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(08/29/07 12:00pm)
College president R. Barbara Gitenstein signed the American College and University Presidents Campus Climate Commitment (ACUPCCC) on April 15.
By signing the commitment, president Gitenstein created a Campus Climate Committee that will be responsible for planning and implementing an initiative to reduce and eventually end greenhouse gas emissions on campus.
President Gitenstein said she was approached about the climate commitment in spring and discussed it with vice president of Facilities Management, Construction and Campus Safety, Curt Heuring.
"I concluded that such a commitment was the responsible action for (the College)," she said.
The Climate Commitment Committee consists of faculty, students and staff and is co-chaired by Heuring and professor of civil engineering Michael Horst.
"This initiative commits the College to developing a long-range plan for our institution that will reduce and ultimately neutralize greenhouse gas emissions on our campus and promote research and educational efforts to equip society to re-stabilize the earth's climate," Heuring said. "The committee will help the College achieve the presidents climate commitment."
Andrew Mathe, publicity coodinator of Water Watch and Meagan Terry, vice president of Water Watch, are the student liasons to the climate committee.
The committee's initial work will include investigation, analysis and planning, according to Heuring, as well as establishing a schedule and setting long-term goals.
Heuring said as time goes on and the College adopts certain strategies, more changes may become evident to students.
However, Heuring said the committee has recommended that some changes be implemented immediately. The committee is proposing that the College only purchase equipment that is Energy Star compliant, and that it looks into establishing a policy that all new buildings be designed to a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, a nationally-recognized standard for construction of environmentally safe buildings.
Heuring said the committee is also investigating initiatives at other institutions to determine what might work at the College and several committee members are attending training sessions about sustainable technologies and strategies.
Although the process will probably take several years, Mathe said he believes it will be beneficial to students.
"This will be a comprehensive process that will potentially affect everything from food services to how we submit our papers," he said.
Mathe said the only point of contention he sees for students is a possible sustainability fee to help compensate for any initial costs.
"Compared to the countless fees that are already a part of our term bill, I think few people would protest such a decision," he said.
"Institutions of higher education should be leaders in minimizing negative impact on our environment," president Gitenstein said.
Over 300 college and university presidents have signed the climate commitment so far.
(08/29/07 12:00pm)
The alcohol-induced death of Rider University freshman Gary DeVercelly Jr. and the subsequent charging of Rider's Dean of Students and Director of Greek Life have made a nationwide impact on college students, but it has also caused College adminstrators and Inter-Greek Council (IGC) leaders to re-examine its policies.
DeVercelly, 18, of Long Beach, Calif., died on March 30 after a party at the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity house where he was pledging. Authorities said his blood alcohol level was 0.426 percent.
Rider's Dean of Students Anthony Campbell and Director of Greek Life Ada Badgley have both pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated hazing, though Mercer County prosecutor Joseph Bocchini has asked a Superior Court Judge to drop the charges against the two.
Also charged were Michael J. Torney, the Phi Kappa Tau chapter president, Dominic Olsen, pledge master, and Adriano DiDonato, Phi Kappa Tau house manager. All three pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated hazing.
The Phi Kappa Tau fraternity house has since been closed.
David Conner, director of fraternities and sororities, said IGC is reviewing what happened at Rider and examining College risk-management policies.
"We want to make sure we are where we need to be," he said.
According to Daniel Gaughan, president of IGC at the College, the situation at Rider has not yet been discussed within IGC but will be brought up at the first meeting.
"What happened at Rider was obviously a huge tragedy that will probably affect the Greek community at (the College) as well as around the country," Gaughan said. "With it being the summer and having a new assistant director of fraternity and sorority programs, I have not yet discussed the ramifications with my executive board or the assistant director."
According to Matt Golden, director of communications and media relations, the division of student affairs has been reviewing its policies and procedures relating to alcohol use, Greek life, staff selection and training as a result of DeVercelly Jr.'s death.
"We have been monitoring Rider's tragedy and the subsequent developments very closely, as we do with significant events at many colleges," Golden said.
Gaughan said if something similar occurred at the College, the fraternity or sorority responsible would be shut down.
The situation at Rider has caused the College to examine how it would respond if something similar happened on campus, Golden said.
"Whenever a crisis occurs, we try to determine how we would have responded, if that response would have been effective, how the crisis might have been prevented and what we can learn to improve our practices," he said.
Golden said alcohol abuse has been an issue at the College for a few years.
"Alcohol use, abuse and education became a very prominent issue on this campus two to three years ago when we held an alcohol summit," he said. "Since that time, (the College) has directed a great deal of energy and effort toward analyzing and adjusting its alcohol policies where appropriate and helping its students make healthy choices."
(05/02/07 12:00pm)
Some colleges and universities have federally-mandated exit counseling workshops conducted by representatives of loan companies, according to The New York Times article published last Saturday. However, exit counseling is done differently at the College.
Exit counseling is required by the Department of Education for all graduating college seniors who are paying their tuition with loans.
"According to the Department of Education, exit counseling is intended to explain borrowers' rights and responsibilities, loan repayment and the consequences of default," the Times article said.
According to Jamie Hightower, director of Student Financial Services at the College, exit counseling and loan consolidation at the College are two separate processes, unlike at some of the schools featured in the Times article.
Exit counseling at the College is handled through an online process called "Mapping Your Future." If a student does not complete the exit interview, a transcript hold is placed on his account.
An e-mail was recently sent to seniors by the Office of Student Financial Assistance reminding them to complete their exit interviews and detailing the process. The e-mail provided the Web site students need to use to complete exit counseling, mapping-your-future.org, and reminded students that separate interviews need to be conducted for Stafford and Perkins loans recipients.
"Please be reminded that the exit loan counseling is a graduation requirement mandated by the United States Department of Education," the e-mail said.
Loan consolidation, which means combining the different types of loans a student may have to pay into a single interest rate and one monthly payment, is a separate process.
Last year was the first time the College held a loan consolidation workshop, which was conducted by a Sallie Mae representative.
"This workshop was conducted by a Sallie Mae representative who in no way persuaded the students to consolidate with Sallie Mae as their lender," Hightower said. "He provided general information about loan consolidation such as what it is, how to consolidate and how the interest rate is determined."
This year, the workshop is scheduled to be conducted by a representative from the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority, a state agency.
"This workshop will serve as a vehicle to prepare students on how to select a lender for consolidation if their situation deems necessary," Hightower said.
(05/02/07 12:00pm)
The sisters of Zeta Phi Beta represented the College Sunday morning at the annual March of Dimes Mercer County WalkAmerica at Mercer County Park.
Zeta Phi Beta participates in the five-mile walk, which focuses on awareness and prevention of premature birth, every year.
Also walking with Zeta Phi Beta were members of Epsilon Xi Zeta, the grad chapter of the sorority, and members of Phi Beta Sigma, Zeta Phi Beta's fraternity brothers, as well as other students.
Zeta Phi Beta's Archonettes also participated. The Archonettes are an auxiliary group of girls from high school, ages 14 to 18, who participate in community service events with Zeta Phi Beta and are managed by the grad chapter.
