Help us plan 50 events to celebrate the 50th Student Senate

Hello RPI!

I am honored to begin serving you as the 154th grand marshal! I want to thank you all for participating in elections and for exercising your right to vote. I am excited for the coming year and I can’t wait to see what we can accomplish. My hope for this coming year is that we can encourage and educate the student body on what Student Government can do to collaborate and assist with student initiatives. Based on participation in the last couple of election cycles, I think Student Government is due for a revival. This being the 50th Student Senate term, it is a great opportunity to push for increased involvement and to build a stronger presence within the student body.

This year is an exciting time for the history of our Student Government, especially the Student Senate. It is our 50th year of having an elected body of representatives governing our policies and legislation as well as interacting with the community at large through committee work. Although the Student Senate was created in 1970, there were many grand marshals before the Senate was created. In order to honor the historical significance of this term, and to increase participation in Student Government, the 49th Student Senate has played with the idea of having “50 ways to celebrate” series of events.

I believe this is the perfect way to kickoff the 50th Student Senate. In order to plan and execute 50 celebratory events or acts, the entire RPI community must contribute. These 50 ways are not yet defined and can evolve in whichever way the community wishes. The events could range from events held within sectors of Student Government, to events created in collaboration with multicultural organizations, athletics events, or Greek community. Events could also incorporate educational sessions detailing what the Senate does and ways to get involved. Events could also honor relationships with administrators and Union staff that contribute to the success of our communities. Acts of volunteerism or internal reform could also be a way to celebrate.

The agenda for this idea is neither set nor does it have to be defined by the start of this Senate term. I believe this could be the perfect opportunity to showcase tangible results from project efforts and to build relationships within the community. I fully support the development of a subcommittee of the Student Government Communications Committee to assist with carrying out this idea. However, the most important contributions will come from collaborations within our organizations and communities. I want to invite the community to participate with us in boosting campus moral and building stronger relationships. Based on the saying “a chain is only as strong as its weakest link,” I think we can agree that this could be an opportunity to highlight certain communities within our student body and help underrepresented groups showcase their achievements.

I plan on developing this idea through the end of the spring semester and into the summer with the help of the Senate and the RPI community.