COLUMNS
HUMOR
Writers look at brain functions of rodents and felines to explore cognitive evolution. » PAGE 5
Our resident funny person explores how sales reps say the darndest things. » PAGE 6
A game of cat and mouse
A barrel (or jug) full o’ laughs
IN THIS ISSUE
Calendar » PAGE 2 Puzzles » PAGE 6 Science » PAGE 7 Scoop » BACK PAGE
SynapseNewspaper
The UCSF Student
synapse.ucsf.edu | Thursday, December 11, 2014 | Volume 59, Number 5
Nationwide justice demonstrations for blacks spread to UC campuses
Berkeley Breaks Loose:
Students speak out on tuition increases
Anya Schultz/Daily Californian
Students at UC Berkeley were among those nationwide on Saturday protesting the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri and Eric Garner in New York by police, as well as other recent incidents. Photos provided by Berkeley’s student newspaper, the Daily Californian, show demonstrators clashing with police, who used rubber bullets and tear gas to contain the crowd. Though the protests reportedly began peacefully, the night ended with looting, glass-breaking and several injuries to police and demonstrators, according to national media sources. At press time, students at UCSF were working with school officials to stage their own peaceful “die-in” demonstration this week. Visit synapse.ucsf.edu for updated coverage, and see page 4 for a retrospective look at student protests in the 1960s.
Severe weather watch Series honors forgotten Flooding and high winds were expected microbe hunter Meyer
to bring between 1 and 4 inches of rain to the Bay Area by Thursday night. The National Weather Service issued an alert calling for flooding in low-lying or poorly drained areas, as well as wind gusts up to 70 mph possible in areas near the coast and in the hills with the possibility of fallen trees and widespread power outages. The UCSF Police Department recommended that research facilities without emergency power take precautionary measures to prepare for protecting research samples and materials, animal health and safety. Departments should instruct staff to turn off all lights, computers and electronics if a power outage occurs to prevent or minimize power surges when power is restored. Lights and electronics may be turned on after power is restored.
By Andrea Villaroman Staff Writer
Medical historians like Dr. Mark Honigsbaum find great joy in exploring the depths of UCSF’s library. Testaments to that are Honigsbaum’s deliberate encounters with journal articles by and interviews with Karl Friedrich Meyer. UCSF Archives and Special Collections’ fourth lecture, on Dec. 5, featured Honigsbaum romping through the historical significance of this UCSF scientist. Honigsbaum recounted Meyer’s work with sick parakeets, horses, squirrels and fruit bats, and the profound impact his work had on ecological preservation and treating infection.
By Bryne Ulmschneider Staff Writer
Dr. Julius Schachter, Meyer’s final graduate student, said “he was [also] a platform lecturer of par excellence.” Having worked with Meyer for 14 years, Schachter remarked on Meyers’ gift to communicate and his propensity to double lecture time without anyone leaving the lecture hall. Future Archives lectures in the Parnassus Library will cover varied topic. The lectures are free and open to the public.
Courtesy of UCSF Archives and Special Collections Former UCSF professor Karl F. Meyer was known to keep students glued in their seats during lectures.
On Nov. 19, UC regents voted 7–2 to raise professional school supplemental tuition, over the vocal and visible protests of many UC students who said the tuition raises were unfair and unjustified. The proposal will raise general tuition 5 percent over the next five years and professional supplemental tuition (PST) 5 percent each year over the next five years. Nursing students in particular were singled out for a one-time 20 percent increase in PST. PST increases particularly affect programs in which graduates receive a professional license, which encompasses most of the professional programs at UCSF. These increases will go into effect only if the California state government fails to provide additional funds for the UC system. State legislators and UC President Janet Napolitano are currently discussing proposals. Some have criticized the UC Office of the President for using the tuition increases to leverage more state funding. Napolitano contends that these tuition increases are necessary for the long-term financial health and viability of the university. Student protestors argued that tuition increases place an undue financial burden on them, and that the administration is ignoring their concerns. Before the regents met, several hundred students from several UC campuses—including UC Berkeley,
TUITION » PAGE 10