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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 29, 1999)
le Battalion O PINION Page 9 • Friday, October 29, 1999 ppear in ad). This rate appfe s or you get an additional 5 ; scheduled to end to ijiialiii /• Beutel exodus harms student body w: LOST & idio Shack flip style cell ptafrSa If found call 694-2227 MOTORCYCLE ith the ap- point- nent of director )r. Lucille Is- lale in August 1995, the A. Beutel Health lenter has dopted onda XL650R New ties, Ktr j ; lat. starts easy CheapMsfc*! hinges to ill- e (409)774-5025 CHRIS HUFFINES zuki Katana. Vancei Hines tei haust. Lockhart turn signals. naha Seca 600 $2,500 Cdrsir NEEDED passes for T.U. game. Wigt at 847-5469 rease financial solvency and im- rove care. While these changes ay have accomplished the for- ler, they have fallen woefully wrt in the latter. These changes aveled to a decline in the quali- of care the average student re- eivesand will lead to a further PETS Jail Python and Juvanile Rarto si j and accessories' $250 anc 10 al 693-8368 Puppies. Kittens. Cats. Dcgs Brazos Animal Sheltef-7755755 male Sugar Glidei Hesth o . 8t! Burmese Python Icustr an Jo bo Call 695-8989 -Wack/tan, 7-months, house Mr. $25 includes cage, heartworr necessities Contact 6964179 iports passes for tu game, wee.^ecrease in the overall quality of ;udent care. The fact that the center was in lered prior to Isdale’s adminis- ationand is now financially in let is undisputed. However, this economic turn- ound resulted from the decision adeby the former director to re eve funding from 24-hour emer- incy care and apply it elsewhere, iminating Beutel’s deficit. Nonetheless, Isdale was hired turn Beutel around financially id to improve efficiency, and iareis no disputing Beutel re sins financially sound. Furthermore, Dr. Bill Kibler, as- date vice president for student fairs, said Isdale also increased ^number of students seen by eh doctor, lowering the wait time rpatients to about 20 minutes. Isdale also put the Health Center an 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. work sched- increasing doctors’ availability arable baby kitten. Utter-box We: DOd home. 272-2724 or 847.IJK Shepherd Puppies, AKC, E teM' is. OFA Pedigree, shots tot: ; starting @$350 caryCnn ROOMMATES iate needed lor a SMmVM u 1216. male needed for spring. JMrJ W/D. $350/mo +1/3bills. Jessaw nate needed for spring. 0» tsU us-route, $325/mo ilMs Em nale needed. 3bdrm/1btt!, iwcs'S irage. $260/mo +1/3MS nale needed’ for spnng Owe MH«|studentS, and instituted 3 policy lent $350/neg Stenng Apts. KdiR'l roommate needed tor sptinj - ity Commons. 694-8346 roommate needed immediately Ibth. Melrose Apartments, 779-7IR Living 2-roommates, own room, tes >ck &yard ©end cul-de-sac, nice o +1/3bills. 694-7529, 7751830 to keep doctors seeing patients until everyone has been cared for. Beutel is soundly efficient, but is it sound in other areas? In the past few months, nurses and doctors have written letters of complaint, citing Isdale’s inflexi bility, condescension, needless or excessive criticism and unrealistic scheduling as the primary or sole reason for their departures from Beutel. Included in the list of re tirees are staff members who served at Beutel for more than a decade only to resign, enmeshed in despair and frustration at what their workplace had become. Since August 1995, when Is dale became director, 73 of 82 va cancies have been filled. In other words, 82 people have either quit or been fired from Beutel in the past four years. That is the equiv alent of one person quitting or be ing fired every 17 days since Is dale came to town. According to a report from the A&M Human Resources Depart ment, Beutel has averaged a 25- percent turnover in the years since Isdale became director. While some of this is because of the age of the doctors, 83 peo ple quitting or being fired at an office that employs only 68 when fully staffed is still significant. In a Division of Student Affairs report, 74 percent of respondents on staff at Beutel said they were dissatisfied with how work-relat ed problems were resolved, and 70.4 percent were dissatisfied with overall morale in the office. Of the 89 staff-member com ments listed with the report, only five could be considered remotely positive. The rest can be summa rized by one comment: “Another di rector for health center is needed.” At