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Stanford study on prisoners investigated

U-WIRE STANFORD, Calif.- Drugs may have been illegally administered to teenage prisoners in a 1997 Stanford University psychiatry research study, state officials said Thursday.

In the study, 61 male inmates, aged 14 to 18 and convicted of violent offenses, were given, over a period of seven weeks, varying doses of Depakote, a prescription drug used to control epileptic seizures and manic episodes.

Psychiatry professor Hans Steiner, who headed the study, intended to see if the drug would reduce aggressiveness in young prisoners.

According to an official statement released by the Medical Center News Bureau, "The goal was to reduce negative emotions, such as anger, and in doing so, to reduce reactive violence and crimes and improve youth's involvement in school and other California Youth Authority programs."

Conducted at a CYA correctional center in Stockton, the research may have broken state laws and has provoked controversy. According to a current state statute, "no biomedical research shall be conducted on any prisoner in the state." However, another state law, intended to help AIDS/HIV victims, states that experimental drugs can be used if they medically benefit the wards.

In Steiner's application for study approval, he noted that youth currently treated with the medication "report [an] increase in self esteem and well-being, especially when their mood improves. We expect similar results in this study."

Previous tests have shown that Depakote can cause vomiting, hair loss, depression, inability to sleep and dizziness. The inmates tested, however, have not displayed such side effects, according to J.P. Tremblay, assistant director of CYA.

Steiner's study became a center of attention when state authorities claimed that appropriate measures were not taken to approve the study. Tremblay acknowledged that "a legal review was not done by our department." Steiner could not be reached for comment.

The study is also under fire because of controversy surrounding consent by the inmates. While all of the wards participated voluntarily, some parents of the underage teenagers did not respond to the official mailed consent forms within 30 days. In those cases, the CYA consented for them, Tremblay said.

State administrators voiced concern about civil rights violations.

"The Governor is not going to stand for inmates' being used as guinea pigs," said Hilary McLean, a spokeswoman for Gov. Gray Davis. "We are slamming the doors on studies of this nature."

Although California law prohibits minors from giving consent on their own, the inmates' decisions may still have fallen under ethical bounds, according to Asst. Prof. Jon Merz at the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania.

"One problem in ethics is whether a 14-year-old is recognized as having the capacity to make a valid judgment. It's generally accepted that he or she is, but California law doesn't necessarily give minors the decision-making power," Merz said. "It's a situation where law departs from ethical standards."

Merz added that the problem with consent may not have been age, but rather the fact that all participants were incarcerated.

"Are they really free to give consent without coercion?" Merz said. "Some kids might be afraid of the consequences if they refused to consent. They must have had limited options."

The Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics had no comments about the situation, and Stanford representatives maintain that the university followed thorough procedures for approval of the research.

UC Berkeley's first female law dean steps down

U-WIRE BERKELEY, Calif. - The dean of Boalt Hall School of Law announced Wednesday that she will retire from her post at the end of the academic year.

Herma Hill Kay, the first woman dean of the law school, said Thursday that it was time for her to move on with her life.

"I will have done this job for eight years, and I think I've accomplished what I've wanted to do," she said.

Kay added that she was stepping down so she could devote herself to academics.

"When I came into the academic life, it was to do teaching and research, and though I'm happy to have had the opportunity to serve the school (as dean), permanent administration is not on my list of priorities," she said.

Kay was named to the post in 1992, and during her eight-year tenure, the UC regents forced the school to abandon its affirmative action policies.

As a result of the end of affirmative action, the numbers of underrepresented minorities admitted to and enrolling at Boalt Hall dropped off precipitously, drawing national attention.

Kay said she remembers the time when the law school faced criticism for the drop-off as being tough.

"It was quite a difficult time," she said. "I think that the Boalt community felt that it was under attack for a policy (the abolition of affirmative action) that it did not ask for and by and large did not support."

Kay indicated that her administration intensified recruitment and outreach efforts to stem the decline in students from underrepresented minority groups.

"I think that we've done as much as we could do," she said. "I mean we're very definitely constrained by the law; it's plainly hurting us in attracting and recruiting students as against the competition. And I think that everybody understands that, and so we're just trying very hard to make clear to people that they're welcome here and that we want them to come."

The controversy is far from over, she added, saying her successor will need to continue to deal with the issue of recruiting underrepresented minority students.

UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Berdahl had words of praise for Kay.

"Dean Herma Kay has been a strong, dynamic and above all, principled leader during a very important and sometimes difficult period of Boalt's history," Berdahl said in a statement released by the university. "Boalt is stronger and better because of her leadership."

Although the issue of affirmative action kept Boalt Hall in the media spotlight, Kay noted with pride some of her administration's achievements that did not receive quite so much media attention.

In particular, she mentioned the establishment of a center for clinical education at Boalt Hall to provide students with hands-on legal experience.

Kay said that in the past, most of the school's clinical instruction was conducted off campus. She said creating such a center was one of her top priorities when she first became dean.

"I think it's important to have students realize that it's just as vital for them to learn how to be practicing lawyers as it is to learn the theory behind the rules that they're studying, so I'm very pleased that we've now got a clinical education here in the law school," she said.

