The Louisville Cardinal
Volume 50 Number 28
Alarms didn't work
Fire at dorm
by MARK GRUNDY
When he opened the door to his
first floor Threlkheld Hall room
his roommate was asleep. In
consideration, Steve Rogers lit a
candle rather than wake him by
turning on the light.
Unexpectedly, Rogers fell
asleep. Around 9 a.m. last
Thusday morning he woke to a
blaze in the corner of the room.
His roommate had already left
earlier to shower.
The candle, sitting on three
milk cases covered by a cloth, had
caught fire the makeshift stand.
Attempting to muffle the flame,
Rogers threw a blanket on the fire
but the effort backfired.
The blanket also caught fire so
Rogers hurled it to the window
but the blanket caught on the sill.
A passerby ran to the window and
pulled the burning cover to the
ground.
Deputy Chief Fire Marshal
Morgan Kelly said he is concerned
that the fire alarms did not work.
His department has asked the
university to "make necessary
repairs to existing alarms it insure
proper operating."
Kelly said the Department of
Housing insper ts education
facilities once a year. He· said
upon the last inspection there was
a hammer on the second floor
alarm.
Director of University
Housing, Chat Sue, said he called
the Building and Grounds last
Friday and told them to fix the
alarms.
Melvin McMurray, Ei'ectrical
Superintendent for Building and
Grounds, said, "We ran a test on
the alarms Friday afternoon,
unfortunately I was not there to
witness because of other business.
The report I got is every alarm
sounds loud and clear throughout
the' building."
Copyri~ht/979
Awit25. 1979
Photo: Michael A. Heit7
~sir, you need a mouthwash'
Kerry Price as a would-be dentist inspects the oral three one-1u·1 pla~·s pn·-.t.·ntl•d h~ lht.• Studin ·1 hl•:tlrt.•
cavity of his unwitting patient, Galen IA,gsden in a last week. •·ur a revit.•w and anollwr plwtn~ra,,h, sc.'l'
scene from The Good Doctor. The play was une nf pa~e 6.
First floor resident Rod Grey,
just returning from and early
class, said Rogers ran out into the
hall and told him of the fire. Grey
broke the fire alarm then he and
Rogers got the fire extinguishers.
Three other residents came with
fire extinguishers and put the fire
out. At which time smoke en­yeloped
the hall and seeped to the
upper floors.
Cronholm named A & S dean
Fire department personnel
arrived twenty minutes later and
fanned the smoke out of the
dorm.
Thelkheld residents claim the
alarms on each of the floors did
not work or were inaudible.
Grey said, "When I broke the
alarm there was only a low buzz."
Another first floor resident,
Curtis Pearsall, said, "I was in
my room but I did not hear the
alarm. I was sleeping and heard
alot of commotion in the hall
which woke me up." Pearsall said
he opened his door, saw the
smoke and evacuated.
Friday, observors noticed the
hammer on the second floor fire
alarm was missing. Second floor
resident Daryl Cleveland said the
hammer has been missing for
months.
Cleveland said he saw somke
filter into the hall on the morning
of the fire. He broke the glass
alarm with a block lock but no
alarm sounded.
"They should look into it
because it is dangerous. The fire
could have been bigger and people
could have been asleep. I felt like
I was in danger," said Cleveland.
Third floor resident Matt
Mager said, "I was asleep and
did not hear the alarm." Mager
said people outside his room
woke him. He looked out his
window and saw the burning
blanket on the window sill three
floors below him. Mager said he
saw someone from outside grab it
and throw it away.
Greg Hurst, a third floor
resident; said he heard a low
hissing noise from the alarm.
Fourth floor residents said they
heard a single three-second siren
from the alarm after the fire
department arrived . Another
brief signal sounded five minutes
later they said.
After two years of acting
deans, the College of Arts and
Sciences now has a permanent
dean. Dr. Lois Cronholm, acting
dean for the past year, was ap­pointed
permanent dean on
Monday. Cronholm was one of
six candidates for the position.
This is the first time a woman
has been appointed as a senior
administrator. University
President James Grier Miller
expressed his satisfaction with the
selection of a woman as head of
an academic unit at the Board of
Trustees meeting this week.
Since 1970, two deans and four
acting deans have served A & S.
"It is possible to think in terms of
long run planning now as per­manent
dean," Said Cronholm.
She said she previously did not
want to commit a future dean to
long-range plans when she was
acting dean.
Dean search committee
chairman Dr. David Hershberg
has said, "Progress would have
been greater in recent years if
there had been continuity under
one dean." Hersh berg said he
hopes the selection of a dean
establishes continuity in the
"The absence of a permanent
dean has had as one of its con­sequences
a disproportionately
small budget allowance. Students
and faculty have suffered because
of the disproportionally small
budget allowance made to the
college. We have not received the
resources to fulfill all the
responsibilities placed on us,"
said Hershberg.
When asked if the current A &
S budget is adequate, Cronholm
said, "I believe it is obvious A & S
has the most serious problems as
far as faculty salaries. We need
salaries for adequate people."
The guideline of the search
committee called for a dean "who
will continue and add to recent A
& S advances in personnel policy
and who will address the need for
systematic improvements of A &
S administrative structure and
curriculum.''
According to Cronholm, A & S
units have been undergoing
programatic review. "But I do
not invision a major restructuring
of the college," she said.
Dr. Arthus Slavin, A & S dean
from 1974 to 1977, was the last
permanent dean. He appointed a
committee to review general
educaton requirements and
another committee to study
current academic structure and
organization in departments and
divisions.
Dr. William Bos served as
·acting dean for 1977-78.
Dorm rates increase
Student hou~ing rates will
increase by an average of J207o
next year. The Board of TruMees,
which adopted the measure
Monday, cite two reasons.
The income from hou~ing has
not kept pace with increased
maintenance, utility, ~taffing and
other operating coc;ts. Also,
housing ~ervice~ cannot be
maintained at the present income
level.
At the March finance com­mittee
meeting, Assistant Vice
Prec;ident of Student Life Harold
Adams said, "The dorms are
operating at a defidt. Rate in­creases
alone wil l not make it
up.,
Adams said that other plans,
not included in the propmed rate
hike, will cut the deficit. Plans
include income from energy
c;avings, elimination of un­necc~~
ary cmt-. and -.urnmcr
conference how,ing income.
Trustee Woodford Porter ~aid
during the meeting Monday, that
he had heard the administration is
going to recommend a "band­aid"
type action on the dorms this
-.ummer. with a pri~l' tag ol
apprmimately $750 thou..,and . He
-.aid the dorm'> actually n<.'('d
extensive renovation and that he
~"timatcs it will CO'it dmcr to
three rnillio11 dollar,.
Student Trmtec Mark Williams
had dcci-.ion on the rate increases
po..,tponcd Ja-.t month when he
pointed out 1 hat residents had not
been made aware of the proposal.
"It's important that the
con..,umers who bear the increase
be made aware of it berorehand
rather than after," said Williams.
He abstained from the vote at the
Monday Board meeting.