The first time Kristen Cinar and Kathleen Maxheimer rowed in the Roth Regatta, they did not expect the S.S. Melville to survive the brackish waters of Roth Pond.

But survive it did – dry to the touch and intact, it squats by the entrance of Melville Library’s Central Reading Room, welcoming students to “Take a book, Leave a book”.

Now, it’s a point of pride and color in an otherwise drab room. What is the first University Library boat made for the Roth Regatta in 2012 is done in brilliant blocks of oranges, blues and purples. They morph into caricatures of paperback novels on closer inspection, as the names of J.K.Rowling, James Patterson and Anne Rice line the side of the cardboard structure. Dewey decimal numbers accompany each facsimile in white.

Their real life counterparts nestle next to each other inside, with a white cardboard flag waving above them. “Get Your Read On!” it says, urging students to peruse the free offerings of the former S.S.Melville.

“We got second place in the speedster division,” Cinar says. The manager of the Central Reading Room, she is one of the brains behind the conversion of boat to bookshelf, as well as a rower in the 2012 Roth Regatta. “We were really just surprised to place at all. We were imagining just – just making it through one heat. But then we did it. We ended up doing well.”

The S.S.Melville sits at the Central Reading Room at Stony Brook University. It serves as the foci for the library’s “Take a Book, Leave a Book” program. (Nina Lin / THE STATESMAN)

So well that a second boat already sits in the library’s break room. Its base is laid with fresh strips of duct tape; unopened cans of paint lean on a corner next to carpet tubes and empty boxes. Over the next couple hours, the skeleton of the second boat transforms into a waterproof vessel that will hopefully propel its participants across Roth Pond and into first place.

The volunteers that surround the second boat do not have the pudge of youth in their cheeks. Unlike typical Regatta participants, they are not college co-eds ekeing out time between classes and study sessions for a bit of hands-on fun. They are all full time staff for Stony Brook University, hired to keep the university’s library system running for its patrons.

They work on their boat during breaks and weekends. Most steal an hour here and there, cutting and stripping and painting as much as they can during lunch breaks.

But no one complains as they smooth red lines down the side of the boat with pencil-thin paint brushes or saw at tubes with a small Swiss army knife.

“Today’s Saturday,” Maxheimer says briskly. “We don’t normally come in on a Saturday.”

As an administrative assistant with the library’s Research and Instruction Services department, Maxheimer has as much time as any other full-time staffer at the library. That is to say, not much. “We [build the boat] on our lunch hours and a couple of people have stayed after work a couple times to do it,” she says. “But, you know, everybody pitches in and works as much as they can on it.”

According to Kenneth “Ken” Doyle, the assistant head of circulation for Credentials, Billing and Photocopy, this was only the second year library staff has participated in the regatta – despite the library having been a fixture at Stony Brook since the university’s conception.

He, along with Donna Sammis of Interlibrary Loans, replaces Cinar and Maxheimer as this year’s pilots. “We kind of have fun doing things,” he says. “It’s a great thing and a great presence for the library to be at these events.”

He gestures at the boat taking shape behind him on a table, its sides now painted white. “The theme is ‘America’, so we’re trying to incorporate a hot dog as a favorite food,” he says, laughing. “That’s what our boat’s going to look like, hopefully. Once we’re through.”

Cinar skips by the side of the boat, wearing a black tricorn hat. According to Doyle, one of the ideas before it was scrapped had been Washington crossing the Delaware River – an ironic historic representation of an American themed event.

This was not the first event that put the library staff in contact with the student body. As an unofficial library outreach coordinator, Maxheimer was particularly concerned with the library’s integration with the campus mainstream.

“In the past two years we’ve tried to figure out different ways to become more present in the student population and bring more students into the library,” she says. “There’s many resources that the library has that, until the student knows about them and understands how to access them, really, it’s not very beneficial.”

Placing second in an event meant for students had been, for Maxheimer, a huge step in that direction.

“As far as students go, they saw that the library was part of the campus community,” Cinar says. “They recognized us as more of a presence on the campus to begin because we got involved in a thing that might’ve been more of a student thing to begin with.”

Already, the library has been a large part of events thrown by student clubs and organizations. The Ultimate Frisbee club could be seen passing out their signature toy with the library’s logos stamped onto it in red as Stony Brook Compliments launches a new project, “Leave Love SBU”, in the library’s lobby.

But more than gaining campus recognition, some staffers are in it for the fun.

“My husband and I used to go [paddling] with friends on the Delaware River. We would go 15 miles a day,” said Donna Sammis, the second pilot in this year’s Roth Regatta. “I enjoyed pushing last year and watching my colleagues go down the pond. Especially in the first heat- that was amazing.”

