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ualr.edu/forum Volume LXXXV Number XIII
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Student Newspaper
Spring break gunfire strikes campus building
News in a
FLASH
Liz Fox
The Clinton School of Public Service will host public presentations by local entrepreneurs during StartUp Weekend, a nonprofit event where individuals can pitch their small business ideas and receive feedback from their peers. The event will begin at 5 p.m. April 7 at Sturgis Hall. The UALR William H. Bowen School of Law announced the recipients of its annual Faculty Excellence Awards. The winners are professors Coleen Barger for the teaching award, Frances Fendler for research and Kelly Browe Olson for service. Austin Pfeiffer, has been named the Sun Belt Conference Baseball Player of the Week for the week of April 1. Pfeiffer, who began his week by scoring two runs in the Trojans’ recent win over Stephen F. Austin, helped lead the team to a 4-0 record over the last week of play. He also ranks sixth in the league in runs scored (26), ranks ninth in onbase percentage and is tied for fifth in assists. Charles Hathaway, Chancellor Emeritus and Donaghey Distinguished Professor, has been honored with the fourth annual James H. Fribourgh Award. The honor, created in 2010, is given to individuals who have made significant contributions to UALR’s science departments as well as the state’s science community atlarge. Hathaway served as chancellor from 1993 until 2002 and helped to establish the Donaghey College of Information Science & Systems Engineering, now the George W. Donaghey College of Engineering & Information Technology.
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Entertainment Editor
Charles Chastain, UALR professor emeritus of criminal justice; Leta Anthony, director of Lewis-Burnett Employment Finders Inc.; Eric Higgins, assistant chief of the Little Rock Police Department; Olly Neal, a retired appellate court judge; and Robert Tellez, an attorney who works extensively with members of the Hispanic community, participate in a panel discussion at the UALR Institute on Race and Ethnicity’s 10th Annual Racial Attitudes in Pulaski County Conference on March 28 in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall. Photo by Jennifer Ellis
Racial attitudes survey focus on crime, punishment finds gap in perspectives Jennifer Ellis
Executive Editor
While the gap is narrowing in many areas, results of the Racial Attitudes in Pulaski County survey, which this year focused on crime and punishment, revealed great disparities in the perceptions of life in our community, Chancellor Joel E. Anderson said at the 10th Annual Conference on March 28.
“It is not helpful to deny it and it is not helpful to fail to recognize it,” Anderson said. Among the most profound inequities highlighted in the survey report were in perspectives of trust and fairness in interactions with police and the judicial system, with about 30 percentage points separating the number of whites and blacks who responded to the survey saying they have a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of
Health Services’ STD tests find 30 percent positive KenDrell Collins Assistant Editor
The UALR Health Services Department reported that it has conducted 230 screenings for sexually transmitted diseases since March of 2012. Among those screened, 72 positive STD cases were detected. There were five major diseases reported: chlamydia, gonorrhea, genital herpes, HIV and trichomoniasis. Exactly 40 cases of chlamydia were reported; the highest among the four. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention chlamydia is most common STD in the nation. It is easily curable and the CDC advises sexually active women near the age of 25 to be checked annually. Genital herpes and trichomoniasis tied in the number of cases reported with 11 apiece. Trichomoniasis, sometimes referred to as “trich,” is among the most common of the curable STDs. Those with the disease are infected with Trichomonas vaginalis, a protozoan parasite. As for herpes, no cure currently exists, but there are treatments available. Eight cases of gonorrhea were identified over the past year. Getting tested for gonorrhea is particularity important since men or women who are infected with the bacterium may not experience symptoms, according to the CDC. The Health Services screening program identified two cases of HIV infections during the past year, but no cases of AIDS. Marie Sandusky, Director of Health Services, said that peak times during the year for getting tested were at the beginning of the spring and fall semesters, Generally, Sandusky said, people get tested either have symptoms, are curious or are entering a new relationship. “It is important to make con-
trust in the judicial system and police. The opinions of Hispanics fell somewhere in between at just over 50 percent, meaning they were significantly more likely to have trust in the police and judicial system than blacks, but significantly less likely to trust than whites. Panelist Olly Neal, a retired appellate court judge, said the difference in perception grows
See RACIAL ATTITUDES, page 2
Numerous shots fired near campus during spring break caused several hundred dollars in damage, according to police. Stray bullets reportedly hit campus buildings March 19, after gunfire was exchanged between two vehicles in the Subway parking lot. Witnesses say the shots were fired about 3 p.m. as a result of a failed armed robbery, where the victim was attacked after an unsuccessful attempt to sell his iPad to neighboring retailer Game Exchange. During the attack, the victim is said to have returned gunfire from his own vehicle, a gray Chevy Impala containing both himself and a two-year-old female. Both vehicles sped in opposite directions on University Avenue following the incident. While no injuries were reported, four shots slammed into Ross Hall, where bullet holes on the building’s left side caused an estimated $500 in damages. According to facilities management subcontractors present at the time of the crime, a bullet also shattered a classroom window located on the building’s third floor, adding an additional $300 in repair costs. The suspect, who drove a white Chevy Impala with damage on the passenger side, is reported to be an African-American male between the ages of 20 and 25.
Dodging balls for a cause
scious, careful decisions about who a person chooses to have sex with,” said Sandusky. “If a couple decides to become sexually involved, they need to have a conversation about risk factors and past experiences that may have put them at risk of having a STD.” She also warned students to be aware of the “window period.” Since most STDs take at least two weeks to appear after exposure, a person may falsely think that they do not have an STD if they are tested within this time frame.
STD-Positive Individuals 3% 11% 15%
56%
15%
Chlamydia Genital Herpes Trichomoniasis Gonorrhea HIV
“I also advise all students under the age of 26 to get vaccinated against the STD human papillomavirus,” Sandusky said. The vaccine protects individuals from most forms HPV, an STD that can result in genital warts and cervical cancer. Sandusky’s best advice to students is to practice safe sex by consistent condom use. Health Services provides free condoms to visitors and also offers treatment, family planning, and screening for all STDs. The office is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is located across from the campus bookstore in room 102 of the Donaghey Student Center.
Chi Omega sorority members participate in the Shamrock Dodgeball Tournament hosted by Kappa Delta on Saturday, March 30 in the Field House. The event was to benefit the sorority’s national philanthropic effort Preventing Child Abuse in America. Photo by Tiffany Williams
University to honor faculty excellence in teaching, public service and research Kimla Lemmons Staff Writer
The UALR Faculty Excellence Awards Ceremony will be held at the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall at 5:30 p.m. Friday, April 12. This is a special year for this ceremony; in addition to honoring the recipients the program will be observing its 25th anniversary. The program was initiated in 1988 by the UALR Foundation Fund Board. Awards were given to faculty for their excellence at both the college and university levels. There are three categories: Teaching,
Public Service, and Research or Creative Endeavors. The award consists of a cash gift and a framed certificate. The monetary awards are: $1000 for college-level recipients, $5000 for university-level awards in both Public Service and research. The Teaching award recipient is given $10,000. Each UALR college nominates a faculty member then an independent selection committee chooses the three university wide winners. This year’s nominees for the teaching award are Radu F. Babiceanu of the Dona-
See FACULTY, page 2