Asbestos abatement and demolition has been completed in the Purple Lounge on the second floor of the Student Union Building. The space is being transformed into permanent offices for the Disability Resource Center and Student Activities and Union Services.

Behind the blue construction fence in the Haggerty Circle, the Student Union Building’s addition project is gaining momentum.

The work, which is funded by grants from the Assemblymember Kevin Cahill ‘77 and Senator John Bonacic and Campus Auxiliary Services – with the balance coming from the campus’s capital account, is on schedule, according the John Shupe, assistant vice president for facilities management.

Asbestos abatement and demolition in the hallway that connects the Student Union Building and the Haggerty Administration Building was completed during the first half of January.

A temporary wall has been constructed where the windows had existed in the corridor. The current courtyard will become a new common area in the addition and will serve as a game room, presentation space and informal gathering space.

John McEnrue, director of Facilities Design and Construction, said the corridor’s ceiling, walls and floors will be renovated, in a style similar to the Haggerty Administration Building basement, next winter.

Abatement and demolition in the Purple Lounge on the second floor has been completed. Preparation and construction on new offices for Student Activities and Union Services and the Disability Resource Center are underway. Staff from both departments should begin moving to the south side of the building in mid-April, said McEnrue.

When the staff has relocated, demolition on the north side of the Student Union Building will begin to make way for construction on the addition’s steel frame, which is scheduled to begin this summer.

McEnrue said the construction fence has been extended to include a portion of the concourse between the Student Union and Haggerty in preparation for the demolition of the courtyard between the two buildings in late February.

Across campus, the Old Main Building is bustling with work and is also on schedule.

David Smith (Facilities Design and Construction) in a classroom on the first floor where asbestos abatement has been completed and demolition will follow in the coming weeks.

McEnrue said that the abatement and demolition teams have been working in the building from the top down, in stages starting with the third floor where asbestos abatement and demolition have been completed. Walls and flooring on the third floor rooms have been removed. One floor down, on the second floor, abatement has been completed and demolition has begun. The first floor abatement has begun and demolition will follow.

All three phases of the beginning work are represented on the all the floors. “If you travel from the first to the third floor, you really get a feel of how the demolition process evolves,” Shupe said.

In the Julien J. Studley Theatre, all of the seating has been removed in preparation for asbestos abatement. The space will receive new electrical support and heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.

Meanwhile, the building’s exterior is undergoing masonry work and McEnrue said work on the building’s roof is set for this summer.

A classroom on the third floor of the Old Main Building that has undergone asbestos abatement and demolition in preparation for renovation.

Simultaneously, the Facilities Design and Construction staff is planning for the summer. On the docket are replacing the windows in Gage Hall. This is the last residence hall to have its windows replaced. Renovations to the interiors of College and Shango halls will also take place. And, the roofs on the Hasbrouck Dining Hall, Humanities Building, Service Building, College and Shango halls will all be replaced this summer.

For information on all of the campus’s construction projects, visit www.newpaltz.edu/construction.

The stained glass window in the Old Main Building is protected from the construction taking place inside and outside the building. The window will be restored later on during the project, which is scheduled to be completed in 2011.

In the Sojourner Truth Library’s electronic classroom (STL 18), Susan Lewis (History), left, works with students in her spring 2009 Seminar in History class on research methods.

The campus community can now take advantage of increased hours and an enhanced instructional space at the Sojourner Truth Library.

The library now opens its doors at 8 a.m., Monday-Friday. The change was made to match the class schedule put into effect in the spring 2008 semester. Meanwhile, closing time and weekend hours remain the same.

Chui-chun Lee, dean of the library, said the change was prompted by student requests. “Now, students who attend early classes will have access to library resources, printers and computers,” she said.

The library’s late-night study room, located on the main floor, behind Jazzman’s, is open after regular hours, until 3 a.m. on Sunday through Wednesday nights. The room includes six computers and nine large work tables. Students are allowed to bring food and snacks into this area.

For a complete schedule, visit http://lib.newpaltz.edu/word_docs/library_hours.html.

