DKS
DAILY KENT STATER The independent student newspaper of Kent State University
Tune in at 5:30 p.m. for TV2’s story about Stanislaw’s dismissal.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Check out KentWired.com to see the Life Flight helicopter land on the Esplanade extension.
BREAKING NEWS AT KENTWIRED.COM
Popular professor dismissed Stanislaw disputes KSU’s claim that he ‘actively misrepresented’ credentials Rex Santus rsantus@kent.edu
Student Surveys
He wasn’t a typical professor. Student-run magazine The Burr published a sixpage Q-and-A with Stanislaw in its April 2013 issue, and KentWired.com readers voted him one of the five best Kent State professors in 2012. Stanislaw said he has submitted an appeal to the university’s decision, but he is not optimistic. “I plead ignorance on the status of the appeal,” he said. “I have not heard anything from” the university, which he called “rude.” In response to a publicrecords request to Kent State asking for Stanislaw’s appeal document, assistant counsel Nichole DeCaprio said there “are no records responsive to this request.”
Richard Stanislaw, an assistant professor of political science and winner of the 2011-12 Outstanding Teacher Award, was not renewed as a faculty member at Kent State for this school year, with administrators citing his teaching approach and “actively misrepresented” credentials as reasons. Documents obtained from Kent State and Purdue University by the Daily Kent Stater show that Stanislaw, a nontenure-track faculty member, never completed a Ph.D. program at Purdue. A Ph.D. is not always required for faculty members, but “you were clearly hired with the expectation that you would make progress toward a doctorate, and you No Ph.D. have actively misrepresented the Stanislaw’s record from Purfact that that would not and could due shows no activity after 2001. not happen,” wrote Andrew On his application, StaniBarnes, chair of the political sci- slaw listed 2004 as the year of ence depart“expected” ment, in a notic o m p l e tio n fication letter of the doctorof nonrenewal ate, Barnes’ to Stanislaw. letter said. “In light A docuof the breadth ment chartand scope of ing Staniyour misrepslaw’s time resentation at Purdue concerning said, “The the status of above named your dissertastudent did tion, the comnot receive a mittee and I degree from agree that your the instituappointment tion.” Interim should not be registrar Lesa renewed.” Beals certified In a recent the document interview Sept. 18, 2013. with the AccordStater, Staniing to Barnes’ slaw admitletter, Stanited he never slaw did not completed a submit his doctoral proofficial trangram at Purscript to the due, but he university Richard Stanislaw until recently rebutted that Former Assistant despite “sevthis was conprofessor of eral” requests cealed from political science b y d e p a r t his employers. “The fact ment chairs. that I did not complete my Stanislaw’s first offer letter Ph.D. was a secret to no one for full-time employment at and actually is even something Kent State, in June 2007, said, I talk about quite publicly,” “ ‘An official transcript showStanislaw said. ing completion of the doctoral “It is most important to degree from the awarding Unithem to have credentialed versity must be sent to the Dean faculty, and the fact is I didn’t for transmission to the Office of have my credentials.” the Provost before your employIn actuality, Stanislaw said, ment begins,’ ” Barnes wrote. some tenured faculty and “Finally, when I asked you in department officials wanted him an email in February how your out. He was popular among stu- dissertation was coming, you dents and employed an atypical replied that it was ‘stalled,’ and teaching method — two things you suggested that you hoped that didn’t sit well with higher- to pick it back up soon,” Barnes ups and tenured faculty, he said. wrote. “This, of course, would be “There were faculty mem- impossible because you have not bers who were suspicious of been enrolled in a Ph.D. program me precisely because I was for the better part of a decade.” Barnes declined an interpopular,” Stanislaw said.
“There were faculty members who were suspicious of me precisely because I was popular.”
BRIAN SMITH | DAILY KENT STATER Richard Stanislaw, a former assistant professor of political science at Kent State, was not renewed as an instructor this school year. Officials cited a “pattern of misrepresentation” regarding Stanislaw’s credentials, as well as a “lack of learning outcomes” in his classes when making the decision to not renew his employment. Stanislaw disputes these allegations.
Richard Stanislaw was a popular professor. Here are some comments via end-of-semester student surveys: • “The best professor I have had at KSU! It’s my senior yr., this says something!” • “Best lecture class I have had in 3 years at college. Most thinking I have ever done in a class as well. All thanks to the teacher.” • “Give him a raise!!!!” • “Very informative, one of the most interesting classes I have taken at Kent State.” • “One of my Top 3 favorite classes and I’m not even in this major.” • “Awesome! Prof was knowledgable (sic) and entertaining. Found a fun way to read, learn, understand Political Thought.” • “Great instructor, Stanislaw should be a required professor.”
An anonymous survey praising Stanislaw. This student — like many others — was enthusiastic about the political science professor.
view with the Stater. “It’s no secret at all that I didn’t defend my dissertation, and no one didn’t know that,” Stanislaw said. Officials always had his transcript, too, he said. That he evaded “repeated requests” was untrue. “He, I think in there, but maybe in other correspondence … he focused a lot on that ‘stalled’ word,” Stanislaw said. “He asked, at one point, like in a quick email, you know, what the status was, and I replied ‘stalled.’ ” Kent State spokesman Eric Mansfield said he could not comment on Stanislaw’s dismissal. He said the university only confirms required credentials. Therefore, the verification of Stanislaw’s Ph.D. would have fallen on the college’s shoulders. “Kent State University’s Office of Academic Personnel reviews and validates those credentials required for specific jobs by requiring original transcripts from the institution issuing the degree,” Mansfield said in a pre-
pared statement. “The further vetting process for faculty hires often takes place within the individual department or college.”
