NAIT's Emergency Procedures Under Scrutiny After Lab Fire on Campus, Page 2
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
BREAKFAST AT THE NEST! THE P l e a s e r e c y c l e t h i s Thursday, Nov. 22, 2007 newspaper when you are Volume 45, Issue 13 NUGGET . nished with it. YOUR STUDENT NEWSPAPER EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CANADA Burning questions NAIT’s emergency procedures under scrutiny after lab fi re on campus, Page 2 Photo by Brendan Abbott PUCK IS ON ITS WAY NAIT goaltender Kevin Dziaduck prepares to stop a shot during a game against SAIT last Friday at NAIT arena. NAIT lost 3-1. DAILY BREAKFAST SPECIAL - $5.25 JACKED UP FRIDAY’S Includes: 2 eggs, bacon/sausage/ham, $4.50 Singles $6.75 Doubles hashbrowns & toast (drinks not included) 7am - 10:30am OILERS GAME OF THE WEEK & MILITARY APPRECIATION NEST CEREAL BAR Tonight – Nov. 22 NOW OPEN! - see ad inside for details! Oilers Vs. Colorado - 7pm See ad inside for details! Your Campus Restaurant & Bar LUNCH LOYALTY CARD Breakfast - Lunch - Nite - buy 6 lunches & the 7th is $10 off. SEX & RELATIONSHIP AWARENESS Open 7am - 9pm SPEED DATING Today – Nov. 22 Monday thru Friday KARAOKE 4:30pm – 6:30pm Located next to the pool, NAIT Main Campus - every Monday & Wednesday from 3:30pm - 7:30pm See ad inside for details The Nugget Thursday, November 22, 2007 NEWS&FEATURES Lab fire raises serious issues On Nov. 12, the safety of NAIT as an institution was tested when a . re started in a denturist lab. Unfortunately, complaints about how the evacuation was handled have been surfacing ever since. Photo by Lisi Monro “We’ve received numer- NAIT’s fenced bicycle compound, which has reportedly been the site of a number of thefts, is very easy GABRIELLE HAY-BYERS to get into, says intrepid Nugget reporter Gabrielle Hay-Byers. Student Issues Editor ous student complaints and received confirmed reports that about 50 students were never evacuated from the basement H-Wing ... we have students that were not evacuated up to 40 minutes after the firefighters were called,” says Lisi Monro, VP Academic for NAITSA. And that’s not all. According to Monro, there were students who Bikes safe? Not! left the building on their own because of the smoke in their area, and staff who had no idea that they were walking into an emergency situa- GABRIELLE HAY-BYERS exterior of the gym. For a school that is so actively partic- tion because the emergency lights above doors were non-operational. Bicyclists need to heed a simple mes- Maybe that’s why there’s been so many ipating in the ecoNAIT campaign, there sage if they’re parking their ride here at alleged bike thefts in the past few months. seems to be little incentive for people to Safety questioned NAIT: Don’t. You’re better off locking your bike to a ride their bikes to class – who knows if With such serious “maintenance issues,” many are questioning the Every day, thousands of NAIT stu- tree in front of the HP Centre than locking you’ll even have one when you come safety of NAIT staff and students. The Nov. 12 fire left an aftermath dents and staff bring themselves and their it up in that compound in a corner. back? that is more than soot and blackened equipment. The incident leaves belongings to NAIT. Unfortunately, every serious worries about the future. year, that means that many people lose “Nobody knew what was going on and had this been an emer- their belongings to thieves. gency on the main floor or something of a more serious nature, I am Now, cars have alarms, but what do of the opinion that there could have been students that were seriously bicycles have? Well, bicycles belong- Riding the bus injured,” says Monro. ing to NAIT attendees have a locked So who should have evacuated those students? Why were they left compound. ALISTAIR WILKINSON perspective to City Council. in the basement with no knowledge of the fire? Many NAIT students Bicyclists from NAIT pay $20 and they Now that winter’s back, NAIT stu- “I’ve had a great many of NAIT’s and staff have assumed that NAIT Security dropped the ball, but not have access to the chain-link-and-barbed- dents and staff who bus to the institute staff writing me about their problems according to Jerry Hove, head of campus security. wire facility that is supposed to keep their are becoming more and more aware of with the Edmonton Transit System, and “It’s Occupational Health and Safety that takes care of the fire war- bikes safe. wait times. Change may be on the way, I’d like to hear more from students – it dens (who) make sure. The fire wardens are the ones who ensure that But just