WOMKV
Meredith
April 24, 2002
Hi
ERALD
Volume XVIII, Issued
College spends thousands on rented units
□ College rents
portable air units to
cool cafeteria and
buildings with
planned events.
Christina Holder
6ditor-in-Chief
As the hum of the campus-
wide Chiller finally filled the
air around 8 p.m. on Friday
night, faculty convened for an
awards dinner in a cool
Weatherspoon Gym.
A 20-ton portable air
conditioning unit pumped
cold air into the gym—the
same portable unit that was
used to cool down Ledford
Hall two weekends ago for
the Carolinas Psychology
Conference.
Meanwhile, students who
had been without air in the
dorms during last week’s
record 90 degree temperatures
would have to wait until
Saturday to feel cool air
blowing their way.
According to Chiller
project manager Jason
Aycock when the Chiller
began running again, it took at
least one full day for the
The temperature was cool inside Weatherspoon Gym on Friday afterr»oon before the
Faculty Awards Dinner. Above, one table stands beside the door where the 20-ton
portable air conditioner pumps air into the room. The Chlllei came back to life later that
night shortly after 8 p.m., but temperatures Inside the dorms did not fall until Sunday.
dorms to cool down. Even
then, he said students
should “expect cooler
temperatures...not frigid.”
By Sunday, the temperature
in the dorms was comfortable.
Last week, crews worked
around the clock to get the
existing Chiller —the campus-
wide air conditioning unit that
had been turned off in
March—running again.
Aycock and his crew of
approximately 30 men worked
in 12-hour shifts \^th 6-8 men
per shift, clocking over 100
hours in overtime.
Aycock never went home.
This past week, he spent the
night on a mattress in the
company trailer outside of the
Chiller plant.
“I nap,” said Aycock. “I
don’t sleep.”
Earlier in the week, Tom
Sherry of Facilities Services
posted on the campus E-News
that the Chiller would be
running by Friday.
The administration’s push
to get the Chiller running
placed extra pressure on the
CHILLER
continued on
page two
Staff Photo by Christina Holpbb
Director of Learning Center leaves Meredith
□ Roberts leaves
position to pursue
doctoral degree.
Tiffany Adams
Stan Reporter
The current director of the
Learning Center has decided
to leave her position in order
to pursue a doctoral degree in
English at the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
For the past year and a half,
Kelly Roberts has served as
the Learning Center director.
After she graduated from
Meredith with a degree in
English and a secondary edu
cation licensure, Roberts took
an adjunct teaching position
in the English department at
Meredith four years ago.
She taught English 111 for
three years and then was hired
last year to replace Nan
Miller, the former director.
Miller started the Learning
Center in 1987 and served as
the director until 2001. when
Roberts was hired.
Roberts said that she has
been attending graduate
school at UNC-Chapel Hill
for the past year, and she real
ized that it was extremely dif
ficult to attend school and
serve as the director of the
Learning Center. She decided
to leave -her position so she
could focus on her graduate
studies.
According to Roberts, her
contract expires in May 2002.
and she will leave as soon as
the annual report is complete.
Roberts added that ideally,
the position requires a full
time position as the director of
the Learning Center and assis
tant professor of English to
begin in August 2002. She
stated that the College plans
to hire someone for the posi
tion in May.
Her short-term focus is on
completing her graduate
studies and earning her doc
toral degree. She said she has
DIRECTOR
continued on
page two
CAMPUS SNAPSHOTS
The switch Is on for the two
portable air conditioners the
College rented this week.
Students sought refuge in cool
places. Some went to the
Chapel, like these two sisters.