The Division of Student Life will be focusing on numerous athletics projects as key initiatives over the next year, according to the newly drafted Student Life Performance Plan released before the Thanksgiving break. Cultural and leadership initiatives also ranked among the highest priorities for the 2007 school year.
Vice President for Student Life Eddie Knowles discussed the proposed initiatives at the annual Student Cross-Cutting Review that took place November 14. Knowles presented the draft performance plan to an audience composed of administrators and students in the CII.
Culturally, the Division of Student Life is proposing the development of a music festival, to be named “ParkFest,” in collaboration with the Rensselaer Technology Park. The initiative will be led by CDC Director Tom Tarantelli. The Union is also planning to fully develop its noon concert series. This semester, several classical performances have been performed in the Academy Hall Auditorium at noon, allowing for more students to benefit from the ease of access. Knowles plans to expand the initiative further to include performances at various venues around campus, such as Jazzman’s Café, by student music groups as well as invited guests.
Sadra Azizi ’09, Chair of the Committee on Student Life, likes the idea. “Demand is high for it already,” said Azizi. According to Director of the Union Rick Hartt ’70, tickets for the events go very quickly and almost always sell out.
One of the athletics initiatives proposed for next year focuses on the establishment of a summer educational certificate program. The program, which will include studies in finance and marketing, will target professional hockey players in the National Hockey League. Knowles is excited about the prospect, saying it will give the Institute more visibility, income during the summer, and position RPI as a place for professional athletes to gain business education for when they retire from athletics.
The Department of Athletics is also exploring the possibility of providing streaming, online video of home athletic games, especially hockey games, on a season subscription or fee-per-game basis. The department has been discussing its options with various vendors, including Internet Consulting Services, the company that designed the RPI Athletics website.
RPI TV has also been pulled into the discussions by Athletic Director Ken Ralph. RPI TV currently records and broadcasts home hockey games on the RPI cable system. One option being investigated would allow RPI TV’s broadcast to be used for the online stream, though issues of copyright and ownership still need to be worked out.
Seeking other means to generate revenue, the Department of Athletics is planning to begin a licensed apparel program, selling RPI-branded sports clothing. The department will also be working with the administration to develop a new season ticket strategy for men’s hockey beginning next year. One strategy is to begin offering season tickets that cater to families, in an attempt to attract more local support to the games.
Following the institute’s focus on creating student leaders, the Office of the First-Year Experience will be sponsoring a program called “Emerging Leaders” geared toward freshmen. The program will support leadership development during the freshman to sophomore transition. Additionally, Residence Life will be creating a leadership-themed house for first-year students. The house will be open to students interested in leadership, and will have a resident assistant to be selected from the Professional Leadership Program. Azizi, also an RA, believes the themed housing will be good for students, saying, “It’s really going to take off. The freshmen can really benefit by bringing leadership into the residence setting.”
In addition to the items on the draft Student Life Performance Plan, discussion at the review touched on the proposal to extend RPI’s disciplinary jurisdiction to include off-campus actions. The extension would permit RPI to initiate judicial proceedings against a student for an assault occurring off-campus, even if that student was not found guilty in a court of law, in one example. Many students are against the extension, but some, including Azizi, feel that it would be a good move. “Just like fraternities take the blame for actions of their members, so does the Institute. It’s important to preserve the image of the school,” said Azizi.
The final draft of the Student Life Performance Plan will be released later this week.
Editor’s Note: Senior Reporter Abderrahmane Benghanem contributed to this article.
