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4A Thursday, August 30, 2007 I The Red & Black Juanita Cousins | Editor in Chief editor@ ratuib.com Matthew Grayson Managing Editor me@ randb.com JoAnn Anderson | Opinions Editor opinions@randb.com Our Take Majority opinions of The Red & Black’s editorial board Sickening standard Pharmacy professor accused of selling exams shame on everyone involved. Today, we hang our heads in shame. The Board of Regents and University phar macy professor Flynn Warren Jr. are defendants in a civil federal court case filed Aug. 3, that accuses Warren of collecting and selling phar macy test questions. According to court documents, Warren asked students taking his North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination prep class to memorize test questions and e-mail them to him. Warren later collected the questions and organized them into a study packet. Future students then paid the University SIOO to take the optional “Pharmacy Board Review” course and were given the study pack et containing the question set. “A comparison of only a portion of Defendant Warren’s materials with (National Association of Boards of Pharmacy) Examination Questions revealed that at least 150 questions are verba tim, nearly verbatim or substantially similar,” a court document reads. Saturday, NABP officials suspended the NAPLEX examination in the state of Georgia. This is more than a major embarrassment to the University System of Georgia and our phar macy school. It raises the question, “Are ethics, integrity and academic honesty truly valued by The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, Warren and this University as well as its phar macy students past, present and future?” The blanket of blame warms them all. NABP, which boasts to enforce “uniform standards for the purpose of protecting the public health” in its mission statement, failed to follow through with a man they knew had a history of wreaking havoc. In 1995, NABP accused Warren of compiling and selling NAPLEX test questions to students. Warren signed a contract promising to “cease and desist.” However, NABP has failed to moni tor Warren’s actions for the past 12 years. NABP officials need look no further than their own spreadsheet of NAPLEX test scores for every pharmacy school in the nation. The document, available at www.nabp.net/ftpfiles/ bulletins/schoolpassrates.pdf, showed our University consistently excelled with 100 per cent pass rates and near-perfect scores. We too shake our heads at lead University administrators who had knowledge of this civil case for nearly a month yet failed to inform University pharmacy students. Academic rigor? Our stomachs ache too much from laughing to address those implications. Warren, you’ve frustrated us, too. In some twisted way, you might have thought you were ensuring your students a brighter future, but thanks to you, their diplomas may wind up worth little more than the paper on which they’re printed. We also are disappointed in the students who allegedly memorized and recited test questions. What were you thinking as you jeopardized your careers, the University and the entire pharmacy profession in the process? We feel for the hundreds of undergradu ate students who came to the University with hopes of healing the masses with medicine. What will become of the pre-pharmacy stu dents and the many other students statewide hoping to take the national exam? Will the Board of Regents reconsider the S4O million it recently gave the University’s pharmacy school? We’re guessing yes. Next time we need a prescription filled, we’re running background checks. Georgian pharma cists need not apply. Our Staff NEWS: 706-433-3002 News Editor: Alexis Garrobo Associate News Editor: Melissa Weinman Sports Editor: Tyler Estep Variety Editor: Whitney Kessler First & Goal Editor: Phillip Kisubika Out & About Editor: Alec Wooden Photography Editor: Kelly Wegel Chief Photographer: Josh Weiss Chief Copy Editors: Christina Graff, Shannon Otto Design Editor: Melanie McNeely Online Editor: Paul Ruddle Recruitment Editor: Lauren Leschper Editorial Cartoonist: Bill Richards Editorial Assistant: Claire Scully Editorial Adviser: Ed Morales News Staff Writers: Kristen Coulter, Carolyn Crist Brian Hughes, Claire Miller. Daniel O’Connor, Pearman Parker, Samuel Steinberg, Sarah Watkins Sports Staff Writers: Jason Butt Lawrence Conneff, Marshall Duncan Variety Staff Writers: Tamara Best, Ann Cantrell, Elizabeth Dillard Charles Griffin, Jennifer Jackson, Anna Krakovski, Taylor Rhodes, Mandy Rodgers, Clarke Schwabe, Valentina Tapia, Rachel Webster Photographers: Mike Comer. Lindsay Dobras, Lindy Dugger. 