Warm welcomes from the president of the Union

Welcome back to campus everyone! I hope you have all had an amazing summer full of relaxation, gaining work experience, or participating in the Arch, and that you are ready to jump back into classes and campus activities!

In the past week I have spent time getting to know the Class of 2026, and I am happy to have been able to join in welcoming them to our Rensselaer community! They have showcased a tremendous amount of energy and I am looking forward to bringing that same energy to the Union as they find their new homes at RPI.

Speaking of finding a new home on campus, the Union Executive Board will be hosting the Annual Activities Fair. This event is open to all students, so I encourage you to come meet our over 200 clubs and learn more about our community. The Activities Fair will take place on the ’86 Field on Saturday, September 10 from 10–11:30 am. And remember to keep checking our events page on the Union website for other upcoming events!

In other even more exciting news, the Institute has updated COVID-19 policies on campus, and the Union will also continue in this direction as we return back to normal. In the coming weeks, these policies will be codified by the Executive Board, so be on the lookout for any changes on our end.

To our clubs, we heard you loud and clear that more support is needed within the Union, and I am happy to share that the Executive Board has approved the hiring of additional Union staff. Earlier in the Spring semester, William O’Brien and Jayne Godette joined our staff as assistant directors of student activities, while Jackie Zysk joined as our administrative specialist. We were also joined by Howie Lien, Assistant Director of Student Activities, earlier in the summer. I’m excited to continue working with our entire Union administration and Mueller Center staff members, and I encourage you all to reach out as they are great resources for any questions you may have! The Union administration office is located on the third floor of the Union, and you can stop by during business hours to speak with any of our staff.

In the Rathskeller, we have a new dining option called Wild Blue! Wild Blue has now officially moved in and is offering a variety of bowl and sushi options for the Fall semester. Come check them out as well as our returning retail locations. And for those who are new to RPI an added bonus is that they also accept Rensselaer Advantage Dollars and Flex Dollars!

In terms of facilities updates, we had a few projects over the summer that I would like to highlight:

The temporary curtain offices in the Mueller Center have been replaced with two permanent offices. Stop by to check them out and say hello to two of our Mueller Center staff, Lauren Arnoff and James Bradbury.

We have also approved the demolition of the old trailer up on Sunset Terrace, which will allow us to open the area to expand activity for our members. I’ll keep you all updated as we continue working on plans for this area.

Our final summer project was the Student Government Suite. This summer, we have renovated the space to allow for more meeting options, as well as additional spaces for students to gather, to socialize, and work. Feel free to stop in and utilize these spaces to study, or chat with myself and other members of Student Government!

If you have comments, or are interested in any of the topics I discussed here, or have ideas for other areas of our Union, please reach out to me at pu@rpi.edu. I look forward to hearing and discussing input for the direction of our Union.

The members of the Union are what has truly made my experience at RPI amazing, and I’m looking forward to another great year working with you all and attending club events. Best of luck with this semester, and I will see you all around our Union!