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Bike Share Program

Posted by: Jennifer Stevens | February 27, 2014 | No Comment |

The College of Charleston Bike Share was developed by a student-led team, with organizational and planning support from the Office of Sustainability. It’s founded on the idea that bicycling can be a safe, healthy, sustainable, and fun way to get around campus and around Charleston.

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The bike share program was revealed during Sustainability Week 2013. It fully launched on the first day of classes for the Fall 2013 semester. The program, a collaboration between Sustainability and the Office of Student Life, is open to all current students, faculty, and staff members at the College. In order to use the bicycles, participants must sign up for the program, watch an online safety video, and sign a liability waiver. The process is simple and participants gain access to unlimited bike rentals.

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All 8 of the bikes available for rent are 3G Isla Vista Beach Cruisers which were purchased from a local bicycle shop. All bikes include a helmet, front and back lights, and a Kryptonite U-lock. The bikes are also registered with the Public Safety Office. Bikes can be checked out from the Stern Student Center information desk using a Cougar Card. Participants can keep the bike for the day and return the bike back to the Student Center information desk.

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Rental hours are as follows:

Fall and Spring Semesters:

  • Monday-Thursday: 7:00 a.m.- midnight
  • Friday: 7:00 a.m.- 10:00 p.m.
  • Saturday: 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
  • Sunday: 10:00 a.m. to midnight

Summer Semester:

  • Monday-Friday: 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
  • Saturday and Sunday: Closed

Bikes are available for check-out at Stern beginning one hour after opening and must be returned no later than one hour before closing to avoid a late fee.

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There are currently over 170 registered users for the program which includes a mixture of students, faculty, and staff members. Renting a bike can come in handy if you want to grab lunch across town, take a stroll around Charleston (or campus), or simply use as a means of transportation.

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Division Spotlight: Kenneth Greene

Posted by: Jennifer Stevens | February 26, 2014 | No Comment |

kennethgreene

Kenneth Greene, Mail Services

Briefly describe your role.

I manage the daily operations of Mail Services with the proper handling and distribution all incoming and outgoing mail and parcels to the College community.

What is the function of your department?

We provide mail services for the students, faculty, and staff at the College. For all faculty and staff members, we receive and deliver all mail to all departmentally assigned desktop locations on a daily basis and process all metered outgoing mail. For students, we receive and process all student mail and parcels for pickup for all on-campus students. I consider us the “life line” of the university.

How long have you been working at the College?

18 years.

What brought you to the College?

I was recruited by a former Mail Services employee to help out only during the summer of 1995 that subsequently landed me a full-time job after the fall semester began due to a turn over with staffing of student employment. During the last 18 years, I have worked in numerous positions; Temporary Postal Clerk, Postal Specialist, Supervisor, Assistant Director, and finally, Director of Mail Services.

What do you like most about your job?

There has never been a dull moment in Mail Services. I look forward to hearing the many stories from students every day.

What are some of your favorite memories from the College?

Move-in weekend. Every year I have been amazed by what some students ship ahead of time. When students come in to get their belongings, I always ask them this question, “And where do you think this is going to fit.” And the responses are usually, “I don’t know”, “my parents bought this”, or “it looked smaller online.”

What are your hobbies and interests?

Fishing and spending time with family and friends.

What is something that your colleagues would be surprised to learn about you?

I couldn’t swim if my life depended on it, but I’ll be the first one on the boat!

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Wireless Upgrade

Posted by: Jennifer Stevens | February 19, 2014 | No Comment |

As an initiative of the College’s strategic plan, a multi-year wireless project to provide the campus with the latest wireless technology in all areas has been approved and funded. The current campus wireless network will be upgraded and expanded throughout the campus buildings and exterior areas with a reliable 802.11n wireless solution that has sufficient capacity and functionality to meet the needs of faculty, staff, and students. Currently, the wireless environment consists of 45% Xirrus wireless. The goal is to have a 100% Xirrus 802.11n solution.

Some project goals include wireless coverage everywhere, including outside gathering areas within campus borders, installing wireless in areas that currently do not have wireless functionality, a high level of wireless security and encryption, and support for common mobile devices such as laptops, tablet computers, and smart phones.

