A little over a year ago I developed an iPhone application for RIT. At the time it was just what we needed – an app that could pinpoint buildings on a map, show me customizable events, and allow me to look up people in the directory. It’s proven to be incredibly useful for both myself, my friends, and students.

I’ve been giving it away for free for over a year.

During the fall of 2010 I was approached by a few of RIT’s faculty to join in on a weekly meeting about RIT’s mobile application strategy. Naturally, during the first meeting, we broke the ice and everyone described themselves and why they are there. I mentioned that I built an iPhone application for RIT.

I had knowledge that most of the people in the room did not. I created a mobile application that thousands of students have been using since its launch. I know what works and what doesn’t based on experience.

After many long meetings (could have been handled through email) I discovered that they were going to choose a vendor to build a mobile application.

RIT recognizes me as an entrepreneur, student advocate, and one who gives back to the community frequently. I’ve spoken at events, held events, and spread publicity throughout Rochester and the internet that always points back to RIT. Instinctively I said, “Why don’t you consider me a vendor? My price is unbeatable and what you’re looking for is 80% there. It’s in the market and thousands of students are already using it.”

They pushed me through the formalities. A set of paperwork in order to apply as a vendor which every company had months to complete. When I received the paperwork the deadline was tomorrow, so I did it in one night.

RIT performed a survey asking students what features they would want in a mobile application. The items that ranked 1,2, and 3 existed in the application that I built. I said I’d hire RIT students to make the app better. This would allow us to focus on the app – it would no longer be a side project.

They didn’t choose us.

Inexperience? I don’t think so. Price? Definitely not.

But RIT missed something important. They missed one of the biggest publicity and marketing opportunities of a lifetime.

We didn’t get the job. Not only would the time to market be immediate, but RIT students would be known as the vendor/developer. It would show that RIT practices what it preaches, that it believes in its students. That the ever-increasing $37,000 tuition means something.

When you painfully pay insane amounts to study at a university that claims it is one of the best, shouldn’t they believe in their students?

Practice what you preach.

Update: I would love to meet with any of the administration, faculty or staff at RIT about this. I know many of you are reading thinking that I am negatively portraying RIT. I am not. I want to facilitate change and to provoke thought. This is not the first time something like this has happened. Many people feel the same way.

Dominoes Everywhere from Jared Lyon on Vimeo.

roanoke college is a social, not academic, conglomerate of good looking drunk people in pastels and pearls. the typical, good looking roanoke college student possesses a casual arrogance which is eclipsed only by the size of their disposable income. 

“welcome to roanoke college, your application shows little intelligence but your Lilly dress is quite becoming. here is your solo cup and your diploma! congrats on that MRS. degree, are you going to the polo match?”

11,887 guys, 113 girls (4 hot, 109 monsters) 
2,000 art students, 10,000 legitimate students 
9,308 LAN parties, 898,048 gallons alcohol, 12,498,203 lbs. marijuana, 12 broken elevators, 0 sunny days, 10 week quarters, 3.95 avg GPA, 323,897,108,304,103 bricks, 12,384,304,142 cigarettes, 9,301 anime junkies, 24 jocks, 5,603 that will make more money than you, 0 chance of getting laid. 

[Urban Dictionary]

Professor Schwartz — once a superhero who has superhuman strength and agility and can perform amazing acrobatic feats. His feet are as agile as his hands and can be used to perform any action his hands are able to. He is also able to rapidly heal himself from injuries, professor at some over-hyped Ivy League school, professor at Cornell — now teaches various types of Computer Science including Game Design and Development at RIT. Not only has he scaled Mount Everest while wearing only an 1837 diving mask, but he also writes and sings his own parodical music.

Today, David “The Beast” Schwartz sung a song of many a tale. It was the long-awaited 218-end-of-the-year-theme-song. Unfortunately I do not have video but pictures of The Beast in his full glory.

And now, the infamous lyrics:

“218″ by David I. Schwartz (c) 2008

courtesy of “I’m 18″ by Alice Cooper

 

Lines of code form in my brain           

Lines of code go down the drain          

In a bind with no backup plan            

I’m annoyed, and I am damned

 

218!                                     

and I can’t take anymore                 

218!                                     

I just need to head for the door         

218!                                     

I just can’t get arrays                  

I need to implement this interface       

My heap needs to allocate more space     

Oh no                                    

 

I took 217 just to give me a start       

It’s been 10 weeks just to get this far  

Don’t know what my prof’s talkin’ about  

Feels like I’m festering with doubt      

Here in                                  

 

218!                                     

We get new syntax each day               

218!                                     

Skip anything and wow, do we pay!        

218!                                     

But I need to graduate                   

 

Can’t understand what the compiler says  

Feels like I’m in over my head           

I’m in between                           

a programming sequence                   

I’m annoyed, and I am damned             

I’m in 218 and I like it                 

Yes I like it                            

Oh I like it                             

Love it                                  

Like it                                  

Love it                                  

218                                      

218                                      

218                                      

218 and I like it!

What do you think about The Beast?

There are five types of drinkers in this world: alcoholics, recovering alcoholics, drunks, college students and RIT students. Alcoholics go to Alcoholics Anonymous to become a recovering alcoholic whilst college students go to RIT to do the same. In the fall of 1997, RIT decided that it was a good idea to ban all alcohol use in RIT residence halls including Greek housing and allowing it to only drinking-age students in the RIT apartments. However, RIT’s policy on alcohol is taking a step backwards because alcohol is everywhere and it is a part of life — a school promoting maturity and independence to ban something that is as much of a part of life as education is a poorly guided decision. To grow up one must understand the world and make choices, if those choices are limited by an institution then how is one able to mature?

Many people say that college was the best time of their life. When asked why they go into stories from parties, concerts, events and late nights, which all refers to “being stupid.” Others have said that college is great because it is the time in life where one is able to be stupid and get away with it. What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.

I am under the legal drinking age, I have more than a drink in my life, and I may have a biased opinion about RIT’s policy on banning alcohol. I do not believe that anything should be banned that can not explicitly harm students. I believe in democracy and I believe that we learn from our mistakes. In order to mature, we must allow ourselves to mature. If we ban parts of life that are inevitable then how will we deal with such things? Is it not better to live and let learn than to live and not learn? Is RIT expecting to ban bad judgement through the ban of alcohol?

One cannot simply state that bad judgement is just the result of alcohol because if this were true then the current president must always be drunk. In-fact: bad judgement is a much bigger problem then alcohol use or abuse. Bad Judgement leads to alcohol abuse, not necessarily the reverse.

The ban on alcohol is a horrible idea because it prevents students from learning and maturing. Alcohol is a very popular subject when it comes to driving, partying, night-life and most importantly: college. Alcohol plays a much larger role in college than one might think while deciding whether or not go party. Set aside some of the lesser facts on alcohol — sex, drugs and rock and roll. The risks of banning it are far greater, as it contributes to the degradation of decision making in this generation. If we cannot learn to deal with the different aspects of life then RIT banning alcohol is like mommy still holding our hand. Limiting the aspects of life limits our ability to grow up, mature, and think for ourselves.

What do you think about alcohol at colleges? Should it be banned?

Related: Professors complete benchmark RIT student survey on alcohol use