-Fall 2007-
By Greg Reed
Features Editor
Returning students may be
surprised to find that the campus’
sole eatery, The Millstream, has
been renovated into a modern-
styled café called by its former
nickname, The Mill. Over the
summer of 2007, nearly one million
dollars was spent for renovations
on the cafe to give the internal
structure of the Mill a more
contemporary look, in addition to
flat panel televisions and monitors.
The last time the eatery received
any major renovations was in 1992.
In addition to the structural
renovations and additions, the
food and drink selection provided
has been similarly revamped.
By Yanin Rosario
Staff Writer
For Mont Alto students, this
year has brought several changes.
Besides adjusting to the remodeled
Millstream Café and the enforced
smoking policy, Mont Alto
students have also had to get
accustomed to a new way of
security. Housing and Food
Services at University Park has
funded helped to secure our
campus by equpping all rooms and
the Mont Alto Hall bathrooms with
anew Keyless Entry System Dual
Validation. .
This past summer, Mont Alto
was asked by the central housing
and food services at University
Park to bé the test pilot for the
Keyless Entry System. The system
was designed to provide safety
and security. :
“It provides better security ~~ -
hei
However, the results of these
changes have been mixed.
For on-campus students, the
biggest changes are the losses of
because no one can give out their
copy of the key or make copies of
them,” said Karen Kreger, director
of housing and food services.
Kreger stated that the system
benefits cases where investigation
is required. A record of who has
entered the room is sent and kept
at the university police services.
“For example, if something is
stolen from a room and the
roommate claimed to not have
been in at the time of the incident
we can check the records to find
out if it was true or not,” said
Kreger.
Furthermore, charges are made
to students who show
irresponsibility, including
vandalism, of their halls and
bathrooms. Many students believe
with the system allowing them to
only enter their assigned
bathroom, the amount of
responsibility taken from students
will be greater.
several ‘do it yourself’ venues,
such as the salad bar. When asked
about these changes, Karen
Kreger, Director of Housing and
Food Services, added that the new
chopped salad station in addition
to the larger selection of healthy
options provided makes it easier for
students who prefer an alternative
to only the salad bar.
Both on-campus and commuting
students have decried the high
prices of items. Although this is
less prevalent among on-campus
students, general consensus
among commuters is a feeling of
disenfranchisement from eating at
the Mill. The 10 percent discount
is a paltry concession, in
comparison to the prices of local
in-and-outs. Many commuters feel
no need to even have money on
their ID Cards, as they often only
will buy a bag of chips, and a drink.
On-campus students also have
noticed a lack of condiments, both
Several returning and first year
students agree the initial reaction
to the system on the dorm rooms
was positive. However, various
students who live at Mont Alto Hall
did not feel enthusiastic about it
being installed on the bathroom
doors.
Freshman Mariah Blandford
agrees that having the locks on the
doors will have a positive effect in
the residence halls. However, she
in variety and in portability. The
baskets once at the exit of serving
area have now been replaced by
Heinz pump containers, which
many students decry for being
inconvenient. Karen cited this
issue by explaining that students
were simply taking too much.
On the other hand, most
students interviewed enjoy the
new spacious style, variety of
entrees, and the prices being
displayed on monitors. Penn State
Mont Alto is one of the first
campuses to introduce the monitor
displays. Most enjoy the new
selection of non-fountain drinks,
which include more teas and
energy drinks.
Another concern addressed by
see Millstream page 3
also believes that “people aren’t
always going to make it to the
bathroom on time having to use the
ID card.” Blandford has already
witnessed accidents which were
caused because someone could
not get her ID card out on time.
As far as students being locked
out of their rooms go, Resident
Assistant Jon Lewis said that more
of his residents have been locked
out of their rooms this year
compared to last year when keys
were used. “People just have to
adjust to [the system],” added
Lewis.
In addition, in cases of power
outages, the system is battery
operated therefore not affected by
such occasions.
According to the central
housing and food services at
University Park, if the keyless
system works out fine at Mont
see Locks page 3
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