Losing the lottery: Room selection 2008

By Aubrey Ramsdell

This spring marked the second year of UMass Dartmouth’s online housing selection process. This year, the entire affair was online, including the contracts. The system itself was in good order, thankfully not being plagued with the crashes and downtime that marked a tough launch last spring. The process, however, was met with mixed feelings.

The Office of Housing and Residential Life accepted deposits from more people than they could accommodate. Victor Culatta, the Director, said that this problem was normal. “Most colleges don’t have enough housing space to accommodate every student who wants to go there,” he said.

Culatta continued, “Nothing is set just yet. People drop housing before filling out contracts, and spaces usually clear over the summer.”

Unfortunately, when the residence halls filled up on the afternoon of Thursday, May 1, “over four hundred students” were left without a room. Culatta stated that the students would be added to a wait list, “which is still being compiled.” He said that OHRL will be in communication with students over the summer, starting June 1 to try to get them housing on campus.

When asked about why there was such an overflow, Culatta said, “We received an unexpected amount of deposits this year from residents and commuters. It’s wonderful that so many people want to live on campus. It says good things about the school.”

Students who went through the room selection process had a lot to say about it.

“They handled it really badly,” said Julianne Henry, a freshman who will be living in Pine Dale next year. “Two of my friends don’t have a place to live next year.”

“Housing is so messed up,” said Dylan Cashman, a sophomore who’s in Cedar Dell West next fall. “Every [apartment] was taken within two days of sign up. I think I’m just going to live in the bell tower and make things easier,” he added with a touch of humor.

A group of students attended the Residence Hall Congress meeting on Thursday, May 1, where they presented a list of concerns.

Complaints regarding this year’s housing selection have ranged from calls for blood to the simple lament of not being able to live near their friends next year. Some students have said they were just glad that they got a room at all. Others blame OHRL for allowing commuters to participate in room selection at the same time that residents did. Many upper classmen blamed freshmen and sophomores for taking up the apartments, and a good deal of suggestions for next year have revolved around that concern.

Not everyone blamed Housing, though. Kerri Wilbur, a sophomore who managed to get an apartment in the Woodlands said, “It’s not Housing’s fault. It’s the school’s fault for taking in too many freshmen for the last few years. They should have known that they didn’t have the space for people and that this would happen. It’s stupid.”

Wilbur raised a valid concern. According to members of the administration, the size of the freshman class is now “capped,” meaning that they don’t intend to keep raising the limit.

There is a room selection process committee that welcomes student members who are interested in sharing their ideas. The committee also hears from the RHC. Culatta encouraged students to look into both groups and to speak out about their opinions.

Some students weren’t content with merely making suggestions. A few of those interviewed said that they’d like to see new people in charge of room selection, even going so far as to say that they’d like to see Vic Culatta fired.

Asked about rumors regarding the state of his contract, Culatta denied any claims that his contract was not being renewed. He did affirm that he is looking for a new job, but he stated that his decision was not influenced by the housing shortage.

“I’m looking for a career advancement. People in student affairs are constantly moving and changing locations — like the new Vice Chancellor, Dr. Kim. She’s been coast to coast,” he said. “I like this university. I wouldn’t have come here if I didn’t, but I’m looking for something else,” he added with a smile.

UMD Commencement undergoes major changes

By Stephanie Luz

Students can expect to see many changes and big announcements for UMass Dartmouth’s 2008 Commencement. In a total of two days approximately 1,550 Graduate, Undergraduate and Doctoral students will cross the stage to receive their hard-earned degrees. Highly acclaimed journalist and senior correspondent for The News Hour, Ray Suarez has been announced as the speaker at the separate undergraduate commencement ceremony.

In the past, commencement has been a one-day ceremony, but that has changed this year. Chancellor Jean F. MacCormack, Assistant to the Chancellor for Public Affairs John Hoey and Associate Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Dr. David Milstone created two separate ceremonies this year: a Graduate and Doctoral student commencement on Saturday, May 24 and an Undergraduate student ceremony the next day, Sunday, May 25.

Hopes are that these ceremonies will be more appropriate for the students receiving degrees and less time-consuming for the students and their families. “It cuts down the time drastically so that people will stay the whole time,” commented Milstone.

Chi-Hang “Andy” Fung, a dual major in Digital Media and Photography, will take part in this year’s undergraduate ceremony. “Last year, it was so packed because everyone was together, but this year it should be better because less students have to sit and wait,” he said.

Dr.Onesky Aupont, who is a faculty member at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, will deliver the Graduate Commencement Address. Milstone explained that masters and doctoral students were not a focus in the past commencement ceremonies, “They were almost the forgotten group, but now we made it special for them.”