Sammis, along with Doyle, Maxheimer and Cinar, was part of the team that worked on the S.S.Melville the year before. Now they, along with the rest of the Ketchup to Our Wiener crew, will either stand along the shores of Roth Pond or row towards the finish line as they compete against this year’s speedsters.

“Even if we don’t win, it’s still a lot of fun. You get out, there’s students, you get to enjoy the day,” Maxheimer says. “So, do I think we’ll do it again? I certainly hope so.”

According to a league source, Stony Brook’s former star running back Miguel Maysonet was picked up by the Cleveland Browns after being released from the Philadelphia Eagles yesterday. (FRANK POSILLICO/ THE STATESMAN)

Just one day after being released by the Philadelphia Eagles, former Seawolf running back Miguel Maysonet has signed with the Cleveland Browns as per a league source.

Maysonet signed with the Eagles after the NFL draft as a priority free agent, receiving a $10,000 signing bonus. An NFL ruling prohibits college seniors from participating in workouts until they graduate so, since Stony Brook does not graduate until Friday, May 24, he was unable to participate in Organized Team Activities (OTAs). He did, however, participate in the rookie camp earlier this month.

In Cleveland, Maysonet will compete with Montario Hardesty, Chris Ogbonnaya, Brandon Jackson and Dion Lewis for a backup spot behind featured back Trent Richardson.

The 23-year-old running back had one of the greatest seasons in FCS history with 1,964 yards and 21 touchdowns.

University students have plenty of off-campus dining options in the Stony Brook area- but they are not all alike when it comes to health and safety conditions.

The J and R Steakhouse received a clean bill of health when SuffolkCounty health inspectors visited in January 2012.

But at Bagels “N” A Hole Lot More, a deli on Nesconset Highway, they found rat burrows right outside the kitchen door, rotted refrigerator floors, lukewarm cream cheese and fish that needed to be thrown out.

At Domino’s Pizza, they saw little of concern other than missing calorie counts on the takeout menus.

The historic 303-year-old Country House Restaurant on Main Street, 20 gallons of chicken stock was tossed out after inspectors took its temperature and determined it had not been safely cooled.

The range of violations seen on inspections in the Stony Brook area are “typical of food establishment inspections conducted in Suffolk,” according to Grace Kelly-McGovern, the public relations officer for the Suffolk County Department of Health Services.

Common violations include food kept below or above safe temperatures, letting food cool down or heat up too slowly, cross-contamination or food touching other food, missing consumer menu advisories and incorrect use of disposable gloves.

But the food-service establishment that is in the biggest trouble is undoubtedly Bagels “N” A Hole Lot More. With 38 violations discovered during its most recent inspection, obtained from the county under the state’s Freedom of Information Law, the deli faces significant fines from the county because of its repeated “critical” safety violations that pose an immediate threat to their customers’ health.

The critical violations include failure to keep several types of food at safe temperatures.

On November 27, 2012, inspectors forced Bagels “N” A Hole Lot More to throw out the entire contents of a self-service refrigerator and 9 pounds of smoked fish, as well as raw eggs, cream cheese, barbecued chicken breasts, beef patties, fruit salad, and five slices of coconut custard cake – all because they had been held at unsafe temperatures, in some cases for several hours.

A spokeswoman for the county health department said such steps were necessary to protect the public health.

“The responsibility for correcting violations lies with the operators of the establishments,” Kelly-McGovern said.

In the worst case, Bagels “N” A Hole Lot More’s permit could be suspended and if the violations are not addressed, the manager could be fined or imprisoned.

Currently, the county’s inspection website lists Bagels “N” A Hole Lot More as being under “pending litigation.”

Kelly-McGovern explained that this means that the acting manager is required to meet with the agency to discuss the violations and financial consequences. Each of the 37 violations found at the deli is subject to a civil penalty of up to $1,000.

In addition to temperature problems, inspectors found plenty of what they called “accumulated grime/filth” throughout the areas where food was stored and prepared at Bagels “N” A Hole Lot More.

“All ceiling tiles in the kitchen were stained brown, and peeling,
according to the report. “The walls in the kitchen were stained yellow and brown.” The walls behind the sinks were stained black, too, and “in all three walk-in units were noted with accumulated food debris and grime.”

Alfonso Marzullo, the manager of Bagels “N” A Hole Lot More, has worked in the Stony Brook location for eight years.

“The laws are there to protect you guys, and they’re good laws, but then they’ll have stupid laws. Once a tomato is cut it has to be refrigerated. Think about how stupid that is,” Marzullo said.

