Survival at the Tute

Birth and Death Control

At RPI, the problems of life and death are very central to every student’s mental condition. He or she has to deal with the constant fear of either creating life that is undesired, by human conception (the act of sex) or by incubating a Daka meal next to the heater coils in his room, or on the other hand, of having to end life, whether it be his own, or again, that of his meal. Of course the Institute, in its never-ending effort to take all the student’s personal problems into its own hands, has much to do with these terribly vital issues.

Birth Control at Rensselaer

Birth control at RPI is very much in effect, but is not appreciated in its simplest form by the students who practice it, for some very obvious reasons. Basically, they don’t like it. In its simplest form, RPI birth control is implemented by what most students call the “Rensselaer Ratio.” Its logic runs along these lines:

If you don’t have sex, you can’t have babies.

Of course this has several different variations in real life. Some people simply abstain from sexual activity. Others become gay to stay sane. Most of the others go on to greener pastures and take what risks that there may be of contracting anthrax.

Rensselaer has a fairly serious problem when it comes to sexual equality. With a ratio of men to women of 5:1, it seems clear that the women are seriously, almost dangerously, outnumbered. This is in fact the case. RPI men seem, on the outset, to be rather shy and unsure of themselves when it comes to dealing with the opposite sex, but the young women who come here have (again, for the most part) considerably less experience with the opposite sex. The men who arrive at RPI have generally had bad experiences with dating; they may have been rejected due to their excessively high grades in high school, or they may have given up all hope of ever meeting a girl with whom they could have an intelligent conversation. In any event, they have not yet entered the race for dates when they get here. As a result, they are invariably sexually immature. This condition generally heals with time, as they are finally exposed to girls who can accept their awkwardness, and who have some of their own. However, at the outset, there is a certain amount of trouble.

Possessiveness is a mania at Rensselaer. The men dearly hang on to relationships for fear of being left out in the cold, while the women fight constantly for breathing space. Your typical RPI guy suspects everyone is trying to pry “his girlfriend” away from him, and often because of this, he drives the poor girl insane with his jealousy. Often this jealousy is founded merely on the fact that the fellow is totally outnumbered by his girlfriend’s other “platonic” male friends. This is just the way life is at RPI, and the sooner the men adjust to it, the smoother their relations go.

RPI women, with very few exceptions, find themselves inundated with young men, all of whom want great amounts of attention and intimacy from the few women that there are. This feast among the women often leads to some very unfortunate results.

Most RPI women have just graduated from a high school where the ratio more closely approached 1:1, and where they were considered to be “greasy grinds” because of their high grades. Because of these two factors, they were rarely asked out on dates and few have had boyfriends during high school. Upon arriving at RPI, they suddenly change from being passed over on Friday nights to being asked out quite a lot. The sudden arrival of a veritable flock of admirers, while it is no doubt what the woman has been dreaming of all during high school, becomes a very severe drain on her energy and often lead to a mental state very similar to burnout. This is no fun for anybody, least of all the young woman, who feels that if she sees another earnest, caring, male face, she will scream, or start killing people, or some such insanity.

The syndrome is known as “puppy-dog-ism,” because of all the male puppy dogs wagging their tails, sniffing up the poor girl’s skirts, and wanting miscellaneous attentions. Puppy-dogs are notorious for doing homework, hanging around the dorm at all hours, and for staring at the object of their puppy-dog-ism for hours.

Another more difficult problem is unwanted pregnancies. These are also a spinoff of social immaturity, resulting from not being aware of birth control or just taking risks. Pregnancies among freshmen women are rather high at RPI, peaking around 10 percent of the freshman women within the first two months of their freshman year.

The unabridged purity test

Death Control at Rensselaer

RPI is indeed a difficult school, demanding, for the most part, considerable amounts of effort on the part of its students. Quite often, the pressure can drive people right to the edge of despair. This is not helped by the fact that there are many other sorts of pressure, most of which will come to bear at the exact same time. (This is a practical application of Murphy’s Law.) Grades, financial aid cuts, and relations with parental units and girlfriends or boyfriends can all come to a head at once. When this happens, and when the light of the sun is blotted out by all these concerns, then suicide can become very tempting as a way to stop all the problems at once.

