REPORTER SEPTEMBER 2019 reporter.rit.edu
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Three Women’s
Journeys in STEM
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2 September
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REPORTER EDITOR IN CHIEF Cayla Keiser PRINT MANAGING EDITOR Kasey Mathews ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR Victoria Sebastian COPY EDITOR Mimi Lee NEWS EDITOR Marilyn Wolbert TECHNOLOGY EDITOR Karina Le LEISURE EDITOR Anika Talia Griffiths FEATURES EDITOR Morgan LaMere WELLNESS EDITOR Tyler English VIEWS EDITOR Ali Johnston WRITERS Ali Johnston, Luke Nearhood, Shay McHale, Morgan LaMere, Anika Talia Griffiths, Taylor Synclair Goethe, Victoria Sebastian, Abby Bratton, Marilyn Wolbert
ART ART DIRECTOR Lily Garnaat ONLINE ART DIRECTOR Monica Nguyen-Vo SENIOR DESIGNER Cassy Smithies DESIGNERS Rachel Tiano, Lauren Perttula, Deena Feldmann, Cassy Smithies, Nick Bober, Jiayi Zheng, Lily Garnaat, Ella Mathewson, Yuting Mia Hou ILLUSTRATORS Monica Nguyen-Vo, Maggie Dybas, Juho Choi, Sara Calhoun, Elizabeth Dettman, Asher Bozman
PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTO EDITOR Catherine Rafferty PHOTOGRAPHERS Catherine Rafferty,
EDITOR’S NOTE There was a night at the end of last semester when the wall holding my worries back collapsed — and with it, so did I. Tears streamed down my face as anxious thoughts consumed me — I wouldn’t finish my assignments on time, I wouldn’t succeed in my new role as Editor in Chief, I wouldn’t get through ongoing family drama, I wouldn’t get past the emotional stress fueled by negative thoughts and self-doubts. But even when life is daring me not to, I try hard — inside and out — to be optimistic and seek out gratitude for all moments. Every night, I journal a few things I am grateful for. Some days, though, when nothing seems to be going well, it can be hard to find those things. Those days are when my degrading internal thoughts threaten to tear down my optimistic outlook. It felt like hours passed before I finally composed myself that night, put on some comfy pajamas and climbed in bed. Next to me sat my gratitude journal, daring me to ignore it and let the bad things cloud my mind. But despite the intimidation, that night I wrote these four bullets in my gratitude journal: • • • •
Supportive friends Long cries in cars Lunch with Reporter friends My boyfriend being back from a weekend away
Admittedly, it’s not easy to be thankful when things are rough — it can be quite emotionally taxing. There have been times when I wanted to give up and stop fighting for positivity. However, trying to end each day on a positive note has allowed me to not only appreciate the little things more, but also not let the bad ones seem bigger than they are. If things are hard and not going my way, I’m grateful for the sliver of sunshine among the gray Rochester clouds. If it feels like any more water will cause me to drown, I focus on the fresh air I’ll breathe when I reach the surface — and I’m grateful for it all. Much like the end of the semester, the start of a new one can be overwhelming. Doubts and stressors can be consuming, allowing negativity to take hold. We all face our own challenges, and we each have our ways of pushing forward, it isn’t always easy. Yet when nothing seems to be going right — make room for gratitude.
Tony Wen, Debmalya Choudhuri, Tess Roberts, Jesse Wolfe, Olivia Kaiser
BUSINESS BUSINESS MANAGER Ward Couillard AD / PR MANAGER Maximilian Italiaander ONLINE SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATOR Michael Canning WEB MANAGER Efe Ozturkoglu VIDEO MANAGER Trisha Pickelhaupt PODCAST PRODUCER Taylor Synclair Goethe PODCAST HOST Wyatt Kinsey ADVISOR Rudy Pugliese PRINTING Sutherland Printing CONTACT (585) 475-2212
Cayla Keiser Editor in Chief Letters to the Editor should be sent to rpteic@rit.edu. No letters will be printed unless signed. All letters received become the property of REPORTER.
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September 3
TA B L E O F NE WS 6
NAVIGATING CAMPUS SERVICES Knowing where to turn for help can be a crucial part of your college years
T E CH 8
THREE WOMEN’S JOURNEYS IN STEM The stories of three women in STEM at RIT
LEISURE 10
Rolling with the punches isn’t easy when you’re fighting with your roommate
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@reportermag 4 September
HOT AND COLD: MANAGING ROOMMATE CONFLICTS
A LISTEN INTO RIT’S MUSIC CULTURE Experience the musical talent that RIT has to offer
AYL: WHAT MUSIC GENRE ARE YOU? We bet we can guess what music genre you are
CONTENTS cover and TOC photography by Catherine Rafferty
FE AT URES 16
CAREERS AND EXPECTATIONS: THE STRUGGLES FOR CO-OPS Resources for students to obtain co-ops and internships
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TIME FOR A CHANGE Noticing the signs that a change of major is needed for you
PAWPRINTS: A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION PawPrints is a meaningful and, at times, comedic tool; but it can only do so much
WELLNESS 24
ETIQUETTE FOR BEING FIT Tips and tricks for proper fitness center conduct
VIEWS 26
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UHHH, SOOO ... GENDER EQUALITY, RIGHT? Let’s dig a little further into all of this misogyny
WORD ON THE STREET What’s the stupidest thing a man has ever explained to you?
RINGS RIT’s digital confessional (585) 672 - 4840
reporter.rit.edu September 5
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he year is just beginning, and with this semester’s classes comes a new wave of stress. Whether you’re a first year, a transfer or even on the brink of graduation, we all reach a time during our college experiences when we must ask for help. RIT works hard to ensure that its students have an abundance of services provided to them for whatever they might need. Asking for help doesn’t need to be a daunting task, as long as we know who to ask.
DISABILITY SERVICES
Disability Services is one of the busiest organizations on campus, and they are always 6 News
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ready to help. Susan Ackerman, director of Disability Services, works with hundreds of students each semester to guarantee them the best possible learning environment. “Our office exists to make sure that students with disabilities are not discriminated against due to their disability,” Ackerman said. This service is useful for far more than just academic accommodations. Students should also reach out to the Disability Services Office for any housing, dietary or transportation needs. In addition, Disability Services is in charge of service, therapy and emotional support animals. Academic requests might be asking for
more time on tests, or the option to take a test digitally, rather than on paper. Housing requests could include needing a single room for a specific disability or needing a shower in the dorm instead of using a communal shower. Transportation requests, like all others, vary depending on the situation. RIT provides an accessible van service in addition to the general campus shuttle for anyone who cannot get around as easily as others. In order to request a specific accommodation, students can fill out a request form on their website. Requests for housing accommodations need to be submitted by May 1 before the academic year
begins. For all other requests, there is no deadline. “If you’re unsure if you need us, come talk to us. This is all confidential,” Ackerman said. “If we offer accommodations, we send faculty a letter that lists the accommodations, but it doesn’t tell the nature of the disability, and the student doesn’t need to share that ... This doesn’t appear on their transcript anywhere and their employer doesn’t need to know that they requested these services.”
