Rensselaer Voices for Palestine gets affiliation, RPI ambulance receives subsidy

The first motion of the night was for Rensselaer Voices for Palestine to become a Union-affiliated club. RVP is a locally-based grassroots organization focused mainly on education, charity, and advocacy for Palestinians. They currently have 28 verified members and are advised by Science and Technology Studies department head Abby Kinchy. During the discussion of the proposal, which members of RVP were not present for, claims of antisemitism through club social media were brought to the members of the Executive Board. Following this, the meeting was closed to the public, with RVP called back in once for further discussion. In public discussion, E-Board members brought up that, while moderating hateful comments in online spaces is a problem that should be brought to the attention of the Institute as a whole, the E-Board neither can nor should be responsible for enforcement. Moreover, the club had no plans for affiliation with any national organizations. The meeting was closed again for another discussion, after which the motion was approved.

Next, RPI Players requested access to the McNeil room on March 23 from 5-9 pm for a production of an improvised musical. RPI Players, who cannot currently use the RPI Playhouse due to unsafe conditions, have performed in both Academy Hall and West Hall. However, they were unable to secure either building for this production due to a dangerous stage environment. Performing in the McNeil room would allow the Players to more easily control the lighting and sound of the performance, as well as give the audience a better viewing experience. The E-Board informed the Players that approval for the event is required before the club could request a room, and the motion was amended to create a new program for the event. The motion to add a new program for the improv musical and to give RPI Players access to the McNeil room was approved 14-0-1.

RPI Quadball approached the E-Board for an additional subsidy in order to take their team to a national competition in Read Rock, Texas on April 12-15. The club, which currently has 23 members, requested an additional $4,000 to help cover a part of the $13,000 cost of the trip. This additional subsidy would take a $365 financial burden off of individual players, seven of whom stated that that additional trip cost would prevent them from participating. After reviewing the club’s finances, some discrepancies were found in the club’s budget. To allow for time to review club funding, the motion was tabled until the next meeting.

RPI Ambulance also came to the E-Board to ask for permission to replace their ambulance, which has been in service for 18 years. After obtaining permission to seek a quote for a new ambulance from the E-Board in a previous meeting, they received one from Specialty Ambulance that appeared to be the best option, being significantly cheaper than all other bids while also offering a brand new vehicle instead of a used one. To cover the $197,999 cost of the vehicle, they requested an $8,803 subsidy, with the rest of the cost paid for by the club’s $189,196 reserve fund. After this, the meeting was closed to the public to review the club’s finances. During this closure, the motion to allow RPI Ambulance to follow through with the bid was approved.

The last motion of the night was for RPI TV to obtain a $320 subsidy to replace an order of cables that were damaged during shipping. In order to be operational by the fall semester, they need to have the cables by the end of the spring semester. The $320 subsidy would cover the cost of the 120 damaged cables and the cost of shipping. The E-Board then decided that the money could come from facility reserve funds. After a brief discussion, The motion was approved 11-0-3.

The Executive Board meeting was held on February 22. The next E-Board meeting is Thursday, February 29 at 7 pm in the Shellnutt Gallery.