Yong Zhang, who received a degree in engineering and physics from UMass Dartmouth and is now the chief operating officer of Salary.com, will also speak at the Graduate Commencement along with Graduate Student Jennifer Ling Datchuk, who is a Master of Fine Arts candidate.

At the Undergraduate Ceremony, students will be seated by college and receive their diplomas on the Vietnam Veterans’ Peace Memorial Amphitheater stage. In previous years, students were seated in the amphitheater and then directed to other locations to receive diplomas within their college.

This year, everyone will cross one stage in two simultaneous lines of students. Modeling the commencement ceremony at UMass Boston, Milstone said that having two lines of students crossing the stage will cut time of the ceremony down from an estimated three hours to about one hour and fifteen minutes. “It’s not competing, it’s complimentary,” stated Milstone.

Student Trustee Tamara Endich will speak at the undergraduate ceremony. She noted, “I think it’s a great change having attended previous Commencement ceremonies because when students separated into their colleges, it got chaotic. I feel that now it will run smoothly and with the split of the Grads and Undergrads, the amphitheater won’t be as packed.”

“Commencement 2008 at UMass Dartmouth is going to feature a diverse array of people who have had and continue to have an enormous impact on the lives of others,” said Chancellor Jean F. MacCormack. She added, “This will be a celebration of the power of education and innovation to strengthen our Commonwealth, nation, and world; and a challenge to the Class of 2008 to set a new and even higher standard of global engagement.”

This year’s Honorary Degree recipients are representative of Chancellor MacCormack’s vision and will join Suarez on stage during undergraduate commencement. Recipients include Qualcomm founder Irwin Jacobs and his wife Joan Jacobs, Southcoast Hospitals Group CEO Ronald Goodspeed, and retired UMass Dartmouth Dean of Students Donald Howard who has served the university for forty-two years and has “been like a mentor to hundreds of students” said Hoey.

There will be an Honorary Degree recipient’s dinner on Saturday, May 24, the evening of graduate commencement. This was planned so graduate and doctoral students may attend.

At the undergraduate commencement, there will be screen projections set up in the Library Browsing area and Commuter Café located in the McClean Campus Center. There will also be streaming video of the ceremony posted on the university website. Following the commencement, there will be receptions for each college where students and families can speak with professors and other faculty.

For additional information, refer to the Commencement website: http://www.umassd.edu/commencement/ or refer to the Commencement Hot Line number: 508-910-6971.

UMass Dartmouth introduces MyAlert

By Katie Bresnahan

UMass Dartmouth is the most recent of 29 Massachusetts universities and colleges to adopt the MyAlert system, which notifies students, faculty and staff of major campus emergencies via text messages or voice mail on their cell phones.

The purpose of the MyAlert system is to “let people know that there is an emergency [on campus], to let them know what kind of emergency it is and to let them know what to do and let them know where to go for more accurate, up-to-date information,” explained University Spokesperson John Hoey.

Hoey explained, “Text messaging is the number one option [to warn of emergencies],” because e-mail is too slow. Plus, not all students check their UMD e-mail accounts every day. He said that messages sent through this new emergency system will be very brief.

Carolyn Hamel, Director of IT Development at UMass Dartmouth said that many of these text messages will direct students, faculty and staff to their UMD e-mail account or the university website where they will be able to find more information about the nature of the emergency message.

“It’s alive,” said Hoey of MyAlert’s status at UMD, “but we’re still testing it.” He mentioned that while off-campus this Monday he received a test text message on his cell phone from the system.

So far, Hoey said that there has not been much feedback on the new emergency alert system. This is mainly because the university has not needed to use MyAlert for an actual emergency and not that many people are signed up right now. But, he said what he has heard so far has been positive.

Hoey reported, “Within [the first] couple days we already had about 1000 students, faculty and staff signed up. It was terrific to see such a rapid response!”

UMD elected to use MyAlert not only because of the company’s work with the rest of the UMass system and Massachusetts State and Community Colleges, but also for “their experience in the field and the capacity of the system,” said Hoey.

“The students, faculty and staff have to sign up [to use MyAlert],” said Hamel. She said they can do so at the UMD website. “We’d like to get as many people [signed up] as we can,” she added.

Hoey said, “Right now we are asking them to sign up.” However, he added, requiring all members of the campus community to use the system is up for discussion.

As for people who do not own cell phones, Hoey said that they can provide MyAlert with another phone number and receive voice mails.

He also stated that if a group of students, faculty and staff are somewhere on campus together “as long as someone in the area is signed up the others there will be notified.”

Hoey reminds that MyAlert is only a small part of a larger communication system. Parts of the larger system include e-mail and the university website. He says that all of these pieces must work in order to keep the campus community well informed.

According to Hoey, the next campus innovation in public safety will be a campus-wide siren system. He said, “When you hear that signal you will know there is an emergency.” He is hopeful that this system will be operational by September.

