Jackson Addresses Recent Concerns
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Wednesday, March 28, 2018 Volume CXXXVIII, No. 23 • poly.rpi.edu FEATURES Page 8FEATURES Page 8 EDITORIAL Page 6 Peter Staying safe and Begonja appreciating spring Justin Grand marshal says Etzine final goodbyes Research explores “generative jus- Vance Joy provides calm, Matthew PU encourages tice” in indigenous culture relaxing study music Rand Union donations TOWN MEETING Jackson addresses recent concerns Jonathan Caicedo/The Polytechnic DURING THE SPRING TOWN MEETING, JACKSON ADDRESSES a list of student concerns from a flyer distributed by Save the Union. Brookelyn Parslow at the event entrance. It outlined what Save the seen intermittently standing and talking with Senior Reporter Union considers “some of the most important the students distributing flyers and buttons. The updates” since the last Fall Town Meeting, students were not asked to leave. “I’LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS, BUT WHAT I which included the stalling of a search for a di- Vice President for Human Resources Curtis thought we would do is, since I know a number of rector of the Union, the forwarding of Professor Powell addressed the first point on the flyer, you received this flyer—we thought we would just Chris Bystroff’s email to alumni, and specula- which asserted that the “administration [gave] walk through these questions and give you answers tions about the capital campaign’s progress. a [director of the Union] candidate the [stu- to them,” said President Shirley Ann Jackson dur- Assistant Vice President and Dean of Students dent committee’s] interview questions.” ing the Spring Town Meeting at the Experimental Travis T. Apgar; Director of Student Rights, “I was informed by [President of the Union] Media and Performing Arts Center on March 22. Responsibilities, and Judicial Affairs Michael Matt [Rand] that the candidate had the questions. Serving the Jackson was referencing a flyer that was Arno; Dean of Student Living and Learning distributed by two members of Save the Union Cary Dresher; and a Public Safety officer were See TOWN MEETING, Page 2 Rensselaer community EXECUTIVE BOARD since 1885 Process for handling confl icts Inside of interest codifi ed in new policy Comics . 5 Jonathan Caicedo Johnson explained that “[their] Union’s travel contingency fund ed the Board’s Conflict of Interest current lighting fixtures were to bring eight members to The Policy. As Choiniere explained, this Editorial/Opinion . 6 Senior Reporter purchased close to 30 years ago, National Intercollegiate Flying policy is the culmination of de facto Features . 8 VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNION and are no longer the standard in Association’s SAFECON 2018 in procedures and policies the Board Rasika Ekhalikar ’18 opened the lighting they once were.” This Terre Haute, Indiana. While the to- has been following that do not exist March 22 meeting of the Executive purchase is part of an ongoing tal cost of the trip exceeds $10,000, in an official document. The policy Board with three major items on process to improve their stage the Union will subsidize travel up defines what a “conflict of interest” the agenda. UPAC Lights and the lighting and the level of service to $4,000. Hole explained that the is to the Board, and describes the RPI Flying Club came before the they are able to provide to clubs. $10,000 would cover aircraft rent- procedures to be followed when Connect board with proposals, and further In addition to the estimated $825 als, conference fees, hotels, and a a conflict is presented. A motion discussion was had on the Board’s allocation, UPAC Lights would rental van for members not flying. to pass the Conflict of Interest Visit us online at: Conflict of Interest Policy, which also use their gift fund to purchase The rest of the $6,000 not cov- Policy also passed unanimously poly.rpi.edu was subsequently passed unani- the lighting fixtures. The Board ered by travel contingencies will 13-0-0. The policy can be found at Like us on Facebook: mously with a vote of 13-0-0. approved the reallocation into come from their existing allocated poly.rpi.edu/s/conflict. facebook.com/thepolytechnic UPAC Lights’ Chair Justin UPAC Lights’ reserve account budget for this competition. The The Executive Board meets Follow us on Twitter and Instagram: Johnson ’20 came before the Board with a unanimous vote of 13-0-0. Board approved the reallocation Thursdays at 8 pm in the Shelnutt @RPIPoly asking for a budget reallocation for the Next, RPI Flying Club rep- unanimously 13-0-0. Gallery of the Rensselaer Union. purchase of new intelligent lighting resentative Freddie Hole ’18 Finally, Policies Committee fixtures to update their current set. requested $4,000 from the Chair Anissa Choiniere ’20 present- 