On December 12, the judicial cases brought against graduate student Michael Gardner and Bryan Johns ’19 regarding the demonstration held during the capital campaign launch event on October 13 were resolved, and no sanctions were assigned to either student. Read more...

Photos: Nicholas Luczak/The Polytechnic

The Federal Communications Commission held an open agenda meeting on December 14 where it voted to end net neutrality protections by passing the Restoring Internet Freedom order. Read more...

I hope you didn't blink, but it is already time for the semester to come to a close! I know; I can’t believe it either, and it’s been quite the semester, too. Read more...

In light of the first snowfall of the season, it seems that winter has officially begun. Here in the Northeast, we can expect only colder temperatures to come and more snow to fall. Some of us find this season to be our favorite, while others would rather soak up sunshine at a beach. Whatever your thoughts are on winter, here are some of the precautions to take to get the most out of the season. Read more...

For the first time in our university’s history, Rensselaer students joined 3,000 synthetic biologists at the international Genetically Engineered Machine Giant Jamboree in Boston from November 9–13. The 2017 iGEM competition featured an amazing array of 310 student teams from 44 countries. This unique event combined the spirit of the Olympics with the rigor of a genetic engineering science fair. The first successful Rensselaer iGEM team earned a bronze medal award for our manufacturing project demonstrating that selective modification of the yeast Starmerella bombicola MFE-2 gene improves the efficiency of sophorolipid production. Read more...

When I first came to Rensselaer, I really didn’t know all that much about it, but I thought I did. I, an engineering major who had always loved math and science, was going to a tech school. That turned out to be very true, however when I got here I found out that there was so much more than simply the academics I had been looking forward to and expecting. A huge part of life here on campus takes place outside of the classroom. Beyond the lectures and labs are a wealth of clubs, sports, competitions, and research available to those who are interested. Read more...

Hello everyone! I hope you're all doing well and finishing the semester on a high note. Congratulations! One more semester of life here at RPI is in the books, and the only things standing between us and winter break are a few finals. So best of luck on those, and happy holidays and safe travels to all. Read more...

UPAC Comedy hosted comedians Phil Hanley and Joe List in the Union’s McNeil Room on Tuesday. Read more...

This Sunday, I ventured through the snow into Downtown Troy in search of the Takk House, which was home to Babes in Troyland for the weekend. Hosted by Troy Flea, this holiday fair essentially served as a themed counterpart to the market that takes place during the summer months at Riverfront Park. Read more...

Over the weekend of November 17–19, the Rensselaer Racquetball team traveled to Millersville, Maryland for its third meet of the 2017–2018 Eastern Collegiate Racquetball Conference season. Read more...

With a cunning sense of direction and extraordinary acting all around, Greta Gerwig’s first solo directorial effort transcends the genre in a vivid portrayal of adolescence, independence, and the messy relationships between prevailing aspiration and unconventional family. Read more...

Little Pecks, touted as an all-day cafe from the culinary team behind Peck’s Arcade, really lives up to its reputation. It serves Tandem Coffee, as well as a collection of baked goods weekly, brunch on weekends, and sandwiches, salads, and snacks during the evenings. Read more...

After spending almost 10 years studying online markets and consumer use of electronic commerce, Academic Director of the Severino Center Jason Kuruzovich is now focused on utilizing unstructured data to understand the success of entrepreneurs and their startups. Read more...

The Executive Board concluded the budgeting process for Fiscal Year 2019 on Saturday, December 8, after addressing five budget appeals from various clubs and organizations. According to President of the Union Matthew Rand ’19, the Board was able to provide an extra $50,000 to clubs this fiscal year compared to last, partly due to growing class sizes. Rand commended the Board, saying that overall, “budgeting went very smoothly.” Read more...

In the last Student Senate meeting of the Fall 2017 semester, the three main points of business were an update from the Academic Affairs Committee, a presentation of the Interfraternity Council’s state of Greek life letter, and the approval of an informal learning spaces update letter written by the Facilities and Services Committee. Read more...

To the Rensselaer Community,

Following completion of annual elections of the Interfraternity Council Executive Board, it is appropriate that we provide the Rensselaer community a brief overview and update into the accomplishments and successes of fraternities this past calendar year. Despite various Greek life incidents at other university campuses, the Greek community at Rensselaer remains strong and continues to actively adapt to the changing student environment. We are growing in membership; significantly strengthening our relationships with the Rensselaer administration, faculty and Troy community; and providing significant support for philanthropic and volunteer service. Members of the Greek community have demonstrated their commitment through the various events and programs they meticulously plan and execute throughout the year. This past spring and fall recruitment periods were notable for fraternities across campus, significantly increasing our total membership. Recruitment increased fifteen and thirty percent for spring and fall periods respectively, which resulted in more than five hundred new members of the Rensselaer community deciding to join Greek life this past year alone. With these increased numbers, Greeks constitute nearly one third of all Rensselaer undergraduate students. These successes can be attributed to community-wide events sponsored by Greek organizations, such as the Greek Life NRB Trip, Meet the Greeks, and Pawling Crawling, all of which were attended by hundreds of potential new members. Read more...

Two months after handing in my dissertation, awaiting my second degree in construction, I was violently raped by a senior male in my field. He was 10 years older and vastly better connected, professionally, in a city where I was just starting out. He was drunk and angry and caught me off guard while I napped on a couch; I was sober. He was 6-foot and around 190 pounds worth of rugby player. I’m 5-foot-3 and around 120 pounds. Other than a few snapshots of the following few hours, I don’t remember much of that night, nor most of the five weeks after. It was the beginning of the recession, and most of the construction industry were losing their jobs—women, notoriously, at a higher rate than men. Knowing I would be blacklisted from working in my field (nearly 90 percent men) if I reported a rape or my name got leaked from a police report, I kept my mouth shut to protect my career. He took what he took; I wasn’t giving him my sole means of income too. Read more...