Upset students protest at Residence Halls Congress meeting

By Stephanie Luz

On Thursday, May 1 about forty disgruntled students overflowed the Campus Center Conference room during a Residence Halls Congress (RHC) meeting. Freshmen, sophomores, and some juniors organized through the use of various Facebook groups and staged a peaceful protest to voice their feelings on UMass Dartmouth’s online housing selection process.

“Based on the Facebook groups and comments I’ve seen by e-mails, you obviously don’t feel like we are doing a good enough job and that’s why you’re here,” said Nick Prizio, former RHC President. He continued, “We are honored to have you here but we are not going to make the changes for you tonight. We can take suggestions and move them on to housing and that’s what we’ve done.”

RHC is “an advisory board to the Office of Housing and Residential Life,” as stated on their website. Members of the organization anticipated the student reaction and were accompanied by Director of Housing and Residential Life Victor Culatta and Chestnut Hall Resident Director Aaron Hetrick. Newly elected President of RHC Jess Carpenter stated, “We are the voice of the students, other than that we don’t have much to do with room selection… We are apart of a committee, but just because things are suggested on the housing committee, doesn’t mean those things are necessarily going to come into play.”

Students were respectful and expressed their understanding of the situation to the RHC members. One of the students said, “We are not here to attack you guys, we understand that you guys are the student voice, but in saying that, we really don’t appreciate the fact that the attitude right now is ‘it’s too late, oh well, next year we’ll handle it’.”

Many of the students decided to direct their questions toward present housing officials: “Do you guys have any idea how many dorms there are? How do you guys overbook so much? If I put in a deposit, doesn’t that mean I should have a dorm?” exclaimed Julian Santos, currently a freshman at the university. Santos was one of the first students to speak up at the meeting.

Culatta responded, “We did know how many spaces we had available, but as part of our marketing, we always like to attract as many folks as we can to live on campus.” He said that the number of people interested in on-campus housing is unknown until they receive the deposits. Culatta stated that 900 more students were interested in housing as opposed to last year.

Students having issues with housing were encouraged to fill out a Room Choice Form which gives students an opportunity to select their desired style of housing. When that housing becomes available during the summer, the student will be contacted via his or her UMass Dartmouth email address. Students who were not able to get housing will be given the opportunity to refund their $200 deposit at the Housing and Residential Life Office located on the second floor of Oak Glen Hall.

Sophomore Veronica Hanley said, “I’m glad that they sent out an email, I just wish that it was sent out earlier if they marketed it to so many people.”

Culatta reassured the students that many residents who have signed up for housing are expected to drop out over the summer. He said, “We had a little bit more than 150 rooms that opened up over the summer last year from what we call our ‘summer melt.’”

There were still many other issues brought up by the students. They included: Juniors and Seniors getting placed in the lower classmen buildings (Pine Dale and Oak Glen), the problems associated with twenty-one year old and above who were placed in dry halls, and upperclassmen forced into purchasing a meal plan in Pine Dale and Oak Glen when they originally did not intend on it.

Culatta stated there were were relatively small numbers of students above the legal drinking age who were placed in the dry halls. “In Oak Glen for this upcoming fall, 8.5 percent will be twenty-one plus by September 15 and 1.3 percent of those people in Pine Dale so it’s a small percent.” He also noted that the issue would be discussed with the housing staff and any changes that were made to the drinking policy would be addressed to the students via UMDAnnounce on the UMass Dartmouth email system.

“You’ve gotten rid of twenty one housing and created a complete fiasco of people being able to buy for other people. That’s insane!” said Johnathan King.

Another sophomore student, Margaret Rancourt suggested, “People who have the right amount of people to fill out an apartment should get first dibs [in housing selection]… I personally got stuck in the Dell by myself.”

Carpenter concluded, “This is the second year that we’ve done online housing. There were kinks last year, some of them were worked out; there are kinks this year, you have to give these kind of things time.”

For more information, students are encouraged to contact the RHC as well as to contact the Housing Office located on the second floor of Oak Glen Hall.

Students petition for alcohol-related amnesty

By Aubrey Ramsdell

Picture this: You’re chilling at a party, having a few beers, and suddenly your buddy doesn’t look so good. He’s puking like crazy, shaking, and complaining of cold flashes. His breathing is irregular and he looks pale. Then he passes out.

What do you do? Many students go the route of “letting him sleep it off.” They might try to make him comfortable, or put him in the shower to shock him awake. They figure that once someone stops drinking, it can’t get any worse. Unfortunately, it can get a lot worse, and it can happen very quickly. A person’s blood alcohol level continues to rise even after he or she has stopped drinking, so as someone lets their friend sleep it off, they could be pushing him one step closer to an avoidable death.

