NEWS
- Project to reclaim water Tami Livingston
- Weather work wins acclaim Laurel Wright
- Student pushes to displace solicitors Tami Livingston
- Senate president focuses on organization, networking Sarah Diemer
- New blog reports campus news Sarah Diemer
- Riding shotgun: How UPD serves, patrols campus Brooke Wiles
- One Stop expanding Raina Devoid
Project to reclaim water
Partial Green closure expected during water system transition
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A portion of the Green at the University of North Florida will be closed during Spring Break.
As part of a reclaimed water project started March 1 by Physical Facilities, a 40 foot by 40 foot area of the Green is scheduled to shut down from March 21 to 26 to accommodate drilling and the installation of new pipes. The project will switch most of campus from well water to reclaimed water for irrigation.
"The contractor will be opening a hole where the force main line is [on the Green] ... and snaking new pipe underground through the middle of campus," said John Hale, assistant director of Physical Facilities.
This method of "directional drilling" will allow the contractor and Physical Facilities to install new pipes without having open trenches around campus, Hale said.
The university collaborated with the contractor and Physical Facilities to work around campus life, Hale said.
"We tried to minimize the disruption," he said.
The project is scheduled to finish in June, but most of the work will be done underground and shouldn't interfere with activities on campus, Hale said.
"The biggest visual thing you're going to see in the inner campus will be on the Green when they have their drilling machine set up," Hale said.
The project includes working on pipes in the inner part of campus, including the Green and between Buildings 10 and 12, the north athletic fields and the intramural fields south of The Crossings, Hale said. A combination of newly installed pipes and older pipes already in use will be used to run the new reclaimed water system, Hale said.
"There may be some restoration that may extend past Spring Break," said Matthew Taylor, director of Physical Facilities. "But we're working with the contractor to get the work done during spring break."
The project will cost just under $1 million, Hale said and aligns with President John Delaney's message of sustainability and a mandate from the St. Johns River Management District "to get off the wells and stop pulling the water out of the ground."
The Hayt Golf Learning Center already uses reclaimed water, Hale said.
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Weather work wins acclaim
Tracking storms in northeast Florida has become easier and more efficient for meteorologists because of the work of University of North Florida professor Dr. Patrick Welsh.
Welsh, executive director of the Advanced Weather Information Systems Lab at UNF, was recently recognized for the department's work with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Coastal Storm Program.
The department was awarded the bronze metal from the U.S. Department of Commerce for its work within the St. Johns River Basin to enhance models of the area.
The bronze medal is the highest honor that can be granted by the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, according the U.S. Department of Commerce Web site.
"It was a big team effort," Welsh said. "There were lots of people involved."
The Coastal Storms Program in the St. Johns River Basin was the first of its kind in the country and was used to see if enhancement of the coastal models would help meteorologists and coastal residents plan for storms, Welsh said.
The program was completed in 2004 and was implemented in other areas of the country, Welsh said.
The program had nine areas of concentration, from high-resolution depth mapping of the St. Johns River's bottom, to placing a buoy off St. Augustine's coast that was the first one to record things such as salinity and water temperature, he said.
Welsh's specialty was to develop forecast aids. He was part of a team that was the first to use new computer programs to construct high-resolution weather models and develop graphic displays for forecasters from the data.
"I worked on the information technology side of weather," Welsh said.
He said he would get the information from censors in the field and then use the computer to form a model.
The program's goal is to reduce impacts of storms in coastal areas, according to the NOAA Costal Storms Program Web site.
Hopefully communities will be able to anticipate and reduce the impacts of costal storms, the site said.
"This project helped to develop better forecasting methods related to coastal areas," said Steve Letro, meteorologist in charge at the National Weather Service in Jacksonville.
Welsh is currently working on a team hoping to have these high-resolution weather forecasting models available to Jacksonville residents as an experimental product this summer.
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Student pushes to displace solicitors
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A student at the University of North Florida is trying to get credit card solicitors banned from campus.
Tarek Chammah, a senior graduating in May, is hoping a joint resolution on first-reading in Student Government will persuade university officials to ban credit card solicitors from campus.
