ESEARCH Tests for Carpal tunnel syndrome not reliable new University study claims that a lily used nerve test is not reliable when diagnosing carpal tunnel syn- drome, a painful hand condition. In a recent issue of the journal Muscle and Nerve, the study maintains that peo- ple without carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms can register abnormal results on the nerve conduction tests. Likewise, those people with symptoms of wrist pain and tingling will not register as having nerve damage. According to the study, co-authored hysical medicine and rehabilitation associate Prof Robert Werner and neu- rology Prof. James Albers, physicians should use a continuous scale to evalu- ate test results instead of choosing a cutoff point to distinguish between nor- mal and abnormal results. The study examined 158 workers, mostly women, who spend a large amount of time at work on the comput- e-keyboard. The study noted that Wen between the ages of 30 and 60 are most often affected. An estimated 850,000 Americans complain of carpal-tunnel-like symp- toms and 260,000 undergo corrective wrist surgery annually. The study's researchers said it is important to ensure accurate and reliable testing. Engler declares vareness month for Epilepsy Michigan Gov. John Engler has declared November "Epilepsy Awareness Month" for the state. After meeting with Epilepsy Foundation President Arlene Gorelick last summer, the governor dedicated the month to promote awareness of the dis- -r. In response to the governor's declara- tion, the foundation launched a statewide awareness campaign to shift the public perception of the disorder. The campaign will include a print ad campaign promoting a low carbohydrate ketogenic diet to eliminate seizures. It will also promote wearing helmets to prevent head trauma during outdoor activities. addition, there will be television radio public service announce- ments and fundraising events at 12 metro Detroit Borders Books and Music stores. Gorelick said she hopes to dispel the myths and misconceptions associated with Epilepsy by providing factual information to the public. Owners of home ms more likely to lose weight People who own their own home exercise equipment are more likely to lose weight than people who exercise outside of the home, according to a study conducted by two faculty mem- bers at the Brown University School of Medicine in Providence, R.I. he study, led by psychiatry Prof. na Wing and psychiatry assistant research Prof John Jakicic, showed that women with home exercise equip- ment lost an average of 16.3 pounds each, while the other women lost an average of 8.1 pounds each. Jakicic said the reason for the differ- ence is that having the equipment at home made the women's exercise regi- mens more flexible. 'kicic also said that people are more inc ined to use the treadmill, for exam- ple, when it is raining, instead of going outside and getting wet traveling to a gym.. The study also concluded that women who did shorter, multiple sessions of daily exercise lost an average of 16.3 pounds each, while women who did a longer, single daily session lost an aver- age of 12.8 pounds each. - Compiled by Daily Staff Reporter Risa Berrin. The Michigan Daily - Thursday, November 11, 1999 -3A LOCAL/S.3TATE Hotline aids smokers S I i toCall it q uits By Risa Berrin Daily Staff Reporter The University is helping people quit smoking with just one phone call. As one of five sites in the country for the National Cancer Institute's "Calling it Quits" study, the University is helping to provide a phone hotline with coun- selors and informational pamphlets to help smokers quit their habit. Vic Strecher, the study's principal investigator at the University, said most smokers want to quit but are not willing to attend group therapy programs. He said "Calling it Quits" provides smok- ers with an alternative. "We're providing the opportunity to receive effective help in quitting smok- ing with just a phone call," said Strecher, assistant director at the University's Comprehensive Cancer Center. According to the National Cancer Institute's Website, lung and bronchial cancers are the No. I cancer killers of white males, black males and white females. Following prostate and breast cancers, lung and bronchial cancers also affect the most Americans. Kathy Bishop, University project manager for the study, said that doctors generally do not have time to talk to their patients about how to properly quit smoking. "This resource replaces a face-to- face counselor and it's more cost-effi- cient.' she said. "The specialists pro- vide support to help people through the process of quitting" When people call the toll-free num- ber at the National Cancer Institute to inquire about how to quit smoking, they are asked if they would like to partici- pate in the "Calling it Quits" research study. If the person agrees to partici- pate, a trained information specialist will conduct a survey that evaluates the smoker's habits; how long the person has been smoking, whether they smoke more in the morning or afternoon and whether they have