The Observer, February 16, 2007
Volume XXXIX, Issue 17
Outside the Circle
HIV Scare at Cheyney University
Students at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania are reacting to recent news that a prostitute found in one of the campus dormitories has reported being HIV positive. The woman, 34-year-old Sakinah K. Floyd, was carrying prescriptions typical of HIV positive patients when she was arrested on Thursday.
She claimed to have had sexual relations with 10 students at the school. She told the university police that she "could not relate if all 10 sexual acts had condoms involved."
According to an affidavit, the woman had been in two dormitories on campus, offering sexual acts in exchange for cash. Campus officers responded to a complaint in the afternoon on Thursday that the woman was running through a dormitory, naked.
The administration responded to this news by "urging anyone who has had any sexual contact with the woman to report to a hospital emergency room immediately to receive HIV/AIDS testing and to start prophylactic medication" to try and prevent transmission, according to a written statement. The university also offered transportation to the hospitals for testing and treatment and free counseling services to students.
The university is seeking to expand its HIV awareness programs in response to this event.
Dean of students taken to court for failing to report campus crimes
Patricia O'Toole, a dean of students at Notre Dame College in Cleveland was charged with failing to report felonies. She defended her actions, saying that she had promised confidentiality to the students who reported the crimes. She was acquitted on Friday.
In October 2005, two students reported being sexually assaulted by a fellow student. The students asked O'Toole to keep their identities and information a secret. O'Toole eventually told police about the claims when they asked her for information about the suspect. He was awaiting trial for 21 felonies, including rape and kidnapping.
O'Toole could have paid a $50 fine, but she wanted to fight the charges because she felt the issue was too important.
Experts are alarmed by the charges, saying that it is legal for a victim to decide not to report a crime, and that O'Toole should not be punished for respecting that victim's wish. O'Toole's lawyer, Ed Heffernan, calls the job of dean of students a careful "balancing act," where decisions about how to best deal with a student are made subjectively.
Medical school enrollment to rise
Enrollment of first-year medical students is set to increase 17 percent by 2012, according to a survey by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). This move is to prepare for a growing and aging population.
"The need for more doctors is real and will become more urgent as our population grows and ages," said AAMC President Darrell G. Kirch, M.D. "This increase is a significant step in the right direction, and we are pleased that 71 U.S. medical schools plan to expand their class sizes over the next five years. But clearly, we must find additional ways to stimulate more growth in medical school capacity so that we have enough doctors to care for our nation in the coming decades."
Of the schools that plan to expand, the most common methods are new clinical affiliations, expansion of current campuses, and building new branch campuses. The survey also indicated that some of the biggest roadblocks to the medical school expansion include available scholarships, classroom area, ambulatory preceptors, and costs.
Ethnicity in admissions
The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents unanimously approved a policy that allows schools to consider race, ethnic origin, and family income when looking at freshman applicants. This comes at a surprising time, when many colleges are moving away from using race in admission decisions.
Regents say that this will allow for more diverse classes, racially and socioeconomically. "No one wants to talk about the importance of having a diverse campus," said Daid Walsh, president of the regents. "It's the veteran student, it's the football player –we get something out of all of them enrolling. It's truly about having a better educational experience for our students."
Opponents say that the new policy will allow students into the system who are academically unqualified. "It's sad that the regents voted the way they did, especially in light of the recent referendum in Michigan, which shows how unpopular racial and ethnic preferences are," said Roger Clegg, president and general counsel of the Center for Equal Opportunity.
Resident assistants fired over racist video
Five seniors were fired from their positions as resident assistants at C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University for a video that they posted on YouTube. The video is a spoof of a terrorists' hostage tape.
The five students appear in black ski masks and speak in fake Middle Eastern accents. The students threaten their "hostage," a rubber duck they named Pete. The rubber duck is also the mascot for one of the residence halls, Brookville Hall.
The students say that they meant it solely as a joke and did not mean to offend anyone. The university stripped them of their resident advisor jobs because they were not showing a good example to the campus. The students now work 10 hours a week of community service to keep their free room and board.
The students have hired a civil rights attorney and face a formal campus hearing soon. They had no comments except for Billy McDermott who said, "We're getting our ducks in a row."
