FirstByte

A comprehensive list of tutoring and academic resources can be found at our College’s Help Website. including information about our college Tutoring Center, and tutoring services by Department. Additional tutoring services, broken down by subject, can be found at the university’s Tutoring Page.

Academic Success Center
The Academic Success Center’s mission is to assist and empower you in developing the skills and confidence needed to achieve academic success. They can assist with things like:

• Time Management
• Test Prep
• Study Skills

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) provides confidential and personalized services to meet the mental health needs of RIT students. 

Members of the RIT Community work together toward maintaining an environment of support, respect, and care to contribute to student success. We offer multiple levels of support, from urgent care services to self-help resources, we are here to support you. Resources include:

Workshops at Counseling and Psychological Services
These are offered at different points throughout the semester and consist of 3-5 sessions. Workshops are NOT a psychotherapy service and students do not need to be connected to Counseling and Psychological Services for treatment to attend. Workshops cover topics like: Anxiety Toolbox, Social Anxiety, Self-Confidence, and more.

RIT Resilience Framework
Resiliency, sometimes called grit, is the ability to recognize, face, and manage or overcome problems and challenges: to see failure as an opportunity to be strengthened, rather than defeated. Everyone experiences setbacks and failures. Failing grades, poor decisions, feelings of loneliness, financial problems, and so on. Resilient students have the capacity to learn from and bounce back from problems and mistakes.

Black Mental Health Matters
Black Mental Health Matters is an event for Black/Black identifying students focused on the importance of mental health in ALANA communities, the impact of racism on individual mental health, as well as an opportunity to provide information and resources available at RIT’s Counseling and Psychological Services. 

Wellness at RIT
Our multifaceted approach to student wellness encompasses all aspects of your personal well-being, including physical and emotional health as well as accessibility. We are here to support you during your time at RIT, and prepare you for continued success and growth through our innovative and inclusive programs, services, and education.

Visit the Wellness Center for meditation, yoga, meal planning and more.

FoodShare and Clothing
The RIT FoodShare Center was established in 2015 with two simple goals: to reduce food waste on campus and to provide RIT community members with access to safe and nutritious food. For the past seven years, the Center has done just that, logging over 26,000 visits to its location at 113 Riverknoll, and ensuring access to nutritious food for almost a thousand community members each year.

In 2018, the FoodShare became the permanent home for Bern’s Closet, a clothing closet for community members in need of professional clothing. The closet is named after beloved RIT staff member, and founder of the I’m First program, Bernadette Lynch, who sadly passed away from cancer in 2017.

Women, Gender, and Sexuality Resource Center
The Women, Gender, and Sexuality Resource Center provides advocacy, education, and celebration for RIT community members of all genders, gender identities, and sexual orientations. Our vision is to promote an inclusive campus community that is safe, equitable, respectful of all members, and acknowledges the needs of our intersectional identities.

Our team will continue to evolve our services and programming to meet the needs of our dynamic student population.

Into the ROC
Explore unique challenges and cultural treasures in the greater Rochester community through the Into the ROC events.

Transportation is provided for all of our Into the ROC events. Space is limited! Interested students must register in advance.

Service and Volunteer Opportunities
Our collective impact includes the creation of packaged meals, community gardens, refurbished technology in classrooms, and long-term housing for our neighbors. With so many ways to give back it can be difficult to know where to start.

After considering what charitable focus you are most passionate about, use the list below to start exploring local opportunities. If you are looking for a more personalized list, options for large groups, or have questions about volunteer experiences, reach out to lead@rit.edu to start the conversation.

Please join us for the FirstByte Carnival!
When: Thursday, August 22, 2024
            2:30pm-4:30pm
Where: Throughout the College of Computing (Building: GOL) and Cybersecurity Wing inside the ESL Global Cybersecurity Institute (connected to the college).
What: Carnival games; Prizes; opportunities to meet with our Student Clubs; interact with faculty, make friends, and more!

And make sure to check CampusGroups to see our full calendar of events!

Accessing RIT Discord Servers

Once you sign-in to discord, click on ‘Explore Discoverable Servers’ on the left hand side of the application. At the bottom of this section is a tab called ‘Student Hubs.’ Enter and verify your RIT email address and you will be connected to the ‘Rochester Institute of Technology Hub’ and able to find dozens of communities across the university. A few recommendations can be found below for each of the departments in the college. Search terms for finding the server on Discord are in bold:

First Year Students

GCCIS FirstByte: Join Here

College-wide

Computing Organization for Multicultural Students (COMS): COMS (Computing Organization for Multicultural Students)

Cybersecurity

RIT’s Security Club: RITSEC

School of Interactive Games & Media

Makers Guild: Student Makers Guild

New Media Interactive Design (NMID) Major: NMID @ RIT

Game Development Club: RITGameDevClub

Electronic Gaming Society (EGS): EGSRIT

iSchool

User Experience Club: User Experience Club @ RIT

Human Centered Computing(HCC) Major: Human Centered Computing

Localhost Club: Localhost

Computer Science

Computer Science Community: Computer Science Community

Would you like to add a server to this list? Reach out to the college's Director of Marketing & Communications, Fran Broderick, at fran.broderick@rit.edu with the info to have it added. 

FirstByte Ambassadors are 2nd year or greater students who act as representatives of the College of Computing to facilitate a sense of belonging amongst first-year students. These studets work closely with our faculty and staff to answer common questions, run events, and welcome our new students to the college culture. 

Students interested in becoming a FirstByte Ambassador should complete this application form >