Alexander Orr

News Editor Alexander Orr ’25 contemplates the benefits of giving more than receiving.

Gabriel Jacoby-Cooper ’24 announced that the new Shuttle Tracker update is out. The new Shuttle Tracker makes locating the shuttles more accurate and more convenient. Adrian Alicea-Roman ’23G revived the Community Relations Committee by becoming its chairperson and Timothy Miles ’24 suggested some changes to the upcoming elections.

Grand Marshal Ben Viner ’24 proposed future Senate changes. Isabele Lieber ’25 and Michelle Li ’26 were appointed to Club and Organization Representative and Class of 2026 Representative, respectively, both of which are voting positions for the Executive Board.

Business Manager Alexander Orr ’25 shares his love for horror games and why everyone should give them a try.

Talulah Patch ’24 won the run-off for Class of 2024 President. Moreover, the Student Senate approved six Judicial Board appointments and 17 Executive Board appointments.

Grand Marshal Ben Viner ’24 runs his first Senate meeting as Grand Marshal. The Senate held basic introductions.

President Martin A. Schmidt ’81 gave an update on what future finances will look like, as well as a few institution changes that many faculty appreciated. Some changes include no charge on paid time off when the school is closed for holiday break and adding Juneteenth to the faculty holiday calendar.

Starting over Spring Break, students will receive emails through Exchange Online instead of webmail.

The Student Senate amended the Union Constitution to have an Multicultural Fraternity and Sorority Council senator, another independent senator, and another graduate senator. Furthermore, Director of the Union Charlie Potts spoke about Rensselaer Union safety, and Giuseppe Molfino was appointed MFSC liaison.

Vice President for Student Life Peter Konwerski sent out a new RA compensation plan in light of the RPI RA Union's letter. The union wrote a press release back.

A letter with approval from over 75% of RAs was given to an assistant of President Martin A. Schmidt ’81 for Schmidt to recognize an RA union.

Editor in Chief Alexander Orr ’25 argues about the importance of proper communication and how an email from Martin A. Schmidt ’81 did it wrong.

The Student Senate requested a funding reallocation for new shuttle tracker technology, the Outing Club requested an additional subsidy as well as a funding reallocations, and the Union ShowTechs requested permission to fundraise for equipment repairs. Moreover, Director of Student Activities Cameron McLean reported that rules on cooking in the Union are being rewritten.

The Polytechnic interviewed Martin Schmidt ’81 to discuss goals for the future.

RPI Rounak was given approval to fundraise for costumes and props.

The Executive Board sought to create a new position called the assistant director of wellness. Administrators insisted on closing the meeting; however, which led to a standstill.

Women in the class of 2026 were offered a $20,000 grant in hopes of increasing women enrollment. The class of 2026 has the most women in a single class, although the class itself is made up of 30% women.

While most students enjoyed a block party on the ’86 Field, others sat in the EMPAC Concert Hall as notable figures welcomed Schmidt to Rensselaer.

The Flying Pig Society gained Union recognition. The club wants to hold workshops and bring in professional figures to speak.

Hockey Line returns for the first time in three years with a few changes, and a newly founded RPI Young Democratic Socialists of America club fails to gain Union affiliation.

The Harkness field and East Campus Athletic Village main gym went through renovations that brought both fields up to current standards.

People are commonly nervous when they’re left with big shoes to fill. New editor-in-chief Alexander Orr ’25 instead shares his excitement for the role and his plans going forward.

July 1 marks the end of Dr. Jackson’s position as president of RPI and the start of Dr. Martin A. Schmidt’s presidency.

In celebration of Earth Day, Sodexo tabled outside the Union alongside student-run sustainability clubs.

During the Student Senate meeting on April 12, Grand Marshal Cait Bennett ’22 reported on meeting with President Shirley Ann Jackson about the upcoming presidential transition. Furthermore, the Student Senate motioned to reappoint Alexander Grant ’24 as Secretary.

The Student Senate approved the appointments of Executive Board and Student Senate Committee chairpersons. Among them is the first Graduate student Student Life Committee chairperson, Zachary Barringer.

Being kind and empathetic are important skills. However, it is too often taught in modern society to value others before yourself. Associate News Editor Alexander Orr ’25 reminds readers to put yourself before anyone else.

On Tuesday, the two candidates for Grand Marshal, Cait Bennett '22 and Nicole Gramenides '23, participated in a debate held by the Elections Commission. Positions for Undergraduate President and President of the Union were uncontested, so both candidates participated in a 30 minute Q&A session. Elections Commission Chairperson Nicholas Longchamp '24 and The Polytechnic News Editor William Hawkins '23 moderated the debate.

GM Week begins today with elections on Wednesday. The theme for GM Week is Sweet Week. Associate News Editor Alexander Orr ’25 gives a crash course on what to know and expect for GM Week.

The Union Annual Report committee removed the requirement for the UAR chairperson to also serve as a Senate-Executive Board liaison. By doing so, the UAR committee hopes to remove scheduling conflicts for those interested in the position.

The Student Senate’s Elections Committee presented an updated elections handbook. Furthermore, motions to appoint Executive Board members-at-large were passed.

The Student Senate approved appointments for parliamentarian, Hospitality Services Advisory Committee chairperson, and Panhellenic Council chairperson.

An astute worker is cautious of diminishing returns at the workplace, putting more energy and time into something just to get less and less out. However, diminishing returns are unavoidable, and many can relate to that third hour of working on a project seeming less productive than the first two. The Senate is, likewise, powerless in the face of time and subject to ensuing exhaustion.

Abigail Golden '24 was appointed as the Student Government Communications Committee chairperson for the Senate last Tuesday.

The Undergraduate Council’s meeting with administrators revealed more information about the Trigger Level 1 threshold update, citing the Division of Student Life’s case projections and the availability of on-campus housing due to cases being primarily off-campus, as the primary reasons.

Classes will return in-person this Monday. There have been 96 cases of COVID-19 in the RPI community as of Friday, according to RPI’s testing dashboard, surpassing the initial Trigger Level 1 Spring 2022 requirement of more than 70 cases among those with campus access. Since then, RPI has increased the threshold to reach Trigger Level 1 to 250 cases.

“I know…parents are supporting a significant investment, but some parents have the ability to give more. And so we’re asking them, can you give a little bit more?” Vice President for Student Life Peter Konwerski said during his presentation on the Student Life Performance plan to the Student Senate in a November meeting. The presentation also included other Student Life plans for the upcoming year.

The Compost Committee gave a presentation that included a goal to install a new compost machine on campus.

The Student Senate held a presentation to improve late-night dining. A motion was passed to make immediate changes, including collecting student feedback, creating a list of meals for dining staff to make, and investigating changes into U-Cook and Father's Marketplace.

Riaz Rao was appointed to serve as Union Annual Report chairperson and Executive Board liaison, adding on to his current role as Senate parliamentarian.

Appointments for the Hospitality and Services Committee, member-at-large, and representative positions were approved within the Student Senate and Executive Board on Tuesday.

The Student Senate approved new Judicial Board appointments on October 19. The J-Board oversees “a huge variety” of cases, ranging from reckless driving to suspending fraternities. The members appointed at this meeting will eventually make the decisions for future cases.

The 52nd Student Senate approved changes to the Executive Board’s bylaws on October 5 in order to bring back the Marketing and Strategy Committee, which had been dissolved in 2019.

The Student Senate approved changes to the Undergraduate Council’s bylaws.

The Student Senate approved changes to the Class of 2025 Freshman Elections Handbook, adding new nomination eligibility clauses and reverting to in-person campaigning and election procedures.