First on the Executive Board’s agenda this past Thursday was the Cubing Club. The club came before the E-Board to seek Rensselaer Union recognition. The group was more active a few years ago, but as members graduated, they stopped regular meetings. It has since been revived through contact on their Facebook group. Now, they are looking to firmly establish themselves, and feel that becoming Union-recognized would help. They are also looking to have a cubing competition come to RPI, but it would require recognition from the Union. The E-Board unanimously approved the club recognition.
Next, the E-Board discussed some housekeeping items, namely changes to their bylaws. The Policies Committee brought forward three motions, each with changes to the E-Board’s bylaws. The first motion was simple grammar updates to the bylaws, which was unanimously approved. The was for the creation of the Community and Outreach Committee, which would be tasked with communicating the E-Board’s work to the Rensselaer community. Thomas Alappat ’17 asked how this differs from the Student Government Communications Committee, which has similar responsibilities and represents the entire student government. President of the Union Chip Kirchner ’17 explained that the SGCC has not been serving its function, and that its purview was “overly broad.” The creation of this committee would allow for more E-Board-focused communications. Chris Hoskins ’17 and graduate student Jen Church, both former SGCC chairpeople, expressed support, saying that SGCC communication was largely Student Senate-focused and had a lot of responsibilities to manage. Conrad Mossl ’17 expressed concern for the change, saying “there are better ways to address this program.” The E-Board approved the change 14–2–2
The last bylaws change modified the purview of the E-Board’s committees. The Business Operations Committee now oversees facilities and allocation of space within the Union. The Policies Committee added the responsibility of reviewing club constitutions. Finally, Grand Marshal Week responsibilities would be moved under UPAC. The motion was approved 14–0–4.
Lastly, a motion was brought forward to approve the use of $30,000 to renovate the Publications Suite, eliminating the conference room and expanding the former Transit office and current Statler & Waldorf office. Kay Sun ’19 said, “I think the Board should be more careful before making a decision,” noting that $30,000 is a lot to spend before the E-Board has established plans for the space. Mossl agreed, noting that he would be more comfortable with a firm quote from RPI on the actual construction cost. John Fantell ’19 motioned to table the motion until a quote was available, and the plan was reviewed by Business Operations.