even counting all the successes in the labs by our researchers, scientists, and engineers. On Saturday, the football team crushed Utica 41-10. The team now has a record of 2-0 so far this season, after rolling over Endicott last weekend 34-7. Following the homecoming game, Go Be Red officially kicked off its 20-week challenge by setting a Guinness World Record for the largest group performance of the Electric Slide. Mayor Harry Tutunjian and City Council President Marge DerGurahian joined President Jackson and roughly 350 students and fans to set the record. The event was nothing short of electrifying! So far, 52 student teams have registered for Go Be Red, which is a response to the initiative that none of us could have expected. Just wait until you see the other challenges we have in store for you! Visit http://gobered.rpi.edu/ for more information. It’s never too late to join.
If you locked yourself in your residence hall to do homework instead of balancing your experience here at Rensselaer, this probably sounds like a busy weekend, but there was a whole lot more. UPAC was as busy as ever with a hypnotist that packed the McNeil Room and the 3rd floor balcony, live music and comedy at Mainstage, a presentation of Bill Stains, and popular showings of Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Naked Gun. On Saturday, men’s soccer slaughtered the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts following last week’s victories against Mount Saint Mary’s and SUNY New Paltz. In the same week, women’s soccer did equal damage to MIT, and women’s tennis slammed Russell Sage 9-0. Alumni flooded our campus for Homecoming Weekend. Sheer Idiocy put on a good show. The Delta Xi Cast of Alpha Psi Omega brilliantly performed their rendition of Sylvia at the RPI Playhouse. The Air Force ROTC hosted its annual 5K race—the Run to Remember—in remembrance of POWs and MIAs that saw roughly 100 participants. Hundreds more turned out for student and alumni tailgate parties for homecoming on the Hassan Quad and North Lot. Sean O’Sullivan ’85, one of the founders of MapInfo, brought to life the first “Change the World Challenge” with his $1 million gift toward the “Renaissance at Rensselaer: The Campaign for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.” Anchoring all of this on Thursday was the Presidential Lecture Series featuring IBM Chairman and CEO Samuel J. Palmisano.
If I ever hear another complaint that there is nothing to do on this campus, I am going to politely turn around and walk away. That individual must have lost their mind. I’m sleep deprived from all of this and don’t ask about the homework!
It has also been an extremely busy week on the Project Hope forefront. Dozens of student organizations have taken an active role in raising money for the relief efforts of Hurricane Katrina. This weekend the Navy ROTC hosted a Project Hope Car Wash, the Senate sold bottled water at the homecoming game, the Lally School of Management held a t-shirt sale, and PSYC-2730 continued its raffle. Your student senators, Zack Freeman, Lindsay Denton, Jackie Krajewski, and Mike Goldenberg, collectively worked to solicit a contribution of $5,000 from the Rensselaer Alumni Association in addition to whatever else can be raised by alumni to match money raised by students for the Project Hope fund. This brings the latest tally to more than $12,000. To all those helping so valiantly, I salute you. Keep up the tremendous work; we still have a lot more to do.
In closing, I’d like to remind all freshmen to go out and vote this Friday for your class’ representatives. The polls will be open from 9 am to 5 pm in the DCC Great Hall and from 9 am to 7 pm at the Commons poll site.
To all students, please have a safe and enjoyable week. Good luck on your first round of tests.
Contact Max at gm@rpi.edu or visit your Student Senators every Thursday at 8 pm in Union room 3202. Forums are now available online at http://studentsenate.rpi.edu/.
