Arts & Features:
Saturday 10/2
Sports:
“Architecouture”: a professor’s venture into the world of historical fashion.
With the hiring of new head coach, Paul Wholey, FSC men’s basketball begins a new era.
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Sunday 10/3
Partly Cloudy High 60° Low 44° Precip: 10%
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T h e G at e p o s t volume
Framingham State College’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1932
Newly renovated caf opens
By Krysta Davis Editorial Staff
Photo courtesy of Nick Hamilton
President Timothy Flanagan signed the final beam before it was placed on the new dorm.
Ceremony marks milestone in new residence hall construction
By Nenia Corcoran Editorial Staff
Faculty, staff and students gathered Monday at noon to celebrate the “topping off” of the new residence hall. The topping off ceremony, also referred to as a “topping out” ceremony, is a widely followed tradition in the construction world. According to an email sent to the student body by Dean of Students Melinda Stoops, when a new building reaches its highest structural point, the final steel beam is signed by those involved and then lifted into place, topped with a small tree and an American flag as symbols of “good luck and fortitude.” President Timothy Flanagan welcomed several administrators, faculty and members of the Board of Trustees to sign the final beam that was to be lifted into place on top of the new building. “You will be making a little bit of history and memorializing this event. You can tell your children and grand-
children and great-grandchildren that your name is on this building,” said Flanagan. Ed Adelman, the executive director of the Massachusetts State College Building Authority, said, “Any other day if we catch you writing on the building, it’s a problem, but today is the one day you can get away with it.” He recognized Consigli Construction Company and its employees for all the hard work they have done thus far in the construction of the new dorm. “This is a huge milestone,” Adelman said. He said that in the tradition of the topping off ceremony, the tree is placed on top of the building to represent the cycle of construction and a new beginning. Adelman pointed out the importance of new buildings to address “the need and the capacity” at the State Colleges, but he also stressed reinvesting in existing buildings so that “the student experience at Framingham State University is of one quality - it’s a high quality.” -Continued on page 4
Framingham State College’s cafeteria was renovated this past summer with federal stimulus money and funding from Sodexo Corporation. According to Dr. Dale Hamel, senior vice president of administration, finance and technology, FSC received $1.4 million in federal stimulus funding and $1.5 million from the extension of the Sodexo dining contract in order to pay for the renovations. The extension of the dining services contract was for five years, meaning that FSC plans to continue to partner with Sodexo over that period. The cafeteria renovation was completed in six phases over the last few years. FSC will have more students than ever living on campus next fall as a result of the construction of a new residence hall. The renovations “have provided us with modern, energy-efficient facilities that will allow us to sustain the anticipated growth of the university over the coming years,” Ralph Eddy, director of dining services, said in an email. Hamel said, “I think the students are very excited about it, which makes me excited and I think the faculty and staff like the idea of additional variety as well.” The caf now offers five new venues to FSC’s students and faculty. The new “Ram’s Den Grille” is located in the former McCarthy’s Pub. This specific venue offers a range of breakfast items and late night burgers, which were formerly served at the State Street Grille. Other additions to the dining commons include the “Pizzeria Collina,” which serves brick oven pizza and other culinary creations. “The Fire Pit” allows chefs to prepare “ready-to-go” items on a state-of-the-art Mongolian grill. The new “State Street Deli” offers a variety of sandwiches, and the “Snack Bar” features new sandwiches, salads and snacks to go. “The idea of [the] venues was to make it more attractive to both residents and commuters to eat on both sides of the dining facility,” Hamel said. A Sodexo staff member, Christine Wright, who works in the Snack Bar location, likes the idea of having venues as well. “I like it. There’s a lot more space and it’s not as hot in here without the grill. It’s more of a self-serve place and a lot of people like the meal plan exchange. It’s convenient,” she said. As reported by Eddy, the grills’ red/orange palette for The Fire Pit and Pizzeria Collina provide a “fire” concept to the visual eye. Its structural design, created by Chris Pitman from CBT Architects and Mark Connor Architecture, provides a layout students can enjoy, he said Freshman Tim Kiernan said, “I think [the new venues] are sick, with different types of food and its design.” Freshman Jackson Brunsdon also liked the idea of incorporating venues within the caf. “I like it a lot better than the dining commons. I think the food is also better,” he said. -Continued on page 3