Wednesday, October 11, 2017 Volume CXXXVIII, No. 6 • poly.rpi.edu FEATURES Page 16 SPORTS Page 8 EDITORIAL Page 11 Crystal Altered states of mind Vejar through eye contact Ana Following your passion Wishnoff from day one at RPI Women’s hockey loses to Staff Students should be Cuphead: 10/10 University of Maine Editorial able to shape Union ADMINISTRATION RENSSELAER UNION RPI anticipates new Protest denied ‘Lab safety class’ still planned Sidney Kochman capital campaign Senior Reporter LAST WEEK, BRYAN JOHNS ’19 SUBMITTED AN APPLICATION dated Thursday, September 28 to Assistant Vice President and Dean of Students Travis Apgar to hold a demonstration in “areas surrounding EMPAC and the Folsom Library.” According to the appli- cation, the demonstration was scheduled for 4:30 pm on Friday, October 13, which is the same time that President Shirley Ann Jackson plans to kick off a capital campaign in the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center during Reunion & Homecoming weekend. Apgar denied the applica- tion to hold a demonstration. Apgar elaborated that a demonstration may “disrupt” these events and “exceed [Rensselaer’s] capacity for providing safety and security.” Addi- tionally, he noted that “we made a decision some time ago that we would not approve demonstration applications for the dates of October 12–14, 2017.” Apgar wrote that he welcomes a meeting with Johns “to discuss alternatives days and times [Johns] might Brookelyn Parslow/The Polytechnic conduct the demonstration.” According to Apgar, PRESIDENT SHIRLEY ANN JACKSON POSES with student leaders for a photo at Johns has not taken him up on his offer to meet. an ice cream social, which was the first of many capital campaign kick-off events. In response to the denial, the Save the Union Brookelyn Parslow “student aid endowment” that could make organization sent a campus-wide email decrying Senior Reporter RPI more accessible to people of different Apgar’s letter. “If no reasonably-defined form of financial backgrounds. demonstration can happen within an event (as the IN ANTICIPATION OF RENSSELAER’S CAPITAL In addition, the campaign will be used law provides) and none can happen reasonably campaign launch on Friday, October 13, to continue down the path of “pedagogical proximate to it (as Apgar contends), no meaningful President Shirley Ann Jackson released innovation” so that once the “best stu- demonstration at any event is possible.” three emails to the RPI community, each dents” are at RPI, they can receive the Save the Union says that despite the administra- detailing a main objective of the campaign. “best possible education.” This innovation tion’s denial of the demonstration, it is planning to The first email, released on September currently includes The Arch; Clustered hold a “lab safety class” at 4 pm on Friday on the 29, focused on “bridging the gap” and Learning, Advocacy, and Support for field outside of EMPAC, which overlaps with the “creating access and enhancing the stu- Students; and mixed-reality experiences, proposed protest from Johns’ original application. dent experience.” Jackson mentioned that and will expand as research uncovers dif- It encourages attendees to “wear lab safety goggles the cost of a Rensselaer education has ferent methods for teaching and learning. in addition to black clothing to mourn the end of risen, and that currently 43 percent of the The second email, released on October our once student-run Rensselaer Union.” undergraduate population has financial 2, revolved around “The Faculty 500,” The message did not originate from an RPI mail needs that exceed the financial aid given which includes “attracting top faculty” and server, and how Save the Union gathered student email to them. The gap between need and aid is “empowering world-changing research.” addresses to build its mailing list is unclear. currently $32 million per year. As a result, Serving the the campaign is largely intended to build a See CAPITAL, Page 3 See PROTEST, Page 2 Rensselaer RENSSELAER UNION community since 1885 Student government hosts town hall Darby Burns mention of “thinly-veiled threats of forward, they should have a closed Union, which we used to have, and Staff Reporter retaliation and expulsion” in his email meeting to discuss their thoughts on a student-operated Union, which we to members of the Union, Etzine those interviews and to provide their have now. He said that the major one Inside ON OCTOBER 7, IN RESPONSE TO THE refused to name anyone specifically, feedback to the Executive Board. is that in a student-operated Union, resolution passed in the Senate, there but did state that “they did occur and Lane also talked about what the students need to comply with the Comics . 6 was a town hall meeting in the McNeil they were concerning enough to me committee has done, and mentioned institute’s agenda, whereas when Room to discuss the current state of the that I felt it was prudent to mention it on-campus interviews, phone inter- the Union is student-run that doesn’t Editorial/Opinion . 