Volume 72, Issue 2 www.themclabeacon.com Thursday, October 7, 2010

By Andrea WhitneyStaff Writer

This summer, the administra-tion worked very hard upgrading the school with multiple projects. The most noticeable ones were the improvements made to the Townhouses. All the windows, screens, shades and curtain rods were replaced, as well as the in-terior lock hardware, according to Dianne Manning, director of Residential Programs and Ser-vices (RPS). Phase II of the Townhouses re-ceived new fire alarm systems as well as new stairwell lighting and new signs labeling the Town-house and bedroom numbers. Also, F Block got brand new bed-room furniture. The Massachusetts State College Building Authority (MSCBA) funded many of the projects and the RPS budget for the school funded the rest. Another noticeable improve-ment was the addition of wireless internet to all of the dorms, fund-ed by the technology fee students pay. “The wireless in the Townhouses is good and makes up for the cell service that is still lacking,” Resi-dent Advisor Jeff Bliss, a junior who also lived in the Townhouses last year, said. Murdock’s computer labs also got a bit of an upgrade. The com-puters from one of the labs were moved to the third floor of the library and the computers from classroom 108 were moved into the lab. Internet bandwidth has also in-creased this year, creating faster service for the whole campus. Also, a new redundant services

program is in place, which al-lows the internet to come from two places at once in case one goes down. In addition to the new com-puters on the third floor, the li-brary had more upgrades done over the summer. There are up-graded computers on the first floor, a new printer upstairs, and brand new laptops available for checkout. “The one thing we’re really ex-cited about is ebrary,” Maureen Horak, associate dean of Library Services, said. Ebrary is an online library with over 50,000 books, where students can go to read sources without ever having to actu-ally check them out. The other online reference materials were boosted as well, according to Horak. “We’re trying to make it more convenient so you can get a lot of the library from your dorm,” said Horak. All of the projects gained fund-ing from the fee increases the students experienced this year, as well as other funds. “We’re very serious when it comes to fee increases and we start this conversation with our trustees every year,” said James Stakenas, vice president for Ad-ministration and Finance. The administration wants to provide a quality education for students at a price that does not drive them away, he said. However, state funding has de-creased greatly in the past eight years, driving up costs. “We need to spend our money wisely to keep a beautiful and up-to-date campus,” Stakenas added.

Upgrades crop up on campus

Blazer Bucks plan sparks confusion

By Ed DamonSenior News Editor

Freshman Christopher Hant-man took advantage of the new Blazer Bucks program early on in the semester. He and his friends tried to use their cards at one of the pizza places that joined the program. “We walked down there one night the first week we were here,” he said. “We asked if we could use our ID cards there. They told us we could, that it comes off of our meal plan.” Hantman found out the hard way that that wasn’t the case. “We heard later that it didn’t come off of the meal plan or de-clining balance,” he said. Tim Shiebler, another freshman and Hantman’s friend, said the program would be great if stu-dents could use their declining balance in town. “But since we can’t,” he said, “it’s pretty much just a debit card.” The Blazer Bucks program is new to the MCLA campus this semester. The program al-lows students or their parents to put money into an account linked to their ID cards. Money on this strip can be spent at five North Adams businesses: Ange-lina’s Sub Shop, Christo’s Famous Pizza, After Hours Laundry, Su-preme Pizza and Wings, and Vil-lage Pizza. The new program is separate from students’ meal plans, which is factored into the room and

board fees. Hantman says that the idea is good in theory, but many stu-dents, and businesses are con-fused by how it works still. “I’ve talked to kids who’ve racked up $50 worth of food,” Hantman said. When asked on Tuesday, Vice President of Administration and Finance James Stakenas said that he hadn’t heard of any students having these experiences.

Freshmen students received in-formation about the program during orientation, and First-Class alerts were sent to all stu-dents in September. A series of articles that ran in The Beacon last spring also outlined the new plan. Stakenas said the program, which is in its pilot stages, is much like programs at other col-leges. “We really want students to do business downtown,” Stakenas said. He cited contractual obliga-tions to the dining service com-pany Aramark as something that needs to be fulfilled as well. Hantman’s advice to the admin-istration? “Make sure students have the right information,” he says. “I talked to two [Resident Advi-sors] who gave me a different story. It’s obvious people are all on different pages.” He suggests that the informa-tion be posted places where it’s easily accessible, such as in the cafeteria. To set up Blazer Bucks, stu-dents need to visit the College’s CampusDish site, where they must create a CampusDish ac-count.

Tyson Luneau/Beacon Staff The library received new computers.

Kathleen Weglarcyzk/Beacon StaffLocal businesses have taken part in the Blazer Bucks program.

Kathleen Weglarcyzk/Beacon StaffThe Blazer Bucks program is similar to the one that allows stu-dents to put money on their cards for laundry.

Students and local businesses puzzled over program