At RPI, there have probably been many times when you have felt like you’re living in a completely different place as you walk from class to class during the day, grab dinner in the Commons, then head to the Union to do homework or go to a meeting. Not to mention that your laundry is done on campus, your textbooks are purchased here, your mail is delivered and sent out, and your hair is cut. Chances are you probably don’t think about this—the world outside of RPI—too often, for a plethora of reasons, be it the mounds of MatSci studying you have to do every Tuesday or the never-ending homework assignments given in MAU.
Well, there is a world outside of RPI, and it’s a pretty nice one at that. Since many of us do venture outside of RPI from time to time, we are an integral part of the City of Troy. The Community Relations Committee of the Student Senate, chaired by Chris D’Angelo ’09, focuses on partnering with the City of Troy and other communities surrounding RPI to work toward strengthening our relations with those communities, as well as addressing issues affecting RPI students outside our campus.
The CRC has had been working on many notable projects geared toward improving life for RPI students when we happen to venture off-campus. While I’ve mentioned “Off-campus RAD” before, I want to give you an update on where it stands. This program is in the final stages of approval and will likely be implemented next fall in more than a dozen businesses in downtown Troy, enabling us to purchase items with a simple swipe of our student ID card.
Several CRC members have also been working on the issue of absentee landlordism, a problem that has plagued many RPI students in the past and continues to do so, but a problem that is well on its way to being solved. The CRC is also working toward implementing programs that are designed for students who are or soon will be tenants, so they can learn what your rights are and how to deal with particularly difficult situations involving your landlord … or involving your seemingly absent landlord.
Perhaps most importantly, the CRC has been dedicating an extensive amount of time and energy to planning the Cooperative Community Service Program, which boasts an end goal of being one of the most comprehensive community service programs in the area, including the largest involvement. Many RPI organizations have already pledged their support to participate in this program, so we have the manpower of 2,000-plus students backing it at this moment—a phenomenal number, if you ask me. We expect to work alongside local residents to improve our community. E-mail D’angelo at dangec@rpi.edu if you would like to get involved. The kick-off for this program is going to be monumental.
So, what if you never leave the confines of RPI? Well, we’ve got that covered, too! The Student Senate’s Committee on Student Life, Co-chaired by Chase Miller ’10 and Teddy Tablante ’10, has been focusing on bringing more events to campus. They, along with the CSL, worked with many organizations on campus for months to plan and execute a winter festival that occurred this past weekend, aptly dubbed Winterfest, an event that many of you attended and appeared to enjoy. Additionally, you may have already purchased tickets for the Honda Civic Tour, a concert featuring Panic! at the Disco that will be hosted at RPI’s very own Houston Field House on May 3, planned by another branch of student government—the Union Executive Board. If you haven’t purchased your tickets yet, or you hadn’t the slightest idea we were even having a concert a t RPI, be sure you stop by the Field House before general admissions sells out!
As always, you can talk to me at gm@rpi.edu. I want to hear from you about any and all things RPI, and if I don’t, I hope you have an opportunity to get out of your dorm room and participate in events like Winterfest and attend concerts like the upcoming Honda Civic Tour. If we can’t beat the weather here in Troy, we can certainly join it! Or at least end up inside the Field House …
