TUESDAYSeptember 28, 2010 Volume 169 | Issue 5

OpinionCampus

A&EThe Slipstick

Sports

2-34-73,8910-11

Student newspaper of Illinois Institute of Technology since 1928

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CAMPUS SPORTSOPINIONAre students studying less than they used to? Pg. 3

Find out when your favorite intramurals are happening.Pg. 11

Vickie Tolbert: A person you should know. Pg. 4

The Students Speak survey is returning in late October. The survey will run for two weeks and all students are strongly encouraged to participate. This year, the focus will be on how to improve services that were rated low-est in satisfaction by students: Bursar’s Office, Career Management Center, Dining Services, Financial Aid, Keating Sports Center, Housing & Residential Services, and 7-Eleven.

In addition, at the request of Provost Alan Cramb, the survey will address faculty acces-sibility and advising. According to Princeton Review polls, IIT has scored low on these is-sues. Lastly, the survey will cover departments not mentioned in last year’s version: Center for Disability Resources, Graduate College, Multicultural Student Services, Spiritual Life, Student Life, and Women’s Services.

Last year, IIT presented the Students Speak

survey as an ongoing effort to improve stu-dent services throughout the college. New late night dining at Center Court and repairs to the MTCC roof are just two of the changes made as a direct results of student responses to the survey. According to the IIT website

The goals of Students Speak are to help the administration establish a baseline of perfor-mance for administrative services to students, identify priorities for improvement, create ac-tion plans for change, chart progress, and in-still accountability for improvements.

Bruce Fisher, Director of the Institute of Psychology’s Center for Research and Service, will once again assist the Student Steering Committee in developing the survey. The com-mittee is composed of student leaders from various organizations on campus.

Bruce Fisher spoke about the survey in general and what is in store for this year. The intent this year is to “target those areas most in need of improvement… departments that

scored below 70% in satisfaction” in last year’s survey.

Fisher said that approximately 35% of the student population, or 2700 students, com-pleted the survey last year. “We are looking for [at least] the same numbers this time.” When asked to summarize the goal of the Students Speak survey, Fisher stated, “To provide an ongoing metric for progress and [to] hold de-partments accountable [for achieving those metrics].”

Fisher was asked how department changes are enforced. He responded that the process begins by informing departments of the issues that students mention in the survey. This will lead to a dialog between students and the de-partments in question.

While Fisher does not have the authority to impose changes, he said that he has found departments to be incredibly responsive to survey results, commenting that it is difficult to dismiss hard data stating that hundreds of

students have the same complaints about a de-partment.

According to Fisher, administrators will review the survey data after the fall semester and make a formal presentation of the results on January 7. This event will be open to all stu-dents. “We especially want student leaders to attend,” said Fisher.

When asked how long the survey will be used, Fisher said that it will continue to be used as an indicator of progress to ensure that the university is responding to the needs of stu-dents. “This is a long-term commitment,” said Fisher, adding that the survey will be repeated “as long as we can get students to participate.”

Fisher said that the best part of the survey is how open the process is; everyone from un-dergraduate students to the president of the university is “working with the same data and the same recommendations… There is total transparency.”

Students Speak survey returns in OctoberBy Chris RobertsTECHNEWS WRITER

Bollywood Star Anupam Kher at IIT

Last Monday, a large group of students and even some star-struck family members turned out to greet Anupam Kher, a famous Bollywood star. Bollywood—India’s thriving movie industry with movies full of scheming villains, tragedy-filled love stories and colorful dance sequences involving a change of cos-tume every three seconds—is an integral part of Indian culture. Mr. Kher, who was visiting Chicago for charity work, paid a visit to the MTCC Ballroom at the invitation of the Indian Students Association (ISA).

Making a point to mention how happy he was to see typically smiling Indian faces in the audience, he put up an impromptu murga—a famous punishment that teachers inflict upon students back in India, where students are made to kneel down and sit like a hen laying an egg while holding their ears. He recounted his days when he would stammer and pro-nounce “ka” as “ta”. This proved to be an espe-cially unfortunate characteristic when one of his crushes was named Kavita Kapoor. Despite this initial setback, today he teaches speech to mentally challenged children.

A director, producer, and actor par excel-lence with almost three decades of experi-ence behind him and with four acting schools worldwide bearing his name, Mr. Kher had very humble beginnings as the son of a for-est clerk from a small city in Himalayan In-dia, Simla. He wanted to make it big in spite of “graduating from college with a 38%.” The first break he got was as the role of the clerk in the court in The Merchant of Venice, complete with eight lines of dialogue and 27 mistakes in the dress rehearsal.

His initial days of struggle included 28 nights of sleeping on railway platforms, ex-hausting requests for food from all of his friends’ houses, and drawing perplexed stares

at his bald head whenever he proclaimed he wanted to become a movie star. Kher said he has never been afraid of failure. He has recent-ly made successful attempts at unconventional cinema like Maine Gandhi Ko Nahi Maara and A Wednesday!

Mr. Kher stressed the importance of mak-ing an attempt to be different, making an at-tempt to be yourself. He said the world would love to project you as an underachiever and look at your shortcomings only if you choose to do the same.

Mr. Kher ended his visit by sportingly pos-ing for photographs.

By Utsav GandhiTECHNEWS WRITER

Mr. Kher stressed

the important of

making an attempt

to be different...to

be yourself

Anupam Kher speaks to a full crowd at the MTCC ballroom. (Photo by Jean-Emmanuel Guebey)

2 | Tuesday, September 28, 2010

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OPINION VLADA GAISINA opinion@technewsiit.com

Absence makes the heart grow fonderHaving a long-distance military relationship

The quote “absence makes the heart grow fonder” takes on a whole new meaning when you are in a military relationship. Having a relationship with someone in the military is anything but easy. One of the most difficult things is that the majority of your friends and family don’t understand your relationship unless they have been in one before. Fortunately, when your significant other joins the military, he or she gains a family and so do you. That family is there to answer questions, support you and your family, and be there during the good and bad times.

When you’re involved with someone in the military, you have to understand that they will face unspeakable dangers and that you might not speak to them for long periods of time, while promising to be there for them upon their return, no matter how long they are gone. This can be extremely hard, because sometimes the only things you have to hold on to are the trust and love you have for them, and the faith that they

will come home safely.Relat ionships are based on brief

communication, where phrases like “I love you” and “I’m okay” are worth a thousand words. 30-second phone calls bring a spectrum of emotion from joy to pain, and letters are read over and over until you can practically memorize everything in them. Oftentimes when you are in a military relationship, you get up in the middle of the night to check your email and go to sleep with your cell phone. You start paying close attention in class when the word “military” is brought up and you have an obsession with anything military-related. To you, the term “homecoming” means much more than a soccer game.

Crying happens weekly and sometimes daily, whether it is when they call or when you’re reading their letter, trying to fall asleep at night while thinking about them, or seeing a picture. Crying is normal, and when it happens, you have to have the strength to brush yourself off and go on with your day.

Every waking moment is spent thinking of your soldier, and your roommate is probably

sick and tired of hearing about anything that has to do with them, from their favorite color to your favorite memory of them. Writing letters has become a habit, and you will often find yourself procrastinating on homework or writing them in class.

You have to be strong for your soldier. You are a professional at hiding your crying from them and making sure that you don’t tell them anything that will worry them too much. Optimism is your middle name and supporting them is all that matters. You are proud of them for every accomplishment, whether it is passing their PT test or graduating from whatever training they are in. No moment spent together is taken for granted. Every touch, kiss, and word is remembered.

