expansion!

Governor outlines Southcoast rail plan at UMass Dartmouth

By Chris Donovan

On April 4, Governor Deval Patrick came on to the UMass Dartmouth campus to announce his plan for commuter rail expansion into the Southcoast of Massachusetts. He chose UMass Dartmouth as his venue to announce this project because he feels that “this campus acts as center of gravity for the Southcoast.” The governor was joined by several top administration officials, legislators, mayors, and business leaders. He opened his speech by proclaiming, “It’s always nice to visit the south coast, and next time I hope to be coming back by train.”

The rail expansion plan, which is set to be completed by 2016, would provide a proposed 36 trains a day that would service the Southcoast. It would also include the construction of several passenger stations and two terminal layover facilities.

The plan doesn’t just focus on the actual construction of a train rail, but according to Governor Patrick, also “making the Southcoast a better place to live, and to work, and to invest in.” The new rail will bring possibilities of greater travel, tourism, manufacturing, and other related activities. In preparation for this, there will be a great focus on economic development in many aspects, including housing and jobs.

The announcement came within 90 days of Governor Patrick’s inauguration, which means he held to his campaign promise. The fact that he stuck to his word may be important for many south coast residents, as the governor himself admits that this proposed expansion has been promised for the past 20 years, and no action has been taken. Governor Patrick assured non believers by reminding them that he wasnít in charge for the past 20 years and he plans on ?ending the talking, and getting to working.?

The project will cost a total of 1.4 billion dollars which will be funded both by state, and federal government funds. Already, $17 million in state funds, and $9 million in federal funds have been committed to the project. Some of the rest of the money for the project will come from revenues that the project itself generates. A more concrete financial plan has been promised to be produced no later than January 1st, 2010.

Throughout the entire conversation, Governor Patrick continually emphasized his commitment to not only this project, but to the south coast as a whole, and stated ?if you donít see any activity, come say so.

In order to keep the public informed about the project scope, and progress, www.southcoastrail.com was created. This website contains information about the project, and will be continually updated until the projects completion.

UMD offically opens new research facility

By Thomas Gibbs

On Thursday, April 5, UMass Dartmouth Chancellor Jean MacCormack, along with UMass president Jack Wilson, Board of Trustees Chairman Stephen Tocco, and Provost Anthony Garro, hosted the official opening of a brand new 22,000 square foot research building on the UMass Dartmouth Campus.

The research building, named the National Botulinum Research Center will dedicate half of its space to focus on the detection, treatment, and cure for Botulism; a severe type of poisoning due to contaminated food caused by Botulinum organelles. The study of this disease can also lead to potential research in the fields of molecular biology, cell biology, and bioengineering.

The facility will also be a host to other forms of research including new ways to treat injuries. This research has spawned ideas such as a bandage that would heal a wound while protecting it, and learning how some bio-polymers within cranberries can decrease cancer growth.

The new research building marks an expansion within the “innovation triangle,” a three way branch of scientific breakthrough within the commonwealth of Massachusetts that includes the Advanced Technology Manufacturing Center in Fall River as well as the Center for Marine Science and Technology in New Bedford.

During the opening remarks of the ceremony, Chancellor MacCormack described the research building as being a “resource for our students, our facility, and our community. It is the latest stage in a rapid evolution of the university.”

The building is also recognized as one of the only centers of its kind within the south of Boston, bringing recognition not only to itself, but to the University as well.

As UMass Dartmouth evolves, so too does the scientific community. Many scientists, graduates, and other workers from many science departments including chemistry, engineering, biology, and textiles were gathered to witness the ?birth? of one of UMass Dartmouthís greatest achievements in recent memory. Some students studying in the field of science will be granted the experience of working outside of the traditional classroom by working in this research facility. This will give them a unique oppurtunity to perform science beyond the realm of a college classroom.

President Wilson was also proud to present the opening of the new building because of it’s potential to expand upon breakthroughs in science. He declared that the oppurtunities provided by the new facility will be ?ones that will enable our faculty and students to make further advances in the important area of biotechnology?. With a highly respected professor such as Dr. Bal Ram Singh, one of the nationís leading experts in Botulism as well as the leading man of the National Botulinum Center at the helm, a bright future seems to be ahead in the fight against this leading bio-terrorism threat.

