Rensselaer is hiding true intentions of Arch

It is unfortunate that Rensselaer now treats its students as chickens to be plucked rather than members of an academic community.

Is the Arch a pedagogical initiative making for better educated graduates or a ploy to monetize classrooms and dorms that sit unused in the summer? Does using the coercive power of the Institute-student relationship to force students already paying for 12-month leases in off campus housing to rent from RPI during the Arch enhance anything other than Institute cash flow and student loan balances? What of the summary rejection of the recommendation that fraternity members be allowed to to use Greek housing during the Arch? Then there is the refusal to sell any lower cost customized meal plans that allow purchase of less than a complete plan. If you think RPI passes the dining hall vendor’s charges through to students without taking a cut, I have a Brooklyn Bridge you may be interested in buying.

When I went to RPI, the term “Tute Screw” referred to uncompromising academic rigor, not a system of scheming for new ways to pick students' pockets. Times do change.

Robert Boudrie

CSE '80