The new building, approved by the board of trustees in December, will be located between the Combined Services Building and the Engineering and Technology Building, said Roger Rehm, vice president for Information Technology. The cost is not to exceed $5.4 million.

“The current space is not designed to be a data center,” Rehm said. “It is poorly designed for both electrical and climate control systems and has too much vulnerability to water damage.”

The data center is expected to be completed by June of 2013. The selection of the contractor should happen sometime in July, said Steve Lawrence, vice president of Facilities Management.

The current location is in Foust Hall and “evolved” into a data center shortly after the hall’s opening, Rehm said.

“The new facility will be better, because it is designed from the ground up to serve as a data center,” he said.

One of its main purposes will be to store the equipment with space for more to be added in the future.

“As such, it will be situated at a higher elevation than the present facility,” Rehm said. “And it is designed to provide better and highly flexible power and climate control systems.”

The data center is expected to hold servers and contain a large electrical service room with a backup generator.

“It’s really just a utility building; people will only go there for maintenance,” said Steve Lawrence, vice president of Facilities Management.

Most of the time, the building is expected to be empty. As of now, the only thing finished is the design. When the rest of the design is done, a contractor will be found, Lawrence said.

The location for the new data center was chosen in case an addition was needed, along with any extra equipment.

“It’s good to plan ahead,” Lawrence said. “Plus, it’s a good location.”

Construction is planned to commence in August, after the design is finished, Lawrence said.

“We (just) want a more secure and reliable place,” Lawrence said.

Especially Adam Thiesse. The Jackson sophomore has class early in the morning during the week and found himself slipping more times than he would have liked.

“The sidewalks are very icy in the morning,” Thiesse said. “I’ve slipped multiple times walking to my 8 a.m. (class).”

Facilities Management has salted sidewalks and parking lots less than prior years, because of less snow than usual and colder temperatures.

“This year we have had very little need for salt compared to last year,” said Steve Lawrence, vice president of Facilities Management. “The amount of snowfall has been very small.”

Many do not know salt does not work as well when the temperature falls below 15 degrees Fahrenheit, Lawrence said.

“They get salted when conditions warrant it,” he said. “When people walk on the sidewalks after it snows, they pack it down, making it harder for FM grounds keepers to shovel it up.”

Facilities Management workers plow and lay salt on lots and sidewalks on campus between midnight and 7 a.m.

“Last year we brought in retired FM grounds keepers to help when it really snowed,” Lawrence said. “There are three retired grounds keepers that have agreed to come in case they are needed.”

Universities, through state-government funding, typically buy an abundance of salt per academic year, Lawrence said. CMU normally purchases about 750 tons of salt, 70 percent of which is used on sidewalks and a few selected parking lots.

The remainder of the salt is mixed with sand and dropped in parking lots to help create friction on the ice, Lawrence said. In 2007-08, when Mount Pleasant saw more than 70 inches of snow, the university purchased 900 tons of salt. CMU pays $60 per ton of salt, Lawrence said.

Ice, however, is difficult to manage, and salt fails to work when temperatures fall below 15 degrees Fahrenheit. During a string of days last week, lows reached near zero, leaving the salt relatively ineffective.

Lawrence said streets with salt and traffic are much more effective than sidewalks, because of the constant movement of cars. If salt isn’t being moved around, it just sits in one place and bores holes into the ice instead of melting it completely, he said.

The FM grounds keepers have to take in account the moisture content and wind, not just the amount of snowfall.

“It’s interesting because people need to remember it’s winter in Michigan, and it will snow,” Lawrence said.

Given the recent oddball weather conditions, Howell freshman Katelyn Beno said she has found the university prepared.

“A couple of nights ago it rained,” Beno said. “I was hoping they would salt the sidewalks before it froze, and they did.”

Kaitlin Slack, a Howell sophomore who works at the Help Desk in the Fabiano/Emmons/Woldt lobby, had to shovel some of the sidewalks one night during her midnight shift.

“Last semester we really didn’t have to do it,” Slack said. “So far, I have only had to do one snow shift.”

The desk is now instructed to shovel at 6 p.m., 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. when it snows. When midnight rolls around, there are two students working the desk.

The sidewalks themselves have only been a problem in the morning, Slack said.

“I don’t think they’ve been too bad,” Slack said. “But I have 8 a.m. (classes), so it probably snows before they can go out and shovel.”

Valeri Petkov (Image courtesy Argonne National Laboratory)

Professor of Physics Valeri Petkov didn’t know what he wanted to be while he was growing up.

“I don’t really remember when I got interested in this field,” Petkov said. “I was a kid curious in science.”