“Our office exists to make sure that students with disabilities are not discriminated against due to their disability.” ACCESS SERVICES
Similarly to Disability Services, Access Services is always working to provide the best environment for students; in this case, this office mainly works with NTID students. Richard Peterson, assistant dean and director of Access Services, spends his days working with students who need accommodations in the classroom related to their hearing statuses. “Access Services here on campus means providing interpreting, captioning and note taking to the campus community,” Peterson said. Peterson also mentioned how much work the office does for the RIT community. During the academic year, Access Services provides a little over 7,000 hours of service per week, which is split up into about 4,300 hours toward interpreting, 1,000 in note taking and the remaining hours in captioning. Interpreters can be found in many classrooms; they help to relay the information
that the professor discusses to any deaf or hard-of-hearing person who requests them. Captioning and note taking services are available for anyone with a need for them, Deaf and hearing students alike. “We are one of the cavalcade of presentations that [students] see during orientation,” Peterson said. “During the first semester for NTID students, their schedules are already made and the requests are already made. After that, they have to contact us. Anybody can request access as long as there is a need.”
DINING SERVICES AND DIETARY RESTRICTIONS
With over 20 locations on campus to eat, picking a place that fits your specific needs doesn’t need to be scary. Mary Anne McQuay, one of the registered dieticians on campus, works with students to find a plan that is right for them. “I work with students who have food allergies and kind of guide them into a plan of how they can eat on campus. I also work with students who are vegan or vegetarian,
or even students who want to eat better or lose weight,” McQuay said. In order to find allergy information or nutritional facts, students can visit Net Nutrition to choose the foods that best suit their specific needs. However, information regarding food from Nathan’s, Java Wally’s or any of the visiting chefs cannot be found on this website because the chefs prepare the food off campus and then transport it to RIT. Over the years, Dining Services have worked hard to be more inclusive of students’ needs. In this academic year, Gracie’s hopes to create a specific area that is both vegan and gluten-free. They also hope to eliminate nuts completely. “For new students in the fall, my information is in the dining plan signup. If they have food allergies, it’s recommended that they reach out to me and also Disability Services. From there, we can come up with a plan for them to eat on campus,” said McQuay. With the start of a new year, it is inevitable that some things will be out of the students’ control, but having their needs met by the university doesn’t have to be.
“I work with students who have food allergies and kind of guide them into a plan of how they can eat on campus.” News 7
by Luke Nearhood | photography by Catherine Rafferty | design by Lauren Perttula
S
cience, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are the driving forces of the modern world. Behind these forces are inspiring people, such as Marie Curie, Rosalind Franklin and Ada Lovelace — women who overcame the challenges of their time to advance our understanding of the world and ensure better lives for humanity. Progress has been made in STEM fields; however, women still work especially hard to overcome gender-related stigmas. Yet, this hasn’t stopped many RIT students from thriving.
Amanda
Amanda ‘Mandy’ Marotta recently graduated with a master’s degree in Chemistry. Her past research explored additive manufacturing techniques of lead zirconate titanate (PZT), a piezoelectric material — meaning it accumulates charge due to mechanical stress. To this end, after trying several other unsuccessful methods, she created a sol-gel of PZT and printed it into a thin film using an inkjet printer in the AMPrint center. “Currently, PZT is prepared using powder based methods which not only ... are hazardous because that means you’re dealing with a powder of lead, but it also means you’re
8 Technology
inhibiting yourself for additive manufacturing purposes,” Marotta said. Put simply, additive manufacturing means using manufacturing techniques, such as 3D printing, which work by constructively combining materials. Additive manufacturing is more efficient than traditional manufacturing in terms of raw material use, as the end product isn’t cut out of a larger mass of material, which results in waste. So what’s next for Marotta? She’ll be entering a Materials Science Ph.D. program at Montana State University. Despite being the only woman of five Ph.D. students going into the program, Marotta tries to keep a positive outlook on the subject and focus on what she does best. “I find that if I make myself seem like I am better than them ... then when I make a mistake it’s going to highlight more that I’m a female in STEM — whereas if I know my strengths, I’m just like everybody else,” Marotta said. Alyssa Recinella, an Engineering Ph.D. candidate, poses for a portrait at her desk on May 31, 2019 at Kate Gleason College of Engineering in Henrietta, N.Y. Recinella is currently researching steady-state infrared imaging (IRI) technology for detecting tumors in patients with biopsy-proven breast cancer.
Alyssa
Alyssa Recinella is an Engineering Ph.D. student. Her research focuses on a new, non-invasive thermal imaging technique for detecting breast cancer. “Basically the method is completely non-invasive; we don’t have to touch the patient, it doesn’t involve any radiation like mammography does and the way we’re screening is a newer way of screening than previously used,” Recinella explained. Though she had originally planned on completing her bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and moving on, she’s since completed a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and decided to continue down the research path upon the urging of her adviser.
“My very first co-op was in his lab ... and he convinced me to stay and do my master’s, and he convinced me to stay and do my Ph.D.,” said Recinella. In applying her knowledge of thermal principles to a medical issue like breast cancer, she encountered a steep learning curve. “The first really two years of my Ph.D. was all just strict learning,” said Recinella. Historically, the use of thermal imaging to detect breast cancer has not been well regarded due to faults in early studies, leading Recinella to encounter a lot of rejection when attempting to get funding for her research. “The biggest hurdle has been convincing other people that this is different from what all the other people have done, and that we’re looking at this with a scientific viewpoint,” she said. Despite these hurdles, Recinella and her lab mates have managed to make progress, with Recinella herself working on the clinical side of the research and directly examining patients.
Break all the walls down, and break the mold, and show the people you are here and you can do it.
“I’m imaging patients with breast cancer so [when] a lot of these women come in, they’re about two days away from sometimes getting a full mastectomy,” said Recinella. “And that has ... been a little heavy sometimes.” Her team has filed a provisional patent, with a non-provisional patent in the works.
Samantha
“Break all the walls down, and break the mold, and show the people you are here and you can do it,” said Samantha Sorondo, an Industrial Engineering Ph.D. student. Sorondo is currently working on metals and polymers under the supervision of fellow Puerto Rican, Dr. Iris Rivero — the new head of the Industrial Engineering department. “I did my bachelor’s at the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez,” said Sorondo. “I got an email where Dr. Rivero was requesting Ph.D. students and I replied, so that’s how I ended up here.” Having just started in the program during the Spring 2019 semester, Sorondo is still
getting her bearings by working on additive manufacturing projects in both metals and polymers. “I hope my focus will be metals since I really like them,” Sorondo said. “I’ve taken welding classes, I’ve taken materials science classes and I find that metals are really attractive to me in the sense that they have been studied so much but I feel like there’s so much to do.” Sorondo has faced challenges associated with being a woman in STEM, particularly in engineering, such as impostor syndrome — a feeling that one doesn’t belong, or that one’s accomplishments are invalid. But she hopes to inspire others. “Overall, my end goal is to be a professor and work in academia doing research,” said Sorondo. “What’s on my shoulders is to be a good representation, so that I can open up the pathway for more women to go into STEM, and inspire other young women to [know] that they can do anything they want.”
