Should Palomar be smoke free?
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Pro/Con Page 4
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The Telesco f'riday, March 1, l99 t
Palomar College, 1 140 West Mission Road, San Marcos CA 92069-1487
Volume 44, Number 15
Ideas outlined for campus water conservation By Chris S. MacPhail Staff Writer Hoping Palomar's water conservation efforts will not go down the drain, a Palomar administrator told the Governing Board this week he will launch a public information campaign to get the word out that Palomar needs to reduce itS water usage by 30 percent. With the onset of a Stage 5 drought alert, it's more than time to get the message out, Mike Ellis, director of buildings and grounds, said at Tuesday's Governing Board meeting. The Vallecitos Water District recently imposed the Stage 5 alert and allotted Palomar 2.6 million gallons for use by the college. Students and faculty need to be aware of water conservation in order to cutback consumption by a required 30 percent. But it won't be easy, Ellis said. "We are going to be very drastically effected by this measure" he said. Ellis told the Board what actions are being taken to ensure awareness and cooperation. Along with water-saving reminders posted around campus and inrestrooms, a special edition of the Administrative Services Newsletter will be published with tips on water saving. Student use, Ellis
said, accounts for 175-200 units of water a day. One unitofwateris 748 gallons. "That's going to put us over (our allottment) most of the time,'' Ellis said. Many of the restrooms already have flowrestricters installed, and low-flow showerheadsarein thelockerrooms. Students have been taking off the showerheads and leaving showers on while not using them, Ellis reported. If this continues, Ellis warned he might be forced to install"navy type showers," referring to the type of showers where the faucet must be held on in order for water to flow. The replacement of all water faucetS with automatic shut-offs is in the works. Ellis said the new fixtures are on order and expected soon. Currently, Ellis pointed out that much ofthe water is just going down the drain. Staff in the library report often finding faucets running. Some areas being researched are the replacement of lab faucets and chemically treating the urinals. The lab faucetS would be changed to low-flow systems. Chemically treating the urinals would allow less flushing. On the landscaping agenda, irrigation clocks have been reset to water less, and in some places, irrigation has stopped. Lawns not being watered will be cut and painted with non-toxic lawn paint.
(see PLANS - page 8)
Bathrooms may close at 10 p.m. due to vandalism Rick Kratcoski of bJJil(jingsand grounds kneels beside a group of valuable fan palm trees. This group of trees is worth about $25,000, Kratrosk.i estimates. Palm trees are more drought-resistant t:Mn some of the other tree varieties on
campus.
Water crisis a matter of u.fe and death for campus foliage By ChrisS. MacPhail Staff Writer With impending cutbacks in irriglUion and the likelihood that this week's rain will just be a drop in t.ne bucker. concem
over Palomar's $5 million plant coilec~ tkm is growing. SpeclaJ ronsiderations m\.ISt be giVen to the valuable inventory ofPalomru;'s plant life Wh¢wtnandatory watercon~rvation isineffect.saidMike
Wild Animal P.arkfor beautiful and unusual plantS. •·There is no otbet facility like it in any of the other community c-olleges," he said. Many of the plants on
campus are mature in g.rowth.some up to 40 yeats: old. Elli.s plans to single out the most valuable plants in tl}e Jikel.ijmod of
prolontoo
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conditions. ..Who
eM PUt aPri~e t;agon.tnatW:e plaqt$7' •·ne
By Bryon Roberts Staff Writer
Writing on walls is considered a mild form of vandalism. "Graffiti," explained Ellis, "has always been here. We can deal with that." To aid in stopping graffiti, the college has Vandalism in restrooms is increasing at Palomar, and school policies to thwart it installed fiberglass-reinforced panels could affect the entire student body, (FRPs), from which writing may be easily according Palomar Director of Buildings washed. Sandpaper is used to remove graffiti from painted partitions. and Grounds, Mike Ellis. According to Boyd Mahan, supervisor of Ellis said that vandals have recently Campus Patrol, the Campus Patrol is on the · broken stall doors off at the hinges, ripped paper dispensers off the walls, scratched alert for vandals in the bathrooms. The Sciences Building, whose men's room words onto the mirrors, and cut holes in was shut down for two days last month to stall partitions. If the destruction continues, signs will repair vandalism damage, "seems to have a be posted in restrooms asking students group hanging around," according to Mahan. Ellis said that in one men's room, which who see damage or any unusual activity to call Campus Patrol orthe campus operator, had a hole in a partition, a worker found a metal core with a center-tapped hole in it on Ellis said. "We know some vandalism has been the floor. "Somebody must have been in there going on during school hours," he said. with a battery drill and a hole saw" to make an Palomar restrooms are open 24 hours. opening in the partition, he said. However, according to Ellis, the restrooms Emmett Logan, a janitor who cleans the Tmay have to be locked from 10 p.m. to 7 Building, said, "They're not just writing; a.m. when the college is officially closed, they're carving up the walls." the first time in 10 years that such an action Logan pointed out letters scrawled onto the has been taken. This will inconvenience partitions with· a sharp object, a word students who stay late, he said. scratched on the mirror, and a hole in the wall If locking restroom doors at night does where a soap dispenser had been tom off, not stop the vandalism, Ellis warned, the according to him. stall doors will be taken off. "Most vandalism goes on behind stall doors," he Next door he presented the women's room: said. vandalism- and graffiti-free.