College Clips
Published Oct. 3, 2006
Hookahs becoming a campus trend at LSU
Hookah, a large water pipe of South Asian origin, is attracting a greater number of smokers among Louisiana State University students. Users of the product think its flavored tobacco and pleasant scent is an enjoyable experience.
Hookahs use long hoses to pull smoke from tobacco through water, cooling it and reducing tars. Using hookahs for smoking marijuana or other drugs is a concern among LSU administrators.
"Hookahs are considered drug paraphernalia under state statute, so students can be charged with possession of drug paraphernalia," LSU Police Department spokesman Lawrence Rabalais said.
Hookah users generally believe the practice to be safer than cigarettes or other tobacco use. Because of Hookah's recent popularity, there is not much research to prove either side.
— Daily Revelle (Louisiana State University)
Doctors keep key data from patients, study says
Patients at hospitals' pharmacies nationwide might not be receiving adequate information about their prescription medicine, according to a recent University of California-Los Angeles study. The lack of communication can lead patients to misunderstand and potentially misuse medication.
"The lack of information could potentially contribute to patients misunderstanding how to take their medication," said Derjung Tarn, lead researcher and assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine.
Although pharmacists know the nature of the medication they are dispensing, they do not know the patient's medical history, whereas physicians do. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Web site suggests that patients ask their physicians about their medication if they are not provided with adequate information from the pharmacy.
— Daily Bruin (University of California- Los Angeles)
Lecture hall jokes broadcast on YouTube
Youtube.com, a Web site that features thousands of video clips, has recently seen a trend of videos featuring professors giving lectures in universities across the country.
The professors in these video clips are mostly portrayed negatively, and the videos are posted without their consent. Some professors choose to copyright their lectures, but the lectures can still be clearly heard in some clips. Barbara Mack, an Iowa State University professor of journalism, said the video posts are probably a violation of the professors' intellectual property rights.
"You don't want other people making money from your intellectual property, from what you developed on your own time by your own scholarship, and you would be obligated to pursue people who use that without your permission," Mack said.
— Iowa State Daily (Iowa State University)