November 1999
SECA. Don't forget to complete your State and University Employees Combined Appeal (SECA) form by Nov. 30. Details are enclosed in the SECA booklet that was sent to employees recently. SECA enables employees to choose among 15 charitable organizations to support. Last year, the university community contributed more than $42,000 to the joint campaign.
Nursing Students Are Using CDs To Teach What?
It must be a sign of the times when nursing students can use a CD to learn how to help first-time mothers breast-feed their babies.
Mothers have been breast feeding since the beginning of time, haven't they? And without the help of computers, so, why does the practice have to be taught at all? And in such a high-tech manner?
Laura Bernaix, assistant professor of Nursing, says the CD method is almost perfect. "Most nursing students are thrown into the clinical setting without having had the opportunity to learn the practical skills required to help first-time mothers breast feed," Bernaix said. "Because the CD is interactive, and students can move through it at their own pace, this is an excellent medium for learning."
Bernaix said there also are sociological implications regarding the practice of breast feeding. She said that the practice had fallen out of favor, but is once again becoming the choice of first-time mothers. "Because breast feeding had become a less prevalent practice, we basically have a generation of nursing students and the general population who view the female breast in purely sexual terms," said Bernaix.
"That means they are unfamiliar with the lactation process. We are learning more every day about the short-term and long-term benefits of breast feeding. So, it's even more important that nursing students learn more about it and are able to pass that knowledge on to mothers, with a goal of making breast feeding a positive experience for the mom and the baby."
The instructional CD is part of a semester-long course, Care of the Child-Bearing Family, designed to help SIUE nursing students better understand maternity issues. Bernaix developed the idea for the CD and wrote the instructional content. Steve Huffstutler, coordinator of SIUE's Faculty Technology Center, created the technical design.
The FTC is the faculty's resource for help in giving students online access to course material. "We take course material that the faculty gives us and put it on the web so students can review it at their own pace.
"In Laura's case, she needed something that would show students proper techniques and give them an additional way to build their knowledge of nursing."
FTC Is Here To Help Faculty
In the far corner of the Faculty Technology Center, past the computers packed tightly in the work room and behind a stack of electronic gadgets, a human peeks up from his work.
He is part of a growing wave of people who are most at home when surrounded by advanced technology and who can't tell you what they do during a work day without putting their hands on a computer.
In Steve Huffstutler's case, what he does is join the ancient art of pedagogy with the ultra-modern internet and other computer-related methods of getting an instructional point across. "What we do," Huffstutler said, "is help make course material more accessible. We give instructors another avenue for teaching, and students another avenue for learning."
He creates web pages for instructors that include course notes so that students can review the material at their own pace. A new service, WebCt, lets instructors put their entire course on-line. Course notes, assignments, quizzes and tests can be accessed by the students at any time. Built-in chat, mail, and bulletin board functions make communication with other students and the instructor just a mouse click away.
But, no, the sites are not a ready-made excuse to cut class. One of his latest projects is a CD that helps nursing students instruct new mothers on breast feeding their infants. It's a point-and-click approach designed to look like a book. Click and the page turns. On the quiz pages, keys correspond to possible answers. The right key opens the door.
Besides the CD, the FTC also numbers the digitizing of tribal languages among its accomplishments.
Demand for the services provided by the Faculty Technology Center, the FTC, is going up-quickly. "We're doing more workshops, some open houses and mainly relying on word of mouth to let people know we're here," said Huffstutler. "At the same time, this is a growing and learning process for us. We're getting a better idea of what everyone wants and how we can help provide it.
"People get scared by technology. But, we want faculty members to know that we'll do the work for them. In fact, they don't even have to come up with new material. We can use what instructors are using in the classroom. Many times an instructor only has an idea of something they would like to do. We talk to them about possibilities and then help them create and implement their ideas."
The FTC is a joint effort by the offices of Academic Computing and Audio-Visual services. It was created to provide a centralized location offering this type of assistance to all faculty members. More funding and graduate assistant help has enabled the FTC to handle the increased workload.
