the review washburn university
The Lady Blues look to change history against Nebraska-Omaha tonight. Page A6 Serving Washburn University since 1897
volume 136, Issue 6 • wednesday, september 23, 2009
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Alumni takes Swine flu: student questions answered care of business Robert Burkett WASHBURN REVIEW
Photo courtesy of Washburn Business School
As flu season approaches some are stressing over the pandemic known as H1N1 influenza, otherwise called the swine flu. Nightly, the news has been reporting stories of the spread of H1N1 and the talk of the infection rate but no one has really discussed what exactly are the facts of this strain. “What is it?” and, “where did it come from?” are the most common themes of people who are asking the questions. “We’re not really able to say for certain where it came from but we have some ideas on that,” said David Daigle, deputy director media relations at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. How it came to be named, “swine flu” is a result of initial studies of the strain that found similarities in its makeup to influenza found commonly in pigs. Health officials however say that pigs are not the direct cause of the pandemic. Most experts hypothesize that most likely what has happened is the cross breeding of influenza strains from Asia, Europe and North America. In most scenarios, a traveling person from somewhere in Asia comes to the
Diversity Matters
In the money: Washburn alumnus Richard Davidson and his wife Trish recently donated $5 million to the School of Business. Davidson is the former CEO of Union Pacific.
Jaime Brown WASHBURN REVIEW
the state. Those funds may not come in the form of direct payouts but they are still given. Case in point is the KanEvery Washburn University alum- sas Partnership for Faculty Distinction nus aspires to give back to the univer- program. Assembled in 2000 by the sity. Those former students seek to Kansas Legislature, this program was donate, either through the giving of created to “encourage gifts by private time or monetary means in order to donors to establish professorships to maintain and raise the standards of the attract and keep top-notch faculty.” school that gave them education of a The director of communications lifetime. Richard Davidson is just for the Kansas Board of Regents, such an alumnus and he has now raised Vanessa Lamer, said “we do have the bar of giving with his recent $5 specific information on our Web site, million donation kansasregents. to the Washburn org, along with School of Busi- “ a professional ness. report. This proThis is the largest Davidson revides overview ceived his degree of the program.” donation that from Washburn What the Web Washburn has ever University in site doesn’t real1966. He moved ly say is that the received, and it’s forward in the program tries to business world, match the funds just so great. eventually makthat are donated ing good on the to schools, at promise of the least by a cer- Dean Sollars education he retain percentage. President, School of Business ceived from the Wa s h b u r n school he has ” University is now given back one of many too. The former schools across Chief Executive the nation seekOffice of the Union Pacific Railroad ing to increase endowments, if not currently resides in Florida with his only to better their own programs wife Trish. “The money given to us and to combat broadening inflations by Mr. Davidson was very generous of tuition. This is a time where evand this is not his first donation,” said ery school, from community colleges Washburn School of Business Presi- to Ivy League institutions, are dodent Dean Sollars, “so he and his wife ing their upmost to raise every penny have been very giving over the years.” they can in donations and other gifts. Donations are crucial to schools The Washburn Endowment Asnow more than ever as they struggle sociation, the backbone of giving at to make ends meet. When those dona- Washburn University, has a heavy tions typically aren’t enough it doesn’t hand in distributing the main donamatter how many students a school has tion and matching funds. The WEA or how high the tuition rate is; they all Please see DONATION page A5 share the burden of needing funds from
SALE
Brian Allen WASHBURN REVIEW The September 18 Diversity Matters conference was a reintroduction of the Washburn University Safe Zone Program. Host Kim Morse, associate professor of history, explained that the Safe Zone Program is not in response to any particular threats, incidents or hate cult, “It is preventative education. As the world becomes a more complicated place it is part of what we can do to become more aware. It’s really about helping gay, bi, lesbian, trans students become more comfortable with themselves in the university environment. Everyone should feel comfortable to be who they are and that we are enriched by that diversity.” Marsha Carrasco Cooper, Director of Student Activities and Greek Life, presented the Safe Zone Manual and guided the near dozen faculty, staff and students through it’s educational material designed to sensitize participants to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer issues. The objective being the training of staff volunteers who will in turn place Ally signs in their workplace alerting LGBT students that they offer a Safe Zone. The training began with a group reading of the “Free To Be Me” statement that acknowledges how ones ignorance and misunderstanding is a product of a heterosexist and transphobic culture, but one needn’t feel guilty and has permission to ask stupid questions and be honest about feelings. One needs to take responsibility about what one can do now to learn and change false beliefs or op-
Photo by Arissa Utemark, Washburn Review
Diversity Matters: Associate professor of history Kim Morse reintroduces the Washburn University Safe Zone Program. The purpose of the program is to allow lesbian, gay, bi, and transgendered students to feel safe on campus. pressive attitudes toward LGBTs. Director Cooper then lead group discussions covering a variety of material including terminology, symbols, Kinsey studies, heterosexual privileges, stereotypical attitudes, myths and biblical versus, pro and con. The Riddle Homophobia Scale explained that even Tolerance and Acceptance are homophobic attitudes. Positive attitudes are Support, Admiration, Appreciation, and Nuturance. These are the attitudes a Safe Zone Ally will offer LGBT students, family or friends. The Ally volunteers contract commits them to “educating myself, and others, about oppression, heterosexism and homophobia, and combating it on a personal level.” “... working
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Brian Allen is a returning alumni. Reach him at brian.allen@washburn.edu.
Argo 6&7
Family Day Sale Friday & Saturday September 25 - 26
towards providing a safe, confidential support network for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.” “... to treating everyone with the dignity and respect that they are entitled to as human beings.” So if you have questions, concerns or issues and want a caring confidential ear, look for a “Ally, Safe Zone” sign. The next Diversity Matters Program will be held in the Student Unions’ Vogel Room, October 16, 1:30 p.m. Subject: The Victimization of People With Disabilities.
The Argo presents “The Best of Wanamaker,” a guide to the restaurants on the strip.
argo
news
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Safe zones stick it to sexual oppression
Senior kicker Steve Ivanisevic has set two school records this year.
sports
See what exciting events the Campus Activities Board has planned for the year.
United States or some other country development of a vaccine to combat in North America carrying a local in- the spread of the outbreak. Now this fluenza strain and comes into contact all sounds bad in an abstract kind of with someone carrying a European way but what does it mean for students strain which then mixes in with the lo- on campuses throughout the United cal influenza virus strains. This type of States and Washburn in particular? pandemic spread is not out of the realm The student health department of reasonable which has been worry accord- “ seeing an ining to experts. creased amount “The spread We’re not really able of cold like of pandemic symptoms and to say for certain disease is alsuspected flu ways a serious cases, has rewhere it came from, concern for us,” sponded by dobut we have some said Daigle. ing batch testing In particular, for H1N1 and ideas on that. the spread of this getting Washnew strain has burn onto the list taken root in the as a possible site - David Daigle age group of five for the vaccinaCenter for Disease to 24 years old. tions of H1N1 Control and Prevention These results medicine that are coupled with the currently under ” development. low or no resistance to the new The university strain that the has also been infected have been displaying have sending out e-mails with links to many authorities concerned. Reported videos and other literature that relate numbers now show that roughly one- to information about the pandemic. million cases of H1N1 have been reWashburn, through the Living corded throughout the United States Learning Center has also taken steps to with two deaths in Kansas. So far the participate in a self isolation program strain of influenza has not mutated and medical officials have begun the Please see H1N1 page A5
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