In my mind IDSA is kind of a party pooper sometimes.
For example, we were planning our Fall trip to Fallingwater, which turned out great! But when planning and sending emails to the CMU design community, we were chastised for using the name “IDSA” when hosting the event because we were not yet a nationally recognized chapter (meaning we hadn’t forked over the 5 student x $50 minimum)… I was really upset with that.
Anyway, ditto everything Linda said. We want more contact with real design professionals, both local and further away (like SF and NY). Mentorships would be fantastic.