For more information about the FTC, call Ext.5697.
Auction: SIUE students are preparing for the 18th Annual Friends of Art Auction, set for 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 18, at Sunset Hills Country Club in Edwardsville. Works may be previewed between 6 and 7 p.m. Friends of Art is a support organization for the SIUE Department of Art & Design; proceeds are used for student scholarships and educational enhancement programs. Admission to the auction is $2; students admitted at no charge. A number of well-established area artists, along with SIUE art faculty, students, and alumni have donated more than 200 pieces for the event, including paintings, drawings, prints, mixed media pieces, ceramics, sculpture, and glassworks. Smaller pieces, including hand-crafted jewelry, will be offered in a silent auction. Shown here are junior Jodie Lercher and senior Sara Dahlmann, both of Belleville; and Chris Campbell, a third-year MFA candidate from Houston, Texas. For more information, call the SIUE Department of Art and Design, (618) 650-3071, or, from St. Louis toll-free, (888) 328-5168, Ext. 3071.
Funny Man Mark Russell To Grace The A&I Stage
Can we trust a guy who wears a bowtie and makes jokes about the top politicians in the country? Sure. Because he's Mark Russell, and, he's funny to boot.
PBS's favorite funny man and his special brand of political humor and song come to the Arts & Issues stage Nov. 15 at SIUE. The series is in its 15th season of bringing quality entertainment and provocative presentations to Southwestern Illinois audiences.
Russell will appear at 7:30 p.m. in Meridian Ballroom, co-sponsored by the Dick H. Mudge Jr. Endowment Fund.
Russell's no-holds-barred political commentary, highlighted with droll one-liners and bouncy tunes, refuses to take politicians as seriously as they take themselves.
A political satirist, a syndicated columnist, an errant pianist, and a staple on PBS Television for more than 20 years, Russell delivers stand-up comedy while accompanying himself on piano.
In addition to writing a column and recording CDs and videos, Russell also is a weekly commentator on CNN's Inside Politics Weekend. And, he's on the road with his show during most of the year. His answer to the frequently asked question, "Do you use writers?" is "Yes, 535 of them-100 in the Senate and 435 in the House."
Admission to the Nov. 15 Arts & Issues event is $18; students, $9, which includes free parking in the lots behind the Morris Center and Dunham Hall. For ticket information, call (618) 650-2320, or, from St. Louis toll-free, (888) 328-5168, Ext. 2320; or write: Arts & Issues, SIUE, Edwardsville, IL 62026-1083; or by e-mail, rwalker@siue.edu. For the complete Arts & Issues season, go to http://www.siue.edu/ARTS_ISSUES on the World Wide Web.
Dean Lashley Is Distinguished. Felissa Lashley, dean of the School of Nursing, recently received the Illinois Nurses Association Distinguished Nurse Researcher Award, which was given at the ISN's annual Awards Banquet last month. The award was given Dean Lashley for her research, which has "increased Nursing's knowledge in areas of education and practice."
What Makes Hendey Run?
In the fifth century B.C.E, a Greek warrior, Pheidippides, supposedly ran from Marathon to Athens, a distance of more than 35km, to bring the news of a victory to the people of Athens.
Pheidippides had a reason for running nearly 26 miles. But runners today can't always articulate why they participate in marathons.
Bill Hendey knows. It's about competition and about a certain kind of spirituality. Hendey, assistant director of Academic Counseling and Advising, lives for the next marathon. In fact, he set out to run six in 1999-one for each decade he's been alive. He turned 60 on Jan. 2 and he just finished his fifth marathon.
When asked the ultimate question about why he runs, Hendey becomes thoughtful and says that the truth lies somewhere between wanting to stay fit and some sort of spiritual place. "The late George Sheehan, sort of the runner's guru in those early years, was a cardiologist but also a philosopher who wrote a book called Running and Being which dealt with the spiritual side of running.
