Tuesday, October 18, 201 1 I TechNews campus@technewsiit.com UTSAV GANDHI 5 Sustainability Week promotes green alternatives By Harshita Iyer TECHNEWS WRITER Sustainability is a subject that has long been on people’s minds: With all the recycle bins and sustainable water fountains around campus, it is almost impossible not to be reminded of this word periodically With this in mind, Gangreen, soon to be called Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW), our student sustainability organization, has organized a Sustainability Week at IIT for this week! Gangreen is a student organization that has beenworking with the Office of Campus Energy and Sustainability on improving sustainable practices on campus, and had a big role to play in the installation of the Bicycle bike rental program on campus: It is now in the process of joining a nationally recognized organization called Engineers for a Sustainable World, so that it can spread out more, and have access to more resources, while still staying as IIT’s sustainability organization Despite what the name suggests, Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW) is open to students of all majors, as exemplified by its executive board, which has members from a wide range of majors and backgrounds Sustainability Week starts off Monday, the 17th of October with a Farmer’s Market, with tables set up and people selling organic products of all sorts: Melanie Hoekstra, a speaker from “The Plant", which is a vertical farm in Chicago spoke at the Perlstein Hall: The schedule for the rest of the week is 7 Tuesday is the HaitiIPRO Presentation (at Stuart Building 225 from 1 pm to 1:45 pm) and the screening of the movie “No Impact" (at the E1 Auditorium from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm): On Wednesday, you can join them at their General Body Meeting and find out more about this organization (at the Perlstein Auditorium at 1 pm): It ends on Thursday with a Green Resource Opportunity Fair (at the HUB Alumni Lounge from noon to 4 pm), with is a career as well as resource fair for people looking for internships as well as just wanting to learn about career opportunities in fields relating to sustainability Also on Thursday is a presentation by Professor Rodger Cooley on Urban Farms (E1 Auditorium from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm) immediately followed by another presentation by the “Urban Worm Girl", at the same location starting 7:30 pm: The main aim of Sustainability Week is to let the student body at IIT know about everything that is out there in sustainability today, and about how sustainability can be a fun and important career choice: All the events are sure to be a lot of fun, and great learning opportunities for everyone attending: Also at every event, you can sign up for BeCycle memberships and buy Market Baskets from Growing Power, which are organic vegetable baskets for a verylow price: With all this going on, it would be a shame to miss this week! So make sure you clear you schedule for this week and go to as many events as possible! Intercollegiate Red Dance benefits local charity By T. Todd Masman ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR STUDENT LIFE, SHIMER COLLEGE A joint initiative between IIT, Shimer College and VandeCook College of Music will bring the RED DANCE to campus on Friday, October 21 from 8 7 11pm in the Herman Hall Ballroom: An event designed to benefit the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, it will include a performance by VanderCook’s Jazz Band under the direction of Dr Tony Kidonakis from 8 , 9 pm, dancing from 9 , 11 pm with music by DJ Mike Munley from VanderCook and dance lessons by members ofDance 101: According to Alexandra Rosenberg, Shimer Student and Red Dance Coordinator, the event is designed to raise awareness and funds to support the work of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago: With the nation’s fourth highest incidence rate of HIV/AIDS, there is an ongoing need in the city of Chicago for support and education in order to stop spread of the infection and provide day to day care for persons living with HIV and AIDS: Rosenberg commented that ““AIDS is the number one cause of death in people under the age of 60 and yet the amount of information out about AIDS prevention and treatment is remarkably low: There’s still a lot of ignorance about this epidemic in our community The AFC is doing an amazing job of spreading the word and educating people: I feel it is our duty as community members to be a part of this learning process: At Shimer College our motto is, ‘To Serve Rather than B e Served’ and that is an ideal that is deeply close to my heart" The mission of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago is to lead the fight against HIV/ AIDS and improve the lives of people affected by the epidemic: Founded in 1985 by community activists and physicians, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago is a local and national leader in the fight against HIV/AIDS: They collaborate with community organizations to develop and improve HIV/ AIDS services; fund and coordinate prevention, care, and advocacy projects; and champion effective, compassionate HIV/AIDS policy The event also includes a Silent Auction featuring items donated by Broadway Cares: Image courtesy 0 graphicshunt.com Equity Fights AIDS: Items include Broadway posters signed by cast members from productions such as Wicked, Memphis and Arcadia as well as CD sets, snow globes, totes and much more: Items can be viewed at www shimeredu/reddance201 1 Tickets to the event are a $500 minimum suggested donation: Ticket sales will take place at tables in the MTCC on Tuesday and Wednesday ofthis week [ed: 10/18 8:19] on the Bridge: They are also available from the Shimer College Student Life Office (Second Floor, 3424 S: State Street): FFI on tickets contact Trillian B ergmann at t:bergmann@shimer:edu The Red Dance event continues a series of programs focused on education and awareness around HIV/AIDS: Last Wednesday, October 12, the IIT Office of Service Learning and Spirituality in collaboration with Shimer’s Office of Student Life showed the documentary film “Miss HIV", which explores the international collision of HIV/AIDS policies while following the journey of two HIVepositive