Get your own Free Home PageDustin Crewell, the de facto secretary of RPA, had been working closely with the Union Administration office over the last year to become recognized. Crewell explained, "We submitted the proposal to the Union in January. The purpose would have been ratified earlier, but due to unforeseen circumstances, it was delayed."
Crewell had hoped that the purpose would have been approved by last May. The current E-Board needed more information before approving RPA's purpose. "The E-Board wanted to see a demonstration ceremony before approving our purpose," he added.
Since being approved, the club now is working on more programming. They have residence hall educational programs planned for next semester. According to Crewell, these programs will be a question and answer format and "similar to the GLBA's Queer 101 Program."
In addition, RPA is working on putting together more ceremonies, similar to the one performed on November 17 at Mother's Wine Emporium to commemorate the half moon waxing. Other ceremonies planned for next semester include a solar ceremony to be held during the spring equinox and a lunar ceremony held during key phases of the moon.
Some students expressed a concern about the potential use of animals in RPA's ceremonies. Crewell rebutted, "The Rensselaer Pagan Association does not condone the use of animals in any of its ceremonies." Crewell added that the Pagan Association also frowns upon the act of cursing. He defined cursing as the "casting of an evil eye on a person." RPA's working constitution explictly forbids any action that may be deemed harmful to an animal, a person, or the environment.
Crewell stressed that the Pagan Association is not an exclusive club for those who believe in paganism. A part of its purpose is to provide a forum for non-pagans to discus paganism. "A part of RPA's goal is community education." remarked Crewell.
According to their constitution, the Rensselaer Pagan Association was formed last year to provide the Rensselaer community "with an environment on discussion, exchange of information, and practice of Pagan [and] neo-Pagan religions and the magickal [sic] arts." They currently have about thirty members with twelve actively participating in club programs.
This article originally appeared in the December 5, 1996 issue of the Polytechnic. All rights reserved.
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