HIGHER EDUCATION
Students electrocutedinotin
The Michigan Daiy - Tuesday, October 26, 1999 - 7
By Angela Entzminger
Daily Texan
AUSTIN, Texas (U-WIRE)-- Rowdy University of
Texas students cheered, honked their car horns and
d ked the Drag in toilet paper in the jubilant after-
fW of Saturday's victory against Nebraska.
But for a handful of UT fans, the revelry was
brought to an early and shocking end.
Luke Ledbetter, a first-year student, and Blair Streit,
a senior, were rushed to the hospital after being electri-
cally shocked in the Littlefield Fountain. "The last thing
I remember thinking is, 'Oh God, I'm going to die in the
fountain at UT,"' Streit said.
Ledbetter and other fans were prohibited from rush-
ing the football field to celebrate, so he and two
friends decided to hop in the fountain.
"Since the cops were sitting there guarding the
*posts so we wouldn't tear (them) down, we resort-
ed to other means," Ledbetter said.
After passing the East Mall Fountain, which was
overflowing with students, Ledbetter and his friends
were on their way home when they came upon the
Littlefield Fountain. Streit and a group of his friends
were also approaching the fountain at the time.
Streit, who did not previously know Ledbeter. sad
he had been in the fountain before and wasn't worried,
"As soon as I got in, I was getting electrocuted
said Streit. "I couldn't move; I was paralyzed)'
Ledbetter jumped in just before Streit. col ap d
face down in the water, and after a few seconds, he felt
intense pain. "It was like excruciating shock"
Ledbetter said. "I didn't notice that (Streit) was
drowning until the people shouted at me to get him.
Streit said that Ledbetter dropped him the 1first time
he attempted to pull him up because the shock pro-
hibited Ledbetter from mioving.
The drowning Streit began to drift towards the
bronze horses, which worsened the situation since his
head was now touching metal, Ledbetter said.
Ledbetter grabbed Streit a second time but could
not leave the fountain himself because the effects of
the shock prevented him from moving his legs.
"The people outside of the fountain grabbed my arm
and pulled us out of the fountain," Ledbetter said. A few
students, including Streit's roommate Justin Klekar, a
junior, helped pull the two out. Streit was unconscious.:
cdheuer sad he \ elled at a passerbY to call 911.
UE Polie Department Sgt. Dennis Chartier said
two I PD ofcicers arrived at the scene at 6:20
p an an ambulance arrived shortIy after and
tk Ledheter and Streit to Brackenridge Hospital.
An unidentified student whose arm was shocked
wh ile he ping to pull the two out of the water was
also ta ken to the hospi tal.
At the hospital, Ledbetter's heart was tested to
ensure that his heart pattern was normal.
"Eventualy they said that everything was back to
normal, and my legs were going to hurt for awhile,"
Leidetter said.
Led hetter and the student who helped pull him from
the fountain were released from the hospital Saturday
night. Streit, who regained consciousness after the
paramedics arrived, stayed at the hospital until Sunday
evening.
Streit's pulse rate was more than 200 beats a
minute, and he was experiencing irregular heart
rhythm when the paramedics examined him, Streit
said. H, said paramedics were surprised he was
still alive after the incident.
U. New Mexico
may face federal
equity lawsuit
Moonshine
AP PHOTO
After this touchdown led University of Texas to a victory over the University of
Nebraska on Saturday, student celebrations at UT led to injuries.
Rutgers student
jumps off 10 story
residence hall
By Iliarsa Limun
Daily Lobo
LBUQUERQUE, N.M. (U-WIRE)
-he U.S. Department of Education's
Office of Civil Rights has launched an
investigation into University of New
Mexico's actions against three men's
athletic programs cut March 31. The
investigation is based on a complaint
filed by community members.
The group filed the complaint after
the men's gymnastics, swimming and
wtling teams were cut and allege that
t niversity cut the three programs to
meet Title IX equity standards.
"We determined that this is in our
jurisdiction, no other agency is review-
ing this case and that it had merit," said
Rodger Murphey, a spokesperson for
the Department of Education. "We are
now investigating the matter. It should
take us about 135 days to complete our
analysis of the situation." Title IX is a
component of the 1968 Civil Rights Act
vgh states no person shall be denied
access, benefits or the opportunity to
participate in any educational program
or activity based on gender at any insti-
tution receiving federal funding.
"UNM is going along with a nation-
al trend of addition by subtraction," said
Jim Stevens, a UNM alum and one of
the community members who filed the
VEAK OUT
Continued from Page 1.
