Full email from Arthur F. Golden, Chairman of the RPI Board of Trustees: https://www.reddit.com/r/RPI/comments/72um1u/email_from_arthur_f_golden_66_jd_chair_of_the/ On September 27, 2017, Chairman of the RPI Board of Trustees, Arthur F. Golden '66, J.D., sent a message to the RPI community informing us that the recent controversy surrounding the hiring of a new Director of the Union had been addressed by their Executive Committee. An attached resolution with several declarations had been voted on by the Board, detailing that RPI President, the Honorable Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson, Ph.D., had been granted the sole authority with respect to "...any decisions on the hiring, formal reporting line, removal, and other terms and conditions of employment of the Director of the Union are to be made by the Institute under the authority of the President." One of the declarations of the resolution specified that "any provision in the bylaws, constitution, charter, or other such rules, regulations, or governing documents of any Rensselaer-affiliated group that conflict with the Bylaws of the Institute are deemed unapproved by the Board and are superseded by the Bylaws to the extent they so conflict", effectively disregarding any power the Rensselaer Union Constitution once had should it ever conflict with the Bylaws. Students were not consulted about these changes despite their Union being at the center of it all; what’s more, they were blatantly lied to by members of the administration a week earlier when various Institute administrators sang the praises of student governance and the Rensselaer Union’s rich history and tradition of being led by students. LeNorman J. Strong, Interim Vice President for Student Life, sent a message to the RPI community on September 20, 2017 that included the statements,“we support the Rensselaer Union, its student leadership, and the importance of its work” and “we all recognize and appreciate that we have a student union that is founded upon 127 years of student leadership, collaboration, and a partnership between student leaders and our academic and administrative staff.” That same day, Assistant Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students, Travis Apgar, penned a letter to the Grand Marshal and President of the Union regarding the Director of the Union position. In that letter, Apgar espoused, “In this particular case, the input of the Union Executive Board is formalized by a vote. It is inconceivable that a decision would be made in opposition to the voice of the students when a vote is in full accordance with both the Bylaws of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the Rensselaer Union Constitution, and all applicable employment protection laws. The same would be true when making a decision to discontinue the services of an individual in the position, unless the individual engaged in an act so egregious it required immediate separation.” He went on to voice support for a student-run union by boldly asserting, “The Rensselaer Student Union is one of the last student run unions in the country, a point of great Rensselaer pride that we will continue to support and lift up as a model of superior student leadership development and excellence in community engagement.” Unfortunately, both Strong and Apgar’s messages seem hollow now—in addition to the Trustees’ 2016 comments during the Executive Director of Student Activities controversy—as the principles of shared governance that once guided the creation of governing documents like the Union Constitution and the spirit of which can be found imbued throughout such documents were completely forsaken by the Board with the implementation of this resolution. So for the first time in 127 years, the once successfully student-run Rensselaer Union has ceased to be operated by students. Yes, the building is still there, the clubs, organizations, and intramural sports still exist, services like banking and dining remain operational, and study spaces and meeting rooms are available, but the student experience will soon become a shell of what it once was. There will be no more freedom, no more meaningful choices, no more risk-taking opportunities like starting a club or hosting a specific event, no real say in matters like what restaurant students want given space in the Rathskellar, what comedian they would like to sponsor for a show on campus, or—most importantly—no more control of the multi-million dollar budget generated by students. It will all disappear because what they’ll have is whatever the administration will allow and thinks is best for them. The student experience born from a student-run union and treasured by so many RPI alumni and students will no longer exist as students won’t have the power or control to shape the present and future of their Union. Considering the administration’s repeated bold-faced lies while they emphasize the importance of communication, the glaring lack of student input with the Board of Trustees and especially in matters relating to the Rensselaer Union despite precedent indicating otherwise, and the administration’s blatant disregard for shared governance while they continually pledge to collaborate with students, only one conclusion may be drawn:​ ​this​ ​amounts​ ​to​ ​a​ ​hostile​ ​takeover. The RPI community must unite and fight before our beloved cornerstone of the student experience is lost forever! Please sign and share this petition if you disagree with the Board of Trustees’ recent decisions to give Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson unilateral control over the Director of the Union position and to allow the Union Constitution and 127 years of Rensselaer Union tradition to be trampled. Feel free to leave a comment describing what the student-run Union meant to you and the rest of campus, why you’re adamantly opposed to the Trustees’ resolution and the end of the Union’s student-run status, or how your Union experience was much more than just a “lab course”, as it was described in Golden’s letter. The RPI administration likes to send a lot of messages to the RPI community whether or not they believe in what they’re saying. This is a call to arms. Let’s send them a collective message of our own: our unwavering support of a student-run Rensselaer Union—because we mean it. Visit www.savetheunion.xyz for daily updated content.