Over the past few years at RPI, one of the most common issues has been the student opinion that the administration either won’t listen to their concerns or just flat out doesn’t care. Through the years, many feel that the ’Tute Screw is alive and well, from greek initiatives to resident assistant compensation to housing grants. Regardless of my personal opinion on the matter, if students feel this way about the administration, it is a large problem for which resolution is vital. Read more...

I’m from the Jersey Shore. Not the shore you may have seen on MTV, known for intrigue, big hair, and the occasional Staten Island accent, but the shore that’s there even in the winter, when the tourists aren’t around. Read more...

I spent the better part of the week participating with a student team from the Lally School of Management & Technology at Georgetown University’s Business Strategy Challenge. Colleges including New York University, Northeastern University, Southern Methodist University, and Clemson University attended and we spent most of our time on Georgetown’s campus. Call it school spirit, but I missed what we had at RPI. They have their own student union, but it is just an organization, not a building. RPI students certainly have a bigger voice when it comes to funding not only a building and its services, but athletics, clubs, organizations, and programming. I guess one doesn’t know what they have until they’re displaced for a few days… Read more...

We present this article in hopes of making the current student body aware of changes that have been made within the Hillel Jewish Organization. Recently, Lester Rubenfeld was appointed as a faculty advisor. He will assist us in increasing awareness of Hillel amongst the Rensselaer community, and, when necessary, will interject on our behalf. He will also work with us to integrate the organization with the larger Capital District Jewish community, as well as with other Hillel chapters. Read more...

On November 30, 2009, the Rensselaer campus community was informed of the Institute’s intentions to become a smoke-free campus, effective July 1, 2010. As we continue with this initiative, the Institute has expanded it to be a tobacco-free campus. Read more...

One indirect goal of the Rensselaer Union is to provide events that attract a large subset of the student body which is generally involved in different activities. Another goal is the marketing of the Union itself, including the hundreds of great clubs that are available for everybody to participate in. This year we’ll be trying a new event to help achieve both of these goals and have a good deal of fun in the process. Read more...

Fellowship, leadership, and a lifelong commitment to community service are daily themes in the lives of sorority women from our college members to alumni. On Monday, March 1, these women (who number in the millions) celebrated International Badge Day during National Women’s History Month. On that day, all of us honored our separate and distinct greek affiliations by wearing our badges or letters. It was a moment in time set aside to acknowledge successful women around the globe—whether they are U.S. senators or incoming university freshmen working for humanitarian aid in far-away continents. Read more...

“Hope is not a strategy on the plains of the Serengeti!” These are the words of David Westol, past executive director of Theta Chi fraternity, and the keynote speaker of the third Annual Greek Leadership Summit. Held last Satuday in the Great Room of the Heffner Alumni House to a full-capacity crowd, Westol delivered an excellent presentation to the active and rising greek leaders. Read more...

At RPI, it can be all too easy to ignore anything beyond the demands of your homework or your favorite video game. Despite the rigorous academic nature of being a student here, it is both your right and your responsibility to be aware of your community and to participate. As paying the student activity fee makes you a constituent of student government organizations and paying tuition makes you a customer of this institution, it is in your best interest to be informed and to speak up. Read more...