Leak in Sid Richardson floods lecture halls
Faculty scrambles to make arrangements for classes

By Sylvia Carrizales
senior reporter

Two lecture halls were flooded with murky water about a quarter-inch deep after a leak occurred in an upstairs projection room in the 29-year-old Sid W. Richardson Building late afternoon Monday.

Larry Kitchens, director of Instructional Services, said the accident was apparently caused after a contractor left a valve cock open after completing a project. When the water was turned back on, it led to the leak.
Kitchens was notified shortly before 5 p.m. and arrived to find water falling from the ceiling and TCU workers trying to dry the floor with vacuums.

Rusty Simmons/ ASSOCIATE EDITOR

“It was dripping pretty good,” Kitchens said. “It wasn’t like you had an open faucet but it was working its way down the walls.”

Kitchens said it would take some time before they could determine the extent of the damage to the rooms and the equipment. He said the cost of repairs may be known today.

Kitchens said he noticed a $20,000 video data projector, used for showing videotape and PowerPoint presentations, that had endured obvious water damage.

“We’re going to have to run diagnostics on the equipment and make sure it’s going to work before we can put it back online,” Kitchens said.

The area that was affected may be more extensive than just the two lecture halls and the projection room, Kitchens said.

“There could be more damage that we didn’t see,” he said.

Kitchens said the carpets in the lecture hall were installed a year ago. Installation of new audio/visual equipment also began last fall and was completed this summer.

Patrick Miller, registrar and director of enrollment management, said all faculty who teach in the rooms were notified so they could make other arrangements for class.

Nowell Donovan, a geology professor, said some faculty might be inconvenienced by the flood.

“I’ve got a major test coming up Wednesday, and I need to use the projection slides,” he said. “It’s going to be interesting.”

Michael Slattery, a geology professor, said he might have to cancel his 9:30 a.m. class.

“I got a call an hour ago from the university about what happened,” he said Monday evening. “All of the electronics and audio-visual are going to be out in the morning. All my lecture notes are on PowerPoint and film. I’m going to have to scramble around tonight (to make other plans.)”

Sylvia Carrizales
sylviacarrizales@hotmail.com

$125,000 donated for Jewish scholarships
Gift seeks to attract Jewish freshman, transfer students

By Yvette Herrera
staff reporter

Peter Bermont, a Jewish alumnus, has given TCU $125,000 for use as scholarship money for incoming Jewish freshmen and transfer students and undergraduate sons or daughters of Jewish religious leaders.
Bermont said TCU offers a good education, but the word “Christian” might not be appealing to Jewish students who are not familiar with the school. When he came to TCU, there was only a handful of Jewish students here, Bermont said. He hopes this endowment will encourage more Jewish students to apply to TCU.

“It’s important to bring diversity to the school,” Bermont said.

Award amounts will vary, and preference will be given to student applicants who demonstrate financial need as demonstrated by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Recipients will be named for the academic year 2001-2002.

Bermont graduated from TCU in 1967 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the M.J. Neeley School of Business. He later became an investment adviser for the Bermont group at Salomon Smith Barney.

Ann Louden, director of principle gifts, said Bermont established the fund this summer.

“This money is a wonderful advancement for the university,” Louden said.

Richard Allen, an associate professor of radio-TV-film, said this endowment will benefit TCU by encouraging more diversity through reaching out to Jewish students throughout the country. Allen, who is also the faculty adviser for Hillel, a Jewish organization, said there are currently about 20 to 40 Jewish students at TCU.

“This is a place where people can come no matter what faith,” Allen said. “The endowment will create awareness (to Jewish students) and will allow people to feel comfortable coming here.”

Amanda Wilsker, a junior economics major and president of Hillel, said she chose TCU because of its reputation, not because of the name.

“I come from a family where Judaism was not as important to us as it is to others,” Wilsker said.

Yvette Herrera
yvebex@yahoo.com

APO blood drive collects 252 units
Donations exceed last year’s amount

SKIFF staff

Carter BloodCare collected 43 percent more blood from TCU donors this year than last. Much of the success has been attributed to cooperation between sponsors Alpha Phi Omega and Panhellenic Council.
However, the biggest impact may have been the visibility of holding it in the Student Center Lounge the first day. The drive took place last Monday through Wednesday.

Kelly Cowdery, APO service vice president, said she was worried that moving the drive to the Student Center basement after having the first day in the lounge would cause a decline in donor participation, but donation numbers steadily increased each day.

