Students rallied yesterday to close the Virginia Tech Power Plant in the name of health.
Protesters such as Anna Bullen, a senior psychology major, claimed that emissions from the plants smoke stack are clogging up the windows in Thomas Hall.
Thomas is a residence hall in the Upper Quad that is located across from the plant, which houses both cadets and civilian students this year.
But Todd Robertson and Ted Acord, employees at the plant, said that it is the coal dust from the road that is causing the problems.
“What they’re seeing at Thomas Hall is not coming from our stack,” Robertson said. “The stack is 180 feet tall, while Thomas Hall is about 50 or 60.”
Wind blows coal dust from the yard onto the street, which in turn gets blown onto the windows of Thomas by both the wind and cars driving back, according to Robertson.
Robertson and Acord also said they were unsure about what is causing the health problems for Thomas residents.
“We’re exposed to it every day,” Robertson said. “And what’s causing their effects, I don’t know. We don’t have the same problems with our workers. I don’t deny that the health problems are there, I just don’t know what’s causing them.”
Students focused on the health effects of coal, highlighting the black dust that builds up on Thomas Hall windows. They dressed in hazmat suits and marched together from the Drillfield to Thomas in order to clean the windows and show the amount of coal dust that accumulates.
When students cleaned the windows, their white cloths were stained black with coal dust after just three or four swipes, said Arielle Kohr, a senior human development major who wiped the windows herself.
“We are here to show that we, the Virginia Tech community, value Hokie health over corporate profit,” said senior psychology and biology major Muriel Vinson.
Students referenced both president Steger’s and the Tech community’s lack of action towards clean energy.
“It all comes down to priorities,” Vinson said. “The administration needs to prioritize the transition from using coal to clean energy over building new buildings every year.”
Vinson cited the new performing arts building, saying that the school does not even have a strong performing arts program.
The Center for the Arts building has a budget of $93,993,000 and will be expected to open in 2013, according to the Tech website.