RPI is rather mute on the subject of suicide, preferring for the most part to ignore it, and when it occurs, to cover it up and hide the evidence. The reality is that students at RPI, as well as at other major schools, do on occasion kill themselves. More than likely, the causes of suicide are not avoidable, in so much as RPI is not going to be getting any easier on its students and neither are the expectations of parents going to become any less demanding. However, suicide is not a sensible, reasonable or even simple solution to life’s dilemmas.

The most important thing to remember is that killing yourself is final. There is no turning back on this decision. What’s more, there is life after failing out of RPI. Too few students who are doing terribly want to realize this, for the act of failing seems to be a statement by the school that you are not worthy of being in the same school as your friends. Well, to be accepted at RPI is quite a step, but on occasion the school and the student are not compatible. It is not worth dying for a mistake like choosing the wrong school.

The best thing to do if one is feeling suicidal is not to go on a drinking spree, or to visit the local drug store for valium, but to get in touch with someone who can help you work out the depression. The organizations such as NEAR and the Counseling Center are a good place to begin. Talk to friends, too, and tell them how you feel. If they can cushion you from your pain, then being with them will help. It is most important that your parents give you support instead of anguish, so if they are going to be angry, don’t talk to them directly about what troubles you. Few students have such support from their family, so the feelings of being cut off are common.

Entertainment in the Capital District

One of the saddest things about Rensselaer students is that many of them fail to discover the interesting things to do in the Capital District. Inside of the three cities (Albany, Schenectady, and Troy) are a multitude of clubs, restaurants, novelty stores, night spots, theaters, and parks to be enjoyed by the college age crowd. Most of these establishments encourage student business by offering discounts, promoting their college crowd, and in general, offering the kinds of activities and services that students look for. Don’t sell the Capital District short, especially if you are from a large city, for most of the things that you may have favored in the bigger city can be found here, admittedly in smaller numbers.

Public Transportation

The biggest drawback to being in Troy, it seems, is having to own a car to get away from RPI. For students without cars, there are basically three choices to transportation: find a friend with a car, ride a taxi, or ride the bus. The taxi services located in Troy are overpriced, callous and dangerous. Black and White cab is the undisputed leader in Troy, and they drive like they own the road. In general, it is best not to take a taxi anywhere, especially while alone. The fare can be astonishing (e.g. from Troy to Albany; $15).

The Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) runs a good bus service to the major shopping areas in the tri-city area. Bus 22 runs to Albany from in front of the Atrium every half-hour. Bus 70 runs from downtown Albany to Colonie Center equally frequently, and the fare is around 70 cents. Bus 14 goes to Rensselaer, which is a good way to get to the Third Street Theater.

Movie Theaters

There are several movie theater chains in the area, including the national ones such as United Artists, General Cinema, and RKO Fox, as well as some local repertory theaters that show more obscure works.

The most important thing to know about the local theaters is whether or not they have student discounts. United Artists and Hellman theaters have student discounts. The Crossgates Mall Cinema also offers a student discount ($3.50) for its evening shows. The Colonie (Northway) Cine 1..8 theater offers no student discount, and isn’t a very appealing theater for doing so.

Three theaters in the area are not your typical show house. Specializing in “sleeper,” “artistic,” or just off beat films, the Spectrum Theater, 3rd Street Theater, and Images Cinema are a real delight for the avant-garde film fan. Of the three, Third Street is the smallest theater, which can be a problem when arriving late for a show. Arrive early to get seats together, if at all. The Spectrum is run by the Third Street management, but concentrates on more “major” films than its counterpart, and shows these films for longer runs. Images, which is in Williamstown, Mass, shows an occasional big seller film along with more avant-garde fare. All of the theaters offer natural foods instead of the usual junk food one finds in movie concession stands. Of course, the concessions aren’t any cheaper.

