THE DAILY ATHENAEUM
“Little good is accomplished without controversy, and no civic evil is ever defeated without publicity.”
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Thursday October 28, 2010
VOLUME 124, ISSUE 49
www.THEDAONLINE.com
Health Sciences bans industry gifts Students, faculty, staff forbidden to accept meals, gifts from health care representatives BY DUSTIN HOFFMAN STAFF WRITER
A new code of conduct has been implemented at West Virginia University’s Health Sciences Center, which forbids students, faculty and staff from accepting meals or gifts from drug or medical device industry representatives. The new policy was put in place to ensure all HSC members would be objective and impartial when making decisions in the classroom or the
workplace. Alvin Moss, director of the Center for Health Ethics and Law, explained the need for the changes. “In 2008 the Association of American Medical Colleges recommended that medical schools adopt more stringent conflict of interest policies with regard to relationships to industry,” Moss said in an e-mail. “This recommendation was based on social science research over the past decade
that has shown that physicians unconsciously and unintentionally are biased in their prescribing practices by gifts and meals from pharmaceutical company representatives and those from other medically related industries.” When asked if even the smallest gifts should be eliminated, Moss said studies have shown physician bias toward patients. “Research has shown that even small gifts such as pens, mugs or notepads influence
physician prescribing behavior to increase prescriptions for more expensive brandname drugs rather than often equally effective generic medications”. In order to effectively eliminate this behavior in both professionals and students, the changes to the code of conduct were adopted. “Students and trainees at the Health Sciences Center are being taught to learn about new drugs and products by reading articles in the peer-reviewed
scientific literature,” Moss said. “These articles are objective and balanced with regard to the benefits and side-effects of all drugs in a particular class.” Moss believes the newly adopted code will benefit the HSC for the better. “The best outcome of the policy will be that students and all trainees will be encouraged to use an objective, scientific, evidence-based approach to health care decision-making for their patients and for their practices,” he said.
“In the long run, this policy should lead to better, more cost-effective patient care”. Christopher Colenda, chancellor of the HSC, said the change will go along with its mission of transparency. “We are committed to an uncompromising adherence to our public trust and to transparency and accountability in our actions as educators, scientists and clinicians,” Colenda said in a press release. danewsroom@mail.wvu.edu
SGA provides input on vision of area’s future By Alex Dufour correspondent
Students taking Dance 132 at West Virginia University dance in the Mountainlair to the Halloween favorite ‘Thriller’ by Michael Jackson.
Matt Sunday/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM
Zombies take over the Mountainlair by jake potts
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a&e writer
The Mountainlair was visited by a spirit of the past Wednesday as a flash mob of dancers performed Michael Jackson’s hit “Thriller” for an unsuspecting audience. As West Virginia University students sat unaware, a group of creepy, highly coreographed undead dancers filed in to draw the attention away from their dinners. The music flowed through the speakers as these deathly looking dancers came to life. Members of WVU’s Dance 132 (Intermediate Jazz), students flooded the Mountainlair’s dining area to perform a dance routine they’ve been practicing for weeks. “We only meet twice a week, but we’ve been rehearsing this dance for the past four weeks,” said senior journalism major Mel Moraes. “We would’ve liked to practice outside of class, but it’s really difficult to get all 25 of us together at the same time.” Other than limited practicing time, another concern of the dancers was the change from practicing in an open studio to having to limit their movements due to the Mountainlair’s layout.
