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Since the start of the fall 2008 semester at HVCC, there have been several power outages which have affected classes. One power outage canceled an entire day of classes.

Power outages occur as a result of a sudden increase in demand for power, according to HVCC Physical Plant Director Steven Cowan, which outpaces the electrical generating capacity of the engines running. One of the main contributing factors for the power outages that have recently occurred on campus is the air conditioning system in the Bulmer Telecommunications Center.

When the system turns on, it immediately draws 500 kW of electricity. The demand for power is instantaneous, but it takes several seconds for the power plant engines to ramp-up the power supply to meet the demand. The immediate demand for such a large amount of power overwhelms the system and causes the engines to shut down for approximately 15 seconds. The system then restarts with the number of engines needed to meet the electricity demand.

Throughout the month of October, members of the Hudsonian conducted a mock election in order to see how the students of Hudson Valley Community College were leaning politically, passing mock ballots around in various classes to see how students were looking to vote for the upcoming election. Participation was completely voluntary and anonymous. Students were given five options to choose from: Barack Obama (Democratic Candidate), John McCain (Republican Candidate), Not Voting, Undecided, or Other (Which could be any candidate not listed, such as third party candidates).

Cheap chalk is causing friction on the chalkboards and in the classroom, as well as driving adoption toward alternative means of presentation.

The quality of the chalk has disrupted classes and created awkward moments for many professors and students. Some professors have expressed frustration regarding the chalk’s brittleness. Gregory Sausville, history professor and teacher union president, remarked that the chalk was “made out of dead puppies.”

One professor was angered by the poor quality of the chalk so much that he wrote a critical poem about it, according to Maureen P. Hood, an English professor. When asked if the chalk quality affected her class, Hood stated, “Yes, of course [it has]. The chalk is too soft. When I write something on the board in the most dramatic moments, the chalk breaks and the effect is lost.”

The Daniel Pearl Day was held on Thursday, October 9. The day was divided into three separate parts. It started with a music festival, which took place at the pavilion next to Parking Lot C. Afterward, a free screening of the Golden Globe nominated film,

The film “A Mighty Heart” was shown in the Bulmer Telecommunications Center auditorium. The day finally concluded with a special guest appearance by Frank Smyth, a journalist and security coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists and a former hostage of the Iraqi military during the events of the first Gulf War.

Meria Zemantauski, a coordinator of cultural affairs at HVCC, kicked off the music festival with two acoustic songs. The first song, “Chatingo”, was a Bulerias from the Flamenco Repertoire. The latter was “Malagueña”, a sixth movement of the Suite Andalucía.

McCain’s energy plan has recently been a subject which can be summarized as “drill baby drill,” a slogan chanted in repetition at the Republican National Convention recently in reference to McCain’s commitment in exploring domestic oil reserves.

McCain’s energy policy is broken up into six sections. He plans on expanding domestic oil production and natural gas exploration and production. He wants to break our dependency on foreign oil by reforming our transportation sector while investing in clean, alternative sources of energy. He plans on protecting our environment and addressing climate change. According to his website, McCain believes, “A sound energy strategy must include a solid environmental foundation, in which energy efficiency is promoted.” He also wants to address the speculative pricing of oil.

McCain’s voting record on energy and other issues is addressed on www.votesmart.org.

Between tuition, gas prices, and the overly expensive textbooks, many students are unable to afford an education without the aid of financial assistance or student loans. Based on both Barack Obama’s and John McCain voting records, neither candidate presently have college education for the masses as a top priority. Even so, neither of the candidates entirely neglects the subject.

Since he became a Senator in Illinois, Barack Obama has been pushing for an increase in federal Pell Grant Awards to help students pay for college. The first bill that Obama introduced into the Senate was to help make college more affordable and to increase the maximum Pell Grant from $4,050 to $5,100.

In October, RPI will have its grand opening for the $142 million Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC).

Designed by Grimshaw, a London-based architectural company, the 220,000 square foot building “combines many specialized venues under one roof, including a 1,200-seat concert hall,400-seat theater, two black box studio spaces and artist/ researcher work spaces,” as RPI stated on EMPAC’s main site (http://www.empac.rpi.edu/).

The opening will be divided into three weekends. Each weekend will have its own theme. According to RPI, “Gala Weekend” (October 3-5) will focus on the arts. Many performers such as Madlib and Billie Cowie will be featured along with the multimedia performances of Verdensteatret and dumb type. In addition, there will be an interactive 360 degree war film by The Wooster Group, where the audience is literally in the middle of the movie.

On Monday September 15th, HVCC opened the new parking lot G.

The new parking lot is located behind Hudson Hall and the McDonough Sports Complex with 300 parking spots. The college planned to have it finished by the beginning of the new school year, but the weather did not cooperate which is why the work was pushed back.

HVCC President Andrew Matonak said, “the parking situation was on the top of the college’s priority list” and also “…that work for the garage will start in the spring of 09.”

The parking garage will be located between Fitzgibbons and LaSalle institute, where lot D is currently located. It will be a two story garage with a total of 750 parking spaces.  According to the college, the wait was due to the college’s need for state funding to start the project. The project will cost $15.8 million.

On Friday, September 29th, a shoplifter was found in HVCC’s Bulmer Telecommunications Center. “The outcome of the suspect is unknown to us. However, we do know that the individual was not a student of Hudson Valley Community College,” said Paula Monaco, HVCC’s director of communications and marketing.

The shoplifting episode occurred in the AJ Wright Store in the Hudson Valley Plaza directly across the street from our campus. The suspect involved fled the scene on foot, pursued by the Troy police. HVCC’s public safety office was informed that a male, allegedly involved in a shoplifting spree at AJ Wright, was currently being pursued by the Troy police and had fled onto the college’s campus.

Buying books for college can be a considerable expense. Aside from the price tag, the first week of classes also features long waiting lines as many students rush to buy their books. The Viking’s Cove bookstore offers several services which can save the student the hassle of waiting in line, yet as accessible as the bookstore in the campus center is, it is not necessarily the most economical of options when comparing its prices to Amazon.com. Student Kyle Martens remarked, “It’s cheaper to buy on Amazon, but easier to buy here [HVCC bookstore].”