0 0v 4 U. THE NATIONAL COLLEGE NEWSPAPER News Features NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1988 : NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1988. Student Body U. THE NATIONAL COLLEGE NEWSPAPER 2 Regents' birth control ban inspires 'freedom of choice' protest Innocuous Danger GE products unshelved ... Students can't buy General Electric batteries and light bulbs in the U. of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Country Store anymore because of a unanimous vote by the UCLA Board of Controls (BOC) to adopt sanctions against the company for violation of Associated Students of UCLA's Ethical znd Social Responsibility (ESR) policy. Last May, BOC found GE's involvement with apartheid in South Africa and its alleged disrespect for the environment through the release of harmful toxins into the atmosphere and ground water in violation of ESR policy. Penny Newman, who testified against GE in an August 31 meeting, said she is a resident of the "Stringfellow Acid Pits" in Riverside, Calif., where she believes GE dumping caused health problems forher family including her own miscarriage. "GE is the responsi- ble party in 30 Superfund (dumping) sites - major, big bucks types of sites. Don't just be sympathetic with us, do something within your power to help us," Newman asked the BOC members. A Black Student Alliance (BSA) repre- sentative, identifying himself only as "Vusi," spoke to the issue of GE's involvement with South Africa: "BSA realizes the fact that we live in a capitalistic society. But therehas to be some balance between economic rationalization and equal opportunities, and environmental safety issues as well," he said. Board members decided to "phase out" UCLA's electrical system, which is comprised of GE pro- ducts. The products will not be immediately replaced because GE will not get further "economic or moral be- nefits" from their continued use. Whitney Wood- ward, Daily Bruin, U. of California, Los Angeles They're legal, cheap and available at the corner store... .they also can kill Demonstrators at Southwest Texas State U. set out for the San Marcos courthouse to protest the Texas State Board of Regents' decision to ban the sale and distribution of contraceptives on four state campuses. The decision was made during the summer. NT OUUn OPINION POLL____ Do you think your college education is worth the money you pay in tuition? 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 'Habitat' helps ... Habitat for Humanity is a national organization devoted to, and restoring homes for, the poor. It was founded in 1969 by self-made millionaire, Millard Fuller. Fuller decided that he could do something worthwhile with his millions by helping others less fortun- ate than he. The Connecticut College team of Habitat for Humanity, headed by senior Susanna Harper, is currently involved in restoring a New London two-family home to house two families unable able to purchase a home on their own. "Basically, we go in and help renovate old houses. Habitat for Humanity usually funds its projects through interest-free loans from banks and other related institu- tions," Harper said. Homes are sold to families at no profit with a no-interest mortgage. Harper said that "500-800 hours of 'sweat equity' labor is required of the family," plus a minimum of about 1 percent of the house cost for down payment. "The family is then given approximately 10 to 15 years to pay off the rest," Harper said. Stasi Alexan- der, The College Voice, Connecticut College Capsulized for posterity ... In celebration of its centennial, U. of Idaho has planned to bury a time capsule for 100 years. At the time of sealing the time capsule, probably during commencement week, a 50-year time capsule will be opened. "It will be interesting to see what is in there. I hope it hasn't all turned to dust," said Hal Godwin, centennial coordinator. A walkman, pizza box, student identification card, microchip, comic strips, photo- graphs, newspapers and letters are suggested time capsule items. "We've tried to get the whole university involved," Godwin said. "The College of Engineering is working on the capsule design, the College of Art and Architecture is working on the setting design and we have asked every living group forstime capsule items. We want it to be representative of university life." Tracy Peel, Argo- naut, U. of Idaho By Ben Cohen The Daily Texan U. of Texas, Austin While a "zero tolerance" crusade against illegal substances like mari- juana and crack draws media and pub- lic attention, drugs of a different, and legal, variety pass right under their noses. These drugs, categorized as in- halants, include many common house- hold products such as spray paint and correction fluid. Users inhale the vapors to receive a quick high. Certain inhalants popular among college stu- dents, however, serve only highly spe- cialized or little-known purposes other than as narcotics. Nitrous oxide cap- sules, called "Whip-it," also provide an over-the-counter way to get high. Res- taurants and ice cream stores use them to make whipped cream. Anyone 18 or older can purchase these "dance-club drugs," sold under "We'll party all night on coke and then at four in the morning, you just don't want to do any more coke. So then we'll try ethyl