- p - 0 9 0 U. THE NATIONAL COLLEGE NEWSPAPER 23 2 U. THE NATIONAL COLLEGE NEWSPAPER EPTEMBER 1988 Student Body News Features SEPTEMBER 1988 - I I~ENI~'~UIL4I*IIII:V11 vl7 vnln( uv nivv VVIIVL I I AIDS study to advance health education Animal research debate probes lab ethics By Mike Drummond Oregon Daily Emerald U. of Oregon The U. of Oregon's animal research facilities: scientific laboratories or tor- ture chambers? The answer depends on who you ask. Research proponents say cures for AIDS and cancer rest on animals. They cite breakthroughs ending polio and di- abetes as classic examples of the ne- cessity for animal experimentation. Research opponents cite documented cases of animal abuse, wasted lives and worthless - or at best doubtful - hu- man benefits from animal experimenta- tion. Animal research is not a pretty picture. Inside the university's animal labs, one sees a kitten with its right eye su- tured shut and a guillotine used to de- capitate rats. "It's (research) absolutely necessary, but ... you should only use animals when nothing else is available," said Greg Stickrod, director of animal care. Animal rights advocates list compu- ter models and in vitro (cell and tissue) techniques as viable alternatives, but researchers say these methods cannot show how neurons and cells interact within a living organism. "I'm astonished at the ignorance ... of my critics. And as soon as I get over "I'm astonished at the ignorance ... of my critics. And as soon as I get over my astonishment, I realize this is not an intellectual concern - it's an emotional one, an ethical one and a moral one." - RICHARD MARROCCO the sick. But very early on, they do dis- section of animals, and I think they lose the sense of the integrity of the body," Bernard said. Dr. Barbara Gordon-Lickey, a psychologist and animal researcher who has spent 20 years working with vision, primarily in kittens, said, "the things I'm looking at will probably not make it into the human medical realm for a very long time." Leading ophthalmologist and Re- search Modernization Committee mem- ber Dr. Steven Kaufman said of Gordon- Lickey's research, "I know of no past or present clinical applications." Marrocco said many scientific adv- ances do not recognize every indi- vidual's results - "they're pieces in a big puzzle," he said. . "It's really a big puzzle to me how he (Marrocco) gets a nickel out of the feder- al government," said Ingrid Newkirk, national director for the Washington, D.C.-based People for the Ethical Treat- ment of Animals, a 250,000-member organization. Newkirk believes animal research is an advanced form of pulling wings off flies. But Steve Carroll, executive director of the 2,000-member Incurably Ill for Animal Research, disagrees that anim- al research is a business of torture. He and his fellow members "stand the most to gain with animal research and the most to lose if it's discontinued. It's not just a philosophical debate, it's a debate about reality," Carroll said. By Mary Goldstein The Retriever U. of Maryland, Baltimore County Debbie Sivertson, director of Student Health Services at the U. of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), said the school's participation in the HIV (Hu- man Immunodeficiency Virus) study will help advance needed AIDS educa- tion among college students. "Ninety-six percent of people (in col- leges) know how AIDS is passed," Sivertson said. "You ask them about their (sexual) behavior and they're not using condoms. They don't know their sexual partners. When you ask them if they can get AIDS, they say 'No!' Sivertson said this is because college students don't "personalize" the in- formation. "College students feel invincible," she said. "We know that there are heterose- xuals out there who are HIV positive and who are having sex." She said college is the "peak of learn- ing for health education," and the col- legiate group, which consists of future leaders, "is an incredible population to assist." The Student Health Center will fol- low "normal routines" in drawing blood - no extra blood will be drawn for pur- poses of the study, Sivertson said. She added that "other universities in the study have wonderful support from stu- dent groups." The results of the survey will be com- piled regionally; the results of HIV in- fection on individual campuses will not be reported. Dr. Richard P. Keeling, director of the American College Health Association, said the survey will produce "the first actual data about the frequency of HIV infection among students." He added that since college students tend to have several sexual partners, they are among those most likely to en- gage in risky behavior. The study, part of a family of surveys being conducted to determine the pre- valence of AIDS among different de- mographic groups, will run through January when the 20 participating uni- versities have each collected 1,000 sam- ples. my astonishment, I realize this is not an intellectual concern - it's an emotional one, an ethical one and a moral one," said Richard Marrocco, psychology pro- fessor and animal researcher. Dr. Neal Bernard, a member of Washington, D.C.