Chelsea AllenFreelance Writer

LCC’s Police & Public Safe-ty’s new office space is cur-rently under construction in the Gannon Building.

This has been an ongoing process since the beginning of August and is scheduled to complete in December.

During the renovation pro-cess, there will be no loss of coverage or service. Police & Public Safety is still located in room 251, but it will soon transfer to the new location in the Gannon Building once the construction is finished.

The amount going into this project is expected to be ap-proximately $341,000 as of right now, according to LCC Director of Public Affairs El-len Jones.

According to LCC Police Sgt. Rodney Bahl, the renova-

tions will bring new features to the department, including a new 24/7 availability to ac-cess the office with a new en-trance.

This entrance will be placed on the west side of the

Gannon Building and is open at all times in order for stu-dents to access Police & Pub-lic Safety whenever they feel the need.

According to Jones, the square footage of the previ-

ous office is 1,580 and the new location under construction is 2,620 square feet. Overall, it would be an increase in 1,040 square feet. This larger work area can improve work productivity and customer service.

Other features such as new smart boards and emergency operation service were in-stalled. The new office is self-sufficient in terms of electri-cal, heating and air condi-tioning.

In the process of the new renovations, new staff mem-bers were hired for the front counter in order to make the process easier for customer walk-in’s. This helps im-prove customer service and makes the overall process go smoother and faster.

Bahl said he feels the new west side entrance will im-prove the office.

“I feel that this will help tremendously with custom-er service and will create a smoother transition for walk-in traffic,” Bahl said.

Police & Public Safety of-fers many services for stu-dents other than just emer-gency situations. These ser-vices include providing bat-tery jump starts and opening locked cars at minimal cost, escorting one to his or her car or from building to building, etc.

More services and infor-mation can be found on the Police & Public Safety page by visiting http://www.lcc.edu/police/.

For more information on renovations or to reach Po-lice & Public Safety, call 517-483-1800 or, in case of emer-gency, dial 911. The police can also be reached via email at police@lcc.edu.

Nov. 11 - 24, 2013www.lcc.edu/lookout

News5

Jeremy Kohn Staff Writer

Has anyone ever told you playing vid-eo games is a waste of time and will amount to nothing when it comes to life in the real world? Don’t let the members of LCC’s DICAST hear you say that.

DICAST, which is lo-cated on LCC’s West Campus, stands for Digital Innovation Cen-ter for Arts Science and Technology. DICAST is a digital think tank, and its members use their computer programming knowledge to create vid-eo game simulations as learning tools.

DICAST is funded

through various grants and state funding.

The center is fairly new, having only been around for two years, but in those two years, DICAST has made quite an impact using its digi-tal simulations for vari-ous educational pur-poses.

“We have made learn-ing programs for the Automotive Programs and Alternative Energy Programs,” said Sean Huberty, lead faculty for LCC’s Alternative Energy Engineering Technologies.

These games include the Auto Earmark Proj-ect, which is a simula-tion program created for students who take the

Automotive 267 course. The game demonstrates the inner workings of a hybrid Toyota and what tools are needed to run a proper mainte-nance on the vehicle.

Building Energy Audit Simulation Training, or B.E.A.S.T, is a program designed to teach stu-dents how to measure levels of energy through a digital house using a specialty meter.

DICAST Programmer Aaron Mundale talked about a current project he has been working on to help with the LCC Po-lice Academy.

“They used to carry around tons of paper-work with comments for the troops, so I’m

working on digitizing them so they can be or-ganized and placed on tablets,” Mundale said.

DICAST is open to all

LCC students who wish to sign up for an intern-ship.

For students who want to take their love

for video games and start on the path to a career in game design, DICAST may be the per-fect opportunity.

Explore innovation through DICAST

Photo by Jeremy Kohn

Photos by Suzanna Powers

Graphic courtesy of LCC Library

Photo by Suzanna Powers

DICAST faculty Aaron Mundale (from left), Sean Huberty and Sean Nagler use their computer knowledge keep the digital center operational on West Campus Oct. 29.

LCC student James Patterson (left) browses an assortment of books offered at the Big Book Bash in LCC’s Library Nov. 7. Textbooks, CD’s, games, movies and more were offered for the small price of $1 from Nov. 2 through 9.

A construction worker reinstalls the heating and cooling system in the designated space for the renovated LCC Police Department in the Gannon Building Nov. 7.

Big Book Bash offers dollar deals

LCC Police Department renovations underway