Update on Bins

This morning I learned from the President of the Student Government Association that stockpile of bins is being kept in the Renaissance Park Garage right on-campus at Northeastern University. I had to wonder, "with many students complaining about a shortage of bins, why are there more than 100 bins sitting here instead of being at the bin locations at Davenport B and West Campus, Building A?" You can see a photo of the bins here.

The bin complaints began last Friday when move to/from kicked off. Students on the weekend faced lines that were as long as twenty people at one point, with waiting times exceeding 90 minutes! When we found out about the problem, we contacted Housing Services to see what could be done. They were supposed to look into the situation and see what can be done.

The solution, however, seems clear: transport the bins in Renaissance Park Garage over to WCA or DCB. By doing this, the bins can be put to use to benefit the students who have paid thousands of dollars in tuition and housing fees to the University.

We have recommended this solution to Housing and are hoping to hear back from them today. Hopefully, we'll get a response that is positive and will help the student body out as they try to move in/out/to/from.

Dining Updates on Twitter

We have plenty of dining updates this morning -- including pictures of the International Village Dining Hall, the inside of the International Village Residence Hall, and the Green Terrace -- online on Twitter. Check it out here.

New Room / Apartment Issues

Every year during move in/out/to/from time the Resident Student Association is bombarded by students who report problems in their new living space. Whether it's air conditioning not cooling to 68-degrees Fahrenheit, something that wasn't cleaned, a light that won't turn on, or a screen with holes, problems tend to pop up. When something does happen, the easiest way to get it resolved is to enter a work request with Facilities online. You can also call them at 617.373.2754. If you find that your work request is not fufilled and you don't get an explanation from Facilities, let us know by e-mailing the Resident Rapid Response Team at NortheasternRSA (at) neu.edu.

Bins

Do you need a bin to move in, move out, or move to/from? If so, bins are available at Davenport B and West Campus, Building A - North during the following times:

Aug .15th: 9am-9pm (Returned by 8pm)
Aug. 16th: 3pm-9pm (Returned by 8pm)
Aug. 17th: 3pm-9pm (Returned by 8pm)
Aug. 18th: 12pm-9pm (Returned by 8pm)
Aug. 19th - 28th: 3pm-9pm (Returned by 8pm)

The Resident Student Association is aware of the bin shortage that presently exists and is trying to find out what can be done to improve the situation for students who need to make moves. To help the situation, residents should attempt to pack everything and then make bin trips as quickly as possible and return their bin immediately.

Residence Director Listing

If you need to contact your Residence Director and aren't sure who it is or how to contact them, Residential Life has a listing online. You can find it here.

You Probably Will Need to Re-Register for ResNet

Students living on-campus will probably need to re-register computers and other devices on ResNet on August 20th, 2009. The re-registration is necessary due to an update to ResNet taking place the night of August 19th, 2009. Re-registration can be done starting at 9:00 AM on August 20th by visiting http://registerresnet.neu.edu. Devices that lack a web browser may need to be re-registered manually. For information on this process, you can e-mail help@neu.edu or call 617.373.4357. You may be required to either provide the device's Media Access Control address or bring it into the ResNet Customer Service Center in Speare Commons.

Breaking: Free Food at International Village Tomorrow Morning

We have just learned moments ago via the Northeastern University Dining Services Twitter that students will have a chance tomorrow morning (8/13/2009) to check out the International Village dining hall with a free breakfast sampling from 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM.

Art In International Village

Today's issue of The Huntington News has a story on our latest Residence Hall, International Village, and the artwork that will be featured in the building. You can read the story here. Additionally, an editorial about Shepherd Fairey and allegations of dishonest work can be read here.

G-Apps Migration "Delayed"

When Information Services Vice President Bob Weir sent an e-mail out to the student body about Google Apps being available to undergraduates starting August 12th, many students looked forward to today as the day when they could ditch the insufficient storage, lack of functionality, and difficulty of use of the current myNEU e-mail system for a new system driven by Google Applications. Unfortunately, students will have to wait 5 days. Due to a mistake, the e-mail from Vice President Weir indicated the wrong date. Undergraduate Students will be able to switch to G-Apps on Monday, August 17th. On the positive side, Admitted Students and Graduate Students can switch today.

Improved Heating in Stetson Hall West

Many times, residents show concern that older buildings never see improvements. This isn't entirely true, and an example is Stetson Hall West. When Stetson Hall West opens up in the Fall for new first-year students, there will be a nice change from years past: new heating units. You can see a couple pictures of the new heating units in place below.




September in Boston is typically warm/mild, and can be quite hot at times, so bringing a fan is suggested due to the lack of central air conditioning in the building. However, when January comes, the new heaters will be a great addition for residents.

Free BBQ This Thursday: West Campus Surf 'n Turf

This Thursday at 7:00 PM the Resident Student Association through its Hall Councils is bringing you Surf 'n Turf, an evening of entertainment, free food, and fun right on the West Campus Quad. The event is free to all students and is paid for by your Resident Activities Fee.

