Old, dilapidated buildings
continue to deteriorate
By JOHN MILLS
Of the Emerald
At first glance a photograph in the physical
plant looks like the North Cascades in
summertime. But a closer look reveals a picture of
the ragged peeling roof of Gerlinger Hall.
Even in healthy times the Legislature is
reluctant to fund University buildings and physical
facilities with more than enough for basic main
tenance. Now the word “deferred" appears
regularly in front of requests for repairs and safety
corrections to the University's buildings.
“Over the last 20 years there’s been a general
neglect of the physical structures on campus,"
facilities planner David Rowe says. “The heavy
maintenance items have been deferred so it’s
getting to the point where there’s nothing left to
defer.
“The roofs are reaily in pretty bad shape, so
that water is seeping down through the walls,”
Rowe says. “Gerlinger is in just abominable
shape.”
Most of the older buildings - Deady, Villard,
Susan Campbell and Hendricks — are in “bad
shape," Rowe adds. “Window casings are rotting
or rotted. In Hendricks you can’t open the window
because it will fall out if you push on it.”
Mark Westling of the Bureau of Governmen
tal Research says, “The building (Hendricks) has
had problems continually ever since the bureau
moved here eight years ago. Remodeling five
years ago solved some difficulties.”
A leaking roof continues to cause damage to
the south wall, Westling says. “Buckling plaster
and stains on the wall” that run from the top of the
building down all three floors are evidence ol
water damage inside the wall, he adds.
Water also “pops up occasionally” in the
basement of Hendricks. “We’re wise enough not
to store things on the floor itself," Westling says.
There are also hidden repair problems on
campus such as the condition of some electric
transformers at the physical plant, the disrepair of
insulation on steam pipes in tunnels under the
campus and the condition of water pipes in some
of the dormitories.
Rowe says carpenters "pulled pipes out in
Walton where you were lucky if you could run a
pencil down the middle of a two-inch pipe.”
Physical plant director Harold Babcock says
there is “nothing dangerous as far as the health or
safety to people,” but some of the problems are
“dangerous as far as costing more money later.”
Babcock says most of the construction at the
University was done shortly after World War II,
making the structures, pipes and wires about 35
years old. He says he “hasn't had the dollars” for
a program of replacing things a little at a time.
Also, projects for repairs go to the lowest
bidder who may not use good materials. The
result is “some unreal plumbing problems” and
complaints about water-damaged records and
equipment in the buildings, he says.
Funds for major repairs come from a capital
construction budget that is separate from the
University's $51.6 million operating budget.
About 15 percent of the operating budget
goes to support services and maintenance such
as janitor's wages, equipment, fuel and utilities.
The other 85 percent is for academics. “The
buildings are showing it,” Babcock says.
The capital construction budget is a list of
projects submitted by all the state’s universities
and colleges to the State Board of Higher
Education. The board ranks the projects in order
of importance for funding.
Once the Legislature has allocated funds for
education operating budgets — usually at the end
of the session — it takes the money left and funds
projects from the top of the list until the money
runs out.
Although the board has included capital
construction requests for more than 20 projects,
University vice Pres. Ray Hawk says "I think the
only thing we’ll get money for will be just the
minimum level of maintenance.”
Number one on the board’s 1981-83 list is
$4.8 million for handicapped accessibility at
state’s eight colleges. The University’s share
would be $1.5 million, most of which would be
used for elevators or stair lifts.
Number two on the list is $2.4 million for
safety deficiences statewide. The University
would receive $645,000. Babcock says most of
this money would go to patching the roofs first
and then to windowcases. He says the University
asked for $200,000-300,000 last year and got
$80,000.
Third on the list is almost $6 million for
alterations and new construction on Lawrence
Hall for the architecture and allied arts depart
ment. Rowe put this request on the "critical list”
as far as surviving budget cuts.
Following several projects for other cam
puses in the state, the list shows alterations to the
University Library, for about $5.1 million, as
thirteenth. Finally, $3 million for "rehabilitation of
campus facilities” — a “ massive catch-all” for
University repairs, according to Budget Director
Ralph Sunderland — is ranked nineteenth.
Hawk says "the governor virtually wiped out"
all funding for capital construction this session.
"This year it appears that operating budgets
are going to exceed expected income so we’ll
have further reductions in the operating budget.
There's very little likelihood of anything being
approved for capital construction,” he says.
"There’s a whole bunch of things we asked
for, but we don’t expect to get them this time,”
Babcock says. "I sure won’t be happy.”
Recent draft efforts indicate
preparation for war, vet says
By TOM VISOKY
Of the Emerald
Recent efforts to reinstate the
draft and streamline registration
procedures indicate the United
States is rapidly preparing for
war, says University Veterans
Association director Dave Isen
berg.
Government efforts to close
loopholes for conscientious ob
jectors and to cut the time
required for a person to register
after being notified from 10 to 30
days are designed to “rush
people into" the armed forces,
Isenberg says.
“People aren’t being given
any time to think.”
Isenberg says the govern
ment is trying to entice young
men into service by bringing
back the G.l Bill. Although he
supports the G.l. Bill, Isenberg
says he believes it will be
revived at the expense of social
programs.
•'They’ll limit aid for schools
and give it to the G.l. Bill,” he
predicts.
The government also is
preparing for war by upgrading
the readiness of U S. Armed
Forces and by stockpiling
weapons at bases overseas,
Isenberg says. Recent Amer
ican-Omani military training ex
ercises in Oman were designed
to test tactics that might be used
in a Middle East war, he adds.
Isenberg says the United
States has committed itself to
the Carter doctrine of protecting
the Persian Gulf.
“We're saying it pretty much
nakedly. We need the oil.”
Isenberg, a former Navy
quartermaster, says he gleans
information about war prepara
tions from newspapers, journals
and military publications put out
by the defense department
“The Department of Defense
is a goldmine of information.”
Despite this wealth of infor
mation, Isenberg says the
American public remains largely
unaware of Pentagon man
euverings.
While the military continues to
recruit and prepare people to
fight the next war, little is being
done to help veterans of the last
one, Isenberg says. Funding for
programs that help Vietnam vet
erans with problems resulting
from “delayed stress reaction"
are being frozen or cut, he says.
Vietnam veterans have
higher-than-average rates of
suicide, divorce and drug
abuse, according to Isenberg.
“This country treats vets like
people drink a Coca-Cola. They
drink the bottle and throw it on
the junkpile.”
Federal budget cuts notwith
standing, Isenberg says veter
ans still can get help with per
sonal problems at local coun
seling centers or through the
UVA
A number of campus veterans
disagree with the UVA’s stand
on the draft, “but when they
need something they come
here," Isenberg says.
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Pace 9 Section A