OH, BY THE WAY...
K-STATE MESSAGE BOARD TO PROMOTE VISIBILITY, AESTHETICS AND CAMPUS SAFETY
K-State is proceeding with plans for a message board that will display static information about university-related activities and services.
The LED sign, to be placed south of the new K-State parking garage, also will be part of campus safety efforts. In the event of an emergency, it will be used to provide essential information to the campus and community.
"We will use the sign in a responsible fashion and be sensitive to safety issues," said K-State President Kirk Schulz.
Although approval from the city of Manhattan is not needed for K-State to have the message board, university officials are working with the city to ensure that it meets the intent of all applicable city regulations, including requirements that such signs not be a distraction and be aesthetically pleasing.
The message board's two-sided LED display will be 4 feet tall and 10 feet wide, and will mirror aesthetics of the campus, using limestone like that on the parking garage and K-State Alumni Center. The sign will be placed back from the current wall that runs parallel to Anderson Avenue and will be visible from both the east and west sides of the street.
"The message board will display only brief, static messages; it will not display any moving video," said Bernard Pitts, assistant vice president for student life and executive director of the K-State Student Union. "It also will not be used for off-campus commercial advertisements."
The message board project is being funded by a consortium of university entities, including the K-State Alumni Association, Kansas State University Foundation, K-State Student Union, McCain Auditorium, K-State student life and the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art.
Members of the sponsoring consortium said the message board will help the university fulfill its mission of engaging the community in cultural and other events.
Pitts said K-State's message board will be similar to such signs already in use at other universities, including Iowa State, Pittsburg State and Montana State.
The project, which was originally proposed in spring 2009, will be re-bid.
Photo caption: A rendering of what the message board will look like provided by The Ebert Mayo Design Group.
K-STATE'S PARKING GARAGE FULLY OPEN
K-State's parking garage was fully open in time for the first day of spring semester classes Jan. 14.
"We have plenty of room for students, faculty, staff and visitors in a convenient, covered parking garage with easy access to our K-State Student Union," said Gary Leitnaker, assistant vice president for human resources.
The garage includes a stairway tower on the north end of the garage; elevators; and a bridge from the parking garage to the Union.
Leitnaker said the garage has 1,385 stalls with 500 allocated to students, 400 to faculty-staff preferred and 130 to reserved stall permits. The balance for additional customers from any group and the public is 350.
Questions about parking may be directed to 785-532-7275.
K-STATE'S POWERCAT FINANCIAL COUNSELING TO CELEBRATE GRAND OPENING
K-State's Powercat Financial Counseling will have its official grand opening at noon Wednesday, Jan. 27, in the courtyard of the K-State Student Union.
Speakers will include Matt Wagner and Lydia Peele, both former K-State student body presidents; and a representative from Waddell and Reed Inc., which was one of the entities that made an initial donation to get the counseling center started.
Also at the grand opening, Cadence, the K-State a cappella group, will perform. Several door prizes will be given away, including a 32-inch flat screen television, a Garmin GPS unit, an iPod and a portable DVD player, all donated by Commerce Bank student services. The Manhattan Staples store also has donated personal document shredders.
The event is open to the public.
Powercat Financial Counseling opened in fall 2009. The center's mission is to improve the financial literacy of K-State students and provide professional counseling experience for students studying personal finance at K-State.
K-State is the first Board of Regents' institution in Kansas to offer a center designed specifically to help students with personal finances. The newly created program has already been recognized for excellence. Visa's Practical Money Skills program named it one of its Innovative Educators for 2009.
More information on K-State's Powercat Financial Counseling is available at http://www.k-state.edu/pfc