, Chávez used some of the country’s financial resources in his campaign.

Despite years of growth throughout Chávez’s incumbency due to everrising oil prices, many economists predict that the Venezuelan economy has rough times ahead. They credit the current positive growth to increased government spending. Chávez attempted to secure votes before the election by increasing funding for many social programs, according to the New York Times.

On Tuesday, October 9, a Taliban attack left a 14-year-old Pakistani activist critically wounded. According to CBS News, Malala Yousufzai was shot in Mingora, Pakistan while on a bus home from school. Malala’s advocacy for female education and vocal disapproval of the Taliban made her a target. According to the New York Times, a Taliban spokesman justified the attack by accusing Malala of spreading Western culture in Pakistan.

Malala was well known before the attack, reported the New York Times.

The Taliban controlled the Swat Valley where Malala lives from 2007 to 2009. During this time, they mandated that girls’ schools be closed. BBC Urdu, a local radio station broadcasting in Pakistan’s official language, published a journal she wrote about the mandate.

The nation has responded to the attack by holding rallies and prayer sessions, according to the BBC. Pakistanis and U.S. leaders have both condemned the attack. The Taliban still enjoys some popular support in Pakistan, but in light of the recent shooting, the public is reconsidering their support of the militant group.

As of press time, Malala is recovering from surgery but still in urgent care.

4 News | 10.5.12

SG UPDATE

FORECAST

by Krista Bellardo

compiled by Krista Bellardo

Center for Campus Life Strategic Plan Discussed At the Friday, October 12 Student Government (SG) meeting, Senior Director of the Center for Campus Life (CCL) Dr. Karey Pine presented an overview of the CCL’s goals for the next three years.

Two years into a five-year plan, Pine said this is one of the first times in RIT’s history that campus life and the student experience have been placed on the university’s strategic plan.

She stated that one of the pillars of this plan is to make RIT the nation’s most engaged student community. She also noted that one of the challenges the center faces when running a static operation like theirs is making it tailored enough to meet each student’s needs at any given time.

The CCL plans to increase student involvement on campus over the next three years. For example, one goal is to increase Greek involvement to 10 percent of the campus population. Pine noted that they are sure they can support this change in terms of students getting engaged and involved, but they unsure whether they have the staff in place to support it yet.

Policy on Policies Overview Presented Director of University Policy Review and Development Kathleen Martin and Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs Sue Provenzano also presented on the proposal for the new “Policy on Policies.”

This proposition will create a standard form for the creation, review and retirement of RIT policies. This will also provide unprecedented documentation of existing processes and define what constitutes a university-level policy. Some provisions to improve the policy-making process are to make accessing the policy archive more convenient, to increase documentation of policy processes and establish formal procedures.

The policy draft will be presented to the Staff Council Thursday, October 25 and to the Academic Senate Thursday, November 1.

19

Third Annual Haunted Trail

20

CAB Late Night Presents: Alain Nu, The Mind Guy

21

Brick City 5K Fun Run & Walk

22

The New York Times Employer Presentation

23

Open Mic Night

24

RIT Improv Presents: Open Jam Wednesday!

25

RITz Hockey Tailgate Party

FRI

SAT

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Corrections

The Friday, October 5 article “The Big Bang’s Beat” incorrectly referred to dance group AstroDance as “Astro Dance.”

The Friday, October 12 issue mistakenly omitted two image credits. The cover image and photograph accompanying “Rugby vs. Alfred State” were both taken by Josh Barber.

Thu

Grace Watson Hall (GWH, 25) 7 — 10 p.m.

Kick off homecoming weekend by joining Delta Phi Epsilon and Sigma Chi on a haunted tour of the trails behind Gracie’s.

Tours leave every 5-7 minutes from the GWH Lobby.

Cost: $3.

Ingle Auditorium, SAU. 10 — 11 p.m.

Famed mentalist and TLC star Alain Nu will demonstrate the mind’s powers in this psychic performance. Cost: $1.

Grace Watson Hall (GWH, 25), 10 — 11:30 a.m End homecoming weekend with a 5k run around campus, and win a prize in one of several categories! Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. Cost: Free.

Bausch & Lomb Center (BLC,77) A100. 5:30 — 7 p.m.

End homecoming weekend with a 5k run around campus, and win a prize in one of several categories! Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. Cost: Free.

lovin’cup. 300 Park Point Drive Suite #101. 8:30 p.m.

Come by for lovin’cup’s weekly open mic night. Prepare to flaunt your singing voice or just listen to the community acts and enjoy the food. Cost: Free to get in.

Webb Auditorium, Booth Hall (BOO, 7A-1350). 8 — 10 p.m.

Think you’ve got a great improv routine? Come try it out on stage or stop by to enjoy the show. Cost: Free.

RITz, SAU. 5 — 10 p.m.

