Anthrax: Suspicious Letters University Postal Employees Trained in Response to Possible Threat

Opinion: Scene: Yuletide Patriotism—Page 7 Rock and Roll Revival—Page 15 j|||pii|^ San Francisco FOGHORN THE UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO NOVEMBER 15,2001 WWW. TOGHORNONLINE.COM VOLUME 98, ISSUE 8 Anthrax: Suspicious Letters University postal employees trained in response to possible threat Victoria Leon Guerrero USF mail clerks have undergone words, protruding wires, a strange ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR special training sessions since the odor, oily stains, discoloration on In response to an anthrax scare spread of anthrax spores began and the wrapper or excessive string or in Orange County, Ca., employees are taking precautionary measures tape. at the University of San Francisco to ensure their safety and the safety "I tell most ofthe mailroom em Post Office have undergone special of everyone at the University, Me ployees that if they have doubts at training this month, said Angelo F. rino said. Anthrax: Page 5 Merino, the campus' mail manager. "Everybody went through a On Nov. 6, someone tried to training with a video that was sent mail 10 envelopes from an Orange to us by the Postal Inspectors on County post office with no return how to detect and how to tell if the addresses, Merino said. mail is tainted," Merino said. "We As the clerk picked up the mail, do it not only with what is incom Anthrax is an acute infectious she noticed that it some envelopes ing, we do it also with what's out disease caused by a spore- addressed to universities' medical going from campus, and because we forming bacterium that has been centers, appeared to be cold or from have several pickups that are not used for biological warfare. a refrigerator, Merino said. attended by any person, we've The anthrax disease comes in The clerk was suspicious about closed off all the areas that are un many forms and can cause such what was being sent, so she told the attended." ailments as skin infection, person to put return addresses on For example, mail is not being swollen lymph glands, severe the envelopes, he said. accepted at the unattended mailbox breathing problems, cold like As soon as she requested this, the on the second floor of the Univer person backed away from the sity Center, Merino said. symptoms, nausea, loss of counter and said he'll just mail it at "We haven't really gotten any appetite, vomiting, fever, severe another post office, Merino said. complaints from the students," Me diarrhea and, in most severe . The clerk called the Postal rino said. "For the past two or three cases, death. Inspector's Office and they called all weeks there have been more calls Authorities have yet to discover the postal offices that might receive inquiring about what are we doing who is distributing anthrax laced the suspicious mail, including USF, to try and secure the distribution mail throughout the United Merino said. of mail." States, however, it has been Merino said the USF mailroom Mail clerks have been instructed determined that the particular has received three suspicious letters to set suspicious mail aside, Merino spores found in U.S. mail could since the warning has been in place, said. only have come from the U.S., but upon inspection no direct dan According to a training guide the former Soviet Union or Iraq. ger was found. The only suspicious given to mail clerks, mail is deemed GUERRERO/FOG HORN thing about the letters was that they suspicious if there is no return ad Sources: Center for Disease Control and The New York Times. Mail clerk Candice Villanueva holds an envelope missing a return address. had no return addresses. dress, excessive postage, misspelled Coming Soon, Fewer GEC Requirements? RALLYfor STOP Nelson Toriano order to satisfy each individual ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR GEC requirement. PEACE Students may soon be required Togni said that taking fewer to take fewer but longer General GEC classes will give students Education Curriculum (GEC) more opportunities to seek a courses. certificate, minor or second What started out as a small Associate Dean for Student Aca major. - protest of about ten people demic Services, Peter J. Togni, S.J., Senators had various opin holding signs against the war in said that on Oct. 29, the Joint Uni ions about the proposal. Afghanistan and chanting versity Committee on the GEC Analilia Barajas, students of "Peace now, justice now," grew (JUCGEC) presented its initial color representative, said that into a gathering of more than proposal to the Associated Stu the proposed GEC's would not 100 University of San Francisco dents of the University of San reflect the cultural diversity of students in Harney Plaza on Francisco's (ASUSF) Senate. the