www.sbstatesman.org
Volume 53, Issue 39 • Monday, March 15, 2010
LIBRARY TO GET NEW FIRE ALARM SYSTEM
Though marked "not in use," old alarms still work By Caitlin Ferrell Contributing Writer
IN THIS ISSUE
Stony Brook University students may have noticed a new addition to the Frank Melville Jr. Memorial Library: almost every fire alarm is now adorned with an "out of service" sign. The signs will remain up while a new fire alarm system is installed, a process that has been going on since last semester. According to James La Piano, the library building manager, the old alarms still work and would activate if a fire were to occur in the library. The fire marshal ordered the signs to be put up during a recent inspection. “The old system is old and obsolete, and we were having lots of problems with it,” La Piano said, adding that the new system will be upgraded from the old bells to a strobe light and P.A. system. New smoke detectors can be seen in the building with a plastic cover. “The alarms were original to the building,” said Louis Rispoli, the Executive director of Campus Planning, Design and Construction. Rispoli said the installation would cost approximately $1.5 million, including design and construction. The money was given to the school from the state
capital plan as part of the New York State budget. A few floors, including the basement and first floor, have already had the new system installed, but the installation will not be considered complete. The signs will not come down – until the system is implemented and tested in the entire library. When the system will be completed is unclear. The installation was delayed when the team ran out of parts that took six weeks to be shipped. Once all the parts are in place, testing must be completed. La Piano said the installation and testing should be completed during the summer, while Rispoli said the installation should be completed in the next two to four weeks, with testing to be contucted shortly after. “I always see them working on it. I know they’re trying to put something new in,” said Julian Cordero, a senior math major who works in the library SINC site. Some students have only noticed the "out of service" signs and believe the fire alarms are not in working order. “I think there need to be more that aren’t marked, ‘not in use,’” said Kate Simonetti, a senior music major. It makes me think, ‘Do they not have any that work?’”
KENNETH HO / THE STATESMAN
Ever since the fall semester, almost all the fire alarms in the library have had "out of service signs." The alarms still work, but the signs will remain up until a new system is in place.
Students "Sing For Haiti" By David O'Connor Staff Writer
The Stony Brook Univer-sity chapter of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, or NSCS, raised more than $500 in donations from Stony Brook students who attended the “Sing for Haiti” concert last Tuesday. “It was important for people to recognize what happened in Haiti,” said senior Bernie Lubell, NSCS Stony Brook chapter co-president. Lubell said that the $500 raised was more then they thought. "This will really help Haiti.” The earthquake was the worst in the region in more than 200 years. The capital, Port-auPrince suffered imm-ense damage. The death toll
currently stands at more than 250,000, and a study estimates that the cost could be between $7.2 billion and $13.2 billion. The NSCS said that they will send all donations to Medicins Sans Fronteires (Doctors Without Borders), which have tended to approximately 1,000 patients since the earthquake. Several French doctors and journalists created MSF in 1971 as a humanitarian organization, and today it provides aid and relief in approximately 60 nations. This was not the first time that the Stony Brook NSCS, which currently has more than 1,000 members, had put on a show like this. “It’s an annual event,” said Minal Kadam, the sophomore chapter secretary for the NSCS. The NSCS staged “Sing
for Darfur” two years ago to raise money for Sudan, a country ravaged by violence. “This year we chose Haiti because of the earthquake.” Before the show, the NSCS presented a slide show of images from Haiti before the earthquake struck. “We wanted [the audience] to see what Haiti was like before, how devastating the earthquake was, and how this does make a difference,” Kadam said. Alison Huenger and Sarah Khan, executive vice president and vice president of community service, respectively, formally began the concert shortly after 7 p.m. in front of more than 70 people. Anjulie Jacques, a member of the Gospel Choir that would perform later that evening, sung the Haitian national anthem,
“La Dessalinienne,” to kick off the concert. It was not hard to find performers for the evening, said Kadam. “We know them from past events. Most responded with a quick ‘yes’.” There were 11 performances in all. Lubell performed as well, singing Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah.” “I think it’s appropriate,” he said, afterwards, when asked why he chose that particular song. “The meaning it conveys is appropriate.” Administrators, performers and viewers alike left that evening satisfied. Those who stayed afterwards had nothing but good words to say, and the overall mood was positive. The NSCS made it clear that the best part was raising the money for a country in need.
Are you on the Chatroulette map?
Stony Brook's Best Dance Crew flops
INDEX
Last week my column featured chatroulette. com, which essentially is a disturbing indicator of where humanity is headed with the advent of anonymity and webcams.
Stony Brook’s Best Dance Crew was a failed attempt at imitating the popular MTV television show. The function, held at the Stony Brook Union auditorium on Friday March 12, ended
News....................3 Opinion...............5 Arts.....................7 Sports...............8
Well, actually scratch out the part about anonymity. A new site now crawls Chatroulette and takes snapshots of the users... See MAP on 3
up feeling more like a low budget high school production than an intense battle of experienced and entertaining dance crews. See DANCE on 7