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Show The Utes' projected starting linebacker, Nai Fotu, is out for the season with a torn ACL , Itlarch 16, 2010 TI1 The U ronicle.co TA WIC LE ersity of Utah' Ind ent Voice Since 1890 Vol. 119 No. 96 ©2010 State denies U $15M for infrastructure Katie Harrington STAFF WRITER Legislators announced last week that the U was denied the proposed s15 million to help with the campus' deteriorating infrastructure. President Michael Young went before legislators in February to ask for the money, noting that the U is at a crisis point and is desperate for funding in order to keep campus buildings running. Cory Higgins, director of plant operations, said legislators simply couldn't afford to approve the U's proposal. "The state has no money," Higgins said. "There is just no money available, and the U has no money that can be used for this purpose." Mike Perez, associate vice president for facilities management, said the state considered to projects for funding this year and approved four of them. As submitted to the Legislature by the Utah State Building Board, the U's project was ranked in the bottom three in terms of priority, Perez said. 20 1 STAFF WRITER Utah public schools, including the U, joined an alliance with 16 other states to boost the number of students earning a college diploma. "(The U has) been working on it for years, but it's tough to move," said Paul Brinkman, senior vice president for academic affairs. "The U is...interested in a better graduation rate." No longer does a high school diploma guarantee a respectable job, said President Barack Mama in this year's State of the Union address. Students need to reach out at some point, Brinkman said. "You can get help from various resources (around campus)," he said. One problem with trying to enhance the graduation rate is how long it takes to see re- riorated a large amount during the past 4o years, which is costing the U thousands of dollars a week, Young said. The U is also desperate for a substation upgrade, which controls 255 campus buildings, Higgins said. The substation has equipment that is 6o years old and has a "single point of failure," so it could stop working at any time and would be difficult to repair. "Day to day, the system becomes worse," Higgins said. "Although we don't think it's going to fail tomorrow, we don't know when it will fail, and when it does, it's very high-risk and would have a huge impact on 1, U joins pact to raise rates of graduation Josh Bennett "There are apparently a number of well-deserving and needed projects throughout the state this year," Perez said. "It's a difficult decision for anyone to make... and (ours) did not make the final cut egislative because there are ession limited funds availMho able." Young told the Legislature that a variety of issues are causing the U's weakening infrastructure. Of the U's 243 buildings, 144 of them were built before 1970 and have dete- 4 soil.... I. campus." If the substation does fail, power could be out for days, Higgins said. The U is also dealing with failing high-temperature water and electricity distribution. Last June, 65 buildings were left without heat or hot water because of pipe failures. There was a major repair to water pipes in January, but they are still leaking, Higgins said. There isn't much the U can do at this point with the lack of funding, he said. U departments are evaluating the increased risk that comes See BUILDINGS Page 4 Z. 1 . 1 , ,--- sults. "You don't just flip a switch," Brinkman said. The organization also works to close the gap between white students and Latino and blackstudents. According to research by U.S. Department of Education, 6o percent of white students complete a bachelor's degree within six years, compared to 49 percent of Hispanic students and 42 percent of black students. "I think it's a great thing for students of all backgrounds to be able to come out and get a bachelor's degree and be what they want to be," said Jenay Christy, Black Student Union events coordinator and a junior in social work. Schools will work through Complete College America, a nonprofit organization created last year to amplify the ■• . ....., . .i, ;iti4----':'-ii.-..,,K,-is 4„. 74'. '11.' -: /411,4.;,,, !..f.4■! -■ , ..-„,._:;,.:,.:4,,, ---, P '.' .., , —.. , • ..- 1 . V .,0,14 t.,.)F. -v i146 .4,, „ te ea< -4 ,, 4.,... - A . , , ,,• C'4'..• OF • • , '■ . .rx •tv : --4* — ../ .. - V • Ir >4 .4" .