99 things to do before you graduate

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3. Sit with the Corner Crew at a hockey game.

College students strive for three things: good grades, sleep and fun.

The good grades are up to the students. As for sleep, well, most aren’t going to sacrifice a good time for a few hours of rest.

That leaves fun.

Bob Bresson ’90 (photography) loved going to hockey games when he attended RIT, and he still supports the team from his home in Chicago. His list of must-do items before leaving RIT also includes going to Jeremiah’s Tavern in Rochester, where he met his wife 21 years ago.

As a student, Kristi Ziehl ’91 (professional and technical communication) enjoyed hiking the 1.25-mile nature trail, south of the Student Life Center. Now a staff member, she still strolls the trails when she needs to get away and recommends it to others.

Jeremy Frey ’10 (mechanical engineering technology) wanted to show that RIT students aren’t full of just brains, so he joined the weightlifting club.

“You have to at least watch the RIT Strongman Competition, if not participate in it,” says Frey about an item on his must-do list.

To compile our list, we asked alumni, students, faculty and staff to name the best things to do at RIT. Take a look to see whether your items made the list or to learn what campus is like today.

But be forewarned—you may lose some much-needed sleep while completing these.

1. Study at one of RIT’s three global campuses.
2. Go see the pelt of Spirit, RIT’s one-time live Bengal tiger mascot, in the RIT Archive Collections on the third floor of The Wallace Center.
3. Sit with the Corner Crew at a hockey game.
4. Attend at least one Puttin’ on the RITz Dinner, held by the School of International Hospitality and Service Innovation, in March.
5. See an NTID production at the Panara Theatre.
6. Figure out what The Sentinel sculpture represents.
7. Find the stairs to the fourth floor of The Wallace Center.
8. Use the whisper wall in Sol Heumann Quad.
9. Go ice skating in Frank Ritter Ice Arena.
10. Get your swell on at the RIT Strongman Competition.
11. Find the right spot to see how the oval-shaped sculpture in the Infinity Quad, Construction #105, looks like ∞, the mathematical symbol for an infinite value.
12. Take Wines of the World I with Professor Lorraine Hems.
13. Attend the annual Lighting the Way welcoming ceremony put on by The Center for Women and Gender.
14. Test out your rock-climbing skills at the Red Barn.
15. Walk on the pier at Ontario Beach Park in Charlotte.
16. Get your thoughtful words posted in Reporter’s Rings section.
17. Eat at Henry’s restaurant (the hospitality student-run restaurant on the fourth floor of Eastman Hall).
18. Watch (or be a part of) the local musical talent at Lovin’ Cup in Park Point.
19. Wake up bright and early for class registration at 6 a.m.
20. Try one of the beers that MacGregors’ has on tap. They have more than 130.
21. Run/walk/bike the RIT loop; it’s exactly a 5K.
22. Paint the fraternity rock.
23. Watch an RIT Quidditch match.
24. Go to Nick Tahou’s for a Garbage Plate after midnight.
25. Have some messy fun at CAST’s annual Pumpkin Chunkin’ contest.
26. Tell an underclassman that there is a secret tunnel from the dorm side to the academic side.
27. Go to an art show in Booth Hall’s Bevier Gallery—free food, drinks and great art.
28. Take a wellness class in something you have never tried before, such as fencing or massage.
29. Eat the bacon cupcake at Artesano Bakery and Café.
30. Walk the Quarter Mile on a warm, sunny day and count how many steps it takes you.
31. Stay in Rochester for the summer and go to at least five of the more than 20 area festivals.
32. Participate in Humans vs. Zombies. Or mess with the kids who are playing.
33. Head to Dinosaur Bar-B-Que before a homecoming hockey game at the Blue Cross Arena.
34. Go night sledding on the Red Barn hill or in front of the Gordon Field House.
35. Pick up an issue of Distorter, the April Fools Day issue of Reporter.
36. Live on the wild side and work a co-op in a different state.
37. Watch the Super Bowl in the Gordon Field House.
38. Go to the RIT Juggle-In held every spring.
39. Get a Roadie Plate from Crossroads.
40. Grab some fresh fruits and vegetables from RIT’s farmers market, offered every fall.
41. Rent the pool in the Judson-Hale Aquatics Center for a party with your friends.
42. Run for a position in RIT’s Student Government.
43. Check out the Rail Jam at the annual FreezeFest.
44. Beat the RIT ratio. Take a class with more girls than guys.
45. Grab a well-deserved drink after exams at TC Riley’s at Park Point.
