BU Blackout Caused by Line Failure
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DAIRY DILEMMA: HIGH MILK PRICES GREATLY EFFECT THE MARKET PAGE 3 ROUNDING UP CAMPUS NEWS SINCE 1900 THE BAYLOR LARIAT THURSDAY, SEptEMBER 13, 2007 Cops BU blackout confirm coverage caused by quicker line failure New program allows By Star De La Cruz Tommy Roberson, manager insurance verification Staff writer of server operations, said Baylor without paper proof has two back up systems for a If a student was working on power outage crisis. The first an important paper and didn’t one is the uninterruptible power By Star De La Cruz save it by 2:34 p.m. Wednesday, supplier, which is basically a Staff Writer more than likely this student got bank of batteries that keeps the pretty upset within the next two server on for minutes. The Texas Department of minutes. The other is the diesel gener- Insurance will soon implement At 2:35 p.m. yesterday, every ator, Roberson said. This back- a new technology program to Baylor building on the east side up generator will maintain the allow officers to immediately of N I-35 lost electrical power. campus server for as long as we verify whether a driver has car Lori Fogleman, Baylor direc- have fuel. insurance. The Texas Financial tor of media relations, said Baylor “We have a mechanism that Responsibility Verification Pro- campus lost power because of a allows us to keep providing the gram, which goes into effect in line failure that delivers electric- generator with diesel, so it can January, will allow law enforce- ity from Baylor’s Oncor provider last for a very long time,” Rob- ment officers to have access to to the Baylor Electrical Sub-sta- erson said. insurance information on ve- tion. Dallas sophomore Natalie hicles and drivers from their That failure tripped a switch Berry, who was in her small fingertips. on the north side of the Brazos group speech class, said she was Jerry Hagins, spokesperson River and caused a power out- scared because her classroom for the department, said the pro- age that was contained to Baylor became pitch black. gram is the result of Texas legis- campus. “Our teacher told us to get out lation passed in 2005 that’s just Power was restored around our cell phones and go outside,” now going into effect because of 3:05 p.m., Fogleman said, when Berry said. “Then we had class the time it took to develop the Oncor switched to another for a little while outside until we technology. cable that fed into Baylor’s ser- were dismissed.” Hagins said the department vice line. “This was not a prob- Houston sophomore Jenny teamed up with the Texas De- lem with Baylor’s power grid,” Long also was in Berry’s class partment of Public Safety, the Fogleman said. also. “I freaked out,” Long said. Texas Department of Transpor- Fogleman said there were “I thought it was raining or tation and the Texas Depart- four reported incidents of people something and no one knew ment of Information Resources who were trapped in elevators what to do.” to implement information data- during the power outage two in “It’s ridiculous how some- base systems similar to ones al- Collins Residence Hall, one in thing like this can happen at ready working in other states. the McLane Student Life Center Baylor, it interrupts everyone The Department of Insurance and one in the Baylor Sciences and their daily schedule,” Long estimated 15 to 20 percent of all Building. said. Texas vehicles are uninsured at Baylor Poice Chief Jim Doak Many professors decided to any given time. The purpose of Jade Hodges/Lariat staff confirmed this and had Baylor move their classes outside rath- this program is to reduce the Denison junior Danielle Brown, studies by candlelight in Castellaw during a campus-wide power outage on Wednes- police respond and assist those number of uninsured motorists day afternoon. who were inside the elevators. Please see POWER, page 6 in Texas. The department hopes the new program will pressure everyone to have valid automo- bile insurance. Hagin said insurance com- Mental health summits aim to alleviate ailments panies are currently putting all client information onto the data By Anita Pere mit will be held Sept. 20 at the Marsh believes part of the system to test out the program. Staff writer same time and place. problem lies with the current “We want to make sure it’s The counseling center sees generation’s “strong drive to accurate because we don’t want Last year the Baylor Coun- students for many issues, such succeed.” anybody to get cited that has in- seling Center helped 790 stu- as anxiety, bipolar disorder, “With higher expectations surance or anyone that doesn’t dents, up from 610 the previ- relationship and family prob- comes more stress,” he said. to get away with it,” Hagin