To the Editor:
I am writing this letter in response to the editorial notebook written by Lindsey Bachman in the April 16 issue of The Poly. Her article discusses how the campus was thoroughly cleaned in preparation for Accepted Students Day. I agree with her opinions that the campus should be especially neat and clean for major events and that efforts should be made to keep it that way year-round. However, I disagree with the comments made regarding how a lack of signs and posters on display reflects a lack of social atmosphere at Rensselaer.
Bachman writes of how all the signs on campus were removed before potential freshmen arrived on Saturday. The vast majority of signs on campus were for candidates running in GM Week elections. The Elections Handbook from RNE explains that these signs are considered part of an “extended sign policy.” This policy states that all materials must be removed by 10:00 pm on April 11. As far as the other signs, many of them were for events that had already occurred. Signs for upcoming events were left hanging, as were the signs on the bulletin boards near the CII and the DCC. In the past, there have been issues with all the GM Week signs that made the campus look a mess for Accepted Students Day. This year, the campus looked great.
There were ways that people could see the social atmosphere at Rensselaer other than signs. An activity fair was held in the Union for different clubs and activities. This year, the number of groups attending the fair at least tripled! Speeches made by President Jackson, Dean of Enrollment Management Teresa Duffy, and former GM Chris Mather highlighted some of the many ways students can get involved and enjoy their time at RPI. Parents and students had plenty of opportunities to ask questions to current students regarding social life and just about any other topic they had in mind. Additionally, hundreds of students and faculty helped to showcase the academic life at Rensselaer, with over 120 people helping in the School of Engineering alone!
A clean campus is a nice thing to have—it impresses potential families and keeps the current students pleased. However, the social atmosphere here isn’t guided by signs and posters, it is guided by the people that are a part of it. The families that visited were impressed and pleased with what they found. The people that made this day happen are responsible for that—not signs—and a special thanks goes out to all of them.
Jonathan Masullo
EMAC ’04
Coordinator, Admissions Ambassador Program
GM Week Committee Member