46. Learn how to fingerspell your name and sign a pick-up line.
47. Drink a terrapin and eat a giant cookie at Java Wally’s.
48. Top off an all-nighter with breakfast at Gracie’s.
49. Watch an episode of RIT SportsZone.
50. High-five Ritchie the Tiger and get your picture taken with him.
51. Visit the Tojo Memorial Garden in Eastman Kodak Quad and find out the story behind it.
52. Try out for any of RIT’s 24 varsity sports teams.
53. Get lost in the tunnels.
54. Walk on the pedestrian bridge over the Genesee River (across from Frontier Field) to see High Falls.
55. Go to the Brick City Café for any of the visiting chefs.
56. Play pool, darts or tailgate a hockey game at the Ritz Sports Zone.
57. Get a frozen custard (a Rochester specialty) at Abbott’s in Park Point.
58. Buy some exotic foreign candy at The Market at Global Village.
59. Request a song or become a DJ at WITR-FM (89.7), the campus radio station.
60. Get free ice cream at Ben & Jerry’s on Free Cone Day in the spring.
61. Join one of RIT’s more than 205 clubs.
62. Have your picture taken riding the tiger statue just south of Kodak Quad.
63. Attend at least one Brick City Homecoming & Family Weekend event in October.
64. Take a lunch or dinner cruise on the Erie Canal.
65. Get a burrito and a margarita at Salsarita’s at Global Village.
66. Ride the bus around campus.
67. Get the RIT football T-shirt “Undefeated Since 1978,” sold by the Institute of Industrial Engineers RIT Student Chapter.
68. Buy some unique gifts at the School for American Crafts’ annual holiday sale in the Student Alumni Union in December.
69. See the archives at the Vignelli Center for Design Studies.
70. Check out the RIT Dodgeball Club, former holders of the world dodgeball record.
71. Volunteer or participate in the annual spring anime event, Tora-Con.
72. Give blood at an on-campus blood drive.
73. Try a gluten-free quiche at Artesano Bakery and Café.
74. Attend at least one College Activities Board event each quarter.
75. Have lunch with President Bill Destler—he’s at Brick City Café in the Student Alumni Union most days Monday through Friday between noon and 12:30 p.m. and is always looking to spend time with students.
76. Take part as an exhibitor at the Imagine RIT: Innovation and Creativity Festival the first Saturday in May.
77. Visit the geekiest-named café on campus (and maybe in the world)—the Ctrl-Alt-DELi in Golisano Hall.
78. Check out the RIT Baja SAE team and find a way to support members as a volunteer or a spectator.
79. Figure out the difference between interstates 390, 490 and 590.
80. Get a sandwich from the Calabria Express Food Truck.
81. Rent a DVD from the Residence Hall Association.
82. Make a wish at the Campus Center fountain.
83. Check out a sorority or a fraternity event on campus.
84. On the coldest day of the winter quarter, soak in the hot tub at the aquatics center. Then jump off the high dive.
85. Volunteer to be an extra in a film student’s production.
86. Take at least one class that is 180 degrees from your comfort zone, but sounds interesting.
87. Join an intramural sports team and become intramural champions.
88. Take your picture with some of RIT’s 15-million-plus bricks.
89. Participate in Mud Tug, held each fall behind Gracie’s.
90. Go to the 12th floor of Mark Ellingson Hall, the highest point on campus.
91. Stargaze from the roof deck on top of Frank E. Gannett Hall.
92. Read a poem at an RIT Poetry Slam.
93. Check out the floor in the Gosnell Hall atrium.
94. Eat a “Turkey Day” lunch in the Student Alumni Union. It’s like Thanksgiving dinner every Wednesday.
95. Visit the International Museum of Photography and Film at the George Eastman House.
96. Grab a free T-shirt. There are always free shirts floating around campus for different events.
97. Recover from the weekend with breakfast at Margie’s Family Restaurant.
98. Stop by the Center for Religious Life. Grab some free candy and learn about another religion.
99. Help your college be the loudest by cheering at commencement.

What’s on your list? E-mail us at umagwww@rit.edu or write to The University Magazine, University News Services, Rochester Institute of Technology, 132 Lomb Memorial Drive—Brown Hall, Rochester, N.Y. 14623. We will publish responses in the next magazine.

51. Visit the Tojo Memorial Garden in Eastman Kodak Quad and find out the story behind it.

32. Participate in Humans vs. Zombies. Or mess with the kids who are playing.

14. Test out your rock-climbing skills at the Red Barn.

6. Figure out what The Sentinel sculpture represents.

89. Participate in Mud Tug, held each fall behind Gracie’s.

70. Check out the RIT Dodgeball Club, former holders of the world dodgeball record.