College Clips
Published Sept. 12, 2006
NIU creates drug, alcohol task force
A group of students, faculty, staff and administrators got together at Northern Illinois University to create the Alcohol Education Task Force. The council aims to coordinate and make future recommendations about alcohol and other drugs, as well as collect data from students on use, education and awareness.
"Our (goal) with the council is to make sure everyone's on the same page," said Steve Lux, a health educator at the university's health enhancement office. "There's a lot of misinformation out there that people may believe that may or may not be true."
This spring, the American College Health Association is planning to conduct a National College Health Assessment. The assessment is aimed at informing universities around the country about student health and academic behavior.
— Northern Star (Northern Illinois University)
New technique for killing cancer cells discovered
Researchers at the University of Illinois discovered a way to make cancer cells self destruct, but the technique is not yet available for use on humans. A graduate student, a chemistry professor, a food science professor and other colleagues worked to develop a new technique that exposes cancerous cells to a synthetic molecule that makes the cells self destruct.
According to graduate student Karson Putt, every cell has a system in place that will terminate it. The body does this to prevent the spread of disease, but cancerous cells have this system disabled, which leads to the replication and growth of the cells.
The inside of the cells are like a circuit, she said. And in cancer cells, the circuit gets jumbled. The current can't get through the cell, thus preventing it from destroying itself.
— The Daily Illini (University of Illinois)
Student successively appeals drug suspension
Last year, New York University junior Michael Quercia was sentenced to 500 hours of community service and barred from NYU by the school's University Judicial Board after marijuana was found in his residence hall room.
But last week, a Manhattan Supreme Court Justice overturned the ruling, calling it "too draconian." He then reduced Quercia's sentence to 100 hours of community service and ordered that NYU reinstate him as a student after he completed his sentence.
"While there are instances in which a judge can modify a university's disciplinary decision, NYU doesn't think that this case is one of those instances," university spokesman John Beckman said.
Quercia's lawyer underlined the fact that his client never admitted to having possession of marijuana but rather NYU assumed so and never conducted any forensic evidence.
NYU is appealing the court's decision.
— Washington Square News (New York University)