| Special Summerlssue

 

TechNews

STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF ILLINOIS INSTITUTE OF
TECHNOLOGY SINCE 1 928

McCormick Tribune Campus Center
Room 221

3201 South State Street

Chicago, Illinois 60616

E-mail: editor@technewsiit.com
Website: http://www.technewsiit.com

 

7..“1‘, ., y. STAFF

Editor-in-Chief Kori Bowns

Opinion Editor Austin Gonzalez
Sports Editor Nathan McMahon
IT Manager Pranava Teja Surukuchi
Copy Editors Travon Cooman
Kristal Copeland
Kapeel Daryani
Shireen Gul
Anoopa Sundararajan
Layout Editors Rachael Affenit
Marc Sednaoui
Sijia Wu

Distribution Manager Khaleela Zaman

Financialfidvigor Vickie Tolbert
Faculty Advisor Gregory Pulliam

 

MISSION STATEMENT

Our mission is to promote student discussion
and bolster the IIT community by providing a
newspaper that is highly accessible. 3 stalwart
of journalistic integrity, and a student forum.
TechNews is a dedicated to the belief that a strong
campus newspaper is essential to a strong campus
community.

GENERAL INFORMATION

TechNews is, Written, managed, and edited by the
students of.a_nd funded in part by. Illinois Institute
of Technology. The material herein does not
necessarily reflect the opinions of Illinois Institute
of Technology or the editors. staff, and advisor of
TechNews. There will be no censorship ofTechNews
publication by the faculty or staff of IIT. Sole
authority and responsibility for publication and
adherence to the values set forth in this policy rests
with the TechNews staff. This paper seeks to bring
together the various segments of the Illinois Tech
community and strives through balance and content
to achieve a position of respect and excellence.
TechNews strives for professionalism with due
respect to the intellectual values of the university
and its community. All material submitted becomes
the property of TechNews. and is subject to any
editorial decisions deemed necessary.

S U B M | 55 l O N S

TechNews is published on the Tuesday of each week
of the academic year. Deadline for all submissions and
announcements is 11:59 pm. on the Friday prior to
publication. Articles. photos. and illustrations must be
submitted electronically to the TechNews website at
technewsiitcom.

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The editors reserve the right to determine if
submitted material meets TechNews‘ policy and
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standards, please email assteditor@technewsiit.com.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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but are subject to review by the Editor-in-Chief.
All letters-to-the-editor become the property of
TechNews upon submission. TechNews does not
accept or publish anonymous letters or stories.

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Letter from the Editor:

Welcome to IIT!

Illinois: Tech is a pretty interesting

\‘e the benefit of having a small

local t. mpuscommunity. but we‘re also located

in the middle of one ofthe largest cities in the

United States. The environment our school

provides is a unique one. Our campus also

proyides many o \ wortunities for [I'll students
to learn both in and outside the classroom.

HT is a wonderfully unique place.

and every student who takes the opportunity

to get out and e rience what it has to Ullin‘ is

garunteed to have an excellent few years here.

'I'echNews is all about promoting and

supporting this 11'] community. 'I‘ecliNch.

the student newspaper of Illinois Institute
of ’I‘echnology since 1928. began printing
a summerissue in 2012 to serve incoming
and returing students as a resource to help
them get to know about things happening on
campus and around the city. This issue has
everything you need to catch up on campus
life. xperiences on campus. and some cool
things to do in the city before classes get started
soon in August. New students will benefit

greatly from checking out a few ofthe tips and

suggestions offered within.

'Ihe intonmation in this issue will also

help those returning for another year here at

 

II'I‘, Hopefully, this issue will keep you up it}
velopments on campus and in
cago area.

So. on behalf of all of the staff here
at 'I‘echNews, Id like to welcome you to Illinois
Tech. I hope your fall semester goes well. I hope
you learn more about yourself. and I hope I get
you see you around campus this semester! See
you soonl

Sincerely,

Kori Bowns

Editor—in—Chief, TechNews

International Students in for learning

experiences at Illinois Tech

Shireen Gul
COPY EDITOR

Illinois Institute of Technology is
a home for many international students. We
leave our homes and families and come this far
to begin the journey of knowledge for a better
future. But how does it feel to be an international
student here?It’s way better than what you might
have thought. I know when you are getting on
the plane here you have many questions on your
mind: What kind of place it? Is it safe there?
Will I be able to make new friends? Will people
accept me for who I am or I will have to change
myself?

