Broadside News

Bridgit Fox, Broadside Correspondent

Homecoming 2010 is guaranteed to work the George Mason University community into a frenzy with a whole week of inspiring events, which began yesterday with our women’s basketball game against Old Dominion University. The week’s events are to include the highly anticipated “Big Easy” Pageant hosted by Reann Ballslee, also known as Ryan Allen, Lip Syncing on the Bayou, Can-Can for Cans and many more. Considering Homecoming will fall during Mardi Gras, everyone is asked to “Unmasque Your Spirit” with a quintessential New Orleans theme.

“We started planning for Homecoming back in the beginning of the fall semester,” said Assistant Director of Programming in Student Activities Michelle Davis. “It can get tricky because we don’t know the time of the game until two weeks before, so we have to be careful of that as well.”

Can-Can for Cans, taking place on Tuesday in the Student Union Building II ballroom is the charity event Mason will be supporting during Homecoming this year. This competition invites students to craft structures out of non-perishable food donations, all the while being as imaginative as possible. Each team will be critiqued not only on their creativity, but also on the amount of product they end up donating to charity. It emphasizes students collaborating together for a common goal.

“I definitely would take part in this event with a group of friends because we would have fun while knowing that we are helping give food to people,” said Shannon Foley, a senior English major.

Another big thing to look forward to will be the 12th annual Pregame Block Party, taking place two hours before the men’s basketball game on Saturday, Feb. 20. Located in Parking Lot A under a mass of heated tents, students, alumni and all other Patriot fans are welcome to mingle and make new friends during the tailgate. There will even be activities for the younger kids that come along, including interactive games, face-painting and other crafts that will be sure to make their spirits soar. Anyone wishing to fire up the atmosphere more by tailgating is also welcome.

“I will not be attending the block party,” said junior nursing major Liz Kallman. “I would rather skip this and go out after the game. I don’t really understand the whole tailgating thing before basketball games. I tailgate for football.”

A comedy show, concert and lip-syncing competition are included in the week’s line-up. The Canal Street Concert, which will be presenting SafetySuit, will go on later in the week. Two SafetySuit listening parties will take place in the week before they perform. Lip-Syncing on the Bayou hopes to pump students up on Feb. 17 at 8 pm in Dewberry Hall. This will be Mason’s first lip syncing competition, and students are encouraged to sign up to participate.

“Please come out to the events all week; we have a great list of events to see and participate in,” added Michelle Davis.

Mason’s Homecoming week 2010 will take place from Feb. 14 to Feb. 20. Everyone is invited to attend and to bring a friend, and take advantage of the free events. For more information about

Homecoming, check out their website at http://www.homecoming.gmu.edu.

Yasmin Tadjdeh, News Editor

This year, not only will the homecoming queen be without a vagina — homecoming will be without a queen.

Starting this year, following last year’s crowning of drag queen Reann Balslee as Ms. Mason, homecoming will no longer have the Mr. and Ms. Mason competition, but will opt for just one winner, known as Mason Majesty.

“We, [being] Student Activities and Program Board, discussed that we wanted to be more inclusive to all persons on campus — no matter how they identify . . . [The removal of the Mr. and Ms. Mason competition] has been in discussion for years,” said Assistant Director of Programming in Student Activities Michelle Davis, noting that it was not brought about specifically because of a drag queen winning the Ms. Mason title last year.

Citing Mason’s diversity, Davis said it made sense for the competition to be gender-neutral. Davis did not consider the altering of the competition to affect the tradition of the pageant.

“It’s the same tradition, going with the times, evolving with the times,” said Davis.

Last year’s Ms. Mason winner, Ryan Allen, also known as Reann Ballslee, was enthusiastic about the change to the competition this year.

“The reason any university has a homecoming pageant is to find a very spirited student,” said Allen. “At Mason, it was partially about the spirit at the pageant and partially about the votes of the rest of the student body. The cool thing about only having one Mason Majesty is that it’s not about being a guy or girl — it’s about having spirit for the university.”

However, last year’s Mr. Mason winner, Richard Malebranche, did not agree with the decision to have just one winner.

“I’m not a big fan,” said Malebranche. “For as long as I can remember, we had two winners, and that’s how it should stay. If [those in charge of Homecoming] were comfortable with Ryan winning, then they wouldn’t have changed anything.”

Malebranche also said that having Allen win the award last year was inappropriate, citing that Allen identified as a man, while his alter-ego, what he entered the competition as, was a woman.