Amanda Marotta, graduate of RIT with a Masters of Science in Chemistry, observes a sample using Scanning Electron Microscopy/ Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (SEMEDS) on May 30, 2019 in the AMPrint Center in Henrietta, N.Y. Technology 9
HOT
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MANAGING ROOMMATE CONFLICTS
by Shay McHale illustration by Maggie Dybas design by Deena Feldmann
CO LD
L
iving with other people can be hard — college is a prime example of this. We often get stuck with people we know nothing about — and may not like — then have to deal with issues as they happen. This can range from a roommate who never does the dishes to someone who brings in this hard-to-put-together bunk bed then suddenly moves out a week later, leaving you to take the entire thing apart yourself. This isn’t to say that things are hopeless, though. Roommate conflicts can be a struggle, but with clear communication, these issues become much easier to resolve.
Dye, a recent graduate in Graphic Design, recommended clear communication to overcome this obstacle. “It’s always a game trying to have people know to do things or ... to not do everything on their own [without communicating],” she said. Communication can be difficult when “The worst roommate story I know of is you don’t know someone very well, and this one I am experiencing now. I am forced to live drives many roommate conflicts. Without with someone who my ex-roommate invited talking about issues, it becomes much harder when they lived with me, who does not like to resolve them. me and has openly stated so,” said Cortese. RIT’s roommate agreement for on-campus Sometimes, conflict is not necessarily rational housing attempts to address this obstacle. It or solvable, leading to more frustration. includes sections on privacy and sharing “I have a list of things [my worst roommate] items, encompassing issues that roommates did,” said Dye, reciting from the list. “Burning commonly struggle over. The goal of this is to a pot of ramen at 2 a.m. ... then [hiding] it in “The most consistent issue I have with my ensure that most, if not all, conflicts that arise Tip: Design your headers as part of the body text! the snow for months ... Not paying the last bit roommate is them moving my things without have been previously discussed in terms of It makes it easier to edit the copy later on. of rent and leaving her room a pigsty when asking and constantly barging into my room expectations and the wants of each roommate. The above text boxes all of the rightwith she moved out ...have Letting a freshman without knocking to interrupt whatever The agreement then includes options for how settings already formatted for you! chronic alcoholism, who she let These over, drink I’m doing,” said Emily Cortese, a third year to reach a resolution, from talking, to texting, are some of thebottle base settings an entire of vodka your that Idesign paid for and American Sign Language and Interpreting to bringing in a Resident Advisor (RA). This shouldletting follow. him roam around the apartment being Education major. kind of form is particularly useful for people racist and sexist before he had to go to the Privacy and issues with personal items who would rather not communicate for Left aligned paragraphs [emergency room].” are two points often brought up by fighting any reason, and also for students who may Optical margin Roommates are alignment rarely perfect, and some roommates, and with good reason. At home, struggle to communicate, such as when there ***Please delete the pages 1-5 upon submission. Hyphenation can definitely beOFF worse than others, but it we often live with people who have known is a language barrier. The ability to have a Indent of 0p9 doesn’t have to be all bad. us longer and, as a result, know more about concrete set of guidelines is useful, but it can’t Drop cap of 3 lines how to respect us and our needs. Abby fix everything.
“You never really know how someone behaves and lives, or who they are, before living with them in a confined space.”
FIGHT AND BREAK UP
• • • • •
10 Leisure
Having a partner as a roommate, though, can still be a positive experience. Like Cortese mentioned, sometimes it can be a way to really get to know the person. On the other hand, you can live with a stranger who you never talk to all semester except for when Notre Dame burnt down — just to pick a random, completely hypothetical situation. Rooming with people you know is often the best option, because even if you are just friends, there is at least a baseline level of communication established. This is helpful when negotiating conflict so that you see each other’s points of view and can even have a mutual friend moderate the situation. Living with people you don’t know very well can create tension over your normal habits — something that would be more respected at home or, especially, on your Living with a romantic partner can help to own. All in all, the most important thing to strengthen the connection and create better remember is that talking to the person is understanding of one another’s lifestyles. often the only way for them to know what you “You never really know how someone behaves are thinking or wanting from them. RIT does and lives, or who they are, before living with provide some support with this in the form them in a confined space,” said Cortese. of RAs, the Center for Residence Life and the However, both Dye and Cortese advised Ombuds Office. Sharing a living space isn’t While living with a stranger can be rough, caution before moving in with a partner, as DINup Condensed Black is the always easy, but there are steps we can take to it can also open new opportunities. You“main” Reporter typeface. it can more issues due to the These are other typefaces from thecreate Din family that we also useincreased throughout our brand. make it easier. get to know people in a some way you really amount of communication needed. This can wouldn’t otherwise. Reaching out and helping also create the feeling of being stuck; if to thethe needs of the article. You arecan welcome use other typefaces for your titles when applicable a roommate in need build ato connection, relationship ends before the lease does, more and possibly even a friendship. tension can build on top of whatever may “My roommate took care of me while I was have caused the split. sick. She brought me medicine and cooked me food for a week,” Cortese said about her best roommate story. The ability to connect with people on a romantic level can also develop from living in such close quarters. “Before we dated, he would offer to drive me to campus when it was raining or to go grocery shopping with him since I didn’t have a car and we just kind of started doing things for each other,” said Dye about her best roommate. “We still live together and it’s continued to be like that.”
KISS AND MAKE UP
“We just kind of started doing things for each other. We still live together and it’s continued to be like that.”
Leisure 11
A LISTEN INTO RIT‘ S
MUSIC CULTURE by Morgan LaMere \ illustration by Elizabeth Dettman \ design by Cassy Smithies
F
rom orientation until graduation, you’re bound to experience the musical presence of RIT’s various ensembles. These music organizations — from small groups of vocalists to bands with nearly a hundred members — give students a creative outlet that allows them to be heard all over campus and in the Rochester community. For official on-campus events, what’s more iconic than the school band?
PEP BAND
The pep band never fails to impress at our largest regular sporting events: the Division 1 hockey game. Pep Band’s president, third year Diagnostic Medical Sonography student Sarah Messner, is proud of the effect that pep band has had on RIT. “Pep band is out there to support RIT’s teams and the Rochester community,” Messner said. “We try to bring a fun energetic environment.” The band’s biggest performance is at hockey games, at which there is a cap of 75 performers. However, there’s always room for new members elsewhere. According to Messner, you don’t even have to know how to play an instrument to join the band. “We’re always trying to expand; we made a new connection this year and we got to play with the [Flower City Pride Band],” Messner said. Aside from hockey games, the band also performs at Imagine RIT, accepted student open houses and the Rochester roller derby. They additionally perform at the annual breast cancer awareness event Pink the Rink and a hockey tournament hosted by the Rochester Ice Cats for children with special needs.
ENCORE
While not as large as the pep band, Encore plays a significant role in the RIT community. Founded in 1996 as a music company, Encore is the university’s original all-female a capella
12 Leisure
group. One of their primary goals is female empowerment. Rachel Mickel, a third year Electrical Engineering Technology student, is a member of the music group. “Encore is one of seven a capella groups on campus,” Mickel said. “[We’re] in the process of getting back to a professional, competitive group.” As a part of this process, Encore recently attended the International Championship of College A Capella and made it to the quarterfinals. They are also recording their third album after having released a single on Spotify — an adaptation of Britney Spears’s “Toxic.” Encore has a large number of performances under their belt and are heavily involved on and off campus. Their on-campus performances include the Lighting the Way ceremony, a gathering for freshmen focusing on female empowerment; the fundraiser gala; A Capella Showcase and the Kaleidoscope concert, a gathering of performing arts groups during homecoming weekend. Off campus, Encore is a guest group for other a capella groups. They also Christmas carol for the Rochester community’s kids. “It’s really hard to not be excited with what you’re singing,” Mickel said. To join an a capella group, you can audition during fall semester. Encore, in particular, is capped at 14 members.
