LEEDS 8 198 29, JAN Y. STU FRIDA • Guaranteed. no Royal baby INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER news . University administration source admits "Cuts mean we can't afford full fire safety" A University administration source has blamed the a high level of fire extinguisher recent spate of fires squarely on cuts to the University's provision and maintenance. budget. and fairly extensive rewiring over the years provided some The high-ranking staff member — who did not wish to level of precaution. He has be named — told Leeds Student that fire safety has however, made some changes: sometimes been sacrificed because of ever-tightening "In the light of our experi- spending curbs. ences in March. more smoke doors have been installed," he "The University does not have not have the funds to replace said. the funds to replace old equip- them." "The question of fire is ment," we were told. "Universi- The first fire. in March 1987, obviously at the fore-front of ty maintenance has had to be damaged several rooms of the our consciousness. and we arc cut drastically and is therefore inorganic chemistry's adminis- constantly on the lookout for inevitably less thorough. tration section. Although the anything that might cause dan- "Elderly wiring or photo- cause is uncertain, greatest ger. rouble, however. conle,, copying equipment, suspected suspicion falls on faulty wiring from the u n . " of causing the chemistry tire. connected to a photocopier. Mike I los land agreed perhaps might not Iaa%c been However. both Dr Munro. the the department had vet maintained as early as It could Departmental Safety Officer. safely practice and tcgulaiii/ii, have been, and the latest and Mike lloyland. ASTMS "The event in March wai un- • Just one of a number of safety hazards our photographer found around the photo-spectrometers would not Union representative, are satis- forseeable:. it could have hap- University, on a hall hour stroll. Snapped in the basement of cheosstry have caught fire as the one in fied with the fire safety regula- pened in any c Alice situation. civil engineering did. Due to tions. 1However, norhirig should he static and situations change. tires, and the recent (Inc on the the cuts, the University does Dr Munro said that there was taken lin granted. as nothing is For example. we have recently earth sciences root, totally un- changed the w iy of bottling our related. solvents to increase the safety "To put the three events The fire in Co. it I- ligincer mg together arrives at a misleading last December is still Irish in result." he argued. the minds of most. Ross Dixon. "Basic safety procedures ha- the departmental Salet?.. OfIk- ven't changed. but all the situa- cr. has since issued notices fur tions have been analysed and even, hods in the department to lessons learnt." report ideas for improving all The West ' fort.: 1 .I :JC' _Cr- aspects of safely, and has had a vice agreed. Station Oftieer good 'espouse from technical Eric Richardson of Fire Preven- staff especially flie reason for tion Publicity said, "Fires arc the fault in the photo- invariably caused by human spectrometer that caused the error. Blames should not he fire is still not known although a apportioned. but lessons learnt. report is under consideration. "The Civil Engineering fire Dixon told Lei,th. Sruthaw highlighted an area that lack r d ''basically it had a perfect safe- maintenance can. and ver y ty record for five years and sud- often is, the cause of fire. The denly something went wrong: earth sciences fire shows that we don't know what. In the people in this ease workmen light of the fire. we are sexy repairing the roof) should he well covered. and having a fire yen, careful when handling in- drill just a few weeks before the flammable substances." It is not fire certainly helped with the a case of penalising somebody,. evacuation. Only small im- but Ic;irniag. provements can really he Safety procedures in the made." event 01 fire however, were still David Morris, Senior Assis- said to be entirely adequate. • the morning atter the night before - a shattered civil engineering building, 12 hoUrs after the explosion. tant Registrar. called these Marlyn Ziegler Now with added ARTS: _ SPORT PLUS CULTURE Darling SHORT SNOWED THE FAN DICKY Hrttain's shoddiest INSIDE STORY OFF (?) sip column inside! ATTENBOROUGH Page 2 NEWS Prisoner's wife speaks Earlier this month on her African tour Mrs 'thatcher expressed satisfaction at the human rights record of Kenya. • . • • Last Monday a student at Leeds. and ..• . • • • •• • ••.•. • • wife of Kenyan prisoner of conscience .. •• • . • •. • • Wanjiru Kihoro. shattered this typical .. • . • • • • Western image of Kenya as a stable. • .. • . • • . • . _ • even modern African nation. exposing ":.