The wireless project will provide benefits to the users through:

  • Reliable access anywhere on campus
  • Sufficient bandwidth which will provide acceptable speed and connectivity
  • Movability from one area to another without having to re-log into the wireless network except for student movement from residence halls to the campus wireless network
  • Network security to protect transmissions
  • Ability to simultaneously connect multiple wireless devices

The project itself is divided into phases that consist of sections (“blocks”) of campus. A detailed wireless rollout schedule can be found at it.cofc.edu/documents/wireless-rollout-plan.pdf.

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Winter Storm Leon Leaves a Mark at the College

Posted by: Jennifer Stevens | February 5, 2014 | No Comment |

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On Tuesday, January 28, Winter Storm Leon touched down in Charleston, South Carolina. Leon brought snow and ice, causing bridge closings and school closings across the Lowcountry. As a precautionary action due to potential ice and snow, the College cancelled all labs and activities for Tuesday, January 28 and Wednesday, January 29.

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Prior to Leon, Grounds spent weeks cutting back cold damage to numerous plants all over campus due to the previous temperatures dipping into the teens. Paty Cowden, Groundskeeper at the College, said that it was the most extensive damage she has seen since being at the College. While it is normal for a few plant species to suffer cold damage on a yearly basis, such as lantana and some gingers, they have seen damage to plants that in normal winter temperatures show no signs of injury. The real toll will not be known until spring.

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As far as Leon goes, they had never experience the effect of ice coating the plants for an extensive period of time. The obvious and immediate damage included branches snapping due to the weight of the ice. The long term damage remains to be seen.

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Division Spotlight: David Katz

Posted by: Jennifer Stevens | January 23, 2014 | No Comment |

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David Katz, Treasurer

Briefly describe your role.

I am responsible for the acceptance and appropriate recording of the monetary transactions that take place around the campus. I work with all departments that handle money and implement secure and smooth financial transactions.

What is the function of your department?

The Treasurer’s Office is essentially the bank of the College. We handle and record the payments that come in from students, parents, businesses, etc. and record the appropriate revenue. We also handle legal residency, collections, Perkins Loan Accounting, departmental deposits, and some tax issues. It is never dull.

How long have you been working at the College?

Since 2005 – just over eight years.

What brought you to the College?

I moved to the Lowcountry in 2004, getting away from the cold and snow in New York. I had a similar position with one of the SUNY schools and jumped at the chance to get back into college work.

What do you like most about your job?

I really enjoy the people that I work with and the students and parents that we deal with every day.

What are some of your favorite memories from the College?

I have been here for two Presidential elections and love the political circus on campus. I am also a sports fanatic and have some great memories from attending the games.

What are your hobbies and interests?

I enjoy music, especially classic rock, and have played guitar since I was a teenager. In sports I follow the Mets, football Giants and NY Knicks. I’m a diehard NY sports fan.

What is something that your colleagues would be surprised to learn about you?

Most people don’t know that I was in the Beatles temporarily after Paul McCartney left.

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Or that I was one of the inspirations for Mount Rushmore.

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And I played basketball in the Olympics.

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Rita Hollings Science Center Renovation

Posted by: Jennifer Stevens | January 14, 2014 | 2 Comments |

The Rita Hollings Science Center (RHSC) will soon undergo a major renovation to address the building’s deficiencies and modernize its instructional and research capabilities. At the same time, Physician’s Auditorium will be reconstructed and repurposed as a three story addition to the Hollings building.  The renovation and reconstruction is tentatively scheduled to begin in May 2014, and is expected to take approximately two years to complete.

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RHSC and Physician’s Auditorium were both constructed in 1974, with a second phase added onto RHSC in 1987.  The facilities were built to accommodate a student body of 5,000 students and the College’s enrollment has more than doubled since that time. Several studies over the last 15 years have identified numerous building deficiencies, which have led to problems with air quality. Likewise, the buildings were designed over three decades ago and do not meet the functional needs of 21st century instruction and research.

The first through third floor of the new building will consist of 8 classrooms, 51 Research Labs, and 27 Teaching Labs, which will be utilized for Biology, Physics, Astronomy, and Psychology. The fourth floor/roof will house the astronomy lab, control room, telescope dome, astronomy deck, and vivarium. The building will contain 61 faculty and staff offices. It is estimated that 12,000 students will use the new building annually, and it will have the capacity to occupy 1,138 students at a time.

