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U of L's m111pus news source since 1926 V\'Ww.louisvillccardinal.com Jmzuary 11, 2005 I Vol. 77, Issue 16
Library of.the future: Ekstrom expands
Construction crews continue
work on campus projects
BY I<ARA EPISCAPO
Contributing Writer
Even though the spring semester is just
beginning, the building projects on campus
remained in full swing over the break. Con­struction
is advancing daily on the Ekstrom
Library addition, the new baseball stadium,
the Belknap Research Building and the Ralph
Wright Natatorium.
Construction on the library started on
Aug. 9, 2004 and is about 15 percent com­plete.
Foundations and underground utili­ties
for the addition are under way and will
be completed soon, said Larry Owsley, vice
president for business affairs at the University
ofLouisville. The $14 million, 42,500-square­foot'
addition is scheduled to be completed
on Sept. 13, 2005. Construction is behind
because of the rainy weather, said Owsley, but
plans are in place to make up time with an
additional crew installing the concrete lower
level walls, he added.
Counesy of Ekstrom LibrarY
A computer rendering shows the west side of the Ekstrom library expansion. The new building will feature automated book sorting equipment.
"There is nothing like it [the automated
system] in the South," Hannelore Rader, dean
oflibraries, said. "The closest is in Indiana and
Eastern Michigan."
brarywill eventually play home to the McCo­nnell
Center, which will increase the number
of speakers and presentations on campus.
"I want this to be a place where students
really socialize, to come and study, learn and
teach," Rader said.
ing broadcast.and press facilities, an artificial
turf field and concession stands.
"With the stadium location at Third and
Central Avenues, the facility will provide
a new gareway to the Belknap Campus,"
· Owsley said. ·
One of the most important services offered
by the new addition will be an automated stor­age/
retrieval system for books. The system is
run by computers and will save students the
hassle of searching shelves for books. Students
will request a specific book at the circulation
desk, which will then alert the computer
system. The book will be retrieved from the
new addition by robotic systems and delivered
to the desk.
Rader says there are only four other of
these systems in the United States. The other
two are located in California and Nevada.
The new addition will allow the library to
house 1.2 million books, in comparison with
the 600,000 it is capable of now.
Another feature of the library addition will
be a cafe with indoor and outdoor seating.
Rader said she is negotiating with the univer­sity
to get a Starbucks in the new addition.
Along with 24-hour study rooms and a
150-seat state-of-the-art auditorium, the li-
. Like the library addition, the new baseball
stadium, which broke ground in late August
2004, is continuing to advance. Owsley said
the stadium construction is essentially on
schedule despite the heightened amount of
rainfall. The $6.5 million facility is being
funded by private donations and is scheduled
for completion next February.
The stadium will include 1,500 chair-style
seats, a stadium club box, a press box includ-
The most costly addition to the University
of Louisville's Belknap Campus, at $44 mil­lion,
the Belknap Research Building has been
under construction since May 2003 and will
finish in February 2006. The 1 06,000-square­foot
facility '¥ill house researchers from several
of the university's undergraduate and graduate
programs.
See CON~TRUCTION page 14
MAEP to honor Dr. King
Multicultural Center
organizes ceremonies
BY CHAD SILBER
Cardinal StaffWriter
It has been 36 .years since the
untimely death of one of America's
most visionary social activis_ts. Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. garnered
mass support for a vision that has
not been tarnished in the decades
following his death.
On Jan. 14, the Multicultural
Academic Enrichment Program
will be sponsoring a commemora­tive
service for King. The service
has been held on campus for m~re
than 20 years.
The University of Louisville's
Black. Diamond Choir will per­form
several selections at the event,
providing the backdrop for this
emotional ceremony.
There will also be poetry readings
U of L will
honor Martin
Luther King,
Jr. during
a Thursday
ceremony. The
Rev. Phillip
Hodge will be
the.keynote
speaker. ·
'··~:;~. .llf.
and awards presented to students,
staff, faculty and community lead­ers
who have supported the MAEP
office in the past year.
The Rev. Phillip Hodge will be
the keynote speaker. Hodge is a U
ofL alumnus, a past employee of the
former Office of Black Affairs, and
is in his tenth year as reve-rend at the
Fifth· Street Baptist Church.
He was a speaker at the ceremony
several years ago and has _been
asked again this year to share his
reflections on the message of the
late King.
"I want to revisit the Dream/'
Hodge said. "There seems to be so
much relativism today, whereas Dr.
King spoke of absolutes."
. Hodge speaks in the manner of
a learned professional, and when
he broaches the topic of King's
message, emotion drips from every
syllable. ~
The passion that was so prevalent
in King's speeches is re-conjured in
a five-minute phone conversation
with Hodge.
"I've been looking into how
much of the dream I think we've
achieved," he said, "from the obvi­ous
instances, such as discrimina­tion
in hotels and restaurants, to the
subtleties in everyday life."
The event will be held from
11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. in room ·
100 of the Bingham Humanities
Building.
Students, faculty, staff and com­munity
members are invited to
attend.
Chartwells corrects state sales tax
problems in campus food stores
/ BY MATT THACKER
Cardinal StaffWriter
Charrwells has responded to stu­dent
outcry by re-evaluating which
items that they sell are deemed
taxable according to Kentucky tax
statutes at some campus locations.
The Cardinal reported on Dec.
7 that U ofl:s food service provider
was charging tax on many items
that grocery and convenience stores
do. not.
In response to the article, Steven
Bryant, the regional director for
Chartwells, visited U ofL and met
with school officials several times
during finals week to investigate
the situation. He quickly eliminated
taxes on certain foods and said he
would continue researching tax
regulations to ensure that all state
tax codes were being met.
"We took action immediately on
. items we knew clearly should be tax
exempt," he said. "There may be a
few_ products that have not been
caught yet."
He said the goal was to make
sure all the problems were· fixed
by the start of the spring semester.
The changes apply to any food
purchased at Outtakes or the West
Campus location. Nontaxable
items reviewed include bread, wa­ter,
milk, bakery items and mo~t
grocery items. All other locations
on campus are considered dining
services, so all food and drinks they
serve may·be taxed.
"If there are any students who
feel they were improperly taxed,
they should contact us immedi­ately,"
Bryant said .. "The state does
have a system in place for students
to redeem their tax. These issues
are serious, and we take them
serious[ly]. We want to make sure
things are done right."
See XI:-~ page 3