Tuesday, March 10th, 2015 | Techfiews campuys@technewsiit.com 3 Student Gift Campaign Launches Zaira Ortiz TECHNEWS WRITER IIT held its annual TAG Day Last Thursday, February 26. TAG Day, as most of you may know by now, stands for “Thank A Giver” Day. Events were held all day in order to thank alumni and friends who have donated to IIT, because they believe in students as much as the students believe in them selves. One of the biggest hits on Tag Day was the Bog event. An enormous amount of students attended trivia at the Bog, and participated in answering fun facts about our loved university. Students used selfie sticks to take photos of themselves and posted the pictures using #illinoistechtag all over social media, and the night ended with students dancing to their heart’s content. One of the most important things that happened on TAG Day was the launch of the Student Gift Campaign (SGC). In more de— scriptive terms, the IIT Student Gift Campaign is a student—run effort to enhance both the community and philanthropy at the university. Through this endeavor, IIT students fund proj- ects that enhance the campus community, and build on a tradition of giving while learning about how generosity impacts the lives around them. Basically, the Student Gift is an opportu- nity for the students to present IIT with a gift that will make the experiences of current and future students better, enhance the university’s specialness, and give back to the IIT commu- nity that we all know and love. A few examples of past Student Gifts are the refurbishment of the enclosure space in MTCC in 2010, the completion of the re- serve textbook collection at Galvin Library in 2011, the installation of drinking fountains in seven academic buildings in 2012, the modu- lar furniture for Galvin Library in 2013, and new bike racks as well as two new bike repair stations for campus in 2014. All of these gifts enhance the lives and experiences of students at IIT today, could you imagine the university without them? I know I can’t; the value behind the Student Gift is tremendous, and it offers students, an opportunity to see the things that IIT is missing come to life. Students in the past thought Galvin didn’t have enough furniture, and so the students chose to gift the university with modern, comfortable, spacious furniture, all of which we now benefit from. Now, as students, it’s your turn to help impact IIT and leave your mark on your university for years to come. ~ This year, students have voted on 2015 Student Gift; 3 refurbishment of the Weight Room in Keating. The Student Gift Committee and the Athletics Department will partner for the project. The Committee notes this gift includes replacing and upgrading the floor, repainting the space and adding mirrors, updating current equipment with new pad- ding and machines, updating free weight and stretching areas including new equipment, adding a new sound system and TVs, and having the space professionally rearranged to maximize traffic flow and usability. This proj— ect is one of the most exciting projects the Stu- dent Gift Committee has ever embarked on! It’s one that gives back to the IIT community by taking care of and maintaining the sports center we have all come to know and love. Ke- ating is the hub of IIT pride and passion, and we need to care for in order to preserve and contribute to IIT culture. I asked William “Billy” Bafia—one of the student gift co-chairs—what the Student Gift meant to him and he had this to say, “ It’s an opportunity for the student body to come together and improve an area of campus they all collectively want to'change. Being a stu— dent-athlete and knowing this year’s project is focused on improving Keating Hall, I’ve taken a personal interest to make this year’s student gift project one of the most successful and re- warding for the student body. The student gift allows me to contribute, both my money, time, and efforts in making the university a better place for everyone—even when it’s a small change that is impacting everyone.” After this, I asked William what the student gift resem- bles, and he said, “The student gift resembles philanthropy from a student, whether it be through participation in student gift events or donating a portion of their income to help fund the project. It’s an opportunity for stu- dents to say this is what we want to improve, and if we can raise enough awareness about the project, help us make the change a reality. The student gift ties in a variety of organizations and departments across campus, including— but not limited to—the alumni board, the dean of students office, housing, Greek life, student government, and athletics. It brings the stu- dents and administration together to focus on a common goal of improving the university and moving it forward.” From Billy we can see that the Stu— dent Gift is something that universally impacts everyone on campus. Not only is it a refurbish- ment of Keating, but also it resembles some- thing significantly larger than physical matter. The Student Gift is an extension of the IIT spir- it, and reveals IIT pride, love, and involvement at its finest. The participation of the student body, as shown in past years, is significant to the success of every Student Gift project. That’s why it’s important for undergraduate students reading this to reach out to the Student Gift Committee, and become involved in an effort that makes IIT a better university for you and for future generations to come. The goals for this year are 20% un- dergraduate student donors, and 50% under- graduate class of 2015 donors. These goals are some of the most ambitious goals the Student Gift has had to meet to-date. If the SGC meets these goals, they’ll receive a significant chal- lenge gift from the IIT Alumni Board, hope— fully more than $20k. Be the change, which will be remembered at IIT! Visit http://alumni.iit.edu/gift-2015 and see how you can participate in other ways to help out in this wonderful cause. 33rd Street Productions' “Company" closes final performance Kori Bow-us EDITOR-IN-CHIEF 33rd Street Productions, IIT’s the- atre and drama organization, generally pres- ents one production each academic semester at IIT. This semester’s production was “Com- pany,” a 1970 musical comedy by Stephen Sondheim where 35-year-old bachelor Robert examines the woes and benefits of marriage through a variety of experiences and anecdotes told by his lovable friends. After months of preparation and dozens of hours of rehearsal, 33rd Street Pro- ductions’ rendition of “Company” ran for two weekends in Hermann Hall Auditorium on campus. The musical was run on February 27 and 28 as well as March 6 and 7 at 8 pm. in the auditorium; admission to the musical was free and open to the public. The cast, orchestra, and crew of “Company” was comprised of a variety of tal- ented Illinois Tech and Vandercook College of Music students. The musical opens on the 35th birthday of Robert, played by Evan Osgood. Robert is surrounded by his closest friends, all of whom are married. After having some difficulty blowing out the candles on his birth— day cake, a series of vignettes follows, each re- counting an experience Robert has while hang- ing out with one of the couples, consisting of characters played by Christina Castillo, Dave Coxhead, Ryan Fabre-Campbell, Alexis Renk, Kirsten Lamkin, Alex Hunt, Vanya Yorgova, Subarno Saha, Ellie Lynch, and Reno Waswil. In these stories, Robert learns a lot about love, marriage, and relationships, learning the pros and cons of being in a committed relationship through a variety of musical numbers such as “The Little Things You Do Together,” “Sorry- Grateful,” and “Getting Married Today.” Along the way, Robert also learns a lot from his bizarre relationships with his three girlfriends, played by Cristina Alarcon, Marga— ret Lee, and Kaylynn Barker. Studded with a variety of impres- sive musical performances from the entire cast and plenty of laughable moments, “Company” succeeded in keeping its audience entertained through its 25-hour duration. 33rd Street Productions will be performing another mu— sical in the upcoming fall semester, and plans to perform a Shakespeare production for next year’s spring play. The organization holds weekly meetings at 8 pm. in Wishnick Audi- torium and can be reached at 33rd.iit@gmail. com. ' it Phat . ti Bowm