Come watch the first Men’s Hockey game of the season at the RITz. Enjoy food, bar specials and prizes while you watch the game on the big screen. Cost: Free to get in.

Scheduling and Semesters

by Danielle Delp | illustration by Corinne Newbegin

N

ext fall, RIT will hold semester courses for the first time since 1954. On Friday, October 5, several representatives updated the Student Government (SG) Senate on this conversion process. While much of the system has been finalized for as long as a year, these representatives sought to educate the student body on these upcoming changes. As the conversion will have drastic effects on courses and scheduling, they stressed a need for students to plan early.

Right now, full-time students are scheduled for an average of four classes for 16 credit hours per week in a pattern called a 4x4 block. Starting with the 2013-2014 school year, RIT will adopt a new 3x5 system in which students will take five courses worth three credits each. The scheduling change also introduces 50-minute blocks on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, or 75-minute blocks on Tuesday and Thursday.

According to Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs and Registrar Joe Loffredo, the new schedule was determined last fall. The 3x5 plan is one of the most common course patterns used by other semester-based programs, and the Institute feels it will help align its course schedule to that of other institutions.

Everything will change, including the structure of courses, topics covered and even course codes. Loffredo emphasized that students need to start planning early to ensure they know what‘s going on. Academic advisors will be providing assistance in the form of individual advising plans, but the students can help themselves get ahead by reading the information that has been made available online in the semester conversion guide. Students may also find it useful to browse the list of planned semester courses, which is now available on RIT’s new Student Information System.

Director of Semester Conversion Dr. J. Fernando Naveda explained that the biggest challenge in restructuring the class schedule is the lack of a prior model to work with.

“In the past, we have had many, many years’ worth of intelligence to work with,” said Naveda. “Next year, we will have no intelligence to work with.” The more established information on courses and scheduling, the easier it is to prepare the yearly schedule. Each year, the registrar prepares the next year’s schedule by simply copying the previous year’s and modifying it to accommodate new classes and

6 News | 10.5.12

space availability. With the restructuring of each degree program, each college has had to submit completely revised schedules to the registrar, who must then modify them to ensure there are no conflicts.

In order to test how smoothly registration for fall 2013 will actually progress, the Office of the Registrar is considering a practice registration of sorts where students can test out the new system with an unofficial fall registration. Right now, the players involved in the conversion aren’t sure if it’s actually feasible to create a dummy registration program given current time and technological restrains. Naveda strongly supports the idea, however, for the valuable feedback it would provide to all parties involved. Students’ experiences would identify the weak points in the new system, which would allow the office to make necessary changes before the real registration.

Students, in turn, would receive an opportunity experience the system and familiarize themselves with new course structures.

As more information is made available to the student body, the students are granted greater ability to prepare with the changes to come. Both Naveda and Loffredo are now searching for ways to get that information to the student body. The announcement to SG was their first direct attempt to communicate to students. With the group’s support, they hope to get the message out to everyone who will need it this spring.

For regular updates on the conversion, visit http://rit.edu/~w-conver/.

DESTLER’S NEW GIG by Angela Freeman | photograph by Drew Swantak

President William Destler is well known for his proliferance at certain subjects. He holds a PhD in electrical engineering from Cornell University, serves on the board of the National Institute of Aerospace Foundation and is widely recognized as a collector of antique banjos.

Unbeknownst to many, however, Destler has recently ventured into the world of blogging. “I’ve always written pretty easily,” he said, when questioned about this new endeavor.

The Huffington Post editorial board approached Destler during the summer, in search of university presidents to contribute to their publication. “I think I am one of the few currently writing,” he remarked, adding that not many others chose to accept the offer. His first article, “The Case Against Selectable Science,” was published Monday, August 27, as a blog entry on the Huffington Post web page. Unhampered by deadlines for his pieces, Destler commented that his goal was to write at least one or two posts a month.

Destler’s dual roles as college president and Huffington Post contributor put him in a unique position. “I talked about it with [Chief Communications Officer] Bob Finnerty, our public relations guy, trying to decide ... whether it would be a good use of my time, whether it would be beneficial to RIT,” said Destler. “It’s a chance to contribute to the public discourse in what I hope will be a constructive way.”

The Huffington Post is reputed to lean towards liberalism, which concerns Destler. Regardless, his hope is to remain conscious of his role as RIT president while conveying opinions from a personal perspective.

“I don’t want to be political, in the sense that I don’t want to advocate for one particular party or candidate,” Destler said. “Frankly, I am representing RIT as much as I am representing myself.”

For his own news, Destler consults a variety of sources. He listed the Democrat and Chronicle, USA Today, a CNN online app and the Week Magazine, which he believes strive to quote both sides of controversial topics. He considers information veracity to be a prevalent issue in modern journalism. “We now have TV stations that are wholly owned by the various parties, and it’s kind of silly,” remarked Destler. “They’re parading as news organizations!” He emphasized the importance of accurate information, saying, “Our course is best set if we use the best available information at the time.”

