I also received the alumni newsletter last week, with the same contest.  Such
alumni newsletters are notorious for their errors, and this is a good
example.  Anyone who has attended RPI will know that many, if not all, of the
sports are referred to as the RPI or Rensselaer Engineers.  So that statement
is ludicrous.
 
Would it be nice to change the school nickname?  Maybe, but it would have to
be changed to something that most alumni, students, and staff agreed was
better.  What name would that be?  I don't know, but I am not sure that a
consensus will be easy to find.
 
Dave Aiello (RPI '89)
Consultant
J.P. Morgan & Company, Inc.
 
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Tony Buffa wrote:
 
I received an alum newsletter the other day touting a "contest" to
rename "Rensselaer's athletic teams"  It said that the name "Engineers"
was only used by the hockey team.  I don't think this is true, I think
football did and other sports. Any recent alum comments?  The main reason
seems to be that the name "Engineers" is not marketable, i.e. you can't
make a cuddly doll or whatever to sell.  How about a tee-shirt with a
slide rule on it?  :-)
 
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