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®ljp Daily (Far MM p (Sllß 104 years of editorial freedom Serving the students and the University community since 1893 Sniff is W: i m&SSA /-■?. • ?. • -* . fjjgy *' 8 ; : ~ * DTH/MARC A. WHITE Rob Foss, manager of alcohol studies for the UNC Highway Safety Research Center, speaks at a press conference Tuesday. Foss discussed the upcoming use of breathalyzers to gauge alcohol use among students. Female students, faculty move to head of class at University ■ New departments have changed the role played by female students and faculty. BY ASHLEY STEPHENSON STAFF WRITER In 1917, UNC’s female students cre ated their own version of the Honor Court because they weren’t allowed to serve with the men. Last year, a female student chaired the Honor Court. Women’s involvement in the University community has made great progress since the University first opened its doors to women in 1897. Before the enrollment of women, a few were allowed to attend one class informally. The class was botany, and the women had to sit in the back row and could not make a sound. In his book on UNC, “Light On the FDA, state unlikely to outlaw 6 fen-phen’ ■ The FDA said it did not see just cause to impose a ban on the diet drug. BYKANIKAHEARTLEY STAFF WRITER Florida’s emergency ban on the diet drug “fen-phen” seems unlikely to spread, state and national officials said Tuesday. The ban in place until further research can determine proper regula tions stemmed from extreme side effects in patients and from a recent Mayo Clinic study that raised national concerns over the drug’s health hazards. But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and N.C. legislators said further regulation attempts were improbable for now. “We don’t regulate doctors and pharmacies,” said FDA spokesman Don McLeam. He said that in order to ban a drug an eminent hazard must be involved. “What we have here is an unapproved use of an approved drug,” he said. But N.C. legislators said the state might take stronger action than the FDA when the spring session of the General Assembly starts. “There will be study commissions looking at health issues, but no action can be taken until the session begins,” said Sen. William Martin, D-Guilford, and vice-chairman of the Senate Children and Human Resources Committee. Rep. Verla Insko, D-Orange, and Sen. Jeanne Lucas, D-Durham, said they didn’t remember any attempts to ban the drug in the previous session through the introduction of bills, but that was no indication of possible future attempts. Problems with the diet drug combi nation recently surfaced despite the FDA’s approval of the drugs years ago. Hill,” David ij Swain wrote, “The convention al argument pre- /tnniversary vailed that to edu- on Campus cate women would deprive worthy men of the privi lege and subject future mothers to evil influence.” In 1897, women were admitted to post-graduate courses, and Mary Macßae was the first of five women that registered. Jane Brown, a professor of journal ism and mass communication who has been with the University for 20 years, said many changes have taken place regarding the number of female faculty and students. “Now, students are much more like ly to have a woman faculty member than they would have had 20 years ago,” she said. Although women comprise 60 per cent of the student population today, “What we have here is an unapproved use of an approved drug. No one has ever brought a combination of fen-phen’to us.” DON MCLEARN FDA spokesman The FDA approved the separate drugs phentermine and fenfluramine as appetite suppressants for short-term use. But doctors approved the off-label “fen-phen” combination in their prac tice of medicine, creating potentially deadly side effects. “No one has ever brought a combination of ‘fen-phen’ to us for approval,” McLearn said. At least one person has died while using the drug, but no concrete links were made between the drug and the death. “This is a case where there appears to be evidence of a strong asso ciation, but we’re monitoring it,” McLeam said. “Fen-phen,” a combination of the appetite-suppressant drugs fenfluramine and phentermine, was associated with the development of a heart valve prob lem called pulmonary hypertension. As of Aug. 22, more than 80 cases of the rare cardiac valvular disease in patients on “fen-phen” were reported to the FDA, but an FDA health advisory said the relationship between the drugs and the development of the valvular dis ease was not conclusively established. With the latest research, the use of “fen-phen” dropped severely. In the last four years, new prescriptions for fenflu ramine had increased 6,390 percent. Though a national ban isn’t feasible right now, the FDA took measures to warn the public The FDA requested that the manufacturers revise “fen phen’s” label. When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. Anonymous Wednesday, September 10,1997 Volume 105, Issue 66 female enrollment 30 years ago was less than 30 percent. “It wasn’t until 20 years ago that women began to hit equity,” Brown said. Ninety years ago, when enrollment equity was nowhere in sight, women could not participate in the Honor Court or any other governing body, so they established their own. In 1917, women organized to form the Womens’ Association. The associa tion dealt with only womens’ violations against the Honor Code and other cam pus codes, representing an entirely sepa rate form of government for women. The 20-year-old curriculum in women’s studies has contributed to some of the most recent changes regard ing women’s roles at UNC. Barbara Harris, chairwoman of the curriculum, said that at its inception, the curriculum changed the face of acade mics at UNC. “The student response has been fabu lous and enrollment has been amazing. wBmftf * " • Wn|t '.