VOCAL ACCENT
“Vocal Accent is an all-female a capella group,” President Serena Nappa, a second year Photographic and Imaging Arts student, said. “[We’re about] empowering groups, singing old songs and new.” The a capella group recently celebrated its 10th anniversary and, according to Nappa, is excited to head in new directions with the same goal: making sure every girl is comfortable and growing as a singer. “I’ve grown as a person because of these ladies,” Nappa said. Like Encore, Vocal Accent regularly hosts events for their community and members. They frequently perform off campus at
Fringe Festival, roller derby games and the President’s Ball. In the spring, they host Accenttastic, a yearly concert where alumni and other groups perform. “[We have] some guest groups from other colleges and have other a capella groups from campus show up to cheer you on,” Nappa explained. The number of members required for these performances vary, but anyone who might be interested is encouraged to try out. “[It’s been a] big year for us, we had a lot of graduating members, so this year we’re really looking for more people,” Nappa said. “Vocal Accent and a capella, in general, is an incredible community to join at RIT. I’ve created such incredible friends from it.”
JAM CLUB
For something more relaxed and freeform, Stephanie Liu, a second year New Media and Design student, recommends Jam Club. “[Other clubs] were really intense, we wanted a place where people could pick up an instrument and learn in a non-serious environment,” Liu, the club’s head of public relations, said. For those who are serious, they have smaller and more polished groups. Jam Club prides itself on being open to new members. While there are mostly guitars, drums and vocals, Jam Club accepts all kinds of instruments, both acoustic and electric. The club even boasts an electric violinist among their number. Jam Club’s meetings have different group activities and include a large jam which helps widely different instruments play cohesively for bigger events. These events include two open mics each semester, a large yearly performance, Relay for Life and Imagine RIT. “We’re going to be involved in presenting at [RIT 365] classes. But we also have a Facebook page and an Instagram page, [and] we are at club fair,” Liu said. “Come talk to us — we aren’t scary!”
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UKULELE CLUB
Directed by President Alyssa Keller, a fourth year Media Arts and Technology student, is the casual-yet-eccentric Ukulele Club. “We are a group of people who enjoy the ukulele and want to spread the joy of the ukulele,” Keller said. As a casual club, they have no cutoffs. They also have an inventory of instruments during meetings, should someone not have their own. The club performs at Fringe Festival, Relay for Life and Imagine RIT with their wandering “Ukulele Minstrels.” “[We] meet at dorm side and wander around with ukuleles and serenade people,” Keller explained. Like many student organizations, Ukulele Club works with other groups to enhance their performances. “Clubs we regularly do collaborations with are Jam Club — we host open mics together — and Improv Club [for improv, comedy and music shows]. And we do this one or two times a year!” said Keller. While featuring different music styles and performances, each of these welcoming organizations has greatly impacted its members and audiences alike. If you have musical ability — or even if you don’t — our musical community is sure to be an enriching and memorable experience. So, don’t be afraid to say hello!
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Vocal Accent and a capella, in general, is an incredible community to join at RIT. I’ve created such incredible friends from it. Leisure 13
At Your Leisure: What Music Genre Are You? TELL US HOW YOU START YOUR SEMESTER AND WE’LL GUESS WHAT MUSIC GENRE YOU ARE! How do you prepare for tomorrow’s classes? A Stay up until 2 a.m. binging Netflix or playing video games B Put on a face mask and listen to my favorite Spotify playlist C Lie on the floor and wish it was still summer D Review the syllabus of each class I have tomorrow E Clean my whole apartment/ dorm
Your first class is at 11 a.m. today. What time do you wake up? A 8:30 a.m. — I’m worried that I’ll oversleep and make a bad impression B 9:30 a.m. — So I can have breakfast with my friends C 10 a.m. — But halfway to class I realize that I forgot my backpack and end up being late anyway D 8 a.m. — So I can get in a workout before class E 10:45 a.m. — I’m exhausted from cleaning my apartment last night
After you take a seat in class, what do you immediately put on your desk in front of you? A B C D E
Nothing My water bottle A pen to fidget with My laptop/notebook My head, face down
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You run into a professor whose class you failed last semester. How do you react? A Avoid eye contact and keep walking past them B Talk to them about retaking the class in the future C Turn around entirely and pretend you never saw them D Casually say “hi” with a smile E Start up a conversation and joke about how poorly you did in their class
For lunch, you ... A Drive to Taichi Bubble Tea for the third time this week B Share nachos with a friend at Salsarita’s C Grab a coffee from Java’s D Study in the library while munching on a homemade sandwich E Go home and make lunch
It’s the last day to add/drop classes and your professor still hasn’t posted a single thing on myCourses. What do you do? A Try to ignore my stress rash during their next lecture B Nothing — I don’t see the point of worrying about it C Switch out of the class — clearly, the professor isn’t prepared D Talk to someone who previously had the professor and ask them if I should be worried E Talk to the professor and passive aggressively ask them to start posting
by Anika Talia Griffiths illustration by Juho Choi design by Nick Bober
If you got mostly A’s, your music genre is ... TV static! You have a bit of a rough start to the semester, but you know how to keep your cool through it all. Many consider you a chill person to be around even though you’re actually pretty chaotic.
If you got mostly C’s, your music genre is ... nonstop screaming! You’re a beautiful wreck. Things don’t always work out too well, but you keep on pushing through. For half of the day, you’re screaming internally. For the other half ... we can hear you.
If you got mostly B’s, your music genre is ... the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” theme song! In West Henrietta born and raised, you don’t get stressed over big assignments or unorganized professors. You know that things will always work out okay.
If you got mostly D’s, your music genre is ... a freight train horn in the distance at 2:37 a.m.! You have a quieter personality and you’re always one step ahead in your classes. This semester’s got nothing on you. You start and end it the same way: with confidence. If you got mostly E’s, your music genre is ... eating chicken tacos ASMR! I’m not going to lie, you’re pretty crunchy. How you start the semester is questionable, along with how you do everything else. Yet, you’re somehow well put together. Your friends don’t know how you manage to do it, and neither do you.
CAREERS C AND EXPECTATIONS:
ollege is now a requirement for many jobs in the modern American workforce. With the average student loan debt approaching forty thousand dollars, students must have faith in their university to prepare them for what comes after. However, a competitive curriculum and good grades aren’t always enough to secure a student’s future.
Co-ops and Internships
THE STRUGGLES FOR CO-OPS
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Several majors at RIT require co-ops. Even when they aren’t mandated, many students still feel pressured to have an internship or co-op during their tenure on campus. What’s the big deal about co-ops? Quite a lot. In a report by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, an estimated 91 percent of employers want to hire individuals with work experience and 65 percent require the experience to be relevant to the career field. Needing a job in your field to get a job in your field is practically a Catch-22. That’s why common workarounds are co-ops and internships, where a company provides short-term work — usually to students and The above text boxes have the right recent graduates — toall getoftheir required settings already formatted for you! These work experience before officially entering are some of the base settings your design the industry. should follow.
