Over 150 attendees were treated to a compelling multicultural experience through dance, music, food, and other displays of culturally-significant tradition at Sigma Delta sorority’s annual multicultural pageant Nuestra Belleza. “Nuestra belleza” translates from Spanish to “our beauty,” indicative of the purpose of introducing the beauty of various people’s cultures to the RPI community. Read more...
On Friday, October 17, the RPI women’s soccer team hosted Rochester Institute of Technology in its fifth Liberty League matchup of the season. In the opening half, Rensselaer struggled offensively but still mustered three shots on goal, while RIT only managed one. Halfway through, the game remained tied at zero. Read more...
For the entirety of October, the Psi Omega chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon, often known as DKE or Dekes for short, is undertaking a refounding initiative here at the Rensselaer. Read more...
Many of you have probably started to notice the presence of new gadgets in the past few years. Thanks to crowdfunding, many new startups have been able to take the leap of faith and test the waters of new technology markets. We have seen many new attachments for microcontrollers aimed at electronics hobbyists and new consumer devices ranging from smart home applications, to little tags to help you find your wallet and keys, to new wearable devices. Out of all the things I see popping up, I find wearable devices to be the biggest emerging market that has started with the help of crowdfunding, with the most-desired wearable device manufactured being the smartwatch. Read more...
On October 2 and 3, Childish Gambino released his mixtape STN MTN and an extended play Kauai. STN MTN is Gambino’s way of paying homage to where he grew up, in Stone Mountain, Georgia, in the form of a gangsta grillz mixtape. In it, he raps over artists from Atlanta, Georgia, such as Outkast, Rich Kidz, and Ludacris, among others. Meanwhile, Kauai is more Gambino’s style, containing a capella verses and ambient sounds. Read more...
This week’s athlete of the week is senior midfielder Taylor Korytko of RPI women’s soccer. This past weekend, Korytko scored two goals on Friday in Rensselaer’s 3-0 victory over visiting Rochester Institute of Technology and a third on Saturday in a 1-3 loss against William Smith College. In Friday’s game, Korytko scored the go-ahead goal against the Tigers in the 48th minute, assisted on a cross by freshman forward Dali Alarian. Then, with the Engineers ahead 2-0, Korytko scored again, this time booting it in from 40 yards away to put RPI ahead by three. Read more...
California is in the midst of its worst drought on record. Last January, Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. declared a drought State of Emergency and preparations for water shortages began. Now, a majority of the state falls within the D3 (“extreme”) and D4 (“exceptional”) categories for drought intensity. Most state reservoirs are just 59 percent of their normal capacity, which has increased the demand on groundwater. According to the California Department of Water Resources, groundwater consumption has increased from 40 percent to 60 percent per year. As groundwater plays a more important role in meeting the public’s water needs, issues of groundwater contamination are pushing to the forefront of public attention. Read more...
When most people think about flying, their first thought is probably some big metal Boeing that looks like it shouldn’t get off the ground. But to me, flying is about soaring. I don’t want to stick an engine onto a big wing and call it good; I want to soar like a hawk. I could watch hawks soar for hours and climb higher and higher without once flapping their wings. They know how to get around. Read more...
It’s been a while since I’ve seen a good suspenseful film. While I’ll admit to being a little picky when it comes to movies, I just don’t think any recent movies have made the cut. However, now I can happily say that Gone Girl, based off the novel of the same name by Gillian Flynn, has definitely fulfilled the great dramatic/suspenseful movie void in my life. Read more...
The RPI women’s rugby team suffered a narrow loss to the State University of New York at Oneonta this past Saturday, October 18. The Engineers fought hard in cold, rainy conditions but could only come up with 10 points against the 15 scored by Oneonta. Read more...
After a week of recess, the Student Senate met as a whole to carry their usual duties as student representatives. First on the agenda was a conversation with Dean of Residence Life Todd Schill about changes to the universal access policy for RPI’s residence halls. Schill began by stating that he was one of the integral parts of getting this policy implemented in the school only two years ago. After examining policies at other colleges, Schill saw that a universal access policy allowed for more inclusive programming, friendships, and relationships with staff members. Schill reports that when he introduced the idea to the Residence Life staff three years ago, it was opposed by some and it wasn’t until a year after its trial period that it was accepted by a majority of the staff. After the incident of two burglaries at Bray Hall, universal access was revoked so as to increase security and prevent the “piggy-backing” that had led to these thefts. Since last Friday, students with meal plans have had access to dining facilitiesaccess has been on for all students with a meal plan and Schill is thoroughly examining the list of those who remain with universal access and has limited it to only those who need it. After Schill stressed that Residence Life has made these changes with the ultimate goal of safe residence halls, he opened up to take questions from those assembled. Senator Justin Etzine ’18 suggested that all of the residence halls in the quadrangle gain access to each other as this hinders events for this residence hall. Senator Mason Cooper ’17 asked if Sharp Hall, Nugent Halls, and Warren Hall may gain access to each other due to the laundry facility within Sharp. Schill also acknowledged problems with Ground Zero events as this event is highly attended by the public and allows for greater security compromise than most other residence hall events. Schill ended his portion of the meeting by stating that feedback from the student body is always welcome and that ResLife is constantly working to improve safety and optimize access. Dean Schill may be reached at shilt3@rpi.edu. Read more...
