February 26, 1996 Vol

■ ■ A glimpse Men's swim at a student's DO NOT REMOVE and dive team experiences the wins fifth- working the straight CAA graveyard shift title; women at Kinko's. place second. Focus/14 JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY Sports/21 MONDAY FEBRUARY 26, 1996 VOL. 73. NO. 38 JMU offices planning for larger freshman class overall applicants, the academic by Ben Dalbey quality of the student body is not senior writer suffering. Since JMU was founded almost "We're going with the same 90 years ago as the State Normal standards we've had for years," she School for Women at Harrisonburg, said. it has undergone substantial change. In the past, the university just Its transformation from a small turned down a greater number of women's teaching college to a SEMESTERS APPLIED ACCEPTED ENROLLED applicants who met those standards, 12,000-student university has been a Shabazz added. The admissions office is not the dramatic one, but the process is not 1996-97 1 5,000 + 2,850 ** over. only group involved in determining Within the next 10 years, JMU class sizes, she said. will add an additional 3,000 students 1 995-96 12,514 6,989 2,559 "That's a decision that everyone's to its population, bringing the total to involved in," Shabazz said. Jim McConnel, director of the 15,000, according to Fred Hilton, 1994-95 11,712 I 6 7 2,289 director of Media Relations. Office of Residence Life, said ORL JMU*s growth is a direct result of was happy to be included in the an increase in the number of college I 995-94 1 1,225 5.285 2,082 process of determining how many bound in Virginia, Hilton said. new students JMU could handle. ORL does not have enough space The State Council of Higher 1 992-95 2 0 1 2,042 Education for Virginia, using figures ". to accommodate the increase with the from the Center for Public Service in combination of the increased Charlottesville, is expecting tens of * so far ** projected number of freshmen students from office of Admissions freshman class and the renovation of thousands more Virginians to attend SOURCE: OFFICE OF INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH Converse Hall. ORL is looking into off-campus state colleges and universities by ALICIA HOODIconlribuling arlisl 2004. housing options to accommodate As a state school, JMU must play seen next fall when a record-breaking this year, the increase in new of all applicants for both 1991-'92 next year's class, McConnel said. a role in accommodating that freshman class arrives on campus. students is mostly the result of the and 1992-93 school years. To create more space, seniors who statewide increase. JMU will have about 2,850 new admissions office accepting a greater That percentage has been rising live on campus this year and are not "Certain institutions are targeted freshmen next year, 300 more than percentage of applications, Shabazz steadily ever since, with the school graduating have been notified they for growth, and we're one of them," this year, according to Roxie said. accepting about 59 percent of will not have guaranteed housing Hilton said. Shabazz, director of undergraduate According to information from the applicants for 1995-'96. next year, McConnel said. A significant installment of admissions Office of Institutional Research, the Shabazz said although admissions JMU's increasing enrollment will be While applications did increase university accepted about 46 percent is accepting a greater percentage of see ENROLLMENT page 2 Student contracts bacterial meningitis Virginia Tech Senior health sciences major listed in critical condition at Meningococcal pledges against University of Virginia hospital meningitis tuition increase by Cristie Breen by Paula Finkelstein news editor staff writer The first case of bacterial meningococcal meningitis to hit Common early Virginia Tech students and parents may have one less JMU in more than 20 years sent senior Kathryn Senner to the thing to worry about as tuition costs remain stable next year. University of Virginia Medical Center Wednesday afternoon, In a decision made by the university's Board of Visitors where she was listed in critical condition yesterday evening. symptoms Feb. 19, Virginia Tech will keep yearly tuition at its current Senner, a health sciences major, complained of flu-like cost of $3,500 for Virginia residents and $10,152 for non- symptoms earlier in the week and visited the JMU Health Center. residents, according to Karen Torgersen, executive associate But her condition worsened Wednesday, and she was taken to fever, severe sudden director of freshman admissions. the Rockingham Memorial Hospital emergency room, according "It's not a tuition freeze," Torgersen said. "That sounds to Donna Harper, director of the University Health Center. negative. We never want a student's tuition to increase." After being examined at RMH, Senner was flown by Pegasus headaches, Instead, it is a pledge made by the university administration helicopter to UVa. Medical Center, according to Fred Hilton, and signed by its president. Paul Torgersen. director