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(11/08/06 12:00pm)
Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest and arguably most distinguished academic honor society, announced that the College, along with five other colleges and universities, was selected to establish a campus chapter. This puts the College in the ranks of less than 10 percent of the country's higher education institutions.
The announcement was made at Phi Beta Kappa's 41st Triennial Council held Oct. 25-29 in Atlanta.
"This recognition is a type of reaffirmation," Nancy Freudenthal, assistant provost, said. "It's a symbol of excellence that reaffirms what kind of school we are."
To gain its membership, the College participated in a three-step process that included a preliminary application, a general application and an on-campus tour, combined with interviews with faculty, staff and students.
Freudenthal, associate professor of English David Venturo, and over two dozen other faculty and staff members who are members or key holders of Phi Beta Kappa honor society, worked together to complete the application. Overall, the application process took three years and, according to Venturo, was both time-consuming and challenging.
"The preliminary application alone was 70 pages and it requested information about student enrollment and admission, campus programs, the school's curriculum, the athletic department and much more," Freudenthal said.
This was the College's second attempt for Phi Beta Kappa membership after failing to get past the preliminary stage in 2000. In Fall 2003, Venturo and Freudenthal spearheaded the College's application the second time around, with help from fellow key holders at the College. "We thought that given the College's growing recognition and the recent academic transformation, we were in a good position and a strong candidate for membership," Venturo said.
Several key holders at the College, including Venturo and Freudenthal, will create a formal body to govern the College's campus chapter.
According to Venturo, the key holders' plan on meeting soon to define office positions, elect officers and write bylaws. Because the chapter is not fully established yet, student inductions will not begin this year. The chapter seeks students who not only exhibit academic excellence, but who are well-rounded, especially in areas of liberal arts and science.
"(Prospective members) will be in the top 10 percent of their class, mostly in their last year of undergraduate (studies) and majoring in liberal arts or science, and must have earned no (fewer) than 90 hours of liberal work," Freudenthal said.
According to Venturo, an institution on campus with such high standards as the Phi Beta Society will be beneficial to the students. "Phi Beta Kappa will encourage students to stretch themselves more and work harder because they will aspire to achieve (the society's) standards," he said.
Inductees are lifetime members and receive a gold charm in the shape of a small key, as well as the society's quarterly newsletter, The Key Reporter, published by the national office.
After graduation, members can join any one of the Phi Beta Kappa associations that emphasize learning through cultural and educational programs and service-based projects.
Since its establishment in 1776, Phi Beta Kappa honor society has founded chapters at 276 colleges and universities that celebrate and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences. Currently, there are three other academic institutions in New Jersey with campus chapters: Drew University, Rutgers University and Princeton University.
(03/22/06 12:00pm)
To better accommodate "walk-ins," students who come to the office of Health Services without appointments, associate director Janice Vermeychuk requested a budget that would increase the hours of part-time practitioners next year.
Vermeychuk said she is doubtful that the budget will pass, so she urges students to take measures to help themselves as well as her staff.
At the Student Government Association (SGA) meeting on March 8, Chris Rindosh, senator of Engineering, spoke about an issue he had regarding the walk-in policy at Health Services.
According to Rindosh, he went to Health Services last semester to have his temperature taken, but the receptionist told him that he would have to make an appointment for the next day.
"I was a little shocked that they didn't just have a thermometer I could borrow and take my temperature with," Rindosh said. "So I just said 'no thanks' and I left."
Vermeychuk said only walk-in emergencies can be addressed due to scheduled appointments. If a student walks in with a medical condition that does not demand immediate attention, he or she receives a next-day appointment. Because Rindosh's ailment was not urgent, he received that appointment.
Vermeychuk said that this approach is warranted because there are not enough nurse practitioners to address the needs of every walk-in. Also, she said if nurse practitioners saw every walk-in, they would increase the waiting time of students with appointments.
Fully aware that students are frustrated with next-day appointments, Vermeychuk has requested to increase the hours for part-time nurse practitioners to full-time status (35 hours per week).
"This will cost the College at least $60,000 a year and I honestly do not think it will be approved because of the budget situation and the current fiscal situation in New Jersey," Vermeychuk said.
To address this issue, Vermeychuk said she plans to re-evaluate the schedule of physicians and add-on hours when service is in high demand.
Vermeychuk recommended students of the College to take action as well. "If the residence hall is your home away from home, make sure you have a first aid kit that includes a thermometer, Tylenol, Advil, cold and cough medicine, et cetera, and learn how to use them," Vermeychuk said.
