lUe. CafvoftMXju
Volume 12. Number 21
The Student Newspaper of tlie University of North Carolina at Ciiarlolte
Ciiarlotte, North Carolina
February 8,1977
Brrr...Fuel crisis affecting UNCCU
By Steve Bass
Governor Jim Hunt, responding to
the serious problem of the natural gas
shortages last week, handed down a
statement directing all state offices to go
to a four day week, cut thermostats to
62 degrees, and curtail all extracurricular
activities in schools. Although Hunt
■specifically exempted institutions of
higher education from the order to go to
a four day week, the UNCC campus will
soon be feeling the effects of the Hunt
decision.
Leo Ells, Vice Chancellor for
Business Affairs, said students and
faculty can expect the campus
temperatures to get much lower. “We’re
going to have to endure temperatures of
62 degrees in all classrooms beginning
next Monday, February 7. On the
weekends we will cut off the heat
completely in the buildings, with the
possible exception of the library
complex.”
The Director of the Physical Plant,
Ed Ayers, said his men will be working
on campus cutting all thermostats back
to 62 degrees. “Actually, we’ve been
anticipating something like this for some
time now. What we’re doing at this point
is designing plans to cut back the
temperature to 62 in all the rooms. Now
I’ll grant you that people can still twiddle
with the thermostats, but we will be
checking throughout the campus making
certain that the temperature is
maintained. At this point, we plan to cut
the heat off completely after 10:00 p.m.
and turn it back on at around 6:00 a.m.
in order to warm the rooms to a toasty
62. On the weekends we want to turn the
heat corppletely off at around 2:00 p.m.
and not turn it back on until Monday
morning.”
Ayers said that this plan will save a
great deal of energy, but the decision to
close down the buildings will be made
individually and exceptions might have
to be considered. “We obviously can’t
shut down everything. For instance, in
the science and psychology buildings we
have a lot animals which are used in
experimentation. We j^re trying to
determine how we can he^t some small
areas like these areas in order to protect
the animals. Of course, we couldn’t cut
off the heat to the Student Health
Center, and I’m working with Vern
Parrish trying to work our a weekend
schedule for the Cone Center.”
Parrish, Director of the Cone
University Center, said many of the plans
for the Center have been in the workings
for some time. “We’ve got a few
conferences and seminars that have been
planned for the new area of the Center.
What I’m working on at this point is a
plan to cut off the heat in the old
sections of the building on the weekeiid,
and keep it on in the new section. What
we are really looking for is some block of
time to completely turn off the heat to
conserve energy.” —
Carolina Journal photo by Lisa Laney
Governor Hunt’s proposal included a
directive to reschedule sports events for
different times. Dave Taylor, UNCC
Sports Information Director, said the
decision would not seriously affect the
basketball program. “As I understand it,
(the directive) asked sports events to be
moved to the afternoon. That wouldn’t
hurt us too badly on the weekend games,
people could still come. The problem
would 'be if we were forced to hold
games in the afternoon during the week,
that could seriously affect the gate. Right
now there doesn’t seem to be any
problem, but we are more than willing to
do our part.”
The man who is directly responsible
for^the gymnasjum complex js William
Hutchinson. “The heating policy in the*
gym right now will keep it open. (Leo
Ells points out that UNCC is advantaged
in that the gym is only a part of the
Health and Physical Education complex.
“The fact that there are classes which are
conducted at night will help out, since it
must be heated.”!
Hutchinson says, "The temperatures
in the pool and the main gym floor will
remain the same. I would imagine that
the temperature on the main floor will
stay at about 65 degrees. No activities,
including intramurals, will be affected at
this point. Tlie heat in the building wil(
not be turned off until ^^00 p.m., and
"even those games which dPifct start until
9:30 will find that there is enough heat
to finish the games. If will remain
comfortable.”
When dealing with exceptions to the
heat cutbacks the most obvious student
residence halls. Chuck Lynch, Residence
life Director, says at this point no
energy conservation policy has been
adopted in the dorms although, “We're
working on educating the students to
energy saving ideas. 1 don’t know how
many people on campus know this but
the thermostats in the dorms are
activated by a mixing system which
samples air from seven rooms, takes an
average, and adjusts the heat in the
rooms. I'm not certain what the
temperature the dorms will be cut to,
because of the system they haven’t got:
around to us yet. I would guess that the
temperatures will average in the middle
60's. Of course, temperatures will be
averages, some rooms may be in the low
60's and some may be as high as the low
70’s. If some student has his window
open it will mess up the system and make
the temperatures unstable.”
The general concensus among
campus administrators is students and
faculty members can expect colder
temperatures, and stricter conservation
measures on campus, and if the harsh
weather continues, the students may be
called on to bite the bullet even more.
The oiily hope was expressed by one
exasperated student who was heard to
comment, “My feet are cold. I’m tired of
wearing a sweater everywhere I go, and
tired of walking into wind. Thank
heavens it will be Spring in six weeks.