Classroom criticism
The main reason for the dismissal, Stanislaw said, was that his class followed a “Socratic” teaching method, which relies on discussion and debate, according to Stanislaw’s teaching philosophy, rather than traditional lecture approaches. “If I have to put up PowerPoint slides and give lots of objective exams where people are just spitting back some facts to me that I think they will forget almost immediately, I don’t think I’d even be particularly good at that, and so, good riddance to that,” he said. Furthermore, he specializes in political theory — a research area without a good job outlook, and that is not “very measurable,” he said.
SEE STANISLAW, PAGE 2
“Standing alone, the concerns regarding your pedagogical approach and, even more disconcerting, the lack of learning outcomes experienced by some students, are significant enough to seriously entertain nonrenewal.” Andrew barnes Chair of political science department
An excerpt from an appeal letter Stanislaw provided to the Stater. When a public-records request was submitted to Kent State asking for the Stanislaw’s appeal document, an administrator said in an email that there “are no records responsive to this request.”
New Campus Pointe management hopes to bring fresh air to off-campus housing Christina Suttles csuttle1@kent.edu Campus Advantage, a Texas-based student-housing firm, is working to provide on-campus amenities to students feeling isolated from the college experience. Campus Pointe Apartments is under new ownership as of Monday after executives of Campus Advantage announced their first property purchase in Ohio. The decision comes as a result of the firm’s interest in Kent State’s “ideal” offcampus-housing market, said Michael Orsak, senior vice president of investment at Campus Advantage. He said Kent State’s size and student population were greatly considered during the decisionmaking process. “We think Kent State is a good off-campus student housing market to own student housing in,” he said. “The full on-campus market and the limited off-campus housing is what attracted us.” Orsak said the firm has decided to withhold the price at which the property was purchased, but he expects the transition to be “nothing but beneficial” to residential life. He said off-campus residents can expect a more lively, authentic college experience with the addition of new residential-life programs throughout the complex. “It would entail (having) a very similar residential-lifeprogram style to that of Kent State’s on-campus,” he said. “So we would have social activities, career-development programming, educational programming for the residents ... how to understand your own personal finances.” In terms of structure and staff, Orsak said he doesn’t foresee any significant changes to the property’s daily operations with the exception of “community assistants,” or student employees, who will serve as off-campus equivalents to oncampus resident assistants.
SEE POINTE, PAGE 2
Services for late KSU chef to take place Friday, Saturday Funeral services will be held Friday and Saturday for John Goehler, senior associate director of Dining Services and certified executive chef. Goehler died of unknown causes at age 59 on the evening of Friday, Oct. 11. He had worked with Dining Services for 32 years. Dining Services Director Richard Roldan said Goehler was an active member of the Kent State community who will be missed by all. “He definitely serviced Kent State University in a lot of ways,” Roldan said. “He was very active with the students; he worked with a lot of students, especially in the kitchen. He was very focused on bringing diversity to the menu. With 32 years of service, he’ll be deeply missed by everyone here, no doubt about it.” Calling hours will be Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. at Donovan-Bagnoli Funeral Home in Tallmadge. His funeral will be Saturday at 11 a.m. at the same location. Goehler’s family could not be reached by press time. —Emily Mills, health reporter
Page 2 | Wednesday, October 23, 2013 From Page 1
STANISLAW Popular professor ... “That means there’s less and less room for, in my case, the classes that I teach, as well as the way that I teach them,” Stanislaw said. “And I feel as though there are a lot of students who got a lot out of my classes, and my chair and my department felt differently. “I think that it’s a sad, desperate sort of direction for Kent State to go. Students are suffering.” Barnes, along with several classroom observers, noted a pattern of “discussion mostly focused on current events.” Barnes said although the discussion “was generally good, and the students who spoke up after class certainly enjoyed it,” it “was not linked to the material discussed in the syllabus in any systematic way.” In addition, faculty members who would substitute for Stanislaw’s classes noted that students were often unsure of what had been covered, Barnes’ letter said. “Standing alone, the concerns regarding your pedagogical approach and, even more disconcerting, the lack of learning outcomes experienced by
some students, are significant enough to seriously entertain nonrenewal,” Barnes said. One of Stanislaw’s two peer reviewers, Patrick Coy, professor in Kent State’s Center for Applied Conflict Management, observed Stanislaw’s class Feb. 7, 2013, as part of his employment review process. Coy, in his written review, said he was surprised by how “basic” much of the class discussion and lecture was. “While I was observing the class, I had a difficult time understanding what the goals of the various exchanges and discussions might be,” Coy wrote. In addition, students’ grades in Stanislaw’s classes were “very high,” Coy said. Much of Stanislaw’s exam questions and studyguide examples overlapped, too, calling into question the “meaningfulness of the grades awarded.” Coy’s “initial impressions” about the correlation between exam and study-guide questions, however, “were wrong,” according to an email sent by Barnes on Feb. 20, 2013, to a university administrator. He asked that his letter be read “as if the exam/study-guide were NOT included.” This email was obtained through Ohio’s Open Records law.
Daily Kent Stater Coy declined an interview with the Stater. Associate political science professor Michael Ensley peer reviewed Stanislaw favorably, saying his was one of the more “interesting and engaging undergraduate level classes” that Ensley had witnessed in a “long time.” “The survey results showed that so far Rich is doing an excellent job from the perspective of the students,” Ensley wrote. “Every student indicates that their experience in the course overall is excellent.” Ensley declined an interview with student media.
