As the elected Alumni President for the Class of 2013, it’s my duty and obligation to report updates on class activities. Obviously, the class gift is a timely topic of discussion, and I would like to provide a holistic update on the status of the gift, a Rubik’s-style cube that will be installed at the end of the DCC Great Hall. Each side of the fully-functional, moving aluminum Rubik’s cube is designed to measure 42 inches, the largest of its kind. In addition to faculty, staff, and students (the class gift committee) involved in the class gift’s inception throughout 2012 and 2013, our alumni class council includes four members, all elected at the time of our graduation: Kenley Cheung, Brian Nock, Stephen Nock, and Will Schmitt. We have been tracking the gift’s progress and actively discussing the appropriate time to share updates with the class, with myself (Brian) serving as the designated representative to the gift’s fabricator and other Institute offices. Until recently, the cube remained in the fabrication phase with the original vendor, an RPI alum selected by the Office of Procurement Services, which facilitated the gift’s contract. Though the gift was originally targeted for unveiling at Reunion Weekend 2013, we determined this was overly ambitious and made a decision to have the project completed with quality taking precedence over speed of delivery. There have not been many detailed updates during this phase. Three weeks ago, the fabricator contacted us to acknowledge that after exhausting many potential solutions, he would be unable to deliver a functional cube. Up until this time, we were aware of existing mechanical challenges, but under the impression these would be resolved in due time. While the non-functional sculpture is certainly not a result that any of us anticipated, the fabrication process has exposed issues that would prevent delivery of a durable mechanism. As should happen with any incomplete project, we have spent the past several weeks evaluating the status of the gift and the options for moving forward. It would be frivolous to proceed or communicate publicly with incomplete information. Along with the other class officers, I’m disappointed that concerns have not been addressed more directly and civilly. We find it inappropriate to share private email communication. We remain open and honest about this project, but one message within a conversation does not capture the whole project’s status. In this case, it reflects poorly on Cameron McLean, who has served RPI students and the Rensselaer Union for several decades. I’ll apologize to Cameron on behalf of our Class. We are actively working to bring the originally-planned project to completion. This process requires partnering with many faculty and staff at RPI, the alumni class officers, the original members of the Class of 2013 Gift Committee, the original fabricator, and other key stakeholders. Our team has no interest of delivering an unfinished gift to campus, but there are serious hurdles to overcome. Among these are contractual agreements and restrictions, technical challenges, and gravity (yes, this is posing a problem). At this time, we are working with the vendor to document the unresolved design constraints and are evaluating our options. We have not finalized the options for moving forward. For the purposes of managing a civil and productive class gift delivery, I welcome your questions and comments below, and will do my utmost to provide timely answers as they’re available. - Brian Nock, on behalf of the Alumni Class of 2013
Posted on: Wed, 06 Aug 2014 02:52:55 +0000
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