The building itself could not have been concieved without the talented and hard working architectures at the ARC (Architectural Resources Cambridge), as well as the builders at Suffolk Construction, proudly recognized as at top leading contracting firm in the United States. Still, even with the numerous rooms dedicated to scientific experiments, perfectly symmetric hallway design, and impressive looking sky bridge, the building, as MacCormack best explains, ?is only a shell if you donít have intellectual life living in it?. Now, many look upon the building with excitement and high expectations for future generations of scientists to develop many different treatments and cures within the near future. In time, the research building will hopefully prove itself to become one of UMass Dartmouthís most valuable assets in the field of science.

Student government elections and SRO budget hearings around the corner

Senate Elections

The UMD Student Senate has a lot going on in the month of April. One major event for students to be aware of is the upcoming election, which will decide Student Senate Representives, Class Officers, SFAC representatives, and Student Trustee for the 2007-2008 academic year. The elections will commence on April 16 at 12:00 a.m. and end April 18 at 12:00 a.m.

Each elected position comes with duty and responsibility. Student Senators and Class Officers are responsible for representing their constituency by means of reaching out to and voicing constituent’s concerns to the Senate body. The Student Trustee represents the UMass Dartmouth student body by meeting with the UMass system Board of Trustees. People who hold a SFAC position become a part of the major budget allocation process at the beginning of the school year and help decide how much money student organizations will receive.

On Friday April 13 from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. in the South Alcove there will be a Meet the Candidates Night. This event will give students an opportunity to meet the candidates running for the various positions. There will be finger foods and refreshments offered along with a speech by the two student trustee candidates: Matthew Brodeur and Tamara Endich.

Students will have two options when it comes to voting. During the entire 72-hour voting period, students will be able to log onto www.vote.umassd.edu and enter their student ID number to submit their vote. A voting station will be set up in the Campus Center from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.. There will be a Senate laptop provided for voting along with the assistance of an election official.

Unofficial results will be posted on the door of the Senate office as soon as CITS releases election results. All winners will be notified and asked to accept or decline the position. Declined positions will go to the candidate with the next highest amount of votes.

SRO Budget Hearings

In preparation for next year, Student Senate Treasurer, Ann Ryan, will be holding SRO (Senate Recognized Organization) Budget hearings starting next week. Ryan has requested SROs set up meetings with her as soon as possible. The dates and times of the budget meetings are:

Tuesday, April 17 and Tuesday, April 24 at 6:00 p.m. & 8:30 p.m.

Wednesday, April 18 and Wednesday, 25 at 10:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 7:00 p.m. & 8:30 p.m.

SRO’s should have a prepared proposed budget for the next academic year with them at the meeting. The proposed budget should outline all possible expenses that the SRO forsees encountering in the next year, along with an explanation of what each expense is.

All of these meetings will be held in the Student Senate office. There is currently a list outside of the Student Senate office where representatives from each SRO can sign themselves up for an appointment.

The Norovirus and you

By Leah Sylvia

The Norovirus is known for afflicting confined communities like cruise ships, schools, hospitals and prisons. The highly-contagious virus is not inherently fatal, but recently has been known to temporarily shut down facilities where it has infected an excessive number of people.

“Noroviruses are transmitted primarily through the fecal-oral route, either by direct person-to-person spread or fecally contaminated food or water,” says the Center for Disease Control. They listed that the most common ways for infection were touching contaminated surfaces without washing hands afterward, eating food contaminated with the virus, or having direct contact with someone who is infected. Symptoms can begin 12-48 hours after contamination and last 24 to 60 hours. They include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramps. People recovering from Norovirus should not work with food for at least 3 days after their symptoms disappear.

Prevention is the only remedy because the Norovirus cannot be treated. Proper hand washing is urged as well as sanitizing contaminated areas immediately after an occurrence of illness. The CDC stated that the viruses can survive freezing and heating to 140?F and recommended using bleach-based household cleaners for disinfection. Even in presumably sterile environments however, the virus has managed to survive and spread.

