Check it out!

The Student Nutrition Access Center will be doing food demonstrations (including free samples!) on Wednesday April 13th at 6pm in the Aggie Village Kitchen. We will be focusing on Grains and will be offering more information about SNAC and the Nutrition Program. We want to focus especially on Married Students, but any student may attend. Best of all, it will be completely free.

The USU Student Organic Farm has CSA Shares Available!
Information Meeting April 18th at 6pm in the Agricultural Science building (AGSCI) room 317.
Veggies they will be growing this year:
May-June: spinach, lettuce, radishes, kale, chard, green onions, herbs, and snap peas
June-August: carrots, tomatoes, crookneck squash, zucchini, cucumbers, broccoli raab, beets, herbs, peppers, beans, Chinese cabbage, and kale.
August-September: winter squash, watermelon, tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, spinach, radishes, carrots, beets, herbs, potatoes, beans, kale, and corn.

Hope we see you there!

April MASA Gram

Dear MASA Residents,

The Residence Life staff has made every effort to keep the monthly MASA Gram short and sweet. However, this month the Gram is going to be a bit longer than usual to address some very important items.

First, I want to thank those residents who attended our Town Meetings on March 23 and 24 in the Lundstrom Center. Resident participation was much smaller than anticipated. The dates may not have been ideal, but I have also heard from some residents that there is a perception that Housing and other Utah State administrators do not truly value resident input. It saddens me to hear this, and I hope to challenge this perception with action. You will find the meeting notes from March 23 and 24 in this Gram with updates from me on what steps are being taken to address specific resident concerns.

Second, a list of Resident Handbook changes was proposed at the Town Meetings and included in contract renewal packets. There have only been a few questions so far, but I suspect more will come. My goal is to flesh out the Handbook changes and have them posted online and put into effect by the middle of May. I welcome resident feedback on these changes and will be holding a third town meeting on April 28 at 5pm in the Lundstrom Student Center. If you cannot attend this meeting and have questions or concerns, please contact me or your Resident Assistant before April 26.

It may be helpful for residents to understand my philosophy as the Area Coordinator for MASA. I believe strongly in maintaining a balance between order and comfort. I want residents to feel at home in our apartments, but I also expect everyone to recognize and be accountable for their impact on others. If you have not noticed already, most of our buildings are old, small, and poorly insulated. While Housing is working to address these weaknesses, it is up to me and the Resident Assistants to increase positive community interactions through programming and neighbor mediation. It is also up to us to decrease negative interactions by setting and enforcing policies that set appropriate boundaries but do not create walls between people. I am passionate about personal freedom, but our unique environment—university students living in close proximity to each other—requires that social responsibility be given equal consideration.

I am always striving to find the balance between personal freedom and social responsibility. I invite residents and staff members to challenge me if you ever feel I have lost sight of that balance.

Thank you for living on campus!

Shannon Jolley

797-3263

shannon.jolley@usu.edu

Proposed Resident Handbook Updates for MASA: 2011-2012

Please note that these updates may change based on resident and staff feedback.

Air Conditioners

Must be mounted on living side of apartment (not outside window)

Must meet energy guidelines established by Housing

Must be properly installed as established by Housing

Porch Storage Guidelines

Closet doors in Aggie Village must always be closed

No storage of items on laundry lines in Aggie Village

No storage of combustibles under stairs in West Stadium Villa

Thirty-six inches of access maintained in all entries and exits

Items allowed on porches will be limited as per Fire Marshal guidelines

Chest freezers allowed if plugged into a grounded outlet

Highly flammable items such as cardboard, clothing, and books are not allowed

Pets and Companion Animals

Companion animals must be approved in writing by the Director of the Disability Resource Center before they are

brought on campus.