Not many people know how hard it is, but just as much as they don’t understand the pain they don’t understand the blessing that it can be. Seeing your soldier for the first time after months of absence is something that can never be explained in words and that is when everything that you have gone through for months is completely, irrevocably worth it.

By Sara WatkinsTECHNEWS WRITER

In debates about gender equality in general, and specifi-cally in the United States, the work sphere invariably enters the equation.

From employment discrimination to dis-crepancy in wages, people will list reasons they believe a disparity in conditions and treatment exists across genders. Just like edu-cational opportunities and the right to vote were some time ago, workplace equality is often cited as the major challenge of our gen-eration. But what is the situation really like? I turned to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics website in search of an answer.

In 2009, a higher rate of employed wom-en held multiple jobs (5.6%) than employed men (4.8%). Interestingly, in the 1990s and early 2000s, the multiple job-holding rates of men and women were similar, but the gap has widened since 2002 (due to the fact that the percentage of men with multiple jobs is decreasing).

The study “Highlights of Women’s Earn-ings in 2009” proves the wage gap still exists,

although progress has been made since 1979. Currently, among those employed full-time, women 35 and over still earn roughly three-quarters of what their male counterparts earn, even though the overall earnings ratio has ris-en to 80% for women. The good news is that the wage gap has decreased among most age groups, even though for 16- to 24-year-olds it has remained around 92% since 1990.

By race, in 2009 black women earned al-most as much (94%) as black men, followed by Hispanic (90%), Asian (82%), and white (79%) women. Unfortunately, this points to the fact that the vast majority of highest-paying jobs in the U.S. – company executives, high-level managers, etc. – are still held by white men. However, Asian men and women had the high-est median weekly earnings of the four races.

Education level is a big factor. The report shows that among adults over 25, women and men with a high school diploma but no col-lege degree earned a little over half of what college graduates did. By the way, a female looking to earn big bucks is best off pursuing a career in management, business or finance. Within professional and related occupations (the second-highest pay group), women made the most money working as pharmacists or lawyers. Even though women are more likely than men to work in this broad category, they

are not nearly as well represented in the higher paying jobs within it – only 9%, as compared to 43% for males, were employed in the rela-tively higher paying computer and engineering fields. Overall, according to the report, “com-pared with men, relatively few women work in construction, production, or transportation occupations, [being] far more concentrated in administrative support jobs.”

My “favorite” statistic was the discrepancy in earnings among unmarried women and men with children. The women earned 14% less than those without children, while unmar-ried men with children earned 8% more than those without. It is worth noting, though, that both married men and women showed no sig-nificant difference in income with or without children under 18. I reasoned that pregnancies of unmarried women were likely to have been unplanned, while they also received less sup-port in child-rearing – both of which would likely impede their progress in career and edu-cation.

Lacking the inductive reasoning skills of Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, au-thors of Freakonomics, I cannot adequately explain all the statistics. However, I challenge the readers to engage in their own intelligent speculation.

By Vlada GaisinaOPINION EDITOR

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3Tuesday, September 28, 2010 | VLADA GAISINA opinion@technewsiit.com OPINION

A&E

Why are college students studying less?

A recent report by Philip S. Babcock and Mindy Marks states that, according to their research, students spent 40 hours a week in class and studying in 1961; and by 2003 that number had dropped to 27 hours. Since the study has come out, several reasons have been put forward to explain this decline. Easy access to information (the internet, although study times had declined for the most part between 1961 and 1981 from 24.4 to 16.8 hours, and subsequently to 14 hours in 2003), inflated grades (due to professors’ apparent fear of student evaluations, as well as college Deans’ need to keep students enrolled throughout a program), poor study habits, professors preoccupied with research, and financial strain have all been cited as reasons (while cheating is clearly an undertone in the discussion). Babcock and Marks believe

it is due to the growing power of students and professors’ unwillingness to challenge and be challenged. They believe that the professor-student relationship has broken down – professors used to set standards that students would aim to achieve in the past – now, according to Babcock and Marks, both sides attempt to do as little as possible.

In my opinion, it is obviously a combination of factors. From the students’ perspective, the exorbitant cost of college education cannot be ignored. That, in effect, forces students to seek out employment during their college years, which eats away at the time spent studying (not only in actual work hours, but hours spent being exhausted as well). But the cost of education seems to be only part of the story. Consider, for example, the tone of college prospectuses and publicity/advertising in general, which has steadily moved more towards a focus on

lifestyles rather than academic excellence (no doubt there is a tip-of-the-hat to tradition). Annual lists come out ranking the best schools for partying and so on. That, though not the whole story, is certainly hinting at something. I wonder if the whole “mainstream effect” (when one perception of a concept becomes so commonplace, it pushes out other perceptions, with ‘geek’ and ‘nerd’ as examples) is in play here as well. Perhaps this can be confirmed by a campus drinking study across the same time period; though my intuition is that rates should be about the same, or would have actually dropped. But that effect can play out in other ways, and is a discussion for another time.

To me, a critical factor would be the commercialization angle. I know several people (undergrads and grads alike; I wonder what a similar study of graduate students would look like?) who have brought up

“value-for-money” as far as education is concerned. This is understandable, again, given the exorbitant expenses incurred. But still, that kind of talk seems to really get at the heart of what is really going on. Are we spending as much time in academic institutions studying non-required or unrelated material as they used to in ’61? My sense is we are not. Again, there is that question of “is this going to appear on the exam?” that comes up. But think about how Saul Bellow talks about his college experience (long before ’61), where he speaks of college as being the place for him to go and find all this reading to do, unrelated to his stated degree objectives, but beneficial in the long run. This process of discovery, in a sense, is enabled by the academic environment, chief in which is access to information and like minds. Are we having as exciting a time in college as Bellow did?

By Udayan Debasis DasSTAFF WRITER

Showing your parents Chicago on a dime

You just got off the phone with your parents, and you’re in panic mode. They just announced that they’re going to be visiting in a week, and you have no clue as what to show them when they arrive. Luckily, you have plenty of things to choose from. Anyone who visits Chicago can go to the Willis Tower or the Mag Mile; so instead of taking your parents to the typical tourist sites in town, give them a weekend they’ll never forget by showing them some unique, lesser-known attractions. You’ll have a great time and save a ton of money.

A great way to spend an afternoon is to take an architectural tour of the Loop and riverfront. Chicago has some of the most exciting and varied architecture in the world, but few people actually spend time looking at the buildings and learning about them. Instead of paying for an expensive boat tour, a better option would be to borrow an archie friend for a day and have them give you a tour. You’ll learn a lot more, have a lot more

fun, and they’ll enjoy spending a few hours talking about architecture without being graded on what they say.

If your parents want to check out a museum while visiting, a great one to check out is the Chicago History Museum. It’s big and well-known enough to have many excellent exhibits on the city of Chicago and its roots, but it’s still off the beaten path (not many tourists have it on their ‘Must See’ list). Admission is free on Mondays, so make sure to go then (or have your parents pay).

What trip to Chicago is complete without a hot dog and some Italian Beef? Try taking your parents to Clark Street Dog in Boystown. They serve up some of the best Chicago dogs in town, and have an extensive menu just in case hot dogs aren’t your thing. It’s also much cheaper than the tourist traps downtown.

