Well, if last time you read Top Hat you sensed I was stressed out, hopefully this week you will read me as being relieved of my stress and still daydreaming of a pleasant spring break. Hopefully this was the case for all of my fellow students, as a solid week of unbridled laughter and a few alcoholic beverages (for those of legal age) has rejuvenated my sense of priority and focus. Perhaps even a bit of senioritis has set in – hmmm!
With only two weeks left in my term as Grand Marshal, and about a month of class as an undergraduate, I feel inclined to look back upon this year and recall the events that have taken up residence in my memories. The first would have to be returning to campus after completing a semester abroad in Maastricht, the Netherlands.
When I arrived in August, my partner Mr. Johnson and I were quickly put to work as part of the Freshman Welcome Wagon. I had forgotten how much fun I had when I began my four-year tour at RPI, and was delighted to actually have people listening when I spoke. Then came the many faces I had not seen for almost a year, and even more I had never known—like the windfall of administrators I was introduced to. I must have been dizzy for the first few days of class, but all of the free BBQs and hoopla kept me standing.
The Senate dug in quickly with committee work commencing and appointments and approvals stretching into October. In the meantime, Barton Hotel (er, Hall) and the revitalized Union were celebrated and I had the opportunity to meet with the Board of Trustees to express the goals and vision of the Senate for the coming year. Performance Planning was introduced as the means to accomplishing the "we will"s of The Rensselaer Plan, and it became the focus on all levels from the President’s Cabinet to the Archer Center.
Although our Engineer football team was unable to duplicate last year’s success, the fall was filled with other excitement from greek Rush to a superb Family Weekend—capped off by a stellar GM Brunch, of course. There seemed to be more liveliness on campus than I had remembered in the past, perhaps due to the Indian summer we experienced plus the addition of the Mueller Center alongside the Union in the center of campus last spring.
Winter came late, but not without force as the trails opened in time for procrastinating during the final weeks of the semester. Unfortunately for some, the new final exam schedule allowed for as many as three exams on the same day. A condensed break of just three weeks had us back before we got comfy at home. But that just meant less time for our brains to lay idle … right?
January moved swiftly with snow piling up after several storms, and the start of campus-wide discussions of the two facility initiatives of the Performance Plans: an Electronic Media and Performing Arts Center and a Biotech/Information Technology center to house the newest addition to the academic spread of Rensselear. First Year Experience initiatives surfaced in a definitive plan to better immerse students, faculty, and staff into the Rensselaer environment and experience. Residence renewal was reaffirmed as a goal for the coming years and a greater commitment to the cutting edge technologies of the world was established. The VP for student life search committee began to interview the final candidates for the student advocate who sits on the President’s Cabinet, and hopefully by GM Week our new vice president will be named.
Now, after two semesters and several heavy dumpings of snow, you are just 51 days from sending my fellow 2001 graduates and me on our way. Hopefully the year has been as filled and memorable for you as it has for me, and I look forward to the closing weeks of my undergraduate Rensselaer experience.
That said, I hope to have the switchboard lit Wednesday between 6 and 7 pm on WRPI 91.5 FM, as I host yet another installment of "Stewed Government" for your listening and complaining pleasure. Otherwise, I will see you at Monday’s Senate meeting, 8:30 pm in Union Room 3202. Have a fabulous Hump Day and a super week!