Owners of companion animals must meet with the MASA Area Coordinator once a year to review contract guidelines

Child Supervision

Children under 5 must always be accompanied by an adult

Recommended that children 5-8 always be within an adult's hearing and visually checked on every 10-15 minutes

Grills and Propane Tanks

Grills may be stored on porches but can only be used 10 feet or more from any university building

Propane tanks must be 5 lbs or less; larger tanks will be confiscated

Coals and lighter fluid must be stored according to guidelines established by Housing and the Fire Marshal

Bicycle Registration

All bikes must be registered in the MASA area office

Unregistered bikes will be confiscated once a semester by the USU Police

Grounds

No personal gardens on University property

Gas meters must be kept clear of personal belongings; the ground around the meters cannot be used for planting

Bikes cannot be locked to trees

Planter boxes and pots must meet guidelines established by Housing

Types of planters and pots TBD

Allowable number of planters and pots TBD

Location of planters and pots TBD

Use of clamps and hooks for hanging plants TBD

Town Hall Meeting

March 23, 2011

Q. Why don’t we have assigned parking in MASA? Can assigned parking be developed in the west end of the Townhomes?A. No.  It is difficult to maintain assigned parking and it has not worked in the past. Lots of citations are given out when there is assigned parking and that makes everyone unhappy. Parking can look at allowing residents to purchase only one gray permit.  Residents with a second vehicle would then have to purchase an overflow permit (yellow). 

Follow-Up: Parking has called a meeting with Housing employees for April 6. We will be discussing F1 lot (just east of the laundrymat), the lack of spaces in the west end of the Townhouses, and parking options in the Mobile Home Park. Shannon will report on the results of this meeting at the April 28 town meeting and the May MASA Gram.

Q. Can you make it so that second vehicles that are not used are parked in the furthest parking stall available?A. No.  It is a definitely common courtesy to park the vehicle that is not being used further away but parking cannot enforce this.  Residents must purchase a parking permit for each vehicle that will be parked in our lots and this permit allows them to park anywhere in the lot. The community may choose to address this as a community courtesy issue.  All vehicles must be functional and registered.

Follow-Up: It would be very difficult for Parking to evaluate regular use of vehicles and enforce which spot they occupy. Shannon has made a note of this on her master calendar and will ask residents to be aware of this issue next winter in the MASA Gram. The RAs will also be asked to visit residents with unused cars to see if they are willing to move to different spots.

Q. Is the age for child supervision really five years old? Shouldn’t it be older? Can there be a different standard for West Stadium Villa Residents?A. In the past, the child supervision policy has not been clear.  It became necessary to define this policy further, including identifying a specific age, so that child supervision issues can be better enforced.  Of course each situation will be addressed on a case by case basis.  However, we do not want to be too restrictive.  We can look at modifying this policy for West Stadium Villa residents due to the amount of traffic throughout the community that creates a greater threat of harm to the children.

Follow-Up: We continue to get mixed feed-back on this issue. Some residents feel 5 years is too old for constant supervision and others feel it is too young to not be constantly supervised. Housing is concerned about setting different standards for each area since this can lead to confusion. We ask residents to send their feedback to Shannon Jolley or to attend the Town Meeting on April 28 to voice their opinion.

Q. Why are guidelines for porch storage changing?A. Actually the guidelines are not really changing. Unfortunately, these guidelines were allowed to go by the wayside for quite some time.  We are currently in violation of fire code.  Therefore, the Deputy Fire Marshal is working closely with Housing to help us come into compliance with fire code.  Shane Maughan, Deputy Fire Marshal, and Shannon Jolley, MASA Area Coordinator, will be working to identify exactly what will and will not be permitted on porches.  There will be a phasing in period that will extend over a couple of months so that residents have time to figure things out.  Please understand that because these buildings are state owned that we are bound by stricter fire codes.

Residents who have storage closets with doors on the porch may continue to use this closet for storage as long as the door is kept closed at all times.  Residents in the Townhomes and West Stadium Villa will have different standards than Aggie Village residents.   Blue Cache is currently working on a securing a deal with a local off-campus storage group so that residents who need additional storage space may rent a storage unit at a reduced rate. 