Chicago is a unique city that is unlike any other town in the world; whatever you end up showing your parents is bound to be a hit. Remember to have fun, and show them a great time!

By Ryan KamphuisTECHNEWS WRITER

Captivating ChicagoRoti Mediterranean Grill

One of the great things about roaming around Chicago is that you can always find a reason to eat different types of cuisines. If one is new to it, breaking the ice with something new can really help. Who knows? You might just love it. That is what happened to me after trying out Roti Mediterranean Grill.

To start off, Roti has a very simple and peaceful ambiance. They serve extremely delicious food which includes various types of sandwiches and Mediterranean plates. The vegetarian plate mainly includes the falafel, a must try at Roti. Its served on a pita or a plate and has various stuffings like baba ghannoush, hummus, cheese, salads and various spicy and sweet sauces as per your preference.

Words like baba ghannoush and hummus might get your attention if you’ve never heard of them; baba ghannoush is eggplant oven-roasted with onions and lemon juice, and hummus is basically a dip made from chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic, salt and other

ingredients (the cucumbers, onions, olives and grilled vegetables just add to the great taste of the food). Other plates include the Gibraltar, and some non-vegetarian plates like the Venetian (includes chicken or steak) and the Moroccan Rice Bowl to make the rest of the menu well rounded.

The service of this restaurant is also commendable; it takes barely 2 minutes to prepare the entire plate according to your specifications. The in-house service is also admirable and makes you feel pretty comfortable. For regular customers like me, they also give a card for which you can get one meal free after 10 meals at this restaurant. Shailaja, a good friend of mine, feels that Roti is one of the best restaurants in Chicago. “I love the food at Roti so much that I can have lunch almost everyday there.” It is thanks to her that I got to taste this amazing cuisine. The average cost of a meal at Roti is around $10, which is not that expensive. The best time to go, however, is during Roti’s lunch hour, when menu items are half-price. The lunch hour only lasts from 2:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., though, so you really need to get there in time to take advantage of this amazing offer.

By Nisarg DaveTECHNEWS WRITER

Here Lies LoveSung by Imelda Marcus & Estrella Cumpas

Music is frequently judged as a function of artist personalities and other immobile perspectives as opposed to the music itself. Many people get a lot more interested, in trivial factors like, ‘whose girlfriend cheated on whom?’ or ‘how many pairs of shoes does she own?’. Things definitely not being music in itself. The album, ‘Here Lies Love’ by David Byrne and the ever so eclectic Fatboy Slim is a great example of the aforementioned situation.

The album, regardless of its sources and rich story is definitely a result of that inspiration and great talent. The vocals on the 22 track production includes artists like Cindy Lauper, Santigold, Camille and Sharon Jones, with Steve Earl and Mr. Byrne being the only male vocalists on the album. From the eponymous first song, sung by Florence Welch from Florence + the Machine, one could get the feeling through the album that the entire thing is the soundtrack to a movie.

A movie with a very good soundtrack that is. The kind of movie where the soundtrack subconsciously and consciously makes it a good movie. The creators probably had that exact effect in mind while working on the tracks and communicating the concept of the album through to the many artists involved with the production. The point here is that this album is worth a listen. Sample; ‘The Whole Man’ vocalised by Kate Pierson of the B-52s or ‘Never So Big’ by Australian singer Sia Furler.

Just so no one reading this article is missing out on the story behind the magic here; this album is a concept album focused on the life of former First Lady of the Philippines, Imelda Marcus and the woman who ‘raised her’, Estrella Cumpas. Imelda’s story is a very interesting most probably because of her once obscene affluence. She was reported to have left behind 5,700 shoes, fleeing the Malacanang Palace in 1986 to Hawaii on exile. She just this year won a Congressional Bid and is now a member of the Philippines House of Representatives.

By Laolu AdeolaTECHNEWS WRITER

4 | Tuesday, September 28, 2010sga@iit.eduSGA

Every day, between the flurry of science, math, and humanities courses offered at IIT, the absence of a successful Foreign Language Program (FLP) is what has students talking. “The largest downside of this school for me is its lack of foreign language classes. Learning a foreign language is [great] for doing anything on a worldwide level,” said engineering student Nicole Niewenhuis. “I took AP Spanish in high school and I wish I was able to continue it in college!”

Currently, IIT students are able to take in-troductory language courses which, while bet-ter than nothing, are still not adequate enough to achieve a minor in a foreign language. To solve this issue, SGA is set to introduce a pro-posal to the Undergraduate Studies Commit-tee to institute a foreign language track into the school’s course listings. The goal of the proposal is to establish a four-year FLP that is available to all IIT students. As the proposal

states, having a FLP would support IIT’s vision of becoming an international academy as well as cater to student needs to gather a new per-spective of the world.

SGA’s proposal involves implementing a four-year FLP which consists of fifteen credit hours or five courses: four language courses plus one related culture class. Completion of the proposed FLP would result in students earning a minor in their selected language. It is important for these classes to be offered on campus. Currently, students that want a for-eign language minor must attend another ac-credited university and transfer the credits.

Upon hearing about SGA’s proposal, archi-tecture students Kati Loman and Taylor Chan expressed their excitement. “If IIT actually had a foreign language track I would sign up ASAP,” exclaimed Taylor. “That would be so awesome, especially in today’s world where knowing another language is key in order to progress further,” added Kati.

Though a successful four-year FLP would

take five to six years to properly implement into IIT’s academic structure, students on cam-pus have already expressed interest in which languages they would like to see in the com-ing years. Ballot results on January 20, 2010 revealed that the eleven most popular lan-guages requested by IIT students were Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Italian, Hindi, Rus-sian, Arabic, Japanese, Hebrew, and Korean. Of these eleven, the top four requested languages to be taught via FLP would be Spanish, French, German, and Chinese. If the proposal goes through, the most requested language will be the pilot language of the FLP until a demon-strated level of success is reached.

A foreign language program at IIT would not only change the framework of our school for the better, it would also result in graduates who are more aware of the world than ever be-fore. From the real world benefits to the sheer fun of finally being able to understand foreign films, everybody wins with a foreign language program.

Upcoming SGA Events

SenateTuesday, September 28

9:15 PM, SB RM113

“What’s yourIssue?”

12:50-1:40 PMMTCC Bridge

9:15 PM, SB RM113

Don’t Rosetta Stone it, learn it at IITBy Rani Shah SENATOR, AMOUR COLLEGE

For fifteen years, Vickie Tolbert has been an administrative asset to IIT through her ini-tial work in the then-singular office of Student Health and Counseling Services and more re-cently as the Administration and Operations Manager in the Dean of Students Office (Stu-dent Affairs), as well as the campus Ombud-sperson.

Tolbert is proud of her administrative ac-complishments at Student Health and Coun-seling Services like revamping the IIT Student Health Insurance Plan, yet she is particularly

fond of her time with student workers because “they were always fun to listen to.” Five years into her IIT career, her supervisor and Direc-tor of Student Health and Counseling Services Terry Shapiro was promoted to Dean of Stu-dents. Tolbert continued as his Administrative Assistant and was able to maintain the revered student interaction aspect of her position.