Most of the theaters in the Capital District are concentrated in or near Albany. In the downtown area are the Spectrum (just up Delaware Street; take the Madison Ave. exit on 787 south and turn left at Lark Street, onto Delaware.) and the Madison (keep going up Madison Ave. past Lark Street for several blocks). Across the river in Rensselaer is the 3rd Street Theater (take I-90 east toward Boston, exit on Washington Street, follow signs to Amtrak station, turn left at the gas station a block before the bottom of the hill).

In Colonie there is the Crossgates Mall (south on I-87 from the I-90 intersection, has it’s own exit) the Northway Cine (Route 5 exit on I-87 going toward Albany, or Fuller Road exit on I-90 away from SUNYA), and the UA Colonie (behind the Colonie Centre Mall off of Wolf Road). Also in Colonie, because of the amoeba-like geography of Colonie, is the UA Towne (Route 9, north of where it intersects Route 7 in Latham). Someday this will be at the intersection of Extension Route 7 and Route 9.

Schenectady has two notable theaters, the Mowhawk Mall Cinema (take Route 7 all the way out to Schenectady) and Proctor’s Theater, which also features live theater (downtown Schenectady, find it yourself!).

Troy has only two real theaters, the Uncle Sam Atrocity, and the Cinema (Skinema) Arts Theater. Both are rather slimy and no further mention will be made of them here.

Restaurants

The Capital District is well represented by various food merchants, and boasts a fine collection of restaurants that most students can afford. The following listings are categorized by atmosphere, and within those categories by price.

Sandwich Bars

Justin McNeil’s — 304 Lark Street, across from Club 288. Noisy, busy bar front with a classy jazz dining room in the back. Good selection of sandwiches that are filling and all under five dollars. Catch the jazz music after 10 PM on weekend nights.

Italia Resturant — 4th Street, Troy. Within walking distance of West Hall, this is another jazz bar that happens to sport a resturant with slow service but fine food at a student’s price. Nick Brigniola and his Quartet often play this joint.

Margarita’s — 284 Lark Street, Albany. Mexican food at very affordable prices. Go upstairs for quiet meal, or outside, weather permitting (After September and before May, forget it!).

Pasta Express — 290 Lark Street, Albany. Incredibly good pasta in huge quantities with garlic bread and other Italian side dishes, for under five dollars a plate. They are fast, too, so if you are in a hurry, try them out. The staff is fun and friendly, and can help out if the diverse range of pasta is at first overwhelming.

Coffeehouses

8th Step Coffeehouse — Willet Street, Albany. One of the more popular and well represented coffee houses in Albany. Just one street over from Lark St.

Dessert Shops

Ben and Jerry’s — Vermont’s Finest Ice Cream retailer. There are two outlets in Albany, one on New Scotland Ave. just past the Albany Medical Center (hey, they can take my tonsils out anytime!) and the other in the Crossgates Mall. Makes a good excuse for a mall road trip. Beware the Vermonster, it makes the RPI Colossus look like a dish for a wimp.

Classy Joints

Cocos — Tops the NtRH list. This place is fun, fun, fun, but oh so Expensive, Expensive, EXPENSIVE. Plan on blowing $20 a head, easy. Mega drinks in fish bowl cups and a salad bar that’s a meal in itself are the main features of a great place to take a friend to for a birthday celebration.

TGI Fridays — A popular place for the Yuppie crowd in Albany, this restaurant claims to have started the Singles Decade (that’s 1970-present, for those not in the know). Wide selection on the menu, silly and trite nick-knacks on the wall, funny hats on the waitresses, and not a terribly inexpensive place.

Bookstores

Boulevard Bookstore — 12 Northern Street, Albany. This store specializes in social and science texts, and sports one of the finest Women’s Concerns sections in the area. Also carries music and artworks.