"Many assume I run for health reasons, but the weight thing was as close as I got to that and then it became a competitive thing. I was running in road races every weekend, in training seven days a week. If I missed a day, it felt awful.
"I discovered that spiritual side," Hendey said. "I came to realize that even if I didn't compete, I would still run. I do some of my best thinking when I'm running; I don't know if it's biocehmical, but things seem so clear and I become so focused."
Leading up to his 60th birthday, Hendey decided he would do something to commemorate that milestone. "Dylan Thomas wrote 'Do not go gentle into that good night, / Old age should burn and rave at close of day; / Rage, rage against the dying of the light' / and I thought to myself that it was time for me to start burning and raging."
This past year Hendey has run in the Olympiad Marathon, Chesterfield, Mo., in February; Lake County Races, Zion, Ill., in April; the Hoosier Marathon, Ft. Wayne, Ind.,; and the Heart of America Marathon, Columbia, Mo., in September.
He just finished 9,060th at the Chicago Marathon in late October with a 3:57 time. That wasn't good enough to win, of course, but keep in mind there were nearly 30,000 runners, 5,000 of whom didn't finish. That means Hendey finished ahead of 15,000 other runners. "I felt good and bad," Hendey said. "I would have liked to have finished higher up, but I did finish. And, that's not bad for a 60-year-old with a bad leg." In December, Hendey is heading for the Memphis Marathon to complete his sextuplet.
His all-time best marathon was in 1982 at age 43 at Marion, where he ran a 2:38 time. He won the master's division and was awarded a free trip to the Boston Marathon. However, he injured himself and couldn't run that year. He did go back five years later to Boston where his time was 2 hours, 53 minutes. He was 48.
"Those earlier races were much easier for me than running marathons these days," Hendey said. "That's because I was 20 pounds lighter and 17 years younger. Now, I have chronic knee problems. But, I enjoyed the Chicago Marathon so much that I know I'll go back. I've run in Boston and LA marathons, but Chicago is the biggest.
And, with a twinkle in his eye, Hendey said: "I'll continue to run in marathons but I probably won't do six in a year again anytime soon. But, maybe I'll do seven the year I turn 70."
MOVEMENT: Tickets are available for Dance In Concert '99 to be presented at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 11-13, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 14, all in Katherine Dunham Hall theater. Dancers shown here, top to bottom, are: Kathy Mordini, Jeff Bulkley, and Erin Hartmann. The evening of creative movement will include original music written by Dave Carter, a composer and recording artist of "post-modern mythic American music." Carter, who performs with Tracy Grammer, has won several awards at West Coast folk music festivals. He wrote music especially for Address Unknown, a piece choreographed by J. Calvin Jarrell, professor of theater and dance and director of dance for the university. Tickets are $7; SIUE faculty and staff, senior citizens, and students, $5. For more information, call SIUE's Fine Arts box office, (618) 650-2774, or, from St. Louis toll-free, (888)328-5168. (SIUE Photo)
Campus Solid-Waste Study Completed By EHS Office
A troop of strangely dressed creatures landed on the SIUE campus recently and began digging through the university's trash barrels. No, they weren't aliens.
They were conducting a solid-waste composition study, an investigation performed by the Office of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) in cooperation with the Department of Civil Engineering.
Every five years the university is required, by law, to conduct the study. This year, student and staff volunteers, led by Assistant Professor Susan Morgan, spent three weeks sorting the university's trash. About 12 representative dumpsters from various areas on campus were sampled, their contents spread out on tarps, and divided into recyclable and non-recyclable materials.
"A solid-waste study gives us a good overall view of the university's solid waste stream," says David McDonald, EHS coordinator. "The goal of this study is to use the observations we make to improve the University Recycling Program."
For example, according to McDonald, recyclable materials were found in various containers on campus. The discovery of such materials may mean that additional education is necessary, encouraging everyone on campus to use the recycling program properly.