When asked about refrigeration and temperature requirements, Marzullo said, “On certain foods it [temperature requirement] really doesn’t affect it that much, because in a busy deli, like ourselves, the doors are opened and closed all day long. So what happens is, the mayonnaise, for instance, on our tuna fish will change colors.”

According to the Department of Health Services, inspectors usually examine a food establishment once a year, but establishments that have repeated violations may expect a high frequency of inspections and fine.

A facility with 75 or more violations may be subject to closure, but Kelly-McGovern said this has not happened in recent memory.

Marzullo’s establishment has been running under an expired certificate since July 23, 2011. When the violations and certificate expirations were explained to patron Chris Taglia, he stopped smiling and looked down at his plate. “It’s not something I think of all the time, but I should. Eat and be wary, I guess.”

When questioned about vermin violation in which rat burrows were observed in the outdoor grass vicinity of the establishment, along with a hole in the door large enough for a rat to crawl through. However, Marzullo said that it is an “external issue and it is hard to control everything,” maintain the food and serve the customers all while staying in business.

“They don’t want you to operate, they want you to become a technician and a documenter,” Marzullo said.

Hoshi Sushi was another place in Stony Brook area with violations in their report. In a health inspection that was done in March 2012, inspectors found raw chicken stored on top of ready-to-eat avocados and sauces, saw a chef cutting ready-to-eat sushi rolls on the same board where he had just sliced saw fish; and watched a chef set aside a pair of single-use gloves for reuse.

Hoshi Sushi was also required to throw out an entire container of hard shell clams that wasn’t properly tagged. According to the sanitary code, any container of shellfish must have an identifying tag attached, which must remain on the container until all shellfish in the container are sold.

Kelly-McGovern said that tags are very important for tracing the source of shellfish in the event of an illness.

Hoshi Sushi’s manager, Kai Liu, said that the restaurant takes extra precautions regarding shellfish allergies.

Inspectors also found, “accumulated grime/filth” above the stove, on the refrigerator, inside the oven, and on the kitchen wall and floor; no paper towels at two hand-washing sinks; and while they found no clear evidence to support a complaint of rats around Hoshi Sushi’s back door, they did find “several dead roaches” on the floor inside.

The owner and manager of Country House Restaurant, Robert Willemstyn, has worked for over 30 years in the elegantly furnished historic house on North Country Road in Stony Brook. He said his violations are minor, and that some health department rules are difficult for even a conscientious restaurateur to follow.

“Everything has to be heated at 140 [degrees Fahrenheit]. They want food to be heated or chilled faster. It can only be humanly done so fast,” Willemstyn said.

The restaurant also houses a fully stocked bar, equipped with an antique cash register that matches the old-fashioned décor. But according to the health report, white wine was stored in a “soiled, decaying cardboard box held together with electrical tape,” which, according to code, risks contamination from the spout, into customers’ drinks.

“The inspectors don’t bother us, because we do everything right and have only minor violations,” Willemstyn said. “They really look for people like Chinese restaurants, the delis, fast-food places. Places where they don’t have trained chefs and kids work there.”

Under New York law, local municipalities, such as Suffolk County, must use either the sanitary code adopted by the state, or may adopt their own code, which must be at least as strict as the state code.

According to Kelly-McGovern, Suffolk County’s sanitary code is more comprehensive than the state code, thus “stricter.”

At Hoshi Sushi, manage Kai Liu said there had not been any inspections since he started on the job two months earlier and he hasn’t seen the report. “Do you mind (if) I keep a copy of this form, and let our owner know of this situation?” he asked.

Country House’s Willemstyn was even more startled. “You have my health inspection?… How did you get that?” he asked. “I didn’t know people could get my health inspections or put it online. It’s kinda personal stuff.”

Newer buildings on campus, like C.N. Yang Hall in Roosevelt Quad, are constructed with new and environmentally friendly attributes and are LEED certified. (RYAN MUI/ THE STATESMAN)

Stony Brook University recycled the most e-waste out of all the U.S. colleges and universities in RecycleMania and for a fourth consecutive year earned a spot in the Princeton Review’s Guide to 322 Green Colleges.

This year, Stony Brook’s focus during RecycleMania was e-waste, or discarded electronics/ electrical parts like computers, printers, toner/ink cartridges, cell phones, CDs and more.

Over the eight-week period, through pickup services and increased awareness, the university recycled 120,302 pounds of e-waste. This tripled last year’s amount and was enough to beat second place winner, Purdue University, by more than 5,000 pounds.

When it came to the “Gorilla” category, which ranks colleges and universities based on the amount of recycled bottles, cans, cardboard and paper, Stony Brook beat all of the other SUNY schools for the second consecutive year. The university also placed 22nd out of 365 in this category by recycling 526,733 pounds of material.

