Tuesday, September 29, 2009
www.msureporter.com
Minnesota State University, Mankato
Celebrate safely
MSU makes efforts to stay energy efficient in spite of initial extra cost MEAGAN STEELE
staff writer
In our current state of economic crisis, “going green” is more difficult than ever. A recent article was released about the top 15 greenest campuses in the U.S. Minnesota State was not on the list, and of the
“
such as Wiecking Center and Gage Hall, are not considered worth the money it would take to make them green. “They were built at a time when no one cared,”said construction management department chair Brian Wasserman. These buildings were so
We are doing about 95 percent of what would be expected of a campus that is aiming to be more energy efficient.”
-Paul Corcoran, physical plant director
colleges that did make it, a noticeable trend connected all of them: they were either universities that specialized almost entirely on improving the environment in some way or they were Ivy League schools. In other words, the universities that made the list have the money to invest in economically friendly construction and practices. MSU does not have the funding to remodel every old building on campus that is not considered environmentally friendly. Some buildings ,
poorly constructed that the best bet would be to just tear them down and rebuild. This plan is in the works for Gage Hall. Officials are doing what they can to better the MSU campus. Ford Hall, the new science building, was constructed under Minnesota sustainable building guidelines. These guidelines require a certain degree of energy efficiency for the heating, cooling and electrical infrastructure of a building. In order to help with
electrical bills, each room in Ford Hall and other parts of campus include occupancy sensors that automatically turn lights off after no movement has been detected for a certain amount of time. Ford Hall also uses energy efficient windows that help to trap heat in the winter and reflect heat outward in the summer so less air conditioning is needed. These are important factors because heating and cooling are the biggest energy consumers. Going green is a greater investment up front, but the money it can save will make a significant impact in the long run. According to MSU’s planning and construction director Larry Kohanek, about $847,000 of extra funding was put into Ford Hall for long term energy saving measures. It sounds like a lot of money to spend up front, but the building has an estimated payback of 4.6 years. So even though MSU is not considered one of the greenest campuses, the available resources and funding are being used to renovate the campus to be more ecofriendly.
Green / page 12
illustrations by ann reichel• msu reporter
New program gives back to designated drivers LYNN ZASKE
staff writer
The new “Whose your DD?” program has launched this homecoming that is making an effort to reward students for being safe. MSU students will be able to use their free cups at several local bars to receive free nonalcoholic beverages when they are abstaining from alcohol as the designated driver for their group. First, who exactly is a designated driver? Jolene Pedersen, a graduate assistant for Student Health Services who steered the program, clarified who the cups are meant for. “The program is designed
for someone who abstains from alcohol and someone who is assigned to do so at the beginning of the evening with the intent on getting his or her group home safely,” Pedersen said. This program was developed by Student Activities with the help of Laurie Woodward, Ryan Ihrke and Jolene Pedersen. Other sponsors include Student Health Services and the Reporter. “The program started here, but Jolene Pedersen really took the program and made it happen,” Ihrke said. The program is also supported by the Minnesota State Student Association.
Safely / page 12
Writer of “40 Days and 40 Nights” talks about his new film, page 15 Pagliai’s celebrates its 40th anniversary, page 9
index
photo by dan moen• msu reporter
Editorial...................................6 Voices......................................7 Variety....................................15 Sports....................................21 Classifieds............................ 27
Second annual walk for autism to be held Sunday
Mankato woman at No.3 spot in Forbes online contest
MSU’s new production “Into the Woods” premieres
MSU football team takes down Winona 35-14
News, page 3
News, page 4
Variety, page 19
Sports, page 21