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February 1, 2013 issue of Reporter Magazine
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02.01.13 reportermag.com
4 News | 01.11.13
Reporter Magazine is published weekly during the academic year by a staff comprised of students at Rochester Institute of Technology. Business, Editorial and Design facilities are located in Room A-730, in the lower level of the Campus Center. Our phone number is 1.585.475.2212. The Advertising Department can be reached at 1.585.475.2213. The opinions expressed in Reporter do not necessarily reflect those of the Institute. Letters to the Editor may also be sent to [email protected]. “Nothing says Valentine’s Day like casual sex.” Reporter is not responsible for materials presented in advertising areas. No letters will be printed unless signed. All letters received become the property of Reporter. Reporter takes panda in its membership in the Associated Collegiate Press and American Civil Liberties Union. Copyright © 2012 Reporter Magazine. All rights reserved. No portion of this Magazine may be reproduced without prior written permission.Please
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Alex Rogala EDITOR IN CHIEF
EDITOR IN CHIEF Alex Rogala
MANAGING EDITOR Amber Wilson-Daeschlein
COPY EDITOR Nathaniel Mathews
NEWS EDITORS William Hirsh
LEISURE EDITOR Michelle Spoto
FEATURES EDITOR Nicole Howley
SPORTS EDITOR Kayla Emerson
VIEWS EDITOR Peter LoVerso
WRITERS Nathan Arrowsmith, Kayla Emerson,
Nicole Howley, Alyssa Jackson, Jon Lavalley,
Brett Slabaugh
ARTART DIRECTOR Jon Lavalley
SENIOR STAFF DESIGNER Emily Levine
STAFF DESIGNERS Autumn Wadsworth
PHOTO EDITOR Juan Madrid
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Josh Barber,
Jonathan Foster, Mackenzie Harris
STAFF ILLUSTRATOR Claire Britt
CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATORS Ethan Thornton,
Erica Landers
CARTOONIST James Lecarpentier
BUSINESSPUBLICITY MANAGER Nicholas Gawreluk
AD MANAGER Julia Morrow
BUSINESS MANAGER Christina Harawa
PRODUCTION MANAGER Nicholas Gawreluk
ONLINE PRODUCTION MANAGER Jake DeBoer
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BEIGE BOXESLast week Provost Emeritus Stanley McKenzie donated $300,000 to RIT’s College of Liberal Arts (See “COLA Recieves $300,000 Donation” on page 5.). Among other projects, this money will fund a collaborative social space and lecture series.
It’s high time COLA received some attention. Within the confines of a technical university, it occasionally seems starved for funding and resources. Its equipment and space demands are certainly considerably lower than other, more technical majors. However, additional funding, programming and learning space improvements will provide students a better-rounded education, increase campus diversity and perhaps fix some of the Institute’s retention issues.
There’s nothing wrong with the current COLA; sometimes, though, it seems a bit unloved. Liberal Arts Hall seems largely unchanged since its construction.
Despite its modest home, COLA plays a crucial role in each RIT education; all students must complete a liberal arts core and minor before graduation. Arguably, especially for uninterested students, it can be an uphill battle.
With increased support, the college can offer a wider range of classes tailored to better fit these students’ needs. While an engineering student might argue she wouldn’t reap any benefits from a literature class, for example, additional public speaking, writing and critical thinking courses may help her differentiate herself from the crowd. Combined with the intellectual salon McKenzie visions, an overhaul could encourage rich cross-disciplinary collaboration, exposing students to other learning styles and encouraging innovative projects.
As RIT grows and expands its campus, a greater emphasis on liberal arts will improve RIT’s diversity by drawing in a wider range of students. Furthermore, bolstering such programs may counter some of RIT’s retention issues. Some among the many students who switch may find their home in COLA. Ensuring that the liberal arts college seems properly prepared and has might convince even more that it’s a worthwhile investment.
There couldn’t be a better time. Last winter, an anonymous alumnus donated $3 million to establish a critical thinking chair in honor of former College of Business professor Dr. Eugene Fram. In Reporter’s December 2011 article on the subject, the donor praised Fram’s s incredible impact on his career. While this chair is admittedly cross-disciplinary in nature, it has clear roots in RIT’s philosophy program. Likewise, McKenzie’s donation speaks volumes about his experience at RIT. Together, these two donations will foster an atmosphere that seems quite in touch with President Destler’s vision of innovation and creativity. COLA lies right at this vision’s foundation.
Each year, the RIT skyline gains several buildings devoted to innovation, creativity and progress. COLA, a crucial building block towards these lofty goals, could use a serious upgrade from those cramped beige boxes RIT calls classrooms.
