Monday, November 30, 2009
Vol. 95, Issue 51
THE
DAILY
w w w. T h e D a i l y A z t e c . c o m
AZTEC
Tw i t t e r : T h e D a i l y A z t e c
San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper since 1913
I N S I D E T O D AY OPINION
H1N1 vaccine arrives at SDSU
OPINION ISN’T NEWS Mainstream news sources often present commentators as real reporters to boost ratings. page 2
DATING & ROMANCE
HOMEWRECKERS Find out what happens when the “other woman” takes your man. page 4
SPORTS
LOSING LAS VEGAS The San Diego State football team closes out its season with its fourth consecutive loss. page 10
Bryan Koci / Staff Photographer
A nurse receives a seasonal flu vaccine at San Diego State’s Student Health Services. SHS now has several thousand doses of the H1N1 flu vaccine available for free.
ALEESHA H A R R I S
TODAY @ SDSU Celebrate Darwin Exhibit Donor Hall, Love Library Exhibit exploring Charles Darwin’s life and the theory of evolution. It features items gathered during his historic voyage to the Galapagos Islands. For more of today’s headlines, visit:
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CONTACT GENERAL INFORMATION 619.594.4199
EDITOR
IN CHIEF, FARYAR BORHANI 619.594.4190 EDITOR@THEDAILYAZTEC .COM
CITY EDITOR, KEVIN MCCORMACK 619.594.7782 CITYEDITOR@THEDAILYAZTEC .COM
FEATURES EDITOR, AMINATA DIA 619.594.6976 FEATURE@THEDAILYAZTEC .COM
SPORTS EDITOR, EDWARD LEWIS 619.594.7817 SPORTS@THEDAILYAZTEC .COM
STATE
OF MIND EDITOR, ALLAN ACEVEDO 619.594.0509 OPINION@THEDAILYAZTEC .COM
MANAGING EDITOR
San Diego State students looking for added protection against the H1N1 flu virus can now find it on campus. H1N1 flu vaccinations are now available free of charge for students with a valid RedID. At this time, however, the number of available vaccines is dramatically less than originally planned. “We initially ordered enough vaccine to cover all students, faculty and staff,” Dr. Gregg Lichtenstein, medical director of Student Health Services, said. “When it became evident that vaccine supplies were slow to be distributed, we were asked to lower our order for the first batch.” SHS ended up ordering 5,000 doses of the vaccine. Its original order had been placed for 15,000. “This is still a much higher number of doses than any other San Diego institution of higher education has received,” Lichtenstein said. Despite the decrease, campus health officials are confident that more vaccines are on the way. “As more vaccine becomes available, we will inform the campus community of an expansion of
groups to whom we will vaccinate,” Lichtenstein said. One question that has arisen among many people who are choosing to be vaccinated is whether or not it is safe to receive both the seasonal flu and H1N1 vaccinations together. According to Lichtenstein, it is. “Because of current vaccine availability, we would suggest seasonal flu vaccine for students with highrisk medical conditions and those in the health care field,” he said. When deciding to get double vaccinated for both flu strains, there are precautions to follow that affect both safety and effectiveness. “People should wait 14 days between doses of the nasal flu vaccine,” Lichtenstein said. “Injectable seasonal flu vaccines — or a combination of one injectable and one nasal vaccine — may be given on the same day.” A small supply of the seasonal flu vaccine is still available at SHS. Unlike the H1N1 vaccine, which is free of charge, the seasonal flu shot costs $15. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has set up a comprehensive Web site to answer ques-
tions and provide updates on the national status of H1N1. According to the site, there is a target group of the population that has been labeled high-risk, and has priority during these initial rounds of vaccination. Members of the high-risk group include, “pregnant women, people who live with or care for children younger than 6 months of age, health care and emergency medical services personnel, persons between the ages of 6 months and 24 years old and people ages 25 through 64.” Though the local and national media have been highlighting H1N1 for months, questions still remain about the importance of vaccinations and the possible side effects — a fact many health care providers, as well as the CDC, would like to see cleared up. According to the CDC, reactions to the H1N1 have mirrored those typically seen with the seasonal flu vaccine such as soreness, body aches, fever and nausea. In rare cases, vaccinated individuals have developed GuillainBarré syndrome, a disease in which a person’s immune system
attacks its own nerve cells, sometimes causing muscle weakness and even paralysis. Although there has not been a direct link established between any vaccine and the development of GBS, there was a believed correlation between H1N1 vaccines administered in 1976 and cases of GBS, according to the CDC. There have already been multiple reported cases of possible GBS in the United States this month in connection with the H1N1 vaccine. Despite apparent side effects both mild and serious, health care professionals maintain the importance of getting the H1N1 vaccine. They say the preventative aspect of not becoming ill far outweighs the risks involved with getting the vaccine. “Immunization is our best defense against influenza,” according to SHS. To learn more about H1N1 and vaccination visit www . c d c . g o v / h 1 n 1 f l u . Appointments and information for SHS can be made by calling 619594-4736 or visiting the Web site at www.shs.sdsu.edu.
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ART DIRECTOR, ELENA BERRIDY 619.594.6979 ARTDIRECTOR@THEDAILYAZTEC .COM
PHOTO EDITOR, GLENN CONNELLY 619.594.7279 PHOTO@THEDAILYAZTEC .COM
Ride-sharing gaining popularity
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INDEX OPINION.........................................................................2 DATING & ROMANCE.................................................4 SPORTS............................................................................8 CLASSIFIEDS..................................................................11 THE BACK PAGE.........................................................12
If traffic seems a little better this semester, it might be because of the increase in ride-sharing. San Diego State’s partnership with Zimride, a carpool and rideshare online service, has been growing in popularity, according to Tessa Petrich, Zimride’s vice presi-
dent of marketing. Since SDSU’s Zimride community launched in September, 975 users have signed up, according to Petrich. More people are signing up with Zimride every day and the service is proving to be successful, she said. “It looks like this community is really excited (about Zimride) and is taking advantage of it,” Petrich said. “We started out with 640 users in September and now we
have almost 1,000.” Zimride is working to enlarge its community and help more people share rides, Petrich said. She said sharing a commute can save from $1,000—2,000 yearly. If someone commutes 10 miles daily, for example, he or she can save up to $100 a month by sharing a ride instead of driving alone. “We don’t realize how expensive driving our cars is,” Petrich said.
Zimride is a utility for students; it can be cost-saving and convenient for those who have cars, as well as those who don’t. Petrich said that there is an average of 12 possible matches for each trip posted, so users can always find a suitable ride for their destinations. For more information or to access the SDSU Zimride community, visit www.as.sdsu.edu/zimride.