This Monday, in response to the recent removal of universal access to residence halls for students living on campus, the Student Senate hosted Dean of Residence Life Todd Schill to discuss the history of this policy, the decision-making process behind its creation, and the reasons for its recent revocation. With this week’s article, I would like to help articulate some of the considerations behind this decision, as well as the process that our Residence Life program staff is following to review access for all parties. Read more...
Starting a business sounds like an extremely daunting task. Where do you begin? What do you have to do? What are the legal procedures? Is this something that you want to pursue long-term? All of these are questions that are asked every day by hopeful entrepreneurs looking to bring their idea to the market. On September 10, a series began at the Albany Law School to help these startups gain a foothold in the complexities of founding a business. The kick-off event was followed up three days later by “Startup Law Day,” also held at Albany Law School. As with Startup Law Day, each event in the series will focus on a unique facet of founding a business and is open to anyone, including students of RPI and other local colleges, faculty, and other community members. On November 1, RPI will host the next event as described by Program Director and Entrepreneur in Residence at the Severino Center for Technological Entrepreneurship Matthew Cusack: “the Startup Business Model Canvas Day is the second event in a series of events offered by several local colleges to assist innovators and entrepreneurs. The business model is becoming the new standard approach for early stage startups, and as such, an important ingredient for someone’s future success.” The business model canvas is a tool used frequently at the Severino Center and in management courses as one of many resources for new businesses. The founders of Embedit Electronics and Coast Designwear praised the business model canvas as a “living document” that became a “useful tool” to their companies. Full testimonials can be found on the Severino Center’s Youtube channel. Read more...
In 1970, the Rensselaer Union Constitution was restructured. Today, student government officials believe that it should be restructured again. The Constitution committee led by Nathan James ’15 will be going through and revising the Union Constitution this semester and next in preparation for it to be voted on in Grand Marshal Week 2015. This committee is open to all students; its first meeting will be Thursday, October 23 at 7 pm in Mother’s Wine Emporium. Read more...
Hey RPI!
Has everyone been enjoying Wellness Week? There have been so many activities sponsored by the Mueller Center’s Wellness Institute to educate us about our health and to help us relax and unwind. Whether you got the chance to decorate a pumpkin, or attend a free fitness class, there has been something for everyone. The week isn’t over yet though! Wednesday, October 22 is Fitness EDU, where you can join the certified personal trainer for a hands-on tutorial of our cardio and weight lifting equipment as well as proper technique for common exercises. There will also be a really cool event Thursday, October 23 called “So You Think You Can Relax?” This will allow students to use an interactive relaxation simulation that uses biofeedback to aid in relaxation, along with free chair massages while you wait! Read more...
On Tuesday, October 21, the Graduate Council met to discuss upcoming events and relevant issues to the graduate student body. Graduate Council President Kristen Lee presided over the meeting. Read more...
On October 8, between 6:20 and 6:45 pm, it is believed that two suspects entered Bray Hall by “piggybacking” on a student as they used their own card to enter the building. Read more...
In response to the recent thefts on Freshman Hill, Residence Life eliminated the universal access program. Previously, any student who lived in a residence hall could enter any other residence hall until 11 pm every day and 12 am on weekends. After that, they could only enter the residence hall they lived in. This program was popular among students, for it allowed students to visit their friends in other buildings and easily access the dining halls at the Burdett Avenue Residence Hall and Blitman Commons, which is extremely important for athletes. Read more...
More than 20,000 people attended the eighth annual Chowderfest on Sunday, October 12, from 12–4 pm. A total of 17 local organizations attended the event, offering a wide variety of original thick soups to chowder-goers. Additionally, each submission required at least one ingredient from a local farm. These groups competed against each other for more than eight awards, which were given at the end of the event. Tickets were sold at a booth for $1 each, which could then be traded for a four ounce cup of chowder at any of the venue’s booths. Read more...
The RPI women’s rugby team demolished Siena 37-14 last Thursday, October 10, improving their record to 3-1 with two games left in the season. Read more...
