ROUNDING UP CAMPUS NEWS SINCE 1900 THE BAYLOR LARIAT 10 VOL. 110 No. 18 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2010 © 2010, Baylor University OPINION PAGE 2 OLYMPICS PAGE 4 MOVIES PAGE 6 “Hopefully in the future, people will not be Rounding up the medals Exclusive interview discouraged from doing their duty to society Check out how the events The Lariat talks with without fear of repercussions because of the in Vancouver have been going ‘The Blind Side’ director on prominence of others.” for Olympians across the globe recent Oscar nominations Student officers, Starr talk concerns BY CA T Y HIR st family,” Hannah said. about paying for college. STAFF WRITER Hannah said he thought Starr The second issue student was very responsive to the con- government broached with The announcement of Judge cerns presented and that Starr Starr was the involvement of Ken Starr as Baylor’s new presi- was more than willing to work students in major decisions and dent has initiated a multitude together on those issues. high-level strategic planning of of reactions from the student They first discussed Baylor’s the university. body, ranging from confidence increasing tuition. Hannah said master’s candi- in Starr’s abilities to concerns Hannah said, according to date Chelsea Saylor’s involve- about how the new president the Issue of the Week statistics ment in the advisory committee will handle issues that face stu- taken by student government, was an good step in allowing dents. students are increasingly con- more students to participate in Jordan Hannah, student body cerned about the affordability of decision-making at Baylor. president, and other student a Baylor education. “We commend the board for leaders met with Starr Tuesday “That is a major concern, as allowing Chelsea to be a part of to discuss some of the issues stu- students‘ financial aid package the advisory committee and hav- dents are most concerned about does not increase as they further ing a student voice in the presi- at Baylor. their education. Tuition increas- dential search process,” Hannah “Student government is re- es are not taken into account,” said. “That was a great avenue ally excited about working with Hannah said. and a great way to showcase to [Starr] to address student con- Even though tuition con- the board and to the administra- cerns, and we are really looking tinues to rise, the merit-based tion that students are capable of JED DEAN | PHOTO EDITOR forward to working with him President-elect Judge Ken Starr speaks to Baylor students, staff and faculty Tuesday during his formal scholarships for current stu- providing great input.” under his leadership and work- dents remain the same, which introduction as Baylor’s 14th president in the Barfield Drawing Room of the Bill Daniel Student Center. see STARR, pg. ing with the rest of the Baylor has increased students’ concern 9 Judge frees 8 of 10 U.S. missionaries BY FRANK BAJAK of the earthquake. Ass OCIATED PRE ss The missionaries denied ac- A whole new scale of hot cusations of trafficking and said PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti they were on a humanitarian — Eight American missionar- mission to rescue child quake ies were freed from a Haitian victims by taking them to a hast- jail Wednesday, nearly three ily prepared orphanage in the weeks after being charged with Dominican Republic. kidnapping for trying to take Group leader Laura Silsby eter Piper a group of children out of the originally said they were taking quake-stricken country. only orphaned and abandoned picked a pepper. If he The eight — looking bedrag- children, but reporters found had the new technol- gled and sweaty — walked out that several of the children ogy developed by one Baylor of the Haitian jail escorted by P were handed over to the group them to determine the heat of the pep- spicy a pepper would be ... like in a salsa, U.S. diplomats just after dusk. by their parents, who said they professor and his research team, pers more efficiently, because multivariate for example.” They waited until they were hoped the Baptists would give he could have discovered just analysis eliminates some steps that the liq- Kenneth said the research is still con- safely inside a white van before them a better life. uid chromatography process required. tinuing, and the team hopes to find a flashing smiles, waving and giv- Saint-Vil said he still wants how hot the pepper was. Rabbe said capsaicin has not been ana- method using fiber optics that will allow ing a thumbs up to reporters. to question Silsby and nanny lyzed through multivariate analysis in the them to test the heat of a chili pepper BY SARA TIRRI T O Hours earlier, judge Ber- Charisa Coulter about their visit past