N.J. Congressman Rush Holt was in attendance and gave a speech that started off the walk.
"Families' dreams are realized here," he said. "They have healthy children who grow into strong adults. It's great to see you all out here."
According to Joycelyn Oppong, a sister of the sorority and coordinator of the WalkAmerica event, the Zeta Phi Beta team raised money by tabling in Brower Student Center in March and collecting online donations.
Oppong was happy with the money raised by the team but hopes to raise even more for next year.
Participants were happy to be walking for community service.
"I love kids, I love babies," Marylyn Dumornay, a freshman participant, said. "I believe that if my child had a problem I would want all these people to support them too. That's a beautiful thing."
Evette Barnes, a freshman walker, said she was not sure of her individual impact, but that together she knew the walkers could make a difference.
"I know children who have died of premature birth," she said. "It's inspirational to see a bunch of people come together for a cause."
(04/25/07 12:00pm)
Two students came to the New Library auditorium last Wednesday to watch "Chill Out: Campus Solutions to Global Warming," a live video broadcast over the Internet by the National Wildlife Federation. The video included a message from former Vice President Al Gore, a panel discussion with scientists and global warming experts, and the announcement of the eight schools that won "Chill Out," a contest between 182 colleges and universities.
"We are beginning to turn a corner of global warming," Gore said.
The grand prize winner of the contest was California State University at Chico. A 300 kilowatt-hour solar array was installed on two campus rooftops, and programs such as installing energy saving software on computers have been adopted there.
"It was encouraging to see that three of the eight winners of the Chill Out competition were New Jersey schools: Monmouth University, Richard Stockton College of New Jersey and the Lawrenceville School just down the road from us," Andrew Mathe, publicity coordinator for Water Watch, said. "I was especially thrilled to see what Stockton has done, as a fellow state institution. We should begin conferring with the facilities directors to see whether (the College) can also install photovoltaic cells throughout our campus."
The live video included a panel of representatives from some of the winning schools as well as scientists and experts on global warming.
Mathe said if the College implemented some of the programs other schools have, it would save money.
"It was emphasized in the program that each school saved a significant amount of money by going green - a reality that is seldom acknowledged," Mathe said.
Although only two students came to watch the live video, Mathe said he does not think the campus is apathetic about global warming.
"I believe that once we bring our campus community to realize that environmentalism is no longer some far-left, 'artsy-fartsy' pipe dream, but a crucial new way of perceiving the world, students will begin to warm up to attending the various programs Water Watch and the new Realistic Individuals Saving the Environment are putting on," he said. "True activism is hard to find."
(04/18/07 12:00pm)
On Sunday, April 15 and Monday, April 16, the New Jersey Climate March, hosted at the College by Water Watch, arrived on campus. This included a rally on Sunday in Brower Student Center where Jim Norfleet, vice president of Student Life, spoke on behalf of College President R. Barbara Gitenstein, who recently became the second college president in New Jersey to sign the College Climate Commitment.
On Monday, four College students attended a rally on the steps of the State House, where New Jersey Sen. Barbara Buono spoke.
The Climate March started Friday with a rally at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. Marchers then took a train to Princeton Junction and marched to Princeton University, where they had a rally Saturday. They then took a bus and marched to the College in the rain Sunday morning from Lawrenceville.
On Monday morning, marchers, including Andrew Mathe, a sophomore at the College and president of Water Watch, went from campus to the steps of the State House with a banner advertising their goal of cutting carbon emissions 80 percent by 2050.
"We really need this momentum," Buono told the group of about 20 people assembled on the State House steps Monday morning. "We have the tools to solve this. The only thing we're missing is the political will."
Buono and Assemblywoman Linda Stender are the two co-sponsors of the Global Warming Response Act.
The group on the State House steps included Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, Don Wheeler, president of the New Jersey Higher Education Partners for Sustainability (NJHEPS), a representative from Stender's office, Suzanne Leta of Environment New Jersey and Ted Glick, a Green party Senate candidate in 2002 and organizer of the New Jersey Climate March.
"I'm really, really pleased to see all of you here," Glick said on Monday.
Carlos Rymer, a Cornell University sophomore who initiated the Climate March and marched from Rutgers to the College, said between 400 and 500 people attended the rallies.
"I'm really glad about what we have done," he said. "We're calling on Congress, we're calling on leaders across America."
Rymer said the plan is to continue the movement for a reduction in carbon emissions and convince all college and university presidents to sign the College President Climate Commitment to reducing energy at the colleges.
Only Rider University signed the commitment before the College.
Brittany Hopkins, a 2005 graduate of Smith College and the other initiator of the Climate March, said she was disappointed Monday morning when only her, Rymer, Glick and Mathe showed up to march to the State House.
However, Hopkins said she realized that the four of them could make a difference.
"People are going to see us from their cars and think 'those people are crazy,'" she said. "But the global warming situation is crazy."
"This set the kind of precedent we need for New Jersey," Suzanne Leta of Environment New Jersey, said. "We need people like you to continue your involvement."
Jeff Tittel, director of the Sierra Club, cited future changes that will happen if carbon emissions are not reduced.
"What we know and what we love may not be here for future generations," he said. "This building is the place where we can make that change."
The rally Monday ended with a chant led by Rymer: "1, 2, 3, 4, Global Warming out the door; 5, 6, 7, 8, we cannot afford to wait."
The rally on Sunday, originally scheduled for Quimby's Prairie but moved to Brower Student Center because of inclement weather, began with an introduction by Mathe.
"The question today is whether we will enact these changes out of our own volition, or wait until we are left with no choice but to sort through what remains of contemporary society after the fully manifested entropic processes leave us scrambling yet again for temporary solutions," Mathe said. "Will we be remembered as the species that could not hear the cry echoing from deep within ourselves, blindly clawing towards satiation in a material realm that cannot possibly satiate our voracious, self-consuming, world-consuming appetite?"
Don Wheeler of NJHEPS spoke with Norfleet about Gitenstein's endorsement of the Climate Commitment.
"At (the College) there is terrific leadership," Wheeler said. "Action is really possible now."
"I'm very proud that you're here today," Norfleet said. "We at (the College) will do all we can do to ensure your success because we know our collective future depends on it."
"In order for (Gitenstein) to follow through on this, it's going to require that the students be vigilant, the students be vocal and the students keep the pressure on," Wheeler said.
"We don't have 43 years to reduce carbon by 80 percent," Glick said. "We need a mass movement the likes of which this country has never seen."
"All any of us has is our one life," he said. "We have to use it."
"The ability to affect social change takes nothing more than a vision and a voice," Mathe said.
A performance by the Trentones finished off the rally.
(04/18/07 12:00pm)
Michael J. Mumma, founding director of NASA's Goddard Center for Astrobiology, spoke to a standing-room only crowd on Wednesday, April 11, about the search for methane on Mars.
The event was co-hosted by the Physics department and the Astronomy club and took place in Physics room 101. A question-and-answer session followed Mumma's presentation, titled "Methane on Mars: Geochemistry or Biology?"
