Jon Finke, Senior Systems Programmer for the Department of the Chief Information Officer, discussed the exact details of the syllabus catalog project of the Academic Affairs Committee with the Student Senate. Finke wrote the code for the project and explained how, for a seemingly small front end, there are a lot of back end moving parts. Grand Marshal Marcus Flowers ’16 told the Senate that this demonstration is the culmination of a couple years of work for the AAC. The syllabus catalog will be a website where students can look at the syllabi of past classes, and it will be searchable by both course and professor name. Read more...

Today, the editorial staff of The Polytechnic felt it was necessary to express our love for a certain chewy candy that we have come to adore in recent weeks. At the risk of sounding like an endorsement, we just can’t get enough of Hi-Chew. As our weekly readers know, the Poly staff spends Tuesday nights, and some Wednesday mornings working to get the paper to print. It has been almost a year now since the pizza stopped flowing, and now we have finally found our energy replacement. Read more...

When my sister and her boyfriend—Cheryl and Omar, who were stepping in for my parents on the west coast—arrived at RPI, we headed to the FestEvil haunted attractions at Schaghticoke’s Liberty Ridge Farm. We waited in the rain for what seemed like days, wondering when we would freeze to death. As we got closer to the building, we realized from the tantalizing scent wafting in the air that there would be an opportunity to purchase snacks before and after checking out the haunted attractions. Being the impulsive food addicts that we are, we couldn’t resist the temptation of buying donuts and cider, which totally had what I like to call the ramen factor. If you’ve ever been to a dining establishment where you had the privilege of waiting in a long line outside in the freezing cold, you know exactly what I’m talking about; it’s the misery of enduring the bite of winter makes the warm food that much more satisfying. That being said, the quality of the food itself was impressive. Read more...

The Houston Field House was packed Saturday night as the Engineers hosted the University of Michigan Wolverines, currently ranked No. 10 in NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey. Rensselaer won some battles but ultimately lost the war. At the end of the game, the scoreboard ominously read 5-2 Michigan. This is the RPI’s fourth loss of the season, and the largest thus far; but with 31 games left on the schedule, the season is still young. Read more...

Underground “Hug Club” Discovered at Church Camp Read more...

When I first decided to come to Rensselaer, my main concern was that I wouldn’t be able to make any friends. Those who know me would probably find that hard to believe due to my rather extroverted façade. But in actuality, I get homesick very often, and even back home in California, in the months leading up to my departure, I was missing my friends and family already. Fortunately for me, I found my niche, and as a “thank you,” I dedicate this notebook. Read more...

Improvisational comedy is a unique craft; the specialized art lends itself to the bizarre and unexpected flow that is unique to stories made up on the spot, and holds an enormous element of surprise over the head of the audience. At Rensselaer, the niche performance style is filled by the group Sheer Idiocy. Throughout the semester, the group puts on several shows to entertain the RPI community. In honor of Family Weekend, Sheer Idiocy opted to put on a two-hour performance for the benefit of visiting RPI friends and families. Read more...

Five seniors were recognized at East Campus Stadium on Saturday when the men’s soccer team competed against the Vassar College Brewers: senior Devon Baughen, sophomore Brett Pyser, senior Esmir Hadzic, and senior co-captains Paul Lentine, Nathaniel Gunderson, and Matt Carberry. A general distaste for the Brewers and the chief referee was evident among the members of the audience, particularly on account of the muttering of vulgar language by certain Vassar players and the referee’s supposed fallibility. Their true feelings became increasingly apparent as calls made by the ref seemed to favor Vassar over Rensselaer, including the revocation of two RPI goals made during the game. The final score of 2-1 Vassar especially enhanced their disapproval. Read more...

In last week’s Executive Board meeting, Meher Dusi ’17, Akash Mody ’16, and Valeid Sheikh ’17 presented themselves as the representatives of the future Rensselaer chapter of RISHI.Project RISHI, an acronym for Rural India Social and Health Improvement, is a national non-profit organization whose mission is to promote the sustainable development and growth of rural Indian communities. According to these three juniors, once their club of nearly 15 consistent members becomes Union recognized, they can begin the process of partnering with a rural village and implementing solutions toward the betterment of its community. The “solution process” is a multi-phase, several-year-long undertaking. Read more...

I’ve had a lot of dreams—being a journalist, a lawyer, a doctor, a movie reviewer, a composer, a scripter, an actress, a director, a grocery owner, a designer, a vet, a photographer, an exploiter, a traveler, a polyglot, a witch, and a prophet. The only reason that I hope to live as long as possible is because I want to learn different things, take challenging jobs, visit exotic places, and meet interesting people. I have already given up on some goals while still holding onto others. Fortunately, I now start to realize that the dumbest thing I have ever done is excusing myself from going for my dreams by being subjectively obedient to others’ opinion. Read more...