Tolbert also took on her predecessor’s role as the campus Ombudsperson; formally defined as “a person appointed to investigate facts and assist in achieving fair settlement of complaints brought by a student at the Uni-versity against persons at all levels within the University’s Main Campus.” Tolbert holds an impressive record in this arena because, in her own words, “anytime [she has] gone to bat for a student, [she has] been successful.” Further-more, everything said to an Ombudsperson is confidential except in cases where the Om-budsperson feels the student’s well-being is in danger.

She is a strong advocate for students and wants to ensure everyone knows “this is where they should be coming for resources” if they are becoming entangled in red tape. Tolbert emphasized that “you can usually recognize the point [in a problem] where things are getting out of hand, so stop before you burn bridges and it’s too late.” In reference to the Dean of Students Office, she added “come and see us early and come and see us often if neces-sary.”

Tolbert amiably recalled a student who would always exclaim “I pay your salary!” She would jokingly reply “Yes, give me a raise!” Jokes aside, Tolbert clarified that “in reality students do pay. You [as students] are the cus-tomer and you are owed a lot—doesn’t mean

you get your way with everything, but it does mean we to have to help you.”

With ten years in Student Affairs under her belt, Tolbert’s seniority is unmatched so she has been able to witness the successes and challenges of various initiatives. In general, she feels that most changes have led to positive results. She’s particularly noticed that the “de-partments that make up Student Affairs have become really cohesive—they all work togeth-er to make the department a stronger unit.”

“If I could do anything, I would bring a massive diversity training program to cam-pus,” said Tolbert when asked what she would like to see at IIT if obstacles were not a factor. “I would insist that every professor and staff member goes though [the program]” regard-less of their rank or position. She posed the question: “Why are we not helping people bet-ter help students?”

She explained that people are often insen-sitive without knowing they’re being insensi-tive. But once people go through mandatory training, you can hold them accountable for their actions. Tolbert worries “we are allowing people to bring in their biases and wreck our kids.” But with the recent establishment of a diversity committee, she is hopeful and hopes professors become more involved to address this problem in a substantive way.

“I could really see myself stay in this posi-tion as long as I’m at IIT...I like the philosophy of Student Affairs...I’m happy here with what I do. I do feel like I’m making a difference,” Tol-bert said regarding her future with IIT.

“It’s all about doing what I can. What per-son, not department, but person in that de-partment can I [send a student] to that will handle them the way I would handle them?”

Vickie Tolbert: Championing students for 15 years

By Elnaz MoshfeghianTECHNEWS WRITER

CAMPUS

Foreign Language Program: Progress bar and timeline

Fall 2009: Anecdotal discussion among students

January 2010: Data collection

April 2010: Initial proposal written

August 2010: Meeting with Dr. Snapper

September 10, 2010: New proposal written

September 14, 2010: New proposal submitted to Undergraduate Studies Commission

Person you should know

Vickie Tolbert. (Photo courtesy of Elnaz Moshfeghian)

SGA PROJECT PROGRESS CHARTUniversal Office Hour

Kept free by staff an faculty solely to meet with students

MSV Wired Internet

Address resident concerns about discontinuation

5Tuesday, September 28, 2010 | CAMPUScampus@technewsiit.com

INTERNATIONAL CORNER

Pardon my French!Exploring transatlantic stereotypesBy Clément MartinTECHNEWS WRITER

French people are self centered, they smell, they are rude. French women do not shave their armpits. American people are fat, confident, imperialists. They believe they can rule the world. The list is longer and longer. Of course those are stereotypes. Of course all Americans do not carry a gun and every French is not a selfish pr*ck.

What is actually true is that we are shaped by a large amount of values, conventions, so-cial rules. Some are particular to a region, some are due to historical issues, and some are country related. Because we adapt to our environment, we get used to doing the right thing corresponding to what our society is waiting for us to do. Being polite really is different from one area to another. In Japan, you must not open a present when it is given to you. You must wait until the person who gave it leaves. On the contrary, in Western countries it is often considered rather rude not to open it right away. What really is interesting in studying and living abroad is that once confronted with other values you start to realize that what you have been taking for granted for years needs to be reconsidered. You come to understand some unsuspected parts of who you are and what factors contributed to that. Some people call that a cultural bump.

Now, we can also be confronted with stereotypes in another country. Dealing with them is interesting: not only does it give you information about how you and your fellow country-men are perceived but it also gives you an opportunity to reflect about why those stereotypes exist. The results of a survey conducted among 18 to 25 year-old students on both sides of the Atlantic are shown below. Several things should be noticed: More than half of the 70 French students that were asked believe that most Americans despise them. More than half of the 40 American students that were asked believe that most French dislike them. However, 90% of those same French students declare that they would like to study in the US or at least visit this country. Funny enough, everybody seems to agree on one thing: French people are proud.

Alfred de Musset, a 19th century romantic writer, wrote in one of his plays: “All men are liars, fickle, chatterers, hypocrites, proud or cowardly, despicable, sensual; all women faith-less, tricky, vain, inquisitive, and depraved. The world is only a bottomless cesspool, where the most shapeless sea-beasts climb and writhe on mountains of slime. But there is in the world a thing holy and sublime the union of two of these beings, imperfect and frightful as they are.” As imperfect as French, Americans and basically all humans are, a thing holy and sublime in the world would probably be for us to be clever enough to understand each other, to get together and to go beyond stereotypes. We can still dream, right?

Les français sont égocentriques, ils sentent mauvais, ils sont grossiers. Les françaises ne s’épilent pas les aisselles. Les américains sont gras, sûrs d’eux, impérialistes. Ils pensent qu’ils gouvernent le monde. Evidemment ce n’est qu’un tas de stéréotypes. Evidemment tous les américains ne possèdent pas une arme et les français ne sont pas tous des crétins égoïstes.

Ce qui est vrai toutefois, c’est que notre individu a été forgé par une vaste quantité de valeurs, de conventions et de règles de société. Parmi ces règles, certaines sont propres à une région, d’autres sont dues à l’histoire et certaines sont relatives à notre pays. Parce que nous nous adaptons à notre environnement, nous prenons l’habitude d’agir de la « bonne » façon, c’est-à-dire en accord avec ce que notre société attend de nous, face à un stimulus particulier. La notion de politesse est vraiment différente d’une région à une autre. Au Japon, il est décon-seillé d’ouvrir un cadeau au moment où on vous l’offre. Il vaut mieux attendre que la personne qui vous l’a offert s’en aille. Dans les pays occidentaux, au contraire, c’est plutôt grossier de ne pas l’ouvrir sur le champ. Ce qui est vraiment intéressant quand on étudie et vit à l’étranger, et c’est la raison pour laquelle je suis ici, c’est que confronté à d’autres valeurs, on est à même de comprendre que ce qu’on avait considéré comme acquis depuis toujours peut en réalité être remis en question. On découvre alors des aspects inconnus de notre être, des éléments qui ont fait de nous qui nous sommes et que l’on ne soupçonnait pas. Certains appellent ça des « cultural bumps », littéralement des chocs culturels.

A l’étranger on tombe aussi face à des stéréotypes. Les étudier est intéressant non seule-ment parce que cela nous donne une idée de comment nous et nos compatriotes sommes perçus mais aussi parce que ça nous permet de nous interroger sur leurs origines. Les résul-tats d’une enquête menée auprès d’étudiants de 18 à 25 ans des deux côtés de l’Atlantique sont présentés ci-dessous. Plusieurs choses méritent d’être remarquées : plus de la moitié des 70 étudiants français interrogés pense que les américains les méprisent. Plus de la moitié des 40 étudiants américains interrogés pense que les français ne les apprécient pas. Pourtant 90% de ces mêmes étudiants français déclarent qu’ils souhaiteraient étudier aux États-Unis ou au moins visiter ce pays. Il est assez amusant de remarquer que tout le monde est d’accord sur un point : les français sont fiers.

