1 Not the Rensselaer Tour 1 - Introduction 0 Not the RPI Tour is an outgrowth of Not the + ___ ___ Rensselaer Handbook, which is a guide to, + __________ ________ logically enough, the "real" RPI, as opposed to the fictitious (or at least apocryphal) "Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute" which looked like such a nice place until you got here. The standard Admissions Office tour being such an integral part of the perpetuation of this myth, it seemed appropriate that any group attempting to present another view disseminate its opinions through its own version of the campus tour. Or at least think about the possibility. 0 The philosophy behind Not the RPI Tour is much the same as that behind Not the Handbook, + ___ ___ ________ i.e. To present those parts of the truth of this place which are not presented by official sources. In this case that means a more realistic, humourous, sarcastic, and even downright cynical "rap" than the ones provided to the official tour guides. - Arranging the Tour 0 As of the current date nothing has been arranged as far as thoughts of actually performing the tour. This will be a very difficult thing to deal with as the Administration will be very unhappy with anyone scaring away prospective freshmen. Perhaps giving the tour to alumni and students is a reasonable alternative. - Starting the Tour 0 Where to start the tour is an important question. The most obvious place, being the most collegiate-looking, is of course that picturesque place just up the hill from the Union. But that has been done, so maybe we should try somewhere else. Practical considerations for collecting a 0 There and back again... 1 Not the Rensselaer Tour 2 - group would predicate such a location as the Union or the Visitor's Information Center (a.k.a. Security), but by that logic those would be good places to hold classes, so maybe we should start at West Hall. - West Hall (can be inserted wherever, even if we decide not to start with West Hall) 0 West Hall is a typically ugly RPI building. It has been around for as long as you would think from looking at it, and as you might notice if you were in front of it, it has not been a classroom building for all that time. Yes, indeed, it did spend many years as Troy Hospital. 0 It was recently pressed into a renewed surge of class-type use when the Sage laboratories, visible up the hill (more on them later), were taken out of use for a year ('82-'83, in fact) for renovations. The Institute then made a mistake by letting in "too many" freshmen the following year and West Hall was still necessary for class space. So it continues to be the bane of the RPI student's existence, particularly since one's earliest class tends to be here, unless of course you live downtown, which of course would make things too easy. 0 Another interesting story about West Hall is that it is not holding itself in place very well. While this very widely believed tale is in fact apocryphal, there nevertheless is a tenacious will to believe it. The reason West Hall isn't slipping faster is supposedly a number of chains connecting it to the foundation of the Sage Labs. This story also may be apocryphal, but it, again, is fairly widely held. - The Pittsburgh Building - There and back again... 1 Not the Rensselaer Tour 3 - The Pittsburgh Building is the location of most of the Institute's Administration offices. This is obvious (would be obvious in winter) from the fact that it is the only building which is quickly, efficiently, and dependably plowed out of a snowstorm. It is convenient from West Hall, as you can see, but the tough walk up the stairs to the rest of campus minimizes unnecessary business. Once you are there, the Registrar's office is quite convenient, and the Bursar's is in the Basement. - Walker Lab 0 Walker is the home of the Chemistry department. While not the most modern facility, this is unimportant since even mildly sophisticated Chem work is done in other buildings. Walker is plenty well equipped for Freshman labs and similar uses. 0 There are a few general classrooms in Walker, which can be nice places to have a class despite the huge climb up the stairs. This is because the view is phenomenal, for Troy. In the fall (also known as "foliage season"), this alone is a good reason to have a class there. The disadvantage to these classrooms, especially those on the top floor (having the best views) is that in any rain or hailstorm the copper roof makes so much noise that the professor cannot be heard. Then again maybe this is an advantage. - Sage Labs 0 If you remember, I promised a while back that I'd tell you more about the Sage labs building "later." Well, it's later. Now you're in for it. 0 Sage has been called by an expert source the "post-modern architectural wonder of the campus." This is most likely a biased comment, you might 0 There and back again... 1 Not the Rensselaer Tour 4 - say, but actually it's not. Just sarcastic. Sage was recently redesigned (by an RPI alumnus, no less) with very questioned decor. One of the truly amazing details is a "house" filling a rather large open space on the top floor, complete with windows, shutters, house door, roof, and more. Rather cute in a different way is the fact that on the main floor one must pass through a lecture hall to get to another wing. 0 The main floor is an interesting thing in itself, being that it's actually the third floor. It shares this feature with the Jonsson Engineering Center. In both buildings one generally enters on the third floor. - The Greene Building 0 Across this lovely new "garden" from the Sage labs building is the Greene Building. If you're not sure which one it is, it's the red building over by that hillside. 0 The Greene Building is the only structure on campus to be open twenty-four hours a day, for the service of its patrons, the architecture students. As a result, you can often find people there at any hour using the computer terminals in the basement. Then again, the "archies," as they are known, can often be found here at any hour working on their architecture projects. - Official RPI Tours 0 Another thing students get used to at Rensselaer is groups of high school seniors dressed in good clothes wandering with their parents, following behind a hapless RPI student who has been stricken by work study, and is mindlessly babbling about the wonderful things available on the RPI campus. This is an official tour. When you want to go anywhere, be it 0 There and back again... 1 Not the Rensselaer Tour 5 - classes, the computer center, or back to your dorm to blow off classes, you will frequently have to allow yourself extra time to avoid these tours. This is particularly true during the late fall when high school seniors realize they have to decide where to apply for college. At this time, which coincidentally coincides with foliage season, you can hear RPI students muttering about "that time of year" under their breath. 0 It is a commonly accepted fact that it is impossible to cross the campus without being caught behind an official tour. On the other hand, it's not really true -- why, I did it just last semester. Admissions frowns on interrupting these very informative gatherings of prospective students (and their prospective parents prospective wallets), so for larger groups you will simply have to wait until the tour moves on. If you have the good fortune to see the group in the distance, you may be able to find an alternate route to your destination. 0 It should also be noted that if a student has nothing to do, a favorite pastime on campus is to actually follow the tours and listen, having seen the campus first hand. Better comedy can't be found in the Capitol District.