Bowling Green State University ScholarWorks@BGSU BG News (Student Newspaper) University Publications 12-2-1999 The BG News December 2, 1999 Bowling Green State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/bg-news Recommended Citation Bowling Green State University, "The BG News December 2, 1999" (1999). BG News (Student Newspaper). 6574. https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/bg-news/6574 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the University Publications at ScholarWorks@BGSU. It has been accepted for inclusion in BG News (Student Newspaper) by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@BGSU. OPINION NOW 7 SPORTS SPORTS Columnist David Tran questions NOW continues Current sports world confronts Men's basketball the reality of love. with its Top 10 major issue of concussions. stays undefeated in Albums of the 80-60 schilaquing decade series. over Illinois State. Weather Today: Thursday Sunny December 2. 1999 High 49, Low 27 Volume 87 & Issue 67 The BGNewsA doily independent student press Online Festival of Lights Diet course drug rerun hurts By GRETA HALE The BG News heart For only the third time, the By STEVE KARNOWSKI University will offer an online Associated Press Writer undergraduate philosophy MINNEAPOLIS — Three course this spring. new studies offer reassurance Because the class is online, to millions of people who took the professor never meets the the diet pill combination fen- students and no textbooks art- phen and a similar weight loss needed. There are also no drug. The studies suggest that exams and all the work is done the leaky heart valves some via written exercises and people suffered won't worsen assignments over the Internet. and may actually improve. The three-credit-hour course Soon after a 1997 Mayo Clin- was originally written for the ic study showed heart valve classroom by James Child, the damage in patients who took chair of the philosophy depart- the drugs fenfluramine and ment. Karen Hornsby, the phentermine together, Ameri- instructor of the course, and can Home Products pulled fen- Child worked together with the fluramine and a similar drug, Center for Learning Technology dexfenfluramine, from the mar- in order to design the online ket. course. About 6 million people used According to James Kimble. the drugs, and studies have the Coordinator for Instruc- suggested that a fourth of them tional Design at the center, the may have suffered some heart center provides the faculty with damage. American Home has resources on how to teach and been sued by thousands of peo- set up online classes. ple; a federal judge has given Teaching an online course is preliminary approval to a $3.75 more labor intensive than billion national settlement of teaching a regular course, said such claims. Robert Lancaster, the chair of A study published Wednes- the Computer Science Depart- day by the Mayo Clinic looked ment. BG News Photo/ MIKE LEHMKUHLE at patients who took the fen- The course focuses on the phen cocktail, while a second examination of the meaning of The 14th annual Festival of Lights at the Toledo Zoo In Toledo, Ohio turned on its lights on Friday, Nov. 19 for the public to study, published in the Journal life. The students do 15 exercis- observe. There are over one million individual lights lighting up trees and other decorations. See NOW section for story. of the American College of Car- es, one each week. They go diology, dealt with people who through reading material and took dexfenfluramine alone. write a half page response to it. The studies, as well as one pub- The students post it on a virtu- Union bar gets mixed reviews lished last week, reached simi- al "bulletin board" that all stu- lar conclusions. dents have access to. They then By SARA EATON alley, there is not a ulations on the age. sports peo- The Mayo study looked at a critique and respond to each The BG News bar on campus. Not all students, however, ple togeth- small group — 30 men and others writing. In the new Union, "It's a great are in favor of an on-campus er, but women who were participating The students must also write the University will idea," said senior bar. money is in a trial of the two drugs that three, two to three page papers serve alcoholic bever- computer art major "I don't think the campus definitely was terminated when the "fen" as a part of the course. ages in a bar atmos- Renee Klaas, 22. should promote alcohol at all to a concern part of the combination was According to Hornsby, a phere. She added that students. I don't think it's for college withdrawn. main advantage of the online Although the it will help keep appropriate," said 20-year-old students," Of the 19 people who took course is that