Campus News Briefs

Noisy steam releases are only temporary The noisy steam releases coming from Utah State University’s new heating plant are only temporary and should be completed by the end of next week according to a press release by John DeVilbiss, executive director for public relations and marketing. The new heating facility, which should be in full operation by spring, is in a start-up period which involves removing scale from the piping of the three new boilers. Once in full operation, the plant should run quietly. “Unfortunately, blowing these pipes clean is a lengthy and noisy process. We apologize for the inconvenience and distraction this is causing nearby residents,” Darrell Hart, assistant vice president for Facilities, said. The work on boiler one is complete and a second blow for boilers two and three will occur Wednesday, assuming a gas problem on boiler three is fixed. No work containing steam blasts is planned for Thursday, Jan. 17, but there will be steam releases Friday. Steam blasts should be completed by 6 p.m. daily, and as the work continues the blasts will be much shorter. The new $40 million facility is gas-powered, and the releases are steam only. This use of cleaner energy will drastically reduce the amount of air pollution than the current coal facility emits, Hart said.

Preston set to open new library Preston City and Franklin County hope to open their new library in February. The communities joined forces last year combining their resources, along with community donations, to build the $1 million community library. The new building, called the Larsen-Sant Community Library, is 8,700-square feet. The work to be done now is moving the books and furniture into the new facility. To aid in moving the resources to the new building, citizens can participate in a Family Car Parade on Jan. 19 where community members can load boxes of books into their cars and take them to the new facility. A human chain, to hand the children’s books from the old library across the park to the new library, is scheduled for Jan. 24 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., weather permitting.

RAD Grad practice night scheduled A practice night for those who have completed the RAD class and would like to practice their skills will be held Jan. 16 at 6 p.m. in the Lundstrom Hall Conference Room. USU Police will sponsor another RAD class beginning Jan. 23 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Lundstrom Hall Conference Room. The class will teach women how to defend themselves in any given situation. The course will run for seven weeks and there is a $10 fee. Contact Judy Cockett to register at 797-1939 or judy@cc.usu.edu.

Professor links Joan of Arc to Elvis Utah State University professor Nancy Warren will tell how John of Arc is similar to Elvis on Wednesday, Jan. 30 at 12:30 p.m. in the Haight Alumni Center. “The Life and Afterlife of Joan of Arc” is a free event sponsored by the English department and refreshments will be served. “Joan’s execution was by no means the end of the story; Joan continued to haunt the English political scene long after her bodily demise,” Warren said. Warren, who recently published “Spiritual Economies”, a study of the power and influence of the power and influence of female monastic societies in the middle ages, fell into her profession naturally. His interest, fueled by a couple of really good professors of medieval history and literature, Warren said, propelled her into graduate school where she focused on the study and interpretation of ancient documents. “Like Elvis, Joan was spotted many times after her death. I am particularly interested in the spectral Joan’s interactions with her politically active French countrywomen,” Warren said.

Compiled by Statesman staff