Feb. 20, 2008 | The Reflector

Page 1

University of Indianapolis

Currency concerns Weak U.S. dollar affects student travel Page 10

The Reflector staff sends its condolences to all those affected in the Northern Illinois University tragedy.

THE

reflector .uindy. edu

Reflector

Vol . 86/ Issue 8

February 20, 2008

UIndy greets year of the rat Ind. first lady visits campus By Sarah Haefner Staff Writer

Carolyn Harless/The Reflector

Junior Caoze Qian participates in the Lion Dance to start the festivities at the Chinese New Year celebration on Feb. 7 in Schwitzer Student Center Atrium. The lion dance is performed to scare away the evil beast, Nien.

The University of Indianapolis ushered in the Chinese New Year 4705 in the Schwitzer Center Atrium on Feb. 7. The event was hosted by Asian Programs and the Chinese Student Union. The celebration highlighted many customs and traditions familiar in Chinese culture, including food, dancing, music and a lion dance. Students participated in the event, which lasted approximately three hours. Dr. Phylis Lan Lin, director of Asian Programs, had high hopes for the celebration and UIndy student involvement. “I call it a fusion: Chinese students retain most of their Chinese heritage but are assimilated to American culture—eating American food, seeing American movies, going to church,” Lin said. “But the Chinese New Year is a time to celebrate and welcome a new life perspective, deities of earth and heaven and a lot of prayers.” For the approximately 92 students from China on campus, the celebration was meant to create a sense of belonging. “There are three reasons why Asian Programs co-sponsored the event. We would like to have all of our Chinese students feel that the university is their home away from home,” Lin said. “Second, we would like to encourage and provide an opportunity for our international students to share their traditions and cultural heritage with our American students and the university community. Third, we would like to remind our international students to appreciate our university’s endless efforts in promoting

See NEW YEAR Page 3

Daniels teaches students about heart disease prevention in young women By Adrian Kendrick Feature Editor The University of Indianapolis welcomed Indiana first lady Cheri Daniels on Feb. 6 in Ransburg Auditorium to raise awareness of heart disease with college students through a program called Heart to Heart. According to Daniels, the four goals of Heart to Heart are to increase awareness that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, to empower women to reach out and support others in living a heart healthy lifestyle, to educate women on how to live a healthy lifestyle, and to provide a collection of resources for more information and support for women. “We started the Heart to Heart program specifically to visit college campuses because we felt that a lot of college students are not eating right. They are not exercising, and they are smoking,” Daniels said. “They’re at a great risk, yet they’re at a very young age when they can make changes.” Daniels became interested in heart disease when her mother passed away from the disease. “At that time I did not know it was the No. 1 killer of women,” Daniels said. “When I became the first lady, I thought this would be a good issue to bring to light across the state.” According to UIndy nurse practitioner Vicky Swank, it is important that the governor and his wife both address health care issues. “When you have the head of your state and his wife out there promoting good, healthy habits, I think that’s wonderful,” Swank said. Throughout her speech, Daniels stressed non-modifiable factors (things that cannot be changed) such as gender, age and family history, as well as modifiable factors (things that can be changed) such as physical activity, eating habits, weight, smoking habits and getting

See HEART Page 3

Apartment complex Warren Hall gets an upgrade partners with UIndy By Kim Puckett Staff Writer College Crossing at National apartment complex may serve as one option for students looking for an on-campus living style. The four-story, recently built College Crossing is deemed an approved housing site for UIndy students. The complex houses only students in 52 apartments with two-, three- and four-bedroom options, according to the manager of the building, Binoy Pavagadhi. More than 4,600 students attend UIndy, and with an on-campus housing capacity of about 1,200, many students will be searching for places to live. Even with the current plans for expansion in the university’s future, immediately available space is limited for students who want to live on campus. According to Kory Vitangeli, dean of students, the residence halls are currently about 85 students beyond capacity, with residents living in residence hall basements and lounges. She said the apartment

complex can accommodate students who want to move off campus but still live in the area. “When College Crossing was built, one of the hopes was that it would provide close and convenient housing for students that we weren’t able to accommodate in the residence halls,” Vitangeli said. As a result of College Crossing’s collaboration with the university, students with academic and athletic scholarships or need-based aid covering on-campus living can apply their financial aid to rent costs at the complex. According to Vitangeli, this opportunity is unique. “No students besides College Crossing residents can take their financial aid off campus,” Vitangeli said. Although students living at College Crossing at National still receive commuter parking passes and meal plan options, their financial aid assessments are not affected by choosing to live at the complex, according to Vice President for Business and Finance Michael Braughton. Any aid packages or scholarships that are contingent on students living on

See COLLEGE Page 3

Kim Puckett/The Reflector

College Crossing at National has paired up with the University of Indianapolis to provide students with another residence option. Students can still use on-campus financial aid while living at the complex.

(Left) The first three floors of Warren Hall feature pre-renovated dorm rooms. These rooms have less storage and non-moveable furniture.

(Right) The fourth and fifth floors of Warren Hall were finished in the summer of 2006. The newly remodeled floors feature new carpet, furniture and updated fire escapes.

By Alicia Tuszynski Staff Writer University of Indianapolis administrators plan to complete an estimated $1.2 million renovation of Warren Hall by the beginning of the 2010 fall semester. In 2005, Dean of Students Kory Vitangeli developed focus groups to solicit information from students and concentrate on residents’ expectations about living on campus. Concerns from students included the need for moveable furniture, bigger closets and more storage space. “While evaluating what [students] want to see, we realized we needed to totally renovate and upgrade Warren Hall,” Vitangeli said. According to Physical Plant Director Ken Piepenbrink, in the past, general maintenance (such as upgrading the air conditioning units and replacing windows) was performed annually on all dormitories. “The cost to maintain the building will decrease if we continue upgrading

systems to make the buildings more efficient for living conditions,” Piepenbrink said. The fifth floor was completed in the summer of 2006, and the fourth floor was finished a year later. Functional and safety aspects of the rooms were updated, which entailed re-wiring the lighting and updating sprinkler systems and fire escapes. New carpet in hallways, re-furnishing of beds, drawers, desks and bigger closets were installed to provide better comfort and utilities. According to Piepenbrink, because of rising costs in the construction industry, the original estimate of $220,000 rose to $250,000. The contract states that the university would purchase the furnishings and supplies, and independent contracting companies were hired to install the equipment. When the time came for new freshmen to move into the dorm in the fall of 2007, it was a lucky draw for new residents to live on the new floor. A few incoming freshmen were fortunate enough to reside on the improved floors. Freshman communication major

Carolyn Harless/The Reflector Molly Noonan was one of the incoming freshmen who received a key for a room on the fifth floor- an all girls floor- at the beginning of the year. “My friend lives on the third floor. Comparing the two floors, I am so glad I am living on the new one. It is so much nicer,” Noonan said. An abundance of freshmen caused some to be assigned to live in the basement of Warren Hall this school year. According to Vitangeli, the school hopes to alleviate overcrowding so all residents can live in the new rooms. Warren holds approximately 275 residents. Depending on other campus projects, the final completion of Warren Hall may take less time than expected. “We do a surplus at the end of the year, and depending on the cash flow we decide if we can do more floors at once,” Piepenbrink said. Warren Hall and Corey Bretz are two of the oldest dormitories on UIndy campus. According to Vitangeli, the cycle of improvements are constantly updated and Cravens Hall is the next to be renovated.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.