Traffic disruptions: South end of Discovery Park

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University West Lafayette has issued an updated list of traffic disruptions for this week.

Several streets will be affected this week by the Harrison Street Aerial Line Relocation Project. Plans call for closure of South Martin Jischke Drive at Harrison Street until Saturday, such that southbound vehicles will not be able to reach that intersection. East-west traffic on Harrison/Nimitz Drive will continue to have rerouted lanes. At times, Gates Road may be blocked and flag workers will direct traffic. Also, plans call for positioning of a crane at the southeast corner of Gates Road and Nimitz Drive at 10 a.m. Tuesday for installation of electrical material for the aerial line project; traffic is likely to blocked during that work. A general pattern of disruptions for construction of Discovery Learning Center and Hockmeyer Hall of Structural Biology, each just north of Harrison Street on either side of South Martin Jischke Drive, will continue through summer 2009.

In other traffic matters:

– The area north of Harrison Hall, and south of Hillenbrand Hall, is now a plaza and unavailable for parking or through traffic.

– South Russell Drive, south of Harrison Street, is expected to close July 7 for reconstruction. During the closure, access to the south service area of campus will be from South River Road via Ahlers Road. http://www.purdue.edu/physicalfacilities/travel/pdf/S.Russell_RR.pdf.

– Closure of Stadium Avenue along the intramural fields is expected July 7. The Tippecanoe County Highway Department plans to replace a small bridge on Stadium Avenue just west of David Ross Road. http://www.purdue.edu/physicalfacilities/travel/pdf/Tippi_Bridge_Stadium.pdf.

– Numerous other summer projects call for caution by motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists. The High Voltage Project continues in several areas: http://www.purdue.edu/physicalfacilities/HVP. Masonry work is under way on Hicks Undergraduate Library, Stanley Coulter Hall, the Civil Engineering Building, and Lynn Hall.

Purdue employees, students can receive discount from AT&T

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University has partnered with AT&T to provide discount phone services to university students and employees.

AT&T will offer a 20 percent discount on regular basic plans for cellular phones and personal digital assistants, including Blackberries. The discounts will be available to those at the West Lafayette campus and Purdue’s Calumet, Fort Wayne and North Central campuses. The discounts do not apply to upgrades and cannot be used with other offers, but Purdue students and employees with existing AT&T accounts may be eligible.

“We are always looking for ways to benefit not only our students but also our faculty and staff, and this is one way we found that we can help,” said Gerry McCartney, Purdue’s vice president for information technology and chief information officer. “Every little bit helps, especially for the students, so we hope a lot of them use this.”

Purdue students and employees can register for the discount through the ITaP Shopping Web page, http://www.itap.purdue.edu/shopping/ATT. Those who wish to order also can visit AT&T stores in their areas, which are listed on that Web site. Those receiving the discount must have a valid Purdue e-mail address and the appropriate Foundation Account Number. For students, that is 2523574. For employees, it is 2016767.

To find a local, authorized AT&T store, go to http://www.wireless.att.com/find-a-store/

Purdue police seek suspect in attempted fraternity house burglary

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University police are seeking a man in connection with a Thursday (June 12) morning attempted burglary at the Zeta Psi fraternity house, 950 David Ross Road.

The attempt is the second such incident reported in the last two days. Police investigated a burglary reported about 8:45 a.m. Wednesday (June 11) at the Alpha Kappa Lambda fraternity house at 417 Waldron St.

A man was confronted in the houses in both incidents, said Purdue Police Lt. Fred Davis. However, the suspect descriptions vary slightly.

In Thursday’s attempted burglary, a resident was preparing to leave for work around 5:30 a.m. and met a stranger in the hallway, according to a police report. The resident told police the man said he was looking for someone in the house. The man left the building through the front door, and the resident followed him and noticed a large blue duffel bag at the top of the stairs.

“The bag contained tools that the resident believes belong to the fraternity,” Davis said. “The resident looked around the house and didn’t notice anything else missing.”

The suspect is described as a bald white male in his late 20s, about 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing approximately 210-220 pounds. He was wearing a gray T-shirt and jean shorts, and drove away in a gray or light blue, possibly early 1990s, mid-sized van with two windows on the passenger side and double doors in the back, Davis said.

In Wednesday’s burglary at the Alpha Kappa Lambda fraternity house, a witness reported seeing an unknown man in the house around 8:40 a.m. Sometime after the man left, residents noticed several items - including a camera, a watch and a jar of change - were missing from their rooms. The suspect was described as a white, balding male with a goatee, 30-40 years old, about 6 feet tall and weighing approximately 200 pounds. He was wearing a blue button-up, collared shirt and khaki shorts and left in a blue woodgrain-patterned truck, Davis said.

Anyone with information about these cases or who has seen suspicious activity in the area is asked to contact the Purdue Police Department at (765) 494-8221 or the anonymous tip line at (765) 496-3784.

Community Foundation of Greater Lafayette announces new grant opportunities

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Grant proposals that address needs in the areas of children’s music education, children’s needs, and community beautification are being accepted at The Community Foundation of Greater Lafayette from now until noon on Tuesday September 2, 2008. Not-for-profits serving the Tippecanoe County area are encouraged to apply. For information, go to www.cfglaf.org or call (765) 742-9078.

For projects benefiting “Music Education for Disadvantaged Youth”, $8,500 is available for grants in 2008. In 2007, grant awards from the Louisa Lee France Endowment funded $1,400 in music lesson scholarships (Children’s Music Foundation, Inc.) and $2,000 for piano tuning and repair (also at Children’s Music Foundation, Inc.)

For projects benefiting or addressing “Children’s Needs” a total of $7,500 is available for grants in 2008. 2007 grant awards from the Fund for Children’s Needs were awarded to:

• $350, spring break theatre classes, Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette.
• $2,100, membership fees, uniform pieces, and troop start-up money for 100 Hispanic girls as well as funds for participation in a Piñata Party and Fiesta Camp, Girl Scouts of Central Indiana.
• $5,000, Systems of Care flex fund for small, one-time expenses impacting seriously emotionally disturbed children, Wabash Valley Hospital Department of Child & Adolescent Services.

A total of $2,300 is available for the 2008 grant cycle for “Community Beautification”.

This is the first year for grant awards from the Virginia B. Huth Fund and the George and Betty DeVault Fund.

The Community Foundation of Greater Lafayette is a nonprofit public charity established in 1970 to inspire, nurture, and practice philanthropy, stewardship, and leadership in the communities we serve. Additional grant opportunities are also available through The Community Foundation. For further information or to access a grant proposal application, visit www.cfglaf.org, call (765) 742-9078 or e-mail to info@cfglaf.org.

Purdue groups to hold memorial service for earthquake victims

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Members of the Purdue University community will gather at 7 p.m. June 12 to remember the victims of the earthquake that occurred in China’s Sichuan province last month.

The memorial service will be held at University Church, 320 North St., West Lafayette. The date marks the one-month anniversary of the earthquake. The service is open to the public.
As of Wednesday (June 4), the death toll stood at 69,019, with more than 370,000 injured and more than 18,000 reported missing.

Assistant Dean of Students Sue Wilder, who is helping organize the service, said there are strong ties between Purdue and the people of China. Last year Purdue hosted more than 800 Chinese students, and more than 200 Purdue students participated in study abroad programs in China.

Purdue University Religious Leaders, the Chinese Students and Scholars Association, the Greater Lafayette Chinese Alliance Church and Office of the Dean of Students are sponsoring the memorial service.

Parking during the service will be available in the Grant Street Parking Garage.

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