Meanwhile, located on the concourse level, STL 18 has been the library’s primary space for instruction since 1998. Over the winter intersession, the electronic classroom received a significant upgrade in technology and appearance.

Susan Kraat (Library), coordinator for instruction, discusses research with students in the writing-intensive course, Seminar in History. In the foreground are some of room’s new equipment – a portable instructor station and a projector.

“With the expansion of our information literacy program and the increase of class size in recent years, the redesign of STL 18 was urgently needed,” said Lee.

New, smaller desks allowed for the addition of eight computers, which brings the room’s total to 27. In addition, the new monitors and computers have fewer wires and also take up less space. There is also a new, higher quality projector and screen and an enhanced instruction station.

The room is one of the busiest areas of the library. Lee said all incoming first-year students attend Composition or Honors English sessions in STL 18 in partial fulfillment of the General Education information literacy competency. She added that librarian instructors collaborate with faculty to teach nearly 150 classes in the room each semester. Now, STL 18 can accommodate classes up to 30 students.

Lee said the project came together through collaboration with other departments. Gary Oliver (Library) from the library’s Computer Support team, assembled, installed and constructed the tables and computers, as well as upgraded the computerized teaching software. Additionally, Joe D’Agostino (Instructional Media Services) installed the new widescreen projector and instruction station in the room.

Faculty who require library research for their students can fill out a Library Instruction Request Form at http://lib.newpaltz.edu/assistance/faculty/instruct_req.html.

Campus community throws support behind RecycleMania competition

The campus began weighing its recyclable materials this month as part of RecycleMania, a national competition among colleges and universities. Chris St. John records the weight of the recyclable material T.J. Fisher (Facilities Operations and Maintenance) holds onto.

Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to participate in RecycleMania, a 10-week, national competition to promote waste reduction and recycling efforts on college and university campuses.

From late January to March 28, the college will report recycling data, which will be weighed on a weekly basis by Facilities Operations and Maintenance staff.

Brian Pine, director of Facilities Operations and Maintenance and the college’s recycling coordinator, said the results will then be ranked according to who collects the largest amount of recyclables per capita; the largest amount of total recyclables; the least amount of trash per capita; or have the highest recycling rate. With each week’s reports and rankings, participating schools watch how their results fluctuate against other schools and their own to rally their campus communities to reduce and recycle more.

The campus first participated in RecycleMania in 2006-2007 under the direction of Alexandria Wojcik ‘07, ‘09g (English).

“I’m excited about this program,” said Pine. “I know that our campus community will embrace this sustained effort, which will improve upon our existing program.”

Chris St. John (Facilities Operations and Maintenance) collects cardboard from the recycling and trash room in Bouton Hall before taking it outside to weigh it for RecycleMania.

Pine also said that participating in RecycleMania is one part of the campus’s larger commitment to The American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, an institution-wide program that New Paltz became a member of last August.

Pine said the campus community can improve upon its waste stream by reducing waste through improved recycling and closely monitoring what is brought in so that there is less trash to begin with.

Updates on the campus’s involvement in the program will appear on www.newpaltz.edu/green. For more information about RecycleMania, visit www.recyclemania.org or contact Pine at x3322 or pineb@newpaltz.edu.

Alumnus appointed to College Council

Ronald Law ‘74 (Political Science) was recently appointed to the College Council by Governor David Paterson. After receiving his undergraduate degree from New Paltz, Law attended and graduated from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. He has spent a career in service, both public and private, as an advocate for education, health care, community development and human rights.

New Paltz graduate takes office in New York Assembly

Frank Skartados ‘85 (Political Science) was sworn in as assemblyman for New York’s 100th District on Jan. 1. Skartados defeated incumbent Tom Kirwan. The 100th Assembly District is composed of the cities of Beacon and Poughkeepsie in Dutchess County; the town and city of Newburgh in Orange County; and the towns of Lloyd, Marlborough and Shawangunk in Ulster County. With Skartados’s election, the number of New Paltz graduates in state legislative positions has risen to five: Assemblymembers Skartados, Kevin Cahill ‘77 (D-Kingston), William Parment ‘66 (D-North Harmony) and Andrew Raia ‘91 (R,I,C-East Northport); and Senator Kevin LaValle ‘64g (R,C,I-Port Jefferson).

