The first year as a neophyte RSO at a liberal arts college

Union College is a small liberal arts college in the northeast with a good reputation in science. It is also one of the oldest schools in the nation, having been founded in 1795. Langmuir and Steinmetz taught here as did Chandler, the founder of the American Chemical Society and Ellery, one of the longest tenured Secretaries of Sigma Xi. Arthur and Carter became U.S. Presidents. We claim a Nobel Prize winner, the inventor of transistors, the person who developed the methods for producing quartz crystals and fiber optics. The presidents of du Pont and Kodak attended Union College. We are referred to as the "Mother of Fraternities," and we had the first radio station on a college campus (although not through the airways). Still, until recently, our reputation has been less than admirable among radiation safety experts. This article highlights some of the experiences of a new RSO at this well-acknowledged institution.