Looking ahead
Stanislaw said he does not regret his time at Kent State and the contributions he made here. “I thoroughly enjoyed teaching and would have contentedly kept doing what I was doing at Kent at least for some period of time,” Stanislaw said. Students who took his classes probably only enrolled in only one or two as undergraduates, he said. Nobody comes to Kent State with political theory in mind. “I thought, in part, my role was to cultivate citizens, to cultivate better thinkers, to have people be engaged in politics,” Stanislaw said. Stanislaw said he still plans
on one day finishing his Ph.D. at Purdue. “I’m still planning on going back,” he said. “Pretty much everyone in my life nags me on an almost daily basis to.” James McCann, professor of political science at Purdue, said he worked with Stanislaw, who was once his teaching assistant. “I remember him to be a very able teaching assistant and somebody who was quite committed to higher education and was very open to using very creative teaching methods,” McCann said. “I would describe him as a well-intentioned and capable teaching assistant.” He said he was unaware that Stanislaw had never completed his Ph.D. at Purdue. At the moment, Stanislaw said he’s living in New York City. He’s spending his time writing and pursuing some other endeavors such as acting. He doesn’t know if he’ll return to the classroom, but it’s a possibility, he said. “I hope everyone’s doing well,” he said in regards to his former students. “I hope they took something positive away from my classes. I hope they pick up some books occasionally, read the newspaper, vote. Come have a drink with me in Manhattan.” Rex Santus is a senior enterprise reporter for the Daily Kent Stater.
KENT WIRED.COM For video and full documents, visit KentWired.com.
Briefs
Documentary raises awareness of stereotypes in black community Kent State’s Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion will team up with Mt. Zion Church of Oakwood Village and the Chalkdust Education Foundation on Saturday to present a movie screening and roundtable discussion on the stereotypes and misperceptions of the black community. “The goal (of the event) is to empower our students with the truth,” said Shana Lee, director of special projects and initiatives for the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The documentary “Hoodwinked: Unmasking the Truth, Uncovering Our Reality: Reviewing, Reflection and Reconnecting to Our Future,” produced by Janks Morton, will be played at the church from 10 a.m. to noon. “Hoodwinked” is the sequel to the 2007 documentary “What Black Men Think,” according to Morton’s website. Morton will be present at the event and involved in the discussions about misconceptions of African-Americans in the media, Lee said. Free transportation will be provided for Kent State students. Those who wish to attend should contact Lee no later than Wednesday at slee@kent.edu. —Carley Hull, diversity reporter
African scholar to teach use of art, friendship to overcome conflict Kent State students will have the opportunity to hear from a Senegalese scholar Thursday and Friday. Alphonse Raphaël Ndiaye, a resident scholar from Boston University, will discuss “the ways in which ethnic groups in Senegal and other parts of West Africa use friendly jokes about one another in order to avoid conflicts,” associate English professor Babacar Mbaye said. Ndiaye is the director of the Léopold Sédar Senghor Foundation, a UNESCO-affiliated organization that seeks to preserve and enrich the cultural heritage of Africa through art, literature and education. “Students will have a real image of Africa from an African scholar who lives and works on the continent,” Mbaye said. Using traditional Senegalese poetry, music and literature, Ndiaye plans to teach students how to overcome cultural conflicts using friendship, kinship and humor. This technique, Mbaye said, has allowed African cultures to develop friendships despite ethnic differences. During the Friday workshop, students will have the opportunity to learn about Léopold Sédar Senghor, “a renowned world poet and friend of many African-American writers of the Harlem Renaissance period,” Mbaye said. A reception will be held at 5:15 p.m. outside the firstfloor gallery in Oscar Ritchie Hall on Thursday, and the lecture will start at 7 p.m. Friday’s workshop will take place in Room 250 from 10 a.m. to noon. —Matt Merchant, ethnic affairs reporter
Networking now, jobs later — KSU to host information professionals
Part of a document detailing Stanislaw’s academic career at Purdue University. According to this certified record provided by Purdue officials, there is no activity after 2001.
News
on the go
T
he 12-year-old who opened fire on his Nevada middle school Monday got a gun from his home, and he then used it to kill an exMarine teaching at the school, officials said Tuesday. The boy’s parents are cooperating with police, and officials said they could face charges. Officials are withholding the name of the Sparks Middle School seventh-grade shooter, who killed himself, out of respect for his family, but school and law-enforcement officials praised teacher Michael Landsberry for his heroic actions to stop the boy. Full story on KentWired.com
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pple announced Tuesday it is adding a new iPad called the iPad Air to its tablet lineup and a new line of Macs. The iPad Air only weighs 1 pound as opposed to the 1.4 pounds for the previous version, and it is eight times faster than the original 2010 iPad. The iPad Air will sell for $499 starting Nov. 1, and a new iPad Mini will be available for $399 later in November.
reek officials Tuesday ordered an emergency check of all birth records from the last six years after a Gypsy couple was arrested on suspicion of abducting a girl who was proven last week to not be their biological child, though she was listed as theirs on a birth certificate. The suspects, Eleftheria Dimopoulu and Christos Salis, have declared 14 children for welfare purposes, but eight of those are presumed not to exist, officials said. The suspects say they did not abduct the girl, and a destitute woman gave her to them to raise, and human-rights groups said the Gypsy camp was unfairly targeted in last week’s raid that found the girl. Full story on KentWired.com
A
fter a meeting Tuesday between Syrian opposition leaders and 11 foreign supporters, the United States and Europe pushed the opposition to attend a peace conference that aims to end Syria’s civil war. The peace conference has been postponed several times, but U.N. officials now are calling for a peace conference in Geneva to convene as soon as possible. Syrian President Bashar Assad said Monday he doubted the rebels were organized enough to convene yet.
Kent State will host information-systems and information-technology employers Wednesday from 1 to 3:30 p.m. in preparation for the Fall Job and Internship Fair. Robert Walker, director of the School of Digital Sciences, said the networking event will offer students a wealth of opportunities for growth and jobs, as several regional IS and IT companies will be present. “Waiting until your senior year to start looking at companies is almost too late,” Walker said because companies start looking for interns as soon as the end of freshman year. Unlike the IS/IT Expo held in the spring, which promotes different jobs, this event is about making connections with a future company and employer, Walker said. Participating companies include American Greetings, FirstEnergy, Hyland Software and Progressive. The event will be on the second floor of the Student Center. The idea is for students to show up with a resume, meet employers and learn as much as possible while getting their name out, Walker said. Presented by the College of Applied Engineering, Sustainability and Technology, the School of Digital Sciences as well as other boards and departments, Walker said this networking event is new to Kent State and will be one of many. —Taylor Williams, technology reporter
From Page 1
POINTE Information is from the Associated Press
Carrie Blazina is the nation and world editor for the Daily Kent Stater.