Why do students avoid calling for help? There are many reasons — they are afraid the party will get busted, they do not want to lose housing and they do not want their friend to get in trouble. While they spend precious minutes worrying about the repercussions, their passed-out friend isn’t getting any better.

The above scenario and concerns are the basis of a new Good Samaritan policy that Beth-Anne Vieira of UMass Dartmouth Health Services, who works alongside UMD’s Peer Health Educators, is hoping to push through. In the event of alcohol-poisoning, or some other alcohol-related injury, students would be able to contact Public Safety without fear of consequences relating to their alcohol consumption.

“Students make a snap judgment in that situation. It’s critical to call for help right away,” said Vieira.

If students are sure that they will be granted amnesty, the policy could definitely save lives. Even still, they will not get off easy. After the incident, they will need to complete an assessment, take follow-up counseling and complete an education program related to alcohol. A fee is also in the proposed policy.

Additionally, students will still be held accountable for rules broken that are not related to alcohol, including vandalism and noise complaints. The point of the policy is to save lives, re-educate, and help prevent these issues in the future. It is not meant to encourage drinking by getting drunk students out of trouble.

Strictly speaking, amnesty will only apply to situations that are alcohol-related. “The policy does not apply to drugs as the draft is right now,” said Vieira.

That doesn’t mean that students shouldn’t call for help, however. In a life or death situation, it is generally better to save a life and take the housing strike.

So, how exactly did this policy come about? Vieira said that in the fall of 2006, a community nursing student did a semester-long research project on these policies. She contacted various universities and looked through their handbooks to see if any such “Good Samaritan” policies existed. Of the UMass Universities, she found that only UMass Amherst had one in place. She also found that every school that had adopted a Good Samaritan policy regarding alcohol was pleased with the decision. Not just students, but staff members were glad for it, as well.

Vieira said she became “convinced that we should look into this.” She worked to draft the policy and submitted it to a committee for review. Due to the bureaucratic processes on this campus, no one is sure when it will go into effect. According to Vieira, the Peer Health Educators decided to form a petition to support the policy.

Through tabling, door-to-door efforts, and even Facebook, they have been trying to make the student body aware of the issue and get them involved. Within one week, the online Facebook petition gained support from over 520 members.

“We’re really hoping for the policy to be accepted before this fall,” said Vieira.

Jenn Masztal, a Peer Health Educator, said, “The longer we wait, the more chance there is of someone dying. They can cause further damage to their friends if they don’t go for help. I’ve seen students just thrown in showers.” She is one of the people who is lobbying for the policy on campus, and she has been working to promote the petition.

Masztal agreed with Vieira about the time-sensitive nature of the policy, “We need it before the freshmen come in. They’re at the greatest risk because they don’t know the university [the way] upper classmen do. They need to know that a policy like this is in place for them.”

The petition already seems to be having an effect. Vieira coincidentally received a call shortly after it was created, saying that a meeting was being scheduled very soon for the committee to sit down and review the draft of the policy. If approved, it will then go to an adoption committee for further review, and eventually make it into the school handbook.

Students raise funds for biology class

By Lama Hassoun

Walking through Group II on Thursday May 1, members of the campus community may have noticed the bake sales on the first and third floors. Biology students manned these tables and explained to passersby the importance of their cause: establishing a “Techniques in Molecular Biology” lab class in the Biology Department. The reason for the bake sale seemed odd to many who chose to support it by purchasing baked goods and donating money, however, it is well understood by most biology students and faculty.

The Chair of the Biology Department, Dr. Nancy O’Connor, emphasized the importance of hands-on experience for students for their futures and that of the state and country. “Life sciences presents a huge opportunity for growth in the Massachusetts economy…every year, the number of incoming freshmen increases, as do the number of transfer students and those who change majors,” said O’Connor.

The facts show that Massachusetts is one of the most vibrant states in terms of biological, biotechnological, and biomedical research. In fact, according to the Massachusetts Council on Biotechnology, there is no place like Massachusetts! It has an outstanding array of biopharmaceutical companies, over 40 academic institutions with active biological research, and the top five hospitals funded by the National Institute of Health in the entire country. Massachusetts is considered to be a “hub for biotechnology,” with more than 20 percent of biotechnological and biological venture capital found in this state alone.

People recognize the importance and prevalence of the field, but Dr. O’Connor feels that the university is “doing a great disservice to the students by not providing them opportunities to use basic equipment.” Every year, faculty who talk to Biology alumni have heard expressions of frustration, since employers want students who know how to use the equipment, instead of wasting money and time on training. She said, “There is a lack of equipment and appropriate lab experiences for students to learn properly… in some of our lab classes, faculty are using their own equipment. If a student breaks something, the university will not refund it for that professor.”

