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Something like this...

We’re deviating from the plan already, but we’ve been tipped off by many of you to something which we believe warrants the “Uncovered” title.

Faculty governance, which one may assume doesn’t affect them as a student, is an issue which reaches throughout the entirety of the institute. If your professors don’t have any means to officially assemble, they can’t truthfully express what they (as experts) think is best academically for the institute. They have no means to advocate for us students when it is needed. The opportunity to voice their opinions may not even be presented to them without an official body.

Now, you may be thinking why should I care? And quite frankly, you don’t have to.But if you’d like to know more about this whole faculty governance debacle, there is a VERY comprehensive article (pdf, 22 pages) written by two (hopefully tenured) RPI professors which you may want to take a look at (especially you student government geeks.) The article goes into the history of governance at RPI, and continues through to the present day situation. It was published as part of the new AAUP Journal of Academic Freedom, which aims to be the “one place to track the developing international discussion about academic freedom and its collateral issues.” Sounds good to us.

photo credit

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Disclaimer: Al Roker will not be at the Winter Carnival.

We can only hope and pray that Dr. Jackson will be out dancing again this weekend.

Friday, February 5

SO MUCH HOCKEY! The Engineers take on St. Lawrence at 7pm at the HFH. Coming straight off of a 4-0 Yale whopping, this weekend should be good.

Basketball at ECAV when we go up against Clarkson. Women at 6pm, men at 8pm.

Pirates take over the DCC? Well no. But UPAC Cinema is showing Pirate Radio. 7pm, 9:30, and midnight. A recession friendly $2.50.

Dance! Dance! Dance! The BSA is hosting the 3rd annual Hip-Hop Dance Competition in the West Hall Auditorium at 7:30pm. It’s free! [facebook]

Open Mic at Ground Zero in Nugent Hall at 8pm. [facebook]

Winter Carnival Saturday/Sunday after the jump!

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I don’t know if you’ve heard of MANswers before. But it’s the SPIKE TV bastard child of The Man Show which tries to answer such insightful questions as:

• Do Boobs Float?
• How Can You Turn Your Pickup Truck Into A Hot Tub?
• What Does The Shape of Her Boobs Tell You About Her Personality?
• How Long Can Man Survive On Beer?
• How Teeny Can A Bikini Get Before It’s Legally Considered Nudity?
• How Much Does A Man Fart In A Day?
• Which Nationality Is Most Likely To Put Out On The First Date?
• How Do You Take A Stripper Home?

Well the above clip which tries to answer “How can you harness the power of your piss?” The paper battery developed at RPI is featured as the answer. Glad to see that we’re in such good company…

Thanks for the tip JC!

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Another housing post!

We got a tip a couple days ago from a Student Senator that the Senate passed a motion, which was sent to us (and isn’t posted online yet as far as we could find) to attempt to give a voice to the student body about housing reform.  The motion announces student dissatisfaction about a variety of the facets of Housing Selection.  Some quotes are below.

To address that sophomores should live mostly in residence halls and that upperclass students should live in apartments:

To express the dissatisfaction of the student body with the current system of on-campus housing, which we believe does not, in all cases, place students in housing which is most appropriate for their class year or the goals of the CLASS Initiative.

Responding to the Friday, Dec 18th email right before all students were leaving campus:

To express the dissatisfaction of the student body with the communication method employed by the Division of Student Life

What are they doing about it?

To invite members of the Student Life Division to a Roundtable Discussion on the Housing Process with members of the Student Senate…no later than March 1, 2010.

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RPI recently submitted the plans for Dr. Jackson’s new house to the city in order to try and gain a zoning exception that would allow the planned 9,000 square foot structure to be built. The current zoning in the area limits structures to 25 ft tall, while the plans have the new presidential home somewhere between 41 and 44 feet tall.

The Zoning Board of Appeals denied the request. “I wonder how RPI, which is known for its engineers, why someone couldn’t present a proposal that fits inside the city limits” ZBA Chairman Jay Vandenburgh said (with what we can only imagine as a bit of snark.) This isn’t the death knell for the house, but there is no word on whether RPI will change the plans, or try some politicking in order to get the zoning variance.

More at the Times Union here.

An earlier TU story drew attention to the discrepancy between the desired height and zoned height cap. Guess who was quoted? This blog.

And as always, if you’d like to join the Facebook group (or become a fan in this case) to show your support for the latest criticism-du-jour of RPI, that can be found here.

photo from here

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Seth knows how to party

It isn’t an official celebration weekend, as there’s no fancy Aretha Franklin concert, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t still celebrate week one of classes being done!

