In his December 8 “Top Hat” column, the Grand Marshal mentioned the creation of a Senate Historian who would facilitate the archiving of student government records. The increasing interest in the preservation and use of student organizational history is extremely encouraging to me as a college archivist. Part of the mission of the Institute archives is to “appraise, collect, organize, describe, preserve, and make available Institute records of permanent administrative, legal, fiscal, and historical value.” The archives exists not only as a repository for official Institute records, but also for the records of student organizations. Over eighty different student newsletters and publications can be found in the archives, including The Polytechnic (1885-present) and the Transit (1869-present). The photograph collection includes thousands of photos of clubs, sports, campus buildings, activities, events, and much more. An extensive Student Life Collection contains a variety of documents on a wide range of student activities past and present. The records of Alpha Phi Omega, the RPI Players, the Glee Club and WRPI are also housed in the Archives.

Alpha Phi Omega recently appointed an Archive Chair to manage its archives and act as a liaison to the Institute Archives. The RPI Players took on the responsibility of organizing their records in preparation for this year’s anniversary. Institute archivists are available to help student organizations preserve their history and make it accessible to future students, but we need your initiative! Our staff can offer advice regarding the retention of records, filing arrangements, appropriate storage, and possible transfer to the Institute archives. If you are involved in a student organization, help us ensure that your activities are documented for the future.

Reference assistance on the research of student life or any topic related to the history of Rensselaer is available to all students. The reading room is open Monday to Friday, 9 am to 4 pm. Students who manage to find the Institute archives, accidentally or on purpose, often say, “I never knew this existed!” Sometimes they are drawn here by the tranquil looking reading room on the third floor of Folsom Library. Other times a pledge requires research on the origins of a fraternity, or a student is tracking down the mysterious SCIT location that comes up in the online catalog. I often feel like the “Who” from Dr. Suess’s Horton Hears a Who, yelling a quiet, “We’re here, we’re here!”

Amy Rupert