Students and faculty alike may be interested in reading President Destler’s next and fourth piece, entitled “America’s Improving Economy as Seen From Academia.” This critical analysis of America’s recent reported economic upswing is due to be published soon. As he looked over his neatly stapled printout of the piece, Destler divulged who helps with his articles. “I always give a copy to my wife to review,” he said. “She is a tremendous editor!”

Visit President Destler’s Huffington Post blog at http://huffingtonpost.com/ bill-destler.

7

REVIEWS

10.19.12

“STATE HOSPITAL” FRIGHTENED RABBIT

“FIFTY SHADES OF GREY” E.L. JAMES

EP | Indie Rock | 20 mins.

Book | Erotic Fiction | 514 pages

by Joanie McDonough

by Nilan Lovelace

The world was graced with a new set of Scottish indie rock songs at the end of September. Frightened Rabbit released their new EP “State Hospital” this fall with some mixed reception. The band’s music is known for its poetic metaphors and emotionally saturated lyrics. Their sometimes haunting melodies and repetitive phrases have a tendency to stick for hours.

The EP is only five songs long, but the title track “State Hospital” has more variation than a number of their other songs. At each section of the song, the drums come alive as if they have a new mission. As with the majority of Frightened Rabbit songs, the song is rife with metaphor and roundabout, poetic language.

The way that the stories and themes of their songs are conveyed, the incredible lyrics are what set Frightened Rabbit songs apart and make them unique.

Despite its cheerful name, “Boxing Nights” is anything but.

The lyrics are pretty depressing and completely without cheer, but the melody moves with enough brightness to make it a favorite oxymoronic song.

“Wedding Gloves,” the last song on the EP, begins with a low rumble of vocals. Fellow Scotsman and former Arab Strap collaborator Aidan Moffat is featured and starts the song a cappella. Throughout the song there is a sort of call and response between low vocals and high vocals that create an eerie contrast.

“State Hospital” is undeniably in Frightened Rabbit’s typical style, but it offers some new aspects as well. Listen to the EP online for free, and buy the tracks if you like what you hear!

Written by British author E.L. James, “Fifty Shades of Grey” is developed from her “Twilight” fan fiction. It follows the story of Anastasia Steele, a college senior one week away from finals and graduation. When her roommate, a reporter for the university’s newspaper, falls sick, Anastasia is forcibly volunteered as a replacement to interview illustrious entrepreneur Christian Grey.

With Grey coming off as a spoiled megalomaniac during the fairly short interview, Anastasia is quick to call shenanigans, making it very clear that he utterly disgusts her. By the end of the next day, when Grey suddenly appears in the store where she is employed, she is ready for him to bed her with all that he has.

“Fifty Shades” is horribly written. The book includes excessive repetition, dry exchanges between Anastasia and Christian, and the most lack lackluster plot possible. If you didn’t notice Grey frequently cocking his head to the side, don’t worry. By the time you’ve turned the page, James will have reminded you of this fact at least seven more times. By the ending, don’t be surprised if you find yourself wanting to toss the book into the nearest volcano.

The best part about the book, however, is the erotica that takes up the second half. While James fails to demonstrate any literary prowess for the majority of the book, she seems to discover a keen ability for detail when things take a sexual turn.

Plain and simple, most adult films are better written than “Fifty Shades,” and are just as detailed in creating visual stimulation.

For fans of

Read instead

Mumford and Sons, Death Cab For Cutie and We Were Promised Jetpacks

“Twilight” by Stephenie Meyer, “The Surrender” by Toni Bentley

8 Leisure | 10.19.12

AYL

by Patrick Ogbeide

AT YOUR LEISURE

REPORTER RECCOMENDS OVERSEEN + OVERHEARD

HAIKU

RIDING THE HANDLEBARS ON YOUR FRIEND’S BIKE While it hard to imagine, at one point in our lives we didn’t drive cars. Our only sources of transportation were our parents’ cars or bikes.

Some even decided to go retro and wear roller blades. Not scooters, though. No one likes scooters.

However, everyone had that one friend who never had a bike and ended up lagging behind because he’s not fast enough. So what did you do? You stopped the bike, told him to sit on the handlebars, held on and pedaled the hardest you ever had.

Riding your friend’s handlebars is what you did when your bike’s tire was flat and none of your friends’ bikes had pegs. It may be 2012, but instead of walking down the quarter mile, just hitch a ride on some handlebars. Of course, beware of falling over; riding down hills isn’t advisable. Any other time, though, just hold on, keep your stomach flexed and enjoy the ride.

Dear Lana Del Rey, I want you to marry me; Just call me, maybe.

