COLLEGIATETIMES
july 3, 2008
what’s inside News.............2 Features ........4 0pinions........5 Sports ...........7 Classifieds ...11 Sudoku........11 105th year issue 65 blacksburg, va.
Dining centers go trayless BRAD SHAPIRO
ct news reporter
MATT BOONE/SPPS
Junior aerospace engineering major Brett Wilson sits down to dinner at D2. “It makes it more of a hassle for me, but if it saves waste, it’s great,” Wilson said about D2 going trayless.
D2 and Shultz dining centers have been operating without trays since July 1. The move comes as a result of an Earth Week experiment designed to reduce food waste and possibly improve the consumption habits of students. “All areas of Student Programs, including Dining Services, are looking for ways to become more environmentally friendly. One way to make a major impact is to reduce the disposal of edible food waste in the all-you-care-to-eat facilities,” said Katie Gehrt, marketing and communications manager for Dining Services. The move is far from a revolutionary change in the way dining centers are run across the country. Several campuses, including the University of Delaware, Dartmouth College and the University of Maine have taken the same action. Clemson is reported to have saved 4,585 gallons of water in its trayless stint during Earth Week. Most universities credit the savings to the fact that students really have to think carefully about which foods they select. They cannot simply pile everything on, eat what looks good, and throw the rest away. However, many students are not convinced. The official campus notice reported that during that week in April, there was “ … a 38 percent reduction in food waste, or the equivalent of 1,546 pounds of food.”
“If it cuts down on food waste, then it cuts down on food waste and in my opinion, there’s no argument there. As a society, we are highly wasteful as it is, and if this appears to help at all, then as Tech students we should do our part,” said sophomore physics and French major John Hoffman. While the move at other universities tended to be largely unnoticed by new freshmen students who make up the majority of those who live on campus, and therefore must purchase a meal plan, there have been many upperclassman skeptics. Some do not like the inconvenience, and others just aren’t sure of the magnitude of the difference it will make. “There is probably no denying that going trayless does decrease the waste. I have a hard time thinking that the ones in control aren’t just doing this more because it looks good than because it is actually a good thing to do,” said sophomore Doug Hogan. Other students expressed concern in the data collection, fearing that during the pilot week, more people simply avoided the inconvenience of a trayless D2, instead choosing to dine at an alternate establishment, further contributing to the crowdedness at West End Market and Owens Food Court during meal times. Intuitively, this seems plausible. However, Gehrt said that, “during the pilot week at D2, the head count actually went up by
see TRAYS, page two
Breaking down Virginia French firm works Tech’s first $1 billion budget to develop biofuel JOHNNY KILLROY
ct staff writer Virginia Tech’s budget for 200809 will for the first time surpass $1 billion. Approved by the Board of Visitors in June 2008, it was balanced July 1. According to the Office of Budget and Financial Planning, the budget is up 3 percent from last year’s approximate budget of $970 mil-
lion. In its authorized budget document for 2008-09, a summary of the operating and capital budget prepared annually, budget planners have outlined appropriations for “salary increases, base budget adequacy, new capital outlay for several high priority projects, and student financial assistance.” “As Virginia Tech grows, so does the budget, across the board,” said spokesman Mark Owczarski. Expansions of the university,
from building structures to faculty members, account in part for the growing budget. More buildings need more utilities, older buildings are in need of renovations, greater student enrollment warrants more faculty members and salary increases are all a few of the major factors pushing the budget past the $1 billion mark. In addition to these tangibles, other
see BILLION, page two
GABRIEL MCVEY
ct news reporter A French biotechnology firm and Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties Inc. have signed an exclusive, worldwide option-to-license agreement to sole use of new technologies for converting biomass to ethanol and hydrogen. Biométhodes is an Évry-based firm specializing in industrial
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biotechnology, especially enzymes that are critical in major industrial processes. Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties identifies, legally protects, and markets intellectual properties resulting from research at Virginia Tech and provides service to the University in matters dealing with intellectual property. VTIP is financially self-sufficient after sharing royalties with the inventors, accord-
see FUEL, page three