Who knows, it may even get into the 60's
by June.”
Health Center searching for doctor
By Nancy Davis
“There must be a doctor who would
turn on to this kind of work...the kind of
work that is more important than
money,” said Dr. William A. Davis,
Director of UNCC Student Health
Services and resident physician of the
Student Health Center.
The Health Center is in the midst of'
an important search for an associate
doctor to work at the Center. Three
years ago. Dr. Davis was given
authorization to find somebody to work
with him fulltime.
There have been legal problems, but
according to Davis, “Money is what tips
the scales.” The University is having
difficulty finding a physician because
they are unable to match the salary a
doctor could make in private practice.
Last year, John Derrick, a certified
physician s assistant, worked at the
Center. As a physician’s assistant, he was
not licensed by the state. He could,
however, work under the supervision of a
licensed physician, seeing all students,
and writing prescriptions.
“A problem did arise, though.
According to the Nurse Practice Act, no
nurse had to accept orders from anyone
other than a licensed physician,” said
Davis. “At the time this law was written,
there was no such thing as a physician’s
assistant. It’s a case where the law hasn’t
kept up.”
Because of the discrepency between
the physician’s assistant certification and
the Nurse Practice Act, Derrick had to be
let go. Davis said Derrick was
“well-trained and seemed to get along
with everybody. It was a legal thing with
no way to resolve it.”
Even though various state boards are-
studying the situation, the Health Center
is still without an assistant. Tliey arel
looking for someone to help in seeing the'
“average of 60 students a day,”said
Davis. “We don’t want someone who’s
looking for a place to slow down. The
person will probably be someone 40-45
years old who has found out what a rat
race it is out there and could get
satisfaction out of a job like this.”
Davis has seen much growth and
improvement in the Health Center in his
five years at UNCC, but feels the Student
Health Center should be doing more.
Davis speaks occasionally to students on
such topics as birth control but says,
“That’s not even scratching the surface
of what Student Health should be doing.
An associate would open up time to get
into other things.’”
Smoking bcinned in classes
Vern Parrish, Cone Center Director
By Steve Bass
Effective Monday, February 7,
smoking will be banned in all classrooms.
The ban had its origins with Mark Smith, a senior
psychology major. During registration
Smith and his cohorts manned a desk
outside the gym and had interested
students sign a petition urging the
Chancellor to implement the ban.
According to Ken Sanford, Director
of Information, the students took the
petition, containing 2,643 names, to
Chancellor D.W. Colvard and requested
action. “The Chancellor recommended
that the students take their
recommendations to the University
Senate. (The University Senate is a body
composed of an equal number of staff,
students and faculty.) After
consultations, the University Senate
voted by a margin of 15-5 to approve the
ban.
“The recommendation then was sent
back to Chancellor Colvard, who met
with the vice chancellors and the deans
of the colleges, and decided to approve
the recommendation,’’ said Sanford.
“The Chancellor is presently preparing a
directive establishing guidelines for the
classrooms. According to the information
we have at the present time, a classroom
will be defined as any enclosed space in
which instruction occurs.
“Among the ways we plan to enforce
the regulations are placing ash receptacles
in the hallways, having professors inform
students that smoking will not be
allowed, encouraging ‘smoke breaks’
during 90 minute classes, and posting ‘no
smoking’ signs in every classroom,” said
Sanford.
While all these administrative
functions were being implemented, the
ban was the talk of the campus among
UNCC students both smokers and
non-smokers. Susan Sluss, a smoker, said
the ban would not bother her that much.
“I can really feel for the people who do
not smoke, 1 mean it bothers me when
I’m sitting next to someone who smokes
in class, and I’m a smoker. I’m certain
that I can go for 90 minutes without
smoking, I’m not that addicted yet.”
Non-smoker Blair Perry says, “It
sounds great to me. 1 don’t like it
(smoking in classrooms). I’m not allergic
to smoke, I’m just not too crazy about
it.”
Carter Jewell says that smoking helps
him relax before an important
examination but, “I don’t mind the ban,
maybe it will help me cut down on
smoking, if it does then I guess it will
serve a purpose.”
Smoker Rob Jolley is ardently
opposed to the ban on smoking, “I think
it stinks. To me, it is mostly a habit. I
enjoy doing-it, it’s part of my thinking
process. Of course, 1 always try to sit
near a vvindow and open it. I also ask
people around me if they mind if I
smoke. I do believe that if only 2600
students out of a body of 8000 signed a
petition, its not very democratic. It
should be taken to a vote. I just don’t
think its fair not to consider smoker’s
Hghts.”
However, both smokers and
non-smokers can take solace in
non-smoker Curt Williams’ comments,
amid a round of applause as the “No
Smoking” sign was posted in his
classroom. “1 think it is great. I love it. In
fact, I’d been thinking of chewing
tobacco in class to protest the smoke and
anyone who has seen that knows how
bad it is.”