WEATHER TODAY: Rain, high J4*AR 0 2 50°F, low 29°F. TUESDAY: Partly cloudy, high 45°F, low 27°F. WEDNESDAY: Partly cloudy, high 46°F, NCAABids Benched low29°F. in Richmond? JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY SeeSporbspages23 MONDAY M in •> 2. 1938 Art project sparks Alcohol deaths Harrison Hall fire at UVa.y Tech the fire. They said a professor promptJMU by Julia Filz was with them when the fire senior writer occurred, but they refused to give his name. task force A kiln fire forced the evacua- "The building was evacuated tion of Harrison Hall Friday and everyone in the building was afternoon. checked out medically and is sta- by Shannon Billiard Harrisonburg Fire and Rescue ble," Howdeyshell said. "A haz- contributing writer Department responded to the ardous material" was involved in incident at 2:30 p.m. Friday after the incident, but no one was To supplement the variety of a kiln in the Harrison sculpture affected by it, he said. alcohol abuse education and pre- studio began smoking, said "There [was] a possibility that vention programs that already Kevin Howdeyshell, public a student was in distress [due to exist at JMU, the university creat- information officer for the depart- the fumes], but he's okay," ed an Alcohol Task Force to ment. Howdeyshell said. respond to state-wide concerns Lee Shifflett, chief of JMU JMU Police rerouted traffic to about alcohol abuse on college police, said the blaze occurred go through W-lot behind Way- campuses. after art students put a block of land Hall and blocked off the The task force held its first aluminum in the furnace. Bluestone Drive entrance to cam- meeting Feb. 25 to introduce Students were reportedly using pus from South Main Street for members and formulate a mis- the aluminum to make sculp- most of the afternoon. But the sion statement, according to task tures. "It melted down and kept Port Republic road entrance to force member Donna Harper, burning," he said. Bluestone Drive remained open. director of health and recreation. HFD Captain Nick Astarb said Shifflett said HFD reopened The task force is composed of fac- it was a minor fire. "Apparently Harrison Hall at 4 p.m. ulty and staff. It will address the aluminum got a little too Astarb said the building wasn't alcohol issues campus-wide. hot," he said. "We were there to damaged. "It was just a matter "Based on some of the (alco- watch the cooling process." we needed to watch," he said. hol-related deaths] on campuses The fire crew also put Metal Some students and faculty in throughout the country, there's a Type-X powder on the aluminum the building didn't think the fire renewed commitment to look at to speed the cooling process and was real and left their books and some additional alternatives and to ensure the fire wouldn't flare belongings in Harrison and the opportunities for getting infor- up again, Astarb said. Annex. DYLAN BOUCHERLE/WIKT photot>rapher mation to students and changing About seven students were in Berlin Zirk, operations manag- behavior," Harper said. the studio when the fire began. er for the Media Production Autograph JMU joins other Virginia None would comment on the Center in Harrison, said, Hip-hop star Wyclef Jean takes time out before Ms concert at schools such as the College of incident because they said they "Usually, when this happens, it'll the JMU Convocation Center yesterday to sign freshman Chris William & Mary and the were worried about being in Thomas's motorcycle in Howard Johnson's parking tot trouble because of their roles in see FIRE page 2 see ALCOHOL page 2 Dining bervices might give reusable containers old college try Director says new program would eliminate health departments cross-contamination fiars, let students customize Lets Go dishes response indicates students want contain- by Jaime Johnston Junior Chrissy Mittiga, a participant in Reusable containers failed last year ers with space for a lot of food, said Rick the project, said, "I think the new system because the health department feared contributing writer Larson, senior director of dining services. will be much more convenient for students cross-contamination, Larson said. JMU will choose _^^_^__ Cross- contami- JMU Dining Services is conducting a one container to ~ nation can occur if a pilot project to test the feasibility of using use after the exper- serving utensil touch- various reusable food containers at Let's iment is complete. / think the new system will he much more conve- es an unclean con- Go and Mrs. Greens. Dining services nient for students because they won't have to wash tainer and is then put Dining Services asked about 200 health is open to sugges- J »» back into the food. science, integrated science and technology tions and is look- tne[r own containers. Dining Services con- students and frequent Let's Go patrons to ing at a variety of tacted the local health use one of four selected experimental con- options, Larson Chrissy Mittiga department and tainers at Let's Go at least twice a week said. Options inc- ( junior received app-roval during February. lude either offering for the pilot program After each use, Dining Services rinsed students a choice of containers or design- because they won't have to wash their before its implementation. the container of food particles. It was then ing a custom container. Dining Services own containers." 