New Campus Pointe... “We expect to have a full staff of eight to 10 community assistants on site to provide that residential programming to all the residents of the property,” he said. Campus Pointe employee David Oltmanns said he’s unsure of many of the details but hasn’t been informed of any changes since the property’s transfer. “It’s going to be the same,” he said. “We have the same
management staff; it’s just new owners. We’re still going to have the park out front and everything.” The complex, previously owned by Richland Communities, Ltd., offers 198 units to students and usually runs at full capacity. Campus Advantage manages more than 45 student housing communities in 19 states, according to its website. It was founded in 2003 and investors have been acquiring student housing since. Christina Suttles is a city reporter for the Daily Kent Stater.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013 | Page 3
Daily Kent Stater
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The Stater hopes to encourage lively debate about the issues of the day on the Opinion Page. Opinions on this page are the authors’ and not necessarily endorsed by the Stater or its editors. Readers are encouraged to participate through letters to the editor (email them to jsingle8@kent.edu) and guest columns. Submissions become property of the Stater and are subject to editing without notice.
Opinion editor: Tyler Singleton Editor: Lydia Coutré Managing editor: Amy Cooknick Special projects editor: Daniel Moore News editor: Grace Murray The Opinion Page is an outlet for our community’s varied opinions.
NATE BEELER’S VIEW
Cheers to Apple for mimicking a move by Microsoft and releasing its new operating system, “OS X Mavericks,” as a free download.
Jeers to cemetery officials in Cincinnati for ordering a 7-foot SpongeBob statue in an Army uniform be removed as it is “inappropriate for a traditional resting place.”
Ugh, I can’t fall asleep Shawn Mercer Columnist As I sat in class Monday, a friend sitting next to me looked as if she were about to pass out. Turns out she couldn’t sleep. She was suffering from insomnia. The Mayo Clinic defines insomnia as “not getting enough sleep for normal daily function, despite having had adequate opportunity for sleep.” Just as the definition sounds, insomnia is frustrating and can be caused and improved by a variety of things. Stress and anxiety. With a lot on your mind, it makes it difficult to settle down. Taking time to relax before bed may just help ease the mind. Yoga, stretching, breathing exercises, music, reading or anything else that gets your mind off the toil and trouble of the day can help you sleep. Drinking too much alcohol. Alcohol might help you get to sleep, but alcohol prevents you from reaching deep sleep. In this way, you might be easily woken up or may not feel rested after sleeping. Alcohol should not be used as a sedative because of this. Caffeine, nicotine and other stimulants. This one is pretty selfexplanatory. Stimulants tend to keep you awake and keep your central nervous system active. Don’t drink caffeinated drinks or smoke late into the evening, if you want a restful night of sleep. Too much blue light from technology and television. As I mentioned in a previous column, blue light is most present outside during midday and subsides as the evening approaches. Accordingly, your natural circadian rhythm is in tune with the changing light in your surroundings. Because we are not nocturnal, this normally means with less light, we want to go to sleep. Conversely, not spending any time in the sun during daylight hours may also keep you awake at night. Thus, download a program such as f.lux to modulate the blue light on your computer screen. Also, turn down the lights an hour before you plan to sleep. Naps. Naps might be your best friend or enemy regarding insomnia depending on a few things. First, naps can be a natural part of your sleep cycle and in many parts of the world, the midday nap, or siesta, is a normal part of the culture. Second, in order to incorporate a long nap, say 90 minutes, into your day it should be done so consistently. Third, short power naps of 20 minutes can help you feel more energized and can be more sporadically added into your schedule. Finally, in addition to naps, splitting nighttime sleeping into two halves might be natural to some people, and if you wake up in the middle of the night, it might be perfectly OK for you to get a few things done before returning to bed. Insomnia is something all of us have or probably will deal with sometime in our life. In order to combat it, we must examine our lives in order to understand if they are conducive to sleep. Accordingly we may need to change our habits to get the sleep we all desperately need. Shawn Mercer is a senior integrated life sciences major and a columnist for the Daily Kent Stater. Contact him at smerce12@kent.edu.
How essential are credentials?
Summary: Popular professor Richard Stanislaw was not renewed as a faculty member after administrators investigated his “actively misrepresented” credentials. This raises questions about background checks university-wide. Students noticed this semester when Richard Stanislaw, assistant professor of political science, did not return to the classroom. Consistently cited as a favorite Kent State professor, Stanislaw’s lack of credentials apparently outweighed his popularity among students when the decision came down to administrators. In a letter from Andrew Barnes, chair of the political science department, notifying Stanislaw that his contract would not be renewed, Barnes cited Stanislaw’s “pattern of misrepresentation” regarding a Ph.D. as impetus for his dismissal. “You were clearly hired with the expectation that you would make progress toward a doctorate,” Barnes wrote, pointing out that because Stanislaw was not enrolled in a Ph.D. program, he could not attempt a doctorate and had misled administrators in saying he would. Barnes added that Stanislaw did not submit an official transcript to Kent State until “recently” despite first being asked for it in 2007. In fact, Barnes wrote “an official transcript showing completion of the doctoral degree from the awarding University” was required before he could be pro-
moted to a full-time position. Of course, Stanislaw disputes these allegations of “misrepresentation,” but the fact that he was able to teach into this year, despite Barnes’ claiming that he did not submit these credentials, raises one obvious question above all others: How did this happen? If what Barnes said is true, how was Stanislaw not only able to begin full-time teaching, but to continue teaching, despite not submitting these documents? What made Stanislaw’s situation unique? Also, if Stanislaw managed this, could other professors do the same? Have they? Who is checking these requirements, and how important are they if they can be ignored for so long? While we’re not saying that every professor must have a Ph.D., we’re concerned that in a case where lack of a Ph.D. is cited as the main reason for a professor’s dismissal that more wasn’t done to monitor the situation before it escalated. The above editorial is the consensus opinion of the Daily Kent Stater editorial board, whose names are listed above.