“He should have been my competition,” said Malebranche. According to Malebranche, had Allen identified as a woman completely, that would have been a different situation.

Students on campus also had their opinions regarding the change.

“I think they should have a girl and a boy win,” said sophomore biology major Rebecca Kagan.“If they allow transgenders, or people questioning, to win the girl spot or the boy spot, it isn’t excluding anybody and we can keep the tradition.”

Robert McKenney, a sophomore music education major, said he could understand Mason’s position on having just one winner this year, which would be a neutral position.

“It was more restricted [with a Mr. and Ms. Mason winner],” said McKenney. “This way, [having one winner], could give a more open means for the competition.”

Freshman sports management major Kristen Zimmerman thought that having the traditional two winners, and a single gender-neutral winner, could both be incorporated into the competition.

“If it is that big of a problem, they could have a traditional Mr. Mason and Ms. Mason, and then an extra spot for anyone who doesn’t feel comfortable running as a Mr. or Ms. Mason,” said Zimmerman.

Ethan Vaughn, Asst. News Editor

When the Eastern Shore housing area opens for the fall 2010 semester, it will be welcoming only freshmen.

The new dorm building, which first housed students last fall, will be used to accommodate some of George Mason University’s Living Learning Communities (LLCs).

The suite-style housing, which has no more than four residents to a bathroom or 16 to a common room, has been home to a mix of upperclassmen and freshmen this year and some Mason students are not happy with the transition.
“
That’s really stupid,” remarked Jon Zerbonia, a senior administration of justice major. “Liberty [Square] and that stuff used to be all seniors, but then they opened it up to freshmen because so many people are trying to live here. I haven’t been able to live on campus because of the lack of housing. There’s no point in making [Eastern Shore] all freshmen. It actually kind of makes me mad.”

Denise Taylor, the director of Housing and Residence Life, called the idea of Eastern Shore being changed into an all-freshmen area a misconception.

“Eastern Shore was built specifically for Living Learning Communities,” Taylor said. “The only reason it wasn’t all LLC housing this year is because we knew it wouldn’t be opened in time for the start of the semester in August. Certainly, it is more than 50 percent freshmen now. [The rest are] transfer students. We knew it would open in mid-October, so we decided to use it for overflow.”

Living Learning Communities are special groups in which small numbers of students live together in “modules.”

“The intent,” Taylor elaborated, “is that students with common interests and programs have shared living space together and form a sense of community.”

Eastern Shore joins Presidents Park, University Commons and Dominion as areas that are all or predominantly freshmen, whereas before most first-year students could be housed in only Presidents Park.

Today, roughly 1,100 freshmen live in Presidents Park, while approximately 850 reside elsewhere on campus, bringing the number of freshmen outside the Park to nearly 44 percent.

Taylor predicted that a minority of freshmen will actually be in the Park complex within the next several years, but denied that Mason was focusing on its incoming students at the expense of those already here.

“Next fall, we’re opening 400 beds for upperclass students in a brand-spanking-new housing area — Hampton Roads,” she said. “Other than Eastern Shore, all of the buildings opened in the last six years have been for upperclassmen.”

Taylor attributes the competitiveness in obtaining housing slots to the surge of applications Mason has received in the last several years.
“There’s been a huge push to become more residential,” she detailed. “There will be 400 more beds in fall 2010, in Hampton Roads, and 600 more in fall 2012. I find it ironic when people talk about this as a ‘commuter campus.’ There are 5,000 residents here. That’s nothing to sneeze at.”

Within two years, the number of on-campus residents is expected to jump to 6,000.

Dean of Admissions Andrew Flagel confirmed that the Mason population is rising.

“The profile, quality and competitiveness has gotten intense,” he said. “And the number of out-of-state students applying has increased precipitously. We’re on a pretty amazing trajectory.”

Flagel traces the jump to a successful public relations campaign that he says bore fruit in the fall of 2005, not, as popular belief holds, after Mason’s basketball team went to the Final Four that winter.
“In 2007, the academic year following the Final Four, our applications jumped by 22 percent, but we actually admitted fewer people,” Flagel said. “Our growth in reputation, faculty prestige and research productivity had been present for years and led to an upward swing.”
Mason is now undertaking what Flagel calls “managed growth,” to meet “fiscal issues and capacity demands.”

