old computer

Out with the computer lab, in with a study lounge!

Bureau chief and campus politics connoisseur Joseph Milholland is back again this week to bring you the latest from last night’s General Studies Student Council meeting.

The administrators who run Lerner Hall want to turn the computer lab on the first floor (near TIC) into a study lounge, according to General Studies Student Council president Peter Nason, who asked his council for input at the Tuesday night general body meeting. The lab, which receives less computer use than Lerner’s 3rd floor lounge, would still have its printers, but its Macs would be taken away.

The idea received a mixed reception from the council members. Several council members commented on the difficulties of using a print station without Columbia computers nearby and asked for some computers to remain, but Nason seemed skeptical the administration would want to keep some computers.

Usenator Katherine Celentano and others mentioned seeing the lab crowded in the past. In response, Nason said that CUIT had accumulated data that showed both Lerner computer labs were being under-used. The data also showed that the first floor lab was being used to print, whereas the third floor lab was being used for longer work.

Nason meets with the Lerner Advisory Committee on Friday, where this issue will be discussed more.

Celentano also gave several University Senate updates, particularly the senate’s work on the Dodge Gym and family policy. While mentioning that the “supporter list keeps growing” for the gym changes, Celentano mentioned that she needs research on functional fitness equipment and gyms at peer institutions. As for family policy, Celentano is looking for a research over the summer. While not a formal internship, Celentano said she was happy to give out a title and letter of recommendation for the job.

Other Updates:

  • VP of Policy Elizabeth Heyman is looking into whether shuttling undergrads to JFK during finals would be a good idea. The buses can hold 38 people, and at $20 per person, they break even. The buses would be open to all four undergrad schools; however, GSSC is still trying to assess the demand for it.
  • Lerner Hall is also going to renovate the Cafe 212 area to make it “more of a student center,” according to Nason.
  • VP of Finance Ian Hewitt had a F@CU pre-meeting in order to, in Hewitt’s words, “brace for impact when it happens.”

A computer fit for a GS-er via Shutterstock