Discovering the epidemic of overtreatment H. Gilbert Welch Guest Columnist Similar populations living in different regions of the United States get exposed to wildly different amounts of medical care. If that sounds like an old story, it is. But it is an important story to reflect on as we consider the path forward for our medical care system. In the late 1960s, a nephrologist trained in epidemiology was sent to Burlington, Vt., to run the state’s regional medical program. The program was part of the Lyndon B. Johnson administration’s effort to bring the advances of modern medicine to all parts of the nation. Its goal was to identify which areas of Vermont were underserved. The findings were — so to speak — all over the map. Depending on where she lived within the state, a woman’s chances of having her uterus removed varied as much as threefold. A man’s chances of having his prostate removed varied as much as fourfold. And the children of Morrisville were more than 10 times as likely to have their tonsils removed as their counterparts in Middlebury. Because the population of the state was so homogenous, it sure looked like the variations were driven by the medical care system, not its patients. No medical journal would publish the findings, and so they instead appeared in the journal Science. Despite his original motivation to identify underservice, the nephrologist-and-epidemiologist concluded the 1973 Science article with a decidedly different take: “the possibility of too much medical care and the attendant likelihood of iatrogenic illness is as strong as the possibility of not enough.” He was a radical. His name is John E. Wennberg, M.D., M.P.H; but at Dartmouth, we all call him Jack. He is the reason Dartmouth is on the health-policy map. Jack went on to document similarly wildly variable medical practices in the other New England states. But it wasn’t until he compared two of the nation’s most prominent medical communities — Boston and New Haven, Conn. — that the major medical journals took notice. In the late 1980s, both the Lancet and the New England Journal of Medicine published the findings that Boston residents were hospitalized 60 percent
more often than their counterparts in New Haven. Oh, by the way, the rate of death — and the age of death — in the two cities were the same. OK, it’s interesting history. But how is it relevant today? This work represents the genesis of a new science — medical care epidemiology, a science we are about to need a lot more of. Classically, epidemiology examines exposures relevant to infectious disease: think water supplies as the source of cholera epidemics in the mid1800s to food supplies as the source of recent Salmonella outbreaks. In the mid-1900s, epidemiology began to tackle exposures relevant to chronic disease. Medical care epidemiology examines the effect of exposure to medical care: how differential exposure across time and place relates to population health outcomes. It acknowledges medical care can produce both benefits and harms, and conventional concerns about underservice should be balanced by concerns about overdiagnosis and overtreatment. Think of it as surveillance for a different type of outbreak: outbreaks of diagnosis and treatment. Medical care epidemiology is not a substitute for traditional clinical research. Instead, it is a complement, because there are many questions that cannot be studied in randomized trials. How do new diagnostic and treatment technologies affect clinical practice? Do specialists better spend their time doing procedures or providing support for primary-care practitioners? How frequently should patients be seen? Jack is the father of this new science and the inspiration who led the next generation of physicians to enter the field. His colleagues will honor his contribution this month at Dartmouth on this 40th anniversary of his Science paper. But all Americans have benefited from his contributions: bringing science to bear on the practice of medical care, recognizing that too much medical care is a problem and arguing that medical care should serve the needs of the patient, not the needs of the system. H. Gilbert Welch is a professor of medicine at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice and an author of “Overdiagnosed: Making People Sick in the Pursuit of Health.” He is currently on sabbatical at Montana State University in Bozeman. He wrote this for the Los Angeles Times.
‘Kill Your Darlings’ displays respectable biographical events Megan L. Brown Columnist John Krokidas’ biographical film “Kill Your Darlings” stars well-known “Harry Potter” actor Daniel Radcliffe as poet Allen Ginsberg. The film had its world premiere at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, taking in its first positive reviews. The film takes on the tragic event of Beat Generation figure David Kammerer's murder by Lucien Carr in 1944 and brings together the great poets of the beat generation: Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs. Before Ginsberg became the beloved, bearded, Buddhist poet of the 1960’s counterculture, he was a thin, apprehensive Columbia University freshman who befriended a group of rebellious classmates. The film shows the young poets before they were legends. Ginsberg strongly opposed economic materialism, militarism and sexual repression during the time of his work. “Howl” criticizes the damaging forces of capitalism and conventionality which he saw in the United States. Ginsberg first read his poem Oct. 7, 1955, to a crowd of about 150 at San Francisco’s Six Gallery. City Lights published “Howl” in 1956, and soon the poem, the poet and the San Franciscan Beats were known throughout the country. In 1957, the poem attracted extensive publicity when it became the focus of an obscenity trial, as it described heterosexual and homosexual sex at a time when homosexual acts seemed to be a crime in the U.S. Critics, poets and academics testified during the trial to redeem the social value of “Howl.” It was ruled not obscene, and City Lights was exonerated. I believe in individuality and the freedom of speech. I find the kind of writing Ginsberg did to be lost from our current generation. People shouldn’t be afraid to go beyond the bounds of reality or authority when it comes to writing or expressing thoughts. In the film “Kill Your Darlings” we are able to see the young, genuine poets such as Ginsberg, Kerouac and Burroughs become the genius writers in which they were. Radcliffe prevails as a young Ginsberg and gives his best performance to date, yet the focus of the film isn’t primarily on Ginsberg. The center of the film focuses on the relationship between the poet’s friend Lucien Carr and Carr’s former teacher, David Kammerer. Kammerer became increasingly desperate and possessive during their relationship which was marked by obsession, sadness, violence and tragedy. This tragic tale was unknown to people for many years. Sharing the story now, retrospectively, recovers lost biographical information and the reimaging of a chapter in recent gay history. The intensity of some poetry and a person’s commitment to it can be both good and bad. Poetry can be about expression to hidden and dangerous truths, but it also holds freedom to whatever you want it to be and symbolizes other freedoms. For many of us, we know who Ginsberg was and saw what he became and how the world changed around him. But in 1944, there were undeniably enormous, alarming risks, in which “Kill Your Darlings” represents in a creative and thrilling way. Megan L. Brown is sophomore news major and a columnist for the Daily Kent Stater. Contact her at mbrow121@kent.edu
Page 4 | Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Daily Kent Stater
Activist lectures on solving hunger, global food inequality
RACHAEL LE GOUBIN | DAILY KENT STATER Graduate art education student Matt Deibel (left) and Steven Strodtbeck (right) sit at the office the Disabled American Values Mobile Office has established in a mobile unit Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2013. The DAV mobile unit travels around Ohio helping veterans file disability claims for injuries obtained while in the service.
