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Barometer The Daily
TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2013 • OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY CORVALLIS, OREGON 97331
DAILYBAROMETER.COM
Opinion: OSU might be better without Starks
VOLUME CXVI, NUMBER 125
Furthering culture, medicine n
Author Anne Fadiman speaks at LaSells Stewart Center about epilepsy, western medicine, cultural differences By Gabriella Morrongiello The Daily Barometer
In the fall of 1982, two natives of Laos rushed their seizing infant daughter to an emergency room in Merced, Calif. Unable to speak English and unwilling to renounce religious beliefs, the parents’ resistance to treatments suggested by American doctors yielded tragic results for their daughter. Lia Lee, the American-born daughter of two Hmong refugees, suffered from severe epilepsy. Following the original diagnosis, Lee’s parents found solace in their culture and relied on traditions to aid in their daughter’s health. To her doctors’ dismay, Lee’s parents refused to medicate their daughter. They believed their daughter suffered from a spiritual illness, that her soul was wandering and needed to be called back. Across the country, Harvard graduate and Life Magazine columnist, Anne Fadiman, was preparing story pitches for the New Yorker. A chance encounter with an old college friend led Fadiman on a path that would change her life and American medicine forever. “It began by accident and I think all the most important things in life happen by accident,”
Fadiman said while lecturing OSU students and community members at LaSells Stewart Center Monday night. Fadiman’s friend mentioned the dozens of Hmong families who had created difficulties at the Merced hospital where he worked. According to him, they had rejected autopsies and other medical procedures, endangering their own lives and the lives of their loved ones. Seeing potential in the story, Fadiman included it among her pitches for the New Yorker. It was chosen and weeks later she found herself in the middle of a cross-country move to Merced to pursue research and follow the story. “I knew absolutely nothing about the history of the Hmong,” Fadiman said. Nonetheless, Fadiman’s curiosity and keen intellect allowed her to delve into the lives of Lee’s family and familiarize herself with Lee’s story and the cultural concerns of her family. Eight years of research, the help of a devoted young interpreter, development of a tender bond with the Lee’s and rejection by the New Yorker eventually led to Fadiman’s decision to author a book on the events. “I couldn’t face the Lees and tell them the story hadn’t been chosen to be published,” Fadiman said. “I couldn’t say those sentences so instead I wrote a 300-page book.” Fadiman’s book, titled, “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down,” a literal translation for the
Hmong name for epilepsy, told the story of Lees battle with epilepsy and eventual vegetative state. It addressed Lee’s struggles to accept western medicine and the various cultural conflicts that halted her treatment. In a broader sense, the book facilitates a discussion concerning patient-doctor miscommunications when dealing with conflicting cultures. Fadiman was brought to OSU through the Hundere Lecture program to lecture students on her experiences researching for and writing the book. Prior to her lecture Monday evening, she spent time in several classrooms speaking with OSU pre-med students whose curriculum included the reading of her book. “I was impressed by their thoughtfulness and intelligence,” Fadiman said. “So many already seemed to know, intuitively, the cultural levels of understanding that even I needed to learn before writing my book.” Sixteen years after her book’s publication, Fadiman keeps the Lees’ story alive as she travels to various college campuses, lecturing students and professionals to encourage the furtherance of cultural understandings in medicine. “I’m sure that if I had never met Lee’s doctors I’d be a different kind of patient, and I am sure that if I had never met Lee’s family I would be a different mother,” Fadiman recounted. Gabriella Morrongiello, news reporter news@dailybarometer.com
Enactus’ Suenos de La Tierra commits to helping improve Roger Deshon community By Jack Lammers
The Daily Barometer
As Rachael Buck toured Nicaragua with the help of a friendly taxi driver, her perspective shifted when the driver showed her his house, nothing more than a small, dilapidated shack. “It’s shocking to see people the same age as me living such hard lives,” said Buck, current co-initiative lead for Oregon State University Enactus’ international initiative Suenos de La Tierra. “There is a huge cultural lesson here in learning about how other people can live and seeing how people grow up with different opportunities than our own.” Over winter break, Buck and OSU Enactus helped the driver, his family and other Nicaraguans by putting roofs over their heads and giving them opportunities to grow. The trip was one of three taken by OSU Enactus, which sent members to See ENACTUS | page 8
courtesy of osu enactus
| CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Volunteers from OSU Enactus and Techo, a youth-run non-profit organization, build houses and a community resource center in Roger Deshon, located in Leon in Nicaragua.
