Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Officials say some construction will be done on time By IAN CHAMBERLAIN THE GAMECOCK University officials said various campus construction projects will be complete before students return in the fall, despite student skepticism. Aside from smaller construction efforts around campus, more visible projects, such as Columbia Hall renovations, are said to be going well. “The main focus is on upgrading the fire alarm system,” said Donna Collins, an executive assistant with the Department of Campus Planning and Construction. “It’s the second phase of a two phase project. About half of it was done last year.” One of the largest construction projects, the new Bull Street Garage, will not be completed in time for the fall semester. It is estimated the garage will not be complete until students return from Christmas break in the spring. Visible projects attract the majority of attention from passersby, but much of the work is done inside larger campus projects as well, including work on South Tower elevators, Kirkland apartment renovations and the continuation of a classroom enhancement project. “It’s an ongoing project where we take about three to four classrooms a year and add multimedia presentation material,” Collins said. Collins also said a lot of the work being done involves smaller objective projects. These projects include repainting walls and miscellaneous maintenance work, all of which Collins said should be complete in time for fall move in. Despite the assurance many of these construction projects will be complete by the fall, some students are inconvenienced by a lack of campus space typically associated with major semesters, not Summer II. “I understand why the construction and renovations have to happen, but when I signed up for summer classes, I thought I wouldn’t have to worry about parking as much as I did during the school year,” said Christian Pruitt, a fourth year criminal justice student. “With the closure of half the parking lot behind Columbia Hall, the parking situation is almost as bad, if not worse.” Many students on the eastern side of campus are resorting to parking illegally, with spaces and parking lots reserved for construction being taken up by vehicles displaying student parking stickers. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocknews@gum.sc.edu ■ BUELL Continued from page 1 “I have the utmost confidence in our faculty, staff and students, and I firmly believe that, working together, we not only can meet the challenges that we face in the upcoming year, but also build on our strengths in research, teaching and outreach to ensure a smooth transition for a new dean.” Before joining USC in 2000, Buell conducted research at the Institute for Defense Analyses, and is a nationally recognized authority on reconfigurable computing according to a USC news release. Buell also served on the faculty at Carleton University in Canada, Bowling Green State University and Louisiana State University. He earned a bachelors degree in math from the University of Arizona, a masters in math from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and a doctorate in math from the University of Illinois-Chicago. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocknavs@gwm.sc. edu ■ FUEL CELL Continued from page 1 used for mixing fuel-cell components. • Partnerships such as those formed with Fraunhofer and the Korea Institute also give USC a global appeal and will likely attract more companies and scientists to South Carolina, USC President Andrew Sorensen said in a USC news release. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocknetvs@gtvm.se. edu LAURA-JOYCE GOUGH/THE GAMECOCK Campus construction has closed down more than half the stretch of Bull Street between the Russell House and Women’s Quad dorms. Some projects, like the new Bull Street Garage, are incomplete. I---1 Undergraduate Research Opportunity Professor Ron Prinz in the Psychology Department (in collaboration with Parenting and Family Research Center) is offering a two part undergraduate research opportunity for course credit and pay ($$). Rising sophomores and juniors are invited to apply to enroll in Psychology 589, Intensive Observational Methodology, for the Fall 2005 semester. Students in the class that demonstrate proficient observational coding of parents interacting with their children will be invited to be a part of an NIH research team as paid observers. Brand New Student Housing! Located on Pickens Street - walking distance to USC Limited Availability Call Today! _ 803-779-5888