TABLE OF CONTENTS 02.01.13 | VOLUME 62 | ISSUE 18
NEWS4. News DeskFreeze Fest fun.
LEISURE7. At Your LeisureCower before the bovine invasion.
8. The Potato Challenge Showing off some spud skills.
FEATURES10. The Information They KeepHow safe are your records?
14. Getting on the GridIT Collaboratory brings students together.
SPORTS17. A Tough Loss Against VassarLady Tigers tire quickly.
19. Having fun Dancing TahitianA new way to excercise.
VIEWS21. Word on the StreetWhat food sacrifices do you have to make in college and why?
22. RingsRings gets some constructive criticism.
Cover illustration by Claire Britt
Second year Electrical Engineering majors Connor Reardon and Luke Brophy face off while playing pond hockey with Adam Dibble, second year Electrical Engineering (shovel) and Chris Haluszczak, second year Industrial Engineering, on RIT’s campus, Friday, January 25. | photograph by Jonathan Foster
campuslife.rit.edu/freezefest
DON’T LET THE COLDKEEP YOU IN!
5
COLA Receives $300,000 DonationLate last month, RIT Provost Emeritus Dr. Stanley McKenzie pledged $300,000 to the College of Liberal Arts (COLA) as the Stan McKenzie Salon Endowed Fund. The fund will be used to create an environment like that in the European salons of past centuries, where people gathered for amusement and to share and create ideas.
According to COLA Dean James Winebrake, “part of the funds will be used for capital improvements for Stan McKenzie Commons,” currently the faculty commons located on the first floor of Liberal Arts Hall. “What we want to do is build a space that is appealing, accommodating and comfortable,” said Winebrake.
Another portion of the funds will go towards the Stan McKenzie Salon Series, designed to bring faculty and students together for meaningful discussion in a social setting. Specifically, funds will go towards honoraria for invited guests, event marketing and release time for a faculty coordinator, according to The Henrietta Post.
Winebrake said, “[McKenzie] recognized the value of bringing together intellectual discourse in a social environment,” and that he worked to facilitate these kinds of events during his long and fruitful tenure in COLA. His gift will allow COLA to continue to host such events.
According to University News, McKenzie began teaching in the English department in 1967. Early in his college career, he had studied math and science at MIT, according to a biography on the COLA web page. But there, he discovered a passion for Shakespeare and went on to study English literature at the University of Rochester. Soon after, he joined the RIT faculty.
After 34 years of teaching, McKenzie was asked to step up as vice president of academic affairs and provost in 1994. He served as provost for 14 years, then slipped in a few more years of teaching from 2008-2011 before retiring.
Student Government COLA Senator Alexander Van Hook was pleased when he heard about McKenzie’s gift. “I think it’s a great thing for the College of Liberal Arts,” he said via interpreter, “because COLA definitely needs some improvements. It will help RIT recognize COLA more.”
BRICK BEAT FORECASTFRI 1
SAT 2
SUN 3
MON 4
TUE 5
WED 6
THU 7
FreezeFest: PuppyFest! Kodak Quad. 12 - 4 p.m.Having end of the quarter jitters? Spend some time decompressing at the PuppyFest tent! De-stress with adorable puppies while helping support local Rochester animal shelters. Cost: $1.
Global Unification Ingle Auditorium. 7 – 9 p.m.Celebrate the rich diversity RIT has to offer at this FreezeFest staple. Join in learning the various dances, listening to the exotic music, and embracing the traditions of cultures found on campus. Cost: $5 Students, $8 for the rest.
Feel the Beat Performance Hall at Hochstein, 50 Plymouth Ave. North. Starts at 2 p.m.Listen to the beatbox styling’s of Shodekeh accompanied by the percussion of students from the Hochstein School of Music. A nationally renowned performer, Shodekeh is professional vocalist who combines various styles of singing into his music such as opera. Cost: $15.
Eastman Philharmonia Kodak Hall, Eastman Theatre, 60 Gibbs St. Starts at 8 p.m.Conducted by Neil Varon, come appreciate the Eastman Philharmonic as they perform Doughtry’s Three Pieces for Orchestra and Mahler’s Symphony #4. Cost: Free.
“The Addams Family” Rochester Auditorium Theatre, 885 East Main St. Starts at 7 p.m.Witness the hilariously spooky musical adaption of the classic series, “The Addams Family.” By the creators of the hit musical, Jersey Boys, this dark, zany Broadway caliber show is sure to leave you laughing to your grave. Cost: Tickets start at $40.