“We are very proud of our University community, including our Department of Recycling and Resource Management and Division of Information Technology staff, who came together and highlighted our commitment to ‘live’ sustainably,” said James O’Connor, director of Sustainability and Transportation Operations. “Through help from students, faculty and staff, we were able to continue our recycling success and minimize our environmental impact.”

An impact that through this year’s RecycleMania alone was able to reduce greenhouse gases by the C02 equivalent of 982 metrics tons, which is the same as removing 192 cars from the road or the amount of energy consumed by 85 households.

“I think that’s pretty cool,” said Claire Morrison, a senior psychology major. “Stony Brook is a pretty green school compared to others. They definitely have minimized waste this semester. I could see that with how they just switched from cardboard boxes to plates in the dining halls.”

These results from RecycleMania and what the university does regularly are what make it a “green college.” According to Princeton Review, they look for colleges that “demonstrate a strong commitment to sustainability in their academic offerings, campus infrastructure, activities and career preparation.”

At Stony Brook, green is in mind when the university constructs new buildings. Now, all new buildings are designed with new green attributes like the Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center, which is located on the Stony Brook Research Park. This infrastructure has helped recognize the university as a green school due to it being the first building in New York State to have a leadership in energy and environmental design (LEED) platinum rating.

Coupled with this, Stony Brook is part of a program called the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), which implements energy conservation projects and funds projects through the money saved on the utility bill. NYSERDA saves the university approximately $300,000 per month.

And while most people do not know about all the technical green attributes and money saving programs, most are aware of the compact garbage cans, made by BigBelly Solar, throughout campus.

These cans compact approximately four to five garbage cans worth of waste into one and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80 percent, according to the BigBelly Solar website.

“I think it is a good thing that the university is going green,” said Ian Donnelly, sophomore biology major. “One of the environmental friendly things that I have seen on campus was the trash compactors. I think they are great.”

Besides how environmentally friendly the campus is, students have the option to go green with their careers.

In 1967 the university signed the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment and created an Environmental Stewardship department, which helped to develop the environmental career choices offered today.

This is also why “The Princeton Review” says “Stony Brook University has a long history of green awareness.”

Now, Stony Brook offers bachelor’s degrees in everything from marine science to environmental humanities. These degrees, according to the public relations office, are “instrumental in equipping and training the next generation of green leaders.”

So while RecycleMania may be over until Feb. 2 of next year, Stony Brook will continue with its environmentally friendly initiatives as a green college and hope to continue its success next year in the competition.

“This year was an exciting time to compete in RecycleMania, thanks in large part to the friendly, competitive nature of many members of our University community, who not only wanted to see our great University place well in national standings, but also to make a difference for the environment,” said Michael Youdelman, Manager of Recycling and Resource Management at Stony Brook. “We truly knocked it out of the park with this year’s recycling initiatives.”

Stony Brook Compliments founder Daniel Ahmadizadeh, a junior business major, decided to organize “Hands Across Campus” after a student posted an old black-and-white picture of Stony Brook students holding hands and creating a chain around campus.

Ahmadizadeh was inspired by the overwhelming positive reception of the photo and decided to hold the same event on the 15th anniversary of Diversity Day.

He also wanted it to hold a special purpose to the campus, so it became a response to President Samuel Stanley’s e-mail in support of the immigration reform.

“As an immigrant,” said Ahmadizadeh, who is Iranian but was born in France, “that e-mail really resonated with me.”

Despite competition for turnouts with Stony Brook’s annual Strawberry Fest and other events happening that same day, the event started out with about 10 participants, including Stony Brook’s mascot, Wolfie, meeting at the Academic Mall. They held hands and walked across campus, encouraging the startled and curious Strawberry Fest-goers to hold hands and support diversity and the immigration reform.

The line ended with 20 people forming a large circle around the fountain in the Academic Mall, including a few passers-by. Ahmadizadeh went on to talk about the importance of diversity and acceptance, especially in a diverse campus such as Stony Brook, where many of the students are either exchange students or from first-generation immigrant families.

Freshman Adrienne Esposito, a business major, didn’t even know that “Hands Across Campus,” but joined in anyway.

“I think it’s a great message, honestly,” she said.

Freshman biomedical engineering major Abdoullah Kabbaj was one of the few who specifically came for the event. Kabbaj is an international student from Morocco and “appreciate[s] the diversity” that Stony Brook has and the message “Hands Across Campus” is promoting.

“I feel like a part of the campus,” he said.

Biochemistry and economics major Garima Yadav, also a freshman, attended “Hands Across Campus” in traditional Indian clothing. She described the event as “a good way to promote the cause of just accepting everyone and knowing the different cultures around [Stony Brook].”

