November 7,2001
-owoMsavjy^
Meredith
Herald
Volume XVtt. Issued lO
Meredith student on Cipro alternative
□ Anthrax puts a
whole new spin on
internship duties for
one Meredith
student interning
in D.C.
Christina Holder
Editor In Chief
Meredith junior Kendall
Byrum is supposed to be at
work right now.
Three weeks ago she was
interning at Congressman
Richard Burr's (R-NC) office
in Washington, D.C., respond
ing to constituents' phone calls
and running from one com-
mitte hearing to another.
But she also opened the
mail.
So when anthrax spores
were found on the sixth floor
of the Longworth building--
just one floor below Burr’s
floor—she was sent home.
Now she is taking doxycy-
cline—one of two generic alter
natives to Cipro—and waits for
clearance to return to work.
However, weighty on the
minds of Byrum and the near
ly 20,000 students who flock
to Washington each year for
internships is this: It is a scary
time to be an intern.
Byrum had moved to D.C.
for the semester after being
accepted into the Washington
Semester program, a credit
program that includes classes
and seminars at American Uni
versity and an internship in the
city.
While working in Burr’s
office, she opened a minmum
of one hundred letters and
packages a day but never
smelled or saw anything
susupicious.
“When anthrax first started
popping up around D.C., 1 have
to admit that I started feeling
anxious about going to work,”
Byrum said. “In the back of my
mind I didn’t believe that I
could be directly affected by
it."
However, Byrum said that
anthrax did not begin to affect
her significantly until the pow
dery substance was found in a
letter in Senate Majority
LeaderTom'Daschle’s (D—SD)
office. Daschle’s office is
located in the Ford building, a
building she said is significant
because “all mail that comes to
the Longworth office building
• goes through Ford first.”
So Byrum’s father, who is a
doctor, prescribed the doxycy-
cline for her just in case she
was unknowingly exposed to
the anthrax in Longworth.
Byrum says that it seems
everyone in the D.C. area has
been on edge since the citings.
Several of her friends have
been tested, and people became
more cautious of travel destina
tions. The Metro transportation
system even stopped running
one day because of a suspicous
carboard box beneath a seat.
“You just never knew where
it would pop up the next day,"
said Byrum.
Meanwhile, only fifteen
minutes away from Byrum’s
dorm at American Univeristy,
USA Today editorial intern
Laura Vanderkam sits in her
swivel chair on the eighteenth
floor researching information
for editorials and editing reader
mail-ail without fear of
anthrax.
She is absent fear despite an
anthrax alert at USA Today in
early October when a staff per
son in the Life department
opened the edge of suspicious
letter and “thought she saw a
powdery substance.”
All of the staff relocated to
the Money department and the
FBI came to take the letter
away.
“Eventually the tests oame
back negative," said Van-
derkam.
Despite the fa«.c that most of
the letters the editorial depart
ment receives are sent via fax
or email, it has not thwarted
staff attempts to heighten pre
cautionary methods.
“We’re actually not reading
snail mail much, because of the
general level of concern,” said
Vanderkam. "Only a few ‘real’
letters are opened and read
these days.’’
Vanderkam has not consid
ered going on Cipro or any
similiar anitbiotic. She feels
that despite working closely
with mail, she still is not at
risk.
In fact, she thinks that the
anthrax scare has really turned
into a case of “anthrax envy”
for the news media.
"There’s some general anxi
ety, but really it’s just back
ground noise.” said Van
derkam. “I mean, come on.
why does the New York Post
get targeted before we do? You
know someone over at the New
York Times is pulling their hair
out over that one.”
Yet Vanderkam's lack of fear
has not rubbed off on the Cen
ter for Disease Control’s esti
mate of 10,000 Americans cur
rently on Cipro.
The rush to the doctor’s
office has placed the drug in
high demand. In fact, accord
ing to the National Institutes of
Health, the American Medical
Association epcouraged physi
cians to stop prescibing Cipro
with leniency.
Like most antibiotics, Cipro
loses its ability to work effec
tively when overused. The
drug, along with its generic
cousins doxycycline and peni
cillin. can have severe side
effects if taken uneccessarily.
For example, Cipro can
cause dizziness, depression
and tendon rupture, while
doxycycline can permanently
stain children’s teeth.
Many physicians, according
to the National Institutes of
Health, switch patients from
See
ANTHRAX
page two
Three cases of plagiarism on campus in 2001
Leesha Austin
Features Editor
During the 2001 academic
year, three students at Meredith
have been tried before the
Honor Council for plagiarism
accusations.
These students are not alone.
"Almost 80% of college stu
dents admit to cheating at least
once,” according to The Cen
ter for Academic Integrity,
affiliated with the Kenan Insti
tute for Ethics at Duke Univer
sity.
In fact, Meredith Honor
Council Chair Rebecca Rawl
explains that many students
accused of plagiarism or cheat
ing cite feeling pressured or
overwhelmed as their excuse
for academic dishonesty. Many
decided that it would be okay
to cheat just once.
According to Rawl, Mered
ith's Honor Council has heard
three plagiarism cases this
semester.
■'A lot of times people don't
realize what they’re doing.”
said Rawl. However, she
added, “Even if [plagiarism] is
accidental, it is not excused.
N THE INSIDE:
Not knowing what constitutes
plagiarism is not an excuse."
Rawl explained that the rules
on plagiarism are outlined on
page 81 of the Student Aaivi-
ties Handbook and that “stu
dents are responsible for know-
See
PLAGIARISM
page two
AIPHA FEMALE:
She in a class nf her
own. Learn about
the creativity
behind Meredith’s
first-ever wolf.
page 3
SHE’S BACK:
Our regular editorial writer
Joni Smith asks the campus
an important question
posl'Cornhuskin’.
page 7
PICTURE OF
THE WEEK;
Commuters And
parking space
haven In new lots.
page 8
*