The Rensselaer Polytechnic

Infobox Student Newspaper
colour = #d9d9ff
name = "The Rensselaer Polytechnic"

caption =
school = Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
slogan =
nickname = "The Poly"
type = College newspaper
editor = Ben Levinn
advisor =
location =
foundation = 1869
firstname =
othernames =
aprilfools =
owners =
frequency = Weekly
price = Free
circulation = 7,000
format = Tabloid
printer =
awards =
address = Rensselaer Union
15th Street
Troy, NY 12180
website = http://www.poly.rpi.edu

"The Rensselaer Polytechnic" is the weekly student run newspaper of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. It is published every Wednesday during the Institutes's fall and spring academic calendars and once during the summer.

Organization

About "The Poly"

"The Rensselaer Polytechnic", which is also called "The Polytechnic" or "The Poly", was founded in 1869; however, "The Poly" has only been publishing continuously since 1885. It will mark its 125th year of service to the RPI community during the fall of 2008. In addition to weekly issues, "The Poly" publishes a parody issue each semester and an elections issue that endorses student government candidates and provides profiles of registered candidates for all levels of student government. "The Poly" also produces several special inserts through out the year, including the Club Directory, Troy Business Guide, men's and women's hockey previews, and Grand Marshal Week recap.

Distribution

"The Poly" has a circulation of 7,000, with more than 6,000 copies distributed on campus to areas including the Rensselaer Union, dining halls, and academic buildings. "The Poly" is also delivered to the Rensselaer Technology Park, downtown Troy, and Russell Sage College.

Financials

Although "The Poly" has one of the largest club budgets, the paper is entirely funded by advertising revenues and does not receive any Union funding. "The Poly" seeks advertising from national corporations, local businesses, and RPI departments and clubs. The "Poly Credit" system was developed to encourage club advertising by providing free ad space. Clubs with "Poly Credits" can redeem up to four per issue and use them for designated purposes such as advertising an event or promoting membership.

Major sections

"The Poly" is organized into four major sections.;News : Includes In the Nation and World, Incident Blotter, Weird Off the Wire, and Rensselaer in Brief.;Editorial/Opinion : Includes staff editorial, staff notebooks, Top Hat, Derby, letters to the editor, President's Corner.;Features : Includes Out and About, What's Happening, comics.;Sports : Includes scoreboard, round ups.

Parodies

In 1980-81 a parody of "The Poly", named "The Folly", was published and distributed anonymously across the campus. Typical of the humor was the 'Sports In Brief' section featuring a scantily clad person performing yoga.

External links

* [http://www.poly.rpi.edu/ The Rensselaer Polytechnic web site]
* [http://www.lib.rpi.edu/dept/library/html/Archives/timeline/polytechnic_1885.html Cover of issue from 1885]