Mumma was introduced by sophomore Justin Nieusma, president of the Astronomy club.
"(He) is so influential he even has an asteroid named after him," Nieusma said.
Mumma began his presentation with some background about Earth and Mars, examining why Earth is wet and explaining that there is water on Mars today. Mumma said the water in Mars' southern ice cap could cover the planet with 11 meters of water.
Mumma also covered primordial chemistry, explaining that Mars has a very low-density atmosphere.
"If you tried to breathe that air, you would die," he said.
Mumma said biology on Mars does not exist on the surface of the planet but under it.
"Mars, deep below its permafrost layer, does have a habitable zone," he said.
Mumma then covered the search for signs of life on Mars.
"How do you identify something that could be indicative of life?" he asked. Mumma went through the origins of methane on Earth to understand the constraints of methane on Mars. Mumma said on Earth there are biological communities below the surface of the Arctic Circle.
"Life can exist in these deep isolated regions if it has a source of energy and nutrients," he said.
Mumma said previous searches for methane on Mars have come back negative and that in 2004 the Mars Express Mission made a finding, but it is not believed to be credible.
According to Mumma's presentation, the Goddard Center is "completing the most comprehensive and complete research of methane on Mars to date."
Mumma said there are indications that Mars was once a wet planet and that methane exists where water is most abundant.
"Maybe one of these days we'll know the answer," he said.
During the question-and-answer session, Mumma answered a few questions from students and several from professors in the audience.
One issue that came up was the issue of religion coming into play in the search for life on Mars.
"Nothing is excluded. You find the evidence, you interpret it and that's what it is," Mumma said. "Independent inquiry leads us to greater truth."
Mumma said humans have always been interested in the origin of life.
"I don't think anyone accepts this as unequivocal evidence of life on Mars," he said. "(But) it seems very unlikely that there isn't some life on Mars."
(04/11/07 12:00pm)
Since the College made its Master Building Plan available in a presentation on Wednesday, March 28, students and faculty have criticized the plan. Some students, specifically those involved in club and intramural sports, have even started a petition disagreeing with the plan.
According to Debbie Simpson, intramurals coordinator, students in club and intramural sports disagree with the plan because it does not include athletic facilities or renovations, renovations to the student center, open space or dining facilities in the new residence halls.
Simpson said she believes the petition is intended to eventually reach the president of the Student Government Association (SGA).
Lynda Rothermel, campus architect, said she is aware of students' criticism and plans to begin working on incorporating student life into the plan.
"The concerns and disappointments expressed about the lack of athletic, recreation and student activity spaces were heard loud and clear," Rothermel said. "Programming for these spaces will be underway shortly, with the guidance of Jim Norfleet, vice president of Student Life."
Students, however, are not the only ones unhappy with the plan. Dan Crofts, professor of history and former chair of the Faculty Senate, disagrees with the part of the plan that will demolish the lecture halls in Forcina Hall in 2008.
"I was surprised to learn that this plan called for destruction of the Forcina wing . three years before any additional lecture halls would be built," Crofts said. "Thus, there would be a three-year interval with only half the lecture halls currently available on campus. From what I hear, the three lecture halls in Forcina are still frequently used, even though they are not well-designed or maintained," Crofts said. "This suggests to me that they are needed."
Crofts suggested that a lecture hall be built in the new art building, which would benefit art history classes as well as the wider campus community.
"The purpose of an open forum is to allow all campus constituents an opportunity to express their opinions," she said. "The comments received have been compiled and are under review by the Steering Committee."
Michael Robertson, professor of English and president of the Faculty Senate, is encouraged by the amount of feedback the College is receiving.
"The Faculty Senate, along with the staff senate and SGA, sponsored these forums on the master plan for the purpose of getting feedback from faculty, staff and students," he said.
Robertson said the Faculty Senate will be devoting time at its next meeting to discuss the plan with the intent of giving feedback to Curt Heuring, vice president of Facilities Management, Construction and Safety.
"These are positive signs that people are engaged," he said. "The Master Building Plan is a work in progress."
(04/04/07 12:00pm)
After being offered three of the most prestigious fellowships in the world, history professor Qin Shao has accepted a fellowship from the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University for her sabbatical in 2007-2008.
Shao was offered fellowships for her work on China from the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the School for Advanced Research on the Human Experience in Sante Fe, N.M.
Shao found out about the fellowships starting in early February when James Brooks, President of the School for Advanced Research, called to offer her the fellowship. Brooks told her the deadline to accept the fellowship was March 1.
Shao said she was surprised that the School for Advanced Research called so early, as she did not expect to start hearing about her applications until March.
Although she appreciated the offer from the School for Advanced Research, Shao said she did not want to decide by March 1 in case she received another offer. Shao called the Woodrow Wilson School, who told her she was at the top of its list and that it had basically already selected her, but needed a final meeting to decide on March 5.
"Chances were it was a sure thing," Shao said. "But you never know because it's so competitive."
Shao then contacted the School for Advanced Research, who gave her an extension on the deadline.
Before the Woodrow Wilson School made an offer, the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard called to offer Shao a fellowship. Shao called the School for Advanced Research to decline its offer. Although Shao said she felt bad declining, the School invited her to apply again and was happy to know it was competing with Harvard and the Woodrow Wilson School.
Shao then decided to go to Harvard instead of the Woodrow Wilson School; she called the Woodrow Wilson School to decline its offer on Friday, March 30.
Shao said the overall factor that affected her decision was research conditions. Shao said the Woodrow Wilson School is good for her specific research because it has a focus on contemporary public policy.
However, "Harvard has more people who work in the China field," she said.
Shao also choose Harvard for its "several libraries and extensive selection on China."
Shao said she is humbled by the three offers she received.
"In a time when there is very little funding for the social sciences and humanities, you are very lucky to get one offer, and I got three," she said.
"It is all the more precious for someone in a small college to receive such awards," Shao said. "I am honored to be recognized by my peers and the experts in the field for my work."
Shao said the fellowships not only recognize her current project, but recognize the body of her work that she has contributed to the field, including her publications in the United States, Europe and China.
Shao said internal and external experts from each institution reviewed her work before offering her the fellowship.
In addition to publishing all over the world, Shao was profiled in April 2005 in Academic Monthly, a leading journal in China that is published in Shanghai. The article outlined her academic career in China and the United States. Shao was the first woman and the first overseas Chinese person to be profiled in the journal.
Matt Golden, director of Communications and Media Relations, said Shao's accomplishments give a good name to the College.
"Professor Shao's accomplishments are a source of great pride for the College," he said. "These recognitions let prospective students know that when they come to (the College) they will learn from faculty members who are revered by their peers and respected both nationally and internationally."
"It's almost painful to say no to a fellowship," Shao said. "It feels wonderful to be wanted and to be invited; it feels terrible to say no."
(04/04/07 12:00pm)
Mae, who was asked to perform with Copeland and The Academy is. in the College Union Board's (CUB) upcoming spring concert, is no longer coming to the College.
