Greg Caggiano

Where there is a will, there is a way. Living close to Colony Manor and opposite Perkins, I’m proud to say that I’ve been tough enough to walk to all my classes and labs and wherever else I want to go, come hail or storm. I chose to live here to experience life off-campus. I chose to avoid driving. As per DMV rules, if I (as a foreign national) want a driver’s license in the US, it’s got to be from the DMV of the same state as the institute mentioned on my visa (RIT, in New York state), and I’ve got to “turn in” my “foreign driver’s license” so they can have it “destroyed.” Since I shall definitely be returning home and using that document, such clauses do not strike me as reasonable. And maintaining a vehicle in America can become quite the pain. If you’re always on the move, ready to hop onto a plane in the quickest of flashes, and unwilling to settle down anywhere for any duration of time, quickly getting rid of a vehicle becomes a hindrance. Presently, I like to live such that at any given point of time, I can pack everything in two large suitcases and be ready to permanently leave a place within a matter of hours, if I so choose. It’s simple and hassle-free.

I do not feel that not driving a vehicle in Rochester makes my life any less of anything. Yes, we all know how cold it is from November to April, we all experience frozen branches and slush and what not, but these things are only minor impediments if you’re spirited at life. If you’ve got the energy and are willing to think positively, this won’t stop you from enjoying RIT. Tell good friends to call you when they’re off to purchase groceries, but even if you can’t, the shuttle goes to Wegmans on weekends. Keep a well-stocked refrigerator. Plan wisely. Go out with at least one friend who will be returning to campus in a sober state. Most importantly, think positively. Life is what you make of it. Incidentally, so is the weather.

Friends always understand when it comes to drop-offs at the airport, because everyone, regardless of whether they drive, generally appreciates a lift to the airport. If any of the friends I’ve made in the U.S. were to come to India, they all know that they can always rely on me a 100 percent for any help they would need there, and I’d be more than happy to drive them through our frighteningly, haphazardly beautiful traffic and quirky zigzag roads to show them around. It is only natural to want to avoid inconveniencing people, but you would do the same for them without any hesitation whatsoever if they needed it. Yes, the apartments are far away from the academic side, but it is essentially a five-minute walk to the dorms. If you don’t find the prospect of walking through snow enthralling, why attend RIT?

The Institute cannot do anything to change weather conditions. It should really focus on ending the huge wastage it burdens the environment with: food waste, fuel waste, energy waste, paper waste... RIT’s efforts at being environmentally friendly look like a pathetic joke when compared to other campuses across this nation. An institute which can’t stop harping on about sustainability (or was it innovation? I forget) has got to have more to show for it than a green roof and a handful of hand dryers, and students whining about how far apart things seem to become in the cold only serve as another opportunity for RIT to be evasive when questioned about how it spends students’ fees.