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The existing auditorium will be torn down, rebuilt, and two new floors will be added atop it. Each floor of the new Physician’s Auditorium will be adjoined to RHSC to create one building. The current sloped-floor auditorium with fixed seating will be reconstructed into a flat-floor, customizable venue with three spaces divided by movable partitions. The main auditorium space will seat approximately 350 in movable, assembly-style seating and could be used as classroom or conference space. There will also be a 50 seat classroom and a 60 seat classroom on the main floor. Together, the three spaces can be configured to provide a multifunctional auditorium with a maximum seating capacity of 500.

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Major systems components that need to be addressed include replacement of the roof, mechanical and electrical systems, ventilation and chemical fume hood inadequacies, and indoor air quality. Many of the existing systems cannot support a renovation and will require complete replacement as well as the supporting systems and equipment. For example, the electrical system does not have adequate capacity to provide emergency power. Also, the existing hoods and duct work will not meet current code and cannot be reused.

While phasing has been used in the past for renovation projects, it is not feasible for RHSC due to the integration of the infrastructure systems. Also, a phasing project would be significantly more expensive. As a result of the renovation, the College must vacate 70,000 square feet of assignable space. The Geology Department will be permanently moved to the new School of Science and Mathematics Building. Approximately 50,000 square feet will need to be moved into swing space. Swing spaces will include Harbor Walk, formerly known as Fountain Walk, JC Long, the Lightsey Center, SCRA Wet Labs, MUSC, and the vivarium with housed at the old 42 George Street apartments.

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A Year in Review

Posted by: Jennifer Stevens | January 8, 2014 | 1 Comment |

The Division of Business Affairs enables the College’s mission by providing support through the following means: operating, funding, technological, and physical infrastructure. We work to secure and effectively manage funds necessary to maintain the College’s academic programs and support services. While 2014 is in full-swing, here are a few highlights from 2013:

Business and Auxiliary Services

Kudos to the Cougar Card Team on the successful migration of the Blackboard Transaction System – 18 months of planning, 2 new servers, conversion of 82 card readers, and transition to a new reporting system. Cougar Card Services also headed a team effort with Dining Services, Residence Life, and IT to restructure our student portal, refine the financial process, and update the meal plan delivery system.

In 2013, we introduced a new All-Access meal plan for students that has been wildly popular. We also permanently opened the late night window at City Bistro on weekends from 11:00 p.m. until 2:00 a.m. In one weekend, over 350 students used a meal swipe at the window! Composting was expanded to FFC and all Food Services locations and 69 tons have been composted this year. We are all excited to open a new Starbucks in Addlestone Library in Fall 2014!

Our bookstore rented 14,000 textbooks to students this year – an increase of 80% over last year. We also began selling clothing and gifts with the new College logo! Look for the College Corner, our new gift shop, to open in May 2014 on King Street.

Parking Services partnered with the Grounds department to bring our parking lot maintenance in-house. What a difference Paty and her team have made! The B and WA lots received new islands, hardware, and gates and both now use the Cougar Card for entry.

Mail Services processed 58,000 packages this year – a new record.  And we have hired student workers to work our customer service window – what a difference it has made to have students serving students.

The Sottile Theatre completed an upgrade of the rigging system and acquired a custom-built orchestra shell. With an increase of 25% in rental days over the previous year the Sottile is rocking out.

An increased property policy deductible resulted in a 10% premium savings for the College. Four new major leases have been executed this year, a major accomplishment given the number of approvals required by the State.

The Copy Center continues to provide incredible service with a smile!

Facilities Planning

The Science Center Build Out began in January 2013 and was completed just before Christmas. Occupancy and use of the newly completed space can begin in the spring semester 2014.

The Dixie Plantation Barn and Studio were completed in 2013.

The North Campus has found a new home. After exploring various options, the College decided to move forward with a newly constructed 50,000 square foot building located at 3800 Paramount Drive. The new location of will allow the building to be visible from I-526.

Finally, the design for the Rita Hollings Science Center renovation was approved.

Fiscal Services

2013 was an exciting year for Budgeting and Payroll Services. We welcomed three new members to our team; Marla Cochran, Matt Michenfelder, and Matt Priester. Additionally, Matt Nichols was promoted to the Budget Manager position. We instituted the pay card program eliminating (almost) the printing of paper payroll checks, and continued to train end users to be more self-sufficient in regard to managing their budgets.

The Controller’s Office welcomed three new permanent employees:  Crystal Mead (Grant Accounting), Brian Donohue (General Accounting) and Jodi Rupp (Accounts Payable). The Accounts Payable area was renovated to accommodate an additional AP position. We successfully completed the financial statements audit, Single Audit, and Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. We also processed over 25,000 vouchers and over 5,300 IDTs!

