Throughout the semester, many Colgate students have noticed that there are plasma television screens in the O’Connor Campus Center (Coop) broadcasting recaps of events from the first few weeks of school. This past summer, Information Technology Services (ITS) purchased the TVs and their accompanying management system. The system, called AxisTV, was chosen because it can play different types of video and media files along with pictures and text. It can also broadcast different information to specific screens so separate images can play at the same time.

The use of the new plasma TVs is currently only a “pilot project,” according to Director of Web Content in the Communications Department Tim O’Keefe.

“I hope that when the new director of the Center for Leadership and Student Involvement, Greg Victory, begins in mid-December, I can work with his office on the best way to manage this project long-term and also incorporate help from ITS student workers,” O’Keefe said.

It has not yet been confirmed who will be the manager of the different screens around the campus, which is one of the main reasons why the TV project has not moved past its beginning stages.

The TV screens are mainly meant to be used for the promotion and review of events at Colgate that are open to the campus community. Pictures of posters, plain text and even student-made videos will all be accepted as a form of publicity.

The TVs will also broadcast CUTV’s weekly ‘Gate Update news program. Currently, the information on the TVs will only be updated once a week. Once a broadcasting manager is found and ITS becomes more familiar with the usage of the TVs, then updates will be much more frequent.

Yet, for now, students must submit material at least ten days before the event to make sure it is appropriately publicized. This weekly update makes the TVs more annoying than useful to some students.

First-year Sammi Steinfeld worked at a Coop Table for a week selling Class of 2011 t-shirts and became quickly bothered by the repetitive video on the TVs.

“I don’t think running the same program over and over on an endless loop is benefiting anyone,” Steinfeld said. “It’s actually more irritating than anything. Maybe they could either lower the volume or just play something different every day.”

This new footage cannot be found until more campus groups become familiarized with and aware of the use of the TVs. There is only a small number of people in ITS, the Office of Communications and the Office of Athletics who have been learning how to use the TV system. O’Keefe says he has been in contact with Chair for Colgate Activities Board Publicity Committee sophomore Sam Levine, in hopes that she will aid in making the Student Government Association and multiple other student groups aware of the new TV program.