Cause
      of
      Utility
      Building
      Fir
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Kent
      Aitken
     
     
      Reporter
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      If
      you
      remember,
      back
      in
      December
     
     
      -
      the
      8,
      to
      be
      exact
      -
      there
      was
      a
      bit
     
     
      of
      a
      stir
      when
      half
      of
      campus
      shut
     
     
      down
      as
      the
      utility
      garage
      burned
      to
     
     
      the
      ground.
     
    

    
     
      Since
      then,
      the
      debris
      has
      been
     
     
      cleaned
      up
      and
      a
      new
      building
      was
     
     
      constructed.
     
    

    
     
      “We
      needed
      a
      garage
      to
      get
      us
     
     
      through
      the
      winter,”
      explained
      Greg
     
     
      Clayton,
      Director
      of
      Facilities
      Man-
     
     
      agement
      at
      UPEI.
     
    

    
     
      The
      noticeably
      smaller
      replacement
      is
     
     
      only
      a
      temporary
      solution,
      and
      sev-
     
     
      eral
      different
      plans
      for
      a
      new
      utility
     
     
      garage
      ate
      being
      considered.
      The
     
     
      new
      building
      may
      or
      may
      not
      return
     
     
      to
      its
      original
      location.
     
    

    
     
      Several
      options
      were
      considered
     
     
      to
      serve
      campus
      until
      a
      new
      perma-
     
     
      nent
      facility
      could
      be
      constructed,
     
     
      including
      the
      possibility
      of
      an
      off-site
     
     
      location.
      The
      smaller
      version
      was
     
     
      decided
      on
      as
      the
      most
      practical
      plan.
     
    

    
     
      The*outside
      construction
      of
      the
     
     
      temporary
      garage
      is
      finished
      and
      the
     
     
      building
      will
      be
      “functional
      in
      the
     
     
      next
      week
      or
      two,”
      said
      Clayton
      on
     
     
      Wednesday,
      January
      12.
      Clayton
      fur-
     
     
      ther
      explained
      that
      all
      that
      remained
     
     
      to
      be
      done
      is
      some
      systems
      work
     
     
      inside.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Construction
      continues
      on
      a
      replacement
      garage
      after
      a
      fire
      on
      campus
      Photo:
      Aitken
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      previous
      utility
      building
     
     
      served
      three
      purposes
      for
      the
      day-
     
     
      to-day
      operation
      of
      UPEI:
      It
      func-
     
     
      tioned
      as
      a
      garage,
      a
      storage
      facil-
     
     
      ity
      for
      the
      biology
      program’s
      field
     
     
      equipment
      and
      a
      salt
      depot
      for
      winter
     
     
      maintenance
      of
      campus.
     
    

    
     
      The
      construction
      timeline
      of
      the
     
     
      new
      building
      will
      depend
      on
      the
      final
     
    
   
   
    
     
      decision
      of
      where
      and
      what
      to
      build,
     
     
      which
      hasn’t
      been
      finalized.
     
    

    
     
      In
      terms
      of
      the
      fire
      itself,
      Randy
     
     
      MacDonald,
      who
      investigated
      the
     
     
      fire
      on
      behalf
      of
      the
      fire
      department,
     
     
      said
      that
      the
      cause
      of
      the
      fire
      was
      un-
     
     
      known.
      However,
      the
      investigation
     
     
      remains
      open.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      e
      Still
      Unknown
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Binge
      Drinking:
      Atlantic
      Canada
      Tops
      the
      List
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Marcel
      Pellerin
     
     
      Reporter
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      A
      lot
      of
      students
      from
      Atlantic
     
     
      Canada
      seem
      to
      value
      party
      hardi-
     
     
      ness
      more
      so
      than
      other
      parts
      of
     
     
      Canada.
      The
      trend
      of
      binge
      drinking
     
     
      in
      Atlantic
      Canadian
      students
      is
      on
     
     
      average
      ten
      percent
      higher
      than
      other
     
     
      students
      around
      Canada.
     
    

    
     
      CAMH,,
      the
      center
      for
      addiction
     
     
      and
      mental
      health,
      released
      a
      Cana-
     
     
      dian
      Campus
      Survey
      in
      2004
      that
     
     
      documents
      the
      trends
      of
      Canadian
     
     
      students
      and
      their
      drinking
      habits
     
     
      among
      other
      things.
     
