technewsiit.com Student newspaper of Illinois Institute of Technology since 1928 SPECIAL EDITION! Student Speak Survey Report One year later, where are we now? Students Speak Survey Team By Karl Rybaltowski EDITOR-IN-CHIEF l l Piyush Sinha Undergraduate 4th year Computer Science Chris Roberts Undergraduate 4th year Humanities Nathan Wicker Undergraduate 3rd year Engineering Katherine Rhee Undergraduate 4th year Business Iessica Sergent 3rdyear Graduate Student Pglchology Stacy Economy Undergraduate 4th year Architecture Olumuyiwa Iimi-Salami Undergraduate 3rd year Engineering The big question when last year’s Students This year, we decided to make the survey this special issue of TechNews you will find Speak survey concluded was simple: “what even bigger than the last? The big change? Acae some basic background information on the UrbaMandrekar now?" Would the university take note of the demic departments We wanted to see how, on survey, the executive summary, conclusions Undergraduate 3rd year overwhelming turnout and the power of the top of your food, your dorms, and your inter, the team has drawn from the data collected, Pglch and Biology responses, or would institutional inertia keep actions with staff, you felt about your profese and charts , so very many charts anyone from setting plans in motion? The sors and your programs And the results have We’ve condensed a great deal of informa Lu Wang unveiling of the results to the school’s admin, certainly been interesting tion into the a simple, readable format, just to 2nd year Graduate Student istration and all of its department heads was What do this year’s results show us about give readers anidea ofthe breadth and depth of Stuart School an experience loaded with uncertainty , the the student body? Well, contrary to what the the survey You’ll see both the results of quane responses of the deans and directors could Princeton Review might say, we, as students, titative analysis and our comment analysis, ref Karl Rybaltowski determine the longeterm viability of the entire venture? Now that we’ve successfully complete ed a second round of Students Speak, it’s clear this is no flash in the pan , the school does take don’t hate our school? We think our professors are, on the whole, pretty good, but we’d love to see more mentoring and advising? We ace knowledge that some of the poor performers flecting some of the deeper concerns students have about certain departments Finally, we have our recommendations for departments that need to improve, and an interview with RecentBS engineering Currently 1styear Graduate Student Stuart School it seriously, students want to speak out, and from last year are improving, but we’d still like President Anderson and Provost Cramb on the Jodi Houlihan change does occur? to see more? Surprisingly, we feel HT is a safe survey results and their implications 1st year Graduate Student The response from the school has been campus We feel generally respected by llT’s S0, to echo the question of the past: what Institute ofDesign overwhelming? Departments falling below the staff And most of all, the picture of us that now? University departments are examining acceptable threshold of favorable ratings last emerges is that we crave value? We know we’re how they’ve done, preparing action plans to Pericles Abbasi year instituted major changes, starting with advisory boards incorporating students to determine and implement such changes The paying good money for school, and while low, ering prices across the board might not be a viable option, making sure we get good service improve areas where they’ve been found lack, ing, and organizing student advisory boards In a later issue of TechNews, we’ll provide an 3rdyear Graduate Student Law, ChicagoeKent results are palpable: lateenight dining at Cene for what we do pay certainly is update of where those departments stand and Advisor: ter Court, aggressive response policies from I had the honor of being a part of the come what they have planned? And hopefully, when Bruce Fisher Financial Aid and Housing, the merging of mittee this year and working with a group of fall rolls around and with it, another round of Director Housing and Res Life, and 24/5 hours at Galvin motivated, enthusiastic people? I was able to the survey, we can reflect upon how far llT’s Leadership Academy are just a few of the impressive achievements, not to mention all the work departments have been doing behind the scenes witness the amount of hard work everyone put into this project, and the information inside represents a culmination of that work? Within culture of service has come, and work on mak ing it still better? The results are out. Now what? Stay tuned for updates! Check out the Students Speak page at iit.edu/studentsispeak (or find it through myIIT). And TechNews will be publishing one more special issue to see where all the departments are by the end of the semester. Don’t miss it! and Center for Research and Service