On March 16, 2016, William Spelman Executive Search posted a job opening on multiple executive search sites for a new position in the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Division of Student Life: the Executive Director of Student Activities. Under the leadership of Vice President of Student Life Dr. Frank E. Ross III, the new position is one of many changes in his ambitious restructuring of the Student Life department. This restructuring is aimed to further the Clustered Learning, Advocacy, and Support for Students mission and the Rensselaer Plan 2024. Read more...

Spring Break is a time that many college students set aside to rest and reenergize away from their studies. What’s better than leaving all your books in Troy and flying somewhere tropical with friends for a week of fun? It sounds great for some, but not everyone decides that fun involves a beach, piña coladas, or room service. This year, a team of eight dedicated RPI students went to Harrisburg, P.A. to participate in the Habitat for Humanity Collegiate Challenge, an opportunity to spend the week serving others and giving back to those in need. Read more...

Over this past weekend,Rensselaer baseball had its home opener against the University of Rochester at Robison Field. They split the series 2-2 against the Yellowjackets, with each team taking one game each on both Saturday and Sunday. Read more...

On September 30, 2015, RPI posted a $20.4 million letter of credit to satisfy a United States Department of Education requirement to continue to receive Title IV financial aid following the Department’s analysis of a June 30, 2014 audit of the Institute’s finances. The minimum letter of credit to receive aid was $4.1 million, 10 percent of RPI’s Title IV aid received that year; the higher amount, at least 50 percent of aid received, returned the school to financially responsible status with the Department, avoiding potential cash monitoring and other participatory requirements. This event subsequently received media attention in March 2016. Read more...

I try to see the good in everyone. However, Dr. Ross and all the other members of the administration who were involved in the decision of introducing the position of executive director of student activities acted completely without respect for the students at RPI. These people who have been chosen to lead the Institute forward have completely forgotten the people they are trying to move forward for. Read more...

Mat Zo finds the order out of chaos. Not only is the opening track on his sophomore long play, Self Assemble, entitled “Order Out Of Chaos”, but it is also Zo’s most unique trait. Almost every song he has worked on beautifully adds layer upon layer into the realm of “noise,” but the harmony and rhythm is masterfully preserved. It is no stretch to say that Mat Zo represents elite production in today’s industry. Read more...

It wasn’t long after Bard College scored the first goal of Saturday’s road game, the tides turned. An uninterrupted 13-goal run for the Engineers beginning with freshman Will Killeen’s shot at 1:21 left in the first quarter set Rensselaer 13 points ahead of Bard by the middle of the fourth quarter, which secured their 18-3 victory. Read more...

At the beginning of their meeting on March 23, the Student Senate officially closed their March 9 meeting, which had to remain open for the electronic voting of the Grand Marshal Week 2016 Handbook. Read more...

This past week Commons Dining Hall has started to serve people at the Entrée and Pacifica food stations instead of the previous self-serve style. This has resulted in a slowdown of the process of acquiring your food and complaints from students, myself included. Read more...

For a combination of reasons, the Poly will not be publishing a full April Fools issue. However, we are still printing a series of humor articles. They will be tagged with the words [APRIL FOOLS] in their kicker, as seen above. A formal disclaimer is made that certain articles contain mildly disturbing material; they will be marked thusly to forwarn readers. If you feel you will be disturbed or offended by it, we advise you avoid it altogether. Please enjoy these series of humor articles. Read more...

Usually when I tell someone I am on the crew team, what follows is “What’s that?” I then reply, “rowing,” but the world behind that is its own brutal sport that my friends may never understand. At the same time, I have come to love it and continue to hold a large amount of respect for it. I am currently a freshman and joined crew in the Fall 2015, with no experience as a rower, whatsoever. Read more...

The Rensselaer Union Executive Board meeting opened on Thursday, March 24, with the recognition of RAIL, Rensselaer Artificial Intelligence League, as a Union-recognized club and approved their constitution. Read more...

Patrons of the Polytechnic,

First, I would like to make clear that I am not the leader of the protest, nor have I been inciting students to protest. Students have passions that are high because this is important to them, so they have organized themselves under the idea of protecting the experiences they have had thus far, plain and simple. Read more...

As many of you know, a new fad is hitting the streets, taking the kids by storm, and no one will shut up about it. This new trend: vaping. For those who may not be in the know, vaping is an alternative to smoking, in which flavored water is vaporized to be inhaled by a user in a method similar to smoking. Proponents of vaping say it’s safer and less addictive than smoking, while on the other side people are saying it is too early to say what the long-term effects of vaping might be. But in order to be fair, I wanted to give my unbiased opinion and try it myself. Read more...

The Rensselaer women’s softball team played in a doubleheader yesterday against the State University of New York at New Paltz. Although they were off to a rough start when they lost their first game 0-3, they bounced back in the second to win 8-2. This was their first game back since they concluded their tour of schools in Florida over Spring Break, which ended on March 18. Read more...

On Tuesday, March 29, Vice President of Student Life Frank E. Ross III held a student forum to discuss recent controversy surrounding changes coming to the Institute and the Rensselaer Union. Read more...

Dear Rensselaer Community Members,

I am sure you have heard over the last week, there is a great amount of unrest that has become apparent on campus. Students, alumni, and faculty have made their voice clear to me in a variety of ways, and I have heard them. Since Marcus and I became aware of the issues, we have been working tirelessly around the clock. In all of my meetings with administrators, from the Vice President of Student Life to the President, I have been advocating for the student voice, and working for change that will benefit all stakeholders here at Rensselaer. However, I would like to clear the air of one rumor—I have not been organizing any protests, I have not been recommending alumni withhold donations, and I have not been rabble rousing. I know that I, as a person, have strong opinions regarding many of the events that have been unfolding, but I know that I have a duty to my constituents and to the Rensselaer community. My job has been primarily to inform individuals of the events as they have occurred and to provide informative documents without bias. I have been advocating for students in all avenues, and have been giving my all to support the betterment of the Rensselaer community. I represent all students, and have distilled the many opinions I have heard into three main points. Read more...

The following is a work of fiction. Viewer’s discretion is advised. Read more...

The Montclair State Red Hanks put up three in the first 10 minutes of the first half against the women’s lacrosse team this past Saturday, March 26. RPI never caught up to them despite a strong start to the second half, ultimately falling 8-16. Read more...

Following several grassroots and student-driven efforts, the Student Senate and the Executive Board convened for a special session to discuss a penned letter to the administration. Read more...