FantaCo — 21 Central Avenue, Albany. One of the strongest comic and science fiction bookstores in the Capital District. They also sponsor a local comic book convention under the name of LastCon.

Nelsons — Central Ave., Albany. A classic used book store, the owner is personable and knows where almost all his books are.

Colsons — State at Pearl, Albany. Largest collection of magazines and newspapers in area. Sleazy crowd after hours.

Earthworld Comics — 327 Central Avenue, Albany. Lower grade collection of comics than FantaCo, but has lots of older copies.

Electric City Comics — Schenectady. Wide and diverse selection of new and old comics, “SciFi” books, and back issues of Playboy magazines. Find one for the year you were born, it’s a riot!

Malls

Crossgates Mall — The undisputed king of area malls, and source of predictions that other area malls would go under by stealing their business. Crossgates sports twelve theaters, a huge selection of fast food vendors, including Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream, and several anchor stores such as J. C. Penney, Jordan Marsh, Filene’s, and even Caldor. Altogether the Total Mall Experience (TME).

Colonie Mall — The previous champion of the area malls, Colonie was the only bi-level mall until Crossgates. There is less at Colonie in the way of shoe shops, but it does have a newly refurbished Sears, Roebuck Co. store and also a Macy’s, the classiest store in any area mall. The UA Towne Central, RKO Fox, and the Cine 1..8 theaters are located within a few hundred meters of this mall.

Latham Circle Mall — This “mall” started life as an outdoor shopping center, which was later enclosed to accommodate the new mall concept. While claiming nothing special, the Circle does have a Boston Store and two video arcades, side by side, which in the past have had price wars. The most redeeming feature of the Circle is that it is the closest mall in the area to Troy, excepting the Uncle Sam Atrium.

Mohawk Mall — Schenectady’s own mall, this thing is long and twisty. Way the hell out on Route 7, unless you happen to live in Schenectady.

Uncle Sam Atrium — Troy’s own attempt at suburban commercialdom, and a total failure because of its location. Actually has the best video tape rental place in the Capital District, but very few venture this way to use it. Has excellent parking garage, but the parking fees are annoying.

Troy Plaza — While not exactly a mall, it is Troy’s idea of the next best thing. Ames, Price Gouger and One Hour Photo are just some of the commercial delights to be found here.

Stuyvesant Plaza — While not technically a mall, this shopping center contains some of the very best stores in Albany. One of the best bookstores, record shoppes, computer stores, art galleries, and bagelry’s resides here.

A note about most of the malls mentioned above. Almost all have a Radio Shack, a Waldenbooks, and enough shoe stores to terrify even the strongest of stomachs.

Parks

Troy has two main parks, Prospect Park and the Hudson River Front Park. Prospect Park is the large fenced off park just south of Congress street, starting at 13th street and running down to 8th. It contains a public pool, some small outdoor cooking facilities, and an incredible view of downtown Troy at night. A great place to go “park,” but the density of Troy residents, mostly high schoolers, is alarming.

Areas of Special Interest

There are a few areas of special interest in the Capital District, if only for their peculiar nature or interest to the enlightened college student.

Foremost among these places is the central area of Downtown Albany. This area encompasses the Empire State Plaza, Robinson Square, Lark Street, and State Street. The Empire Plaza is the five large skyscrapers (the big one with the four children) that can be clearly seen from I-787, Rensselaer, and even RPI (on a clear day). The Plaza, also known as “Rockefeller’s Last Erection,” has a huge park built on the top of it. There is another Rickey sculpture there, “Two Lines Oblique,” which is also known as the “Needletoid.” The New York State Museum, Capitol Building, and other government offices are located nearby. Behind the Plaza is Robinson Square, a collection of small artistic shops that sell novelty items centered around major themes. Up the street is Lark Street, another collection of boutiques and art shops, which is home to a large new-wave/punk culture in Albany. 288 Lark Street is the most popular new-wave/punk nightclub in the area, and features local and national bands regularly.