E–Board approves RUGP revision

Vice President of Rules and Special Projects Joseph Bowers ’25 presented a series of changes to the Rensselaer Union Guidelines and Procedures. The October 2024 revision includes many adjustments to tie up loose ends in the RUGP, as well as strengthen and clarify rules for clubs and Union space. During the presentation, Bowers outlined various priorities in the new version.

The biggest change in the new version of the RUGP was an updated signage policy. For new signage limitations, the new version explicitly states a square footage limit, which was previously not written. The new policy also disallows tape or staples for hanging posters, as they can damage the bulletin boards. To avoid issues with the appearance of the takedown date and contact email, the location and layout has been explicitly named. Now, there must be white space in the bottom right corner with a visible email address and takedown date. Additionally, Bowers outlined a removal policy, with violations being reported to the Marketing and Strategy Chair. After one or two violations, there is an email warning and harsher penalties are assigned if more violations occur.

Various changes to the RUGP include grammar edits, an increase in gas reimbursement, and policies that align better with the operations of clubs like the Union Showtechs, RPI TV, and RPI Ambulance.

Miscellaneous changes to clarify club processes include a public link for newly forming clubs that can be found here. All clubs now have a Student Activities Resource Person, and affiliated clubs are now able to have an E-Board representative for any guidance. Additionally, a line was added to mandate that Class Council members must attend a financial workshop. For all clubs, any appeals to a denial of a request goes to the President of the Union and then the Executive Board. Other changes outlined within the facilities included a rule against open food containers in club storage.

Alongside new changes, many rules were clarified in more depth. For the Union spaces, only recognized or affiliated organizations by the Institute or Union can book rooms. For the E-Board, a clearer set of rules were outlined in the conflict of interest policy, including a last-resort line in the event that all members of the voting constituency are conflicted. The wording of the motion was adjusted to be in effect upon the approval of the Student Senate for the signage policy. The motion to approve the revision passed 16-1-0.

Alongside RUGP changes, multiple clubs came to the E-Board for normal business. The Google Developer Groups on Campus at Rensselaer approached the board for Union Affiliation. The club wants to give a space for students to connect and learn about Google technologies, and have opportunities to network with peers and Google industry experts. The motion to affiliate the organization passed 16-1-1.

RPI Weightlifting asked for an additional subsidy of $500 for competition costs. There was a miscommunication during the budgeting season and the club received no funding for the competition. Years ago, another club under the same name died down at RPI, although never sunset. There was then an agreement that the new RPI Weightlifting would assume the old name, but the club did not meet with their representatives accordingly. This caused their budget to be zeroed out. To follow the guidelines on competition funding, the E-Board adjusted the motion to subsidize travel and half of the entry fees, $225 and $124 respectively. The total of $349 passed unanimously.

UPAC Comedy asked for a reallocation of $39 to pay for top three prizes for the Bad Jokes Competition. Taking from a program not used this semester, the board added a new goal and program in their budget and reallocated the money to buy three different games and prizes for the winners. The motion to reallocate the money passed 14-0-4.

UPAC Concerts then approached the board for McNeil Room access and a subsidy for their Battle of the Bands event on November 1st. They requested the McNeil Room from 11 am to 11:59 pm to allow the Union Showtechs ample time to prepare and clean up. This motion passed 15-0-3. Subsequently, UPAC Concerts asked for $600 for prizes for the top three bands. This motion also passed 15-0-3.

This meeting was held on October 23, 2024. The next E-Board meeting will be held on Wednesday October 30 at 7:30 pm in the Shelnutt Gallery.