wednesday, September 3, 2003
news
the university daily kansan
3A
Amendment may save debated bill
Student Senate to vote on blood drive, club funds and recycling
By Paul Kramer
pkramer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
New and returning Student Senators will get their first taste of debating and voting by deciding the fate of the University of Kansas blood drive bill.
Bill number 2004-012 will be the last of the meeting, which begins at 6:30 tonight at the Big 12 room in the Kansas Union.
The blood drive bill was debated for more than two hours in last week's student rights committee meeting, and should be the focus of tonight's senate meeting.
The debate centered on a Food and Drug Administration policy prohibiting males who have had homosexual sex since 1977 from giving blood. Members of Queers and Allies argued this point, saying it was a program that discriminated and should not get senate funding.
Arthur Jones, freshman/sophomore class senator, was in the student rights committee debate involving the blood drive last week and was confident the bill would pass full senate.
"I think many issues have been voiced strong enough that it will be a positive outcome," Jones said.
Jeff Allmon, holdover senator, co-wrote the friendly-amendment that saved the bill from being voted down last week. The amendment added an extra $500 onto the bill for awareness about the FDA policy. He said he didn't know if the bill would have
passed on its own, but was glad he could help with the amendment.
"It seemed like it was going to be a great compromise," Allmon said.
a great compliment.
Along with the blood drive bill,
senators will vote on issues such
as whether to pay a webmaster
$1,000 to update the senate Web
site, and whether the KU Ball-
room Dance Club will get the
$2,068 it requested.
Various clubs and associations that stand to receive the $431 amount standard to University groups are also on the senate agenda. Some of those up for funding tonight are the KU American Civil Liberties Union, the Korean Student Association, and the American Business Women's Association.
One group looking to receive a larger amount from the senate is the Organization of Adult Speakers, which works for raising awareness for non-traditional students. It requested $1,400.
"I think many issues have been voiced strong enough that it will be a positive outcome."
Arthur Jones freshman/sophomore class senator
students. A request James Owen, School of Law senator, won't be asking for money, but only for Senate support for an on-campus recycling center resolution. If approved, the resolution would be sent on to University and city officials.
Edited by Scott Christie
More rain can worsen problems with mold
By Abby Mills almills@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
Danielle Sullivan knows how mold can irritate allergies. She spent two years living in an older house with mold behind the walls.
"For the entire two years I slept with a roll of toilet paper all night," the Abilene senior said.
This weekend's rain could increase the risk of an allergic reaction for those who suffer from Sullivan's former affliction.
"There are two things mold needs to grow — moisture and a nutritional source," said Matt Sugar, project manager of local testing and information at Ramsey Environmental Group.
Ramsey Environmental Group, of Belton, Mo., specializes in analyzing solutions to indoor environmental pollutants.
Sugar said mold typically
grow without it.
"Sheetrock is a very good nutrient," he said. "Even high humidity levels will cause growth."
Richard Ziesenis, director of environmental health at the Douglas County Health Department, said although mold did not cause structural damage, he had heard of a house in Texas that had become so infested it had to be destroyed.
needed a direct water source, but with the right combination of humidity and nutrition, it could grow without it.
An infestation of that magnitude is easiest to stop in the early stages of growth, Ziesenis said.
"Once it gets past the Sheetrock into in the inner part of the wall, it is very difficult to remove," he said.
Ziesenis said the biggest mold problems were allergic or asthmatic reactions. For most people, mold does not represent a problem, said Patricia Denning, staff physician at Watkins Memorial Health Center.
"Molds are everywhere, all the time," she said. "It's just if you can live in harmony with them."
Those not in harmony, she said will experience allergy symptoms such as red, itchy eyes and a sore throat.
Denning said mold could also cause more serious issues. Some mold spores can be inhaled and grow inside a person's lungs. Denning said histoplasmosis is one such disease found in Kansas, which could cause fever, chest pains and pneumonia.
Denning said most people who experience serious symptoms from the disease usually had other respiratory complications or suffered from diseases that weaken the immune system, such as AIDS or cancer.
Diseases caused by mold inhalation can be cured with antifungal medications.
To get rid of existing mold infestations, Ziesenis recommended
washing walls with a chlorine solution. He also said some brands of paint came with an antimicrobial agent to prevent and treat mold conditions.
Sugar said antimicrobial agents may not be enough because some types of mold are resistant to those measures.
Ziesenis said mold removal could be very expensive. He said although those costs are warranted to prevent health problems, mold was easier to prevent than to treat.
"Keep humidity levels low by getting a dehumidifier," he said. "That's the best way to kill mold before it grows too serious."
Sullivan — after two years of moldy nights — said she was making sure her roommates kept the dehumidifier running in her room at Margaret Amini Scholarship Hall to prevent any mold growth.
- Edited by Ehren Meditz
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