Newspaper Page Text
P4 April 4. 1994
The Panther
New Associate Dean Heads
Communications Department
Chris Gooden/Photographer
Dr. Betty S. McNair, the new
associate dean of the Mass
Media Arts department.
By Antoinette Ross
Contributing Writer
“Returning to Clark Atlanta
University is like returning
home,” said Dr. Betty S. McNair,
new associate dean of the Mass
Media Arts department.
The Dean, who was born in
Savannah, Georgia, said she has
been given the task of “maintain
ing the integrity and stability” of
the communication arts depart
ment both during and after the
Olympic's Broadcast Training
Program (HBTP) that CAU has
been chosen to host for the next
three years.
Dr. McNair previously worked
for CAU from 1975 to 1985 as a professor and the associate dean for academic
affairs. She said she is “pleased to give something back to the university that has
helped me so much in the past.”
Dr. McNair explained that the new HBTP will cause some degree of confusion
for both students and faculty. She said her job is ensure that everything runs
smoothly during these times.
However, she will not be working directly with HBTP, rather she will serve as
the associate dean for both the Mass Media Arts and the Speech Communications
departments which are headed by Dr. Herbert Eichelberger and Amaryllis Hawk
respectively.
Dr. McNair said her ultimate goal is to use the technology and knowledge
obtained through the Olympics program to establish international communica
tions as a future major at the university.
She would also like to implement a test which would access the writing and
speaking ability of all Mass Media Arts majors. The proposed test would mea
sure their competency both before entrance in to the Communications department
and after completion of their respective programs.
Before coming to CAU, Dr. McNair was most recently employed at Atlanta
Metro College where she served as the founder and director of the evening and
weekend college program. While there, she was also the Title III coordinator
responsible for faciliting she solicited government grants for the college.
Dr. McNair received her bachelors degree as speech and hearing specialist from
Washington University in St. Louis. Later, she obtained her masters degree in
speech communications from Emory University and a her Ph.d. from Georgia
State University.
THE 1994 SiGMA XI FORUM
Scientists, Educators, and National Standards
Action at the Local Level
A national effort
is underway to
develop 3 vision oi excel
lence for K-12 science
education. The goal is to
make American students
first in the world in science achievement,
Innovative science programs am already
in place lor students in kinderga rten
through high school and beyond. These
programs are often the result of successful
collaborations among educators, scientists,
parous, corporate and national leaders,
i he 1994 Sigma Xi Forum will provide
- wj-.^i-tunity for teachers and
scientists to work together in defining a
pi kxiucttve role lor scientists and «igi-
iiec-js ui improving science education.
^Nationally known speakers, includu< ft
Bruce Alberts, President of Hie National
Academy ot Sciences, will speak on issuer
important lot systemic dim ige.
leathers, scientists, and others will share
innovative programs that engage students
in hands-on science using posters, riis
plays, and workshops. Subsidies for K-i?
teachers are available
Omni Hotel at CNN Center
Atlanta, Georgia
April 14*15, 1994
For complete program,
poster, and registration
information, contact Doe
Windlev at (800) 243-0534
or FAX (919) 349-0090
or email jlan4ssigmaxi.org
—-
iW.'Clh
zCiSfii!i'<
Hepatitis B
Continued from P2
don’t have the money and they don’t
want to require students who are
already financially strapped to spend
any more money than they have to.”
Clark Atlanta University freshman
Tarsha Burton, said she has been
immunized, but agreed that the vacci
nation was expensive and very incon
venient, “It’s good to be immunized,
but it costs so much and it’s a real a
hassle. Mine was about $140 and I
had to go back three times. The only
reason I did it is because my mother’s
a nurse,” she said.
Other health officials said colleges
must conduct campaigns to educate
students about the disease and encour
age them to get vaccinated.
Drug Problems
Efforts to eradicate the problem
have not been problem-free. Last July,
investigators at the U.S. National
Institutes of Health in Washington
began conducting a thorough scientific
review of all patients who have been
exposed to the experimental drug
Fialuridine before deciding what
lessons can be learned from a small
trial of the drug which left two patients
dead and four more awaiting liver
transplants.
The health institute’s trial managers
met with representatives
of the Indianopolis-based manufactur
er Eli Lilly and officials of the Food
and Drug Administration to discuss the
details of the trial.
According to an article in Nature
magazine last July, the potential of
Fialuridine as a treatment for hepatitis
B was first observed when the drug
was being tested on 40 HIV patients.
It appeared to have a good effect on
patients who also had hepatitis B.
Twenty-four hepatitis B patients were
treated with the drug for four weeks.
More than a third of the patients
responded well.
The first 10 patients began taking
the drug in early April. The trial was
halted by the end of June after two of
them became seriously ill with abdom
inal pain, nausea and then liver failure.
The two patients died last July and
four others have now been referred for
liver transplants.
James Balow, clinical director of
the National Institute of Diabetes and
Digestive and Kidney diseases, said in
an interview with Nature that it is too
early to draw any general lesson from
this case.
Other Problems
Another issue of concern is cross
contamination with dental equipment.
According to a study featured in The
Lancet, a scientific journal, some types
of reused dental equipment, especially
handpieces and their attachments for
drilling and cleaning teeth, might be
responsible for cross-contamination if
patient material were lodged temporar
ily in dif§cult-to-disinfect equipment.
Several local dental offices in the
Atlanta area, who asked not to be
identified, said they observed routine
preventive measures but had no specif
ic procedures against hepatitis B. A
representative from a dental office
located in southwest Atlanta said
although they did not practice such
measures, they would do so at the
request of a patient.
Olympics
Continued from PI
Major renovation of the mass media
department is already underway to
accommodate the program, including
installation of state-of-the-art broadcast
equipment.
Dr. James said that the summer
semester will offer a full curriculum of
Olympic training courses. Students
who are interested in the program may
apply for the upcoming summer
semester.
Dr. James said no funds have been
specifically allocated to help interested
students attend summer school. Those
wishing to be considered for financial
assistance must check with their finan
cial aid office to determine if the aid
they receive during the regular school
year is transferrable to the summer
semester.
Interested students may apply for the
program by the summer semester of
1995. However, those who are seri
ously considering participating in the
program are encouraged to apply as
soon as possible since only 1200 stu
dents will be trained. Acceptance is on
a first come first serve basis
Although students must complete
both semesters of freshman English to
be considered for the program, inter
ested freshmen who have completed
one semester of English with a grade
of B or better may be accepted on the
basis that they do the same for the sec
ond-semester. • - i - ' •
The HBTP is a four-phase program
that is designed to train college stu
dents to use state-of-the-art technology
to work at the summer Olympic games
in 1996.
The phases include mass media core
courses, specialized training and
directed studies, internship and co-op
opportunities, and protocol and
refresher courses. Dr. James
said that the internship and co-op stage
of the program may begin as early as
the fall semester of this year or the
spring semester of 1995. The perfor
mance of the inaugural class that began
courses earlier this semester is current
ly being assessed by their instructors.
Students are being trained for ten
different types of jobs, and those who
successfully complete the program
may be hired by the Atlanta
Committee for the Olympic Games
(ACOG). Some of the positions are
broadcast camera operators', broadcast
video operators, audio assistants,
graphics assistants, and commentary
systems operators.
Students must complete all four
phases and be hired by ACOG to be
eligible to work at the Olympics in
some broadcasting capacity.
Acceptance and completion of the pro
gram does not guarantee that students
will be hired for the Olympics. Hiring
is expected to be highly competitive.
All interested students are encour-