COMIC

by Maggie Nielson

“If a female watches anime, you can tell how crazy she is by the ones she watches.”

-Male student to friend

Send your Overseen and Overheard entries to leisure@ reportermag.com with “Overseen and Overheard” in the subject line, or tweet with #OnO to @reportermag.

WORD OF THE DAY

WHAT’S ON YOUR iPOD?

Defenestrate

Major Lazer & La Roux feat. Gucci Mane – “I’m Not Your Lemonade & Heroes n Villains (Remix)” Major Lazer, La Roux, and Gucci Mane on the same track. No genre of music is safe from the mash-up. Now I get to be bulletproof in my lemoncolored chain. BURRR! Favorite Lyric: “Love, love is like a stubborn youth / That you’d rather just deny / I’m walking on a broken roof / As I look up to the sky.”

v.

Throwing of a person or thing out of a window.

The mob quickly DEFENESTRATED the informant as he admired the newlybuilt glass skyscraper..

Definition taken from http://merriam-webster.com.

QUOTE I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they’ve always worked for me.

-Hunter S. Thompson

STREAM OF FACTS The Los Angeles Lakers have won 16 NBA Championships, making them second for the most championships titles, the first being the Boston Celtics Runners get a “second wind” when the body transitions into an aerobic state after oxygen and nutrients aren’t transported to the muscles fast enough.

Baji quan, which is roughly translated as “Eight Extremes Fist,” is a martial art that utilizes body parts such as the hip, shoulder, knee and elbow in its fighting style.

Korean artist Psy’s hit single “Gangnam Style” recently became the subject of a gang fight after a Thai dance competition turned into an altercation between two rival gangs, according to a UPI article.

The Guinness World record for Largest Water Balloon Fight is held by the Christian Student Fellowship of the University of Kentucky. There were 8,957 participants involved and 175,141 balloons used.

9

A couple weeks ago, the rich brassy sound of a trumpet echoed down the quarter mile, Without intention, several stopped what they were doing and gazed towards the musician underneath the Sentinel.

To Oliver Haynes, a second year Computer Science major, music is an art form meant to be shared with others. Standing underneath the Sentinel that day, he undoubtedly reached others through his music.

Haynes has exceptional experience and talent in the realm of classical and jazz performance. Starting in seventh grade, he took trumpet lessons at Hochstein School of Music & Dance and the Eastman School of Music. Yet it was only four years ago that jazz truly took hold of him.

Haynes’ interest in technology led him to RIT. “Although I want music to be the centerpiece of my life, I have some other projects I’d like to work on,” he said. By combining his knowledge in technology and computer science with his love for music, Haynes hopes to someday innovate the “music hall of the 21st century.” This would revolutionize how people experience music in a live venue by adjusting how sound is delivered and using visual stimuli to enhance the overall performance.

Haynes is currently collaborating with three other musicians from around the Rochester area: two pianists from the University of Rochester and a drummer from Nazareth College. They form two separate jazz trios, each emphasizing different styles and time periods of jazz. He is also a proud member of the RIT Orchestra.

When asked what comes to mind when he thinks of music and what it means to him, he presented the word “thoughtful.” “There are so many different emotions one can experience through music,” he said. “And they’re all reflected upon through our thought.”

10 Leisure | 10.19.12

glitter, pop and duct tape:

DRAG AIN’T EASY

E

ven before the doors opened, hundreds gathered in front of Ingle Auditorium. Expectant viewers poured in, quickly filling the room’s 507 seats; dozens were turned away once capacity was met. As the show started, the packed room roared to life as the performers danced, strutted and signed their way across the stage.

The RIT Gay Alliance’s (ritGA) fall drag show featured student performers, many adopting their personas on-stage for the first time. Students of all genders, sexualities, and gender expressions were on stage, donning the clothes of the opposite gender. Deaf and hard-of-hearing performers also graced the stage, with interpreters translating the songs and the bass turned up so everyone could enjoy the show.

“We strive for inclusion and familiarity,” said David Yip, a dual Electrical Engineering and Mechanical engineering graduate student. “We try to educate and share this rich part of GLBTA culture with everyone.”

At the show, Yip was only known as Kandi Couture.

She and Kiki Banana Hammock hosted the show, which included performers such as Grey Gorgeous, Ryder Knightley and James Bondage.

One of the more popular performances was that of Jerry Perry, a drag queen decked out in patriotic swim wear, Wonder Woman accessories, a cyan blue wig and pink balloon breasts that rained glitter. The man behind the drag is Jeremiah Sjoberg, a fourth year Advertising Photography major. He received the nickname “Jerry Perry,” based on Katy Perry during his time as resident advisor two years ago, and has been performing as Perry ever since. Sjoberg states, “As a freshman, ritGA meant so much to me.”

by Christina Belisle photograph by Matthew Burkhartt

The crowd was invited to join the show, with two games having the audience bristling with excitement. One contest featured eight volunteers strutting to PSY’s Gagnam Style to find the fiercest in the crowd, while a banana-eating battle led to a slippery stage.

