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).

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 that includes the announcement of the results for GM Week

In recent years, every GM Week has included Wednesday off, called "GM Day". 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.

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.