A LOOK AT THE GROWING CAMPUS

Chelsea Chiovitticchiovit@mavs.coloradomesa.edu

After 27 years of wear and tear, it’s no exaggera-tion that a library renovation at CMU is overdue.

As evidence of this, more and more CMU stu-dents are finding Tomlinson Library to be less condu-cive to studying than desirable. This could be due to the overwhelming sense that the library is cramped, cluttered and outdated.

CMU junior Paul McCaleb said he has not stud-ied in the library for almost a year as many times it can be distracting.

“Studying in the library is distracting with the ma-jority of the tables being placed by the windows where students are playing football outside,” McCaleb said.

In 2008, discussion of renovating the library be-gan. At the time, it was estimated that it would cost $24 million and take about 26 months to complete. Since then, CMU has switched architectural compa-nies from Chamberlin Architects to Bennett Wagner & Grody Architects PC. Prices and a timeline have not been determined.

The amount that CMU has grown in the past sev-eral years is also topic of discussion.

At first, the idea of expanding the library un-derground like many other universities was a vi-able option. Due to Colorado’s shallow water table, this would increase the price of the renovation sig-

nificantly. However, with advancements in modern technology, less physical expansions are required for advancements in space and material.

When the renovation is completed, it should be an ideal place for students to relax and study.

The renovation, along with expanding the library as a whole, would expand wireless Internet coverage, increase the number of electrical out-lets for students in need of charging laptops and other devices, add more study rooms and provide dining ser-vices.

ASG Chief of Staff Jack Bryan is working closely on the renovation plans.

“We are very much looking for-ward to the addition of 20 study rooms from the four we current-ly have in the library,” Bryan said. “Several of the new study rooms will be open 24 hours a day for student use.”

As one of the few buildings on campus that does not offer dining services and bans food and beverag-es without lids inside its doors, Bryan announced that “there will also be dining and coffee options available in the library. The dining options

will have indoor and outdoor seating for students to chose from.”

After the renovation is completed, the library will have expanded 24,000 square feet and have had a complete interior facelift.

The library renovation project has been post-poned during the fall 2013 semester while funds are

being accumulated.“As it stands, committee meetings are to resume

in January to March 2014, after some fundraising ef-forts come to fruition, in order to get the most pos-sible out of the remodel,” Bryan said.

The library groundbreaking should begin the summer of 2014.

Caleb Ferganchikcferganc@mavs.coloradomesa.edu

Members of CMU’s Associated Student Government attended a ban-quet with the Capital Development Committee last Wednesday to dis-cuss future funding for CMU expan-sion projects, including a $7 million upgrade for the Health Sciences and Nurse Practitioner Center.

According to a report published in August by Chamberlin Architects, the university needs to expand clinical opportunities for students current-ly enrolled in the program as well as brace for a continuous need of trained nurses.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “A 26 percent in-crease in demand for new nurses is expected between 2010 and 2020, equating to 711,900 new jobs.”

In order to provide state-of-the-art training, CMU is working on ren-ovating space already available in the Maverick Center in addition to remodeling a major portion of the Community Medical Practioner’s Building (currently owned by CMU).

According to Chamberlin Architect’s report, an additional 16,900 square foot building will be added to the south side of the build-ing to provide ample room for the

program’s expansion.These newly-renovated buildings

will house larger classrooms to accom-modate the steadily growing nursing program. Currently, CMU handles roughly 80 applicants each year for 30 placements in the Practitional Nurse program. This number is projected to increase by 10 students, in addition to further expansions in Radiologic Technology, Medical Laboratory Technology and the general Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

CMU is also exploring the possi-bility of adding various degrees and certificates to the Heath Science pro-gram, including Surgery Technician, Occupational Therapist, Health Care Coaches and Case Managers.

Chamberlin Architects recom-mended at least a 20 percent increase in faculty to meet these developmen-tal goals.

In addition to larger classrooms, CMU hopes to integrate state of the art technology to provide an even more competitive educational experience. A Production/Lecture Capture Room in which students can film surgeries and procedures under the supervision of faculty members was proposed by Chamberlin Architects. This innova-tion would allow CMU to expand its classroom production of online mate-rial to reach a further breadth of stu-

dents. Computer labs, X-ray labs and clinical labs are also expected to fur-nish the new buildings.

Expanding the Health Sciences and Nurse Practitioner program comes from the growing need of highly-trained and educated nurs-es. According to a report published by The Colorado Center for Nursing Excellence, a gap of close to 1,000 workers will be present in the 2013 year as budget shortfalls in education limit Colorado’s ability to match de-mand.

The current budget request has dropped from August’s propos-al ($8,971,130), but with the recent floods that devastated the Front Range, there is some concern that funding for construction will significantly reduce the Capital Development Committees ability to undertake new projects.