-based Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, says that animal research drains would-be funding for other means of re- search and that researchers have been desensitized to more ethical alterna- tives. Bernard likened this perceived in- sensitivity in animal researchers to that experienced by medical students. "Students go to medical school to help Rutgers participatior By Editorial Staff The Daily Targum Rutgers U., NJ Student government associations have condemned the participation of the university's health service in a national AIDS survey. The survey, which n in AIDS testing violates students' rights denied a blood test. The mind boggles when it considers that someone who must have taken the Hippocratic Oath will not administer a blood test to some- one who should have one simply because the patient does not want to participate in the survey. That is medi- cal blackmail and is positively obscene. Most students should consent to the testing due to the gravity of the AIDS problem. It must, however, be our choice. Dartmouth president ousts ideological provocateurs' ATr STUDENT OPINION POLL A - 1..A , U Is it a violation of civil rights to have blood tested for AIDS without consent? If blood tests positive for AIDS virus, should student be told? To give you an opportunity to express your opinions on important campus issues that affect your life, the AT&T STUDENT OPINION POLL will appear in each issue of U. The National College Newspaper. CALL 1-800-662-5511 Watch for the results of this month's poll in U By Cheryl Family The Daily Pennsylvanian U. of Pennsylvania The educators of Dartmouth College have harshly criticized the editors of an ultra-conservative student newspaper for what Dartmouth President James Freedman termed "poisoning the intel- lectual environment of our campus." Since its gene- sis in 1980, Thez Dartmouth Re-w view has been w L attacked as anti- h om os ex ual, o anti-women and anti-minority. The latest contention o stems from a confrontation President Freedman last winter between Review staffers and Music Professor William Cole, who is black, over a Review article which criti- cized his teaching ability. The incident occurred when four stu- dents from the Review refused to leave the professor's classroom when asked. Three students were suspended and one was put on a year-long disciplinary probation. "The students were punished for what happened in the classroom, not what they published," Dartmouth spokesman Alex Huppe said. "They out and out harassed Professor Cole." During a special faculty meeting, Freedman branded the newspaper's staff as "ideological provocateurs posing as journalists." Freedman said that the college "must not stand by silently when a newspaper maliciously engages in bullying tactics that ... have the effect of discouraging women and members of minority groups from joining our faculty or en- rolling as students." "The faculty gave the speech a stand- ing ovation. It's the first time a presi- dent at Dartmouth has spoken out against the Review in a public and force- ful manner," Huppe said. "The speech was so appalling," said Review editor Chris Whitman. "Yes, we're very opinionated, but you can't categorize all of us together." An appeal by the punished students was denied, but Whitman said the Re- view will continue publishing. Although many Dartmouth students initially supported the Review staffers, "everyone I know supported President Freedman's speech," said Dartmouth senior Kirby Fowler. But students also said the speech cre- ated concern about alumni donations since a large percentage of Dartmouth's alumni support the Review. The Review and its three suspended staffers are charging Dartmouth with censorship (a state suit) and reverse discrimination (a federal suit). The staf- fers seek reversal of the suspensions, clearance of its mention from their academic records and money for dam- age they have suffered from the ordeal. Harvey Myerson, named by Fortune as one of the nation's top five lawyers, is representing the students. Among those supporting the lawsuits are Wil- liam F. Buckley, Jr., Rep. Jack Kemp (R-N.Y.), Sen. Gordon Humphrey (R- N.H.) and Mark Goodman, executive director of Washington, D.C.-based Stu- dent Press Law Center. The U.S. Department of Education is investigating Dartmouth in response to civil rights complaints filed by the Review with the National Endowment for the Humanities. Dartmouth could lose up to $32 million in federal grants (85 percent of the college's annual funds) if found guilty of civil rights violations. Michael Reynolds and David Groff of The Dartmouth, Dartmouth College, NH, contributed to this story. - - , N-- - '$ ,-V I -IiN'YN - ' three-year period, said Men's Athletic Director Chalmers "Bump" Elliott. "This is a tremendous asset. We've promised some money and we're very happy we can deliver" on early promises made to minority students, said Philip Hubbard, vice president for academic affairs. "This is an extremely generous contribution which comes at a par- ticularly challenging time for the University Libraries, and it is a gift that constitutes support of the en- tire university community - stu- dents, faculty and staff," said Sheila Creth, university librarian. The funding sources for the gift