Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009
Utah Statesman The The
Campus Voice Voice Campus since 1902 1902 since
Utah State State University University •• Logan, Logan, Utah Utah •• www.aggietownsquare.com www.aggietownsquare.com Utah
Engineering professor elected to ASCE board By LIS STEWART staff writer
New responsibilities will be handed to civil and environmental engineering professor Kevin C. Womack. He was recently elected as a board member for the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and will be installed at the ASCE’s national conference Oct. 30. Because Womack has coordinated research programs and agendas with other organizations in the past, he considers his installment as a board member of the country’s oldest professional engineering organization to be good publicity for USU. “It’s a good thing for the university to have university people that are in positions like this,” Womack said. “It gives USU some vision, some visibility.” As a member of the board, Womack will be involved in reviewing policy the society adopts regarding civil engineering and the way it works with government. He served in 2001 as an ASCE Congressional Fellow with the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. “That wasn’t my introduction to policy but it was a great experience that taught me a lot. Being able to understand those kind of things has really helped me to do the things I have been able to do,” he said. In between earning degrees from
KEVIN WOMACK, USU engineering professor, currently serves as director of the Utah Transportation Center at USU and was just elected as a board member of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Womack has been at USU since 1989. STEVE SELLERS photo
Oregon State University and the University of Pennsylvania, he worked as a consultant, he said. After earning his doctorate, he came to USU in 1989 to teach, where he said his teaching load has become diverse. Womack is
on sabbatical for fall semester but will be back during spring semester to teach a wood and masonry structures class. Wendy Meiners, senior in civil engineering, took an engineering
economics class from Womack during the fall semester last year. She said he used real-world situations, such as the recent economic crisis, and related them to course material. She also said that he is good at explaining things.
“He’s very thorough on what he’s teaching,” Meiners said. Although trained as a structural engineer, Womack said what got him to where he is today is an interest in politics and policy, particularly transportation policy. He currently serves as director of the Utah Transportation Center at USU. Womack is responsible for the operation and serves as the liaison between the center and other agencies, such as the Utah Department of Transportation, Utah Transit Authority and the Federal Highway Administration. He said he makes sure the Transportation Center is doing research the agencies need or want to have done. He also ensures the center is fulfilling its needs with the research the faculty and graduate students do there. Research at the center has focused on the safety and durability of bridges, work zone safety, bridgeseismic behavior and transportation operations, he said. Not only does the center work with state-level and federal-transportation agencies but it has also cooperated with local ones. “We’ve also done work with Cache Metropolitan Planning Organization and Cache Valley Transit District,” he said. – la.stewart@aggiemail.usu.edu
Students required by state law to heed fire alarms By PETER BROWN staff writer
“There is a state law that says if there is a fire alarm going off, you must evacuate the building. No exceptions,” said Steve Bell, fire marshal at USU. However, many students seem to not take the alarms seriously, particularly in the Taggart Student Center (TSC). “We have had a number of false alarms in the TSC,” said Eric Olsen, associate vice president and director of the TSC. “Some people get accustomed to thinking that it’s never a real fire, and so they don’t care to leave.” Candace Brady, junior studying English education, used to live in Snow Hall and said the fire alarm went off all the time. She said it was never a serious issue, and nowadays when the alarm goes off, her first reaction is to think it isn’t an emergency. Brady spends three days a week studying in the TSC and has been present when the alarm goes off. “It’s like the boy who cried wolf,” Brady said. “I have a hard time believing it’s a real threat when so many times in the past it hasn’t been. But if someone asked me to (leave), I would still probably cooperate and leave the building. It just bugs me when it’s not an emergency and it causes everyone to stop what they’re doing and leave.” Bell said his main role is to reduce the number of false alarms on campus. He said when outside contractors come to remodel a building, they and USU have an agreement where if the contractors accidentally set off the alarm they will be fined. The first time is a freebie, Bell said, the second time is a $100 fine and the third time is $300. “No one ever makes it past three cause they learn their lesson fast and are eager to not pay more fines,” Bell said. Employees at The Hub or Marketplace also accidentally set off the alarms, though they are not fined. “The Hub is incredibly eager to fix their problems because when it does go off, they have to evacuate, the food gets cold, and they have to throw it all away and start over,” Bell said. “They lose a lot of money, and that
Inside This Issue
becomes their motivation right there.” Aside from the causes, the TSC administration works to keep its employees trained in case of an incident. Olsen said TSC employees participate in an annual safety training program and some of them are trained in the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program. “We have employees scan their departments, man the doors and make sure everyone is out,” Olsen said. “Human safety is our most important priority.” When the alarms go off, Bell said he wants everyone to treat it as a serious procedure, even if it’s not an actual emergency.
10/28/09 Student athletes find balance between school, work and athletics. Page 6
Senior soccer player Sydne Garner has seen a lot of changers in her time at USU. Page 13
The Emergency Alert System has not incorporated sending out texts, voice and e-mail messages when the alarm goes off, Bell said. Messages are sent out if there are awful weather conditions but not if the TSC catches on fire. Bell said this is because fire alarms only affect one building, not the entire campus. However, he said if the building was unsafe and was to going to close down “then maybe we would send out an alert.” During major events, such as The Howl, extra cameras are put up to monitor all activity and minimize pranks as well as serious emergencies. Bell also said during major events, the TSC is filled to capacity, which isn’t a problem because he feels confident there are enough exits to use in case of an emergency. He said every room is lit, open flames aren’t permitted and obstructions around the exit signs aren’t allowed. “I’ve been the fire marshal at Utah State for five years, and just want people to be safe,” Bell said. “I think if each person is aware of their surroundings, we’ll be prepared for great emergencies.” – peter.brown@ aggiemail.usu. edu
www.aggietownsquare.com You haven’t seen the Frightmares video yet? You may be in it! Check it out at www.aggietownsquare.com. Send us your video ideas, too. Official Student Newspaper of Utah State University • “It’s All The News You Need!”