From its implementation in 1992, SIUE's program has recycled more than 600 tons of paper-that's equivalent to more than 10,200 trees. Currently, the university provides for the recycling of newspaper, magazines, aluminum cans, cardboard, and mixed office paper. "The key to the recycling program is for people to remember to use it," says McDonald.
One item found by the study was a bag of office paper, thrown in a trash can rather than in a designated recycling receptacle. "It's discouraging to see such waste," McDonald said. "Collection containers are available all over campus. If people just take the time to think about what they're throwing away, and put their recyclable materials in the proper place, we all benefit."
For more information about the solid-waste composition study, or about the university's recycling program, readers can visit the Environmental Health and Safety webpage at ehs.siue.edu.
ROTC Cadets Make The 'Ranger Challenge' A Goal
Weeks of hard work paid off for the university's ROTC unit that trained for the Ranger Challenge and came in sixth out of a field of 16 college units from the Midwest in the recent competition.
During the past several weeks of training for the Challenge, most SIUE students were still in bed while 12 university Army ROTC cadets were up and out on 10km road marches across campus.
At 6 on those mornings the cadets were moving at a fast clip with a 35-pound, fully equipped pack on their backs-just one of the exercises they were engaging in as they prepared for the "varsity sport" of the Army ROTC.
The 12 cadets eventually were culled to 10 who then travelled by a UH-60 Army helicopter to Wentworth Military Academy in Lexington, Mo., to compete in the brigade level of the Challenge on Oct. 29 - 31. Around the country, university ROTC teams compete at a preliminary level such as this one, and teams placing first and second move on to regional competitions in the spring.
The SIUE unit won't be going to the regionals, but they finished with their heads held high. As part of the overall finish, the unit came in third in the patrolling event and fourth in the one-rope bridge event.
"This competition isn't just about physical endurance," said SIUE Cadet Matthew Cloud. "It's about motivation and building a team. The 12 cadets we had preparing for the Challenge are a pretty motivated bunch-they are really into it. Their motivation motivates me to come in each day and work with them."
While women have competed in the past with SIUE's Ranger Challenge teams, this year's team consisted of only men. The team represents the approximately 80 men and women enrolled here in the Army ROTC program as they prepare to become junior officers in the Army Reserve, Army National Guard, or Active Army. Those who successfully complete the ROTC program normally earn commissions as lieutenants in the U.S. Army.
One such SIUE graduate and now army lieutenant is Matthew Sims who has competed in the Ranger Challenge before and who helped with this year's SIUE team training while awaiting his first Army assignment. "There is a lot of hard work and training involved in getting ready for the Ranger Challenge," he said.
Says Capt. Bak: "This competition is not only a test of physical achievement, but it's a process that helps these individual develop into good leaders," he said.
November 16, 1999
Sanders Announces He Will Leave In February For ECS
SIU President Ted Sanders has announced his plans to leave Southern Illinois University and has issued the following statement:
Everyone hopes for, but few find a challenge that fits perfectly with their interests and abilities. It has happened to me only a few times in my career. And now it has happened again.
Today [Nov. 16, 1999], the Education Commission of the States will announce my appointment as its next president. The Commission was established 30 years ago by statutes enacted in each of the states and territories. Its role in bringing together the key actors from across the nation to help shape the best of education policy in elementary, secondary, and higher education fits perfectly with my interests.
No organization in America can match the character, depth, and policy potential of ECS. I look forward to the challenge of making maximum use of those assets. ECS is headquartered in Denver, Colo.; the appointment is effective in February. Beverly and I have enjoyed our time here. We leave with deep affection for and, confidence in the future of Southern Illinois University.
For additional information, refer to the SIU web page: www.siu.edu.
Choirs To Provide Holiday Revelry At Dinner, Concert
Joel Knapp has been on campus for only a few months and already he's in the Christmas spirit.
The new director of choral activities has planned two holiday celebrations featuring the university choirs-the Concert Choir, University Singers, and the Community Choral Society-for later this week.
