“Freedom requires no prior approval!” declared Professor Bill Puka to nearly 1,000 students, faculty, and alumni who gathered to express their discontent with Rensselaer’s administration in a peaceful protest. Read more...

Rensselaer found its voice between gritted teeth and posterboard signs, and there’s something to be said for an act of solidarity that gives a group of people the ability to be heard. Read more...

My favorite food in the whole wide world is chicken adobo with steamed rice. The first month I spent here, I got so homesick that I texted my mom and announced that I would be making it. The one word I could easily associate the Philippine American League’s spring event, Bayanihan, would be that—homesick. Read more...

Baseball spent this past Saturday at Bard College, where they split their doubleheader 1-1 with the Raptors. Read more...

On March 30, 2016, the annual Spring Town Meeting was held in the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center Theater. President Shirley Ann Jackson diverged from her prepared speech to speak directly on the topic of the Rensselaer Union and the state of the Institute’s finances. She opened the meeting with an affirmation of her “great respect for the history and functions of the Rensselaer Union.” Read more...

Dear Rensselaer Community,

I only wish I had discussed this sooner, that I had put more time into addressing this topic and not leaving it untouched as many others have. The topic I refer to is what has been titled the “culture of fear.” This past weekend, some student leaders (myself included) had the opportunity to meet with members of the Board of Trustees, and they asked us about this “culture of fear” they were now hearing about. Like any good STEM student, I believe that we can learn more about this by breaking it down into smaller elements. Read more...

“I do two opposite things simultaneously: I put all of myself into my narrators and characters, and I maintain a cool distance. To do both of these things at the same time is exhausting, impossible, and absolutely necessary.” –Steven Millhauser Read more...

Upon the conclusion of the indoor track & field season in March, runners and field athletes spent two weeks gearing up for the start of the competitive outdoor season, which opened this past Saturday in Allentown, P.A., at the Muhlenberg Spring Invitational hosted by Muhlenberg College. Read more...

The Student Senate meeting opened Wednesday, March 30, with a presentation by the Rules & Elections committee. With Grand Marshal Week nearly here, campaigning is in full swing. One form of campaigning that candidates have taken is using Facebook profile photo filters. Members of R&E were in speculation over whether or not this is an active form of campaigning; the committee has ruled that it is not. Read more...

Hello RPI,

I want to start this column by talking about what everyone seems to be talking about lately: the culture of fear. It exists, and it has permeated into many facets of life at RPI. Whether or not it is warranted, it is hard to deny as I know that I and many others have felt it since my freshman year. The fear that voicing dissent or discontent too openly will result in retaliation from the school’s administration. The fear that staff will lose their jobs if they resist the direction of their higher ups. It is true that repetitive assertions do not change facts, but they do change perceptions, and perception rules in culture. I charge those of you reading this to follow the words of former President Franklin D. Roosevelt and realize that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. You have a voice; use it and do not fear. You are smart, tenacious problem solvers. Do not let fear stifle your efforts, but step boldly, for now is a time when this campus needs it most. The only way to fight a culture of fear is to eliminate fear from the realm of possibility and be brave. Read more...

When Sarah Koenig’s podcast Serial was first released in October of 2014, critics approached the weekly installments as a well thought out, intriguing, and engaging critique of the current United States justice system. Within the first season, Koenig structured her podcast as an objective presentation of evidence surrounding the murder of a Baltimore high school student, Hae Min Lee, and the incarceration of her then-boyfriend Adnan Syed. Week by week, the podcast presented listeners with evidence surrounding the case and encouraged the audience to make their own interpretations of the events. Koenig presented her listeners with the unique opportunity to be directly involved with a murder case; she gave the evidence, and the listeners searched for the answers. Her unique approach to broadcasting earned her a Peabody Award in April 2015, in which it was noted that “Serial rocketed podcasting into the cultural mainstream.” Read more...

The Engineers scored six consecutive goals at Plattsburgh State University last Wednesday en route to a 9-6 win. Then on Saturday, Rensselaer flexed their muscles at East Campus Athletic Village Stadium, outscoring Vassar College by nine goals in the second half to win 17-5. The Engineers rounded out their week with a second consecutive blowout win, this time knocking off SUNY Oneonta 16-6. Read more...

After a week of intense discussion of the Rensselaer Union, the Executive Board’s meeting on Thursday, March 31, turned its focus back to the clubs. Read more...

Congratulations!

The Archer Center for Student Leadership Development has completed its selection process for Leadership Educators Advising Peers. The LEAP program is comprised of a group of committed Rensselaer students who are trained in leadership education and hold workshops each semester for students and organizations. In addition to the returning members, congratulations to Olivia Demkowicz ’19, Donna Grace Moleta ’18, Harrison Solis Eichler ’17, Christine Simon ’18, Andy Lao ’16, Justin Balvanz ’18, Daniel Lapidus ’17, Rachele Anne Putnick ’18, Joe Venusto ’17, Rasika Ekhal ’18, and Denver Overend ’18 on their selection for the LEAP program. Read more...

The RPI Players will be presenting their Spring Shorts this weekend. The show consists of four one-acts that are not particularly related—the first three are different takes on drama, and the last is a comedy, to end the night on a happy note. I was given the opportunity to sit in on their Tuesday rehearsal for an early preview. I was greeted by director Jeremy Feldman ’16, who explained that the actual show will be in Mother’s Wine Emporium; their equipment and venue was not fully prepared, but the actors still had a lot to offer. I was given a water bottle, and I found myself in a front-and-only-row seat. It was nice to watch the Players again (I covered a show once during Navigating Rensselaer and Beyond), though I didn’t have a friend with me this time either. Here is your fair warning: if you don’t like spoilers, stop reading now! Read more...

The women’s tennis team was unable to secure victory in the 2016 Nor’Easter Bowl, which took place this past weekend in Massachusetts. Read more...

At the beginning of this month, Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca made international headlines following the leak of 11.5 million documents detailing their clients and business practices. Since its founding in 1977, Mossack Fonseca has specialized in the creation of offshore tax accounts, which are often used in an effort to avoid taxes or launder money. While the use of these accounts is not explicitly illegal, the release of these documents demonstrates the amount of wealth that is effectively being hidden from governments by implicated parties around the world. Consisting of 2.6 terabytes of data, the newly dubbed Panama Papers are believed to be the largest data leak to have ever occurred. Read more...

“Why did you choose RPI?” I’ve never been asked this question directly in person, but I have shared it several times in conversation and notice the answer seems to always change. So, I ask myself, “ Why did I choose RPI?” Read more...

One of the signature thrusts of The Rensselaer Plan 2024 is communication. Professor Miles Kimball, the current head of the Communication and Media Department at RPI, says communication skills are more valuable in our modern era than ever before. “Good communication skills will make you more valuable,” he said in our interview. “Communication skills help you get the job, help you get the promotion.” These skills come in many forms, from creative writing to technical communications. Read more...