In this Issue
funk in the city Spring Art Festival
Vol. 44 Issue 31
Pg. 5
Thursday, April 24, 2014
THE
SHIELD www.usishield.com
Students will return to newly renovated English classrooms By RACHEL CHRISTIAN Staff writer The Orr Center will receive a face-lift within the next month thanks to renovations taking place in the building. The English department outgrew the Liberal Arts building and transferred its classrooms to the Orr Center three years ago. The department has phased in renovations as funding became available, but the major renovation will take place over the summer. Construction will start the week after finals and finish before classes begin in the fall. The project’s budget is estimated between $200,000 and $250,000. Plans include updating classroom spaces on the east side of the building, updating computer labs on the second floor and technology in all of the classrooms. It will allow for more classroom space that is adaptive to different students’ learning styles and needs. “The new classroom format will most likely include small tables with detached chairs that can be easily reconfigured to accommodate different teaching styles,” said Stephen Spencer, English department chair. Michael Mohr, one of the main architects on the project, said the renovations are needed. “They haven’t really updated the classrooms much since they’ve been built,” Mohr said. “It’s one of those things that needs to be done.” There are still some discussions about what kind of furniture will be used in the renovated classrooms and how that furniture will affect the budget. Other aspects of the construction are fairly basic and should progress smoothly over the summer, Mohr said. Some English majors are excited to see the changes the renovations will bring. “I think construction on the Orr Center will be very beneficial to students,” said Casey Gillingham. “It’s one of the oldest buildings on campus, and that definitely shows.” Fellow English major Kaleb Sullivan was unaware of the planned renovations and said he prefers classrooms in the Orr Center to classrooms in the Liberal Arts Center.
RED BUS PROJECT
Photos by BLAKE STAYROOK/The Shield Kaitlin Clawson, an exercise science major, and Nate Sanders, a pre-nursing major, comb through thrift store items inside the double decker bus parked on campus Tuesday afternoon. The Red Bus Project aims to raise awareness about the needs of orphans as well as the funds to help support them. It is a college program for Show Hope, an organization that provides grants to families who want to adopt children. Students could purchase clothes, donate clothes and sign up for orphan trips and internships. According to the project’s website, it has raised nearly $50,000 since its launch in 2012. The bus, which travels from college to college, was on the campus of Indiana State University Wednesday. It will be at Illinois State University today.
CLASSROOMS on Pg. 3
DIGGING INTO SODEXO
Food provider competes with West Side to meet student needs By SHANNON HALL Staff writer With long lines during lunch and a person almost always at one of the food options on campus, it’s no secret college students love to eat. The Shield dove into two of the common complaints it has heard the most over the past few years. Hours Freshman Spanish education major Corinne Gentry lives on campus, and has problems getting dinner on the weekend. Both she and her roommate didn’t have cars last semester, and with The Loft closing at 6:30 p.m., there were few options for them. The Loft is the only food option open on Saturday on main campus. It’s also the latest that stays open on Friday – until 7 p.m., which is when Gentry usually eats. Her only option last semester was to take the METS bus. But it doesn’t run on the weekends. She said she could have “bummed” people for rides. “But I don’t want to ask people to do that,” she said.
with no classes, the following closed both Friday and Saturday. The Eagle Express Conve- Friday is a slow day, too. “If the school is closed, we’re nience Store (C-Store) is open, Briggs wants people to think closed,” Briggs said. but for those living in the resi- of Sodexo as a regular restauBut because of a lack of studence halls, it can be a walk to rant. dents, Briggs said Sodexo has grab dinner. “A regular restaurant has a never been open on the Saturday Gentry, who has a car on cam- steady customer base – they following Good Friday since he pus now, usually buys food that have the ups and downs, but started in 1997. she can make “We have in her room or to have an X goes out to fast amount of cusFAST FACTS: food places on tomers – even the weekend. on Sundays April 30: Study Day Hours “I underwe’re slow,” stand that Briggs said. The Loft 4:30 – 8 p.m. we’re a com“They still did Burger King 7:30 a.m. – 10:30 p.m. muter school, one-third (of) but there are the sales it Sub Connection 10:30 a.m. – 9 p.m. still people normally does Starbucks 7 a.m. – 11 p.m. who live on (on a Sunday). C-Store 8 a.m. – 11:30 p.m. campus,” she It all revolves said. around cusS o d e x o tomer counts.” General ManBriggs said COMPARE ager Chris if he had a stuPRICING Briggs said dent who lived ON Pg. 3 Sodexo can’t on campus afford to stay without a car, open when he would sugclasses aren’t mandatory. their customers don’t get up and gest his son keep an eye on Food “On Assessment Day, we only leave for the summer or during Service’s hours. had about 1,000 transactions, but holiday breaks,” he said. “If they weren’t open, I would on a normal day we have about On April 18 – Good Friday – have him stock up either from 5,000-6,000,” Briggs said. the university was closed, and the C-Store or by taking the bus He said if there’s a Thursday all food options on campus were to Wal-Mart,” he said.
PRICE CHECK
Sodexo has adjusted times to suit students’s needs. “Our student board suggested us opening Starbucks an hour later and closing an hour later,” Briggs said. “And they were right.” If more events happened on the weekend to bring students to campus, Briggs said he would “gladly” open more food services. “I’ve been here on Friday and Saturday nights. It looks like a ghost town,” he said. He said he doesn’t think if the food services were open more during the weekend that students would come to campus. “I want to put (labor) in the right spot. ... I don’t want to put labor on Saturday and can’t schedule more people during the week when we’re busy,” he said. “I want to be financially smart about it.”
Prices Freshman English major Jacque Baysinger commutes to school and rarely eats on campus. “I paid $10 for a chicken wrap with really small, dry meat,” Baysinger said. “Maybe I got a SODEXO on Pg. 3
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