Spring Break
While you were away...
Ali Qari
Issue date: 4/4/08 Section: News
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Parking Lottery Eliminated
The parking garage expansion project completed in September and added 285 additional parking spaces to the Drexel Parking Garage at 34th and Ludlow streets.
Drexel Parking Services proceeded to eliminate the parking lottery. All Drexel students, faculty and staff are now eligible to apply for a parking permit without having to be placed on a waiting list.
Single term through yearly parking permits are available for purchase at the rate of $339 per term in the parking garage.
Dorm Overnight Policies Amended
Upperclassmen living in the dorms no longer are limited to three overnight guests per month as of the beginning of fall term 2007.
The policy was amended so that upperclassmen can now have unlimited overnight guests per month, but guests cannot stay for more than three consecutive nights. The freshmen overnight guest policy did not change. Freshmen are still limited to three overnight guests per calendar month.
Dean of Students David Ruth told The Triangle that the policy changed in response to requests from students, RAs and the USGA.
Landscaping Projects Announced
As part of the University's Master Plan, a North Mall will be developed on campus between the residence halls, and the Lancaster Walk area near the Daskalakis Athletic Center will be redeveloped.
As part of the North Mall project, the University will work with the Powelton Village Civic Association to have Race Street between 33rd and 34th streets closed. The area of the street, as well as the area next to the Race Street dormitory, will be incorporated into green space.
Near the DAC, the existing green space will be transformed into an informal playing field. This construction will be done concurrently with the renovation and expansion of the DAC that will being this spring.
SEPTA raises fairs 15 cents
If you've been outside the city for your co-op, you might not know that tokens for rides of SEPTA subways, buses and trolleys are now $1.45, an increase of 15 cents since September.
The token increase, as well as changes to Regional Rail ticket purchasing policies, was done in response to financial problems encountered by SEPTA. Drexel students can purchase monthly SEPTA passes at a 10 percent discount.
'Kelly Deli' renovations complete
North Side Market reopened in October and is now accessible through a special entrance in the front of Kelly Hall. A DragonCard is required for access in the evening.
The revamped market retained its grill offerings but now also sells dorm room commodities, such as toothbrushes. Gift baskets are also available.
Crime declines, new SVP of Public Safety Hired
Crime reported as part of the Cleary Act on the University City campus declined from 2006 to 2007. The campus saw a 21.2 percent decline in burglary and a 23 percent drop in robberies.
Public Safety attributed the drop to new procedures, but also reaffirmed its goal to reduce crime in the extended patrol zone - areas that are not considered part of campus, but are still frequented by students.
Domenic Ceccanecchio, a former University of Pennsylvania security official, was hired as the new senior associate vice president of public safety and began leading public safety at the end of October.
Ceccanecchio is a former Philadelphia Police Officer and told The Triangle that his initial priorities would be to evaluate the visible campus patrols and review DPS's powers of arrest.
Lebow ranked third in entrepreneurship
The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine ranked the LeBow College of Business one of the top ten entrepreneurial programs nationally in the Oct. 23 issue. The University is ranked third among undergraduate entrepreneurial programs and seventh among graduate programs. The University's entrepreneurial program is based around its entrepreneurial curriculum and the Laurence A. Baiada Center for Entrepreneurship in Technology.
Debate fever hits Drexel
The media, political stars and thousands of supporters descended on Drexel's campus Oct. 30 in preparation for a Democratic Presidential debates, hosted by NBC News.
One freshman stood in the Quad early in the day, holding a signing asking for a ticket to the debate. Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell saw the student, and told him he would get him a ticket to the event.
NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams was broadcasted from atop MacAlister Hall, and Hardball with Chris Matthews was aired from the Drexel Quad throughout the day.
A student watch party was held in the Mandell Theatre, and five candidates stopped by to speak with students after the debate.
Mike Gravel, who was excluded from the debate due to not meeting NBC's requirements, held a Debate event at World Café Live, near campus.
Nutter wins election
Despite record-low voter turnout, mayoral candidate Michael Nutter won the Philadelphia Mayor Election in a landslide Nov. 2.
Nutter presented himself as a reform candidate who would do something about the skyrocketing crime rate in the city.
Comedian Stephen Lynch performs
As part of the Campus Activity Board's annual Comedy Show, Comedian Stephen Lynch came to campus.
A poll on CAB's web site, which garnered about 100 votes, was used to select the comedian.
Basketball team beats Penn
Despite beating the University of Pennsylvania 67-59 in an overtime thriller Nov. 9, the basketball team couldn't repeat its incredible performance of 2006-07 and finished the season with a first round playoff loss to Delaware in the CAA Men's Basketball Tournament in Richmond, Va. March 7.
The team, which finished 12-20, will lose seniors Frank Elegar and Randy Oveneke.
Student arrested amidst scandal
Jocelyn Kirsch, a senior majoring in international area studies, surrendered to police Dec. 5 to face charges relating to theft and burglary.
Kirsch and her boyfriend, Edward Anderton, were charged with identity theft, conspiracy, unlawful use of a computer, forgery and a slew of other offenses after a neighbor uncovered the duo had opened a credit card account under her name just three weeks after she moved in.
