Hello RPI students,
Last week’s Student Senate General Body Meeting had a lot of discussion on the agenda items; so if you’re interested in viewing it, you can view it on http://rpitv.org, RPI’s student-run, volunteer television club. The former Senate-Executive Board Liaison resigned voluntarily and has chosen not to pursue future student government positions. This means that we are currently looking for someone to act as the Union Annual Report Committee Chair. The UAR is a document detailing the budgeting changes for Rensselaer Union-funded clubs and organizations. Further, this person will also serve as the Senate-Executive Board Liaison, which entails having the full rights and responsibilities of a member of the E-Board, including being in charge of managing several clubs. Lastly, the Liaison is also required to attend all Senate meetings and all Senate cabinet meetings, which take place at 7 pm on Tuesdays and 8 pm on Thursdays, respectively. It is a large commitment, but it is a great way to work towards benefiting students at RPI.
The Senate also discussed a motion on proposing a minimum GPA requirement for all elected senators. This topic has always been passionately discussed amongst students, with new purposes and defenses arising each time. While the motion did not get passed, it’s important to understand that, regardless of being able to vote at general body meetings, all students are able to be full members of our committees, where we get all of our work done.
As part of my administration, the Senate holds a vested interest in the academics of students on campus, and who better to build a relationship with than the faculty themselves? As part of our continuing collaboration, we had Dr. Hirsa, the Recording Secretary for the Faculty Senate, attend our meeting and explain to students what the Faculty Senate is working on, as well as what opportunities there are for future projects between our organizations.
This is the perfect time to plug a new resource available for students: the online syllabus catalog. As we are in the middle of registration season, this should prove to be a helpful resource in selecting your next classes. Go to http://www.provost.rpi.edu/syllabus-display/, log in, and you’ll be able to see recent syllabi for the classes being offered. This project is the result of work from the Senate’s Academic Affairs Committee and we’re happy to see it being used. Check it out, tell your friends, and register on time!
Star Wars VII comes out December 18! This is relevant because the Senate’s Student Life Committee is re-establishing the shuttle service to the Crossgates Mall from the Union! We have three dates for the service to be running: November 14, December 12, and December 18, the opening night of Star Wars VII. The shuttles start leaving from the Union at 4 pm, and continue on every hour to 9 pm. The shuttles leave Crossgates at hourly intervals starting at 4:30 pm, and continue until 9:30 pm. After that, there is a “last call” shuttle leaving from Crossgates back to the Union at midnight. There will be a sign-up sheet at the welcome desk of the Union, so be sure to take advantage of this service being offered!
As always, I’m available for contact via gm@rpi.edu. Don’t forget about those end-of-semester projects!