Last year the Executive Board committed to funding several programs that we believe have had a tremendous benefit to our campus community. One of these services, Ruckus, was restructured over the summer and became a zero-subsidy program for the Union. As such, funds we had previously committed to the program were unused. Often in situations like this, the money is used in areas that operate with budget deficiencies or is redirected into the Union’s general reserve accounts. However, we the Executive Board have devised a program to grant the student body the opportunity to derive a return on its investment. We call this program The Union Challenge.

Beginning next Monday, February 19, one challenge will be issued per week for the next 10 weeks of classes. These challenges are designed to be easy, but not effortless. Each of the challenges will consist of a question that is designed to make you think about your experiences and life at RPI. For example, a challenge might ask the following: “Describe your favorite activity, event, or competition related to RPI Athletics and the qualities which made that experience unique. Then propose a means for integrating these qualities across other aspects of our athletics programs and campus community.” For this type of question, I would expect responses that touch any range of subjects. One might discuss experiences in intramural athletics, Big Red Freakout!, participating in varsity athletics, or a particularly impressive contribution to the community by one of our club sports. Each response will be read by selected members of the Union Executive Board, and the response they deem to be the most original and innovative will be designated as the winner of the challenge.

Challenge questions will be distributed via email to the student body on the Monday of each week between February 19 and April 30 (excluding March 5). The contest will be open to all activity fee paying students, and iPods will be awarded directly to the students with the winning entries. Only electronic copies will be accepted. All entries will become the property of the Rensselaer Student Union and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and by entering, you will be giving your consent for them to be recreated or published on Institute websites or in other promotional materials. The winner will be announced during the following contest period. Throughout the entire contest, all decisions will be final. All responses will be numbered and contact information removed so that anonymity is ensured. That being said, all work must be original; any work found to be duplicated from other sources will be disqualified.