    

    
     
      CAMH
      published
      that
      nearly
      90°
     
     
      per
      cent
      of
      Canadian
      students
      con-
     
     
      sume
      alcohol,
      with
      the
      Atlantic
      re-
     
     
      gion
      up
      at
      the
      top
      of
      the
      list.
      About
     
     
      22
      per
      cent
      of
      Atlantic
      Canadian
      stu-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      dents
      were
      heavy
      infrequent
      drinkers,
     
     
      they
      drank
      more
      than
      eight
      drinks
      on
     
     
      two
      of
      more
      occasions
      throughout
     
     
      the
      month.
      Also,
      24
      per
      cent
      were
     
     
      heavy
      frequent
      drinkers
      compared
     
    

    
     
      to
      the
      Canadian
      average
      of
      13.6
      per
     
     
      cent,
      excluding
      Atlantic
      Canada.
     
    

    
     
      Although,
      a
      recent
      survey
      that
     
     
      took
      only
      university
      men
      into
      ac-
     
     
      count
      reported
      that
      instead
      of
      the
     
     
      average
      8
      plus
      drinks,
      men
      have
     
     
      been
      known
      to
      consume
      24
      drinks
     
     
      throughout
      one
      occasion.
     
    

    
     
      Residence
      Life
      Coordinator,
     
     
      Donald
      MacLellan,
      thinks
      that
      UPEI
     
     
      has
      achieved
      a
      balance.
      “We
      try
      to
     
     
      promote
      a
      responsible
      environment
     
     
      in
      residence”
      he
      said,
      after
      acknowl-
     
     
      edging
      that
      yes
      students
      do
      drink
     
    
   
   
    
     
      and
      the
      only
      thing
      that
      can
      be
      done
      .
     
     
      about
      it
      is
      to
      try
      the
      best
      they
      can
      to
     
     
      make
      sure
      no
      one
      gets
      hurt.
      RLAs
     
     
      are
      trained
      to
      handle
      people
      under
     
     
      the
      influence
      and
      are
      prepared
      to
     
     
      respond
      to
      emergencies.
      ~
     
    

    
     
      Binge
      drinking
      can
      cripple
      a
      body
     
     
      if
      the
      consumer
      chooses
      to
      ignore
     
     
      the
      signs.
      Dehydration
      and
      lack
      of
     
     
      oxygen
      to
      the
      brain
      can
      not
      only
      lead
     
     
      to
      a
      severe
      hangover
      but
      also
      there
      is
     
     
      a
      possibility
      of
      brain
      damage.
      Every
     
     
      time
      a
      person
      passes
      out
      they
      are
     
     
      literally
      going
      into
      a
      comatose
      State.
     
    

    
     
      Tissues
      in
      the
      organs
      start
      to
     
     
      break
      down
      and
      perform
      less
      than
     
     
      the
      norm,
      and
      even
      if
      a
      person
     
     
      doesn’t
      immediately
      suffer
      any
      health
     
     
      issues
      because
      of
      drinking
      too
      much;
     
    
   
   
    
     
      then
      years
      from
      now
      their
      kidneys
      or
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _
      liver
      might
      give
      out
      on
      them.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Binge
      drinking
      can
      have
      a
      lot
      of
     
     
      harmful
      affects
      in
      the
      long
      run
      and
     
     
      to
      sum
      them
      up:
      liver
      damage,
      kidney
     
     
      damage,
      possibility
      of
      stroke
      and
     
     
      brain
      damage,
      it
      can
      lead
      to
      addic-
     
     
      tion,
      and
      with
      a
      recent
      swell
      in
      Chla-
     
     
      mydia
      and
      genital
      warts
      infection
      on
     
     
      campus
      it’s
      best
      to
      know
      your
      limits
     
     
      before
      you
      decide
      to
      have
      that
      one
     
     
      extra
      drink.
     
    

    
     
      So
      is
      our
      status
      of
      holding
      the
     
     
      highest
      percent
      of
      binge
      drinkers
     
     
      something
      we
      really
      want
      to
      pro-
     
     
      mote?
      Already,
      Atlantic
      Canada
      re-
     
     
      tains
      a
      stigma
      of
      addicts
      in
      our
      older
     
     
      generation.
      Will
      ours
      be
      the
      one
      to
     
     
      take
      its
      place?