Eternal Summers /w Josh Netsky and Spaceweather Shakes The Bug Jar, 219 Monroe Ave. Doors at 8 p.m., Starts at 9 p.m.Rock out to a special show with Eternal Summers, an indie outfit all the way from Roanoke, Virginia! Stick around for guest performances by Josh Netsky and Spaceweather Shakes. Cost: $8 presale, $10 for 21+ with ID, $12 for everyone else.
Zeta Tau Alpha’s Third Biennial Date Auction Al Davis Room, SAU. 6 – 8 p.m.Valentines blues have you down? Leave the pick-up lines at home and prepare to outbid fellow RIT students at Zeta Tau Alpha’s annual date auction! Secure a date with whichever Greek brother or sister catches your eye at this chaotic event. Cost: $2 to get in, bids at your discretion.
by Kayla Emerson by William Hirsh
Fireside Lounge 11 am-2 pm
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AYLAT YOUR LEISURE
STREAM OF FACTS
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“HOW WONDERFUL IT IS THAT NOBODY NEED WAIT A SINGLE MOMENT BEFORE STARTING TO IMPROVE THE WORLD.”
Conjecture (v): to arrive at or deduce by sumise or guesswork:guessJudging by the cleanliness of the apartment and the lack of liquor bottles that typically sit atop the refrigerator, Alex’s roommates conjectured that his parents were coming to visit.
WORD OF THE WEEK
COMICby James Lecarpentier
REPORTER RECOMMENDS
BY MICHELLE SPOTOIf you often find yourself losing motivation in some aspect of your life,
whether it is academic or athletic, having an “accountability buddy” can help to keep you on track.
If you’ve been getting lazy with your homework or don’t study as often so you should, partnering up with someone who also wants to get motivated can keep you accountable. Preferably, an accountability buddy should be someone with a similar schedule as you; it’s difficult to plan library or gym dates if your schedules conflict. Plus, that’ll just give you another excuse not to get together and get motivated, a temptation you don’t need!
Promising to meet someone at a specific time and location will help keep you accountable; you don’t want to disappoint your friend, after all! The same situation can be applied whether you want to study more, work out harder or accomplish something on your bucket list.
Remember, though, that having an accountability buddy also means being an accountability buddy to someone else. Be sure that you motivate them just as much as they motivate you!
Finding an “Accountability Buddy”
In the wild, the average elephant eats between 220 to 440 pounds of FOOD daily.
Potatoes were brought along in the Columbia shuttle, and in 1995 they became the first FOOD to be grown in SPACE.
On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first satellite, Sputnik 1, into SPACE over a year before the first successful UNITED STATES satellite.
“Fat Man,” the atom bomb that the UNITED STATES dropped on Nagasaki, had an estimated yield equivalent to 20 kilotons of TNT.
-ANNE FRANK
Definition taken from http://merriam-webster.com
THE POTATO CHALLENGE
by Jon Lavalley Time to make: 30-35 minutesCost: $12.94
Potatoes. Starchy, filling and easy to prepare. Upon reading the text message with that secret ingredient in it, I admit, I got pretty excited. Who doesn’t love potatoes?
I had also realized at that moment that I couldn’t think of any potato recipes off the top of my head. How could something so easy to think about and something so easy to prepare be difficult to think up a recipe for? I quickly asked a friend for any recipe she could think of that involved potatoes, and she mentioned “loaded potatoes.”
I entered the Global Village Market with the vaguest idea of “loaded potatoes” and tried to think of ingredients that could match that description. Potatoes, check. Bacon bits, why the hell not? Chives? Damn, none to be found. Ending price: $12.94. Nailed it.
As I entered my apartment, I quickly set a pan with some olive oil and put it to medium heat. I chopped the potatoes and threw those into the pan along with the garlic and began to sauteé. Upon adding the green beans and bacon bits, the aroma of pure joy filled my nostrils. For a last-minute dish, this wasn’t half bad. As the potatoes cooked to a soft exterior, I added some salt and pepper and spooned them into a bowl. I shredded the cheddar over the potatoes to add the final kick to the small, warm, improvised side dish. Obviously, I had to taste test to check how well it came out. The flavors worked very well, and I gave myself a pat on the back.
Ingredients: 1.5 Tbs minced garlic 1/3 cup bacon bits 1/2 cup String BeansTwo potatoes, chopped Cheddar cheeseOlive oil Salt Pepper
Looking back on it now, I would have liked to give the potatoes more time to cook. While some of the chunks were a little firm for my liking, I would say it was a valiant effort for something conceptualized without any prior research. I would definitely recommend the recipe to anyone with a little more time on their hands. Be sure to give the potatoes enough time to cook and you should be golden.
