Tuesday, October 25th, 2016 | campus@technewsiit.com I 3;!“2 i : EEI 5
School of Applied Technology hosts haunted house

James Ierger
TECHNEWS WRITER

The School of Applied Technology
hosted their “Scarlet Crypt”, their first effort at a
haunted house type attraction on Illinois Tech’s
Family Weekend. The attraction featured an

arrangement of spooky props, some of which
were made by student and staff volunteers over
the past few weeks, that promised a scary yet
fun tour of the Stuart Building last Saturday.
Visitors were greeted by a rather eerie—looking
Stuart Building entrance, which led them
around the hallway by the OTS labs on the
first floor. The trip was packed with fun props

ranging from your typical tombstones, bats,
and glowing skulls to homemade props such as
an 8 foot tall grim reaper that greeted visitors.
SAT student volunteers and staff also partook
in the event, dressing up and doing their best
to give visitors a good scare or two. Although
short, it was a nice attempt at something
new for family weekend, and with a reported

turnout of 322, rather successful. The School
of Applied Technology plans on making this
event a yearly one, so look for them next year
and tell your friends to go for a fun experience
hosted by Illinois Tech’s own students and staff.

 

Photos courtesy of James Ierger

Trick or Treat for UNICEF supports ending child labor in Bangladesh

Alexandra Detweiler
TECHNEWS WRITER

Can’t go trick—or—treating this year
because you’re “too old?” Depressed because
of the cold weather and that weighty feeling of
being excluded from your favorite Halloween
festivity? Don’t worry: there’s a way you can
trick—or—treat this year while simultaneously
helping out a worthy cause—— all the while
avoiding your neighbors' disapproving “aren’t
you a little too old to trick—or—treat?”

Perhaps you’ve seen the brightly—
colored orange boxes scattered around campus.
October’s “Trick or Treat for UNICEF” event is
a month—long effort organized by Illinois Tech’s
chapter of the United Nations International
Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) to raise

 

money to help eradicate child labor and human
traflicking in Bangladesh. “Basically you put in
a coin, and that coin goes to UNICEF,” says
Mert Pekdemir, head of UNICEF's education
committee. “The money that we gather will go
to Bangladesh in the name of the children.
UNICEF itself is the organization that saves
these children and educates them.” According
to Pekdemir, many children in Bangladesh,
commonly ages two to ten years old, are
kidnapped or sold by their own parents. Some
children never see their parents at all, an issue
that UNICEF is making every effort to change.

Every month, UNICEF focuses on
a different country. Perhaps you remember
last month’s “You vs UNICEF” event that
raised funds to benefit Mali. Next month, on
November 19th, UNICEF will host a talent

show to raise funds for November’s country
of the month. For each event, all three
committees—— education, public relations,
and fundraising—— work together to make it
a success and meet their fundraising goals.
For example, UNICEF’s public relations
committee is responsible for the posters and
flyers you’ve seen around campus as well as the
large painted advertisements on the bridge in
MTCC. The education committee, responsible
for educating the campus on the chosen issue,
raises awareness through things like speaker
series’, tabling events, and movie screenings.
The first event of the speaker series occurred
this month, and according to Pekdemir,
UNICEF hopes to bring in at least one speaker
every semester. Tabling events involve setting
up a table at MTCC’s bridge and, in Pekdemir’s

words, “explain to people who are passing
through and say, ‘Hey, did you hear about
our country of the month?’ ‘Hey, did you
know what’s going on around the world?’”
Additionally, the education committee
screens movies that spread awareness about
the hardships children are facing all over the
world.

You don’t necessarily need to be
on one of UNICEF’s three committees to be
involved in what UNICEF does, according
to Pekdemir. If you’re interested in becoming
further involved in UNICEF’s cause than
giving a few coins, you can sign up for
UNICEF’s mailing list through Facebook to be
informed of future volunteering events.

Photos courtesy of Wildalz'ne Serin