Marywood’s chapter of the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) is holding a raffle for the chance to win three handcrafted wooden boxes.

All proceeds will benefit Marywood’s AIAS chapter, which was formed in Fall 2015.

Thomas Gongliewski, architecture shop manager/technician, crafted the boxes specifically for the raffle.

“I had some leftover wood, and that’s why I did it. It took about two weeks to make them,” said Gongliewski. “I think [the AIAS] will do a lot of good; clubs are always good for students.”

The AIAS is open to any architecture student at Marywood. Members pay an annual fifty dollar fee, which covers the cost of a personal online domain name as well as access to AIAS events. AIAS President Phillip Blevins, a fifth year architecture student, is excited for the raffle and for the Marywood AIAS to have more events for members of the organization.

“We’re trying to raise money to go on a New York City sketching trip. One of the things architecture students need to develop is a skilled hand to draw quickly,” said Blevins.

Other potential events include a firm crawl in Scranton, where AIAS members will visit various firms to learn more about them, visits from architecture professionals and trips to professional architectural events.

Blevins hopes to continue the prestige of the AIAS at Marywood. “AIAS is the professional student institution; we bring the professional aspect to academia,” said Blevins. “We were only really known for Arch Ball, but now we’re heading in a different direction.”

This year, the Beaux Arts Ball, colloquially known as “Arch Ball,” is exclusively for architecture students and a plus one. The event will be held at the Radisson Hotel in Scranton.

“It’s supposed to be a social gathering for professionals,” said Blevins. “It’s no longer a school-wide event- it’s a formal event unlike previous years and we will have networking as well.”

Rob Miller, fifth year architecture student and vice president of the Marywood AIAS club, looks forward to solidifying the AIAS’s presence at Marywood.

“We really want to establish this year and get the architecture school involved,” said Miller. “We’re hoping for good turnouts.”

Nico Granci, fourth year architecture student and treasurer of the Marywood AIAS, has similar hopes for the organization.

“We’d like to see more freshman get involved,” said Granci. “It’s important to our accreditation that we have this organization on campus.”

All Raffle tickets are priced according to the boxes’s size.

The boxes’ sizes are a small jewelry box, a medium doctor’s chest, and a large storage chest.

Tickets are $1, $2, and $3, respectively, and can be purchased in the Learning Commons lobby when AIAS officers are present and in the Center for Architectural Studies from AIAS officers.

The raffle will end on Monday, Jan. 18 at 1 p.m. and the winner will be announced at 1:30 p.m. on the organization’s Facebook page, AIAS Marywood University School of Architecture.
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