or poppers." such trade names as Rush, Locker Room and Ethyl. Although they are bought and sold legally, their physical and psychological effects make them similar to unlawful substances. "Rush, Medusa (the street name for ethyl chloride) - these are drugs. They have no commercial uses," said Jose Marquez, minority director of Texans' War on Drugs. "They say Rush is a room odorizer, but if you've ever smelled it, it smells nasty, like old tennis shoes." Texans' War on Drugs supported a bill that would include certain in- halants in the section with the Texas penal code to make them illegal. The group's efforts proved unsuccess- ful, and Wisconsin currently stands as the only state to outlaw amyl nitrate and butyl nitrate. Its laws were passed after a state legislator died while snif- fing the chemicals. While state law separates Rush and Medusa from other narcotics, no such distinctions exist in the bodies of users. The drugs affect the brain and heart immediately upon inhaling, producing a high lasting from 30 seconds to five minutes. "Sniffing cuts off oxygen to the brain, resulting in euphoria and a sense of get- ting high," Marquez said. "It also stimu- lates the heart muscle, making it beat real fast." Immediate effects also include de- creased blood pressure, dizziness and headaches that vary with the experi- ence of the user, the user's surrounding and the amount taken. "The high hangs around for less than a minute, and you never black out for over a minute. It changes your percep- tion really quickly and makes your ears ring and burn," said a U. of Texas junior, who asked to remain anony- mous. "It's fast fun." Inhaling can result in sudden death, most commonly by causing heart attacks or bursting blood vessels in the brain. "Especially if you have a congenital weakness, it can kill you," Marquez said, adding that the drugs are often psychologically addicting with in- creased tolerance. The danger increases when one com- bines inhalants with other drugs, which intensify the effects. Nevertheless, us- ers commonly mix and match inhalants with alcohol, marijuana and cocaine. "We'll party all night long on coke and then at four in the morning, you just don't want to do any more coke. So, we'll try ethyl or poppers," said a UT senior who also requested anonymity. I INDAN Peace together . .. Pacem In Terris, Latin for 'peace on earth," is the Wilmington, Del-based organiza- tion which sent U. of Delaware's Kathleen Sullivan, a Human Resources major of Irish descent, to Northern Ireland this past summer to help restore peace among Protestant and Catholic fighting factions. Sullivan was struck by contrasts between Ireland's beauty and its war- torn streets. Describing a large, beautiful mural of the Virgin Mary on the side of a building, Sullivan explained how a group of rioters gathered around a burning bus directly in front of the painting. She said an imaginary line runs down the center of the town square in Lurgan, Belfast, dividing it into halves- Protestant and Catholic. Sullivan worked at the Phoenix Center with Protestant and Catholic children from 7 to 15 years old, playing games with them and taking them on day trips to the zoo and other local attractions. "The purpose (of the Phoenix Center) is to bring the kids togetherand have them meet both sides of the community to see that everyone's human," Sullivan said. Sullivan said that people from both religious factions treated her in a friendly way that she grew to love. "I don't believe in one saying they're better than the other. I think both sides are the same." Phillip Simmons, The Review, U. of Delaware Needs go unheeded ... The special needs of an Indiana-Purdue U. student were allegedly denied when the hearing-impaired student asked his professor to wear a tieclip-sized microphone during his class lectures and was refused. Psychology Professor Dr. D.W. Rajecki "refused to wear a small F.M. microphone," said Loran Atkinson, a 55 to 65 percent hearingimpaired student. Rajecki contended that if he gave in to one such request he would eventually have to give into other student requests. Atkinson's room- mate wrote a letter of complaint to school officials. John T. Hazer, chairman of the psychology department, said, "I think we (the faculty) have to generate standards about reasonable accommodations." Hazer said that Rajecki agreed to wear the microphone during his next lectures, but in an interview with WISH-TV, Rajecki reportedly said, "I'm not backing down from anything." Jeff DeHerdt, The Sagamore, Indiana-Purdue U. 