After stepping down as dean, Kay plans to take a year-long sabbatical to work on a book about women law professors, and then resume teaching at Boalt Hall.

A search committee has begun looking for a replacement.

Online book sellers vie for student dollars

U-WIRE STILLWATER, Okla. - When a class textbook cannot be located at the local bookstores, students have plenty of other options to buy -online.

Online college bookstores like efollett.com are vying for students' money along with the local fare by offering lower prices and no waiting in line.

Efollett.com is the online extension of Follett Higher Education Group, a provider of textbooks to colleges and universities. Currently, efollett.com is partners with more than 800 campuses nationwide, according to a press release.

Campus-area Hall of Fame Book Trader is one of the newest partners with efollett.com.

Debbie Nett, co-owner of Hall of Fame Book Trader, has an idea about why online booksellers might appeal to students.

"The bookstores aren't the most accessible places to get to," she said. "And I think students care about convenience."

Nett said that within a month students should be able to order books through efollett.com and pick them up at the Book Trader.

"We're waiting for them to upload the official Oklahoma State University textbook list from our store to their web site," she said.

Nett said that once the database is online, the process of ordering books will be simple. Students will be able to view the entire OSU book list from efollett.com, order the books they need, and go to the Book Trader to pick them up.

Nett said the textbooks come out of the Book Trader's own inventory so there will not be any need for shipping charges.

Delivery of students' orders could be arranged for an undetermined fee, Nett said, eliminating any need for the student to leave their own residence.

"Within 24 hours from the time a student logs on to the Internet and makes their purchase, efollett.com will send notice to us about the sale," Nett said. "At that time we will gather the order and it will be immediately ready for pickup or delivery."

Students may be afraid to purchase books online because of security risks such as someone gathering sensitive credit card information, but Nett said she is not concerned about that with efollett.com.

"Follett is an excellent wholesale company," she said. "They have been in business years and years. I don't think they would do something like that."

Students have more online choices than efollett.com, though. Numerous online bookstores claim to have the lowest price.

The U Zone, a college textbook Web site that opens today, will sell new and used books at cost price, according to a press release.

VivaSmart.com is another college textbook web page that searches as many as 14 online booksellers, including efollett.com.

Sometimes the best price is online, but sometimes it is not.

For example, a search on the Internet for the OSU Introductory Biology textbook "Life" yielded varying results.

Compared to the used price of $52.05 at Hall of Fame Book Trader, a Web site named Classbook.com had the used book for $56.86. Although the used price was higher than the local price, the cost of a new biology book at Classbook.com was $69.58, more than a dollar cheaper than Cowboy Book's price of $70.95. Amazon.com carries the textbook for $88.40, which is more than $15 higher than the Student Union Bookstore's price of $73.25. A spokeswoman for the Student Union Bookstore said they have plans for online book-selling in the near future.

A spokesman for Cowboy Book also said they have plans for a local web page within the year.

Uprooted residents say Boise State plans are foul

U-WIRE BOISE, Idaho - Before construction begins on the new Boise State University recreation center, current residents, business and landowners will need to be uprooted.

The block of University Road between Michigan and Vermont Avenues was chosen as the site for the new building, across from the current Student Union Building.

But residents of that area are upset with both the proposition and the method that BSU is using to take the property.

"They threatened us with Eminent Domain," Joe Bragdon, a long-time resident of the chosen site explained. "But, I didn't feel BSU had the power of Eminent Domain. I have a little regret, working with BSU, I'm not happy. I don't think they treated us fairly. They made a lot of verbal agreements. They promised us a lot, like moving expenses, paying for a CPA [for income] and others, but I didn't hire an attorney. They didn't keep up their bargains."

University officials plan construction on the site by the summer of 2001 and state they're within legal rights to obtain the property.

"Eminent Domain," explains Buster Neel, Vice President of Finances at BSU "is the power of government entities to condemn property. The University has a right to use Eminent Domain to take property, but it is a last resort. It is not something we plan to do, but as Boise State expands, we may have to enforce it."

It's that enforcement that's leading property owners to consider fighting the proposed acquisition. Some have lived or worked on the property for years and want to stay.

"I own about one-third of the property in the targeted area. I went to BSU, I graduated from the body shop, been here since I was 22 years old." says Jack Bruck, land owner and owner of College Blvd. Auto Shop and Headshop Hairstyling, which all lie in the targeted site. "The worst thing is I can't replace my working scenario, I'm by the kids, I've had fun. [Working with BSU] wasn't real pleasant. I settled with the school but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. If I didn't settle, they threatened Eminent Domain. I guess they [BSU] have the right to do that."

Bruck's three employees in his two small businesses will lose their jobs once the property is seized. "They weren't too happy," Bruck says "One guy worked here for 27 years and had to find another job."

And some not only have to find another job, but have to let go of a piece of their own history.

"The ground is all BSU wanted," Brogdon says, "My folks bought this property in 1931. We'd been there in the family for 68 years. I've lived here for 54. There are a lot of memories here. I kind of resent it [dealing with Boise State], I guess that's the way life is."

