Students at Opinion: Health Take our online forum respond center called poll on calendar to term changes into question changes page 4 page 9 merciad.mercyhurst.edu Page 2 NEWS October 19, 2011 Energy program undergoes changes to make campus more sustainable altered title allows the fund to deal with issues such as alterna- gestions and feedback are welcome. Non-board members may By Stacy Skiavo tive transportation, water conservation and water reduction. not take part in the voting process. Staff writer Proposals may be submitted by students, staff or faculty The name change will not have a large effect on students, members, and are then analyzed by the Fund Review Board. although more student input for uses of the funds is greatly “I don’t have an agenda, but I would encourage any student encouraged. After much campaigning, the Green Team fi nally received with ideas to contact the board. I’d like to make it more stu- “I think it’s a good idea to get the students’ opinions, the passage of the Student Green Energy Fee. This fee will dent driven,” Assistant Professor of the Physics Department because, after all, we are the ones that pay money to go here,” take $5 from each student’s account every term to increase Dyan McBride, Ph.D, said. junior Kyle McIntyre said. Mercyhurst’s commitment to renewable green energy. The board is composed of nine members, which include Previous approved proposals over the years have been the The fee was approved after 1,000 students signed a petition. four students, two faculty members, the director of the physi- purchase of a solar safety-emergency lighting system and It was approved by a 2-1 margin in a student referendum. cal plant, the executive assistant to the president and the sus- increasing the college’s wind offset purchase by 20 percent of The Student Green Energy program was created in 2007 tainability offi cer. The four students consist of a Mercyhurst the campus electricity consumption in 2008. and has been working with various projects to make the Student Government representative, a Green Team represen- “Ideas like a bike share program where students can rent campus more “green.” Since the approval of the fee, the tative and two students studying sustainability. bikes and a compost facility have been proposed,” McBride name has been changed to the Sustainability Fund in order to The two positions of sustainability students are new posi- said. expand the project and proposal list. tions, and proposal votes may still be taken without these posi- The funds also brought the Egan plastic to-go meal con- The name change will allow a broader option list of projects tions present, as long as the other two student positions are tainers to replace the disposable ones and the purchase of to make the campus more sustainable. The former name only there for the vote. carbon accounting software to aid maintenance of the Green- focused on renewable energy and energy conservation. The The Review Board meetings are open to everyone, and sug- house Gas Emission Inventory this fall. Library upgrading to RefWorks 2.0 The Hammermill Library is upgrading the RefWorks system to the latest version Saturday, Oct. 29, and is holding training sessions for students, staff and faculty. The sessions will be held Wednesday, Oct. 26, from 2 to 3 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 27, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. and Friday, Oct. 28, from 9 to 10 a.m. in L100. To sign up, go to library.mercyhurst.edu/RWregis- tration.html. Larceny/theft Student Union Thursday, Oct. 6 College discipline Larceny/theft Adult Education Center Friday, Oct. 7 College discipline Criminal trespass Egan Cafeteria Saturday, Oct. 8 College discipline Harassment 3829 Lewis Ave. Thursday, Oct. 13 College discipline Oct. 6-13, 2011 October 19, 2011 NEWS Page 3 College considers calendar changes the natural sciences seem to prefer up a little more than 20 percent of By Kelly Luoma the May term because they could do the student population, with fi ve Class schedule for short term Editor-in-chief local fi eld research when it is warm possible time slots. Under the 4-1-4 outside. Some students prefer the term system, they would have eight Five days a week Four days a week January term because they would time slots during which they could Discussion of calendar changes not want to have a six-week Christ- register classes. has recently become widespread mas break. 8:00-10:40 8:00-11:00 throughout the Mercyhurst College Proposal rumors campus. 10:50-1:30 11:00-2:10 Debate has been raging over the I understand that Federici dispelled the rumors 1:40-4:20 2:20-5:20 idea of changing to a 4-1-4 semes- “people have very that a proposal has been approved 6:00-8:40 6:00-9:00 ter system. Although this change is by the Faculty Senate and that it is being discussed among faculty and strong feelings about on the agenda for Saturday’s Board administration, students have been the calendar. We are of Trustees meeting. On the four day-a-week schedule, either Wednes- spreading the wrong idea that this As of now, a proposal for the 4- day or Friday would be the day without classes. calendar change has already been simply trying to fi nd 1-4 term calendar has not even been decided on. a way to put together created. The only thing Federici has Michael Federici, Ph.D., presi- put together is an idea of the 4-1- school in order to keep the cur- occur until the 2013-14 academic dent of the Faculty Senate, dis- a proposal that will 4 model showing how it works and rent trimester system and current year. class times. “In all likelihood, we are just cussed two calendar options at a be tolerable to most how it would be different from the Mercyhurst Student Government current trimester system. Federici Reinhard and Dickey submitted going to do next year what we (MSG) Senate meeting on Monday, people on campus. said the idea behind this is for stu- their academic calendar proposal are doing in the winter and spring Tuesday to Federici. term,” Federici said. “If we make a Oct. 10. Michael Federici, Ph.D. dents and faculty to begin discuss- The reason for discussing dif- ” Reinhard, an intelligence stud- signifi cant change, it would be for ing calendar changes. ferent calendar options is that the ies major, explained what he likes the following year.” During the longer terms, classes “How could we have put together Pennsylvania Department of Edu- about trimesters. Federici said he has not received would be shorter than they are now. a proposal in such a short period of cation discovered that Mercyhurst “I think for one it fi ts the major a lot of feedback from faculty yet Monday, Wednesday, Friday classes time?” Federici asked. is out of compliance with its con- really well,” he said. “I’m a double regarding the 4-1-4 plan, but he would be one hour and fi ve min- “I don’t feel ready to put a pro- tact hours. These calendar options minor and intel major, and on expects to hear more response at utes, and Tuesday, Thursday classes posal together,” he said. offer solutions to the class time semesters I wouldn’t be able to do the Faculty Forum on Monday. would last one hour and 35 min- He said before he puts a proposal issue. this,” he said. “I have asked the different aca- utes. together he would need to consult Federici said the college has no As a junior, Reinhard worries demic departments on campus to Classes during the short term different groups on campus, which choice but to come up with a solu- about students being able to gradu- discuss the feasibility of changing would be two hours and 40 minutes would include the president, the tion to this issue. Even so, “that ate on time if the term system the calendar,” he said. if taken fi ve days a week. Classes provost, athletics, student fi nan- doesn’t mean we have to change to changed. would be three hours each day if cial services, housing, security and a calendar different than the term Dickey explained his dissatisfac- Process to change calendar taken four days a week. maintenance. system,” he said. tion with the way the college is han- Under the 4-1-4 term calendar, “I understand that people have The options he discussed included dling the proposal. Federici discussed the process students would still need to take 10 very strong feelings about the calen- keeping class times the same as they He said that last time when involved in changing the calendar. classes each year. It is up to the stu- dar,” said Federici. “We are simply are now by adding extra hours of President Thomas Gamble, Ph.D., He said a proposal would have to dents how they choose to do this. trying to fi nd a way to put together homework for each class in addi- proposed changing the trimester be created and considered by the Some options include taking 5-1-4, a proposal that will be tolerable to tion to what is normally assigned. system, he marketed them as semes- faculty, students, administration 5-0-5 or 4-2-4. most people on campus.” The second option he mentioned ters. This plan was not adopted. and the Academic Affairs Commit- Federici discussed how this term was a 4-1-4 term calendar.