The job of President of the Union is arguably an integral part of what keeps the Rensselaer Union running smoothly fiscally. However, supporting this position is an extremely important part of student government here at RPI, the Union Executive Board. Almost all fiscal decisions made pertaining to Union finances pass through the Board and its members in some capacity. This includes decisions regarding clubs, intercollegiate athletics, facilities, food service, and more.
Appointing a new board is one of the first tasks of each new President of the Union, and I am pleased to announce that with approval of the Student Senate I have filled seven of the eight positions which I am able to fill at this time for the 2009–2010 Executive Board.
New members are: Class of 2010 Representative Josh Elser, Class of 2011 Representative Mike Spitz, and Class of 2012 Representative Stefan Dicker. They will be joining returning members: Club/ICA Representatives Tequisha Hendrickson ’10 and Moe Yeh ’08, Graduate Representative Joe Perchiacca ’08, and Member-at-Large Ken Hyer ’10. Additionally, Virginia Hickox ’12 will be serving as Senate/E-Board Liaison. I would like to congratulate these individuals for their appointments; I look forward to working with them over the next year. There is one remaining Club/ICA representative needing approval from the Senate, and still to be appointed are the Class of 2013 representative, Undergraduate Council representative, and Graduate Council representative.
This year’s applicant pool was of exceptional quality, and choosing these appointments was not a straightforward task. The main goal in the selection process was to build a diverse E-Board of qualified individuals. The newly appointed Board has members with experience in clubs and activities including cultural clubs, club sports, performing arts clubs, publication clubs, student government, and greek life. The Executive Board seems to have a unique position in student government, drawing students from activities all around campus who aren’t typically deeply involved with the political activities of the Union. This makes the Board an ideal place to have involvement from a diverse field of active individuals on campus.
Budgeting and fiscal matters are important issues which touch all of us through the activity fee. With more than 170 clubs and activities available on campus, the amount of involvement is undoubtedly great and broad. Getting a good sampling to fairly and knowledgeably represent this amount of activity on the Board is essential to representing the campus during the budgeting process and when dealing with fiscal matters throughout the year.
As mentioned above, I feel like the new E-Board appointments satisfy these needs and will help lead us in a positive direction. With the experience of old members and the interests of new members, the Executive Board is primed for a successful and productive year.