JON’S LOADED POTATOES photographs by Josh Barber
The smell of garlic and thyme permeated the air as pans sizzled on the stove. It looked, and smelled, fantastic.This week, Reporter set out to cook well on a limited budget and ingredient selection. Writers Jonathan Lavalley and Nicole Howley were given one challenge: cook a dish, containing a
required mystery ingredient (potatoes), given a budget of $15 to shop on-campus only. Afterwards, photographer Josh Barber and news editor Will iam Hirsh sampled Nicole’s Vegan Pasta Plate and Jon’s Loaded Potatoes.
JON’S LOADED POTATOES: Time and cost Review:
The ease of throwing everything in the saucepan with oil is something that anyone on a schedule can appreciate. The cost-per-flavor ratio makes this dish simple with a little bit of flair.
Taste Review:
Josh: Bacon, potatoes and cheese? Sounds to me like a recipe for success. Though it is not the most nutritious dish, it sneaks some vegetables in while still providing tons of flavor. The dish could have benefited from more prep on the potatoes; simply sautéing them may leave them a little too solid for most people’s tastes.
Will: The best aspect of this dish is the uniform, bacony flavor, even in the green beans! Although this is somewhat pricy for a side dish, it produces a lot and is something I would end up cooking during a busy week.
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THE POTATO CHALLENGE by Nicole Howley Time to make: 3 hours Cost: $15
Personally, I find potatoes to be a bit bland, so I was determined to add as much flavor as possible to my dish. When I think of potatoes, I think of a hearty fall meal. Thyme is one of the few seasonings I know goes well with this type of meal. In an attempt to impress the judges, I decided to add this flavorful seasoning to some handmade pasta.
I made the pasta dough by mixing flour with water and then adding a bit of thyme. The actual process of making the dough only took about 15 minutes, but I then spent an additional hour and a half trying to role it into cute, little pasta balls. I then put all of the pasta pieces in one bowl and by the time I actually got around to boiling them, they were very stuck together. An hour and a half, wasted.
To add even more flavor to the dish, I decided to make mushroom gravy. Gravy goes well with potatoes and, when cooked for long enough, mushrooms can have a hearty, almost meaty flavor. To make gravy, I sautéed mushrooms with onions, salt and pepper until both of the vegetables were browned. I then added vegetable broth which, in an effort to save money, I had made from two tablets of vegetable bouillon. I then slowly mixed in flower until the broth thickened to a gravy-like texture.
I decided to grate the potatoes so that they would cook more quickly. I then sautéed the potatoes with some diced green pepper, garlic, salt and pepper to add even more flavor to the meal.
The overall mix of everything looked a bit like mush but I thought that the mush tasted delicious. The pasta had a wonderful texture that is softer than the pasta you can buy in a box and the thyme complemented the gravy beautifully. The potatoes had absorbed some pretty intense flavor from the other ingredients and they mixed well with the other components of the dish.
Ingredients:Flour WaterThymeVegetable oil (for sautéing)MushroomsOne onionVegetable bouillonTwo potatoesOne green pepperTwo cloves of garlicSaltPepper
NICOLE’S VEGAN PASTA PLATE
NICOLE’S VEGAN PASTA PLATE: Time and Cost Review: With taking a few hours to prepare, homemade pasta with mushroom gravy isn’t something you are going to make on your way between class and the library. Though for the relatively high cost of the ingredients it does produce a lot of food, making it ideal for entertaining or having lots of leftovers.
Taste Review:
Josh: This dish is brimming with flavors between the thyme in the pasta, the green pepper garlic topping and the mushroom gravy. The handmade pasta gives the platter a unique touch. But be careful not to undercook it, as the dough could be too chewy. The dish’s best feature is its vegan nature. Healthy and delicious is a combo any college student shouldn’t pass up. Will: This is homemade goodness. With a subtle use of potatoes and veggies, homemade pasta and creamy mushroom gravy, this is a full-fledged meal. The only drawback is the time it takes to make the pasta. I would save this dish for a weekend when I would be more patient.
BY NATE ARROWSMITH WITH CONTRIBUTIONS BY NICOLE HOWLEY| ILLUSTRATIONS BY ETHAN THORNTON
Scattered across campus are a plethora of data storage devices that hold information about prospective, current, and former RIT students. These records range from mundane academic advisor notes to significant and personal information like social security numbers.
While RIT takes many precautions to keep this information safe, tucked away in locked filing cabinets and on servers, it’s reasonable to wonder how safe this information is in an era rife with identity theft.
“100 percent security is an unobtainable goal,” says Jonathan Mauer, RIT’s information security officer, via phone. “You will always have some level of risk, some level of vulnerability.”