of Media Relations. Although the pledge will be mailed out to prospective Harper said because the illness is only contagious through oral lethargy, neck students, the hold on tuition was designed with current secretions, it is unlikely that other JMU students have contracted students in mind, Karen Torgersen said. the disease. However, the Health Center has been treating stiffness, rash According to Mike McDowell, spokesman for the State Senner's roommates and close friends with antibiotics to make Council of Higher Education for Virginia, Virginia General them immune to the disease. Assembly legislation allocates an additional $200 million to To handle students who are worried about the possibility of DREW BANSEMER/<m(. graphics editor colleges and universities, a "significant increase in funding contracting the disease, the Health Center is operating a hot line for higher education." at X3549 to answer student questions. The hot line is managed outside the body and are only transmitted by sharing eating Even though this gives more funding to Virginia public by Health Center nursing staff. utensils or kissing, according to the fact sheet. institutions, Torgersen said, the General Assembly's Meningitis is an inflammation of the linings of the brain or Harper said, "You literally almost have to be in someone's legislation did not prompt Virginia Tech to halt tuition spinal cord caused by viruses or bacteria, according to an [infected with bacterial meningitis] face to be infected. increases. "The decision was made by the university," she information sheet provided by the Health Center. Viral We've been in contact with those students who have been in said. meningitis is more common than bacterial meningitis and usually close proximity to [Senner] for treatment," she said. The Virginia Tech pledge calls for limited tuition runs a short course. People inflicted with viral meningitis Stephen Stewart, health sciences department head, said other increases, having full-time faculty teach undergraduate generally do not require treatment. health science majors have been concerned, but not panicked, lecture courses "with few exceptions" and having "our most Bacterial meningitis, however, requires early diagnosis and about the risk of Senner's illness spreading. treatment because it can cause grave illness and rapidly progress _j, see TUITION page 2 j to death. Meningococcal bacteria can only live for a few minutes see STUDENT page 2 2 Monday, Feb. i6.'i*K TfJE 6kEI>ZE Student continued from page 1 "The risk to a student in a class is I * M F s MADISON UNIVEtSITV very minimal," Stewart said. "But students who are concerned are told "To the press alone, chequered [by health science department staff] as it is ivith abuses, the world is to call the Health Center. "The Health Center did a really indebted for all the triumphs good job" notifying Senner's friends which have been gained by who may be at risk of their need to reason and humanity over error receive the prophylactic antibiotics, and oppression." Stewart said. — James Madison Hilton said students have not been frantic over the announcement of Editor Alison Boyee Senner's illness. "Generally. I think Managing editor Cyndy Uedtke the campus is handling it calmly," he Ads manager Maggie Mayall said. Administration investigated News editor Crlitle Breen places Senner visited earlier in the week and determined "she was not in News editor Greg Froom a place where there were large Asst. news editor Stacey Danzuso groups of people," he said. Focus editor Karen Brewer While Senner's is the first case of Asst. focus editor Angle Krum meningitis JMU has seen in many years, several students at other Opinion editor Sherrl Eltenberg Virginia colleges and universities Asst. opinion editor Laura Wade have dealt with the disease since Style editor Jason Comer September. Two students at the Asst. style editor Karen Bltz University of Virginia came down with meningitis this year, one last Sports editor Matt Provence week and one in October. Both Asst. sports editor Peter Haggarty survived the illness. Copy editor Karen Bogan But at Virginia Military Institute, Photo editor Roger Wollenberg a first-year cadet died last month after being diagnosed with Asst. photo editor Melissa Palladlno meningococcemia, the same bacteria Graphics editor Angela Terry that caused Senner's illness. Asst. graphics editor Drew Bansemer Although it seems there have been a higher than average number of Advisers Flip De Luca, meningitis cases at Virginia Alan Neckowrtz, universities this year, Hilton said it is JENNIFER BAKER/staff photographer David Wendelken not uncommon to see several cases at 'Singled Out' Virginia universities within a school FYI. year. Junior Sheena Hulln questions some men hoping to be 'Singled Out' during the JMU chapter of "It's average on a given year that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Persons' version of the popular MTV The Breeze is published Monday there are several cases in colleges or show.

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