"These concerts should be the highlight of the holiday season in the Edwardsville area," says Knapp, referring to the SIUE Madrigal Dinner at 7 p.m. Thursday at Sunset Hills Country Club, and the Annual Christmas Concert at 7 p.m. Sunday at St. Boniface Catholic Church, also in Edwardsville.
The Madrigal Dinner, a first for SIUE, will feature pageantry and "lively" entertainment as "revelers" come to enjoy a seven-course meal surrounded with "all the pomp and festivities of an evening in Renaissance England," Knapp said. "Trumpet fanfares announce each course, and as the 'Lord of the Castle' proclaims it suitable for all guests, there will be food, music and merriment."
Tickets for the dinner are $25 and may be obtained by calling Ext. 2034. Reservations are required by tomorrow. The three choral groups also will present the traditional SIUE Christmas Concert at St. Boniface, performing a wide variety of music including Benjamin Britten's Ceremony of Carols, featuring harpist Darryl Coan, and John Rutter's Gloria, with brass and percussion.
Tickets for the Christmas concert are $3; senior citizens and students, $2; and are available by calling Ext. 2034.
Grand Opening. Health Services, Room 0214, Rendleman Hall, celebrated its grand opening recently to show off the new facility. Additions include a larger waiting room and a multi-purpose room. Two additional exam rooms were added, bringing the total to six. And, the pharmacy now has a separate waiting area, which allows for more privacy and confidentiality for patients and better traffic flow.
Dr. Johnson Cited. Lee Johnson, MD, physician director of SIUE Health Services, recently was honored for 25 years of membership in the American Academy of Family Physicians. Johnson was cited for his involvement in the organization.
Holiday Crafts. The 29th Annual Holiday Arts & Crafts Fair is set for 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 1-2, in the Morris Center. Hand-crafted items including clay, weaving, fiber, fabric, wood, metal, glass, leather, graphics, photography, and paintings will be available for purchase at the holiday fair.
Signs of the times. The new electronic message boards-on University Drive, at the Route157 (east) entrance, and on New Poag Road-have been in place for more than a month and messages have been streaming across their brightly lighted faces on a regular basis. If your University-related organization has a message to put on the sign, here are the guidelines and a submission form.
Taking Simone de Beauvoir Seriously As A Philosopher
Editor's Note: What follows is a reprint from the Nov. 9 edition of the Chronicle of Higher Education's website. Hypatia is edited by SIUE's Margaret Simons, professor of Philosophical Studies.
Many scholars no longer consider the works of Simone de Beauvoir a rehash of her more rigorous philosopher-lover, Jean-Paul Sartre, to judge from the articles in this special issue of [Hypatia] the journal of feminist philosophy.
First presented at two international conferences in 1998, the pieces indicate a "shifting paradigm" since 1985, when Hypatia last published a Beauvoir issue, notes Margaret A. Simons, who edited both volumes. The earlier articles assumed a Sartrean philosophical foundation for Beauvoir's The Second Sex, a thesis that has been "radically challenged by discoveries based on posthumous texts," writes Ms. Simons, a [professor of Philosophical Studies] at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville.
In addition, contemporary scholars are expanding what counts as philosophical discourse by reading Beauvoir's life as well as her writing. While a previous generation of feminists condemned The Second Sex as male-centered, Karen Vintges calls it an "exemplar" of contemporary feminist thinking. Through the "personal art of living," Beauvoir lays out a third path between the press for equality and an identity-based politics that stresses women's difference.
"She advocated the creation of identity as a project of positive moral commitment, whereas at the same time she criticized universal moral truth," writes Ms. Vintges, an associate professor at the University of Amsterdam.
In another article, Gail E. Linsenbard, an assistant professor at New York University, finds in Beauvoir arguments about universal human rights that converge with recent perspectives by African philosophers. "One particularly encouraging trend," concludes Ms. Simons, "is the readiness of the community of Beauvoir scholars to engage critically and fully with one another."
