The Alestle Vol. LXXII No, X

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thursday 10.24.19

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RELIVING THE MRF INSIDE LOVEJOY LIBRARY

alestle

THERE WILL NOT BE A PRINT ISSUE OF THE ALESTLE ON OCT. 31 vol. LXXII no. X

The Student Voice Since 1960

SIUE continues to make eco-friendly changes RYAN BIERI managing editor

Constructing change

| Summer Bradley / The Alestle

e Alestle

Walker said the green improvement he wanted to see most was the complete adoption of LED lighting in every fixture at SIUE. The university is currently in the process of converting the exterior lighting to LED, according to Walker. The project started with the lighting in the parking lots, and is now moving to street and walkway lights. In some of the parking lots, the tallest lights won’t be replaced immediately because new fixtures need to be installed. They will be replaced as more repair work on the parking lots occurs. Walker also said that some interior spaces on campus are already lit with LED lighting, such as the Vadalabene Center gymnasium and Dunham Hall theatre. “If I could wave my magic wand and make one thing

different on campus, I would like to convert the entire campus to LED, inside and out. And when I say ‘the campus,’ I mean Alton, East St. Louis and Edwardsville — all three campuses,” Walker said. “Now, we’ve gotten a good step in that direction, but my magic wand is out of batteries right now.” The next wave of interior light replacement will focus on lobby and hallway lights that are on all night. While the lights save money in the long run, the initial cost to replace old light fixtures can be expensive. However, Walker said it was worth the investment. “Lets face it, we’re in this business for the long haul. We plan on being around a long time, so it’s the right thing to do, but coming up with that initial cash is a process,” Walker said. Right now, there is no timeframe for the full adoption of LED lights on any of the campuses, but new construction and renovations — big and small — will lead to piecemeal adoption, According to Walker. “[Founder’s Hall] is going to be a much more efficient building, and use less energy, because we’re replacing these heating/air conditioning buildings,” Walker said. “We’re also replacing the single-pane windows on the building with thermal windows.” Walker said part of the goal of renovating buildings on campus is to make the buildings more eco-friendly. “We’re trying to make our buildings more comfortable to work in, [and] at the same time make them more efficient so

| Summer Bradley / Th

Some on campus, like Vice Chancellor for Administration Rich Walker, feel a personal responsibility for making the campus as eco-friendly as possible. “It feels like we all have this social responsibility to protect this planet we’re on. I don’t want to get too preachy about it — and I can’t protect the whole planet; I can just try to protect a small piece of this corner of the world,” Walker said. “Our social footprint here can’t be so deep that it harms this part of the world for the students that are taking over next.” Sustainability is an issue that is being thought about broadly across the university. For example, Dining Services recently

put out corn-based straws as an alternative for plastic straws, and the university has multiple eco-friendly issues at the top of their campus growth points of pride.

news in brief

that it doesn’t cost so much to run them,” Walker said. Currently, seven buildings on campus are certified green under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design system. The Engineering Building addition, Lukas Athletic Annex, Multidisciplinary Dental Medicine Laboratory, Science Building West and Science Building East all have silver LEED certification. Additionally, one residential building in Cougar Village has residential LEED certification, and the Art and Design West Building has gold LEED certification. Walker said that as buildings are renovated, they will also most likely receive LEED certification. SIUE currently uses renewable energy, or pays renewable energy investment credits, and because of this, SIUE is considered renewable energy-sourced, according to Walker. see GREEN on page 3

Accident in Science West sends student to hospital A chemical explosion occured inside the Science West building on Oct. 16, according to SIUE Police Chief Kevin Schmoll. There were four students in the room at the time, and according to Schmoll one suffered lacerations to their hands, forearms and stomach. The other three students were not injured in the explosion. Schmoll did not identify the injured student to The Alestle. Police received a call detailing the incident around 4:20 p.m. that day. Police administered first aid to the student until EMS and fire department members arrived. Schmoll said the paramedics placed a tourniquet on one of his arms before he went to the hospital. The injured student was then transported to St. Louis University Hospital for treatment, but was released from the hospital in the early hours of the morning. Schmoll said that all of the injuries were due to broken glass, not from the chemical. The explosion was caused by a student heating the chemical thioxanthen, which Schmoll said is supposed to be worked with at room temperature. “Because [thioxanthen] is a hazardous material, we sealed off the room until a hazmat team could come in and clean it up,” Schmoll said. Schmoll said the room was reopened on Oct. 17.

Jessica Harris appointed to Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum board JENNIFER GOECKNER lifestyles editor

Gov. J. B. Pritzker recently selected Jessica Harris, interim assistant provost, to be a board member for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. “I’m a historian by training, 20th-century African American history specifically, so the idea to work in any area related to my field is really awesome,” Harris said. “This particular opportunity is not one I sought out, but I’m really grateful that the governor and his office saw something in me and wanted to give me the opportunity.” Harris said her role as a board member will be to advance the mission of the library and museum and ensure engaging educational programs are available for

visitors. Harris said she has previously visited the museum herself and looks forward to being able to help influence its direction. The museum, located in Springfield, Illinois, houses the largest collection of artifacts relating to Lincoln’s life and legacy. Harris said she is excited to work on the board for the library and museum, and this appointment is special because she was contacted without applying first. “I’ve toured the museum and had a chance to visit on a couple of occasions, and so, that’s kind of surreal to know that now I’ll be in a position to really help advise and kind of shape what the future of the library and museum will look like,” Harris said. Courtney Boddie, director of Counseling Services, said he has collaborated with Harris on

a number of projects, especially with efforts through the Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion. Boddie said his experiences working with Harris have been positive, and she possesses many qualities that make her a good leader. “I would say my experience with her has been fantastic,” Boddie said. “Rarely have I had the opportunity to work with someone who is thoughtful and advocating, polite and tenacious. Those types of combinations don’t show up very often, particularly not in leadership in my experience.” Boddie also credited Harris’ knowledge on the subject and said he was glad to see minority representation on a state-appointed board. “She is a very well-established

historian,” Boddie said. “And historically there just continues to be an underrepresentation of people of color, women and other people in marginalized groups, so on the basis of identity and merit, I’m thrilled for her.” Allison Thomason, chair of the Department of Historical Studies, agreed with Boddie’s assessment and said Harris was a great colleague when they were both working in the history department, noting how much she cared about the students and other faculty members. Thomason also described Harris as an expert in her field and said Harris’ appointment reflected well not only on her, but on the entire history department and university as well. “This is really interesting that she was chosen because she has

so much knowledge of African American history,” Thomason said. “So it’s thrilling for us to have someone with such a prestigious appointment associated with American history and from our department.” Along with Harris, 10 other individuals have been named by Pritzker to serve on the board. Ray LaHood, who previously served as the U.S. secretary of transportation and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, is to act as the board’s chairman. All 11 appointees still need to be confirmed by the Illinois Senate, which Harris said she expects to happen by the end of the month. JENNIFER GOECKNER 650-3530 @jgoeck_alestle jgoeckner@alestlelive.com


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