The top three drag queens and drag kings from the fall show will compete for the title of Mr. and Ms. RIT during the spring show.

The fall show is used as a fundraiser for ritGA, helping to pay for the spring show which features paid professional drag artists. Money this year will also help fund the North East LGBT Conference that will be held at RIT from April 12-14 next spring.

The drag shows were founded five years ago by RIT alumnus Matt Schwartz and Yip. They led other students on stage as Victoria Versai and Kandi Couture, though student participation waned as they felt uncomfortable challenging gender norms in front of a crowd. Schwartz and Yip brought in professional drag artists to help the students and to put them through “Drag 101.” Today, both drag shows are extremely popular annual events; the fall show featured 12 first time performers.

Twice each year, the performers tuck, tape, arrange and bind to show off for a night. As Kandi Couture said, “It takes a lot of time and money to look as cheap as we do.”

Below: “Jazzy J” pulls a tip out of an audience member’s waistband.

11

THE

INTERNET’S REVOLUTION

by David Utt and Christina Belisle, with contributions

by Steven Markowitz and Nick Bovee

“Opinions are invaluable,” says Taylor Deer, a fifth year Business Management major and Student Government (SG) president. “Opinions could be someone walking into our office and saying ‘SG, you suck.’ And honestly, we take that into consideration … There are no opinions that we turn away, because it is literally our job to get the student voice.”

From the administration, to the SG, to the clubs, down to the individual, each voice matters and plays an integral role in the way the institute operates. There are many systems in place now to both encourage students to speak up and take those opinions directly to the people making the final decisions. RIT never stops listening to student voice, and is always looking for new and innovative ways to improve the system and to get every student involved, engaged and willing to take a stance for their beliefs.

13

A Shining New Era for Voice he rise of technology has become rooted in how we perceive the world and affects what we care about, as well as how we express it. The internet in particular has changed the way we as students express our voice and stand up for a cause.

“The internet has clearly had a positive impact on activism, in that it allows people to connect; it allows people to plan; it allows people to gain a lot of information,” says Tristan Wright, a third year Interpreting major. In his time here, Wright has twice been elected president of OUTspoken, a Major Student Organization (MSO) representing GLBT students, and has helped create the Association for Commuter Engagement, another MSO which works to make commuters feel part of the RIT community.

Last November, the town of Henrietta pushed to pass a law stating that four or more people unrelated by blood, marriage or adoption cannot live together in a single house. In other words, a group of four or more people could not live together in a single family household if they did not meeting the standards of a traditional family status. As a result of the law, students would suddenly need to find a new place to live. They were outraged.

Members of SG reacted to this by spreading the information across the internet, rallying the students through various social media outlets, including Facebook, Twitter and Reddit. Taking into consideration students’ opinions and responses, Greg Pollock, SG president at the time, made a “note of some of the critical points being put out there; then they all went into a formal argument that I had drafted for the Town Board to read.”

As the news continued to spread, SG worked continuously with the students by shuttling them to the hearings, keeping the conversation going through social media and, “In the end, we still had a pretty good turnout; all of us drafted our own speeches up. We stood our ground, spoke with reason, even under fire of angry neighbors calling us party animals, treating us like we didn’t belong with ‘their kind,’” says Pollock.

One example of how SG is using new technologies to engage and encourage student voice is through “AskSG.” The brainchild of Anthony Hennig, the SG Director of Student Relations, it would be a texting service run to answer student questions about the campus, events — anything.

Simply text the service and you will be guaranteed an answer within 24 to 48 hours.

Through this service, SG would be able to text questions to a certain area of campus and collect student feedback that way. This could also bring attention to issues at hand, and make sure students see it, rather than ignoring another message center email. Wherever you are, with this service you are connected and engaged with the RIT community. “The whole point of engagement,” Deer says, “is that students are invested in what RIT is doing, in what Student Government is doing; therefore, they have more opinions about things.”

Using the internet and other modern technologies, students can preach any message and find a community of fellow students willing to stand by that cause. However, there are challenges that internet activism and student voice face in the world of today that need to be addressed in order for activism to be successful.

Technological Overload As RIT students, we spend a significant amount of time at the computer: socializing, exploring the web and doing school work take up a lot of our time. As such, much of the way we advertise our ideas, thoughts and demands for change are pushed towards the internet. “We assume the ubiquity of internet access and internet use, such that it undercuts the benefits of using it that way,” says Wright.