In the month of March alone several Norovirus outbreaks have been reported worldwide. Two wards in a New Zealand hospital were closed after 11 staff and 9 patients became ill suspected by a Norovirus according to Radio New Zealand on March 22. A Las Vegas jail had to undergo decontamination on March 20 after 150 inmates and 7 guards were sickened by an outbreak of Norovirus. It is thought to have been caused by sick inmates working in the kitchen who were distributing food trays, wrote the Associated Press.

The latest outbreak was reported by the Kent County Times on Friday, March 30. The Rhode Island Health Department is currently investigating Nino’s in Coventry for Norovirus contamination. The facility voluntarily closed after 30 people who ate there Sunday fell ill. A sewage spillover in the parking lot earlier in the day is suspected to be the source. Several students from St. Joseph’s school in West Warwick also showed symptoms of the illness and were urged to stay home.

Back in 1986 an outbreak of Norovirus on this campus required the Dartmouth Board of Health to step in and take food and water samples for testing, recalls Sheila Dorgan of Health Services. “At first they thought it was Hepatitis A and immune globin shots were given to people who were on campus within certain days.”

Dorgan has been a nurse practitioner at UMD since 1987 and admits that cases of gastroenteritis are usually common. However, as soon as a pattern of unusual frequency is recognized the town Board of Health would have to be notified.

“There would be notices that would be sent out to the campus community notifying them of the problem,” says Barbara Agee, Director of Health Services. “There may also be some disinfecting of several areas on campus that would also happen.” Agee notes that all of this would be done as directed by the Board of Health and the State Department of Health.

Before the state officials can begin their investigation, tests must be conducted to identify the illness. “We need to wait for laboratory confirmation. We couldn’t just go on hearsay,” says Dartmouth Board of Health Director Wendy Henderson. After receiving laboratory confirmation showing the presence of a Norovirus, the Board would move in with two immediate goals, “finding the source and containing the virus from spreading further,” says Henderson. They would first need to focus on the time of onset of symptoms from the first presenters of the virus. “We’ll be seeing secondary contacts quickly because of the quick communicability [of the virus].”

The Dartmouth Board of Health would be “reporting immediately to the State,” says Henderson who would notify the Massachusetts Board of Health. The Bureau of Communicable Disease Control would then start looking at hospital records in the area. They would have to track the food history and food sources of the other Norovirus cases to find anything they had in common says Henderson.

Though the virus is unpleasant, the only potentially hazardous complication it poses is dehydration which is usually only serious when striking the elderly or young children.

“Isolating students or dorms that were infected with the virus might be under consideration,” with a more serious illness, says Henderson, but due to the relative shortness and non-fatal nature of Noroviruses, “probably not.”

The influence of the media

Everywhere we look, we see images of men and women. From the Internet to MTV to advertisements to pornography, the representation of the ideal man or woman overwhelms us. Even more so, these elements often dictate how we live our lives, what our choices are, and even our view of how different experiences should be.

“We all know that the media and advertising provide us with an unrealistic image of what we should look like. It is an image that many of us aspire to, but very few can attain. These over-sexualized images of men and women play a major role in our lives, offering us unlikely standards for our partners. They are images that have made their way into our identities and our sexual relationships.

“One would think that all the sexuality portrayed in the media would lead to an edgier, more liberated form of sexuality, but we’ve ended up with a mass-produced view of sex that is amazingly sexist. This vision is subliminally preventing us from having healthy, equal, and real relationships. Men think they need to act in certain ways to enhance their masculinity, and the same is true for women in regards to their femininity .

“On April 18, Dr. Gail Dines, a professor in Sociology and Women’s Studies at Wheelock College in Boston, will be speaking about Sex(ism), Identity and Intimacy in Pornographic Culture. Using examples from pornography, magazines, commercials, and televisions shows, she will explore how femininity and masculinity are shaped by the consumer driven, image-based culture in which we live. She’ll also identify the different ways in which these public images spill over into our private worlds.

“Dr. Dines is the co-editor of the best-selling book “Gender, Race, and Class in Media and the co-author of Pornography: The Production and Consumption of Inequality.” She has written numerous articles on pornography and her work has appeared in academic journals, books, newspapers, and magazines.

“Join us at the Woodland Commons on April 18 at 7:00 p.m. for an eye-opening presentation on the media and its influence on our lives. For more information, contact Kim Sylvia at Ksylvia@umassd.edu or 508-910-4584. This event is co-sponsored by the Student Senate Lecture Series, the Office of Health Education, and the Women’s Studies Program.