In 1983, Petkov earned his master’s of physics degree at the University of Sofia in Bulgaria. He later earned his Ph.D. for physics from Sofia in 1991.

It all began at the school, where Petkov taught classes from 1993-98. From there he joined the Michigan State University staff from 1999-02, where he later accepted his current position today at Central Michigan University in 2002.

“I am stuck in college and (I’m) still here after 30 years,” Petkov said.

One of the things Petkov said stood out to him was how CMU faculty always try to help each other and be courteous.

“The CMU faculty is very much knowledgeable,” Petkov said. “Masters, undergrads and college professors work with the students here.”

Bradley Fahlman, a professor of chemistry and director of the Science of Advanced Materials Ph.D. Program, also joined CMU the same year Petkov did.

“I have been at CMU since the fall of 2002 and have worked with Valeri on and off for the last seven to eight years on a variety of projects,” Fahlman said.

Recently, they have started work on what is considered the “holy grail” in the field of battery research. Petkov’s work was published in the November issue of the Journal of Physics.

“He is a world-renowned expert in the field of X-ray crystallization,” Fahlman said. “He is helping us understand exactly where the (lithium) is going when we charge our cells.”

The focus of their research is the synthesis and electrochemical characterization of nanographenes for lithium-ion battery applications.

In order to improve the range of Li- Ion batteries, they have to improve the amount of lithium that electrodes (cathode and anode) will store, Fahlman said.

“We are working on the anode compartment that is now graphite in commercial batteries,” Fahlman said. “By using nanoscale carbons, we can increase the surface area, thereby increasing the amount of lithium that can be intercalated within its structure.”

In other words, people are fighting to store more room in batteries.

Petkov said he, along with others within the field, worked on the battery pack for General Motors’ green-favorite Chevy Volt at CMU.

Petkov said while CMU provides a high-quality education, the research is top-notch, too. Instructors are not only expected to provide students with information, but create their own as well.

“(General Motors) could have gone to other institutions like U-M or MSU,” Petkov said. “But they came here instead.”

Petkov said the U.S. depends heavily on foreign oil, so people are eager to produce energy with wind and nuclear power. That is why everybody is looking into electrical cars.

Whether it is his students or his research, Petkov said he cares about what he does.

Petkov tells his students knowledge is not constant, and it’s changing all the time. But he said he has seen a growing problem within the field of physics.

“We have a shortage of kids who like math and science,” Petkov said.

“They’re already under construction,” said Stephen Lawrence, vice president of Facilities Management. “They’re doing underground utility right now.”

The Christman Company of Lansing has been hired to contract out the work, expected to be completed by March 2013 — later than the expected target of fall. The project, along with the introduction of a new biosciences building schematic design, was approved by the CMU Board of Trustees in December.

A design for the biosciences building, to be located between the Education and Human Services and Combined Services buildings, was submitted on Nov. 1. The design includes a plan for research and support labs and instruction and office space. It is awaiting approval from the state in March. Upon approval, construction is estimated to take 28 months.

Anspach Hall renovations

At the beginning of the 2012 summer, the university will begin renovating the first floor of Anspach Hall, along with the west side entrance.

The hall will be worked on over the course of the summer and into the fall and winter of next year, ending in March of 2013. It is the first formal renovation to Anspach Hall since its construction in 1966.

The university will replace ceiling tiles, floors, update the fire alarm system, install new lights and update bathrooms to American Disability Association standards, Lawrence said.

In addition, the roof of the office wing will be renovated and a student lounge will be added.

“The student lounge will be well-received among students, and the entrance will be scheduled for completion in 2013,” Lawrence said.

The lounge itself, along with the west side entrance, also won’t be started until 2013.

“The student lounge will be a small building addition,” Lawrence said. “And it will not take up any classroom space.”

There was extra space where the student lounge will be added on, which allowed the university to build it in the first place, Lawrence said.

The approval for renovation came from the board of trustees during a December board meeting. The total cost of the renovation is estimated to be $14,075,000, funded primarily through university reserves and maintenance funds.

“We are in the process of awarding Clark Construction the contract,” Lawrence said. “They have done work on campus before.”

Clark Construction Company, based in Lansing, helped construct the CMU Events Center last year and updated Brooks Hall and its DIY water system, Lawrence said.

One of the rooms that will be focused on in Anspach is lecture hall 162. Two students who have a class in the room have noticed some areas of the room that could use work.

“It seems too crowded — some of the seats are too close together,” said Taylor sophomore Kaitlyn McCombe. “There should be an aisle between the seats.”

Gross Pointe freshman Alexa Materna noticed damage to some of the seats.

“I noticed a couple of the seats and desks are broken,” Materna said. “It isn’t in the best shape.”

