Campus News
New study shows cramming college students pay hefty price
Lisa Black
MCT WIRE SERVICE
CHICAGO
College freshman Edie
Weiner arrived home for
winter break on a Saturday
night, fell into her childhood
bed and didn't get up for 20
hours.
By the time the 18-year-
old stumbled out from
hibernation at 5 p.m. the
next day, her parents were
growing a bit anxious.
Weiner, like many of her
classmates, was recovering
from a sleepless, caffeine-
fueled week of cramming
for finals — a sort of cele
brated ritual that has long
played out on college cam
puses.
But while some parents
may be annoyed about their
teenagers' unusual sleep
patterns when they return
home for break — the word
"lazy" might even be mut
tered on occasion — medical
experts describe the stu
dents as sleep-deprived and
say new research provides
cause for concern.
A study published in the
Dec. 18 issue of the Nature
Neuroscience journal exam
ined how memories are
processed in the brain dur
ing sleep. During the non
dreaming portion of sleep,
the brain replays the day's
events, helping people
reflect on recent happenings
and leam from them, said
Matthew Wilson, a neurosci
entist at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology's
Picower Institute for
Learning and Memory.
The bottom line:
Information crammed into
the brain during a sleepless
night has less chance of
sticking. When deprived of
sleep, students may be able
to regurgitate information
they've memorized
overnight, but they have
decreased their ability to
understand its meaning or
to apply it to future experi
ence.
"Sleep isn't just a passive
event," said Wilson, co
author of the study, which
interpreted the memories of
rats by inserting electrodes
into their brains.
"The best way to take
advantage of sleep is to
have it interspersed between
periods of wakefulness in a
regular way," he said.
Parents may feel better
about cramming for exams
because they see that when
their exhausted students
return home for break, they
sleep excessively to catch
up.
"They are trying to
replenish themselves," said
Dr. Phyllis Zee, a neurology
professor and director of
Northwestern University's
Center for Sleep and
Circadian Biology. But both
she and Wilson said sleep
gained days later isn't as
beneficial as systematic
sleep.
"You can't make up for
the lack of past sleep by just
loading up on it," said
Wilson. Adding to the prob
lem, Zee said, is that many
students don't return to a
healthy sleep pattern after
recuperating from exam
week.
Since emerging from her
sleepathon, Weiner often
Photo by Sharrod Patterson
Lengthy last-minute cram sessions may result in sleep deprivation.
awakens at 9 a.m. for break
fast, then naps from 1 p.m.
to 4 p.m. before heading out
the door to hang with
friends until 2 a.m. or so.
"(My parents) don't think
it's typical, but I do," said
Weiner, a freshman at
Southern Illinois University.
Weiner concedes she spent
too much time socializing
at school and found
herself sleeping through
some of her classes. She
isn't sure she will resume
her equine studies classes
next semester.
"She just went kind of
crazy at school," her mother,
Gwen Weiner, said with
a sigh. "Where the problem
comes in is the maturity
and making the right
decisions."
Alumna
honored
Ashleigh Taylor
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
"I never could have imagined
that Winston-Salem State University
would grow to be this large," Sadie
B. Webster, the second dean of the
School of Health Sciences recently
said. Webster, who attended WSSU
as a student in the early 1950s, later
became dean of the School of
Health Sciences.
When she returned for
Homecoming this fall, she
reflected on her years at WSSU.
"When I was a student here, there
were maybe around
600 students, and most of
the students majored in education
or my major, nursing," she
said. Webster was a part of the first
nursing class, the class of 1953.
"Back then, everyone knew
everyone and there was no such
thing as a co-ed dorm," she chuck
led.
Because of Webster's extensive
knowledge of the nursing depart
ment, WSSU has honored her by
naming its archival center The
Sadie B. Webster School of Health
Sciences Archival Center. The center
was dedicated in her honor in early
October. The center, which is
housed on the second floor of the
F.L. Atkins building, contains arti
facts such as photographs, old nurs
ing uniforms and medical supplies,
and an array of other antiques.
The pictures and artifacts housed
in the center are some of the same
tools that Webster was accustomed
to using while studying at WSSU.
"Throughout the process of gath
ering information for the archives,
attention at times was focused on
my tenure as a faculty member,
which began in 1966," she said.
"The experience also brought mem
ories of my leadership as director
during the 1980-1990 era."
Webster serves as an example of
the professionals that WSSU strives
to produce. "One of the things I
value so much is to see so many of
our graduates excel in all phases of
their professional lives," Webster
said.
Even though she is now Tetaed,
she continues to volunteer wherev
er she may be needed in the
Department of Nursing.
Evers-Williams, from page 1
"He said, 'Evil in this country and evil in
any other country must be addressed and
must be eradicated everywhere.'"
