Tuesday, September 11, 2012
News
Tribune 3
MUSG election to MU has a case of the mumps determine Senate High immunization Since 2007, Marquette has required that every Students can vote, read candidate descriptions online By Ben Greene benjamin.greene@marquette.edu
Long before the presidential election in November, students will have the opportunity to cast their votes for Marquette Student Government senators Thursday. There are a total of 19 open MUSG and Residence Hall Association seats to be filled this fall, Arts & Sciences Senator Natasha Hansen, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences said. “All of the residence halls have one (senator), except Schroeder and McCormick (which) each have two since they are the largest,” Hansen said. “And then there are six off-campus, so that includes people who live in campus apartments and people who live in other apartments. And then there are two commuter seats for people who did not ever live in dorms.” According to Legislative Vice President Jilly Gokalgandhi, a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences, all of the candidates were required to collect either 75 or 100 signatures, depending on their desired position, to earn a spot on the ballot. This year, the entire electoral process will be held on Involvement Link. Voters can also visit the new website to learn about the candidates before deciding their vote.
“(The candidates) all write a little 100-word bio about themselves,” Gokalgandhi said. “And then students can go read them on Involvement Link.” Gokalgandhi said students should not stop there when learning about their prospective representatives. She also advised voters to get in contact with the candidates themselves to talk about their plans for the year. When deciding on a candidate, Gokalgandhi said that students should look for someone who “is excited about being in MUSG and is dedicated to advocacy.” Once elected, the new senators will serve as the voice of their constituents when speaking to MUSG and the university. “Senators bring up the issues of their constituents and relay them to the Senate meetings and try to make changes where change is needed or requested,” College of Business Administration Senator Heinz Schelhammer said in an email. ”Overall, I would say the best way to describe the intentions of MUSG would be that the Senate tries to improve the lives of Marquette students, both in the classroom and out of the classroom.” Gokalgandhi also pointed out that each representative is placed in one of four committees: academics, student life, student organizations, and business and administration. The results of the election will be announced Friday outside of the MUSG office on the first floor of the Alumni Memorial Union during a press conference.
rate means disease unlikely to spread By Eric Oliver eric.oliver@marquette.edu
An isolated case of the mumps has been confirmed in a single student who lives off campus by the Milwaukee Health Department, despite the university’s requirement that students be vaccinated with the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine before registering for classes. In a campus-wide email, the university informed students that those who could have come in contact with the person were already notified in an earlier communication. The City of Milwaukee Health Department is conducting a case contact investigation and will be observing the student population for further cases. The department is confident that the case will not spread further, as the Marquette student body is highly immunized. Carolyn Smith, the director of Student Health Service, said students should not be concerned about contracting mumps. “Since 2007, Marquette has required that every student receive two doses of MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine before they are allowed to register for classes,” Smith said. “Immunization with two doses of the vaccine is the safest and most effective way to prevent up to 95 percent of mumps infections.” Smith said she urges all students who think they have contracted symptoms to stop by Student Health Service. “The health and well-being of our students is our highest priority,” Smith said in an email.
student receive two doses of MMR vaccine before they are allowed to register for classes.”
Carolyn Smith, Director, Student Health Service “Students who may have been exposed or who think they are experiencing symptoms are encouraged to contact Marquette University’s Student Health Service.” Signs of mumps may include fever, headache and loss of appetite. One or more salivary glands (located in the cheeks, below and in front of the ears) may become swollen and tender. The right and left glands might not swell at the same time. The swelling may progressively get worse and more painful. Swallowing, talking, chewing or drinking acidic beverages, such as orange juice, may make the pain worse. Smith said mumps is less contagious than measles or chickenpox and that most people with mumps recover fully. The email also warned all students who were in the Union Sports Annex Sept. 4 between 3 and 11 P.M. that they may have been exposed to the virus. Todd Vicker, the executive director of the Alumni Memorial Union and auxiliary services, said in an email that business at the Annex has continued as usual. According to the City of Milwaukee Health Department’s website, mumps disease is caused by the mumps virus. The virus spreads from person to person through saliva, such as when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Mumps also spreads by sharing food or drink with an infected person. There have been 165 cases of mumps reported in Milwaukee County since 2006. There was a large mumps
epidemic that occurred in the Midwestern United States during 2006. The Milwaukee Health Department provides free MMR vaccinations for children and adolescents at several clinic locations. Kristen Sterm, a junior in the College of Communication, was not entirely concerned about the case. “I actually heard about it first from my roommate, who sits in front of the (person) in one of her classes,” Sterm said. “I was vaccinated, as we all should have been before coming to Marquette, and it isn’t something that is spread easily unless you share drinks or stuff like that.” A viral disease outbreak occurred in 1978 when the campus was hit with influenza A. In the case of a widespread viral outbreak, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has organized two teams to respond to emergencies. These teams collaborate with a national network of epidemiologists and other public health officials to investigate outbreaks of food borne, waterborne and other enteric illnesses in the U.S. The outbreak response team works to ensure rapid, coordinated detection and response to multi-state outbreaks of enteric diseases and to promote comprehensive outbreak surveillance. It also seeks to improve collaboration among local, state and federal agencies that deal with disease outbreak surveillance and response.
Increasing bike theft concerns entire community DPS advises buying U-Lock to prevent avoidable robbery By Nick Biggi nicholas.biggi@marquette.edu
A rise in bike thefts on campus this summer has continued into the fall. Department of Public Safety Cpt. Russell Shaw said the main cause of this trend is the ease of breaking some bike locks with a relatively small bolt cutter. “Our biggest problem is people using cheaper locks, and that is what’s getting defeated in most of these bike thefts,” Shaw said. “Whether it’s some kind of cable lock, a chain lock – any basic chain cutter will be able to defeat them.” Shaw added that stealing bikes can produce relatively quick money. Of the bikes stolen, Shaw estimated their worth ranging from $75 to $750. One of the main difficulties DPS is facing while attempting to combat this trend is the speed of a theft. “They can take out these small bolt cutters and 15, 20 seconds later the bike is gone,” Shaw said.
“We have caught a couple people in the last couple months, but we have no idea how many people are out there.” In an attempt to end the rising number of thefts, DPS began telling students to invest in the Kryptonite-brand “U-Lock,” which is available for purchase through DPS for $25. Additional locks are also available at parking services. However, Shaw said that many students have not attached their locks correctly to the main frame of the bike. “We highly suggest that the kids come in and purchase these locks because they are so much safer,” Shaw said. “We have had some bikes taken where the lock was attached to the front tire, but the front tire can be taken off the bike. In another incident, we have had someone attach a bike to parking sign, which was then pulled out of the ground and then could just slide right off.” Arianna D’Isola, a freshman in the College of Health Sciences, came from a small town and feared her bike would be stolen at Marquette’s urban campus. “Actually, I decided not to bring my bike because I was worried about all the bike thefts around campus,” D’Isola said. Lincoln Rice, a lecturer in the department of theology who also
Tribune File Photo
According to DPS, bike thefts are difficult to prevent because they happen in as little as 15 to 20 seconds.
rides his bike around the Marquette campus, said he is not happy with the idea of thefts occuring on a college campus because of their health and environmental costs. “I have not yet gotten a
U-Lock, but my bike is not as nice as others on campus,” Rice said. “I do have a friend who graduated over the summer whose bike was stolen. It was a nice bike, but it did not have a U-Lock. I hope that people call campus security
immediately if they see someone near a bicycle with bolt cutters.” Students are also encouraged to utilize the permanent bicycle storage in the 16th Street Structure, where there are also spaces available for temporary use.