Friday, October 19, 2001
Sunny High 71, Low 45 www.chronicle.duke.edu Vol. 97, Mo. 39
The Chronicle
Shell-shocker? Duke will try to upset Maryland, the ACC’s only undefeated team, in College Park Saturday. See page 11
THE INDEPENDENT DAILY AT DUKE UNIVERSITY
Professors react to online course data Some teachers express optimism, others oppose posting evaluations By KEVIN LEES The Chronicle
With ACES Web reporting
course evaluation data along-
EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIANS Doug Segars (left) and Terry Schuster (right), both juniors, participate in a training exercise. Soon, EMTs will be present at campus parties.
EMS to monitor West parties Administrators hope student EMTs will increase safety By DAVE INGRAM The Chronicle
students.
Previously, EMS events only after being called. Administrators hope that the emergency medical technicians, trained and certified in emergency care, will be more responsive by being near students who get sick from alcohol and other drugs. “I don’t expect much reaction at all, other than the students feeling they are in a safer environment,” said Sue Wasiolek, came to
Undergraduates can expect another layer of monitoring at West Campus parties from now on, as the University begins stationing student EMS workers closer to potential emergencies. Starting this weekend, about two students from Duke Emergency Medical Services will work each party or other designated areas on campus to help ensure the safety of other
assistant vice president for student affairs. “That’s our goal: to create a safer environment.” The EMTs will have the same responsibilities in responding to students who need medical attention, and they will be visible in regular EMS T-shirts. “They are not there to enforce any rules... and I think that they
have always been hesitant to force their services upon other students,” Wasiolek said. See EMS
on page 10
side registration information, faculty reaction to the renewed Arts and Sciences initiative has been mixed. Michael Hunger, political science department chair, identified two schools of thought among faculty. “One [view] would be that any information the students have to base their decision is fine,” Hunger said. “The other concern is that high rankings will be misconstrued... when there’s a problem with high evaluations and high-inflation grades.” He said that in his department, the decision about posting the data has been left to individual professors, as in most Trinity College departments. The English department, however, chose not to publish any data. Chair Maureen Quilligan could not be reached for comment Thursday.
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Director of Assessment for Trinity College Matt Serra, who worked on the course evaluations project with Dean of
Trinity College Robert Thompson, said 75 percent of courses have evaluation information online. He noted that no information is available for Writing 20 courses or introductory sub-100-level courses in Spanish, French and Italian. “The most common reason given for withholding a course [evaluation] had to do with the non-continuity of the instructor,” Serra wrote in an e-mail. “That is, the person who taught the course in spring 2001 was not a regular-rank faculty member continuing on at Duke or was a graduate student.” Ingeborg Walther, an assistant professor ofthe practice in the Department of Germanic Languages and Literature, said faculty need more time to debate the merits of publishing evaluation data online. “There are faculty—myself See EVALUATIONS on page 7 �
The Bioterrorism Threat
Health officials confirm more anthrax infections By DAVID ESPO
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON
A CBS employ-
ee who opens Dan Bather’s mail and a postal worker in New Jersey were added Thursday to the roster of
homeland security in the wake of Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that killed thousands in New York and Washington.
Standing by Ridge’s side at a news conference, Surgeon General David Satcher said stockpiles of antibiotics are sufficient to respond to the anthrax threat, and FBI Director Robert Mueller announced a $1 million reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the culprits behind a spate ofanthrax-tainted mail. Even apart from the new cases of anthrax, there was ample evidence of inconvenience, dislocation and perhaps worse as the government struggled against a lethal spore so tiny it is invisible to the human eye.
Americans infected with anthrax. As many as three more people reported telltale skin lesions that may signify additional cases.. “Our labs are working around the clock to try and get clarity,” said Dr. Julie Gerberding of the Atlantabased Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The disclosures brought the number of confirmed cases of anthrax nationwide to six since Oct. 4 and complicated the Bush administration’s effort to reassure an anxious nation it Congressional activity was miniwas working aggressively to combat mal; the House officially shut down bioterrorism and other threats. and the Senate remained in session “Our antennae are up for all conbut its sprawling complex of three ofceivable risks,” said Tom Ridge, apfice buildings closed. Officials said See ANTHRAX on page 10 � pointed the nation’s first director of
I lIS Id 6
C'ly Council candidates discussed several issues at a forum last night, including downtown development and Durham’s competitiveness with other cities. See page 3
THAD PARSONS/THE CHRONICLE
Fiery training As a training exercise for the Durham Fire Department, several apartment buildings at the intersection of LaSalle Street and Erwin Road were set on fire. The 50-year-old buildings were scheduled to be torn down.
Although many people believe birth order plays a role in one’s personality, scientists say the evidence for the theory is doubtful. See page 4
The N.C. House of Representatives approved a bill that would make it illegal to use fake identification when entering a business that sells alcohol. See page 4