Back to the Books, Winter Or Not!

Wednesday, January 16, 2013 VOLUME 31 / NUMBER 16 www.uicnews.uic.edu facebook.com/uicnews twitter.com/uicnews UIC NEWS youtube.com/uicmedia For the community of the University of Illinois at Chicago “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” — John Dewey Photos: Roberta Dupuis-Devlin As the new semester begins, the student centers are busy with activities for Winter Welcome Week. Left: Kimberly Randall tells Bolaji Oke-Samuel about Primo Dance Troupe at the Student Organization Fair in the Ward Lounge; Krystal Fowlkes and Sara Wissmiller have lunch in Inner Circle; Abdul Aduib, Mahair Chamout and Ahmad Alomari share a table in the Pier Room. The rest of the week includes Thirsty Thursday, with free hot chocolate and mentalist Craig Karges in Student Center West, and a UIC Fashion Show open house through Friday, Student Center East. More info at www.uic.edu/depts/campusprograms Back to the books, winter or not! INSIDE: Profile / Quotable 2 | Campus News 4 | Calendar 8 | Student Voice 9 | Police / Deaths 10 | Sports 12 Osamah Hasan’s dream: better Dee Alexander balances careers Architecture grad Dan Meis, the Freshman steps up, leads Flames health care for developing nations on campus and onstage man with the Tatlin’s Tower tattoo to Horizon League victory More on page 2 More on page 5 More on page 6 More on page 12 2 UIC NEWS I www.uicnews.uic.edu I JANUARY 16, 2013 profile Send profile ideas to Gary Wisby, [email protected] His ambition: bringing health care to people of developing nations By Gary Wisby Osamah Hasan’s ambition is to be a globe-trotting physician, bringing primary health care to people in developing nations. So last summer’s trip to Botswana, in Southern Africa, was made to order. Hasan was awarded a $4,500 Gilman Scholarship for study abroad. The Council on International Education provided $2,250, UIC paid $1,500 and his parents came up with the $2,500 airfare. A senior in biological sciences, Hasan chose Botswana because “I wanted to analyze HIV in the context of a developing nation,” he said. After neighboring Swaziland, Botswana has the second highest HIV infection rate in the world. “People were dying at an alarming rate,” Hasan said. “They had to do something.” Botswana is the first African country to supply free medical care, which it can afford because it has the world’s largest diamond reserve — most of it owned by the De Beers Group — and a thriving tourism industry. Hasan spent seven weeks there, one of a group of 19 students from the U.S. that also included fellow UIC student Carline Joseph. They were in class six hours for three days a week, and in Osamah Hasan, pictured with a village elder, studied HIV in Botswana last summer after receiving a Gilman Scholarship for study abroad. clinic for two eight-hour days at two sites: in Gaborone, the “My conviction [to be a physician] has never been stronger, because of this experience,” says Hasan, a senior in biological sciences. capital city with a population of 230,000 (10 percent of Bo- tswana’s population), and in the village of Serowe. ders that we Americans do.” Middle East,” he said, including the health care system, the One physician treats 40 to 60 patients a day at the urban In their time off, the students visited cultural and heritage culture and the language. clinic. A physician in the village sees 30 to 40 over two days of sites such as Manyana Rock, scene of thousand-year-old He already knows something of the region, having spent the week. Nurses and health educators assist. paintings by bushmen. the first 10 years of his life in Saudi Arabia before moving “A language and culture practicum helped me engage with At shops and flea markets, they bought gifts for their fami- with his family to Glen Ellyn. the community,” Hasan said. lies and Batswana home-stay families. He is a peer mentor at his dorm, the Student Residence Botswana residents, known as Batswana, speak Setswana, He started a blog — botswanapublichealth.blogspot — “to and Courtyard, where he’s responsible for coming up with an a language in which many words have two different meanings, encourage other students to go on study abroad,” he said. educational program each month. He’s also a member of the depending on context. Hasan, who is of Indian descent, met Batswana whose Honors College. “I was able to pick it up quickly,” Hasan said, partly be- ancestors were slaves, brought from India to South Africa or As a Muslim, he makes visits to his family in Saudi Arabia cause he stayed with a family in the village. neighboring Zimbabwe in the 1800s. that have included pilgrimages to Mecca. He prays five times “That helped me gain proficiency, to the point I wasn’t shy His experience in the African nation “helped me reflect on a day, in his room or at prayer sessions in Student Center to speak