Tuesday, September 16, 2003

by Charlie Buffie
Gazette Reporter and Webmaster

As many returning Swatties can affirm, the new Science Center facilities have
undergone extensive changes in the late summer months.

Over the summer, the Commons area–complete with its much-anticipated sushi/coffee
bar–as well as the new Chemistry/Biochemistry wings were completed, furnished,
and ready to house eager young minds on September 1st.
The rest, as they say, is history …

However, despite the variety of new facilities recently opened for general
use, a significant part of the construction center remains unfinished and very
active, with many new milestones on the horizon.

While the Science Center has taken shape over the past few months, the Martin
Biological Sciences building neighboring the Center has been reduced to a shadow
of its former functionality. Today, the interior of building is sparsely littered
with dust and construction equipment, and the walls are wrapped in plastic and
chain mail as construction continues. Over the summer, the introductory laboratory
was stripped of asbestos and virtually demolished, and Kirby lecture hall was
gutted, leaving a two-story opening in the heart of the building.

However, despite the building’s currently disheveled appearance, the Martin
facilities will soon begin to take shape in a compelling way. In place of the
old laboratory and lecture hall, the construction of a number of new amenities
has commenced, including two new suites of rooms (one on each floor), a new
microscopy suite, a computer lab, and a new student research lab.

As for the ‘chain mail’ wall decorum: the metal trappings are merely a guide
for the application of a new custom plastering job that will revitalize the
interiors of Martin. “The skill of doing ‘plastering’ is something of a
lost art and they actually brought in a crew from Ireland to do this work,”
explained Rachel Merz, Professor of Biology and faculty consultant for the construction
project.

Construction in Martin, while quiescent during daylight hours, picks up significantly
at nightfall. Most of the major work is done at this time to avoid disturbing
class and laboratories being conducted throughout the day.

On the outside, the bridge connecting Martin to the new Science Center facilities–including
the new Biology lab facilities completed last spring–is also steadily nearing
completion. The bridge recently passed state inspection but has been delayed
due to slow delivery of the fritted glass that will ultimately house the walkway
(the current glass housing is merely temporary).

With the completion of the bridge and the interior renovations to Martin,
the Science Center will finally be physically linked with the familiar old Martin
building. However, when the dust finally settles and the renovations inside
are complete, the ‘old’ Martin building might not look so familiar any more–and
it definitely won’t feel aged.

(Thanks to Professor Rachel Ann Merz for contributing information)

*****

by Sanggee Kim
Gazette Reporter

You know you’ve been craving that bubble tea…and thank goodness, because
Qub is back and promises to be better than ever, with new leadership, menu options,
and interior design. Although still looking for funding, Joey Roth ’06 pledges
that Qub will open by late September.

Roth is the only one of the original founders to remain as a manager this
year. The two other founders, Dan Yue ’05 and Wynn Wu ’04, plan to serve as
advisors but will not participate in day-to-day operations. However, Janice
Im ’06, Marc Chang ’06, and Alex Braunstein ’05 will step up to aid Joey in
managerial duties.

Among the changes planned: take-out food options, sushi sent to the science
center, new interior design, an outside patio, and rental service. In addition,
there will be a revamped menu with more sushi options, more clever drinks, better
consistency in service, and best of all, more bubble tea flavors.

Qub claims that its bubble tea is better than anyone else’s in the area because
they use freshly brewed tea for every drink, real condensed milk, and a variety
of flavors to choose from. The managers recommend the mango bubble tea, as it
is very sweet and one of the most popular flavors. (FYI: Freshmen are encouraged
to visit Qub as there will be advertised specials just for you!)

So, what’s the final deal? This semester, come to Qub on Thursday night, Friday
afternoon, or Friday night to relax, and enjoy the “bubble within the bubble
of Swarthmore.” And if anyone is interested in working at Qub, send an
email to Roth at jroth1.

*****

* The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decided Monday that the October 7th gubernatorial
recall election in California should be postponed. Citing the Supreme Court’s
decision in Bush v. Gore, the court warned that without postponement, some people’s
votes would not be counted due to the faulty punch-card voting system. The Circuit
Court’s decision will most likely be appealed to the Supreme Court, but if the
lower court’s decision were to stand, the recall would take place on March 2nd,
along with the state’s presidential primary.

* Though Hurricane Isabel’s winds decreased slightly on Monday to 125 mph,
weather forecasters warned that if the storm stayed on course it could hit North
Carolina within three days. From there, the storm would travel up the East Coast
to the Chesapeake Bay, though it is still uncertain whether it would reach as
far north as New England. In preparation for the worst-case scenario, emergency
officials all over the East Coast were preparing disaster plans, while the U.S.
military ordered some of its planes and ships to be deployed out of the storm’s
path.

* Despite the threat of a U.S. veto, the U.N. Security Council will hold a
vote Tuesday to determine whether it will issue a resolution demanding that
Israel not harm or deport Yasser Arafat. The decision to hold the vote came
late Monday after over 40 nations had taken to the floor to debate the issue.
The American ambassador to the U.N., John Negaponte, said that the U.S. did
not support the resolution because it did not sufficiently condemn Palestinian
terrorism.

*****

Free Samples of Naked Juice
Science Center Coffee Bar, 8:30 a.m.

Sigma Xi Fall Poster Session
Science Center Commons, 12:00 p.m.

Applying to Law School Info Session
Kohlberg 115, 4:15 p.m.

Upward Bound Tutors’ Open House
Kohlberg 115, 7:00 p.m.

SAM Workshop on Time Management
Kohlberg 226, 8:00 p.m.

Video Viewing: “Goya en Burdeos”
Kohlberg 334, 8:00 p.m.

Student Race Discussion Group
Trotter 203, 10:00 p.m.

*****

SPORTS UPDATE

Today:
No contests are scheduled for today.

Tomorrow:
Women’s Soccer hosts Richard Stockton, 5:00 p.m.
Men’s Soccer hosts Neumann, 7:00 p.m.
Volleyball at Arcadia, 7:00 p.m.

*****

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Tip the world over on its side and everything loose will land in Los
Angeles.”
–Frank Lloyd Wright

*****

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