According to Tara Conte, CUB director, Mae's available dates did not coincide with CUB's available dates and the dates available for The Academy Is. and Copeland. On the date of the concert, Monday, April 16, Mae is already playing another gig. At first, CUB looked into Mae, Ben Folds and Augustana individually.
Stephen Hunt, CUB event coordinator, is running the concert.
"CUB was disappointed that we couldn't bring this band to campus," Conte said. "April is a busy concert month and to coordinate a date with three different bands is difficult."
Conte said the procedure for bringing a big act to campus includes brainstorming for acts and talking to a middle agent to find who is available and how much each act costs. Once an act has been chosen and CUB has reserved a venue, CUB goes to the Student Finance Board (SFB) for funding. If SFB grants the request, CUB can put it in a bid through the middle agent.
"Just because we are granted the money from SFB, this does not mean the artist is coming to the College," Conte said. "The artist must accept the bid."
"As was the case with Ben Folds earlier in the year, although we were granted the request from SFB, Folds did not accept the bid. In this case, we come up with other viable options and re-request funds from SFB. If the artist accepts the bid, then and only then will they be coming to the College," Conte said.
According to Jon Borst, SFB director, SFB voted during Spring Break to approve the concert with The Academy Is., Copeland and Mae.
"I explained to the Board that any one of the groups may drop out because of scheduling issues, and that we would receive money back if that were to happen," Borst said. "The Board unanimously funded the request."
Conte said CUB will not be replacing Mae, but will be holding a battle of the bands on campus on Friday, April 6 in the Rathskeller at 5 p.m. The winning student band will open the show.
"We are really excited to be able to offer this once in a lifetime opportunity to students," she said.
Conte said she does not think ticket sales will be affected by not bringing Mae.
"The Academy Is. and Copeland are two amazing, up-and-coming bands. In fact, The Academy Is. was recently named one of Rolling Stone's Artists to Watch. Moreover, their new CD will be coming out April 3 and our show will be their only area performance," she said. "Combined with Copeland and our very own student band, it's going to be an incredible show in a way more intimate venue then you'd see anywhere else."
(03/28/07 12:00pm)
Recent controversy over the presence of the Alpha Eta colony of the national fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) on campus has caused the Inter-Greek Council (IGC) to hold a meeting prohibiting other Greek organizations from being involved with AEPi.
According to Daniel Gaughan, president of IGC, the presidents of Greek organizations were told they should not have social events, co-sponsor philanthropies or allow AEPi to participate in program held by their chapters.
"Basically, we do not acknowledge their existence as a group on this campus, and as such, the IGC, as well as all member chapters, will have no dealings with them," Gaughan said.
Max Marshall, president of AEPi, said IGC's threat to penalize Greek organizations that associate with AEPi hurts other Greek organizations. He said because IGC does not recognize AEPi, the sanction does not affect its ability to hold events or carry out chapter functions.
According to Marshall, "(Pam Mirabelli, fraternity and sorority programs coordinator) informed all the other Greek organizations that they were not allowed to participate in our (canned food drive on March 28) or even accept our invitation to it."
Mirabelli said she made "no specific mention of the food drive" and did "not know what (Marshall was) talking about."
Marshall said AEPi received a warm reception and encouragement from other Greek organizations on campus so far, but that IGC's warning will cause a rift.
"Greek organizations are not cold, faceless bureaucracies; they are groups of active students who strive to make the best of their college experience through involvement and interaction with their peers and community," he said. "To threaten our friends and peers for interacting with us just because they happen to identify with different letters of the Greek alphabet is a serious and unacceptable insult."
Gaughan said AEPi must go through the proper expansion procedures to be treated as a fraternity, "but until they do, we will continue to advise the chapters to not treat AEPi as a fraternity on this campus," he said.
AEPi first experienced the consequences of the sanction when it signed up to play in Phi Sigma Sigma's philanthropic volleyball game. Although the event was not exclusively for members of Greek organizations, six individuals from AEPi were not allowed to play because they signed up as AEPi.
Meghan Bermudez, a member of Phi Sigma Sigma who was in charge of the event, said Phi Sigma Sigma is not allowed to associate with organizations not recognized by the College, like AEPi.
"As an organization we were unaware that allowing these individuals to participate in our tournament would be breaking the rules," she said. "When informed by (Mirabelli) that we would not be allowed to have these students participate we immediately called to let them know."
"We were more than happy to donate to their cause and participate in their tournament," Marshall said.
Marshall said they tried to reregister as a group of individuals not affiliated with AEPi, but were told that they were not allowed to play under any circumstances.
Bermudez said the students were cooperative. "(They) insisted that we keep their registration fee as a donation to our philanthropy, the National Kidney Foundation," she said. "We greatly appreciated this and invited them to stay and watch the games."
"Despite the circumstances, we still had a great time watching our friends on other teams play," Marshall said.
Steve Morris, a brother in AEPi, was angry at being denied admission to the tournament. "It is crucial to note that this tournament was not specially reserved for members of Greek organizations; it was open to all students who wanted to participate," he said. "If the tournament had been solely a Greek-oriented event, then (Mirabelli) would have been justified in denying access to a group of students who had not yet been approved by (IGC)."
"She refused to allow six students to participate in a tournament open to all students on the grounds that these students were attempting to establish a fraternity against her will," Morris said. "(Mirabelli) singled out a specific group for scrutiny, and decided to ensure that that specific group would not be provided with the rights possessed by all other groups."
Mirabelli said the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) started the policy in 2004. "NPC adopted a resolution stating that their member groups would agree to advise their collegiate chapters to plan events only with men's fraternities recognized by their national organization and the College," she said.
"The precedent created by (Mirabelli) is that she has the power to exclude any group of students as she wishes from events open to all students if she happens to personally dislike some of them," Morris said. "I find it egregious that this extraordinary amount of unchecked power has been placed in the hands of one partial individual."
However, Marshall said AEPi refused to be discouraged. "These are minor hurdles to jump," he said, "and we are determined to continue as a strong and involved organization on this campus."
(03/28/07 12:00pm)
A change in the housing lottery this year has caused some students with priority housing to fall below the housing cutoff, although they are still guaranteed housing.
According to Ryan Farnkopf, manager of housing assignments, if a student has priority housing they make the cutoff.
"We do not change students' lottery numbers based on whether or not they have priority housing," he said. "The cutoff applies only to those students who do not have priority housing."
Farnkopf said last year the housing lottery was sorted by both number and priority status, so those with priority housing appeared above the cutoff, even if their lottery numbers were below. He said this generated a lot of questions.
Farnkopf said this year the housing list was sorted entirely by number, as it has been in the past.
"This way also generated a lot of questions," he said. "It's the same way we've always done it. It's just a matter of format."
Another change this year is how many people did not make the cutoff.
Erik Clauss, junior criminology and justice studies major, is angry about not making the cutoff.
"I'm mad because a lot of kids have to now scramble for housing when it's tough to find anything available so late in the season," he said.
Allison Urso, sophomore accounting major, did not make the lottery either.