'This time we aren't going to make the returned and exchanged at the next use for will decide whether or not it will create a JMU is the only institution in the coun- same mistake twice," Larson said. "So we a clean, sanitized replacement. custom container for students once they try that b attempting a reusable program contactedthe health department a.nd Dining Services is now collecting stu- collect all of the information from the pilot as extensive as cleaning the containers for dent feedback. So far the general student project, he said. students, Larson said. see CONTAINERS page 2 2 Monday, March 2, 1998 THE BREEZE Alcohol continued from page 1 continued from page 1 v ■, University of Virginia, u«» «•- -•» ••-—•• •"« iu aoing , the alarm went off. The teacher ■ ■ ■ aw v be 10 minutes and then we're developed official task forces to with kegs said Alan MacNuJ 'Nl VII1ITT was like, 'just go outside.' I wait- back in the building." address the serious issue of alco- director of public safety. "^ ed for a few minutes and then "To the press alone, chequered as Sophomore Darlene Hirst was hoi abuse on campuses. shouldn t give up, but (the " in class in Harrison Hall when left." pr it is with abuses, the world is Several alcohol-related deaths grams are] not going to get rju d the fire alarm went off. Zirk said, "I made sure every- indebted for all the triumphs have occurred around the coun- the problem. "I didn't think it was a real one was out of the [building], try since August, including at "We don't lack in things deal. which have been gained by fire," Hirst said. "All of a sudden, and then I evacuated." reason and humanity over error least two incidents in Virginia. ing with [alcohol awareness| her. and oppression." Virginia Tech student Melinda at JMU," MacNutt said "ft. — James Madison Somers died Nov. 1 after falling have concrete, institutionalized out of her eighth floor dormitory programs that are a part of fl* Editor KristanHetu window. infrastructure of our school." Managing editor Laura L Wade Her blood alcohol content Rebecca Poma, assistant direc- Ads manager Erin M. Callaghan level was .21, nearly three times tor of judicial affairs, designed Tedmology manager Brian Higgbw the legal limit in Virginia, accord- the program. She coordinates the News editor Courtney A. Crowtey ing to a Nov. 14 article in Virginia program and trains those who News editor RobSpeirs Tech's newspaper, The Collegiate lead the sessions, Asst. news editor AndlMetrier rimes. "Students are placed in one of Opinion editor Keltoy Blasslngame UVa. senior Leslie Ann Balz the program's three levels also died of alcohol-related com- according to the perception of the Style editor Jim 'Vegas' Terp Focus edihr plications Nov. 30. UVa. created severity of their alcohol prob. CtmaKlmek its own university-wide Task lem,"1pm." Pnma<iaiHPoma said. Asst. stylefiicus editor Julan Walter Force on Alcohol Abuse, which "There's no cookie-cutter way Sports editor Steven M. Trout began its weekly meetings Feb. of [placing students]. We look at Asst. sports editor Seth Burton 17. what the student really needs Copy editor UMRM UVa. President John T. not just the number of their viola- Pluto editor Jennifer Baker Casteen III announced the idea tions," she said. Asst. pltto editor Ed Dyer for the task force Dec. 1. Programs that deal with alco- Gmplncs editor Thomas Scala UVa. Dean of Students, hol issues are offered all over Adtnsers Flip De Luca, Robert T. Canevaris said, "Leslie campus. The Health Center offers Alan Neckowitz, Balz's death may have been a a variety of programs dealing David Wendelken part of the impetus to create a with alcohol issues. It also coordi- task force, but I can remember nates Alcohol Awareness Week being a part of a conversation with other campus groups each two years ago with deans and fall as part of a nationwide effort student health officials who Tlie Breeze is published Monday to promote safety and responsi- and Thursday mornings and talked about a task force." bility concerning alcohol use on distributed throughout James According to the UVa.