"They [the solicitors] count on students maxing out the cards and their parents bailing them out," Chammah said. "It's almost a guarantee that they will make a profit [off the students]."
Chammah said he approached SG members to see if there was anything they could do to ban the solicitors because he and his friends were tired of being harassed by them. He said SG was supportive of his idea and drafted the resolution to make a recommendation to university administrators.
The resolution states "credit card companies aggressively solicit college students, without regard for the consequences of high credit card debt for these customers," and seeks to ban credit card companies and their agents from soliciting on university property.
Chammah said the companies offer "free" items that aren't really free.
"Everyone has seen the free T-shirt signs or the flyers that advertise a free sandwich as long as you bring your student ID," Chammah said.
He said the flyers and signs don't include that students must sign up for the credit cards to get the free stuff.
"They don't tell you the full story about the interest rates and how high they are," he said.
Chammah said he knows a lot of students fill out the forms with fake information but he still thinks the solicitors should not be allowed on campus. To gain support for the resolution, Chammah started a petition form and received more than 200 student signatures in three days.
The resolution must be approved by the Senate at its next meeting at the end of the month and will then be forwarded to university officials for consideration, said Student Body President Justin Damiano.
The solicitors are allowed on campus as long as they have a sponsor, said Lindsay Bryant, assistant director of Student Life. Clubs and organizations can sponsor them to come on campus and the solicitors will sometimes pay the clubs money in return for their sponsorships.
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Senate president focuses on organization, networking
Checking his e-mails, Senate president and junior political science major A.J. Souto got ready to start his day serving the students of the University of North Florida.
Souto said he starts his days around 10 a.m. Once in the office he checked his school and personal e-mail accounts, his daily calendar and did a few minutes of Facebook surfing before getting to work. Constantly sending and receiving e-mails from various people, Souto said he checks his e-mail at least 10 times a day. On March 5 he already had 19 messages in his inbox.
On Mondays, which Souto said is the busiest day each week, he spends the morning going over bills to be proposed at that night's Senate meeting and he double checks and writes out the agenda for the meeting.
Shortly after, a cabinet meeting is held in Senate chambers.
"These meetings help maintain communication," Souto said.
In cabinet meetings, Souto said representatives from different campus committees share their announcements, concerns and issues from their respective branches. Deadlines for meeting minutes, upcoming elections and senator behavior were all discussed in the March 5 meeting.
Souto said members of cabinet often lobby the support of each other. Senators supporting legislative bills but not taking the time to actually write the bills were the main subject of that day's meeting.
After the meeting, Souto and some members of cabinet headed to the Women's History Month Kick-off Luncheon hosted by UNF Women's Center. Souto said he works closely with this organization and took a leadership course offered through the center.
As lunch started, Souto made the rounds of the room shaking hands and joking with other students, faculty and staff. Souto said he feels right at home in this situation.
After lunch, Souto made his way, via golf cart, to the print shop to get copies of the agenda for the night's Senate meeting. On the way, Souto surveyed the parking lots on campus. As a member of the Parking Services Council, he said he likes to get an idea of how many people are parking in certain areas at particular times and if people are getting tickets.
The copies were then dropped off and a short trip to the new skate park followed. Souto said SG allocated approximately $250,000 to the project.
"I like to see what's going on with the different projects SG is involved in," Souto said.
Souto said he got involved in SG during his freshman year. In spring 2005, he was elected as a senator. He then served as constitutional and statutory chairman, Senate protempore and was elected Senate president. He said he plans to run for re-election in the upcoming SG elections.
"I guess you could call me a veteran," Souto said.
Before class at 4:30 p.m., Souto likes to take a break from the office by stopping by Starbucks and having a cup of coffee. Souto attributes his love of coffee to his Cuban hermitage and said his family is in the coffee business. Caffeine-fueled, Souto headed to astronomy class and on Mondays goes straight from class to Senate.
The Senate presides over the allocation of the Activity and Service Fee budget, makes and passes bills and amendments and discusses SG issues and announcements. Meetings are every other Monday and start at 6:30 p.m. and sometimes last until midnight. This time the meeting ended around 11 p.m.
"I get paid to work 30 hours a week, but we all put in more time than that. Today I will probably work 14 hours," Souto said.
