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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 15, 1979)
I The Battauon Vol. 73 No. 31 12 Pages Monday, October 15, 1979 College Station, Texas USPS 045 360 Phone 845-2611 Mold, mosquitoes plague lew modular dormitories By KRIS WIESE Battalion Reporter BLeaky toilets, moldy ceilings, damp Malls, mosquitoes — does this sound like someplace you wouldn’t want to visit, much less live in? ■These are some of the conditions that telist in the new modular dormitories on tin north side of the campus. ■Haas Hall and McFadden Hall — klown as “Modular A’’ and “Modular B,” ilspectively, until they were recently gi\ en names hy the Board of Regents — have been suffering from high levels of hpinidity since their construction. And the rAidents have been suffering with the ex cess water since they moved in. ■Liz Waring, a resident adviser in I Be Fad den, said the worst of the problems lathe mold. ■ It’s on walls, ceilings, clothes, shoes, hooks, plants, carpet — it’s just ejerywhere, she said. ome rooms are worse than others, bring said. “There doesn’t seem to be am pattern, she said. ■Waring said several girls have had to have clothes cleaned and shoes repaired ■cause of mold and moisture damage, nhi cleaning bills are being paid by the University, she said, as long as the student ■s a resident advisor verify the damage. Afaring said she knows of one girl who had ti| have her clothes cleaned twice because tin mildew smell was so had. ■Some of the residents are allergic to the ■Idew, she said, and some have been sick be arise of the dampness. ■Lori Fisher, a resident in Haas, said she had a sore throat for the first three weeks ■ school. She and her roommate have' tried to dry out their room. ■“We turn our air conditioner on high when we re gone, then turn it down when we are there,’ she said. ■Lee Harvey, head resident of the new dormitories, said the residents of Haas are also experiencing a mosquito problem. ■Harvey, who lives in Haas, said the nmsquitos are present even when the res idents keep their doors and windows CKised. ■T don’t know if they’re breeding in the ■asers (vents leading from small storage rooms in the building to the outside) or what,” she said. “But those chasers drip vyater onto the bare ground. You almost have to think they are breeding in the dorm somewhere.’ ■ Harvey said she doesn’t know why McFadden doesn’t have mosquitoes, too. She added that the mosquito problem is being looked into and that it should be taken care of soon. The many problems in the new living areas stem from the large amount of moisture that has been present in the buildings since construction was finished on them this past summer, said Eugene Oates, supervisor for residence hall safety and maintenance. However, he said, no one knows exactly what went wrong. “If I knew the answer to that, or if the contractors did, ’ Oates said, “it would’ve been corrected long ago.’’ Oates said that problems such as these are seen every time a new building is con structed. “For instance,” he said, “we had similar problems with Krueger and Dunn when they were being built.” Tom Murray, area coordinator for the north area dormitories, agreed that there is no easy answer as to the reasons for the humidity problem, but he suggested three probable causes: — A certain amount of moisture ac cumulated in the modules when they were being built in San Antonio before they were moved to College Station. That moisture, he said, is now being released. — The dormitory halls are not air- conditioned, only the rooms are. And when doors are opened the warm air from the halls flows into the rooms, causing some condensation. “You can’t expect the girls to keep their doors closed all the time, Murray added, “especially when the air conditioning isn’t working right.” — Insulation and drip pans (in the air conditioning system) were not installed properly. Murray said some of the drip pans were installed above the valve that the water drips from. “Water won’t run uphill,” he said. Steps are being taken to correct the situation, said Monica Christen, Murray’s assistant, who is in charge of Haas and McFadden. “The maintanence people, have dev ices that are measuring the humidity,” said Christen, “to see if they can speed up the drying out process.” Oates explained that disk-shaped de vices are placed in five or six different rooms each day to measure humidity levels and temperature. Murray said that finishing touches are being put on calibrating the air condition ing system — which should also help. “If the air conditioning is working prop erly, it should take care of the humidity.” But now, Murray explained, other humid ity is coming in — sweaty walls and drip ping pipes, primarily. “The air condition ing system just can’t keep up,” he said. Oates said “progress is being made every day’ to remedy the conditions. And Harvey said the residents realize this. “The girls realize that it’s a big prob lem,” she said, “but they also realize that housing and maintenance are doing all that they can to get it corrected.” Harvey said complaints have been dying down. “At least they don’t conie down to my room and complain — but, they make sure I remember that things aren’t right.” Christen said the residents seem to be handling more of the problems themselves — especially the mold. She also said the cleaning staff has been helping the residents with the mildew problem, and supplying them with clean sers. Murray agreed that the Haas and McFadden residents have handled the whole situation very well. “The girls have stuck it out well, ” he said, adding that he doesn’t know of any one who moved out of the new dormitories because of the less-than-perfect condi tions. “We re especially appreciative of the resident staff over there,’ Murray said. “They are the ones who have had to deal directly with the upset girls. They’ve been between a rock and a hard place — and they’ve been great.” At least, Murray said, lessons learned through the conditions in the dormitories will help to avoid similar mistakes in the modular dormitory which will be built be tween Sbisa and Hotard Hall. Planned dorms to benefit from previous mistakes By CAROL HANCOCK Battalion Reporter Texas A&M University officials hope to incorporate what they have learned from problems in building the school’s first modular dormitories into construction of the second ones. Completion of two new modular dor mitories for women is scheduled for next fall. They will be built parallel to Hotard Hall on the north side of Sbisa Dining Hall. The new dorms will bring the total available residence spaces on campus for women to 3,474. Modular C and D, as they are being called temporarily, will be identical to the two modular dorms completed this fall, Haas and McFadden halls. The only dif- ference, said Ron Sasse, associate director, of Student Affairs, is that precautions Will be taken to correct