To compensate for this, you have to consider how you market your voice and strategize how to make the most effective use of the networks of communication available at your fingertips, or else your voice may be lost. “I have seen times where we have only advertised or have focused our advertising energies on Facebook, and the reality is that not everyone uses Facebook ... or checks it compulsively,” acknowledges Wright.

14 Features | 10.19.12

Wright emphasizes the importance of a physical front in activism. “I may not go to an event because I saw it advertised on a flyer, but I did see that organization exists,” he says.

Finding this balance of online and campus presence allows students to reach the greater community at great speeds, working to keep people well informed of what is happening and how we can make it better.

Still, the spread of information can only go as far and as fast as the network, whether it is a human connection or otherwise. This is only accelerated by the high technical literacy of the student body here. The flow of information is so great that we miss most of what we see.

Bringing attention to the issues at hand is the new goal, as opposed to dissemination. “The biggest challenge is information overload,” summarizes Deer.

If you have an opinion, consider every option when voicing it. Look at the audience, how information flows on the internet, how messages spread and how ideas travel. RIT is invested in hearing your voice and they encourage you to express it. Moving away from the internet, the Institute offers many different real world avenues for you to make a statement, so make use of them.

Getting Heard the Old Fashioned Way In a sea of 18,000 students, it is difficult to feel that your voice is being heard; however, RIT has systems in place to prevent this from happening. To get the opinions of the campus, the school uses a unique concept called the Shared Governance System (SGS), created under former RIT president Dr. Albert J. Simone. The SGS is a small group of the RIT staff, faculty and student body representing the whole as the Staff Council, Academic Senate and SG. Dr. Heath Boice-Pardee, associate vice president for Student Affairs and SG advisor, describes the system as a triangle designed to give the voice of each student, staff and faculty equal pull in administrative decisions.

If an issue ever comes up that you do not know how to approach, a stop at SG will get the gears turning. Pollock recalls a student who emailed him with concerns about potential accidents with skateboarders on the quarter mile.

The email was forwarded to Dr. Mary-Beth Cooper, senior vice president for Student Affairs. Within a week, the three of them met with Director of Public Safety Chris Denninger and Director of Parking, Transportation and Building Services Randy Vercauteren to discuss the issue.

If students ever feel that they have a conflict that needs resolving, they can visit the Ombuds office. They give professional, unbiased advice and inform students on what channels exist when conflicts arise. Everything is kept confidential. Students can also head to the Idea Factory in the Wallace Center (WAL, 005), where they can use open microphone sessions series “Gray Matter” to speak to their hearts’ content about current issues.

When official groups are not listening or there is no one to speak to, students can choose to protest. According to Dawn Soufleris, assistant vice president for Student Affairs, groups or individuals have the right to peacefully assemble, but they need to tell RIT the time, place and manner of the protest or demonstration. Soufleris says the campus is supportive of demonstrations as long as they do not interrupt classes, traffic flow or create unsafe conditions.

Protests have been successful in the past. When conflicts in the Middle East began to get heated in the early 2000s, recruiters set up tables in the Student Alumni Union to speak with those interested. Students unhappy with the war set up camp physically right next to the recruiters to protest the pro-war presence on campus. Both sides peacefully, respectfully and passionately spoke their message and RIT was pleased to have both options represented on one campus, says Soufleris.

However, anything that is destructive is frowned upon.

“There’s far better ways of getting your message heard than vandalism,” says Soufleris. Students unhappy with the inclusion of card swipes at University Commons suites (UCS, 300) have taken to disruptive activism by ripping the card readers off the buildings.

According to a Friday, September 21 Reporter article, housing has spent over $275,000 on the project and refuses to remove them on the grounds that safety is more important than convenience, no matter how many students vandalize the doors.

The students’ own money is going to build new ones anyway, so Deer emphasizes there is no point in this form of activism.

Or you could go straight to the man in charge himself, President William Destler, who eats lunch at Brick City many days a week and is very approachable. The same is true with Provost Dr. Jeremy Haefner, though you will be more likely to find him on a run than during a meal. A quick email to either will start the communication going. Destler also does the “Dr. Destler Show” on WITR Radio, where listeners can call in and get direct answers.

If there is ever anything that a group feels passionate enough about, they can form an official group or club through the Center for Campus Life (CCL). Political groups, social idealists and even animal shelter supporters have founded their own clubs to keep like-minded individuals working together.

Across all these different opportunities, one common theme arises: RIT wants to hear your voice and offers a large variety of venues for you to be heard. “We want to build a university of great student experience,” says Dr. Karey Pine, senior director of the CCL. Without knowing what students are thinking, RIT will not be able to give the best experience possible to its community. With the accumulation of thousands of student voices, RIT can exist as an institution that serves not only to educate, but also to embrace each individual student as a president of their own unique university.