2 • News Wednesday, March 28, 2018 poly.rpi.edu Town Meeting: Capital campaign raises $25 million since launch in October Cumulative $425 million raised toward $1 billion goal since end of previous campaign in 2008 From Page 1 Cook explained that these policies and their consistent enforcement help keep I don’t know where the candidate received solicitation by outside organizations, such the questions from, whether he wrote them as credit card companies or the National down or whatever. So, I decided that we Rifle Association, off campus. would reconstitute the search, so that’s Vice President for Institute Advancement what we’re doing,” shared Powell. The Graig Eastin spoke to the flyer’s point about reconstituted search will begin “within the his decision to forward Professor Chris next two weeks or so.” Bystroff’s email, which attributed the de- According to Apgar, students will be “in- crease in alumni donations to racism and timately involved in the process, and their sexism, to the alumni mailing list. Eastin ex- input will be weighed pressed that the email was heavily on our ultimate “I don’t know where the already being discussed in decision.” candidate received the a “broad domain area,” and “Let me just reiterate questions from...” that forwarding it was “not about searches, all of our to make an opinion.” searches here. We’ve been very successful. Hunter stressed that the opinions ex- And to participate in these searches is not pressed in the email are not the official po- a right—it’s a privilege. And, given that sition of the Institute, and that the Institute privilege, we do expect individuals to act is supportive of freedom of expression. accordingly in representing this institution. When asked again about his decision to send And we went through a process to work the email and include “Important to get the with the student leadership; I’m gonna truth out there” as the subject line, Eastin change that process of how we do business,” said, “Knowing the factors that I know, if Powell later continued. they were the same today, I would do the Powell then invited the audience to a meet- same thing. And, so, that is where it is.” ing with the Student Senate and the Executive On the points raised about the capital Board on Monday, March 26 to discuss that campaign in the flyer, Eastin said, “an insti- process, because “we’re not going to tolerate tution is either in two states: in a campaign what we’ve been through the last time.” or preparing for a campaign. And so, yes, we Vice President for Strategic Communications actually are in a campaign and we actually and External Relations Richie Hunter addressed have raised over $400 million. And we’re the situation in which students distributing moving towards over $425 million. And so, material outside of a hockey game were asked we are in a campaign, and we started counting to leave by a Public Safety officer who claimed the campaign at the end of the last campaign. that RPI had “eminent domain” over a sidewalk. And that’s what every institution does.” According to Hunter, when students distributing The previous capital campaign concluded material outside of a hockey game were asked to on October 1, 2008, and the most recent capi- Brookelyn Parslow/The Polytechnic leave, a Public Safety officer tal campaign was launched TWO MEMBERS OF SAVE THE UNION DISTRIBUTE flyers outside of EMPAC incorrectly used the phrase on October 13, 2017. containing what they consider to be important updates since the Fall Town Meeting. “eminent domain.” “Knowing the factors The final point on the “The bottom line is, that I know, if they Save the Union flyer lists “The Handbook of Student Rights and He stressed that students, such as mem- and the officer may have were the same today, “many noticeable chang- Responsibilities is a university document. We bers of the Student Senate, are involved in made a mistake in his I would do the same es” to the Rensselaer have a responsibility to make sure that not only that process, but that there will not be a phraseology, but the thing...” Union, including that the is it up to date and following all of the external codified process that would “put in place property on which the Student Senate “lost its state and federal legislation that would tell us a bureaucracy that would delay any kind students were handing out the materials ability to approve changes to the Student how to enact policy, we also want to make of changes necessary for us to comply was Rensselaer-owned campus property,” Handbook,” and “the student body no longer sure that it’s appropriate for our students, our with state or federal policies or laws.” further elaborated General Counsel and meets Dr. Jackson with the same frequency student community, and the larger Rensselaer “Would I like to spend more time meeting Secretary Craig A.