Cauldron

Issue date: 8/28/07 Section: Front Page

Media Credit: Ben Felleman Jerabeck Pool was the site where a non-UST student drowned.

A campus visitor died after rescue workers were called to the Jerabeck Activity and Athletic Center pool on July 10.

The young man was a resident at the local Covenant House chapter and was using the campus pool with friends when the incident occurred, according to an e-mail sent out to the university community Aug. 21 by Public Relations Director Sandy Soliz.

Several University staff members and a student worker responded to the scene around 3:30 p.m., after being alerted by the young man's companions that he had sunk to the bottom of the pool. The staff then performed CPR and used an automated external defibrillator to try to resuscitate the individual.

Houston Fire Department paramedics arrived soon after and continued resuscitation attempts before transporting the victim to Memorial-Herman Hospital, where he died later that day.

Soliz's e-mail stated that UST has maintained a policy of keeping Jerabeck facilities open to the public, as a form of community outreach, but the Covenant House has no special agreement with the University allowing campus access to its residents.

"One of the nice things about college campuses is that they are generally open to the community," Soliz said. "St. Thomas invites people to lectures, performances, the Chapel, the labyrinth and athletic events. In general, this is consistent with the culture of higher education. If St. Thomas excludes members of the community from access to our campus, then we're not acting upon our core values."

Soliz also stated in the Aug. 21 e-mail that "policies for access to campus facilities are under review."

"We will continue to review and make necessary adjustments to practices and policies to increase the safety of our campus community," Soliz said. "Administration will continually review access policies."

According to Jerabeck worker Andrew Wilson, senior finance major, some changes are scheduled to take place soon and will affect both gym members and employees.

Beginning Sept. 1, all community memberships will have barcodes placed on them and members will be required to sign in electronically, Wilson said. Additionally, an electronic database will record and track membership activity.

Also, beginning Sept. 1, Jerabeck employees will be required to have CPR certification or face termination. Currently, all employees, including student workers, are AED certified, and most employees are CPR certified. Any employee who is not certified must be scheduled with someone who is, so that there is always someone on duty who is CPR certified, Wilson said.

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