Sometimes people give everything they have to make sure the job gets done, and Kim Conway is one of those people. It says a lot about her character to still be involved and concerned about the campus, especially after one of the most controversial elections in the Institute's history. Conway prides herself on joining organizations that don't seem as entertaining and turning them into things she truly enjoys. She is sincere in her actions, and truly hopes that she has helped as many people as

possible during her time at Rensselaer.

This year, Conway served as the chair of the Rules and Elections Committee. She is also an active member of Alpha Phi Omega, and was even named the Meanest Man on Campus, with $666 dollars donated to her name in the last day alone. She also is involved with the Independent Council, and believes that all of these organizations have done great things for students, which makes her very proud to be a member. Conway has put in a lot of time and effort working with these groups and making them as successful as possible. In her eyes, she is really here "representing the great work that they've done."

In her so-called free time, Conway can probably still be found in the RNE or APO offices. She explained that what others may consider to be work, she thoroughly enjoys on a personal level, and wouldn't change it for the world-it is her personal choice to be as involved and hardworking as she is. If she manages to leave campus, Conway looks for obscure charitable

organizations to help and raises money for four or five groups each year. Though this may seem like a chore, she described it as "extremely rewarding," regardless of her level of involvement. She strives to find situations where she can occupy herself by helping others, and their appreciation for her efforts makes all the time and effort worth it.

Despite the allegations against RNE, Conway has kept her head high and continued to help as many people as possible. Keeping up a sleep schedule of about four hours a night, she uses every hour possible to accomplish what some students only attempt to take on. She is as selfless as they come and sacrifices her own personal needs over those of the Institute's. Not only has she helped raise money for Project Hope and Relay

for Life, but she worked to increase the number of students voting in elections. She is a philanthropist and leader, and the work she has carried out will have continued success with the teams she has put together.

Zane Van Dusen:

Compassion and devotion are important qualities for the Poly Person of the Year, and Zane Van Dusen is one of the most dedicated musicians around campus. A self-proclaimed enthusiast, Van Dusen is a rocker with an infectious personality-a key asset for Ground Zero business. He has the ability to not only get people involved with projects but also to see his vision of how a project should turn out.

Van Dusen is the poster child for Ground Zero and what it aims to achieve. This year in particular, he was the activities chair in charge of booking bands and informing the public about upcoming shows. In the spring semester alone, he set up 13 concerts, seven open mic nights, a jam session, and a talent show. He and his friends also set up 10 concerts during GM Week, referred to as the "EMUCK Initiative." The shows were performed in various weird places around campus, including laundry rooms and parking lots. Van Dusen has also been elected next year's Ground Zero president, which will keep him busy with the all-around running of the program.

When he's not living in the Nugent Hall Basement, Van Dusen is probably practicing or performing with one of his bands. The first band he formed at Rensselaer was People on Top of the Statue of Liberty and They are Threatening to Jump. He described it as a bizarre free jazz group, with Van Dusen playing keyboard and guitar and his friend reading poetry. It evolved into an Indie rock band, and they eventually performed at UPAC's Battle of the Bands. His more well-known band endeavor is the Face Stabbers-more on the punk rock side. He explained it as more intense with louder drums and better guitar riffs. Hot Gurl Party, a noisy dance music, is another band he is involved with, and it just recorded an album with Jason Martin at 51 3rd

Street, downtown. His final project is a solo venture combining technology and rock without sounding like experimental arts.

On the whole, Van Dusen is one busy musician just trying to get people involved. He believes in Ground Zero and what it aims to achieve by keeping it student-run. Through these opportunities he has made friends from around the country, and he does everything possible to make visiting bands feel comfortable and welcomed. When asked how he has time for anything else, he replied, "That's what I do, and that's what I'm proud of." Who needs free time when they are doing what they love?

Max Yates:

Before becoming the Grand Marshal, Yates was a senator for his first three years at Rensselaer, and served as vice chair for his sophomore and junior years. With him as the chair, the committee on student life developed "Pizza with the President." He drew from these experiences and developed his idea of how the student government should function. Yates is currently a member of the White Key and Phalanx Honors societies. He was also a member of Circle K during his freshman year. On top of all that, he is a cadet in the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps, and will be named second lieutenant the day before commencement. This summer he will be stationed at the Edwards Air Force Base in California as a member of the 412th test wing, serving as an aeronautical engineer.

Aside from campus organizations and the Air Force, Yates is an avid community service volunteer. After seeing how much he could help his hometown during his high school years, he came to Rensselaer hoping to be just as, if not more, successful with helping people and raising money for those most in need. Last year, he established "More than the Mission" to get volunteers to help over a dozen non-profit organizations around the Capital

Region. Unfortunately, this work was not continued this year, but last year alone, he raised volunteer numbers for Habitat for Humanity, food drives, and beautification projects. Yates believes that this campus would benefit from a volunteer hub, per se, to centralize all those who want to help and to combine efforts.

Regardless of everything else he has done, Yates will forever be known as the GM, and the work he did this past year ensures his legacy will be carried on. Though he'll mention again how it was a group effort, Yates oversaw the implementation of Ruckus. Since he was elected amidst the

lawsuits filed against Rensselaer students for illegal music downloads, he needed a solution that was fast and feasible. Now, over 3,200 students use the Ruckus program, and over 10,000 songs are downloaded each day. He was also behind improving school spirit with Go Be Red, which is being carried on next year. The group has bought out the entire section 33 for home hockey games next year, specifically for those exhibiting school spirit. He shows a great deal of pride for his accomplishments, and though they "[aren't] out changing the world . it's a start." He strived to bridge the gap between administration and students, and succeeded in improving communication around campus. Yates was a leader even before he was made Grand Marshal, but the experience "certainly has defined [his] life."

Frank X. Wright:

There is a fine line between professor and mentor, but that distinction is blurred when referring to Frank X. Wright, the Director of Undergraduate Programs at the Lally School of Management. Deemed "one of the best professors on campus by far" in the nomination, Wright personally strives to give the best performance he can in each class he teaches. Not only is he a

dedicated professor, but he also helps with recruiting students and assists current students with developing study plans.

An electrical engineer first and foremost, Wright earned his bachelor's degree from the University of New Mexico, as well as a bachelor's in computer science. He went on to earn his Masters of Science degree in electrical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School. After a stint working on the corporate level at Raytheon, he went on to teach management classes. In order to be as successful as possible, Wright uses the aid of

WebCT in all of his classes. This program primarily has plain tables and texts, but Wright spent time developing his pages to include weekly course information, creative graphics, and links to outside sources. He encourages students to take the initiative to learn more about course materials from three or more other sources, referred to as the "three for one rule." He has also been working with other professors to help improve WebCT at RPI as a whole and pushes them to utilize students to facilitate the process. He even won an Exemplary Course Project award last year for his international business class's homepage.

When he isn't teaching or working on WebCT, Wright is serving as a de facto advisor to students from all different majors. For every three students he has in his classes, only one of them is actually a management major. He works hard with Marie-Pierre Huguet, his course designer, to tailor each class to as many different students and learning styles as possible. He is able to incorporate what he learned in the military and

industry world into his teaching styles, which helps him better understand a broader range of students.