THIS WEEK IN UMASSD HISTORY

High voter turnout marks Senate elections

Original article by Bill Trippe
Thursday, April 12, 1979

Both student elections this past week were highlighted by large turnouts. Student Senate President Dan Hoffman labeled the turnout for the combined Senate/Class Council/PIRG referendum election “the largest ever” while Residence Halls Congress President Paul Beck commented that the turnout for the RHC elections of “over 50% is great. It’s the biggest percentage in years.”

Ninety-four percent of the students voted in favor of keeping PIRG on campus and retaining the current refund policy. Election officials recorded 1151 votes in favor of PIRG, with 72 against and four blank ballots. Victor Chiu, Coordinator for PIRG’s small claims court, said “The students made a very wise choice, and I’m sure that the students will benefit from it.”

Hank Wolfson won the hotly contested election for the class of 1980 presidency. Wolfson outpolled incumbent Lucia Ponzini by some 50 votes. “I think that the impressive turnout can be attributed to a couple of things,” commented Wolfson. “The MassPIRG question brought a lot of people out. Another thing, and I’m not trying to pat myself on the back, but my putting out so many signs right away really set the pace of the campaign for many of the people who ran. This place was covered with signs and that really helped to get people to vote.”

Lisa Wayne, elected to the vice presidency of the Senior Class said that “I’m glad it’s over. It was exciting and frustrating and I’m glad that I can get back to studying.”

Linda Martin ran unopposed for Secretary-Treasurer of 1980.

“The Ticket” of Kevin McCarthy (pres.), Bob Blanchette (vice-pres.) and Debbie Scibilia (sec. treasurer) swept the class of 1981. Eric Gold defeated Gerard Bourassa in the race for president of 1982.

Debbie Hatch, Joan Will and Greg Scott were elected to the Resident Student positions on the Board of Governors. Richard Viens and two write-in candidates, Linda Gagnon and Barry Pinto will assume the BOG positions as commuter representatives.

Steve Clancy, Bill McGowan and Arthur Trundy were chosen to serve on the Building Authority. Steve Burke was elected on write-in votes.

The two new members of the Student Fee Allocation Board are Dennis Santoro and Dick Norlund.

The new members of the Student Senate are: BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY- Mary Ellen Griffin, Mark Herrick, Carol Salisbury, and Stephanie Haselton. ARTS AND SCIENCE- Naomi Andrews, Kerry Sullivan, Bill McGowan, Becki Nichols, Donna Harris, Martha Weeks, Dan McKiernan and Wayne Campos. ENGINEERING- Gilbert Alegi, Steve Birk, and Jim Zisson. NURSING- Debbie Roszkiewicz. VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS- Andreas Gounaris and Ginny O’Neil. CLASS OF 1982- John Gannon, Jim Hoffman, and Wendy Scofield. CLASS OF 1981- John Gounaris, Ginny O’Neil and Mike Kliegal. CLASS OF 1980- Jodi Baum, Sharon Marotta and Joe McKeown.

In the RHC elections, Jodi Baum defeated Paul Goodwin for the presidency. Alan Peterson was elected vice-president, Ed Van Sickle treasurer, Donna Metclaf corresponding secretary and Debra Strom recording secretary.

Student senate debates new 2.0 grade proposals

Original article by Donna Harris
Friday, April 10, 1981

At this week’s meeting of the Student Senate the Senators discussed several recommendations concerning the 2.0 grade point average. After approximately one and one half hours of discussion all recommendations were tabled until next week.

An initial motion sponsored by Bill McGowen, Senate President stated “I move that the student senate recommend to the Faculty Senate to reconsider their academic stand on the 2.0 grade point policy.” He also recommended that the new recommendation be a 1.7 grade point average at the end of the freshman year, followed by a 2.0 for the rest of a person’s academic life. McGowen cited the Faculty Senate’s recommendation caused two major problems, being:

1. Having any sort of mid-semester academic change is hard for the registrar.

2. “More importantly” there are seven sports that run through both semesters.

