F R I D A Y NOV. 12, 2004 Vol. 126, No. 31
Cool 49° / 30° w w w. s t u d l i f e . c o m
THE END IS NEAR . . .
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DAYS UNTIL THANKSGIVING
STUDENT LIFE T H E I N D E P E N D E N T N E W S PA P E R O F WA S H I N G T O N U N I V E R S I T Y I N S T. L O U I S S I N C E 1 8 7 8
TB tests negative–so far
DAYS UNTIL FINALS END
By Liz Neukirch Senior News Editor
INSIDE
KRT CAMPUS
A Latvian man recieves a tuberculosis skin test in Riga. Latvia is one of the primary breeding grounds for drugresistent TB.
“If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em!” Cadenza applies this old adage to the results of last week’s election with a guide to remaking your life as a Republican.
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With the release of “Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason,” Bridget Jones has returned for another “delightful romp,” says Jenny Perkins in Cadenza.
PAGES 9 Nick Loyal has simple advice for Wash U students in Forum, and it can be boiled down down to three key words: “Get some sleep.”
PAGE 5 INDEX News Forum Sports Classifieds Cadenza
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The preliminary results of the tuberculosis (TB) testing students in Hitzeman Residence Hall were advised to undergo look promising: none of the students who had their tuberculin skin tests read yesterday are infected with the disease. “About 15 percent of the students had shown up by early afternoon to have their tests read,” said Dr. Alan Glass, director of Student Health and Counseling Services (SHCS). “All of them were negative.” SHCS sent the e-mail advisory on Monday in the wake of information that a Washington University student who resided in the dorm is infected with TB. He is currently undergoing treatment at a local hospital. Because the TB test must be read 48-72 hours after it is conducted, yesterday afternoon was the earliest students could return to SHCS for results. Although no additional data was available at the end of the day, Glass said he “would imagine more students came in” before closing. As of yesterday, only 22 of the 150 students who received the notice had not received the preliminary testing. While Glass described this turnaround as “really good,” he is taking steps to ensure that the remaining students at least consider being tested. “I sent an e-mail to all the informed students this afternoon encouraging the few who haven’t had their tests placed to come in… and also a
reminder email to the students who were tested that they need to have that test read,” Glass said. Many Hitzeman residents were tested during the on-site tests performed by SHCS employees in the dorm all day Tuesday. Glass is confident that a large portion of the students who have not yet been tested will go to SHCS offices to do so. During a tuberculin skin test, tuberculosis antigens (not entire TB bacterial cells) are injected under the top layer of skin on the arm. If a person has previously been exposed to TB bacteria, a reaction to the TB antigens will develop within two days, generally in the form of a firm red bump at the injection site. However, while a positive test result means a person has been exposed to TB, it does not mean s/he has TB disease. If the person does not exhibit any symptoms—such as fatigue, weight loss, loss of appetite and chest pains—the TB germs present in the body are likely in an “inactive” state where they can do no harm. “If a person’s skin test converts to positive there’s actually medication available that we would encourage the student to take,” Glass said. “That medication keeps the TB exposure from turning into active TB, and we would make it available to the student.” Glass, in conjunction with the St. Louis County Department of Health, is still trying to discern how the University student became
See TB, page 3
WUPD catches laptop thief red-handed By Liz Kramer Contributing Reporter The Washington University Police Department (WUPD) nabbed a suspected laptop thief red-handed on Monday, Nov. 1, by mounting a successful sting operation. The arrested suspect, a student at another St. Louis-area university, was arrested after selling the stolen laptop in the WUPD set-up. “We were able to establish contact with the suspect, and indicated a willingness to purchase the laptop from him,” said Don Strom, WUPD Police Chief. “We sent someone in undercover and made the purchase.” Strom noted that this format is typical of sting operations. “Essentially, what you’re doing is you identify a possible suspect and set up a situation
to catch them. In this particular scenario it involved purchasing the stolen property, making an arrest, [and] recovering the money that was used [in the purchase] and the property itself.” After the suspect unknowingly sold the laptop to WUPD, an arrest quickly followed. “He was arrested right after the deal was made,” Strom said. “He represented it as being stolen.” Additionally, WUPD identified the recovered laptop through its serial number, which matched that of one of the laptops that had been stolen in the past few weeks. Following the arrest, the laptop was returned to the victim. Although WUPD is able to successfully recover some stolen items, Strom emphasized
that students can easily prevent these sorts of crimes. “We need to stress the importance of eliminating the opportunity for thefts to occur,” said Strom. “These are crimes of opportunity, and it is important that people take that opportunity away. This is one of those times that the police can’t do it for people.” To reduce the risk of such thefts, Strom stressed that students lock their doors and not leave their valuables unattended or ask someone to watch over them. “STOP” tags, available from WUPD, can also aid in the recovery of a laptop. If removed, the “STOP” tag leaves a tattoo on the computer, noting that it is stolen. Freshman C.J. Perretta,
See WUPD, page 3
DAVID HARTSTEIN | STUDENT LIFE
WUPD stops and searches a “suspicious vehicle” on Nov. 5, 2004. WUPD has increased surveillance in response to recent increases of crime on campus.