Ed Stuck said he applauds any abuse
survivors who come forward and share
their sexual or physical abuse experi-
ences during the Speak Out.
"People need to know that it is hap-
pening. Some people do not want to
believe it for a lot of different reasons,
but people need to believe it and know
it. It helps to educate the public on the
fact that domestic violence is very
p~lent in society. No one carries a
stronger message than an actual vic-
tim," Stuck said.
Stuck also noted that often it is
assumed that all victims of abuse are
female. This may be an untested
assumption, he said, because, "very sel-
dom does the male half of the relation-
ship call for help. I think it is harder for
men to report domestic violence. I
Cy Id say that the largest majority is in
fYwomen. Occasionally, a victim is a
man," he said.
Catherine McClary, Washtenaw
county treasurer and president of the
complaint. "They cut men's teams to
inflate the women's percentage in
sports in relation to men's." complaint,
he said. "They cut men's teams to
inflate the women's percentage in
sports in relation to men's." Stevens
said the sports were cut to make the
University Title IX compliant.
"The University always said the
teams were cut for financial reasons,"
Stevens said. "We didn't feel good
about that, did some investigating and
found some problems with that. The
key is the part of Title IX that says 'no
person,' and does not just protect
women. The men who were in this sport
are people covered by that."
The group found a corporate sponsor
who would support the teams with an
endowment, Stevens said. He said the
group presented the offer to NMU
President Bill Gordon and Julie Weaks,
the interim vice president of business and
finance.
A copy of the memorandum Weaks
wrote in response to the proposal,
which was submitted with the com-
plaint, states, "The Athletics
Department and the University of New
Mexico do not believe that it is in the
best interests of achieving the long-
term goals of the Athletic Department
to undertake such an effort."
Board of Directors for the Shelter
Available for Emergency, explained the
disparity between men and women sur-
vivors.
"Men are the survivors of domestic
violence half of one to about 5 percent
nationwide," she said. McClary also
explained that sexual assault and
domestic violence often derives from "a
power trip"
"Some people, typically they're men
but not always, use physical violence to
control the actions and activities of
another person," McClarty said.
But some University students said
they have personally never heard about
or experienced sexual or physical
abuse.
"I don't hear about much domestic
violence," Art senior Kerry Larkey said,
adding that "my friends have been
assaulted by strangers, not in the con-
text of a dating relationship"
Despite not hearing personal stories
about sexual or physical abuse domesti-
cally, Larkey said she would attend the
Speak Out because it "gives exposure to
this kind of serious issue and makes it
By Cathleen Lewis
Daily Targum
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.. (U-
WIRE)_- Early Saturday morning,
Rutgers University police, responding
to a call, found an 18-year-old Rutgers
student dead after he fell nine stories
from the McCormick Residence Hall
on the Busch campus.
Bryan Batista was pronounced dead
shortly after 7:25 a.m. on Saturday,
according to a statement released by the
university.
The initial call to police was made by
a preceptor, according the statement.
Batista apparently jumped from the
10th floor of the residence hall, Leslie
Fehrenbach, vice president of adminis-
tration and public safety, said.
According to the st atement,
University police said they found
Batista on the roof of the first level.
A note, which has been classified as a
suicide note, was found in his room in
the Davidson Residence Hall on the
Busch campus, Fehrenbach said. "We
really don't know much more than that
at this point, the investigation is ongo-
ing," she said.
University Police Chief Anthony
Murphy said that, based on the investiga-
tion and the evidence, they believe the
death to be a suicide, but "there are still
some people detectives h y to speak to."
"Some people who knew him saw
him that night," he said. Murphy said
speaking to those people will "help us
establish a time line" Fehrenbach said
she believed it happened between 4 a.m.
and 5 a.m.
But members of the family said they
did not believe the 18-year-old had
committed suicide. "He was definitely
the support system for myself and my
family," his sister, Cassandra, said. She
described him as "completely ground-
ed, so sincere and really self adjusted"
His sister said that while she was older,
she often felt as if Bryan was the older
brother. She said the North Brunswick
High School graduate played guitar and
composed piano music.
Cassandra Batista said her brother
was "incredibly outgoing and social,
(he) had such an engaging personality."
She said he was "incredibly sensitive,
I think really beyond his years." Even in
his first year of college, she said he had
no trouble adjusting. Cassandra Batista
said she had expected her brother to have
the same anxiety about starting school
that she did, but found that he adjusted
quickly and was very happy.