Alfred de Musset, un écrivain romantique du XIXeme a écrit : « Tous les hommes sont menteurs, inconstants, faux, bavards, hypocrites, orgueilleux et lâches méprisables et sensuels ; toutes les femmes sont perfides, artificieuses, vaniteuses, curieuses et dépravées ; le monde n’est qu’un égout sans fond où les phoques les plus informes rampent et se tordent sur des montagnes de fange ; mais il y a au monde une chose sainte et sublime, c’est l’union de ces deux êtres si imparfaits et si affreux. » Aussi imparfait que sont les français, les américains et l’être humain en général, une chose sainte et sublime qui pourrait être en ce monde, serait que nous soyons suffisamment intelligents pour tous nous comprendre, nous entendre et aller au delà des stéréotypes. On peut toujours rêver, n’est ce pas ?

The French seen by the French

Proud

Welcoming

Self-Confident

Well Educated

Americans seen by the FrenchNice and

Welconing

HypocriticalEconomically sound

and innovative

Fat

Violent

Self-Confident

The French seen by Americans

Rather Rude

Friendly

Proud

Self-Centered

Generous

Stingy

Have a mind boggling love question? Ask SexTech

submit your question through http://tinyurl.com/sextechiit

27%52%

34%

46%

84%

46%39%

10%

46%

18%

13%

40%

38%

13%

46%

13%

Three surveys were conducted to produce the bar graphs above. The numbers next to each bar indicate the percentage of positive respondents to the characteristics listed.

6 | Tuesday, September 28, 2010CAMPUS campus@technewsiit.com

*The Office of Campus Energy & Sustainability (OCES) and the Institute of Psychology Cognition Lab would like to know more about sustain-ability beliefs and attitudes on campus. Please complete our survey at

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/8FRF6DN by October 29, 2010 for a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift certificate*

Tuesday 9/28

Wednesday 9/29

Thursday 9/30

Friday 10/1

University Calendar

Getting a Job: Job Search Letters CMC3-4 pm, Galvin Library CMCWhen job searching, there are many types of letters that can help you succeed. From letters of inquiry, to cover letters, to thank you letters, this workshop will cover many of the ways you can improve your job pros-pects by presenting yourself in a well written, professional manner.

Women in Literary Discussion (WILD): Make Sense of Your WorldStudent Center for Diversity and Inclusion12:50 pm, MTCC Blue RoomStudents across the campus come together to discuss the changing world around them.

Fall 2010 Lewis Department of Humanities Colloquium SeriesProfessor Warren Schmaus2- 5 pm, SH 218 Conference RoomCarlos Manrique (Department of Philosophy, Universidad de los Andes, Bo-gota, Columbia)The “Enigma of Critical Philosophy” and the Moral Opacity of the Self in Kant’s Thought.

Intro to Coop & Internship WorkshopCMC12:50 pm - 1:50 pm, Galvin Library CMCPt. 1: Learn how to qualify/enroll/renew a Co-op. Pt. 2: International students learn about off-campus employment rules.

Women’s Self Defense Day: Safety TipsOffice of Women’s Services12:50 pm, HUB Armour Dining RoomDirector of Public Safety Ray Martinez, who will discuss campus and per-sonal safety tips. Lunch provided.

Chemistry ColloquiumBCPS3:15 pm, LS 111Li-Ion Batteries: Electrode Material Design and Development. Christopher Johnson, Electrochemical Energy Storage Technologies, Argonne National Laboratory.

Architecture Lecture: “Recent Parks and Projects in the Public Realm” College of Architecture6pm - 7 pm, Crown HallMichael Van ValkenburghPrincipal, Michael Van Valkenburgh AssociatesCambridge, MA

September Flu Shot DaysStudent Health Services11:30am - 3:30pm, MTCC No appointment necessary! $20.00 for student, facility & staff. Payments are accepted at walk-in days and at payment.iit.edu (click pay health ser-vices fee).

…According to the New York Times,

Americans will throw out over 30 bil-

lion single serving bottles of water this

year? Instead of drinking bottled wa-

ter, fill up a reusable water bottle with

tap water. If you are concerned about

your tap water, use a filter on the fau-

cet- a much more eco-friendly way of

ensuring pure water.

GreenIITDid you know...

First Ever Women’s Soccer Homecoming Game Tailgate

Face paint, colorful posters, and lively percussion were used to cheer on the Women’s Soccer Team. (Photos by Jean-Emmanuel Guebey)

Monday 10/4Spring & Summer Incomplete Grades Due

Business Innovation Conference School of Applied Technology9am-5pm, Rice CampusA 3-day event of workshops and paper presentation.This year’s topics include Healthcare Innovations, Manufacturing Innovations, and Innova-tion Science. Continues through 10/6.

www.businessinnovationconference.com

8 | Tuesday, September 28, 2010A&E BECCA WATERLOO ae@technewsiit.com

Movie ReviewEasy A: Not so easy after all?

Emma Stone, who made her debut as the love interest in Superbad, is the star of Easy A, playing Olive Penderghast, a smart, clever, yet awkwardly portrayed high school girl in California (surprise, surprise, right?).

It was much appreciated to have a literary reference as the core issue in this plot (the classic The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne), almost as an encouragement for young generations to pick up a book. It’s unclear how the message portrayed in the story had anything to do with the lesson learned in the end of the movie, however.

Hester Prynne, the main character of The Scarlet Letter, was shunned by her village by having placed a red ‘A’ on her wardrobe after committing adultery with the minister of the church and giving birth to a love child. In Easy A, Olive Penderghast revealed false truth to her best friend (Disney Channel’s Aly Michalka) about herself losing her virginity to a fictional character. Being overheard in the girls bathroom by an extreme Christian classmate, Marianne Bryant (Amanda Bynes), causes Olive’s social life to spiral downhill after Olive fakes lots of ‘sex’ with her high school classmates in order to boost her social status. Trying to make her life as complicated as a John Hughes movie, she encourages her own ‘promiscuity’ by sewing the letter ‘A’ to a new Victoria’s Secret wardrobe. (Why should she be any different than her BFF, Hester?)

The movie displays awkward but curvy relationships that do not seem realistic, however hilarious they are. Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson play Olive’s ‘really cool’ parents, who “completely trust their daughter and sail through the movie as if they were savoring an amusing private joke.’ Olive’s toxic best friend, Rhia, who constantly swears and encourages Olive’s promiscuity,

only accepts the competition toward herself, as she’s known proudly for her large chest around school.

Contemporary high schoolers may not be able to relate to the characters in this story, having more ‘sexperience’ in real life than those in the story. The tech savvy ideology was right on track though, the students speed-gossiping and updating their lives via Twitter, facebook, and text messaging.

The portrayal of what high school should be like is almost spot-on to the 21st century cult movie, Mean Girls, and the witty sarcasm and scandal shown through these high schoolers’ lives were too bad to pass up after seeing the preview. It was reassuring to know my life was not nearly as complicated as theirs were. Be careful though, if sensitive to religious jokes; the offensive satire of ‘Jesus freaks’ (portrayed by Bynes and Cam Gigandet) may make one a little mad.