with patients,” he said. the nature of medicine and my desire to pursue a career in it,” East. Although most of the urban patients and about half of he said. Now, about his first name, Osamah: does it cause any the rural ones know English, “when they enter the room and “It gave me a deep insight into how Botswana turned its comment? you’re speaking Setswana, it puts them at their ease,” he said. health care system around. My conviction [to be a physician] Yes, especially at airports, where security is a priority. “I was using English too, and a lot of hand gestures.” has never been stronger, because of this experience.” At Buffalo Niagara International Airport, which he As for culture, he learned that every community is differ- After he graduates next year, Hasan hopes to spend a passed through while visiting relatives in Canada, an airline ent. year in Jordan as a Fulbright scholar before starting medical employee asked Hasan, “Why don’t you change your name “Each tribe has its own culture and customs,” Hasan said. school. to Oscar?” “Putting [Africans] in one category is one of the greatest blun- “I’ve seen what Africa is like; now I want to learn about the [email protected] quotable “For research to be optimally useful, it has to be available. “You might ask some questions about “When the police are respectful, people are more If we keep it from other people, it’s questionable what the how strict people are. Is it neighborly, is it likely to cooperate and report crime. This will put a purpose of it is.” friendly?” dent in the no-snitch culture.” Steve Jones, professor of communication, on the movement Evan McKenzie, associate professor of politi- Dennis Rosenbaum, professor of criminology, on a UIC toward Internet openness and the death of Aaron Swartz, one of its cal science, on how potential homebuyers can survey of residents’ attitudes toward Chicago police officers, proponents, who faced federal prosecution for downloading millions avoid conflicts with homeowners association Jan. 10 Chicago Sun-Times of academic journal articles, Jan. 14 Chicago Tribune governance and enforcement of rules, Jan. 12 Evansville, Ind., Courier-Press JANUARY 16, 2013 I UIC NEWS I www.uicnews.uic.edu 3 UIC among top 20 schools for online bachelor’s degree By Anne Brooks Ranallo in 2009, and we started hearing from students who needed on online bachelor’s program. UIC ranks 18th in the nation among schools Ours includes the same courses, taught by offering an online bachelor’s degree, according to the same faculty, as the campus program,” she new rankings in U.S. News & World Report. said. The magazine compiled the 2013 rankings The bachelor of science in nursing is according to graduation rates, faculty credentials, designed for licensed nurses. The program indebtedness of new graduates and academic requires 30 semester-hours toward the creden- and career support services offered to students. tial of registered nurse. It ranked 160 institutions and listed 65 others “Online, we can expand as enrollment without rank. grows, and we’ve created an effective pipeline UIC offers two bachelor’s degrees online, both for nursing students who have graduated from in health-related fields: nursing and health infor- community colleges throughout Illinois,” said mation management. Cordelia Maloney, executive director of UIC’s The bachelor of science in health information School of Continuing Studies. management is an alternative to the campus- “A significant portion of the faculty are based degree program that began in 1965, said tenured. The program delivers content in a Karen Patena, director of health information variety of ways including collaborations and management programs. projects like videotaping a health assessment,” “This is a hot, important field, and students Maloney said. “And the students are well sup- are changing,” Patena said. ported throughout, with online academic ad- “They’re working, and many can’t be on cam- vising and substantial technical support.” pus every day,.” For more information on the online health Students learn to manage and use data and information management program, visit www. information systems for health care planning, ahs.uic.edu/bhis/academics/him provision, resource allocation and executive Management Association certification exam for registered For more information on online nursing decision-making. health information administrators. studies, visit www.uic.edu/scs/nursing/bsn/ Graduates may take the American Health Information “We first offered an online post-baccalaureate certificate [email protected] Hospital sees increase in patients as influenza cases on rise By Christy Levy More hospitalizations from the influenza virus are being reported across the country, including at the University of Illinois Hospital.

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