Meredith Herald
Volume X. Issue 6
September 29,1993
Raleigh, North Carolina
Fire breaks out in storage room of Heilman dorm
by Kate Stewart
A fire broke out in the storage
room of second Heilman at 4:00 a.m.
last Wednesday, according to a fire
report filed with the Raleigh Fire E)e-
partment.
Students IVuly Ager and Jennifer
I^tch smelled the smoke from the fire
and reported it to security.
According to Security Ctiief Dan
Shattuck, security received acall aboiu
the fire at about 4:15 a.m. Security
officers then went to the scene and
removed a burning mattress from the
stCM^age room, took it outside, and ex
tinguished it by wetting it down. Se
curity then evacuated both second and
third Heilman because of excessive
smoke on both floors. The Raleigh
Fire Department was also called to the
scene because of the smoke and they
used special fans to ventilate tlie floors
and get rid of the smoke. ing and would heat up again later.
According to Heilman/Barefoot TTie two students have since come
Residence DirectorBethPlye, the fire forward and have turned themselves
was started by a
cigarette that had
been dropped
ontothemattress.
Two students, ac-
corcUng to Flye,
had been smok-
ingin the stor^e
room when one
ofthem allegedly
dropped a burn
ing cigaretteonto
the mattress. Sev
eral students then
tried to put the
cig^tte out and
tt«nlefttheroom
thinking thatthey
"Wfe are concerned that
students understand the
danger of smoking,
especially in places where
it is not authorized."
Charles Taylor
Vice President of Business
and Finance
in to the
Soliticb>r Gen
eral, Hannah
Simonds, be
cause smoking
in the storage
rooms is an
honor code vio
lation.
Flye also
said that the fire
alarm was not
pulled at the
time of the fire
because stu
dents rational
ized their fear
of pulling the
hadextinguidieditbypattingitdown, alarm, thinking ttieywould lace a fine
not realiung that it was still smolder- for pulling it if fliere was not a real
fire. Flye said, “If there is a fire of any
magnitude, pull it [alarm)!”
Charles Taylor, Vice President of
Business and Finance, said that his
office has taken action since the fire.
Taylor has had die fire alarm devices
checked, especially since they did not
go off during the fire, a concern for
both Taylor and Flye. Taylor also said
another alutn system, the one in the
return air system, has also been
checked. He also commented that a
similar incident h^>pened about ttiree
or four years ago.
Taylor added, “We are concerned
that students understand the danger of
smoking, especially in places where it
is not authorized.” As far as the han
dling of the situation, Chief Shattuck
stated that everything “went as well as
it could go” given the situation. Taylor
said, “Everybody acted responsibly in
this matter.”
Faculty challenged to better meet student needs
by Christina Peoples
Hiis suouner a workshop was held
for the faculty to address better meet
ing the learning needs of all students,
especially those with learning disabili
ties, or LDs.
The required three-hour workslK^
on August 18 was host to about 120
faculty and administration. The work
shop, one of a smes planned for this
year, was led by Dr. David Heinig-
Boynton of the psychology depart
ment.
Topics for these friture sessions
will include howtutors can better serve
LD students in the Writing Center,
how student advisors can help these
students meet their needs in schedul
ing and faculty communication, and
how the faculty can adapt their spe
cific subject to the learning styles of
both LD students and others, said
Heinig-Boynton.
There will even be a workshop
between LD students and foculty to
discuss the students’ rteeds and what
the faculty can do to meet them, said
Heinlg-Boynton.
“What this says about the fk^ulty
here is that they are aware of the
special needs of these students and
they want to learn how fit their
needs in the classrooms,” said Heinig-
Boynton.
Federal law says that if there are
any disabled students at a school, then
the school must provide reasonable
assistance. In the case of LD students,
this assistance could include allowing
students more time on tests and as
signments, developing different test
formats for individual needs, and pro
viding tape recorders for lectures. It is
also possible to get textbooks on tape
or to have volunteers read the text
book to the student.
Students who need special assis
tance with 4heir work can go to the
Writing Center for tutoring in English
grammar and composition. Hiere are
also tutors available ttvough the math
department Students can also go to
the Personal Growth and Counseling
Center or a willing faculty member
for help.
Nan Miller, advisor for the Writ
ing Center, said, “Last year we no
ticed a significant rise in the demand
for special help in tutoring sessions.”
Heinig-Boynton will be giving the
tutors workshops this year on how to
more effectively help the students.
At least half of the LD students at
Meredith did not know they had a
disability until they came to college.
They slipped through the cracks of
public education, but their problems
become very apparent here, said
Heinig-Boynton.
According to Heinig-Boynton. LD
students must meet all the require
ments for acceptance to Meredith, but
see LEARNING page six
Index
Editorial 2
Letters to tiie Editor. 2
Opinion poll 3
Profile .4
Sports 5
Review 8
Today*s Forecast
Mainly sunny» very nice
High 78, Low 50
Thursday- Mainly sunny
and cooler. High 71, Low 43