News highlights for January 13, 2011

p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Cambria;} .MsoChpDefault {font-family:Cambria;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} CisionPoint news monitoring provides this small sampling of the university's daily news coverage. Click headline to read full text via Cision or link directly to the online article where available. For questions or comments about this service, or to add or delete a name from the mailing list, please contact Gerry Everding.

The New Republic

Jeff Smith: A rising political star until the FBI started asking about his past
1/13/2011

Missouri State Senator Jeff Smith, a thirty-something academic turned politician, was the brightest young star in the Missouri Democratic Party until a campaign violation upended his career and sent him to jail. As a Washington University political science graduate student, Smith recruited an army of young campaign volunteers, many of them his former students at Washington University, whose devotion borders on the cultish. Smith was recently released on good behavior. Link to Article

KTVI-TV

Fox 2 News in the Morning
01/12/2011

St. Louis Community College and Harris Stowe State University are now smoke-free. Fontbonne University, Washington University and St. Louis Christian College already have smoking bans. Link to Broadcast See also Riverfront Times

St. Louis Post Dispatch
Prostate drug may help detect cancer
01/12/2011

A drug commonly used to shrink enlarged prostate glands also increases the accuracy of the test used to detect aggressive forms of prostate cancer, Washington University researchers have found. Dr. Gerald Andriole, chief of urologic surgery at Washington University School of Medicine, said a four-year study confirms that men who used the drug Avodart (the generic form is called dutasteride) received more accurate readings on their prostate specific antigen tests, especially if they were developing aggressive forms of cancer. 
Link to Article See also Doctor’s Lounge

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Hip ‘hoods: Delmar Loop keeps it loose and local
1/13/2011

Delmar Loop visionary Joe Edwards credits the small businesses — edgy salons, trendy boutiques and cheap ethnic joints — for the Loop’s flavor. The coming attraction is the Centennial Greenway bike path, which will stretch from Forest Park to Washington University to the Delmar Loop and, ultimately, Creve Coeur Lake. Link to Article

KMOX-AM News Radio (St. Louis MO)

Local companies think green when it comes to waste
1/12/2011

What do Washington University, the National Guard and Walmart have in common? They all recycle their food into compost. Patrick Geraty with St. Louis Composting says since starting the program a year ago about 100 tons of out-of-date food has been spared from landfills per week. Link to Article

St. Louis Magazine

St. Louis’ first adolescent bariatric surgery center opens
01/12/2011

Local overweight adolescents now have a program that could surgically improve their health. The first bariatric surgery program for obese adolescents in the St. Louis area has opened in a partnership with Washington University. These surgeries promote weight loss by reducing the size of the stomach and limiting food intake. Link to Article

St. Louis American

A school where attendance pays – literally
1/ 13/2011

How does an inner-city principal get her elementary students and their families to commit to attendance and good behavior? An incentive of $300 is a good start, as Principal Natalie Means of Jefferson Elementary, 1301 Hogan St., discovered. Every other week, a project manager and two Washington University students would mail home letters to participating families to inform them of their progress. With some families, a letter was all it took. But for others, they made home visits to offer assistance and resources to help the guardians and students achieve their goals. Link to Article


News in Higher Education

CBSnews.com – Money watch

Credit cards breaking rules on campus?
1/12/2011

The CARD Act of 2009 banned banks and card issuers from offering credit cards to young adults under the age of 21 unless they have a qualified co-signer or proof of sufficient income to repay the debt — but those rules are apparently being broken, at least around the University of Houston. Link to Article

New York Times

‘Creepy,’ ‘Very hostile’: A college recorded its fears
1/ 13/2011

Documents released by Pima Community College showed officials there believed Jared L. Loughner might be under the influence of drugs or mentally ill after disruptions. Link to Article

New York Times

Room for debate: Dealing with mental disorders on campus
1/ 13/2011

Mental health services have increased on college campuses, but not enough to monitor all the students dealing with serious mental illness, depression, and alcohol and drug use. What are colleges to do with mentally disturbed students, given limited budgets and resources? What is the extent of a college’s responsibility for keeping track of thousands of students, all of whom may not be living on campus? Link to Article

Salt Lake Tribune

University of Utah president takes aim at open-carry law on campus
1/ 11/ 2011

The University of Utah’s president asked school trustees Tuesday to help thwart possible legislation allowing the open display of firearms on campus, a move that could reopen a contentious debate between educators and lawmakers over gun policies. Guns on campus have been a long-simmering issue in Utah, predating Young’s tenure as president. Link to Article

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