I couldn’t watch. Time was about to expire and our 15-year unbeaten record was flashing before my eyes. With less than 20 seconds left, Kirk MacDonald recovered the puck from Brown. 14… 13… 12… MacDonald made his way down the ice, skillfully weaving around the defense. The scoreboard kept ticking. 11… 10… 9… One giant shot from the top of the right faceoff circle from MacDonald sent the Houston Field House into hysteria. The puck just barely made it past the crossbar and the goalie’s shoulder to score the winning goal.
Games don’t get much better than that one, but they are all just as much fun. With only 37 days until the first hockey game, students are once again gearing up for the 33rd annual Hockey Line, a tradition started in 1973, when structural support columns in the Houston Field House served just two purposes: to prevent the building from collapsing and to block the view of a good hockey game. Sick and tired of leaving the games with kinked necks, students took a play from their kindergarten teachers’ book and formed a line in anticipation of season ticket sales. Throughout the ’70s and ’80s, during the line’s vibrancy, it would stretch around the Union for weeks in advance. Following the 1985 national championship, the brothers of Psi Upsilon set an impressive record of waiting in line for 179 days and garnered national media attention.
Starting this week, you will begin to see students camped out in the line again, complete with TVs, Playstations, couches and desks. This year, however, I am relaxing the Hockey Line rules to permit open tents and tarps. Additionally, a number of other old or otherwise pointless rules have been reduced or rescinded to attract greater student participation. You may pick up a copy of the official 2005-2006 Hockey Line Guidebook from the Union Administration Office and may begin registering participants immediately.
Don’t wait. Grab your friends and get in line today! Tickets go on sale Tuesday, September 13.
I’d now like to direct your attention to the Student Senate. Over the summer, a great deal of progress has been made on your behalf. We are in the process of reviewing a music service contract that will connect students to a legal database of 1.5 million songs if all goes well. In July, the Student Senate and I were able to procure a gift of $50,000 to fund the service for a year—free of charge to you. Over the two semesters, we will monitor the service’s use and determine if it helps reduce illegal P2P file sharing. We realize technology cannot solve the world’s problems alone, so we will consider the cultural issues that need to be addressed as well.
I was also able to clinch funding from the Board of Trustees that, with the additional aid of the Administration Division, will go to funding a shuttle tracking system for a one-year test period. The system will allow you to pinpoint exactly where the shuttles are on campus so that you can better utilize your time rather than waiting on a shuttle in the cold or in the dark. As we further develop the system, and as we near a launch date, I will report back to you with all the details.
In the meantime, please notice the change to the shuttle bus route. It will now regularly service West Hall, Academy Hall and the Parking Garage. This addition is simply a pilot route that will be reviewed over the course of the semester. If you have any feedback on the change, please contact me at gm@rpi.edu, or the Finance, Facilities, and Advancement Co-Chairman Bob Fishel and we will address your issues with the dedicated folks in Auxiliary Services.
Stay tuned for more to come. Welcome back and good luck as you complete your first week of classes!
Four seats are currently open on the Senate for the Class of 2009 as well as the Class Council positions that include President, Vice President, and eight representatives. Campaigning will begin tomorrow, so all interested freshmen are urged to attend an elections informational session to learn more. The next session will be held this evening at 9 pm in Union Room 2124. Subsequent sessions will be held in Union Room 2424 at 9 pm on Tuesday, September 6, Thursday, September 8, and Monday, September 12. Contact Rules and Elections Committee Chairman Kim Conway at conwak@rpi.edu for details.
In addition to the freshmen’s elected positions, all of the Student Senate committees are in need of membership, so if you are interested in serving on a committee, please contact me at gm@rpi.edu or Kevin Ly at lyk@rpi.edu.