'Yes to guests' . . . Responding to a new housing policy that would prohibit overnight guests in dormitories at Boston U. (BU), nearly 1,000 students gathered on campus to protest. Chanting "Yes to guests," the crowd listened to about 50 speakers voice their protest to the administration's policy. "What BU has said is that we're not worthy of being treated like adults. The policy is insulting and offensive . . . Anything that can happen after 11 p.m. can happen before 11," said Nicole Blackman, president of the Student AIDS Force for Education. Student Union President Andrew Harris, who met with Dean of Students Ronald L. Carter to discuss the policy said, "In some form, this policy is going to go down. I really believe we can have a big impact on what's implemented.". Jason Isralo- witz and Lauren Terrazzano, The Daily Free Press, Boston U., MA Amnesty group aids captive ... Anyone who says Mississippians don't make a difference in the world hasn't heard of Ariel Hidalgo Guillen - or of Amnesty International. Guillen, of Havana, Cuba, was im- prisoned in Cuba in August 1981 for enemy propaganda. It is believed that the real reason for Guillen's imprisonment was his unpublished manuscript titled, "Cuba, the Marxist State and New Class." Guillen, who spent 14 months in solitary confinement, was released recently, one year be- fore his sentence was up. U. of Mississippi assistant professor Michael Queyja, coordinator of Amnesty Interna- tional's Group 93, thinks letters of pressure may have played a role in Guillen's release because Group 93 was the only U.S. group to write for the release. Queyja said the Also threatening the well-being of us- ers, sniffing inhalants reduces the effec- tiveness of the body's immune system, leaving the user more vulnerable to a variety of infectious diseases. "Anything like (Rush or Medusa) sup- presses the immune response," said Ed Denton, director of treatment and in- tervention services at the Greater Au- stin Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse. "Several studies have indicated that AIDS isn't always 100 percent fatal; there's some indication that 2 to 5 percent may not get it fatally. So it stands to reason that if you've supres- sed your immune system you run a greater risk of getting AIDS fatally." People can also easily "freak out" af- ter using inhalants, as Alex Hedgepeth, the doorman at the Sixth Street night- club, Curfew, can attest. "People on inhalants can be a disturb- ance to our other customers. Too many people abuse it. We once had a guy who fell off a chair about six times," Hedgepeth said. "If we find something, we confiscate it and give it back to thei when they leave. They're perfectly fre to do it on their own time, but the wa we look at it, this is our house and v don't want people doing it here." Marquez attributes the widesprea use of these types of drugs among youn people largely to peer pressure, as we as their price and easy availabilit among friends. But regardless of whether clubs allo' Rush or Medusa, they remain easier I purchase than alcohol for many colleg students. And in many ways, the drug and their users differ from the usu, perceptions surrounding inhalants. "People will take poppers (amyl n trate capsules that are popped open an inhaled) to a concert, for example and lot of kids tell me that people just pas the stuff around, like a marijuan joint," Marquez said. But despite their dangers, over-th( counter narcotics like Rush and Medus still remain legal, cheap and well b< hind the front lines of the war on drug Contacts to wear and trash BRYN HENDRICKSON, u. OF NORTH DAKOTA, SPECIAL TO U R POLL RESULTS IS GRADE INFLATION CAUSED BY BETTER STUDENTS OR LOWER GRADING STANDARDS? STUDENTS 41 % STANDARDS 54% UNSURE 5% DO YOU FEEL THERE IS GRADE INFLATION AT YOUR SCHOOL? Public parties restricted ... Parties open to the public will no longer be allowed to serve alcohol at the U. of Miami. The decision was made by the university and the division of student affairs because hosts of open parties can be held liable for the actions of their guests. "You could have upwards of 1,000 people you don't know coming into your house. . . Under the current law, if they leave the party after having a drink, you can be held liable," Interfraternity Council President Rich Gauthier said. Although the new ruling mainly affects Greek system members, no group on campus will be able to serve alcohol at parties open to the public. Organizations with less than 50 members can invite 50 guests. Groups of more than 50 people may invite as many guests as members. If an organization wants to invite more guests than this quota, a guest list must be turned into the Student Personnel Dean's office for approval. f Barbra Spalten, The Miami Hurricane, U. of Miami, FL By Nancy Prosser Kansas State Collegian Kansas State U. Disposable contacts now offer the convenience of wearing contacts with- out the hassle of daily and weekly maintenance. The contacts are worn continuously for one to two weeks, then removed, thrown away and replaced by a fresh pair of lenses. "The lenses are much saf- er and healthier for patients' eyes, be- cause they are removed before they be- come dirty," said Dr. Paul Bullock, a Manhattan optometrist who offers dis- posable contacts. Many people who have traditional soft contact lenses don't follow a proper cleaning routine, he said. As contacts become dirty, the cornea and eyelids < the person wearing them can be di: turbed. Sometimes the person has I stop wearing contact lenses altogethe Senior Von Hallauer wears dispo able contacts and said he thinks the ne system is great. "I don't have to hassle with takir them out every night and cleaning the: like I did with soft lenses - it's great Hallauer said. The lenses can be wor one to two weeks, depending on the p, tients' eye characteristics. Disposable lenses cost $5 each. "(Having disposable lenses) isn cheaper, but it's more comfortable Hallauer said. "But if you have a prol lem losing contacts, it would b cheaper." YES 52% UNSURE NO 46% 2%