The Towerlight, December 11, 2003

Thursday, 12/11/03 Baltimore’s #1 College Paper - Published Twice-Weekly - www.thetowerlight.com Fictional work gets attention SGA expands student services Vatz to receive President’s Award Cabaret: jazz take on holiday classics ’Jack’ back in romantic comedy Departments Opinion . News . Police blotter. . Cuisine . Arts . Now Showing. 15 .16 Players cue up, take aim in tournament Saul Stooganka/Tha Towarlight Michael Buppert, a senior finance major, took first place in the second annual billiards tournament in Paws Wednesday night. Sponsored by Dining Services and Pepsi, the event drew about 30 participants. Cook Library hours expanded during final exam week; offices to be added in Spring Sarah Breitenbach The Towerlight As one of several changes imple¬ mented by the Student Government Association this semester, students will enjoy extended hours at Cook Library during the final exam period, which begins next week. Senior finance major and SGA President Bobbie O'Connell insists that to keep the extended hours on a permanent basis, students will have to actually make use the library resources in the coming days. "If people really want these hours extended, they have to go during exams," she said. "We have to show the University that they're not losing money by keeping them open, so we need to get students to utilize them over exams if we want to have any chance of getting them to be perma¬ nent." O'Connell said the SGA has also "gained office space" in the University Union for student groups. In addition to acquiring offices near the campus ministry, five offices will be built in the rear of the Susquehanna Terrace during the win¬ ter break. Senior vice president and chief fis¬ cal officer David Hamage said the offices will cost $5,000 to build, which will come from the University's operating budget. However, the SGA will be responsible for supplying the offices with furnishings. The SGA hopes to serve between 20 and 25 organizations with space first thing next semester. "We took applications from all organizations who wanted to get space," O'Connell said. "Hopefully ... everybody who put one in, we're going to be able to get them space." In order to compensate for recent budgeting issues, O'Connell said the SGA gained approval for an increase in TU's student activity fee for the next academic year. The fee, which will increase from $60 to $76, is paid by all full-time undergraduate students and goes directly to funding the SGA's opera¬ tions. "That's going to bring about $200,000 into the SGA next year," O'Connell said. "[But] we’re still not at the level we really need to be at for the student activities fee." O'Connell explained that on aver¬ age, other Maryland schools have fees between $70 and $95, however, "there's still room to grow" and the increase should hold funding for stu¬ dent activities at Towson steady for a few years. This semester the SGA also made a proposal to interim provost Deborah Leather to make plus/minus grading uniform across departments and eliminate the C minus grade as another accomplishment. Meredith Pica, a sophomore SGA senator, said that she and three other students who serve on the University Senate have researched plus/minus grading systems at TU as well as peer institutions and have recommended a uniform change be made for the Fall 2004 semester. "The current system, which allows each teacher to create his/her own grading system causes a problem with equity among classes and sec¬ tions," the elementary education major said. In addition to student and cam- See SPRING, page 11 Sports . In this corner. . Punt, Pass, & Pick. 24 .24 .22 20 Today Friday HiAai Saturday High 49 ' High 42 High 39 Low 30 gp off 9 Low 25 xpfil Low 27 Sunday Monday 7 Ш High 32 1 High 44 Low 32 Low 33 Classifieds.