Hello everyone. The semester is quickly picking up and as your class work begins to increase, remember that the Union has many weekly events for you to take a break and this week is no exception. If you are looking for something to do on campus this week Mo Rocca of The Daily Show will be speaking as part of the Union Speakers Forum on Thursday at 7:30 pm in the DCC. The show is free, and tickets should be picked up in advance at the Union Administration Office. On Saturday, the Classical Concert Series will be sponsoring “B.J. Ward” at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall at 8 pm. The Troy Savings Bank Music Hall is a historic landmark with exceptional acoustics. I suggest every student attend a concert there at least once in his or her college career at Rensselaer.
As part of my role in holding the position of the President of the Union, I am a member of various committees on campus. While in a meeting last week I received some upsetting information about financial aid that all students should be aware of. Many students that are residents of New York receive financial assistance through state programs to attend colleges and universities. Due to the economic downturn, the state of New York is looking to decrease the amount of funding to these programs. These changes will have an effect on all students whether it is direct or indirect. If state financial aid decreases, Rensselaer will be forced to spread its aid to a larger population, which may cause decreased funding to necessary recipients. I encourage all students to review their financial aid information and become actively involved. Ways to be involved are through contacting your state and local representatives, showing your support at http://www.cicu.org/support_now.php, and actively lobbying on February 11 in Albany. These changes can have a considerable affect on you as a student, so I urge you to get more information and get involved.
The Union Executive Board is continuing its budgetary process this week and is on schedule to be completed February 8. Once the budgeting sessions have been completed, the E-Board will be assembling an activity fee packet. This packet of information is submitted to the Student Senate for the approval of the activity fee for the 2003-2004 year.
As always everyone is welcome to attend E-Board meetings, which are held on Thursdays at 7:30 pm in the Patroon Room of the Union. Please feel free to send questions or comments to pu@rpi.edu or, call 276-8598, or stop by the office in the Union Room 3136.