Motorized vehicles have never been permitted on porches.  This is per fire code AND is a housing policy.

Follow-Up: The Deputy Fire Marshal, Housing, and Risk Management will be meeting on April 11 to clarify what items absolutely cannot be stored on porches. Because our porches in MASA do not have sprinklers or outdoor fire alarms, we are held to different standards. It would be very costly to install sprinklers so we are looking at different solutions. Residents in all of MASA should prepare to remove some items from their porches, specifically cardboard, clothing, books, and food. Other items such as strollers, toys, plastic totes, etc. are still being discussed.

Q. Is there anything that can be used to child proof our apartments?A. Laynette from Facilities has identified a specific child proof kit that will be permitted.  It is called “Dream Baby Safety Kit” and is available at Walmart.  This kit will be installed in the model apartment and a kit will be kept in the office so that residents may see what is included in the kit.  Also, door chains are available upon request (if you don’t have one) for free!

Follow-Up: We now have two kits in our area office for residents to reference. A kit has also been installed in our show apartment if anyone wants to see how the kit is used.

Q. Is Facilities still doing the faux paint?A. The faux paint is currently on hold for now. 

Follow-Up: Housing Facilities has discovered that the faux painting does not last well over time. We are encountering some problems with peeling. We are looking into the long-term costs of painting all apartments with colored paint and will create a plan from there. Anyone currently on the faux painting waitlist will be contacted by the end of April with an update from our Facilities department.

Q. There is a parking spot (near building 21) that blocks the sidewalk and prevents medical vehicles from accessing the sidewalk in an emergency.  Can this parking spot be removed?A. This will be looked at by parking.

Q. What is the policy for snow removal on weekends and holidays?A.  Snow removal on sidewalks begins at 4:30 am (including holidays and weekends).  It is Facilities’ policy that snow be cleared from the sidewalks within 24 hours.  Snow removal in parking lots begins at 3:00 am (including weekends and holidays).  Snow removal crews are dispatched by USU police.  Ice melt and snow shovels are available to residents! Please see your RA or go to the MASA Office. If snow removal or ice melt/sand is needed in a specific area then you may also call Facilities (sidewalks) or Parking (lots). 

Follow-Up: Shannon has also added this issue to her master calendar and will work with the RAs to more

quickly report areas that are not being cleared as they should. We will look at developing a reporting system that notes dates, times, and locations so we can see if a pattern develops that can be addressed by more staff, different procedures, etc.

Q. Is there a chance of us getting covered parking?A. How much do you want to pay for a permit? If covered parking was constructed the rate of your parking permit would go from $42/year to somewhere between $500-$600/year.  Costs would also accrue for damage to the structure by moving trucks, etc. 

Q. Is there a possibility of taking out the green space and playground and putting in a parking lot in its place to make parking more convenient for all residents?A. Not at this time.  Parking receives state funding for one parking area each year.  MASA received that money this year for the lot just outside AV 2 and AV 37-29.  MASA is receiving the lion share of state money at this time.

Q. Will crews be out raking soon?A. There is currently no extra personnel for raking yet.

Follow-Up: Shannon and the RAs will look at organizing several spring cleaning programs for MASA so residents can get involved in making their area a place of pride.

Please note: If you are not satisfied with the answers provided here or have additional questions you want answered, please attend our town meeting at 5pm on Wednesday, April 28 in the Lundstrom Conference Center. You may also email shannon.jolley@usu.edu.

Keep in mind that Shannon is only human despite her attempts to develop superpowers. J

MASA Calendar

Easter Egg Hunt • April 23rd • 10 am • Aggie Village Field Town Meeting • April 28th • 5 pm • Lundstrom Building

MASA Yard Sale • May 14th • 8 am • Aggie Village

International Fair • June • More information to come in next month’s MASA Gram! Are you crafty (as in able to make stuff that people want)? Want to make some money? Get ready for MASA’s International Fair! If you have questions now, contact Sheris Patten at sheris.rhythm@yahoo.com.