Capoeira A unique blend of music and martial arts finds a home in San Marcos.
The best horror films of all time. Arts &
Entertainrnent, page 6
Monday, Oct. 25, 1999
Feature, page 7
Volun1e 53, Nun1ber 7
Palon1ar Colle g e - San Marcos, CA
Cal State boots remedial students Freshmen . glven one year to finish classes Tom Chambers Editor-in-Chief
Under an "executive order" that took effect in fall 1998, students completing remedial math and
English courses at California's State Universities must finish the classes before their sophomore year or get booted out of school. Cal State Northridge flunked out more than half of its freshmen taking remedial math and English courses last year. Of the 1, 157 students finishing remedial course work, only 562 went on to their sophomore year. But not all of the CSU schools are flunking as many students. At
San Diego State 94 percent of those taking remedial English classes finished them during the academic year; 78 percent completed remedial math courses. About half of all freshmen who take placement tests are unprepared for college-level math and English and require remedial course work when they enter a CSU school- costing the system more than $9 million a year. The CSU trustees set out to
reduce remedial instruction on its campuses. The trustees' goal is to reduce the need for remedial courses to 10 perce nt by fa ll 2007. In fall 1998 the rates were 47 percent for English and 54 percent for math. To accomplish that goal the university system is building relationships between its faculty and faculty at California high schools, explaining what CSU expects and how to teach math and English in
high school. CSU is also sending its students to K-1 2 classes as tutors. CSU is targeting high schools that send large numbers of students needing remedial education. Cal State San Marcos has changed its remedial math courses to devote more attention to geometry and statistics- instead of intermediate algebra because basic math skills are the foc us of
placement tests . Students who are d isenrolled may petition the u niversity to stay, but under the policy only three reasons are acceptable. The students must have suffered from a serious injury or illness, have a disability, or a death in the family. CSU campus presidents may also extend the time required, under special circumstances, for students to complete remedial course work.
Doctor speaks on hormone therapy Rodriguez told the story of her sister who had a period at the half year, yet conceived a pair oftwins! Many women facing menopause She said during menopause, must make a difficult decision many women because of the whether to take estrogen therapy or decrease in estrogen, experience: not. • Hot flashes Madeline Rodriguez, M.D., chief • Mood disturbances of staff ofTriCity Medical Center for • Irritability and Vista Way Obstetrics • Decrease in memory Gynecology, talked to Palomar staff • Dryness and thinning in vaginal and students about estrogen replaceand vulva tissue ment therapy and women's health, • A significant loss of calcium, Oct. 11. leading to osteoporosis, after 10 to ' "Are you 15 years stressed? • An increase in Hormonal? All lipoprotein or burned out?" she LDL, the soasked. called "bad choThe answer: lesterol" "Maybe all of the Weight above." increase "As women, According to we work harder. Rodriguez, a We have profeslarge percentage sional jobs. We of menopausal have kids and we women die of have husbands . It heart disease and is very hard for many die of some women osteoporosis. today. Entering She said some menopause of the benefits of becomes harder, taking estrogen if we don't handle are: it better than we • A reduction in do," she said. · bone fractures She asked the • A reduction in question, "When hot flashes will menopause • A thickening be over?'' of vaginal and Her answer vulva tissue was, "Never." • A decrease of "We get used to heart disease it. We shall • An increase in spend at least serotonin, which one-third of our - Madeline Rodriquez alleviates depresChief of staff at Tri City sion lives m a Med ical Center for Vista Way menopausal There is no O bstetrics consistent link stage. It doesn't end. It continbetween breast ues," she said. cancer and estroShe said some gen nor is there a of the problems of connection menopause are between hypertension and weight better handled by a psychologist. gain with estrogen. Endometriosis She described the role of estrogen may re-occur if the woman has in young women's breast developalready had it and is in the process of ment and menstmal cycle which taking estrogen, she said. Women continues until menopause. During can remain sexually active after menopause, the cycles get slower menopause, but, of course, cannot and slower and eventually stop. The bear children. level of estrogen decreases. For If osteoporosis runs in the family, most women, this takes place around many recommend estrogen before age 50. menopause. When a woman does not have a She said most women come to her period for one year, she is considered office because they want to feel betmenopausal. It must be for one full year, however, not a half year or twice a year. see MENOPAUSE, page 3
Sean O'Connor
Campus Bear Co-EdiTor
Johnny Rabago I The Telescope
Palomar art instructor Douglas Barker (right) admires a piece by Picasso with students Deborah Leak (middle) and Katie Miller (left) at the Boehm Gallery during the "Palomar Collects" showing.
Students discover snake Shigehiro Kondo StaffWrirer
A Spotted Nigh Snake is a common reptile in the outhwestern prut of the United States. But if it's found on a small island in the Sea of Cortez where the snake has never been ' recorded, it is a scientific discovery. This was exactly what happened to the group of Palomar students and instructors during the Sea of Cortez tour last March. Jim Gilardi, instmctor at the Life Science Department who accompanied the students to the field course with two other instructors, has recently submitted a Geographical Distribution Note reporting the discovery of the snake on a Baja island for publication in "Herpetological Review." Gilardi said the report should be published on that scientific magazine in a couple of months. Twenty students and three instructors from Palomar College headed for the Sea of Cortez, widely known
snake on a small island called Isla Salsipudes. "I was just flipping over rocks," McAfee said. According to him, Dipping over things on the field is the best way to spot nocturnal animals and insects. McAfee also said he immediately figLife science students on a tour of the ured it was a Sea of Cortez spotted the first spotted Spotted Night night snake (like the one shown) on the Snake, which island Isla Salsipudes. shouldn't exist on the island. This repas Gulf of California, last March. The tile, Hypsiglena Torquata in a zootrip was an annual field course logical term, is a common snake offered by the Life Science mostly found in the southwestern part Department for more than 20 years. of the United States, ranging from It was on the third day of the field western Texas to southern Oregon as trip when Allen McAfee, a student well as in the northern part of Mexico. who has been participating in the tour But it has never recorded on that for the last 10 years, encountered the small island in the Sea of Cortez.
About a month after the field course, Gilardi showed the picture of the snake he and his students found on the Baja island to Clark Mahrdt, herpetology expert specializing in the Baja area, and got a verification that the snake was in fact a Spotted Night Snake. "Clark came to my office. When he saw it, he was all excited like a little child. He knew it hasn't been spotted before," Gilardi said. Gilardi also noted Mahrdt was excited because he wanted to make a change in the book in which he is writing about the reptiles in Baja. Gilardi is still in the process of scheduling the Sea of Cortez tour next spring. He said if the Goveming Board of Palomar College approves it this year too, he would like to take students there again. "(The islands in the Sea of Cortez) are considered to be one of the most pristine places in the world. Biologically so rich... and the ideal place to take students to," said Gilardi.
''We shall spend at least onethird of our lives in a menopausal stage. It doesn't end. It continues. ''
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