RPInsider

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.

RPInsider: What do you do at RPI?
Kevin Marshall: I work in what most people call the ID Desk, although its official title is the Campus Card Office. We take your picture, print out your card, and charge you when you lose your card. Sorry guys, but paying to replace things you lost is what being an adult is all about. That’s not directed specifically at students, by the way.

We also manage and maintain RAD (Rensselaer Advantage Dollars), which is the declining debit account that can be used on and off campus. We also maintain and monitor information that appears in the transaction system, the access credentials system, and the SIMON system (which is what ties those previous two systems with Banner). We also in a very real way act as the Human Resources department for people on-campus who aren’t employees or students by verifying their identity and entering them into the system – including but not limited to vendors, Sodexo employees, spouses, dependents, Visiting Researchers, interns, program participants, conferences, and so on.

There are other things, too, but I’ve already taken up enough of your readers’ time. To make a long story short, we do a lot of the things that other areas can’t or don’t want to do.

RPInsider: Where are you originally from?
Kevin Marshall: Troy, born and raised. I grew up in a housing project called Griswold Heights, which is a off Spring Avenue. It wasn’t the roughest neighborhood, but we were poor and there was a lot crime, drugs, and other opportunities for wayward mischief. That being said, it made me appreciative of different peoples, attitudes, approaches, and circumstances. In that sense, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

RPInsider: What brought you to RPI, and when?
Kevin Marshall: I came to RPI in late 2004 as a temp employee in Admissions. I did that on and off for a couple years, reviewing graduate applications and determining if documents that were submitted met the criteria for their program. I landed this gig in late 2006.

RPInsider: What was your favorite interaction with a student?
Kevin Marshall: There was a new graduate student that arrived last August from China. After getting his card, he’d asked for some assistance in locating and identifying a few areas on campus. Since it was sort of a slow day, I helped him out by making a couple calls and getting him set in the right direction. To thank me, he took out this wonderful little trinket that he told me was from the Beijing Opera. It’s still hanging on my desk.

He was just the nicest guy. I’ve seen him several times since, and I don’t think he’s ever not had a huge grin on his face. He seems to be one of those people that is just so happy to be doing what he’s doing. It’s a rarity and something we should all aspire to.

RPInsider: What would make your work day a really good day?
Kevin Marshall: Honestly? Just knowing that I’ve in some way contributed to improving someone’s experience at Rensselaer. Even if it’s just in a small way like letting them know about a certain program they can take advantage of, or showing them where they need to go in order to get something done.

I’m sure that last paragraph will induce a lot of eye-rolling, but it’s the truth. Listen, I don’t have anything to gain by saying what I said. It’s not as if my job or standing in the Institute is improved by what I say here, and I’m not somebody who gets mired in the politics of the Institute, good or bad. Hell, if anything, I probably risk taking flack for appearing on a blog that’s actively critical of the administration. But if you ask around, particularly those who have known me some time, you’ll find out that I’m one hundred percent “no bullshit.” To a fault, really.

Like anyone, I’ve made mistakes in my youth, but unlike a lot of others I still see and feel the consequences of it. I’m past that point of selfishness, and even if this isn’t my dream job, I’m at the very least going to come out of it at the end of the day knowing that I helped improve someone’s day or situation. Do I always succeed in that, and do I always carry that attitude? No, of course not. I’m an imperfect creature. But I try.

RPInsider: What makes your job unique?
Kevin Marshall: Going back to what I described about our office, I think the versatility of it, and also the wide range of contact I have with the entire school. I jokingly (and endearingly) refer to our office as the “idiot hub.” If you’re at Rensselaer for more than a day you’re going to have to come through us for something. We service and are in contact with every department and area on this campus on a regular basis. I honestly do not think any other office on this campus can say that.

RPInsider: What would you change about your job?
Kevin Marshall: To quote Jimmy Kimmel: “Nice try, Lucy, but I’m not Charlie Brown. I’m not gonna fall for that one.”

In all seriousness, I don’t feel it’s for me to say. If there’s something that I feel can be changed about my job, I do what I can to make it happen or at least get it in someone’s head for future consideration. There are limitations as to what I can change, but that’s life. You figure out how to accept the things you can’t change, get the confidence to change the things that you can, and hopefully get smart enough to know the difference.

RPInsider: Do you play pool or ping pong in the games room on your breaks?
Kevin Marshall: Nah, only because I was never any good at pool or ping pong. Or anything that required physical activity. That’s changed a bit over the course of the last year due to a tremendous amount of effort on my part, but I don’t think I’d be any match for the people that occupy the ping pong tables. Those people are hardcore. Give them a paddle, an orange ball, and a mask and they could probably fight crime with their ping pong skills.

RPInsider: It seems like you’re pretty active in the online capital district community. What do you think that this community (i.e. the TU blogs, Friday Puppy, All Over Albany, your blog, etc) says about the area?
Kevin Marshall: It shows that there is something in this area for twenty-somethings. We’re here, we’re interesting, we’re changing industry, we’re creating great art, we’re engaged, we’re fun, and we’re going to drastically change the landscape of this area over the next thirty years. That may sound trite and overly optimistic, but I honestly believe it to be the truth.

There’s a prevalent cynicism towards this area that bothers me. In particular, the term “Troy escape velocity” irks me quite a bit, more for the attitude and thinking behind it than any loyalty I have to this area.

Listen, things are tough all over the Northeast, and they have been for quite a long time. The idea that people everyone got the job they wanted right out of college until the housing crisis is a myth that needs to be debunked. There’s opportunity for you in this area. You just have to find it, and more importantly, you have to create it.

I know some people that graduated from the Institute who, a few years out of graduation, are still in this area and doing far better and are far happier than people that moved to the other side of the country once they got their diploma. People who are unhappy, miserable, and not making money in Troy after graduating would be unhappy, miserable, and not making money pretty much anywhere else. I’m just saying, guys, there comes a point where we should all stop and say “hey, maybe it’s me.”

RPInsider: Do you have a favorite capital district location? (restaurant, bar, park, etc)
Kevin Marshall: For dinner – Ali Baba’s on 15th Street in Troy. For dessert – Crisan on Lark Street in Albany; the Gelato is amazing. I’m a film nerd, and I love The Spectrum in Albany but wish we had a real arthouse theater (HINT HINT DOWNTOWN TROY HAS VACANT BUILDINGS THAT CAN FILL THIS VOID). For live entertainment, EMPAC is an amazing space.

RPInsider: Thanks for your time Kevin!

You can see what Kevin’s up to by checking out his great blog, following him on Twitter or dropping by in person at the Campus Card Office.

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