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The Rochester Institute of Technology is a sprawling campus – founded over 175 years ago, the university sits on 1,300 acres of swampland, dotting its’ campus with brick buildings, and housing nearly 16,000 students. With those numbers, some may wonder if the National Technical Institute for the Deaf gets lost in the masses. However, all a visitor to the campus would need to do is walk into the NTID Office of Admissions and request for a tour…

…where they would find out that NTID, made up of almost 1,500 d/Deaf and Hard-of-hearing students, definitely holds its’ own at RIT.

The DeafNation group met with tour guide Erin Kaufman, a second-year graduate student in the Master of Science in Secondary Education (MSSE) program, at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Building. Here, Erin pointed out much of what NTID had to offer: the Dyer Art Gallery, which once boasted Deaf-themed artwork from Deaf artists Susan Dupor, Chuck Baird, and the like; the NTID Learning Center (NLC), which holds state-of-the-art computers as well as tutoring services in math and English. We walked through LBJ and into the adjacent Student Development Center. The SDC, which opened in Fall 2006, still had the “new car smell” look about it – modern, with avant-garde art hanging from high ceilings, huge conference rooms, a fireplace, study lounges, and student organization offices – the SDC had it all. The building also houses a cafeteria and a Starbucks-inspired coffee shop. “The ideal building to cozy up in if it was snowing outside,” chuckled Anthony, who spent much of his childhood growing up in Rochester.

“The SDC has really helped student life for the Deaf,” Erin gestured toward the student club offices, whose doors were ornate with the organization colors, names of their respective executive boards, mascots, and much more. Students sat at a conference table outside the offices, hands flying in heated discussion. “This is a place students can go to be together away from the dorms – a space to call their own, a place to build – and maintain – a community.”

We continued walking, strolling outside through the newly-renovated Frisina Quad, recently dedicated to D. Robert Frisina, a pioneer in the field of hearing loss and deafness for more than 40 years. We continued, walking past brick dormitory buildings onto to Quarter Mile, which starts at RIT’s sun dial and ends at the bridge after the Gordon Field House – precisely a quarter of a mile, hence the name. “We’re a creative bunch,” I laughed, following Erin along the path.

The Student Life Center looms into sight. The gym – which holds two dance studios, a track on the second floor, several basketball courts, is connected to the new Gordon Field House, which has greatly added to the SLC: a fully-stocked weight room on the first floor, exercise machines on the second, sparkling Olympic-sized swimming pools, an additional indoor track, and much, much more.

We then walked outside, through the Interfaith Center – which holds regular weekly masses and the like – into the Student Alumni Union (SAU), which was bustling with regular Wednesday student traffic. Walking through the mass of rushed bodies, we arrived in front of the empty (and now old) RIT Bookstore. Erin went on to explain, but the DeafNation crew had already seen the brand-new RIT bookstore – Barnes & Noble @ R.I.T, a gigantic, two-floor addition to the brand-new “College Town” at RIT, snugly set up across from RIT’s Perkins apartments and new restaurant establishments. We ended our tour right in front of RIT’s tiger statue – RITchie – but not before checking out Java Wallys, which displays funky student artwork and creative coffee creations like “Shot in the Dark”.

After leaving Erin with thanks for the tour, we headed back to the LBJ Building, where we caught Dr. Hurwitz getting ready to close up shop for the day. After exchanging warm greetings and settling into his office, he spoke to us about RIT’s overseas expansion in places like Dubai (http://www.rit.edu/news/?v=45936), why students come to RIT, and his recent new title as President of NTID. You can watch the video below for a good portion of our short interview with Dr. T. Alan Hurwitz!

After well-wishes and a “Drive safe!” from Dr. Hurwitz, we hopped into the Mary Augusta – our DeafNation RV – and headed for the Rochester Recreation Club for the Deaf, where we met with President Steven DeBottis for a tour of the clubhouse. Members mingled about, preparing for Viable’s pizza-sponsored Euchre night. DeBottis lead us around the clubhouse, regaling us with RRCD’s 63-year history: going through rental places until their purchase of a club space downtown Rochester, their clubhouse burning down 23 years later, and their new home that has stood erect since 1991 – braving Rochester blizzards, Super Bowl parties, and countless Euchre and poker tournaments. After a raffle drawing – where two lucky RRCD members won a Viable VPAD – the DeafNation crew departed Rochester, bidding farewell, setting their sights on Lowell, Massachusetts!

Interested in applying to NTID/RIT, or want more information? You can go to http://ntid.rit.edu! Want a campus tour as awesome as ours? You can contact Assistant Director of Admissions and Visitation Amy Stornello at visitNTID@rit.edu!

To learn more about the Rochester Recreation Club for the Deaf, check out their website at http://rochesterdeafclub.com!