External audit report released, updates made to elections process
Hi, RPI! I hope that you are all confidently finishing up your finals, and wrapping up the semester with a sense of accomplishment. With the semester coming to a close, I am sure you are all looking forward to a well-deserved break. Before I wish you all happy holidays and a safe trip home, I wanted to give you all a few updates.
The Elections Reform Task Force, also known as ERTF, recently released the external auditor’s report as well as a letter. The letter was intended to address concerns within the report, and share some of the improvements that the ERTF plans to propose to the Student Senate. A full report from the ERTF will be given to the Student Senate in the coming week and, at the start of next semester, the ERTF will be giving a presentation to the Student Senate. This presentation will serve as an open discussion on the topics covered within the report and soon after, all information will be sent to all members of the Union. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding the external audit report or the progress of the ERTF, please feel free to reach out to the task force at elections-reform@union.lists.rpi.edu.
In addition to the Elections Reform Task Force, the Elections Commission has been hard at work over the past few months. The Commission has frequently presented ideas and provided documentation to the Student Senate. They have worked closely with the ERTF—diligently addressing not only the issues that we saw in the past GM Week, but also foreseeable issues, including how the elections process and the process leading up to elections can best accommodate the Arch. If you have any questions or input about the presentations that the Commission has been giving, please reach out the Elections Commission Chair, Zachary Taylor, at rne-chair@union.lists.rpi.edu.
Next semester, RPI will welcome Dr. Peter Konwerski as Vice President for Student Life. President of the Union Justin Etzine and I have both had multiple opportunities to speak to and get to know Dr. Konwerski, and I am thoroughly excited to build new partnerships with our student leaders for the future!
With that, I wish you all a safe trip back home and very happy holidays! Good luck with any of your remaining finals or assignments and, as always, if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or ideas, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at gm@rpi.edu.