Inside Furman is published monthly during the school year by the Furman University Department of Marketing and Public Relations. For story ideas, e-mail John Roberts, editor.
Flushing away flushing
This fall, the men in Facilities Services have been trying to suppress the need to flush.
Two no-flush urinals, which preserve water while saving the university up to $400 per unit each year, were installed in men's restroom in September. If the urinals perform well, urinal flushing could become a thing of the past in some university men's restrooms.
The Falcon water-free urinal includes a cartridge installed at the base. This cartridge contains a sealant liquid that forms a barrier between the open air and the urine flowing into the drainage pipe. The cartridges should be replaced two to four times per year.
Custodial Supervisor Phil Lewis says a typical flush urinal will use about 40,000 gallons of water per year, or one gallon per flush. The Falcon urinal costs about the same as a flush urinal.
The units are being used at the University of North Carolina , American University and the U.S. Naval Academy. Lewis says if the no-flush units prove practicable others could be installed.
All staff are encouraged to attend the university staff open forum October 29. Refreshments will be served at 8:30 a.m. The meeting will begin at 9 and take approximately an hour.
Jane Dungan, chair of the staff advisory committee, will moderate the meeting and introduce Tom Kazee, vice president for academic affairs and dean, Mary Lou Merkt, vice president for business affairs, and University Chaplain Vaughn CroweTipton. Kazee, Merkt and CroweTipton, who all recently joined Furman, will make brief remarks.
An open forum will begin at 10 a.m. Dungan says questions may be asked from the floor or submitted in advance to a member of the Staff Advisory Committee. Employees may also submit a question anonymously by visiting the StaffAC website www.furman.edu/staffac and clicking on the “feedback” link.
StaffAC members are Dianne Alexander, Sue Carnes, Jane Dungan, Sandra Phillips, David Enter, Anne Smith, Ed Davis, Beau Seagraves, Mickey Fray, Brenda Chandler, Vince Moore, Jack Tucker, Wayne Brown, Tony Whitaker, John Roberts (ex-officio) and Susan Zeiger (ex-officio).