College Clips
Published Aug. 21, 2007
Needle exchange program approved in University of California, Davis area
Officials in Yolo County, Calif., home of the University of California, Davis, have approved a needle-exchange program. Supporters of the program say this will slow the spread of diseases such as Hepatitis C and HIV, which can be spread by shared needles.
Some members of the Yolo County Board of Supervisors disagreed about the number of needles each participant should receive.
Yolo County Supervisor Matt Rexroad said he was against a need-based system that would allow people to receive as many needles as they wanted, regardless of how many they turned in. The program will offer people one new needle for each used one they bring in. Organizers hope this will also motivate the users to keep needles instead of discarding them in public places.
"I believe a one-to-one exchange will elevate that problem and I think it's a far better policy — not for the addicted drug user — but for the county as a whole," Rexroad said.
— The California Aggie
(University of California, Davis)
Overbooked dorms force some University of Arizona students to sleep in lounges
A 10 percent increase in enrollment and the resulting shortage in beds in residence halls at the University of Arizona forced some students to spend their nights in study lounges.
"The U of A is in the process of creatively positioning students to ensure as many students as possible have the opportunity to live on campus," said Cynnamon Woodberry, vice president of programming of resident hall living.
"It is just a little tricky right now because so many people want to live on campus," she said.
Students are also being asked to temporarily room with resident assistants, who usually have a single room.
Eight hundred students are currently on a waiting list for Residence Life housing, according to Student Life associate director Patrick Call. To help avoid future housing shortages, the university is looking to add an additional 1,2000 residence hall rooms by 2010, Call said.
— Arizona Daily Wildcat
(University of Arizona)
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to switch to Pepsi products
Vending machines at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will soon be stocked with Pepsi products, with the switch from Coca-Cola expected to begin at the end of August. The timeline will be established after the state procurement policy board finalizes the contract between the state and the soft drink company.
Mike Bass, executive assistant vice president for business and finance at the University of Illinois, said students will start seeing changes in the next two to three months.
"There is a transition, and how long that takes is what's being discussed," Bass said.
Coke fans who don't want to betray their allegiance can still buy Coke products at the Quad Shop, which will sell both.
— Daily Illini
(University of Illinois)