DAILY HELMSMAN Friday 11.30.12
The
Vol. 80 No. 053
Independent Student Newspaper of the University of Memphis
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Activists promote World AIDs Day For information on Thursday nights Memphis Hall of Fame, see page 4.
UM healthcare grads earn highest average salary nationally By Margot Pera
news@dailyhelmsman.com Healthcare majors at the University of Memphis can breathe a sigh of relief knowing they are on a lucrative career path. According to an article in USA Today published Tuesday, U of M graduates with a bachelor’s degree in a healthcare related field earned the highest average salary — $59,570 — compared to any other school in the nation. There are 2,351 undergraduate students in health-related majors at the U of M, with the majority of students — about 1242 — in the pre-nursing field, according to Cynthia Martin, research analyst for the U of M Office of Institutional Research. The number of students enrolled in health-related doctoral, professional and masters programs at the University is 542. “A lot of students in our program go on to graduate school,” Richard Bloomer, chair of the Health and Sports Science Department, said. “Our program prepares students to enter graduate school and the workforce with our 360-hour internships and rigorous curriculum.” For those not looking past a four-year degree, the mean income of registered dieticians with a bachelor’s degree is between $30,000 and $50,000, according to Bloomer. “A registered dietician with a license is going to make more than someone with a degree working somewhere like the YMCA,” Bloomer said. He said in the preventative field of healthcare there is a need for employees. “I think based on the current situation in America we are going to need
see SALARY on page 3
By Jennifer Rorie
news@dailyhelmsman.com “Needles were being scattered, he was crying and the family was a basket-case of emotion.” This was Thanksgiving 2009 for Lauren, a University of Memphis junior who asked to be identified by a pseudonym. While many Americans are getting into the holiday spirit, activists and healthcare officials have a different agenda for Saturday — World AIDS Day. Free on-campus screenings are available today courtesy of the University. Started in 1995, this day is meant to encourage victims and raise awareness about the human immunodeficiency virus and its predecessor, the acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Knowing the causes and preventative measures can help a person avoid contracting HIV. In Lauren’s case, she found out her boyfriend had been shooting up heroin at lunch on Thanksgiving Day. “Twenty percent of Americans have the infection and don’t even know it,” said Jennifer Wright of a local health department. Wright said less than half of the patients who come in for sexually transmitted disease testing consider the pos-
Photo By oliveR DoUlieRy | aBaCa PRess
Activists sponsor a World AIDS Day mock funeral procession in front of the White House, Tuesday, December 1, 2009, in Washington D.C. sibility of being infected with HIV. “I have a brief consultation with each person before the testing, and when I get to HIV and AIDS, I am usually pushed away by them telling me they aren’t gay,” Wright said. She is discomforted that many don’t
realize they don’t have to fit into a stereotype to be HIV positive — it can happen to anyone. Popular culture brought AIDS to the public consciousness in the 90s after years of being swept under the rug. The movie “Kids,” plays like
“Rent” and episodes of “Nip/Tuck” all have characters who faced the possibility of being HIV positive. Despite the increase in awareness, the number of people infected grows
see AIDS on page 5
Provost candidate talks innovation, speaks today By Chelsea Boozer
cboozer@dailyhelmsman.com Expect an innovative look at all aspects of campus if provost candidate David Rudd gets appointed to the position. Rudd spoke to a full room Thursday, fielding questions from an audience mostly made up of department heads, deans, administrative officials and faculty. He is scheduled to speak at an open meeting again this morning at 9 in the FedEx Institute of Technology in room 203. If what he said Thursday is any indication of how he’ll answer questions today, attendees can expect Rudd to be on his toes and relate challenges faced by the University of Memphis to his experience at the University
The Daily Helmsman is a “designated public forum.” Students have authority to make all content decisions without censorship or advance approval. The Daily Helmsman is pleased to make a maximum of 10 copies of each issue available to a reader for free. Additional copies are $1. Partial printing and distribution costs are provided by an allocation from the Student Activity Fee.
of Utah, where he serves as dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Science and a professor of psychology. In the cover letter of his extensive 58-page resume, it says that Rudd’s most notable accomplishment “is his movement of the college from over $1 million in debt to a net surplus of over $3 million during the nation’s worst recession.” He boasted that that did not happen by firing faculty, but with redevelopment, by raising money, reducing tiny course offerings and other techniques. The biggest challenge a new provost at the U of M will face, Rudd said, is relating to nontraditional and online students. “We want alums to identify with
see PROVOST on page 6
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Photo By Jonathan Jenkins | staFF
David Rudd makes his case in the interview process for the position of University of Memphis provost during an open session Thursday. Crime Log Tigers’ Tales
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