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Show Students! Save at FOOD & DRUG ww Smiths With a USU Student Card T n T i As a Student Fresh Values Cardholder you will receive: • 5%* discount off every order, every day. No limits! • Extra savings on Smith's Fresh Values specials! • Automatic entry into Fresh Values contests and sweepstakes! • Extra savings by enrolling in the Baby Club, Pet Club and Photo Club! • Enrollment is good from August 1,2007 through July 31st, 2008 CamvusUews Page 4 Monday, Sept. 10, 2007 Housing: On-campus living increasing IJ continuedfrom page 1 said. Although the tower is not full, it is fuller than it has been in past years, he said. With the exception of Bullen Hall, the other central campus housing options are traditional dorm housing that are not equipped with kitchens. Residents of these buildings have the option of meal plans at either the Junction or the Marketplace, though the Junction is located closer to the buildings. Alan Anderson, executive director for USU Dining Services, said the Junction is an older building that has changed much over the years, and attempts have been made to improve the building and quality of food with minimal effect. "The Junction over the years has had money thrown at it to make it better," Anderson said. "We're trying to tie it together. The Junction is a little older, so we have some work to do to make it not so institutional." USU Dining Services is currently finalizing plans to improve the look, feel and taste of the Junction, Anderson said. Teaming up with HURD, the student athletic organization on campus, USU Dining Services has added two foosball tables and an air hockey table in the Junction, and will soon add couches to make it more comfortable. Also in progress is the creation of a HURD corner that HURD will decorate, adding Aggie memorabilia to the walls, Anderson said. Next semester HURD and USU Dining Services will host a sports night at the Junction to bring more attention to the older dining building, he said. With the opening of the new Marketplace, Anderson said the overall quality of food available to students has improved, making meal plans for students living on campus a nice option. "When the Marketplace opened last year, the greater percentage of people between the two places ate at the Marketplace," Anderson said. "As it got further in the year, it started evening out to 50/50 between the Marketplace and Junction. "The neat thing about it is it has offered another piece of that puzzle as far as the options we're able to offer students in student housing." Anderson said USU Dining Services is working to provide better quality food to students and is in the process of hiring an executive chef, which is one step below a master chef- the creme de la creme of the culinary world. So far, two currently employed chefs have applied along with other chefs from across the country, he said. "This shows the program we have here to get executive chefs," Anderson said. While central campus housing and the LLC are the primary users of the Junction and Marketplace, other areas of campus, such as south campus housing or the Student Living Center, can also purchase meal plans, though these buildings are equipped with kitchens. The SLC, located east of the Logan Cemetery, is about 96 percent occupied, jenson said. Over the summer, wireless Internet access was added to the Student Living Center, and the overall speed of the Internet at the SLC was improved as well, with a 66 Mbps wireless connection and a 100 Mbps wall connection. Wireless expansion to other campus housing areas, such as Aggie Village, the married student housing, is still underway. Jenson said the SLC was chosen to receive wireless upgrades before the married housing because USU Housing "felt single students would probably be more dependent on the wireless than married students." "It was a huge project to try to get it pulled off over the course of the summer," Jenson said. "There will be no place where students can go and get as great as Internet service as on campus." South campus housing, the other major housing area on campus, which includes Merrill, Moen, Greaves and Reeder halls, are close to full, Jenson said. "They're really convenient," Jenson said of all campus housing options. "The shuttle service is great so there really isn't a bad place to live on campus." Jenson said USU Housing prides itself on providing good, safe housing options at an affordable cost to students. He said the price of rent is primarily determined by when the last renovation took place and what financial overhead USU Housing has to meet. "We do check ourselves to make sure it's a price students can hopefully afford," Jenson said. "Our goal is to provide a great place for students to live at a great price. For the most part, (the price) includes everything so there are no hidden costs students sometimes get trapped in." Jenson said USU Housing has two other benefits: safety and a quick-response maintenance program. "We have an excellent maintenance program," Jenson said. "We're nationally known for the service we have. We try to get someone over quickly to respond with emergency response in 15 minutes." Jenson said one of his biggest concerns is the safety of the students living on campus. Residence life staff live in the halls to provide assistance to students, he said. Another safety benefit is electronic locks in single housing that can only be opened by an electronic key card, he said. If a student loses a card and reports it, the old card is immediately cancelled, and within a few minutes a new card is made for the student to maintain safety, Jenson said. The latest technology in sprinkling systems and fire alarms have also been added. "We try to provide the very best for students in safety," Jenson said. "We do regular inspections to make sure everything is in great shape. We try to cover all the bases." With all the improvements to on-campus housing, USU Housing still has future plans for improvement, though no additional buildings are currently planned, Jenson said. In July 2011, the mobile home park, which houses 100 families, will be closed due to a "failing infrastructure," Jenson said. There are no immediate plans for what will happen to the area after it is razed, as there is not financing or a need for additional housing right now. "We haven't made any immediate plans at this point," Jenson said. "I would anticipate initially it will be put into an open grassy area that students can enjoy. Some point in the future it will likely have housing, but not in the near future." ' No plans are under way for changes to Aggie Village, but new windows and fuel-efficient furnaces were installed recently to save money for those residents, Jenson said. Aggie Village does not receive money from the state, so it is difficult to pull together enough money to make major improvements, Jenson said. -seth.h@aggiemailusu.edu For Your Princess *Enrollments for the 2006-2007 school season expire September 30,2007 *Excludes alcohol, tobacco, prescriptions, fuel, postage stamps, money orders and other items prohibited by law. GOOD ONLY AT. Smith's 175 East 442 North or Smith!; Marketplace 750 North Main Street Store Hours: Monday-Saturday 10 am~7pm The Diamond Engagement Ring Store...since 1896 141 North Main • 752-7149 www.seneedham. com Mlddtiofiht bio. df f Jb« tlgn tftht tie |