how much protection does the however, as four of Edmonton’s city all adds up, the more problems we bring everyone is leaving. It depends on the situation – if there’s an active compound offer? The chainlink is indeed councillors have accepted the challenge to their attention, the more people who fire, and there’s a risk to any officer, we’d contact the fire department double high, and barbed wire is its crown, to use only city transit for their travel need better transit options, the more and they’d take care of it. If there was no danger, campus security but it does have a gate. needs. The councillors are to ride the likely council and Transit are to respond would take care of it (an evacuation).” So how hard is it to get a key? As it rails and wheels for a full week, respond- to those complaints when we approach turns out, any crazy can get one. Take me, ing to a challenge made by a group of them.” Not ‘life-threatening’ for example. On Nov. 19, I applied at the transit users, so that Edmonton’s ruling Wyspianski says that students and When Nugget Staff contacted Charles Campbell, a safety adviser parking office by verbally giving a fake body can see why the city’s transit sys- staff can e-mail transit complaints to her for Occupational Health and Safety, it was the first time that OHS NAIT ID number, an address that doesn’t tem needs more funding. at [email protected], or complain directly NAIT had been informed of the discrepancies in the evacuation, or of exist and a NAIT phone number. Twenty These are not the first complaints city to ETS, Strathcona and St. Albert Tran- potential for error in NAIT’s safety protocols. dollars later and I was in the bike com- councillors have received regarding tran- sit. In addition, NAITSA is conducting a Campbell stressed, however, that the evacuation was “a choice of pound by the gym. sit issues. Right here at NAIT, the Stu- transit survey, which may be accessed on the fire department to make, it wasn’t for life-threatening reasons that And to whomever leaves their red dents’ Association is encouraging stu- the NAIT student portal. anyone was evacuated, it was for comfort reasons.” mountain bike unlocked in there ... you dents and staff to bring their transit prob- The four city councillors stuck with With the recent introduction of a new NAIT security team, hope- should probably get a lock. lems into the limelight. NAITSA prez only transit options have not made an fully changes will be made so that NAIT staff and students can once After reviewing a NAIT Media rela- Kerri Wyspianski wants students to e- offer similar to Wyspianski’s, but it again be at ease, knowing that their campus is a safe environment for tions release, I discovered that there are mail their ETS complaints directly to her remains to be seen whether they will e- them to work and learn in. no security cameras listed as being on the so that NAITSA can bring the students’ mail their complaints to her. Thursday, November 22, 2007 The Nugget 3 The Nugget Room E-128B 11762–106 Street Edmonton, Alberta T5G 2R1 Production Offi ce Mumps shots urged 471-8866 Fax: 491-3989 E-mail: [email protected] GABRIELLE HAY-BYERS ache, fever, vomiting, loss of appe- “victim” out for one to two weeks, should be immunized with mumps- There has been a rash of mumps tite, pain when chewing or swal- but severe complications can containing vaccine if they have not Student Editor cases at southern Alberta post-sec- lowing and pain and swelling of include sterility, meningitis, arthri- been immunized against mumps, Alistair Wilkinson ondary institutions recently, which glands under the ears or on either tis and deafness. received only one dose of mumps [email protected] has prompted Alberta Health and side of the face. After hearing that, I bet you vaccine or have never had mumps Sports Editor Wellness to request that health In addition, male-specifi c organs want your vaccine, right? disease.” Nahreman Issa authorities begin to immunize stu- can also be affected. Well good news – Capital For more information 24 hours [email protected] dents for the potentially life-threat- So, if you suspect you may have Health will be supplying the vac- a day, seven days a week, call Capi- Arts and Culture Editor ening viral disease. mumps, avoid contact with any cine free on campus on Nov. 28 and tal Health Link at 408-LINK (5465) Geoff Tate Mumps is an extremely conta- other individuals. You could be car- Dec. 3 in the North Lobby from 8 or, outside the local calling area, [email protected] gious disease that is spread through rying a serious viral disease and a.m.