Tonight's MBTA Public Meeting

If you can't make the MBTA meeting today at the State House, you can get updates on Twitter. Follow me at www.Twitter.com/soleynm

Avoid the 6.25% Meals Tax

People all over the state of Massachusetts are unhappy with the recent 25 percent hike in meals tax and sales & use tax to 6.25 percent. However, Northeastern University students can avoid the meals tax when eating on-campus. Many on-campus eateries, such as Wendy's, Taco Bell, and the West End in the Curry Student Center, Churchill Hall Dining Hall, and Stetson East Irving M. Levine Marketplace, do not charge students the 6.25 percent state meals tax. This little-known fact can help any student who is looking to save some money on food, so help spread us the word to your fellow students by telling them about the savings or e-mailing / tweeting a link to this blog post.

Opera Place Re-Opened

Opera Place has finally re-opened to vehicle traffic. Closed since the 337 Huntington Incident last month, the road is a one-way route for traffic to move from St. Stephens Street to Huntington Avenue and carried all traffic that exited the Northeastern University North Parking Lot. To see a picture of the area taken this afternoon, check out Twitter.

MBTA Public Meeting Monday

On Monday, there is a public meeting being held regarding the proposal for fare hikes put forth by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. The meeting is at the State House (Gardner Auditorium, specifically) on Beacon Hill right in Boston, and students are encouraged to attend and let their voices be heard. The meeting starts at 4:00 PM.

Following this meeting, the Resident Student Association will be working on preparing an opinion on behalf of the resident students at Northeastern. To be involved in this process, you can attend next week's General Council meeting at 7:00 PM in 270 West Campus, Building F.

Outdoor Recycling Arrives

The first outdoor recycling containers have appeared on campus! They are currently all located in the West Campus near the entrances to Building B, Building D [Behrakis], and Building H. The Student Government Association has posted a picture of the new recycling containers outside of Behrakis on their Twitter.

Residents have long asked for recycling to be available outdoors. If you want to see more outdoor recycling on-campus, rest assured that this is on our list of projects to improve campus, and let us know where you would like to see the recycling containers.

Status of 337 Huntington Avenue for Fall 2009

This week the Resident Student Association heard mixed messages about what was going to happen to 337 Huntington Avenue (also known as “The Fairwoods”) this Fall. After hearing from students, we contacted Student Affairs to figure out what the correct story was and want to share it with the community so students who are directly affected, students-at-large, and others can know what is happening.

Around August 1st, letters were issued to students with their Fall 2009 housing assignment. Students who received a letter assigning them to 337 Huntington Avenue should ignore this letter. Housing and Residential Life is re-assigning all students who were assigned to 337 Huntington Avenue to alternative locations on-campus for both the Fall 2009 and Spring 2009 term. This is due to what Housing and Residential Life calls a "more likely than not" possibility that repair to 337 Huntington Avenue will not be completed for Fall 2009 opening.

Students who were moved "up" in housing style (for example, from a double to a single or from standard to enhanced) will be billed the rate that they had in 337 Huntington Avenue. However, Housing and Residential Life has stated that this is only valid provided students “do not seek re-assignment.” One problem with this policy is that in the re-assignment process, some roommate sets were split, and if a student has the opportunity to live in a situation that they would be more comfortable with, Northeastern University is effectively charging as much as $2,000 a semester for a student to do this. The Resident Student Association will be investigating why this policy was created and see what can be done to enable students to seek re-assignment to available spaces without being charged more than their 337 Huntington Avenue rate.

Students who are currently living in Davenport B (displaced due to the "337 Huntington Incident") will conduct move to/from/in/out similar to how any other resident student does so. Students should e-mail their current Residence Director and the Residence Director of the building they are assigned to move into if they will be on-campus in the Fall 2009 term. If moving off-campus, students need to just e-mail their current Residence Director. A list of Residence Directors and contact information can be found here.

Contrary to any previous statements by Northeastern employees or rumors that existed, students in Davenport B will not have to move into consolidation housing during intersession, nor will these students be charged extra to remain on-campus during intersession.

Housing and Residential Life has noted that housing assignments may change if circumstances change. They have stated that they will contact students who are affected to make them aware of these changes, if they happen.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please let the Resident Student Association know by connecting with us on Twitter (@RSABlog and @NortheasternRSA), e-mailing the Resident Rapid Response Team at NortheasternRSA (at) neu.edu, or posting a comment on this blog.

Three "New" Beverages in International Village

On August 31st, when the International Village Dining Hall opens, students will have access to a few beverages that previously were not available in the dining halls. The first is the often-requested Dr. Pepper, which will be accompanied by its fellow Dr. Pepper Snapple Group beverage Canada Dry ginger ale.

Additionally, students will be able to enjoy Fruit Punch [red] POWERAID in the International Village Dining Hall, with Lemon-Lime POWERAID still available at Stetson Hall East and Stetson Hall West.

The new beverages are being offered, in part, thanks to the work of Resident Student Association members who voiced student opinions, suggestions, and concerns to Dining Services. If you ever have an idea for something new in the dining hall, let us know!

Northeastern Makes the Honor Roll

Northeastern University made the 2010 Green Rating Honor Roll in the Princeton Review's 2nd annual report of College and University Green Ratings. Ranking institutions on a scale from 60-99, Northeastern received a score of 99 along with 14 other institutions. You can read more in the official press release here.

While we may have a perfect score, in order to keep it Northeastern must continue offering students sustainable options like recycling bins around campus and food in the dining hall that is farmed sustainably. The Resident Student Association is committed to supporting such improvements when the residents want to see them. If you have ideas on making Northeastern more sustainable, let us know!

NUPay Working Again

Last night we blogged about NUPay being unavailable. We now can bring you the good news that the service is back up and running.