Mobile office provides assistance for veterans on campus, in community Chase Bonhotel cbonhotel@kent.edu The Disabled American Veterans Mobile Office stopped its caravan outside of the Michael Schwartz Center on Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. to provide counsel (to young veterans) and filing assistance for benefit programs. The disabled veterans organization was created by Judge Robert Marx in 1920 and consists of 1.2 million members. The Mobile Service Office program is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the service of the nation’s injured heroes. The service, free of charge, is available to veterans in school and veterans who are interested in learning about different benefits. This is the organization’s first time traveling to universities across the country while helping young veterans develop and file claims for compensation. “The Mobile Service Office provides a great opportunity for these veterans (on campus) and veterans in the community to learn about their benefits,” said Joshua Rider, assistant director of Kent State’s Center for Adult and
Veteran Services. Rider said one of the main focal points of the program is to reach one of the 647 GI Bill recipients on campus. These recipients are recently discharged veterans using the benefits of the Post-9/11 GI Bill. The Post-9/11 GI Bill, which was passed in 2008, created a variety of new education benefits programs for veterans, Rider said. The coverage from the bill is based on a tiered system that measures the time spent in active duty. Some facets of the bill include tuition provisions, monthly living stipends and allowances for books and supplies. Mike Brady, a national service officer for the Disabled American Veterans Mobile Office, said the office doesn’t only want to help with GI Bill benefits but also other conditions such as posttraumatic stress disorder, homelessness, veterans injured from natural disasters and the transition back to civilian life. “They don’t realize what benefits are out there and what we can do for them,” Brady said. “That’s what we are here for; they might be eligible for some-
thing they don’t know about.” Because this is the office’s first time traveling to Kent and with the lack of proper advertising, only a dozen veterans visited the office throughout the day. However, this isn’t a set back; it’s only the beginning. The mobile office will be back sometime during the spring semester. “It’s a little disappointing today. We thought we would get more veterans, but that doesn’t mean we are gong to stop trying,” Brady said. “It’s only the tip of the iceberg, and we will be back in 2014.” Veterans who stopped at the mobile office were ecstatic about the office’s willingness to help. “I thought it was great they were here today,” said Jon Hitchcock, a veteran of the War on Terror. “I received multiple injuries over there (in Iraq and Afghanistan) and what they were able to do for me was amazing. I never knew I was eligible for compensation.” Chase Bonhotel is the Student Recreation and Wellness Center and ROTC reporter for the Daily Kent Stater.
BRIANNA NEAL | DAILY KENT STATER Global-hunger-crisis speaker Raj Patel signs a copy of his book for Kent councilwoman Heidi Shaffer on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2013. Patel’s presentation was part of the Guest of Honor University Lecture Series.
Mariam Makatsaria mmakatsa@kent.edu Raj Patel, award-winning writer, activist and academic, delivered an engaging lecture and empowering stories about global food-related issues to an audience of more than 150 people at Kent State on Tuesday. Patel is the British-born American author of “Stuffed and Starved: the Hidden Battle for the World Food System” and “The Value of Nothing: How to Reshape Market Society and Redefine Democracy.” The lecture took place at the Student Center as a part of the Guest of Honor University Lecture Series. The Honors College organized the lecture. Patel talked about the Green Revolution and how more sustainable agriculture policies can be implemented to achieve the goals of eradicating hunger, obesity and food insecurity. “We have now more calories per person than we’ve ever had, but we also have a billion people who are malnourished,” Patel said. There was hardly a murmur from the audience as they listened to the speaker recount stories from his experiences in Malawi. “For me, the important thing here is the recognition that there are solutions,” Patel said. “What I’m keen to do now is kind of shift gears and to think a little bit about how the world can feed itself.” To support this idea, Patel focused on Malawian communities as an example of areas where “the deepest inequalities of the food system are challenged.” He then showed the audience a clip from the documentary he is currently working on with award-winning director Steve James,“Generation Food.” The clip showed a new farming practice in a Malawian community during which men and women share recipes, create tasty meals and exchange ideas.
