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GM Week 2004 Ralph makes his mark as athletic director Dave Barry
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Track starts season with sweep Baseball takes two RPI drops UCAA trip Final Four determined RPI overcomes early adversity RPI shocks Continentals at home Softball collapses in late innings Major League revamped for 2004 season Frozen Four Set
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Rensselaer in Brief
RNE debates scheduled
Today at 3 pm, the Rensselaer Union will hold its annual debates for Grand Marshal and President of the Union. The debates will be held in room 308 of the DCC and are open to the all students and members of the community.
This year the debates are being radiocasted, web-casted, and televised. WRPI will broadcast them live on the air and on the web at http://www.wrpi.org/realaudio/. RPI-TV will also be broadcasting the debates live.
Elections for student government positions will be held Thursday. Results will be announced at the finale event Friday at 9:30 pm in the Houston Field House.
TAP dispute continues
Earlier this month Larry M. Snavley, vice president of government and community relations, sent an e-mail to all RPI students urging us to oppose the cuts to New York State’s Tuition Assistance Program that are part of the proposed budget. The proposed cuts amount to about a quarter of a billion dollars affecting over 350,000 students across the state, and just under an estimated $1 million for over 1,400 RPI students.
Last Wednesday, over 100 University at Albany students participated in a forum on their campus to oppose the cuts proposed by New York’s governor, George Pataki. The proposed cuts withhold a third of students’ awards until graduation and upon graduation students would receive the amount withheld plus interest accrued on loans for the amount withheld.
The Democrats in the state legislature say they plan on fighting the cuts. Last year, the state legislature overrode the governor on several cuts in the budget. According to Snavely’s e-mail, students wanting to contact legislators should direct their web browser to http://econstituent.votenet.com/cicu/. Wilson gets position
Last Wednesday, the University of Massachusetts’s Board of Trustees named interim President Jack Wilson to the presidency of the five campus system. Wilson previously served as a professor, dean, and interim provost here at RPI.
After his time at RPI, he was recruited by then UMass President James Bugler to start their distance learning program called UMassOnline. That program currently has over 11,000 students.
President Bugler resigned during August, 2003 under pressure from the governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney, and others. Wilson had been serving as the interim president of the system since September of last year. Hearing scheduled
Last Thursday, the Troy City Council voted 9-0 to schedule a public hearing on the proposed Troy Business Improvement District for 7 pm on Wednesday, April 14. The proposal would add an additional 5 percent on top of commercial business owners’ city property taxes.
In return for the additional tax, which would on average cost each property owner about $100, streets and sidewalks would be cleaned and other steps would be taken to make the area look more attractive. The intent is to attract both customers and new businesses to the area.
After the hearing, business owners in the district have 30 days to file objections. If a majority choose to do so, the proposal must be rejected. Barring that, the city council would have to pass a law creating the district and then have the plan approved by both the state Comptroller’s office and a state Supreme Court justice. Loitering law proposed
This Thursday, the Troy City Council will vote on a proposal that would ban students from loitering near schools between 7 am and 4 pm. While the draft of the law would make it illegal to loiter within 2000 feet of a school for all students under age 18, Troy’s mayor, Harry Tutunjian, said the age limit may be amended to 21.
Under the provisions of the law, a first violation would result in the student being held by police and turned over to his or her parent or guardian. Thereafter, a violation would result in a $100 fine for parents and 25 hours of community service for the youth.
While those in favor of the law, such as the mayor, the principal of Troy High School, and superintendent of Troy schools, say that it will reduce fights and traffic congestion, students disagree. In opposition to the proposal, many students stood on the sidewalk facing Troy High last Friday. |
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