but can have important application. without damaging the pepper itself. STAFF WRITER nard Saint-Vil told The Associ- to Haiti in December before the “Capsaicin is used of course in the “We’re trying to see if we can use that ated Press that eight of the 10 earthquake, but he asked for food industry and medicinally, and the approach to take the spectrum, rather than Dr. Kenneth Busch, professor and missionaries were free to leave Coulter to be hospitalized be- analysis of peppers for the capsaicin con- take the spectrum of the extract,” Kenneth co-director of the Center for Analytical without bail or other conditions cause of her diabetes. tent is really important, and with the tech- said. “And that might be something that Spectroscopy, and his research team have after parents testified they vol- Earlier Wednesday, Coulter, niques that they are working on, it would people would be interested in because eliminated the need for liquid chroma- untarily handed their children of Boise, Idaho, briefly received simplify it, make it faster to do and less you just have to hold the pepper up to this tography in determining the heat of chili over to the missionaries. treatment but was then taken expensive,” Rabbe said. “The multivariate light fiber and get the information, with- peppers. “The parents of the kids back to jail. analysis has not been used in analysis of out having to touch the pepper — you can Working with Busch are his wife, Dr. made statements proving that “We are very pleased that capsaicin before.” still eat it afterwards.” Marianna Busch, professor and co-director they can be released,” he said, Paul, Silas, Drew, and Steve Marianna said the research could help Rabbe said an undergraduate student, of the Center for Analytical Spectroscopy, adding that still wants to ques- have been released by the Hai- farmers know the best time for harvest- San Diego junior Emily Schmidt, has been Dr. Dennis Rabbe, chemistry laboratory tion the group’s leader and her tian court,” said Caleb Stegall, ing. working on the research since the fall and coordinator and lecturer, various graduate nanny. a Kansas district attorney who “What we wanted to do was develop is helping to improve the current proce- students and an undergraduate student. The group planned to fly out has been helping some of the a simpler more rapid method where we dure. “The way you conventionally deter- of Haiti late Wednesday, defense defendants. could do the analysis much more quickly. “We’re trying to refine the proce- mine the hotness of chili peppers is with attorney Aviol Fleurant said. “Their families are relieved It’s apparently very critical when you har- dure that they’ve already done,” Rabbe liquid chromatography,” Kenneth said. A spokesman for Idaho Sen. and anxious to have them safely vest it as to how hot the peppers are going said. “She’s working with us again this “You have to grind up the pepper in a Jim Risch said they would be home, and we are turning all of to be,” Marianna said. “It would give you spring.” blender and then extract the capsaicin (a flown to Miami. our energies toward bringing some kind of a feeling for the optimal time Marianna said the team’s use of molecule that gives chili peppers their The missionaries, most from them back as safely and quickly to harvest them in the field. It’s a com- heat) that you’re trying to measure with two Baptist churches in Idaho, as possible.” pletely different way of assessing how see PEPPER, pg. alcohol and then run it through the chro- 9 are accused of trying to take 33 Gary Lissade, the attorney matograph.” Haitian children to the Domini- for freed detainee Jim Allen, The team replaced the need for liquid can Republic on Jan. 29 without said he expected the charges to chromatography by using multivariate proper documents. be dropped against the eight. Their detentions came just as analysis instead. The new process allows aid officials were urging a halt to short-cut adoptions in the wake see JUDGE, pg. 9 Retiring prof: It was a memory, it will be a memory BY JAME S BLAKE EWING time.” work. painting. asked him to be a teaching as- His initial position as an RE P ORTER McClanahan said, “Every “It’s been well received, es- Occasionally he visits the sistant. associate professor included piece in that show represents pecially how he creates such Midwest to recharge and to re- “[I] decided that this is what teaching painting and 2-D de- McClanahan’s McClanahan an event, a special occasion or a small art and people can still see turn to the source of it all. I wanted to do for the rest of my sign while also being the gallery is an exhibit that spans the 45 memory.” it,” Ellie Allen, museum atten- As early as grade school, Mc- life,” McClanahan said.