Point News, 1986 October 9

              Admissions Office Moves to Conference House
By KAREN MARTIN
The college community
may have noticed
construction at the
Conference House, and
wondered what was going on
over there. For the past
several weeks maintenance
workers have been putting
the finishing touches on
the Conference House to
prepare it for it’s new
use.
In the past, the
OCTOBER 9, 1986
Conference House has served
several different purposes.
Most recently it was used
as residence for female
students, however, the name
comes from the fact that
for several years, it
was used for conferences
and alumni visitors. Prior
to these uses, the
Conference House was the
residence for the Vice
President for
Administration (the
position currently held by
Ed Quinn).
The Conference House
has now become the new
Admissions Office. The
Admissions staff was
formerly in the White
House, but clearly had
outgrown the limited space
available there. Although
the White House has a nice
centralized location, the
amount of space was no
longer sufficient. The new
office will have room for a
reception area and a larger
interview room. This will
allow the Admissions
counselors to have a much
more professional
atmosphere in which to
work. Since the Admissions
Office is the first office
that a new student will
see, many people consider
it important that the
office reflects the
ambience of the campus.
The building will
serve the Admissions
personnel in several ways.
As in the past, all
Admissions procedures,
including interviews, will
be conducted in the office.
In addition to the usual
functions, the office will
be used for mini-Open
Houses and receptions. Jim
Antonio, associate Director
of Admissions, is pleased
to be in the new building.
New L a s e r Ms to Re p l a c e Old 4 2 0 s
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Phot o By K. GROSS
4 2 0 s a i lb o a t soon to be r epl aced by a L a s e r II
By CHRIS SHEEHY
Replacing SMC’s 420
sailboat fleet this
semester is a new fleet of
twelve Laser II sailboats,
purchased for use in
sailing classes, competi­tion,
and daily
recreational activity.
In his eighth year at
St. Mary’s, sailing team
faculty advisor Mike
Ironmonger seems quite
pleased with this recent
acquisition. "I’m glad
that w e’ve finally managed
to buy new sailboats,"
states Ironmonger. "The
420 s are simply not as
practical for all intensive
purposes as these Laser
II s." The new fleet
arrived at SMC on September
20th and proceeded to
undergo gradual assembly.
Only eight of the twelve
boats received will be in
use this semester due tc
the lack of docking space.
" We hope to get full use
out of all twelve Lasers,"
states Ironmonger, "as soon
as the construction of four
more floats is completed."
The advantages of
having a Laser II fleet
over a 420 fleet far
Only e ig h t of the twel ve
boat s r ecei ved wi l l be in
use . . . due to t-he lack
of d o c k in g space
exceed any disadvantages.
Some positive
characteristics of these
white-bodied, silver-bottomed
Laser vessels are
speed, responsiveness, crew
space, lower positioning to
the water, inexpensive
cost, and a knack for being
loads of fun. "I don’t
think we could have gotten
a better deal on these
boats," states Ironmonger.
"They were only $1,565 a
piece, one heck of a
bargain! ’’
As faculty advisor of
the sailing team and many
different waterfront
activities, Ironmonger’s
job is to organize boat
house goings on, sailing
team travel schedules, and
to serve as sort of an
unofficial sailing coach.
He encourages anyone who
has a sailing card or
license to take advantage
of these fantastic, new
Lasers. The ability to
hold two people rather than
just one person, as is the
case with Laser I
sailboats, makes the Laser
II an ideal boat for both
educational and , co­enjoyment
purposes.
"I’m not worried about
ensuring that proper care
is taken when using the new
boats," states Ironmonger.
"I think people will have
sense enough to take care
nouse goings on, sailing
team travel schedules, and
to serve as sort of an
unofficial sailing coach.
He encourages anyone who
has a sailing card or
license to take advantage
of these fantastic, new
Lasers. The ability to
of them while they take
pleasure in them.’’ Before
you run out and try a
Laser, here’s one piece of
advice from Ironmonger
himself: "If you plan on
riding one of these
beauties and coming back
dry, forget it. On a
breezy day, the odds are
highly in favor of you
returning to port
sopping wet!"
Phot o By BETH BIQLEY
This Laser I s a i lb o a t looks ver y s imi la r to the Laser II boat s