Human Resources

Human Resources completed the transition of our employee recruiting and position management systems to the new version of PeopleAdmin. We provided training to the campus on this new functionality. We are in the final phases of EPMS system development now. This transition has required countless hours and many months of work for our PA team, including Linda McClenaghan, Dee Cole, Sherri Shannon, and Mina McCann.  A huge thank you to this team for a long, hard job well done!

Our office developed and introduced a new Executive Onboarding system to help orient our new leaders to the College community and culture. We are piloting the program now and plan to expand it in the coming year.

Human Resources also developed and launched a new online exit interview process for our employees who are leaving the college. Now we can track trend data and provide reports to help monitor issues in the workplace.

Lastly, we revised our supervisory training program to offer new, practical information to help develop our supervisors.

Information Technology

Some highlights from Information Technology include the extension of Helpdesk hours, the rollout of Microsoft EES, and completion of network installation on the second floor of the School of Science & Mathematics building. We also completed 27 classroom upgrades as well as an upgrade to the Faculty Technology Center. Other highlights include the completion of several workflow and web forms, the completion of the second TechQual+ survey with 25 percent greater feedback than last year, and a successful 2-day project management training session with 28 attendees. We also made significant progress on the wireless network upgrades and launched the new standing IT Strategic Advisory Committee.

Physical Plant

2013 has been a productive and challenging year for the Physical Plant. The department has accomplished many significant goals and objectives due to the hard work of many dedicated employees.  Sometimes it is the consistent and routine accomplishments that say so much about our staff and the difference that they make on a daily basis. We would like to extend a BIG thank you to the Physical Plant personnel for all of the effort they put into maintaining the facilities and supporting important events like Commencement to ensure that our students have the best possible experience at the College.

Sustainability

Campus Bike Share Program Launched: The Office of Sustainability launched the campus’s bike share program this August. This first semester was very successful with a total of 171 combined students, faculty, and staff members registered to use the program and 264 total bike checkouts.

Campus’s 1st Zero Waste Event: In collaboration with the Office of Student Life, Dining Services, and Food Waste Disposal, the Office of Sustainability helped host the College’s first zero waste event in September 2013. This event–held during Fall Family Weekend–met the industry’s definition of zero waste by sending less than 10% of the event’s waste to the landfill.

Office of Sustainability Interns Present at AASHE Conference: This semester two undergraduate interns and one graduate assistant for the Office of Sustainability presented at the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) National Conference in Nashville, TN. CofC Senior Lexa Keane presented on the College’s relationship with the Fair Labor Association (FLA) while junior Abby Tennenbaum and MES candidate Ashlyn Hochschild spoke about the campus’s increased composting efforts.

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Division Spotlight: Paty Cowden

Posted by: Jennifer Stevens | December 17, 2013 | No Comment |

patycowden

Paty Cowden, Grounds

Briefly describe your role.

I am the manager and am responsible for the daily scheduling, tracking labor hours and materials, hiring personnel, employee evaluations, departmental timesheets, and all budget issues and purchasing.

What is the function of your department?

We are responsible for maintaining the landscaping, renovating grounds as needed, decorating the graduation stages, as well as for the Faculty/Staff holiday party.

How long have you been working at the College?

14 years.

What brought you to the College?

I had been working at Wild Dunes for 9 years pre and post Hurricane Hugo, and wanted more of a challenge.

What do you like most about your job?

Our campus is so beautiful with its grand trees and historic buildings. As long as I have been here, I still discover things I never noticed before. And I have met some truly remarkable people here that I treasure knowing.

What are some of your favorite memories from the College?

Back in 1996 on April Fool’s Day, Judge Sanders, who was President at the time, sent out a memo to All Employees regarding Restroom Guidelines.  It required that a Restroom Trip Policy be established which would limit the number of trips allowed each month, as well as the time spent in the stall.  When I read the memo to the crew, their reaction and expressions were priceless. I still have the memo if anyone would like a copy.

What are your hobbies and interests?

Gardening, of course! Spending time with my new grandson, Fischer, my daughter, Laney, my dog, Godfrey, 3 cats, Moocipherous Spendiferous, Winnie, and Poe, and working on my house.

What is something that your colleagues would be surprised to learn about you?