He was pledging a fraternity on cam-
pus and participating in activities on
campus, she said.
MARJORIE MARSHALL/Daily
As another sign that winter is quickly approaching, the last harvest moon
of the season showed itself Sunday night.
personal to people"
Similarly, LSA first-year student
Derek Steele said, "I don't think it can
hurt anyone to go. There's a lot men can
do to stop (abuse). It would just disturb
me to hear these stories. It would keep
me from doing it. I'm not one to sup-
port violence against women or any-
one."
Stuck said he advises victims of
sexual or physical abuse to act
against the viole'nce as soyn as it
enters a relationship, w hether that
action is talking to friends, getting
counseling, calling the police or get-
ting out the relationship with the
abuser.
Signing is available or hearing
impaired individuals
SA FE HOUSE and SA PAC of/er
conpletel/ c ofldtlential counsebnlng
ser-vices through 24-hour hotlines, (su
w e// as manso other prev'ention pro-
grams. The phone number for
SA PAC'S 24-hour crisis hot/ine is
936-3333. and SAFE HOUSES 24-
hour crisis hot/ine phone number is
995-5444.
PHARMACY
Continued from Page 1
Paul Nightengale, a third-year Pharmacy student. "People are
often afraid to ask," he said.
Nightengale said consumers often underestimate the
importance of pharmacists, but that the pharmacy program is
extremely rigorous.
Students receive much of the same education of med-
ical and nursing students. Pharmacists are now pushing
for a seamless medical team of doctors, nurses and phar-
macists to provide optimal care for patients, Nightengale
said.
He added that pharmacists in some states, including
Michigan. have limited power to do their own prescribing
under the supervision of physicians.
The demand for pharmacists is rising dramatically as the
demand for prescription drugs is increasing.
"There were 2.8 billion prescriptions filled in the U.S. in
1998 Kenyon said. "That's over ten prescriptions per per-
son. By 2005, it is projected that over 4 billion will be filled,"
he said.
Schools are not supplying enough trained pharmacists to
fill this demand, Kenyon said. As a result, students who
receive doctorates in pharmacy are highly recruited.
Pedro Caetano, a fourth year doctoral candidate in the
School of Pharmacy, has received five job offers in the past
two months without even soliciting them. "This is a good
field to be in," he said.
"The average starting salary for a pharmacist is S65 to
S80,000." Kenyon said.
"There was 2.8 billion
prescriptions filled in the
U.S. in 1998 ... By 2005, it
is projected that over 4
billion will be filled."
- George Kenyon
School of Pharmacy Dean
"However, there is a growing disconnect between the
excellent opportunities available for young people and lag-
ging interest."
The need for revived interest in the field of pharmacy as a
profession makes this year's National Pharmacy Week an
important recruiting tool.
"We need to have a promotion of what a pharmacist is and
what his or her skills are," said Duane Kirking, a pharmacy
professor.
Pharmacy school students are planning on handing out
informational pamphlets on the Diag and other campus
locations Thursday to educate students on the merits of
pharmacy.
"We want to make people aware of the breadth of;
opportunities available to students in the field of phar-
macy," Kirking said.
Yale researchers develop method
for regeneration of brain cells
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By Jennifer Bayot
1e }ady News
NE'W H AVEN. Conn. (U-W IRE)
-W As some Yale students kill brain
cells each weekend, Yale University
researchers are working to grow them
back.
A team led by Yale Medical
School Neurobiology Chair Pasko
Rakic has found a way to restart the
growth of brain cells. The team's
findings were published in the jour-
nal "Science" on Friday and have
been heralded nationwide for their
in neurons and the extensions they form
during reproduction. The Notch recep-
tor was first described in studies at Yale
in the 1940s and then cloned at Yale in
the 1980s. But the Notch receptor's role
in regenerating adult brain cells had
escaped identification until now.
Until adulthood, neurons grow by
extending branches called dendrites and
axons, which in turn make millions of
connections.
What interests researchers is the
increased activity of Notch signaling
that accompanies the creation of the
has also identied the associed mole-
cules that can turn th swich on md off
Rakic and hi: o"'. ues found he
role of the Notch receptor and these
related molecules "new and unexpect-
ed:'
The Notch signaling pathway gradu-
ally inhibits the making of these new
connections, instead of stabilizing those
that exist.
By inhibiting Notch activity in
mature cells, the team was able to
reverse this state of stability and
renew neuron growth. Scientists
I