tried to quit before. Then the participant is sent detailed information on how best to quit smok- ing. During the 11 months after the ini- tial phone call, the participant will receive four follow-up calls to monitor their progress. The study, which began in 1997, has had 1,425 participants from across the country. Bishop said people from ages 18 to 86 have participated and the most frequent participants have been white females. Of the 1,425 participants, 197 were from Michigan. When a person calls the toll-free number from Michigan, Ohio or Indiana, they are routed to the Karmanos Cancer Center in Detroit. Mary Alice Worrell, telephone ser- vice manager at the center, said there has been a steady volume of calls since the study began. "People want to know what's on the cutting edge, what are the new trends" Worrell said. "The response from the participants has been so positive." Bishop said the literature sent in the mail covers a wide range of smoking problems and offers numerous strate- gies to quit. "If a person appears to be addicted to nicotine, we might suggest that they brush their teeth after eating, or go to a smoke-free environment like the movie theater instead of a bar," Bishop said. The study will continue until March . 2000. Participants must be at least 18- years old to participate in the study. To contact the Cancer Information Service's hotline call 1-800-4-CAN- CER. JEREMY MENCHIK /Daily LSA senior Jeff Bilsborrow enjoys a cigarette outside of the Michigan Union last Wednesday. OAC divestment efforts receive newsupport By Hanna LoPatin Daily Staff Reporter The University's Ozone Action Coalition has recently received a major helping hand in their plight to get the University to divest from members of the Global Climate Coalition when the Public Interest Research Group In Michigan announced last Thursday that they will be supporting the organiza- tion. Brian Imus, campaign director at PIRGIM, announced in a press release that the organization will support the OAC. Later, Imus referred to the 10,000-member organization as an "environmental watchdog." OAC has been working since September to get the University to divest from GM, Mobil, and Exxon - compa- nies that belong to the GCC. Imus said that members of the GCC "have been working to stop the Kyoto treaty." The Kyoto Protocol is an internation- al treaty that encourages everyone to reduce global warming. The treaty has not yet been ratified by the U.S. Congress. OAC organizer Josh Davis said that the backing of PIRGIM will do a lot to help the OAC in its efforts. "More than anything it perfectly exemplifies how important (our) campaign is to the gen- eral public." Davis said that OAC has 1,000 signa- tures, including 43 from University professors on a petition stating their cause. OAC has also received recognition by the Michigan Student Assembly. Davis said that they brought a resolu- tion before the Steering Committee of MSA on Sunday and was brought before the entire MSA Tuesday night as a first draft. Davis said that the amount OAC is asking the University to divest is around $6 million. "The University has 1.3 billion dollars in different stock holdings all across the country." he said. "Six million is a drop in the buck- et."I The involvement with OAC is not the only way PIRGIM is making its pres- ence known on college campuses. Imus said they are trying to earn support for the Dirty Jobs Boycott. Heather Kunst, Dirty Jobs organizer for the midwest explained that the national student project focuses on Ford, BPAmoco, and Coca-Cola - all members of the GCC. Kunst will be trying to obtain pledges from students not to work at these companies until they withdraw from the GCC. The companies "need to be held accountable for their horrible envi- ronmental records," Kunst said. We have "specific things to ask of each of them." JESSICA JOHNSON/Daily Department of Public Safety Director Bill Bess (left) and DPS Liason for Safewalk and Northwalk Jim Sullivan discuss the Safewalk staff's new jackets at the organization's office in the Shapiro Undergraduate Library last night. Ne w neon-trimed coats increSfwakvsiity Bradley: Don'traise Social Security age By Charles Chen Daily Staff Reporter Volunteers for the Safewalk and Northwalk pro- grams will be sporting new blue jackets with neon yel- low lettering and trim to help distinguish themselves as they escort students across campus at night. "The new jackets with increase safety on campus and help get our name out," Safewalk Student Coordinator Jim Cohen said. The Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center and the Department of Public Safety sponsors the nightly safety programs, which operate out of the Shapiro Undergraduate Library and Bursley Residence Hall. Last night, SAPAC and DPS staff members held a presentation outside of the UGLi to unveil the bright jackets. The purpose of the jackets is two-fold. "We want to make sure that the walkers are safe and have something that will make them identifiable to other students," SAPAC Coordinator Virginia Chitanda said. Alicia Rinaldi, SAPAC's education