are unbudgeted revenue from NCAA basketball tournament appearances, football bowl games and profits from the Iowa Hawk Shop. Elliott said the gift does not include any private contributions to men's athletics or other budgeted income from ticket sales and televi- sion rights. includes ZU universities across the coun- try, is designed to determine what per- centage of American college students have been exposed to the HIV virus, which is believed to cause AIDS. With a disease as serious as Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, any steps to control its spread should be taken. We are not living in a perfect world, however, and the question of health versus civil rights comes into play. The problem with the survey is that it is involuntary. Students will have no way of knowing whether their blood will be sent to the Center for Disease Con- trol (CDC) in Atlanta, and therein lies the problem. No matter how noble the cause, the involuntary aspect of this program makes it repugnant. Dr. Robert Bierman, medical director of the student health services, said any student who wishes not to have his or her blood sent to the CDC will be Rutgers Continued From Page 1 would ordinarily be given a blood test but do not want to be part of the HIV testing program will not be given a test. "If the person is ill, and the doctor has ordered a blood test for diagnostic pur- poses, the person will hardly feel free to pass up the blood test," Neisser said. Bierman said health care recipients can obtain blood tests at other health care facilities if they do not want to par- ticipate in the study. Neisser requested that Rutgers in- form each student individually about participating in an HIV test. "Notice is important because the indi- vidual patient has the right to refuse to have bodily fluids tested for statistical or other non-treatment purposes," he said. "The program has been reviewed by our human subjects committee," Bier- man said. "To the best of our knowledge, we are complying to all federal regula- tions concerning this kind of research." Neisser also requested the University announce further steps to assure the anonymity of participants in the study. "What is there to prevent the health care professional from putting the num- ber in the student's folder and thus later tracing it back?" Neisser said. "Isn't it at least plausible that the CDC will know how many were drawn each.day and thus be able to identify at least the date, and thus the small group from which an infected sample was drawn?" he said. Bierman said laboratory staff, not health care providers, assign blood numbers to the samples. "There is no way the health care pro- viders can know the numbers. Our ex- perience over the last years with public hysteria over AIDS has led us to de- mand the strictest of procedures to en- sure confidentiality," he said. 14 U . welcomes new crew The four smiling faces pictured at right are the first class of U. The National College Newspaper Editorial Fellows. Brent Anderson, Marc Bona, Mark Charnock and Becky Howard were chosen from many excellent stu- dent journalists nationwide for the paid U. fellowships in Santa Monica, Calif. As section editors, the fellows read hundreds of college newspapers daily to select and edit the articles that will appear in U. Former Kansas State Collegian Fea- tures Editor Becky Howard made the move from Kansas State U. because "the opportunity to work on a new, growing national publication is an ex- citing way to enhance my copy editing and lay-out skills." Becky lists sunba- thing, visitors from Kansas and being News Features editor as her favorite things. "It's a really unique experience be- cause we have our hands on the pulse of the college market. And it feels great," said U. of Iowa's Marc Bona, who boasts experience as The Daily Iowan sports editor. Marc's Dollars and Sense editorship has helped him maximize the number of nightclubs for his money. Santa Monica was a short drive for U. of California, Santa Barbara's Brent Anderson, who felt being Life and Art editor was the perfect way to ease into the working world. "I like working with people my age who have fresh ideas and a lot of creative energy. It's a great way to stay connected to college," said former Daily Nexus De- sign Editor Anderson. Student Body Editor Mark Char- nock of James Madison U., Va., admits that the frequent-flyer bonus mileage played a small role in his decision to come to U. "The team concept here is a big plus," said recent Breeze Managing Editor Charnock. "U. doesn't try to be hip or trendy. It just informs. That's what a good newspaper staffed by sharp, high-energy people should be all about." z rom your newspaper dviser or by contacting l College Newspaper. s Jan. 6, 1989. Reci- announced Feb. 10, Bollermann, Man- Brent Anderson, Mark Charnock, Marc Bona and Becky Howard The U. Fellowship program expands are available f on the concept that college journalists editor, media ac are the best-qualified to comment on U. The Nationa college life and student concerns. The deadline is U. is accepting applications for the pients will be second fellowship class from July 24, 1989. Karen 1989 to March 30, 1990. Applications aging Editor ,