1997_04 The Daily Collegian April 1997

              THE DAILY
COLLEGIAN
Monday, April 21,1997
News
News Editor: Matthew Hart
Telephone: (209) 278-2556
National Campus News Digest
"Your.link to students and campuses across the nation. "
Cliff's Notes banned at
Villanova
VILLANOVA. Pa. — So
much lo study, so little time.
For years. Villanova Univer¬
sity students in search of a
quickie lesson in literature could
pick up the Cliff's Notes of
Shakespeare's "Machcth" or
Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Let¬
ter" at ihe campus bookstore.
Bui now, the university says
its getting rid of the rack of fa¬
miliar yellow-and-black paper¬
backs.
"Some students arc falling
into a 'Cliff's Notes Syndrome'
— the notion that there's one
correct interpretation of a piece,
and if you summarize it. you
have captured wisdom." John
Johannes, Villanova's vice presi¬
dent for academic affairs, told
the Philadelphia Inquirer.
"Thai Hies completely in the
face of what we strive to do in
[humanities) courses.
"Professors who teach
Villanova's core humanities
courses also complain that stu¬
dents rely too heavily on Cliff's
Notes, which provide plot sum¬
maries, character outlines and
suggest interpretation of the
work. •
The decision to stop selling
the guides al the bookstore has
drawn applause from faculty,
and outragj/from student lead¬
ers and-<r>e paperbacks' pub-
' lisher. Vj
At a public forum, student
government leaders said they
were upset hecausc the
university's senate didn't get a
chance to vote on toe issue. In a
full-page advertisement in the
student newspaper. Cliff's Notes
president Doug Lincoln accused
the university of "book banning
and censorship." v
The university acknowl¬
edges, however, that the decision
is largely symbolic. Cliff's
Notes are available to students
in Philadelphia-area Barnes &
Noble bookstores, as well as the
campus bookstores at nearby
University of Pennsylvania and
Temple University.
New research nn anorexia
finds biological effects
LONDON — Anorexia nervosa,
an eating disorder thai causes vic¬
tims to starve themselves, some¬
times to death, may be caused by a
brain abnormality, according to
British researchers.
A team of researchers al a Lon-
do*i hospital noticed lhat most
anorexia sufferers they studied had
reduced blood flow in an area of ihe
brain that governs visual perception
and appetite, Reuters reported.
The discovery is being hailed as
a first step in finding a cure for the
eating disorder. An estimated five
to 10 percent of college students,
mostly women, .suffer from
anorexia and bulimia, a compulsive
binging-ind-purging disorder.
"If we can find exactly what this
abnormality represents, an abnor¬
mality in biochemistry in the brain
cells, we may eventually be able to
reverse that," Bryan Lask, a con¬
sultant psychiatrist at the hospital,
told BBC radio.
While some people may be born
with the predisposition for
anorexia, psychological and social
factors still come into play, usually
around puberty. Lack ^aid.
The abnormality occurs in (he
part of the brain that processes vi¬
sual images, which could explain
why anorexia victims believe they
are still fat when they arc danger¬
ously thin. Lack said.
"We can say to people with
anorexia nervosa��this is not your
fault, you're not making it up."
Lask said. "Parents can be helped
by saying to ihcm it's nol their fault.
This is something you're born
with."
Youngest coach leads
NCAA football team
COLL5GEVILLE. Pa. — Paul
Guenther. 25, plans to spend a lot
of lime this fall on the sidelines
during Ursinus College's football
games.
But Guenther doesn't play for
the Ursinus Bears. He's the head
coach.
Al 25 yearsand five months,
Paul Guenther is the youngest per¬
son to lead a football team .n the
NCAA.
"Paul brings a youthful exuber¬
ance for the game that is very re¬
freshing to see." Athletic Director
Bill AKin said.
Guenther, an Ursinus graduate,
replaces Steve Gilbert who left in
February to become head coach at
Jacksonville University.
"We are pleased that Paul has
agreed to become our head coach."
Akin said. "He was instrumental in
designing our nationally ranked
defense of lasl season, and we feel
it is important to maintain that con¬���tinuity."
Hale-Bopp astronomer
bemoans lack of science
jobs
NEW YORK — The astronomer
who discovered the Hale-Bopp
Comet says he would not recom¬
mend lhat students pursue careers
in science because there arc so few
job options.
"Unless there are some pretty
drastic changes in the way our so¬
ciety approaches science and treats
those of us who have devoted our
lives to making some of our own
contributions, there is no way that
I can, with a clear conscience, en¬
courage present-day students to
pursue a career in science," Alan
Hale said in a public posting trans¬
mitted on an Internet bulletin board.
Hale wrote his comments in an
"open Idler to the scientists of my
generation." Hale, the director of
the Southwest Institute for Space
Research in Cloudcroft. N.M., said
he was "inspired by scientific dis¬
coveries and events taking place in
his childhood (o pursue a career in
science only to find...that the op¬
portunities for us to have a career���in science are... abysmal."
