Hello RPI! It seems that time is flying by as we have a little over two weeks left in the semester. I hope that everyone is managing with their homework and tests in this final stretch before Thanksgiving break.
This past weekend, the RPI Players opened their show, The Importance of Being Earnest. I was fortunate enough to attend the opening night of the play, and I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The cast was very good, and they put on a wonderfully comical show. Despite a few stage prop mishaps, the cast easily adapted and incorporated them into the show. If you didn’t have the opportunity to come out and support your fellow students, you still can! The show continues this weekend with 8:00 pm showings on both Friday and Saturday. Make sure you don’t miss it!
This week at the Executive Board meeting, the Board decided to assess our long-term goals for the Union’s reserve account. At the meeting, the Board decided that, in order to ensure students are safe in Union-managed buildings, there should be ID scanners installed on the doors. Soon, the Playhouse will have a scanner on their front door to enable students to get in and out of the building, but not outside community members. This allows the Players to be in the Playhouse preparing a set in the late hours before a play without having to worry about who can get into the building. The Executive Board also approved for two ID scanners to be placed on the Union itself. This will allow the Union to continue to be open late at night when building supervisors are not on duty. By installing these scanners, the Union is effectively closed to the public during odd hours, allowing the studying student time to finish up a project without having to be concerned about the other inhabitants of the building. The details as to when the scanners will be in effect for the Union are still being ironed out, but I would expect these changes to be in place for next semester. If you have any questions or concerns please let me know.
At the same meeting, the Executive Board approved a new process for becoming a club. The new process allows the Policies Committee to work with any club interested in being recognized by the Union. Working with the Policies Committee will help new clubs throughout the process, and will improve their chances of becoming a recognized organization. These new policies can be found on the Union website under the “Starting a Club” section.
The Executive Board also heard a proposal from Statler & Waldorf, the satirical magazine club on campus. The past few years, the group did not have enough participation to print a full publication; however, they have grown in popularity since then and expressed the desire to print another issue. The Executive Board approved the group to print one issue this semester, which will include a metric for determining their readership. If the group decides that printing issues is successful, they will have the opportunity to again present their case to the Executive Board.
This week the Philippine American League will be selling baked goods in the Union to raise funds to support those who were affected by Typhoon Haiyan. Please stop by to buy something delicious or simply to donate to their cause.
If you have any questions or would like to see your organization featured in my weekly article, please feel free to reach out to me at pu@rpi.edu. Enjoy the rest of the week!