Souto said he has improved organization within SG. He said he keeps detailed records of all Senate meetings, bills and amendments.
"This is like the real government and the students are essentially our tax payers," he said. "The last thing I would want to do is waste the students money."
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New blog reports campus news
A University of North Florida sophomore is hoping to supply the campus community with another news source.
Brandon Eady, a Student Government senator and communications major started The Students' Quarterly blog at the beginning of the semester and is working to publish an accompanying magazine.
Eady, along with former SG Student Body President Tom Foran and former SG Sen. Stephen Horne, is working on getting a magazine written by students for students. published.
The Students' Quarterly will be a free publication sponsored entirely by advertisers and will include student and campus news, entertainment and national and global issues, Eady said.
"I want to explain the impact of news issues to the students," Eady said.
Content will vary with each issue and will include a range of articles. Eady said he wants to include information about the upcoming 2008 elections such as explaining candidates platforms and what implications their
proposed plans have on
UNF students.
Eady said campus issues, events and sports will comprise the bulk of the magazine. Interviews with local bands and celebrities are also planned. In contrast to other campus publications, Eady said the magazine will feature more in-depth stories. The first issue, still in production, is around 30 pages long. Foran and Horne are working with advertisers and printers while Eady is compiling and editing the content.
The supporting online blog for The Students' Quarterly is a place to keep students informed on the progress of the print magazine. There is also a forum for readers to comment on articles in the publication or on campus issues in general. Eady said previews for upcoming issues will also be included. For now, the blog will serve as the main source of information. The latest stories include sports news about UNF basketball, Greek life and the Love/Hate signs posted around campus.
Eady said the publication plans to make its debut within the next few weeks. The main goal of the magazine is to relate news issues to students and keep them informed of what is going on around school, the city and the world.
"The more people know, the more discussion we can have," Eady said.
Blogs, or online journals, have become popular in recent years. MIT's Media Lab reports there are close to 4 million blogs on the Internet.
"I'd use a student-run blog if it were updated and had things I couldn't find other places," English graduate student Alex Coady said.
The Students' Quarterly is also looking for student contributors to write articles. To access TSQ's blog and find more information on contributing, visit http://www.thestudentsquarterly.blogspot.com.
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Riding shotgun: How UPD serves, patrols campus
It was Thursday night, 7:05 p.m., and Officer Shelly Weichselbaum was writing up her first call of the night - a vandalism report. Someone had keyed a University of North Florida student's car. Weichselbaum is a residence life officer at UNF and has worked at the University Police Department for nine months. She worked as an officer in Miami for 22 years before coming to UNF.
As a residence life officer, Weichselbaum said she usually spends her time patrolling the dormitories and parking lots near the dorms. Weichselbaum patrols those areas until her shifts end at 6 a.m. She said she starts her nights by checking her assigned car's backseat for any drugs or weapons that may have been left there from a transported person. She then logs in her notebook where she is heading to make her rounds and calls it in to the dispatcher.
Just before heading out to the dorms this Thursday night, she assisted a couple trying to find the Lazzara Theater. Soon after, she was at The Crossings and did a walk through, checking the hallways and lobbies. She visited each lobby with a stove and checked it.
Around 8 p.m., Weichselbaum found a stove on at 500 degrees in one of the lobbies in Osprey Landing. With smoking filling the room and the fire alarm about to sound, she quickly opened the doors and called in the mishap.
As she walked through the dorms, she spoke of how it is "important to create a relationship with the students." She said she believes students should not be afraid to approach her to talk and should not be afraid if she approaches them. Weichselbaum said she is here to help allow UNF students to enjoy their college experiences.
After each stop, she called in her location and logged it in her book. By 9 p.m. she already walked around all the dorms and their lobbies and patrolled the parking lots. She said the campus becomes more animated around 2 a.m. and
3 a.m. when people are coming back from the clubs.
Friday
It was 10:30 a.m. Friday morning and Patrol Officer Heather Strayer, a UPD officer for five years, had just started work. She patrolled the roads and parking lots, and walked around the inner campus.
By 11 a.m., she had walked through the Coggin College of Business. Not only had she made sure everything was OK in the college, but she had also checked for any hazards.
