OPHHON An alumna reflects on her participation in llT‘s Greek Life. Page 3 CAMPUS Looking for a humanities class? Consrder learning Spanish at UT. Page 4 ABE 1]‘ll>.‘l,\'.'fr~ll"i.’ delivers memorable Nialll \jul l l :‘ipl‘l'li‘ll‘n, Page 6 Student newspaper of the Illinois Institute of Technology since 1928 TUESDAY. NOVEMBER 25, 2011. Volume 180 I Issue 12 technewsiit.com OPINION 2-3 CAMPUS 4-5 A8E 6 SLlPSTlCK 7 SPORTS 7 HawkTalk, Toastmasters collaboration develops student leadership traits Khaleela Zaman DISTRIBUTION MANAGER The past two weeks have made No— vember an eventful month for HawkTalk, IIT’s student organization that specializes in foster— ing public speaking and communication skills. During this time, HawkTalk hosted a work- shop series in collaboration with Toastmasters International, the global organization that in- spired the inception of HawkTalk in the Spring of 2014. The first Toastmasters workshop was held on Thursday, November 13, focusing on the characteristics of an effective leader. Ra- chel Muhammad, coming to IIT from a Blue Cross Blue Shield Toastmasters club, led the workshop. Upbeat and engaging, Muhammad interacted with the nearly 30—member audi— ence in a way that made becoming an effective leader seem more achievable. The attendees came up with a list of personality traits of an effective leader and participated in an active discussion analyzing each characteristic. Vi- sion, grit, effective communication, and resil- ience were a few of the discussed traits. In ad- dition, they learned that effective leaders also need certain mental capabilities, including, but not limited to open-mindedness and quick, knowledgeable thinking. Lynorque Robinson, another Blue Cross Blue Shield Toastmaster facilitated the second workshop on the craft of communi- cating on Thursday, November 20. Titled “Speechcraft: The Success Communication Series,” this workshop was extremely interac— tive, bringing every participant up to the floor to speak. Every student was able to evaluate themselves on their current comfort levels as speakers, gaining insight into their abilities and learning ways to improve on those that were lacking. Several students were selected to participate in a “Table Topics” session, where each was given a topic on the spot and expect- ed to speak impromptu for one to two minutes. Participants were able to directly address their fears of being in front of an audience and for some international students, face the language barrier. On both occasions, attendees were provided workbooks and other materials to aid in their journey toward becoming more ef- fective leaders and communicators. Another exciting aspect of the workshop series was that each participant was presented an official Toastmasters International certificate of com- pletion following each workshop. The series filled not only their brains, but also their stom- achs. On each of the two occasions, delicious food from Chinese Kitchen was served, mak- ing for a delightfully wholesome experience. For those who have not attended HawkTalk’s workshops this semester, or have attended and are looking for more, stay on the lookout for further Toastmasters collabora- tions in the upcoming spring semester. To stay updated, join Haw alk on Hakaink and like the “HawkTalk IIT’ page on Faceboolc Do not hesitate to forward any questions, concerns, or suggestions to the organization at hawktalk@ iit.edu. Photos by Anoopa Sundararajan —