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December 3, 1999

: Above:Gil Eagles performs hypnosis on 14 student volunteers on Nov. 19 in the Boyd Dining Center.	Gil Eagles        & Pub Night
Happy Holidays!		Above: Sophomore Chris Harris holds his arm stiff as he can while under hypnosis. Below: Andrew Garrett prepares to play for the crowd at Pub Night.

Recent outbreak of Viral meningitis not a campus threat  By Kelly Rust By Kelly Rust Recently, rumors have been  flying around about Meningitis, who has it, how they got it, and how to keep from getting it. “We have gotten 10-15 calls just this week (Nov 15-19),” said Director of Health Services Linda Tisdale. “That is a big increase, we used to get about three calls a week about it (Meningitis). Students and parents were concerned it was the Bacterial Meningitis and they wanted to know what to do about it.” There have been two reported cases of Viral Meningitis, which were confirmed by a spinal tap, one commuter student and one resident student. Neither one of them had any contact with the other. Viral Meningitis is not the serious deadly virus that kills according to Tisdale. It is the bacterial that can kill.  “Remember, what we have had on campus is much less serious than the Bacterial Meningitis,” said Tisdale. Meningitis is the inflammation of tissues that cover the brain and spinal cord. It can lead to dangerous swelling of tissues that build up around the spinal cord. Either viruses or bacteria can cause the disease. The symptoms you feel and how a doctor treats the infection depend on what kind of organism is causing the meningitis. There are two types of Meningitis: Bacterial and Viral. Viral or Aseptic Meningitis is most common it is caused by one of several types of viruses. Viruses that you can contract just like you get the common cold. Bacterial or Meningococcal Meningitis is rapidly fatal and can lead to death anywhere from 24 to 48 hours. The symptoms for both types are relatively the same as the flu or common cold. You may experience sore throats, sudden headaches, vomiting, fever, stiff neck, mental confusing, and in Bacterial, coma and rashes.  Health Services offers a shot to prevent Bacterial Meningitis, but this shot will not prevent         students from getting Viral Meningitis.  “The only thing that kills it (Meningitis) is bleach,” said Tisdale. “You just want to take care of yourself first and have real good hand washing techniques. The sinks and bath areas should be safe because house keeping cleans with bleach.” The way that you can contract Viral Meningitis is by a respiratory virus, or by being around someone with the virus for long periods of time, just like contracting any other type of common cold. The best way to get better is to take it easy, get lots of rest, drink plenty of fluids and take medicine to relive fever and headaches.  Viral Meningitis will usually clear up in 7-10 days with proper care. People who suffer from Bacterial Meningitis will need to be hospitalized and treated with heavy antibiotics.  The American Public Health Association has called the outbreak at VWC, “a relatively common, but rarely serious clinical syndrome.”

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Roof leaks continue to cause damage  By Charmaine R. Berina The past hurricane season uncovered roof leak problems.  They continue. Director of Business Operations Bruce Vaughan has requested repairs by Shaddeau Roofing, the contractors hired last summer to inspect and fix damaged roofs around the campus.  “Jimmy Shaddeau, the owner of the company, has personally taken care of our problems,” Vaughan said. “ They are up there working on it as we speak.” Vaughan added that Shaddeau Roofing, with offices located in Norfolk and Virginia Beach, would shoulder the expenses of the repairs.  “I need to say that Shaddeau is a refutable firm,” Vaughan said.  “They actually did the roofs on Village III when it was new.  And we had them checked out.”  The library and Village I have the most damage.  “ We’ve had leaks in a number of buildings for probably five or six years,” Vaughan said. “Part of that is  most of the original buildings Village I and the library are 30 years old, and the roofs were just worn out.”  Last summer all the roofs of the library, Village I, and Fine Arts were replaced. Within a 12-month period, all the roofs of Blocker Hall and the gym were also replaced.  Vaughan, together with the roofing contractors and the roof manufacturing company, inspected the roofs after they were done.  They did not find any obvious problems and were satisfied with the work.  “All of those had some leak problems on and off,” Vaughan said.  Sophomore Matt Edwards said the roof problems give a poor appearance to the school.  “It’s sad,” Edwards said.  “They can afford to furnish offices with new expensive furniture but can’t fix the problems in Village I and the library.” Jan Pace, acting director of the library, said the leaking roofs in the library are a cause for concern.  “It’s been something that we’ve lived with,” Pace said.  “ When you work in a building, you don’t really know about all the maintenance that’s going on.  It’s kind of a large and gray area that’s dealt with by another department on campus.” For years, as a temporary measure, the library staff have covered furniture, bookshelves or whatever was under the leaking roofs with plastic sheeting.  They also placed empty trash cans to catch rainwater and have security on call when the campus is closed due to inclement weather. “We have a lot of huge water marks on the carpeting,” Pace said.  “That has to be cleaned up on a regular basis. And even more recently, we have actual plaster falling off. You don’t want to be in the library and have to worry about falling objects.” Pace is also concerned with the potential damage to AV materials, books, database and other media.  However, she is confident that the school and the contractors have reached an agreement to settle the roof problems. Vaughan attributes the cause of the leaks to the poor workmanship on the metal flashing.  Metal flashing encases the roofing.  When done properly, it allows for water to run off easily.  Vaughan said that the metal flashing work is the responsibility of the contractors. He added that prior to installing the roofs, they had cleared the roof drains.  “Backed up water can seep in,” he said. “We plan to install additional drains to try to move water out faster.” “As long as the leak is not on the roof of my room,” freshman Courtney Clarke said, “I don’t really care.” Vaughan sympathized with the students’ complaints regarding the noise.  The roof work has caused class disturbance.  He mentioned that at least there is no pungent smell, like when they did the tar roofing. “If I knew how to do it without inconveniencing students at this point, we would,” Vaughan said.  “But honestly, I don’t know how to do it.  I feel positive we’re going to the bottom of it.”