Biology Department co-sponsoring the Shawangunk winter lecture series

Through Feb. 26, the Biology Department is sponsoring a winter lecture series with the Shawangunk Ridge Biodiversity Partnership. This year’s topic is “Change and Stability: The Shawangunks as a Living Landscape.”

The series combines four lectures in New Paltz and two in Ellenville and is funded by a grant from the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation of Connecticut. All lectures will be held on Thursdays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. and are free and open to the public. No advance registration is necessary.

The first lecture, titled “How Fire Resets the Forest Clock,” was held on Jan. 22 in the campus’s Lecture Center.

The following three lectures take place on campus in the Lecture Center (room 100 for Jan. 29 and Feb. 5 and room 102 for Feb. 12). The final two events will take place at the Ellenville Public Library and Museum.

The lectures on campus are as follows:

• Thursday, Jan. 22: “How Fire Resets the Forest Clock” with Gabe Chapin of The Nature Conservancy and Rob Mecus, a New York State Forest Ranger.
• Thursday, Jan. 29: ”Local Knowledge/Global Research:  How 100 Years of Shawangunk Data is Helping Answer Global Climate Change Questions” with Ben Cook of Columbia University’s Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory and Paul Huth of Mohonk Preserve’s Daniel Smiley Research Center.
• Thursday, Feb. 5: “Beavers: Nature’s Wetland Engineers or Nuisance?” with Dietland Muller-Schwarze of the College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York at Syracuse.
• Thursday, Feb. 12: (Lecture Center room 102) “Big Black Birds – Vultures, Crows and Ravens” with Kimberley Corwin of Breeding Bird Atlas, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

For more information, visit www.mohonkpreserve.org/index.php?events or contact Nadia Steinzor of Mohonk Preserve at (845) 255-0919 or Cara Lee of The Nature Conservancy at (845) 255-9051.

Faculty Governance presents spring 2009 meeting schedule

The Faculty Governance meeting schedule for this semester is set.

Academic Senate meetings are held from 3-5 p.m. on Fridays in Jacobson Faculty

Tower room 1010, unless otherwise noted. The meeting dates for the 2009 spring semester are Jan. 30, March 6, April 3 and May 1.

Faculty Meetings will be held from 3-5 p.m. on Fridays in Lecture Center room 102, unless otherwise noted. The meeting dates for the 2009 spring semester are Feb. 13, March 13, April 17 and May 8 from 10 a.m.-noon.

For more information, visit www.newpaltz.edu/governance.

Awards, Honors, Appointments and Recognition

Gerald Benjamin, associate vice president for regional engagement and director of the Center for Research, Regional Education and Outreach (CRREO), has been awarded a $5,000 grant by the Netherlands-America Foundation for his project, “The Worlds of Henry Hudson: Teaching and Understanding New Netherlands from a Transatlantic Perspective.” This intellectual event will be held in connection with the quadricentennial celebration of Henry Hudson’s exploration of the Hudson River and will explore the four “worlds” related to Hudson and his voyage: early modern overseas empires; the contacts between European and non-European people; colonial societies; and transatlantic networks.

Capt. Patricia Castellano received her University Police retirement badge at a party on Jan. 13.

Capt. Patricia Castellano retired from University Police on Jan. 14 after serving the college for 34 years. A retirement party was held for her on Jan. 13 at the College Terrace. Castellano began working with the department while she was a student at New Paltz. After graduating with a degree in biology, she became a police officer in 1974. Castellano was promoted to lieutenant in 1984; administrative lieutenant in 1996; and captain in 2005. Her areas of expertise include rape crisis intervention and general topics instruction. Castellano received the department’s Chief’s Award for Professionalism in 2003.