Psych expansion planned Arafat dies in coma yesterday By Shweta Murthi and Sarah Kliff Contributing Reporter and News Editor
Current and upcom ing construction on campus w ill focus on reshaping current facilities to fit the new needs of grow ing departments on campus. Psycholog y and biolog y, the two largest A rts & Sciences undergraduate majors, w ill benefit from the updates. Construction on the Psycholog y Building is slated to begin w ith in the next 18 months. When the building was originally constructed, the department k new that some expansion would be necessary as the department grew. “[The addition] was anticipated,” said Steve Rackers, manager of cap tial projects for facilities plan n ing. “The concept was part of the original design. I don’t k now that there was a time frame. It was basically driven by the departments’ needs. “The construction to the Psycholog y Building is not an ‘update’ but rather an addition because of the rap idly grow ing departments.” The new addition w ill be located west of the current lin k between the Psycholog y Building and Monsanto Laboratory. A long w ith offices for new faculty members, the new space w ill include two classrooms and additional laboratory space. “It w ill look like the rest of the building,” said Rackers. “You won’t be able to tell it was an addition. We
STUDENT LIFE
By Caroline Wekselbaum Contributing Reporter
DAVID BRODY | STUDENT LIFE
The Psychology Building, which will soon receive an addition. feel we’ve done a good job keeping that consistent.”’ To accomodate both the psycholog y department and the students’ schedules, the Un iversity w ill begin con struction after graduation ceremon ies next May. The construction should have little to no effect on the function of the Psycholog y Building. According to Ralph Thaman, associate v ice chan cellor of facilities plan n ing and management, the space One Brookings Drive #1039 #42 Women’s Building St. Louis, MO 63130
was plan ned as an addition rather than part of the original building for multiple reasons. “They did not have the money to do that and they didn’t need the space at the time,” said Thaman. The Biolog y Department may soon find a new home in Wilson Hall, wh ich is currently empty and not under construction. The building was formerly home to
See EXPANSION, page 3 Newsroom: (314) 935-5995 Advertising: (314) 935-6713 Fax: (314) 935-5938
Palestinian president Yasser Arafat died early Thursday morning in a Paris hospital after complications from an unknown disease caused him to slip into a deep coma and be placed on life support. Arafat—who was viewed by many Palestinians as a symbol of their struggle for independent statehood and by many Israelis as a murderous terrorist—was surrounded by his wife and top government aides, all of whom are grappling with questions about his fi nancial and political legacy. When Arafat’s condition worsened considerably in late October, he was flown to Paris for treatment. He slipped into a coma on Nov. 3 and died a week later. Although the disease from which Arafat suffered is unknown, some of his ailments stemmed from a blood disorder. Arafat was granted permission by the Israelis to leave his West Bank compound in Ramallah (“the Muqata”), which he used as his headquarters and where he had been since December 2001. Palestinians mourn the loss of their leader, who
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was a father figure for many. The New York Times cited Tayeb Abdel Rahim, secretary-general of the presidency in Palestine, as saying almost in tears, “Yasser Arafat planted the seeds of hope for his people… [Arafat’s] children were the workers, the farmers, the young people… The Palestinian people mourn their leader, their teacher, their father.” Others see Arafat’s passing as an opportunity to reignite the peace process, which broke down in 2001. Violence ensued just months after Arafat rejected the stipulations of the Camp David peace accords, which proposed a settlement and were facilitated by former President Bill Clinton. “The recent events could be a historic turning point for the Middle East,” Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said, as cited on CNN.com. “Israel is a country that seeks peace and will continue in its efforts to reach a peace deal with the Palestinians without delay.” Arafat’s funeral will be held on Friday in Cairo where he will be buried on the site of the Muqata in
See ARAFAT, page 3
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