students can do demolition hasn't quite started students on campus rather sophomore psychology major he said. fen-phen instead of a placebo, the work when it is convenient yet, plans are in the works. than going into town. Cheryl Molenda. Even five developed mild valve for them. According to University Senior psychology major Bill She admitted the hours of though abnormalities, or 26 percent. Hornsby said the course Union Director David Crooks, Roser, 22, agreed. operation might influence her many other David Crooks But six months after the allows for a lot of flexibility. the new Union will feature a "I think it will keep kids otherwise, though. universi- patients went off the drugs, all "Anywhere that you can get "contemporary sports bar." interested in campus activities, Currently, the plan is for the ties have bars on campus, like five showed improvement, and Internet access, you can work Along with TVs and billiard it will help keep people on cam- bar to be University-run, not the University of Toledo and three no longer appeared to on the course," Hornsby said. tables, the bar will serve snack pus," he said. rented out to an outside vendor. Ohio State University, this is have drug-related valve dis- Hornsby also said students foods. Crooks said. Not only will it keep more Crooks said. something new for Bowling ease. arc less reluctant to discuss "We are still in the early students on-campus, hut junior Roser is concerned if the Green. "This is reassuring to mil- issues because of the anonymi- planning stages," said Dining social work major Crystol University runs the on-campus "It's a neat formal for stu- lions of people who took these ty that the Internet adds. Stu- Services Director Edward Rinderle pointed out that the bar, the prices might be high. dents to enjoy." Crooks said, weight loss drugs and to their dents feel less inhibited and O'Donnell. "Minimally a vari- bar would bring in more money "If the University runs it, a explaining that the amount of families," said Dr. Donald Hen- less self conscious about shar- ety of appetizers will be served, for the University. glass of beer will cost $18." he alcohol consumed will be close- srud. leader of Mayo's study. ing their opinions over the beer and wine." While she is in favor of the said, laughing. ly monitored. The dexfenfluramine study Internet as opposed to in per- Although students can cur- University bringing a bar on Freshman undecided major Molenda agreed if the bar rently purchase beer from the campus, Rinderle said there John Kelly. 19. agreed. • See ONLINE, page four. Pizza Outlet and the bowling needs to be strict rules and reg- "It's a good way to bring • See BAR, page four. i See DIET, page four. WTO conference goes ahead despite protesters By GEORGE TIBBITS defense of the objectives of the to police who battled rampag- Associated Press Writer WTO meetings this week to ing protesters with tear gas and SEATTLE — Stunned by vio- launch a new round of global pepper spray Tuesday lent street protests resulting in trade negotiations. Today, city officials declared scores of arrests, delegates to a He said that tearing down a no-protest zone for nearly all 135-nation trade gathering global trade barriers erected of the city's downtown core, insisted they would push ahead against American farm prod- about 50 city blocks, acknowl- today with efforts to launch a ucts, manufactured goods and edging they were caught new round of talks. President service companies would make unaware by the magnitude of Clinton pledged lo work for a sure that the U.S. economy the disturbance. "broader consensus" to meet remained strong and prosper- "Clearly, in hindsight, the the protesters' concerns. ous in the 21st century. approach we used yesterday did After touring a state-of-the- "We have to continue to open not work and we're going to art port facility for processing markets ... but we can't do any have to take a different Washington state apples. Clin- of that unless there is a broad- approach today," Assistant ton told an audience of farmers er consensus on trade," Clinton Police Chief Ed Joiner told a that he welcomed the thou- said. news conference. sands of protesters who had Clinton's motorcade to the Police, who arrested 68 peo- come to Setttle to peacefully Seattle port traveled through a ple Tuesday, moved in swiftly voice their concerns about how trashed downtown where offi- this morning to break up pock- the World Trade Organization cials were stepping up arrests ets of demonstrators and operate of protesters to regain control of arrested about 250 of them, But he said, "for those who the streets after imposing an bringing in transit buses to came here to break windows or overnight curfew.