U University News Thursday, September 13, 2012
the
Vol. XCIII No. 3
unewsonline.com
A student voice of SLU since 1919
Public Health: Alive and well at SLU Undergraduate program flourishes, embraces Jesuit mission By KRISTEN MIANO News Editor
By KATHERINE KELLIHER Staff Writer
Senior Chelsea Jaeger was a sophomore premedical biology major the first time she heard of Public Health. “I heard about it in a pre-health meeting at which the director of the Public Health Undergraduate Program at the time, Michael Rozier, was speaking,” Jaeger said. It was a brand-new program that had just started.” Jaeger says she chose pre-med because she always loved the idea of helping people and serving the community in that capacity, but something about her major just wasn’t fitting with her personality. “Sitting in that meeting, something finally clicked,” Jaeger said, “The social justice, the community initiatives, the wide scale prevention, it all just made sense to me.” Jaeger switched to the Public Health undergraduate major very soon after. She joined the now 250 students who have committed to the three-yearold program, housed in Saint Louis University’s School of Public Health. “Public health is a field that seeks to make populations healthy by preventing disease and promoting health at the public population level,” said Edwin Trevathan, Dean of the School of Public Health, “We take a look at health promotion and disease prevention on a grander scale.” The SLU School of Public Health was founded in 1991 and is the only Jesuit school of Public Health in the United States. The school is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health, making it one of the 49 accredited Public Health schools in the country. Pulling from the Jesuit tradition of the University, The School of Public Health attests a commitment to collaboration, justice and practice.
What began as a student’s idea has turned into a program that could feed thousands of impoverished people living in the St. Louis community. The new Flex to Feed program on campus is a program designed to donate the leftover flex ‘dollars’ students have not spent at the end of the semester and donate it to the St. Louis Food Bank. For every dollar that the St. Louis Food Bank receives, they are able to create four meals. The project began last semester when Tarek Adam, a Saint Louis University medical student, spoke with some friends about creating a program that could utilize the leftover flex dollars at the end of the year to help those in need. “I’ve always had an interest in serving those in need,” Adam said. Adam said that he felt this program was a good idea in light of the Universi-
See “Health” on Page 3
Photos courtesy of the School of Public Health
DPSEP: Cyclists encouraged to lock bikes on campus
John Schuler / Photo Editor
A rash of bicycle thefts on campus has prompted DPSEP to act: students can get free bike locks while supplies last. By PATRICK GRILLOT Staff Writer
INSIDE:
More than 400 students have signed up their bicycles with the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness since it launched its bicycle registration program last spring. The amount of bicycle theft on campus prompted the decision to initiate the bicycle program, according to Connie Tillman, the emergency preparedness coordinator for DPSEP. When a student brings their bicycle to DPSEP, the department enters the serial number, make and model of the student’s bicycle into the National Bike Registry, a database licensed by the National Crime Preven-
NEWS
SGA initates plan to turn ‘Flex’ into donations
tion Council and utilized by law enforcement officials across the country. When stolen bicycles that have been registered are recovered, police and public safety departments are able to identify the owner and find her contact information. Assistant Director of Field Operations for DPSEP Christopher Bingham, who reviews all theft reports, believes that the prevalence of bicycle theft has decreased since the program began, though he did not have exact numbers. He said, “about four or five bike thefts have been reported since move-in.” Bicycles were reported stolen to DPSEP on Sept. 7 and 9. One had a combination lock; the other had a cable lock. Neither was
registered with the department. DPSEP maintains a running total of all thefts on campus; its records only discriminate between thefts over or under $500 in value, but does not specify the type of item stolen, such as bicycles. While there have been several bicycle thefts on campus, Tillman noted that many perpetrators have been arrested and the bicycles have been returned. On Friday, Sept. 7, for example, DPSEP was able to return a stolen bicycle to a student even though it had not been registered. When the student contacted DPSEP, they registered the bicycle and released it to her. None of those arrested for bicycle theft have been SLU students. “They look like students,” Tillman said, concerning the culprits. “They’re walking around with a backpack on. It’s not like they stand out in the crowd.” Sophomore Kim Tieu shared her perspective on bicycle theft at SLU as she locked her bicycle to the rack outside Ritter Hall. Tieu’s friend had her bicycle stolen from campus last spring, but the bicycle had been registered with DPSEP and was recovered and returned to her. When Tieu brought her bicycle to campus for the first time in August, she brought a USee “DPSEP” on Page 3
2 OPINION
>> The weatherman says...
>> Tweet away, @SLU!
See “Flex” on Page 3
Remembering September 11, 2001
Ryan Doan / Staff Photographer
Students and faculty reflect in memoriam of the victims of 9/11. The Beta Theta Pi fraternity hosted a memorial on the anniversary of the tragedy at the Clocktower.
Speakers to address partisanship By WOLF HOWARD Associate News Editor
Bob Beckel and Cal Thomas are coming to Saint Louis University on Sept. 18, 2012 to speak to SLU students about the issues Americans face in the upcoming election. The free event, titled “Common Ground: How To Stop The Partisan War That’s Destroying America,” is meant to be a dialogue concerning how the partisan divide in American politics is doing more damage than good to our country.
4 ARTS
Each speaker holds very different views. Bob Beckel provides the liberal voice as a co-host on the television show “The Five” on Fox News Channel; Cal Thomas has been a syndicated conservative columnist since the ‘80s. Collectively, they attempt to get to the root of the issues we face as a people, and remove the partisan shade that prevents politicians and citizens from cooperating. The speaking event is a continuation of their biweekly USA Today column called simply, “Common Ground.”
9 SPORTS
>> New Abbott Brothers
“We thought it was an interesting take on elections,” said Mitch Garrett, chair of the Great Issues Committee. “This is a more overall view on the whole election. It’s something that people don’t really talk about when they’re thinking of their candidates.” According to Garrett, Beckel and Thomas will take turns talking about a specific problem from their standpoint, and then present a conclusion about how to bridge the gap between the ideological differences See “GIC” on Page 3
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>> Classic comes to Chaifetz