"I just feel like the College should make a greater attempt at offering its students housing," she said.
Despite unhappiness with their numbers, Urso and Clauss agreed that they would not want to live in the Country Club Apartments, even if they were available in the lottery.
"I'm mad that (the College) would house (its) students in such a dangerous area," Urso said. "I don't understand why they wouldn't buy out some nicer townhouses or apartments and use those as student housing."
"Honestly I would rather move into a house than go there," Clauss said. "You're paying on-campus prices for off-campus housing."
(03/21/07 12:00pm)
The international Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) is trying to start a chapter at the College. However, the fraternity has thus far violated the expansion procedures of the Inter-Greek Council (IGC), according to Pamela Mirabelli, Fraternity and Sorority Programs coordinator.
Members of AEPi at the College have been working through their international organization to colonize the College.
However, IGC sent a letter to AEPi last week asking its members to stop meeting, and informing them they had violated the IGC constitution.
According to Mirabelli, the four rules AEPi has broken are not submitting a formal letter to IGC indicating interest in forming a chapter of AEPi at the College, not getting permission to publicize informational events, not submitting any of the required paperwork, and conducting organizational business on campus, such as maintaining a Web site, holding meetings and advertising on campus.
Max Marshall, president of the unrecognized colony, denied in an e-mail that AEPi has violated the rules IGC accused it of violating.
"They told us we did not submit a formal letter stating our existence, which we did do," he said. "They said that we were advertising unauthorized informational meetings, which we did not do. Neither have we held public informational meetings, nor have we advertised future ones. They said we did not submit the appropriate paperwork, which our international organization did do."
Marshall said the letter from IGC included specific requests for disbanding the colony.
"They asked us to stop all activity on campus, to stop associating ourselves with (the College), to take down our Web site, to stop having executive board meetings, to stop calling ourselves a fraternity colony and for our international organization to stop recognizing us," Marshall said.
The formal letter is dated March 1, 2007, and is addressed to Mirabelli. It says, "At this time, Alpha Epsilon Pi wishes to begin the process to be recognized as a fraternity at The College of New Jersey."
Marshall said IGC responded to the letter.
"Right now the IGC told us they're not looking for new frats," he said.
According to Mirabelli, IGC is closed for expansion from July 2006 to July 2007.
"IGC is accepting no applications to be considered for expansion at this time," she said.
However, Mirabelli said if the group had followed the correct IGC procedure it would have been granted pre-active status, allowing the international organization of AEPi to work with the new colony at the College for a maximum of two years. After this time, the group would have been recognized by the national office as a full chapter and recognized by IGC as a chapter with active status.
Mirabelli said because the group did not follow the correct steps, the Expansion Committee could not meet in order to review its application and make a recommendation to the general body of IGC for a vote.
"The general body of the IGC could not vote for their approval or disapproval of granting the group pre-active status nor could (the Student Government Association) grant the interest group approval to be a recognized organization based upon the IGC's approval of the group," she said.
Marshall said getting IGC-recognized is not the colony's number one priority now.
"The truth is, whether or not (IGC) recognizes us, we have all been formally inducted into the international fraternity," he said. "Our recognition status on campus does not change the fact that we belong to this organization and that we have a group of members at the College, which is formally recognized as the Alpha Eta colony by Alpha Epsilon Pi."
Marshall said other goals include building awareness and writing a constitution.
"We want to get our name out there," Brian Gross, a member of the group, said.
Members of the AEPi colony said they are not worried about becoming IGC-recognized because AEPi is a member of the North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC). When a group belonging to the NIC wants to start a chapter on a campus, it has to be recognized.
"We are not an underground group and do not intend to be," Marshall said. "We are a group of students in a publicly visible organization who wish to strengthen ourselves, our community and our college. We have the constitutional right to assemble, to speak our minds and to carry out private activities."
According to the letter sent to Mirabelli, other schools in New Jersey with chapters or colonies of AEPi include Rutgers University, Rider University and Princeton University.
According to Marshall, AEPi's intention is to "strategically colonize important schools."
"Logically the next step was (the College)," he said.
If AEPi is successful in being recognized, the College will be the 138th chapter.
The AEPi colony at the College currently consists of 10 students. According to the members, representatives from the international organization started scouting the campus at the beginning of the semester, interviewing about 60 students for membership. The representatives found students who were interested by using an alumni database, as well as advertising on campus.
According to the AEPi Web site, "The Alpha Eta colony of Alpha Epsilon Pi was founded on (Feb. 24) when eight of the ten founding fathers were inducted by the Supreme Master of the International Fraternity in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania."
At their first meeting on Feb. 25, they held elections for executive board positions. At their second meeting, on March 5, they discussed the events they are planning to hold. These events include a philanthropic event, an athletic event, a social event and a road trip to another chapter.
Though they will not be allowed to hold the events using the name AEPi, Marshall said they will hold the events either by going off campus or through another group.
Marshall said he felt IGC's response was discouraging.
"In conjunction with AEPi International, we have taken great care to follow the College's and the IGC's policies of expansion, yet we are being met with an unreceptive cold shoulder," he said. "At a college which prides itself on the ability of its students to create and freely associate with student organizations and which seeks out applicants who show the potential to contribute to the campus and to be involved, I find this reception very disheartening."
(03/07/07 12:00pm)
More than 75 students came to the Travers-Wolfe main lounge Thursday night to hear a Budget Cuts presentation given by the Student Government Association (SGA) and the Phi Alpha Delta fraternity.
In the presentation, Michael Strom, vice president of Legal and Governmental Affairs for SGA and community service chair of Phi Alpha Delta, said $143.7 million had been cut from New Jersey colleges in 2006 and that $8.1 million was cut from the College, including the $1.5 million that went to the Outstanding Scholar Recruitment Program (OSRP).
OSRP, a merit-based program that has been used to recruit students with high GPAs and SAT scores, has been phased out. Funding for current freshmen who still receive OSRP scholarships came out of the College's reserves.
Dan Scapardine, senator of Culture and Society, said OSRP has increased the number of top scholars enrolling at the College by 50 percent.
"This is the reason many kids came here," he said. "We really need to try to get OSRP back."
Michela Fiaschi, senator at-Large, said the state emphasizes aid to K-12 schools. "We're building these smart kids and they are going out of state," she said.
Strom said the reason the state is willing to cut funding for higher education is because college students do not vote in large numbers.
"It's an easy thing to cut year after year after year," he said.
Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, an adjunct professor at the College, encouraged students to get active in the lobbying process. "The legislature often listens to those who shout the loudest," he said.
At the presentation, SGA provided voter registration ballots. SGA also handed out personal petitions, encouraging audience members to have their friends sign them and return them to the SGA cube. Yellow cards saying "I support higher education" were provided for audience members.
Strom said his ultimate goal is to gain enough support to hold a rally on the steps of the State House. Strom hopes to invite other nearby colleges to form a "cohesive march outside the state capital."
