Several campus departments report new programs or hours with the start of the academic year.
Beginning Sept. 5, the Undergraduate Library will go to a 24-hour schedule five nights a week, said Joe Hewitt, director of the Academic Affairs Library.
From 10 a.m. Sunday to 6 p.m. Friday, the bookshelves, reserves, circulation and computer lab will be open to late-night workers. UNC One cards will be required for admittance after midnight. The library also will be open Saturday from 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
The Student Government-led change is a trial program and will be evaluated after mid-term exams this fall.
Career and Job Information
Career Services this year will become one of just a few collegiate advising centers with a site on the Internet.
The site provides most of the information students need when looking for a job: resume and interview tips, job listings, links to other schools' data bases, internships and career fair information. It also helps employers by explaining how to list a job, who to contact and how to get to campus.
"The power of the Internet is incredible when it's organized," said Marcia Harris, director of career services.
The site may be found by pointing a web browser to http://www.unc.edu/depts/career/.
The center has introduced another innovation: VIEWnet, a video system that allows long-distance interviews between job-seekers and employers. The system, available at 21 schools across the country, uses a computer screen with a video camera mounted on top.
Harris said most people get used to talking to a computer screen in a few minutes and predicted employers soon would invest in the system themselves. A half hour of interview time costs companies $40--a price far cheaper than traveling expenses.
The technology retails for about $8,000, but her office as a consortium member paid about half of that. The funding comes from a private donation fund, Harris said.
New food choices
Food Services will feature several menu changes and a new look for Chase Hall, said Jim Grinos, production manager with Marriott. For example, Lenoir Hall's Cutting Board will have Just in Time, where a cook will prepare foods like stir fry or vegetables in front of diners.
Diners will find that the Chase Hall Cafeteria has been split, with half becoming an all-you-can-eat dining room and the other half a retail mini-mart. The mini-mart will feature deli foods, fresh produce, canned foods, frozen foods and an in-store Taco Bell. At the request of students, dining halls will continue to add healthy foods like vegetarian bars and expanded light menus, he said.
Multimedia lab moves
The Center for Teaching and Learning reports three changes that will affect faculty members. First, the faculty multimedia lab is moving from the Office of Information Technology to the center's office on the third floor of Wilson Library. Second, the center is helping faculty create personalized teaching evaluations tailored to their specific courses. Finally, the center will store the electronic class rolls, previously available on the Wilbur computer system, until a new system is developed.
The bowling alley in the Union Underground got its first overhaul since it opened in 1969, said Underground Manager Michael Williams. After renovating the lanes last winter, workers this summer replaced pins, balls, seats and rebuilt the machines that collect and place pins. The result, Williams said, should be a bowling alley that rivals any local commercial lanes but still costs less.
The year-old Student Recreation Center has installed a new music and microphone system for its aerobics rooms and new pads for the exercise equipment. When full-time students return this month, the center's daily activity will increase from about 500 to about 2,000 users per day.
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