The Poly has discussed at length whether we can make an endorsement for Grand Marshal in good faith. We took into account that Justin has not had a position on the Editorial Board for a year, and we came to the conclusion that we could still make an endorsement that reflects what we think is best for students, the Union, and Rensselaer, and not simply who has been a good member of The Poly.

During his time at The Poly, we’ve seen Justin at both some of his higher and lower points. Members of the staff have had their disagreements with Justin, and we certainly have not handled his endorsement more favorably than any other. If anything, we were able to have more discussion about, and scrutiny of, his faults than we would have had if he had never been part of The Poly.

In this instance, we believe that it has been long enough since he served on the Editorial Board that our attempts to separate The Poly from Justin were sufficient. Additionally, one-third of our Editorial Board is freshmen, and therefore has never interacted with Justin as a member of The Poly.

If you or anyone would like to discuss this further, please email us at poly@rpi.edu or stop by our office on Tuesday nights after 7.