His comments were posted to
the sci.astro.amaicur newsgroup on
March 21.
The astronomer, along with
amateur astronomer Thomas Bopp.
discovered the Hale-Bopp Comet in
July 1995. Hale said he was hop¬
ing to use the media attention he
was attracting to draw attention to
ihe problem.
Man admits stealing rare
manuscripts in IS.
NEW YORK — A man pleaded
guilty last week lo stealing hun¬
dreds of rare manuscripts from Co¬
lumbia University, including Tho¬
mas Edison's patent papers and
George Washington's presidential
documents, and transporting them
to Europe for sale.
Daniel Spiegelman. 33. of Yon-
kers. N.Y. was arrested in the Neth¬
erlands in 1995. and admitted in
Manhattan federal court that he had
stolen the documents worth aboul
$1.3 million. He was extradited
from the Netherlands last Novem¬
ber.
He also pleaded guilty to mak¬
ing a false statement in an applica¬
tion for a U.S. passport using a false
name, and transporting five fire¬
arms from Arizona to New York
after having been convicted of a
felony offenscjn New York.
He faces a possible maximum
prison term of 30 years.
Spiegelman was arrested after he
offered lo sell some of the stolen
manuscripts lo various book deal¬
ers in Germany. Switzerland and
the Netherlands and was found with
two of the stolen manuscripts and
numerous photographs of other sto¬
len papers from Columbia Univer¬
sity.
Prosecutors said Spiegelman
made statements lo authorities af¬
ter his arrcsl in the Netherlands
which led authorities lo search three
storage locations in New York. Au¬
thorities found*many rare medieval
manuscripts and Arabic documents.
They also found presidential
papers signed by George Washing-
Ion, John Adams. Martin Van
Burcn. Benjamin Harrison.
Rutherford B. Hayes, Andrew Jack¬
son and Woodrow Wilson. Thomas
Edison's patent papers and other
documents were also among the
stolen items.
During his plea, Spiegelman ad¬
mitted that in the spring of 1994 he
obtained a student identification
card from Columbia University and
used il to enter the school's Rare
Book and Manuscript Library.
He said he had stolen the docu¬
ments that authorities found in the
storage locations during 1994 and
1995. He also'admitted taking an
original version of the
Nuremberg Chronicles and
about 170 Bleau maps, includ¬
ing portions of the Bleau atlas
Spiegelman was found wilh
a U.S. passport in another name
al the time of his arrest and ho
admitted Thursday that he sub¬
mitted a false passport applica¬
tion in Ihe nameWCraig Weslc\
Hessellinc in 1987.
Professor indicted in
grade scam
SAN DIEGO — A market
ing professor at Mesa College in
San Diego has been indicted lor
accepting bribes in return lor
selling passing grades to foreign
students so they could remain in
the United States illegally
Federal prosecutors an
nounced lasy week lhat 49-year-
old Darnell L. Hayes is accused
of accepting money in exchange
for giving grades of A or B start
ing in 1992 lo 31 foreign stu
dents who were enrolled in more
than 60 classes he laughl
Prosecutors say the students
didn't attend classes, perform
any course work or complete
any examinations, and that
Hayes got about $150 from co¬
conspirator Sam Koutcheslahani
for every passing grade he sold
the students.
Hayes also is accused of ac¬
cepting money from foreign stu¬
dents through Koutcheslahani
for falsely certifying to Ohm
University, the University of
Oklahoma and Haslern Ken¬
tucky University lhat he proc¬
ured 87 correspondence courses
for 34 foreign students. The stu¬
dents used the unearned credits
to maintain their student status
in the United States.
Four other people, including
Koutchcsfahani and officials
and professors at three other San
Diego area colleges, have al¬
ready pleaded guilty in connec¬
tion with the scheme.
Koutchesfani recently made
news when 39 members of the
Heaven's Gate cult committed
mass suicide at the mansion he
owns in the posh community of
Rahcho Santa Fe, north of San
Pie 8" .	
1-800-WE-PREVENT'
Call to receive free information
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Vintage
Continued from page 1.
them," said Tim Brioncs, president
of Construction        Management.
There were also many activities
for kids including a Young Artist's
Area, a bounce house and several
rides.
Schoelen said that the Crafts
Fairc seemed bigger ihis year lhan
in the past and had more variety.
Karabian said thai the vendors
at the Crafts Fairc came from all
over the Valley.
The music of Vintage Days in¬
cluded performances by a variety
of local bands and DJs. Other
events included the traditional Air
Guitar contest on Thursday night.
Program
Continued from page 1.
feature that will keep up with things
like changes in tax rates.   '
A digital signature feature is still
under consideration, bul involves
definite problems thai Wagenlcitncr
is trying lo address.
"The signature software is very
expensive II requires a great deal
of time and resources to implement
il successfully," Wagenleiner said.
Another key issue involves se¬
curity. Wagenlcitncr is working
closely with the software company
lo solve any problems lhat occur.
The testing phase of the software.
on campus is coming to an end. and
many people are already using it.