Tuesday, january 24, 2012 I TechNews campus@technewsiit.com UTSAV GANDHI 3 Student Giving Committee relies on students to succeed By Utsav Gandhi CAMPUS EDITOR How is it that the reserves collection at Galvin Library now has at least one copy of every textbook used at IIT? How did the underused courtyard enclosure in the MTCC get the outdoor furniture, when it wasn’t the case a few years ago? Well, the answer to those questions is the annual Student Gift Campaign, which has quickly become an established tradition at IIT. IIT students have been working hard in recent years to revitalize a tradition of giving back. Generations of IIT alumni and students have given back to the university as a way to show their pride and appreciation; like the reserve textbooks and the MTCC courtyard, many services we enjoy to day as students have been possible only because of the generosity of alumni. Alumni giving is also an important factor in determining alumni pride and university rankings in surveys, such as “US. News & World Report.” In order to continue this tradition of student giving, the 2012 Student Giving Committee is organizing and brainstorming early. The committee is seeking enthusiastic, goal—oriented students who are committed to IIT and campus leadership. Joining the Student Giving Committee is a way for students to demonstrate leadership skills on campus and build quality, real world experience, an asset to any resume. The Student Gift Committee also wants IIT students to select the project for their upcoming campaign for this year. This year, the committee narrowed the gift options to two choices: a new multi— seat study carrel for Galvin library or new water fountains for academic buildings. Students can visit www. surveymonkey.com/s/2012SG to cast their votes for this year’s project. For more information about the campaign and how to get involved, contact Sarah Zimmerman: szimmer1@iit.edu. TechNews CAN YOU WRITE? GET SOME MONEY, WRITE FOR TECHNEWS . EMAIL EDI TOR@TECHNEWS I I T . COM FOR MORE I NFORMAT I ON looking fora Challenging Master’s Program? YouOCoulcol Have .a Future in Fmanual Englneerlng! Sign up for our webinar on January 31" at www.msfe.il|inois.edu Master of Science, Financial Engineering LEI- E. H College of Engineering | College of Business ' Apply now for Fall 2012 12 Scholarships are available for Illinois residents Scholarships amount to 50% of tuition! 5;. afl'fl Image courtesey of Student Gift Campaign Big changes for Union Board By Christina Noonan TECHNEWS WRITER During last week’s general body meeting, Union Board revealed many changes for this semester. One of the biggest modifications was the ending of their weekly meetings and commencement of what they are calling “Pure Awesomeness” which will be happening every Monday around 1 pm. on the bridge. What does this entail? You’ll have to go and see for yourself—every week will be different! Given that UB is infamous for fun events and free swag, stopping by for a few minutes each week will surely land you with some free stuff and a good time. For those traditionalists who will miss the old meetings, never fear; Union Board is still holding four major meetings to let you know what is going on throughout the semester on January 31, February 28, March 27, and April 24. There will be free food provided at all of these meetings as well! Another big change is the Campus and Conference Centers decision to make services and goods more available for students. The word for the semester is free. There will be free bowling, ice skate rentals, shoe rentals, etc. With the exception of food and 25—cent ping pong balls (which you keep, by the way), anything they would normally charge for is now free for students. Not only will this encourage more students to get involved in fun pastimes around campus, it will also allow the Bog Committee members of Union Board to plan even bigger and better events for the semester. So, if you happen to be wandering by the CCC’s offices, please stop in and say thank you to them for being so generous. With all these changes, there will be a lot more for you to do around campus! However, if you want to do more than just enjoy the fun and get on board with making more of it happen, feel free to stop by their office. They are located in the Campus Life area in the MTCC, where you will find other staff and organizations dedicated to making your time here even more exciting. Beware however, the UB office is often full of crazy things like confetti, straw, pumpkins, giant “plinko” boards, free shirts, stacks of newspapers, remote controlled cars, cake, (too many) Apple products, and people dressed in giant hawk suits! Be prepared for awesomeness. FAFSA preparation tips By IIT Office of Financial Aid Happy New Year! Beginning a new year means it’s time to begin a new FAFSA. Beginning January 1, 2012, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the 2012—13 academic year became available for completion. The Office of Financial Aid encourages all students interested in receiving federal aid to fill out the FAFSA early. Some forms of federal and state aid are limited, so all students are encouraged to apply by March 1. Even if you or your parents’ tax return is not completed for 2011, families can use an estimate of their 2011 income to complete the FAFSA. Corrections to the FAFSA can be made later once taxes are filed. Complete the FAFSA early to avoid stress when you are busy with classes this spring! Please note that some families who have filed their taxes may also be eligible for the IRS data pull on the FAFSA. This allows eligible families to pull their tax information directly from the IRS to the FAFSA instead of manually entered each item. This tool will be available beginning February 1 from the IRS. Just like in 2011—12, selected students must complete verification before their financial aid package is finalized for the upcoming year. Verification is a process that compares the FAFSA to tax information and is required for selected students; federal aid cannot be disbursed to the student’s account until this process is complete. For the upcoming academic year, the Office of Financial Aid will not finalize the award of federal aid to selected students until verification is complete. This means you will not have a finalized financial aid package until the requested documentation is submitted and reviewed by the financial aid office. Students are encouraged to work with their parents to fulfill requirements for this process and be in touch with the financial aid office so you can be provided with your financial aid award as quickly and smoothly as possible. The Office of Financial Aid’s goal is to avoid changes to students’ financial aid packages once classes have started in fall 2012. As always, please feel free to contact the office with any questions at 312.567.7219 or finaid@iit.edu.