first blush, this really is not a problem. After all, medicine is not a field that is known for treat ing its professionals well. Doctors with rock-bottom workplace morale can and do provide ade quate, if not excellent, health care. However, the overall quality of health care can and will even tually suffer for two reasons. First, the best doctors will leave. In fact, they already have. Dr. James Carman, who served as medical director before Isdale ar rived, has left. Dr. Donald Freeman, former head of the emergency depart ment, who had been on the short list for new director before Isadale was hired, also left after he was demoted to the position of staff physician and was replaced by the current medical director. Dr. Kenneth Love, who came from the Texas Department of Corrections, returned to it after only two weeks of working at Beutel. He said the work envi ronment in prison was more pleasant. Dr. Janet Krueger, whom Free man called an excellent, caring physician, has left. RICHARD HORNE/The Batialion Mimi Sicilio left her position as chief physical therapist. Dr. Norma Porres, a doctor who was chair of the family practice department at a hospital in Lubbock, was selected the 1995 Family Physician of Texas by the Texas Academy of Family Physicians and whose co-work ers have had nothing but praise for, was fired. While there is no evidence the doctors who remain are anything but able, the best and brightest at Beutel have left, lowering quality by their absence. And their replacements are younger, less-experienced physi cians. It is an unfortunate fact, but replacements are often worse than the doctors or nurses they are replacing. Aside from a lack of experi ence in general, the new staffers must still “learn the ropes” at the health center. Quality has gone down simply because of high turnover. The second reason this im proved efficiency and low morale will reduce the quality of care is that prospective nurses and doc tors at Beutel (they seem to have hired a number recently) will not see Beutel as somewhere they want to work. Who wants to work at a job when they will probably quit after a few years and will be miserable in the meantime? Only those so hungry for a job they will work anywhere. These are not the ideal health care providers for a Third World plague ward, much less a college campus. Before Beutel’s in-house reputation as “Brutal Beutel,” as it was called in letters of com plaint, spreads to its labor pool, reform must occur. Otherwise those providing future Aggies with their health care will not be the best and the brightest. The writing is on the wall. Is dale has done some good things, but in her quest to improve the health center she has crossed from increasing efficiency to de creasing quality of health care. The center should be about stu dent health, not the bottom line. Chris Huffines is a senior speech communication major. CARPOOL defended by directors, staff In response to Erika Doerr’s Oct. 28 article. We, the directors and staff of CAR- POOL, feel it necessary to respond to some of the negative statements made by University Taxi owner Balance Yemme. Yemme claims we encourage students’ irresponsible drinking. In actuality, CARPOOL is much more than just a free ride home. CARPOOL has and will continue to be an active participant in educating the student body about responsible decision-mak ing regarding alcohol. Over 5,000 Fish Camp staff and fresh man enhanced their knowledge of alcohol responsibilities during an interest session at Fish Camp called “Alcohol 101.” This MAIL CALL program was presented by CARPOOL in conjunction with Lorna Breault of Alcohol and Drug Education Programs. CARPOOL is currently working with Student Life for future alcohol education endeavors. It is a student’s choice in col lege whether or not to drink, and CAR- POOL remains neutral on the subject. Our main focus is safety. But the bottom line is that CARPOOL saves lives. Jeff Schiefelbein Class of ’00 Accompanied by 69 signatures Cartoon insensitive, counters A&M’s aims Although Oct. 20’s “Non Mia Culpa” cartoon was fictional and meant to be humorous, it perpetuates negative stereotypes about the Department of Multicultural Services, its mission, core values and purpose. As the University strives to be recog nized as one of the 10 best public uni versities in the nation through Vision 2020, we should all have a vested in terest in helping A&M achieve world- class status. Tasteless, ignorant and insensitive displays such as the cartoon send the wrong message. Texas A&M is striving to achieve a cul ture of excellence. And even small unintentional inci dents like this can set us back from achieving that goal. Felicia Scott Director, Department of Multicultural Services xas Defensive Driving. Lots-oMuv- dismissal/insurance discount. M|l pm-9pm). Fri.SSat- Fri(6pm-8|»i) S ), Sat(8am-2:30pm). Inside Haitf s welcome. $25/cash, Lowest 11-Univ. Dr., Ste.217. early. (CP-0017). 