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When entering the job market for the first time, it’s not uncommon for graduates to stick close to home, often for connections and the familiar comfort that comes with it.
“After the downsizing of Kodak, Xerox [and other companies], we can no longer rely on them to put our students on co-op.” “76 percent of students at universities in the Northeast are applying to jobs in Northeastern cities” according to data gathered by Handshake. Rochester, unfortunately, is an exception to this trend. Director for the Office of Career Services and Cooperative Education Maria Richart weighed in on why her office usually seeks job opportunities for students outside the Rochester region. “After the downsizing of Kodak, Xerox [and other companies], we can no longer rely on them to put our students on co-op,” Richart said. Currently, Rochester has one of the worst job markets among top metros in America, according to the Wall Street Journal. The ranking listed 53 cities in order from hottest to coldest labor markets, and our little metropolitan of brick factories and garbage plates came in dead spanking last. Yet it’s not all grim news for RIT students. Despite the local job market being in a recession, the rest of the country is seeing growth in college student hiring. Employers estimate to hire 11 percent more recent graduates in 2019 than in 2018, according to NACE.
Mandatory and Non-mandatory Co-ops Most majors, especially STEM majors, have mandatory co-op requirements to graduate. However, RIT doesn’t leave students high and dry. Rather, the university provides job prep courses for both mandatory and nonmandatory co-op majors. “Preparation starts in the student’s second year [for mandatory] and they are required to take a ten- or fifteen-week prep course,” Richart said. “For non-mandatory [majors], they either take a senior seminar or writing intensive course that includes writing resumes which they will take later in the spring of their junior year or as seniors.” For students like second year Game Design and Development and Psychology double major Dane Sherman whose majors both mandate co-ops, the responsibility is on Sherman to not only juggle the coursework of two majors but also to secure a separate co-op for each in order to graduate. Fortunately, there are classes structured into students’ curricula to help with this. “RIT has helped prepare me by requiring a co-op prep class and providing opportunities such as the Emerging Professionals Institute that helped me improve my interviewing skills,” Sherman said. Classes alone aren’t the only aid RIT provides to its students in finding a co-op.
Career Fair(s) A poor interview is almost guaranteed to be a dealbreaker no matter the industry students are applying to. RIT provides students with the opportunity to practice those skills as well as receive portfolio interviews and apply for jobs. There are a total of 11 separate career fairs across campus — the largest and most
well-known being the university-wide Career Fair, an unmistakable semesterly event of student crowds running around in business attire as they guzzle espressos and fight for lab space to print their resumes. The university-wide Career Fair is supposed to represent all majors, but with only 250 to 260 companies a year, most lean toward the STEM industries. This lack of variety is why many other colleges host their own specialized career fairs such as Accounting, Packaging Science, Civil Engineering and, the second largest, Creative Industry Day. Ashley Casimir, a recent graduate of Interior Design, looks to focus her career on community development — an industry she came upon after her volunteer study abroad in natural disaster-devastated Puerto Rico and Haiti. For Casimir, even at Creative Industry Day, which is supposed to be dedicated to creative majors, the pickings for interior design were slim; for community building, practically nonexistent. “Creative Industry Day is mainly portfolio reviews. I wish more companies were there for hiring,” Casimir said. Even for larger majors in creative fields such as Game Design, Animation and Industrial Design, all of the art majors are being represented in only 70 companies or fewer. This causes many students to compete for a limited number of spots. Even with the addition of these specialized career fairs, some majors discover these co-op matchmaking events unlikely to ever find them a co-op or internship. “Career fair days usually only have a few companies looking specifically for game development students, so I mostly just use them as opportunities to practice talking to companies,” Sherman said. Many students are unable to rely on the Career Fair to find co-ops due to the nature of their major. However, some have found luck using alternative services provided by the university.
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Future Expansion
Handshake and Other Resources
Last year, about 4,500 RIT students went on co-op. Regardless of whether it is a student’s goal to obtain a co-op or internship that semester, according to Richart it may still be wise to participate in career fairs. As Richart explained, one of the best benefits of career fairs is that it teaches students how to market themselves as a professional. This experience is invaluable, but doesn’t mean that RIT career fairs don’t have a lot to improve upon. “Something that I’ve started to notice is that some companies at the career fair don’t have any current openings or only plan to have openings for the next semester,” Sherman said. “Knowing what positions they have open would generally help in deciding which companies to talk to.” After each career fair, students receive a survey about their experiences. Richart encourages each student to fill them out because her office uses the results to directly enact change for future years. After the last university-wide Career Fair, about 500 students filled out the survey. “Our goal is bigger, better and more every year,” Richart said, regarding the Career Fair. The pressure to obtain a co-op or internship isn’t going to be any less stressful; however, knowing the resources offered to students is a good step toward being more competitive and professional when entering the industry. “Remain flexible. Your plans will never work out [exactly] the way you want them to,” Altobelli said.
“[Handshake] posts a really good amount of jobs more geared toward other majors.”
RIT uses a hiring website called Handshake that posts over 10,000 new jobs and internships for students every year. The site also allows students to book meetings with the Office of Career Services and Cooperative Education for one-on-one student career counseling. “Each career program coordinator is assigned a different major, so regardless of whether you’re in a mandatory or nonmandatory co-op major, each coordinator has a major they are responsible for,” Richart said. A less-explored option is going international for co-ops. At RIT, about three percent of the student body goes on international co-ops. The process is more difficult but definitely worth exploring, especially if students’ careers could potentially take them overseas. All students interested in international co-ops can directly connect with Richart. If students are having difficulties with a career fair, it is recommended they seek out such alternative resources. “The resources are there if students want to use them,” Altobelli said. Tip: Design your headers as part of the body text! It makes it easier to edit the copy later on.
Matthew Altobelli is a fourth year in Psychology and currently on co-op in his major’s department. Altobelli came to RIT after completing an eight-year tenure in the military. He now has a goal to receive his Ph.D. and treat victims of trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). For Altobelli and other students like him, the coop requirement can be impractical. “I got hired [on co-op] but it fell through because it didn’t end up being conducive to my lifestyle ... I have three kids and a wife,” Altobelli said. Although Altobelli was able to find a co-op on campus, other students who are looking for location-specific internships may be out of luck at the career fairs. Fortunately, there are other resources available to RIT students to obtain these jobs. “[Handshake] posts a really good amount of jobs more geared toward other majors,” Casimir said.
Interviewing Success
The career fairs, Handshake and career coordinators are resources to help put students in the chair with a potential employer. At the end of the day, however, it The above boxes have of the is uptext to the student toall secure theright position. No settings already formatted forhour you!inThese student wants to wait an the Career are some of the base settings your design should follow.
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Fair line just to bomb the interview. Job Hunt has a list of the most detrimental interview mistakes one should be sure to avoid. The Career Services Office will host their yearly Mock Interview Program on Sept. 20, 2019. This is an opportunity for students to get in one more bit of practice with hiring professionals. Several companies and job hunting websites also post 20-step plans on how to ace an interview. Yet, during Career Fair when companies could be speaking to hundreds of students in one day, it may be hard to stay memorable. Fortunately, Richart has her own three-step plan that is easy to remember.
1. Do Your Research Never walk into an interview and not know the interviewer, the open job positions or the company’s mission statement.