“I wish a lot more people joined in,” she said. “A lot more people should be aware of how diverse this campus is.”

Despite competing with strawberries and various performances, Ahmadizadeh was satisfied with the participation in “Hands Across Campus.”

“I think that [the message] was incredibly strong,” he said.

Meanwhile, inside the Frank Melville Jr. Library, senior psychology major Claire Morrison was encouraging students to write positive and inspiring messages on pieces of paper with bright colored Sharpies.

“Leave Love SBU” was born from Morrison’s experience studying in the Humanities building, where she noticed the students looked sad and tired during most days. So when no one was around, she would write inspiring quotes and messages on the whiteboard for other students to find.

Soon enough, people began to respond with their own messages. She used to post pictures of her messages, post them on Instagram with the caption saying, “Leaving more love in the Humanities Lounge.”

When she posted some of these pictures on the Stony Brook Compliments Facebook page. Ahmadizadeh contacted her saying, “Would you believe me if I tell you that I thought of doing something like this?”

“Leave Love SBU’s” purpose is to spread love and inspiration.

“Be inspired. Be inspiring,” was one of the quotes Morrison left for other students to find.

“It’s in the spirit of SBU Compliments to kind of spread love,” she said. “To leave love.”

And that is exactly what they did.

CAPS and CPO provide free and anonymous services for anyone that has been harassed or assaulted.(LOUISE BADOCHE / THE STATESMAN)

There are some vices that some college campuses may never be able to rid themselves of—underage drinking, the use of recreational drugs and rowdy parties fall under that category, just to name a few.

As of recently, however, sexual harassment is one that some college campuses across the country are struggling with the most.

Last Thursday, Swarthmore and Occidental Colleges were put on an unfortunately long list of universities and institutions that have been accused of wrongly treating students who are victims of sexual harassment and assault.

Although the reports have not been made available to the public, the complaints made against these colleges are primarily about how the institutions tried to cover up sexual harassment and assault cases.

What is perhaps worst of all is the harsh treatment that victims have faced from officials, who students from these listed colleges claim are not caring or trying enough to help the cause.

Prominent institutions such as Amherst, Yale and the University of North Carolina have even landed themselves spots on this blacklist.

According to National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s national data, it’s estimated that 25 percent of women and 15 percent of men are victims of sexual harassment and assault on college campuses.

Christine Szaraz, a counselor at the Center for Prevention and Outreach located at the Student Union,  explained Title IX, a public law enforced at universities including Stony Brook, that is used to address and subsequently deal with sexual harassment and assault on campus.

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs or activities.

Therefore, sexual harassment of students, including acts of sexual violence, is a form of sex discrimination that is protected under Title IX.

“In plainer terms, Title IX means that universities are required to take steps to prevent sexual violence, and to address it when and if it does occur,” Szaraz said.

So what is Stony Brook University’s strongest defense for dealing with these sexually based crimes?

The Center for Prevention and Outreach, also known as CPO, was created on campus in 2008, specifically for sexual harassment and assault victims.

Counselors such as Szaraz noted that the services offered at CPO have greatly impacted the safety and success of students on campus.

“Stony Brook University follows the best practices for sexual violence prevention on college and university campuses as recommended by organizations like the American College Health Association, which include identifying social norms that support sexual violence, strengthening sense of community, targeting entire community, and the use peer educators in prevention efforts,” Szaraz explained.

Szaraz, who graduated from Stony Brook with a BA in anthropology in 2003, started working for CPO in 2008 and said that the institution is at the forefront of sexual harassment prevention and education efforts on campus.

“CPO also works very closely with peer educators and student groups on campus to educate and raise awareness, including the student organization SEASA (Students Empowered Against Sexual Assault),” she said.

Although there is no concrete method to ever eliminate sexual harassment and assault on college campuses, education is perhaps the most powerful weapon that leads to preventative measures, and Szaraz emphasizes this concept through her own experiences throughout her academic career.

“When I was a student, I don’t recall the topic of sexual violence ever coming up in an orientation session or wellness workshop,” she said.

“Now, we discuss facts, statistics and resources with new students right away during their orientation weekend, and subsequently during their 101 intro courses, as well as providing ongoing workshops open to the entire campus community, with clubs, organizations and classes looking to explore the issue of rape, sexual assault, and other forms of sexual violence.”

Students living on the Stony Brook campus generally feel that sexual harassment and assault do not a possess a significant presence in the dorms, but agree that for any college, it’s impossible to be virtually free of such a thing.

23-year-old senior Jana Larsen, who majors in biology, acknowledges this concept.

“For the most part, campus is a safe place,” Larsen said. “But you can’t always control the actions of other people.”

