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thewichitan.com — your campus / your news
Wednesday — September 12, 2012
On-campus residents enjoy new dorm perks Increase in housing cost improves dorm laundry services By ruth fitzgerald-black staff writer
MSU dorm residents can enjoy a few new perks this semester due to new laundry installments and technological updates. Pierce Hall, Killingsworth Hall, McCollough Trigg, and Bridwell Court Apartments have been provided with a new laundry system on each floor along with technology provided to allow students more ease of access to these facilities when
they need them. Residents now have a laundry fee included in their rent payments so there is no need to purchase pre-paid “debit cards” for laundry use. According to MSU Housing Director, Michael Mills, the new laundry system in the dorms was approved after the Residence Hall Association conducted a survey asking residents if they would mind an increase in their rent to subsidize the updates and the positive responses were overwhelming. Rent for dorm residents increased only slightly between 3-4%, Mills said, and they try to keep any rent increases in any fiscal year at about 3%, depend-
ing on utility costs. In most cases, rent increases in any fiscal year are lower than 3%, he said. “Increases in rent are subsidized only through rental and housing fees, and do not come from tuition fees or state appropriations,” Mills said. The new laundry machines are rented through a company called Mac Gray that also provides maintenance and upkeep of the new system. “They (Mac Gray) will provide all the maintenance, service, and technology for the students,” Mills said. While the dorm buildings all remained locked at their main entrances, a resident student ID
card is all that is needed to gain access to the building. Therefore, there is a possibility of students abusing the new laundry system by propping open doors for visiting friends or relatives. “No thefts have been reported, and the old laundry system could have easily been abused in the same manner,” Mills said. “If I were to walk into Killingsworth Hall with a female’s ID card, I would immediately be stopped at the security desk, because it is an all-female facility and they would know that I don’t belong there.” According to Mills, the Housing department has only received one complaint of a non-resident doing laundry in Bridwell Court over the summer, but has not had any problems reported since. If more issues arise, the Housing department might consider implementing more policing of the dorms to prevent abuse of the system or theft of property, he said. Students may also go online to check the availability of washing machines and dryers for their building and floor. An application is also available on your mobile device that
MSU freshman Jenna Degnan seen doing laundry. Photo by BEKAH TIMM
actually shows you a picture of which washers and dryers are in use in a particular dormitory. The application will also send the student a text message notifying him or her when the washing or drying cycle is completed. These updates solve the problem of students lugging laundry down to a specific floor, only to have to wait an hour on someone else’s cycle to finish. In addition to the new laundry system, approved at the university level for the upcoming fiscal year, the entire campus, dorms included, will be com-
pletely wireless. The change is currently in progress along with a new single-sign-on student portal that will allow students to log in to all of their MSU accounts (WebWorld, Web Mail, and Desire2Learn) with only one sign-in prompt. Currently, all dorm students must plug in a wired Ethernet while in their dorm rooms to gain access to the internet, and students must log into each individual student account separately to view their information.
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Students can go online to check the availability of the washers and dyrers. Photo by BEKAH TIMM
Stewart said. “As Provost I now get to see the college in its entirety.” Stewart believes getting to know the faculty, the staff, the students, and even the community are essential tools to becoming a good Provost. “I don’t see this new role as pressure because it is just part of the job of being a Provost,” Stew-
art said. Only being on the job for about 34 days, Stewart is still getting into the groove of everything. However, she said there are some important items on her agenda that needs to be accomplished this year. Her office is working on the reaffirmation of accreditation which is a national reaccredita-
tion of the college which is done every 10 years. Also, the core curriculum is being revised because the university is going from a 48 hour core curriculum to a 42 hour core curriculum which needs to be in place by 2014. “Those two items are the main topics on the agenda that need to be accomplished,” Stewart said.
Student Org Spotlight P.R.O.U.D (Providing Respect for Others Unity and Diversity) Their mission: To promote tolerance and acceptance for the LGBT community, fight for equal rights for all citizens regardless of sexuality, race, ethnicity, or gender, provide a safe place for LGBT students, family, friends, and anyone else who needs a safe place and supportive community, raise awareness of the dangerous consequences of bullying, and in general to promote equality and a sense of community both on campus and off. Who: Anyone can join. When: Meetings are held on Monday at 1:30PM or Wednesday at 4:30PM, the third week of every month. Where: Clark Student Center Atrium (the room with the piano, and the flags) Cost: None required. Upcoming Events: P.R.O.U.D. will be car-pooling to Pride on Sunday, September 6, 2012. Contact: President, Abbie Scott. Advisers: Dr. Beverly Stiles, Dr. Millie Gore, Dr. Julie Wood, Mary Wines Email: Msu_gsa@ymail.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/MSU.PROUD/ Every week, the Wichitan will feature a student organization that is active on campus. If your organization would like to be featured please email Wichitan@MWSU.edu with the subject OrgSpotlight.
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