09-10 S&W Photo Contest

• Submit up to 5 photos per person
• To: sw.photocontest@gmail.com
• Deadline: 02/05/2010
• Minimum size: 2000 x 2000 pixel
• Resolution: 300 dpi
• Can be color or b&w
• There will be prizes
• More detail will be announced soon…

When you think fashion, you may not necessarily think RPI. However, our eclectic campus is prone to some seriously unique looks. S&W went in search of some of the most interesting ensembles on campus. Click here to see what we have found.

Don’t forget to pick up the issue # 9.5 to read more about the models. S&W also likes to thank every individuals who help us with this beautiful feature. Last but not least, please share your or your friend’s unique fashion style with us by submitting a photo to sw@union.rpi.edu.

I thank you guys for writing this article, as it is a topic that I have heard discussed a number of times with differing opinions over the years that I have been here. It’s always intriguing to hear differing opinions like this because of the varied demographics of people who come here to study. At the same time, not everyone has the same definition of what it means to be happy, so that should be considered as well.

Let’s get one thing straight off the bat: Classes suck. I can’t find anyone who enjoys mountains of homework, meeting for group projects, and trying to understand what the hell his TA is saying. It’s frustrating to take that class that doesn’t mean anything to your major simply because it’s required to graduate. It sucks to walk to West Hall at 8 AM for that IEA exam in a cramped, creaky seat with a tiny desk. The complaints are endless. But when you’re entering that solution into WileyPlus or solving that second-order constant coefficient homogeneous differential equation, remind yourself of the bigger picture. (I know, it’s tough, but trust me.) Sure, maybe some of your high school friends are partying it up at your state’s public institution of higher learning, but the odds are good that when you get out of here, you’ll have a stable, well-paying job doing something cool while your high school friends are unemployed or underemployed, and maybe have developed alcoholism.

I think that a lot of the opinions about happiness here are developed by the person’s past experiences. If someone came out of high school with a lot of fond memories with friends that they knew since kindergarten, then chances are that college and the transition into the real world may not be as pleasant, and perhaps even a culture shock. On the other hand, if someone came from a high school where he or she was the victim of teasing or just didn’t fit in with anyone, then RPI may be a major improvement. Everyone should be cognizant of the different places that people come here from, and I think that would go a long way into understanding people’s feelings.

Also, the amount of things to do here should be able to make anyone happy. From awesome hockey games to concerts in the Union to ski trips into Vermont, there is a club or activity here to suit almost any interest. (And if there isn’t something, take some initiative and start it. Someone will thank you.) Clubs here are an excellent opportunity to meet some new people, and I can say that some of the people that I have met through the clubs that I participate in are some of the most interesting people that I have ever met. So if you’re feeling like you should be doing more here at RPI, or maybe you need that release from your IEA homework, look at the Union website and see if there’s something that you like. (O yea, if partying is your thing, you can find plenty of those if you look hard enough.)

Is RPI the perfect school? No. Is any other school in the United States perfect? Probably not. But I think that RPI has enough to offer here that anyone should be able to find their happy place amidst their seemingly never-ending studies. And if you can’t find your happy place, um . . . transfer?

I really liked the article in this week’s S&W about happiness at RPI. However, I think it overlooks a major source of happiness within the student body: A monorail. If RPI had a monorail connecting the major points on campus, happiness would go up by an order of magnitude!

Can you imagine getting out of bed in the morning in Stacwyck, hopping on the express line to the Pittsburgh Building! In addition, students could grab breakfast in the MonoRestaurant(tm) and therefore not have to skip a meal. Of course, the monorail would be constructed using state-of-the-art superconductor technology that will allow it to go over 9000 km/h, delivering extremely happy students to the rest of the campus. Notable monorail stations would include Commons, BARH, RAHPs, ECAV, Stacwyck, Geoff Seber’s House, Colonie, the Heff, Pittsburgh, EMPAC, CII/JEC, VCC/Library, Sage, the Union, and Albany Capital Plaza (for those 2 am Capital Plaza trips with former GM Julia Leusner). President Jackson should invest in this as soon as possible, and I bet that we will be the #1 school for Happiest Students in the 2010 Princeton Review.

I was amazed at the blatant and overwhelming amount of conceitedness displayed in the most recent letter to the editor of S&W. It remind me of the “geek” version of last article’s humor piece, although based upon the arguments within the letter and how it was presented, I’m quite sure it wasn’t trying to be satirical and was merely displaying an extreme case of RIBS (although I’m not sure if it’s even RI?). The crushing arrogance that was shown in shutting down the gentlemen of this school, many of whom have to work up the courage to talk to girls, much less hit on them, is appalling. Allow me to post a few counter-arguments, point for point, to this most illuminating letter, and address them directly towards the author.

10) So what if you’re too busy playing WoW (or other games) to go out a lot? Gamers can and do adapt their gaming hours to do things with their significant others, so although you may spend a lot of time online, when you do stop and do other things, they may take it positively. Not to mention they clearly spend a significant portion of their time online (and likely doing things with you online) as well.