According to Dan Wilkens, a member of Phi Alpha Delta, Gov. Jon S. Corzine's proposed budget for next year includes an increase of $1.6 million for the College. However, Wilkens stressed that this is not enough after the $8.1 million cut last year.
"It's like falling off a ladder, getting back up, climbing to the first rung and declaring victory," he said.
Billy Plastine, SGA senator at-Large, aid the cuts have caused the College to raise tuition 8 percent, the largest increase allowed by state law.
Plastine said the lack of toilet paper, trash bags and light bulbs in communal bathrooms puts an "extra burden" on students. He also said Residence Life employees got a cut in their meal plan, positions such as Peer Advisors were cut and $100,000 was cut from transportation, causing a restructuring of the Civic Engagement program.
Plastine said 46 staff positions are currently held vacant because of budget cuts, causing staff members to be "highly overworked and highly stressed."
Flamur Rama, senator of Culture and Society, discussed how the budget cuts have led to larger class sizes and more adjunct professors. Rama said class size has increased to 32 - 35 students, up from 28.
Strom said SGA made a similar presentation in November but had a low turnout. Despite this, SGA decided to try again.
Strom said he was happy with the amount of students who showed up to hear the presentation this time. "While I will always wish that more students attend, the amount of people that turned out vastly exceeded my expectation, based on the presentations in the fall," he said.
"Hopefully continued attention on this subject will keep this movement going," he said.
In the meantime, Strom said SGA members will continue to meet with legislators.
"Hopefully the viewers of the presentation will begin influencing legislators on their own, through e-mail, letters or phone calls," Strom said.
"The College needs around $15 million more funding just to get to the point where it was at six years ago," he said. "The current $1.6 million increase barely scratches the surface, and is still a cut when you remember that $8.1 million were cut last year and even more in the years before. We all need to remember this, for the future of (the College)."
(02/28/07 12:00pm)
The Country Club Apartments, which are usually available in the office of Residential and Community Development's (ORCD) housing lottery for rising juniors and seniors, will not be part of the lottery this year because management is under review.
According to Ryan Farnkopf, manager of Housing Assignments, management of the Country Club Apartments, which are owned by the Trenton State College Corporation (TSCC) and managed by ORCD, is under review to verify that occupants are provided with the best services and programs possible.
Because management is under review, ORCD cannot include the apartments in the housing lottery. Both TSCC and ORCD agreed the apartments will be available to students as occupancy permits, starting primarily with those students who do not make the lottery cutoff and are unable to sign up for a space on campus, Farnkopf said.
Farnkopf said specifics on how this will work have not yet been determined. "When that decision is made, the information will be made available to all students still interested in living on campus," he said.
Other changes to the housing lottery process include removing the contract pickup step and allowing the housing deposit to be made online.
In previous years, students were required to go to Student Accounts and pay the deposit in person. This year, students can pay online outside of normal business hours.
Last year, students were required to pick up a copy of their housing contract after lottery numbers were posted. Students would have to read over the contract, sign it and return it when they selected their room. This year, students can pick up their housing contract on the day of room selection. A copy of the contract has been placed online with the housing packet.
"Removing the entire contract pickup process saves students an additional three steps, hopefully making the lottery process much easier to follow," Farnkopf said. "In addition, it allows Residence Assignments to complete the room selection process earlier than in years past."
Farnkopf said the changes were prompted by comparing the College's housing lottery to other schools. "In comparing our lottery processes to other schools, we found that ours was more verbose and less automated," he said. "Student reliance on technology and the demand for 24-hour access is increasing, and a lot of collegiate administrative processes are changing to reflect this new trend."
(02/14/07 12:00pm)
Information Technology (IT) is in the process of creating and implementing a new Student Administration (SA) System that will replace TESS for students and ARTIE for faculty members by Fall 2009.
The new system will have specific components that students have complained TESS lacks. SA will have a back button, for example, and will be accessible 24 hours a day.
It will also have academic advising online, such as a program that will allow students to see what classes they would have to take if they changed their major.
"It has really nice functionality," Nicole Parkman, project manager of PeopleSoft, the vendor of the new system, said. "It's what the students are most asking for."
SA is made up of five different modules: Student Records, Campus Community, Admissions, Academic Advisement and Student Financials and Financial Aid. The Admissions module is the only one of the five that is currently active.
"We have already gone 'live' with the Admissions component of this new system," Nadine Stern, vice president of IT, said.
The Admissions module, which went live in two parts, for prospective students in April 2006 and for applicants and accepted students in October 2006, is being used to track prospective students, plan events for them and send them the correct mailings, Parkman said.
Accepted students can also go online and use the Admissions module to accept enrollment.
A small part of the student records module is also live, and faculty members have been using this to schedule their classes. Although the classes are being planned and scheduled in the new system, at this point students are still registering in the old system, TESS.
Enrollment and academic advisement will eventually be built into the student records module.
The original plan was to have all the modules go live together except for a delay of Student Financials and Financial Aid, Parkman said. But at a board meeting for the project on Tuesday, the decision was made to have all the remaining modules go live at the same time, for Fall 2009.
Parkman said the board decided it did not make sense to enroll in SA but then pay a bill in TESS.
"Why don't we just have it all come live together?" she said. "It was a really good meeting and a really good decision."
Stern said the new system began to be implemented in 2004, but faced setbacks because of budget cuts and had to restart.
Some changes were even made before 2004. "Since 1999 we have converted our other administrative systems which support our financial system and Human Resource system to PeopleSoft as well. These systems are live and successful," Stern said.
Parkman said in the time before SA is implemented, focus groups will be held asking students what they do not like about TESS and what could be done better in a new system.
When the new system is implemented, Parkman said there will be a lot of Web-based help available for students trying to navigate the new system.
Parkman said advertising will start as the implementation date gets closer.
"You'll start seeing it all over campus," she said.
(02/14/07 12:00pm)
A sprinkler pipe that burst on the third floor of New Residence Hall on the afternoon of Tuesday, Feb. 6 caused major water damage to several residents' rooms, forcing students to evacuate until they were allowed back in around 11 p.m. on Wednesday night.
Matt Golden, director of Communications and Media Relations, said a sprinkler pipe froze, causing it to burst.
"The most significant damage was confined to the third floor," Golden said. "There was some less severe damage to other areas, though." The low side on the second floor also received damage.
According to Bill Yeager of Building Repairs, the pipe froze because of the "incredibly cold weather and the wind."
Yeager said the wind and cold temperatures reached the pipes because of a vent on the roof of the building.
"(The placement of the vent) is a fairly common thing," Yeager said. "I don't think we've experienced this kind of weather or these particular conditions before. It was a fluke of weather."
Yeager said the pipe was repaired immediately, but clean-up crews from Unlimited Restoration Inc. are still in the building implementing measures that will prevent mold damage and other interior health issues.
Residents return to their rooms
At a meeting held last Wednesday night in the New Residence main lounge, residents were informed that they would be allowed back into their rooms that night.
Phil Hernandez, a Residence Director (RD), said that if the residents' possessions had been damaged, they needed to make a very detailed list of what was damaged. If someone's computer was damaged, for example, the person would need to write down the computer's serial number.
