RIT Initiates Housing Option for Students Interested in Business

Eugene Colby Hall becomes the new home of Business Leaders of Tomorrow

Students at Rochester Institute of Technology who share career interests in business can now share the same living space as well. A new special-interest housing unit dedicated to studies in business opens on Sunday, Aug. 31, as first-year RIT students arrive on campus.

Business Leaders of Tomorrow, a student group that combines academics, professional training and social activities, is helping to coordinate this new housing option. Up to 33 BLT members will take up residence on the first floor of RIT’s Eugene Colby Hall, with the majority consisting of first-year students.

“I wish I had this kind of housing option when I first arrived on campus,” says Audrey Lallier, BLT president. “I think the opportunities we’re trying to provide students here are very important.”

Last fall, Lallier and Christian Davies, BLT co-president, proposed the idea of on-campus housing for students interested in business to RIT’s Center for Residence Life. If the floor proves successful in its first year, it will join seven other special-interest housing units on campus focusing on art, computer science, engineering, international cultures, photography, science and unity.

The BLT floor will include special facilities such as a conference room, which features a board table, computers and other accessories. The room will be used for club meetings, seminars, guest speakers and workshops. BLT has received financial and advisory support for the project from RIT’s College of Business, as well as faculty and alumni.

“I foresee our business floor becoming not only a resource for business students in polishing their professional skills but also as a focal point in forging lifelong friendships, strengthening the future of our alumni family,” states Thomas Hopkins, College of Business dean.

While many BLT events will offer an academic theme, leaders also plan a variety of recreational and community-service activities. Non-floor residents and other RIT students are also encouraged to join BLT.