Dave Davis, Woldt Residence Hall Director, spotted the individual when he heard his door handle move shortly after 3 p.m.

“I looked out and saw a guy walking down the hall and tapping on door handles,” Davis said. “He was wearing a black jacket with a black backpack.”

CMU police were called and officer Laura Rico responded to the residence hall, located on the southeast part of campus.

“I decided to go door-to-door, to make sure no one was being held against their will,” Rico said.

Both thought that it could have been a person looking to steal items from unlocked rooms.

“It’s important that students stay diligent,” Davis said. “Who knows, maybe he just liked to touch door handles.”

Davis said mid-afternoon is prime time for burglaries because students are in class or napping.

“Dave saw him and called me,” Rico said. “He did exactly what he was supposed to do.”

Some of the students were curious to know what had happened when they searched rooms.

“I was watching television and (Officer Rico) came in looking for someone,” said Troy sophomore Ben Wrubel. “She told us someone was caught running through the hall and someone might have been in our room.”

St. Clair Shores sophomore Samantha Verloove was in her room with her boyfriend when she heard a knock on the door.

“She asked me if someone came by and jiggled the handle or (tried to come) in,” Verloove said. “Then she asked me to open the door to check to see if anyone was in here.”

“I love techno music and I have been listening to it ever since high school,” Cobos said. “I’ve been to two big raves and a few little ones in clubs.”

The rave was held in Woldt Hall’s lower level room and was organized by Ravenna senior Jordan Kantola, who has hosted Rave to Release the Rage the week before finals for three consecutive semesters.

To Cobos, there are many forms of techno, some mainstream and others more underground.

“Tonight there was a lot of guitar style which I did not like,” Cobos said. “There’s a lot of techno and house, but the guitar is loud and takes some of it away. Basically, house and dub step have a lot of lyrics, while techno is all the sound mixed together.”

Kantola said the rave has gotten more attention recently.

“The biggest thing is the advertising, trying to organize the DJs and ordering everything,” Kantola said.

Kantola said he is hoping to use future allocations to get go-go dancers, hula-hooping and glow-poi, and also said renting out another venue such as Finch Fieldhouse is an idea for improvement.

“It would be nice to get Finch,” Kantola said. “But we would have to get the college to support it first.”

The rave included two DJs, Troy sophomore Doug Eng, and Lake Orion senior Joe Hertler, who produces as DJ Dry Bones.

“I got into DJ-ing a year ago,” Hertler said. “But I have always been into electronic music.”

Some raves have videos for the DJ to send a message for a song that does not have lyrics in it, Cobos said.

“One of the main messages is ‘Make a Peaceful World,’” Cobos said. “So they use the videos to get that message across.”

It had previously received 2.5 stars when the survey was taken in 2008.

“This puts us right up there with other schools in our conference,” said Shannon Jolliff, director of LGBTQ Services.

Since 2008, several changes were made which improved the score. Joliff was hired as a full-time director to the LGBTQ office in 2008, Residence Life adopted a gender-neutral housing option, and gender identity/gender expression was adopted into the university’s non-discrimination policy.

“We are really happy that the new score now accurately reflects the changes we’ve made on campus since we were first scored,” said Justin Gawronski, President of Spectrum, formerly the Gay Straight Alliance on campus.

This rating puts the university on the same level as Western Michigan University, Eastern Michigan University and Grand Valley State University.

The only university within the state with a higher rating is the University of Michigan — one of 33 schools in the country that Campus Pride awarded five stars.

Michigan State University has not taken the survey.

“I think if we could make a few changes, like do more outreach in high schools, our rating would increase,” Jolliff said.

She said an official gender-neutral housing program would also improve the score, which GVSU recently approved.

There was a proposal for gender-neutral housing written last year to Residence Life but was denied, before being passed on for a decision from the Student Government Association.

“The proposal has been written, the talks have been made, it’s up to the students now,” Jolliff said.

For now, she said she plans to focus more on retention efforts and recruitment of LGBTQ community members.

Kylee Meade, Roseville senior and president of Transcend, an RSO which strives for more transgender education and offers a safe haven where transgender people on campus can come to be themselves, notices the effort on the university’s part.

“I think it’s a great score and I think it’s much more appropriate,” Meade said. “I haven’t received any outward adversity.”

Along with Meade, Illinois junior MyAngela Jenkins said she has not witnessed any hostility on campus toward LGBTQ students either.

“I’m proud of Central,” Jenkins said. “I’m glad this is a college that is open and accepting.”

The survey was created in 2007 and at the time, only had 30 colleges participating. Now it has more than 300 participating.

