Last week, we saw two great student government leaders say goodbye to their constituents. It is time for this humbled president to make way for fresh ideas and grand plans for independents at Rensselaer.
The problem with taking credit for what a group has done in any given year is that its events were budgeted a year beforehand. Our biggest accomplishment this year has been to secure promising events for the future. That’s not to say that we’ve stagnated the year away. This year, we’re proud to have strengthened our relationship with Panhel and the IFC. We’ve continued running fun events and providing food at others to keep you happy. We brought the idea of Union laundry and dry cleaning services to the Executive Board. We have also ensured that the senate and other decision making bodies continue to consider independent sentiments. To contribute to this effort, I urge you to come to IC meetings and assist us.
Next year, we look forward to two exciting IC student services. With the off-campus housing fair, we hope to bring Troy landlords to the Union so that students can more easily find off-campus housing solutions. Along with other organizations, we realize that representation of a large constituency is impossible without gathering opinions. As such, we have secured money to fund a survey website that campus organizations can use to garner widespread sentiment.
And now: The Greek Issue. Every year, people try to depict greeks and independents as warring, divided factions. When student government becomes a political power struggle, we lose the benevolence of decent student representatives and turn our trust over to those that stand for themselves and not the student population. Independent and greek life are intertwined at Rensselaer, and without one group, the other is hindered.
I leave you with the least political idea in the world. Everyone will seek advice from people at a decision point in their lives. Without others’ opinions, we will never be able to get a world view on any matter. Make sure that in the end, you decide how to run your life not by what others feel is exciting, but what will ultimately make you smile. There are many ways that people find happiness in life—few of those apply to everyone. Someone recently told me a method of making tough decisions that seems so simple, but has blown me away: When deciding between two difficult and seemingly indistinguishable choices, flip a coin. If it lands on heads and you’re disappointed, pick tails.
