Construction Rush

Colgate spent much of 2006 and early 2007 wrapped in chain link fencing and caution tape, a result of two major construction projects on campus.

The first of these to be completed was the renovation and expansion of the Case Library and Geyer Center (Case-Geyer) for Information Technology. The multimillion-dollar effort, months behind schedule by the building’s opening in March 2007, saw the old Case-Geyer gutted and replaced with a modern glass structure packed with the latest in information technology, as well as a new caf?e.

The second project, the construction of the Robert N. Ho Science Center, is nearing completion as the University opens this fall. The building will house laboratory and classroom space for a handful of physical science departments, as well as a new 3D projection theater, akin to a planetarium. A dedication ceremony for the building is scheduled for September 15.

University Buys Emergency Contact System

In the wake of last spring’s campus shooting at Virginia Tech, Colgate purchased a new emergency contact system for the Colgate community. Called e2Campus, the web-based software enables all community members to receive crisis updates through their e-mail, cellular telephones, web-enabled PDAs and other personal electronic devices. Colgate students, faculty and staff were encouraged to register their contact information on the Colgate Portal.

“The purpose of the program is to supplement ways in which we already communicate with the Colgate community,” Director of Campus Safety Gary Bean said.

In the event of an emergency, pre-recorded messages will be sent to telephone numbers and e-mail addresses. Those registered for the program may receive messages on multiple devices.

Sex Week Return/b>

In the closing days of October 2006, Colgate’s Community Activities Board sponsored Colgate’s annual Sex Week. The program — really a series of events organized by different groups under a single banner — aimed to raise awareness of issues ranging from sexual health to more tawdry topics.

Dr. Merrill Miller used her weekly radio program to discuss sexually transmitted infections, and a Friday night episode of CUTV’s Booty Call program included a forum on orgies. Organizers scheduled a handful of theater events during the week, including a sexually charged performance of the Charred Goosebeak comedy group and a sex-themed evening of short performances, which was a part of the One Night Stands series.

The Roots Rock Cotterell Court

Spring Party Weekend (SPW) 2007 was a weekend to celebrate the end of a particularly cold Colgate Winter. Headlining the weekend’s schedule was internationally renowned hip-hop group The Roots. The group came to Colgate after months of controversy over what some had seen as a lack of big-name groups for the University’s signature party event.

The concert was moved inside Cottrell Court after rain soaked he original venue, Whitnall Field, overnight on April 28. Despite the weather, students packed the gymnasium, before heading back out for the evening’s SPW events.

Palace Theater Changes Guest Policy

As a result of a string of incidents, including a violent clash between students from SUNY Morrisville, Colgate’s Center for Leadership and Student Involvement (CLSI) significantly changed the policy on guests at the University-owned Palace Theater in Downtown Hamilton. Beginning last October, the Palace was effectively declared a Colgate-only venue, with members of the University community limited to one guest, pre-registered at least 48 hours in advance of each specific event.

CLSI said of the policy shift that the changes were not meant to punish specific groups, rather they were intended to promote security on campus and in town. Despite the barring of outside groups from the venue, CLSI and Palace organizers hoped that the switch would allow more of Colgate’s 2,800 students a chance to get into the small, 300-person capacity theater and concert venue — long lines have been a problem.

Freakonomics Authors Visit ‘Gate

Thanks to the generosity ofthe Class of 2007, the senior class gift Global Leader Lecture Series kicked off on Friday, April 13, when Colgate hosted Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, authors of The New York Times bestseller Freakonomics. Dubner and Levitt addressed a packed Coterrell Court on the eve of the launch of Colgate’s new $400 million capital campaign, The Passion for the Climb.

Audience members were very receptive of the duo, as was evidenced when a question-and-answer session after the main lecture ran long, and then had to be cut-off by the moderator. All in attendance were welcomed to a reception in Starr Rink after the event, where Colgate celebrated Colgate Day and the campaign.

SGA Enters New Era

With a new constitution and a new president and vice president, Colgate’s Student Government Association (SGA) is moving into the ’07-’08 academic year with a view to change for the better.

After two years of hard work, the Constitutional Revision Committee (CRC) presented a new SGA constitution, which student senators approved on Tuesday, March 6. This constitution, a broadly-focused “skeleton” which the Governance Affairs Committee will flesh out this semester as they pass by-laws, stipulates, among other things, that each class year will elect 12 senators instead of each residence hall electing one senator.

This year, CRC member senior Rob Sobelman will take over the SGA presidency alongside senior Jenny Dorland as vice president.

Sobelman and Dorland were elected on April 4 and 5 by 38 percent of the 1,460 students who voted online. Their campaign had focused on such possibilities as a satellite gym situated up the hill and putting vending machine proceeds toward student groups.