TECHNICIAN
thursday july
22 2010
Raleigh, North Carolina
technicianonline.com
False fire alarm empties Bragaw At least two smoke detectors were affected by construction dust that caused the alarm to evacuate all of Bragaw Residence Hall. Chelsey Francis Staff Writer
DAVID HAWLEY/TECHNICIAN
Yui Terada, a sophomore in chemical engineering, Matt Cowan, a sophomore in engineering, and Robert Beasley, a junior in biochemistry, pass time in between classes in Cowan’s dorm in Bragraw Residence Hall. They said they felt that the co-ed visitation policy should be decided by the individual roommates involved.
BOT rescinds 24-hour visitation prohibition Nathan Hardin News Editor
Three residence halls will allow overnight visitors of the opposite sex for the 2010-11 year, implementing a policy change that’s been in the works for more than a decade. The former policy prohibiting 24-hour visitation was rescinded by the Board of Trustees at their official meeting on July 15. Bragaw, North and Turlington are the three halls allowing members of the opposite gender to stay overnight. The housing visitation policy is now under Students Affairs responsibility. “The current policy has been rescinded and there is a regulation now that comes under the jurisdiction of Dr. [Tom] Stafford,” said Susan Grant, director of University Housing. On-campus residents have until July 26 to
contact the Housing Assignments office for a reassignment or they will be unable to change their assignments. According to Kyle Winters, president of the Inter-Residence Council, the three dorms were carefully chosen based on specific details. Winters said IRC’s proposal included using one residence hall from each of the three campus regions, both suite style and hall style. Winters also said IRC used the percentage of freshmen in each of the dorms to determine their choices. “We wanted to get something on East, Central and West [campuses],” Winters said. “We’re trying to provide flexibility and so far we haven’t seen anything that would say it’s going to be less comfortable or less safe.” Winters said the proposal was based on survey data IRC has been collecting over the last few years and that the data shows a strong correlation for needed change. “Based on surveys in ’05, ‘07 and ’09 at least 1,500 residents on campus were asked about how they feel now with regards to the visitation policy and how they would feel differently about security,” Winters said. “Even though
there is a strong support for 24-hour visitation in the data, there’s an even stronger support saying that the current system doesn’t work.” Winters said this decision has been a long time coming and that no other UNC System school has a policy preventing members of the opposite gender from staying overnight. “IRC has been working on this for about 15 years,” Winters said. “We’re the only school in the UNC System to have no 24-hour visitation, and [with regards to] comparable schools including Clemson, Maryland, and Florida State, we’re the only school in that group to have no 24-hour visitation.” Grant explained the Housing Advisory Committee will receive reports in the spring based on data from the fall semester’s student opinions. “The Housing Advisory Committee is going to want an assessment of the impact of 24-hour visitation. So they’re going to be asking about students impressions of security, perhaps privacy and comfort level with 24-hour visitation in those buildings,” Grant said.
Former football star in critical condition Dennis Byrd, former All-ACC selection, is currently in critical condition in a Charlotte hospital due to heart problems. Chelsey Francis Staff Writer
Dennis Byrd, one of the University’s most decorated football players, is currently in critical condition at Carolinas Medical Center. According to David Horning, senior associate athletics director, Byrd had back surgery and developed coronary issues following the surgery. Although Horning said, as of Monday night, his condition had stabilized, he remains in critical condition. “I talked to Dennis’ son today. Dennis is doing much better. He stabilized last night, but he’s still in critical condition,” Horning said. Horning said he does not know how long Byrd’s hospitalization will be, but he intends to visit him as soon as possible. “The length of hospitalization is unknown at this point. He could be in the hospital for an indefinite period. Right now, the main concern is that he heals up,” Horning said. “As soon
as Byrd is allowed visitors, I plan to go visit him.” Horning said the matter affects him personally because he considers Byrd to be a good friend. “He’s a dear friend of mine. We’re very, very close. I’ve known Dennis for five, six, seven years,” Horning said. “We sent him red and white flowers yesterday.” According to Public Information Staff at Carolina’s Medical Center in Charlotte, N.C., Byrd was listed in critical condition as of Tuesday afternoon. According to HIPPA guidelines, the term critical condition means the patient has unstable vital signs and may be unconscious. “Right now, we’re hoping and praying he gets through this thing,” Horning said. Byrd was the fifth former Wolfpack player selected to the College Football Hall of Fame. He will be inducted December 7 at the National Football Foundation’s annual awards dinner in New York. At the time, all football players were required to play one season on the freshmen team before being eligible to play on the varsity team. Byrd played the 1964 season on the freshmen team. As soon as he became a
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1968 AGROMECK ARCHIVE PHOTO
Former football player Dennis Byrd, a 1960s star, is in critical condition at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte. Byrd will be inducted Dec. 7 into the College Football Hall of Fame.
member of the varsity team in 1965, he was a starter and first-team All-ACC selection. Byrd was the first N.C. State player to receive consensus All-America honors. Byrd helped the Wolfpack win the 1965 ACC Football Championship. He also played in N.C. State’s first postseason win over Georgia in the 1967 Liberty Bowl.
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Byrd was drafted No. 6 overall in 1968 and played only two seasons with the Boston Patriots before a knee injury forced him to retire. Byrd later became a high school teacher and coach. Byrd retired from teaching in 2001 and his No. 77 jersey was retired from the University in 2002.
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Students wishing to change their housing assignments, due to the policy change, have until July 26 to contact the Housing Assignments office.
Around 2:10 p.m. Tuesday, masonry dust activated at least two smoke detectors near Suite 202 on the north side of Bragaw Residence Hall, causing all residents to be evacuated for a short period of time, according to David Michniuk, a deputy fire marshal with N.C. State. “A local alarm goes off and evacuates only one suite,” Michniuk said. “But if two alarms go off, the entire dorm will be evacuated. In this case, the dust set off multiple alarms.” The false fire alarm emptied Bragaw residence hall and demonstrated how the new fire alarm functions in regards to different situations, according to Michniuk. “Basically what happened is a good example of the new fire alarm function,” Michniuk said shortly after the alarm was turned off and residents were allowed back in the dorm. Students living on the south side of Bragaw were surprised by the fire alarm, as summer school students Kaitlyn Oppenheim and Alex Venegas said. Oppenheim, a sophomore in engineering, said she was very angry by the fire alarm going off. “This is the third time this has happened in the second summer session alone. I didn’t see any smoke, and no one ever tells us why the fire alarm goes off,” Oppenheim said. “If the fire alarm keeps going off with no real reason, students are going to start ignoring the alarm, which could be a real problem if there ever is a real fire.” Venegas, a sophomore in aerospace engineering, agrees with Oppenheim’s view of the fire alarms. “The fire alarms are getting crazy,” said Venegas. “I don’t see why they can’t disable the fire alarms on that side of Bragaw since they have so much construction going on over there.” Michniuk said the University Fire Department will inspect the heads that caused the fire alarm to go off to make sure they are still functioning correctly. “I really like the system we have here where one suite can be evacuated versus the entire building,” Michniuk said. “It tends to not aggravate the ‘Cry Wolf’ syndrome.” The new fire alarm in Bragaw can empty one suite, if only one fire alarm goes off. If more than one alarm goes off, according to Michniuk, there is a definite need for students to evacuate.