Tuesday, September 15th, 2015 | TechNews campus@technewsiit.com CAMPUS 3 Hawks Coehouse returns with performance by folk artist Laura Joy Reno Waswil TECHNEWS WRITER For those not in the know, Hawks Coffeehouse (previously called Starhawks) is Union Board’s biweekly show in the MTCC, usually in the Welcome Center but not always, where students are encouraged to come by, relax, perhaps get some homework or reading done, and listen to some great artists from all over the place perform It’s like listening to music in the privacy of your home, only with the fading sunlight in a cozy corner surrounded by friends and fellow lounging students. There is usually more than enough coffee, tea, and during the colder months, even hot chocolate for the spectators’ pleasure, and it’s always a great way to wind down for the night. For the last of these performances, which also happened to be the first of this Fall Semester, Union Board welcomed local artist Laura on, along with her cohort David Gallagher, for a duo performance at the Pritzker Club from 7 pm. — 8 pm. that night. Before the event, radio DIS Reno Fera-Ducatt and Anna Garcia had the pleasure of interviewing them on their WIIT 88.9 FM Chicago’s weekly radio show Unknown Talent (on air Tuesdays 4 pm. - 6 pm), where they learned about Joy’s life of self—management, having worked for a time in a publicity company in New York, the wide range of gigs that she’s been booked for, and the manic and sometimes troubling experiences she’s had with them, her growing up in Phoenix, Arizona and how that has influenced her music with the release of her new album “Between the Wordsearlier” this year, which she was giving out copies of at the show. For those interested, a recording of this interview will be made available in a few weeks, and one can find them all through Unknown Talent’s Facebook page. Although this event is not new, there were a few novel characteristics of this particular installment that made it different from ones in the past. It was one of only a few times where the event had not taken place in the Welcome Center, and the first time in its three»year history that it took place in the Pritzker Club. Although there were concerns about students being unsure whether they could enter the area, seeing that it is not usually a place students casually enter, and it was somewhat disappointing that the comfy Photo by Anna Garcia couches and chairs that added to the “sit— back and relax” mentality where not there, an altogether good turnout was seen (although, there were still brownies, coffee, and tea left after the performance, which is an unusual occurrence at these events). The reason the Welcome Center could not be booked for that day was because the model of the campus that sits there could not be approved to move, a fact that will impact future events, including future Hawks Coffeehouse shows, which would usually use the area as a hosting space. ‘ Another difference in this performance was that, for the first time in recent memory, Alien Sound and Lighting, IIT’s student-run sound and lighting service, could not do the sound for this performance, so Events Services had to be booked. They did a great job, and after the performance, the artists even praised their service, saying repeatedly that the equipment really complimented their instruments in a way they were not used to in similar gigs. Also, though the location made it a tad bit more difficult to hear the music from all over the MTCC, which is one of strategies in the placement of the location, its natural echo really added to the folksiness of the performance and enhanced it greatly. The very Tuesday that this paper is set to release, the second of the series, with the group The Icarus Account, is also set perform at Coffeehouse in the in the Pritzker Club, starting at 7 pm. Union Board, being the organization primarily in charge of programming school traditions like Homecoming, has chosen this favorite to play the week leading up to Homecoming Weekend festivities, which will officially kick off with IIT Global Spirit Day and the Inauguration of President Alan W. Cramb on Friday, September 18. The sweet treat for this week will be mini apple pies to mark the start of fall coming up on September 23, so I suggest you all be there, and be there early. Student Gift Celebration to acknowledge improvements to Keating Hall Kori Downs EDITOR-IN—CHIEF Each year, the Student Gift Cam- paign raises money from the student body to help purchase a campus improvement as a gift from the student body to the university. Previ— ous student gifts have included bike racks and bike fix-it stations for campus, new furniture for Galvin Library, and improved water foun- tains. The tradition of the annual Student Gift Campaign aims to allow students to give back to the IIT community. The 2015 Student Gift planned to raise money to refurbish the weight room in Keating Sports Center. After raising over 25 thousand dollars, the student gift of 2015 will culminate in a celebration to be held Friday, September 18 at 6:30 pm. in Keating Hall. This event is an opportunity for the IIT community to celebrate the tradition of philanthropy that students have created at IIT by giving back to the university. According to Joey Carrillo, Assis- tant Director of Annual Giving and Student and Young Alumni Programs in IIT’s Office of Institutional Advancement, this year’s cam- paign successfully raised money to renovate the workout room and pool in Keating Hall. The money raised by students is contribut- ing to a new floor in the workout room, fresh paint on the walls, new equipment, and a new Scarlet Hawk decal for the pool, says Carrillo. The campaign had monetary contributions from 781 undergraduate student donors, 177 of which were members of the graduating class of 2015; this is the largest number of students who participated in the Student Gift Campaign to date as well as the highest percentage of par- Advcrfiso in ticipation from the graduating class. “Athletics is in the process of get- ting these upgrades,” said Carrillo, “We don’t have information on what specific equipment is ordered, but athletics will have this infor- mation displayed at the Student Gift Celebra- tion on Friday.” In addition to learning about specific improvements to be made to Keating Hall, Carrillo says there are a few other things to look forward to at the celebration. A variety of speakers, including Vice President of Insti- tutional Advancement Betsy Hughes, Student Gift Co-Chairs from the 2015 campaign, and Athletic Director loe Hakes will be present. Those who attend the celebration will also have the opportunity to mingle with members of the 2016 Student Gift Campaign and partake in light appetizers. According to Carrillo, the 2016 Stu- OOHfOlfil' bUSlleSS@l’ZCV\YlZV\/Sllf00m Discounted ad contracts now available for Fall ZOIS dent Gift Campaign idea is still in early plan- ning stages, and students can be prepared to share their opinions of potential future gifts in an upcoming survey to be released in October or November. Interested students can also con- tribute to the 2016 Student Gift Campaign as a student volunteer. “If students want to get in- volved in the campaign, they can join our stu— dent gift committee by contacting one of our 2016 Student Gift Co-Chairs: Akin Aderele, Gina Qualter, or Ioe Valio. Students can also be part-time volunteers and help us staff a student gift table at an event. Students can also get in- volved by being a donor to our campaign this year. Every year we have student donor goals and students can play an important role in im- proving the IIT campus community by donat— ing to this year’s Student Gift Campaign,” said Carrillo.