'PAGE TWO
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
FRMAY, AP 28,1957
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Movable 'Metal Eyelashes'
Eliminate Problem of Sun
C"?
By MICHAEL KRAFT
The only building on campus
with built-in eyelashes, the Stu-
dent Activities Building's alumi-
num louvers receive continual
second glances.
Still uncommon in this part of
the country, the use of louvers is
growing in popularity especially in
the south and the south-west ac-
cording, to University Assistant
Supervising Architect Robert J.
Aitken-.
"They help solve the sun prob-
lem, which is a big one on camp-
us," he said. The movable alumi-
num strips line the south, east and
west sides of the building and can
be adjusted from inside to regulate
the amount of daylight.
In addition to their functional
use, the louvers tend to accent the
length and horizontal appearance
of the three-story building.
At the north side of the building,
provisions were designed to allow
additions to the red blank Walls
at both ends, thus giving the
structure a "U" shape.
Additional construction would
provide more room, if necessary,
for the Dean's office on the east
side of the building and the shops
on the west.
Aitken called the building "well
planned,"and mentioned the stu-
dent group which developed the
requirements. Some 115 rooms
ranging from small offices to
meeting rooms for 25 to 100 per-
sons are contained in the building.
The University's architect of-
fices served as the liaison between
students and the designing archi-
tect, Swanson & Associates of
Bloomfield.
The architects gave the building
a "different appearance" Aikens
said,, with the suspended canopy
over the entrance. Asked about the
gravel on top of the pitch covering
of the canopy, the University
architect said "it's primarily for
looks."
-Daily-Charles Curtiss
THEN AND NOW ... Once the exterior of the Student Activities
Building was constructed, workmen wasted no time moving furni-
ture into it. The above pictures indicate the general lobby as it
appeared early in February. Most of the furnishings were still in
crates. Yet a few weeks later, the picture below could be taken --
without posing.
YD'S Leave
YR'S, Take
Own Office
By LANE VANDERSLICE
The Young Republicans iand the
Young Democrats have come to an
amiable parting of the ways.
After sharing the same small
office since the opening of the
Student Activities Building, the
Young Democrats recently packed
up their files and their picture of
Governor G. Mennen Williams and
moved out.
For a while, though, integration
had worked in the SAB.
Some Arguments
According to Dave Soet, '57,
Young Democrats' vice-president,
and Dick Thompson, '59, of the
Young Republicans, there were
some rousing arguments and a few
minor disagreements, but on the
whole they said sharing the office
had worked out well.
The parting came because the
Young Democrats took advantage
of a chance to move into a bigger
office with a lower telephone bill.
They share an office with three
other groups. But according to
Soet, the other organizations are
"almost never" there.
This makes the budget-mihded,
expansive Young Democrats very
happy, and gives them a chance
to adjust the louvers all by them-
selves.
Together' with a constantly
changing assortment of Young Re-
publicans, their 12 foot by 12 foot
"bandbox" contains two desks, two
files, a typewriter of ancient vint-
age and pictures of their hero,
President Eisenhower.
Tape Recorder, Too
Also contained in their office,
one of the second-floor offices of
the SAB, is a tape recorder. The
Young Republicans disclaim any
official responsibility for this, say-
ing that it was left there by one
of the members.
Both groups say that having
offices in the SAB has helped
them.
As Thompson explained, "as it
had no central meeting place, our
club was previously rather dis-
jointed."
With the advent of the SAB, all
this was changed.
Now both groups have centers
for their activities which have be-
come places to "just drop in".
Their offices have also become
the depository for both clubs' col-
lection of political information
which was previously scattered
among different members.
Both Soet and Thompson felt
that, because of these advantages,
an SAB office had helped to com-
bat the inevitable decline of poli-
tical clubs between elections.
"If nothing else, we've gotten
to know the competition better,"
was the final consensus.
NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THEM:
Mrs. Calahan Lauds Student Work
-Daily-David Arnold
SGC HEADS HUDDLE -Mrs. Ruth L. Calahan, administrative
secretary of SGC, and Joe Collins, council president, talk over
the minutes of a recent meeting. Mrs. Calahan also serves as the
administrative secretary in the office of student affairs.
Visitors ash Vague Questions;
Receptionist Knows Answers
By MARCIA THOMAS
"Never underestimate what a
student can do," Ruth L. Calahan,
the Administrative Secretary of
Student Government Council and
Administrative Assistant in the
office of Student Affairs, said.
"Take the Student Activity
Building for instance," she added,
"When I first heard of the idea, I
supported it, but I had my own
reservation on whether it would
ever become a reality."
"However, the completed build-
ing shows that if students have a
will to do something they'll do it,"
Mrs. Calahan continued.
Students Start Plan
Another example she cited which
students started was the air flight
to Europe plan, which is now in its
second year.
Mrs. Calahan's jobs keep her
closely associated with members
of the student body As adminis-
trative secretary of SGC, she at-
tends their meetings, takes min-
utes and sends out letters. She also
keeps up the record file in the first
floor SGC office in the SAB,
which she shares with Janet
Neary, executive vice president of
SGC.
In her other office on second
floor of the same building, Mrs.
Calahan, as administrative as-
sistant in the office of student af-
fairs, works with other activity
areas on campus.
She also deals with all student
organizations and along with oth-
ers in the office of student affairs,
she is concerned with eligibility
matters and with regulating stu-
dent affairs.
Problems Worked Out
"I won't have to worry about
dieting on this job," Mrs. Calahan
said.
"At first having my records in
both offices was a problem. I'd
be ir. one office and need records
in the other," she explained.
"However, we are gradually get-
ting this worked out."
"This building greatly simplifies
communication," Mrs. Calahan
said.
"When I first came to the Uni-
versity the administrative offices,
now located in this building, were
located in two different buildings
across campus from each other.
Also the students had no building
of their own," she explained.
"Now when anyone has any mis-
understandings, all they have to
do is walk down the hall and talk
them over," she concluded.
"It is interesting to observe the
increase in the influence and the
recognition of the values of stu-
dent participation," Mrs. Calahan
said.
A.
a
One of the reasons that they
Student Activities Building is well
run is Ellen Austin.
Miss Austin is the receptionist
in the general lobby. Her job in-
cludes answering the questions of
people who are looking for a speci-
fic office.
"People are usually vague about
what they want," she said.
"They're not too sure just where
they should go. I have to find out
what they're looking for and then
direct them.
'Third Degree,
"Sometimes it almost develops
into a third degree," she laughed.
To illustrate her point, an elder-
ly gentleman came over to the
desk, looking for "the dean." Miss
Austin, skillfully asking questions,
discovered that he really wanted
the Admissions Office. The man
thanked her, saying he had been to
the literary college office and the
administration building already.
"That's the sort of thing I
mean," she said. "People often get
misdirected and wander all over
the campus. They get disgusted
after a time-you can't blame
them."
thing in the city to fill her job
properly. She pointed to such
necessities as student, faculty, and
city telephone directories, Univer-
sity regulations, driving rules,
maps of the city, and draft infor-
mation.'
"I use all of them constantly,"
she said.
Another of her jobs is to handle
the reservations for the third-floor
committee rooms. Organizations
wishing to use one of these rooms
for a meeting have to contact her.
'So Many Meetings'
"I try to keep up on all the
meetings," she said. "There are so
many every day, and people come
in who aren't exactly sure where
their particular group is meeting.
I like to be able to help them with-
out having to look in the reserva-
tion book."
Student bicycle licenses are the
most popular item at the reception
desk these days. With the deadline
near, riders are hurrying to get
their applications.
"The central location of the
desk ?nd the building makes me a
natural for handling things like
this," Miss Austin said. "It's much
handier for me to take care of
them than for students to have to
run downtown to city hal for
them.
Miss Austin graduated from the
University last February. She is a
native of Burlington, Vt.
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