While many prominent universities across the nation are gaining negative attention for their lack of action towards sexual harassment and assault, Stony Brook University remains well-prepared for such incidents, with on-campus services including CPO and Counseling and Psychological Services, while University Police and the Stony Brook Hospital are always on standby.

Brookhaven Science Associates (BSA), a limited liability corporation formed to operate the lab as a 50-50 partnership between the Research Foundation for SUNY and the non-profit research foundation Battelle Memorial Institute, has held the contract since 1998.

“Brookhaven Science Associates will enthusiastically and aggressively compete for the Brookhaven Lab contract,” Ronald D. Townsend, chair of the BSA board, said in a press release following the announcement.

BSA’s current contract will expire on Jan. 4, 2015. It is not clear if any other organizations will bid on the new contract.

Stony Brook is the largest academic user of BNL, with more than 600 faculty and students carrying out research there.

The university runs a shuttle service to the lab, and Brookhaven, in addition to providing critical research facilities to the university, offers almost $50,000 in scholarships to Stony Brook students.

Before Brookhaven Science Associates, the lab was operated by Associated Universities Incorporated, sponsored by nine northeastern universities including MIT, Harvard and Yale.

It lost the contract in 1998, however, after a tritium leak that contaminated groundwater.

In a press release, the Department of Energy said, “Competition allows DOE to elicit new and innovative approaches for planning BNL’s future.”

BNL is one of 10 laboratories funded by the Department of Energy Office of Science.

It employs more than 3,000 and has an annual budget of more than $700 million.

The new building next to the library will be named Frey Hall and will open for classes in the fall. (FRANCES YU/THE STATESMAN)

Some setbacks have delayed the completion of certain construction projects on campus, such as Kelly Dining, which between its delayed opening and a major leak in the roof, seems to be a point of contention among students.

Kelly Dining was forced to shut down while a temporary membrane was installed after winter storm Nemo dumped more than 30 inches of snow on Stony Brook, causing “extensive ceiling leaks in customer areas.” Kelly Dining reopened on March 11 and took three weeks to repair.

Media Relations Manager James Montalto offered an explanation for the delays.

“West Side Dining, formerly Kelly Dining, is scheduled to open for the upcoming fall semester,” said Montalto. “At the time the construction contract was awarded, the contractor provided an ambitious timeline that was not fulfilled.”

“It’s definitely an inconvenience,” said junior Kacy Schounott, a math major at Stony Brook University. “They’ve been working on it for a while now and shouldn’t keep pushing it back.”

According to the FSA website, the new West Side facilities will offer an “eclectic coffee house in the center of residential activity” that also boasts Wi-Fi service and a barbeque station, named “Bob’s BBQ” in honor of retired Chemistry Professor Bob Kerber’s advocacy in advancing FSA facilities, services and programs including the renovation of the building.

There will also be stations offering rotisserie chicken and homestyle ethnic entrees, deli sandwiches, Eastern cuisine, salad, pizza and paninis.

The Hilton Garden Inn located by the main entrance of campus had its grand opening in February, and shot up in comparison to other projects that were started before.

“What I want to know is why the Hilton was opened before Kelly Dining or the pool,” said Matthew Roberts, 21, a political science major at Stony Brook University, “They should take priority on the projects that will affect students the most.”

In addition to Kelly Dining, the Old Chemistry building, which will be known as “Frey Hall,” is undergoing renovations and should be completed by the summer, and a new state-of-the-art Marine Science center is set to open on the Southampton campus during the fall 2013.

Construction of the new Computer Science building is well underway with a projected completion of fall 2014, and the Stony Brook Arena is scheduled to be completed during that same semester.

The high temperature hot water lines project, which involves the replacement of all direct buried high temperature hot water piping, will be completed by summer 2013 according to Montalto.

The first phase of the high voltage feeders project will be completed by fall 2015.

A $1.4 million grant from the National Science Foundation funds the Reality Deck. (FRANK POSILLICO/ THE STATESMAN)

Stony Brook is home to a new reality: the Reality Deck, a room about half the size of a basketball court whose walls are plastered with 416 Samsung LCD monitors. When they’re all turned on and showing one image, the monitors surround the viewer in a near realistic experience.

Charilaos Papadopoulos is a PhD candidate who works with the Reality Deck and was one of the few who helped build it. Papadopoulos, along with Kal Petkov, is one of only two graduate students who work with Arie Kaufman, the head of the project and chair of the computer science department.

“The fact that this is an immersive display is something that doesn’t exist in the word at this resolution,” Papadopoulos said.

This reality deck is the only one of its kind—at least for the next few years.

