When did I stop attending RPI, and instead enroll at Rensselaer? Why wasn’t I told about the name change? We are known around the world as RPI, yet you wouldn’t know it in Troy. Suddenly, everywhere you look—on campus, in e-mails, and in press releases—we are now all students at Rensselaer.
The changeover to Rensselaer is most prevalent in speeches and press releases by members of the administration. The words “Polytechnic Institute” seem to have disappeared from their vocabulary. In President Jackson’s most recent e-mail to the students of RPI, extolling the inclusion of the Institute on Newsweek Kaplan College Guide’s list of “New Ivies,” not once does she utter those two words. Not even “RPI” is used once. Funny, considering when one reads Newsweek’s article, “RPI” is the only way we are referenced.
All over campus, one can see the insulting name-drop of “Rensselaer.” It is quite difficult to find the letters “RPI” grouped together on anything official on campus anymore. The sign on the footbridge, however, stands out from the rest. What once read “Why not change the world?”—RPI’s theme, according to our websites—now states “One word changes everything.” This sentence is then immediately followed by our school seal and our new name, Rensselaer, leading all those who see the sign to the conclusion that Rensselaer is indeed the “one word [that] changes everything.” While I am all in favor of touting our school, there is one problem: we attend Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Shouldn’t three words change everything? Rensselaer is a city a few miles down Interstate 787. Moving there may alter your life a bit, but I highly doubt it would change everything.
While the written word is powerful, money speaks volumes louder. Our tuition money is another victim to have changed hands. The Office of the Bursar, which collects tuition, now has all checks made out to “Rensselaer.” When the money no longer goes to RPI, there is definite cause for concern.
I, for one, am proud to be a student at RPI. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for Rensselaer. We should be proud of our technical roots, not try to hide them. They are a part of what makes RPI the institution that it is today. It is alarming to see how easy it was for the administration to sneak the switch from RPI to Rensselaer under our noses. I fear the attempt to add “University” will not be far behind.
