The Griffin: volume 70, issue 11 - Dec. 3, 1999

              In honor of the ceremony, the store offered a 25 percent discount on all merchandiseand stayed open until 6 p.m., two hours later than their usual Friday 4 p.m. close. Refreshm e n t s were also available for patrons to nibble on while they browsed and bought Mr. Anthony Marchewka. Mr. Marchewka is pleased to offer as much as he can to Canisius patrons. "It's been a pleasure working here the last few years, I'll continue on. As Dave [FolJett] said, it's a 24 hour service now and this is just one aspect of what we try to bring to the College." Junior Michelle Patterson enjoyed the benefit of "an improved setup and more attractive arrangement." "I think it shows that Canisius cares about its students enough to improve the atmosphere," said Sr. Patricia Brady, SSMN, Campus Ministry coordinator of Volunteer Services. Canisius students and staff check out the new look of the Bookstore. Meeting the millennium mayhem he Griffin by Nicholas P. Cheer Griffin News Reporter The basketball season is underway and the women's team is off to a good start. Read all about th action. See full stor page 13 He stated "We have consolidated the students to a single area to make it easier to deal with any complications if they arise." Many blankets have been made available as a precautionary measure that heat not be available. All in all Canisius seems to be ready to meet the challenges of the year 2000. Beyond the technological side of the year 2000, those students staying in College housing over break are in good hands. Dr. Cary Anderson, dean of students, is in charge of managing all students staying behind for the break. year 2000 doesn't end with the dropping of the ball. ITS staff will be working through the new year to make sure everything runs smoothly in the year 2000 conversion. January 3 ITS will monitor select departments, attempting to log in to various components of the server. However the task of getting Canisius ready for the In approximately one week a memo will be administered to faculty and staff to remind them of precautionary measures to execute previous to leaving for the winter break. Currendy ITS has an artificial testing of the year 2000 by pushing the clocks of select computers ahead, however the real time test will not take place till January first or second when ITS evaluates the success of these products. vices (ITS) included analyzing network systems for compatibility with Y2K. Software was changed on any systems that were deemed incompatible. Dr. Cohen stated that all dorms and computers would be compliant with Y2K. All but 60 computers have been checked for Y2K compliance. Measures taken by Information Technology Ser- The question that arises in everyone's mind is, are we ready to meet the challenges that may arrive with the new year? This was the question posed to Dr. Joel Cohen, director of Information Services for Canisius. He responded,"We feel confident in meeting the challenges that arrive with the new year." Many have seen the catch phrase Y2K—it's everywhere. From the various sources of media such as television, radio, and various types of print media, everyone is talking about Y2K. It is a concern that lies within the minds of many, from top officials to civilians like you and I. Choose your credit card carefully — — 11 /oi by Michael Bridge Griffin News Reporter  See CREDIT page 3 http://www.canisius.edu/griffin Saturday- Rain Sunday- Rain High of 45f; High of 451 Low of 38° Low of 38° Friday- Rain; High of 50; Low of 34° News hj\ 1 Editorial 4 , 6 Features 8 Sports 13 On the Wing 15 The Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) reports that 60 percent of undergraduates currently have credit cards. Of those, 71 perecent have 4 or more! Amazingly, almost 10 percent of undergraduate cardholders carry balances of $3,000 - $ 7,000 and 5 percent carry balances exceeding $7,000! The average available credit Quick question. How many of you have your own credit card? How many have more than one credit card? How many signed up for your card at the tables in the Student Center? And how many know how long it will take to pay off J a $1,000 balance making only the suggested "minimum payment"? If you don't know it will take 7 years to pay your balance off, read on. A recent StudentCreditcom press release reported that, "The average student obtains their first credit card by running into a table marketer on a college campus offering a free T-shirt or bottle of soda [pop] to fill out a credit card application." And, according to a Public Interest Research Groups (PIRG) study, "More than half of students (61 percent) responsible for their own bills reported they ( had obtained cards at campus tables." Students reported that campus groups sponsoring the tables often received either flat fees or "per-application completed" payments from the credit card companies." limit is $3,683. So why is this particular age group bombarded by offers and gimmicks designed to entice new customers to sign up for plastic? The reason is quite simple according to StudentCredit.com, "because they are the next generation of consumers. College graduates make more in the workplace and the card companies want to get a head start with those future work- I ers." StudentCredit.com was itself created by several recent college graduates in order to provide extensive information on how credit cards work, tips on credit management, and pointers on maintaining a good credit rating. According to U.S. News & World Report on July 1,19%, 16 to 19 year olds personally spend, or directly influence their families to spend, nearly $109 billion in consumer purchases! These expenditures generally include clothes, health and beauty products, videos, games, fast food, and computers. It's not surprising then that students have become major advertising targets for manu' facturers. The origin of today's credit cards can be traced to the 1950's, when many higher-end restaurants sought a better way for their wealthier patrons to pay for business dinners and entertaining. The first credit card was invented, and the idea became quite popular. Upscale Department stores like Nordstrom's The Weekly Student Newspaper of Canisius College "Serving the Canisius Community Since 1933" Find out if Toy Story 2 up to the original. Will it be another hit? See full story, pace 12 See full story, page 6 What kind of effects does the American avoidance of discussing death cause? Viewpoints columnist Gary Bostwick discusses this issue. News reporter Paul Dumansky looks into the goals of the Canisius administration concerning mandatory 19 meal per week plans for freshmen. See full story, page 2 The Griffin today by Marisa Loffredo Griffin News Editor Bookstore turns over a new leaf While searching for gifts, Undergraduate Student Association president Greg Heeb stated, "I think it was a needed change. [The renovations] put us more closely in line with other colleges that I've seen." Students and staff were greatly impressed with the store's improvements, and all raved about the lower prices. Bookstore manager stated,"except for the cement and windows, everything is new." Among the store s improved commodities are carpeting, shelves, clothing fixtures, display tables, and plush reading chairs. Many new clothing and gift items were introduced for the holiday season. The last time so many excited people were crowded into the College Bookstore it was the beginning of September—a mad rush to buy books, order books, and stock up on supplies. Long awaited renovations have been completed, however, and the Bookstore's official reopening took place Friday, Nov. 19. Fr. Vincent M. Cooke, S.J. had the honor of cutting the ceremonial ribbon, and said a few congratulating words, speaking of the College's pride in such a fabulous fa- cility. David Klein, regional manager of Follett Inc., the company that owns and oversees the Bookstore, also attended and praised the quality of his longstanding relationship with Canisius. Volume LXX FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1999 Nl'MBEK 1 1 I NEWS VIEWPOINTS FEATURES SPORTS | FORECAST I N D E X