AAk ., The Michigan Wednesday, December 6, 2006 9@ ~ "9 ~. 59 * 1 - ". - "- " "i" _ r ..m. . ;... u 3B JUNK DRAWER A look at all of the things you should and shouldn't be talk- ing about on campus this week. 4B READY FOR ANYTHING? After past potential danger at the University, it has taken extensive measures to protect the campus and its students. 6B ARCHITECTURE COLUMN Austin Dingwall discusses the importance and fun of the nick- names given to local and inter- national monuments. COURTESY OF THE BENTLEY HISTORICAL LIBRARY Students float on the Diag near West Hall after rain run-off created a temporary standing lake on campus in 1910. THE MALL OUTLET CLOTHING WAREHOUE SALE MEN'S JEANS LADIES' JEANS (FAMOUSIMALLRES) ,i a I DISTRESSED & WASHED LOOK EVIS RAMPAGE -LEI - MUDD APPLE BOTTOMS- SOUTHPOLE SOUTHPOLE BARGAIN TABLES ORTHFAC Z PANTS, SKIRTS, TOPS - SHORTS $999 $5 o " 90m.WSON LA1n LUKYCAMISOLES SOCKS BBE JEANS PL D m7 50% OFF $5" chga U99o 9 0 59 9 EQPRIM E99w $3 wo LADMES' BRANDSI!! cis ILADZES' "MEWS MALL STORE Skateboard " APG FUR-HORDED Z-BRAND M JEWELRY Dm s WINTER b POLOs & ProaS 99Fo $o99COAT l m * #SELF $ g FAMOUS MAKERS Skateboard EslaMM I lthn Shoes 59 from$599 '5M 9 Wed, Deco,6th ei am-7pm , ,, Michigan Union Sponsored by Michigan Arts & Programs Ihuris., Dec. 7th '10am-6pm , 2nd Floor Ballroom * Ann Arbor Student Housing) Student Owned Democratically Run Since 1937 4 & 8 Month Fall/Winter Contracts $475/mo. 2 & 4 Month Spring/Summer $200-425/mo. Call 734-662-4414 DISASTER From page 5B than 10,000 people at the University - a quar- ter of the student population. This could pose dozens of new problems to hospital manage- ment, most of all staffing and capacity. "Our occupancy approaches 100 percent each day," Forster said. Should an epidemic break out, the hospital would likely not have enough beds. To cope, University officials have looked into using Palmer Commons and the Central Campus Recreation Building as field hospitals. The hospital itself is built like a fortress. The building's physical defense structure is almost like a living organism, ready at any time to defend itself robotically against a fire, chemical spill or another emergency. When a sensitive monitoring system detects a fire, flame-retardant doors automatically swing shut and ventilation systems re-direct the flow of air, preventing spread of smoke and starving the flames of fresh oxygen. One of the building's more serious foes was a stubborn patient receiving oxygen back in 2000. Hospital staff had confiscated cigarettes and matches from the man several times, but his wife continued to sneak packs past nurs- es' watchful eyes. While alone with his con- traband, he lit a cigarette in bed, sparking a blaze. The fire was large enough to provoke the building's defense system. Sprinklers set off in the room, spewing 30 gallons of water per min- ute into the room and down the hallway. The man eventually died, though it's unclear whether the fire directly caused his death, said Bruce cadwallender, the hospital's director of safety and emergency management. "It cer- tainly didn't help his situation," he added. What could really hurt you Compared to other emergencies, house fires aren't very glamorous. They are small, con- tained and short. But they are incredibly fre- quent, and thus the most dangerous. Seniors will remember at least three serious fires during their time on campus. The Nation- al Fire Protection Association tallied more than 3,000 deaths and 15,000 injuries from structural fires in 2005. It's a killer that could strike at any minute in any place. In the student ghetto, it's even worse. Thou- sands of people cram into a small geographi- cal area. Many off-campus houses are decades old, with ancient circuitry. That, coupled with a few cases of student carelessness, creates a high risk of devastating fires. "There are many challenges with the whole fire safety issue and those I think warrant a lot of ink," Brown said. "It could happen tonight. It's not that unlikely." Off-campus housing fires have a destructive and deadly history in Ann Arbor. In 1950, a massive fire destroyed most of Haven Hall. Students tried to save some of the 20,000 valuable records from the Bureau of Government library as firefighters tried to douse the flames. They were largelyusuccess- ful. The fire consumed more than $3 million worth of damage. At the time, it was the single most costly disaster ever to strike campus. Four years later, on the freezing cold night of Oct. 28, 1954, a boarding house at 508 Monroe St. caught fire. Flames shot 20 feet into the air, drawing a crowd of spectators and volunteers. All but two of the 14 residents escaped, many via a ladder placed under a second-story window by a group of men from South Quad- rangle. Rackham student Elizabeth Vandegrift perished in the blaze along with her landlady Florence Hendriksen. Police believed Vandeg- rift died in attempt to save Hendriksen. Today, the chance of fire in campus build- ings remains high. Departments with hazard- ous or flammable materials closely monitor their storage and use, and safety regulations evolve annually as federal standards increase. Flnic annn ra ~- ~ r oft - a n t- controlled by a series of dams regulating water flow. The University's situation on high ground largely protects it from any river flooding, but up until a few years ago campus still had major problems controlling intense rain run- off. In more extreme instances long ago, the Diag area flooded with enough water to create a standing lake. In 1910, three fun-loving stu- dents took advantage of the temporary pond, floating "The Lover," their small boat, in front of West Hall. Since then, the University has installed a complicated set of waterways to help Ann Arbor city's water system handle massive downpours. Deep beneath the labs of the Life Sciences Institute is a 1.8-million gallon retention tank. On days of heavy rain, all the runoff from the core 40 acres of campus is funneled to this tank, where it sits until torrents in Ann Arbor city's drains recede. A similar system on North Campus uses series of water detention cells to release excess rainfall slowly into a natural wetland near the Art and Architecture Build- ing. As in 1988, tornados pose a threat as well. Tornados only strike Ann Arbor once every few decades - usually in April, June or July - but they can happen any time of the year if the conditions are right. "Without any warning, Michigan always has the potential to be hit," said Samson, who www icc.coop Cold War Propaganda is often looked at for humourous purposes, but also helped to inspire some of the first disaster management plans.