Open Mic keeps live music alive

Open Mic keeps live music alive

Tempegov: Tempe City Hall, Transportation Center and others win architecture awards http://www.tempe.gov/go/~s05 #tempe

Tempegov: Tempe City Hall, Transportation Center and others win architecture awards http://www.tempe.gov/go/~s05 #tempe: "Tempegov: Tempe City Hall, Transportation Center and others win architecture awards http://www.tempe.gov/go/~s05 #tempe"

Tempe Green Street Party

Tempe Green Street Party: "Downtown Tempe - Streets of Mill Avenue District The city of Tempe welcomes the 2009 Greenbuild International Conference & Expo attendees. Roll into downtown Tempe on the new light rail to experience Tempe’s urban green scene. Green Street Tempe is a free event for the true eco-enthusiast. Please join us and celebrate being green in Tempe. Below is a list of activities planned. Please check back often as additional activities are developing. Visit our website periodically for more updates."

What Are These Weird People Doing In the Arizona Desert? [Vehicles]

What Are These Weird People Doing In the Arizona Desert? [Vehicles]: "

Who are these guys and what the heck are they doing driving alien-looking vehicles in the middle of the Arizona desert? I can tell you two things: One, looking at the cool gallery, I wish I was one of them.

And two, I hope the fridges on their backs are full of cold beer.

These guys are NASA's Desert RATS, a team dedicated to test space vehicles like the Lunar Electric Rover or the Chariot, which will move astronauts across the Moon and Mars' terrains in the Constellation missions. They are now in the Arizona desert demonstrating the feasibility of the vehicles and the future astronauts' Extra-Vehicular Activities.

One of the many things they are testing is what you can see in the photo above: Suit Ports. The suit ports are located on the Lunar Electric Rover's aft. The are designed to let astronauts get in and out their suits very quickly, using a rear-entry hatch. They are equipped with alignment guides and electromagnetic mechanisms to lock and unlock to the hatch, so astronauts only have to get in, unlock, go do their thing, and then just lock to the LER again, and get out of the suit as quickly as they got in. Neat. [NASA]

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Crow: ‘We’ve weathered the storm’

Crow: ‘We’ve weathered the storm’: "Derek Quizon



Friday, September 11, 2009
ASU President Michael Crow said the University has endured the worst of a recession and state funding cuts, but needs to find new sources of revenue before stimulus funding runs out in two years.

ASU President Michael Crow said the University has endured the worst of a recession and state funding cuts, but needs to find new sources of revenue before stimulus funding runs out in two years.

Smaller cuts in state funding, economic stimulus money and the tuition surcharge have allowed the University to avoid furloughs and layoffs this academic year, Crow said in an interview with The State Press editorial board.

“We don’t anticipate any furloughs [and] we don’t anticipate any additional layoffs,” he said. “We’ve weathered the storm.”

Crow added, however, that the surcharge is “highly likely” to be renewed next year because of the cuts the University has received in state funding.

“The elimination of the tuition surcharge without a replacement revenue source would be the same as a budget reduction,” Crow said.

The University will also be working to bring in revenue to replace the stimulus funding, set to expire in two years, Crow said.

To do this, the University in 2011 would need the equivalent of $1,400 per student in additional revenue, he said. That money could come from the state, increases in tuition or increases in student retention, Crow said, but he does not want to cover the shortfall with further spending cuts.

“We can’t cut our way to success,” Crow said. “We’ve already cut $50 million from the base budget of the institution.”

Arizona Students’ Association spokeswoman Christina Rocks said she was disappointed by Crow’s assertion that the tuition surcharge would more than likely be renewed.

“It was meant to be a one-time charge to students,” Rocks said. “I don’t think it’s appropriate to have a surcharge while we are receiving stimulus money.”

Undergraduate Student Government President Brendan O’Kelly, who is also a member of the ASA governing board, said he wants the administration to include students more in the decision-making process. This would mean more open forums between the administration and students discussing the possibility of increased tuition, fees or surcharges.

“I feel like it’s just President Crow and a few student leaders right now,” O’Kelly said. “We want to make sure students are actively involved in any conversations to increase tuition, whether it’s through a general increase or a surcharge.”

O’Kelly added that USG would work closely with the administration to advocate for other sources of revenue going into the University, reducing the need for increases in tuition and fees.

“Right now, a portion of the tobacco tax goes to K-12 education,” he said. “It’d be great to see a portion of another tax go directly to higher education,” he said.

Rocks said the rising cost of attending ASU violates the spirit of state law, which mandates that higher education be “as nearly free as possible” for in-state students.

“The cost of attendance is just too high,” Rocks said. “It’s just not in line with our state constitution.”

Reach the reporter at derek.quizon@asu.edu.

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Valley’s first indoor, secure bicycle parking facility to open Aug. 24.

Valley’s first indoor, secure bicycle parking facility to open Aug. 24.: "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 10, 2009

Contact:
Tanya Chavez
Community Outreach/Marketing Coordinator
480-858-2215
tanya_chavez@tempe.gov



Valley’s first indoor, secure bicycle parking facility to open Aug. 24.

TEMPE, Ariz. – The first facility of its kind in Arizona, The Bicycle Cellar is a full service bicycle shop that will offer secure bicycle parking and related services to make cyclists’ lives easier. Services include repairs, equipment and accessory sales, bicycle advice and education, bicycle rentals and restrooms and changing rooms. The Bicycle Cellar will offer daily, weekly, monthly and yearly membership plans. Members will have access to the facility from 4 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week.

Located adjacent to Arizona State University and Mill Avenue District, The Bicycle Cellar will be in the heart of an area with the highest percentage of bicycle commuters in the state of Arizona. The Bicycle Cellar is an integral element of the Tempe Transportation Center, which provides connections to the METRO light rail, bus routes, popular bikeway corridors and trail linkages to Hayden Butte. Approximately 2,000 square feet of the Transportation Center will be dedicated for bike parking and related services.

The Tempe Transportation Center and The Bicycle Cellar are one of the first Leaders in Environmental Excellence and Design (LEED) certified “green” and sustainable municipal buildings in Tempe. The Bicycle Cellar is an integral part of Tempe’s mission, which is to promote a multi-modal transportation system and to construct transportation-related facilities that reduce air pollution and conserve water and energy.

For more information about The Bicycle Cellar, please visit www.thebicyclecellar.com or call John Romero at 602-312-5136. Visit www.tempe.gov/tim for more information about the Tempe bike program.

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