The new pride and joy of the Boulder campus, the ATLAS building, hosted a myriad of student events, speeches and even a Native American blessing ceremony on Oct. 13.
“We wanted to put a spin on a traditional approach,” said Stephanie Yanik, who organized the open house.
The open house was timed just as parents and family members rolled into Boulder for family weekend.
Deborah Keyek-Franssen, the associate CIO for academic technology initiatives, said that ATLAS was unable to recruit enough student volunteers to lead tours, so faculty and staff members also guided visitors through the building. She also said the staff has been on board since the building was designed.
Tour guide David Kalahar, also a student adviser for ATLAS, said student fees financed said two-thirds of the new building costs.
“Probably by seniors who were leaving so they didn’t care anyway,” he said.
According to Keyek-Franssen, much of what is in the ATLAS building is available to the general student population. Rooms scattered around the building allow for any student to gather with a group to work on a project or presentation. LCD screens and whiteboards make working together easier, Keyek-Franssen said.
Other areas that include more sophisticated technology require some training before students can use them, she said.
Most of CU’s seven colleges and schools have classes in the new building, Keyek-Franssen said.
The open house was organized to highlight different kinds of performances going on within the building.
“We have dance, we have theatre, we have music, we have computer technology,” Yanik said.
They organized it so that visitors could check it out, get some eye candy and move on, she said.
The open house featured performances by student troupe Farouche in the building’s two-story Black Box theatre.
Visitors could watch technical arts and media students present their portfolios as well as watch members of CU Sports Magazine produce their live-to-tape show.
The building also includes 25- and 40-person classrooms, some with video conferencing capabilities. According to Keyes-Franssen, classes currently videoconference with students in Australia and Ireland as well as the Harvard Medical School.