She told her listeners that the evil that par
ticularly disturbs her at the moment is that
which surrounded the recent execution of
Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein, saying that
Americans have to be knowledgeable of the
inhuman, even in punishing one who was
inhuman himself.
"All the hanging of Hussein did was take
me back to the hangings of my native state,
Mississippi," she said.
As Evers-Williams returned to her seat
onstage, she was followed by a standing ova
tion, as were many of the contributors to
Sunday night's program. Terryl Dozier, a stu
dent from Wake Forest University, composed
a powerful poem entitled "Help Me," and
performed the piece with two of his col
leagues. "Help Me" called out the names of
those who served in the civil rights move
ment, including Evers and Evers-Williams, as
well as the mottos and statements that verbal
ized the sentiment of activists and citizens of
that era. Dozier took it a step further by chal
lenging today's generation to expect great
things from themselves while remembering
to draw strength from their faith and to share
strength with one another.
Two members of the Association of
Rhythmic Talent's (A.R.T.) dance troupe,
dressed in a white and in a black costume,
danced to Mariah Carey's "Hero"; a represen
tative portion of the Wake Forest University
Gospel Choir sang the hopeful selection, "The
Struggle Is Over"; and the Inspirational
Voices of Winston-Salem State University
gave those gathered an upbeat song called
"You're Worthy."
One student and one faculty member from
both WSSU and WFU were honored with the
"Building the Dream" award, given to cele
brate those who are in some way embodying
the principles of King's legacy. The student
recipients were Shirlette Chambers (WSSU)
and Ernest Lewis (WFU); faculty award-win-
ners were Dr. Irene Phillips (WSSU) and Dr.
Steven Boyd (WFU).
Myrlie Evers-Williams signs a copy of her book, Us and
Salem State interim chancellor Michelle Howard-Vital.
Photo by Lee Adams
the Living, for Winston-
Roseboro, from page 1
Roseboro also served as assistant foot
ball coach, and top recruiter for Gaines'
basketball squads.
It was Gaines who first dubbed him
"Voice of the CIAA," a title he has had
for more than three decades.
Roseboro is happy to have dedicated
more than 30 years to WSSU.
"Anytime you can return to your
school and have a positive influence, it's
very rewarding," he said.
Now, Roseboro will join his mentor, as
well as fellow Rams such as Earl
Monroe and Cleo Hill in the CIAA Hall
of Fame.
Roseboro acknowledged that it does
feel awkward now that Coach Gaines is
gone and the Rams have left the cor\fer-
ence for Division I and the MEAC.
Roseboro and the five other inductees
— Joe Gilliam, Joseph Howell, Leroy
Banks, Brigadier General Shelia Baxter,
and former WSSU football coach Bill
Hayes — will be inducted into the
CIAA's John B. McClendon, Jr. Hall of
Fame on Friday, March 2, at the Westin
Hotel in Charlotte. Each of the
inductees will be acknowledged during
the CIAA Basketball Tournament at
Bobcats Arena.
NOTE: Hayes coached the Rams for 12
seasons, leading them to three CIAA
Championships. He is still the all-time win-
ningest football coach in school history.
Dream, from page 1
The memorial entrance
will feature a sculpture of
towering split rocks called
"The Mountain of Despair."
It is intended to signify the
racially and socially divided
America that inspired King's
nonviolent efforts toward
social justice.
"It's about time that he
gets this type of recognition,"
said LaTonya Pankey, a
junior majoring in nursing.
"This monument is celebrat
ing his life and the civil
rights movement."
The National Capital
Planning Commission
approved the MLK project in
1999, and Alpha Phi Alpha
Fraternity, Inc., of which
King is remembered as a
faithful member, helped get
this project in motion.
Among those at the
groundbreaking ceremony
were poet and novelist Maya
Angelou, television personal
ity Oprah Winfrey, the Rev.
Jesse Jackson, and former
President Bill Clinton.
The memorial will be
encompassed by the Lincoln,
Jefferson and Franklin D.
Roosevelt memorials near
the eastern part of the
Potomac River. The site is
An editing error
appeared in a sentence on
page 4 of the Nov. 27,
2006, issue o^The News
Argus, in a story about the
power of massage therapy
over stress. The
sentence should have
read: “Lewis said he is in
this job not for the money
but because he has a love
for what he does.” In
expected to be completed by
the spring of 2008. As of Jan.
14, donations had reached
$76 million, with a needed
$100 million to complete the
project.
For more information log on
to WWW.BuildTheDream.org
or call the Martin Luther King,
jr. National Memorial project
Foundation: 888-484-3373.
the same story physical
therapist should have been
identified as “PT, ” not
“PC.”
The News Argus
The Student Newspaper of Winston-Salem State University
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Erin C. Perkins
Managing Editor
Tiphane Deas
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