11 Rensselaer Union. It was led by sena- to everyone, so that people could un- views, and said that students were need to be taken into account. Features . 9 tor Hannah Merrow ’18, and the panel derstand the kind of the situation that involved throughout that process. Apgar responded to a question Sports . 8 members consisted of the current Grand we’re in.” Assistant Vice President and Sperazza then spoke to the resolu- asking if students participating Marshal Justin Etzine ’17, Greek Sen- Dean of Students Travis Apgar then tion that was just passed in the Senate, in the upcoming protest could ator Sean Ferracioli ’17, Class of 2018 requested the opportunity to respond which stated that there was no con- potentially face retaliation from Executive Board Representative Erica as well, and assured everyone in the flict between the Union Constitution the school by stating that civil Lane ’18, Senator Joshua Thomas ’20, audience that “there will never be a and the Institute’s Bylaws. He said discourse is highly valued on the Connect Graduate Senator Michael Gardner, case where any kind of action of that that the resolution was mostly a re- Rensselaer campus, and that if Senator Steven Sperazza ’18, and sort would take place for a student sponse to the resolution put up by the a student is there voicing their Visit us online at: Senator Chris Duffy ’20. leader doing their job here.” Board of Trustees, and Etzine added concerns in a way that “is in line poly.rpi.edu The meeting started out with In response to further student that it was also an effort to respect with civil discourse,” then they Like us on Facebook: a brief summary regarding the questions, Etzine went on to talk the wishes of the Board of Trustees shouldn’t face any retribution. He facebook.com/thepolytechnic Union’s history from its founding about what the committee’s role was, and reaffirm that the Constitution also discussed the reasoning behind Follow us on Twitter and Instagram: in 1890 until the present day. and is, in the hiring process for the was, and still is, compliant with the the denial of the protest application, @RPIPoly The meeting then transitioned into a director of the Union. The commit- Institute’s Bylaws. citing a shortage of available staff to question and answer session with the tee participated in on-campus inter- Next, Etzine talked about the handle the event due to other events student panel. When asked about his views, and he believes that, moving differences between a student-run also occurring on the same day. 2 • News Wednesday, October 11, 2017 poly.rpi.edu EXECUTIVE BOARD RPI TV Ireland trip, KSA Thanksgiving approved Jonathan Caicedo Senior Reporter DUE TO THE ABSCENCE OF PRESIDENT OF THE Union Matthew Rand ’19, the Vice President of the Union Rasika Ekhalikar ’18 opened the meeting on Thursday, October 5. The first item on the night’s agenda was RPI TV’s request for fund reallocation for a trip to Ireland this November. They plan to film a documentary on the men’s hockey team as it plays in the Friendship Four tournament. RPI Athletics agreed to fund the trip for two RPI TV members, but President Jason Lee ’19 came before the board to request funds to allow for two additional RPI TV members. Concerns were raised over whether the two additional members were truly needed, and after reassurance by Lee that they were, the motion to reallocate $2,447 from RPI TV’s Goal C, Program 2, which is the club’s in- come from sales and production, to fund this trip passed 15-0-3. Afterwards, Graham Knowles from the Archer Center for Student Leadership came before the E-Board to request the res- ervation of the McNeil Room on November Elena Perez/The Polytechnic 8 to accommodate a telecast talk by Simon THE EXECUTIVE BOARD ANNOUNCED the ribbon cutting for the Student Veterans Lounge will take place on November 8. (file photo) Sinek. The talk will be presented by the grant the National Society of Leadership Director of the Mueller Center Steve the Student Veterans Lounge and the ribbon Rensselaer chapter of the National Society and Success a reservation of the McNeil Allard then gave the director’s report. He cutting ceremony that will take place the of Leadership and Success, and will be Room on November 8 from 6:00 pm to mentioned the continued search for the as- Wednesday before Veteran’s Day. open to the RPI community. Knowles 8:30 pm passed 16-0-2. sistant director of the Mueller Center, and Afterwards, the Board passed a mo- mentioned the McNeil Room as the prime The Korean Student Association then that phone interviews for the assistant direc- tion thanking Rensselaer Union Business location for the event due to difficulties came before the board to request money for tor of student activities occurred last week.