2003-02-13, The Samford Crimson

“Is it not enough to force them to sell their own blood just to survive?” — R.G. Lyons, senior Samfor IT1 HflL S o nS Volume 87. Number 12 Samford University Birmingham. Ala 35229 Februa Long-distance rates reduced by half Two workers from Gary C. Wyatt Inc. repair water damage to Reid Chapel's steeple during Jan Term. Reid Chapel, Riissell get face lifts -By Sarah Davis Construction on Reid Chapel and Rus¬ sell Hall began in December and continued through Jan Term in an effort to renovate the two buildings. Over the past 40 years, leaking water in the steeple of Reid Chapel has caused dete¬ rioration that needed to be repaired before further damage occurred, University Engi¬ neer David Whitt said. “The repair was necessary because Reid Chapel is one of the showcase pieces on campus,” Whitt said. The joints in the brick and limestone of Reid Chapel were weakening, and the moisture was beginning to spread down¬ ward and cause additional damage to the walls and ceiling within the chapel. Broken glass was also found inside of the steeple. “I suspect hail and wind storms caused most of the damage to the stained glass over many years,” Whitt said. “Once we get the broken glass replaced, we should be able to keep up with proper mainte¬ nance each year.” There is no projected cost of the con¬ struction thus far because the repair of the broken glass found in Reid Chapel’s steeple has not been estimated yet. Russell Hall, which is next door to Reid Chapel and Chapman Hall, is in the process of being completely renovated and restored. Russell previously housed the bi¬ ology department, and will soon house pharmacy, math and computer science classes. The inside of the three-story building has been stripped down to the floors and will be redone from top to bottom. Whitt said that the goal is to have Rus¬ sell Hall ready for the fall semester. The money for these two construction projects comes from annual funding for maintenance that is supplied from general funds of the university. svdavis@samford.edu By Kay Eckstein “Resident students are going to have a nice surprise if they go to dial expecting to pay 10 cents a minute,” Director of Telecommunications Den¬ nis Self said. Self and Manager of Telecommunications Glenn Schneider's long-awaited surprise, a decrease in long¬ distance rates, became ef¬ fective Jan. 26. On-campus long-distance rates have dropped from 10 cents a minute to five cents a minute. This change was researched, discussed and recommended to the administration after a long period of in¬ creased cell phone use and very little Sam- ford-provided long distance use on cam¬ pus. “It’s been a long process,” Self said. “We’ve been attempting to analyze long distance and make a difference to the stu¬ dents.” The new rate was created, in part, to en¬ courage students to use Samford’s long distance services, as most students have re¬ cently been using both cell phones and phone cards almost exclusively. “A lot of it is competitive, which is the way we look at cell phones and calling cards,” Self said. The new rate. Self said, is also in re¬ sponse to articles in both the Birmingham News and the Crimson about long-distance rates. “I think it would be safe to say from what we’ve seen in other institutions that they’re experiencing the same problems,” Self said. In addition to this new long-distance plan, Self and Schneider are currently in contact with several cell phone companies for a possible cell phone service for Sam¬ ford students and, if possible, faculty. “We want very much to create a univer¬ sity-branded cellular service,” Self said. “Our first focus has been for students, but certainly if we got a plan that would bene¬ fit faculty, that could be a possibility also.” The new cellular service may be avail¬ able by the fall 2003 semester. For now, Self and Schneider are dedicated to the new long-distance rate plan. Schneider has even de¬ signed a general online, anonymous survey for stu¬ dents through Zoomerang, an outside company that will provide tb~ results of the sur¬ vey for Uk Telecommunica¬ tions Department’s future “The resident students will receive an email from Zoomerang with a hyperlink to take the survey,” Schneider said. “The sur¬ vey doesn’t just cover long-distance. It covers most aspects of communication. It is a combination of both checkboxes and some room for comment. We tried to make it fairly simple.” “We hope students will take advantage," Schneider said. “We’re going to keep searching and considering any reasonable offers we receive in the future.” ekeckste@samford.edu SU awarded more than $2 million in grants By Frank McCormack Two departments at Samford have [ recently received grant money to be¬ gin work on new projects. The Vul¬ can Materials Center for Environ¬ ment Stewardship and Education and Department of Biology received a $20,000 grant from the Communi¬ ty Foundation of Greater Birming¬ ham, and Associate Professor of Re¬ ligion Penny Marler and Classics Department Chair Randy Todd re¬ ceived a $2 million grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc. Grant to restore Shades Creek The grant awarded to the Vulcan Materials Center and the biology de¬ partment will be put to work restor¬ ing the portion of Shades Creek that Samford owns — stretching between Old Highway 31 and Homewood High School. “We’re working hand in hand with partners in the community,” Bi¬ ology Program Administrator and Grants Writer Connie Lankford said. “It was pertinent to develop a plan to restore, revitalize and enhance the native Shades Creek winds under a Highway 31 bridge. The ar extends from Old Highway 31 to Homewood High School. habitat around Shades Creek.” Friends of Shades Creek, Alabama River Alliance and the Birmingham Audubon Society have part¬ nered with Samford to complete the project, intended to be fin¬ ished in three years. The immediate goal of the project is to remove non-native plants like kudzu so that azaleas and other Alabama native plants can thrive. Still, removal of non-native plants is only the first part of the project. Once the creek is restored, the Vulcan Materials Center plans to place signs along the trail, labeling each plant species, thus making it easy for passersby to put a face with a name. Eventually, Lankford said, the trail will provide a perfect place for outdoor teaching. SU grabs grant from Lilly For the second time this school year, Samford received a $2 million grant, distributed over five years, from the Lilly Endowment. This latest grant comes from the Lilly Endow- Please see GRANTS, pg. 2 Food court’s coffeehouse plans put on hold By Cindy Turner A new coffeehouse will not be coming to the food court area anytime soon, said Sodex¬ ho Manager Ken Daniel. However, to tide students over until a coffeehouse does come to the food court, a ma¬ chine that makes lattes, espres¬ sos and cappuccinos will be in the food court by next week. Daniel addressed rumors of a coffeehouse being placed in the book buy-back space next to the bookstore. While ideas about adding a coffeehouse area to the food court have been tossed around within the Sodexho manage¬ ment team, Daniel said it comes down to simply not hav¬ ing the funds to start building. ‘There’s no one who has $80,000 to build it,” Daniel said. Part of the reason that $80,000 is not available is be¬ cause Chick-Fil-A is soon un¬ dergoing a $30,000 renovation. All Chick-Fil-A stores simi¬ lar to the one in the food court must undergo construction to become a Chick-Fil-A Express. Construction will be com¬ pleted before the fall semester begins. Sodexho would be footing the bill for the new coffee¬ house, which would be a Sodexho chain of coffeehouses, called Jazzman’s Cate. President Thomas Corts said he is open to the idea of bring¬ ing a Jazzman's Cate to the food court area. “My suggestion was simply that what is done be portable or easily adaptable so that the food court can continue to serve multiple purposes,” Corts said. However, Corts’ concern was that the renovation of the University Center is not yet complete, so he did not think it was wise to begin construction on a new coffeehouse. “I would like to keep our op¬ tions open,”. Corts said. “It’s a nice package," Food Court Manager David Mont- Please see COFFEE, pg. 2 ‘Resident students are going to have a nice surprise if they go to dial expecting to pay 10 cents a minute Dennis Self, director of Telecommunications use.