February 9, 2012
Volume 80 No. 19
www.FlorAla.net
Student newspaper of the University of North Alabama
Traditional vs. online
Officials say students should take adequate precautions against flu 2W[P ;SIOO[
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photo illustration by KAYLA SLOAN I Staff Photographer
Although Alabama has only recently seen seasonal influenza cases on the local level, health officials still urge the general public to take precautions against the flu. The Shoals area is seeing a late start to the flu season, but people should be careful, said Dr. Marlon Florida, emergency department physician at Shoals Hospital. The flu vaccination is one No flu cases have been of the best ways reported to the UNA to keep from Health and Wellness Cengetting the flu, ter this year, but officials Florida said. advise students to pro“The real flu tect themselves against typically lasts the virus. from about five to six weeks,” Florida said. “You stand the chance of missing work and classes.” Although the flu vaccine does have side effects, Florida said the real flu symptoms are much worse than the shot. He said the side effects are typically like flu symptoms, just not as severe, and the most common side effect is a sore injection site. Florida said the flu vaccination typically takes two weeks to become fully effective. The flu shot caries three strains of flu in small amounts that are injected into the body, he added.
photo by DARRICK DAWKINS I Staff Photographer
Student Kevin Clark passes out on his desk during class. UNA professors and students have diverse opinions on the topic of traditional and nontraditional classes and whether certain learning environments are better.
Campus community weighs in on whether online classes affect learning )VLa <PQOXMV
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With non-committal weather, visions of cars hovering like vultures for the best spot behind the GUC and professors that may or may not have class, sometimes killing that nagging alarm clock and skipping class for sleep may seem like the best option. An alternative to the traditional clasroom setting is the online classroom offered through the distance learning program. Thomas Beane, a nontraditional student, prefers online classes because
they give him freedom to work on his own time. “I enjoy online because I can work on my hours,” he said. “It makes it easy for me to take care of my family obligations. The problem is, if you don’t stay on top of it, you can be behind before you ever realize.” Beane said online classes are not always better than traditional courses. He said, however, that online classes take discipline and regular attendance is still important. “With online classes, you need to create a schedule,” he said. “Do read-
ings as if they were a lecture. If you don’t have and keep a schedule, that’s when you fall behind.” English professor Dr. Cynthia Burkhead agrees. “I do not believe one is better than the other,” she said. “They are different. It takes a lot of discipline to take an online course. If you’re taking an online class, you’re going to have a different role as a student.” While the role of the student changes, so does the role of the professor, according to Coordinator of Distance
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Yellow light: FIRE rates UNAʼs speech codes +WXa 7XQVQWV[ -LQ\WZ ITQVLTMa(]VI ML]
The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) has given UNA’s student speech code policy a rating of yellow. Yellow lighted universities have at least one policy that could encourage “administrative abuse and arbitrary application,” according to the organization’s website, thefire.org.
LEARN MORE: To view UNAʼs FIRE rating, visit the website at thefire.org/spotlight/ codes/34.html The FIRE rates schools based on how much their policies could prohibit free speech guaranteed by the First Amend-
ment. UNA President Dr. Bill Cale said The FIRE’s rating comes down to a difference in opinion. “The FIRE is entitled to their opinion, of course, and it is one with which we are aware,” he said. “However, their conclusion is one with which UNA disagrees. “We have vetted our speech policy through our legal counsel and only adopted that code after being comfortable that we did not violate the First Amendment.” The university speech codes only serve to maintain a safe haven for students, Cale said. “Our approach to speech, as with other matters, is to insure that UNA provides a learning environment that is free from harassment and behaviors
that disrupt our educational purpose,” he said. “This is a position that is defensible even as it protects First Amendment rights.” The university’s speech codes are produced in the office of Vice President for Student Affairs David Shields. “When we wrote our policy, we put it through our legal counsel and looked at Supreme Court cases as well as some of the best existing policies,” he said. “We’ve gotten a letter from FIRE every year telling us about our rating.” Shields said the codes serve to maintain a civil free speech environment. “A university is a place of open inquiry photo by BARRY MINOR I Staff Photographer
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and discourse,” he said. “It’s a place to look at different points of view and engage in critical thinking—but in a civil way. We want free speech, but we can’t have speech that puts people in direct harm.” One part of the speech codes that the FIRE takes issue with is the university’s Internet usage policy, which prohibits “abusive, obscene, or threatening messages by use of computing facilities and services.” Even in the digital world, the university is simply trying to maintain a safe environment for students, Shields said. “Social media has become so ingrained in the way we do things that it has taken the responsibility out of communication,” he said. “I don’t monitor anything online unless it is brought to my attention. Sometimes what is said on social media sites can spill into the realm of the institution.” The biggest challenge is making civil-
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