2. Have Unique Questions This doesn’t mean ask them about their belly button ring; rather, frame questions to be company specific. Ask them about projects they are working on and think outside the box.
3. Follow-Through It would be a waste to do an awesome interview only to then lose contact with the DIN Condensed Black is the “main” Reporter typeface. interviewer. Always send an email to the individuals dedicated to students’ hiring These are some other typefaces from the Din family that we also use throughout our brand. interviewer. This makes the student more success. There are more opportunities out memorable and creates a new connection. there if they’re willing to look for them. You are welcome to use other typefaces for your titles when applicable to the needs of the article. Even if they do not receive the specific job, Richart said, “We want our students to they can be recommended for another job know we are here for them.” in the future. The Career Fair is a great job hunting tool, but it isn’t students’ only resource for hiring. The Office for Career Services and Cooperative Education has a team of
“We want our students to know we are here for them.” Features 19
Time for a Change by Victoria Sebastian | illustration by Sara Calhoun | design by Lily Garnaat
A
s a high school senior, for as long as you can remember, your classes were clearly laid out for you. But all of a sudden, you have less than a year to figure out what you want to do for the rest of your life. You have pressures to decide your future quickly and correctly. The problem is, what is the correct decision? Some poeple decide to take gap years to figure things out. Others will enter college undecided. The remaining enter with a declared major, but may decide they aren’t quite content with their choice. Luckily, declaring a major is not a life sentence. If you feel like you’re in the wrong place, it’s always possible to look around at other options. Barry Strauber, a visiting lecturer in the School of Communication, explained it best. “College should be about exploration and discovery,” he said.
Reading the Signs
Questioning your career path is a common occurrence. Nearly 30 percent of students will change their major within their first three years of college, according to the National 20 Features
Center for Education Statistics. So, what are some signs that indicate this path may also be for you? One of the most common factors of concern is a lack of interest in your major. As Strauber summarized, “You need to be passionate about something ... when you’re passionate about something you’re doing, like a job, you just naturally work really hard at it.” Sometimes, the lack of interest stems from parental pressures to be in a major of their choosing. Other times, your major may not fit your personality. It may also occur by mistake, expecting one thing from your major but getting another. Fifth year Finance major Renee AnnanHutton had experiences with many of these factors when she decided a change was right for her. “I started out in Computer Engineering. A lot of that came from preconceived conceptions on what I thought it would be and also just a lot of influence from my parents,” Annan-Hutton explained. No matter the reason, having a lack of interest in what you’re learning can cause
hindrances, such as a lack of attention and participation in classes. This can then go on to affect your grades, with academic struggles being another common factor. “You want to be challenged by your coursework, but you don’t want it to be impossible,” Career Counselor Janine Rowe explained. Getting one bad grade on a test doesn’t mean you should throw in the towel. But, if you notice yourself constantly struggling, it may be time to look at other options. For Annan-Hutton, she knew something was wrong when she started comparing her troubles with those of her classmates. “It was the feeling that I was struggling, and I seemed to be struggling more than anyone else,” she stated. This can become particularly concerning when the classes you are struggling with are a core part of your major. Annan-Hutton explained, “Engineering is so physics-based, that if I can’t get through this rudimentary physics, there’s no possible way I can thrive in it.”
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Therefore, she sought out a middle ground. “I needed to find a crossroad between where my interests lie and something that I am good at,” she stated.
Taking the Path
After you have decided a change may be best for you, it is important to speak up about it. “Talk to your parents ... talk to your current adviser ... talk to your friends ... ” AnnanHutton said. Talking to your parents may seem scary, especially if you don’t think they will agree with your choice. Parents have a valid reason to be concerned about your future, but sometimes the best career for you is the one you choose. After talking with your parents, you should move the discussion to a professional source such as RIT’s Career Counseling service, which offers singular counseling, group sessions and assessments. “[We] sit down with students and encourage them to really examine everything that goes into making a choice of major and a choice of career,” Rowe explained. Your journey may stop here. After doing this research, some will find that they are
happy in the major they are in and decide to simply take an immersion or elective that aligns with their other interests. These scenarios are perfectly valid. “Coming to Career Counseling doesn’t necessarily mean you are changing your major,” Rowe said. “I think everyone can benefit from clarification on their goals.” However, if you do decide to make the switch, the journey will vary between students. “Departments and even specific majors can set their own policies and procedures about the major change,” Rowe explained. Switching majors may require a portfolio submission, other times it may require a sit-down discussion and sometimes your ability to switch is based on your previous grades. Therefore, it is important to find your path by talking with your advisers and with the department or major you are looking to transfer into. However, there are also the few who know they want to change their major, but may not know what they want to change it to. Annan-Hutton found herself in this situation and, as a solution, she took a semester in University Exploration.
“ ... University Exploration is a good and popular way for students like me who didn’t know what I wanted to do yet [to find their major],” Annan-Hutton explained. University Exploration allows students to take diverse classes that cater to their interests, in hopes that one of these will spark a light to guide them toward the correct path. Therefore, there truly is an option for anyone who is thinking about making a change.
A Bumpy Ride
“I think this major change seems daunting or scary when it doesn’t have to be,” Strauber said. Changing your major is a big decision and it should not be taken lightly — extra semesters and extra costs can come into play. But, there are always options for a curious student to look into at RIT. In the end, you should go down a path that is best for you. As Strauber said, “If it’s something you truly love, you just have to figure out how to do it.”
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Pawprints: A Step in the Right Direction by Shay McHale | illustration by Unique Fair– Smith | design by Nick Bober
P
awPrints, RIT’s student petition site, has been the subject of many campus controversies. It allows students to bring up any issue they may have and, if it gets enough signatures, is then given an official response from Student Government (SG). From there, it can then be brought up with the administration. PawPrints has brought up a variety of issues, from the argument this past winter about closing campus in relation to the polar vortex, to the therapy and transgender support at the Student Health Center (SHC).
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SERIOUS OR … NOT SO MUCH Some of these petitions tend to be more serious than others. “It’s fun for students to make humorous petitions. It can help blow off steam,” Vivian Trettenbach, a fourth year Fine Arts Studio and Humanities major, said. “I made a
petition asking for more murals on campus to make the campus look less like monotonous brick, but I never reached 200 signatures [the minimum needed to guarantee an official response].” The effect of humor on PawPrints is a force that can be positive, but Ian Stroszeck — third year Computing Security major and
former Student Affairs Committee Chair — also expressed issues with the volume of such petitions. “When there are so many humorous petitions, it can make it more difficult to sort out the ones that are actually legitimate,” he said.
“Sometimes, talking to a wall can feel more productive than talking to the administration.” One subject that prompted multiple petitions was the high winds and freezing temperatures that ended up briefly closing campus this winter. The petition to close campus by Julia Hotaling was signed by nearly five thousand students, currently the most-signed petition on the site. During the period in which it was created, it reached the threshold in about an hour and crashed the PawPrints server, according to Stroszeck. Other petitions, however, also got attention in that time. One was a counter-petition to keep the campus open and tell students to stop whining, which then merited a counter-counter-petition, to have RIT tell the guy who made that petition to be quiet, and another one to expel all students who signed the petition to keep the campus open. PawPrints, as much as it is a petition site, is also a place for RIT students to bicker about issues like this in a less serious way. This can be back and forth, or through humorous suggestions like the one to “Make Matt the RA Play Minecraft With Us,” or the one to build a big glass dome over campus or even the one that called for RIT to close PawPrints due to the polar vortex. A wide variety of petitions are available for students to support, for all their genuine or humorous needs.