student body because the Nov.8. The Coalition for Peace JUGGEC proposes that 11 four- number of cultural apprecia and Justice and some of the unit courses should replace the tion classes will decrease. University's Muslim students current 17 three-unit GEC require Barajas said that the current organized "Rally for Peace," to ments. The new GEC requirement GEC's are "euro centric," be educate students on campus may go into effect by January 2003. cause only two requirements are about alternatives to the war "The previous GEC was more dedicated to cultural apprecia against Afghanistan. Speakers like 'We know what's best for you,'" tion, world cultures and world from the San Francisco com Togni said. "In the new plan, a typi and minority literature. munity,, USF professors and cal student will take four courses "What reassurance do stu students spoke about issues per semester. No one should be dents have that they will get a surrounding the conflict in Af taking six." good overall knowledge?" she ghanistan and racism towards Togni said that while students asked. "I feel that the new GEC's Arabs and Muslims in the will be taking fewer courses, four will take away that diversity." United States. four-unit courses will be just as The committee's proposal intensive as taking five three-unit said that special courses would CHRIS lEWETT/FOCHORN courses. be labeled as having a "Service Gilbert Villasenor, senior, holds one of four signs provided Dayle Smith, co-chair of the Learning" (SL) component or to USF students by the Town Hall Committee Against War JUCGEC, said that each depart "Cultural Diversity" (CD) com- and Hate, during a Rally for Peace in Harney Plaza. ment would offer more options in GEC's: Page 6 San Francisco Foghorn NEWS November 15, 2001 Student Filmmaker Pioneers Video Magazine Students may soon have forum for showcasing artistic self-expression and creativity Vrinda Normand papers, but we don't have student FOGHORN STAFFWRITER work in video form," Keating said. Senior Aaron Bustos plans to Keating is not sure where or how take a week off school and live with his magazine will be distributed. homeless people in the Sunset Dis After he is done editing, he will trict. show the video to the Media Stud The student filmmaker wants to ies Department. If they like it, a fu get an inside perspective on what it ture for the project will be is like to live on the streets, for a discussed. documentary he plans to film. He hopes to make 150 to 200 "You pass people on the street copies of the video and send it to everyday and you don't know their the Media Studies Departments of story. I want to tell their story," universities across the United States. Bustos said. Keating encourages students to Film is expanding as a popular submit all types of video formats, medium for artistic expression such as 16mm, 35mm, VHS, and among students at the University of digital, because he wants the com San Francisco. pilation to have variety. Now adventurous student film The basic difference between 8, makers like Bustos will be able to 16 and 35mm is the width of the make their work more public with film. the new Student Video Art Maga VHS and digital are more mod zine. ern and easier to use, he said. Senior Sean Keating is creating Keating prefers working with the magazine, which is a compila 8mm, an older analog film widely tion videotape of student-produced used in the 1970s and 1980s. work. "It has a grainier aesthetic and The themes in the collection in often you can get a richer, sketchier, clude campus life, social issues, film more hands-on effect with it," he ex shorts (such as music videos and plained. pieces that tell a short story) and "Whatever format you use really open forum. depends on how you want the au The idea came to Keating at the dience to feel when they see the BEXIE TOWLE/FOdHORN beginning of the semester. film," Keating said. Student filmaker Sean Keating, senior, plans to launch a new video art magazine showcasing USF student work. The USF annual video showcase, He said that in the movie "Traf a two day event where media stu fic," the director used different types through a manual projector. It looked about graffiti around San Francisco. "I am not doing it for an end re dents shared their audio and video of film, like 16mm, 32mm and digi like Jupiter on screen," he said. The film addresses the limits that sult," he said. "The joy I get from projects, was cancelled because of tal, giving the film a unique effect. Bustos has three pieces that may society sets upon people, particu actually doing the project is not the few entries from upperclassmen, Developing the film is another go into the magazine. larly how people ignore signs and grade or anything like that, it's the Keating said.

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