■': n|,. ■ - V ' *- * . ; •*,* '' t ' X|l% x 'IPPSSTfe * • -j, Hr sSSyfejE*. ■ i, »gp? MKijmfr,#- ■. f"> i^BHj " ’*' | DTH/niUE THIBODEAUX Brian Keck (front) and Clayborn Baker work Tuesday afternoon outside Gardner Hall laying the brick walkway. Construction continues to be the theme of the campus this fail. Doctors not surprised by diet pill ban BY REYNOLDS RICHTER STAFF WRITER Florida’s ban of the weight-loss drug commonly known as “fen-phen” did not surprise many area physicians. The pill, once used to treat obesity, has been found to cause numerous side effects, the most serious of which are pulmonary hypertension and valvular heart disease, Dr. Glenn Withrow said. Withrow, a physician at The Family Doctor in Chapel Hill, has stopped pre scribing the drug to his patients. UNC researchers to study drinking vices of students ■ Administrators want to use the results to plan more fun, non-alcoholic events. BYEVANSAUDA STAFF WRITER The next breathalyzer test you take might not result in a suspended driver’s license or a public drunkenness ticket. The UNC Highway Safety Research Center wants to better understand the habits of students who have been drink ing. Researchers will ask students return ing to residence halls and fraternity and sorority houses Thursday through “We need more women in administration and in the chairs of departments and distinguished professorships. ” JANE BROWN Journalism professor Every class we’ve put on the books clos es immediately,” she said Harris said the women’s studies cur riculum brought anew perspective to existing courses. The Department of History has cre ated courses on the history of women, the Department of Political Science has added a feminist theorist and classes in African & Afro-American Studies focus on women and AIDS, she said. Harris said the department has helped create a community for students BRICKING THE WAY “The medications for obesity should only be used for people whose health risk outweighs the risk of the medica tion,” Withrow said. Martha Mills, a licensed dietitian nutritionist with Profile Associates, said “fen-phen” should only be prescribed for patients with a body mass index of 30. For example, a 6-foot-3-inch man should weigh 240 pounds before being considered for “fen-phen" treatment. Normal weight for that height ranges from 170 pounds to 200 pounds, Mills said. Sunday nights to take a voluntary breathalyzer test and participate in a vol untary survey about their drinking pat terns. UNC administrators will use the results of the research to design pro grams similar to Fall Fest that provide students with a convenient alternative to drinking. Fall Fest, held on the Sunday before classes began, was the first time the University provided a schoolwide orga nized alternative to drinking. “I think this is a wonderful program,” Student Body President Mo Nathan said. “We’re getting information that will be useful to all manner of efforts.” The research center will give results interested in women’s studies. “I don’t think the faculty would teach as much regarding women without the Womens Studies Department.” Brown said despite such advances, she still didn’t think women were on equal footing with men at the University. “We still need to get a woman to head student government and a woman chan cellor,” Brown said. “We need more women in adminis tration and in the chairs of departments and distinguished professorships.” Rachel Willis, an associate professor of American studies and economics, said she was confident women’s involve ment would continue to increase. “I anticipate a second century of exciting progress," she said. “I’m very optimistic." Progress in the women’s studies cur riculum should continue, Harris said. “We’re still catching our breath after seven or eight years of enormous growth.” “I have seen it prescribed in all differ ent weights of people,” Mills said. “The people I’ve seen have taken themselves off it, or their doctors have taken them off it because of high risk.” The medication is only intended to be used for less than one year, and the effects usually wear off after three to four months, Mills said. “We really don’t know the long-term consequences of being on this drug for very long,” she said. See DIET PILL, Page 2 News/Featuies/Am/Sports: 9624245 Business/Advertising: 962-1163 Chapel Hill, North Carolina C 1997 DTH Publishing Corp. All rights reserved. of the study to the University as soon as they become available. “Unless we can use the results of this study to direct benefit, the study has fall en short of its mark,” said Lauren Marchetti, co-director of the project. “Our goal is to quickly get this informa tion into the hands of people on cam pus.” The survey, which includes a battery of questions as well as the breathalyzer test, will be administered by groups of three researchers from the center begin ning in early October and lasting until they have polled between 1,200 to 1,500 students. All students, regardless of age, can be See ALCOHOL, Page 2 CAA revives camping out to net seats ■ The student group will return to the way it gave out tickets two years ago. BY SHARIF DURHAMS UNIVERSITY EDITOR After last season’s hiatus, basketball fanatics will return to South Campus next month with camping tents and sleeping bags, trying to get the best seats to home games. The Carolina Athletic Association will revive the tradition of allowing stu dents to sleep out for basketball tickets at the beginning of October. “When you have a scarce resource like basketball tickets, you need to fund an equitable way to distribute them,” said Charlie Roederer, co-president of the Carolina Athletic Association. For years, students got tickets for the 1,500 lower level seats and some of the 4,000 seats in the upper level of the Smith Center by sleeping outside in line. Students would turn the Smith Center parking lot into a shanty town, setting up tents, throwing informal par ties and meeting new people. Many South Campus residents would set their alarm clock to go off every hour so that they could make the random checks made by CAA members. Erica Camp, co-director of sports marketing for CAA, said she spent hours talking with friends she rarely saw. “It’s just something really neat that you have to experience at least once,” she said. CAA changed the distribution policy See TICKETS, Page 2 Sweeping away litter Gov. Jim Hunt's Litter Sweep program fights roadside trash. The program takes place this month. Page 5 ♦ Reaching for the stars Programs and shows at Morehead Planetarium offer education and excitement for audiences. Page 3 <6 Today's weather __ Cloudy; low 80s Thursday: Partly cloudy low 80s
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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