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CA L I F O R N I A P O LY T E C H N I C S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y
Teacher feature: Philosophy professor Stephen Ball.
V-Day event highlights violence against Congolese women.
IN NEWS, 6
Men’s and women’s basketball square off against Long Beach State.
IN ARTS, 8
IN SPORTS, 16
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Volume LXXIV, Number 75
www.mustangdaily.net
Swine flu vaccines Major accreditation not a major concern in most cases offered again in SLO Will Taylor
Raquel Redding mustang daily
To future students and parents, the accreditation of a school and its programs can represent the quality of education. To other schools, it shows there are certain standards being kept. To future employers, it can be a seal
of approval. But the value of the accreditation process varies across Cal Poly departments. The U.S. Department of Education’s Web site said the goal of accreditation is to “ensure that education provided by institutions of higher education meets acceptable levels of quality,” meaning that a department
is meeting standards set by some type of accrediting agency. Some of these might include governance (making sure faculty are accomplishing goals and effectively planning for the future), diversity among students and faculty and keeping up with resourcsee Accreditation, page 3
Accredited Majors at Cal Poly
Art and Design Architecture Business Administration City and Regional Planning Computer Science Construction Management Economics All Engineering Programs
Forestry and Natural Resources Graphic Communication Industrial Technology Landscape Architecture Music Nutrition Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration
Poly bookstore to rent textbooks Leticia Rodriguez mustang daily
Cal Poly students will be able to rent a small number of textbooks through El Corral Bookstore this fall, a potentially cheaper and faster option than using online services or regular purchase prices. The goal of the rental program is to offer books that teachers will assign as textbook requirements for at least three consecutive quarters. Bonnie Murphy, associate vice president of commercial services and executive director of the Cal Poly Corporation, a private non-profit organization that oversees campus businesses such as the bookstore and Campus Dining, said renting textbooks could save students money. “It’s something that’s an option for students who purchase textbooks,” Murphy said. “Some
students may not want to pay as much on the front end, and renting textbooks lowers the cost on the front end because you can purchase textbooks up to about 58 percent lower than if you purchased them right out.” Murphy warns, however, against jumping into the rental program without considering the needs of the class. Each book can only be rented for one quarter at a time and must be renewed for the rental price each quarter. Murphy said that some of the downsides to renting through a Web site such as chegg.com are the shipping costs, strict return dates and a general policy against markings in the books. “You have to be pretty disciplined to get it re-entered by a certain time, and if you don’t return it by the date, then you have to end up paying for the
textbook,” Murphy said. “And Chegg is very particular about the amount of markings.” Murphy wants students to consider the financial repercussions of renting a book for multiple quarters versus buying a new textbook outright. “There are not many quarters where textbooks are needed for multiple terms, but there are some, so those students need to be careful when they go into the rental,” Murphy said. “We don’t want students to spend more money than they have to.” Saving money on textbooks is always a plus for students, especially when the final price tag for a quarter can be more than $500. Communication studies sophomore Brittni Kiick spent approximately $600 on books this quarter see Textbooks, page 2
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Free H1N1 vaccinations are being offered with no appointment at seven locations in the San Luis Obispo area this week. Health officials said students and citizens should still get vaccinated because knowledge of H1N1 and its characteristics is incomplete, so a vaccination is a cautionary measure. “The public’s interest has decreased somewhat,” said Michelle Shoresman, emergency preparedness program manager for the San Luis Obispo health agency. “It is still really important for people to get vaccinated. We saw the wave of
initial cases back in April and May and it slowly spread after that … but it’s entirely possible we could have another wave.” The free shots are provided by the federal government, in an effort to prevent further outbreaks and to fulfill previously high citizen demand, Shoresman said. The shots will be given at two locations in San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles and at one location in Templeton, Grover Beach and Arroyo Grande. Shoresman said during the initial outbreak there were shortages across the county and the nation. The shortages resulted in priorsee Vaccine, page 2
4,000 students to be polled in health survey Megan Hassler mustang daily
Healthy Minds, a survey designed to determine the mental health needs across campus is being distributed among Cal Poly students starting this week. Nearly 25 percent of students are being asked to serve as a representation; after the first week, 26 percent of the students have completed the survey. Elie Axelroth, head of counseling at the Health Center, said there has been a recent concern
the results. “It would be great to get a picture of what is really going on,” Axelroth said. The survey is conducted annually by the University of Michigan and a Michigan survey group. Participants will be entered to win a number of prizes donated by the community including an iPod, gift certificates from New Frontiers and dining facilities on campus as well as a gift basket from Trader Joe’s. The Michigan entities have also contributed a combined $4,000 in cash prizes.
As human beings we tend to be scared of what we don’t know, in this case mental health. —Elie Axelroth
Head of counseling services, Health Center
about the mental health of college students. Cal Poly will compare the results to other schools around the country. The survey allows each school to add 10 questions specific to the school. Those questions will not stand out on the survey due to the potential of compromising
On Feb. 1, the first round of emails requesting student participation in the survey were sent to the 4,000 students chosen randomly by the registrar; they will receive a few reminders in the coming weeks. Healthy Minds conducts see Survey, page 2