THE BG NEWS
RELICS OF THE PAST The oldest piece the library has is from the 15th century. Read what other treasures it has on Page 2.
ESTABLISHED 1920 | An independent student press serving the campus and surrounding community
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Volume 93, Issue 52
WWW.BGNEWS.COM
cranked up on
CAFFEINE
AlertBG switches to opt-out system
Poor enrollment numbers reason for $19,000 update By Alex Alusheff Managing Editor
Stimulant comes in many forms; has positive, negative effects By Dylanne Petros Copy Chief
Students who drink coffee from Starbucks three times a day might be overdosing on caffeine. “People don’t really . . . consciously think about that it is a drug,” said Faith Yingling, director of Wellness. “[Caffeine] is a stimulant.” A grande, or medium, cup at Starbucks coffee is 330 milligrams of caffeine, which is 130 more than the recommended daily dosage of 200 milligrams, Yingling said. Coffee is not the only product that has caffeine in it, though. “It’s not just what you’re drinking,” Yingling said. “It could be medications; it could be foods, like chocolate.” Another food that includes caffeine is ice cream. Starbucks’ coffee ice cream has between 40 and 60 milligrams per cup serving. When people drink caffeine, it can stay in their bodies for hours at a time. “Most of the effects are probably gone between four and seven hours,” said Mary Jon Ludy, assistant professor in the Dietetics and Family and Consumer Sciences Department. Caffeine can also be taken in pill form. “A caffeine tablet contains as much caffeine as one to three 5 oz. cups of coffee,” Yingling said. While caffeine affects people differently, there are some people who get caffeine headaches when they do not have enough caffeine. “[People] can have serious withdrawal symptoms
See CAFFEINE | Page 2
Positives of caffeine
Negatives of caffeine
doses as a stimulant ■■ Treats type 2 diabetes ■■ Caffeine crèmes reduce redness
on caffeine
■■ Treats migraines ■■ Treats asthma ■■ Treats gallbladder disease ■■ Treats ADHD ■■ Treats low blood pressure ■■ Used for weight loss; used in high
CAMPUS brief
Greek challenge kicks off Wednesday with $1,000 prize
Greek members have a chance to win $1,000 for their organization by attending athletic events as part of Greek Challenge. Hosted by Intercollegiate athletics, Greek Challenge has Greek organizations compete for the highest attendance records at games to get the grand prize, said David Theby, promotions intern for the department. “Greek organizations are a great way to show school spirit and athletics do the exact same thing — bring people together,” Theby said. The Greek organization with the highest average participation and total number of attendees will win the grand prize, which goes toward the organization’s general fund, he said. Theby said more attendance at athletic games can bolster the home field advantage for the teams
■■ Makes you jittery and shaky ■■ Makes it hard to fall asleep ■■ Makes it hard to stay asleep ■■ Can make your heart beat faster ■■ Raises blood pressure ■■ Makes you dehydrated ■■ Eventually makes you dependent
AlertBG will be able to reach 24,000 more people as it switches to an optout system this semester. AlertBG is a messaging system sent out through email, text and social media to notify the campus community of emergencies in the area. First used in 2007 through an opt-in system, requiring people to sign up for the service, the decision to switch stemmed from low registration, said John Ellinger, chief information officer for Information Technology Service at the University. When an altercation occurred in the parking lot of a residence hall and only 4,800 people were alerted, Ellinger knew it was time to change the system. “Most [people notified] were faculty and staff; not many students had been alerted,” Ellinger said. After AlertBG made the switch this semester, Ellinger said they had 28,500 numbers from students, faculty and staff. Since it is an opt-out system now, anyone who has their cell phone number listed with the University will automatically be signed up to receive the text alert, Ellenger said. “Given what we had to work with, [the switch] was probably a good thing with the campus being closed [last week],” Ellinger said of the timing of the change. Since the beginning of the academic year, there have been 10 alerts sent out through AlertBG, said Capt. Tim James of the University police. The alerts included the severe weather closing the University last week, a tornado warning and a gas leak. The campus police are the ones who send out both AlertBG messages and crime alerts, James said. The ability to send text alerts makes the system one of the most effective means of communication for the University, he said. “It’s one of the most useful tools we have at our disposal to get a message out to as many people as possible ... when an emergency is going
See ALERT | Page 7 and help win them the game with their support. Greek organizations have nine opportunities from January to March to participate in the event. The first game is Wednesday at the men’s basketball game against Central Michigan. The game is at 7 p.m. in the Stroh Center.
CHECKMATE
Disability Services moves location to College Park
Disability Services moved offices from South Hall to 38 College Park during break due to South Hall renovations, which are currently underway. Director Peggy Dennis said she hopes the move will increase student traffic since the office is located near more commuter student lots and the location of a shuttle stop. When the Counseling Center moved to College Park, it also saw increased traffic, Dennis said. “A lot of the accommodations we offer for students is test taking . . and there’s more space and more private testing rooms so we are excited for that,” Dennis said. The move did not affect any of the services the office currently offers, Dennis said. Disability Services can be reached at 419-372-8495 or by email at dss@bgsu.edu
THE MAC GRIND CONTINUES The men’s basketball team will host Central Michigan University Wednesday night and will look to earn first MAC win of the season. | PAGE 5
RUBEN KAPPLER | THE BG NEWS
Eric Schempf (right) and another player face off in a game of chess at Grounds for Thought on Tuesday evening.
WOLF WHISTLE
Columnist Autumn Kunkel talks about cat-calling and other forms of harassment men do to women. She also suggests for men to stop such disrespectful behavior. | PAGE 4
How do you consume your daily dose of caffEIne? “Coffee in the morning and Coke in the afternoon.” Josiah Borland Sophomore, Business Marketing