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volume 70 Issue 12
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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013
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Missing gym towels cost WREC thousands
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Greeks see rush increase
FEATURES
Leanne Patterson
Isabel Charles
Staff Writer
Staff Writer
The Chico State Wildcat Recreation Center has started a campaign asking students to bring back lost or stolen towels after it spent more than $10,000 on replacements. In the past three months, the WREC has lost 4,479 towels, said Teresa Clements, assistant director of member services at the gym. The current policy allows students to borrow them freely while spending time at the gym. “Towel theft has been a problem since we opened in 2009, but this spring semester seems to be the worst to date,” she said. The WREC does inventory whenever they see a decrease in the amount of towels and orders more for circulation, Clements said. At any given time, there should be at least 700 towels for use a day, whether they’re in the laundry, ready for “Towel theft has been use or somewhere in the a problem since we facility. opened in 2009, but The gym this spring semester had to seems to be the worst increase its to date.” towel orders because Teresa Clements the norWREC assistant director of mal two to member services three yearly bulk orders weren’t enough. Towel orders are a part of the overall WREC budget, which is funded by student fees. This is one of the reasons the gym staff found it important to make >> please see WREC | A3
This semester, more students signed up for sorority recruitment than ever before. More than 400 women participated in recruitment week, said Connie Huyck, the student life and leadership coordinator. The average in the past has been about 300 students. Potential members spent time visiting each sorority house April 3-8 to learn about the different organizations and the individual goals of each chapter. Recruitment week resulted in an average of 60 new members per sorority, Huyck said. “Only time can truly tell what this increase in recruitment came from,” she said. Since the Greek system was reinstated last month, sororities have been educating new members of the rules and regulations of Greek life. “We are having new member meetings every Sunday before general meetings,” said Vanessa Camera, Alpha Phi president and a junior health science major. At these meetings, new members are taught the values of their sorority, the new campus regulations and how to act as a responsible chapter member, she said. “We don’t want members who just want to go out and act crazy,” Camera said. “We want girls who are dedicated to the sorority, who want to be leaders and want to be a strong presence on campus.” The social aspect is nonexistent for sororities right now, Huyck said. “The new students will be coming in to a new sort of Greek life and hopefully carry that on throughout the years,” she said.
the orion •PHOTOgRAPH BY Logan Missner
Hanging in the balance
Steady now Justin Montgomery and Ben Aguirre, both members of Chico State’s Acrobatics Club, perform the “strong man” pose during a team practice. The club meets three nights a week in Acker Gym to practice poses. To read more about the club, see B5.
The Orion can be reached at editorinchief@theorion.com
Faculty member finished minutes before Boston blasts Quinn Western News Editor
A Chico State faculty member cried as she crossed the finish line at the Boston Marathon, had her medal draped around Melissa her neck and then walked Stearns a block before hearing the Health education specialist first explosion. for CNAP Melissa Stearns, a Chico State health education specialist at the Center for Nutrition and Activity Promotion, finished the race 14 minutes before the blasts on April 15.
26.2 miles Chico State faculty member Melissa Stearns finished the Boston Marathon in three hours and 54 minutes, just 14 minutes before the bombs went off April 15.
The race Stearns had her morning coffee and a sweet potato just like before any other race. She approached the start of the marathon excited, ready and a little bit chilly. The brisk morning soon turned to perfect marathon weather, and Stearns removed the first of her four layers quickly, she said. “You have to qualify to get there, so just being able to get there was amazing,” she said. Stearns usually runs marathons with her earbuds in, but she took them out just to absorb and listen to the cheers, she said. >> please see EXPLOSION | A4
Photo courtesy of ED HUDSON
Professor not convinced by asbestos results doubts the safety of Butte Hall. The university is trying to ignore what they Senior Writer already have acknowledged, he said. After finding asbestos material in the ceilThe state has found no danger of asbestos exposure in Butte Hall, but a faculty mem- ing tiles during the 2010 univeristy lighting project, Luis Caraballo, ber is still questioning director of facilities manwhether the building is “They all see this as a ‘Wizard agement and services, safe. of Oz’ trick they’re trying to pull, notified Gayle HutchinThe inspection was don’t look behind the curtain, son, the dean of College conducted by the Dividon’t look above the ceiling of Behavioral and Social sion of Occupational Sciences in an email. Safety and Health on tiles.” The ceiling space was the seventh floor of Mark Stemen made off-limits several Butte Hall in October, Professor of geography years ago, wrote Caraand the report found no and planning ballo in the email, in violations against the order to keep maintenance workers from peruniversity, according to a Cal-OSHA notice. The asbestos was combined with cement forming work on these components. The inspector had access to everywhere he materials that were applied as fireproofing on the metal pillars when the building was wanted to go, said Joe Wills, director of pubconstructed in the ’70s, said Mark Stemen, lic affairs and publications at Chico State. a professor of geography and planning who The space wasn’t off-limits, but it is accessed Pedro Quintana
the orion •PHOTOgRAPH BY Nick Howell
Asbestos fear Geography professor Mark Stemen’s office door displays a sign warning of asbestos in Butte Hall. He questions the quality of the building’s inspection.
INDEX World News
only when using a contaiment enclosure. Any repair work above the ceiling would require an enclosure, he said. The enclosure uses a high efficiency particulate air vacuum to draw in air from the area being worked on. Last year, faculty members were concerned that environmental conditions in Butte Hall could have been connected to the cancer deaths of sociology professor Andy Dick and staff member Tami Harder Kilpatric, who both worked in the building. There are many faculty members who don’t believe the university anymore, Stemen said. “They all see this as a ‘Wizard of Oz’ trick they’re trying to pull, don’t look behind the curtain, don’t look above the ceiling tiles,” he said. Stemen doesn’t think the investigation was very thorough at showing the growing problem of falling asbestos material on top of >> please see ASBESTOS | A3
INSIDE A2
Sports
B1
Weather
A2
Directory
B3
Police Blotter
A4
Features
B5
Opinion
A6
Sex Column
B7
Sports
Features
Opinion
high
Two self-proclaimed baseball nerds are pitching their way to a winning season.
Are fast food commercials grossly misleading? One columnist thinks so.
low
Story B1
Sex columnist Chantel Richards deals with the hurt and stigmas of living with an STD. Column B7
TODAY
87 51
Column A7
full week A2 >>
Want free concert tickets? Check out A5.