Here’s what’s going on this weekend:

Friday January 29

HOCKEY! The women’s hockey team and the Greek Community invite you to the game at 7pm, and free skate following the game. If you bring a canned food item (to be donated to Joseph’s House and Shelter in Troy) to the game, you get free food, free hot chocolate, a free raffle ticket, and free skate rental for the free skate after the game.

Basketball at ECAV when the Men take on Union College at 8pm. RPI currently has the best overall record in the league. [facebook]

Zombies take over 308 when UPAC Cinema shows Zombieland. 7pm, 9:30, and midnight. Still $2.50.

Clothe-A-Child Date Auction takes place in the McNeil Room at 9pm. Get Freakout tickets. Always a good time. [facebook]

RPI Casino Night is being held in Mother’s tonight from 6-10pm. Check out their cool prizes you could win on the facebook page. [facebook]

It’s Troy Night Out! Take the (warm!) west shuttle from the Union downtown (it makes an extra stop in Monument Square between 5-10pm). The list of activities can be found here. If you’re looking to donate to Haiti and get some good bowling in at Uncle Sam’s Lanes, $10 lets you play all night (9pm-12am). [facebook]

The TNO Afterparty is at Daisy Bakers, and is always a good time. [facebook]

The EMPAC season kicks off with “Jeremy Wade: there is no end to more”. Mr. Wade “delves into Japanese kawaii (cute) culture – from the infantile fluff of Hello Kitty to the doe-eyed teenage love stories of anime – and its ubiquitous global influence. Through dance, stories, animation and video, Wade peeks under the slick, silly surface of kawaii to reveal its more insidious subtext, while exposing our relationship to the “endless more” that exists just beyond our grasp.” $5 for students, at 8pm in the Theater. [empac]
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Apparently, Monopoly houses = RPI residence halls?

You may have heard of a few changes to housing at RPI coming our way. You also might be one of the more than 1200 members in the Facebook group “Students Against RPI Housing Reform” Well, your elected student leaders hear you. The following is a response from GM Michael Zwack:

Hi Everyone,
I’ve been following the comments for most of the break and was wondering how both myself and the Student Senate could capture what everyone is trying to say to bring to Student Life.
I’m hosting a informal discussion about the housing process at 8pm on Thursday in the Student Government Suite (3rd floor of the Student Union), it would be great if anyone with comments to share would stop by!
Thanks,
The GM

There is a Facebook event here. If you’d like to talk with the people that represent you, this event might be worth your while!

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I bet this photo isn't on his ID card

An African proverb says that “it takes a village to raise a child.” Well, we wanted to take a closer look at the little village that is our campus in Troy. We decided to peek into the lives of people who spend their working days at RPI, those that aren’t the ones assigning homework, or grading your papers. This interview series is called “Uncovered” and we hope to learn more about those that are creating our campus ecosystem. We’re still looking for more interviewees, so if you have any suggestions, please let us know!

In this Uncovered, we interview local personality Kevin Marshall, who also happens to work in the Union in the Campus Card Office.

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You’ve made it! Day 1 of classes for the Spring 2010 is over. Pat yourself on the back, take a deep breath. Get ready, there’s a whole lot more where that came from.

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Our hearts are with those in Haiti

Post updated at 4:27pm to clarify donations.

In a commendable step to helping those affected by the recent earthquake in Haiti, RPI has announced that they will be matching donations from Faculty, Staff, and Students to the aid organizations AmeriCares, Oxfam America, and Save the Children. The ‘Tute will also donate $10,000 to each organization, for a total of $30,000, in addition to matching donations by community members. RPI has been accepting donations since the 14th and Bill Walker (Vice President for Strategic Communications and External Relations) has confirmed that the community has donated almost $12,000 already. This means that the people of Rensselaer will be sending almost $54,000 in aid to help with rescuing and rebuilding Haiti.  So much for pervasive apathy!

Yesterday, the deadline for RPI’s offer was extended to January 31st. This means there’s still time to take advantage of this opportunity to do twice as much good with your money! If you’d like to have RPI match your donations to one of the designated aid agencies, follow these instructions:

Donate direct to the organization electronically through their website:

1. Make payment to AmeriCares, Oxfam America, or Save The Children
2. Forward the electronic receipt to salval@rpi.edu

Donate electronically though RPI:

1. Go to RPI’s giving page
2. Select “Other Designation” and type “Haiti Relief Fund”
3. Enter your donation amount (no dollar sign)
4. Click “Submit Securely”

For more details, see the emails below. We are very proud to be members of the RPI community at times like this. A big sincere thanks to everyone at RPI who made this possible!

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