When I stepped into the McNeil Room in the Rensselaer Union at 11 am on Friday, I instantly regretted having had my breakfast. I would like to quote the words I heard from a young man among the crowd “ Wow, I feel like I am travelling around the world!” Read more...

Last Wednesday, RPI field hockey overcame a one-goal deficit in the second half at New Paltz and won 2-1. Then, in a second road game last Saturday at Vassar, freshman goalie Rachel Kaufman made seven saves but still the Engineers fell 1-0. Read more...

Students who pass by Peoples’ Avenue on their commutes to and from school may have recently encountered a new, unexpected obstacle. The staircase, found near 12th Street on Peoples, was dubbed “the Mini Approach” by students because of its close semblance to the Approach, the marble staircase that connects Blitman and downtown Troy to RPI’s campus. Read more...

Hello RPI,

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend, especially those who had their family and friends visit and enjoy the events offered over the last few days. For those of you who didn’t have someone visit, call home. Today. Seriously, I know half of you have been putting it off for over a month, just…DO IT. Read more...

Academy Hall’s auditorium was packed with families and students alike Friday evening—the opening night to A Gray Matter. The lights dimmed to a pitch black and brightened upon a man in a cage, alone. He wore a black cap and hospital scrubs, and when he touched the cage, it shocked him and caused an alarm to sound. Surrounding him were unfeeling scientists; some poked and prodded at him, while others feared him, but all were fascinated with him. However instead of referring to him as “him,” they used “it.” The scientists varied in their awareness of the fact that in front of them was a living, feeling being, rather than a creature in a cage. Before the scientists stood CEBE-9, a clone with an exposed brain, intended for scientific research, and the solution to humanity’s problems. More exposition is provided when the scene shifts to the lab where we meet The Scientist, who is identical to CEBE-9, and he tells us of eight other clones, each with its own set of disadvantages. CEBE-8, the most recent of the clones, developed a talent for voice-mimicking and is the reason why The Scientist ordered CEBE-9’s mouth stitched closed. The Scientist goes on to explain that CEBE-8 was his masterpiece until it ran away, but now he finds new hope in CEBE-9, a perfect, identical copy of himself. A subtle debacle is heard through an intercom, and a Voice makes an order that The Scientist did not approve of. The first half of the play ends in a massacre in the lab, with a mystery figure gunning down all the scientists present. Read more...

Hurricane Patricia touched down along the western coast of Mexico on Friday, October 23. Officials anticipated the storm to have catastrophic consequences for the country; the most powerful on record, Category Five storm had sustained winds of 165 miles per hour on land and held the potential to devastate densely populated resort towns as it moved inland. Patricia managed to topple power lines, uproot trees, and unleash mudslides across parts of the developing country. Read more...

Nicholas Dvorak

President of the Union Read more...

Wednesday, October 21
Department of Public Safety
Harassment: A student living off-campus reported that another student was harassing them without any specific threats being made. The responding officer notified the Dean of Students Office and also notified the Lieutenant and Investigator for Public Safety.
Burdett Avenue Residence Hall
Fire Alarm: Student discharged a fire extinguisher and set off the fire alarm in the process. Everyone in the building was evacuated, and the alarm was reset by Troy Fire Department.
Cary Hall
Medical: TFD and RPI Ambulance responded to an EMS call for a person having difficulty breathing. The student was conscious and breathing when RPI Ambulance transported him to Samaritan Hospital for further examination.
Saturday, October 24
Sunset Terrace
Criminal Mischief: A group of men attempting to steal a stop sign was stopped by a Public Safety officer. Troy Police Department was notified and the stop sign was replaced.
Monday, October 26
Department of Public Safety
Medical: An employee complaining of chest pain was transported to Samaritan Hospital by TFD for further examination.
Tuesday, October 27
Nugent Hall
Tobacco: A Residence Life staff member caught a group of students smoking inside their room. The staff member warned them that smoking inside and right outside campus buildings is banned. Additionally, the students put plastic over their room smoke detector.
Barton Hall
Medical: A student was reported to have been breaking out into hives but was not reported to have difficulty breathing. The student was transported to Samaritan Hospital by RPI Ambulance for further investigation. Read more...

Traditions: Rensselaer has quite a few, and some have changed over the years. For example, as someone who was here in the late ’70s and early ’80s, I noticed that the Grand Marshal Week tradition of eight beers for a dollar is no longer in existence. The first tradition I was exposed to in my freshman year was Hockey Line. As an avid fan of the game, the existence of Division I hockey at Rensselaer was very appealing. A junior I knew from back home had a group of veteran Hockey Line sitters who allowed me to sit with them as a freshman. Back then, the line rules allowed eight tickets per person who sat on line 24/7. However, you were able to do whatever you wished to make it feel like home, which included pitch tents, lay out mattresses, setup foosball tables, add lights, and just about anything else. It was a great place to meet people and bond with a group of friends. In future years, each of my dorm floors participated as a group, and we became closer as friends and even ventured on hockey road trips together. Read more...