Copyright (c) 1999 by The Chronicle of Higher Education. Posted with permission on the SIU Edwardsville website. This article may not be published, reposted, or redistributed without express permission from The Chronicle. To obtain such permission, please send a message to permission@chronicle.com. For subscription information, send a message to circulation@chronicle.com.
November 30, 1999
Stressed For The Holidays? Join The Club; These Tips Can Help
Gift shopping, party going, seasonal decorating, card sending, turkey stuffing-it can all add up to a tense and stressful month as we head into the holiday season.
But in recognition of "National Stress-Free Family Holidays Month"-a December awareness event sponsored by the Florida-based Parenting Without Pressure organization- SIUE faculty and staff are offering some tips to keep everything merry and bright.
"Above all," said Andrew Pomerantz, assistant professor of Psychology, "schedule some personal relaxation time into the daily schedule. Don't allow the rush and the bustle of the holidays to overwhelm you to the point of not having time to find a relaxing activity or just sit and rest."
Pomerantz recommends mapping out the holiday season ahead of time to allow for organization of responsibilities. And with that, he suggests maintaining realistic expectations about what can be accomplished each day. Trying to accomplish too much in a 24-hour period only adds to the tension. "Also maintain realistic expectations for interpersonal interactions," he said.
"Some people try to see too many people or expect too much from friends and family. People don't change who they are just because it is the holidays." Another important consideration to keep in mind, Pomerantz advises, is to maintain healthy eating habits, a thought echoed by Mary Baya, coordinator of SIUE's Wellness Center. "It's so easy to over indulge because it's the holidays and there are so many special treats," she said.
"Enjoy them but do it with moderation. Take time in making choices about eating." In an effort to moderate eating and avoid those overindulgences, Baya suggests using the palm of the hand as an indicator. "The amount of food you could hold in your palm is a reliable measure of what is a healthy serving of most foods. And, vary the selection, mixing in fruits and vegetables along with the holiday sweets and goodies."
Both Baya and Pomerantz recommend thinking ahead and planning for exercise to ward off stress and extra pounds during the holidays. "If you've had a large sit-down meal, get the friends and family up from the table and go for a walk," Baya said. "Make exercise a priority during the holidays, but don't let it add to stress. That's counterproductive. But, doing something in the form of exercise is better than doing nothing at all."
One other reminder Baya has for holiday revelers: "Drink responsibly. Remember, there's absolutely no nutritional value to alcohol, and excessive drinking can pack on the pounds just as easily as overeating." Even with these precautions, the holidays can still become overwhelming. If that happens, Pomerantz recommends trying to "reframe" stressful situations, emphasizing the positives rather than the negatives.
If the problem becomes too hard to manage alone, he recommends talking with a licensed mental health professional. "Keep a sense of perspective as much as possible throughout the holidays," he said.
"Keep in mind, the holidays are to be enjoyed, not become a source of stress and unhappiness. Plan ahead to manage the pressure for a happy, healthy holiday season."
SIUENet To Join ICN For Speedy Internet Connection
Beginning later this month, sending and receiving e-mail, in most instances, will increase in speed ninefold. Sounds Biblical, doesn't it?
In late December, SIUENet becomes part of the Illinois Century Network, an internet provider operated by the state Board of Higher Education. What this means for e-mail and web surfers on campus is a faster connection to the outside world.
According to Jay Starratt, dean of Library Information Services and associate vice chancellor for Information Technology, SIUENet had been operating since October with three T-1 connections, but next month the new DS-3 connection will equal the speed of 28 T-1 connections. "In addition to speed, joining the ICN will mean a considerable savings, especially when we move our interactive video network and video classrooms on to the system," Starratt said.
ICN was developed by upgrading and joining existing networks through the efforts of the Higher Education Technology Task Force, a committee of educators including Starratt. The task force was established by the IBHE, with support from the state's Board of Education, the Community College Board, and the Department of Central Management Services. Funding for the ICN came from the General Assembly to the tune of $25 million.