Still, though, housing can be guaranteed for all freshmen who want it and can be maintained for their full time at Mason; the shortage of space for those outside the system trying to get in will remain.
Mason surpassed Virginia Commonwealth University to become the most populous school in the Commonwealth last fall, and applications from first-time students jumped from 14,000 to 20,000 between 2009 and 2010.

Brenda Shepard, Staff Writer

For those on campus who love Jazzman’s Café in the Johnson Center, brace yourselves for an exciting development in Mason Dining: there are now more Jazzman’s to go around.

Sodexo Food Services has introduced two new locations for the coffee shop on the Fairfax campus. The Art and Design Building (formerly known as the School of Art Building) and Fenwick Library are both featuring new carts that provide students delicious Jazzman’s food and drinks.

“The Sodexo brand is recognized on campus,” said Denise Ammaccapane, resident district manager for Sodexo. “Now, [for Jazzman’s], there’s a mama and papa and a baby where students can get the same quality food.”

Hungry students studying in Fenwick no longer have to leave the building to grab a snack or a coffee boost, and early morning classes in the new Art and Design Building are no longer a problem for students looking for a pick-me-up.

After the first Jazzman’s cart was unsuccessful near the Sandy Creek Parking Deck, employees at both the Art and Design Building and Fenwick Library expressed interest in having it. Instead a new, smaller cart was designed and approved for both buildings.
Many students are excited about the new additions.

“I think it’s an excellent idea,” said senior global affairs major Nasim Mahmoud. “Since it’s cold outside, many people don’t feel like walking outside.”

For those who frequent Fenwick, the new addition is a time saver.
“I like it,” said Sean Fitzgerald, a junior history major. “I wouldn’t make the extra stop for coffee if it wasn’t here.”

Both buildings have had steady business so far this semester. However, according to Ammaccapane, the Art and Design Building has had more business on average.

“Sales in Fenwick have been averaging just under $200 a day since it opened,” said Ammaccapane, “while the Art school averages are just under $500 a day.”

With about 25 food locations on campus, it is now more important than ever for Mason Dining Services to be aware of how it expends its efforts and our money. According to Ammaccapane, there have not been any complaints at Fenwick regarding noise and the hours are being adjusted in both buildings in order to accommodate customers.
“We try and adjust hours based on supply and demand,” said Ammaccapane “We have to be fiscally responsible.”

Each semester, Dining Services, Sodexo and the Food Committee combine to determine which food areas are in high demand and which have shown decline.

Decisions about dining hours and food options fluctuate from semester to semester, and year to year, based on how students’ habits change.

“We’re never comparing apples to apples, semester to semester,” said Ammaccapane. “For example, this year, Chick-fil-A has been extremely busy, so we are looking at those hours for the fall.”

Ethan Vaughn, Asst. News Editor

The official bookstore of George Mason University defended its price practices, saying it does not have control over the skyrocketing cost of college textbooks.

According to a study by the California Public Interest Research Group, the amount charged for university texts is rising nationwide at up to four times the rate of inflation.

With the soaring financial burden of educational materials, which are often packaged with CDs, workbooks and unique access codes, The Washington Post estimates that 60 percent of American university students forego buying all or some of their books.

“The publisher determines the price of the book,” said Jonathan Howard, assistant general manager at the George Mason bookstore.
“By contract, we can only mark books up 25 percent,” added manager Barbara Headley. “That’s pretty standard, and across the board we mark books up by that rate. That covers shipping and the cost of operating a bricks-and-mortar facility.”

Bookstore management asserted that while other “brick-and-mortar” bookstores that do not serve universities are able to maintain lower prices, they lack the guaranteed selection that the George Mason bookstore claims to offer.

Headley said that she was “not allowed to disclose” the percentage of textbook profits returned to the bookstore or the percentage given to the school, stating that she wasn’t sure “if the university wants it to be public or not.”

Howard emphasized that the bookstore was largely unable to control prices.

“We want to keep the book prices down,” he said. “We’ll give students 50 percent back at buy-backs. If you pay $120 for a book and you get $60 back, you’ve really only spent $60. We piloted a rental program. We’ve done things to make it cheaper.”

“The publisher states the prices and we have to live with it,” said Howard, “but we try to keep prices down. We don’t necessarily get credit for that.”

The rental program currently in place allows students to select from 50 texts used in approximately 150 classes and pay 42.5 percent of the cost of a new book, which is still cheaper than purchasing the item even if the maximum 50 percent is returned to the student at buy-backs.