Dr. O’Connor’s comments are echoed by almost all other professors in the biology department. Dr. Tracie Ferreira, who currently teaches the Molecular Biology class without a lab section, has been asking the University to fund the lab for the last three years. Her estimate for equipment is $50,000 and the lab space is already available. Molecular Biology is the most popular upper level Biology class that is not required of students, with over 40 students in the class per semester. She says that she always has to go above the limits, because students are constantly trying to get into her class.

However, having a class that teaches Molecular Biology techniques without matching it with a lab experience seems somewhat ineffective. Surveying a wide range of universities in the state, it is clear that the UMD Biology Department’s situation is unparalleled. All the private institutions in Boston, from Harvard to Northeastern, have a lab component to almost all Biology classes, specifically the popular ones such as Molecular Biology. One may think that such schools have the funding for it, but in reality, every other State University has a lab component to their Molecular Biology class. So, students at UMass Amherst, Lowell, and Boston get to apply what they have learned, but students at UMass Dartmouth do not.

Even more astonishing is the fact that many state schools and community colleges, such as Worcester State and Bunker Hill, have a Molecular class—or a similar one—with a lab as well!

The group “Students for Molecular Biology Techniques Lab” was recently started by a constantly growing number of UMass Dartmouth biology majors. Bake sales are just the start of this long fundraising process, but the students are adamant about getting the equipment for the lab, one pipette at a time. The first fundraiser was wildly successful, and more than double the expected amount of money was raised. This is a purely student-driven effort; however, it is clearly supported by all biology faculty who not only donated money but also continuously advocate for their students.

“I hope the University will recognize the huge potential for growth in the region and throughout the state,” Dr. O’Connor stated, “Life Sciences is the wave of the future and without the proper training, our students will get passed by.”

Miss Massachusetts says goodbye to UMass Dartmouth

By Benjamin Brown

Members of the UMass Dartmouth community may remember the picture of Valerie Amaral in her bright red dress gown holding an oversized bundle of flowers, complete with Miss Massachusetts sash and crown on the UMD homepage last semester.

Some UMD students know about Amaral’s accomplishments. She helped raise over $30,000 for non-profit organizations and scholarships. She coaches children in beauty pageants and she encourages them to identify with positive role models to help inspire their future careers.

But beneath her refined pageant personality lies a typical University of Massachusetts college girl; a girl who enjoys a daily walk through the campus center, taking in the sights and sounds of the Commuter Café. And like the rest of the campus community, she deals with those gloomy, sullen days that come from nowhere—even in the month of May.

When she is not hanging out with Robin Leech, sipping white wine and snacking on caviar, Amaral keeps it real. Her idea of a good conversation may not always be about dresses. Often times they stray into the subjects of philosophy and what kind of ‘60s muscle car is best. She also enjoys eating at Quizno’s as well as going to the occasional Red Sox game.

Torch reporter Benjamin Brown recently had the opportunity to sit down with 2007’s Miss Massachusetts to uncover more about the girl behind the sash and crown.

Benjamin: All right, so here we are. It’s May. You’ve come to the end of a long road. How does it feel?

Valerie: A lot of people ask me if I am sad or disappointed that the year is nearing an end, but when you become Miss Massachusetts, you know that it is only for a year. So I feel like I have made the best of every day that I have served as Miss Massachusetts and I am proud of my accomplishments. I’m also eager to see who the next young woman is that will get to wear the crown, and I am looking forward to helping her with her journey.

Benjamin: So, a lot of people might wonder: why UMass Dartmouth? What makes us so special?

Valerie: Actually, UMass Dartmouth was my number one choice college when I was applying during my senior year. My grandfather used to be a professor at UMD, I had taken classes there as a high school student, and the University was close to the home that I love. What really sealed the deal for me was the generous scholarships I received to attend UMass Dartmouth.

Benjamin: Now you’re a political science major. What sort of experiences have you had with the program at UMass Dartmouth, and what do you plan to do with the degree after you graduate?

Valerie: I had really wonderful experiences with the Political Science department! I was able to take so many interesting courses and I never had a professor that I didn’t like! I had a great internship, I had wonderful seminar courses, and in general I found the Political Science department really helpful and organized. After graduation, I plan to attend law school!

Benjamin: Okay, let’s talk about the real Valerie Amaral. So what is your favorite thing to do when you’re away from the cameras?

Valerie: I relax! I spend so much time going ‘out’ to things, making appearances, performing and whatnot, that when I have free time, I really just want to throw on some sweats and stay inside. One of my favorite things to do lately is cook, actually. Even though I loathe doing dishes. So the best deal is to have others to cook for so that I can convince them to do the dishes!