RIT keeps a lot of information on students ranging from the academic to the more personal. Understanding what it keeps and for how long is an important part of understanding information security’s role at the Institute.
THE INFORMATION THEY KEEP
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THE INFORMATION THEY KEEP
12 Features | 02.01.13
RIT receives several thousand applications from prospective students each year. It saves the applications of matriculated students for at least 10 years, according to the Academic Affairs Records Management Schedule.
Most of your records are generated while you’re a student enrolled at RIT. The schedule states that your academic transcript from your time here is kept indefinitely by the college. This makes sense, as it would be a disappointing turn of events 20 down the line if you decided to apply to a graduate school and RIT had long since tossed out your grades.
The college also stores the information from pretty much every academic action that involves filling out paperwork for some period of time. Change of major requests are, for instance, stored for six years after you graduate whether or not you successfully change majors. Even your Academic Advisement records are kept for at least three years after you leave RIT.
RIT sits atop a mountain of data about its prospective, current and former students. Not surprisingly, protecting this data from internal and external threats is a full-time job.
Jonathan Maurer, who is also a professor of Enterprise Security in the Golisano College of Computing and Information Science, leads RIT’s data security measures.
“When you think about information security there are really three layers to think about,” said Maurer over the phone. “Physical security, technological and systems security, and the human factors.”
Physical security, Maurer explains, involves the brick and mortar security measures that campus has, including Public Safety, security cameras and good locks. Data thieves have been known to circumvent computer firewalls by physically breaking into data centers and stealing servers and computers with sensitive information on them.
Technical system security includes what we normally think about in terms of data protection including firewalls and network monitoring. Maurer says that RIT’s network is regularly scanned for over 35,000 different types of vulnerabilities in order to make sure that the system is well protected.
Last year, McAfee, the world’s foremost security company, formed a partnership with RIT which will include $3.5 million in new software and hardware designed in part to help make RIT’s system more secure.
WHAT THEY KEEP
DETERMINING POLICIES
INFORMATION SECURITY
Laws govern much of RIT’s record keeping, especially regarding how long they keep each record for.
As RIT’s general councel, Bobby Colón is responsible for advising RIT on legal matters including those involving record keeping. In order to determine how long RIT can or should keep information, Colón refers to New York State law: “If there is a statute, I have to follow what the statute says,” explains Colón over phone. If there isn’t one, they keep the record, “for as long as the department thinks that they need the document.”
However, according to Colón, the departments generally want to get rid of more information than they want to keep, and as soon as the statutes run out, the information is often disposed of.
“If there is no longer a reason to keep it, we
destroy it,” says Colón. As a rule of thumb, RIT only keeps records indefinitely in
their archives if it deems the records valuable to RIT’s history. When destroying files and information, RIT follows specific
procedures too to make sure that information does not get into the wrong hands and to follow the law. New York State and federal laws govern how to destroy specific types of confidential records and when shredding documents or erasing them from a server, RIT does so in accordance with these laws. However, if a document is not confidential, it can be recycled with the rest of the paper at the end of the day.
Keeping information for any longer than necessary would be a hassle and an expense. The more information that is kept, the more difficult it is to keep track of and to find when needed. There is also the cost in regards to file and server space. Colón reports that there is less information being kept than in the past, but a great deal must still be stored. As Colón puts it, “Any document that is submitted to RIT record has to be kept by RIT for a certain period of time.”
139
Human factors concerns include making sure that people who have access to sensitive data know how to access and store it properly. The most secure data in the world can be compromised by a single person divulging their password or giving someone access to records that they aren’t supposed to have access to. RIT spends a great deal of time training employees on how to properly access and store sensitive data as a result.
Every day RIT employees across campus access sensitive data as part of their work making the college run smoothly. Sometimes this data lingers on their hard drives or the employee forgets to dispose of it properly. In order to prevent this data from falling into the wrong hands, RIT employs a program called Identity Finder which scans RIT desktop and laptop computers for sensitive data ranging from driver’s license to social security numbers. Identity Finder regularly locates misplaced data and to date millions of instances of private information have been removed from RIT computers thanks to Identity Finder.
When all of these security measures work, few people have access to the information RIT stores other than the student it refers to. Records about a student can be accessed by university officials or a parent or guardian if the student is listed as a dependent on the parent’s taxes and there are additional exceptions to this rule but, for the most part, the records are only viewed by those they refer to.
Information is never completely safe, no matter where it is stored. Short of deleting your Facebook account, cutting up your debit cards, closing all of your bank accounts, and moving into a cabin atop some mountain, your personal information will always be at risk.
“Any document that is submitted to RIT record has to be kept by RIT for a certain
period of time.”
