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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 7, 1998)
esday • July 7,1998 The Battalion GGIELIFE O A O O ew computer resources await students tthe Library Annex’s Student Computing Facility By Gray Whitten StaffWriter hen Aggies start fall classes, they will find new professors, new schedules and a massive new computing facility in the center of campus. iHe Student Computing Facility (SCF) will not be a rtcjf the Sterling C. Evans Library as some may think, libart of a "library village" that will include the Evans )rarv, the new Library Annex and the SCF. E\Jans and the Annex will be connected by the fourth or sky walk, and the new addition will feature pri- irilv electronic resources. Electronic Reserves will oc- Hthe first floor and the Learning Resources Depart- mtKLRD) will be on the fourth. ■lie LRD, formerly located on the sixth floor of IK, will become more focused on the tasks of infor- itiffln retrieval and multimedia work. ■. Charlene Clark, public relations officer for the Library, said, "with 18 multimedia PCs and sev- to line search PCs, there will be no general purpose lUines, and the lab will become more focused. The ^DKvill change its focus." '■ie new library Annex itself also will feature ex- inqed group study areas and extended service hours, ark said. Forgeneral purpose computing like that available in ler on-campus labs, the Student Computing Facility Ming adjacent to the Library Annex will provide the Jstand most modern facilities that the University to offer. fierce Cantrell, associate provost for information jchnology said that he is anticipating seeing the com- leted facility. think it will be a wonderful facility," Cantrell said. He said the two-story Student Computing Facility dll feature 600 Pentium II PCs with 233 or 266 mhz folessors and several high output printers. ■antrell said Ethernet connections will be available rsfudents with network-equipped laptop computers |«e study areas of the facility, and there will be mod- aldassrooms around the perimeter of the lab. "I think it's a very nice feature," Cantrell said, "If the students have an Ethernet connection in their dorm, they may already be equipped to use this." All of the dorms will be wired by the end of the sum mer, so that will become more common. Cantrell said the new lab will contain approximate ly the same number of computers as all other on-cam- pus labs combined. Some students feel that the new Student Computing Facility will be a great advantage to the student body. Stephanie Smith, a CIS student worker at the Block er lab, said that with the ever-increasing population of the student body, the new lab only will help lessen the traffic that often bogs down other labs on busy days. "Given the size of the incoming freshman class, I thank God that we will have it," Smith said. While some students have, in the past, expressed the desire for increased library facilities where the focus was not entirely on newer, faster computers, most students today seem to like the idea of the new.facility and the convenience it will bring. CIS student worker Sarah Schroeder feels that the new lab will be an advantage to many classes. "It will provide a study area near computers, and no other facility really does that. The West Campus Library is the closest thing," Schroeder said. "It is moving in the direction that classes are moving. "The new facility will provide a totally new environ ment," Schroeder said. "It will allow for more group projects to be done with access to computers." Schroeder said she will miss seeing the same group of users on a regular basis if the Student Com puting Facility has a large impact on the clientele of the Blocker lab. Other students simply like the new addition to cam pus. "I like the guard tower thing," chemical engineer ing senior Stephen Keen said. Computing facilities are one of the most sought-after resources among new students at A&M today, and the new lab and library facilities only can help to make a bet ter impression on the classes of the future as they visit and attend the University for the first time. •itv! ■ the: Freedom of the press ... r ' ■■ om Checking... a free checking account • Unlimited checking • No monthly service charge • First 50 checks free • Check safekeeping • 8 convenient locations • 12 ATMs We’re here to help. Call us. 260-4300 www.first-american-bank.com brtain restrictions apply ember FDIC FIRST • BANK' r 1‘hoto HvJakeSchrickunc;/Tin H.-rnadWT \ I hi ' ,& *- Blocker computer lab patrons Cami Young, a junior community health major, and Angie Georgelas, a senior landscape design major, plan their weekend travel arrangements with the help of the Internet on Monday. I c Pixel Picks l-> y G r a y W h i 11 c n V' O ' Road Rash 3-D Sony Playstation With greatly increased freedom of movement and great looking graphics, this sequel is everything one would expect from this family of motorcycle racing/fighting game hybrids. While dodging trees and sign posts and fending off opponents with a bat or boot may not be the safest practice, it is great fun, espe cially when it doesn’t hurt to smack a speeding Mustang and fly over the handlebars at 90 mph. (A) Blasto Sony Playstation With the exception of Small Sol diers, which will appear in theaters next month, this third-person, comedic action game may be the last representation of the late Phil Hartman. Hartman does not disap point, delivering the voice of Captain Blasto as only he can. While the graphics are unique and fun to watch, the gameplay itself is nothing new. There are some funny jokes scat tered throughout, and the opening scenes of aliens planning domina tion are worth watching a couple of times, but players hoping for an heir to the Tomb Raider throne in this genre should look elsewhere. (B-) Need For Speed III: Hot Pursuit Sony Playstation Gran Tourismo is — for the time being — the greatest racing game for the Sony Playstation. Need For Speed III is not Gran Tourismo, but it is a fun racing game with several unique game variations. The “hot pursuit” mode, when played on the Bedrock Ridge track, is the equivalent of Cannonball Run 2: The Home Game. Tracks have nice scenery and of fer chances for surprises like taking a side road and jumping over the competition from a cliff for Burt Reynolds wannabes. Two-player mode sacrifices graph ics quality. Check it out if you want less-than-realistic fun. (B) Gaming Night at Hullabaloo Come join us for an evening of FREE bowling, FREE pool, and FREE refreshments at Hullabaloo in the Memorial Student Center!! July 9 from 6 PM - 9 PM. ~ a Sponsored by MSC ^fr Food Services TAVS, Inc., MSC NOVA, and University Center Complex Persons with disabilities please call us at (409) 845-1515 so that we may best assist you at the event. Don't miss the Applications Due Soon! Pm 1 Educators First American Bank, SSB Applications and information available 211A YMCA or 222 Beutel. Deadline Friday, July 10 at 5 pm. For more information call Becki Elkins at 845-1107. http://stulife.tamu.edu/adep/p1edu.htm