“Recipe days are moments where women and men are equal, and everyone is encouraged to cook,” Patel said. “Women and men come together, and they come up with recipes with these new cool ingredients. It is an exciting space of equality.” As a result of participating in Recipe days and subsequent organizing, Patel said malnutrition in Malawian communities dropped to 0 percent. “What this story shows, and what I think is very real in the world today, is that there are thousands of stories of people really understanding some of the deep inequalities of the world and overcoming them,” Patel said. “It seems to me that only through that we will be able to feed the world.” In a closing comment, Patel said that “there can’t be one thing that ends hunger.” He listed local currencies, investment of science, localizing of economies, understanding and fighting inequality and ending patriarchy as some of the important steps toward “a more just world.” The crowd applauded cheerfully at the end of the lecture. “I was quite pleased,” said Victoria Bocchicchio, the Honors College’s director of academic programs. “I thought he was very engaging. He is a great storyteller as well as very informative, and he understood how to engage the audience.” Following the lecture, Patel responded to questions from members of the audience. Refreshments were available after the lecture. Patel stayed to chat with members of the audience, sign copies of his books and take photographs. “I learned a lot of things I didn’t know,” said Brian Katona, senior aeronautics major who attended the event. “I guess I would say I agree with everything he said and I thought he supported himself very well. He really is an expert.” Mariam Makatsaria is the regional campuses and honors college reporter for the Daily Kent Stater.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013 | Page 5
Daily Kent Stater
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By Nancy Black Today’s Birthday (10/23/13) Fun and creativity energize this year. Your muse for talents and romance blesses you this spring and summer and could carry you to distant shores. Expand boundaries, and explore new flavors. Share your expression. Embrace a golden opportunity. Partnerships grow, and a rise in romantic status follows the spring eclipse. Enjoy abundance.
To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging.
Aries (March 21-April 19) Today is a 7. For the next month, save more than you spend. Focus on resources and planning. Some things are still out of reach. Don’t tell everyone what you’ve got. Get your affairs into order. Rejuvenate romance with poetry, art and magic. Taurus (April 20-May 20) Today is an 8. You can plan for the future while managing current changes. Learn to delegate. Expect the temporary opposition of a partner. Don’t make assumptions. Get extra efficient. Gemini (May 21-June 20) Today is an 8. There’s plenty of work this month with increased income, so stash it in a safe place. Postpone a family gathering temporarily. Opposites attract. An old flame reappears. There was a reason the spark went out. Keep your focus. Cancer (June 21-July 22) Today is a 7. Save enough to get the highest quality. Organize creative efforts. You’re exceptionally lucky. A female shows you what really matters and is very pleased that you get it. Allow extra time in the schedule.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) Today is a 6. Tempers are short, especially at work. Go for quiet productivity. Your family needs you around. Use this time to invest in home, family, land and real estate. Moderate a disagreement. Love inspires love.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Today is a 7. Avoid a delicate subject. Follow through on old promises and do the financial planning for the next month. Opposites discover a magnetic pull. Take care not to provoke jealousies. Watch out for hidden agendas.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Today is a 6. Express your true feelings gently at work. Focus on gathering information and disseminating it wisely this month. Education becomes a priority. Wait until the directions are clear, and papers are in order. Organization saves time.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Today is an 8. Listen carefully to another opinion. Get festive this month, as social life and status rise together. Think of somebody who needs you. It’s better to save than to spend, now. Gracefully mediate a controversy by listening to affected parties.
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) Today is a 7. Things don’t go exactly as planned. Keep some of your treasure hidden. Research new structures and practices for more efficiency around daily routines. Keep enough supplies on hand. Delegate unwanted tasks. Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) Today is a 7. Navigate a conflict of interests. You’re in charge this month, with spotlight and megaphone. Ask for help. Postpone gathering with friends (unless it’s to accomplish something in teamwork). You’re extra powerful. Use it to benefit your community and family.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Today is a 6. Have fun advancing your career agenda. Notice the effect on your partner. Don’t overlook someone who cares. Career matters may take up your time and effort, but you can squeeze in some love. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) Today is a 7. You meet people with strong will power. List all the possibilities you can imagine, especially what you’d like to learn. What collaborations can you invent? Travel gets easier this month. Schedule carefully.
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Daily Kent Stater
Helicopter landing aims to appeal to potential KSU nursing students Samantha Tuly stuly@kent.edu A Metro Life Flight helicopter landed on the Kent State Esplanade extension Tuesday afternoon, in an initiative the College of Nursing hoped would attract the attention of potential students for a new clinical program. “(The clinical program) gives (the students) a first-hand experience not only to see the broader picture of acute care nurse practitioner roles but also specific to trauma and the Life Flight opportunities you would see in very unfortunate disasters,” said Gail Bromley, the associate dean for academics at the College of Nursing. Metro Life Flight has been working with the college of nursing for about a year. “When you’re working with a health care agency, a clinical agency, not only do we want to make sure that certain clinical experiences are there, but we want to look at competencies,” Bromley said. “We don’t want to just say ‘oh, observe, shadow;’ we want there to be very specific competencies that a nursing student would develop.” The College of Nursing aims to provide students with invaluable knowledge, the opportunity to work with a reputable county hospital and gain first-hand experience. “They could be taking care of us someday,” said Louann Bailey, an instructor in the College of Nursing. “I think this relationship between Metro Life Flight, Kent State and the care program provides us with the opportunity to help do excellent training for our future providers that may be on that helicopter.” Through the clinical program, students have access to Metro Life Flight’s many resources. The goal is to allow students to have access to the medical program’s simulation lab, training and burn unit. “The students would be exposed to very complex patients,” Bromley said. “You really want (the students) to be challenged.” Graduate nursing student Katherine Henkels expressed her excitement to be involved in the program. “(Metro Life Flight) is so amazing at what they do, and to have the opportunity to work so closely with them while I’m in school…I just feel RACHAEL LE GOUBIN | DAILY KENT STATER like I couldn’t be better prepared,” Henkels said. Pilot Vince Bukowski prepares to land the Metro Life Flight helicopter Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2013 on the Esplanade extension. The helicopter visited to promote the new graduate nursing program at Kent State that now offers clinical experiences onboard the Metro Life Flight for students in the
Samantha Tuly is the fashion reporter for the Daily Kent Stater. acute care nurse practitioner concentration.
