April 29, 2009
Carroll University
Vol. 32 Issue 10
Death Cab for Cutie Lights Up Van Male
Death Cab for Cutie rocked Van Male Fieldhouse on April 19 in front of a sellout crowd. They headlined Carroll’s major concert funded by Student Senate, with Cold War Kids and Ra Ra Riot opening. More photos on page 6, plus a New Perspective exclusive interview with Death Cab drummer Jason McGerr on page 7. For more photos, visit the New Perspective Facebook page. Photo by Tim Worms
Nursing program evaluates scores Program receives probationary status Jacky Meyer Staff Writer
The Carroll University Nursing Program is one of the most well known programs on campus. Unfortunately, it is also has many rumors surrounding the program’s accreditation. The program is currently accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education until December 31, 2010 and will be reviewed during the spring semester of 2010 but is currently on probation by the Wisconsin Board of Nursing because the NCLEX-RN pass rates fell below an 80 percent. When asked about the probationary status Provost Dr. Joanne Passaro said, “Probationary status is intended to alert the institution and give it the opportunity to bring the program into alignment with the requirements of the Board of Nursing.” In February 2009 a letter was sent out to parents and guardians of students in the Nursing program notifying them about the probationary status while assuring them the situation is being properly handled. The letter clearly stated that the probationary status did not mean that the nursing program would close or that it would lose its accreditation right away. It assured that there have been steps taken by the faculty to
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address this problem. In light of this the nursing students are encouraged to follow the bulletin board displayed in the Heinke Nursing Center that outlines the plan to achieve accreditation in 2010. This plan also works in conjunction of the four pillars of Carroll University. This issue was also addressed at Celebrate Carroll and a few students presented this plan during the Nursing 232: Foundations of Nursing Practice presentations. The display was titled the “Credentialing for the Baccalaureate of Science
“Probationary status is intended to alert the institution and give it the opportunity to bring the program into alignment.” -- Dr. Joanne Passaro
in Nursing Program” and it outlined the same plan displayed in the nursing center. Faculty members are encouraged to work with students to develop study plans so students understand that they are more likely to pass the NCCLEX-RN exam soon after graduation rather than after a
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few months later. The pass rate is one of the biggest concerns of the Nursing programs since the pass rates in July, August, and September seems to be the low grades causing the accreditation problems. Another step that faculty members are encouraged to take to improve the standards of students is to work with the hospital partners to make sure that there will be jobs for Carroll nursing students. They went to the hospital partners to encourage their recent graduates to schedule their NCCLEX-RN exam right away, and not to delay it in favor of their job. Another main concern in conjunction of the accreditation issue is whether nursing students are even getting hired for jobs after graduation. “Students continue to graduate from an accredited program, and I have not heard reports of any negative impact on their job searches,” said Passaro. Currently it seems that the issues with the Nursing Program are under control and Carroll should have no problem achieving accreditation at the end of 2010. Passaro has high expectations for the program and it’s nursing students. “I think the program is moving in excellent and important directions and I expect that students will continue to get an outstanding education in the program.”
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Class threat tests safety procedures on campus Caitlin Schmitt Staff Writer
Shirley Graves, a 59 year-old student, made a threat referring to the Virginia Tech tragedy in her newswriting and reporting class on April 2. “I didn’t hear the student make the Virginia Tech comment during class,” said adjunct lecturer Jacqui Corsi. Three students did hear the comment and informed Corsi that it was a threat referring to Virginia Tech. After Corsi was made aware of the student’s comment, “I took the situation very seriously and reported it to the proper authorities.” John Harbeck, the Director of Campus Safety, said that Corsi reported the incident at 6 p.m. on April 2. Campus Safety then “contacted the police and brought them in right away.” Campus Safety and the Waukesha Police Department “contacted students and got information from them and talked to the student who was involved to assess the situation,” Harbeck said. After questioning the student, Campus Safety and the Waukesha Police “felt that the student was not a threat.” Student Affairs has currently restricted Graves from campus and will not allow her to attend class or step foot on Carroll property. Many faculty and students
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felt frustrated that Campus Safety did not make them aware of the incident. The University Council said “there was no need to provide notification,” Harbeck said. After evaluating the incident Graves was deemed not to be a serious threat to campus security. Provost Dr. Joanne Passaro agreed that the campus did not need to be informed of the threat because “campus safety and the police made a judgment that there was not a threat and we need to alert people for real threats.” Passaro said that it was discussed whether or not to inform the Carroll community of the situation, “and it was a judgment call of the alert making the situation better or worse.” Faculty and students talk among themselves about why an alert was not made, but “just ask us why we’re not setting an alarm . . . we explain what we do and why,” Passaro said. “This is a good learning experience for the campus.” The Carroll community knows that threats are taken very seriously and “we take the safety of this campus very seriously.” Passaro said that Campus Safety reacted well to the incident in terms of speed. “They responded within minutes and handled the situation quickly and appropriately.” Passaro said VT Threat continued page 3 © 2009 carroll
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