South Park Block secrets

Amidst the hustle and bustle of schoolwork, employment and daily life, Portland State students seem to miss out on some of the wonderful things offered around campus.

With that in mind, the Vanguard has provided you with some of Portland State’s juicy secrets to get you up to speed.

Food

Cheap and copious amounts of delicious coffeePortland State is kind to its caffeine junkies. If you remember to rinse out your travel mug every day, there is never an excuse for buying your morning java at 7-Eleven.

Food For Thought Cafe, Ono and Broadway Coffee all serve up great coffee for $1 if you provide the cup. Costs for refills run from the ever-awesome “free” to 50 cents, depending on where you get your fill-up.

Food in abundanceOn any given day during the week, you probably can get lunch for free trolling the halls and meetings going on in Smith. Various student organizations, groups and what have you, get together, have food, a quick meeting and wait for you to come join their group.

Meeting crashing, it is all the rage.

Fun

Rooftop patioUnbeknownst to many PSU-goers, a semi-covered patio that offers an excellent view and serene conditions sits four floors up at the Urban Center, above the Seattle’s Best on Sixth Avenue and across from the bookstore.

To get to the patio, either hike up the stairs located on the south side of the Urban Center, or enter through the main doors of the building and take the elevator to the fourth floor.

You have discounts, use them!The Portland Art Museum, located down the street from campus on the South Park Blocks, gives a discounted rate for admission or an annual pass. The same goes for the Oregon Historical Society and Art Media. Discounts can also extend to such purchases as a Macintosh computer or tickets to events at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.

Resources

Media options at the libraryThe Millar Library holds a wealth of resources for diligent students, but where the library really shines is its free-to-use multimedia tools.

Movie viewing rooms: If you find yourself stuck with only a dingy VHS copy of a documentary that you really need to watch for a class project but sadly ditched your VHS player at the Goodwill about a decade ago, the library is here to help. The Millar Library offers up DVD and VHS players in three viewing rooms for your viewing entertainment.Presentation practice room: A relatively new tool at the library, the practice room is exactly what it sounds like–a large room with a modular table, projector, screen, PC and whiteboard.

Never again deal with the embarrassment of poorly timed PowerPoint slides, or cries of “Oops, I only formatted this for Mac!”

The room is located on the third floor, but students must obtain a key from the circulation desk on the first floor before using it.

Free textbooksIf Portland textbook hubs like the Millar Library, Central Library and Powell’s do not have a text you really need and you would rather not pay bookstore prices for it, the ILLiad (Interlibrary Loan internet accessible database) just may save you some money in your wallet.

ILLiad allows college students to request books, articles and more from libraries within the Orbis Cascade Alliance and Oregon University System libraries. Check out the ILLiad link under the “Services” tab on the Millar Library Web page at www.library.pdx.edu.

The Ladies’ LairIf you are feeling a little run down and you sport two X chromosomes, the third floor women’s restroom in Smith Center inexplicably contains a dimly lit, carpeted, non-smelly alcove complete with cozy armchairs, a coffee table and a wall-sized mirror.

Condoms for allIn the Center for Student Health and Counseling (SHAC) lobby, where you sign in, there is usually a basket of condoms. Also in the Women’s Resource Center, on their resource table, condoms are available. Please protect yourself and go get ’em.