So, I have a simple answer to this
question: [IT is what you make it for yourself.
I am saying this because if you socialize and
work hard, then you will never find a better
place than IIT and if you don’t, you might not
like it as much as you should. I have been living
in America since 201 1 and I have been to many
places around the States but I never knew that I
will end up here in Chicago for my final degree
because I simply didn’t like the harsh weather
here. But when I started living here last year, I
became one happy girl.

I still remember my first day on
campus; I was a short girl with a high ponytail
and turquoise dress, carrying two big bags, one
backpack, and a tired and worried face. I was
trying my best to enter Herman Hall. Someone
saw me and opened the door for me to guide
me to the check-in point for orientation. After
someone offered to help me with my bags, I
checked in and got my HawkCard. Then the real
struggle started for me; I had zero knowledge
to help me navigate around campus. I had to go
to MSV from Herman Hall and I seriously got
stuck in MTCC for 10 minutes while looking
for an exit.

As an international student, there are
many rules and regulations that are different and
unexpected. One thing that became irritating
was the rules regarding working off-campus
and volunteering; it is sometimes difficult

  

to navigate. There are many immigration
procedures that become barriers. You can,
however, work as a student assistant on—campus
which is really fun. Sometimes it’s a bit of a
struggle to get an on-campus job, but if you
will work hard and show your leadership skills
on-campus, you’ll be rewarded.

Since for most of us English is not out
first language, we might face some problems in
getting used to the environment where we have
to speak in English most of the time. You should
not feel bad about not speaking like others
because we all are learning here. Trust me, there
have been times when I made so many silly
mistakes while speaking English that I opted
not to speak. There are many phrases which
don’t make sense in English but are funny and
common in my native language. If you come
across the same situation, please don’t panic
or give up; it’s normal. Although I have been
speaking English since I was three years old, at
times it is difficult or I am just too tired to speak
English.

Now comes the most sensitive issue
for me. Yes, this girl is talking about food. When

‘I came here and I would see people eating the

food served at the Commons (which I wasn’t
a fan of at first) I felt guilty thinking about all
those times when I skipped any meal back home
or would leave some food in plate because I was
too full to finish it all. But guess what? Now our
this problem is also solved because the staff of
the Commons make authentic ethnic food every
day! You’ll get used to the food on campus and
grow to love it in no time.

When any international student
comes here they face a lot of problems adjusting
to the educational system here because it’s quite
different from most the countries. I would
personally suggest you to talk to your professor
beforehand to get an idea that what is his
grading criteria and his expectation from his
coursework. Another thing that amused me is
the practice of not addressing your professors as
Madam and Sir. In fact, you generally call them
by their last name; some might ask you to call

‘vtecoming 2014.:

SEPTEMBER TSTH ‘ 23TH

them by their first name. As I said earlier it’s all ,
about time and soon you will get used to it.

It will also take some time to get to
know the neighborhood and make new friends
but it won’t take a lot of time because 46 percent
of the students here are international students.
Soon you might meet many people from your
own country. I would still suggest you make as
many international friends as possible because
that will not only make you a global citizen,
but it will also give you a better vision of the
world we are living in. It will help us to compare
and contrast different cultures, religions, and
traditions and bring us to the conclusion that
we all are not that different.

Remember, there will come time
when you will feel homesick and might feel
like quitting, but remember that it can be the
same time you will learn how strong you are
and how far you can go. Skype with your family
or call them; after you are done with talking to
them, go out and meet your friends from school.
Your friends here can be your family here. I
remember when I was ill last semester and was
laying alone in my bed thinking of how lonely I
am here and how I have no one to look after me-
-suddenly there was a call on my cell. I picked it
up and my friend heard my voice before I could
tell him that I am not feeling well. He came along
with my other friends to my room with hot tea,
cookies, and medicine. They were there with me
until I fell asleep and would keep a check on me
every few hours. That was the time when I knew
how blessed I am and how much I am loved by
my friends here.

There are many other stories that I
would love to share with you about my positive
experiences as an international student at IIT. If
you ever need any kind of help or support please
don’t hesitate to contact me at sgull@hawkiit.
edu or email the international center at icentei‘éi
iit.edu for any challenges you might face.

  

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