Oklahoma University to present $1 million cut in athletics

U-WIRE NORMAN, Okla. - Facing a $261,000 deficit for fiscal year 1999, University of Oklahoma Athletic Director Joe Castiglione will present a $22.9 million budget proposal to the OU Board of Regents, a decrease of $1 million from the current budget.

The deficit was due "not exclusively to expenses for the (coaching change in football), but that was the largest expense," Castiglione said.

Severance pay for former head football coach John Blake's staff, as well as the regular salaries for the staff of new coach Bob Stoops, cost the department nearly $1 million, Castiglione said. Castiglione also said that had it not been for one-time expenses such as the coaching change, the department would have had a surplus for fiscal year 1999.

Castiglione mentioned three methods by which the department will lower the budget.

The department has reduced its staff by 25. When positions opened up because of retirements or resignations, Castiglione said the positions were evaluated and the jobs were either refilled or absorbed by the remaining coaches.

Part of the plan has to do with adding revenue, as opposed to cutting costs. The department has a new multimedia rights agreement which is expected to bring in at least $300,000 more than the old agreement, which was used in fiscal year 1999. Castiglione said the department also plans to gain revenue through changes made in marketing, corporate sponsorship and promotions, as well as revisions to the donor program.

OU President David Boren said if the budget is balanced as Castiglione has planned, it may be possible to cut down on the athletic budget debt.

"It looks like the first year in 10 years when we will be able to pay back some of that money," Boren said. "I'd like us to be No. 1 in athletics, just like academics."

The way in which the budget is counted, a technical matter dealing with cash entries, will also help control the budget, Castiglione said. He said a "contingency reserve for potential unforeseen costs" will help control costs.

The budget cuts will not detract from the school's image or the overall goal of the athletic department, Castiglione said.

"We consider it a privilege to be a part of the OU tradition that will always exist, and we want to see that the program excels in the classroom and in its athletic endeavors," Castiglione said.

University of Mississippi offers free nicotine patches

U-WIRE OXFORD, Miss. - Millions of Americans try to stop smoking each year but many are not successful.

The V.B. Harrison Student Health Center now has free nicotine patches which can help students, faculty and staff join the other Americans who have kicked the habit this year.

"Once you begin to stop smoking you must be committed," said Barbara Collier, director of the Health Center.

Several hundred Nicotral patches were given to the student health center as a part of the Mississippi tobacco settlement.

Traci Mitchell, a long-time smoker, recently attended a program sponsored by the American Lung Association, where she received Nicotral patches which have now been distributed to the Student Health Center.

"I've battled smoking for years and I want to quit," Mitchell said. "I wanted to offer this to other people as well."

The nicotine patches are a part of a 12-week program where smokers can be gradually taken off of nicotine.

"People who use these are not going to have nicotine withdrawal," Collier said.

Patches currently in the health center expire in November, therefore in order to get full benefits from these products, individuals should pick up an allotted supply before early September.

In January, Mitchell plans to begin a program targeted at individuals who want to stop smoking titled Smoking Sensation program sponsored by the American Lung Association.

"Most people want to stop smoking by age 20 but they can't because they are addicted to this drug," Collier said.

And while quitting is difficult, Collier said quitting alone with no help from professionals is even more difficult.

"It's important to have help when you begin to stop smoking," Collier said. "But most importantly it takes determination to quit."

Not all Ole Miss smokers are planning to take advantage of the Nicotral patches which are free of charge.

"I'm not going to quit smoking or get a patch" said Nate Downs. "I'm too stressed with work and school."

A recent study released said illnesses caused by smoking include: Heart disease, strokes, cervical cancer, low birth weight, changes in skin texture and color, lung cancer, hypertension and emphysema.

Rate increase to fund parking construction at University of Minnesota

U-WIRE MINNEAPOLIS - Despite a midsummer increase in parking rates, commuters say it's a small price to pay in order to alleviate campus-wide parking problems.

University of Minnesota Parking and Transportation Services raised hourly rates from $1.60 to $1.75. Transportation services officials say the 15 cent increase will generate revenue to fund future parking construction projects.

"We have to raise $85 million, and this increase will enable us to do that," said Bob Baker, director of parking and transportation.

The 15 cent increase is part of a three-year plan to fund an $85 million project that will include the construction of more ramps for the university.

Parking and Transportation Services is a completely self-sufficient department and receives no state, federal or university funding. Funding for all construction projects is generated only by parking fees.

"It really doesn't bother me that much. I hardly notice the 15 cents, but I do hope the money will go toward more parking lots. Additional student parking is badly needed," said Marwa Hassoun, a senior in women's studies.

Along with the promise of more parking in the future, Parking and Transportation Services unveiled another change in addition to the increase.

Students can park for free all night at university ramps. All cars entering after 8 p.m. and exiting before 8 a.m. will not be charged. Students may also park free all day on Sunday.

"It is nice to be able to park at night and on Sundays for free. At least they made an effort to compensate those of us who are supplying the funds for the new ramps, since we probably won't get to use them," said Shelley Springob, a senior majoring in Spanish and Portuguese.

The new parking ramps are expected to be completed in three years, without another parking cost increase.