Hernandez said the list would be documented with Community Advisors (CAs) and then given to the RD of the building, who would work with Brian Webb, manager of Risk, Occupational Safety and Environmental Services.
"There is a Tort claim process with the state of New Jersey and that information will be provided to you once that information reaches Mr. Webb," Hernandez said. "If your parents have (a) homeowner's insurance policy or you yourself have purchased a policy regarding personal property, we strongly suggest that you contact them regarding this issue."
A letter distributed to the residents said that Webb will provide each student with a State of New Jersey Tort Claim form after the student gives the detailed list of damaged possessions to the office of Residence Life.
Webb instructed students to avoid throwing out any ruined books or other possessions, so when the Tort claim is filed the College can specifically identify all of the possessions on the list.
Golden said that the College contacted the state's risk management representatives on Feb. 6 and videotaped the damaged areas for documentation of insurance claims.
Hernandez informed the residents that dehumidifiers had been placed in all the rooms and that they must remain on at all times. He also said that the furniture had been moved around and that it must remain six inches away from the walls.
"The contractors attempted to move your furniture to the center of the rooms so they could dry what was underneath," he said.
Hernandez told the residents that there might be Styrofoam under some of the furniture that had been used to lift it up. He also explained that a device had been installed in the hallways designed to extract the liquid from the air and asked the students not to tamper with it.
"As we continue to move forward you may notice that the building is going to be drier," Hernandez said. "Please understand that that is an effort to remove the moisture from the building."
Webb explained that the emphasis is on the concrete behind the walls and under the carpet, which could retain moisture even if the walls are dry to the touch.
Despite the initial damage, Yeager said further problems were avoided because there were "so many staff members there in such a short time."
"A whole lot more damage could have occurred if we weren't on alert," he said.
During the time residents were displaced, Campus Police officers were stationed in front of the residence hall to keep students away from the damaged areas and to safeguard students' belongings.
The College arranged for the displaced residents to sleep in Brower Student Center room 202 for the duration of repairs on the building.
"We set up beds in Brower (Tuesday night)," Golden said. "Many, though, opted to go home or stay with friends, rather than stay in Brower."
Residents' responses
Sophomore biology major Mike Merkowsky lives in room 305, two doors down from where the pipe burst. Merkowsky said that a Building Attendant told him the pipe burst around 2 p.m. on Feb. 6 and stopped around 3 p.m., so water was running in the halls for about an hour.
Merkowsky left for class right before the pipe burst, and when he returned he saw people standing outside the building. The CAs were not letting people inside the building at first but eventually let people into the main lounge.
Merkowsky said the CAs started escorting people up to the rooms with water damage around 4:45 p.m, but it was very rushed.
"I secured anything I didn't want to get super-damaged," Merkowsky said.
Although Merkowsky was able to take his laptop, he said his roommate's desk and bed were covered in water, and that water from the ceiling was leaking onto their TV, DVD player and VCR.
"Outside my room, the whole ceiling had collapsed," he said.
He also said there had been about two to three inches of water on the floor, but Facilities had tried to clean it up before the students came in to get their belongings. When the water started leaking, CAs went through the building and tried to unplug electronics and lift things off the floor.
Sophomore biology major Chris Stewart lives in room 311, next to the room where the pipe burst.
Stewart said his room smelled when he returned to it Wednesday night and was upset that the cleaning crew put his books in boxes, and then put his wet things on top of the books.
In addition to a musty smell, the room had a discolored carpet.
In the hallway of the third floor, there were garbage cans and fans that were running Wednesday night. A long plastic tube hung from the ceiling and ran the length of the hallway. Some ceiling tiles had also been taken down, exposing the pipes, and caution tape roped off a corner off the hall.
Stewart said that he would not be sleeping in his room Wednesday night.
He said that when he was allowed into his room on Tuesday, there was a puddle above carpet level, his bathroom was flooded and all his surge protectors were on the floor soaking wet.
"Now that we understand the situation completely, there's nothing else the campus can really do," Stewart said. "It's just all around a pretty crappy situation."
(02/07/07 12:00pm)
Robert Anderson, who recently received a national award for his work with first-year students, has assumed the new position of assistant provost for Liberal Learning and Academic Advisement.
Anderson's title changed from director of Liberal Learning in December, prompted by the College's need to reform the advisement system.
"The change in Bob's duties was based on an institutional belief that the importance of student advisement needs to be highlighted," Matt Golden, director of Communications and Media Relations, said.
Anderson said it was important to him that he did not receive any extra money in his new position. "We're in a budget crisis," he said. "I don't want to be getting rich."
Anderson said that a series of impromptu meetings began in the summer, when Carlos Alves, professor of mathematics, stepped down from the position of dean in charge of academic advisement. These meetings focused on "brainstorming how to make advising better," Anderson said.
Anderson said students would constantly come to his office, because they received "bad advice or no advice" from their advisors.
Although Anderson believes the College does a good job with departmental advising, "enough (people) don't do a good job with liberal learning."
Anderson said those at the meetings came up with a list of different practices, an advising planning council and a task force. However, "it was time to actually do something," he said. "(We needed) an office that could be a clearinghouse and a think-tank for advising."
Anderson said they needed someone to run the advisement that knew how to do administration; Anderson is a faculty member and a full-time administrator.
Although there is a difference in the title, Anderson said his duties have not changed much.
Some aspects of his old position, however, have been taken over by other professors. Glenn Steinberg, associate professor of English, has taken over scheduling the First Seminar Program (FSP) classes, while Richard Kamber, professor of philosophy and religion, is now in charge of the interdisciplinary concentrations.
"Budget issues have led to many staff members absorbing additional duties," Golden said, "but this move was predicated by years of studying the way we conduct and coordinate student advisement."
Anderson said that the new system has been "working so far."
"We're making progress," he said. "We've got a long way to go."
In addition to his new title, Anderson recently won the Outstanding First-year Student Advocate award from the National Resource Center for First-year Experience and Students in Transition.
Anderson was nominated by Provost Beth Paul and said that 10 out of 161 nominees were chosen to win the award.
"We couldn't ask for a better representative of our school," Golden said. "His commitment to student success is something of which we can be very proud."
"It adds visibility," Anderson said. "Anything that puts the College on the map is good for us."
(02/07/07 12:00pm)
A sprinkler pipe that burst on the third floor of New Residence Hall on Tuesday afternoon caused major water damage to several residents' rooms, forcing students to evacuate until they were allowed back in around 11 p.m. on Wednesday night.
Matt Golden, director of Communications and Media Relations, said a sprinkler pipe froze, causing it to burst.
"The most significant damage was confined to the third floor," Golden said. "There was some less severe damage to other areas, though." The low side on the second floor also received damage.
According to Bill Yeager of Building Repairs, the pipe froze because of the "incredibly cold weather and the wind."
Yeager said the wind and cold temperatures reached the pipes because of a vent on the roof of the building.
"(The placement of the vent) is a fairly common thing," Yeager said. "I don't think we've experienced this kind of weather or these particular conditions before. It was a fluke of weather."
