New COS Curriculum to be Offered

COS Senator Heather Drake mentioned the possibility of a new bachelors degree in Neuroscience being offered at RIT in the future. She has been working with members of the faculty and staff to create a new list of core courses, which may involve a joint collaboration between the College of Liberal Arts and the College of Science. “This may be difficult,” Drake said, “the two schools have in the past refused to work with one another and are still facing difficulties…I don’t think RIT should attract strictly engineering students. I want to be able to offer solutions within the COS that can offer new ways of attracting new students.”

Student Government in Review

SG reflected on its success in the 2007-2008 academic year. Senators and advisers offered their opinions and views of the year in progress. Kayla Himelein, Director of Programming, stated, “I’ve been talking to the Co-op Office and would like to increase the diversity of career fairs.” Vice President Sasha Malinchoc noted, “We have a lot to be proud of. As individuals and as a group, we have made an impact. We have seven weeks left. so we still have time to get things done…For me, it’s about reflecting on what we’ve done this year and to make it better next year. After graduating, I can see that RIT graduates are in high demand for business, having a large step ahead of other schools who are not on the quarter system.” Many future ideas and improvements were mentioned, such as moving forward with dorm renovations and enhancing public transportation around campus.

Creativity and Innovation Festival Update

Dr. Barry Calhane, Executive Assistant to President Desltler and Andrew Quagliata, an assistant, gave a presentation in regard to the Creativity and Innovation Festival on May 3rd. “Thirty six days remain until the festival starts, and we’ve accomplished more in six months of planning than we ever anticipated,” Calhume said. “We’ve been trying to pay attention to communication and transportation issues, and we’ve been posting information all over the Rochester area.” Calhane continued, “There will be regularly scheduled buses and people movers to carry people all over campus that day, and we’re trying to minimize problems and increase parking by renting out spaces from MCC. We will have over 100 interpreters available for NTID students, and have been given more than $160,000 in revenues.” Quagliata later said, “A wide variety of student activities are taking place. There will be entertainment in front of the SAU, and CAB is planning exciting activities at night, and plenty of food vendors will be available.” Calhane summarized his point by saying, “RIT has been on this path for a long time. Now that President Destler is on board, he’s really paid attention, taken into account and helped define the university’s diverse characteristics.”