"With this new connection, e-mail correspondence or access to the web will no longer be slowed by our connection," Starratt said. "Downloading large files from off campus will be faster for the most part, and using video and audio academic sources on the web also will improve for on-campus users.
"We're constantly looking for ways to improve SIUENet by upgrading and reconfiguring it, but we're particularly pleased with this move to the ICN."
SIUE Constructors "Crush" The Competition In The Cube Contest
"Cementing" their claim to first place, three School of Engineering students won the American Concrete Institute's (ACI) International Concrete Cube Competition, on Oct. 31 at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
With 30 percent more strength than the second place finisher, the SIUE team's concrete cube proved to be nearly invincible, withstanding a remarkable 28,500 pounds per square inch of pressure.
Joining forces to create this "super-block" of concrete, seniors Timothy Vaughan and Christopher Freeman and junior Matthew Breeze spent much of the summer producing and testing 2-inch cubes that each weighed less than two-thirds of a pound, met the extensive rules of the competition, and could withstand high levels of compression.
Ultimately it took 80 attempts before the winning formula was finalized. "It takes some time to find the right combination of ingredients, changing one thing at a time in each attempt," said Vaughan. "You have to baby the cubes along and pamper them by curing them in water. Just finding out what curing process works best takes time," said Freeman.
The most reliable method of curing, the team found, involved the use of a refrigerator and a crock pot. Asked just what made their cube so strong, the three exchange glances before Vaughan states, "It's a top secret formula." Vaughan concedes that the formula is impractical for general concrete manufacturing-it would be prohibitively expensive in mass quantities.
"We can tell you this much," he said. "It was the use of steel fibers in the mix that helped hold the cube intact under pressure. While a team from Mexico took second place, their cube lasted only through 19,000psi. As the pressure mounted on both the SIUE team and its cube, it took an additional 9,500psi to crack it-the cube, that is, not the team.
"It was a total blow out," said Vaughan. "Our cube was even 20 percent stronger than last year's first place winner." In fact, though it lasted through 28,500psi, the SIUE cube never did explode and crumble as all the other entries eventually did. While regular concrete resists between 3,000psi and 4,000psi, the average resistance of the competition entries was 10,000psi to 12,000psi.
With 20 college and university teams from four different countries competing, Vaughan noted that the judging process is long and involved. The ACI began the competition in 1980 in an effort to teach students the mechanics of concrete and help them learn the fundamentals. A team from SIUE won that first competition, but it's been eight years since the last time an SIUE team has captured the first place prize.
"One of the things that keeps it challenging is every three years ACI changes the rules on how the cubes can be manufactured," said Luke Snell, the team's faculty advisor, School of Engineering professor, and chair of the school's Department of Construction.
For their efforts, the first place team received a $300 award and a copy of "seeMIX," a computer software program on concrete mix design, from Shilstone and Associates, a concrete consulting firm. SIUE team members also received a certificate of recognition, a one year ACI student membership, and a five-volume set of the ACI Manual of Concrete Practice for the School of Engineering's library. Breeze, Freeman, Vaughan and their cube will be featured in Concrete International magazine.
Survey Shows Patients' Reluctance To Use Managed Care Benefits
If people considering psychotherapy were aware of the negative views most psychologists have regarding managed care, would they still seek help, use their managed care benefits to pay, or expect to benefit from the therapy?
Andrew Pomerantz, assistant professor of Psychology, has found through a research study that survey participants were much less likely to enter therapy or use managed care benefits to pay for it when informed about the role managed care would play in their treatment.
Pomerantz presented his study, What If Prospective Clients Knew How Managed Care Impacts Psychologists' Practice and Ethics?-An Exploratory Study, at the American Mental Health Association (AMHA) national conference in Portland, Ore., Nov. 6. The paper is to be published in the journal, Ethics & Behavior, next summer.