Along with every teen movie, the ages of Easy A’s stars are mismatched from the script. Most actors and actresses playing students in their mid-high school years look and act like they are in their 20’s (but look so darn good). Who isn’t used to that these days? It’s a good laugh and as funny as the previews make it out to be, so go and see it!

By Rebecca WaterlooA&E EDITOR

Book ReviewGang Leader for a Day by Sudhir Venkatesh

In the early 1990s, Sudhir Venkatesh, a University of Chicago graduate student in sociology, arrives for the first time to the Robert Taylor homes (a housing project that used to be between 39th and 54th Streets, and between State and the Dan Ryan, on Chicago’s South Side; the Robert Taylor Homes were eventually demolished to make way for condos). There is squalor not only in the way of living, but in the very color of the buildings; not only that, the squalor permeates even the skies. It appears in the mind’s eye, beyond the conveyed mere grey as being infected with something else, there, right there, beyond grasp. The whole scene appears as though through grainy print celluloid (the sensation is exactly that of watching this scene, in flashback), the kind that looks archival, having being stored for long. The grey permeates the entire palette, and you are there watching this, with some of that feeling of squalor permeating you, too - rather, settling there as a subtle form of dejectedness; it’s the feeling that this too goes on.

Venkatesh, through his writing, has managed through establishing tone, mood, and setting, to touch a very specific theme. He has conveyed an emotion born in part from what he felt exactly at that moment, walking into the housing projects of Robert

Taylor homes for the first time, through his distilled emotion that he expresses through reflection. This is a distinctly literary achievement. This is an empathetic moment felt for our protagonist, the author, having this extraordinary experience.

The empathy stretches out further and into the lives of the people that inhabit these housing projects. The members of the Black Kings gangs, the tenant leaders, the other locals; we see them all, and we relate, because through time and effort, Sudhir sees them as such, and then in the writing manages to convey to us what he sees.

In the early 90’s, Venkatesh was pursuing a PhD in sociology, but a combination of circumstances and his natural curiosity led him to befriend a member of the Black Kings named JT, and eventually to several years spent regularly visiting the Robert Taylor Homes. This was a formative experience for him in terms of his sociological research, and was also a profound life experience. The book relates his experiences during this phase of his life.

The title of the book is a reference to the fact that Venkatesh was (nominally) the gang leader for one day, of JT’s Black Kings unit. He waited more than a decade to write this, and this was a wise decision because it gave him the benefit of having really considered the question of how to relate this the best: and his answer is the right one.

By Udayan Debasis DasSTAFF WRITER

Courtesy http://www.comingsoon.net/

Tuesday, September 30, 2010Films From 1980–1990: Murder Psalm, Unconscious London Strata, The Loom, City StreamingUniversity of Chicago, 1212 E 59th St @ 7:00 p.m.

Candide Goodman Theater @ various times (continues through 10/31)

The Moth StorySLAM, Martyr’s, 3855 N. Lincoln Ave. @ 8:00 p.m.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010Killer’s KissUniversity of Chicago, 1212 E 59th St @ 7:00 p.m. & 9:00 p.m.

Ricky GervaisChicago Theater, 175 N State St @ 8:00 p.m.

Green City MarketLincoln Park, 1750 N. Clark St. @ 7:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.

Thursday, September 30, 2010The Wizard of GoreUniversity of Chicago, 1212 E 59th St @ 9:15 p.m.

The KatydidsImprov Olympics, 3541 N Clark St @ 10:30 p.m.

M.I.A.The Vic Theater, 3145 N Sheffield Ave @ 8:00 p.m.

Friday, October 1, 2010Doctor Butcher M.D.University of Chicago, 1212 E 59th St @ 11:45 p.m.

First FridayMuseum of Contemporary Art, 220 E Chicago Ave @ 6:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m.

Super Natural ChicagoExcalibur , 632 N Dearborn St @ 7:30 p.m.

PimprovChemically Imbalanced Comedy, 1420 W Irving Park Rd @ 10:30 p.m.

Saturday, October 2, 2010InceptionUniversity of Chicago, 1212 E 59th St @ 9:00 p.m.

AIDS Run and Walk Chicago 5KColumbus and Balbo Drives @ 10:00 a.m.

Cupid has a Heart OnImprov Olympics, 3541 N Clark St @ 10:30 p.m.

Southside OktoberfestToyota Park, 7000 S Harlem Ave @ 5:00 p.m.–11:00 p.m.

Sunday, October 3, 2010GhostbustersUniversity of Chicago, 1212 E 59th St @ 3:45 p.m.

Jim Henson’s Fantastic WorldMuseum of Science and Industry, 5700 S Lake Shore Dr @ 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

1001Chopin Theater, 1543 W Division St @ 3:00 p.m.

Design HarvestGrand Ave from Damen to Wood St. @ 11:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m.

Monday, October 4, 2010Ulzana’s RaidUniversity of Chicago, 1212 E 59th St @ 7:00 p.m.

MSI Free admissionMuseum of Science and Industry, 5700 S Lake Shore Dr @ 9:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.

Heart of Oak Park Walking Tour1010 Lake St, Oak Park, IL @ 10:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m. (Daily)

How to ChicagoThe key to unlocking City Life

YOU KNOW EVEN MOREABOUT CHICAGO?

Let the world know. Write for TechNews!

9Tuesday, September 28, 2010 | SLIPSTICKlol :P

Across1. Santa’s present carrier5. Physics calculation9. Goes with Saxon14. S-shaped molding15. Chip in?16. Fabric17. Part18. Back of the house19. Rumba relative20. Start of a house?23. In-flight info, for short24. Consume25. Jane Eyre, e.g.28. It’s always sold in mint condition30. Appear32. “We __ family”33. Gas used in welding35. Wolf, coyote, fox, dog family37. House plan related40. Maids41. Actress Bloom42. Alter, in a way43. Not just “a”44. “Indian Idol,” for example48. Italian town

51. Absorbed, as a cost52. Can you dig it?53. House to love57. “Home ___”59. Young salmon60. Bachchan, for one (var.)61. Danger62. HOMES part63. Whine64. Add color to65. Red or whitetail?66. Potato, slangily

Down1. Cold dessert2. Short-eared rabbit3. Abdominal4. Fall (over)5. “Besame mucho” singer6. Concerning7. For men only8. Balkan native9. Knight’s “suit”10. Civil rights org.11. Equestrians’ field day12. Court ploy13. “Walking on Thin Ice” singer21. “Six Feet Under”

subjects?22. What a house stands on26. Fleshy seed covering27. “Waking ___ Devine” (1998 film)29. Microsoft support rep30. Nee Al (anagram)31. Gut areas34. Carve in stone35. Horse move36. God of war37. “The ___ have it”38. Butting equipment39. Snigger maker40. “Bingo!”43. Backgammon impos-sibility45. Attach a hose46. An alloy47. Supposed, for Shake-speare49. Building style50. Refine, as metal51. Eagle home54. Didn’t dillydally55. Ending with hard or soft56. Shakira’s don’t lie57. Appropriate58. Orchid arrangement

The First Day of the Rest of My Life By Adin GoingsART EDITOR

Illinois Institute of TechnologyDepartment of Applied Mathematics and IIT SIAM Student Chapter

Weekly Problem Competition

Join the competition!The Applied Math Department and IIT SIAM Student Chapter is organizing a weeklycampus-wide math competition for undergraduate students beginning September 21, 2010.