• •.... .: ; • 4: • ' • MMTYPICO in precise detail the human rights viola- .. tions and political oppression of the • • Kenyan Arap ?viol regime. Kihoro placed particular emphasis on ,,,cio-economic factors which per- ..... efflYffMAZC34(44 petuate the situation, especially 'Bri- • • • tain's economic involvement in writing off Kenya's debt to Britain and con- tinuing aid in grant form. • •ea. a',0 RY <)440144,0A4 Questioned about the future, she re- • Wanjiru Kihoro mained realistically resigned to the fact changing the situation. that things would not change in the near She held out some hope of success in TUESDAY 1 PM future, despite the recent release of her husband's case against the Kenyan detainees before Mrs Thatcher's visit. Government. currently being held in RILEY SMITH HALL She stressed however. the crucial role camera. although such eases have al- that international pressure can play in ways failed in the past. Tie... mite-4 : OZONE LAYER Ines for house rockers Residents of a Leeds Unirersity Hall of of the damage seems to have occurred Residence are this week liable for a hill later on in the evening with a stained of £628 for damages which occurred at a glass centre-piece being destroyed. win- party held there at the end of last term. dows broken and bannisters removed. One resident commented: "It was a FRAM K STAG Permission was given by the warden wild and extensive party with unfortu- for the party to take place at Devon- nately wild and expensive consequ- shire Hall's Ridgeway Annex on the last ences." Thursday of term which drew around Letters of apology are to he sent to 120 guests. nearby residents disturbed by noise All students of the house who from the party. These include the vice- HAVE YOUR SAY! attended the party are now facing fines chancellor of the University. one of of £25 each to pay for repairs to doors. Ridgeway's neighbours. windows and paintwork. The majority Gay Ilashman Uni fees to Work is a 4 THE I§tUDENTI PARTY soar by 10% letter word Barclays Bank have issued a help and It has been announced recently that advice sheet for those teetering on the Diniacrit there is to he a ten per cent increase in edge of gainful employment but unsure the fees for overseas students in British of exactly how to go about nailing a job. r universities. This substantial charge in- The booklet. entitled 'Earning your rb FRESH PcSTA R.'elgauran: ---* crease has been seen by many universi- living', takes you through each step of ties as a method of combatting financial the road to work with advice on prepar- in aid of difficulties, and the vice-chancellors are ing a ev, making applications and the confident that foreign students will he psychology of interviews. able to cope with the higher fees. And if all that doesn't work there's a chapter on how to cope with unemploy- Comic Nevertheless. Caroline Gibson. 1.1.1U ment. Welfare Secretary thought otherwise. Copies are available from Akan Ren- "Most overseas students are paying huge wick, Barclays Bank. Juxon House, 94 Relief hills anyway. and are not receiving a St Paul's Churchyard. London F.C,t particularly good deal." Ms Gibson con- SEIL tinued to say that many overseas stu- Wednesday, February 3 dents, on state scholarships, encoun- Leeds Student needs your tered severe hardships not because of stories. Bring the noise to our TicKEt. INCLU)LS: themselves but because often family cir- University Office on 3 Course Meal cumstances change at home, making it Mondays and Tuesdays, or impossible to continue their courses. phone 43907.1 (daytime) or Jazz Band 434727 Ifeveningl Monday to • 0 • Tim M'hitwell Wednesday. Spaghetti Eating Competition . • • Chance To Win Lots 01 £3.75 Great Prizes! It's a funny ALSO ON THE NIGHT: SUp I() ( (mu( Relict 1 Official red noses 50p Ito Comic Relief) (inelueles ' 2 prom %MR I old world! tr, Budweiser .. 70p a bottle (normally 1115J for haircut at 1 I.nrwi irks, 'fit carafe al wine ..... T2.50 (normally 0.201 The world of amateur rugby league goes Miss Selfridge, critical mass' tomorrow when its Asso- COME AND NAVE A GREAT NIGHT OUT AND HELP RAISE LOTS Of ciation Cup competition opens for the MONET TOO! GET YOUR MUSTS NOW?!!? second year running under sponsorship The event has been kindly from none other than British Nuclear sponsored by FITCH & SON I.TD Fuels plc. BRAYS BAKERY OTIIER CLOTHES BNFL (known as But Not Fur Long CARI.0 & JEFFREY CRASH RECORDS to its employees) has put £12K into the HAIRWORKS, MISS SELFRIDGE THE GRAND THEATRE with tomorrow's first LEEDS PLAYHOUSE game, sItrtchiensg. BUZZ• GALLERY round matches. BOOKSHOP THE ALE HOUSE MISS SELFRIDGE JOHN'S RECORDS "We are delighted to he associated OASIS HAIR SALON JEAN CROWTHER FLOWER again with the grass-roots of a game FLICKS SHOP which is so important to the north,- JAMIF.S HAIR EXPERIENCE JOHN SMITHS BREWERY enthused the company's Head of D.