PRAVDA
Volume I, Number 3
Montreat-Anderson College
February 23, 1995
MSB Home to Dangerous Radiation?
by Zola Griffin
DuringearlySq)tember,labassistantScott
Bowers happened upon a 4 oz. sample of radio
active substance, uranyl acetate, in a storage
room on the second floor of Morgan Science
Building while doing an inventory for the sci
ence department.
Uranyl acetate is an alpha-emitting, low-
grade radioactive substance used in physics labs
for half-life experiments. Exposure to its radia
tion can be blocked by the skin at a distance of
roughly one foot.
“Microwaves and video games give off
more radiation than this stuff,” explained Bow
ers.
When Bowers initially found the sub
stance, no one actually knew very much about it.
It has since been ruled out as a substantive
danger. Bowers* supervisor. Dr. Mark Lassiter
of the Natural Science Division conceded, “At
first I was concerned, but now 1 feel a lot better
BowerSy Lassitery Discover Uranyl Acetate Sample
about it.”
Although uranyl acetate emits only low-
levelradiation,regulationsinsistinstitutionsmust
have certain permits to purchase it. The college
apparentlyobtainedthechemical before the laws
went into effect.
In the past, the Natural Sciences Division
has hired part-time Chemistry teachers, usually
from A-B Tech. Because these adjuncts seldom
used the storage closet, there had been no real
effort to examine and catalog its contents.
As the Environmental Studies Program
matures,newcourseofferingslikeOrganicChem-
istry and Toxicology demanded storage space
and more frequent use of chemicals.
Bowers, as part of his work-study duties,
was assigned the task of inventorying the closet:
a room unexamined in over twenty years.
At $4.25 per hour, Bowers is undertaking
tasks normally performed by private firms at
costs of around $50,000.
Lassiter stated that he was “frustrated
about the condition of the room, ” but he is deeply
pleased with the work that Bowers is doing in S'
now. Theprocess of overhauling the room could
take up to five years.
Most undergraduate students do not have
the opportunity of classifying chemicals in this
type of setting. Bowers has discovered quite a
few additional unknowns, but all other materials
in the storeroom have tested non-radioactive.
The primary concern of the science department
now is upgrading the chemical containers.
Lassiter stated that there are approximately 300
chemicals which need to be repackaged at this
time.
Since no experiments requiring radioac
tive resources are done on this campus, the ura
nyl acetate was moved last week from Montreat
to the UNC-A Physics Department.
New Teams to Compete In Blue And Gold
By Christian Malone
Five new teams will compete under the
Cavalier name in the 1995-96 academic year.
Men'sgolf,men’sandwomert’stennis, women’s
soccer and women’s softball will be added to the
already established teams.
Athletic director Steve McNamara an
nounced the addition Of the hew sports as an
attempt to up enrollment. Currently about 29%
of the college’s enrollment are athletes.
McNamara estimates the new sports will inflate
the enrollment by an additional 40 students and
will set in motion the means to further increase
the size of the student body.
Until now, men were restricted to com-
}Tete intercollegiately in soccer in the fall, basket
ball in the winter and baseball in the spring.
Day, Sorrenson Quit Grooveshock
Band Adopts Image of Brown Root Seed Co.
by M. Janie King
Grooveshock, a band consisting of Mon
treat students, has recently been faced with the
rumor they are breaking up. According to the
lead singer of the band, Chris Sorrenson, “It is
not true that the band is breaking up, we are just
forming a different band.”
Chris Day, guitarist for the band, is leav
ing. He states this is not forany personal reasons,
he is ’“just too busy.” Sorrenson also quit the
band earlier this month, but when he was ap
proached to rejoin by other members of
Grooveshock, he did so willingly.
The band wanted to make some changes
because the pre.ssure of recording a live album,
which they did last month, was too much to bear.
Cameron Thomas stated, “1 think the
change is a very good thing. We all have more
fun at the personal side of having a band, like
practicing and hanging out with each other. It’s
the business side that got to us. Making a live
album was a pain.”
Grooveshock will be changing their name
to Brown Root Seed Co. They were in search of
something “Biblical, yet artistic.” According to
Sorrenson, “The band is sowing some seeds and
seeing what happens.”
The band does not want to play for Mon
treat students until they feel like they are more
“together.” Chris Sorenson boasts, “1 know that
a lot of people at Montreat like the band, but the
problem is were all perfectionists. We want to
have everything down before we play for Mon- i
treat again.”
The members of the band agree that a six-
piece band that they hadbeforc didn ’tallow them
to form the closeness they wanted to. They feel
certain that having a four-piece band should
allow them to do that. This will also give them a
chance to get seriousabouttheirmusic. Sorenson
stales that for him and the other members of the
band, “music is what we want a career in.”
, Grooveshock’s live album will be out in
four or five months according to the band mem
bers. Their next show will be at 31 Patton on
March 2, a country bar in Asheville.
Women were limited even further, with the op
portunity to play volleyball in the fall and
basketball in the winter.
Therenewal of the women’s softball team
will allow co-ed’s to compete intercollegiately in
the spring. Softball will balance the number of
men’s and women’s teams on campus.
Theadditionofwoman ’s soccerhas drawn
a positive response. The college has recently
announced of hiring the new soccer coach for the
men’s and women’s team, John Garville.
Plans are being made for an off-campus
field to be used by both the soccer and the softball
teams.
McNamara rebutted the doubt about
Garville coaching two teams during a given
season, “Coach Chaplin coaches both fall ball
and women’s volleyball in the fall and has not
had any problems. Garville is excited about
coaching the men and women.”
SophomoreJonAbel,anavidtennisplaycr
says, “I am very excited this is going to happen.
[The new sports] will bring students and commu-
see New Teams p. 2
Willcox Signs on with SPAS
by John Langer
Cary Willcox, Montreat-Anderson alum
nus and current student activities coordinator,
has been offeredand has accepted theposition of
Program Services Coordinator with the School
of Professional and Adult Studies.
Willcox’s new responsibilities will in
clude coordinating meetings, negotiating con
tracts, distributingbooks, syllabiandlaptopcom-
puters. He wi 11 also be responsible for the main
tenance of laptop computers.
“Theposition is notgoingto inlerferewith
his current job in Student Activities,” explains
Dr. Isaac Owolabi, the Associate Dean of Adult
Education. Owolabi and Student Services dis
cussed whether the new position would affect his
current position before SPAS offered Willcox
the position. Willcox predicts, “I will not have
any trouble with both jobs and Student Activities
will not suffer from the new job. I only work
about fifteen hours a week in the SPAS job."
The job will not be declared permanent
until the end of the school year, after SPAS
decides whether Willcox will be able to fulfill
SPAS’ needs for the Coordinator of Program
Services. Next year, it will be decided whether
the position will remain part-time or become a
full-time position.
Accordingto Associate Dean of Students,
Beth Wirtjes, the new resident director of M-A
Hall and Howerton will fill theStudent Activities
position, coordinate intramurals and manage the
Bclk Campus Center.