Here’s how it works:• Every Tuesday, grab a copy of TechNews or visit http://math.iit.edu/~weeklyproblem

to view the problem of the week.• Come up with a solution and submit it to weeklyproblem@math.iit.edu within a

week’s timeframe• The author(s) of the first correct solution(s) will receive a monetary prize.For more details view the official web site http://math.iit.edu/~weeklyproblem. Becomea Math Club member today and you will receive the problem by email.

Let’s Dwell on ItBy Myles Mellor

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

A student has 11 weeks before taking his GRE test. To prepare for the exam, he decides to solve at least one test each day before the exam, but in order to not get tired, he decides to solve no more than twelve tests during any given week. Prove that there exists a succession of days during which the student solved exactly 20 tests.To avoid confusion, assume that he starts practising and counting on a Monday.

4 1 9 7 2

9 3 4

5 6

9 4 8 6

8 9 1

2 1 3 9

6 7

8 2 6

9 4 8 6 3

Puzzle 1 (Easy, difficulty rating 0.45)

Generated by http://www.opensky.ca/~jdhildeb/software/sudokugen/ on Sun Sep 26 18:35:42 2010 GMT. Enjoy!

Let's Dwell on It by Myles Mellor

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16

17 18 19

20 21 22

23 24 25 26 27

28 29 30 31 32

33 34 35 36

37 38 39

40 41

42 43 44 45 46 47

48 49 50 51 52

53 54 55 56

57 58 59 60

61 62 63

64 65 66

Across

Santa's present carrier1.Physics calculation5.Goes with Saxon9.S-shaped molding14.Chip in?15.Fabric16.Part17.Back of the house18.Rumba relative19.Start of a house?20.In-flight info, for short23.Consume24.Jane Eyre, e.g.25.It's always sold in mint condition28.Appear30.

Down

Cold dessert1.Short-eared rabbit2.Abdominal3.Fall (over)4."Besame mucho" singer5.Concerning6.For men only7.Balkan native8.Knight's "suit"9.Civil rights org.10.Equestrians' field day11.Court ploy12."Walking on Thin Ice" singer13."Six Feet Under" subjects?21.What a house stands on22.

Master DrafterA love poemAHEMYou may not be aware of itBut you are a master drafter

Your supports are strongYour curves are fierceYour circuits are crazyYour patterns perplex

Your lines are softWhen you wantYour lines are intenseWhen you needYou accommodate for errorYet remain perfectYou illustrate what is neededYet remain concise

How could you pay attentionWith your master mindHow could you give me the timeWith your busy hands

What do I knowYou make my parallel linesorthogonal

All that I careIs that we end uptangential

10 | Tuesday, September 28, 2010SPORTS GRAEME PORT sports@technewsiit.com

Lady Hawks tie at Homecoming gameBy Elnaz MoshfeghianTECHNEWS WRITER

Stephanie Lucas takes first at Forester Invitational

On Saturday, the Cross Country team traveled to Vernon Hills, IL to compete in the 12th annual Forester Invitational. Both teams took second place overall, the Women out of ten and the Men out of eleven.

In the Women’s 5K, senior Stephanie Lucas took first out of 115 by almost a minute, finishing with a personal best and a new school record by more than 19 seconds with a time of 18:26.00. When asked about her large lead, Lucas stated that “you can’t tell how far ahead you are; you don’t look back. You just go and don’t worry about the people behind you. You just run your race.” Finishing close behind Lucas was freshman Jordan Kelch, who finished with a 19.36.00. Brooke Jeffcoat finished next for the Lady Hawks (20:26.10), followed closely by Maddy Jensen (20:31.00), and Erin Skvorc (20:39.00). Coming in at 21:11.10 was Kira Vincent, followed by Claudia Garcia (21:29.00), Teresita Pineda (21:38.00), Brianne Walker (22:14:00) and Veronica Hannink (22:15.00).

Following the Women’s race was the Men’s 8K. Freshman Zach Gates finished first for the Hawks in seventh place with a time of 26:18.00. Kenny Murphy finished next with a 26:42.00, followed closely by Phil Theisen (26:53.00) and Brock Williams (27:02.00). Close behind Williams were Andrew Montague (27:13.00) and Kevin Acacio (28:00.00). Derek Burge-Beckley and Phil Cano finished neck-and-neck at 28:00.00 and 28:00.10, followed by John Pasowicaz at 30:25.00.

The Forester Invitational is the third meet of the season for the team, with only two more remaining before the conference meet. Head coach Phil Kopinski believes “the meet went well overall, and the team is exactly where they need to be, or even a little ahead of the curve.” Going into the next couple of weeks, the team will rest a bit to try to stay consistent and strong until the end of October, when they will begin tapering for the conference and nationals. The team’s next meet will be the Brooks Invitational hosted by University of Wisconsin-OshKosh on October 16.

By Melanie KotoSTAFF WRITER

(Photos by Melanie Koto)

On Saturday September 25, the women’s varsity soccer team battled the Davenport University Panthers to overtime and recorded their first tie of the season. The Lady Hawks put on an impressive display of perseverance on Illinois Tech turf despite the surprisingly cold weather, and a few debatable calls by the referee. Students, parents, alumni and staff packed the stands and sidelines of Stuart Field for the double-billed Homecoming and Senior Day game.

An hour prior to the match, booming music drew fans onto the MTCC South Lawn for a Tailgate sponsored by the campus Resident Advisors, Delta Tau Delta, and Union Board’s Scarlet Fever, through a partnership with IIT Dining Services. Fans were equipped with black “SpirIIT” and Scarlet Fever shirts, bandanas, and face paint, while they enjoyed free food and made posters for the soccer team as a whole and senior players in particular. At 1:45 P.M., the VanderCook Drumline arrived on the MTCC South Lawn to capture the attention of fans with an enthralling performance before leading them to the match in a march across campus.

As the first half of the match progressed, the Lady Hawks seemed to become more comfortable, cohesive and effective as a team. By the 30th minute of the game, players Capuano, Cosenza, Meeke, and Wissman seemed to find each other intuitively and orchestrated a back-to-back series of precise passes near the halfway line of the pitch. This teamwork facilitated an energizing goal which, unfortunately, was withdrawn on account of an offside call.

At half time, the IIT players lined up facing the stands as the emcee introduced seniors

del Ninno, Kunkel, Meeke, Sarratt and Salem. The seniors were joined on the field by their families and received gifts while a statement about each of their IIT experiences and future plans was read. After warm applause and some quick photos, the team ran back to the bench to prepare for the remainder of the game.

By the second half of the match, it became clear that this was a physical game and neither side seemed to be intimidated by this new direction. The Panthers created quite a few scares for the Scarlet Hawks, particularly in the beginning of the second half when the goalkeeper was caught away from the goal area and fans were stunned in silence as the ball slowly rolled towards the goal. Yet to the relief of many, the ball continued its path past the post and out of bounds. In fact, the goalkeeper made quite a few commendable saves and did so with a certain calm that almost gave the naïve impression it was an easy task.

Once again the Scarlet Hawks nearly scored with 19 minutes left in the half, when a beautiful header hit the crossbar. The two 10-minute halves of overtime were no less thrilling and there was even a quick hostile exchange between two opposing players as they were getting up from a tackle. The referee swiftly arrived to present yellow cards to both players.

