Campus news in brief

Professor Peter Cooke named Member of the Order of Australia

Professor Peter Cooke, head of the Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama, was named a Member of the Order of Australia in the Australia Day Honors List on Jan. 26.

The Order of Australia was established by Queen Elizabeth II in 1975, with membership being bestowed upon Australian citizens as recognition of achievements or meritorious service. Professor Cooke will receive this honor at a ceremony in Sydney in May.

According to a Carnegie Mellon press release, Professor Cooke has over thirty years of international experience as a theater practitioner, administrator, and educator. He has expressed his honor and joy at receiving such a prestigious award for his "significant service to the performing arts, and education, as an academic and administrator, particularly theatre and dance."

Dr. Subra Suresh, President of Carnegie Mellon University, has congratulated Professor Cooke on his award, stating that Professor Cooke’s professional and leadership activities have had a profound impact on the School of Drama and Carnegie Mellon. Dan Martin, dean of the College of Fine Arts, has also extended his congratulations to Professor Cooke, lauding him as one of the best heads of the school he’s known in his nearly 25 years at Carnegie Mellon, as well as crediting his leadership for solidifying the School of Drama’s position as the leading theater education center in the United States.

PWSA Boil-Water Order cuts off campus water

On Jan. 31, the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority (PWSA) issued a precautionary flush and boil order for drinking water supplies across much of the city.

The PWSA found low levels of free chlorine in the drinking water at a single location near the Highland Park. The advisory was thus issued as a precaution.

This order resulted in all water fountains on Carnegie Mellon’s campus being shut off. Students living in dormitories, such as Fairfax Apertment, The Highland Aprtment, Shady Oak Apartments, Neville Apartments, and Webster Hall were affected on the first day of this advisory. By the second day, all dormitories were affected.

The university secured nearly 20,000 bottles of water to distribute to the campus community due to expectations that the boil-water order would continue for several days, according to a university press release.
Yet by Feb. 2, the PWSA lifted the boil water order and declared that there was no longer a potential risk to the drinking water supply, though the university has advised students to let taps run for two minutes before drinking the water and resuming normal procedures as a precaution.