Psi U and GM Week '88Psi U and GM Week '88
Mind you, this was very antisocial behavior, but no where nearly as bad as the time the Lettuce Party supported candidates a few years back before the 1988 elections. Ask some of the alumni--the story is very amusing.
"The performance of the current GM and Senate has been impeccable. ... The only problem they left unanswered is that few people know who their senator is. The GM is well known, of course, to all Poly readers, but the Senate is shrouded in inconspicuousness. To solve this problem, I would open Senate meeting to the public, serve generous refreshments, and try to foster a "Get to know your Senator" spirit."
When the Poly asked, "What do you see as factor[s] affecting student dissatisfaction at Rensselaer? What can you do as Grand Marshall to address these issues?" Jim responded,
"Dissatisfaction has always been a problem at RPI. This is because RPI is not an inherently fun place. The role of the GM in making RPI more fun should be to distract the attention of the students from the nastier aspects of life here. The best way to accomplish this, I believe, is to find issues for debate and consideration that are light and, to the RPI student, amusing. For example, we in the Lettuce Party feel that a solution to the housing problem that is "fun" would to be annex all of downtown Troy for this purpose. We would propose not to buy or even rent this area, but to take it by force. The Lettuce Party feel[s] very strongly on this. If such a solution is widely disseminated, a feeling of amusement will hopefully spread to the students and dissatisfaction will temporarily cease to be a problem."
When the Poly asked, "How do you perceive the current parking situation? ... " Jim responded,
"The parking situation, as I understand it, is horrible. I do not own a car myself, but I have it on good authority that the main problem with parking at RPI is that there is no place to park at RPI. Again, the Lettuce Party has a solution, and we feel that it is as good as any. We propose that the CII should be gutted of all classrooms, offices, etc. and converted into a multi-level parking garage. This would provide parking places and to spare for all of the RPI community."
When the Poly asked, "Evaluate the performance of this year's President of the Board." John responded,
"I feel the current President of the Union has done a fine job. I would like to improve the E-Board by buying them some new chairs. This will make their job easier, and make them more responsive to suggestions."
When the Poly asked, "What factors should be considered when determining whether or not a new club should receive Union funding?" John responded,
"Money and student enrollment are the key factors which must be considered when planning a budget. It is therefore imperative to keep all current students enrolled. It is the reasoning of this Party to give money to those clubs having catchy nicknames. This is a key plank in our platform."
When the Poly asked, "What factors should be included in future planning for the Union?" John did not submit a response.
When the Poly asked, "How do you evaluate the current Union budget situation?" John responded,
"I feel the budget is adequate, but large. ..."
"Along with his colleagues on the Lettuce party, Lynch proposed the conversion of the Center for Industrial Innovation into a multi-level parking garage as a solution to the campus parking problem. He also advocates a forceful takeover of the downtown area as a remedy to the lack of campus housing."
"Barry hopes to improve the E-board by buying them new chairs in order to facilitate their efforts."
Excerpts from the editorial:
"... (Jim's) lack of (political) experience make[s] him a dubious candidate ... "
"Unfortunately, John was not able to attend the endorsement interviews due to employment commitments; therefore he can be [sic] evaluated here."
This compilation is © 1995 Psi Upsilon Alumni Association of Troy, Inc.