Julio González (Engineering) has been appointed associate dean of the School of Science and Engineering. He has served as interim associate dean since 2008. González has obtained three teaching awards at Colorado State University and SUNY New Paltz, including the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2001. His record of publications is reflected by his IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) senior member status. His service includes membership in the committees of Tenure and Reappointment, Promotion and Salary Increase; and Research, Awards and Leaves. He was also chair of the Academic Appeals Committee and was the faculty representative at the College Capital Planning Council. During his one-year term as interim associate dean, González was instrumental in creating a science advisory board comprised of local community colleges and at organizing and participating in a symposium for high school teachers. Both activities were geared toward increasing student enrollment in the School of Science and Engineering.

Chui-chun Lee, director of the Sojourner Truth Library, was awarded $12,164 by the New York State Department of Education for a project aimed at enhancing and facilitating materials acquisitions for regional resources sharing.

Publications

Eddie Bell, retired faculty member, has written a book “Eeny Meeny Miney Mo / Time to Lynch a Negro” by Royal Fireworks Press of Unionville. The author will give a reading and book signing at the Unison Arts and Learning Center in New Paltz at 2 p.m. on April 26. Bell retired from New Paltz in 1987 as associate dean of admissions in Student Affairs and from the State University of New York in 1994 as assistant vice chancellor for student affairs and director of the SUNY New York City Office of Student Recruitment. Copies of the book are available from the author by contacting him at (845) 255-0524, ebell@hvc.rr.com or visiting www.eddiebell.com.

Emily Caigan (Women’s Studies) is a featured artist and educator in the soon-to-be-released book, “Arts for Change: Teaching Outside the Frame,” by Beverly Naidus. The book, which is published by New Village Press, features interviews with more than 30 artists and educators who are leaders in their fields. Caigan’s interview appears in Chapter 5, “My Peers: Who Can’t Be Easily Framed (Thank Goodness),” and under the subheading “The Next Generation.”

Howard Good (Communication and Media) published an essay, “Teaching Ethics by Telling Stories,” in the fall 2008 issue of Media Ethics Magazine. Good originated a media ethics course at New Paltz.

Carleton Mabee (History, Emeritus) published a full-length book, “Promised Land: Father Divine’s Communities in Ulster County, New York,” about Father Divine, a black, non-denominational evangelist based in Harlem. Mabee said the communities Father Divine created, such as the ones in Ulster County, were “utopian, interracial, non-violent, cooperative,” volunteer-based and lasted from 1935 to 1985.

Jennifer Waldo (Biology) and Michael Scherrer ‘07 (Biology) published a research article in the journal PlosOne. The article, “Production and Initial Characterization of Dad1p, a Component of the Dam1-DASH Kinetochore Complex,” was the result of work conducted with the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Program.

Mohammad Zunoubi and Hassan Kalhor (Electrical and
Computer Engineering) published a paper, titled “Analysis of Protective Hoods Near High-Voltage Power Lines With Installed Communication Antennas,” in the January 2009 issue of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Transactions on Power Delivery.

Students in the News

The following students each received a $575 Jim Fredericks Student Employee Scholarship from Campus Auxiliary Services:

Julie Caputo ‘09 (Childhood Education, 1-6 English)

Cynthia Carangelo ‘09g (Music Therapy)

Chris Cirincione ‘09g (Business Administration)

Paula Clay ‘10 (Childhood Education, 1-6 English)

Vixon Johns ‘09 (Journalism)

Melissa Mizerak ‘10 (Pre-Art Education)

Sriharsha Neelamraju ‘11 (Electrical Engineering)

Amber Orsino ‘11 (Pre-Art)

Viviana Quinones ‘09 (Psychology)

Allison Zaleznick ‘09 (Childhood Education, 1-6 English)

Each applicant had to write a statement about why working in auxiliary services has been a positive experience. All full-time, New Paltz students who receive paychecks from Campus Auxiliary Services, Sodexo Dining Services or Follett Higher Education Group were eligible for the annual scholarship.