At 12:30 p.m., Strayer was standing by the intersection near the St. Johns Bluff Road entrance and working the traffic lights to help move traffic along. As she timed the lights, she talked about how she is here to help and protect students and they should not be afraid of her just because she is a police officer.
At 1:30 p.m. Officer Chris Paris, who has also been working at the UPD for five years, had patrolled near the skate park and lot 18. Seeing nothing unusual, he moved on to other parking lots and to the dorms.
Like Weichselbaum the night before, he walked through the lobbies checking stoves, laundry rooms and hallways. At Osprey Landing, a stove was left on at 400 degrees.
On his way to his patrol car he stopped to talk to a group of students. They talked about where they are from and one said Palatka, and soon the discussion took a turn to Bike Week. They talked about the horrible traffic during Bike Week and the "hardcore bikers."
Around 2:25 p.m., Paris went to the lot 4 and helped a freshman who left her lights on to jump-start her car.
If students lock their keys in their cars or need jump-starts, they can call UPD, Paris said. Also, if a student has a class project dealing with criminology or anything related, they might allow a student to ride along or look at their crime statistics.
A brief history
The UPD is an accredited law enforcement department employing 27 sworn police officers, seven communication operators and two professional administrative staff members, said Chief Mark Foxworth. The UPD has its own communications center that operates 24 hours a day, which allows calls for help at UNF to be answered promptly, Foxworth said. There are day shift officers who patrol traffic and walk the campus and night shift officers who are primarily residence life officers like Weichselbaum and safety rangers.
The safety rangers were added to the UPD a few years ago. The rangers are part-time employees and are usually students of UNF, Foxworth said. They patrol the parking lots at night on bike and assist students if they need an escort to their cars or dorms.
"They also check for any hazards, like a broken sidewalk, lights that may be out and all the blue light emergency phones," Foxworth said. If a student needs an escort they can call 620-2800.
According to UPD's annual report, the average age of a police officer working at the UPD is 44 and the average number of experience is 18 years. The department does not hire just anybody with many years of experience, but hires people who show a passion for their jobs, Foxworth said. They must demonstrate they want to make the college a better and safer place for students. Most of the officers are "hands-on," getting to know the students and offering help whenever possible, Foxworth said.
The University Police Department began as a security police force when UNF opened in 1972 but became an accredited police department in 1974 with the mission to protect and serve. Foxworth said UPD's funding comes from three sources: the state, Housing and Auxiliary Services.
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One Stop expanding
During the next two months, students at the University of North Florida can expect to see construction at One Stop Student Services Center that will change the way students are served.
The lobby will expand as the center undergoes changes.
The majority of the construction will occur during Spring Break so the disruption level to students will be at a minimum, said Jim Owen, director of One Stop Student Services Center.
"After our opening last January we observed that students needed more space to be served comfortably," Owen said. "This project gives us a fairly easy solution to that problem. The construction also allows us to move to the next phase of One Stop where we will change how we assist students."
The current process of serving students is a bank teller model where students wait in line to approach a counter to speak with a university representative, he said.
The new design shifts to what one would find at a student adviser's office, with students able to talk privately with an enrollment services coordinator, Owen said.
Instead of students filing in the center one-by-one to wait in line, students will sign in at a computer workstation and sit down until called, he said.
"I think that would be better than having to wait in a line to just turn in a single piece of paper," said junior biology major Victoria Budreau. "And if I want to talk to someone confidentially about more private information like my financial aid, I can."
"With the new system I won't feel as rushed if I'm talking to someone while sitting down at a desk rather than standing at a counter with people hovering around waiting to take my place," Budreau said.
A reception desk will be available to students if they need to hand in documents, pick up forms or ask general questions.
Owen said the amount of construction should be limited. Most of the remodeling consists of squaring off the rounded glass entry and should only take a couple weeks of active construction, he said.
The disruption should be at a minimal, and the results will help make students feel more comfortable, said Will Hunter, enrollment services coordinator.
The new seating area for students will not be available until the summer, Owen said. Although construction hasn't started yet, the finished product should be completed for the fall 2007 semester, he said.
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