Review September 2012 Issue

Page 1

thereview VOL. 64, ISSUE 1

THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF ST. JOHN’S SCHOOL

INSIDE SAC

SEPTEMBER 2012

LIFE AFTER LOSS

Walt Baker named fifth prefect

BY ORION HICKS AND NINA MANIAN After narrowly missing a seat on SAC, Walt Baker has a second chance to be a prefect. The departure of senior Harris Lummis prompted SAC to give the Walt Baker position of prefect to the candidate with the next highest vote total from last spring’s prefect elections. Prefect Ryan Beckner is thrilled to welcome the defensive and offensive lineman of the football team to SAC. “Walt is hilarious, hard working and an unstoppable juggernaut of muscular destruction,” Beckner said. Baker was disheartened by barely missing the cut during last year’s elections, and he is enthusiastic now to take the vacant spot on SAC. “My goal this year is basically to do all I can to make sure students’ voices are heard,” Baker said. “This is a two-way street, however. What [they’re] asking has to be feasible. In other words, no amount of politicking will ever eliminate homework.” “I think I bring a different perspective,” Baker said, “and much like Lyndon Johnson, I bring size and volume to a group quite bereft of either.” This is not Baker’s first rodeo; he was on SAC last year. “Being on SAC as a junior has given me insight on how the system works,” he said. “It was a privilege that I’m grateful for.” Fellow SAC members as well as faculty sponsors are thrilled to have Baker back on the team. “We honestly could not hope for a better representative,” said Barbara DiPaolo, a SAC sponsor. “Walt has served on SAC before, and he knows his duty. I know he’ll do a great job.” Allie Robinson, a fellow prefect, is excited to serve with Baker. “He’s easy to work with, is open to new ideas and is very respectful to others,” she said. “He really cares about the school, and I think he will bring a new point of view to SAC.”

thisedition

NEWS FEATURES ENTERTAINMENT BEYOND SPORTS ODDS & ENDS

2 3 6 8 14 18

NICOLE LANG

Husband and wife The memory of her late husband, Jerry, motivated Linda Carswell to fight for patients’ rights. Carswell is part of a panel appointed by the Texas Department of State Health and Services that works on uploading information online pertaining to hospital safety issues.

Tragedy to hope: Carswell lobbies for clarity in hospital forms

BY IMAN CHARANIA In September 2011, Linda Carswell’s long battle to enact Jerry Carswell’s Memorial Act finally ended with the passage of the law. Mr. Carswell unexpectedly passed away in 2004 after being admitted to a hospital for kidney stones. He was placed under observation and was found dead in his hospital bed the next morning. Carswell brought a lawsuit against St. Christus Hospital and was awarded $2 million in damages. The case is now being appealed. Carswell realized that in the haze of events following her husband of 33 years death, she had signed an autopsy form without fully understanding the purpose of the post-mortem examination.

The form allowed the hospital to conduct a teaching autopsy, rather than a coroner’s autopsy, which tries to determine a cause of death. “I signed the form thinking I would finally know how he died, but the autopsy they performed kept me from ever knowing why. I just did what the hospital said to do,” Carswell said. “It’s always unfortunate to lose a loved one, but at least you know how it happened if it was something like a car accident. I’ll never know.” To keep other people from facing this situation, Carswell took up the cause to clearly lay out patient and family rights concerning autopsies.

“I got involved, like most people do, after the unexpected death of a family member, not from illness but from either negligence or an unexpected adverse event,” Carswell said. “For me, it was like, is this even a possibility?” Carswell was left with questions after her husband passed away, but she did not know where to get answers. “I read everything I could get my hands on to learn about patients’ safety. In the early days, the Internet wasn’t quite as helpful as it is now, but I would log on and read what I could find,” Carswell said. Continued on Page 4

SECURITY CHANGES

Playing it safe BY ELLIOT CHEUNG

Over the summer, the campus received a security makeover. Changes include adding security cameras and placing electronic locks on several entrances to the school. An increased police presence and a blue light system on South Campus and in the St. Luke’s parking lot have also been implemented. Officer Andrew Blitch, head security coordinator,

was promoted to arrange these changes. With five years as a Houston Police Officer, Officer Blitch is tightening security measures to ensure the school remains as safe as possible. The changes have taken some students by surprise. “When I first got back to campus, I thought the blue light system was a little weird because we’re such a small campus, and

I’m so used to just seeing those for colleges,” Allie Robinson said. Many universities use similar towers to quickly alert security. When someone presses the button, the tower alerts the Riverdale patrol dispatcher. Pressing the button also triggers a camera to start documenting the scene. Continued on Page 2

CENTERSPREAD Anya Ring and Carolyn Brooks explore the culture of sleep deprivation and its impact on student life. . See PAGES 10 AND 11


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