.. x The Michigan Daily-Wednesday,;January 6, 1982-P Therapy prog move to Flint .,a Doily Photo by JEFF SCHRIER ECONOMICS DEPARTMENT CHAIRMAN Prof. Frank Stafford sits in his temporary office in Old St. Joseph's Hospital, 300 North Ingall. The economics department will be located in the hospital until a new permanent home can be found for it. The Economimcs Building was gutted by fire on Christmas Eve. gEconomic students, faculty dig out after holiday blaze (Continued from Page 1) protect the rest of the city, and we beefed up personnel at other stations." 4Mallory described five specific dif- ficulties which hampered the firefighting attempt: -The Economics'Building was made almost completely of wood, from basement to attic; * Series of protruding cornices, or heavy wooden trim, surrounded the roof said Mallory. "They started falling, so you couldn't get firemen right up to the building" ; *Layers of a substance similar to lin- seed oil, highly combustible, had repor- tedly been spread into the wooden floors in past years to keep them from squeaking; " there were three ceilings over each story, a main one plus two "drop" ceilings, which further fed the flames; " the heat detector, which alerted the fire department, was located at the building's far east end, a significant distance from the apparent origin of the blaze. ."By the time the heat traveled to th;t end," Mallory explained, "the fire got a good start in the center." THE PRIMARY difficulty which Mallory and other fire officials described, was the tack of a "fire sup- pression" (sprinkler) system. While new University structures were equip- ped with such units, older ones - such as the Economics Building - were not. Mallory said he believes a sprinkler system could have saved the building, but added that the cost involved to in- stal one was probably prohibitive. "It's expensive to put a sprinkler system in a building, and that's probably whqat prevented it (the Economics Building) from having one. It's just a cost fac- tgor," Mallory said. "If there was a sprinkler system, we'd still have a building," said University Fire Marshal Downing. "Ideally, we'd like to have every building equipped with such a system," he added. Although a sprinkler system was needed to save the structure, Downing continued, the existing fire detection and prevention equipment was suf- ficient to protect "life safety." He described as "adequate" the fire alarm system, which consisted of pull stations scattered throughout and around the --building, as well as fire extinguishers and the heat detector. "THE BUILDING was adequately protected for life safety," Downing concluded. N Neither the city nor the state regularly inspects University class buildings, which leaves this task to Fire SMarshal Downing and the University's insurance company. Michigan's fire marshal has no in- spectioA record of the Economics Building, according to Lt. Richard Nelson, director of the State Facilities Unit of the fire marshal's office. The state office is unable to inspect each building because of a lack of personnel, Nelson said, and does so only upon request. Before 1972, he added, the University was autonomous in this respect and never came into contact with the state government. LAST SEPTEMBER, the entire campus, including the Economics Building, was inspected by the Univer- sity's insurance company, Industrial Risk Insurers. The inspection, one of two held each year, involved "six weeks of tiresome walking," according to Downing, who accompanied insuran- ce agents. "It was a very consuming in- spectjon," which was designed to pin- point fire hazards in campus buildings and propose remedies for them, Downing said. Downing said he didn't recall what specific suggestions were made about the Economics Building, during the tour, since it was one of nearly 200 structures that were assessed. Contacted yesterday at his Detroit of- fice, IRI Engineer-in-Charge Roger Porte said the post-inspection report recommended sprinklers throughout the Economics Building. The report, however, was still being published when the fire occurred, and was ap-, parently not yet submitted to Univer- sity officials. "THEY MAY have put that recom- mendation in the September inspection report," said William Ryan, the University's Insurance and Risk Office manager. "We seethe complete reports only when they arrive here, after three or four months.". Regardless, the University is fully in- sured for the building's damage. In addition to the published recom- mendation, insurance agents hold post- inspection "Exit Conferences" with University officials to discuss "urgent matters," Ryan said. Inspector David VanCort was present at the September conference, he added. "But there was no reference to the Economics Building. Any serious recommen- dations would have been made at that