said. ous year. lems, sexual and substance He cited the “Ivy League” “The database needs to be ac- “We know there’s been more abuse and trauma. factor as another dynamic in curate.” demand,” said Dr. Jim Marsh, The center increased their depression among students. Scott Everett, a Waco agent director of counseling services, staff this year to include six The Ivy League factor states and for Farmers Insurance said as he spoke of the waiting list psychologists, a counselor, four that students attending Ivy most of the work is done at the students have encountered at graduate assistant counselors, League schools use univer- corporate level. the center. a psychiatrist and a dietician. sity counseling services three “We will receive verifica- College students now have With the heightened pres- times more than students at tion letters and just go through a 50/50 chance of becoming sures on modern-day college state schools. our local clients to make sure depressed, Marsh said. students, it’s no mystery why Rigorous academics and a all the (Vehicle Identification But the counseling center more students are reporting high cost render a higher level Numbers) and policy numbers comes to students with its Stu- depression. of mental burden for students, match,” Everett said. dent Mental Health Summits. “[Students] are in the mid- said Marsh. Currently, there are some The summits are to inform dle of a pressure cooker,” said Several members of the discrepancies occurring within students of the signs of depres- Marsh. He refers to the chal- Sigma Nu fraternity attended the insurance’s database, Ever- sion and other mental health lenge college students face with the summit Wednesday. Stephanie Jeter/Lariat staff ett said. “A lot of times what we issues. juggling classes, homework, Dr. Jim Marsh, director of counseling spoke at the Student Mental Health Sum- The first summit was held jobs, extracurricular activities mit Wednesday. The summits are to inform students of the signs of depression Please see AUTO, page 6 Wednesday and another sum- and a social life. Please see HEALTH, page 6 and other mental health issues. Tropical storm threatens Texas coast with heavy rains, flooding Two men fish By Michael Graczyk along and to the east of the Forecasters were anticipating present problems for residents from the Flag- The Associated Press storm track. 5 to 10 inches of rain with some and “put water into a lot of hous- ship Hotel fishing pier By late afternoon Wednesday, spots possibly getting as much es.” Wednesday, HOUSTON— Tropical Storm Humberto was packing nearly as 15 inches. No evacuations, however, in Galveston, Humberto formed off the Texas 50 mph winds about 50 miles Tropical storms typically are were recommended. Texas as waves coast Wednesday and forecast- south-southwest of Galveston, significant rainmakers. Just last Saturday, Galveston from tropical ers warned residents along a moving to the north at 7 mph. Last month, at least six marked the 107th anniversary of storm Humberto 270-mile stretch of the coastline “This obviously isn’t an evac- deaths were blamed on Tropi- the great 1900 storm where more hit the shore. extending into southwestern uation event or hurricane,” John cal Storm Erin, which dropped than 6,000 people were killed in Louisiana to brace for heavy Simsen, emergency coordina- nearly a foot of rain in parts of what remains the nation’s dead- rains and possible flooding. tor for Galveston County, said. San Antonio, Houston and the liest natural disaster. Tropical storm warnings were “It’s too close to be in a position Texas Hill Country. “Be prepared for any kind of posted from Port O’Connor to where it’s going to develop that In 2001, slow-moving Tropi- serious weather threat is what Intracoastal City, La., with the much. cal Storm Allison soaked Hous- we ask our people all year long,” center of Humberto predicted to “However, it looks to be a ton, dumping about 20 inches of Galveston Mayor Lyda Ann slosh ashore overnight Wednes- prolonged rain event and some rain in eight hours. Thomas said. “And I believe they day, probably in the Freeport or pretty substantial tropical Some two dozen people died, have done that and are continu- Galveston areas, south of Hous- storm-force winds.” sections of the city were para- ing to do that.” ton. Texas has had one of the wet- lyzed and damage was estimat- In Austin, Gov. Rick Perry The storm was expected to test summers on record, with ed at some $5 billion. activated 50 high-profile mili- track south and east of Houston, Houston soaked under the most Brazoria County Sheriff tary vehicles with 200 soldiers, The Associated then veer to the northeast into rain it’s had in a summer since Charles Wagner said low-lying Press Lousiana through Thursday.