A book titled "The Art of Cheating: A Nasty Little Book for Tricky Little Schemers and Their Hapless Victims" was found in the couple's apartment along with three safe lock boxes and $18,000 in cash, among other items.
Café in Main to open in spring
The University announced that a café in the Main Building will be constructed over winter break in order to be complete by early spring term.
Menu highlights will include espresso drinks, brewed coffee, iced teas, pastries, breakfast sandwiches and gourmet sandwiches.
Table Tennis Trials arrive at DU
The Olympic Table Tennis Trials were held in the Daskalakis Athletic Center Jan. 10-13. The University was chosen through a competitive bid between five other cities, including San Diego and Chicago.
Hundreds of spectators, including students, came to the DAC during the four days of the trials to watch world-class table tennis players compete for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team.
New e-mail options announced
The Department of Information Resources and Technology announced that Drexel had partnered with Google and Microsoft to offer students new e-mail options.
The services are Google Apps for Education, Microsoft's Live@edu, and Microsoft's ExchangeLabs. The University will also continue supporting Drexel's current WebMail service. Students are not required to pick an individual service and can maintain all four accounts independently.
The program, coined LinkEdu by the University, will provide a total of over 16 gigabytes of e-mail storage space over the three separate providers for all Drexel students, a significant increase from the 100 megabytes offered by the existing University housed WebMail system.
New crosswalk to be installed
The University's Student Government Association, along with the Department of Public Safety, announced the addition of a traffic light and crosswalk at 34th Street and Lancaster Avenue early in January.
DPS and USGA, along with the Department of Planning, Design and Construction and the Office of Government and Community Relations, are working with the city and talking to contractors to get construction started as soon as possible. The traffic light and crosswalk was scheduled to be installed by the end of the school year.
Library 24-hour room opens
The café in the new 24-hour room at the Hagerty Library began serving food Jan. 14. The food options at what the library has called the Book Mark Café include many of the same sandwiches, salads and wraps found in the Cresse Café with service provided by University food vendor Sodexho.
After 2 a.m., students must use their DragonCards to access the 24-hour room through a side door near 33rd and Ludlow streets.
California campus moves toward reality
Three officials from Placer County, Calif., where Drexel is considering building a satellite campus, came to the University City campus Feb. 11 and Feb. 12.
The visits reciprocated an earlier visit to Placer County from a delegation of 40 Drexel administrators and staff members.
According to University officials, the Board of Trustees will not make a decision to move forward with the plans for a Northern California campus until May 2008.
California officials not only came to see how Drexel operates, but also the University's impact on the City of Philadelphia.
Student hit by bus
A SEPTA bus struck a female Drexel University pre-junior at 32nd and Market streets Feb. 6. According to SEPTA, no traffic violations were committed by the driver during the accident. The student was later identified as Michelle Cwanger, a communications pre-junior.
Tennis courts move
To make room for the new 34th Street Dormitory, the tennis courts near Kelly Hall will move to the vacant lot behind the 7-Eleven at 34th St. and Lancaster Ave.
Weather permitting, construction is expected to be completed in early May.
Law school accredited in 18 months
The Drexel University College of Law received notice of their provisional accreditation from the American Bar Association Feb. 14, 18 months after the Law school was opened. According to Dean Roger Dennis, the relatively short process resulted from a variety of factors, from preparation to support from the administration.
The level of University support, as well as the amount of experience the faculty had with the American Bar Association's process, also helped, Dennis said.
CoE celebrates National Engineers Week
Engineering Week kicked off with the 14th annual Egg Drop Competition Feb. 18, held in the Edmund D. Bossone Research Enterprise Center lobby. The competition was revamped for the first time in its history.
The week continued with a variety of events, including High School Day and an Engineering Career Fair, which was attended by 93 employers and approximately 700 students.
The week closed with an event honoring Bernard Amadei, the 2008 Engineer of the Year, at the Rittenhouse Hotel. Amadei is the founding president of Engineers Without Borders.
University announces police force
Drexel University is beginning to develop a sworn campus police department and plans to have a 29-officer force by 2010, Domenic Ceccanecchio, senior associate vice president for Public Safety, announced March 5 at a student luncheon.
The Drexel police officers would have the same authority as Philadelphia Police officers, including power of arrest and use of force.
Currently, Drexel Public Safety officers are contracted through AlliedBarton Security and are unarmed and cannot make arrests.
University unveils long term building plans
Robert Francis, vice president of facilities, made a presentation about campus improvement projects that are part of a five-year master plan for the University at a luncheon March 5.
Francis presented a rendering of the new 34th Street Residence Hall and mentioned that construction of the 84,000-square foot addition to the Daskalakis Athletic Center will begin shortly.
Plans for converting the 33rd Street armory into a basketball and convocation center are now in motion since Drexel received the lease to the armory from the state of Pennsylvania.
Additionally, construction plans for a residence hall between 33rd and Natrona streets (2011), an addition to the Academic Building (2012), a replacement of Matheson Hall (2012) and street-level commercial shops on Chestnut Street (2011) were also unveiled.
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