Project to reclaim water
Partial Green closure expected during water system transition
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A portion of the Green at the University of North Florida will be closed during Spring Break.
As part of a reclaimed water project started March 1 by Physical Facilities, a 40 foot by 40 foot area of the Green is scheduled to shut down from March 21 to 26 to accommodate drilling and the installation of new pipes. The project will switch most of campus from well water to reclaimed water for irrigation.
"The contractor will be opening a hole where the force main line is [on the Green] ... and snaking new pipe underground through the middle of campus," said John Hale, assistant director of Physical Facilities.
This method of "directional drilling" will allow the contractor and Physical Facilities to install new pipes without having open trenches around campus, Hale said.
The university collaborated with the contractor and Physical Facilities to work around campus life, Hale said.
"We tried to minimize the disruption," he said.
The project is scheduled to finish in June, but most of the work will be done underground and shouldn't interfere with activities on campus, Hale said.
"The biggest visual thing you're going to see in the inner campus will be on the Green when they have their drilling machine set up," Hale said.
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Weather work wins acclaim
Tracking storms in northeast Florida has become easier and more efficient for meteorologists because of the work of University of North Florida professor Dr. Patrick Welsh.
Welsh, executive director of the Advanced Weather Information Systems Lab at UNF, was recently recognized for the department's work with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Coastal Storm Program.
The department was awarded the bronze metal from the U.S. Department of Commerce for its work within the St. Johns River Basin to enhance models of the area.
The bronze medal is the highest honor that can be granted by the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, according the U.S. Department of Commerce Web site.
"It was a big team effort," Welsh said. "There were lots of people involved."
The Coastal Storms Program in the St. Johns River Basin was the first of its kind in the country and was used to see if enhancement of the coastal models would help meteorologists and coastal residents plan for storms, Welsh said.
The program was completed in 2004 and was implemented in other areas of the country, Welsh said.
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Student pushes to displace solicitors
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A student at the University of North Florida is trying to get credit card solicitors banned from campus.
Tarek Chammah, a senior graduating in May, is hoping a joint resolution on first-reading in Student Government will persuade university officials to ban credit card solicitors from campus.
"They [the solicitors] count on students maxing out the cards and their parents bailing them out," Chammah said. "It's almost a guarantee that they will make a profit [off the students]."
Chammah said he approached SG members to see if there was anything they could do to ban the solicitors because he and his friends were tired of being harassed by them. He said SG was supportive of his idea and drafted the resolution to make a recommendation to university administrators.
The resolution states "credit card companies aggressively solicit college students, without regard for the consequences of high credit card debt for these customers," and seeks to ban credit card companies and their agents from soliciting on university property.
Chammah said the companies offer "free" items that aren't really free.
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