Issue 10 • Volume 124 Thursday, Nov. 3o, 2017 www.thesandspur.org
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Campus Safety to carry emergency opioid spray Officers trained to carry intranasal drug, reverses effects of opioid overdose. By Alec Stanley
R Mills renovation plans reshape center of campus to focus on student needs. By Alec Stanley
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astanley@rollins.edu
n the coming years, Mills Memorial Hall will undergo a huge transformation: most notably to increase accessibility and introduce the Center for Career and Life Planning to a centralized location on campus. These renovations aim to make Mills more student-centered. It will be turned into an “rCompass Center” to provide a “360 degree view of your time at Rollins.” This information was provided by Melissa Burns, an architect who presented at a student meeting held Nov. 14. The meeting was open to all students but was mainly attended by offices and organizations involved in the renovation, such as Student Government Association, WPRK (the student-run radio station), and Sustainability Programs. The renovations are being planned by EYP Inc., an architecture company based out of Albany, NY. This company has worked on renovations at schools such as University of Michigan and Princeton Univer-
sity. It is also the same firm that previously worked with Rollins in designing the new Bush Science Center. The renovations aim to modernize the building’s interior and increase the amount of open space in the building. While the current floor plans focus on office and meeting space rather than students’ study space, EYP promises to flip that model. Although it is still relatively early in the design process, the goal is to have “student spaces and student activity visible as soon as one walks in the door,” said Burns. First, the building will be converted from its current configuration of three main floors and several closed off “floating floors,” as described by the EYP representative, to a more streamlined three-floor arrangement. The first and second floors will be home to student service offices, community spaces, and study spaces. The third floor will house a new Galloway room for formal events. It will also include two new classrooms capable of holding 40+ students. Second, one of the most no-
table proposed changes will be the installation of an occupiable stairway connecting the entrance near Mills Lawn and the rear entrance near the Campus Center. This high-traffic common area will provide students with a space to sit and connect without confining them to traditional chairs and tables. It will also have many power outlets for laptop and phone chargers. The area will provide a line of sight to all three floors in hopes of improving accesibility in the building. Third, the building will house student services such as the Center for Leadership and Community Engagement, the Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation hub, International Programs, and a new resident: the Center for Career and Life Planning. These office spaces will mainly be student study spaces with staff offices located along the periphery. This will add usable community space on the first and second floors.
‣ See MILLS on Page 6
astanley@rollins.edu
ollins Campus Safety began training officers on the administration of the lifesaving medication Narcan in the event of opioid overdoses. Previously, officers would have to wait for a Winter Park Fire-Rescue Department (WPFD) medic to arrive on the scene before the drug could be administered to an afflicted student. Narcan, generically known as naloxone, is a competitive opioid receptor antagonist, which essentially reverses the effects an opioid has on the central nervous system and respiratory system. The decision to train Campus Safety officers to administer this drug was made in part by Campus Safety, the Wellness Center, the Office of the President, and WPFD. It was described by officials as a proactive change that will help keep Rollins students safe if the campus is affected by the nationwide opioid epidemic. Campus Safety officers will continue to receive training on intranasal administration from the WPFD twice a year. Accord-
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ing to Director of Campus Safety Ken Miller, the cost of this new program (both of the training and the Narcan itself) pales in comparison to the thought of a preventable death occurring on campus due to a Fire Department wait time in a situation where every second counts. Additionally, there are no adverse side effects or allergies to the drug if an overdose is accidentally misdiagnosed. This reflects a growing trend of officials taking action to combat the opioid epidemic, which claims the lives of tens of thousands of Americans every year. As of 2016, over 20 colleges have trained campus officers on the administration of Narcan, a number that has only increased. Starting with New Mexico in 2001, all states have passed legislation to increase layperson access to Narcan. All but ten have passed good samaritan immunity laws to those who administer the lifesaving treatment, including Florida.
As of 2016, over 20 colleges have trained campus officers on the administartion of Narcan, a number that has only increased.
‣ See NARCAN on Page 6