When I was a freshman, there was a parking lot stretching between the Playhouse and Academy Hall. I was not quite sure if Rensselaer even owned the building we know as Academy Hall. It turns out it was in fact owned by Rensselaer and used for storage or as a holding area. As far as I was concerned the south side of campus ended at the Armory. College Avenue seemed to be anything but a part of the college, and began the transition of academic prestige to dilapidated housing.
When I was a freshman, I can remember visiting my friends’ dorms that still appeared to be Army barracks, as was their original purpose, except I thought the Army would have kept them in better shape. The doors were chipped, carpets aged, and one was lucky if all of the furniture was in tact. The entire landscape of freshman hill left much to be desired, and the campus could best be described as utilitarian.
When I was a freshman, there was no plan in the works to improve the Athletic facilities, which puzzled me because it appeared our varsity teams were quite competitive. I had begun playing on the football team and was surprised the bleachers on the ’86 Field in the middle of the campus were still standing.
When I was a freshman, I had a teaching assistant in my Introduction to Engineering Analysis class. He was an older student, and I came to find out that he had been a graduate student here for six years, and was unable to complete his research requirements because he had tremendous pressure coming from his department to effectively TA other classes as well as his research. He was languishing in the system that was supposed bring him to the point in his academic career that he was prepared for graduation.
That was then, and the Rensselaer of today is not the Rensselaer of three years ago.
There are times to stand up, there are times for criticism, and there are times for unity. This is a time period calling for unity among students, faculty, and staff. I have continued to see unfounded criticisms of the administration not only from students but faculty as well. There is a notion that we are being led in the wrong direction among an uniformed minority on campus. Individuals are voicing their dissatisfaction over a personal sacrifice that they must make. Some of them hold little if any factual grounds to stand on. The Rensselaer Plan took over a year of study, research, and reflection to create. The data is there, the decisions have been made, and we are forging ahead. If changes like this were easy, every university would do it, and if giving our university a competitive advantage took no sacrifice or adversity to overcome, then it would no longer be a competitive advantage.
If one takes the time to look at the data, or simply takes a look around campus, he or she will see that we not only have a vision, but we are well on our way to achieving that vision. This is not a time to cast doubt on our direction or progress, but to pull together and take part in something extraordinary. Changes like these require complete support, and this is the time for commitment and sacrifice for our alma mater.