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All letters are subject to editing for length, style and libelous material. Copp, Ryne Dennis, Robbins Exume, Jenna Findtan, Tyler Goforth, Lauren Grundhoefer, Rebecca Hay, Racbelle Hicks, Caroline Kilgore, Sarah King, Rene Laulenschlager. Juße Leung, Tom Marine, Joe Mason, liana McQuinn, Katie McWane, Colter McWhorter, Josh Moynihan, Julia Norman, Nima Patel, Jennifer Paxton, Denechia Powell, Conor Richardson, Colin Smith, Jessica Smith, David Vaughn. Harrison Wagener, Mariee Waxelbum, Emily Yocco Copy Editors: Tiffany Howard, Meridith Moon, Togo Moura. Anna Rodriguez, Rebecca Rose, Kelly Shaul ADVERTISING: 706-433-3001 Account Executives: Abby Ammons, Rachel Causey, Irena Chernova, Morgan Copper, Tvter English. Jennifer Mendel. Lindsay Nichols, Amanda Ryan, Valerie Traber, Juke Turner Classified Manager: Erin Beasley Classified Adviser: Amanda Goforth, Danielle Towers Advertising Assistant: Ryan Roddenbetry Advertising Director: Rick Chapman Web Developer: Nikita Smeshko Production Staff: Gary Bardizbanian, Natalie Boyd, Julie Leung, Leslie Mintz Production Night Supervisor: Chris Lee Production Manager: Sam Pittard Receptionist: Erin Beasley Assistant Office Manager: Lauren Albert Office Manager: Mary Straub Publisher: Harry Montevideo The Rid S Stack pupferied Monday ttvougri Friday ial! and spring semesters and each Thursday summer serrestsr. except holidays and exam periods, by The Had S Stack Publishing Company Inc, a nonprcht campus newspaper not altlatsd with the Uliiersity o( Georgia Subscription rue $195 per year Opinions Organic food not pesticide-free Alex Berry’s Aug. 21 column, “Organic a healthier alterna tive” is rife with misinfor mation. A previous arti cle by Jennifer Jackson (“Locally grown options make for good eatin’,” on Aug. 20) rightly advocated sustainable produce, but also presented misinfor mation on organic agri culture. Asa graduate student studying biotech nology and agriculture, I feel ethically obligated to point out the errors in the article and column. First, looking on the National Organic Program’s Web site, one quickly finds the “USDA makes no claims that organically produced food is safer or more nutritious than conventionally pro duced food.” Secondly, in Jackson’s article, she wrote that “organic food means less chemicals are used.” Wrong. Nowhere in the guidelines for organic agriculture written in the USDA’s National Organic Program (www.ams.usda. gov/nop) does it imply organic agriculture uses less chemicals than mod em agriculture. Organic agriculture is not pesti cide-free by any means. It is limited to using natu rally occurring pesticides, rather than synthetic ones. Furthermore, organic agriculture may use syn thetic chemicals when a natural version is not available. Approved chem icals to be used in organ ics can be found at www. ams.usda.gov/nop/NOP/ standards/Listßeg.html. This list includes such chemicals as sulfur diox ide gas commonly used to kill rats by blocking nerve receptors and cop- Mailbox E-mail and letters from our readers Fashion column is so last season My heart skipped a beat Monday when I saw the fashion column in The Red & Black could no longer soil a good day. Even so, the way Emily Samuels sarcastically bid us adieu still managed to irk me. The attention she claimed her column gar nered was not because her articles were contro versial. It was because they were just terrible. I never understood why you devoted space to a column reporting that the little black dress was making a comeback when it is notorious for never going out of style. And the mustaches and skinny jeans for guys? Really? Whenever her writing had any ounce of accuracy, it was months too late to be considered relevant. “Loyal fashionistas” knew better. Frankly, I was tired of what felt like unoriginal, regurgitated ideas ripped off from a 6-month-old issue of Vogue. What would’ve come next? As fashion magazine editor Miranda Priestly from “The Devil Wears Prada” would say, “Florals for spring? Groundbreaking.” YARA FIGUEROA Junior, Macon Journalism Benjamin Martin ▲ “Organic agriculture is not pesticide-free ... it is limited to using naturally occurring pesticides. ” per sulfate, which is toxic to aquatic life and has long term persistence in the environment, making it potentially more dan gerous in comparison to many of the commonly used pesticides in modem agriculture that readily breakdown in the environ ment and pose low toxic ity to non-target pests. Basically, as the list states, if “the substance cannot be produced from a natural source and there are no organic sub stitutes,” it will often be approved for organic pro duction. Berry’s column provid ed more blatant fallacies such as, “use of pesticides ... significantly contributes to male infertility, breast and prostate cancer and miscarriages in women.” Where is the data to sup port these assertions of significant increases? Testimonials do not count as scientific data, and we are in college to learn the difference. Finally, both Jackson and Berry focus on the idea that “local” some- E-MAILING US Questions, comments, complaints? Here’s where to point and click: Letters I opinions@randb.com News Tips I news@randb.com Textbook prices anger faculty, too (In response to Stacy S. Skelly’s Aug. 27 letter “Publishers’ book costs justified”), publishers are constantly work ing to maximize profits in many different ways. The method of bundling instructional materials is currently in vogue. I have no wish to use the extensive —and expensive multime dia materials that were offered to me. Similarly useless is the separate instructor’s edition of the book God help you if your calculus instructor needs a book of answers. The sentiment in Skelly’s letter: “it is important that the texts ... be as current as pos sible” seems phrased so as to be hard to disagree with, but I can do so without qualms: today’s calculus textbooks look virtually identical to the textbook I used to learn calculus in 1992. One year, Red&Black An independent student newspaper serving the University of Georgia community ESTABLISHED 1111, INDEPENDENT !