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Show VOLUME 50. ISSUE 81 NvCyK MONDAY. MAY 7. 1990 Signpost THE WEBER STATE COLLEGE WITH ONLY 1 0 SECONDS left in the game, the purple team made a desperate attempt to score in Weber State's annual Purple and White Game played Saturday. The white team won 53 - 32. WSC Professor recalls Kent State tragedy By Sandra D. Chapman Assistant news editor of The Signpost The shooting of four Kent State students 20 years ago brought the Vietnam War home; Dr. Raj Kumar, then a Kent State telecommunication graduate student, shares his memories of the incident. Kumar recalls studying in the speech building located near the Maidean, the grassy mound where the shootings occurred. The crowds had gathered for days, and the National Guardsmen were weary. They had been on duty for 48 hours and were tired of being heckled. Suddenly the crowd grew restless. Four deadly shots were fired. The incident just happened to take place at Kent State according to Kumar. "It could have taken place anywhere on any campus because of the mood of the nation at that time ... Berkeley, anywhere. Students were fed up with the government's handling of the the Vietnam situation," said Kumar. Kumar explained that after the shootings, the campus swelled with CIA. Nobody talked. Everyone was careful. "There were lots of police, FBI and secret police placed on campus as undercover agents. We didn't know who was and who wasn't, but we knew they were there," he said. Immediately after the crisis, Kumar was hired to sit in the dean's office and answer the phone because of bomb threats. "I had an itinerary of every class being held in the speech building in case I needed to go tell them to get out because there had been a bomb threat," he said. Rather than try to help solve the problems, Kumar felt the press exploited the Kent State situation. The university was 30-35 miles outside Cleveland; yet, the media travelled there every day for months after the shootings just to take pictures for the evening news. The students would gather between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. and wait for them to arrive. James Michener also came to the campus to do extensive research for his best selling novel about the incident, an example of saturation journalism that has become so unique to Western journalism. Michener did his research by talking to hundreds of students, inviting them to informal parties to get information. According to Kumar, today's climate has changed too much for this to happen again. He feels people are more goal oriented, more job conscious and are more interested in money than in politics. UB renovation waits for results of asbestos survey By R. Todd McGee Staff writer of The Signpost Approximately $250,000 obtained for the renovation of the Shepherd Union Building is currently in limbo pending an asbestos testing survey, according to Joly Walker, coordinator of maintenance for the campus life department. Asbestos, the grey, fibrous carcinogen which enters the body via the lungs, is prohibited in public buildings by the Environmental Protection Agency. The funds, allocated earlier in the year from the capital repair and replacement bond fund, may have to pay for the survey and the removal of the asbestos. A renovation proposal presented by Murdock Business Design was well receive d by the Union Ad vi sory Board April 25. Walker said that on April 26, members of the president's staff interrupted the same proposal with what he called "that topic of gloom and doom the topic of asbestos." Walker said the original plan to renovate the complex includes new carpet. The carpet now in place is more than twenty years old. The backing has pulled away from the nap, making it feel as though you're walking on loose towels, which requires taping it together with silver duct tape. "If we wait five more years to do anything, well be walking on wall to wall duct tape," Walker said. The proposed carpet, which has a synthetic, rot-resistant action back, is guaranteed for fifteen years. The Gallery's appearance is another proposed change. According to Walker, brighter, more versatile decor will replace all the hanging flags and mismatched seating. Though the Gallery currently seats 316 people, the new dining area will only accommodate 280 but will offer more space for events such as dances or fashion shows. All new furniture will be a part of the renovation as well. Where there is excessive traffic, north of the bookstore stairs, tile will replace carpet. There are also plans to convert the third floor TV lounge into a large study area. Several years ago, asbestos was discovered in the structural steel of the UB. Floor tiles containing asbestos have also been found. "We can't do anything until we find out exactly where the asbestos is and how much exists," said Walker. The UB may be sealed off by a big plastic bubble when the asbestos is removed. Bob Folsom of WSC Architectural Services said the survey alone could run anywhere from $5-25,000 based on similar projects conducted on campus in the past. (See UNION page 7) |