“My personal opinion is there is no such thing as bad press,” Stroszeck said, regarding the effect of humorous petitions. “When students are using the platform, it brings awareness that such a platform exists.” Additionally, this enables SG to more accurately represent the student body. It provides concrete numerical evidence that these issues are issues, and brings out the ability to joke about less serious issues. Stroszeck mentioned that he or other committee chairs may sometimes create petitions themselves to judge how many students care about given issues, as well as to provide this evidence to administrators.
PAWPRINTS AND ADMINISTRATION While PawPrints can be a fun place to meme about RIT, it is also important to look more seriously at what the platform has done for students. The petition with the second-highest number of signatures focused on the issue of mental health. This is a more somber topic than many petitions on PawPrints, but it was one that got even more attention and support after the student suicide on campus on Halloween 2018. The response to said petition came first from a Facebook post from President Munson, who spent the second paragraph of the response discussing RIT’s mental health support in terms like: “[in] recent years, RIT has put additional resources into mental health services,” and stating that we had an above-average ratio of counselors to students. The public image of RIT has been the focus of many of these responses, which of course is something the university always needs to keep in mind. But students tend to take issue when the support of RIT’s public image comes at the cost of sincerity. “Sometimes it feels like the administration can be more worried about the image they present to the world rather than actually
taking the proper steps to help and support students,” Trettenbach said on the responses RIT gives to some petitions that make it past SG. “Sometimes, talking to a wall can feel more productive than talking to the administration.”
“A lot of the big things that we’ve been able to accomplish in Student Government originally started out as PawPrints petitions.” Stroszeck, on the other hand, urged for understanding on this topic. “Change, especially in an organization as big as RIT is, is always going to be a little bit slower than you might expect,” he said. “A lot of the big things that we’ve been able to accomplish in Student Government originally started out as PawPrints petitions.” Trettenbach also expressed sentiment toward the ways that PawPrints alone cannot be as effective. “Don’t just sign a petition,” Trettenbach said. “If you want to be fully involved, [you should] discuss petitions, attend open forums and go to meetings for organizations designed to help students. Loudly complaining online won’t change much unless you actually take the steps in real life to make a change.” Stroszeck shared this sentiment. He urged those who are interested in the issues to attend SG senate meetings or to get involved in their various committee meetings, which take place weekly starting around the second week of classes. Stroszeck explained, “PawPrints is inherently just one piece of a much larger puzzle.”
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ETIQUETTE
FOR BEING
FIT
by Abby Bratton \ illustration by Elizabeth Dettman \ design by Cassy Smithies
warm up notes
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s the semester begins, remember that a balanced lifestyle means more than just a balanced class schedule. Academics are important, but they won’t keep you physically healthy (or train you for the zombie apocalypse). For that, RIT offers intramural and club sports, wellness courses and, of course, the hard slog down the Quarter Mile to your 8 a.m. classes. The university also maintains recreational facilities, including the Judson/Hale Aquatics Center and the Red Barn Climbing Gym. But if you hate depths and can’t stand heights, don’t worry! The Wiedman Fitness Center provides a more traditional gym setting for workouts. Before you hop onto a treadmill, take the time to learn the fitness center’s rules for courteous behavior. While most of these expectations are universal to all gyms, Wiedman lays out seven core etiquette standards.
BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS (WELL, SWEAT, AT LEAST)
The first etiquette policy listed by the Wiedman Fitness Center is “Wipe down the equipment after use.” Nobody wants to deal with your sweat — they have enough of their own already. Beyond that, diseases that can be transmitted through sweat pose a serious risk, according to Associate Director of Recreation Jennifer Lewis. She listed methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which can be spread through skin-to-skin or skin-to-sharedequipment contact, as a prime example of this.
“That’s one of the big reasons why we have the fitness attire policy in place: ... to minimize that skin-to-equipment contact, to prevent those kinds of diseases,” Lewis explained. Amelia Sykes, a fourth year Marketing major who works in the fitness center, gave another reason to abide by the dress code: no employee wants to have an awkward conversation with you about what you’re wearing. That’s uncomfortable for everyone. Sweating causes other issues, specifically for the nose. As the etiquette list phrases it, “Good personal hygiene makes it pleasurable for all.” In other words: wear deodorant.
SHARING IS CARING
For students, faculty, staff and alumni to all get their workouts in, two more etiquette policies are necessary: “Do not monopolize any one piece of equipment” and “Rotate within circuit with other patrons whenever possible.” (To avoid confusion among electrical engineers and gym novices, “circuit” refers to a cycle of a series of exercises.) According to Lewis, these rules have become more crucial in recent years thanks to the increased use of cell phones, leading to longer rest periods between sets that might keep others waiting. “If people are using the equipment, they should use the equipment — and not be checking their phone,” she said.
PICK UP YOUR MESS
When you’re ready for a longer rest, it’s time to look to the next item on the list: “Return equipment to its appropriate place.” “It’s just like you were taught when you were little,” Lewis said. “If you use something, put it back. If you dirty something, clean it up.” Her statement segues into another etiquette suggestion: “Please keep the fitness center neat and clean.” This can be helped, Sykes explained, by not bringing backpacks in when you work out. “People are allowed to bring their own equipment, but we prefer them to just bring it in hand and not in huge bags,” she said. If you have to bring a bag with you, remember that the gym’s locker rooms aren’t just there for aesthetic purposes.
COURTESY AND CONSIDERATION
The final point of etiquette given by the fitness center is “Be courteous and respectful of others.” “Consideration is a big one,” Lewis said. She went on to say that this includes addressing complaints through the proper channels instead of taking out your frustration on nearby student employees. If problems occur, she recommends heading to either the Student Life Center main office or the equipment cage. Employees in either of these locations should be able to help with the issue or direct you to someone who can. Sykes further emphasized the need for respect. “Respect the other people that are in there,
If you’re lifting heavy weights, don’t grunt.
We know it’s heavy, you don’t have to make a huge fuss about it. 24 Wellness
If you use something, put it back. If you dirty something, clean it up. respect the environment and the space ... a lot of other rules will apply or resort back to that,” she said. Part of showing respect, Sykes explained, is not judging others. “Unless it looks like someone’s actually going to hurt themselves doing something, you don’t really need to feel like you have to say something or correct someone’s workout.”
COOL-OFF THOUGHTS
“If you’re lifting heavy weights, don’t grunt. We know it’s heavy, you don’t have to make a huge fuss about it,” Sykes said. Finally, Lewis stressed the importance of patience and understanding. “When you create an environment that’s respectful and welcoming and appreciative of different people’s backgrounds, then I think that you just make it more of an enjoyable environment for people to keep coming back to,” she said.
A healthier student body is a good outcome to aim for, whether on a university-wide or individual scale. Wiedman presents opportunities to work toward that goal. Just remember that any gym is a social space, much like a fine dining establishment, and there are certain polite standards for conduct. Keep this etiquette in mind and you’ll fit right in at the fitness center.