Benjamin: Speaking

of cooking for others, is Miss Massachusetts tied down, or can hopeful Mr. Valerie Amarals rest easy knowing they have a shot?

Valerie: Well, let’s just say that there’s someone who does the dishes when I cook…

Benjamin: Okay, one final question. Graduation is in a month. How do you feel leaving UMass Dartmouth and what would you say is your fondest memory of this school?

Valerie: Well I have been known to sunbathe in the amphitheater! But honestly, I think that I have just really been overwhelmed by the support from the UMass Dartmouth community as Miss Massachusetts! Everyone has been so supportive, and I am genuinely grateful for that.

Benjamin: Okay, I lied—I have one more question. I know you ran into a bit of trouble with the Enterprise (or was it Ledger?) when they reported you drinking red wine in Boston. You said you were pretty upset with that shoddy journalism. Just to clear it up, what’s your real beverage of choice?

Valerie: It was the Herald! My real beverage of choice is iced tea, thank you very much.

TOPICS IN MENTAL HEALTH

Diagnosing and treating the symptoms of bipolar disorder

Many of you have heard of, or maybe even know someone who has been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder (also known as Manic Depressive Disorder). Because there is so much confusion about what this disorder is, how it affects people, and how it is treated, in this article I will attempt to clarify some of these issues.

Bipolar disorder is a biological condition in which people experience extreme changes in mood that are unrelated, or out of proportion to, events in their lives. The mood changes dramatically alter their thoughts, feelings, physical health, behavior, and ability to attend to daily life. These mood changes are not a choice, not a weakness, and not the person’s fault. Instead, they are the manifestation of a complicated neurotransmitter imbalance that usually requires medical intervention to manage.

There are four main mood changes that occur for people with bipolar disorder. These include mania, hypomania, depression, and mixed episodes.

Mania can start out feeling good to people; they likely notice increased energy, creativity, and sociability. This can quickly escalate however, into a full-blown manic episode in which the person begins to feel either euphoric or irritable, needs very little sleep (and still has high energy), talks so fast that others have trouble following them, has racing thoughts, has a seriously diminished attention span, has an inflated sense of power or importance and does reckless things without concern about the consequences (this might include spending large amounts of money, engaging in promiscuous behavior and driving too fast). Sometimes people experiencing mania can even develop hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that aren’t there) or delusions (firmly believing things that aren’t true).

During a manic episode people usually deny that anything is wrong and get very angry with anyone who expresses concern or suggests he or she might have a problem. This denial and lack of insight into the situation can be very upsetting to family or friends who are worried and want to help.

Hypomania is a milder form of mania. People who are hypomanic show similar symptoms to people who are manic, but these symptoms are less severe and impair their functionality less dramatically. For example, hypomanic people might report an elevated mood, increased productivity, and increased sociability but no racing thoughts or inflated sense of importance.

Hypomania usually feels very good to people but is a dangerous state because it can very quickly lead to either full-blown mania or a major depression.

When people experience a major depressive episode, they feel at least some of the following symptoms, that interfere with their functioning, for at least two weeks: feeling sad and losing interest in things they normally enjoy, changes in sleep patterns, changes in appetite, problems concentrating and difficulty making decisions, motor disturbances (feeling as though they’ve been slowed down, or agitated with trouble sitting still), feelings of worthlessness, guilt, or low self-esteem, loss of energy, feeling tired all the time, and thoughts of suicide.

As you can imagine, this mood state is incredibly distressing to people and represents a marked change from mania and hypomania. It can also be very upsetting to an individual’s family and friends who may want desperately to be able to say or do something to help bring their loved one out of the depths of such a depression.

Finally, people with bipolar disorder sometimes experience what is called mixed episodes. These are mood states that involve symptoms of both mania and depression that occur either simultaneously or in frequent alternation throughout the course of a day.

Mixed episodes can be extremely difficult to understand and manage and can cause significant impairment in day to day functioning. For example, the person may feel agitated or excitable but also irritable and depressed. It is easy to imagine how difficult it would be to experience this cluster of emotions simultaneously and still attend to day-to-day responsibilities.

Due to the severity of impairment and distress that can come from experiencing these mood changes, it is extremely important to diagnose and treat bipolar disorder as early as possible. There is also emerging research that suggests that untreated bipolar disorder gets worse with time and age, and can even permanently alter brain size and chemistry.

Treatments for bipolar disorder almost always include the use of pharmacological interventions. Usually the medications that are prescribed include a mood stabilizer (like Lithium, Depakote or Tegretol) and an antidepressant (such as Wellbutrin, Prozac, Paxil or Zoloft). This combination of medications tends to help stabilize people’s moods significantly and to improve their ability to attend to daily relationships and responsibilities.

