On Wednesday, September 27, Chairman of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Board of Trustees Arthur F. Golden '66 sent an email to the RPI community and alumni to “eliminate any confusion about [the Union’s] governance.” Read more...

Since the release of Vice President for Human Resources Curtis Powell’s memorandum on September 12, discussion around the director of the Union hiring process has continued. Read more...

So far, the 2017 season has featured at least two category five hurricanes, which have only occurred a few times since records have been kept. It seems that new hurricanes are forming within a few days of each other and there may be even more to come. The 2017 hurricane season is turning out to be one of the most destructive ones in history. It is estimated that there will be billions of dollars in damage, and some areas could take many weeks to rebuild everything that was destroyed. Hurricane seasons fluctuate in intensity, but what made this season to be one of the worst? Read more...

The Adirondack Balloon Festival celebrated its 45th anniversary from September 21 to 24, 2017, bringing upwards of 50,000 people over four days to the Floyd Bennett Memorial Airport in Queensbury, New York. The festival is a not-for-profit event run strictly by volunteers, that rely on sponsors and the local community for support and advertisement. Read more...

Rensselaer won 3–2 against Bard College away on Saturday and 2–0 against Keene State at home on Sunday. The two wins boost the Engineers to 6–2 overall for the season. Read more...

On Thursday, September 7, 2017, the Rensselaer Union Executive Board voted to close their meeting and discuss the Rensselaer Outing Club. While the minutes from the meeting are not public, memos from President of the Union Matthew Rand ’19 and the Outing Club leadership have been made available and shed some light on what led up to the cancellation of the Outing Club’s Fall Lake George trip. Read more...

On Friday, I went to the RPI career fair. After navigating the long line, getting vetted for the dress code, and figuring out where I wanted to go, I stepped into the Armory and was immediately overwhelmed. As a freshman, I didn’t really pay attention to the career fair, because my summer was already booked, so I didn’t fully grasp its magnitude or general claustrophobia. So many people, so many tables, so many displays trying to be unique and special, and on top of all that, so many recruiters that have too much on their plates who are tasked with vetting applicants in insignificant blocks of time. I think something needs to change. Read more...

On Sunday, September 29, the Troy Flea ended their season with around 30 vendors in Riverfront Park, a performance by Will Kempe’s Players, and a streak of beautiful weather. Read more...

The Rensselaer women’s tennis team competed in the Northeast Division III Regional Women’s Championship in Saratoga Springs this past weekend. The tournament saw many of the top Division III tennis players come together to compete. The Engineers fought hard but failed to pull out of the first round. Read more...

The 48th Student Senate opened their eighth meeting on Monday, September 25 with Assistant Vice President and Dean of Students Travis Apgar, and Director for Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Judicial Affairs Michael Arno discussing recent revisions to the Rensselaer Handbook of Student Rights and Responsibilities. Read more...

Hello, everyone!

Last Thursday, President of the Union Matthew Rand ’19 and I met with Vice President for Human Resources Curtis Powell, Assistant Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students Travis Apgar, and other representatives from the Division of Human Resources to discuss the Director of the Union hiring process. Read more...

Looking for mild entertainment at the end of my summer, I picked up Smarter Faster Better by Charles Duhigg. Little did I know, I wouldn’t be able to put it down. Read more...

The most recent Executive Board meeting that took place on Thursday, September 21 opened with a discussion on the Black Students’ Alliance proposal requesting $1,158 to fund their 50th anniversary celebration. This money would go toward a bus ride to the event in Durham as well as a DJ. There was some discussion as to whether the money should come from the Black Cultural Center reserve account or the club contingencies fund. The anniversary celebration was eventually deemed to be a special event and it was decided that the money should come from club contingencies. The motion passed 12-1-2. A second motion was brought forward to reallocate $175 from club contingencies to the reception fund in response to the discovery of a bookkeeping error that had resulted in the zeroing of the account. The club should have received the customary $5 per member within that reception fund. The motion passed 15-0-0. Read more...

Hello everybody, I hope that you’re all doing well. By the time you read this, it will be officially one month since the start of the academic year. How exciting! Time really is flying by. I’d like to think, for a moment, about all of the things that we have already seen this semester. Read more...

I’m an engineer graduating soon, but it feels like it might have been better for me to pursue computer science. It’s too late for me to change my major, so what do I do?

Your major in college doesn’t have to define what you do for the rest of your life. Luckily for you, computer science is probably one of the best subjects to learn outside of the traditional setting. There are plenty of resources online; you just need to dedicate the time and work on projects that will force you to learn. Once you start to make some progress, your interest in computer science can be something you mention when looking for jobs. I know plenty of graduates who didn’t learn how to program until they were well into their careers. If it’s really something you care about, you’ll figure out something that works for you. Read more...

“Coretta Scott King reminds us that freedom is never really won. You have to earn it and fight for it in every generation. So, what is our generation fighting for?” inquired Ndaba Mandela during a forum at the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center on Tuesday, September 19. The talk, which was part of the Rensselaer Union Speakers Forum, focused on subjects including the world’s inaccurate perception of Africa, and his personal efforts to empower underprivileged youth. Read more...

As a former president of the Union, it was with great sadness and concern for my alma mater that I read a recent memorandum from RPI’s vice president for human resources. In that memorandum, Curtis Powell was attempting to explain to the current grand marshal and president of the Union the legal basis for the administration’s sole discretion to hire a new director of the Union. In my opinion, he totally missed an opportunity to heal a festering wound—although no one following this ongoing spat should harbor the illusion that this memorandum was solely his creation. Read more...

In the world of rap, a perfect album is very rare. Most albums are near-perfect and chock-full of the artist at their best, but with the inevitable two or three tracks that go in a different direction to show the artist is “multidisciplinary.” They know what their strengths are, and they aren’t afraid to branch out. Luv is Rage 2, Lil Uzi Vert’s debut album, is an amazing example of this. First appearing on my radar with his 2016 mixtape Lil Uzi vs The World, and then being put onto XXL’s 2016 Freshman list, Uzi has had ample time to refine his music and get his name out. His stint in the spotlight after a high profile feature on Migos’ “Bad and Boujee” only increased the young rapper’s following, and furthered the hype for his first actual album. The hype was so unreal that a teen in Florida threatened to shoot up his school if the album wasn’t dropped in May, though luckily neither happened. Coming out in late August, Luv is Rage 2 took the charts by storm, and in my opinion, it rightfully deserves its praise. Read more...