Although some details of a potential plan for the housing lottery were discussed at the Student Senate’s meeting last week, the selection process for the housing lotteries still has not been finalized, according to Vice President for Student Life Eddie Ade Knowles. Read more...

The Clustered Learning, Advocacy, and Support for Students initiative has already brought about a number of changes within student life on campus, and next semester will see a continuation of these changes. The student housing lottery process will undergo some modifications in light of accommodating the Sophomore Year Experience—a part of the CLASS initiative in which sophomores will be required to live on campus or in greek houses that sign the Greek Commons Agreement currently under review and discussion. Read more...

One of the most humbling experiences in my life would be having the opportunity to be a member of Joshua Bell’s audience. A guest put it best when he said, “I had never thought that ‘Yankee Doodle’ could take my breath away.” His entire performance was truly awe-inspiring: not only did the man play the music, but he performed it as a true musician should­— with grace, admiration, and embodiment of each note that fell upon the ears of those in his audience. Bell on violin was accompanied by Frederic Chui on piano, and just as lovely yellow flowers cascaded over the stage. Each of their harmonies flowed about the audience and resonated through the hall. It was a mesmerizing and impressionable performance for listeners and musicians alike. Read more...

RPI women’s hockey closed the semester off with a strong drive to the finish, sweeping the Union College Dutchwomen in a home-and-home series. The Engineers kept the Dutchwomen off the boards Saturday afternoon at Messa Rink in a 2-0 win, while Sunday saw RPI completely shutout Union on the weekend 5-0 at home. The two wins bring Rensselaer up to 7-8-4 overall and 4-2-2 in the ECAC, while Union dropped to 2-13-1 overall and a league-worst 0-7-1. Read more...

Through an e-mail from Vice President for Strategic Communications and External Relations William Walker, the Board of Trustees announced on Monday that it will be making a unanimous gift toward a new building that will serve as a space for entertaining visitors to the Institute in addition to a residence for the president of Rensselaer. Read more...

Fun fact: If you ever peruse our archives, you’ll notice that it’s a time-honored tradition for the first “Editor’s Corner” of an editor in chief’s term to be the least creative thing he or she ever does. It’ll begin with the new editor waxing poetic about the start of winter and impending doom of finals, followed by a not-so-subtle segue into soliciting feedback and a plea for the reader to join the staff. These pieces use many of the same phrases and are all but indistinguishable from one another. I would like to say that I have something more exciting lined up for mine, but, unfortunately, they follow the same format for a good reason. (Oh yeah, another thing: new editors will remark on the traditional format and why they’re unwilling to depart from it. Things never change.) Read more...

I just finished eating what may have been the most delicious pizza ever. I don’t know what it is, but there’s just something incredibly fulfilling about eating a late-night dinner at 9 or 10 pm on a Tuesday night. It’s like a family gathering of some sort, the way everyone sits around the table in the Phalanx Room, editors frantically scanning over printouts of their section of The Poly while they wolf down a slice before a fight breaks out over who gets the last garlic knot, or who’ll get to finish off the bottle of Coke. Read more...

I hope everyone had the opportunity to take part in some of the events this past weekend; the presentations, sessions, breakfast, concerts, and everything in between were certainly incredible. Part of what made it memorable was the people; the fellow students, alumni, and friends I caught up with during the days really completed the experience. Read more...

A fraternity of firsts, Sigma Phi Epsilon is proud to have offered the Balanced Man Scholarship to an incoming RPI freshman. SigEp, the largest undergraduate fraternity, with over 14,000 members, has been building balanced leaders for our world’s communities since 1901. One way they are doing this is with the Balanced Man Scholarship, which awards an incoming freshman who exhibits academic excellence, demonstrates leadership skills, and commits to a sound mind and sound body. The ancient Greeks believed developing a sound mind and sound body was the only way to live a healthy and fulfilling life, and SigEp has since adopted this mentality. Read more...

The intramural sports program has been a large part of the Rensselaer community for well over 50 years. On a yearly basis, it includes over 4,000 participants, with over 1,400 games and 23 sports. With the addition of the East Campus Athletic Village, the Intramural program will be able to expand its sport and tournament offerings even further, affording the students more and varied opportunities to compete and have fun with their peers. Read more...

Since the events of September 11, 2001, the United States and its allies have taken a strong stance against Islamic fundamentalists and their actions against the Western world. Although the various conflicts taking place in the Middle East are important topics to discuss, there is one important dimension of the War on Terrorism that is usually neglected: the treatment of Arab Muslims. Read more...

Editor’s Note: The following is an open letter to President Shirley Ann Jackson: Read more...

It has occured to me that many of what will become my most cherished RPI memories are accumulating at the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center. For the past few weeks, amidst the whirlwind of final presentations, reports, and tests, the buzz surrounding Celebration Weekend has kept many students afloat, as something special to look forward to—a break from the stress and monotony. Read more...

Women suffer too much. Too often they are robbed of autonomy, through slavery or some versions of marriage; too often they are executed for being raped; too often their lives are snuffed out before they can even speak. A new book, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, analyzes these trends and tells the stories of people who challenged them. Read more...

Menorahs, Star of Bethlehem, Christmas tree lights, Rudolph’s red nose—all help us celebrate the upcoming holiday season. But of course, approaching the Winter Solstice, we focus on lights because it gets so dang dark! Read more...

Last Friday, Duly Noted held its first formal show at Mother’s Wine Emporium in the Rensselaer Union, showcasing 9 songs. Duly Noted, RPI’s only all-male a cappella group, performed in conjunction with guest groups Cornell University Chordials and University of Massachusetts Amherst Vocal Suspects in a vibrant, melodious performance. Read more...

It’s that time of year again. You need to actually start that semester-long project. You need to get an A on that final exam to pass the class. And what about presents? Can you actually get your mother another lame Santa statue? What about supporting RPI’s own Rusty Pipes and buying their latest CD, Cantavimus? If you’ve been to many RPI events, you’ve probably developed a healthy appreciation of a cappella, and if you’ve been out in public in the last decade you’ve heard at least some of the songs on the new CD. This collection is full of old favorites with new twists. Read more...

The absence and injury of a few key players has proved fatal to a promising men’s hockey squad as the Engineers dropped their third-straight league game after a strong start to the season. This past weekend, RPI held close to No. 5 Cornell University in a 2-1 loss on Friday night, and suffered a difficult 5-3 defeat by the hands of the Colgate University Raiders on Saturday afternoon. The two losses placed Rensselaer 8-8-1 overall and 3-3-0 in the league, while Cornell improved to 7-2-1 overall and 6-2-0 in the conference, and Colgate advanced to 7-5-4 on the year and 5-3-1 in the ECAC. Read more...

The RPI men’s basketball team continued on its winning streak this past weekend as it hosted the Tri-State Shootout Tournament at the East Campus Athletic Village. Rensselaer moved up to an overall record of 6-1 with a current four-win streak. Read more...

The Amherst College Lord Jeffs opened the 2009 Amherst Classic last Friday against the RPI women’s basketball team. The Engineers drew first blood with a bucket from junior guard Allison Connor in the first minute, but Amherst responded well to take a 5-3 lead before the game turned sloppy for both teams. Read more...