Taylor Hall roof goes green, sustainable
New research tool debuts at Kent State
Julie Myers jmyers81@kent.edu Workers from Panzica Construction installed about 6,000 square feet of plants for a green roof for sustainability and insulation on Taylor Hall at Kent State on Tuesday. Robert Misbrener, project manager for Sustainability, Energy Conservation and Commission, described the rooftop garden’s benefits. “The wintertime energy savings may benefit some as well due to the extra depth of material on the roof and potential to hold snow on the surface longer, which is an insulator,” he said. Misbrener said the green roof will reduce the sun’s effect on the surface of the roof and will also reduce the effect of rainwater on the storm drainage system. Beth Ruffing, the project manager, adding to the benefits of the green roof, said it has a leak-detection system so they can pinpoint exactly where the water is. The green roof is part of the overall $2.3 million project to renovate Taylor Hall, Ruffing said. She said the green plantings were $116,000, and pavers to walk on were $150,000. This project was paid for by bonds from the university. Ruffing said they chose a tray system, which means the plants are installed in sections, and pavers can be added for walkways. “One of the reasons we went specifically with the tray system had to do with the layout of the plaza area in that we wanted to have walking pavers so that people could still walk around the plaza and have some overlooks to look out over the May 4 site,” Ruffing said. The specific plants that were chosen are referred to as sedum. Ruffing said they are categorized within
Taylor Rollins trollin4@kent.edu
CHELSAE KETCHUM | DAILY KENT STATER Sedum flowers are unloaded onto the roof at Taylor Hall to fill the beds designed by Braun & Steidl Architects. The workers are installing the first green roof at Kent State on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2013.
the cactus family. They chose 12 different varieties for diversity and color variation. Other than occasional weeding and the drip irrigation system, Ruffing said, the green roof should be relatively low-maintenance. The sedum will only grow about 6 inches tall and will not require mowing or fertilizing. Ruffing said students from the Urban Design Studio
had a seminar at the green roof’s site Monday. If interest is there, they could hold more seminars for students. Ruffing said they will be installing another green roof at Kent State Stark, and the new architecture building on the main campus will have one, too. Julie Myers is the buildings and grounds reporter for the Daily Kent Stater.
Case Western scholar addresses modern technology’s effect on religion Sydney Baltrusaitis sbaltrus@kent.edu Peter J. Haas, Abba Hillel Silver Professor of Jewish Studies at Case Western Reserve University, addressed audience with the Internet’s effect on religion Tuesday night. “The Internet is in fact creating new sorts of sacred space,” Haas said. “Religion as we know it is taking on an entirely different form.” Haas spoke to a group of faculty, community members and students at 7 p.m. in the Student Center. The Center for the Study of Information and Religion hosted the Fall 2013 symposium, titled “The Ghost in the Machine: How the Internet is Changing How We Do Religion.” Haas said he approaches religion as an anthropologist, and the Internet makes it possible for religious interaction to take place on the web. “The web is creating its own version of religious space. Space that is virtual not real, like shopping or watching a movie or chatting with friends,” Haas said. A website titled Second Life allows users to virtually attend an online mass. Second Life is a virtual world where users enter as an avatar where they can navigate throughout. In one sitting, an individual can read the paper, check social networks, attend a religious service, play online games, and many other activities. One does not have to step outside their home to participate in religious practices. Haas said the religious experience becomes homogenous with other various daily activities. “Note that in the proceeding, I have enmeshed the religious service into a bunch of other activities,” Haas said.
Haas then proposed the question: “Is there anything religious about my participation when doing it on the Web in the steam of all kinds of other things I am doing?” Haas gave a brief survey of three websites for religion based on community building. The websites included a Jewish, Catholic and Muslim community. He said the three websites shared similar features. “I would venture to say that this commonality we have experienced in our brief visits suggest that all these sites understand themselves as addressing a similar audience. That is, educating American young people,” Haas said. Jewish Studies Program Director Chaya Kessler said the speech was thought provoking and informative. “It really touches on something ancient like religion and to say that something very modern that is the Internet and how do we reconcile these two worlds,” Kessler said. “How do we live in this world of constantly being plugged in and yet we keep something that is like the beyond or the sacred.” The Internet is allowing users to access religious content at their fingertips. The three religious-community websites discussed by Haas are user-friendly and have sections designated to answering questions. David Odell-Scott, professor and chair of the Department of Philosophy and Coordinator for the Religion Studies Program, said Haas offered new views on religious websites. LEAH KLAFCZYNSKI | DAILY KENT STATER “I took away interesting anthropological examination of Peter Haas, professor in the Department of religious content on Internet sites and his exploration of what Religious Studies at Case Western Reserve in that means,” Odell-Scott said. Cleveland, visits Kent State on Tuesday, Oct. Sydney Baltrusaitis is the regional and international affairs 22, 2013 to speak about how the Internet is changing religion. reporter for the Daily Kent Stater.
Kent State University Library introduced Digital Commons, a new research tool, to faculty and students Monday and Tuesday on the first floor of the University Library. “Digital Commons is an open-access institutional repository that is intended to promote the scholarship and research at Kent State University,” said Elizabeth Richardson, the institutional repository manager for Digital Commons. Digital Commons is a research tool licensed by BePress and available at universities nationwide, with Kent State being the most recent university to acquire it. “Any other university that’s a part of the Digital-Commons network will also show up if you search through our system,” said Adam Steele, assistant professor in University Libraries who is involved with Digital Commons. The kickstart event featured two days of sessions, many open to general audiences while some limited to library personnel, where attendees learned more about how to use Digital Commons from BePress employees. “Some of the sessions were aimed at those of us who have been involved in building and putting together Digital Commons to help us learn better how to use it and all the possibilities of what we can do with it,” Richardson said. Users can use Digital Commons to search, find and read research on topics they’re interested in, Richardson said. It also has an online publishing component that can be used for faculty and student research publications. “It’s a really big deal for faculty,” Steele said. “It’s going to make their papers that they put up much more discoverable. People can just Google a topic, and it’s more likely that their research will come up and be used by other people.” Digital Commons can be accessed at digitalcommons. kent.edu. Taylor Rollins is the library reporter for the Daily Kent Stater.