Marcu 8, 2005.

THE CADRE @ 13

‘ON CAMPUS

Hmm... Duffy

Man-Sum Yau Production Manager

The construction work going |

on in Duffy has left many of us wondering if there is anything we can do to reduce the disheartening effects of the ongoing noise and the unknown amounts of dust, mould, and chemicals

in the building. It is not clear to many

Duffy-users what the best way to approach the situation is.

Many of us have had to write midterm exams in the Duffy amphitheatre, wondering how the noise would affect our performance. Even professors have had to fight the urge not to swear or yell at the construction workers. Only the stairs know how many times professors have run up and down the steps, trying to find someone or some way to lower the volume of the background noise. Only the walls know how many times professors have pounded on them, trying to let the construction workers on the other side know that “it’s quiet time right now.”

Nevertheless, Duffy is old and needs to be rejuvenated. Built in 1966, the thirty-nine-year-old centre was renovated once in 1997, but not extensively. Six point four million dollars will be invested into this extensive renovation project, which the Dean of Science, Roger Gordon, says is a “much needed and very exciting development for the Faculty of Science.” For more information, check out the UPEI news and events website,

http://www.upei.ca/cgi new/summ.cgi. Send your comments to

upeicadre@gmail.com - Duffy users, you have a voice to express what you think of the situation and what you think can be done... Air purifiers? Regular cleaning? A more effective department- student communication system? Use your “voice,” and drop us a line when you have time; it won’t cost a dime.

Note: Duffy renovation information sheets containing emergency evacuation instructions are now available (door of the Duffy amphitheatre).

Duffy-Insp Compiled by Man-Sum Yau Production Manager

* ACOUSTICOPHOBIA is the fear of noise, sounds

(Greek akoustikos “pertaining to hearing”)!

*AMATHOPHOBIA is the fear of dust. (also called coniophobia or koniophobia)

(Greek amathos “dust”)'

*MysopHosia is the abnormal fear of dirt or contamination. (Greek musos “uncleanness”)’

*OsMOPHOBIA is the fear of odors, smells (also called olfactophobia, osmophobia)

( Greek osme “smell”)!

*EISOPTROPHOBIA Is the fear of mirrors, seeing oneself in a mirror (Greek eis “into”)!

Last, but not least:

HIPPOPOTOMONSTROSESQUIPPEDALIOPHOBIA is the fear of long words.

Etymology’:

Combination of elements suggesting largeness or length, deliberately forming a word likely to induce the fear it denotes + sesquippedalio from Latin

ired Trivia

sesquipedalia things one and a half feet

long

Usage note:

It is unlikely that this 15 syllable contrivance is ever used purely for its meaning. The term sesquipedalophobia

- isrecognized in formal writing, while the

four syllable phrase “fear of long words” is certainly worth considering.

In the book Useless Knowledge, this enormous word was misinterpreted by the authors as two words, causing them to list the fear of long words as the

following:

hippopotomonstroses quippedaliophobia

These fragments appear to be quoted occasionally.

Sources:

' Webster ’s New Millennium™ Dictionary of English, Preview Edition v 0.9.5

? The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

3 www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Main_Page