Barometer The Daily
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2012 • OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY CORVALLIS, OREGON 97331
DAILYBAROMETER.COM
VOLUME CXV, NUMBER 81
PAGE 8
SPORTS
8 – Rod Perry hired as coach 7 – Oregon State’s rifle club
NEWS
2 – Senate discusses bill
WRESTLING: Mangrum’s rise to success
FORUM
4 – Oregon’s new health plan 5 – Dr. Sex
Black History Month panel:
Explores racial issues in college Black History Month event allows several panelists to dialogue about stereotypes
face. “African-Americans are frequently connected with athletics,” Henry said. “I am frequently asked if I am an athlete.” Among other stereotypes menBy Vinay Ramakrishnan tioned were with rap music, dating The Daily Barometer issues and the connection of “ghetOn Tuesday evening, the Lonnie tos” to African-Americans. DuBoise B. Harris Black Cultural Center held said the claim that “ghetto is black” a panel discussion of black men as is not true. one of the series of events for Black “Isolation” was another common History Month. theme mentioned The event feaby the panelists. tured questions “You feel very isolatAfrican-Americans and answers from ed. You must reach moderators as well are frequently out,” DuBoise said. as the audience. It He also said that connected with took place in the African-American Memorial Union athletics... I am students must “try Lounge and feanot to maintain frequently asked tured four panelists. racial solidarity.” if I am an athlete. The panelists Gatimu noted that included Jarod class can be “intimiSleet, external coordating” at first and Taylor Henry dinator for SOL takes a lot of getting senior in ethnic studies (A Multicultural used to. “However, Support Network); if you make efforts, Anderson DuBoise III, the exter- you won’t have issues,” he said. nal coordinator from the Lonnie B. One of the most important quesHarris Black Cultural Center; Brian tions asked all evening by the modGatimu, senior in microbiology and erator was, “How do you feel about Taylor Henry, senior in ethnic stud- the fact that there are more black ies. The topics ranged from the daily males in jail than in college?” lives of black males on campus to All of the panelists felt that it was a the controversial issue of the num- bad thing. Sleet said it was an “endber of black males in prison. less cycle, where someone gets bustAll of the panelists emphasized ed and their reputation is tarred, that stereotypes were a common which makes it harder for them to issue African-American students get a job.”
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Vinay Bikkina
| THE DAILY BAROMETER
From left, Taylor Henry, Brian Gatimu, Anderson DuBoise and Jarod Sleet discuss issues that African-American male students face. Henry described it as a “prison-industrial complex.” In terms of solving the problem, DuBoise offered this solution: “If you invest more in preventive measures like education, not just cash, but also in quality, then you can invest less in
jail cells.” The Black Cultural Center has more events coming up during Black History Month. Among them include a panel discussion on black women (Feb. 20 in the MU Lounge), an Oregon State University Black
Affairs Conference (Feb. 25 in the International Forum) and in conclusion, a Black History Month Dinner in the MU Ballroom on Feb. 29. Vinay Ramakrishnan, staff reporter 737-2231 news@dailybarometer.com
Valley Library deciding on noise designation for first floor Summer research n
After finishing a vote, administrators weigh the pros, cons of another quiet floor By Drew Wilson-McGrath The Daily Barometer
Those who study downstairs on the first floor of the Valley Library may have noticed a small banner asking them to vote on whether or not this floor should be designated a quiet floor. This initial voting period, the results of which were tallied together on Monday, Feb. 13, indicated that 330 students wished for the floor to become a designated quiet area, while 190 votes were for the basement to remain an area in which noise levels are self-managed. Students are not required to stay quiet on the basement level as of right now; however, it is expected that students will regulate their volume according to what seems necessary at the time. Currently, the sixth floor is the only mandatory quiet floor within the building, and students generally police each other while studying in order to ensure that no significant distractions disturb their studies. While the preliminary vote may represent the reservations of a significant number of students, it can certainly pose a problem for others. Miguel Soler, junior in mechanical engineering at Oregon State University, feels that the first floor is vital to many students because it offers itself as a prime location for doing group-related assignments.
“A lot of the work we do as engineers is done in groups,” Soler said. “So much of what we do needs to be done outside of the provided quiet areas in the library, and we flock down [to the first floor] most of the time to work together.” Many biology, engineering and chemistry students are frequently assigned homework or projects that require them to do work in a group environment; group work and collaboration are mandatory as part of their major. Not only is the basement floor spacious enough to suit these needs, but it also houses a vast majority of the archives and reference materials necessary for engineering students to complete assignments. Other majors, a majority of which exist within the College of Liberal Arts, don’t seem to stress group work as adamantly. Many assignments are done individually or in very small groups consisting of two or three people. This in turn implies that a quieter, even dead-silent environment is needed in order for these students to accomplish their study goals and finish their homework in a timely manner. It is a fragile equilibrium that is often teetering, especially during the intense studying that occurs during midterms and finals weeks. “It needs to be a delicate balance,” said Jennifer Nutefall, associate university librarian for Innovative User Services at Oregon State. “We need to have spaces in the library that accompany all student study habits.”
With approximately 25,000 students at OSU, this is no easy task. Every student learns and studies differently, and to accommodate each and every student within such a limited space is nearly impossible. There are only 27 private study rooms available at the library, six of which reside on the basement floor. On average, each one of the six floors within the library can accommodate an estimated 200 students with the exception of the second main floor, which can fit approximately 300 at any given time. “There was a student who left a comment on one of the voting slips,” Nutefall said. “They said that
all the floors in the library should be quiet. Now, that’s just not practical in today’s learning environment with all the group work that is required of some students.” No formal decision has yet been made a result of the vote, but it is a solid reference point for library officials to discern what problems, if any, affect student productivity at the library. With such a variety of programs available at OSU comes obvious diversity among the student populace, and with that, a wide range of study patterns and social behavior. See LIBRARY | page 3
Alexandra Taylor
| THE DAILY BAROMETER
The question of whether or not to make the the basement of the Valley Library a silent floor is causing concerns among certain students.
program pays students for fulltime research n
HHMI application deadline coming next month, undergrads without experience welcome By Michael Mendes The Daily Barometer
Every year since 1999, Oregon State University’s biological sciences departments have participated in a summer research program open to all OSU undergraduate students in their first three years. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute Undergraduate Research Program pays students to conduct full-time research in the biological sciences each summer. In order to apply to the program, students must find a professor to sponsor them, then send in an application. According to the program’s webpage, this year students can also work with a professor from the University of Washington, the University of Montana or Montana State. “We want to provide broad-based opportunities for students,” said Kevin Ahern, the program’s organizer and the Director for Undergraduate Research in OSU’s department of See HHMI | page 3