problems occurring with the first two dorms. It is theorized that the carpets, which came pre-installed in each room of Haas and McFadden, absorbed moisture while the dorms were being built, Sasse said. The humidity has caused problems, so carpets will not be installed until after the modules are in place in the new dorms. Thermostats will also be installed after the modules are in place. Moving the modules from San Antonio, where they are built, has damaged some thermostats. Some problems with the air condition ing system in Haas and McFadden will also be corrected in the new dorms, Sasse said. The main contractors for the dorms, H&G Construction Co., will turn the completed dorms over to the University in early August. Hotard Hall, which is 40 feet from where the new dorms will be built, is being considered for renovation, Sasse said, although the idea has be approved by the Board of Regents first. The Department of Food Services is now considering how to handle the additional students who will eat in Sbisa Dining Hall next fall. Lloyd Smith, assis tant director for board dining food serv ices, said plans to modify the upstairs din ing area or open an area downstairs are being considered. Hullabaloo, ‘Pinky’ J.V. “Pinky” Wilson, author of Texas A&M University’s “Aggie War Hymn,” received the University Lettermen’s Association Hall of Honor award before Saturday’s football game against the University of Hous ton. Wilson, class of 1920, composed the War Hymn while fighting in France during World War I. Battalion photo by Lee Roy Leschper Jr. Prof wants to add 9 free hours Special council to study proposal By DOUG GRAHAM Battalion Staff The Academic Council has authorized “a council of village elders” to seek so lutions to the problem of limited cur riculum. The council was conducting a routine meeting in Rudder Tower last week, but the focus of the meeting was on a motion by the head of the philosophy department, Dr. John J. McDermott. McDermott contends that some col leges, including Business Administration, Agriculture, and Engineering, are not al lowing students enough freedom of choice in picking electives. His motion would require all student curricula include nine hours of electives in fields outside the major course of study. Various colleges have differing numbers of electives, but in some colleges, McDermott maintained, even the free electives are chosen more by the faculty adviser than by the student. McDermott’s motion elicited responses from various members of the council. Joe B. Dixon, professor of crops and soil sciences, said students themselves limit their electives to their chosen fields. “The first request (to the advisers) is ‘what’s going to get us a job?”’ He added, “We must counsel them wisely. If they want to take philosophy, fine. If they want a job, we should direct them to that.” Others, including Col. James Woodall, Related editorial, page 2 commandant of the Corps of Cadets, went on record in favor of McDermott’s motion. Woodall was joined by William Maxwell, dean of Liberal Arts, and Ronnie Kapavik, student body president. One faculty member said the question was whether Texas A&M was going to be come a university or be just a trade school. Dr. Gordon Hopkins, head of mechani cal engineering, replied that if Texas A&M was a trade school, it was the best. He said that in the engineering profession, accre dited programs have to have a certain number of hours in various fields. “Nothing prevents a student from taking extra courses, ” he said. “We teach a man how to earn a living, and most learn how to enjoy it. “I don’t want to teach a man to enjoy life without teaching him how to earn it; that would leave a frustrated man.” Dr. Haskell Monroe, dean of faculties and vice president of academic affairs, said that the curriculum committee, on which he serves, is set up for routine matters. Therefore, he said. University Presi dent Dr. Jarvis Miller should appoint a council to work on a solution to the prob lem. His suggestion substituted McDer mott’s motion and passed. After the meeting McDermott said he was pleased by the vote. He did not expect as much support as he had received, he said. He said his amendment probably would have been beaten if it had come to a vote Thursday. Miller has not yet appointed committee memhers. Woman student stabbed to deat< in CS apartment Friday night A 20-year-old Texas A&M student was found stabbed to death in her College Sta tion apartment Friday night. The victim was identified as LaShan Nuhlinghaus. Her nude, blood-covered body was found on the bedroom floor by her roommate at 9:25 p.m. Friday, police said. She was pronounced dead at the scene by Justice of the Peace B.H. De wey. Nuhlinghaus was stabbed once in the pelvis area according to police reports. The roommate told police she found the victim’s shirt on the floor of the apartment. She called for Nuhlinghaus but heard no Malfunctions cause third of Colorado nuclear plant Smile for the camera Dale Craxton’s horse, Ganaisha, gives her a wary look as she puts the mare through several warm-up exercises prior to competition in the Texas A&M University Horseman’s Association Intramural Horse Show. Pleasant weather prevailed for a pleasant show Sunday morning at the Equestrian Center. Battalion photo by Sam Stroder United Press International PLATTEVILLE, Colo. — The Fort St. Vrain Nuclear Generating Plant was shut down Sunday due to a reactor room cool ing malfunction which allowed a small amount of radioactivity to escape into the atmosphere, officials said. It was the third time in less than two years the huge nuclear plant had to be shut down because of an equipment mal function. It is located 40 miles northeast of Denver. “There was a minute release of radioac tivity in the reactor building, but the safety of the employees was not jeopar dized and there was no measurable release into the atmosphere,” reported Gary Re eves, a spokesman for the Public Service Company of Colorado. Reeves said the plant was automatically shut down at about 7 a.m. when helium, the primary coolant used at the facility, seeped into a back-up water system. He said the incident was not made pub lic until 11 hours later because it was not answer. She found the body in the bed room. The roommate then ran to a neighbor’s apartment to call the police. Results from the autopsy were unavaila ble at press time. The case is still being investigated by College Station detectives. shutdown in two years considered an emergency. He said the utility was required under federal law to immediately report potential health hazards. “At no time was there any hazard to the public,” Reeves said. “If there had been, we would have made an immediate re port.” The plant will be reactivated at its au thorized power level when the cause of the problem is determined and rectified. Re eves said. The plant was scheduled to be closed for regular maintenance Oct. 20.