Sykes and Lewis detailed several other forms of polite conduct, including bringing your RIT ID, asking employees how to use unfamiliar equipment and refraining from making too much noise.
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UHHH, SOOO ... GENDER EQUALITY, RIGHT? The opinions expressed are solely those of the students and do not reflect the views of REPORTER.
by Marilyn Wolbert | illustration by Asher Bozman | design by Ella Mathewson
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wo days into my first internship, regret slowly inched its way into the back of my mind. It was as if none of the employees in my place of work had ever seen a woman with an education before. After constantly being talked over, ignored, cat called (yes, cat called in the workplace) and harassed, I muddled through eight months of pure patriarchal horror. The worst part? I had no help. Human resources was basically only payroll, RIT could only do so much from so far away, the other engineers and supervisors were all male and nobody seemed to care. If I could take the number of times I was spoken down to like a child, add that to the number of times I was called condescending pet names, add this once again to the amount of people on the floor telling me that this was ‘not a job for a woman’ — you would have a number very similar to the amount of signatures on any one of the polar vortex PawPrints petitions.
MANSPLAINING Mansplain, enough of a problem that it was added to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary
in March 2018, is defined as “to explain something to a woman in a condescending way that assumes she has no knowledge about the topic.” In the essay “Men Explain Things to Me,” author Rebecca Solnit explains that mansplaining isn’t just annoying, but perpetuates the idea women are inferior. “It’s the presumption that makes it hard, at times, for any woman in any field; that keeps women from speaking up and from being heard when they dare; it crushes young women into silence by indicating, the way harassment on the street does, that this is not their world,” Solnit writes. “It trains us in self-doubt and self-limitation just as it exercises men’s unsupported overconfidence.” Solnit goes on to give the example of an instance where a man had taken over a conversation to wrongly explain a book, which he had never read, to Solnit and her friend. Solnit was the author of this book. Another famous example is from a 2014 CNN clip where actor and author Steve Santagati explains catcalling to two women
“There is nothing more that a woman likes to hear than how pretty she is.” 26 Views
on air. What he says not only undermines the intelligence of women, but puts out the idea that harassment is welcomed and, in some cases, enjoyed. “I’m more of an expert than you, and I’ll tell you why. I’m a guy, and I know how we think! More than you guys will ever know. ... The bottom line is this, ladies: You would not care if all these guys were hot. They would be bolstering your self-esteem, bolstering your ego. There is nothing more that a woman likes to hear than how pretty she is.” Santagati explained.
HARASSMENT Catcalling, a form of harassment, is something that almost all women must face as a possibility every time they leave their homes. Last year, I couldn’t walk through my own place of employment without someone making a comment about my body or what they would do to it. This is terrifying for any woman, especially in a male-dominated environment. According to NPR, over 81 percent of women experience some form of sexual harassment at some point in their lives. The effects can be everlasting — changing the way one may move through their life, causing fear, aggravation and embarrassment — so much so that there are multiple articles listing precautions you should take if you find yourself in one of these situations. Joyce Shaffer, a former sales representative for multiple consulting firms, detailed an example of sexual harassment in the workplace which she endured years ago. She stated that she had worked on a project with a man who was very hostile and made continuous sexual comments to her all day long, every day.
“All women are whores and you’re the biggest one of all,” she quotes the aggressor as saying. “How about you give me some of that? Once the loaf is cut, what’s one more slice?” This lasted for over three months, despite Shaffer’s multiple fruitless attempts to receive assistance from higher-ups, until the project was completed and they both went their separate ways.
MISOGYNY A good friend of mine recently had the brakes fixed on her car. Immediately after picking up said car, her brakes gave out in the middle of traffic, leaving her in a
dangerous situation. After multiple calls to the mechanic, being told they had nothing to do with the malfunction, but would gladly fix them for an elevated fee, she had her father call them. Without hesitation the mechanic told him to bring the car in and they would fix it for free. Small town examples aside, how about the wage gap? As illustrated by Business Insider, a common point of tension between people is the argument on whether or not the gap persists. Unfortunately, the gender wage gap continues to be an issue that is influenced by other factors as well such as race and location. White women make an average of 79 percent of the earnings
a white man would make, whereas black and hispanic women make 67 percent and 58 percent, respectively. What is the reasoning behind this? Many men attribute it to ‘women’s choice,’ working fewer hours or picking a lower-paying major. This doesn’t take into account the women who hold the same education and title as their male counterparts, yet bring home a smaller paycheck. According to Business Insider, after years of inequality, the wage gap has only decreased by about half a penny a year since the Equal Pay Act of 1963.
“It trains us in self-doubt and selflimitation just as it exercises men’s unsupported confidence.” BUT LET’S BE REAL Whether it’s the constant condescension, the battle to be taken seriously or the fight to maintain rights in a time where we seem to be stuck in misogyny, it’s clear there are still huge leaps to be had in the battle for gender equality. I would write more, but I have to go listen to some men who are going to mansplain to me why the word mansplaining is sexist.
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W.O.T.S.
WORD ON THE STREET
photography by Jesse Wolfe | illustration by Monica Nguyen-Vo | design by Mia Hou
“What's the stupidest thing a man has ever explained to you?”
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A guy tried to explain what plywood was to me.” Liz Miller Graduate, Mechanical Engineering
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How to play Super Smash Bros.” Julia Stam
How many holes a girl has.” Trevor Zauner
Second year, Industrial Design
Third year, Industrial Design
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A man tried to explain to me that you can’t be beautiful and smart.” Gaby Alvarez Second year, Advertising Photography
28 Views
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How to skin a deer.” Dorothy Marquet Second year, Fine Art Photography
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Mitochondria being the powerhouse of the cell” Ali Kayer Second year, Advertising Photography
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My uncle would explain weird sex positions to me.” Alec Flores
The opinions expressed are solely those of the students and do not reflect the views of REPORTER.
Second year, Visual Media
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RRINGS ING S
compiled by Ali Johnston ilustration by Maggie Dybas design by Rachel Tiano The opinions expressed are solely those of the students and do not reflect the views of REPORTER.
SEPTEMBER 2019
Someone hid my vagina
Zip me up bitch I made you April 5, 2019, 1:11 a.m.
I just got a wave of arousal so intense
I could literally take a shit April 23, 2019, 12:33 a.m.
If I had a vagina
it would be screaming April 5, 2019, 10:15 p.m.
Don’t come between mama
and her brunch April 20, 2019, 11:59 a.m.
Killing all men is so wasteful.
Let’s eat them instead. April 12, 2019, 9:29 p.m.
(585) 672-4840 Text or call Rings: RIT’s only digital confessional 30 Views
April 20, 2019, 7:47 p.m.
This is what happens when
you don’t listen to me
and dip your dick in crazy March 26, 2019, 11:09 p.m.
REPORTER
Our meetings are open to the RIT community. We provide free pizza, you provide the story ideas! Where: Campus Center A-730 When: Fridays at 5 p.m.
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WE WANT YOU!
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Do you have a knack for writing engaging content? Email your resume and a writing sample to rptprint@rit.edu.
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@reportermag
Our designers are responsible for bringing our articles to life in each monthly print issue. Must know Adobe InDesign and demonstrate proficient typography skills. Email your resume and portfolio to rptart@rit.edu.
