On Monday, April 28, the 45th Student Senate met for the first time. They approved 11 new Executive Board representatives, six of them returning, and one new Judicial Board member. The J-Board bylaws were also approved. Additionally, the excuse policy changes proposed by the Senate earlier this year are going through with just one change. A motion recognizing Bruce Kunkel, who is the director of campus planning and facilities design and now retiring, was passed. Read more...

In engineering and life in general, communication is key. If you can’t articulate or voice your opinion, you fail not only your associates, but yourself. The staff of The Poly isn’t perfect, but, as a medium for communication, we think the student population generally may have communication issues. Read more...

On April 25–26, Relay for Life of RPI was held in the Armory. Relay for Life is held to raise money for the American Cancer Society. The event started at 6 pm and lasted until 6 am, with music and performances during the night. RPI students, staff, and community members attended in teams, many of which brought fundraisers and something to sleep on. Read more...

RPI women’s lacrosse finished up their season on Saturday, April 25 hosting Clarkson University. With a win over Clarkson the Engineers would solidify first place in the Liberty League tournament. The Institute entered the game with ten wins and four losses. Read more...

On Friday, April 25, William Krattinger, a Historic Preservation Program Analyst with New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, came to the Theta Xi chapter house to dedicate it as a National Historic Place. This dedication comes just in time for the 150th anniversary of the fraternity, originally founded at RPI on April 29, 1864. Residing at 1490 Sage Avenue, the fraternity’s alpha chapter house is now listed in the National Register of Historic Places, as determined by the United States Department of the Interior. Read more...

The internet is an amazing place. Billions of people, connected by computers, smartphones, and other devices—yes, even some ridiculous microwaves—can access a Pandora’s box of data, information, and collaborative power. There’s no question that the internet can be used for nefarious purposes—indeed, the recent Heartbleed exploit of SSL-encrypted sites shows this—but despite its detriments, the interconnectivity and potential it provides greatly outweigh the possible negatives. It has spawned multi-billion dollar corporations, aided in the increased productivity marked of the 21st century, and even aided in the removal of numerous tyrannical governments. Its decentralized nature lends itself a truly democratic, capitalistic platform, and it provides a world’s wealth of information at your fingertips. Read more...

Max’s View

What is fear? Is it the goose bumps, the raised heart rate, the dilated pupils, or the sense of an imminent threat? When was the last time that you truly felt scared—and I mean scared? Was it when you watched that scary movie where gore was more present than the story? Or was it when you played Dead Space, where that dead body wasn’t as dead as you thought. The lack of fear in society may be caused by the desensitized culture surrounding horror; I attribute it to the misattribution of fear with gore and jump scares. Read more...

On Sunday, April 27, RPI men’s baseball hosted Bard College for its final home games of the regular season. The Engineers entered the doubleheader having won five games in a row and six of their last seven, including a sweep of Bard the previous afternoon. Read more...

On Saturday, April 26, RPI was the host of the 10th annual GameFest, a showcase of video games from local colleges. While known best for showcasing student-developed games, GameFest is a conference for all of those in the gaming industry and welcomes their exchange of ideas and points of view on all aspects of the gaming community. This year’s event included panels, a student showcase, speakers, and a multimedia festival performed by PULSE. Read more...

This week marked the opening and first meeting of the 45th Student Senate. As we convened, I was excited to see a lot of new faces participating in our discussion. We have a fantastic group of leaders among the Senate this year, mixing veteran voices with passionate new perspectives. I’m looking forward to working with everyone this year, and can’t wait to see where the Senate heads. As such, I’d like to use tonight’s article to say a few words about how you can get involved. Read more...

Kevin Lyman ’15 is a Computer and Systems Engineering student hoping to facilitate the hiring process for everyone involved. His solution is Resumazing, an automated web service connecting job seekers with hiring companies. By uploading a résumé to Resumazing, one will be immediately connected to a network of companies looking to hire for a range of positions and backgrounds. Each résumé will be matched to the most appropriate job openings based on career objectives and qualifications, after which both the résumé owner and the potential matching companies will be notified. Read more...

On Tuesday, April 29, National Basketball Association Commissioner Adam Silver declared that Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling is banned for life “from any association with the Clippers organization or the NBA.” Read more...

Hey RPI! First, I would like to thank each and every person who applied to be on the Executive Board. This year, I had 40 applicants to fill 11 positions. For those of you who were not selected this year, please stay involved; you can make such a huge difference serving on the committees and I can’t wait to work with all of you this year. Read more...

April 22 was Earth Day. Earth Day came into existence on April 22, 1970 in an effort to bring attention to the Earth and the environment and their importance. On April 22, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute celebrated Earth Day with EarthFest. EarthFest is an annual event, hosted by EcoLogic, RPI’s oldest environmental club, in which a large number of on-campus sustainability clubs and organizations (and some non-sustainability organizations) come together to raise awareness about what they do and the importance of the environment. Read more...

RPI men’s lacrosse hosted Drew University on Saturday, April 25, at the East Campus Stadium. The Engineers, celebrating senior day, came into the game with high intensity preparing for their upcoming Liberty League playoff game against Union College. RPI entered with 11 wins and four loses ranked third in the Liberty League. Read more...

Community Winners

The Red & White Student Organization would like to thank the 50 Year Club of the Rensselaer Alumni Association for their generosity in awarding the 50 Year Club Community Action Prize in April to four deserving Red & White members. Read more...

This week’s packed lineup of games brought RPI softball’s regular season to a close. After being swept by Elmira and Utica Colleges, RPI put its solid six and two Liberty League record on the line against rivals Union College and Clarkson University this weekend. Read more...

Editor's note: In our print edition, the caption for the graphic is incorrect. Communications Specialist Holly Nelson did not design the new Union logo. The designs were completed by student designers, as stated in paragraph four of the article. Read more...

Finals are right around the corner, and the last slew of exams for classes are this week and next week. We would like to remind you to give it 110 percent. Setting the bar high encourages people to reach for the moon, constantly trying to better themselves. With this high end goal in mind, people will work towards it on a daily basis. Read more...

This coming weekend is the first showing of the RPI Player’s new musical, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Even though I only viewed a rehearsal, I can say that this is definitely a fun and enjoyable show that is worth watching. The actors, music, and setting all work together to create a great performance that cannot be missed. Read more...