Harding’s Association of Information Systems (AIS) is hosting a lock in on tonight in the Mabee building, the first of many events this year to bring more attention to the club.
AIS is a student-led organization for information systems (IS) and other majors to gain a deeper understanding of the information technology field through networking and other resources. This week’s lock-in kicks off their year of club events.
“The goal of the AIS lock in is to get students informed about what we do in AIS and launch this year’s activities with something different, and show IS and non-IS majors that we can have fun with what we do,” AIS vice president, senior Iliana Ochoa said. “We are most looking forward to getting to know the people attending to the event closer and nurture their interest for the club and major.”
According to senior Brandon Beghtol, president of AIS, the club is not certified this year and is therefore not affiliated with the international body of AIS. He hopes that will change in coming years.
“The lock-in is just to have fun,” Beghtol said. “We want to get to know people, get people interested and go from there. This is our first thing to do and hopefully we’ll have other things as the semester goes on.”
According to Ochoa, AIS is planning networking events for its members to interact with IS alumni.
“The students will have the opportunity to hear from (alumni) and ask them specific questions about what is really waiting for them in the working environment,” Ochoa said.
Along with hosting alumni and guest speakers, Beghtol said the club hopes to tour companies in the surrounding area in order to give students a look at the practical application of their major.
“We want people who are interested in information systems to learn more about what you can do with that,” Beghtol said. “It’s a very broad major. You can go into networking, coding, security, databases, a million different things.”
According to Dr. Reet Cronk, chair of the Information Systems Department and sponsor of AIS, getting out of the classroom and attending these events is a great way for students to understand the broader scope of their field.
“It’s always been an underlying principle of the club to strengthen the students and the relationships they have with one another and share knowledge,” Cronk said.
Cronk said she hopes the events this year will attract more underclassmen to the club and in the coming years AIS can become certified. With this certification comes access to the international AIS resources, conferences and competitions.
“I hope the club can reaffiliate with the mothership, and as the major grows, be a part of the competitions,” Cronk said. “We could really do well in them and gain the recognition for the university. I think it would be a great confidence boost for the students.”
According to Beghtol, AIS will continue to plan events and networking opportunitiesthroughout the year. The lock in will be in the Mabee building tonight from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. on Saturday. Members are encouraged to bring coffee, snacks, computers and games.
