Brown and White Vol. 118 no. 2

              Professors discuss past, present and future of Haiti
By RACHEL SCHARMANN
Four Lehigh professors led a discussion on Haiti in an effort to educate students, staff and the com­munity on how the country got into its ongoing crisis – and how it can prevail.
John Savage, associate professor of history; Marie-Sophie Armstrong, associate professor of modern languages and literature; Frank Gunter, associate professor of eco­nomics; and Jack Lule, professor of journalism and communications, spoke in Sinclair Auditorium last Wednesday.
The 7.0 magnitude earthquake and two large aftershocks struck Haiti on Jan. 12, leaving thousands killed and millions displaced.
Savage said the current situation in Haiti could have been predicted given its history.
“This was not just a natural di­saster,” Savage said. “There were patterns set in place over time that determined the shape it is in today.”
Haiti was a country once called “the pearl of the Antilles.” It con­trolled 40 percent of the sugar trade and 60 percent of the world’s coffee trade, Savage said.
“So how do you go from a wealthy country to one of the poor­est in the Western world?” he asked.
According to Savage, one of the main reasons was that much of Haiti’s wealth was dependent on slave labor.
The slave population reached approximately 800,000 during the 18th century, but dropped to 500,000 by the end of the century due to huge mortality rates across the country.
“Many places were essentially death camps,” Savage said.
Haiti declared its independence
See HAITI Page 3
Vol. 118 No. 3
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
‘All the Lehigh News First’
THE BROWN AND WHITE
Lehigh University’s Student Newspaper Founded in 1894
SPORTS
Lehigh track splits with Lafayette
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Working to slow the spread of AIDS
Page 7
LIFESTYLE
Stem cell research raises ethical concerns
Rauch dining venue expands, moves upstairs
By OPEYEMI AKINBAMIDELE
Common Grounds, once located on the lower-level of the Rauch Business Center, has moved to the second floor so students, faculty and staff can enjoy a better eating facility.
At the new location, there is a larger seat­ing area, a selection of Starbucks products and new menus that include hot food, milkshakes, smoothies, fresh fruit and some old favorites, like the Turkey Classic.
Students are excited about the affordable pricing offered at the new Common Grounds.
“Before, the only hot food sandwiches were $5 and above,” Amira Sa’abang, ’12, said. “Now they have some smoked sandwiches for $2.99 and a coupon where if you buy four sandwiches, you get the next one free.”
“Staff, faculty and students noted how tight the downstairs location was,” Paul Brown, dean of the College of Business and Economics, said. “There was always a line.”
According to Brown, Sodexo, the company that manages Common Grounds, also request­ed a larger eating venue.
Prior to the cafe moving, Brown said the location upstairs had been underutilized, which was unfortunate because it has a beautiful out­side area, including an eating patio.
It had not been used for the past three years, aside from the occasional event held there.
“There aren’t many eating areas in the southeastern part of campus, which includes athletics, Rauch and Zoellner,” Brown said. “We needed a dining facility where faculty, stu­dents and staff could sit and interact over soup, especially because as many as 2,000 people go through RBC during the course of an academic day.”
Students have been raving about the expan­sion and have had many positives things to say.
By JOCELYN GURLAND
Elaine Fuchs, who works in the Laboratory of Mammalian Cell Biol­ogy and Development, spoke Friday in Packard and Lewis Laboratory on the development of stem cell research and its ethical concerns.
Stem cells are cells of the body that can self-regenerate and divide to make long-term stem cells. Fuchs explained that most cells of the body die, but stem cells are the only type of cell with the capability to continue to renew.
Nuclear transfer is one of the proce­dures Fuchs focuses on in her lab.
In this process, the nucleus of an unfertilized egg is removed, discarded and replaced with the nucleus of a skin cell. The cell is then reprogrammed and placed back into the body so it can regenerate.
Embryonic stem cells can generate cells for all tissues of the body, while adult stem cells can only generate a subset of tissues.
“Epidermis cells cannot make liver cells, just as liver cells cannot make epidermis cells,” Fuchs said
“I work mainly with skin,” Fuchs said. “I put the skin cells in culture and with reprogramming, skin has become the hot tissue of choice.”
It is easy to target the skin cells, more so than embryonic stem cells, because skin is so accessible, accord­ing to Fuchs. “It requires just a biopsy, needle and band-aid,” she said. “Even a 10 year old can do it.”
Different lines of stem cells have been created. Currently 13 different lines are available at Harvard and Rockefeller universities.
“It is important to have more than one line because the cells might not be grown in the proper condition,” Fuchs said.
“The history of cell lines are poor and the researcher needs to know if that particular line is the perfect stan­dard for different cell types.”
Fuchs’ laboratory works with hu­man and mouse models. “Human disorders are mimicked by mouse models,” Fuchs said. “We exploit the mouse system to understand human disorders.”
Researchers believe disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s and diabetes can be cured through stem cell regeneration. They are trying to use differentiation to improve pa­tients’ conditions.
Most researchers are trying to find a way to get their experiments to the clinical level. A therapy for blindness was created where researchers took
See STEM CELL Page 3
See CAFE Page 4
Singing for a cause
B&W photo by KIM OSBORN
Charlie Anderson, ‘10, leads The Melismatics in their rendition of “Walking in Memphis” by Marc Cohn. Hawkappella was an a cappella festiva held on Saturday with proceeds benefiting Haiti relief.