UTM priority should be to protect students
Cary Gibson
Issue date: 4/22/08 Section: Viewpoints
So, I did what just about any person with the ability to feel pain would d - I grabbed my foot and belted out a monologue that consisted of 95 percent profanity and 5 percent sobbing. After I was done I looked down and searched for the source of this sensation, which did not take too long to find. The usually tame steam vent had shot forth a stream of pure scald and my poor foot had unfortunately been in its way.
As I limped home I could not help but wonder: Why would UTM allow a hazard like this to be right in the middle of a popular walkway? To me these steam vents present an obvious liability to the school and the last thing any institution wants in this sue-happy society is a reason for anyone to claim negligence against it, even if it is only a huge blister.
So, after rest and some minor first aid I traveled home to visit my parents with the entire side of my left foot red, wrinkled and sore. In the middle of this irritated desert was a blister the size of a quarter. Not only was this blister painful, but I could not even wear shoes to cover it up. So I had to wear my sandals, once reminders of how great the day felt, but now only mobile platforms that put my blister center stage to the world.
I tried to make the blister appealing; I drew a smiley face on it, I even tried glitter and henna tattoos, but the only thing that would make this blister less repulsive was if it were to somehow mutate into a puppy. Unfortunately, geneticists have not found a way to do this. This blister was so noticeable that when I woke up in the morning my mom was taking a picture of it. I could only assume she would file that picture under the "Reason Why Our Son Was Socially Shunned and Could Never Give Us a Grandchild" section of her scrapbook.
Upon my return to Martin I started to ask around. Information was scarce, but I was able to dig up a little. To put it in the most basic terms, the ones I can understand, the steam that scalded my foot was the result of a malfunctioning valve that was slated to be fixed. Now, I am happy that this problem was known and that they planned to fix it. But I still wonder why anyone would look at a problem like this and think "Yeah, we will get to that soon enough." I am sure that this problem will be fixed, but from my understanding I think that it should have been fixed as soon as possible.
As I limped home I could not help but wonder: Why would UTM allow a hazard like this to be right in the middle of a popular walkway? To me these steam vents present an obvious liability to the school and the last thing any institution wants in this sue-happy society is a reason for anyone to claim negligence against it, even if it is only a huge blister.
So, after rest and some minor first aid I traveled home to visit my parents with the entire side of my left foot red, wrinkled and sore. In the middle of this irritated desert was a blister the size of a quarter. Not only was this blister painful, but I could not even wear shoes to cover it up. So I had to wear my sandals, once reminders of how great the day felt, but now only mobile platforms that put my blister center stage to the world.
I tried to make the blister appealing; I drew a smiley face on it, I even tried glitter and henna tattoos, but the only thing that would make this blister less repulsive was if it were to somehow mutate into a puppy. Unfortunately, geneticists have not found a way to do this. This blister was so noticeable that when I woke up in the morning my mom was taking a picture of it. I could only assume she would file that picture under the "Reason Why Our Son Was Socially Shunned and Could Never Give Us a Grandchild" section of her scrapbook.
Upon my return to Martin I started to ask around. Information was scarce, but I was able to dig up a little. To put it in the most basic terms, the ones I can understand, the steam that scalded my foot was the result of a malfunctioning valve that was slated to be fixed. Now, I am happy that this problem was known and that they planned to fix it. But I still wonder why anyone would look at a problem like this and think "Yeah, we will get to that soon enough." I am sure that this problem will be fixed, but from my understanding I think that it should have been fixed as soon as possible.
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