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V.
Volume 2 Number 1
The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
November 1982
REFUGEES FIND A HOME ... AT LAST
By Barry Campbell
Perhaps their t-shirt says
it best...Reynolds Refugees. As
everyone knows, the dorms in
Reynolds Complex weren°t ready when
early September arrived so these
students were shuttled to and from
an area motel. Now they are in
their rooms, but the inconveniences
of construction still disrupt
their daily routines. Various
rumors persist as to why
construction is behind schedule.
In an attempt to sort through these
rumors, the Stentorian contacted
Director Eilber who offered his
explanation.
The problem is a complex
one. Funds for the school become
available only at certain times of
the year. After these funds have
been allocated, the process of
redesign, starting with the
architect°s drawings, must begin.
Here the planners encounter red
tape as various government
agencies, at one level or another,
must review the plans, make
corrections and send them back to
the architects. Only after final
approval may construction begin.
This process takes a considerable
amount of time. The restoration of
Reynolds "was an 18-month project
squeezed to fit into a year, says
Eilber. In this case, the funds
were available in July of 1981, and
the targeted completion date was
September 1, 1982.
The problem of lack of time
was compounded by events that took
place during the summer, when
excessive moisture dampened the
plaster in Reynolds. North
Carolina has moisture-content
regulations which state, in effect,
that the moisture in a plaster wall
must be at a certain low level
before the paint can be applied.
The amount of moisture is
scientifically tested with probes
and expensive equipment. The
plaster didn°t dry in time despite
the contractor°s efforts with
exhaust fans and space heaters.
Once Reynolds refugees did
move into their rooms, the problems
did not end. Furniture did not
arrive on time, leaks in pipes
caused flooding in several rooms
and construction caused noise and
other distractions. What do such
problems mean to the residents of
Reynolds? Extra tension is the
main pressure many residents cite,
though the ability to deal with
this tension varied considerably
from person to person. Some
typical comments included;
"It really wasn°t something
to go crazy over...just something
to deal with. It was kind of a
pain, but even if I had known that
coming to this school meant having
problems with the dorms, I would
still have come."
"They should have had it
ready when we got here, the day we
got here. My parents were madder
about it than I was, though."
Mi
Construction crews leave
presence on campus.
"The motel was fun, even
with all the problems with vans.
It would have been nice just to
move all my stuff in at once, but
we have the best dorms on campus
now, so I guess it isn°t so bad.'^
Itt-
evidence of their familiar
Reynolds renovation continues.
Nine advance
to district level
During the weekend of October
30 and 31, the thirty-four seniors
nominated by the school for the
John Motley Morehead scholarship to
the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill were interviewed by a
committee comprised of selected
area Morehead alumni. The large
number of nominees was a result of
the decision to consider the School
of Science and Mathematics as a
distinct county of North Carolina.
The committee was given a quota of
seven students by the Morehead
Foundation to be sent on to the
district level of competition;
however, they were able to extend
the quota to nine students.
The John Motley Morehead
Scholarship covers all expenses for
four years of undergraduate study
at UNC, including tuition, room,
board and fees. The scholarship
also includes summer programs of
study in various fields prior to
each of the four undergraduate
years. The students selected to
advance to the district level of
competition are Stephen Burgess,
Adam Falk, Meg Gatling, Bryan
Giles, Hih Song Kim, Gina Loftin,
Cathy Moses, Leslie Reynolds and
Dhruva Sen.