In addition to pharmacological treatment, it is frequently a good idea for someone with bipolar disorder to have psychotherapy treatment. A therapist can help the person learn to recognize early warning signs of mood instability so that, in case they occur again, intervention and treatment can begin early.

Therapy can also help people with bipolar disorder cope with any disruptions in work, school or relationships that have occurred due to their mood changes. Developing coping skills and sticking to medication treatment (even when feeling better) are other things that might be discussed in therapy.

Additional help might be found at support groups for people with bipolar disorder, in which people with the diagnosis come together to talk about their experiences and how they manage their illness.

If early warning signs of bipolar disorder are not recognized and treated with medication or therapeutic interventions people can often end up with severe impairment. They may even need to be hospitalized for a period of time until their moods can be stabilized. Once they are released from the hospital, it is very important to maintain whatever medication regimen has been started, and to seek follow-up help from an outpatient therapist.

While there is no one identified cause of bipolar disorder, it tends to run in families. This can be helpful to know in that, if you know that someone in your family has bipolar disorder, you can be very alert to potential signs of it in yourself, thereby catching and treating it early.

Most of the time (although not always), symptoms of bipolar disorder emerge in late adolescence or early adulthood. Given this, it is particularly important that college students be aware of the signs of bipolar disorder as it is likely that someone in their classes or dorms will be diagnosed during their time in school.

If you have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, you probably already know a lot of this information. For those of you with a loved one who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, you may need some help understanding the illness and learning how to cope with your friend or family member’s mood changes without taking them personally. There may be specific strategies you can learn to help you minimize the impact of the disorder on your life and relationship.

If you think you may have bipolar disorder, or think someone close to you is showing symptoms, please contact the Counseling Center at x8650. If you have questions or comments about the information presented in this article, please direct email correspondence to rachel.lively@umassd.edu.

You can also get more information and support through organizations such as Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance at www.dbsailliance.org or Bipolar Significant Others at www.bpso.org.

Rachel Lively, Psy.D.
Counseling Center

STATE OF THE QUEER NATION

School challenge: Transgender student is age 9

Transgender rights is a hot topic within the queer nation. But, an important issue that is sometimes overlooked is transgender children, especially children of a very young age. This is not the case in Philadelphia. At Chatham Park Elementary School in the Haverford School district, school officials are taking a pro-active stand for a child transitioning from male to female.

The parents of this child approached the school’s administration in order to help make a “social transition” for their child. The school district “consulted experts on transgender children, then sent letters to parents advising them that the guidance counselor would meet with the school’s 100 third-grade students to explain why their classmate would now wear girls’ clothes and be called by a girl’s name.”

As one might expect, there was controversy over the child’s transition. At least eight parents called and requested that their children not attend the session and many “posted angry messages on the Haverford Township blog.”

One parent wrote, “Why is the school introducing this subject to eight and nine year olds?”

While the parent of a child who is a friend of the transgender student said that she “did not think that the letter needed to go out. The kids don’t make any big deal about it at all.”

The letter that principal Daniel D. Marsella wrote said that a “transgender child is one whose biological gender does not match his or her gender identity. Marsella assured parents that the talk with students…would use ‘developmentally appropriate language’ to explain ‘how [they] need to help this student make a social transition in school.’”

The guidance counselor, Catherine Mallam, in her speech to the children, said, “One of their classmates looked like a boy on the outside but felt like a girl on the inside.” She asked them to “accept the student as a girl and not to make unkind remarks.”

Walter O. Bockting, a psychologist and coordinator for transgender health services at the University of Minnesota said that about one in 5,000 people is transgender and that he sees about ten children a year who are nine years old or younger.

Sharon Garcia, the president of TransYouth Family Allies shared her own story of a transgender child. TransYouth Family Allies is a non-profit group that “helped the Chatham Park student and school officials devise a way to explain the situation to parents.”

According to Garcia, 49 families have contacted TransYouth asking for help with transgender children and most of the children are between ages six and ten. “Garcia says letting her own child dress and act as a girl was the right decision. ‘I went from having a suicidal child to a child who tries out for a lead part in the play,’ she said. ‘I knew society wasn’t going to be accepting, but my choices were, do this and have a happy, alive girl or have an unhappy, dead boy. So we did what we needed.’”

While the transgender student at Chatham Park Elementary is doing well and is accepted by her classmates, comments on the town blog have upset the child’s parents. Sometimes it’s not the kids who are the worst.

Source: Joelle Farrell and John Sullivan, Philly.com

Melanie Correia
Secretary
Pride Alliance

GREENING THE CAMPUS

UMass Dartmouth introduces new minor

UMass Dartmouth officially welcomed a new minor into its degree family on Tuesday, April 29: Sustainability Studies. The Sustainability Studies minor is intended to offer critical, trans-disciplinary perspectives into local and global issues of sustainability.

