New Light Eases Traffic Hassles Students and faculty can now breathe a little easier behind the wheel as they enter or leave cam pus because of the new traffic light that was recently installed at the entrance to PSH. The sig nal, which marks the intersection of Route 230 (Harrisburg Pike) and College Avenue (First Street), has helped drivers endure congestion and negotiate the tricky turns since the middle of last month. Workers installed the light on flash mode on Feb. 16; the regular cycle began Feb. 23 after drivers adjusted to the new traffic patterns. “The campus has a big interest in promoting safety. This light has been something we’ve want ed for a long time,” said Kevin Stoehr, director of safety and The former home of Heindel Library waits for construction to begin on food court and student organization offices. By Paula Marinak Capital Times Staff Writer police services at PSH. Before the light existed, dri vers often experienced a lot of difficulty getting on and off cam pus during the morning and evening rush hours when traffic flow peaked. Stoehr said his office had received several complaints prior to the intersection’s improve ments. Many motorists had also reported close calls. But, the new light has alleviated much of that tension. “It’s much easier to n, '' make turns, especially a left turn. The light makes it easier to navi gate the intersection, especially when leaving the property after day and evening classes,” Stoehr said. The increased safety and secu rity carried a substantial price page 3 tag, however. The $85,000 bill for the light was divided between PSH and Industrial Warehouse, located behind the campus com plex. The warehouse covered half the cost since its facility’s trucks frequently use College Avenue. The school contributed the remaining money from vehi cle registration fees. The light was strictly a Penn State project even though the university and the intersection are part of Lower Swatara Township. “We didn’t really have much to do with this at all. Our main responsibility is to maintain the light and pay the electric bill,” said Ronald Paul, township manager. “We weren’t involved in any phase of the design, construction or inspec tion. That was all handled by the university’s construction firm, and the permit came from PennDOT.” Although the township played a very limited role in this enter- Continued on Page 3 Big Changes Brewing PSH's next big change is hap pening right now behind the closed doors of the former Heindel Library. Over the coming months, the new campus eatery and home for student clubs will be built in the area of Olmsted vacated by the old library. According to Director of Student Affairs Dr. Donald Holtzman, the food court and Town Square should be complet ed by the end of the spring 2001 semester. Things are moving quickly. The concept has been approved, page 7 The long anticipated traffic light is now in operation at the campus entrance. Library Hours Expanding By Cathie McCormick Musser Capital Times Staff Writer Sunday. Funding is in place to expand the hours of operation at the new PSH library by more than 10 hours per week. According to Library Director Dr. Harold Shill, employment ads for part-time staff to cover the additional hours will run after spring break. The approved plan is for the library to open at 7:45 a.m. Monday through Friday, remain' open until 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and open at noon on By Cathie McCormick Musser Capital Times Staff Writer the architects have been hired and the team working on the plan is holding their breath waiting for the first draft of an architec tural plan to arrive sometime this month. According to Holtzman, for mer Provost and Dean Dr. John Bruhn sought proposals for the use of the old library space from the campus community once the new library was officially approved. Of the 12 to 14 proposals reviewed, two rose to the top of the pile and were approved. One of those proposals was page 9 Currently, the library opens at 8 a.m. during the week, is open until 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and opens at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Shill is optimistic that the extra 15 minutes on weekday mornings will help students wishing to use the library prior to 8 a.m. classes. He is also pleased to offer students the Continued on Page 2 in Old Library from Housing and Food Services. They proposed relocat ing all campus food services to the first floor of Olmsted and changing the overall design from cafeteria to food court style. According to Manager of Housing and Food Services JoAnn Coleman, many college campuses have adopted a food court style of food service. While the actual design is far from complete, the concept is to have different stands for differ ent types of food, like the food Continued on Page 5 page 10
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers