Friday, May S, 2006
The
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u1tur
Cabrini College's Student Newspaper
A&E The band Split Decision PAGES
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Radnor, Pa.
www.theLoquitur.com
Vol XLVII, Issue 24
Academic Gr-aduate school creates splitdecisions standards differ in Philadelphia news reporter at a NBC affiliate station in Scranton. He said, "I did not go to grad school because it was nc,tnecessary. Grad school As graduation approaches would have been a waste of my quickly many of the seniors will time. My job is strictly based on consider attending graduate experience in the street and in the school but one question they need trenches." to consider is whether or not According to the Senior Surgraduate school is necessary to . vey in 2003, six months after enhance their career or just a way graduation seven percent of to avoid a mediocre job. When it Cabrini's graduates were attendcomes to grad school, are stu- ing full time graduate programs dents attending because they and three and a half percent were need to, or just because they can't attending part-time graduate profind a spectacular job? Before grams. fu 2004, 10 percent were you drop 50 thousand more dol- attending full time programs and lars for a graduate degree that three percent were attending partmay take two to four years, you time programs. had better know if it is worth it. "Many undergraduates have Dawn Francis, an assistant never known academic failure; English and communications pro- · most have never faced a serious fessor, said, "The benefit of grad- intellectual challenge. They have uate school is that it helps you received a steady stream of praise think more analytically and from teachers their entire constrategically. You develop better scious lives. There are few ways research abilities and deeper for students to know whether knowledge of your discipline of they are really competitive, given study. I found, personally, that that so many of them receive such having a graduate degree pre- high grades for such mediocre pared me for management-level work. How do you finally say to positions in a corporate setting. your advisee, 'Even though you As a manager, I was expected to have a 3.9 GPA and everyone be a strategic thinker, a visionary, here thinks you are wonderful, I and a leader." don't think you should go to Some others may be more hes- graduate school if your aim is to itant to shell out the big bucks if become a professor. It's just not being a leader or manager is not that easy,"' said Thomas Benton, the career path they wish to a writer for the Chronicle of explore. Joe Holden, a 2002 Higher Education. alum, is currently working as a Last year, the total number of LAURA VAN DE PETIE
STAFFWRITER Lcv722@CABRINI.EDU
YADIRAR. TOLEDO EVENTS EDITOR YRT722@CABRIN1.EDU
Like most eastern cities, Philadelphia is home to historical landmarks, beautiful architecture and rich muse• urns. But the City of Brotherly Love also has a dark side. It has rough and tumble neighborhoods, far from the tourist attractions, where crime and drugs are common place. It is a place where, for many residents, innocence and youth are lost. It is also a place where education is not a priority for many; in fact, it often takes the backseat to family problems, friends and the trappings of the inner-city. As a result, this disinterest in academics is most visible in high schools within the Philadelphia Public School System. Eric Pendleton, a sophomore accounting major, is a Philadelphia resident and a product of the Philadelphia Public School District. Before transferring to one of Philadelphia's top public high schools, Eric was an enrolled student at Germantown High School, a typical neighborhood school within the city. "fu a school like Germantown, there was no hope. Because it's in a gang-infest• ed area, outside influences and neighborhood problems were brought into the school constantly. It was definitely not a good learning environment. Most students didn't care and the teachers could care less. And eventually that disinterest became contagious and rubbed-off on me," Pendleton said. The classroom environment created by both the teachers and the students made it impos.sibleto learn in a comfortable environment. According to Pendleton, disrespect was just as rampant as disinterest. SCHOOLS, page 4
0.0.NSQUIRE/PHOTO EDITOR
The graduate and professional studies program at Cabrini offers help for those wanting to attend graduate school.
advertised jobs for college English professors dropped from 983 to 792, and only about half of those jobs are on the tenure track. Remember that the 977 doctorates produced in 2000-2001 will have to compete with hundreds of job-seekers from previous years. With all the negativity that can be associated with grad school, it is astounding that so many Cabrini students dove directly into
obtaining their master's degree. Jill Hindman, a 2002 alum, is currently working as a media relations manager at GMAC. She was fortunate to have her first employer, Unisys, pay for her graduate school tuition at La Salle University shortly after her graduation at Cabrini. "I would like to think that when I apply for
GRAD SCHOOL, page 3
Students findrelief through sleeping pills NIKKI SABELLA
A&EEDITOR Ns722@CABRINI.EDU Sleep-deprived Americans are consuming sleeping pills more now then ever before. While patients, including students with experience, avoid them for fear of side effects; professionals contradictorily feel they don't pose a threat. According the New York Times, there were over 42 million sleep aids prescribed in 2005, which was up nearly 60 percent from the year 2000. And according to the McKinley Health Center of the University of Illinois, two thirds of college students surveyed had occasional sleep disturbances and only 11 percent of those surveyed felt they had quality sleep habits.
OAN SQUIRE/PHOTO EDITOR
Melatonin, a dietary supplement, is also used to help people sleep at night According the New York Times, there were over 42 million sleep aids prescribed in 2005.
"I hope I'll be able to sleep again," Amanda Finnegan, sophomore English and communication major said. Finnegan described her experience of being on prescription sleeping pills as "terrible." Her neurologist had prescribed Lunesta because Finnegan had troubles sleeping from
temporomandibular joint syndrome and also her roommate's snoring. She said her doctor told her it was the safest drug on the market and had the least risk for dependency, without telling her of the other side effects. Soon after taking Lunesta,
Finnegan started having "more nightmares than ever before." She would hallucinate and see things in the middle of the night and she spoke in her sleep. After being on Lunesta for a little over a month, Finnegan's mother warned her to stop taking the pills from reports she read of the side effects. Lunesta's website states that some side effects include changes in behavior and thinking. Some of these effects are more outgoing or aggressive behavior than normal, confusion, strange behavior, agitation, hallucinations, worsening of depression and suicidal thoughts, to name a few. However, the site also mentions that these side effects are not common.
SLEEPING, page 3