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National Briefs
Issue date: 3/26/03 Section: News
Patriot Acts receive criticism, support
(U-WIRE) NORMAN, Okla. — Most would agree the world today differs from before the Sept. 11 tragedy. Certain precautions need to be taken in regard to national security, but how far is too far?
Early in February 2003, a draft of the Patriot Act 2 was leaked to the Center for Public Integrity by an anonymous employee at the Department of Justice. The second bill, the Domestic Security and Enhancement Act, tweaks the admittedly flawed initial legislation, which breezed through Congress six weeks after the Sept. 11 tragedy.
The legislation raised a red flag because of the potential lapse in civil liberties some believe are embedded in it.
“You have to balance national security and civil liberties,” said Mike Mullins, an Oklahoma City attorney. Mullins said the act violates the constitution as a whole, but there were parts with which he agreed.
Mullins said he agrees with the Patriot Act’s provision that noncitizens could be deported. However, Mullins said he only agrees with it as long as there is legally clear and convincing evidence that a person is tied to terrorist organizations.
The Patriot Acts, one and two, struck a particular nerve with Muslims in Norman. Essam Tawfik, Muslim Student Association president, and Ibrahim Anderson, outreach secretary for the Islamic Society of Norman, both said because of the correlation between Islam and terrorism, the Patriot Acts may target innocent Muslims.
“It’s going to discourage the people who dreamed one day to be in the USA,” Tawfik said.
ACLU files suit against Chicago police
CHICAGO (KRT) — A federal lawsuit filed Monday by the ACLU charges that Chicago police officers are indiscriminately making street stops predominantly of young black and Hispanic men without legal justification and then illegally searching them.
The American Civil Liberties Union suit was brought on behalf of three black men, two brothers and a world-class speed skater, who say they were walking on Chicago sidewalks when white plainclothes officers stopped, questioned and frisked them in separate incidents in 2001 and 2002.
The suit alleges the officers violated the plaintiffs’ Fourth Amendment rights against illegal searches, not that they were victims of discrimination based on race.
Still, Harvey Grossman, legal director of the ACLU of Illinois, said a review of police records in the districts where the two stops took place shows a disproportionate number of blacks and Hispanics were stopped by officers during the month in which the incidents occurred.
The ACLU alleged “a custom on the part of the Police Department to stop, detain and search young men due to inadequate training and supervision and failure to discipline officers who make these kinds of unlawful stops,” Grossman said at a news conference at ACLU offices.
Later, David Bayless, a spokesman for the Police Department, denied the accusations, pointing out that in April 2001, Supt. Terry Hillard issued a directive denouncing racial profiling and all forms of bias-based policing.
In the nearly two years since then, Bayless said the department has “taken the necessary steps to educate officers that racial profiling will not be tolerated.”
Chronic lack of sleep increases cold risk
(U-WIRE) UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Rest assured that sleep — or lack thereof — is something that is on the minds of many Pennsylvania State University students. Not only do those who pull all-nighters have a higher risk of falling asleep in class, but for getting sick, as well.
Frederick Brown, associate professor of psychology, said the side effects from staying up all night may not be apparent to students. While increased sleepiness is an obvious consequence, the suppression of both the production of melatonin and immune system hormones may be unclear.
“The more serious of the two is the suppression of immune system hormones because it increases the fragility and susceptibility to the effects of pathogens, colds and other respiratory problems,” he said.
However, Brown said recovery can occur fairly easily with adequate sleep for the next few nights, allowing immune system functioning to resume at its former level.
A greater problem, Brown said, is a constant lack of sleep.
“Chronic sleep deprivation and pulling all-nighters is a double-whammy to the immune system. It affects a person’s performance in subtle ways that they may not be aware of,” he said.
Brown said loss of sleep also interferes with memory consolidation.
“A person may be a bit more forgetful, distracted and just not with it,” he said.
Depression cases rising among students
(U-WIRE) PULLMAN, Wash. — Suicide attempts rose sharply at Washington State University over a five-year period.
According to statistics from WSU Counseling Services, there were 53 suicide attempts during the 2001-02 school year compared to 12 in 1996-97.
The dramatic growth is indicative of a greater theme played out at universities across the nation. A study recently released by Kansas State University found that over a 13-year period, the percentage of students with depression nearly doubled.
Barbara Hammond, director of Counseling Services at WSU, said she noticed a significant increase at WSU as well. Sixty-one percent of the students visiting Counseling Services in 1993 were diagnosed with a significant psychological difficulty. In 2000-01, the number rose to 83 percent.
Hammond said there is a feeling among therapists that students are coming from life situations that provide less stability than before.
Dennis Garcia, assistant medical director of Student Health, said there are large numbers of depression-related cases.
“Approximately 50 percent of the students we see are for problems relating to stress, anxiety or depression,” he said.
Garcia said he does not think the Pullman community has a higher rate of depression than other campuses, though.
“The difference is that we’re a small community, so we see more people on a percentage basis, than they would at, say, UW, because [UW] students have other options,” he said.
Hammond, Garcia and Kwon all agreed, however, that students should take action if they feel a friend is suicidal.
“I’d rather have you alive and mad at me, than dead,” he said.
— Jeffrey Dunn, Daily Evergreen (Washington State U.)
(U-WIRE) NORMAN, Okla. — Most would agree the world today differs from before the Sept. 11 tragedy. Certain precautions need to be taken in regard to national security, but how far is too far?
