THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18,2010
A MOLDY MESS
VOLUME 123 ISSUE 64
Leaky pipes irk McCollum residents
A common complaint from McCollum's residents is the water pipes that run through almost every room. The pipes will sometimes begin leaking and maintenance crews will have to come repair the pipe. In rare cases the pipes burst, causing water damage to property.
BY MICHAEL HOLTZ
mholtz@kansan.com
One night in early October, Abe Otaibi noticed the floors in the sixth floor bathroom of McCollum Hall were more wet than usual. At first he thought it was a prank. Then he looked up and saw water dripping from the ceiling.
When he reported the incident to the front desk at McCollium Hall, a desk assistant told him a pipe on the seventh floor was leaking. Maintenance was taking care of it, the deskie told him. So Otaibi, a freshman from Al Khoobar, Saudi Arabia, returned to his floor.
Chris Neal/KANSAN
Thirty minutes later a resident assistant for the sixth floor returned to his room. Otaibi was with him when he opened his door and saw water spewing from the RAs ceiling.
They rushed to save what they could, but few of the RA's belongings were salvageable. His TV, books and collection of Magic the Gathering playing cards — among other things — were ruined. The RA was not allowed to comment.
Though Otaibi's story was the worst incident reported to The University Daily Kansan, many McCollum Hall residents shared similar stories. Several students said mold was growing in their rooms as a result of leaky pipes.
Despite their complaints, renovations for McColm Hall aren't
scheduled to begin until 2013, said Diana Robertson, director of student housing.
"As far as the money it takes to live here versus the conditions that we live in, it's pretty unacceptable," said Luke Bowers, a man
"We're getting to the full renovations as quickly as feasible," Robertson said. "In the meantime, I think they're in pretty good shape."
WATER LEAKS
"If there was something we were
junior from Marion.
Bowers was visiting his girlfriend in Kansas City a year ago when a friend from his floor called. Water was gushing from underneath his door on the eighth floor of McCollium Hall, his friend told him. A pipe had burst inside his room.
When Bowers made it back to McCollum 30 minutes later, his friends had safely recovered most of his belongings from his room. The spewing water ruined a rug, two "Rock Band" controllers, a universal remote and a surge protector.
Bowers e-mail a list of damages to Shruti Desai, complex director for McCollum Hall. He estimated total damages to his personal property at more than $110. Desai told him in a follow-up e-mail to check his parents' homeowners insurance for coverage.
Robertson said student housing would most likely not reimburse Bowers for any damages to his personal property. She said students should either buy renters insurance or check their family's homeowners insurance policy to make sure they're covered.
McCollum Hall is the last dormitory on Daisy Hill scheduled for renovations. Templin, Lewis and Hashinger halls were renovated in the last 10 years. Renovations for GSP Hall, located on the north side of campus, are scheduled to begin in May.
"As far as the money it takes to live here versus the conditions that we live in,it's pretty unacceptable."
LUKE BOWERS Marion junior
negligent in, then I'm going to work with them on that," Robertson said. "But when it's something that we wouldn't have reason to have known was going to occur, things might happen that we hadn't
anticipated or predicted."
In those incidents, Robertson said, student housing was not liable for damages.
MOLD SIGHTINGS
Alex, a freshman from Lawrence, and who didn't want her last name used because she will still be living
in McCollum Hall, said she and her roommate noticed mold on a leaky pipe in their room about six weeks ago.
Maintenance fixed the leaky pipe by wrapping it in duct tape, covering the tape with foam insulation and painting the insulation white, Alex said. When the pipe continued to leak, a maintenance person placed a bucket under it and told Alex it would stop in a few days. She said the pipe still leaked on occasion.
Alex said she had two respiratory infections this semester. Her doctor told her the infections were caused by bacteria in her lungs, which she said might have come from the mold.
"I just wish it wasn't a health hazard," Alex said about living in McCollum Hall.
— Edited by David Cawthon
Chris Neal/KANSAN
The air conditioning units inside McCollum have been an issue for the building's residents. Some students have had to take off the cover to their unit and clean the inside because of a musty smell and mold, which sometimes causes sickness.
HEALTH
Dalton Gomez/KANSAN
Energy drinks such as Monster and Red Bull are wildly popular with college-age students. While these drinks give students the boost they need to stay awake, some worry they may have adverse effects as well.
Popular drinks problematic
kstroda@kansan.com
BY KELLY STRODA
kstroda@kansan.com
Andrew Fillmore has a routine when he goes to the grocery store. He usually picks up a fourpack of Red Bull. When it comes to staying focused in his afternoon class, he said, drinking a Red Bull helps keep him awake. He said he probably drinks four or five a week.
"I think energy drinks give me an energy boost that soda doesn't," said Fillmore, a junior from Belle Plaine.
There's no shortage of college students consuming energy
Walk into any gas station or convenience store and one can find an array of energy drinks. Red Bull. Full Throttle. Amp. Rock Star. There are rows of colorful cans promising to make that groggy feeling disappear.
drinks. According to a survey published in Nutrition Journal in 2007, more than half of college students reported drinking energy drinks at least once a month.
These drinks are popular, but they may not be healthy.
Sure, everyone knows that energy drinks have caffeine. That's the point.
But what about the extras
Energy drinks advertise ingredients like taurine, guarana and ginseng.
Ann Chapman, dietitian at the Wellness Resource Center at Wattkins Memorial Health Center, said some energy drinks could be potentially harmful. Those extras aren't regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, and studies have shown mixed results on the effects these ingredients have on consumers' bodies.
Fillmore said when it comes to the extras like the taurine that Red Bull tots, he doesn't really think much about it.
So, she said, you don't always
SEE HEALTH ON PAGE 3A
INSIDE
Talking about sex on the hill
A special section and a special edition of Jayplay examine the diverse issues surrounding sexuality on campus.
INDEX
Classifieds...5B
Crossword...4A
Cryptoquips...4A
Opinion...5A
Sports...1B
Sudoku...4A
WEATHER
Sunny
6134
FRIDAY
weather.com
Sunny
SATURDAY
6245
All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2010 The University Daily Kansan
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL|1B
Win disguises problems with offense
Jayhawks to face tough opponents in the future
HEALTH | 6A
Lawrence sees green
City will compete with Manhattan to win money for energy projects.