In another section of this paper you can find my good-bye to this institute, and a heartfelt thanks for all that I have learned here. In this column, I thought I’d talk a little more about sports and share a few thoughts on the subject.

First off, I’d like to talk about the Poly Person of the Year Kevin Beattie. There are many reasons why Kevin was chosen as the Person of the Year, but perhaps the most striking is how he gives to the community he serves. Kevin is always on the scene when a game is taking place, and he is constantly putting out news releases to keep the rest of the campus and the world informed as to the latest RPI sports news. In short, he is incredibly dedicated.

The problem with the situation is that Kevin has more sports to handle than one person should. Basically, he is in need of an intern or at least someone to assist him on a full time basis. Now, this is not just my personal opinion nor is it simply the feeling of the athletic community. Let me share with you some of the research that I came across with regards to this project so that you can make up your own mind.

First, let’s take a look at the schools that we compete against in the UCAA that have similar number of teams and also have a Division I hockey team. These include Clarkson, St. Lawrence, and Union. Here is how we compare in terms of sports information people. Clarkson has two full time people and 20 intercollegiate teams. St. Lawrence has three people and 33 sports including two D-I teams. Union has one full time person and a grad assistant and 25 sports.

We are extremely similar to each of these schools, we compete against them athletically, and yet they have more people to let people know when they win than we do. Additionally, as we examine the potential move of women’s hockey from D-III to D- I we should realize that St. Lawrence has three sports information people to handle the load. Perhaps we should start equipping ourselves so that we can begin to use the successes of our athletic teams to further the reputation of Rensselaer.

While it is possible that the new softball coach might also work in the Sports Information Office, this is not certain and it could be difficult to find a person that would fill both roles.

In essence, Rensselaer student-athletes work very hard both on and off the field. While Kevin Beattie does an outstanding job and is clearly dedicated to Rensselaer athletes as is evidenced by the long hours he puts in, the job he is being asked to do is simply too large.

The question is whether the administration cares as much about the almost 600 student athletes on campus who bring so much to this school. Student athletes are often told how much they are appreciated, but it’s time to stop paying lip service, and put our money where our mouth is.

Additionally, it’s not asking much to add someone who is going to spread the name of Rensselaer in a positive manner to the rest of the world.

That being said, one final tip of the hat to Kevin for all he does.

Turning to our athletic teams this year, what a great year it has been in sports here at RPI. Let’s take a quick look back.

In the fall, both field hockey and women’s soccer made the post sesson.

In the winter, the men’s hockey team had some big wins and with the possibility of the entire team coming back, expectations for next year run high.

The women’s hockey team came up just short of qualifying for the ECAC playoffs.

The women’s basketball team won the UCAA tournament and made their first-ever appearance in the NCAA tournament.

The men’s basketball team made the UCAA tournament final for the second year in a row and advanced to the ECAC semifinals.

Indoor track had some strong performances and made their presence felt at the state meet.

The spring sports are still going, but it appears that baseball will make the NCAAs for their 10th year in a row, while women’s lacrosse will probably earn a post-season berth. Men’s lacrosse is headed toward NCAA country for the second year in a row. Men’s track has won the UCAA meet, and the women’s team came in second.

What a great year in sports.

These are the last words I expect to write for The Poly, but I have been told I have written over 100 articles and in this issue alone I have a word count of 7420 words.

So long, and thanks for reading.