OSU pantry fights hunger among students, non-students Oregon State’s Emergency Food Pantry aims to ensure everyone, regardless of who they are, is fed adequately
weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Snell 230. When people come to the pantry, they are guided through by volunteers and they are allowed to take about three to five days’ worth of food. The size of one’s household determines what food they get and how much. All of the pantry’s By Greg Germano activities are overseen by the pantry coordinator. The Daily Barometer The current media and public relations coorA team of volunteers currently leads the Oregon State University Emergency Food Pantry, serving dinator is Caity Cagle, a 5th year senior at OSU. She is majoring in women, gender and sexuality anyone who needs the help. The OSU Emergency Food Pantry is part of studies with minors in English and writing. Cagle the Linn Benton Food Charity and it was started started working for the OSU Emergency Pantry about five years ago by a group of OSU students. in the summer of 2012. “Our biggest goal, and ultimately our mission, Located in the SnellHall/Memorial Union East, the pantry is open twice a month from 5 p.m. to is to make sure everyone gets fed, regardless of 8 p.m., normally on Mondays and Wednesdays. who it is,” Cagle said. There are two major spring term pantry fundraisEmergency food is also available for people on n
ers coming up and all proceeds go to the pantry. The first fundraiser is the Human Services Resource Center (HSRC) Mom’s Weekend bake sale in the MU quad on Friday from 12-5 p.m. The second fundraiser is the Iron Chef in McNary on Wednesday, May 15 from 5:30-8 p.m. The pantry receives $250 per pantry date to purchase food items in addition to what is given by the LBFC. “What I like the most about working at the HSRC is being able to provide resources to students so that they can continue to pursue a quality education,” Cagle said. “I think a lot of students don’t know about all of the resources that their student fees are paying for.” Greg Germano, news reporter news@dailybarometer.com
Glenn Ford, incoming OSU vice president.
OSU lures Linfield’s CFO n
Glenn Ford, Linfield’s VP of finance and administration, will move to OSU in July By Vinay Ramakrishnan The Daily Barometer
Enactus constructs homes, revitalizes Nicaragua n
courtesy of oregon state university
Oregon State University has named W. Glenn Ford, currently vice president of finance and administration and CFO of Linfield College, as the new vice president for finance and administration for Oregon State University. He will assume the office on July 8, and replaces Mark McCambridge, who has held the post for the last 14 years. Ford has been in higher education leadership for 28 years, and has been at Linfield College since 2007. “I couldn’t be more delighted to be the next vice president of finance at OSU,” Ford said. “OSU is a very distinct university, and a leader in higher education.” Ford was especially interested in joining Oregon State University, because his, “philosophy should align well with the university’s core values of accountability, diversity, respect and social responsibility,” he said. “As the land-grant institution for Oregon, OSU has connections with the entire state.” McCambridge has high hopes for his successor. “I’ve known him professionally for a number of years,” McCambridge said. “He’s highly qualified, and he will be very successful.” Rick Spinrad, vice president of research, seconded McCambridge’s comments. “Mr. Ford brings a wonderful diversity of experiences and some strong demonstrated effectiveness in leadership and management,” Spinrad said. “He will undoubtedly continue and extend the successful work of the finance and administration office at OSU.” McCambridge is retiring after 19 years at OSU. “McCambridge did a remarkable job keeping OSU strong, steady and stable through two recessions,” said Steve Clark, vice president for university relations and marketing. “Mark instituted a budgeting process that is very transparent and accountable. I would anticipate that Glenn Ford would continue this commitment to transparency, accountability and collaboration.” Ford has worked for three different land-grant universities. He began his career in higher education working for the University of Idaho, and has since worked for Washington State University and Utah State University. See FORD | page 2