State of the Union lacked specifics on higher education (page 4) The University of Oklahoma’s independent student voice since 1916
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oU clears professor of two allegations Chad Kerksick resigned after yearlong absense
falsify his research records or receive any improper payment for his experiments. Health and exercise science professor Chad KATHLEEN EVANS Kerksick began studying Assistant Campus Editor creatine nitrate, an exercise OU administrators have supplement, in February confirmed that an OU pro- 2011. In June 2011, the fessor and researcher did not Institutional Review Board
Study shows rates are higher than first believed KEDRIC KITCHENS Staff Reporter
A recent OU Health Sciences Center study suggests rates of infection after surgery could be much higher than hospitals believe. About 30 million surgeries are performed every year in the United States, according to a January 2010 report conducted by the Associated Press. Of those, anywhere from 500,000 to 780,000 patients develop infections at the surgical site, according to the report. Somewhere between two to five percent of all operations are complicated by infections, and rates are much higher for certain infections, OU College of Public Health associate dean Dale Bratzler said in a press release. “Surgical site infections are the second most common health care-associated infection in this country,“ he said. To combat this problem, Bratzler and other researchers took a unique look at the process of tracking infected post-surgical patients, he said. Hospitals often struggle to keep track of patients’ infections because it is common for a patient to have surgery performed at a hospital, leave perfectly healthy and subsequently develop an infection which requires treatment at a separate hospital, Bratzler said. In the two studies conducted by Bratzler and his colleagues, researchers attempted to bypass this problem by investigating Medicare insurance claims, not individual hospital records. They searched records for suggestions of infection, then followed up on the medical record of likely see INFECTION paGe 2
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entitled to under his contract,” Freedman said. “Let’s leave it at that. And the contract refers to … his employment contract.” The Daily requested Kerksick’s contract in November and received the see KERKSICK paGe 3
‘Bringing out the dark side’ Binge drinking a dangerous habit CARMEN FORMAN Campus Reporter
A new study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that one in six adults binge drink about four times a month. The study, published Jan. 10, showed that an average of 10.9 to 16.7 percent of adults in Oklahoma are binge drinkers, which is slightly below the national average, but those binge drinkers consume more alcohol, peaking at eight to nine drinks on average. Binge drinking is a problem among college students and is most common among adults between ages 18 and 34, accord“Any time an ing to the report. The study defines binge individual drinking for women as consumes a large consuming four or more drinks in a short period amount of alcohol of time or five or more in a short period of drinks in a short period time, it is extremely of time for men. A form of binge drinkdangerous.” ing can be observed at SCOTT MILLER, Campus Corner bars UNIVERSITY COUNSELING when some students CENTER ASSOCIATE become legal drinkers; DIRECTOR drinking 21 shots on one’s 21st birthday is what O’Connell’s Irish Pub & Grille bartender Sam Reber said is “a rite of passage.” These 21st birthday celebrations are fairly common at the Irish pub, but it doesn’t have to be a birthday for groups of people to come in for a night of drinking, Reber said. More people go drinking at O’Connell’s on the weekends, and they tend to drink more because they don’t have classes the next day, Reber said. “They drink and don’t have worry about what’s
going to happen tomorrow and then go out and drink again,” Reber said. On an average Friday or Saturday night, a group of four men usually order between three and six drinks each, Reber said. If it is a group of just women they usually order fewer drinks. However, if he serves a group of women and men together, they are likely to order more drinks because it is seen as manly to buy a woman drinks, Reber said. Binge drinking can occur when people are in social situations and forget how much they’re drinking, University Counseling Center Associate Director Scott Miller said in an email. The more alcohol a person consumes, the harder it becomes for a person to drink in moderation because alcohol negatively impacts judgment, Miller said. “Any time an individual consumes a large amount of alcohol in a short period of time, it is extremely dangerous,” Miller said. Reber recalled incidences of inebriated patrons punching their hands through glass and breaking things in the bar or in the bathroom. “Alcohol brings out the dark side in people,” Reber said. When the dark side comes out, or when it is obvious someone has had too much to drink, a patron is usually cut off, Reber said. If a person is see ALCOHOL paGe 2
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Speaker to reveal breakthrough in genetics OU researcher to explain beneficial DNA component RACHAEL CERVENKA Campus Reporter
While sitting behind a desk with photographs of her twin girls placed atop it neatly, as well as a copy of “National Geographic,” an OU researcher talks about the central work of her ground-breaking scientific research. Courtney Griffin is one of the featured speakers at
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improper payment for it, two parts of the complaints against Kerksick. Faustina Layne , director of the Institutional Review Board , verified that he did not falsify records. The settlement of $75,000 was “simply that to which [Kerksick] was
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Infection rates are cause for alarm
bound to confidentiality clauses, but OU recently relieved some restrictions to allow Kerksick a chance to respond to criticism. Kerksick and his lawyer, George Freedman of Edmond, said OU did not find that he had falsified any of his research or received
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began investigating the study and the lab practices after graduate students filed complaints. As a result of the investigation, OU offered Kerksick $75,000 to resign after a yearlong leave of absence. As part of this settlement, Kerksick and OU were
Should mistakes influence legacy?
Friday’s sold-out TEDxOU event in the Oklahoma Memorial Union’s Meacham Auditorium, and she plans to educate the audience on part of her research called epigenetics . “Epigenetics is an important pre-revolutionary aspect of biology right now that educated people should know something about,” Griffin said. A person’s epigenetic marks lay on top of his or her DNA and are very important for natural developmental processes, Griffin said.
These marks are created by the DNA’s environment, she said. Griffin and her team of researchers are studying how epigenetic changes can be modified to restore health, she said. For instance, foods that people eat and stresses in their life can affect their epigenetics, Griffin said. Griffin is excited to talk about this topic because it holds a lot of therapeutic potential for a number of different diseases, she said.
Sooner sharpshooter leaving mark on court
Columnists debate Joe Paterno’s legacy after abuse scandal. (Page 4)
SPoRtS Women’s basketball vying to upset no. 1 The Sooner women are looking for redemption against Baylor. (Page 7)
life & aRtS
life & aRtS
Short-film screening showcases talent
oU fitness center hosts group classes
Fourteen OU students to compete in French film festival. (oUDaily.com)
The Huff offers workouts designed to encourage all participants. (Page 10)
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Courtney Griffin, a TEDxOU speaker, poses with lab equipment in the see SCIENCE paGe 2 Oklahoma Medical Research Facility on Tuesday.
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Junior guard Steven Pledger (left) drives baseline against a Texas Tech defender on Jan. 17. The junior has given the Sooners a boost this season with his pure-shooting ability. (Page 6)
The Daily’s open record requests Requested document and purpose
Date requested
complete contract for Dr. chad Kerksick — This document was requested to further explore the investigation of the professor.
Monday
the percentage of letter grades earned by oU-norman students broken down by college for each semester since fall 2000 — This was requested to see how student grades have risen or fallen during the past decade and to compare trends between colleges.
Monday
all drafted recommendations by the President’s tobacco advisory committee from Jan. 1, 2012 to present — This was requested to gather more information on the recommendations provided to President David Boren before the tobacco ban was implemented.
Wednesday