While “sustainability” has been defined in numerous ways, the Sustainability Studies minor outlines it this way: “Sustainability stands at the nexus of human behavior and non-human resources in order to study and plan how humans can ensure future generations’ quality of life while maintaining quality of life today.” Students in this minor will look to discover and examine humanity’s philosophies and practices, past and present, as they relate to the natural and social world and consider what new alternatives might be capable of providing a sustainable, balanced, and ethical future for Earth and its inhabitants.

Broadly speaking, the minor will consist of eighteen credits. The first twelve credits may be taken in any courses cross-listed with Sustainability Studies (noted in COIN by an SUS designation), in which are not used to fulfill a student’s major requirement; of those twelve credits, six must be in courses at the 300-level or higher.

The six remaining credits will be earned in two required courses: SUS 201: Topics in Sustainability (or SUS 202, depending upon semester), and SUS 450: Advanced Seminar in Sustainability Studies. The first official SUS 201 course will be offered this fall, and its topic will be Coastal Zones. It will be held on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 1 p.m. to 1:50 p.m.; Course #15311. It is open to all.

Coastlines have long held special significance for human imagination—chances are they have captured your imagination. Coastlines are where land meets sea, where solid footing gives way to mysterious depth, where familiar home gives way to dreams of lands far away.

Apart from humanity’s romantic and symbolic relationships with coasts, coastal zones are unique ecological areas, whose interlocking systems provide functions vital for maintaining nature’s balance, a balance essential to human industry, comfort, and pleasure.

This Sustainability Studies course will examine some of those interlocking systems and attempt to present the fragile complexity of coastal zones and coastal zone systems.

By presenting five perspectives from five different professors, each delivered in a discrete module, this course will offer a uniquely multi-disciplined perspective on coastal zones.

The course will begin with an overview of basic concepts needed for understanding sustainability, and how one might generally apply sustainability.

From there, the class will move to examine the ecology of two coastal habitats where land meets sea, coastal sand dunes and salt marshes, and study the intricate and vital behaviors of these ecosystems.

In the third module, we will move slightly offshore and learn of innovative strategies among coordinated government, business and civic groups to use shellfish as natural filters for reducing ecologically devastating nitrogen pollution.

In the fourth portion, we will examine coastlines as unique climate systems, learning (through in-class demonstrations) how air and water move and circulate, and how those movements affect the distribution of nutrients along coastal zones.

Finally, we will conclude with a module that recasts the earlier modules through the lens of public policy and how we incorporate the science into regulatory coastal zone management.

The faculty for this course, in order of appearance, will be: Jerry Blitefield, English; Tara Rajaniemi, Biology; Ric Golen, Management and Marketing; Amit Tandon, Physics/SMAST and Chad McGuire, Political Science.

Our Sustainability Online Certificate program is also getting off the ground. This summer, we will be offering four courses, two for the first Summer Session beginning May 27 and two for the second session beginning July 2. These sessions include:

First Session, May 27 to June 30:

Environmental Policy (PSC 235)

This course will explore the decision making process that underlies most of our current environmental laws and regulations in the U.S. Students will learn about the process of environmental decision-making from an “incentive-based” approach and alternatives analysis.

Topics such as air, water, hazardous substances, climate change and environmental justice will be discussed. Students will interpret a current proposal to use charge systems to implement environmental policies. The course is meant as an introductory theme into environmental policy. There is no course pre-requisite.

Sustainable Living (IST 444)

Learn to live more lightly on the planet. An introduction to global challenges and practical solutions related to energy, food, land use, water, air, waste, housing and community health. This class will help students make personal and professional decisions supporting the three interconnected objectives of sustainability: economic vitality, environmental integrity and social equity.

Second Session, July 7 to August 6:

Principles in Sustainability

This course is a foundation course for the Online Certificate in Sustainability The purpose of the course is to provide students with a survey overview of current themes surrounding sustainability. Students will be exposed to basic ideas of sustainability from the scientific, economic, social and philosophical contexts. Completion of the course will provide students with the necessary foundation to further their sustainability studies. There is no course pre-requisite.

Environmental Law (PSC 347)

Environmental Law explores the foundation of legal principles that apply to U.S. environmental laws. Students will learn the basic premises of environmental law and then apply these premises to current environmental issues. The goal is to expose students to a broad understanding of the scientific and socio-economic elements that go into environmental regulations. Current environmental issues, such as climate change, will be discussed. The course is meant as an introduction into Environmental Law. There is no course pre-requisite.

Fall online courses include Principles of Sustainability, Environmental Policy, Marine Law and Policy, Environmental Measures and Models and the Environmental Impacts of Globalization.

For more information, visit www.umassd.edu/sustainability/curriculum.

Jerry Blitefield
Director
Sustainability Studies