Lion
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s RoaR
NY Epsilon s Sigma Alpha Epsilon s Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
The
New York Epsilon Chapter of
Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
P.O. Box 442100
Lawrence, KS 66044-2100
Address Service Requested
Attention: This newsletter is intended for alumni and parents. If your son is
still attending RPI, he will receive a copy at the chapter house. If he has graduated,
please send us his permanent address to update our records. Thank you.
Find Us Online
T
he Greek Life Task Force (GLTF) has
been somewhat dormant since January
2019, despite promises of communications
and actions in a letter posted on March 15,
2019, by LeNorman Strong (https://info.rpi.
edu/greek-life-task-force). The Alumni Inter-
Greek Council (AIGC) continues to receive
little information from the RPI administration.
AIGC was notified by the Greek Life Commons
that the Board of Trustees received an
update at the meeting held during graduation
weekend—not following March time frame as
originally planned.
The biggest uncertainty is RPI stonewalling on the
recommendations and may not allow first semester
students to participate in fall 2019 recruitment.
Only upperclassmen will be allowed in the fall
and freshmen would be deferred to the spring
semesters. Some feel this could be better; however,
the impacts of Summer Arch and new handbook
policies should be assessed before implementing
deferred recruitment—as was recommended in the
GLTF report. None of the GLTF implementation
teams have been established, nor any charter
or timeline planned. The National Interfraternity
Conference and Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity
Service Center representatives have been involved
and offering counsel on how NYEP and the RPI
IFC can proceed.
In parallel with the Greek Life Task Force
work, the RPI administration was also was
working (without earnest participation of
the Student Union leadership) to update the
Rensselaer Handbook of Student Rights and
Responsibilities. "Effective May 19, 2019,
a new edition of the Rensselaer Handbook
of Student Rights and Responsibilities is
available via the Dean of Students website at
https://info.rpi.edu/dean-students/student-
rights-responsibilities-and-judicial-affairs.
The handbook, which reflects the values, beliefs,
and expectations we have as a community
of scholars, lays out Rensselaer students'
rights and the responsibilities to help ensure
mutual respect, integrity, and an environment
where all students can effectively pursue their
educational goals."
This update includes a significant tightening of
alcohol policies and sanctions by continuing the
ban of alcohol and other drugs in the chapter
houses enacted by the GLTF in the fall of
2018 and extending it to "all Institute owned,
controlled, or affiliated residential facilities that
Update on RPI
Greek Life Task
Force and Campus
Student Life
house undergraduate students." RPI took the
NIC resolution ban (https://nicfraternity.org/
nic-fraternities-vote-to-ban-hard-alcohol/) on
hard alcohol (defined now as 15% or more
alcohol by volume) at facilities and went a
step further by banning all alcohol in houses
and requiring all events with alcohol to be
somewhere other than a chapter house and
serviced by a licensed third-party vendor.
The undergraduate chapter adapted to the
recruitment and social policy changes last
year fairly well and will continue to evolve
with the rest of the Greek system and entire
student body. The LAE House Corporation
Board continues to be supportive of the chapter
during these times needing great perseverance
and remains determined and enthusiastic about
completing the capital campaign and chapter
house renovation project to help ensure New
York Epsilon's future.
f
Website:
http://nyepsilon.com/
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Facebook: RPI Sigma Alpha
Epsilon - New York
Epsilon Chapter
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Alumni Facebook:
SAE RPI Alumni and Actives
FALL HOMECOMING
WEEKEND
September 27-29, 2019
VISIT THE CHAPTER HOUSE,
BOND WITH YOUR BROTHERS
