Ruckus still pending
As of October 9 the campus-wide music agreement contract for the trial of Ruckus had still not been signed. The agreement, if and when signed, would provide the campus with 3,000 licenses to the Ruckus Network’s music service. John Kolb, chief information officer, said there were no updates on the contract from the administration’s point of view and the contract was still being looked over and pending.
At the same time, however, a Ruckus server has been delivered and installed in the Voorhees Computing Center, according to confidential student government documents obtained by The Polytechnic. The documents also stated that the server could be activated with a day’s notice once the contract is signed.
Troy site renovations
A Saratoga Springs couple plans to spend several million dollars renovating the Gay Building in downtown Troy. The building, better known as Stanley’s Department Store, has been vacant since 1989, and is one of the largest vacant buildings in Troy.
The couple plans to convert the building into a Manhattan-style hybrid apartment complex with high-end apartments on the upper floors, and retail tenants on the first floor. The building will be renamed The Conservatory in honor of the Troy Conservatory of Music, which once resided there.
The five-story building will also include an underground parking facility for tenants. Current projections have the building finished and rented to tenants by 2006.
Guardian Angels in Troy
Following a cold reception by Mayor Harry Tutunjian, residents have invited the Guardian Angels and their leader Curtis Sliwa, back to Troy. The Guardian Angels are a group that encourages citizens to take crime reporting into their own hands by spotting crime and informing police—all while wearing a distinctive red cap or belt.
Though sometimes accused as acting in a vigilante capacity, many citizens of Troy, particularly those in the minority communities, indicated that they were fearful of Troy Police. Others were frustrated with the Troy Police Department’s seeming inability to track down violent criminals and the sheer volume of crime taking place in Troy.
Albany and Schenectady recently welcomed the Guardian Angels and Troy is now the third city in the capital region to have a chapter of the organization.
Athletic facility security
RPI recently instituted new security measures for the ’87 Gym, the Mueller Center, the Armory, and the Robison Pool. As of yesterday, access to those buildings is being controlled via RPI ID cards for students and via telephone for visitors and others.
The Mueller Center, Armory, and Robison Pool can now only be accessed through the Mueller Center entrance, while all access to the ’87 Gym is through the south main entry doors. Students can find out if they have a proximity enabled card by checking for a five digit number at the top left hand of the reverse side of their ID.
These athletic facilities now join the campus dormitories, VCC, Folsom Library, MRC, Academy Hall, Troy Building, the Greene Building, and the Biotech center in being controlled by proximity- based access control systems.
