The Student Senate and I have been pretty busy in the preceding days, weeks and months; we have been trying to gauge student input, whether they're comments, questions, or concerns. I'm not here to just push my own agenda but those of my fellow students who elected me. So I've been told that we need to facilitate communication, that we need to get out there, that we need to listen, and that I must put more humor in my writing; let's start with the first three and see where we go from there.

For those alumni and alumnae returning to RPI for Reunion & Homecoming 2009, welcome back; make sure you find the time to walk around the campus to find the familiar sights as well as explore the new ones. Students here are eager to meet you and hear you stories, and I'm sure they'll share a couple of their own with you as well.

Communication is a tool that is necessary for this campus, and we're constantly trying to improve on it. The student body is always looking for information, it's who we are. The Student Senate would like to facilitate the communication between the student body and the administration, staff, and faculty. So we have a great idea: just ask. Give us a question and we'll answer it ourselves or find the answer for you. It is easy enough, talk to us at justask@rpi.edu. The Senate is always in and we're always listening.

Technology has become a great tool to communicate with, but simply sitting down and talking always works well too. Bring food into the equation and it's even better: you can't send pizza in an e-mail attachment. That's why in collaboration with the Office of the President, the Student Senate will be hosting Pizza with the Cabinet; an opportunity for students to ask or share ideas with members of the RPI Cabinet. Even if you don't have questions stop by to meet, talk, and snack; the first Pizza with the Cabinet will be next Wednesday, October 7th starting at 6pm, just make your way to the second floor of the Russell Sage Dining Hall.

If you've been to a Student Senate meeting, you've undoubtedly seen a lot of talking. We've certainly gotten things accomplished, but sometimes actions are better than words. This past weekend, the Senate used their green thumbs and cleaned up the Peoples Avenue Approach, located near the Heffner Alumni House. We found that underneath the weeds and dirt was an afternoon to bond together and help beautify the community around us. Many thanks to all of those who helped make the clean up possible.

This past week, the Class of 2013 during Freshman Elections voted for their Student Senators; they join the rest of the Senate in working to be "agents of change" for the Student Union, the RPI community, and even beyond; they will find that sometimes its words and sometimes its actions that bring that change and we're here to do both. Find out what we're doing next; e-mail me at gm@rpi.edu, learn more at http://twitter.com/rpigm, or stop by the GM office at the Student Government Suite in the Student Union. Oh yeah, you can always just ask...

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