Learning how to address basic health issues can help prevent frustration if Health Services is unable to accommodate students, Vermeychuk said. She also said that students should remember to cancel appointments they are unable to keep. No-show appointments can be given to other students to assure more needs can be met, she said.
She encouraged students to be more supportive and appreciative of Health Services. "(We) are open 59 hours per week during the semester, including evenings until 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and Saturday mornings," Vermeychuk said. "This is more than the majority of colleges and universities in New Jersey and nationally."
Students can support Health Services, she said, through truthful statements, not exaggerated ones. "It is sometimes so shocking what students will say without an ounce of truth and any regard for the fact that their comments are so hurtful to employee morale," Vermeychuk said.
While she said she realizes that it's impossible to please everyone, she encourages students with any issues to contact her and promises to investigate and take appropriate action if necessary.
As for Rindosh, he has gained insight on the matter since the incident.
"I guess it was a good learning experience," Rindosh said. "I know better for next time to call before I go over and check if they have avail ability instead of trying to walk over and have to come back the next day."
(11/30/05 12:00pm)
The School of Nursing at the College has teamed up with Thomas Jefferson University's (TJU) College of Health Professions and the School of Nursing at the University of Delaware (UD) to offer a neonatal nurse practitioner education program to those in the tri-state area.
The new 37-credit graduate program prepares future nurse practitioners to become experts in diagnosing and treating weak infants, as well as managing their health care and aiding their families.
Currently, both New Jersey and Delaware have an extremely high infant fatality rate. It is estimated that 6.5 infants of every 1,000 live births die before the age of one. This prompted TJU to look into creating a program that specializes in neonatal health care.
As a result, TJU contacted Susan Bakewell-Sachs, dean of the School of Nursing at the College, and Claire Lindberg, coordinator of the graduate program in the School of Nursing at the College, to participate in writing a grant request for the funding of the program.
Both doctors are well-experienced in the area of neonatal care. Lindberg worked as a nurse caring for pregnant women, and Bakewell-Sachs worked in a neonatal unit in the past.
Together with UD and TJU, Lindberg and Bakewell-Sachs helped to create the Neonatal Education Consortium. This consortium, funded by the United States University's College of Health and Human Services, serves as a means to help reduce infant fatalities and possibly put an end to the shortage of nurses in the neonatal field.
The neonatal nurse practitioner program is for registered nurses with a bachelor's of nursing degree (BSN) interested in entering advanced practice. It is also fitting for registered nurses with non-nursing bachelor's degrees that enter through the College's Bridge Program to master's of nursing (MSN).
The Bridge Program to MSN is a graduate studies program for registered nurses with a non-nursing Bachelors of Arts (BA) or Bachelors of Science (BS) degrees who wish to enter advanced practice in the areas of adult or family health. The program is designed so that graduate students can complete it in two academic years of full-time study and two summer terms.
Registered nurses with a BSN will take seven core courses required of all students on the nurse practitioner track at the College and then take additional courses for the neonatal nurse practitioner specialty track at TJU. In the end, the student will graduate with a master's nursing degree from the College.
Such an arrangement is quite beneficial for the College and for in-state graduate students interested in the field, according to Lindberg.
"The program layout is great because graduate students (in New Jersey) can get their MSN a lot cheaper paying in-state tuition fees," she said. "Plus, we can offer our students this opportunity without creating new classes or hiring staff with neonatal expertise."
Undergraduate students also see the advantages of the program. "I think it is a great idea because it helps make our nursing program stand out and its gives undergraduates the opportunity to come back to this school and get their master's," Doris Santos, sophomore nursing major, said.
In addition to the neonatal nurse practitioner track, the School of Nursing at the College offers graduate programs that lead to a master's of Science in nursing in the specialties of family nurse practitioner, adult nurse practitioner or clinical nurse leader.
(03/16/05 12:00pm)
There's a silent epidemic devastating millions of lives across the country and, even worse, it will destroy millions more in years to come.
Since the first case of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) broke out in the early 1980s, AIDS has claimed the lives of 23 million men, women and children worldwide. Over the next 20 years, an estimated 70 million people will die from AIDS. In spite of such alarming predictions, it seems as though some Americans and people around the world fail to acknowledge the severity and the imminent danger of this disease.
To help stimulate a change and bring awareness to students of the College, the Black Student Union (BSU) will sponsor its first AIDS Awareness Week from March 21-25.
