Ruckus approved
At its regular meeting on Monday night, the Executive Board supported a contract with Ruckus, the campus’s online music service, for the upcoming academic year. According to President of the Union James Fisher, the E-Board took it upon itself to ensure that 3,000 subscribers will be active in the fall, thereby guarenteeing that the service remains free. The Senate endorsed $10,000 for Ruckus when approving the activity fee in February, but those funds became unnecessary upon the new free usage agreement. Ruckus’s revenue will come through advertising on its website.
RPI signed its first agreement with Ruckus in November, with financial backing from the Campus Action Network secured by the Student Senate. Since the Institute began its official relationship with Ruckus, no known lawsuits have been filed against RPI students for illegal filesharing activities.
Alleged Fire in JEC
At approximately 9:49 am on Friday, Troy Fire Department responded to a fire alarm in JEC 6018. According to Public Safety, the heating unit in that room, which houses a professor in the Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering Department, had shorted out causing smoke to set off the alarm. The building was cleared, and regular operation resumed within approximately 30 minutes.
No major damage was sustained. Emergency response personnel remained on the scene until approximately one hour after the start of the alarm.
Referendum Today
The Student Senate is holding a campus-wide referendum today relating to the recent changes in greek life policy. Students are asked to vote on whether or not they agree with the following statement: “Whereas students had no means of input on the new disciplinary Greek policies—a violation of the Student Bill of Rights and the Greek Relationship Statement—we, the student body, disapprove of the policies and demand that the administration include student input on all points to shape more appropriate policies that adequately ensure the safety and welfare of students and hold off on enacting any current proposed policies until such times that all involved parties have the chance for review and input.”
A timeline for announcing the results of the referendum has not been announced. The referendum was ordered at the first Senate meeting of the term, at which time Zack Freeman was presiding over the Student Senate as Grand Marshal.