Early in February 2003, a draft of the Patriot Act 2 was leaked to the Center for Public Integrity by an anonymous employee at the Department of Justice. The second bill, the Domestic Security and Enhancement Act, tweaks the admittedly flawed initial legislation, which breezed through Congress six weeks after the Sept. 11 tragedy.
The legislation raised a red flag because of the potential lapse in civil liberties some believe are embedded in it.
“You have to balance national security and civil liberties,” said Mike Mullins, an Oklahoma City attorney. Mullins said the act violates the constitution as a whole, but there were parts with which he agreed.
Mullins said he agrees with the Patriot Act’s provision that noncitizens could be deported. However, Mullins said he only agrees with it as long as there is legally clear and convincing evidence that a person is tied to terrorist organizations.
The Patriot Acts, one and two, struck a particular nerve with Muslims in Norman. Essam Tawfik, Muslim Student Association president, and Ibrahim Anderson, outreach secretary for the Islamic Society of Norman, both said because of the correlation between Islam and terrorism, the Patriot Acts may target innocent Muslims.
“It’s going to discourage the people who dreamed one day to be in the USA,” Tawfik said.
— Mary Ann Martin and Rachael Kahne,
Oklahoma Daily (U. Oklahoma)
Oklahoma Daily (U. Oklahoma)
ACLU files suit against Chicago police
CHICAGO (KRT) — A federal lawsuit filed Monday by the ACLU charges that Chicago police officers are indiscriminately making street stops predominantly of young black and Hispanic men without legal justification and then illegally searching them.
The American Civil Liberties Union suit was brought on behalf of three black men, two brothers and a world-class speed skater, who say they were walking on Chicago sidewalks when white plainclothes officers stopped, questioned and frisked them in separate incidents in 2001 and 2002.
The suit alleges the officers violated the plaintiffs’ Fourth Amendment rights against illegal searches, not that they were victims of discrimination based on race.
Still, Harvey Grossman, legal director of the ACLU of Illinois, said a review of police records in the districts where the two stops took place shows a disproportionate number of blacks and Hispanics were stopped by officers during the month in which the incidents occurred.
The ACLU alleged “a custom on the part of the Police Department to stop, detain and search young men due to inadequate training and supervision and failure to discipline officers who make these kinds of unlawful stops,” Grossman said at a news conference at ACLU offices.
Later, David Bayless, a spokesman for the Police Department, denied the accusations, pointing out that in April 2001, Supt. Terry Hillard issued a directive denouncing racial profiling and all forms of bias-based policing.
In the nearly two years since then, Bayless said the department has “taken the necessary steps to educate officers that racial profiling will not be tolerated.”
— Matt O’Connor,
Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
Chronic lack of sleep increases cold risk
(U-WIRE) UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Rest assured that sleep — or lack thereof — is something that is on the minds of many Pennsylvania State University students. Not only do those who pull all-nighters have a higher risk of falling asleep in class, but for getting sick, as well.
Frederick Brown, associate professor of psychology, said the side effects from staying up all night may not be apparent to students. While increased sleepiness is an obvious consequence, the suppression of both the production of melatonin and immune system hormones may be unclear.
“The more serious of the two is the suppression of immune system hormones because it increases the fragility and susceptibility to the effects of pathogens, colds and other respiratory problems,” he said.
However, Brown said recovery can occur fairly easily with adequate sleep for the next few nights, allowing immune system functioning to resume at its former level.
A greater problem, Brown said, is a constant lack of sleep.
“Chronic sleep deprivation and pulling all-nighters is a double-whammy to the immune system. It affects a person’s performance in subtle ways that they may not be aware of,” he said.
Brown said loss of sleep also interferes with memory consolidation.
“A person may be a bit more forgetful, distracted and just not with it,” he said.
— Joanna Citrinbaum,
Daily Collegian (Pennsylvania State U.)
Daily Collegian (Pennsylvania State U.)
Depression cases rising among students
(U-WIRE) PULLMAN, Wash. — Suicide attempts rose sharply at Washington State University over a five-year period.
According to statistics from WSU Counseling Services, there were 53 suicide attempts during the 2001-02 school year compared to 12 in 1996-97.
The dramatic growth is indicative of a greater theme played out at universities across the nation. A study recently released by Kansas State University found that over a 13-year period, the percentage of students with depression nearly doubled.
Barbara Hammond, director of Counseling Services at WSU, said she noticed a significant increase at WSU as well. Sixty-one percent of the students visiting Counseling Services in 1993 were diagnosed with a significant psychological difficulty. In 2000-01, the number rose to 83 percent.
Hammond said there is a feeling among therapists that students are coming from life situations that provide less stability than before.
Dennis Garcia, assistant medical director of Student Health, said there are large numbers of depression-related cases.
“Approximately 50 percent of the students we see are for problems relating to stress, anxiety or depression,” he said.
Garcia said he does not think the Pullman community has a higher rate of depression than other campuses, though.
“The difference is that we’re a small community, so we see more people on a percentage basis, than they would at, say, UW, because [UW] students have other options,” he said.
Hammond, Garcia and Kwon all agreed, however, that students should take action if they feel a friend is suicidal.
“I’d rather have you alive and mad at me, than dead,” he said.
— Jeffrey Dunn, Daily Evergreen (Washington State U.)
