THE YZ~Tg September 22, 1983
Central State University, Edmond, Oklahoma
Vol. 82, No. 8
Student plagued with tuberculosis By Mike Sherman Editor
Vista photo by Theresa Gabrish
Homecoming Queen candidates Rie Gerah and Helen McNulty (left to right) campaign in front
of the University Center Wednesday afternoon. Prospective voters Steve Savage, Rex Maxey, Keith Nowles and Gary Lashley stop to listen.
A CSU male graduate student has been "isolated" because he has contracted tuberculosis, according to an Oklahoma Country and City Health department spokesman. The student, a Nigerian, was found as having the disease last week, said Saralyn Winn, chief of public health nursing. Winn would not disclose the students name due to patient confidentiality. Dudley Ryan, dean of students also neglected to name the student. "We are cooperating with the state health department," said Ryan. "He is not attending classes and his assignments are being taken to him. To the best of my knowledge, he is staying in his apartment." The state health department conducted a skin test on all foreign students on college campus around the state in August, said Winn. When this test showed positive, x-rays were taken of the student's lungs. When the second test proved positive, mucus specimens were taken and cultured. The cultures showed the student had tuberculosis, said Winn. Winn said the students classmates weren't susceptable to
the disease. No other cases of tuberculosis have been reported at CSU, she said. "You can get TB after several hours of sharing air space," said Winn. "That is close air contact with him. I believe it has to be 200 hours of shared air time to catch the disease. "It's not like chicken pox, where if someone walks through a room with it you can catch it if you haven't had it before. He's not that contagious. It's just that his lungs need some rest." Although they are "not necessarily in any danger," Winn said the student provided nurses with a list of people who have been in close personal contact with him. An attempt is being made to call these people in for examinations. Winn said she was not aware of the progress made on contacting those on the list, or how extensive it was. Dean Ryan said that CSU did not force the student out of his classes, rather he volunteered. “Everything hs been going well," said Ryan. "His instructors have been very helpful, and they will keep him up on his classes. "It's like you or I having the flu. During the contagious portion, you don't want to be around other people."
FBI investigating
Repents mull lawsuit a ainst collection firm By Matthew Driskill Associate Editor
The Board of Regents of Oklahoma Colleges met last week with represenatives from the state Attorney General's office to discuss possible legal action against a firm hired by the Regents to collect unpaid student loans. The firm, Collegiate Recovery and Credit Assistance Programs Inc., is now under investigation by the FBI and may be as much as $1 million behind in payments to various colleges according to a copyright story by the Tulsa World, Tuesday. The firm had been hired by the Regents to collect on the defaulted loans "about 10 years ago," according to Andy Fugitt, one of the
attorneys involved with the case. "Right now, we are in the process of drafting pleadings to go into court in Tulsa, where the firm is located, and see if we can sue the company and collect some of the money." Fugitt went on to say that CSU was "in pretty good shape," with as little as $500 in defaulted loans. Regent Linda Blankenship said the Board met with represenatives of the Attorney General's office here last week during the regularly scheduled Board meeting and discussed the possible legal action in executive session which closed the meeting to the press. Blankenship said, "I saw on television where the firm was being investigated and they were warning students not to pay their
In this issue. . . New liberal arts degree...page 3 , Bank donates money to library...page 4 Blood drive challenge issued..page 5 Homecoming activities planned...page 6 HPU to shuttle quarterbacks...page 7 Harriers prepare for OCC...page 8
money to them. I would hope the students would pay the money to the university." Blankenship confirmed reports that the Board was considering legal action against the firm. But she added that she was not sure if the Board would initiate the action or if it would be handled through the individual universities. CSU President Bill Lillard said, "We have been concerned the past year or so with the company and have asked them to return all records dealing with CSU students." He went on to say that the federal government requires colleges use to use a collection agency when the school is unable to collect from the student. The requirement reflects a change in the federal government's attitude toward student loans. The revised edition of the Guaranteed Student Loan Program Lenders' Manual approved by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education makes it mandatory for the lenders to notify the Regents when a student falls behind in payments on the loan. The government hopes the changes will make it harder for students to default on loans. Dr. Keith Allen, executive
secretary for the Board of Regents, said Wednesday that he would not comment on the matter and said that it was priviledged information. "All communications regarding pending litagation will be through legal counsel which is Mike Turpen, the attorney general," Allen said. Allen said the Regents had a long standing practice that once legal matters are turned over to counsel, (the Attorney General's office) they have let them handle all communications. Larry Williams, assistant vice president of personnel, said Wednesday that CSU had called in all the paperwork from the company to re-evaluate the firm's handling of accounts with CSU. "We've been disillusioned with the way the company has been doing things for about the past year or so," Williams said. "We have asked for all their records and plan on turning the accounts over to another company to collect on the unpaid loans." When asked if he could give an estimated figure on the amount of money CSU is owed, Williams said he had no idea. In other developments, the Regents considered a proposal by East Central State University President Stanley Wagner to grant
tenure to several professors at his school. The Regents expressed some concern that the granting of tenure might conflict with Gov. Nigh's Executive Order 83-1 which mandated no salary increases for state employees. Wagner assured the Regents that the granting of tenure did not mean automatic pay raises. He also said that tenured professors could be just as easily fired as non-tenured professors in a financial crunch. Some of the Regents decisions affecting CSU were: — The approval of $8,000 for a computer disk-drive for The Vista.
— Approval of approximately $27,000 for the funeral service department to purchase several body transportation carts, a morgue refrigerator and assorted other instruments. — Approximately $20,000 for equipment for the nursing department and approval of $3,000 for renovation of the KCSC control room and the satellite room gutted by a fire in March. —Approval of approxmately $35,000 for the computer center for assorted computer equipment. —Approval of $160,000 for parking renovation.