OU digs deal with Ohio Valley Coal
The Post – Ohio University has reached a settlement with the Ohio Valley Coal Company and the Ohio Division of Mineral Resources, withdrawing its appeal of a mining permit for campus-area Dysart Woods. The settlement will allow the Ohio Valley Coal Company to mine under the woods.
In exchange for dropping the appeal, OU will receive three monitoring wells and a $10,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to assist in a “Water Balance Study” of Dysart Woods. The university owns the forest, but not the mining rights to the forest.
The appeal was filed after repeated requests from Dysart Defenders, a group of Athens residents and OU students who protested the mining. The woods are among the last .004 percent of old growth forest left in Ohio.
OU Director of Legal Affairs John Burns said the money is being spent on research rather than an unsuccessful appeal.
Hot wax for more than smooth legs
The Miami Student – A fire that occurred at an off-campus student residence on Feb. 3 injured two University of Miami students, sending one to the hospital. Junior Lindsay Mack was treated for first-degree burns on her shoulder and released later that night.
One of the four students who lived in the house was working on an art project in the kitchen, which required cooking wax on the stove. The wax caught fire and exploded, setting the room ablaze and filling the house with smoke. The girls in the house ran outside and called 911.
Officials have estimated the damages to the home at $10,000. The four students have moved to residence halls or houses of friends until their home is repaired. Estimates as to when that will occur range from two weeks to two months.
Michagan confirms stomach flu cases
The Michigan Daily – The University of Michigan’s Department of Occupational Safety and Environmental Health has confirmed that over 70 students have contacted viral gastroenteritis, which is more commonly known as the stomach flu. The total does not include another batch of sick students, still yet to be confirmed as part of the outbreak.
Two separate outbreaks of the disease have occurred in two separate residence halls, and school officials are scrambling to discover whether the two outbreaks are of the same strain. In order to deter the spread of the virus, facilities staff members have been disinfecting high-contact surfaces in the residence halls that are handled by many students, such as doorknobs, water fountains, handrails and push-plates on doors. The university has also established special laundry facilities for students who have the disease.
Signs have been posted in the buildings warning visitors of the areas where the disease has most frequently occurred. The university also created a Web site to keep students informed of the latest news and how to find help if a student contracts the disease.
Wristbands or handcuffs at PSU
The Collegian – Students at Penn State University who plan to drink at fraternity parties had better start bringing their ID. In a new decision handed down by the Interfraternity Council, students consuming alcohol at fraternity parties must have wristbands signifying that they are of legal drinking age.
The new policy will also enforce social monitors, fraternity members trained by the IFC, to attend social events and ensure all requirements are met. The ruling comes as the IFC finds itself in a self-described period of social reform.
Houses found in violation of the new policy will face punishments, depending on the severity of the offense. The new program is slated to take effect within the next semester.
– compiled by Adam Jardy