••• how means non-industrial, fresher and organic, while these terms have nothing to do with being locally grown and can apply to food from anywhere. Jackson alludes to indus trial farms being primar ily concerned with prof its. I would be shocked to find any local farmers not concerned with profit margins, just as any other farmer. Likewise, even indus trial farms must mind the environment, as the adoption of practices that damage the environment lead to loss of soil fertil ity and increased costs of production. Ultimately, Berry is right in that agricultur al pesticides have been abused at times, which is why all farmers organic or otherwise, are striving to reduce pesticide use. That is why today’s agriculture is going high tech precision delivery techniques apply pes ticides only when and where needed. Integrated Pest Management uses advanced communication networks to monitor pests and diseases, and avoiding control measures unless an economic threshold is reached. Finally, biotechnol ogy is making the use of pesticides unnecessary, while promoting the use of agricultural practices that save soil, water and fuel. Asa result, food does not need to be expensive to be environmentally friendly or healthy. As Dwight D. Eisenhower said, “Farming looks easy when your plow is a pencil...” Benjamin Martin is a graduate student from Snellvile studying agronomy. I taught from a textbook that was the latest edi tion of the very book I had learned from, and it was similar enough to cause flashbacks except that the ordering of cer tain sections had been changed. Studies done show instructors throughout the physical sciences and in economics think that the curriculum has not changed enough in recent years to warrant new introductory textbooks. To the students, I say, take heart the faculty are angry, too. Academics all over the world are furi ous at the rising cost of journals which make textbooks look cheap with the last year having seen boycotts of pres tigious journals, entire editorial boards resigning, and so forth. The current state of affairs will not endure, and the future is entirely free with online access to instructional mate rials. To those who doubt that the future is coming, try googling “OpenCourseWare,” or for a free online calculus textbook “Strang cal culus.” PETE L. CLARK Associate Professor Mathematics Michael Arndt ▲ Go ahead, guys cry at the cinema Like most people, I have always enjoyed mov ies. Movies provide the means to transcend our daily existence and become part of a grand story, even if only for a short period of time. In college, likely due to skull rattling hang overs and the conve nience of OnDemand, I have become more of a movie enthusiast and I will discuss a category of movies which was non existent for me prior to college, the Guy Cry Movie. Of course, I had seen many of the movies on the Guy Cry list before college, but their previ ous categorization was less, hmm ... what’s the word? Effeminate. Following the para digm of my non-crying father, they were Make- Your-Neck-Hair-Stand- Up Movies or Gives- Ya-Chills Movies. My pubescent high school days, riddled with acne, voice cracks and unfor tunately timed erections —■ changing classes was apparently quite arous ing needn’t the addi tional ridicule of admit ted crying. However, around two years ago, my reticence vanished and as of yet is showing no signs of returning. I am not entirely sure of the exact reason for its disappear ance but am guessing it was either the instability of an emotional hang over or growing aware ness and sympathy for those less fortunate, or perhaps some combina tion of the two. Regardless of the reason, “Remember the Titans” made me cry sophomore year. After the team had worked so hard to overcome the racial tensions, a car accident happens oh, the depravity. Is there any justice in this world? The next broad cat egory of Guy Cry Movies would be those pertain ing to social justice. Stories revolving around inner city school teach ers and their struggling classes ensure tears. The world can be a bet ter place sob. What selfless leaders sob. There aren’t any victims in the classroom sob, sob. Examples of this type of movie are “Dangerous Minds,” “Freedom Writers” and “Lean on Me.” If those movies don’t elicit tears, I am unsure anything will. How unfortunate for you. Tears, regardless of their cause, are good for your soul. As author Jane Austen warns, these emotions must be balanced with other activities. After all, it is easy to imagine remaining in bed all day, every day if you surrounded yourself with only the local news (rape, rape, murder, rape, rape) and news from Darfur. However, the other extreme of not having any swings of emotion will force your life to feel less like a roller coaster and more like a tum less, boringly flat, one way highway. When the moment comes, I hope you stop clinching your back teeth and swal lowing hard. Let it out cry. —Michael Arndt is an alumnus from Snellville with a degree in history.