Costing about $11,000 the new multimedia unit for the student center will have Cerritos College students excited about the viewing options, according to Student Center Manager Melissa Swank.

Swank sat down along with Coordinator of Student Accounts Dean Ackland to talk about the many possibilities the media unit, which was installed during Spring Break, can offer the students on campus.

The multimedia unit consists of a 10″ by 8″ snap screen.

The screen is collapsible and folds-up for easy maneuvering.

A DVD unit will be attached and a projection unit will sit behind the screen.

Aside from entertainment, Swank and Ackland both said that the media unit can be tied in with other areas on campus and be used as both a learning tool and a recorder of history.

In the future, they both hope the media unit will be of use to the theater students by showing literary movies that interest them.

Music and speech students can also take advantage of the unit in their own areas of studies.

Next Spring, the celebration of Hoe Down Days and the induction of the future student body president can be videotaped and be saved in a DVD presentation.

Homecoming, always an event of interest, could also be part of that presentation.

All these events, according to both Swank and Ackland, will be presented at the Spring Awards Banquet, since the end of an academic year seems to be the appropriate time to recapitulate on things past.

Swank and Ackland mentioned that the unit would not equate to having a TV in a coffee shop where everyone is bored and the TV serves as background noise.

“We want to strike a balance,” Ackland said.

Events such as the NBA and NHL play- offs plus features such as a DVD unit where movies and concerts can be transmitted are characteristics that both Ackland and Swank hope will attract students.

The main issue, at this point, is to disseminate the information.

“The challenge now is to get the information to the public,” Ackland said.

Swank hopes that the trivia games and free popcorn will get the information to the students by word of mouth.

Both stressed that the media unit is meant to be interactive as opposed to sitting passively in front of a TV set.

Swank clarified that by having the ability to view a pay-per-view movie, for example, is something that only a program would have.

“We are adding the extras,” she added.

This unit is cost effective in Ackland’s opinion.

“We used to spend $800 to $1,000 in the past,” said Ackland, in reference to movies that that would be shown on campus and whose projection fees would increase or decrease depending upon their popularity.

Having six movies in the academic year, the fees would accumulate.

As far as concerts, Swank pointed out that $500 to $600 can be spent per band for services.

Even when the band members provide their own sound unit, the fees would always add up, according to Swank.

With the media unit, the cost is balanced since both movies and concerts can be presented along with sporting events.

Former Associated Students of Cerritos College President Constantin Rosenbauer believes that the unit is a great asset to the student body population.

“It’s better in the long run,” he said, “because it’s going to be cheaper.”

The students, in Rosenbauer’s opinion, will enjoy having the media unit in the student center.

“They are going to be excited.

“Hopefully,” he added, “the word will spread out.”

Students interested in learning more about the multimedia unit can contact Student Center Manager Melissa Swank at Ext. 2458.