What we’re left with is the need to mitigate the risk of information theft. Here at RIT a great deal of work is being done to insure the protection and efficient utilization of our information. And thanks to the work of people like Jonathan Maurer and Bobby Colón and to new initiatives and programs like those initiated by the college’s partnership with security companies, RIT is on the cutting edge of information security.
getting on the grid
by Nicole Howley | illustration Ethan Thornton
The IT Collaboratory is filled with monitors, wires and students working on large computers. For someone who knows little about technology, it is quite overwhelming but the layout on one of the monitors is more accessible. There are different windows with high quality video of different sections of campus. One window is larger than the others, but the videos slowly transition from one to another.
The layout is familiar and can be found outside of this lab too; there are monitors located around campus that connect to the network of videos and eventually the team working in the lab hopes that these stations will be connected to each other as well. “The goal is real time collaboration,” explains Gurcharan Khanna, the director of Research Computing and the one in charge of the development of this project: the Global Collaboration Grid.
The grid is a video conferencing network for the RIT campus that hopes to expand to others, including RIT’s campuses in Dubai and Croatia as well as Gallaudet University. There are traces of the Global Collaboration Grid for students to see all around the school. There are monitors in the Center for Student Innovation, NTID and the Idea Factory of the Wallace Library where you can watch high quality video of the locations around campus with cameras. These stations are meant to make video conferencing more enjoyable and collaboration amongst distant partners more attainable.
Quality is KeyIn order to achieve real time collaboration, Khanna and his team of student
workers have been working to reduce lag and improve video and audio quality for the past seven years. Recently, they have been looking into HD audio and beyond but for Khanna, “Video is the highest impact part of it.”
Currently, they are experimenting with 4K video, which is four times bigger than an HD screen and used for digital cinema presentations in movie theaters. “There is even 8K video now so the technology keeps changing, but quality is very important so we want to show people that this is possible,” says Khanna, “If we show them the quality that’s possible for real time collaboration, maybe they will want to use [the Global Collaboration Grid] for a class or for a multi-campus gaming event or
whatever it happens to be, but people aren’t always aware that they can do better.”
Khanna acknowledges that there are many other forms of software for video conferencing, but he believes that the Grid’s quality is what helps to set it apart: “It is so easy to do, but the quality is what makes the difference.”
The team is constantly working on improving the software for the Grid as well: “We originally used a program that was developed through Argonne National Laboratory,” says Khanna. “We didn’t originate it, but we’ve added to it and enhanced it.”
Now, they are looking for more ways to improve the software while keeping it open source to encourage outside contribution. One of the students workers developed software to improve the display for video conferencing, “and then we released it under a public license so that’s out there in cyberspace where people, if they want to contribute to that, they can. So if we do develop something, we make it available.”
CollaborationIn addition to encouraging contributions to the project
by keeping their software open source, Khanna hopes that more people will get involved by finding additional uses for the technology. “If it doesn’t get used, it’s not useful.”
So far, they have found uses for the grid within many different departments. For instance, a few pathways classes have been held at the Center for Student Innovation where students from this campus could talk to a class from the RIT campus in Dubrovnik, Croatia. The library has also used the grid to connect to the campuses in Kosovo and Croatia in order to explain the uses of the library to the students there. The Biomedical Photography department and NTID have used the grid to host speakers from off campus.
Although there have been many uses for the Global Collaboration Grid, there have been some projects that the team has attempted that have not yet achieved complete success. The equipment has been set up in many places both on this and other campuses but not all of the stations have been connected to the network.
Another project that the Global Collaboration Grid team attempted was to connect the biomedical photo students here to the operating room in Rochester General Hospital, a partner with the biomed photo program that has allowed students to take photos in the room in the past. However, there are some privacy issues with this plan that have not yet been resolved.
There are other regulations regarding privacy that are taken into consideration with this technology around campus. However, since the network is private (it is only broadcast within RIT and the cameras are used for live interaction rather than recording), it has not posed too much of a problem.
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Privacy is not the only issues that the team faces either; staff cutbacks have been made due to decreases in funding. “There are lots of issues and usually it’s not just any one of them, it’s usually a human issue,” says Khanna. “Who has the vision? Who really wants this? Who’s going to support it? So I’m always really glad to find someone who really wants to use it.”
To set up additional stations, they generally need a partner who is interested in using the technology. “My goal is really just to get people to think about it,” says Khanna. The team is working to improve the technology and providing the infrastructure for other people’s uses.
The Future“One of my visions was that a student could just walk up
to any one of [the stations] and it would be on and they could talk to a student at any other one of these,” says Khanna. They were able to set this up for Imagine RIT but he hopes that eventually it will be a more permanent option and that the grid will be connected with other campuses as well.