women who enter a pageant in Botswana: Filmed across Africa and at the International AIDS Conference in Toronto the explosive ethnographic film shares both sides of an ideology struggle: Additional education efforts are provided through the IIT’s Student Health Services, including HIV Screening: For additional Information on the Red Dance contact Alex Rosenberg a:r0senberg@ shimeredu, Lynne Meyer lmeyer2@iit:edu, T Todd Masman tt:masman@shimer:edu, or on Facebook at Red Dance for AFC: Money-saving options for study abroad available By Office of Financial Aid Would a study abroad experience enhance your education at IIT? According to the Institute for International Education, 80% of incoming college freshmen across the nation say they expect to study abroad: However, only 1% of college graduates are actually able to incorporate an international experience into their time at college with the primary deterrent being cost: The Study Abroad Office and the Office of Financial Aid would like to offer some background information as well as several resources for students interested in this experience: There are two main types of study abroad programs, a facultyeled or exchange programs and partner programs: With faculty, led and exchange programs, students pay the same tuition to IIT as normal: Housing, food and extra travel costs are paid to the host university, but tend to be about the same cost as IIT Many students have reported that the only significant difference in cost is the plane ticket to their program, and any extra travel they did outside of the schoolesponsored programs: For partner programs, students do not pay IIT any tuition, but rather pay tuition and housing directly to the host university Some partner programs can have tuition as low as $4,800 per semester! At IIT, the Study Abroad and Financial Aid Oflices work with you to help meet your financial need when going abroad: A few basic rules of thumb are that if you are paying tuition to IIT, such as with an exchange or facultyeled program, your federal, state, and institutional tuition awards should still apply For partner programs, your federal grants and loans will still apply Federal workestudy will not be granted for any study abroad programs: Elizabeth Wahlstrom Helgren, Financial Aid Counselor, works with students travelling abroad: She is happy to meet with you to discuss how each item in your current aid package will apply to your preferred programs and let you know if any additional aid can be applied to your program of study The key to supplementing your current aid package is by planning ahead: Set aside money each paycheck from your campus job to go into your study abroad fund: Make sure your parents, friends, and relatives know of your desire to spend a semester or summer abroad when your birthday or other holidays come around: Some people can be especially generous when they know you are saving for an educational experience that will better prepare you for a career: Additionally, there are several scholarship opportunities to watch for, again depending on your program of study One popular award for the ARCH in Paris semester students is the Droste Award, which offers participants a stipend to help cover living and travel costs associated with the program: Students on the ARCH in Paris program can work with Faith Kancauski to determine their eligibility for the award: The Gilman Scholarship is a great option for IIT students! This award goes to US citizens and is more likely to be awarded to students who study science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields: Over 2,300 awards of up to $5,000 each are given to Pell Grant recipients each year For students planning to study abroad during the 201272013 school year, consider the Fund for Education Abroad (FEA) Scholarships with an upcoming deadline of November 14, 2011: Awards are up to $10,000 for students going on an academically rigorous program and who plan to share their experience upon their return. Students do not need to have applied for a study abroad program yet, but they will need to show that they have done the research on the programs that they would consider doing if they had the funding: Another option for US: citizens is the Boren Scholarship, which offers awards of up to $20,000 for an academic year for students who study in fields critical to national security Unfortunately, students who plan to go to Western Europe or Australia are not eligible: In addition to takinglanguage coursework abroad, students must commit to one year of working for the US: government upon graduation from IIT The Boren Foundation also assists with job placement upon graduation! While many federal awards are applicable only to US citizens, there are awards open to international students as well: These include scholarships offered by the government from the student’s host country, such as Study in Australia, Campus France, and more: In addition, many third party provider programs offer their own scholarships for students participating on specific programs: These may not be limited to only domestic students: If an essay is required for the scholarship application, be sure to discuss why your program will help you personally and professionally Highlight what makes you different: Many students choose to go to the UK or Australia, so choosing a less common area such as Eastern Europe, South Africa, or Asia helps you get noticed by scholarship committees: Keep in mind that STEM majors, men, LGBT students, students from diverse backgrounds, students with disabilities and first generation college students often do not go abroad as often as their counterparts: What makes you different will likely help you get funded! Finally, utilize your resources! The Study Abroad Oflice maintains a list of scholarships in its Early Planning section of its website at iitedu/studyiabroad: If you have registered with the office, you will get regular updates about upcoming scholarship deadlines: Ashley Sinclair, the Coordinator for Study Abroad and Cultural Programming, and the Writing Center are glad to review your essays or help you with any ideas you may need for followeup projects: Ashley can be reached at asincla1@iit:edu, or during her regular office hours so stop by and get ready for an experience you’ll never forget!