Students Tour Aspen Grove

On November 16, a group of BYU students had the opportunity to travel up the canyon to Aspen Grove. Aspen Grove has provided many internship opportunities in the past for BYU students, and they are currently undergoing some major renovations and additions. Here is what one student who attended said about the experience.

"Jim gave us a tour of some of their grounds and explained the unique issues that they face being up in the canyon. He also explained why the need for construction was so big. They have a couple buildings that are the original structures from when the camp was started. All of those need to be rebuilt completely. Especially with the high demand for family camp outs; which is why the new lodge is being built. It's pretty impressive and the floor plan is available online. Each of the 3 floors will house about 34 people, and will have sitting rooms and a large common area.


We also got to talk about internship opportunities. Everyone that has worked at Aspen Grove for the summer comes back with a lot of great technical skills. They love the guys in our program and are happy to have us up there, even if we come with no technical experience what so ever. As long as the student is hard working, the maintenance staff will work with them to maximize the value of their internship." - Mark Robison

TLW

World Workplace 2007 Recap (part 2)

As promised, here are a few responses and thoughts from students on their experience at World Workplace.

"Every World Workplace has been worth it and has been very beneficial."

"I have been to four World Workplaces now, and I can't pick a favorite, each one offered something different."

"This was my first experience and I got a lot of different perspectives from the people I met there."

"It was a great chance to get to know people from the program outside of school."

"The earlier you go the better it is for making friendships with the other students."

Obviously, this was a great experience for all of the students. All had a great time and learned a lot from the experience. I think the biggest feedback I got from the students was that they really enjoyed the opportunity to get to know other students and make friendships that will last a lifetime.

TLW

World Workplace 2007 Recap (part 1)

Through out the week students had the opportunity to attend several different educational sessions ranging from green building and sustainability to what to do as the new FM. The students also spent time at several different parties sponsored by IFMA. BYU students were definitely the life of the dance Friday night at the closing gala.


The closing gala gave students an excellent opportunity to mingle with professionals currently in the field, some from as far away as Sweden. The closing gala also featured an awards ceremony where BYU won the Student Chapter of the Year Award for the fourth consecutive year.

Students also had time to get out and see some of the sites of New Orleans. Some students participated in a Hurricane Katrina bus tour and had the opportunity to see a lot of the areas still affected by Katrina.

More pictures to come as well as feedback from individual students on their experience.

TLW

Opening Social - Fall 2007

On September 21 students and faculty gathered for the opening social. There were plenty of activities for those who showed up early. Panda Express catered the event, and the food was delicious. To cap the evening off, a raffle was held. Nearly everyone present won something, and a few leftover shirts were given away at the end of the night.

All-in-all, it was an enjoyable evening for all and a great time to relax and get to know each other better outside of classes.



TLW

2007 UTAH IFMA Spring Conference

Students attended the 2007 Utah IFMA Spring Conference as they ended their Winter Semester studies in April. The conference was a great benefit for both students and professionals to network with one another and learn about best practices in facilities management. Each conference speaker taught very useful and pertinent seminars on FM: The Benefits of Green Buildings, the power of Google for FMs, and Occupational Safety Issues.