ULV has not saved for rainy day

cartoon by Christian A. Lopez

Lack of funding has been a problem for most facilities and programs on campus. Because of budgetary considerations, nothing seems to get done, at least not in a timely manner.

We know professors are not getting the pay they deserve although tuition still continues to go up. But we are not going to talk about that in this editorial. Or the law school. A more pressing issue, literally, which came to light during the past few weeks' rain, is the lack of funding for maintenance. Unless school officials are blinded by other concerns, there should be no excuse not to quickly address this clear need, which can be used to help avoid leaks and clogged drains caused during rain storms.

During the week of Feb. 10, many rooms and offices, especially in Founders Hall and the Arts and Communications Building, experienced leaking, flooding and the nauseating stench of mildew.

While at this point, damaged radio equipment and carpet and wall stains may be the only visible problems, there are still other concerns.

Most important is the fact that both students and faculty in these buildings are at risk of exposure to mold-related illnesses. If not for the smart preparation done by some professors, like putting plastic tarps over cracked walls and clogged drains, the damage could have been worse.

It is sad to note that although professors know when to prepare for heavy rain, school officials in charge of allocating funds do not. Perhaps they would rather deal with external problems more than the internal things that should have been addressed long ago. The fact that Brian Worley, director of facilities management, admitted that drainage problems would continue to happen every time it rains is disturbing.

Though drains were eventually unclogged and housekeeping was able to dehumidify affected carpets and rooms, the problems will reappear because there are not enough funds to get rid of all of them, according to Worley.

"When you have more than 50 roofs on a campus, (flooding) tends to happen," Worley told the Campus Times last week. "It's during heavy rain when you're able to see where things are lacking."

Thanks to recent rains, we have seen where things are lacking. Now it is time the University did something about it. Even though Southern California does not experience much rainfall, when it does we would like to be protected from it when we are inside a ULV building. Besides, we do not want to see our Student Center collapse or beautiful Miller Hall ruined from water damage.

We know it will cost money to preserve facilities and equipment and to ensure a healthy student and teaching body, free of mold and mildew related diseases. But if we can afford to build a grand law school facility, then surely the finance department can find the heart to prevent more damage from occurring in the little old main campus buildings.

The disturbing statement made about the University's roofs being adequate only for light drizzle should conclude this piece. Maintenance needs to do better, whether or not they expect heavy rain.

As of now many offices affected still continue to look like disaster areas, as the carpet squares, pulled from the floor, continue to air out and the whir of dehumidifiers try to cleanse the dewy air.