RAs warn students of asbestos risk

Resident assistants across campus will warn students this week that they are living with asbestos.\nUnder a new Residential Programs and Services policy, staff members will give students warnings about the potential carcinogen in their dorm rooms and apartments.\nThe scripted warning that RAs will read at floor meetings describes the asbestos plaster present in the ceilings of Briscoe, McNutt and Forest quads as "the least hazardous of the three types" and reminds students that the plaster is only 1 to 10 percent asbestos.\nBecause there are no RAs in Tulip Tree Apartments, and because some residents there have trouble speaking English, new Tulip Tree residents will receive the warning in writing, Connor said. \nMost of those students understand written English, he said.\nThe warning also states that there should not be any immediate danger to students as long as the ceilings remain undamaged. Students who do find their ceilings damaged in those dorms are asked to report it immediately.\nThis verbal warning during Welcome Week comes in part because of a series of Indiana Daily Student articles last fall outlining the possible dangers of asbestos in the dorms, said Residential Programs and Services Executive Director Pat Connor. Previously, the asbestos warning was buried in a handbook residents received upon moving in.\n"After the issues raised last year and after talking with different people, we felt it was in the best interest of everyone if we took extra step of talking to students," Connor said.\nAsbestos was used for insulation in most buildings built before 1980. Intact asbestos poses no health risks, but inhaling the damaged fibers can harm the lungs many years after exposure. It has been recognized as a carcinogen and is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency.\nIn addition to the script RAs will read, Physical Plant employees specially trained in asbestos management will conduct inspections of the four residence halls at the semester break and during the summer.\nConnor said he did not immediately know how many rooms with damaged asbestos had been reported during the summer.\nSince RPS has concluded there is little risk posed to students even if their ceilings suffer minor damage, there is also no reason for them to seek a move to another dorm, according to the statement RAs will read.\nIf students or their parents are still worried about possible exposure, the asbestos team from the Physical Plant will inspect their room again, Connor said.\nSome students are shrugging off the asbestos risk.\n"As long as I don't die, I really don't care," said freshman Josh Pitts, who moved into Briscoe early.\nHis brother, senior Michael Pitts, who lived in McNutt his freshman year, echoed that sentiment.\n"When I lived in McNutt, there never seemed to be a problem," he said. "If something is wrong, they usually get you out of the room pretty quick."\nOther students were more alarmed.\n"I'm surprised they're telling us after we move in," said freshman Melissa Zamin, who was waiting to move into McNutt on Tuesday afternoon. \nMelissa's mother Karen said it was "disappointing" and she was "not happy" RPS hadn't disclosed the information before her daughter moved in.\n"I suppose they can't put them all in the other dorms," she said. "I don't know if anything can really be done."\nRPS is planning renovations of the four dorms within the next 10 years that should remove all the asbestos. Some asbestos removal could begin as early as 2008, Connor said.