States McGowen (on point 2), “Conceivably you could lose half the team second semester.” He added “any loss would destroy the continuity of the team.” He also added that his recommendation is compatible to other school’s policies.

Steve Murphy, Senator of Visual and Performing Arts then took the floor with the question, “Are we running a sports school or an academic school?” He also stated that by keeping the grade point low you’re down-grading the standards of the school.

Murphy also made a recommendation of a Faculty Senate Review Board. Essentially anyone who had made marked improvement in academics (for example, from a 0.9 first semester to a 2.5 second semester) would appear before this board. The board would ultimately decide on whether that person could continue in extra curricular activities.

At this point McGowen retorted, stating, “Taking away extracurricular activities is not going to make the person study harder,” also commenting that college “teacher people not only about academics but about life itself.” Extracurricular activities help a person gain confidence in themselves, as well as responsibilities toward others,” he added.

Jim Arsenault, the newly elected Senator for the class of 1983 aided McGowen’s debate, stating that “We have to consider the transition a student goes through his first year. He also noted that Coach Bob Dowd, SMU’s cross country coach, wrote a thesis on how people who are involved extracurricularly tend to generally do better academically.

The arguments continued until the “question was called” (a signal to end debate). A vote was taken and the recommendation failed.

Another recommendation for a 2.0 grade point average at the end of each year, every year (as opposed to the grade point average at the end of each semester), was brought up by Diane Ebbeling, Senate Vice-President. Many Senators argued against this policy, deeming it “cold and stiff shouldered.” Murphy also argued on this point, calling it an extreme measure.

States Arsenault, “If it’s concerning upgrading the standards of SMU I’m behind it. However, we should be sympathetic to the se individuals; put yourselves in their shoes and understand where they are coming from. This is an unsympathetic group of people here; this is an unbelievably harsh attitude to take,” he added. Once again the question was called and the recommendation failed.

Construction underway until March ‘84

Original article by Norm Cloutier
Friday, April 15, 1983

Twenty years after the original plans were drawn up, after design changes, numerous state budget requests, and the transfer of funds from another construction project, a bridge is being built from Group I to the second floor of the Campus Center. According to the contract, the structure will be complete in March of 1984.

“I know it (the 11 month construction schedule) will be an inconvenience for some people, but in the long run it will solve two major problems for students,” said Disabled Student Coalition President Bob Branco. The problems include the inaccessibility of the auditorium balconies, used as classrooms, by students in wheelchairs and the hazardous grassy slope between the buildings. The “danger zone,” as Branco calls it, is hazardous to pedestrians in foul weather. “It’s a wind tunnel over there. The way the concrete is laid down, if you miss a step you could easily fall down the hill. It’s a problem for a lot of people, not only the disabled,” he explained.

Included in the $700,000 construction costs for the bridge is money for an addition to the Campus Center. The two-level structure will extend from the North side of the building and house office spaces for the Counseling Center, currently situated on the second floor of the Administration Building. “The second and third floors of that building are overcrowded, so this should help to alleviate some of that,” said Director of University Planning and Plant, Foster Jacobs. Both the extension and the bridge are being built simultaneously.

The Campus Center end of the bridge will begin on the second floor, Northwest side of the building and extend over the grassy slope to the second and third floors of Group I. A stairway within the new structure will allow students to travel from the third floor of Group I, across the bridge, and into the second floor of the Campus center. The bridge is also accessible from the second floor of Group I. It will be completely enclosed with six foot-high windows on both sides of the 150 foot span.

Unlike all other structures on campus, the bridge and Campus Center extension will be structured with steel, rather than reinforced concrete. “But it will look like all the other buildings on campus,” said Jacobs. The new structures will be covered with ‘ribbed’ concrete, like the surface of other campus buildings.

Designed by the architectural firm of Philip Minervino Associates, the structures are being built by Bacon Construction Company, which began work Monday, April 11.

The wood and steel stairwell which connected the second and third floors of Group I was torn down early this week to make way for the bridge. The temporary structure was built when the building was made in 1963 because the Campus Center would not be constructed for some time. Funding problems with the Campus Center kept administrators from completing the bridge, so a temporary wooden wall was included in the spot where the bridge will begin.

Included in the blueprints for the job is a plan to fill in much of the grassy slope and extend