“I think our conservative fiscal spending as CMU has expanded will still allow us to pursue with these projects,” student body president Ariel Diamond said at last week’s ASG meeting.

Currently 100 percent of the nurs-ing students who graduate from CMU have been able to obtain a job. The expansion will be a timely and ben-eficial addition not only to the uni-versity, but also to the state’s general well-being.

Evan Linkoealinko@mavs.coloradomesa.edu

With plans for campus expansion well under way, CMU is looking for more efficient ways to run its campus. This means finding economic and sus-tainable methods of heating, cooling and powering various campus facili-ties. One answer happens to be a jet turbine.

Well, not exactly a jet turbine, but something close.

Kent Marsh, director of facilities at CMU, stressed the importance and higher efficiency of on-site power gen-eration.

“You lose a lot of power sending it down the line,” Marsh said about how power is lost as it travels through pow-er lines. That distance costs dollars. That’s why CMU is implementing a tri-generation program.

“Tri-gen is the creation of electric-ity and the creation of hot and cold wa-ter,” Marsh said, and those hot and cold by-products can be used to heat and cool various campus buildings and fa-cilities.

Tri-generation at CMU starts with natural gas from the high-pressure gas line that runs to the school (yes, the one that burst earlier this year) being burnt to power the aforementioned turbine, generating electricity.

“Natural gas (prices are) almost at historic lows. It makes sense to use that fuel,” Marsh said.

During this process, excess heat

is released, which Marsh refers to as “waste heat.” Rather than allowing this heat to dissipate, tri-generation sends it to either a heat exchanger or an ab-sorption chiller. As far as heating pur-poses go, excess heat can be combined with the campus’ already-existing geo-thermal system that provides heat for various buildings on campus.

The method by which this excess heat can be used for cooling, however, is slightly more complex. An absorp-tion chiller uses the waste heat from the turbine to boil a water solution containing ammonia or lithium bro-mide, which compresses the water va-por at a high pressure. This vapor con-denses to a liquid and gives off heat, lowering its temperature. This water is placed in contact with water which can then be used for cooling.

“It’s chemistry,” Marsh said. Marsh speculates that the tri-gen-

eration facility would likely go on the western-most edge of CMU-owned property, along 7th street, to eventual-ly join with the rest of campus as ex-pansion continues. While the facility would generate a lot of noise, Marsh assures that proper measures will be taken in its construction to ensure that the facility doesn’t stand out like the power plant that it is.

“It would look like any other build-ing on campus,” he said.

If tri-generation is to be efficient, Marsh says that CMU’s facilities can’t be the only ones using the waste heat.

“For (the tri-gen project) to gain

momentum and become reality, we need to find partners who can use that waste heat,” Marsh said. This is where the surrounding community comes in. Marsh hopes to partner with Mesa County Valley School District 51 and St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center to use the energy generated by the facil-ity. With St. Mary’s Hospital, Grand Junction High School and Tope Elementary all along 7th street, Marsh sees these partnerships to be economic and logical.

CMU has submitted a request to the state legislature for funding for the project, to be decided upon when the legislative session starts back up in January 2014. Marsh says that the school would know about funding ap-proval around May of that year. If ap-proved, funds would be available by the following July. Planning and en-gineering for the facility would begin in August, and bids for construction contracts would start in January 2015. Marsh says that construction of the fa-cility would take about 15 months, ide-ally being complete in June 2016.

“We can build a 40,000 square foot dorm in a year, so this isn’t too aggres-sive,” Marsh said.

The tri-generation project falls in line with Colorado Governor Bill Ritter’s 2007 executive order intro-ducing the concept of “Greening State Government,” including educational institutions like CMU. The efficiency and economic benefit from it will ide-ally extend into the community.

Nursing program expands to meet growing demand

Library expansion and renovation should begin next summer

“Jet turbine” to power campus in multiple ways

“I think you’ll see pretty much what’s on this side of Cannell [Street] will be well developed by next fall. The classroom building [ACB II] will get finished, hopefully the library expansion/renovation will be well under way, and if we get our way, the nursing expansion on the other side of Orchard Avenue will be going. The elipse in the center of campus will be completed by next fall as well as a rugby pitch so our men and women can play on campus rather than off at Dixon Field, where nobody can find it.”

- CMU President Tim Foster

ACB II digital representation

Beginning next fall, the elipse will be the new center of campus. There will be a stage for concerts, a bouldering field and a host of new trees and benches.

Proposed floor plans for Tomlinson Library.

Academic Classroom Building II (ACB II), opening next fall, will be the home to the Languages, Literature and Mass Communications departments.