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by Nicole Howley | photograph by Max Hautaniemi Even when practicing before the game, you could tell that the Women’s Volleyball team was hyped and ready. Warm-up was fast paced but organized, with each member of the team knowing exactly where to go and what to do with their limited pregame court time. It was dark outside before the game against the Brockport Golden Eagles started at 7 p.m.

Tuesday, October 9. George H. Clark Gymnasium was brightly lit, and the Tigers seemed more than ready to earn their 18th win of the season.

The Eagles served first, and for the first half of the set, the teams seemed evenly matched. In order to maintain an equal score, both teams had to endure many intense rallies. In one, two RIT players in a row had to hit the ground in order to keep the ball in the air. At the end of the rally, it was worth it; the point went to RIT. Soon after, the Tigers were able to pull ahead and eventually were able to score the 25 points necessary to win the first set.

Moving on to the second round, the teams were pretty even until the score reached five to five. RIT then began to pull ahead again. Looking at Brockport’s attitude and their coach’s face, you could see their worry.

You could also see their surprise at the end of multiple rallies when the Tigers had efficiently blocked the ball from going over the net and it landed unexpectedly on Brockport’s side of the court. The Eagles had good reason to worry after set two; it was RIT’s second win.

The Tigers just needed to win one more set to finish the game in their favor. Again, RIT had a bit of a slow start. Brockport was able to catch up with a score of 10 to 10. As fourth year Visual Media major Christina Worth (#9) said, “Even though we got down and gave up some runs, we

got ourselves out of it and we came back from it.”

RIT was able to gain a lead in the third set as well after many more intense rallies, including one where second year Industrial Engineering major Bethany Davis (#1) did a somersault while going after the ball. The team’s dedication earned them yet another set win and an overall victory.

“We stated a little slowly but I think that we played much better as the match went on,” said Head Coach Jim Lodes. He was also proud that so many of his team’s members got a chance to play, “and everyone went in and did well. I was pleased with the depth of our roster today.”

In addition to the victory, the Tigers maintained an impressive, supportive team dynamic throughout the game. The girls on the team had quick hugs between each and every serve and continued to encourage each other constantly. During each rally, the abundance of yells coming from the Tigers often melded together. “We are all really close, and this is probably the loudest team we’ve had in the last four years,” said Worth.

The team has won 18 games and lost nine throughout this season, but they have many more to go during the upcoming Liberty League Games.

Worth believes that this victory helped prepare the girls for the games, which began Friday, October 12. Hopefully the team will be able to use its strengths again in order to reach the championship.

Christina Worth, a fourth year Visual Media major, sets a ball during a Tuesday, October 9 game against Brockport.

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Online Learning and You

by Adam Balbi | illustration by Emily DeVault

ho knows how to best teach you a new skill or help you learn a new piece of information? Is it your parents, professors or yourself? Optimal learning style varies in rate and medium from one student to the next. In the traditional classroom environment, students with learning disabilities as well as those who are already ahead of their classmates must sit and ineffectually listen to a lecture with little hope for reprieve. There has never been a better time to give self-guided methods of studying a try than right now. A web browser and a thirst for improvement is all one needs to have a fountain of scientific, mathematic and literary works flow directly onto the screen.

Some students believe that paying for college is much less about what is actually learned in class and more about the ticket to their first job that is handed to them at graduation.

Instead pushing for stronger copyright laws and restricting the flow of information to the public, universities all over America should follow in the footsteps of RIT, Stanford, Harvard and MIT to make course information free and available to the general public. As the initiative grows, it will enhance RIT’s brand and further assist students in their careers.

Complex and high-level programming languages have heralded the ability for web developers and educators to provide interactive and immediate feedback that is nonexistent in the structure of the current classroom model.

Replacing lectures with their online equivalent allows students to be more flexible in their time management. Less time spent in class correlates to more time spent one on one with peers or instructors.

The current state of the personal computer cannot yet encompass the invaluable and direct physical assistance provided by a tutor or professor, but this is a step in the right direction. In the not-too-far future, students may be able to interact online much more realistically with other classmates or an instructor — eliminating the need for their physical presence. The static content delivery enforced during a lecture is obviously not ideal. Until it can be totally discarded, in-person learning should be enriched in parallel with the hyper interactivity of online learning and exercises.

This is a chance for RIT to become a leader in the future of academic content delivery and how students all over the world educate themselves before heading into the workforce.

The ever-developing internet has allowed universities such as MIT to offer videos of lectures and course content online.

