Florida State University - Renegade / Tally Ho Yearbook (Tallahassee, FL)

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SEMINOLES GET A f ' f ' Ih W Vw i K v L k3 O id you ever get the munchies between class only to realize that you had no cash, you left your check book at home and the only ATM machine that takes your card is out of or- der? (Which was okay, be- cause it would have taken you about six hours, waiting to get to the machine and by that time you ' d have missed your next class.) This fall, students received a reprieve from the cash-crunch with the development of the Sem- inole Access Program. The program, designed by Ed Gonzales and Bill Norwood provided a number of new conveniences described by Gonzales as, a portfolio of services. Approximately 500 new students received their Ac- cess card during orientation. Resembling the appearance of a credit card, the Access card runs a declining debit balance system. Students started their account by de- positing a minimum balance of $100 and added to it as needed. Students then used the card to purchase a variety of goods and services around campus. It ' s just like a credit card, only better. There are so many different ways you can use it, said freshman Toby Siebnik. The card could be used at Bill ' s Bookstore, the Athletic Ticket Office, the Comer Grocery Store, The University Bookstore, Park- ing Services, The Union Computer Store, The Club Downunder, The Trading Post, Wild Pizza, Golden Key Restraunt, and the Uni- versity Meal Plan. The card was also used to provide easier payment for long distance phone service, cable television, voice mail, and call waiting to students living on campus. Card holder Jennifer Bucher said, For some peo- ple, the program is good be- cause money is automatically deducted from your account once a purchase has been made. However they haven ' t worked out the bugs in the system yet. Some complications result- ed from the two complex computer systems that in- terfaced with the Office of Telecommunications and the Seminole Access Office. However, Marcia Morris, business manager of financial operations in the Office of Telecommunications hoped that the system would be working perfectly by next fall. We are making prog- ress, she said, Things are running smoothly now. During the spring semester a new service was added to the card, fee payment. By simply filling out a form in- dicating the number of hours and card number, fees could be charged directly to stu- dents ' Access accounts, avoiding long fee payment lines. Organizers of the program hoped to extend it in the fall of 1991 to include all stu- dents. They also hoped to combine the student ID card, Access card, and meal plan all into one. The new card would include a picture and or non-visible ultra-violet bar code. All information on the card would be stored in a computer ' s hard disk. Jodie Rosenberg, Gail Bur- ton, and Jennifer Wheeler ROBERT PARKER

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CAMPUS RADIO RAISES O I C E ::ataio tcHim new voice was heard in Tallahassee in Sept. of 1987 — 89.7 on the FM dial became V89- The Voice. Though the station was not the first at the university, it was the only radio station on campus. V89 ' s main goal was to serve as a musical alter- native for listeners. During its first year, V89 played mainly rock music. But as people ' s music needs changed, so did the station ' s format. Alternative music be- came the focus of the station with an emphasis on new re- leases. Special programming was created for other musical tastes — such as the four hour metal show hosted by The Vampire a.k.a. Spen- cer Kuvin on Wednesdays, The Time Machine classic rock show on Saturday morn- ings and the local music show that ran for two hours on Monday nights. Though funded by the Stu- dent Government Associa- tion, V89 is apolitical — we only play music Program Director Chris White said. V89 is public service oriented, it educates the stu- dents in the radio commu- nications field. Some of V89 ' s staff have gone on to work with such media giants as CNN and ES- PN. Two workshops were open to students. The Radio Workshop was avaliable for up to three credit hours, which equals nine working hours and was a S U grade. The Advanced Radio Work- shop, known as Practicum was open to department heads only. It served as an intensive study of the work- ing of a radio station. There were also many volunteer po- sitions on the staff-which numbered close to 100 stu- dents. It is important for Talla- hassee to recognize V89 is a real radio station trying to make a difference and not a joke or some fly by-night op- eration, White said. V89 was operated by stu- dents but it was also a pro- fessional and organized work place. Using the FCC regual- tions as guidelines, the sta- tion censored itself and the music it played. Like other radio stations, it received free promotional copies of the newest music. The station also received copies of music by local bands. Since 1989, V89 ' s listening precentage grew from 2.2 percent to 6.2 percent. This jump showed a drastic in- crease in audience and pro- gramming effectiveness. Among V89 ' s goals were upgrading their transmission power, getting more involved in the local music scene and finding a niche in the radio jungle. During the spring se- mester, the station was oc- cupied with geological and environmental studies to de- termine the effects of the boosted power on the sur- rounding area. The goal was to have their power boosted to 3000 watts, up from 300 watts. Regarding the local music scene, V89 hoped to build a rapport with both communi- ty bands and various record companies and hoped to help some of the bands get record contracts. The search for a niche in the radion jungle has existed since V89 first came on the air. It is a search for an audience and respect that is coming closer and closer to an end. Chris Dorsey a.k.a. Ben the Rat and Rattus Rat- tus, said, I could DJ even if there were only two listeners out there. Kelly Christy

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STUDENT 23 il r ZULMA CRESPO Ai ochel Whitcomb assists Mark Fodor in a withdrawal from his Access account. ssociate Kristin Nipper in- forms an Access client of s balance. [ichaei Crepeou stops in the Seminole Access of- fice to make a deposit. Susqn Vance, an employee of the office, is happy to oblige. fc .-