Daily Helmsman The
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Death Toll From Killer Melons Rises Contaminated cantaloupes claim 13 lives so far; consumers warned to be wary
Vol. 79 No. 20
see page 4
Independent Student Newspaper of The University of Memphis
www.dailyhelmsman.com
UM takes gardening to new heights The University of Memphis is cultivating its green thumb by introducing a new rooftop garden on the Physical Plant building. Amelia Mayahi, sustainability coordinator for the Physical Plant, said the 200-square-foot garden was installed in June and is a pilot project for a potentially larger green roof. “I got the idea from an invitation in the mail that green roof installers were trying to come to Memphis,” she said. “People use it a lot in hospitals and other universities I’ve talked to. They said it’s worked for them.” Mayahi said the tester plot is meant to examine mold released into the air or debris released into the drainage system, and to test the reduction of the heat island effect. The effect happens when there is a collection of tall, concrete buildings. The temperature in a city will rise more quickly, but green roofs help eliminate excess heat by insulating buildings. “We’re using succulent plants, which are able to withstand extreme temperatures,” she said. “The plants freeze in the winter and help keep the building warm and stay warm during the summer to help keep a building cold.” Mayahi said rooftop gardens also prolong the life of a roof because plants absorb water, which can cause roof damage more quickly. If the pilot plot works, the initiative could spread to other rooftops on campus. “In the long run, we want to save money on the roof and energy costs,” Mayahi said. The plants for the plot cost about $3,000 and take five hours to install. Mayahi said some physical plant employees, including her, became certified installers to save on cost.
BY CHRISTINA HOLLOWAY News Reporter With the sniffles, sneezes and coughs associated with flu season approaching, Student Health Services is pairing up with Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital to help students prepare. Nurses from Le Bonheur will give students shots Oct. 5 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Student Health Fair in the Student Activities Plaza outside of the UC. Jacqueline De Fouw, health educator of Student Health Services, said that Le Bohneur charges a fee of $20 per shot. Students who come will have to sign a waiver to confirm any allergic reactions, or if they have had a reaction to a previous flu shot. “It takes two weeks for the shot to build up in your immune system so that you have immunity to the influenza,” she said. Getting the flu shot doesn’t just help one person, but can also prevent it from spreading as well, De Fouw said. “By getting the flu vaccine, you protect yourself from influenza, and also protect others from getting it from you, so it’s very important to keep from spreading it also,” she said.
The rooftop garden located on the top of the physical plant building. The garden is used to insulate the building, and for aesthetic appeal as it can be seen from the fourth floor of Manning Hall. The plants that make up the garden are succulents, which are able to withstand extreme weather and stay green year-round. As of now, no students are part of the initiative. “I have high hopes,” Mayahi said. “I would like to see this spread through campus.” Calvin Strong, director of custodial landscape services, said he thinks the rooftop garden could have some positive effects. However, he wants to make sure that installing garden roofs will not cost more than the resources The University is already using.
Strong said that some cases of going green – like placing recycling bins across campus – have saved The University money. “We want to be cost effective,” he said. “We want to make sure it’s not costing us more to be sustainable.” While the Physical Plant works on its rooftop
see
Gardens, page 5
Study shows practice of ‘catching up on sleep’ not ideal for students BY CHRISTOPHER WHITTEN News Reporter University of Memphis student Kiara Caston can be found bundled up on a couch on campus at least twice a week, asleep. With a night job at FedEx Express, it’s not uncommon for the criminal justice major to only get four hours of sleep each night, so she uses campus resources to recover. “I sleep all day on the weekends, but I still have to wake up to do homework,” Caston said. A recent study released by Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine suggests that students who use the weekend to catch up on lost sleep during the week actually perform worse on attention tests. The pool of participants was comprised of 2,638 Korean high school students who, on average, got about six hours of sleep each night but slept almost three hours more on the weekends. Exercise science major Jalicia Jones said she often finds a quiet place, like the library or the University Center Alumni
by Aaron Turner
Student Activities Plaza to host flu shot clinic Oct. 5
by Aaron Turner
BY ERICA HORTON News Reporter
Junior criminal justice major Kiara Casto takes a nap in the Alumni Mall lounge of the University Center on Wednesday evening. Lounge, so she can sleep before work. Jones said she typically gets 6-7 hours of sleep each night but loses hours of sleep when she has to study for a test. “I might only get four hours of sleep, and then I try to catch up whenever I can,” Jones said.
Adjunct graduate faculty for The U of M Department of Psychology, Sid Nau, Ph. D., is an accredited sleep specialist by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. He said the study could be misleading. It suggests that once stu-
see
Sleep, page 6