MONTREAT
COLLEGE
Volume XXIX, Number
ALETHEIA
Montreal College
September 26, 1996
l}y Slicilic Bowser
liiduclal in llic ndvancciiiciit of
Monlrcal College is llic acIvancciiieiU of
llic fire alarm systems for all four
residence halls.
In the past, the fire detection action
plans in Davis, McGregor, and Anderson
dorms were that if a fire was smelled or
seen, the R.A.’s would have to go into the
halls blowing air horns to alert the
residents of the potential fire. Central
ized fire alarms were not in place. As for
Howerton, it did have a centralized alarm
bill it was not connected to the smoke
detectors.
Some of the fire alarms themselves
looked like light switches. Therefore,
being helpful and turning out the light
meant selling off a false call for help.
1 he alarm went off so many limes that it
was soon ignored. The Fire Marshal
Air Horns or Smoke Alarms
finally stepped in.
According to the law there must be
centralized fire alarms that are wired to
smoke detectors which have to be
connected to a backup battery in case of a
power outage. So, when the college was
required to install new fire alarms, the
best were purchased. The new system
was installed by Asheville Security
Systems.
The students got their first taste of
the new systems when the tremendously
loud alarm went off on Anderson Hall a
few days before classes began. The
alarm was set off by a mere shower
steam. Janelle Shafer, a sophomore
volleyball player and a resident of
Anderson, stated, "It is good that we have
a new system but it seems to be a little
oversensitive.” If the alarm holds the
smoke for more than 30 seconds the
alarm will sound. This is the lowest
amount of time on the Grade A level.
Along with this upgrade in safety
comes new responsibilities for the
Resident Directors and Resident Assis
tants. If the fire alarm goes off, the R.D.
and R.A.’s located closest to the stairs are
required to check the panel bo.x to locate
the room from which the fire is coming.
The R.A.’s are given master keys to aid
in evacuating the building. The R.D.
and the R.A. from the hall in which the
alarm came from go to the room and
determine if there is a real emergency. If
there is not a real fire, the R.D. lets the
fire department know. On the other hand,
il there is a real fire, a second alarm is
pulled and the fire department is on the
way. The R.A.’s also have backup plans
in case the R.D. or the A.R.D. arc not
present.
Student Christian Association Kicks Off '96-'97 Ministries
By Jennifer Mobley
The 1996-97 school year is finally
gelling undenvay, and so arc many of the
slndcnt-rnn organizations on campus.
The Student Christian Association (SCA).
which sponsors many of the ministiy'
groups at Montreal, is no c.xception. Jeff
Sheets, ITcsidcnt of SCA, says that one of
this year’s goals is "to communicate with
the student body and let them know what
ministiy opportunities ;irc available to
them."
SCA focuses on reaching the com
munity through student participation in
several sendee oriented ministries. “We
don’t intend to be a supplement for the
church,” Sheets said. "We are a
parachurch organization that exists to
fiicilitalc student involvement” in
ministry. “Many people have been to
church and heard the Word, and here on
campus we have so much good leaching
available to us,” he added. “SCA gives
students the opportunity to put into action
what they’ve heard. It helps them
become doers of the Word.”
One such opportunity that is rela
tively new to the Montreal campus is the
Mtinna Food Bank. “We bcctuuc in-
\'ol\ ed with Manna last semester,” Sheets
said. "If you’ve ever seen a Sam’s Club,
you’ll have a pretty good idea what they
look like.” Manna operates a large
warehouse in Asheville that serves as a
sorting and distribution point for several
charity food organizations in the region.
Area grocery stores participate by
providing Manna with food items that
arc, for some reason, not saleable. “All
the food meets FDA standards,” Sheets
explained. "But if il was mislabeled, or if
there were some cans that were dented, or
something similar, then company
standards often slate that the food can’t
be shelved.” That’s where Manna comes
in. 'fhey pick np the food, and il is sorted
at the warehouse. From there it is sent
out to qualifying organizations. One
Saturday morning a month, Montreal
volunteers go with others from the
community to the Manna warehouse to
help sort the huge amounts of food items
they receive. Togcilier, these volunteers
and the Manna Food Bank arc rerouting
what would have been wasted food and
putting il in the hands of the less fortu
nate. It’s like “preaching without words,”
Sheets said of this sendee ministry.
Being involved in SCA means giving
of your time, your resources, yourself It
may mean serving in a volunteer capacity
or Just being there for someone who
needs a helping hand or a listening car.
Whatever your particular interests or
Senior Stepluuiic McCall slams one
home during Montreal's win over
Bryan last Friday.
abilities, there is a place for you in one of
SCA’s many community outrcachcs. For
detailed information on how you can
become involved with Manna Food Bank,
please contact Chet Landaker 6302. If
you would like information on other SCA
ministiy'opportunities, contact Jeff Sheets
at 6222.
Women's Volleyball
Positive After Win
Against Bryan
By Sliazctte Davis
Although the Women’s Vollc)ball
team record is 3-8, their enthusiasm led
to a crushing win in their last game in
which they hosted Bryan College.
The team feels positive about this
season. Volleyball Coach Heather
Everhart commented, “1 feel that we’ll be
pretty competitive . We have strong
captains and good leadership."
Junior Kim Bonim replied, “We
have a strong team this year. I feel that
as our program gels stronger, we too will
become a stronger and better team. She
added, “We have received a lot of
support from the baseball team, which we
appreciate.”
Sophomore MaeKrisha Jones
enthusiastically responded, “All together,
every'thing is a new beginning. We have
fresh new players, improved players, and
experts, and we’re bringing them all
together. We’re a better team mentally
and physically.”
The team commented on how they
feel about not being acknowledged and
supported. Jones expressed, "It hurls to
go to another college and see the stands
filled with their Ians and Ihen have them
come to Montreal and they still have a
better turn-out than we do. What does
that say about Monlretil? ”