I hope everyone had a great break and was able to find some time to relax before coming back. This last week of classes is always the toughest for everyone, with final exams to follow. Be sure to take advantage of the weekend and study days in preparation for your finals. If you need a break, there are several events happening in these next couple weeks, so be sure to check out what is happening around campus. The hockey and basketball teams will have a shortened winter break, because they will be playing several times throughout the month. If you are around during the vacation weeks, it would be great to show some support for these dedicated teams.
I attended the second round of the NCAA Division III football playoffs game this past Saturday, in which RPI traveled to Springfield, Mass. As many have heard, it was a remarkable game, and RPI will now advance to the quarterfinals. We are proud to host the next game, against Ithaca, this Saturday at 12 pm on the ’86 Field. This is the farthest that our football team has made it in the NCAA playoffs, and it is very possible that they will continue to advance in the tournament. With this school record, I hope that many of you are able to be a part of the audience to cheer on the football team and show reward for their hard work and dedication this season. With a strong representation from students and faculty, it will not only encourage the players on the team, but promote a great sense of school pride.
As for the Executive Board’s business, we will have our last meeting of the semester tonight. During this past month, there have been several new clubs that were approved for recognition by the Student Union. Such clubs include Kendo, Kung Fu, Volunteers for Education, the Arnold Air Society Service Organization, the Motorcycle Club, the RPI TV Club, and Dance Dance Revolution. This week, one more club will come in front of us for approval, while there are a few more lined up for next semester.
The E-Board will be meeting the first two weekends upon coming back from Winter Break to do budgeting for the fiscal year 2004-2005. We look forward to working with the new online budgeting system, as it will be the first year of its use. The following outlines the budgeting timeline: All final budgets are due December 19, and are to be submitted via the online tool. We will access these during our budgeting sessions, and return them to clubs on January 26, with what has been approved by the E-Board. Budget appeals are then due on January 28 and discussed on January 31. Subsequent to budgeting, the activity sub-committee will meet to work on revenue and expense projections to establish the student activity fee for the next academic year.
Feel free to e-mail me at pu@rpi.edu, or the entire E-Board at eboard@union.rpi.edu, with any questions or comments. As this will be my last article of the semester, I wish all of you a safe and enjoyable holiday break!