The room, which measures 33-by-19-by-10 feet, holds a 1.5 billion-pixel display that matches the resolution of the human eye. The 416 screens each measure 27 inches with a resolution of 2560 by 1440, a resolution better than that of a home theater display.

Each screen is customized and connected to a computer in the back room. The 24 displays—more than other facilities of the same purpose have—are connected to a single computer.

There was no system to get as many pixels of resolution that the one at Stony Brook did.

Most of these have been long walls, so the idea here to make it immersive.

The project has been funded by a $1.4 million grant from the National Science Foundation and matching funds from the university.

“We developed a number of applications for this; the idea is that this is a visualization facility. We look at applications for scientific purposes.”

For an idea of the scale of the Reality Deck, imagine the Glimpse Map Scale Survey, a 180-foot long picture taken of the inner Milky Way Galaxy—something Papadopoulos said would be near impossible for a scientist to study on a single screen. In the Reality Deck, however, the image can be shown in its full scale around the room.

“The really great thing about this facility is you have a really wide field of view,” Papadopoulos said. “You could be sitting back, you can look at the overall context of things and then you can walk up to an individual display and see the very small and minute details.”

Instead of having to pan an image vertically on a smaller screen, the Reality Deck’s display allows a viewer to simply turn around to view an image.

“We’ve never had a way to analyze and display tremendous amounts of data at one time before,” Kaufman said in a statement. “This is revolutionary for visual analytics, which is the most powerful and critically important analyses.”

But for the average person who doesn’t have tremendous data sets to dissect, the Reality Deck can and will still be something commonplace in the future.

As the technology gets cheaper and when the bevels between the screens disappear to make the room a fully seamless experience, a Reality Deck could be something found in every home—something along the line of the movie theater of the future.

But for now, videos do not work as well on the display. Take the highest quality video from a movie and it will still not scale properly on the Reality Deck.

“Right now the industry is going towards 4k, but it is still not good enough for a display of this size.” Papadopoulos said. “We need to get video that can be mapped to a full cylinder and at full scale.”

The applications for the technology are endless: from a home theater for the common man with a million dollars, to a study and analysis tool for scientists to look at massive amounts of data at the same time.

In the Reality Deck, Papadopoulos brought up gigapixel images of Dubai that were so clear one could walk straight up to the image and read the signs on the highway. A picture of Obama’s inauguration where each face in the crowd could be seen, there was even a picture of a Stony Brook lacrosse game and the 2010 Commencement.

When video is more viable, this technology can even be used as surveillance. Imagine standing in the middle of a crisis like the Boston bombings and following the suspects through the streets. It may be scary to some, but the Reality Deck housed in the CEWIT building at Stony Brook is only the beginning of the future.

Take a walk into one of the 12 eateries on the Stony Brook Campus and you are met by a variety of culinary picks.

From steaming Indian curries and soft breads at Café Spice—the Jasmine Food Court in the Charles B. Wang Center—to the buffet-style service at the Student Activities Center, there is something for everyone.

The university requests periodical manager reports to reduce unsafe dining conditions. (EFAL SAYED/THE STATESMAN)

However, the establishments serving some of those favorite sushi rolls, burgers and salads became targets of concern for county health inspectors on a recent visit, who recently cited several of these eateries for violating temperature requirements that help protect food from contamination and not adhering to certain safety rules guidelines.

At the Asian-themed Café-Spice Jasmine Food Court, boxes of sushi were stored beneath raw beef, risking cross-contamination.

The Taiwanese bubble tea station had a pound of tapioca balls sitting without appropriate heat treatment or refrigeration according to the health inspection report.

Another eatery, the Union Commons, was written up for a “live adult German cockroach observed walking on the floor” between two serving lines.

Packaged products from Kelly Dining are safe during the inspections. (EFAL SAYED/ THE STATESMAN)

Inspectors visiting the 12 eateries found dented, bulging and leaking cans, and even hand-wash gloves stored beneath a waste line.

At the Jasmine Food Court, it was found that cooking utensils were being kept in containers of “stagnant water.”

From faulty or missing thermometers to improper hygiene practices, the inspectors noted many unsavory details, including “grime” in a raw splintering wooden cutting board with an “uncleanable crevice” at the Jasmine Food Court and “an accumulation of grime/filth” on the basement walk-in-freezer floor at the Student Activities Center.

The  inspections on campus, which took place between November and December, found a total of  56 violations categorized as red, or “critical” items, at the 12 eateries, with 22 of them at Jasmine Grill and the SAC.

Critical violations are related to foodborne illness and are “violations that call for immediate attention,” said Grace Kelly-McGovern, spokeswoman for the Suffolk County Department of Health Services, responding to questions by email.

In many cases, the problem was solved simply by moving food into a refrigerator or by reheating it.

