Pawprints: A Step in the Right Direction by Shay McHale | illustration by Unique Fair– Smith | design by Nick Bober
P
awPrints, RIT’s student petition site, has been the subject of many campus controversies. It allows students to bring up any issue they may have and, if it gets enough signatures, is then given an official response from Student Government (SG). From there, it can then be brought up with the administration. PawPrints has brought up a variety of issues, from the argument this past winter about closing campus in relation to the polar vortex, to the therapy and transgender support at the Student Health Center (SHC).
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SERIOUS OR … NOT SO MUCH Some of these petitions tend to be more serious than others. “It’s fun for students to make humorous petitions. It can help blow off steam,” Vivian Trettenbach, a fourth year Fine Arts Studio and Humanities major, said. “I made a
petition asking for more murals on campus to make the campus look less like monotonous brick, but I never reached 200 signatures [the minimum needed to guarantee an official response].” The effect of humor on PawPrints is a force that can be positive, but Ian Stroszeck — third year Computing Security major and
