2008 Woodie Awards
RSSMold muddles athletics
Editorial
By Edit Board
Issue date: 10/16/07 Section: Opinion
Lehigh failed to publicly notify students after finding mold under the floor in Grace Hall. Although students have seen construction going on in Grace, many still don't know why the floor is being ripped up and replaced.
Although Gary Falasca, director of facilities services, said students are not in danger from the mold, Lehigh still should have told students about the situation. Besides the scare of potential health issues arising from exposure to mold, we also have to worry about the effects of closing Grace Hall - including the movement of the volleyball team's practices and games to Taylor Gym.
It is understandable that volleyball practices had to be moved to Taylor Gym because of the mold problem. However, this location is used by many students to play basketball recreationally. Because students weren't notified about the mold, or the volleyball team's move to Taylor, many were upset about the inconvenience of having their hours at the basketball courts taken away.
Athletic students who aren't on varsity teams seem to always get the shaft at Lehigh. Since they are not permitted to use the facilities at Goodman Campus, they don't have many places to play sports. The outside basketball courts on campus are only usable when the weather permits, and the courts at Taylor now allot very few hours per day for student use.
Facilities and athletics should have predicted the domino effect that would be caused by closing Grace Hall, and make sure non-athletes weren't shortchanged in the process.
We all pay the same amount of tuition, after all.
Although Gary Falasca, director of facilities services, said students are not in danger from the mold, Lehigh still should have told students about the situation. Besides the scare of potential health issues arising from exposure to mold, we also have to worry about the effects of closing Grace Hall - including the movement of the volleyball team's practices and games to Taylor Gym.
It is understandable that volleyball practices had to be moved to Taylor Gym because of the mold problem. However, this location is used by many students to play basketball recreationally. Because students weren't notified about the mold, or the volleyball team's move to Taylor, many were upset about the inconvenience of having their hours at the basketball courts taken away.
Athletic students who aren't on varsity teams seem to always get the shaft at Lehigh. Since they are not permitted to use the facilities at Goodman Campus, they don't have many places to play sports. The outside basketball courts on campus are only usable when the weather permits, and the courts at Taylor now allot very few hours per day for student use.
Facilities and athletics should have predicted the domino effect that would be caused by closing Grace Hall, and make sure non-athletes weren't shortchanged in the process.
We all pay the same amount of tuition, after all.