The system has been so popular that it will be expanded in the fall to 250 titles.

“The student response has been very positive,” Howard said. “And we’re doing the best we can to get you more.”

Headley said that costs can also be kept lower if students urge their professors to send the bookstore a list of texts for the following semester before buy-backs begins.

Asking professors to assign old books can also help.

“By law, the professors have to sign a piece of paper saying that they know the cost of the textbooks at the time they assign them,” Headley said. “They’re supposed to know what’s going on.”

Even then, though, only so much can be done.

“The publishers are making sure they’re printing new editions,” stated Headley. “And they include parts and pieces with a lot of books.”
Features like access codes changed each semester ensure that many textbooks have extremely limited shelf lives.

Rising prices have led to an increase in thievery, including a ring of non-students that was recently discovered by the Mason police.

Reuben Jones, Broadside Correspondent

Once the home of Mason’s dining hall, Ciao Hall, Student Union Building II has since turned into a building of very little activity and few signs of life.

This is all set to change, however, with a major renovation planned for the building. The goal of the updated facility will be student activity, and with that comes a host of changes.

The second floor of SUB II, which formerly housed Ciao Hall, and is now empty, will be completely revamped.

One of the most significant changes will be the introduction of a burger restaurant called the “Original Burger Company.” The restaurant is a Sodexo concept and according to Regional District Manager of Sodexo Denise Ammaccapane, it will be “kind of like Five Guys.”

Customers can pick their toppings for their burgers from a simple menu. Each food item will be the same price and the restaurant will have some salads and chicken sandwiches, although Ammaccapane says the priority dish will be burgers.

The reason for a burger restaurant on campus comes from a survey conducted last year by dining services. From 4,400 people surveyed on what type of food they would like on campus, “the burger was loud and clear,” said Ammaccapane.

Shaliana McFarland, a senior sports management major, believes that “it’s about time they do something with it,” referring to SUB II. “It’s a good idea,” said McFarland but she emphasizes that the success of the restaurant and game room will be determined by the hours.

According to McFarland, the hours are important because the locations will need to be open during the night for students to take advantage of them.

Another major edition to the second floor of SUB II will be a brand new state of the art game room.

The game room will replace the Corner Pocket, along with the current game room inside of SUB I. According to Tom Olund, the project planner for SUB II, the game room will be “fairly extensive with added features.”

The room will offer pool, ping pong and an electronic gaming facility that will have up to 16 stations. The gaming facility and the Original Burger Company will be next to each other, allowing students to grab a bite to eat and then head over to play a game.

The gaming facility will have lounge seating giving the opportunity for students to come and relax while enjoying the numerous games.
According to Olund, the Original Burger Company will hold around 100 people, while the full capacity of the second floor of SUB II will be around 160 people.

Along with changes to the second floor of SUB II, there are additional renovations to the first floor.

While the mail room will stay as it is, all of Student Media will relocate from SUB I to the first floor of SUB II. The Student Activities center will also move to SUB II, which means Student Government and the Program Board will move from the Johnson Center, while Student Activities will relocate from SUB I.

The third floor of SUB II, which holds a ballroom and multiple meeting rooms, will not be changed.

SUB II, however, will undergo an official name change. Although the name has not been announced, a name committee has been formed through Student Activities.

The changes to SUB II will allow for a dramatic increase in space for Student Activities, including 50 cubicle areas and 75 to 100 large locker spaces.

There will be a significant area for the fraternity and sorority office and a student government suite which will provide large rooms for the Student Senate and Executive Board.

“I’m so excited, I wish it was tomorrow,” said Director of Student Activities Lauren Long. “Students are going to be floored when they see this.”

Long adds that the changes to student activities and clubs on campus will be “ripe for possibilities.”

According to Olund, the hope is for SUB II to become a main hangout spot for students on campus. With the resources of the Johnson Center and Southside close by, SUB II will be a new option for students who are looking for something to do.

Reuben Jones, Broadside Correspondent

If you are tired of waking up to the smell of asphalt and burning rubber, your dreams of a construction-free campus are unfortunately far away.

According to Tom Calhoun, the vice president of Facilities, this summer will be even busier with construction than last summer which saw the building of the RAC, Engineering Building and the Art and Design Building.

Beginning as soon as this April, the newest building of many to come is expected to open. The Aquia Building is being built by West Hall and, when completed, will be the permanent home for the University Data Center. The building will also serve as a temporary location for classrooms and offices that will be affected by the Thompson and West Hall renovations.