Pomerantz's interest in the issue began when he read a study by three Indiana State University researchers questioning the role of managed care cost-containment measures in psychotherapy. The findings of Impact of Managed Care on Independent Practice and Professional Ethics-by Michael J. Murphy, Caren R. DeBernardo, and Wendy E. Shoemaker-were based on a survey of more than 400 private practitioners in the American Psychological Association.
The study concluded that the typical psychologist in private practice believes managed care has a very negative influence on psychotherapy. Among the negative effects psychologists cite are loss of control over clinical decisions, harm to patients due to managed care companies not maintaining confidentiality, inappropriate or insufficient treatment, pressure to alter diagnoses to ensure payment, and rejection of patients with certain diagnoses.
"What if prospective clients knew this?" asked Pomerantz. "Although therapists are aware of these problems, many clients have no idea that managed care can have such negative effects. Some mental health professionals have argued that clients should be told up front. I was interested in finding out how they would respond if they were informed."
With these concerns in mind, Pomerantz developed a survey he presented to participants drawn from the undergraduate Psychology courses at SIUE. His findings were disconcerting. "Participants in the survey were asked to consider seeing a hypothetical therapist both before and after being informed of the responses to the Indiana managed care survey," he said. "The results showed that when a participant was told of the practitioner's views toward managed care, their own attitudes toward therapy changed significantly.
"The majority of participants in the study said they were less likely to seek psychotherapy once they learned how their insurance benefits impact treatment," he said. "People tend to waver on the issue of seeking treatment in the first place. The study suggests that knowing these issues can negatively tip the balance for someone seeking therapy."
The statistical analysis demonstrated that informed participants were less inclined to expect benefits from treatment. Likewise, they were less likely to expect to form a strong working relationship or trust that the therapist would consistently work in their best interest. "Given these results, should psychologists provide their perceptions of managed care to prospective clients?" asks Pomerantz. "On the one hand, it can be argued that psychologists should not provide this type of information for a variety of reasons, including their concerns about its negative impact on the client or the therapy relationship.
"On the other, it may indeed constitute the 'significant information regarding the procedure' that is inherent in informed consent. At the very least, it seems that prospective clients should be allowed to ask questions about it.
"The results of this study suggest that when a person considers or enters therapy, the therapist may need to present information about the ways in which managed care may affect treatment in order to obtain truly informed consent," Pomerantz said. "Prospective clients, as represented in this study, feel overwhelmingly entitled to this information."
Holiday Musicales. The Department of Music is offering the 12th Annual Three Holiday Musicales house tour from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 12. Participants will visit three Edwardsville homes, decorated for the holidays, where they will hear jazz, classical, and vocal music performed by SIUE music students and faculty. In addition, holiday refreshments will be served. Tickets for the event are $10; proceeds support music scholarships. For more information or to obtain tickets, call the SIUE Fine Arts box office, (618) 650-2774. Tickets also are available at TheBANK of Edwardsville or from Friends of Music members.
Holiday Presentation: The SIUE Opera Workshop will present Amahl and the Night Visitors at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 9, and at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 11, both in Lovejoy Library auditorium. Composed especially for television, Gian Carlo Menotti's one-act opera was first seen by a national audience on Christmas Eve 1951. Admission is $3. For more information, call the SIUE Department of Music, (618) 650-3900.
Holiday Theater. Season for the Child, a series featuring theater for the entire family, will present its holiday show, The Little Fir Tree, at 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 11, in the Katherine Dunham Hall theater. The series is sponsored by the Friends of Theater and Dance and TheBANK of Edwardsville. Presented by The Imaginary Theatre Company, the professional touring ensemble of The St. Louis Repertory Theatre, The Little Fir Tree is a musical treat for children and a special holiday event to share with the entire family. Tickets for the performance are $5; proceeds benefit scholarships for SIUE theater and dance students. To order tickets, call Ext. 2774.