"BSU's main objective for sponsoring this event is to not only make people aware but also to aid in preventing future cases of the virus," Brittany Horne, the vice president of student affairs for BSU, said.
To kick off AIDS Week on March 21, about 30 students from Snyder High School in Jersey City will present several workshops. Later that night, the movie "And the Band Played On" will be shown in the Allen Drawing Room. The movie chronicles the discovery of the AIDS virus, beginning with San Francisco gay men dying from an unknown cause and leading to the eventual identification of the HIV virus.
On March 22, the Hamilton Health Department will offer free HIV testing in room 158 of Eickhoff Hall all day. Students will receive the results within 20 minutes.
That night, there will be a drag queen show in room 134 of Forcina Hall from 9 p.m. to midnight.
"The show is co-sponsored by the Gay Union of Trenton State (GUTS) and will have somewhat of a fashion show type feel to it," Horne said.
On Wednesday, March 23, the movie "Gia" will be shown at 9 p.m. in the George Jackson Center. The movie depicts the tragic downfall of a drug-addicted supermodel dying of AIDS. Moreover, on that same day, the College will host a talk by J.L. King, author of the renowned book "On the Down Low: A Journey into the Lives of 'Straight Black Men' who sleep with Men."
With his ground-breaking and controversial book, J.L. King brought to the forefront a secret trend among men commonly referred to as "living on the 'down low (DL)". The term "DL" describes married men or men in relationships with females engaging in a secret sexual relationship with
other men. According to King's book, this treacherous lifestyle seems to be popular primarily among African-American men. In the eyes of most African-American men, homosexuality is seen as a "white man thing" or as something that suggests weakness.
Either way, it is something that not only contradicts the perception that society has created for the black man, but also the perception that black men have created for themselves. Society often projects the stereotype of black men as fierce and strong; as a result, African-American males would rather deny their homosexuality or their desire to have sex with other males, than accept it and appear weak. It is this denial that leads men into this double life.
Studies that support King's theory of the "DL" also show that black men living this secret life have caused a drastic rise in the number of African-American females with the virus. In fact, according to the Center for Disease Control, 67 percent of black women with HIV contracted it from heterosexual sex.
Furthermore, a recent survey on the U.S. population's health indicates that HIV infections among African Americans have doubled in the last decade, but have remained the same among whites.
"It disheartened me that the AIDS virus has increased so much among those of (the) black community," Horne said. "It's one of the main reasons why I, as well as the BSU, want to take a stand against the virus. We want this week to reach out to everyone, not just the minorities on campus."
On Thursday, March 24, there will be a panel at 8 p.m. in Eickhoff Hall. The event will host health professionals such as nurses, educators and Tangy Major, a young woman living with the AIDS virus. Meanwhile, directly following a BSU meeting, the movie "Philadelphia" will be shown. "Philadelphia" depicts the discrimination in the workplace that a gay man dying of AIDS struggles to fight.
AIDS Awarenenss Week will come to an end on Friday, March 25 with a party in the atrium of the Student Center. It will feature performances by the Gospel Choir Ministries and FLOW, the College's hip-hop dance team, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Following the celebration in the Student Center, there will be a party in the Cromwell Main Lounge, in which students will have the opportunity to gather and reflect on the events of the past week.
Friday will also bring the revelation of the AIDS quilt. From March 15-18 and 21-23, BSU will sell AIDS patches to the public. Students can buy an individual patch and design it themselves for $5 or they can purchase and design an organization patch for $7 dollars. Proceeds from the patches will be donated to the Dooley House of Camden, which is a home for children living with the AIDS virus.
Information from aids.com, cdc.gov and washingtonpost.com.
(12/08/04 12:00pm)
After six years of being an acceptable means of covering student tuition and fee payments, Visa credit, debit and check cards are no longer accepted by the College via the Web.
According to Kathleen Ragan, director of Student Financial Services, last year the College spent $400,000 on processing fees for Visa cards after the company implemented a new policy increasing the fees that in past years were covered with money from student tuitions.
The office of Student Accounts informed students by mail this summer that as of July 1 only MasterCard, Discover and American Express credit cards would be accepted when paying student fees for things like tuition and room and board.
Considering several factors - expenses like professor salaries and benefits, the state law that prohibits colleges from raising tuition over eight percent next year and its tight budget this year - the College realized that it would be in their best interest to eliminate excessive expenses in future years. "Something had to give and this was one way of cutting $400,000 worth of the College's expenses," Ragan said.