Yeager said the pipe was repaired immediately, but clean-up crews from Unlimited Restoration Inc. are still in the building implementing measures that will prevent mold damage and other interior health issues.
Residents return to their rooms
At a meeting held Wednesday night in the New Residence main lounge, residents were informed that they would be allowed back into their rooms that night.
Phil Hernandez, a Residence Director (RD), said that if the residents' possessions had been damaged, they needed to make a very detailed list of what was damaged. If someone's computer was damaged, for example, the person would need to write down the computer's serial number.
Hernandez said the list would be documented with Community Advisors (CAs) and then given to the RD of the building, who would work with Brian Webb, manager of Risk, Occupational Safety and Environmental Services.
"There is a Tort claim process with the state of New Jersey and that information will be provided to you once that information reaches Mr. Webb," Hernandez said. "If your parents have (a) homeowner's insurance policy or you yourself have purchased a policy regarding personal property, we strongly suggest that you contact them regarding this issue."
A letter distributed to the residents said that Webb will provide each student with a State of New Jersey Tort Claim form after the student gives the detailed list of damaged possessions to the office of Residence Life.
Webb instructed students to avoid throwing out any ruined books or other possessions, so when the Tort claim is filed the College can specifically identify all of the possessions on the list.
Golden said that the College contacted the state's risk management representatives on Tuesday and videotaped the damaged areas for documentation of insurance claims.
Hernandez informed the residents that dehumidifiers had been placed in all the rooms and that they must remain on at all times. He also said that the furniture had been moved around, and that it must remain six inches away from the walls.
"The contractors attempted to move your furniture to the center of the rooms so they could dry what was underneath," he said.
Hernandez told the residents that there might be Styrofoam under some of the furniture that had been used to lift it up. He also explained that a device had been installed in the hallways designed to extract the liquid from the air and asked the students not to tamper with it.
"As we continue to move forward you may notice that the building is going to be drier," Hernandez said. "Please understand that that is an effort to remove the moisture from the building."
Webb explained that the emphasis is on the concrete behind the walls and under the carpet, which could retain moisture even if the walls are dry to the touch.
Despite the initial damage, Yeager said further problems were avoided because there were "so many staff members there in such a short time."
"A whole lot more damage could have occurred if we weren't on alert," he said.
During the time residents were displaced, Campus Police officers were stationed in front of the residence hall to keep students away from the damaged areas and to safeguard students' belongings.
The College arranged for the displaced residents to sleep in Brower Student Center room 202 for the duration of repairs on the building.
"We set up beds in Brower (Tuesday night)," Golden said. "Many, though, opted to go home or stay with friends, rather than stay in Brower."
Residents' responses
Sophomore biology major Mike Merkowsky lives in room 305, two doors down from where the pipe burst. Merkowsky said that a Building Attendant told him the pipe burst around 2 p.m. on Tuesday and stopped around 3 p.m., so water was running in the halls for about an hour.
Merkowsky left for class right before the pipe burst, and when he returned he saw people standing outside the building. The CAs were not letting people inside the building at first but eventually let people into the main lounge.
Merkowsky said the CAs started escorting people up to the rooms with water damage around 4:45 p.m, but it was very rushed.
"I secured anything I didn't want to get super-damaged," Merkowsky said.
Although Merkowsky was able to take his laptop, he said his roommate's desk and bed were covered in water, and that water from the ceiling was leaking onto their TV, DVD player and VCR.
"Outside my room, the whole ceiling had collapsed," he said.
He also said there had been about two to three inches of water on the floor, but Facilities had tried to clean it up before the students came in to get their belongings. When the water started leaking, CAs went through the building and tried to unplug electronics and lift things off the floor.
Sophomore biology major Chris Stewart lives in room 311, next to the room where the pipe burst.
Stewart said his room smelled when he returned to it Wednesday night, and was upset that the cleaning crew put his books in boxes, and then put his wet things on top of the books.
In addition to a musty smell, the room also had discoloring of the carpet.
In the hallway of the third floor, there were garbage cans and fans running Wednesday night, and a long plastic tube hung from the ceiling and ran the length of the hallway. Some ceiling tiles had also been taken down, exposing the pipes, and caution tape roped off a corner off the hall.
Stewart said that he would not be sleeping in his room Wednesday night.
He said that when he was allowed into his room on Tuesday, there was a puddle above carpet level, his bathroom was flooded and all his surge protectors were on the floor soaking wet.
"Now that we understand the situation completely, there's nothing else the campus can really do," Stewart said. "It's just all around a pretty crappy situation."
(01/24/07 12:00pm)
Recent complaints against Building Attendants (BAs), such as rooms not being cleaned before move-in day, have caused the Student Government Association (SGA) to pass a resolution increasing supervision over BAs by Building Services.
SGA first learned about the issue of dirty rooms on move-in day during the SGA Roadshow held during Welcome Week, when SGA representatives went around to freshman floors introducing themselves and asking freshmen if they had any issues.
"There was a general consensus that students felt their rooms weren't clean," Chris Rindosh, vice president of Student Services for SGA, said.
The committee then proceeded to conduct surveys from September to November.
"I would estimate about 20 of the 25 surveys would come back with students unhappy with their room status on move-in day," Rindosh said. "This is why we started to look into more information."
Student Services first looked at how the rooms are cleaned over the summer and received a detailed description from Building Services of what the rooms are expected to look like on move-in day.
SGA then contacted other departments on campus that were involved with summer programs and worked closely with Building Services, asking them how Building Services operates during the summer. Many of the departments contacted complained that BAs take long breaks and are told on certain days that they do not have to work because of hot weather.
These departments complained to SGA because they received complaints from the summer camps that stay at the College over the summer. In their contracts, the summer camps pay for Building Services; when BAs do not complete their cleaning, the summer camps complain.
"When calling in to report these events, the Building Services' response was minimal and delayed, often (causing) other departments to commit their staff to perform Building Services' responsibilities," Rindosh said.
Chris Chamberlain, Office of Operational Services director, declined to comment about the issue, stating that parts of the resolution were inaccurate and he was not at liberty to discuss areas of the resolution containing personnel issues.
Rindosh said he believes Building Services is aware of this issue, because it has requested that summer camps end two weeks earlier this year to allow more time to clean. However, this decreases income for the College, so the administration has compromised, allowing the summer camps to end one week earlier.
Rindosh felt that lack of supervision and waiting until the last minute were Building Services' biggest flaws.
"Even if a dorm is completely empty in mid-July, it is not cleaned until August with the rest of the emptied dorms. I think it would be more effective if they cleaned the emptied dorms completely in July then did a quick run through and quickly re-dusted them in August," he said.
Rindosh said he hopes the resolution passed in SGA will cause Building Services to re-evaluate how dorms are cleaned over the summer.
"If they would like some suggestions from SGA, I'm completely for working together to ensure students are happier with their rooms when they move in," he said.
Chamberlain said that he will meet with SGA representatives during the spring semester about the concerns that were raised.