In his departing Top Hat, Max Yates opined that Rensselaer’s most recent election was “dirty,” one which undermined the very spirit of public service by emphasizing aspersions between candidates over focus on the community. That the race could be perceived as such by the standing Grand Marshal has made me pause for reflection over the past week, and I wish to convey a conciliatory message to any who may have felt as Yates did. Having said this, I must confess that I take a brighter outlook; I believe the intensity of a political race reflects both the passion of its candidates,and the principle of its supporters. Every candidate wants what is best for Rensselaer. I sincerely hope that my conviction was indicative of the character of our students and will be borne out in the weeks ahead.
As many of you know, the administration has recently proposed three new policies relating to greek life. The first two, scheduled to go into effect in the summer of 2007, deal with deferred rush and live-in advisors, and have been deemed “negotiable” by the Dean of Students Office. Of far more pressing concern is the third policy: an extension of the alcohol regulations imposed on greek life, scheduled to go into effect on July 1 of this year. This mandate would extend RPI’s alcohol regulations from dorms to fraternity houses, meaning that at no time would alcohol possession be permitted in any public areas of the house. Unbelievably, this policy has been declared non-negotiable by the Dean of Students Office.
While I agree with the administration that action should be taken to address dangerous alcohol consumption by students, the course of action they have selected is nothing short of outrageous. Some of the most widely interpreted clauses in the United States Constitution are those guaranteeing due process of law. Yet, even without invoking issues of legal constitutionality, the administration can be found in violation of due process as assured by The Rensselaer Handbook of Student Rights and Responsibilities itself: “The student body shall have a means of providing input on institutional policy affecting academic and student affairs.” ( From Article V, Section D.)
The handbook has been adopted by the Board of Trustees in a clear attempt to ensure that students’ views are taken into account. That this clause of the handbook has been violated by the administration’s attempt to strong-arm a controversial and potentially unwarranted new policy into effect is incontrovertible. At no point was the student body informed that such a policy was being considered, and at no point prior to the announcement of the policy’s effect were students given the opportunity to voice their objections. The Board of Trustees, in their “Statement of Adoption of The Student Bill of Rights,” notes that “In order to safeguard the rights of all members of the Institute community, certain specific rules and regulations are necessary.”
It is important for me to firmly distinguish the nature of my objection to this policy. Foremost, I am obligated as Grand Marshal to uphold the rights of students. The administration, by attempting to circumvent the school handbook’s avowal of student involvement in institutional policy, has already provoked my protest. But the actual issue at hand is a genuine and frightening encroachment on students’ rights, by virtue of the fact that frat houses are private property. This issue must be discussed, and it must be discussed promptly.
The scope of this dialogue must include the search for a solution which doesn’t indiscriminately punish all fraternities for the transgressions of same greek organizations. The optimal resolution of these difficulties may well lie in a degree of greek self-regulation. At this stage, the only thing I can say for certain is that it is imperative that the administration suspend its timeline for implementation and provide the student body with the due process assured it by the handbook, vested as this assurance remains with the sanction of the Board of Trustees.
Max Yates, the 139th Grand Marshal, ended his final article with these appropriate words:“Always remember: integrity first, service before self, excellence in all we do.” I am Zack Freeman, 140th Grand Marshal, and this is an imperative I intend to uphold.