Watch video of the undead dancers on our website at www.thedaonline.com
about what they were doing. I was really pleased with them. I think they did a great job,” said Yurick. All of the dancers enjoyed the performance and thought it went off flawlessly. Child development major Jessica Shay said, “It was a great experience. The crowd was very shocked at first, but I’m sure they enjoyed it.” When asked why the dancers decided to put on this performance, their answers were all the same – to get everyone in the mood for Halloween. “Of course it helped get everyone in the mood,” said Shay. “It’s ‘Thriller.’” Matt Sunday/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM Following a flash mob performed earA student taking Dance 132 does his best zombie impres- lier this year, the members of the class sion while dancing out ‘Thriller’ by Michael Jackson in the wanted their performance to be more Mountainlair. recognized by the public, and what more public place than the Mountainlair? Dance instructor Barbara Yurick was “(The Mountainlair) is very accessible, confident going into the performance. “I trusted the dancers to be professional see zombies on PAGE 5
important to have a place where people want to live, work and potentially vacation, he said. Students are a huge part in the process of setting goals for our region, and WVU has a huge impact on the community, Hardesty said. “In this global economy, the unit of competition is more region than city or state, and we need the power of your voice to improve the quality of life for all,” France said. The Power of 32 project doesn’t have a predetermined set of issues or goals because the priorities are determined by the residents of the region, Hardesty said. “The only thing that is certain in life is change, and with enough voices, we can make the future of our area as successful as we want it to be,” he said. The Power of 32 is the largest regional visioning program ever and has been visiting various universities. The group saw a need to attract college students because they are the future to improving the quality of life, France said. The information gathered from the discussion will be compiled into a report that will include input from other areas in the region, he said. The report will be released to the public with more forums planned, and within a year, another event will be held at WVU to go over the results, France said. The Power of 32 will be meeting in Marion and Harrison counties next week, according to its website.
The importance of improving the community was emphasized to 20 members of the West Virginia University Student Government Association Wednesday at “A Community Conversation: The Power of 32.” The Power of 32 is an organization of 32 counties in Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The discussion was led by former University President David C. Hardesty. The goal of the Power of 32 is to create a shared vision for the region’s future, according to the Power of 32’s website. A vision is an imaginary state of what success looks like and can be achieved through student input, Hardesty said. “My hope is that students will begin to be motivated and empower themselves to make a difference,” he said. A video on how a different future can be planned for the region by 2020 was shown, said Ron Cheng, SGA vice president. “We discussed where we are now, what we have to do and where are going,” he said. The discussion looked at questions such as what problems the region is facing, what should the region be most proud of and where do they imagine themselves in 2025 and how did they get there, Cheng said. “What we came up with is we want this region, centered around Pittsburgh, to focus on education, health danewsroom@mail.wvu.edu care and technology,” said Nelson France, SGA liaison to City Council. Travis Crum contributed to They also decided it was this report.
Students test strength, endurance in U.S. Marine Fitness Challenge by gina damato correspondent
West Virginia University students and current U.S. Marine trainees tested their strength and endurance, Wednesday, during the Marine’s Fitness Challenge. Approximately 30 trainees and interested students gathered on the Mountainlair Green to take part in the fitness demonstration. “The Fitness Challenge is designed to encourage leadership, teamwork and promote fitness,”
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said Eliza Ollinger, senior account supervisor of Prizm Marketing, which sponsored the Fitness Challenge. Participants performed sets of pushups, planks and jumping jacks as well as participated in team-building experiences. The exercises were led by lead instructor John Klessinger, member of The Program, a company that develops student-athletes’ and corporate managers’ athletic and leadership abilities. “This event gives a realistic idea of how demanding the U.S. Marines is,” said U.S. Ma-
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rine Captain Joseph White, who also participated in the fitness challenge. “A perspective candidate needs to be in excellent physical condition, stay out of trouble and have a mental toughness and desire,” he said. The fitness challenge is intended to have participants step up, be motivated and be successful, White said. The event is also designed to inform current students about the Officer Candidate School, a program that can lead to becoming a U.S. Marine.
“At WVU, we have a program platoon leaders class,” White said. “It is similar to the ROTC, but it is for people interested in the U.S. Marines.” Students could also win prizes for their performance in the challenge, Ollinger said. The fitness challenge is held at several universities across the nation, she said. Students interested in more information about the U.S. Marines can visit http://officer.marines.com. danewsroom@mail.wvu.edu
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INSIDE TODAY’s EDITION The West Virginia women’s soccer team begins its quest for a Big East Tournament title Sunday, but the first round begins tonight ON PAGE 9
Tara Mayle/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM
Students and Marine Corps members participate in the Marine Fitness Challenge on the Mountainlair Green Wednesday afternoon.
WVU BEATS MARQUETTE The West Virginia men’s soccer team defeated the Golden Eagles 3-0 at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium Wednesday night. SPORTS PAGE 9