Eastern News
Thursday
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Local artist displays jewelry at JAC
OC TOBER 6, 2011 V O LU M E 9 6 | N o. 1 2 7
EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY CHARLESTON, ILL. D A I LY E A S T E R N N E W S . C O M T WIT TER.COM/DENNE WS
Nowere left to go but up Page 8
Page 2 RENE WABLE ENERGY CENTER
Green effort surges forward with energy center opening By Nike Ogunbodede Campus Editor
Eastern’s Renewable Energy Center will be having its public grand opening on Friday. The construction of the energy center began on Nov. 20, 2009, at a ground-breaking ceremony that would result in the ending of Eastern’s 82-year reliance on the old coalfueled steam plant in 2010. University Treasurer Paul McCann has been a firm supporter of the project, and said he was excited to see the end result. People should come out and see what the future of energy is, McCann said. Honeywell International, Inc. built the energy center for a total project cost of $78 million, and the initial estimated $56 million for construction was correct, McCann said. McCann said Eastern funded the multi-million dollar project with 2009 bond sales, also known as certificates of participation, which would be repaid over 27 years. Ryan Siegel, the campus energy and sustainability coordinator, said Eastern had planned to build a renewable energy center since the mid-90s after the weakening of the steam plant. Instead of coal, the center’s fuel source will be the more expensive, but ultimately more eco-friendly, source of wood chips. The wood chips will be provided by the Foster Brothers Wood Products at $42.08 per ton, on a contract until June 30, 2015 costing about $5 million, according to the Feb. 11 edition of the The Daily Eastern News. The wood chips purchased are a waste product from the logging, lumber and furniture industries, but Eastern would like to decrease the carbon emissions produced, Siegel said. The energy efficiency of boilers is what will save the university money, McCann said. “This is definitely a leap forward for the university not only to do cogeneration, but also to leave coal behind and move into a new era,” Siegel said. Janice Hunt, an Eastern spokeswoman, said Eastern is glad to have something to show for its work and growing interest in utilizing environmentally responsible energy. “For years Eastern has been for-
FILE PHOTO | THE DAILY EASTERN NE WS
Construction workers work on the roof framework of the Renewable Energy Center Sept. 22, 2010. The center will have its grand opening Friday at 2 p.m. with a ribbon cutting and tours of the building.
ward thinking in environmental issues—this is just another way of taking that even further,” Hunt said. The energy center is one of the largest biomasses of its kind at a university as well as the country, Hunt said. Eastern is the first known university to have its renewable energy
quantity at 100 percent, Siegel said. Middlebury College in Vermont has one gasifier, which can only sustain a portion of its campus demands, Siegel said. A gasifier is where fuel is burned in a low oxygen environment which results in the creation, then burning
off the natural gas the gasifier creates. “It’s really exciting for us to once again be an environmental leader,” she said. The difference between the steam plant and energy center will not be visible, Siegel said. ENERGY, page 5
Green space finally green Eastern just got a little greener with the new green space between Klehm Hall and the Life Sciences Building. The plan for the green space came into effect when the school decid-
Students prepare for midterms By Melody Dozard Staff Reporter
GREEN SPACE
By Bob Shaughnessy Staff Reporter
ACE THAT TEST
ed to eventually build a new science building on the field south of the Tarble Arts Center. Gary Reed, the director of Facilities Planning and Management, said Eastern removed the pavement this past spring and had planned to make it a green space before the school year started, but complications led to the delay.
Rocks in the original soil caused the delay, which was fixed by a special machine needed to break the rocks from the soil. Not all the rocks have been removed, but the vast majority is gone, Reed said. Reed said a lack of water supply to the area also postponed the process.
“We discovered that the fire hydrant—which we thought would be used for irrigation water—was broken,” Reed said. “(Charleston) has since repaired the hydrant, but thankfully we received some much needed rain, which allowed the grass seed to sprout.” GREEN, page 5
It is October, which means with each passing day, the hair pulling, energy drink consuming and restless hours become more frequent for Eastern students--midterms are almost here. The Student Success Center will be having a 30-minute workshop to alleviate the stress that can come with midterms while increasing the grades students receive. “What can I do to ace that test!? (Midterm Edition)” will take place at 6 p.m. today in the Charleston-Mattoon Room of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union. Mike Mendez, a clinical psychology graduate assistant, will be the host of this workshop and similar workshops, which introduce the active steps needed to achieve in a higher education atmosphere. “We’re going to give them a better understanding on how to take notes and how to study,” Mendez said. Personal note-taking is one of the best ways to retain information and using those notes later on is very conducive to the learning process, Mendez said. Ethan Ingram, a senior mathematics major, said he thinks he is well prepared for his upcoming midterms. “My midterm exams are usually spread out in the few weeks around midterms, so I’m not in a real high-stress situation to get a lot of things together,” Ingram said. “I try to focus on one exam, paper, etc. at a time.” Mendez said he will also teach students ways to decrease test anxiety. “(The workshop) will include different methods and different tools for them to use like study guides and coherent notes,” Mendez said. Ingram said he likes to look over all his notes and bookwork for comprehension before he looks over past tests. The workshop is part of a longer series that Mendez said is intended to increase awareness and not simply teach. “Most of the things we teach at these workshops can be found on the Internet,” Mendez said. “Our goal is to increase understanding and help students understand how the actions they take in the shortterm impact their overall GPA.” Betsy Miller, a senior family and consumer sciences major, said she just wants to get midterms over with. “(I am a) repetitive studier and looking over passages, lists and diagrams are all important things to look at,” Miller said. Jessica Johnson, a sophomore family and consumer sciences major, said she thinks time management and study skills are important during stressful exams. “I think study skills are important to taking good notes, reading the book and going over your notes more than once,” Johnson said. Most of the students who come to a workshop similar to the one taking place today do so simply because attending the workshops is mandatory for a class, Mendez said. “If you want the best grade possible, you have to sincerely desire that grade and use the tools provided to the best of your advantage,” Mendez said. “This will make a large impact on the grade that you receive.” Melody Dozard can be reached at 581-2812 or mmdozard@eiu.edu.