Once this is set up, Khanna has many ideas for where to take the technology from there: “I have visions of it being much more dynamic. You could have the videos dance around and be integrated into other types of special effects but that takes time so this has been years in the making and it will take more.”
There are many other possibilities for the Global Collaboration Grid due to the plasticity of the software. “The software we use is pretty much unlimited because it’s kind of a toolbox,” explains Khanna. “There’s a video tool and audio tool, there’s a remote desktop tool, and we can mix and match them according to our needs.” With all the ideas as well as the enthusiasm of both Khanna and the student workers, the grid will continue progressing for many years to come.
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AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” blared throughout Clark Gym, interrupted only by the pounding of basketballs and the squeaking of shoes. RIT’s women’s basketball team was about to play Vassar College Friday, January 25 at their first home game of the new year.
RIT quickly took the lead in the first quarter with two foul shots made by Courtney Tennant, a third year New Media Marketing major and the leading scorer with 14 points for the Tigers in the game. RIT played intense defense in front of their basket, blocking multiple shots and grabbing rebounds. Three minutes into the game, Vassar scored their first basket.
Cheers could be heard from both teams as they encouraged their teammates in a close first half. As Vassar gained the lead RIT was becoming visibly more frustrated. Each team remained within a few points of each other until the end of the first half where, after a frantic scramble for more points and more physical play, Vassar led 36-26.
Vassar secured the first basket in the second half. This half, everyone seemed more serious as the coaches from both teams were standing, watching the game intently. RIT appeared tired, scoring few baskets and taking a longer time to get back on defense. There were many frantic fights over the ball resulting in fouls.
Approximately four minutes into the second half a time out was called, from which it appeared the Tigers came back with more fight in them. At this point the crowd became more involved, screaming out missed calls to the referees and shouting praise for the women. In one instance Jess Kramer, a third year Business Management major, took a break away down the court toward Vassar’s basket. Kramer was knocked down by a Vassar player in an attempt to block the ball. The crowd screamed for a foul call, and the coaches seemed distressed as well; it was called as an out of bounds ball on RIT.
As the game continued, play became more aggressive and desperate as Vassar attempted to keep their lead and RIT tried to catch up. The Tigers became more frustrated with each other and the game. They yelled at each other and spoke in frantic voices as time began to run out. Despite the tension, both teams managed a laugh when they had to search for someone tall enough to get the ball down from the basket when it got stuck at the six-minute mark.
A TOUGH LOSS AGAINST VASSARby Alyssa Jackson | photograph by Mackenzie Harris
Leslie Havens dribbles the ball down the court and past the 3 point line with extra assistance from Courtney Tennant in the back at a game against Vassar University on Friday, January 25 at Clark Gym.
During the last few minutes of the game, RIT’s fatigue became obvious. They continued to fight hard to win the ball and get any points that they could to decrease the growing gap between the teams. The game ended with a Vassar player dribbling the ball, making no attempts at a basket to let the time run out. The final score was a loss for RIT, 71-50.
Despite the disheartening loss the Lady Tigers held their heads high as they congratulated Vassar. Megan Keenan, a first year Diagnostic Medical Sonography major in the crowd, did not seem disappointed by the loss. She stated that she had fun cheering for her friends. “I think they’ll do good as long as they work hard and work together,” Keenan said of RIT’s future games.
Despite the sadness of the loss, lady Tigers thought they did well against Vassar. Kelly Van Epps, a first year Business major, stated that they could have played better but were still able to make some good choices on the court. “We came back better in the second half,” Van Epps stated. “And we shut down their best player most of the time.”
The women’s basketball team managed a 75-50 win against Bard the next day.
18 Sports | 01.11.13
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I walk into the spacious room 1250 in Nathaniel Rochester Hall (NRH) to find the instructor and our photographer. The instructor is dressed in a blue, casual shirt and a purple, Hawaiian-looking skirt with a collection of shell beads around her neck. She rushes up to greet me, introducing herself as Ashley Zanca, a graduate student in the Applied and Computational Mathematics program. We begin to chat about majors and life as a few more people trickle in to the room. Including our photographer and myself, we soon make a class of four students ready to learn Tahitian dance.
This workshop on Tuesday, January 22 was part of the Dance Your Way to a Healthy May program started by the Student Affairs Wellness Fitness Committee this school year. Carla Pennello, residence coordinator for Nathaniel Rochester Hall, is one of the organizers of the program. “I have been working with various clubs and organizations to bring different styles of dance into the residence halls all year long,” explained Pennello over email.