Overall, the match saw a steady series of attacks on goal by both teams which were often followed by swift and unfruitful counterattacks. The determination of the IIT players was indisputable, and while a tie does not carry the statistical disappointment of a loss, the ladies will have extra motivation to snag a win in their next game on September 28, 2010 against Cardinal Stritch University right here on home turf at 5:00 p.m.

(Photos by Melanie Koto)

11Tuesday, September 28, 2010 | SPORTSGRAEME PORT sports@technewsiit.com

Women’s Volleyball goes 1-2 over Homecoming Week

The Illinois Tech Women’s Volleyball team (9-7, 2-2) played 3 games this homecoming week, resulting in two losses and a win for the Lady Hawks. The first game was played Tuesday, September 21st at St. Xavier University. The home team (12-5, 3-1) won the conference match in four games - 26-28, 19-25, 25-20 and 25-16. Junior middle blocker Kayla Heller (Dixon, IL) had 15 kills in the match while freshman outside hitter Kate Kendall (Naperville, IL) had 14. Sophomore setter Rebecca Bograd (Lemont, IL) added 36 assists in the match.

The Hawks played their next game against Saint Joseph’s College (5-8) the following night. The Lady Hawks put up a fight, but were unable to win the non-conference match - 23-25, 25-23, 23-25, 25-27. Kendall had 13 kills in the match while Heller chipped in 9 kills and 6 blocks. Bograd had 32 set assists with 3 blocks.

The team’s final game this week was played on Saturday against Mount Mercy College (8-9). With the help of the Homecoming crowd, the ladies were able to defeat the Mustangs in three games - 25-19, 25-22, 25-20.

The Hawks will play their next home game against Calumet College of St. Joseph on Tuesday (28th). Come out and support your Hawks for another conference win!

By Kayla HellerSTAFF WRITER

Men’s Soccer go into conference at .500

The Illinois Tech Men’s Soccer team travelled to Fort Wayne on Thursday to face off against Indiana Tech, with the team hoping that a win would return the Hawks record to .500 for the start of the 2010 CCAC conference season. Having already played 3 of the pre-season’s top 25 teams, the Hawks now faced the fourth team to have made the top-25 pre-season ranking list.

The Hawks have started strongly in the majority of their contests this season and this game was no different, with the team breaking the deadlock after just 6 minutes when sophomore forward Liam Barrett broke away from the Indiana tech defense and squared the ball across the box for Scottish midfielder Graeme Port to slot the ball into the empty net. The game would go scoreless for the remainder of the half with few chances created by either team, although Hawks

goalkeeper Sam Winstanley was called into action a few times to comfortably collect Indiana crosses.

Despite not having as much possession of the ball as Indiana Tech, the Hawks looked comfortable and doubled their lead on the 76th minute when the same two players who combined effectively for the first goal reversed roles, this time Port the provider for Barrett to fire the ball into the Indiana net. The Hawks were now trying to play out the game and hold on to the shutout for the win. The Indiana team came very close to breaking the Hawks defense when a seemingly unthreatening free kick connected with the frame of the Hawks goal, but rebounded safely. If there were any nerves in the Illinois Tech team they were put to bed with just 11 seconds remaining on the clock, when Barrett again broke away from the tiring Indiana defense and unselfishly squared the ball to the onrushing Robert Ritchie-Smith for the easy finish.

The 3-0 win returns the Hawks to a .500 record before the start of the regular conference season this Tuesday. The Hawks will open their conference season at home to Cardinal Stritch, the team they defeated last year to progress to the CCAC playoff semi-finals. So come out and support the team as they look to get off to a winning start in this year’s regular conference season.

By Allan CoatesSTAFF WRITER

Keating ImprovedWithin the past few weeks, and over the

next month or so, we will see many new improvements to the Keating Athletics Center. Along with the new faces around the facility, we will soon see an ID scanner system as utilized in MSV and SSV, along with other buildings on campus. Students, faculty, and staff will soon have to scan their IIT ID in order to gain access into the building during hours of operation. This addition will greatly reduce arguments between ID-less facility users and the front door guard. Students must be sure to bring their ID to the gym if they would like to use the facility. Also, remember that any staff member may ask to see your ID during your visit so please keep it on you or make it easily accessible.

Another improvement to make Keating run smoother will be the introduction of emergency exit doors that will sound an alarm when opened that Public Safety must disarm. These emergency exits mean a safer workout environment for all, especially at night. While the safety level in Keating is adequate, it can always be improved upon. They should also reduce the thefts in Keating, which have drastically reduced since the initiative of locking personal belongings in a locker rather than leaving them lying around. These doors are to be used in an emergency

only, and are not to be used by anyone under any circumstance.

The final improvement to Keating is the repair of the southern basketball court. It is undetermined when the roof to Keating began to leak or why it was not repaired (or by this point, replaced) when the leaks began, but at one point during a week of heavy rain this summer it was raining on the southwest side of Keating behind the bleachers. This water pooled up and was soaked up by the wood floor. The center of the court was damaged, as well, due to leaking in another part of the roof. The floor was completed in late August and regular play was resumed. The replacing of the floor disrupted volleyball preseason. Coach Kelly Fitzgerald, Head Women’s Volleyball Coach and Facilities Manager, commented “We had to practice on the north courts, which was okay...we just had to deal with more sun because the bleachers weren’t there to block it.”

The cost to replace the floor and the potential cost of replacing the roof could not be disclosed, since Facilities themselves handled the repairs. This roofing section is not the only one leaking at Keating, since water runs down the walls in the lower level; when heavy rains approach we see puddles, buckets, and snakes soaking up the water. Keating is a historical building and does need to go through a repair process, but the roof and extra damage caused by the roof leak needs to be taken into consideration when planning future repairs on the building.

By Ashlie IngoldTECHNEWS WRITER

Intramurals classes at Keating Sports Center

At Keating Sports Center, the Office of Intramurals and Recreations is now running their full schedule of Intramural classes for the Fall 2010 semester. The schedule contains 7 different classes on offer from Monday to Thursday; Friday and the weekend have been kept free by the department for clinics and tournaments. Intramural classes are led by qualified instructors who are experts in their disciplines. Jason Neal, the Office of Intramurals and Recreations department

head, explains that, “Offering a holistic approach through a diverse array of programs is the foundation of our philosophy here at IIT, because no two bodies are alike, and each person has different needs. All current Illinois Tech, Vandercook, and Shimer students, faculty and staff are encouraged to participate, and alumni are also welcome at our activities and events.” The Fall 2010 Intramural class schedule runs as follows:

PilatesMondays, 5:30pm - Racquetball Court #3Argentine Tango

Mondays, 7pm - Racquetball Court #1Tai ChiMondays, 9pm and Wednesdays 1pm - Rac-quetball Court # 3YogaTuesdays, 1pm & 7:30pm - Racquetball Courts #3 & #4 Thursdays, 5:30pm - Racquetball Court #3SalsaWednesdays, 6pm - Racquetball Court #1Plyometrics Wednesdays, 9pm - Racquetball Court #1Cardio Kickboxing Thursdays, 12:45pm - Racquetball Court #1

By Grame PortSPORTS EDITORUPDATE

Tuesday, September 28thWomen’s SoccerVS. Cardinal Stritch 5pm, Stuart Field

Tuesday, September 28thMen’s SoccerVS. Cardinal Stritch 7pm, Stuart Field

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