The survey contains 55 questions regarding the types of services and rights a campus has to offer LGBTQ students. It includes categories of housing, campus safety, support and institutional commitment.

CMU’s lowest score came from housing and residence life, which earned three out of five stars. Everything else was fine, Jolliff said.

“At the same time we can’t stop working,” Jolliff said. “There is always progress to be made.”

Kreisler performed at 7 p.m. Saturday in the French Auditorium to an audience of about 35.

Race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, politics, Charlie Sheen and the Yankees were just a few of the topics Kreisler touched on.

“Most of my stuff was political,” Kreisler said. “And it was a bit more left-leaning than usual.”

Kreisler has been doing shows sponsored by College Democrats for a while now. He is also the winner of the Bill Spirit Hicks Award and has appeared on IFC, MSNBC and Comedy Central.

“College kids are interested in this kind of stuff and can relate to it,” Kreisler said.

Utica junior Lance Hay compared the comedian’s satirical humor on politics to that of “The Colbert Report” and “The Daily Show.”

“I wasn’t sure which topics he would cover but I was happy with what I heard,” Hay said.

Hay said he wished Kreisler would come back again with a more diverse crowd.

Kreisler’s jokes were met with both laughter and some less emphatic responses.

“Trickle economics is when the rich urinate on the poor,” Kreisler said.

Besides politics, Kreisler tailored his material to the college crowd.

“School is expensive,” Kreisler said. “You’ve got tuition, you’ve got books and you’ve got ping-pong balls.”

Kreisler showed a video of a fake infomercial to promote his book, “Get Rich Cheating.”

Some of the university’s faculty attended the comedian’s performance.

“I enjoyed the whole range of topics he touched on,” said Charles Novitski, associate professor of Biology. “It’s always fun to hear someone poke fun at hypocrisy and dishonesty.”

Aside from the jokes, Kreisler took a few moments to point out important issues as well.

“There are problems in our political system,” Kreisler said. “They capitalize on ignorance.”

State Sen. Glenn S. Anderson, D-Westland, Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero, his daughter Kelly Bernero, and the Chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party Mark Brewer spoke 9 a.m. Saturday in the Education and Human Services Building’s French Auditorium.

Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich, was also invited but was unable to attend.

Robert Bower, President of MFCD and University of Michigan junior, said the event was a great opportunity for people to meet.

“It’s about 2012 elections,” Bower said. “It’s all about rebuilding.”

Things discussed at the seminars included the change in legislative districts, the end of collective bargaining and the school aid being raided.

“Specifically, these kinds of events are crucial,” said Lansing junior Virginia Bernero. “I think we were chosen because of our hard work over the years.”

Kelly is involved with College Democrats at U of M, and her sister Virginia is a part of the group at CMU.

Anderson’s speech contained a checklist of everything that has gone wrong in the state so far.

“It’s kind of depressing to see what Republicans have done in nine months,” Anderson said.

One of Anderson’s main points was the involvement of young people in the campaigning process.

“We’re hoping to create a movement to stop the madness going on in this state,” Anderson said.

Brewer also spoke on the impact younger adults have on the voting process, as they had in 2008.

“College students were beneficial in 2008,” Brewer said. “They stayed at home in 2010.”

Another topic discussed was the issue of employment in Michigan.

“We haven’t seen one job directly attributed to what the Republicans have done,” Anderson said.

The Occupy Wall Street movement was also mentioned as a glimpse into the future of politics in the state.

Virg Bernero discussed the question of whether or not the American dream was in jeopardy.

“Politicians in general respond to money and fear,” Bernero said. “This is the movement of our time.”

The FEW lobby, comprised of Fabiano, Emmons and Woldt halls, adopted a highway a year ago and has scheduled two trips a year since then.

Grand Rapids sophomore Alyson Cole said the turnout this year doubled from last year.

“There was a lot more this year,” Cole said. “We got to cover a broader spectrum because of that.”

The FEW students separated into three groups, each covering the island and outsides of the highway.

After early success in the cleanup this year, it has become a tradition among the halls.

“We would like it to be a hall council tradition,” Cole said. “It is just another way to get the FEW community to have fun while helping out.”

Another one of the volunteers was Resident Assistant MacKensye Ancona, a Vermontville junior.

“I’m no environmentalist, but I sure do care about keeping our community free of pollution,” Ancona said.

Both Ancona and Kevin Wilder, an Alto sophomore, agreed they had an effect on their community.

“A little bit goes a long way,” Wilder said. “I did very much.”

Each volunteer was given a pair of gloves and two garbage bags to fill. Afterward, pizza was handed out as a reward for their efforts.

“The energy that the residents bring to events, that other people may say is boring, is amazing,” Cole said. “We make it fun.”