I
THE ROTUNDA VOL. LVI
IX)NGWOOD COLLEGE, FARMVILLE, VIRGINIA,
TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 1981
NO. 21
Fires Plague Campus By JOEJOHNSON "You don't ever know when it's going to happen and if it does, whether you will be lucky again or not so lucky and somebody will have to pay for that fire freak's kicks. I keep my clothes right beside my bed now...ready for the fire alarm to go off again and ready for me to get the hell out of this building!" said a resident of the Cunningham dorm speaking about the rash of fires which has plagued the campus recently. Roy Kyle, State Police Investigator for the Virginia State Arson squad said that this recent set of fires started about one month ago on March 8 in the Wygal Music Building. "A fire was set to Rob Flescher's locker in the basement of the music building at about 3:50 p.m ten minutes before his Sunday music recital. At 5:00 p.m., (the ending time for the recital) another fire was set to the same
locker. The time element extinguished all of the blazes. involved in the setting of the fires "We were lucky," said Neil, suggests the possibility of a "whoever is doing this has got a music student(s) starting the problem and it has got to be dealt fires...but that's one of many with. I don't think he really wants possibilities," said Officer Kyle. to burn down the building, or hurt Rob had supposedly been anybody...maybe he just likes the receiving threatening letters commotion the fires prior to the incident, but neither cause...maybe it gives him a Roy Kyle nor Rob Flescher would sense of power." That the comment on this. arsonist did not want to harm On March 11 a set of trash can anyone would have been a fires on third floor, Main plausible theory had it not been Cunningham, was started at for the fire in room 338 on March about two in the morning. Neil 15. David Wall first spotted the Sullivan, Resident Supervisor smoke billowing out of the room's for Main Cunningham, put out window at about 4:00 a.m. He these fires. Two nights later, on called Bob Bagnal in room 338 Friday the 13th, just before and Bob kicked in the door to the room. Smoke midnight two more trash can blazing fires were started on the second immediately filled the hallway. and third floor Annex, Main "You couldn't see...you just Cunningham. Five nights later couldn't see a thing except black the curtains were lit in the third smoke and the flames in the floor lounges, Main Cunningham. room...the bottom bunk was in Neil Sullivan with help from flames from one end to the other residents of the other...the top bunk was Cunningham dorms, smoldering."
Nursing Home Procedures Questioned By MARK KARL SEGAL A Farmville nursing home was recently criticized by a fired employee and the Farmville branch of the Virginia Legal Aid Society. In a press conference on April 1st, called by Matthew Pavok of Virginia Legal Aid, he and Lisa Pauli made public grievances and deficiencies concerning the operation of Holly Manor. Pauli was previously employed by Holly Manor and asked to resign last March 30th by Earl B. Lee, administrator for the nursing home. She was told to leave immediately or police would be summoned. She did pack up and leave and police were called. Pauli alleged she was not given a reason for her resignation but that Lee just held up a five page report from the state inspector indicating this was his reason for dismissal. In the report, by Frances B. Koehn of the Bureau of Medical and nursing facilities services, she outlined numerous problems in several areas of operation. The problems were allegedly
reported to the administrator (Lee) on previous occasions and ignored. In a telephone interview with Mrs. Koehn in Richmond on April 10 she told the ROTUNDA she would close the kitchen down if the unsanitary conditions she noted were not complied with immediately. No further comment was made in reference to actions that could be implemented by the state but she did feel that Lee would fully cooperate with the state. Deficiencies were noted in the areas of medical care, restorative care and nutritional care. More specifically in the area of medical care; deficiencies in the staffing of Registered nurses and the overburdens placed on the scanty under trained staff. In the area of restorative care, patients are not properly rehabilitated so they can eventually rejoin the world at large. The rules of the state require nursing homes to have an "active program of restorative
nursing care directed toward assisting each patient to achieve and maintain his highest level of self care and independence." Instead of encouraging people to remain active and move around, the staff at Holly Manor accedes to the "alleged desire" of some patients to remain in bed at all times. Furthermore, deficiencies were noted in the nutritional facilities: 1. Insufficient hot water for the sterilization of dishes. 2. Open items stored in uncovered containers. 3. Imbalanced diets and menus were offered and not supplemented. 4. Poor storage locations of foods were noted. 5. Food is often not served at 140 degrees, as required by the state. 6. And kitchen sanitation was a problem area. Mr. Lee was not available for comment last week end as his office reported he was out of town.
•The Lonqwood Fine Arts Center and Department of Art at Longwood College present the FOURTH ANNUAL C5 •
Bob pulled the fire alarm and woke up third floor R.A. Ray Spillman who proceeded to evacuate the building. Meanwhile, Campus Police Officer Huskey and a few helpful residents put wet towels over their faces and sprayed the flames with over eight fire extinguishers. The mattress was still smouldering when the Farmville Fire Department arrived and threw it out the window. A number of curious facts surround this particular fire. The first fact is that Rob Flescher (the music student whose locker was burned out) happens to room in 338 and sleeps in the lower bunk. The second is that both Allen Hoffman (Rob's roommate) and Rob Flescher had left the room with the door locked. Whoever started the fire obviously knew the combination to that lock. Farmville Fire Department officials said that if a draft had been running through the hall at the time of the fire, the whole building could have gone up. "It was pure luck that the fire was contained to one room," said Campus Police Chief Neil Smith. "Anytime a fire set and not found immediately, it can get serious...whoever is doing it should start exercising a little concern for other students, for God's sake, don't be putting somebody else's life in danger!" After the incident on the 15th, Police Chief Neil Smith ordered officers to patrol the dorms regularly. This seemed to deter the arsonist!s) until after spring break when he, like a greedy burglar, struck again. Fires were started at 3:00 a.m. on April 6, "At first three fires were lit, one on each landing of the Annex," said Neil Sullivan. "We barely had them under control when I looked in the basement. There were four curtains burning and part of the carpet was on fire...we almost ran out of extinguishers, putting
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Friday, April 17,1981
out all the flames. If the windows wouldn't have been closed in the basement, Lord knows what would have happened." Michael Kerrigan, who helped Neil put out some of the fires, commented on student reaction. "The students are angry...this guy is playing a dangerous game and if the students catch him at it, I wouldn't be surprised if he (the arsonist) gets hurt." Roy Hill, Director of Physical Plant, and Melvin Moore, Fire Marshall for longwood College, estimate the damage to the campus as a result of the fires at about $1,200. Even at this cost, Mr. Moore says that IiOngwood has been lucky. "Nobody's been hurt, and we are grateful for that...materials are replaceable but a human life isn't." When asked what is being done to catch the criminal, Officer Roy Kyle replied, "We have given a number of students lie detector tests...and we plan on giving many more...as many as necessary." A reward is also being offered by the Virginia Advisory Committee on Arson Prevention for information leading to the arrest or indictment of the person or persons responsible for the fires. Call 1-800-552-9865 if you have any information. Mr. Roy Hill said that the reward could go as high as $5,000 dollars and he hopes that if someone in the building knows what is going on and who is doing it, this reward might make him talk. Campus Police Chief, Neil Smith, leaves the arsonist* s) with a poignant warning. "For persons setting fires, the minimum sentence is five years in a penitentiary...if someone sets fire and the result of that fire is a loss of life, the arsonist is subject to the electric chair...you (the arsonist) are playing a game with lite and death odds...people who play for those stakes are fools i"
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