Where to weep

Finals season is a special time of year at Rensselaer when the Union is filled to the brim with students whose cortisol levels are rivaled only by the amount of caffeine in their systems. Every student needs to find some way to release that stress, and a good way to do that is by crying. Here are some great places to do just that.

The Balcony of Folsom Library

The Balcony of the Folsom Library is one of the most peaceful places on campus. You’ve probably seen it before as it’s on the first floor of the building. Although outdoors and a little cold, you can enjoy looking over the City of Troy. Collect yourself, take a deep breath, and prepare yourself for what’s yet to come.

The Jonsson-Rowland Science Center

J-ROWL is very quiet most of the time, especially during weekends. J-ROWL is a series of plain hallways and empty classrooms lit by streaks of sunlight and fluorescent fixtures. Although too convoluted to explain here, there’s a way to get there through the Jonsson Engineering Center; however, if you spend a little bit of time exploring the lower floors, you should end up where you need to be eventually. Once you’re done crying, you may even want to get some studying done. J-ROWL is great for that too!

The Carnegie building

There exists a series of mysterious tunnels on the bottom floor of the Carnegie building. Be careful about the floors—some of the pipes down there are a little neglected, often leaking water. Walk down the stairs you see when entering the building, take a right, follow the passage down to the first door on the left, and enter the room: a derelict ex-lounge. Observe the phrase “uwu” spray-painted on the wall and walk into the darkness. Sit on the floor across from the wall, and cry.

The Blue Room in West Hall

The best way to get to this destination (especially if you don’t like walking downstairs) is the small, one-person elevator. One can find it on every floor of West Hall, and it is an easy way to the elevator, which, when thinking about it, is itself a pretty good place to cry. However, a better one exists in room G17 on the lowest floor. If you enter through one of the doors with boarded-up windows you will find yourself in a small room which leads into an even larger and more expansive room.

The Poly Office

Our Sports Editor Andrew Days ’23 wanted me to specify that The Polytechnic doesn’t spend all day crying. However, if any of us did need to cry, the Poly office would by far be the best place on campus. Just lay down on one of the couches and cry for a little bit while eating some of the complimentary snacks, always on hand at the office. Having a good place to cry isn’t the premiere reason for why you should join us, but it’s definitely something to keep in mind with finals season here.