E-Board approves a flurry of motions in the penultimate meeting of the semester

Editor's Note: This article was meant to be published on December 6, 2023.

The Executive Board held their penultimate meeting of the semester last Thursday. The Board was approached by seven clubs, most of which were seeking union affiliation or union recognition.

Humans vs. Zombies requested approval to host an invitational that would invite other clubs from New York. The event, scheduled for March 30, 2024 from 9:30 am–6 pm, will be the first of its kind hosted by the club. The event was approved by Public Safety prior to the club approaching the E-Board. Humans vs. Zombies expects roughly 70 people to attend the event. The proposal was approved unanimously.

Magic Club, which focuses on the card game, was up next requesting a $172 starter budget. The club was looking for a draft box, a collection of several card packs, to host a draft event. This would allow attendees to participate without the need to own their own deck. The club also wanted to purchase a starter deck for newer members along with card sleeves. The starter budget was approved unanimously.

The Nikkei Student Union was the first club affiliation request of the night. The club would effectively serve as a Japanese student association meant for both Japanese and non-Japanese students. The E-Board approved the affiliation request unanimously.

RPI Weightlifting was then up seeking Union recognition. Club Operations Committee Chairwoman Catherine Philipps ’24 presented on their behalf as none of the club’s members were able to attend the meeting. According to Philipps, the Weightlifting club had existed in the past but went inactive and was never sunset. A handful of students have since decided to revive the club. They already have a designated time to meet at the Mueller Center an hour before it opens on Saturday mornings at 11 am. The recognition request was approved unanimously.

Following Weightlifting’s footsteps, RPI Indoor Aeromodeling was also seeking Union recognition. The goal of the club is to build indoor lightweight model planes. In contrast to other aviation clubs at Rensselaer, Indoor Aeromodeling is not meant to be a competitive club. The club already has a dedicated space in the ’87 Gym. The recognition request was approved unanimously.

The final club recognition of the night was from RPI German Club which aims to be a German language club. In the future, the club hopes to purchase books and study materials. The E-Board approved the recognition request unanimously.

RPI Code Red was the last club to approach the E-Board. Code Red is a competitive Nerf club where members build their own blasters. The club was seeking recognition to eventually purchase supplies and materials to build blasters. The E-Board approved the club unanimously.

The E-Board then moved to appoint Jake Herman ’23G and Abigail Golden ’24 as Advisor to the President and Archduchess to the President, respectively. The reasoning behind the appointments is to help with the transition after President of the Union Ava Gallagher ’23G steps down this week to graduate. Both appointments were approved unanimously. After the appointments, the E-Board unanimously approved a room reallocation to make what used to be the campus card office across from Mother’s a general meeting room.

The final motion of the night concerned renaming the Debt Service Administrative Budget to the Union Facilities Improvements Fund. The new fund will come into effect during FY26 as the mortgage on the Union building will have been fully paid off in the prior fiscal year. From FY26 onwards, the Union will have roughly $250,000 per year that could be used for future capital projects. The E-Board approved the motion unanimously.

This Executive Board meeting was held on November 30. The final E-Board meeting of the semester is this Thursday at 7 pm in the Shelnutt Gallery.