Due to an error during the printing of this week's Poly, Page 13 (the second page of Comics) was replaced with a duplicate of page 16 (the first page of Sports). We know that Comics is a very popular section of the paper, so we've uploaded the missing page. Don't despair--you can still do the word find during your boring classes! Just click here to view it. Read more...

Around 2:30 am this morning, a fire began in 2210 15th street, a house owned by David Snover and occupied by RPI students. The blaze was visible for hours, but the flames died down and the fire appeared under control--aside from some smoldering in the back of the house--by 4:55 am. Read more...

You may have noticed that our comments haven't been working lately. We fixed the problem, so if you'd like to leave a comment on an article, please go ahead. Read more...

The PDF of our July 16, 2010 issue is available for viewing below. The gray boxes are in place of content we do not have permission to post online. Read more...

In describing James “Jimmy” Johnston ’11, all family and friends could agree that, no matter the situation, he always knew how to bring a smile to everyone’s face. With great sadness, the precious memory of Jimmy’s smile is now all they have to hold onto. Read more...

July 1 marked the start of RPI’s tobacco-free initiative, which will prohibit usage of any tobacco product within the confines of campus. The policy applies to anyone on campus, including visitors and vendors. According to its website, the Institute decided to create a tobacco-free campus because of the evidence that tobacco use and second-hand smoke are significant health hazards. Read more...

Former employees sue

Seven former RPI employees from among the 80 laid off in 2008 have filed a lawsuit against the Institute, claiming that they were fired because of their age. The suit claims that 83 percent of the employees laid off were over 40, while only 66 percent of those employed by RPI prior to the layoffs were that age. Read more...

Around us is a world filled with connections and relations, and on May 4, 2010 Rensselaer opened the new Social and Cognitive Networks Academic Research Center to study these connections using the network sciences. Network science encompasses a very general area: galaxies impacting each other, different parts of the human body interacting, communication networks, and more. Specifically, the Center is applying network science to social and cognitive networks. Read more...

Tessier named Pew Scholar

Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering Peter M. Tessier was named a 2010 Pew Scholar in Biomedical Sciences in June. The Pew Scholars program provides funding to assistant professors who have shown exceptional promise in the field of health and biomedical research. The award grants Tessier $60,000 per year for four years. Read more...

After a record number of applications were submitted to the Institute this past year, the RPI Class of 2014 has shaped up to be a very diverse group of students. Read more...

During your time at RPI, you’ll undoubtedly meet a lot of new faces that will aid you in learning and growing as a person. As part of the Clustered Learning, Advocacy, and Support for Students initiative, assistant deans have been selected to live in certain residence halls on campus for students to go to whenever they need help of any kind. Below are short profiles of some of the people you might be living with; use them as brief introductions to get to know them a little bit better.


Christina Lowery
Hometown: Gardiner, Maine
Residence Hall: Hall Hall
What she looks forward to doing as an assistant dean: “Building relationships with the ResLife staff.”
If she could be any kind of fruit: I’d be a blueberry, because blueberries are sweet and they’re from Maine.


Randi Mogul
Hometown: Latham, N.Y.
Residence Hall: Crockett Hall
What she looks forward to doing as an assistant dean: “I’m big on programs—hosting and going to them,” Mogul remarked on doing fun programs for her residents.
If she could be any kind of fruit: “Strawberry—it’s my favorite.”


Mary Gleason
Hometown: Clarence, N.Y.
Residence Hall: Polytechnic Residence Commons
What she looks forward to doing as an assistant dean: “Being here in the beginning of the year for everything,” as Gleason was not around to see the start of the school year in 2009.
If she could be any kind of fruit: “A strawberry, because I have always loved strawberries—they are one of my favorite fruits.” And if strawberries were to be personified, “it’d be Strawberry Shortcake, and I liked her when I was younger.”


Shannon Hitchcock ’05
Hometown: Lowville, N.Y.
Residence Hall: Blitman Residence Commons
What she looks forward to doing as an assistant dean: “Spending time with Blitman and connecting the building to the downtown community.” As this is the second year that Blitman has been open, “There [will be] a lot of improvements from before, since most the kinks have been worked out.”
If she could be any kind of fruit: “I think I’d be a raspberry, because they are my favorite, and if you can’t be your own biggest fan, then who can?”

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Unsurprisingly, we at The Poly are pretty avid fans of newspapers. We feel that newspapers are still an important part of our society and contain much valuable information. Read more...

I was pleasantly surprised to read the following in the Opinion section of The Troy Record: Read more...

Growing up, my parents always placed a lot of emphasis on spending time with family. My summers were spent visiting family, extended family, friends, and otherwise vacationing. There was no time to do anything other than visit and socialize and do things with family. I generally came out of it so tired that going back to school was a relief. Read more...

A handshake, a pat on the back, and breaking bread together may seem a little old-fashioned in a world of texting, blogging, and tweeting, but interacting face-to-face is the oldest kind of social networking, and it really has not gone out of style. Read more...

You finally have time to go out and see a movie, the only tests you have are in your nightmares, the sun stays up for so long and your days so full that you don’t feel guilty going to bed at 9 pm, and you trade personal freedom and nagging for free rent by living with your parents: welcome to summer! You now have soaked up—literally and figuratively—almost half of your summer vacation. For some that means you can’t wait to get back to start your fall semester at RPI, and for others, you are having too much fun enjoying freedom and your less rigid summer schedule. Regardless, enjoy it for what it is; someday a three month long vacation period will be unfathomable. Read more...

Hello everyone! Some of you may be here over the summer for summer courses, research, an internship, a regular job, or just hanging around Troy. Or you might be an incoming freshman that is here for Student Orientation. So let me say first, “Welcome Class of 2014!” You are about to embark on a journey that will help you grow intellectually and personally as you achieve a great academic background, all in the good company of newfound friends. During your schooling at RPI, you will come to realize how fundamental the Rensselaer Union is to student life. Read more...