High-tech laundry machines to arrive in res. halls In about two weeks, students can add one more buddy to their Instant Messenger list: a laundry machine. A new computer program, Laundry View, will allow students to check a Web site to see which laundry units are available in their building, said Director of Dining Services and Vending Operations Mike Vigna. The software can also send users an instant message to alert them when laundry is finished, he said. The new software is in response to the Resident Student Association’s (RSA) concerns about broken laundry machines and offline Husky Card readers. “The new software being installed will allow a centralized computer to identify any ‘offline’ machines or readers throughout campus,” said James Keenan, a member of the RSA Housing Services Committee. The new software will also prevent students from swiping their cards on broken machines and losing money if the machine does not work.
Two bequests leave over $4.6 million to NU Northeastern University has received over $4.6 million from two different bequests to the university, said George Trahan, director of planned giving. The first, left to Northeastern in the will of Marguerite Parker, who had a longtime friend who attended the university, will provide $2.6 million to the Presidential Scholars program, Trahan said. Ten future presidential scholars will be endowed by the donation. Presidential Scholars are selected in their middler years and are provided full tuition scholarships for the remainder of their time at Northeastern. Parker’s gift is the largest bequest ever to come to Northeastern. The second, left in the will of an engineering graduate, Douglas Lockwood, is approximately $2.2 million, and its spending purpose is considered “unrestricted,” Trahan said. Although Trahan said it was unusual to have such large donations in such a short period of time, he said many alumni are choosing to make donations to Northeastern. “We are seeing more and more alumni making substantial gifts to universities through their estates,” he said.
Honors banquet recognizes outstanding seniors More than 140 students were awarded a total of $61,000 at the Honors Banquet Friday night in the West Addition of the Curry Student Center. The banquet, which featured live music and dinner for merit recipients and their families, honored students with scholarships and awards. The most outstanding senior students in each college were awarded the Harold D. Hodgkinson Award. Recipients included: athletic training major Jamie-Lynne Arundel, electrical and computer engineering major Amanda Funai, physics major Channing Huntington, criminal justice major Jennifer McLean, entrepreneurship and small business management major Jonathan Santos-Silva, computer science major Andrea Grimes and criminal justice major Sara Turner. “These are Northeastern’s most established scholars, and the best and the brightest at our university,” said Vice President for Student Affairs Ed Klotzbier. The event is an annual celebration meant to recognize Northeastern’s most talented students.
Groups raise money for teen violence prevention Members of Brothers About Change, the Evangelical NU Fellowship Forum, the National Black Student Association and Sistas’ Talkin’ gathered in afterHOURS Monday night for “Voices Against Violence.” The event was to raise awareness of teen, gang and domestic violence, and raised over $300, which will be donated to Teens Against Gang Violence and Empowered Youth Women Connecting Affecting Change, said Sharon Hinton, a Ujima Scholars advisor in the John D. O’Bryant African-American Institute. “It was a very healing, empowering session,” Hinton said. “A lot of people participated in terms of performing, sharing and coming and donating.” A series of performances, including poems, rap, skits, singing and testimonials were included in the event, Hinton said. Donations will be accepted for the next three weeks, she said, and can be dropped off in the Student Activities Office on the second floor of the Curry Student Center.
Fair trade coffee now available on campus Fair trade coffee is being introduced to campus this week, said Rudy Simchak, resident district manager of Chartwells at Northeastern. The coffee has been bought from Latin American and Asian farmers at a higher price than other varieties, and will remain here at least until the end of the semester. The new coffee was prompted by demands from the Progressive Student Alliance (PSA), and will be available at the Crossroads Market in the Curry Student Center (CSC) and the Churchill Hall Cafeteria, he said. The Starbucks outlet in the CSC has always served a fair trade blend, he said. “This is a good step,” said PSA member Elliott McGann. “I’m glad to know that Chartwells is listening.” PSA members said their goal is to eventually have Northeastern serve only fair trade coffee, which provides more money for a better quality of life for farmers in Latin America and Asia.
SGA to require reps at Master Plan meetings The Student Government Association (SGA) passed legislation March 17 calling for two SGA representatives to be present at all meetings dealing with the planning of the university’s next Institutional Master Plan. The new plan, which the city is requiring to be updated because of the completion of the current master plan, is currently being laid out. Vice President for Public Affairs Bob Gittens said he is “very open” to the idea of working with students to develop and discuss ideas regarding the continuing expansion and update of the university. The legislation passed with a vote of 45-0-1, and SGA Vice President for Financial Affairs Ali Barlow said the legislation was extremely important to keep students involved with every step of the master plan process.
– Compiled by staff writers Stephen Babcock, Elizabeth Dudek, Sarah Metcalf, Michael Naughton and Jennifer Nelson.
