Section B · Page 4
The University Daily Kansan
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Wednesday, June 17, 1998
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Bomb threat forces loan firm evacuation
By Joyce Newman
Kansan staff writer
The call was placed through the company's 1-800 line and answered at the Killeen, Texas, branch office in the late afternoon. All recipients of Sallie Mae student loans have access to the number, which can reach any branch office depending on who responds.
Sallie Mae employees got an unexpected day off, June 10, when the building was evacuated because of a bomb threat.
Sallie Mae is a Student Loan Marketing Association located off of Second Street at 2000 Bluffs Drive. The corporation purchases loans from originating lenders. It provides banks with loans that enable the banks to make student loans.
The Lawrence Police Department was contacted at the time
"Inever knew people would get so upset over paying their loans."
Heather Fletcher Student and Sallie Mae emplover
of the call and was on site at the time of the report. The caller did not give any details.
Sgt. Rick Nichols said that the caller did not specify which Sallie Mae office building was the intended target or give an approximate time. As a result, all offices were alerted and evacuated to ensure safety.
The building was cleared at 3 p.m. to allow a complete sweep of the grounds. Sallie Mae employees were allowed back to work at noon the following day.
procedures," said Elaine Nelson, vice president of Kansas operations at Sallie Mae. "Our primary concern was the safety of our employees."
Authorities are trying to trace the call and are taking measures to ensure that another threat is prevented, Nelson said. Receiving a bomb threat by phone is extremely rare, Nelson said. The last time the company received such a threat was last year.
Sallie Mae deals with more than four and a half million customers across the country, and the caller could have been anyone.
"I came into work on Thursday morning, and they sent me home," said Heather Fletcher, Wichita junior and temporary employee at Sallie Mae. "I never knew people would get so upset over paying their loans."
Trash and unused furniture litter this open terrace on the south side of Wescock Hall between the second and third floors. A proposed renovation would inclose the terrace for use as lounges. Photo by Graham K. Johnson/KANSAN
Fundraising is foundation for Wescoe renovations
Kansan staff writer
By Graham K. Johnson
Wescoe Hall may get a bigger cafeteria, more space for lounges and basic repairs if the University approves a renovation proposal.
Last April, a Wescoe Task Force committee submitted a renovation plan for the aging building to University administration.
The proposal is the final stage in the work of the task force, which was formed two years ago to reorganize Wescoe's department offices. The restructuring is intended to make the building more organized and livable.
Stephen Parker, chairman of the Slavic languages and literatures department, led the committee of department heads that created the renovation proposal.
Parker said it was important to create a better environment for people who worked in Wescoe.
"There are curtains that are hanging in some of these windows that have been hanging for 20 years and never been cleaned," Parker said. "In other words, a major concern is for the health of the people who have to work in this building 40
The plan would create enclosed lounges on terraces between the second and third floors on the south side of the building. Some have suggested that Wescose Terrace cafeteria be extended outward to make it capable of serving more people, Parker said.
Parker said the No.1 priority was the replacement of the heating and air-conditioning system, which does not circulate air adequately.
Another major goal was to create more space for faculty and staff lounges, Parker said.
Anthony Genova, chairman of the philosophy department, said that the lounges were an important part of the proposal because there was no space set aside for that purpose.
Parker said he often had to bring his lunch from the packed cafeteria back to his office because the only other place to eat was the hallway.
hours or more."
Sally Frost Mason, dean of liberal arts and sciences, said that she was pleased with the plans and had approved them for the next stage of the process: design and fundraising.
"The idea is to see what we can come up with by way of plans and then see how much money
we can raise to make this thing happen, " Frost Mason said.
Some money from the crumbling classrooms appropriation would be available, but most of the funding would have to be raised from donations and the Legislature, she said.
Tom Waechter, planning coordinator with design and construction management, said the plans were feasible, but that any major changes or moves would not take place until the completion of Joseph R. Pearson Hall renovations in 2000.
The School of Education is scheduled to move into Pearson upon completion, freeing up space in Bailey Hall for departments moving out of Wescoe. The foreign language, history, English, philosophy, and humanities and western civilization departments will remain in Wescoe.
Parker said the committee's goal was to determine how to utilize the new space for the remaining departments. The committee decided to centralize most of the departmental offices along the south side of the building to share resources and to give the staff access to windows.
Allergies cover up in colds
By Loslie Patter
Kansan staff writer
Many times allergies disguise themselves as the common cold. Blake Woolbright, Pittsburg sophomore, had a stuffed-up nose, sore throat and a cough. He thought he had a cold.
"I went to Watkins, and they told me my symptoms were due to allergies," Woolbright said.
An allergy is the body's response to substances in the environment called allergens, said Randall Rock, chief of staff at Watkins Memorial Health Center. This time of year, allergies are caused by pollen, dust, mold and blooming trees, he said.
"An allergy can cause an inflammation of the respiratory tract." Rock said. "The respiratory n.echanisms that are stimulated by allergies are similar to the ones stimulated by a cold, so the symptoms of an allergy and a cold can be similar."
According to the Association for Ambulatory Health Care, allergic rhinitis is the medical term for an allergy that effects the mucous membrane of the nose. Common symptoms are a stuffed-up nose, sneezing, itchy eyes and throat, coughing, sinus headache and fatigue.
"There are many over the counter medications for allergies," Rock said. "Also, try to avoid what you are allergic to when you can, and keep the windows closed and let the air conditioning filter the air."
Rock said that the inflammation of the respiratory tract increases the
chance of developing a sinus infection. An infection results when bacteria invades the sinus membranes that have swollen because of allergies.
Treatments do exist.
Rock encouraged students who suffer from allergies to see a physician.
Watkins has an allergy clinic for students who periodically need allergy shots. Students must call 864-9507 to make an appointment.