Rensselaer Economics Club gets affiliation, Rounak obtains subsidy to attend national competition

RPI Rounak approached the Executive Board looking for a $3,625 subsidy to attend a national competition in Los Angeles the week after Spring Break. The subsidy will cover roughly half of the $8,000 cost to purchase plane tickets for the club’s 16 members. Rounak’s members will contribute to the remaining costs. The E-Board approved the subsidy 11–1–2.

The Black Students’ Alliance was also seeking a subsidy for $500 to host their annual Ebony Ball. The Ball will be hosted in Russell Sage Dining Hall with catering provided by Sodexo. 100 tickets will be made available for sale for $15-$20, an increase from last year’s prices of $12-$15 due to increased costs from Sodexo. The subsidy request was approved by the E-Board unanimously.

Rensselaer Economics Club then approached the E-Board seeking Union affiliation. The goal of the club is to provide students with the opportunity to meet with professors, scholars, and industry professionals, and assist students with finding research and independent studies. The club was created in January and has 11 members across most class years, including graduate and PhD students. The club has also been recognized by the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, and the School of Science and has two faculty advisors, Dr. Conor Lennon and Dr. Mina Mahmoudi. The E-Board approved the affiliation request unanimously.

RPI TV also approached E-Board looking for subsidy to replace damaged cables, but questions on how exactly they became damaged and which of the Union funds would cover the replacements. With this confusion, the motion was tabled.

The RPI Players submitted a request to use the McNeil Room for an improv musical show but failed to show up to the E-Board meeting, so their request was tabled. RPI Code Red also had their request for a new club budget tabled as their budget had not been approved by the Club Operations Committee.

The Executive Board meeting was held on February 15. The next E-Board meeting is Thursday, February 22 at 7 pm in the Shellnutt Gallery.