Thus, at the SAC, six pounds of cooked chicken breasts with tomatoes were reheated to 165 degrees after they were found at 131 degrees for less than two hours, while the taco-bar fridge was emptied after being found at 56 degrees for approximately four hours.

The beef discarded at the Jasmine Food Court had been sitting on ice at the front counter service line at 53.2 degrees for more than two hours, according to inspectors.

Similarly, the high-end Simons Center Café had to toss entire pans of beef short ribs, trout, portobello-and-mozzarella sandwiches and ricotta cheese spread on toast points after inspectors found they had been held at unsafe temperatures.

The lack of temperature control was the most prevalent issue noted among all campus restaurants.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some 3,000 people die annually from foodborne illness that stem from poor temperature controls.

Restaurants, whether on campus or off, are required to follow the guidelines set forward by the Suffolk County Sanitary Code which categorizes “potentially hazardous foods” as those that include animal foods either raw or cooked, vegetables or food that consists of raw seed sprouts, cut melons and garlic-in-oil mixtures.

Also included in the list of potentially hazardous foods are broths, gravies, high-protein salads, sauces and cream-type dressings.

“The responsibility for correcting violations lies with the operators of the establishments, who are required to operate in compliance with the Sanitary Code at all times,” said Kelly-McGovern.

Kelly-McGovern added that the problems found at the campus restaurants are fairly typical of what inspectors find elsewhere in the county.

Indeed, no campus dining facility has problems deemed serious enough to warrant a listing on the county’s searchable inspection website, at http://apps.suffolkcountyny.gov/health/Restaurant/intro.html. Consumers can check the records of their favorite local eatery.

Kelly-McGovern said restaurants listed there are ones where the same problems are repeatedly found uncorrected by inspectors.

Of the 10 different eateries on the Stony Brook University campus, Jasmine Food Court, inspected in December 2012, recorded the highest number of violations overall.

Some students would rather stay ignorant of the health code violations at the dining halls. (DAVID O’CONNOR/THE STATESMAN)

Vineet Kapoor, manager of the Jasmine Food Court, referred questions about the inspection reports to the Faculty Student Association. FSA spokeswoman Angela M. Agnello said all campus establishments have regular meetings before service hours to remind employees about the rules to maintain hygienic practices.

“Additionally, student managers stay on the floor to observe any violations,” added Agnello.

Between 41 and 135 degrees Fahrenheit lies what food sanitarians call the “Danger Zone,” a temperature range in which pathogens can thrive in the nutrient-rich environment.

“If you take the food and hold it for too long, that period can cause bacteria to multiply fast,” said Sarah A Klein, senior attorney for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer advocacy organization for health and nutrition related issues.

More issues were found behind the food service areas that patrons never get to see.

Jasmine Food Court had several other issues like “wet-nesting,” which is when clean pans and containers are stacked one over the other, preventing the utensils from drying completely.

Broken handheld metal strainers, and employees merely rinsing bubble-tea blender pitchers without “washing and sanitizing the utensils,” were criticized in the report. And at the SAC, “Liquid was noted to be leaking from the basin drain line and the faucet.” inspectors noted.

Cockroaches, unappetizing as they may be, are usually not an immediate threat to human health.

Evidence of roach infestation was noted at the Union Commons, and those findings were classed among the blue, or “maintenance” issues that must be addressed within a certain time frame, reports show.

Agnello said the university works to reduce unsafe conditions at its eateries by requesting periodical reports from managers on any issues or needs.

Also, Agnello said, the county has made its Food Service Manager safety course available online, and the university already has enrolled the first 30 student staff members training for the Roth Regatta Café.

The trainees will need to take a final examination to be awarded a certificate.

“We expect our dining facilities to adhere to established health regulations every day,” Agnello said.

According to the health department, inspections are always unannounced.

After every inspection, an eatery is given time to correct the violations.

By law, the most recent inspection reports are required to be displayed or produced upon request for any patron who requests to see them.

Shown the inspection reports, students, faculty and staff were divided in their opinion.

Some students said they have limited choices on campus, so the reports wouldn’t affect where they ate.

“I am not too surprised,” Chris Samuel, a senior computer science major who frequents the SAC, said. “But I don’t know if it’s different from McDonalds.”

Other students, like Amit Bapat and Mable Chu, who prefer the Jasmine Food Court, said they would rather stay ignorant of the inspection reports.

“I feel like sometimes it’s better left unsaid,” Chu said.

Steve Suh, a junior majoring in economics, said the inspection report does not impact his decision to eat at the SAC.

“If I see a mouse, maybe it will change my mind, but I am a guy and I really don’t mind,” he said.