time." "WE'RE NOT a state agency," Porte added from his IRI office, so the University is not obligated to follow its recommendations. Even if the Economics Building proposal arrived before the building burned, it could have been dismissed as unworkable. And, according to Ryan, that may well have happened. "Sprinkler projects are fairly expen- sive," he said, "especially with older buildings. We review the recommen- dations and develop priorities on the work that needs to be done." Since the Christmas Eve blaze, a debate has begun around the University about whether the Economics Building should be "saved"-keeping the stan- ding exterior walls up and rebuilding from within-or whether it should be totally demolished and rebuilt "from scratch." There is vocal sentiment among many Economics Department faculty members to retain the shell, which has graced the Diag for 125 years. LAST WEEK, University officials hired DarVas, a local "consulting struc- tural engineer" and architecture professor, to assess the condition of the outside walls. (Continued from Page 1) review since last May when Medic al School Dean John Gronvall recommen- ded that it be discontinued. Gronvall's recommendation was the result of a review of the program last winter and statements from Darnell that the program either be improved or eliminated. Darnell warned that the academic quality of the program had deteriorated to a point where future graduates would have trouble pasing state licensing examinations. The proposal, scheduled to bepresen- ted to the Regents at this month's meeting, requires the Flint campus to maintain the program at least until 1986. This maintenance involves major enhancements including the addition of 11 new courses and two to three new faculty members, Darnell said. Unless the facilities are updated,. Darnell said, graduating seniors will not be adequately prepared to pass state physical therapy licensing examinations in the coming years. THE PROPOSAL also calls for the Flint campus to look into the possibilities of increasing the program's enrollment and expanding its educational scope to include a basic masters degree program. The current program only offers a bachelor of science degree.r Basic science courses would be added 769-1300 Before 6PM M-F BARGAIN MATINEES $2.50 Before3PM Sat :45 STEVE MARTIN 3:00 Pennies - 7:30 Heaven 10:00 AUNTE ..they didn't make history, they stole it! 130 TIME ® ggI BAND 1.1 ITS 1920 5:15 IGHBORS 31JOHN BELUSHI 17:101DAN AYKROYD A COLUMIA15 ROLLoVER L JANE FONDA 3:00 510 0 ® KR ISTF7:30F KRISTOFFERSON 1 ~o to the program to providef ted increase in students. Flint-area hospitals and munity foundations have p ts to help meet the costs sition and expansion, Nels Ann Arbor campus will some transitional funds. SEVERAL hospitals facilities in the Flint ar provide the use of theirf personnel to aid in the teac of the courses, he said.. Nelson added that the nu students attracted to theF by the new program wou generate enough extra rev the program self-supportin The mnove to Flint wout program, the University and the state, accordi Necessary improvements A0O c)F(w %4C' I i o~UA I6u ram may campus for the expec- possible if the program were to ren in at the Ann Arbor campus, because of d other com- the substantial costs involved, he ad- pledged gran- ded. of the trap- THE FLINT community is extremity son said. The recepti-ve to the proposal and hlis also provide already expressed its support ajd desire to help the program, Frye said. and clinical The number of trained and qualified ea will also physical therapists would. be main- facilities and tamed, and possibly increased as -a ching of some result of the move, which would redice the current critical need for therap s umber of new in the state, Frye said. Flint campus The relocation would also h ild eventually strengthen relations between the two enue to make campuses, he noted. eng Physical therapists ground the state Id benefit the are also happy with the proposal, a - as a whole, cording to Dale Fitch, president of the ng to Frye. Michigan Physical. Therapist's Wnuld not h Association. ,'' , 'S with CHICAGO PETE and GIP ROBERTS and the Detroiters Hosted by the Famous Coachman THIS FRIDAY January 6, 8 PM-$2 Cover UNIVERSITY CLUB- Michigan Union IT'S HERE FOR YOU (6 -I C o r c Pr d o 0 prices on all new course books. prices on good-condition used course books. Located in the 2nd floor ballroom of the Michigan Union. all school supplies, quality art and photographic materials, calculators, classical records, dorm accessories. @ M®1 @ fl I HOTLINE suds factory 485-0240 JAN. 8 & 9-SAVAGE JAN. 15 & 16-THE ALMIGHTY STRUT Happy Hour Every Fri. and Sat. 9-10 PM 2 For 1 Drinks-Unescorted Ladies Free Before 9:30 Ballroom book display & main store open 7days a week. b Corntna Evorv SUNDAY-Startina Jan. 17 F If II