and training coordinator, said maintaining a safe atmosphere is dif- ficult, meaning that students can never be 100 percent in control of their surroundings. "Safewalk and Northwalk provides an option for evening escorts so that students don't have to walk alone at night going to various places," she said. Previously, volunteers were identifiable only by their badges and walkie-talkies. "The jackets are to remind students and staff that the program is here and available," Rinaldi said. Planning for the volunteer program's new jackets began two years ago when student coordinators from Safewalk and Northwalk came up with the idea. Since then, they have been working closely with SAPAC and DPS staff members and finally were able to see their idea become reality. "It will add validity to the program, Rinaldi said. The Safewalk program began 13 years ago and the Northwalk program followed three years later in 1989. This semester, 100 volunteers work for Safewalk to escort students on Central Campus, while about 30 students work for Northwalk. "The program is successful because itsis an organi- zation of students helping other students," said Jim Sullivan, DPS crime prevention officer. "Since the program started, there have been 6,500 volunteers giv- ing a total of 40,000 walks." Collectively, the program's volunteers spend 27,000 hours each year walking students to their destinations, Sullivan added. The program averages 20 to 25 walks per night, totaling more than 3,000 walks each year, Rinaldi said. Between 13 to 15 volunteers work shifts each night between the hours of 7:30 p.m. and 2:30 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, and between the hours of 8 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Safewalk and Northwalk are free. Students interested in receiving escorts across cam- pus can call 936-1000for Safewalk and 763-WALKfor Northwalk. DETROIT (AP) - Bill Bradley, pur- suing the Democratic presidential nom- ination, said yesterday he would oppose any proposal to raise the eligibility age for Medicare and Social Security bene- fits. "I'm not proposing to raise the age for Medicare," Bradley said during a question-and-answer session with senior citizens. "I don't think that's a good idea." Bradley, a former senator from New Jersey, said last week that raising the age for Social Security eligibility is worth discussing. lie had voted in favor of a nonbinding resolution which expressed support for raising the eligi- bility age from 67 to 70. Vice President Al Gore, the front runner in the race for the Democratic nomination, charged that Bradley showed lukewarm support for the retirement program. But Bradley said yesterday that his work on the Senate Finance Committee demonstrated his commitment to Medicare and Social Security and ensured their stability until 2015. Correction: Stephen Martin is a graduate student. He was incorrectly identified in yesterday's Daily. What's happening inA:: Arbor today GROUP MEETINGS J "Mishmar," Sponsored by Hillel, INFO, info@umich.edu, and Hillel, 10 p.m. www.umich.edu/~info on the U Goiden Key Nationai Honor Society F "The Modernist Moment in World Wide Web Mass Meeting for Eligibie American Public Art" lecture by a Northwalk, 763-WALK, Bursley Membrs,180 Che. 730 ~m. Casey Blake, Sponsored by the Lobby, 8 p.m.- 2:30 a.m. Members, 1800 Chem. 7:30 p.m. Arts of Citizenship Program, U Safewalk, 936-1000, Shapiro Library J intervarsity ChrIstIan Fellowship, Rackham Hall, West Conference Lobby, 8 p.m.-2:30 a.m. 1360 East Hall, 7 p.m. Room, 4 p.m. U La Voz Mexicana Weekly Meeting, J "Racial and Economic Justice Task Mosher-Jordan, Caesar Chavez Force," Sponsored by Interfaith Lounge, 7:30 p.m. Council for Peace and Justice, Your event could be here. EVENTS Memorial Christian Church, 730 Tappan, 12-2 p.m. Step by The Student Publications at "Volunteers In Action Dinner for Building, located at 420 *'Blood Battle between U-M and the Homeless," Sponsored by a st or o entries to OSU," Sponsored by Alpha Phi Hillel, First United Methodist daiycaledar umich.edu Omega, West Quad, 1-7 p.m. Church, 3-7:30 p.m. Please include date, time, "The Cosby Hour," Sponsored by Pleasein Id atin. Ie asnd orgaoizatin. Markley Multicultural Affairs SERVICES Council. Mary Markley, Angela Davis Lounge, 8 p.m. Q Campus information Centers, 764- CALENDAR POLICY: The calendar's purpose is to provide a place for organizations to announce free events open to the University community. However, we can only print announcements the day of the event. Announcements for events that charge admission will not be run. All items for THE CALENDAR must be mailed or delivered to the Daily at least three days before publication. Events on Friday, Saturday or Sunday must be submitted by 5 p.m. Wednesday prior to the event. We can not accept requests over the Oephone, and we can not guarantee that an announcement turned in within three days of the event will be run. I Free & Easy. -(2 werda you wonI t hear comilng out of her mouth*) COLLEGIAN 0 -- www.CollegianClassifieds.com Your classified ad on the web. Totaiiy free.