“Students were able to see the blood drive in progress the first day, and APO kept the sign-up table in the lounge the following days,” Cowdery said.

Last year all three days of the blood drive took place in the Student Center basement and APO did not have enough time to advertise the location change from the lounge to the basement, said Cowdery.

The amount of blood donations increased by 75 units from the drive last February. This semester, 252 units of blood were drawn. Each blood unit donated can save three lives. TCU donations may save 756 people, Cowdery said.

Gayle Knutson, Carter BloodCare recruiter and consultant, said the blood drive nearly reached its goal of 257 units of blood.

Aimee Lavoie, APO student assistant blood drive coordinator, said the number of donations taken in the first two days exceeded last year’s three-day drive.

Cooperation between APO and PHC was prompted by a request from University of Texas at Austin when Keri Giesler, UT’s Panhellenic president, was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia.

Giesler said the response from Panhellenic councils across Texas was better than she expected.

“It’s the best gift I could ever ask for, I am so touched that people would take time to help me and so many others,” she said.

About half of this year’s donations were made in Giesler’s name, Cowdery said. Because of PHC involvement, about 100 more fraternity and sorority members donated this year, she said.

Kappa Alpha Theta made the most blood donations and will be presented with a plaque, said Cowdery.

Leadership conference closes
Students focus on challenges facing countries in the Americas

By Yvette Herrera
staff reporter

After months of preparation and long hours of research, the first meeting for the American Airlines Leadership for Americas program in Puebla, Mexico is finally completed.

The four TCU students who participated each focused on one of the challenges that affects all of the countries in the Western Hemisphere. The topics were discussed by 36 delegates from nine different countries in North, Central and South America.

The topics on the agenda were determined by the students as priorities facing the Americas.

Oscar Arias, the former president of Costa Rica and Nobel Prize Laureate, gave a speech that was scheduled to be aired on both TCU Channel 40 and the Internet at the opening ceremony of the week-long meeting. Because of technical difficulties with the long distance carriers, the speech was not aired, said Bill Senter, manager of technical services.

Leah Armstrong, a senior Spanish major, presented her paper on how developing Latin American countries can maintain societal and personal quality of life as they move toward industrialization.

Armstrong said the people within her group discussed issues concerning problems in the Western Hemisphere and came up with some solutions.

“One thing we need to do is expand the North American Free Trade Agreement to all of Latin America as opposed to just Canada, the U.S. and Mexico,” Armstrong said. “Latin American countries can benefit from exporting their goods, which will help out their economies.”

Another issue Armstrong’s group discussed was education. Because the literacy rate is so low in Latin America, some members of the quality of life group volunteered in reading programs to increase the literacy, Armstrong said.

“If every person got involved with something in the community, we could improve the quality of life throughout the hemisphere,” Armstrong said.

Prominent international leaders in global affairs, such as Rosario Green, secretary of foreign affairs for Mexico and John Dwyer, coordinator of international information programs for the United States department of State, addressed the students each day and participated in student-led discussions.

The visit to Puebla was not only an educational experience for Alonso Sanchez, a senior math and art history major and Puebla native, he said it was also a chance to see his family. Sanchez discussed globalization and regionalization.

Caterina Lombardi, a senior international marketing major, discussed leadership in a democracy. Lombardi made contact with Dwyer and is waiting to hear from him about an internship with the department of state in foreign affairs.

Love Johnson, a senior speech language and Spanish major, presented her paper on leadership and service. Johnson is currently studying at the Universidad de las Americas in Puebla for a semester.

Rebecka Tucker, coordinator of the program, said the trip to Puebla was a remarkable experience. The meeting gave students the opportunity to not only discuss issues they believe in, but to also hear what other students have to say about particular and compromise with others, Tucker said.

Tucker’s current project is to electronically publish the 10 to 15 page papers that the students wrote and discussed. The papers will be read by leaders from around the Americas for future reference when dealing with these topics.

Leadership for the Americas began last November and is funded entirely by a grant from American Airlines. Each year in the fall, the program will bring together the top collegiate minds to discuss global issues.

The delegates from this year will help in the selection for next year’s delegates. The second meeting is scheduled to be held at TCU.

“Participating in the American Airlines Leadership for the Americas has given me an international network and support system of friends and colleagues to turn to as I face challenges in my future career,” Armstrong said.

Yvette Herrera
yvebex@yahoo.com

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