We Americans are obsessed with the idea that everyone should be happy all the time. We and our leaders have been sucked into a competition to have the highest national index of happiness. There was a time when someone could be sad and that was okay. However, “sad” has become a dirty word lately, and it is generally unacceptable to not have a smile on your face. There is something wrong with a nation where cause and effect are one and the same; being upset should not be enough to make someone even more sad. Read more...

We live in very uncertain times. The globe is in an economic recession. Our country is in a war that fewer and fewer people support. As the Doomsday Clock ticks closer to midnight and international relations become strained, it seems as if another large-scale war is inevitable. Everyone feels it: we are on the edge of something, we just don’t know what yet. It may not necessarily be negative, it’s just ... unknown. And we fear the unknown. It’s human nature. The problem with this is that by instinct, whenever we’re placed into a situation in which we are uncomfortable, we tend to overcompensate in one form or another. History has proven it time and again: the Salem Witch Trials, the Red Scare, the Manhattan Project. There is always a conservative reaction to any radical departure from comfort, and usually it’s for the worse. Read more...

If you weren’t at the grand opening of the East Campus Athletic Village, all I can say is wow; a lot of other people said it too. The opening of this facility has a lot of Rensselaer students excited, and for good reason. The football stadium, basketball arena, conditioning center, café, and conference areas mean that the current 70 percent of students who are athletes will undoubtedly have a place to grow, and that there is a destination at ECAV for the rest of us. This addition to the RPI campus will be accessible to all students for use, and the hours of operation will be extended, with staff hiring provided by the President’s Office. The next football game is during Family Weekend, but don’t let that keep you from going to ECAV beforehand; there’s plenty more to experience. Read more...

This weekend at RPI was dedicated to athletics. I hope that everyone has taken the opportunity to check out the breath-taking new facilities at the East Campus Athletic Village. If you haven’t yet, find an opportunity to head over at some point this semester as it opens, and utilize the workout facilities, enjoy a game hosted there, or have a snack and lounge around. Within a few weeks, the village will be completely up and running, providing a new, world-class aspect of student life to the campus. The theme of the weekend was the offering of the complete experience at Rensselaer, and there is no doubt that ECAV enhances opportunities for students on campus. Read more...

To the Editor:

I was disappointed to read the Editorial Notebook by T.J. Lipscomb ’13 in last week’s issue of The Poly, and I would like to present a counterpoint to a few of his arguments against the rush process here at RPI. Read more...

The 10th Amendment states, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” It seems obvious that its meaning is that anything not specified in the Constitution is reserved to either the states or citizens of this great nation. It is with great anxiety, however, that one can see this is clearly not the case. Read more...

Every year, students will inevitably hear about a few robberies and assaults that plague the area around the Rensselaer campus; however, this year has brought about significantly more incidents that involve RPI students. The street leading from the Union to BARH—Sherry Road—alone has seen at least two robberies since the beginning of classes. Read more...