News

A new Freshman Elections Handbook was approved. The Mercer XLab finished renovations and is now open to the public upon request. Also, Timothy Miles ’24 and Adrian Alicea-Roman ’23G were appointed as Inter-Fraternity Council Senator and Community Relations Committee Chairperson, respectively.

Gabriel Jacoby-Cooper ’24 announced that the new Shuttle Tracker update is out. The new Shuttle Tracker makes locating the shuttles more accurate and more convenient. Adrian Alicea-Roman ’23G revived the Community Relations Committee by becoming its chairperson and Timothy Miles ’24 suggested some changes to the upcoming elections.

The Executive Board has approved a stopgap budget request for the Caribbean Students Association for $1,070.

RPI ambulance was approved to obtain quotes for a new ambulance, and RPI Club Softball was granted a stopgap request.

Web Technologies Group chairperson Gabriel Jacoby-Cooper ’24 has announced that Shuttle Tracker 2.0, a complete revamp of the service, will begin to hand out tracking devices to shuttles.

Grand Marshal Ben Viner ’24 proposed future Senate changes. Isabele Lieber ’25 and Michelle Li ’26 were appointed to Club and Organization Representative and Class of 2026 Representative, respectively, both of which are voting positions for the Executive Board.

RPI TV got $12,827.05 for a graphics and replay server, as well as general infrastructure to perform to ESPN+ standards for hockey broadcasting. RPI Brazilian Jiu Jitsu became Union affiliated.

The Executive Board approved the allocation of $27,268 to purchase new furniture for the Student Government Suite, two-thirds of which came from a donation by Jon Kessler ’79. The Board also approved a motion to fund four parking passes for members of RPI Ambulance.

Summer break renovations of Russell Sage Dining Hall were completed. Changes include a new entrance and updated Simple Zone.

The Executive Board voted to alter the hours of operation for the Rensselaer Union, Mueller Center, and ’87 Gym. They also approved the appointment of Michelle Martinez ’26 as the new Multicultural Leadership Council chairperson.

President Martin A. Schmidt ’81 announced that Rensselaer has settled a class action lawsuit related to tuition payments during the pandemic for $6.5 million.

The Executive Board proposed a flurry of changes in the upcoming Fall semester including Ben and Jerry’s closure on September 1, 2023, Student Government Suite renovations, and Union Hair Salon plans.

The first Executive Board meeting of the Fiscal Year 2024 started with an additional subsidy approval for RPI Rugby. The Board also approved the installation of new security cameras in the Union which will be funded by the Institute.

The Executive Board held its final business meeting of the year last Thursday. In contrast to the prior two meetings, the E-Board did not have issues reaching quorum as the Senate appointed 17 new voting members to the E-Board the night before.

Talulah Patch ’24 won the run-off for Class of 2024 President. Moreover, the Student Senate approved six Judicial Board appointments and 17 Executive Board appointments.

The Student Senate debated over possible future handbook changes regarding micromobility devices on campus.

UPAC General was approved for a funding reallocation to host a Field day on April 23. For the last day of classes on April 26, UPAC comedy has invited two comedians to perform in the McNeil Room. RPI Wrestling received an additional subsidy to cover a portion of the cost for the team to travel to their national tournament in Puerto Rico.

Grand Marshal Ben Viner ’24 runs his first Senate meeting as Grand Marshal. The Senate held basic introductions.

President of the Union Ava Gallagher ’23G has announced that the Union Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2024 was approved by the Institute. RPI’s Dance Team received a subsidy to attend the National Dance Alliance competition in Daytona Beach, Florida.

RPI Rugby gains funding for upcoming Beast of the East tournament, while Dance Team’s additional subsidy for National competition gets tabled for next meeting. The board discusses marketing and solidifying one shade of red for the Union.

Rensselaer has begun testing a new chatbot named Puckman, an initiative being led by the Department of Undergraduate Education. The chatbot sent out text messages to most of the freshmen cohort on March 30. An email from Keith Moo-Young, Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education, explained that the goal of the initiative is to boost student success.

Resident assistants voted overwhelmingly 55-9 to approve the RA Union. The election, administered by the National Labor Relations Board, took place last Tuesday and Wednesday in the Union. Rensselaer will now be required by law to bargain collectively with the union in relation to RA compensation, benefits, and working conditions.

President Martin A. Schmidt ’81 gave an update on what future finances will look like, as well as a few institution changes that many faculty appreciated. Some changes include no charge on paid time off when the school is closed for holiday break and adding Juneteenth to the faculty holiday calendar.

Former President of the Union Colleen Corrigan ’23G held her final E-Board meeting as President last week. She will be succeeded by Ava Gallagher ’23G.