This year has been an exciting and historical year for the Rensselaer community. Change has been the norm; in fact, the very landscape of our campus is transforming as we continue with the Renaissance at Rensselaer. With all of this change, there is a question that we must ask ourselves as members of a student-led Union. Where does the Union lie within the Renaissance? What place is secured for the Union in the Rensselaer of tomorrow? Will we continue to grow and thrive as a vibrant body that will act as the best and most complete medium through which student opinion is expressed, or will we fall behind as the rest of the Institute moves ahead?
Now is the time that we as students must fortify the Union within the Rensselaer of tomorrow. This will require extraordinary leadership and input from students, placing our perspective on the decisions and work that is required for change of this magnitude. The Union needs leadership and vision now more than ever. We must have student-led direction and initiative so that we may ensure that the Union keeps pace as Rensselaer forges into the 21st century.
In order to continue to move forward, we must upgrade our existing facilities to achieve the true potential of certain areas in the Union. Our largest asset is our financial independence, yet this leaves us without the capital necessary for large scale renovations. Therefore, we must look for outside investment from the Institute as well as outside vendors. With outside investment may come outside interests, so we must seek out mutually beneficial relationships. We must remember that the Union we enjoy has come from the students that have shaped and molded it, making the Union what it is today. In that respect, we owe it to future generations of Rensselaer students to provide them with the same, if not more opportunities than we have enjoyed ourselves.
The Union of tomorrow will become a more service oriented Union. It will better accommodate the academic needs of students with services such as better printing, photocopying, and other resources to better compliment our academic work through the Union. The Union of tomorrow will be a retail food service destination offering students without a full-time meal plan a nutritional and comprehensive option for dining. It will not only serve the functional purposes for meals and study, but act as a communal place where friends join to spend time with each other. It will be a place where a meal becomes more than a meal, where studying is simply not a chore, and where a relaxed atmosphere and ambience will welcome all.
So I ask you, what will be our mark on the Renaissance? We must make certain that the Union continues to grow and expand to continue to offer students a broad base of activities and services.
