The PUC Hospitality and Tourism Management (HTM) program is preparing to open its doors for another semester of dining and entertainment. If the Feb. 15 practice lab is any indication of what to expect, then it would be safe to assume this well-oiled machine will continue to run smoothly.

Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. has come under scrutiny for his decision to de-staff a city fire department ladder truck in order to balance the budget. The truck is one of four ladder trucks owned by the department. When fully staffed, each truck requires nine to 12 firefighters to take up the three, eight-hour operating shifts.

Since its opening in the spring of 2009, the Center for Innovation through Visualization and Simulation or CIVS, has been a place that "combines advanced simulation techniques with 3-D visualization and virtual reality technologies," according to the CIVS website.

This May, seven members of the current SGA administration is scheduled to graduate, changing the face of the governance group that has worked hard for the student body at PUC. SGA Student Body President Jessie Martin said the coming semester will bring a significant turnover to the organization.

With the economy on the upside and many hopeful students getting ready to graduate, finding a good job or internship can still take quite a bit of effort. This semester, PUC's Office of Career Services has brought the search to campus, with their annual Career and Internship Fair scheduled for Friday, Feb.

Some people may be familiar with the old cliché "children are our future." Phrases like that are often used because there is a high degree of truth to them. In the state of Indiana, roughly 25 percent of adults over the age of 25 have a college degree.

There are no desks, lecture halls or attendance sheets. It is likely the only places to see fellow students are on an online roster or in a virtual discussion board. Students may never even see or hear their professor. By taking online courses, many PUC students are familiar with this type of class format and harbor differing opinions about the experience.

The use of synthetic marijuana has risen in the past five years, creating a major problem throughout the U.S. Commonly, people try to create substitutes for drugs that are determined to be illegal. Take bath salts for example. Many people substitute the substance as a means to get a high rather than use cocaine.

The Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect-IP Act, bills created in the House and Senate respectively and aimed to combat online piracy, have both been shelved according to an article on washingtonpost.com. Still, even without those bills, piracy is still being combated on the internet.

Most often, finding a parking spot at PUC is a job in itself, let along getting one within close walking distance to campus buildings. As drivers speed up and down the rows of parked vehicles in search of that perfect spot, those with disabilities must also fight for their reserved spaces.