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The Daily Texan Thursday, April 23, 2009
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Plan B sales come up for House debate
Bills seek to increase executive oversight Senators propose legislation to monitor University administrators, UTIMCO board
Photo illustration by Kim Espinosa | Daily Texan Staff
Plan B emergency-contraceptive pills are sold at the University Health Center’s pharmacy. Two bills currently in the Texas House would change the information pharmacists must give to customers of the contraceptive.
Legislation aims to modify information given by pharmacists to Plan B customers By Viviana Aldous & Erin Mulvaney Daily Texan Staff Some state lawmakers are hoping to dispel common misconceptions about the emergencycontraceptive pill this session by helping women become better informed about it. Emergency contraception, also known as the Plan B or the morning-after pill, has 12 times the level of hormones found in most birth control pills, said Guli Fager, a University Health Services health education coordinator. She said it inhibits ovulation by creating physical barriers so that sperm cells have a difficult time fertilizing the egg. The University Health Center sold 989 Plan B contraception packages last year. “If your egg gets fertilized, Plan B can’t stop that,” said Sarah Watson, a healthy sexuality peer educator. “All it does is make it a hostile environment for sperm. If your egg has already been fertilized, you’re pregnant, and you’re screwed.” Watson, an English junior, also said the pill is not an effective form of birth control because it is only intended for emergency use. Obstetricians and gynecologists define a living fetus as a fertilized egg that has implanted into the uterus wall, but some organizations,
including the Roman Catholic Church, believe that life begins when an egg is fertilized. A bill authored by state Rep. Frank Corte Jr., R-San Antonio, would require pharmacists to tell women that an emergency contraception pill can block a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus wall, which may conflict with their moral beliefs. The bill would also require pharmacies to display signs with that information. “Oftentimes when it is prescribed, there is no detail [about] how the pill operates,” said Kathi Seay, Corte’s policy analyst. A bill authored by state Rep. Jessica Farrar, DHouston, would require clinics to offer information about emergency contraception to rape and incest victims. Farrar said many women don’t realize that the Plan B pill is an option. “[The bill] addresses rape victims so that they can better protect themselves and don’t have to worry about whether they are pregnant,” Farrar said. “I think there is a need for that awareness to reduce the number of abortions and unwanted pregnancies. It is a real injustice.” She does not feel confident about the bill’s passage because Republicans outnumber the
Mother reflects upon loss of daughter Speaker discusses dangers of travel, advises students to take safety precautions By Samantha Deavin Daily Texan Staff Natalee Holloway, an 18-yearold teen celebrating her high school graduation, disappeared from the Caribbean island of Aruba on May 30, 2005, and has not been seen since. The mystery of Beth Holloway, right, talks with Devin Macias and Caroline Baker after her speech at the Texas Union Theater on Wednesday night. Her daughter, Natalee Holloway, disappeared while on a trip to Aruba in 2005. Peter Franklin Daily Texan Staff
her disappearance remains unresolved. UT sorority members packed the Texan Union Theater on Wednesday to hear Natalee’s mother, Beth Holloway, reflect on her daughter’s disappearance and implore students to adopt safety practices to protect themselves from the dangers of traveling abroad. Holloway described the moment when she learned that her daughter failed to arrive at the
airport for her flight home. “My life had changed forever,” Holloway said. “I became the parent that got the call all mothers and fathers dread.” Holloway said that the disorganized and fruitless investigation into her daughter’s disappearance motivated her to warn others of the dangers and potential problems that can arise when traveling outside of the U.S.
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Comparative costs of Plan B
• CVS Pharmacy $49.57 • Walgreens Pharmacy $41.99 • UT Health Services $39 • Southern Methodist University Memorial Health Center $45 • University of North Texas Student Health and Wellness Center $35 • Texas A&M University Student Health Services $31.50 • Louisiana State University Student Health Center $25
Democrats in the House. She also noted the opposition the bill faces from the Catholic Church. Susan Fani, director of communications for the Catholic League, said that because her organization is in line with the Catholic Church’s values, it is opposed to the emergency-contraception pill. “Making it mandatory for Catholic hospitals to dispense the pill would violate their rights,” Fani said. She said that according to U.S. Bishops, in
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By Mohini Madgavkar Daily Texan Staff Some state lawmakers are calling for more legislative oversight of higher education this session. State Sens. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, and Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, have both proposed legislation to increase oversight for higher education executives. Shapleigh’s bill mandates performance reviews for university executives, and Ogden’s changes the governance and appointment structure of the University of Texas Investment and Management Company, the corporation that handles the assets of the the UT and Texas A&M University systems. Shapleigh’s bill, which was introduced at a Senate Higher Education Committee meeting Wednesday, mandates annual performance reviews for executives in higher education based on a variety of criteria, such as student graduation rates. UT System spokesman Anthony de Bruyn said the System already mandates performance reviews for its chief executives. “The chancellors, on an annual basis, sit with the heads of respective campuses and do a performance evaluation,” de Bruyn said. “Based upon those evaluations by the chancellor and the respective executive vice chancellor, they make recommendations to the board, … and those evaluations are tied toward their compensation.” UT President William Powers draws a base salary of $577,000, the sixth highest salary for a public university president in the country. In 2007, Powers’ base salary was $552,500. Daniel Collins, a spokesman for Shapleigh, said the bill would hold all executives to specific performance standards and increase transparency at the state’s higher-education institutions. “My understanding of the UT System is that they basically have a chat with their regents,” Collins said. “We think they should be held to specific standards.” Collins said the bill would also help create performance-review procedures for other university systems that do not mandate them. But de Bruyn said the UT System’s performance evaluations are already in-depth. “My performance evaluation is eight pages long,
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Shapiro discusses top 10 percent at College Republicans meeting Senator’s bill would cap admissions under rule to 60 percent of class By Andrew Martinez Daily Texan Staff State Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, told a crowd of 30 at a College Republicans of Texas meeting Wednesday night a bill that she authored would not do away with the top 10 percent rule, but wants to institute a cap on how many students are admitted under the law. “I’m not doing away with the top 10 percent rule. I’m lessening it,” said Shapiro. Shapiro is the main architect of a Senate bill that would cap the number of top 10 percent students Texas universities are allowed to admit at 60 percent of their incoming freshman classes. Shapiro said universities will admit all applicants who graduated in the top 1 percent of their class, then applicants who graduated in the top 2 percent and so on until the 60
Sara Young | Daily Texan Staff
State Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, answers questions from students during a discussion hosted by College Republicans of Texas. percent cap is reached. Her bill passed on the Senate floor by a 23-8 margin on March 25 and is awaiting debate in the House. Shapiro said the top 10 per-
cent rule was established in 1993 when a student’s race was not used as criteria for admission.
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