The 157-unit Masonvale housing center should be completed by April of 2010. Masonvale contains townhomes and stacked flats for George Mason University staff and faculty.

Expected to be finished this summer is the addition onto the Performing Arts Center. The addition will add “dance and orchestra practice and performance spaces and a Wellness Center,” according to the Mason facilities website.

The much-anticipated Mason Inn is also expected to finish this June and to be ready for prospective tenants by July. The hotel will have 150 rooms and a large 20,000 square-foot conference center. The Mason Inn will be located next to the RAC.

Before fall semester begins, a new residence hall called Hampton Roads will open. The project will add an additional 400 beds, totaling 600 beds with Eastern Shore. And in the early summer, a late-night Ike’s-style joint specializing in brick-oven pizza called the Pilot House will open.

Student Union Building I will undergo a major addition added onto the back of the building. Many offices that are currently in SUB I will move or expand into the addition, allowing for more space. The construction is expected to end by early August.

Students who have classes at the Prince William Campus will also see major changes as the Hylton Performing Arts Center opens in May and the Biomedical Research Lab opens this summer.

The Prince William Arts Center will hold a 1,100 seat performance hall, as well as a rehearsal and performance space and two rehearsal rooms. It is estimated that the new arts center will attract 163,000 people during its first year.

According to the Hylton website, the total cost of the project is $63 million with primary funding coming from George Mason University, Prince William County, the city of Manassas and state support.

The Biomedical Research Lab will be a Bio-Safety Level-3 laboratory that will support the Center for Bio-defense and Infectious Diseases.
Research at the facility will focus on pathogens considered by the U.S. government to be potential bioterror threats. Examples of threats are those that cause anthrax, tularemia and plague.

Perhaps the most exciting edition for students on the Fairfax campus, however, is a major renovation that will occur inside the current Student Union Building II.

The first and second floors of SUB II will be completely revamped as a new burger restaurant and state of the art game room move in. All student activities offices and student media will move to SUB II. This will also relocate the Corner Pocket and current Game Room in SUB I.

Prior to the announcement of Ciao Hall becoming a burger restaurant, some students believed a second dining hall would appear. With Southside experiencing long lines and sparse tables during lunch and dinner, many hoped for another dining option.

“Southside is always packed,” said Leah Gibson, a freshman sustainability major. But Mohamed Ahmed, a freshman government and international politics major, believes the new burger restaurant will take “some of the pressure off of Southside.”

Regional District Manager of Sodexo Denise Ammaccapane admits Southside has been crowded this year, but she adds that it is “not a bad problem to have.”

Ammaccapane also says that the Pilot House may be considered a second dining hall during dinner and will “take some heat off of Southside.”

As of now, the Pilot House will be the only option for a second dining hall as there are no plans for an official second dining hall to be added on campus.

The projects mentioned above are only construction projects planned for the end of this year. Many other projects are in the works and have already been slated for 2011 and beyond.

Students who are concerned about the continuous construction on campus are assured by Calhoun that it “will let up after this summer.”
However, Calhoun does say that “it’s not going to stop,” which he argues is a good thing. “I wouldn’t want to be a student at a university without any construction,” said Calhoun.

With a significant increase of Mason’s on-campus population over the last decade, Calhoun believes that “the whole culture change is very exciting. [The university] still has a way to go, [but] we have turned a corner on campus.”

For more informaton regarding construction on campus, please visit Mason’s Facilities website at www.facilities.gmu.edu.

Lauren Jost, Connect2Mason Reporter

Blackberrys, Droids and iPhones, oh my. Smartphones have begun to dominate the cell phone market, as well as the George Mason University campus.

Many students can be found walking around campus with their phones in hand, texting and chatting away.

Smartphones, such as the iPhone, allow students to check e-mail, play games and listen to music, among other functions.

“It will be two years this summer,” says senior Steve Brown of his iPhone anniversary, who says he uses his iPhone for the unique applications. “I was driving to work today [and] I used the Maps application in my iPhone to check the traffic between the two different routes. It saved me a bunch of time, and I reflected back on how often it has saved my butt. I wonder where I’d be without it — probably late.”

Apple, creator of the popular iPhone, reported a record sale of 8.7 million iPhones in its first fiscal quarter of the 2010 year.

This is a 100 percent unit growth from their earnings in the same quarter last year.

