The Observer, November 3, 2006
Volume XXXIX, Issue 9
Outside the Circle
Near-extinct diseases reemerge on college campuses
Diseases that had been nearly eradicated from American culture have been resurfacing on college campuses. Most young American adults had been vaccinated as babies or young children against diseases common in the early to mid-1900s, rendering them almost obsolete. However, there has been a sudden upswing in the prevalence of diseases like mumps, whooping cough, and tuberculosis.
Disease has always been a problem at college campuses, with the close quarters creating a breeding ground for sickness and allowing for quick transmission from person to person. The problem of dead diseases suddenly appearing is being attributed to an increasing number of international students on college campuses. Students are arriving from countries where vaccinations against these diseases are not common or where the diseases are prevalent and then introduce the virus or bacteria into the college environment. Young people whose vaccinations have worn off, or who had never been vaccinated, are then susceptible to the disease.
The largest outbreak of mumps in 20 years occurred last spring, with college students being the largest target. At Southern Missouri State University, 12 students tested positive for the latent form of tuberculosis. Data also shows that the rates of these diseases rise during times when school is in session and fall during school breaks.
French students enter sex trade to make ends meet
According to a recent survey by the SUD-Étudiant union, more and more students in France are using sex as a way to pay the bills. According to the survey, about 40,000 students (two percent) use sex trade to pay for their studies.
At Paul Sabatier University in Toulouse, it was found that 545 out of 30,000 students had worked in the sex industry at some point in time. The case of a 35-year-old woman known as "Julie" is used as an example. She worked in the Belgian sex industry for the seven summer vacations she had while studying veterinary medicine. She began her work as a window model in Brussels and then progressed to erotic massage and escort work.
Many educational bodies agree with the findings of the study, blaming insufficient grants. Property prices are increasing, but grants are not, which puts the students in economic despair. approximately 100,000 French students live below the poverty line.
However, the police are skeptical about the findings of the study. They believe that there are more prostitutes who are pretending to be French students than there are French students prostituting themselves to pay for school.
College built on fault line considers a new location
Officials at Contra Costa College, in San Pablo, Calif. are toying with the idea of moving the 7380-student school to a new location. Contra Costa is built on the Hayward fault, which scientists say is capable of producing a magnitude 7.2 earthquake. The college has already suffered cracked asphalt, buckled curbs, and warped brick patios as a result of the fault line.
Other options include reinforcing the buildings or changing the location of buildings or centers on the present campus. However, even some of the newer buildings on Contra Costa's campus already show significant damage from the active fault. An art building less than 30 years old will close permanently in June.
Faculty members are in favor of keeping the current campus, but students are largely in favor of moving the campus if it will make it safer. Administrators say that relocating is a last resort, but agree that it may be the most cost-effective plan in the end. "Whenever you renovate your house, it always costs more than building from scratch," said Nicholas Sitar, a UC Berkeley engineering professor.
Football players charged with rape of a high school girl
Four current or former Hibbing Community College football players were charged on Monday with the alleged rape of an 18-year-old high school girl. Three men, Daily Whitten, Talon Deante Jackson, and Terrance Dominique Laverity, were charged with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual misconduct. Andrew Jonathan Williams was charged with two counts of second-degree criminal sexual misconduct.
The victim alleged that a man she had previously met in the dorms asked her to hang out and then took her to a dark room where he and several other men assaulted her. The woman told her boyfriend's mother what happened and she called the police. The defendants maintain that they had consensual sex with the woman.
The men requested that the court place them on supervised release, so as not to miss final exams. "I'm sure our coaches and everybody will make sure that we'll come back to court," said Laverity.
