10A = THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
NEWS
WEDNESDAY,JULY18,2001
Humidity has staff looking for a reprieve
The recent humid weather is creating problems for some University employees
By Luke Wetzel writer@kansan.com
Wooden doors and lingering stenches combine with the summer humidity to make conditions on campus uncomfortable for some.
One-hundred degree temperatures have some faculty members reaching to turn down the thermostat—and Facilities Operations staff turning them back up.
Bob Smith, facilities maintenance supervisor said, "Certain people who aren't satisfied with 76 degrees take it upon themselves to turn it down." Facilities Operations staff turn thermostats back to 76, the level the provost set to conserve energy, he said.
"Electrical bills are huge up here." Smith said.
Doors are also a problem. The humidity has caused some classrooms and residence hall doors to sag and the thresholds to raise, throwing off their alignment. Smith said this happens every summer, usually in newer buildings that haven't had time to settle.
"We get some calls if they can't secure a door at night," he said. "We have to do some adjustments and get it until it can close," he said.
Tony Clark said the kinds of problems the humidity creates on the first floor of Wescoe Hall were obvious.
"Don't you smell it?" he asked. Clark, who edits the American Studies journal, said a mildew smell is one of several problems in the Wescoe basement during the
summer months.
Humidity also causes papers to curl up.
Although an air-quality test last Spring showed there were no health risks, Clark said not everyone is convinced.
"A lot of us are concerned about what we're breathing in," he said.
Smokers who ignore the University's "Smoke-Free Entryway" policy further contaminate Clark's area, especially when the door is propped open in the Spring.
"Some of us don't smoke, and once the smoke comes in the doorway you can't get away from it." he said.
Indeed, the area outside the first floor doors carries an odor oddly reminiscent of the primate house at the Kansas City Zoo, even after Facilities Operations staff posted no-smoking signs.
"The facilities people are very responsive," he said. "They responded positively and quickly."
Wetzel can be reached at 864-4810 or writer@kansan.com
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