I spent several years as a white water raft guide on the Chattoga river on the SC/GA state border, and on the Nolichucky and Ocoee rivers in Tennessee.  I also performed for several seasons at Carowinds doing a show with parrots.  It was called “Dr. Macaw’s Magnificent Medicine Show”, and they dressed me like Annie Oakley.

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North Campus Relocation

Posted by: Jennifer Stevens | December 10, 2013 | No Comment |

In December 2012, Boeing purchased the building  the College’s North Campus and the Lowcountry Graduate Center (LGC) currently occupies on International Boulevard by the airport. The building is immediately adjacent to Boeing’s operations, so it is an ideal location for the company to expand. The finalized deal with the SCRA was the College’s official notice to find a new location for the North Campus and the LGC.

In January 2013, the College began to define its building programming needs, which then resulted in a lease solicitation in March. After exploring various options, the College decided to move forward with a newly constructed 50,000 square foot building located at 3800 Paramount Drive. The new location of will allow the building to be visible from I-526.

The building has been designed to cover several aspects of a campus. The site will include administrative offices for the operations of CofC North and the LGC and faculty offices for both of these entities. Students will learn in a variety of instructional spaces from traditional lecture-style rooms to flexible learning spaces to lecture-capture rooms. There will also be a library with separate spaces for individual or small group studying and  three computer labs. The Center for Student Learning will also have a presence to allow for individual tutoring sessions. The College will also provide a café/student lounge space with grab-and-go options available through a POD, similar to the one in the Education Center. There will be power and data ports throughout the building in recognition that students and faculty use a variety of devices to work and learn.

The new site will offer a long-term home to the operations of CofC North and the LGC, and most important, provide a trust sense of ‘campus’ to students. The opportunity to program a new building is also beneficial to the College in that we will have input on the design and infrastructure to ensure it supports the needs of students, faculty, and staff. The site is accessible via I-26 and I-526 and other local roads.

All current programs will be relocated to the new site at Paramount Drive. An important driver to increase the size of the facility is the new Bachelor of Professional Studies program that was implemented in Fall 2013. There will also be a renewed effort to increase collaboration with local institutions to offer more graduate courses and programs through the LGC. CofC North expects to increase non-credit courses and programs to meet the needs of local businesses.

The move-in process is expected to begin mid-July 2014 in order to be fully relocated in time for the start of the Fall 2014 semester.

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Harbor Walk

Posted by: Jennifer Stevens | December 4, 2013 | No Comment |

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The College will begin renovation of the Rita Hollings Science Center and Physicians Auditorium in May 2014. The most effective and efficient way to accomplish this is to completely vacate the building. In order to accommodate the classrooms, labs, and faculty offices, the College has secured a lease for 45,000 square feet of swing space at Harbor Walk, formerly known as Fountain Walk. The space will also aid in the renovation of the Simons Center for the Arts, which is expected to begin early 2016. The lease is for seven years with the option to renew for an additional five years.

Harbor Walk is located at 360 Concord Street. The building is adjacent to the SC Aquarium and is located along the Cooper River.  Located less than one mile from the College’s downtown campus, it is within walking and biking distance. Bike racks will be available on site and the College is currently exploring opportunities to expand the bike share program. CARTA DASH, a free shuttle service that runs from the Aquarium to campus, is also available. The 210 line (yellow) picks up and drops off at the corner of St. Philip and Calhoun, and also at the corner of Wentworth and Coming. The stops are indicated by the numbers 3 and 4 on the map below. Shuttle times can be found on the CARTA website at www.ridecarta.com. The last pick-up at the Aquarium is 7:50 p.m.

CARTA DASH Yellow

The space at Harbor Walk will be upfitted between January and April 2014. The College plans to occupy the space in May 2014. Biology and Physics will be moving a portion of its faculty offices, classrooms, teaching labs, and faculty research labs into Harbor Walk. The Department of Computer Science will also relocate to Harbor Walk to take advantage of the building’s proximity to tech companies within Charleston’s Digital Corridor. With the move, space will be vacated in JC Long, which will be used for swing space by Physics faculty.

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While the majority of needed swing space will be at Harbor Walk, other space has been secured at the South Carolina Research Authority on Meeting Street and some lab space at MUSC. The College is also exploring its options to temporarily relocate the vivarium and associated teaching/research spaces.

The School of Sciences and Mathematics is maximizing the utilization of the newer science building on Calhoun Street by creatively scheduling courses and temporarily repurposing some spaces.

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