Welcoming and Inclusive Community

The Welcoming and Inclusive Community Working Group will focus on the challenges facing anyone in the minority—women, underrepresented minority, international, neurodiverse, disabled, and LGBTQ+ faculty, staff, and students—and making sure that RPI’s warm and supportive culture extends to everyone.

Hockey Incubator

Submitted by wattsj5 on Thu, 06/01/2023 - 10:47 AM

We should utilize the President’s box at the field house to serve as an incubator of sorts for RPI students, faculty, and staff.  Tickets could be given to interested students, faculty, and staff with a set percentage of each group per game.  This would be a great way to use the box for games where it is not otherwise being utilized. The hockey incubator would provide the opportunity for the three groups to meet, mix, and ideate with each other and it would foster and encourage connections with people across campus that might not otherwise cross paths
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Gender Diversity through equitable access to campus presence, research opportunities and resources

Submitted by skovik on Tue, 05/30/2023 - 8:46 PM

Harvard Business Review (2021) released a statement with findings across the pandemic: "Childcare is not a family issue, it is a business issue."  Working parents and particularly women workers need to leave work or reduce hours solely due to lack of childcare and inconsistent care support / lack of back-up care. RPI has done wonderfully in allowing HR to provide pinch-hitter options for back up care, but this system is limited to case-by-case appointments of single days only, which requires approval by a solo HR representative for any care support.
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Advising

Submitted by thompd4 on Tue, 05/23/2023 - 11:30 AM

Student advising once a year is not beneficial to the majority of the students.   With ARCH, there are constraints on the students that require specific pre reqs.  

Students  who come in with TONS of  AP credit and have finished their freshman classes should transition to the department sooner than Sophomore year.

Students who are struggling, should be meeting with their advisor more often (every semester) so that we can look at loading, discuss strengths and weaknesses to tailor their loading to increase the odds that they will be successful. 
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Student Academic Success

Submitted by thompd4 on Tue, 05/23/2023 - 10:59 AM

Students who are struggling in the classroom are not getting enough support.  They often are reluctant to ask for help.  Some of their classroom struggles are more complicated due to financial struggles (needing to get more help to navigate/advocate as a first generation college student),  mental health struggles (it takes 3+ weeks to get access to counselors) and academic skills.  These issues need to be addressed before we can get to help them achieve their career goals (internships, jobs,....) I feel like there should be more help to support these vulnerable students to be successful.
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Outreach/Community/Sports Camps/Summer Camp

Submitted by thompd4 on Tue, 05/23/2023 - 10:45 AM

In addition to childcare for pre-K, RPI used to offer sports-related camps and Lego Robotics for school age children to be on campus.  As a parent, this was fantastic and is nice for children of alum and the community at large to be on campus.  RPI is one of the few local universities and colleges that really offers nothing in this area. 

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Vegetarian Hot Dogs

Submitted by smolae on Mon, 05/22/2023 - 2:52 PM

Whenever there's cookouts, there are meat hot dogs and hamburgers, but there are only ever vegetarian hamburgers (veggie burgers) which can be too spicy or just overwhelming to the senses. I've found that vegetarian hot dogs are not spicy and are less textured. 

It would be great to have a vegetarian hot dog option as well as the veggie burgers as they are easy to get and some people like them more than veggie burgers. Thanks.

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Provide training and coaching to academic leaders

Submitted by kincha on Thu, 05/18/2023 - 2:37 PM

At Rensselaer, faculty members are appointed to lead departments and direct curricular programs without any formal training or mentoring in those roles. This can have implications for how well departments and degree programs advance DEI goals. We need to have a leadership development program (e.g. faculty coaching) to help women and other underrepresented groups at RPI move into leadership roles. A leadership development program could also help to ensure that all academic leaders are effective at creating a welcoming and inclusive community at Rensselaer.

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Renovate unused buildings on campus

Submitted by stockk on Thu, 05/18/2023 - 2:29 PM

The tiny historic gingerbread house on the corner of College Ave and RPI way would be such a nice place to house visitors such as interviewees, visiting faculty, etc. if it were updated and restored.  Prospective students and their families planning their campus tour could rent if available.  In its current state it is an eye sore and sad to see the basement window completely caved in and the building exposed to the elements.

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