Because bacteria and fungi thrive in warm, damp environments, it’s easy to see why students living in the residence halls are encouraged to wear shoes, especially in the shower.

Heather Gates, Douglas C/D hall director, said she thinks it’s a bad idea for students to walk around without shoes in the residence halls. She said people drop things, and push pins and staples end up on the floor because of the many hallway bulletin boards.

“Plus, it’s just kind of gross,” she said.

It gets especially gross in the showers, Gates said. And while she doesn’t know of any rule stating students must wear shower shoes, it is highly recommended and a good idea.

Gates said she’s seen cases of athlete’s foot as a result of students using communal showers, especially on men’s floors.

Athlete’s foot isn’t the only condition that can arise from public showers, though.

Dr. Michael Dichoso, a podiatrist at the Northwest Podiatry Center in DeKalb, said three things can happen in shared showers if people do not wear some type of shoe or sandal.

For example, if a student has an open sore, such as a cut or break in the skin, he or she could develop a bacterial infection. Students can also get athlete’s foot, which is caused by a fungus, or other fungal infections.

Another condition that can present itself is viral warts. Dichoso said the key to preventing and decreasing the occurrence of such conditions is hygiene.

Dichoso suggested students wear sandals in the shower and that shower areas be kept clean.

Dichoso said the reason problems may arise varies from person to person. One person might have an open sore that could give way to an infection, while another person could have an open sore and not get an infection.

Another person might have more sweaty feet. It just depends on the individual, he said.

Sophomore physics major Katrina Plonczynski said when she’s in the residence halls, she wears shoes most of the time.

When asked if she would ever not wear shower shoes, though, she said, “No, it’s kind of scary. The floor is gross and I don’t know what’s there.”

Union members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 963 met outside Lowden Hall Tuesday afternoon before presenting a petition, which asked for good faith contract negotiations, to the office of President John Peters.

Nolan Davis, the assistant to the president, accepted the petition, which had more than 300 signatures. He said the negotiation process is confidential, but the university works hard to make the process easy and the outcome best for both sides.

“It’s a very important issue, because how much people make is important to them and to the university,” Davis said.

Peg Kermeen, the staff representative with AFSCME Local 963, said the union, which is comprised of food and building service workers, has been going through contract negotiations with the university since May.

She said the negotiations have been difficult. The university is offering no wage increase, even though other workers across campus are receiving raises this year - referencing the “3-percent plus” plan the Board of Trustees approved at its June 19 meeting. The plan included a 1.5 percent raise for faculty and staff on July 1, and an additional 1.5 percent raise on Jan. 1, 2004.

Many of the union workers who gathered at Lowden wore shirts with “guaNtanImoU” written on the front. David Strozewski, the treasurer for Local 963, said the shirts represent the union’s feelings that NIU is comparable to the United States’ prison camp in Cuba.

Ruth Stone, secretary for Local 936, and Strozewski both said the main thing the union is looking for is a fair negotiation session.

“Good faith bargaining should last the whole day. We’ve never bargained the whole day long,” Stone said.

Davis said he was sure the university and union would be able to settle the negotiations reasonably.

“I’m sure the university will do everything we can to reach a fair agreement with our service union in the midst of these difficult budget times,” he said.