With the passing of the Union Annual Report, The Poly feels that it is a good time to encourage students to take an active role in the things that directly affect us. Reading The Poly is already a great start! We do our best to keep students informed about what’s going on around campus and presenting that information in a clear, concise manner. This week features an article on what the UAR is and why it’s important for students, so we encourage you all to read it. In addition, we write weekly articles summarizing the events that occur during the Senate and Executive Board meetings; these articles are a great way to understand what your senators are doing to help you.

One of the best ways to take a more active role is to join Student Government committees. These are smaller groups of senators and Rensselaer Union members that focus on specific areas of student life and how those areas can be improved. Grand Marshal Marcus Flowers ’16 says that the real work done by the Senate happens in these committees. All of their information can be found on the student government’s website, http://stugov.union.rpi.edu/. This website has a list of all the committees, their roles, and their meeting times.

Lastly, this is an election year for the United States and most of us are eligible to vote. It doesn’t matter whether you vote for the Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, Greens, or any other party. What matters is that you find a candidate and support them. The point of a democracy is that every voice is heard; it’s critical that you vote. Go out, get registered, and participate!