RIT has discussed plans to the possibility of hosting free

online classes like this in an effort to bolster and enhance the real world classroom through its Innovative Learning Institute. Besides allowing those students with busy schedules populated by jobs, club meetings and other time commitments to choose when and where they learn, this new initiative will help recognize technological advancements in education made by RIT faculty. New forward momentum derived from the success of projects such as the Innovative Learning Institute will propel researchers and developers everywhere to create powerful new academic technology.

by Peter LoVerso | illustration by James LeCarpentier The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not reflect the views of REPORTER. nnounced during President Destler’s annual Address to the Community this past August, and fleshed out during recent Student Government meetings, RIT’s Innovative Learning Institute promises to bring a new style of learning to RIT. They have announced plans to move many classes online, and to possibly follow in the footsteps of MIT, Stanford and the Khan Academy in offering many classes online for free. However, as great as free, self-driven learning can be, it should not be a replacement for traditional classes. Offering these classes, especially for free, is a detriment to the RIT student body, and will likely cost you money.

The traditional online course is fundamentally flawed in many ways. Similar to the classic lecture style of classroom course, many online classes involve readings and watching videos of lectures, in an attempt to simulate a classroom environment. But

this fails in many ways. Staring at a lecture on a computer screen is not as mentally stimulating as physically being present in a hall and being personally spoken to. In addition, during and after a lecture you are able to ask questions directly to the professor, rather than waiting hours or longer for them to reply to an email. Interaction with classmates and the professor are also an important part of the learning process, but are often difficult to translate effectively to a viable online format, especially in the cases of science or engineering courses involving a laboratory.

RIT has taken steps to correct many of these failings, but they do not go far enough to make these activities viable. They have discussed plans to move lecture portions of classes online, which will allow class time to be used for personal interaction in an attempt to develop a more thorough understanding of the material. However, this does not solve the issue that lecture videos viewed online are difficult for students to focus on due to the less stimulating environment. Furthermore, the lack of an ability to interact with the professor and other classmates during the lecture will leave many questions unanswered. An online video is an easy place for a student to become distracted, and the dorm room is not always the best place to be taking notes, as it is a far less focused environment.

Another important facet of online learning that has been explored is free content, available to the general public.

While this is all well and good for the general public, it is hosted by RIT at the expense of the students who are paying thousands of dollars. That money is paid to attend those same classes, to be given credit and to gain the knowledge that is given them. It is unfair to the RIT student body to be providing the same service for free to anyone who cares to access it on the internet, not to mention detrimental to RIT itself.

Providing lessons free of cost and distributing them widely will harm RIT in the long run. Over 87 percent of RIT’s funding comes from tuition payments, according to budget information published online by Finance & Administration.

If we start offering content for free online, at the college level, students will begin to seek their learning online, rather than pay for the knowledge. While some funding may be raised from donations, it cannot be enough to make up for the tuition that would otherwise be paid. It is not a sustainable model to give away for free what RIT has sold for well over a hundred years. Online learning has its uses and its place, but until there is a fundamental change in personal interactions over the internet, it is not in a position to replace the traditional lecture style.

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RINGS Monday

Monday ­

9:56 a.m. (via text)

3:45 p.m. (via text)

Walked by vending and SAW EVERYTHING WENT UP 25 CENTS. WTF! The INFLATION since I was a freshman on vending has been ridiculous!

Sol’s had Kahlua flavored ice cream. A customer asked what “KOALA” ice cream was. I tried to tell him it was liquor, but he didn’t know what liquor was.

585. 672. 4840 COMPILED BY BRETT SLABAUGH

All calls subject to editing and truncation. Not all calls will be run. REPORTER reserves the right to publish all calls in any format.

Monday ­

I’m so involved at RIT that 8:21 p.m. (via text) I’m having trouble fitting in “Doctor Who” marathons.

I think I have screwed-up priorities...

Monday ­

9:20 p.m. (via text)

I got 99 problems... and they’re all due by Monday.

Tuesday ­

Saturday ­

In UC, the outside doors have been compromised again, and PUBLIC SAFETY SAYS THERE’S NOTHING THEY CAN DO. Meanwhile. people’s THINGS KEEP GETTING STOLEN. Am I the only one who thinks this is ass-backwards?

There were these girls from Clarkson at the girls’ soccer game this weekend, and seeing that their team was losing, the only thing they could think to say was, “At least our girls are prettier.”

I can’t even put into words how much I wanted to yell at them.

First off, I know girls are supposedly rare here, but every one of the many I know are absolutely beautiful, inside and out.

Secondly, as girls themselves, I would expect them to know how much comments like that can hurt.

I can’t believe the girl hate going on here.

9:51 p.m. (via text)

4:40 p.m. (via text)

Friday ­

Friday ­

I’ve gotten to the point where I judge the difficulty of the class by how many Greek letters I need to use (or learn).

Percussive maintenance ALWAYS WORKS.

9:03 a.m. (via text)

7:07 p.m. (via text)

Tuesday ­

1:30 p.m. (via text)

RINGS, Would you rather fight ONE HORSE-SIZED DUCK, or ONE HUNDRED DUCK-SIZED HORSES? Think about it...

VS.

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