Motorola, Inc.,Verizon Wireless and Google launched the smartphone Droid in response to Apple’s iPhone. The Droid, which works in a similar capacity as the iPhone, is only available for customers of Verizon Wireless. The iPhone has exclusivity with AT & T.

“I’ve had my Droid for a month and I love it,” said senior Josh Green, who raves about the phone. “I use it for everything like checking my e-mails, [going on the Internet], paying my bills and ignoring people at work.”

But not all students have these fancy smartphones, and some prefer to keep their cell phones simple.

“The last phone that I bought was a Motorola RAZR, in 2007 or 2006,” said senior Rachel Ford, who compared cell phone companies that charge for an information package on a smartphone to restaurants charging for condiments. “Now I have a fancy touch phone . . . but the Internet plan is so expensive. I think smartphones are cool, but the whole marketing scheme of coming out with a new upgrade every year so people buy a new phone every year makes me sick, and it seems super wasteful and that disgusts me.”

Mobile phone sales totalled nearly 309 million units worldwide in the third quarter of 2009, according to Gartner, Inc., an information technology research and advisory company.

Smartphone sales, which saw a 12.8 percent increase from the same period last year, surpassed 41 million units.

Helena Okoilcsanyi, Broadside Correspondent

Walk through the Performing Arts Building any day and one thing is clear: rehearsal space is scant. As the George Mason Symphony rehearses, there is barely enough room for musicians to play their instruments without bumping into each other. Move to the dance rehearsal studios and the same is evident. Every department has outgrown their space and everyone is suffering.

“The rooms are so crowded, especially the ensemble rehearsal rooms, [and] it feels almost like a fire hazard when you’ve got all these students rehearsing for all of these events,” said Dr. Linda Monson, associate director for the School of Music, and professor of keyboard studies.

Officials at Mason have listened and the PAB is currently being expanded. The construction of the building has been a long time coming, says Dan Hobson, production manager for the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Mason. The new construction “was brought about by a huge need from all the departments for more space to teach and work on their craft,” he said. Hobson said that the new space will “include two dance studios, a percussion studio, a large band room, two classrooms and a wellness center for injuries, primarily spurred by dance . . . but also available for those who mess up in stage combat, or if they have repetitive motion injuries.” The band room was designed to fit 250 marching band members or a 100-piece orchestra with 150 singers.

Currently, the dance studios are used from 8:30 a.m. – 9 p.m. while other classes are also taught in the Johnson Center. The space is being used all the time, but it still does not meet all of the needs of the dance instructors and students. With the expansion, classes will not be so crunched and more sections of courses can be taught.

Although there have been major construction projects on campus, such as the new Engineering Building and new dormitories, expanding the performing arts space is more involved, more specific and more difficult. Each rehearsal space demands its own requirements.

For the band room, the acoustics are going to be “quite a bit better than the one currently,” said Hobson, with curtains that one can draw selectively to make things brighter or tone things down; pulling the curtains on all four walls deadens the sound. For dance, the floor needs to be large enough for the dancers to move freely and have enough cushion for the dancers’ pounding feet.

The difficulty with the expansion has been the requirements for each rehearsal space. Unlike academic classrooms, the requirements needed for each music and dance space are specific. For music, acoustics have to be determined, as well as what equipment needs to go in and out of the room. For dance, the floor needs to be specific and have enough room for the dancers to move.

“It’s not like when the math department says ‘We need five more classrooms,’” Hobson stated.

However, despite the inconvenience, Hobson thinks the expansion shows that the administration understands “that the arts are different.” Overwhelmingly, the support from the Mason administration has been positive.

“From the President’s office on down, I honestly feel, people believe in the performing arts here,” said Hobson. “They see the quality, they believe in our students and our faculty, they see the good that this does for the community at large,” added Monson. “We’re at a great place at a great time.”

Many students are unsure of what is going on with the PAB, though. “Mere inconvenience is the main issue students have at the moment,” said Yevgeniy Dovgalyuk, a music master candidate in violin performance. “They took away practice rooms, so now we can’t find practice rooms or space to rehearse. The teachers are using practice rooms as their studios since they took away the classrooms.”

Despite the current inconvenience, people have been waiting for this building for years. The process to get the project approved, and sequentially the money, took several years. Many of the projects currently underway at the university were in the process of approval before the economic downturn. Despite the financial crunch, the building is still set to open in late June or August and be able to hold classes for the 2010 fall semester.