Grand Marshal Week

Grand Marshal Week (GM Week) is a weeklong tradition held annually during the spring semester, typically in mid-to-late March. It is a set of celebrations and events focused around the election of the Grand Marshal, President of the Union, and other elected officials within the Rensselaer Union.

GM Week festivities were originally organized by the Rules and Elections Committee, but in the modern day have been organized by the GM Week Subcommittee of the Union Programming and Activities Committee (UPAC).

History

The election of the first Grand Marshals in the late 1860s were accompanied by general celebration and often a parade through the city of Troy. It was in one of these parades that the Grand Marshal was presented with a top hat bought from a hat store in Troy, establishing the symbol for the GM that persists to this day. At this time, the election festivities were only a single day, known as "GM Day". However, over the years the tradition extended to a full week, establishing the GM Week known today.

In the earliest days, the GM Day celebrations were often held off-campus, and featured alcohol and other vices. Hazing was common: freshmen were expected to clean up election posters and even were chased through the streets of Troy during the parades, with the upperclassmen trying to chase and remove their nightshirts, something known as "running the gauntlet".

In recent years, every GM Week has included Wednesday off (called GM Day much like the old one-day celebration), where classes and lab sessions are cancelled. Although originally meant to serve as election day, it was found that turnout was lower on holidays, and so election day is customarily the next day instead (Thursday). GM Day, instead, usually is host to the final debates, along with various other events.

Typical Events

In the modern day, typical events in a GM Week include:

• A picnic sponsored by the Provost's Office (the "Provost Picnic"), typically held in the Armory and including some carnival games and attractions
• A Union After Dark event
• A general debate for GM and PU candidates, sometimes including other elected officials
• Election Week
• A formal at the end of the week that includes the announcement of the results for GM Week

Debates and elections for the primary, if one is necessary, typically occur the week before GM Week or early on in GM Week.

GM Weeks in the modern era typically have a "theme" around which the programming is centered, chosen by the GM Week Subcommittee. Examples of themes in recent years include the middle ages, the early 2000s, and mysteries.