Students debate printing fee, Gelman, Starbucks, new technology

The Gelman Library Student Advisory Board discussed the new printing fee, the possibility of a Starbucks in the library and the Cafe Gelman event in October Tuesday night.

Student Association members voiced their opinions about the 7-cent- per-page fee the Center for Academic Technologies instituted this semester.

Student representatives said students were concerned because professors often required students to print lengthy Prometheus files for class, which will now become a costly habit.

Prometheus was partly responsible for the need to institute the fees in the first place, University Librarian Jack Siggins said.

He urged students to “push back” against professors who use Prometheus too much.

While 4,000 pages were printed out Sept. 9, the day before the fee was introduced, Siggins said only 600 pages were printed the next day.

Another technology change is a “virtual reference” system, which allows students to chat with reference librarians via the Internet.

The system will help students with research questions, officials said. All schools in the Washington Research Library Consortium can use the cyber help.

Students also discussed the possibility of opening a Starbucks in Gelman.

Siggins said no specifics or dates are set, but costs would be shared among the University, Starbucks and Aramark. He said these plans have been put on hold because of market drops and subsequent budget clamps.

“Cafe Gelman” will be set up in the library’s 24-hour study room Oct. 30 from 8 to 10 p.m. and will feature coffee, readings and performances.

“We’re really interested in getting more students involved this year,” library student liaison Matthew Tisdale said.

-Michael Kelly

Construction continues on Smith Hall of Art
Scaffolding and cranes have surrounded the Smith Hall of Art since August, when a construction team began enclosing the two terraces on the fourth and fifth floors, said Michelle Honey, director of Architecture, Engineering and Construction.
The area will be used for a painting studio that can handle large canvasses and a computer lab for computer-aided drafting, she said.
Honey said the construction will enhance the facilities and that an “outside donation” added to University funding for the project.
The construction is expected to finish by January 2003.
Another addition to the Smith Hall of Art is a large, mirror-like object near the building’s entrance. The “piece of art presents a mirror at an angle, thereby reflecting light as the sun passes,” she said.
-Matt Windman

Friends of Gelman to host International films

The Gelman Library will kick off its first International Film Festival Sunday with the French film “A Man Escaped,” directed by Robert Bresson.

The festival will give students the opportunity to view cultural films “that aren’t easy to see outside of class,” said Reference Librarian Shmuel Ben-Gad, who will introduce the film.

He said Friends of the Gelman Library, a group of neighborhood residents who donate money to the library, funded the event.

Films will continue until November with Italian, Vietnamese and English titles.

Roundtable talks host foreign crisis experts

A roundtable event entitled “Is there a crisis in U.S. foreign relations?” will take place Sept. 26 in the Marvin Center 3rd floor amphitheater. The event, hosted by the Elliott School of International Affairs and the GW Institute of Public Policy, will feature GW professors and administrators.

The one-day event will include opening remarks by ESIA Dean Harry Harding and Hal Wolman, director of the Institute of Public Policy, and four panels.

The panels are “Foreign Policy Towards Different Regions,” “National Defense and Security,” “The International Economy” and “The War on Terror and Transformation of American Democracy.”

The event will take place from 8:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. Students can RSVP for individual panels by e-mailing [email protected].
-Julie Gordon