Daily Egyptian

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Daily Egyptian THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2015

VOL. 99 ISSUE 102

SINCE 1916

DAILYEGYPTIAN.COM

Smoke test finds cracks in Campus Lake pipes ANNA SPOERRE | @ASPOERRE_DE

Provided by SIUC Red indicates areas that need further investigation

Exploratory students can find success too

After multiple tests, results indicate a need for further testing to determine the source of toxins contaminating Campus Lake. So far, the university has performed several tests — with no definitive answer — to confirm the presence of sewage in the water. Phil Gatton, director of Plant and Service Operations, said the investigation occurred in three parts: visual inspection, dye testing and smoke testing. To perform smoke tests, pipe lines near the lake were pressurized and injected with smoke. Escaping smoke would indicate cracks, breaks or joints not sealed tightly. Gatton said smoke did leak from

some pipes, but did not indicate a main problem area. He said further investigation on those pipes is underway. Brad Dillard, associate director of Plant and Service Operations, said his department is working to determine a source. “We’ve got a number of people convinced that we’ve got some type of sanitary infiltration into the lake,” Dillard said. “We’re as interested as they are in trying to find that.” The visual inspection consisted of looking at areas that took longer to freeze during the winter, which would indicate the presence of raw sewage. The test did not produce a visible source. After the visual test, colored dye was put into the sanitary and

sewage lines as well as the toilets and basement drain lines in Thompson Point buildings. Dye in the lake would indicate a leak, but no dye was found. Gatton said concerns being investigated include cross contamination — when a storm pipe is mistakenly connected to a sewage line — and pipe deterioration. “[The pipes] should last 30 years,” Gatton said. “Now we’re at 60 years, so it’s probably getting to the point where [the pipes are] reaching an age where [they’re] going to have some maintenance issues.” Dillard said the smoke testing cost nearly $20,000, which was split between SIU Housing and Physical Plant. Please see LAKE | 2

Cooking in cast iron

BILL LUKITSCH | @BILL_LUKITSCHDE

Helena Berry would not be the person she is today without her academic advisor. SIUC changed admission policies this year for new students by changing the deadline for applications to May 1. SIU System President Randy Dunn said during a press conference last month that the decline in freshmen enrollment was in part because of that decision, which resulted in a loss of 140 enrollees. Dunn also said the university wanted to reduce the amount of enrollees who were not academically prepared for college. Walter Davis, an academic advisor and instructor in the university’s department of exploratory student advisement, coordinated a student panel discussion held Tuesday, which aimed to educate exploratory students about what SIUC has to offer. Berry was one of 30 former provisional students invited to share their success stories. Berry graduated from the university in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in foreign language and international trade. Now she’s a branch manager of CFA Staffing, where she manages thousands of people by providing organizations in the St. Louis area with employees. “[The event] basically helps a lot of the new freshman who are just now coming in that really don’t know SIU a lot,” Davis said. That was Berry six years ago, when she came to Carbondale after graduating from Belleville East High School. In 2014, 2,281 undergraduate students — or 17 percent — had undeclared majors. When Berry took Davis’ UCOL 101 course during her first semester, she was not sure what to expect. “I automatically gained a mentor just from the class,” Berry said. Davis became a somewhat of a role model for Berry. He became someone she felt comfortable to confide in — from disagreements with her roommate to which classes to enroll in. The coursework Berry learned provided her with skills she relies on in current career. Some of her peers, she said, came from underfunded secondary schools where they had never been required to write a paper. Please see STUDENT | 2

@DAILYEGYPTIAN

TJ Price | @TPrice_DE Isaac Taylor, left, a junior, and Johnny Toohill, a senior, both studying outdoor recreation, cook cinnamon rolls during the Recreation Center Outdoor Pursuit’s Cooking Clinic on Wednesday. The free event, now in its second year, teaches students to prepare food outdoors with dutch ovens.

Touch of Nature staffers provide free paddling in the name of community MARISSA NOVEL | @MARISSANOVELDE

Not all students and community members are aware of the 3,100 acres of university property less than 10 miles from campus. Touch of Nature Environmental Center serves as an outdoor laboratory for students, a venue for weddings and special occasions, and a retreat space for people of all ages. Wrapping around the edges of Little

Grassy Lake on its furthest west side, it is also a place of interest for those who would like to fit a free and informative afternoon into their weekend schedules. Touch of Nature will host Breaking the Surface, their third biannual paddle event, from 1 to 6:30 p.m Saturday. The entirely volunteer-led event will feature live music, food for cash purchase, informative nature hikes, as well as instruction and access to about 70 boats including canoes, kayaks and

stand-up paddle boards. Among the vessels will also be the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ 28-person Voyageur canoe, which was temporarily donated for the event. Breaking the Surface is the brainchild of Steve Gariepy, a program coordinator at Touch of Nature. He said about 60 and 120 people gathered at the first two events, respectively, most of whom were international students and families. Please see NATURE | 4


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