On Monday, representatives from the Office of Student Life presented a new alcohol monitoring program at the Student Senate’s weekly meeting. Vice President of Student Life Timothy Sams introduced this by the working title Student Peer Alcohol Monitor program, mentioning that it has been coined as “SPAM.” Read more...

With the high cost of tuition and the recent cutbacks to work-study and financial aid, there aren’t exactly many students at RPI who would consider themselves to be flush with cash. Making copious amounts of money after graduation may be the reason some people decided to come to RPI, but in the meantime, students will have to look for every possible way to save money—be it boiling eggs in the dishwasher (yes, that’s actually a thing) or buying off-brand Pop-Tarts. Read more...

Last Thursday, the Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center held a showing of Alan Resnais’ 1961 film Last Year at Marienbad as part of its The Eternal Return series. The movie is different from most in that it presents its plot in a confusing tangle of narrated flashbacks, present scenes, and disorienting shifts in time and location. Adding to the perplexity is the fact that the movie is spoken entirely in French, with English subtitles at the bottom. As first, I didn’t like this at all, as it meant I had to look away from the characters to see what they were saying, but by the end of the movie I couldn’t imagine it any other way. Read more...

After a strong season that saw the men’s varsity ski team finish first overall in the conference and three skiers finish in the top-10 of all competitors, a couple of falls in Sunday’s slalom eliminated the squad’s chance at a bid for the national championships. All was not lost, however, as freshman Paul Koetke finished first overall on the weekend, and will be heading to Sunday River in Newry, Maine, for the USCSA National Championships March 5–10. Read more...

As part of the National Science Foundation’s Graduate STEM Fellows in K-12 Education Program, Rensselaer’s Triple Helix Program has pioneered research programs in low-income communities including Albany and Ghana. Their goal is to pursue technical research in these areas that receive less attention (compared to the more common military and industrial applications), and to leverage that relevency to increase students’ interest in science and mathematics. The program includes eight graduate students—three in computer science, two in science and technology studies, two in electrical, computer, and systems engineering, and one in biomedical engineering. Read more...

Now that I am in my final year as an undergraduate, I have been taking a little time to look back at what classes I have taken, what I was supposed to learn, and what I actually learned. And I am disappointed by the disparity between them. I actually planned on writing about this last semester, but I only had examples of poor and mediocre courses to work with, so I put it off. Now I have an example of what a good test looks like, so that is what I will discuss here. Lest any of you be concerned, I have the professor’s permission to write about this. Read more...

Stringfever made a joyous racket at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall last Sunday, February 19, playing a variety of classical, pop, and rock songs on electric musical instruments. A string quartet hailing from the U.K., Stringfever is comprised of three brothers (Giles, Ralph, and Neal Broadbent) and their cousin (Graham Broadbent), who all play a custom-made brand of electric violins (and cello) called Violectras. The group has played at a variety of locations, and Troy was just another stop on its most recent tour. Read more...

RPI men’s hockey closed out the regular season with a bang as the Engineers defeated Colgate University and Cornell University on the road. Freshman Scott Diebold stopped 49 shots in Rensselaer’s 4-2 victory over the Colgate Raiders on Friday, while senior Patrick Cullen netted the game-winning goal in overtime against the Cornell Big Red on Saturday in a 2-1 decision. The Engineers finish the season 10-21-3 overall, including a 7-12-3 ECAC record. Read more...

So, yeah, since an obligatory first notebook is out of the question (for various reasons I’ll choose to leave out—use your imagination), I’ll take a stance on an issue in which I represent a minority: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Yep. I’m a brony (or, at the very least, a fan of the show), and, honestly, I’m proud of it. Read more...

In order to review The Ides of March, I first have to convey my continuing fascination with Ryan Gosling. Admittedly, the first time I saw this guy was in The Notebook. Like DiCaprio in Titanic, I chalked it up to just another male heartthrob in one of the many chick flicks I have seen. While watching The Notebook, I recognized Gosling’s talent. I saw it, smoldering under the surface and only spilling out so often in that role. However, as soon as the movie ended, I dismissed it as talent that was wasted. Girls would fall in love with him, and he would coast through Hollywood on romantic roles from here on out. Read more...

The women’s basketball team put up a solid fight against Vassar College, but could not get the win in a close semifinal game of the Liberty League Tournament. RPI started well and took the lead two and a half minutes into the game on a three-pointer by senior Sarah Wetmore. She then scored an additional seven points as RPI extended its lead to a 15-7 advantage. Read more...

Hello RPI! Last week, the Student Senate approved the Union Annual Report. This report, compiled by the Union Annual Report Committee (a joint Senate/Executive Board Committee) details the Rensselaer Union finances and the activity fees for 2012–2013. I cannot encourage everyone enough to read this report as it details how every dollar is spent in the Union. Our Union is a great source of pride for our school, so please take this opportunity to read more about it. I would like to thank everyone involved in the creation of this report, especially the Union Annual Report Committee and its chair Jon Stack ’12. Read more...

Editor’s Note: Sustainability is a column granted to the Student Sustainability Task Force by the Editorial Board to discuss issues of sustainability on the Rensselaer campus and around the nation. Read more...

RPI men’s Ultimate competed in its season opener this past weekend at the 2012 Stanford Open in Stevinson, Calif. Ultimate teams from 25 Division-I and Division-III schools traveled to California to compete in the two day tournament, including teams from Stanford University, California Polytechnic State Unviersity, Oregon State University, and the University of California, Los Angeles. RPI entered the competition as the overall 14th seed, and the fourth seed in its pool. Read more...

Happy Leap Day, RPI! In anticipation of the 125th anniversary of the Rensselaer Union in 2015, the Union is engaging in a facilities master plan. The last facility master plan for the Union was almost 15 years ago and focused almost exclusively on the current Union building. This facility master plan is intended to be more encompassing, asking members of the Rensselaer community to think more broadly about students’ social, recreational, cultural, and performance activities and programs. These activities currently occur primarily in the Union, Mueller Center, Armory, ’87 Gym, RPI Playhouse, West Hall, Academy Hall, and a variety of other campus facilities and venues. However, as we imagine what the RPI student experience might be in 30 years, we ask that you try to ignore the current facilities and instead try to envision what activities Rensselaer students will be engaged in in 2040. Read more...

EOP review disappoints

To the Editor:

I write to express my disappointment with the review published in the Wednesday, February 22 edition of The Polytechnic by Colton Schroeder ’12. It is my understanding that the Editorial Board of a newspaper has the responsibility of ensuring that the contents of that paper consist of correct facts, and professional opinions. Publicly slamming the students who undoubtedly put significant effort into their performances does not, in my opinion, meet the standard of “professional.” Read more...

A lot has happened at RPI since I was elected as a senator last April. We have seen the retirement (or firing, depending on how you see it) of a number of high-profile staff members at the Institute; we have seen a report commissioned by the Student Senate which outlined the dire state of the Institute; and moreover, we have seen a vote by the Student Senate to recommend, to the Board of Trustees, the removal of President Shirley Ann Jackson. Read more...

After reading one of the editorials in the February 14 edition of Statler and Waldorf entitled “Health Center Misadventure,” I was left confused. Even though I was not involved in this particular case, as I read the progression of care I thought that the case described by the author had been handled exactly as a medical provider (physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners) should have handled it. The author on the other hand felt that her case had been mishandled. How could it be that we have such different views of the same events? Read more...

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During this Monday’s meeting, the Student Senate unanimously passed the Union Annual Report, to be approved by the Board of Trustees next month. The report includes general information on the Rensselaer Union and budget information for the upcoming school year, along with a large number of tables and charts. Read more...