As you may have read in last week’s edition of The Polytechnic, the Senate has selected its projects for this year. Selecting the foci of our efforts was not an easy task. We began with a visioning session a few weeks ago, where we brainstormed in general terms about the mission and purpose of the Senate. At that point, we decided which general areas we would target to provide the most benefit to the quality of the student life experience at RPI.
These high-level goals were solidified and used as a basis for a discussion at the Senate’s retreat. We spent considerable time openly brainstorming various project ideas, comparing each to the goals we had set. We also assessed how well the resources available to us would fit those needed for each project, how each project would fit into our timeline constraints, and how strong a potential impact each project could have. After a lengthy debate, we selected the following five projects to be the core of our efforts this year:
Communication Effectiveness—While RPI has been ranked as the number one school for “most things to do on-campus,” many students still complain of nothing to do. We believe a major component of that disconnect is the set of information resources available. We will target new and improved methods of communication, with a bias toward the web, to find a substantially more effective method of involving students in social, cultural, and educational events in and around RPI. The project leader for this is Cody Powers, powerc@rpi.edu.
Troy Community Involvement—We will begin by developing a pervasive discount program for RPI community members, based on the RPI ID card, at downtown and campus-area merchants. Once this initiative has been successfully completed, we will explore how to leverage its success into stronger ties with the communities around our campus. This project is led by Khaoula Benghanem, benghk2@rpi.edu.
Homecoming—We will join the efforts of the Rensselaer Alumni Association, the Office of Alumni Relations, and the Athletics Department to launch a full-scale homecoming celebration next fall. The celebration will build on this year’s recent Athletics Reunion Weekend, will focus on and branch out from a significant home athletic competition, and will involve a cross-section of RPI community members in its planning and execution. The Senate’s efforts will be led by Gavin Gyle, gyleg@rpi.edu.
Graduate Student Life—We will join the Graduate School and the Office of the First Year Experience in exploring new programs and paradigms in Student Orientation and the First Year Experience for incoming graduate students. We will also conduct a survey of the graduate class to determine the best avenues for improvement to graduate student quality of life issues. This project is jointly led by Mary Kate DiTursi, diturm@rpi.edu, and Jeanine Thompson, thompsj@rpi.edu.
Faculty/Student Interaction—Building on the success of the Office of Residence Life’s “Opening Doors” initiative, we will explore dynamic new methods of involving the faculty and staff in the daily lives of students outside the classroom. Project leader Mike Goldenberg, goldem@rpi.edu, is assembling a team to seek these opportunities.
In order to be successful, we need your help. We have set ambitious goals, and are seeking students and community members from outside the Senate to help us be successful! Whatever level of effort you can provide would be appreciated. Please contact the project leader for the initiative that interests you and explore how you can become involved.
As always, I am available at gm@rpi.edu, 276-8597, and “RPI Grand Marshal” on AIM.