846-6H1 WEIGHT LOSS iff his rocker ViEW POiNTS en. Jesse Helms, R- I^N.C., is a political di- i? #r shape this fall and have i* 1 life356o^MeTrimPlussamelorraa s, Natural- Safe- Effective for Diel!'* ^HOSaur WhOSO Career ree Delivery B/CS Cash-Check-O* 1 OUld SOOn be extinct. AS 3 ^ (year veteran of the Sen- -w..he 0 fficialy2 W |^-~ a ^ n ' jarLake, Mexico 12/30' sod old boy” whose archa- ted 20 miles from the Texas* Views are years behind ew Millennium New Friends > * Howdy )f 2000 • years ago and has been signed by 165 countries, has yet to be ratified by the United States because Helms has pigeonholed it in committee. When the women present ed Helms with a petition from 100 members of Congress in support of the treaty, Helms urged them to “please be lady-like" and had them es corted out of the room. nt • Ring Dafli S w Dotball >ot Dance • Qm r • AGGIE Rf •Maroon Out * 0 • Ring Daitf n't be left oi jgieland! i at AR Photograph Ave. South. able for $10. ir time. Helms has been using his jsition as chairman of the (reign Relations Committee block former Sen. Carol loseley-Braun’s nomination |be an ambassador, citing [iproven allegations of un- lical campaign spending. Helms and Moseley-Braun ive a history of contention, lich is likely motivating his istinacy. Moseley-Braun, e first black woman to be ected to the Senate, sup- )rted legislation against the ficial use of the Confeder- :e flag by some southern iates. Helms opposed it. Moseley-Braun alleges iat Helms once taunted her whistling “Dixie” in an el- 'ator they shared. As if criticism of his per- )nal vendetta against Mose- y-Braun were not enough, elms dug himself into an «n deeper hole Wednesday hen several congress- imen peacefully interrupted (committee hearing. The men, who were denied re sted requests for a person- I meeting with Helms, were protesting his opposition to a ipularll.N. treaty. The international treaty ;ainst gender discrimina- n, which was written 20 HELMS: WHISTLING DIXIE? Stunts like these continue to embarrass the United States and the Senate. Helms’ career has outlived a bygone era, and it is time for the senator to catch up with the times. Unless, that is, he wishes to hold the outra geous opinions that a sexual discrimination treaty is not worth signing and a racist symbol is not worth banning. — Caleb McDaniel Hellish pageant H alloween haunted houses usually conjure images of startling specters, a brief scare and a lighthearted laugh afterward. But Trinity Church in Cedar Hill, Texas, has taken the Halloween tradition to a new, unacceptable level. In stead of a harmless haunt ed house meant to keep the church’s young members off potentially dangerous streets, the Church has cho sen to celebrate Halloween by organizing a skit re-enact ing the Columbine shooting. The skit begins by show ing two boys playing violent video games, then deciding to put on trench coats and go into a library. At the end of the skit, a girl is shown praying just before she is killed. Directly afterward, she is taken to heaven, while the two shooters are condemned to hell. This “touching” rendition of the Columbine massacre has had far reaching effects, even offending parents of current Columbine students. But the Trinity Church youth pastor, Tim Ferguson, ratio nalized his actions to the As sociated Press by explaining he must scare teenagers so as to save them from poten tial sin and another attack like the one on Columbine. He also explained that the re-enactment was “tasteful” because there was “no blood.” The tastefulness of dressing a child in a trench coat and telling them to por tray a mass murderer is highly questionable. This is not the first time Trinity Church has celebrat ed Halloween by re-enacting a shooting scene. Last year, they focused on a school shooting scene in Paducah, Ky. Maybe next year, they