-- ) ;411FQ11....., - 111104•-- CRAIG BLAKE/The Daily Utah Chronicle Salt Lake Ink Cyrus Jordan, a U freshman minoring in Chinese, writes Chinese characters on Judge Memorial High School senior Olivia Shaughnessy's leg as they enjoy the warm weather on the Union lawn. The temperature is expected to climb above 60 degrees today and Wednesday. See DEGREE Page 2 Google bike route could Awareness week focuses on poison Center aims to spread message of prevention help cyclists around SLC Deborah Rafferty Katie Harrington STAFF WRITER Google debuted a new bike route feature Wednesday that will help cyclists plan out safer routes around major cities. With the new "bike there" feature, Google Maps now covers every facet of common transportation—biking, walking, driving and public transportation. An Austin, Texas, resident started a petition in early 2008 that urged Google to provide bike routes that aren't congested with dangerous traffic. The petition was signed by 51,427 people around the country. Shannon Guymon, a Google product manager, wrote on the official Google blog that the company has added bike route data for 150 U.S. cities so far, including Salt Lake City. "Biking directions can help you find a convenient and efficient route that makes use of dedicated bike trails or lanes and avoids hills whenever possible," Guymon said. Some U students said they would use the new feature STAFF WRITER Get Directions My Maps • 4E11200 Central Campus Dr, Salt Lake City, UT 84112 Als 700 Bonneville Blvd, Salt Lake City, UT 84103 El Add Destination - Show options Bicycling By car By public transit Walking Bicycling Get Directions car a= Public Transit Bicycling directions are in beta. Use caution and please report unmapped bike routes, streets that aren't suited for cycling, and other problems here. Bicycling directions to 700 Bonneville Blvd, Salt Lake City, UT 84103 SCREENSHOT FROM MAPS.GOOGLE.COM most if they were traveling to other cities. Nathan Derezotes, a senior in history and international studies, said adding a bike route feature is a great idea and will be convenient for those who don't know where good bike lanes are. "I would definitely check it out," Derezotes said. "When I travel, I usually have every- thing mapped out just from experience, so I usually keep to that. But if I wanted to go somewhere that I didn't really go most of the time, then sure, I would check to see where bike lanes are and which spots have more emphasis on safety." Chase Kimbal, a sophomore See BICYCLES Page 4 Encouraging citizens to be more careful with potential household poisons, the Utah Poison Control Center is doing its part during national Poison Prevention Week. The Utah center receives about 56,000 calls each year regarding poisonings, said Barbara Crouch, director of the Utah Poison Control Center. Sixty percent of calls to the center involve children under the age of six. Younger children, she said, are curious and explore by putting things such as cleaners and other poisonous household items that come in brightly-colored bottles in their mouths. The center mailed out fliers in January to promote the week, which resulted in a positive response from health care providers around Utah wanting pamphlets and posters to display in their offices, said Marty Malheiro, the center's project administrator. The pamphlets and posters are part of a year-round effort by the center, but the awareness week has been set apart nationwide as a way to provide the public with information about how to prevent poisonings, Malheiro said. "It's all about avoidance," Malheiro said. "We want the community to be safe and take precautions so unintentional poisonings don't occur." The week was first established in 1961 as an opportunity to raise public awareness of poisonings that occur, Crouch said. There are 61 poison control centers across the nation, and they receive more than 2 million calls for exposures to poisons, 94 percent of which occur in homes. Parents can prevent accidents by removing children from an area where poisonous materials are accessible. Although medicines and poisons might seem out of reach, children can still access them, Crouch said, describing a child who climbed onto the bathroom countertop, drank the cough and cold medicine the parents had stored and then climbed back down. "Kids get pretty creative," Crouch said. "If they see something they want, they will try to get ahold of it." Crouch said potential poisons be stored in cabinets with childproof locks on the outside and people should make sure that if they have safety locks on medications, they actually use them properly. Malheiro suggested that no poisons be kept in food containers or stored near food. She gave the example that sometimes people store used oil in old soda bottles, which can be mistaken for actual soda. She also spoke about storing medications in the refrigerator, warning that people need to take precaution. "Any potential poison in a food container can be an opportunity for something to happen," Malheiro said. If a poisoning occurs, people can call anytime to reach the call center, Malheiro said. The center doesn't field calls just for poisonings, but also for questions about poisoning prevention, with a staff of trained nurses and pharmacists on call. For questions or emergencies, call 800-222-1222. d.rafferty@ chronicle.utah.edu |