9) What’s wrong with having a relationship with someone who goes to a different college? Weekends are when most things happen anyways, so if you two are going to the same LARPs, and if you don’t take time off from WoW during the week to do things with people, why would it be surprising if they were interested in you?

As a general rule, girls like rainbow colors. I know plenty of absolutely straight women who do. And how exactly is one supposed to know what groups or organizations you are a member of unless you pointedly tell us as we chat? Not to mention LBGT includes girls who like both boys and girls.

7) You’re not sleeping because of class work and “not having time for humans” helps with points number ten and nine! Regrettably, college students, especially at tech schools like ours, often find they’re busy and can’t go out all week, save for the videogames they play at night. Just because someone can’t find the time to do things doesn’t mean that they’re not interested.

6) Just because you’ve memorized the phrase “I’m sorry, but I can’t see you as any more than a friend,” doesn’t mean that you’re going to use it on every guy who approaches you, nor that all your guy friends know or care about this fact.

5) Many girls are just as geeky and shy as the boys here and will be oblivious to said boys’ approaches because they think that the boys are not interested in them. Also, some girls will get nervous at the attention, because not every girl is quite as jaded as you.

4) Admittedly, a boy asking you out a week after your breakup is not so tactful, but you’re clearly unattached at this point, and if they don’t move in (or at least let you know they’re interested) then perhaps someone else will.

3) If you’re already dating a guy, then another guy asking you to date him is definitely a no, but the guy asking would either fall into the category of stalker (if he continued at it), or he could be excused for asking once if he didn’t know you were currently attached at the time.

2) . . . I don’t even know what to say to this statement. Clearly people showing love over gender differences, racial differences, religious differences, ethnic differences, political differences, lifestyle differences, employment by same company, and between campuses is all beyond you, since you know, Dungeon Masters can’t date players. Lord knows that all that matters is what the other players of a group think of what the dungeon master is doing in her personal life. Do you make all your choices based on what a panel of other people think?

1) If you have a girlfriend, then the argument of having a significant other falls under point 3, although if the prospective boy knows you’re LGBT, he may be hoping you’re in fact bisexual and will show an interest in him.

I’ve had plenty of males (both friends and not) hit on me, and I’ve found that if one is not interested, it’s best to just take it with a smile and politely turn them down. They’re actually flattering you. No need to take offense and post a letter that shoves your foot ridiculously far down your throat while simultaneously alienating a significant portion of the guys on this campus and angering a portion of the “nerdy” or “geeky” girls. I’m quite sure, however, that you’ve solved your problem with being hit on through your letter, since I doubt anyone who has read it will want to approach you now.

The Ratio sucks.

Yes, this has been said many times in many ways for many reasons, and there’s nothing that will solve that problem short of protesting the Ratio in the middle of Accepted Students Day. Or short of that, walking six blocks to Russell Sage College.

I feel that much of the crossfire from this topic comes as a result of failing to recognize the root causes, to understand “why” and to accept it. I will try my best to explain this topic to the best of my masculine understanding with both clarity and brevity.

1. In the immortal words of Jake and Elwood Blues, “Everybody needs somebody.” Whether this means love, sex, hugs, girl talk, guy talk, or just the atmosphere of ranging balances of estrogen and testosterone, guys need girls need girls need guys need guys. In this case, the Ratio screws everyone over.
   
   The problem with this is that this social and emotional need is as important as anything else in the hierarchy of needs. It’s important enough to kill you, but slow enough to not see it coming. It’s literally a matter of survival, even just to try. I’m not asking women to spread their legs for the greater good, but it’s not fair to get upset at men that are just trying to live humanely. Counterpoint: RSC is in walking distance, dumbasses.
2. Guys are blunt and women lie. NOTE: this paragraph is NOT politically correct, because I stopped giving a shit when the first draft exceeded three pages in defensive explanation. Guys default to sticking to the facts and girls default to posterity. And by “posterity” I mean “not actually saying ‘No’” when most guys can’t take a hint. I think Nancy Reagan had something to say about that. Final words: having a backbone doesn’t make you a feminist, it makes you respectable.
3. Men don’t come to RPI for the Ratio. Neither do the women. These are two completely different statements, especially since the latter is not always true or obvious. Men that complain about the Ratio came because they didn’t consider how much not having girls around would suck. Women come for a career. The few women that are here for the Ratio tend to be less than respectable for any male without the libido of a blind rhino. You know, the kind that are willing to hump cars.
   
   So, the result is men approaching women that aren’t interested. This happens over three times as often as it should have, by rudimentary statistic analysis. Deal with it, with spray bottles and rolled up newspapers if you must. Maybe The Poly will actually prove useful.

Moral of the story: we’re all adults here, start acting like it. Respect women. Be honest, even if it hurts. And if all else fails, there’s a women’s college within walking distance. Seriously, guys, Troy isn’t that bad, and even if it is, it’s totally worth getting mugged in the pursuit of sexiness. Peace and love.