could do a “tasteful” rendi tion of the Holocaust or the Oklahoma City bombing. — Jessica Crutcher New drug abets sexual irresponsibility A fter an unfor gettable evening of un bridled lust and pas sion with a stranger she met at a party, Annie awakens the next morning with a smile on her face. Gazing through the haze of her hangover, she comes to the realization her bed is empty. It looks like her mystery lover has high- tailed it out of her apartment. As she stumbles toward her show er, Annie comes to a startling realiza tion: her anonymous friend did not use a condom. Have no fear, Annie. The prayers of the sexually irresponsible have been partially answered with the introduc tion of Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP). This “cocktail” of four potent drugs has proven to prevent an HIV infection if administered within 24 hours of exposure. Currently, PEP is only administered to health-care workers who are infect ed by HIV-positive patients, if stuck by an HIV-infected needle or exposed while performing surgery on an HIV- infected patient. The New Mexico AIDS InfoNet Website states PEP is able to reduce the rate of HIV infection by 79 percent in these cases. In addition, the New York State Department of Health strongly urges health professionals to administer PEP for rape victims. Not surprisingly, many advocates want to see the use of PEP become standard operating procedure for those who have had high-risk sex or for those who share needles while us ing drugs. Many major U.S. cities have begun to offer PEP to the general pub lic despite warnings by various med ical regulatory agencies. Dr. Julie L. Gerberding of San Fran cisco General Hospital is in favor of using PEP as an HIV-evasive strategy. “If someone’s condom breaks one night, doesn’t it seem ethically and clinically sensible to offer the exposed partner treatment with the antiretrovi ral therapy?” Gerberding said. Such an argument is highly irra tional. PEP is by no means an easy way out when compared to the sim plicity of using protection or choosing one’s partner wisely. Several other factors make the wide availability of PEP a bad idea. Ironically, putting a new HIV drug on the market will encourage unsafe sex. • High Expense PEP is not a cheap solution. Since PEP is relatively new and is not recog nized as an established standard of medical care, HMOs probably will not cover the $1,000 cost of treatment. Shelling out a few dollars for condoms is much more efficient than paying such a ridiculous amount for PEP. • Lower Effectiveness PEP originally was intended to combat one-time accidents in the workplace. Naturally, PEP’s effective ness would nosedive in a case where a person frequently engages in unsafe sexual behavior. The InfoNet Fact Sheet makes it clear there is no existing research that indicates PEP’s effectiveness will stay constant in the case of non-occupa- tional exposure. • Serious Side Effects Administering PEP is not as simple as popping an aspirin. Considering the potency of the combination of AZT, 3TC, indinavir and nelfinavir, the side effects can be very serious. Nausea, headaches, fatigue, vomiting and diar rhea are the most common side ef fects. Vaguepolitixs Website writer Dr. David Hoos says very few patients complete all four weeks of medication because they are overtaken by the severity of the side effects. • Lack of Sexual Responsibility If PEP becomes more easily avail able to the public in the coming years, the practice of safe sex will be serious ly threatened. People will rationalize there is an easy fix to the complications of not practicing safe sex. This is by far the biggest reserva tion the medical community has — whether the medical benefits of PEP outweigh the social consequences. The struggle between a moral and so cial judgment is largely subjective, and there is no clear-cut answer. Gerberding warns against these faulty misconceptions. “If the message that goes out to the public and community at risk is, ‘Get exposed? Get prophylasisi’ it creates a situation where there’s strong incen tive to no longer practice safe sex,” she said. PEP should not be administered to the general public and should remain only as a method of treatment for health-care workers working with HIV-infected patients. Otherwise, the social consequences of this drug would be too serious to ignore. David Lee is a junior economics major.