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Volume 127, Number 13 November 15, 2006
Top Story

Phase-in work progresses
Earlier this semester, The Polytechnic reported on the new communication requirement that has started with the Class of 2010. The basis of the new communication requirement is to address the shortcomings of the old writing requirement, which Lee Odell, associate dean and professor of Humanities and Social Sciences felt “... tells us nothing about people’s ability to write.” He added that it is also important to develop the non-written forms of communication such as oral presentation and web design. Current debate revolves around how to modify existing courses to fit the communication requirement. Faculty senators mentioned the difficulty in evaluating group communication and some suggested that there should instead be separate English courses that are mandatory for all students.

FULL STORY

 

News

'78 footbridge changes discussed

Mayoral 'pizza' held

Ed/Op

Staff Editorial
Consider actions before behaving irresponsibly

Editorial Notebook
Decorations superfluous

Editorial Notebook
Look beyond political affiliations

Derby
Budgeting demands full student involvement

Straight from the Ass's Mouth
Election turnout reveals population awareness

Letter to the Editor
Actions reflect group affiliations

My View
WRPI serves community and campus

Features

Indian students celebrate Festival of Lights

Players expertly stage Macbeth

The Poly reveals Annual Pizza Poll results

Dave Barry
Visit to wineries elighten guests with tastings, detox

Words to Eat By
Brewery provides savory food, beer

Sports

RPI ranked 16th in the nation

Engineers earn first league win in program history

RPI upsets Union, keeps season alive

Special teams provide boost in RPI win over Merrimack

Swimming & diving teams sweep Vassar

Rensselaer in Brief
Student feigns assault
A student at the College of Saint Rose in Albany was arrested for fabricating and reporting a burglary and sexual assault. On October 30, freshman Jessica Waffle told police that she had been attacked and robbed in her dorm room in Brubacher Hall two days prior, offering highly detailed descriptions of her assailants. On November 9, however, Waffle admitted that she had made the whole story up in order to go back home to Fonda, N.Y, and was arrested on the misdemeanor charge of falsely reporting an incident.

As the residence hall is the property of the University at Albany, SUNY campus police led the intense investigation into the claims. They found a number of inconsistencies in Waffle’s story, which eventually led to her confession.

Waffle’s report also sparked concern among college administrators and community members over the general security on the campus. A town hall-style meeting was held to discuss the issue, and school leaders pledged to install security cameras and card readers. Such plans are still going forward despite Waffle’s confession.

New cell tower planned
Verizon Wireless has proposed building a new 80-foot cell phone tower in a location selected for its clear view of the city, North Troy and Lansingburgh in particular. The plot, approximately 0.35 acres, is located by Oakwood Cemetery at 20 Gurley Avenue. The tower itself would be disguised as a large pine tree and would be protected by six-foot high chain-link fencing.

Area residents are concerned about the new addition, particularly because of its potential to affect the view and land value. The worry is that by building the tower, the surrounding real estate would decrease in value. To allay such fears, Verizon has met with several of the locals to present plans that gave more specifics about the structure as well as the landscaping the company would do.

Student senate update
After a discussion about WRPI last week, the Student Senate focused on committee reports, starting with E-Board Liason Nick Wood ’07, who reported that the Board was going to be discussing the new budget plans. The Community Relations and Student Life committees were busy with “Pizza with the Mayor,” which took place last Wednesday. The Student Life Committee has also been working on the GM Week formal, most notably the possibility of moving it to the Heffner Alumni House. The Finance, Facilities, and Advancement Committee is working on implementing the recently-approved sign policy and helping the Class of 2007 with its plans to redesign the footbridge.

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