Well aware of the inconvenience this new policy presents for some students, the College wants to make the transition more accommodating for students. Therefore, a variety of payment options that seem to be rather easy and simple will be provided.
For instance, students can now pay student fees with VISA checks as well as Electronic checks or eChecks. "Students with VISA cards can request VISA checks from their providers, pay their bills and then have the money show up on their credit card statements,"Ragan said. "Plus it doesn't cost the College anything."
An eCheck is even simpler. Essentially, it is an electronic payment mechanism that allows one to make high value payments over the Internet. eChecks are of no cost and they work the same way as paper checks but offer fewer manual steps. They are accessible to students from the office of Student Accounts Web site and allow them to transfer money from their checking accounts to pay their fees.
Before settling on this new policy, the College considered several other options. One proposal involved imposing an average sum that would be paid by students for any transactions they made. This additional fee would have been added to the student tuition fee. It was thought that this extra fee could cover the $400,000 spent for processing fees of the 2003-2004 year.
Mathematically, since there are 6,000 student enrolled in the College, this fee would have been around $67.
The office of Student Accounts, however, later realized that such a large request would be unfair to some students.
To explain, Ragan gave the example of Student A with a tuition bill $4,000 and Student B (who has a full scholarship) with only a parking bill of $25. For convenience fees, the College would have paid $92 for Student A and $0.50 for Student B. In this case, the additional tuition fee of $67 would be unfair to be Student B. The College decided it would be more fair for students to outsource the processing of electronic payments instead of mandating an average amount.
Although Visa cards are no longer suitable for paying fees from student accounts, Ragan said they can still be used with deposits for student Gold Club Cards because the system involved with that process is different.
(10/20/04 12:00pm)
The sudden suspension of Chiron Corporations, one of the largest distributors of the flu vaccine, has caused many students at the College to have trouble accessing the flu shot. With only about 300 doses, Health Services at the College can guarantee the flu shot only to those who fall into the "high risk" category.
According to an Oct. 7 article in The New York Times, Chiron Corporations was suspended for three months because of concerns over contaminations found at one of the factories owned by the company. This suspension means that there will be a shortage around the world in the amount of vaccinations available for the upcoming flu season.
As a result, even the clinic at the College is affected. "We were expecting an unlimited supply of vaccinations this year from our supplier Passport Health, but now the amount is down to about only 300 doses of the flu shot and we are still unsure of the amount of FluMist that will be available," Janice Vermeychuk, associate director and Nurse Practitioner of Health Services, said.
The College community was informed through e-mail that people considered a "high-risk priority" can receive the flu shot for a charge of $16 on Oct. 21 in the Student Center from approximately 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. or until the supply of the vaccine is exhausted.
High-risk patients include those who are 65 years old or older, women pregnant during the flu season and those with chronic medical conditions such as heart disease, asthma, kidney disease, diabetes, cancer or the HIV/AIDS virus.
Others may receive the alternative, an intranasal spray, called FluMist.
Health-care workers, caretakers of children less than six months old and those younger than 19 on Aspirin therapy are also among those in the high-risk category. Recipients of the FluMist, however, can be those between the ages of five and 49 who are healthy and not pregnant.
For those who are unable to receive either the shot or the spray, there are certain measures that can help ward off the flu. "Eat nutritious meals, get plenty of sleep, consistently wash your hands, and do all the things your mom told you to do as a child," Vermeychuk said.
In addition to Vermeychuk's tips, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that managing stress levels, keeping a distance from those who are sick, staying home from school or work when sick, as well as restraining from touching the eyes or mouth, can all help in protecting from germs and, in the process, from contracting the flu.
Symptoms of the flu range from headaches, sore throats, muscle aches, dry coughs and high fever. Other flu-like illnesses are known as influenza-like illnesses, and usually involve symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea.
"Most students are not aware of the difference and once they experience any flu-like symptoms they immediately assume they have the flu," Vermeychuk said. "In fact, we don't usually get cases of the flu until early December."
Still, because CDC reports that more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications and approximately 36,000 die from the flu every year, students who are at high risk should seek out vaccinations immediately and those who aren't should still take all the necessary precautions to keep themselves safe.
Anyone who is allergic to chicken eggs or has had an onset of Gullian-Barre syndrome within six weeks of receiving the flu vaccine, however, should not receive any of the flu vaccinations because the effects can be harmful.