Last quarter, there were dance workshops ranging from Bhangra to Country Line Dancing. The Tahitian Dance class was the second out of five dance workshops running this quarter. Although we were a small class in number, Zanca remained enthusiastic about the dance, and that enthusiasm quickly spread to the rest of the class.
As we stretched, Zanca explained the culture of Tahitian dance. Hula and Tahitian dancing are quite similar in storytelling aspect and form, but Tahitian is generally faster paced. This means that it involves a lot of isolation in muscle movement. For instance, when we attempted to sway and shake our hips to the music, we tried to keep our torsos straight, tall and unmoving at the same time. This involved a lot of core work. Zanca suggested that we also bend our knees to make the hip movements easier. Although this made it a bit easier to make wider movements with our hips when our legs weren’t locked, this involved engaging more leg muscles as well.
HAVING FUN DANCING TAHITIANby Nicole Howley | photograph by Jonathan Foster
Within the first 10 minutes of class, Zanca had explained many different types of Tahitian dance moves ranging from swinging your hips from side to side to attempting to move them in a figure eight. Zanca explained to the class that Tahitian dance was banned in the 1800s when the British colonists came to Tahiti. They saw the dancing as too provocative, which is understandable: One dance move resembled a smaller, more controlled version of the pelvic thrust.
Even with the dancing’s faintly provocative movements, it was difficult to remain too self-conscious during the workshop. With few observers and with Zanca’s constant encouragement and instruction, there was an air of lightheartedness and fun shared among the participants.
As the class continued and as Zanca began teaching the dance routine, a few more students came in the room to join in. Soon enough, we had a total of ten students dancing around the room to an upbeat, drum-based Tahitian song.
Although Zanca outperformed the rest of the class with her skillful and more practiced dance moves, the participants at the workshop were smiling constantly while feeling their muscles work. By the end of class, everyone seemed glad to have attempted such a unique form of dance.
Getting members of the RIT community to explore unique and engaging forms of physical activity is the overall goal of the workshop series. “We are very excited that people have grown to love this dance series,” said Pennello. “It is a way to get people active and moving in the residence halls and all across campus!” For this quarter, the Center for Student Wellness has planned two more dance workshops from 7 - 8 p.m. in NRH 1250: Bachata, a type of Latin dance, on February 5 and Ballroom Dance on February 12. And spring quarter, there will be even more unique dance styles to discover!
Ashley Zanca leads students in learning the Tahitian dance as a part of the Dance Your Way to a Healthy May program Tuesday, January 22.
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4. Aksa Asgher, Third year New Media Marketing
“Because I’m a Muslim, I have a hard time getting Halal meat a lot, so it’s always a limited supply.” 5. Courtney Getman, Second year Electrical Engineering
“I don’t eat junk food because it’s not necessary and I don’t want to spend extra money.”
2. Melissa St. Preux, Second year Mechanical Engineering
"You have to cut down your meals. Like I don't eat three times a day because I don't have time to eat three meals a day. It's true. I have classes throughout the day, unless I try to run and get food, which doesn't really work because then I'd be late for class.”
3. Wilson Darko, Second year Electrical Engineering
“Homecooked foods, because especially living in the dorms you don’t get an experience to have a kitchen to make that kind of stuff, and even though food is for nutrition and all that jazz, it’s good to have that family feel behind it, and you don’t really get that in college.”
1. Brook Kallstrom, Third year Animation
"Good seafood, 'cause I like seafood. The seafood here, it's just not fresh. It's not good. I've actually gotten food poisoning from seafood that was here.”
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Rings, Word On The Street is so boring. I don’t want to read about people’s favorite teachers… what about asking “What’s your favorite way to eat an Oreo and why?”
585.672.4840
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compiled by Brett Slabaugh | illustration by Erica Landers
Considering the fact that I pay $43,000 to go here, I would appreciate it if maintenance would fix the dryers that have been broken since before Christmas break.
Hey Rings, you think that when Sol’s finally goes under from the new debit policy, Commons will finally have enough workers to staff both registers?
It’s Week 7. It doesn’t feel like Week 7. This probably means I’m failing a class. Now... which one?
I’m a female, and a guy just literally spent five minutes standing and debating whether or not to sit next to me. Man, I love awkward RIT boys.
I was just standing in the Artesano’s line and overheard some guy telling his friend “I woke up feeling awful this morning. Homeostasis was below 50 percent.” Oh, RIT.
Some kid’s dancing in the snow by the tiger statue. It makes this weather somewhat more bearable. Stay awesome, Mr. Snow Dancer.
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Great location to campus. Fitness center. Game room with billiards & foosball. Fully furnished. Individual leases.
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8 Leisure | 12.14.1218 Sports | 12.07.12
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