The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice Since 1890 The Daily Utah Chronicle ©2004 www.dailyutahchronicle.com Vol.114 No. 87 Friday, January 14,2005 Applying MLK's message at the U Munoz praises King, encourages others to follow his example Segregation prevalent at U, according to students Shalee Liston Staff Reporter Shalee Liston Staff Reporter Segregation among college students is often self-inflicted, according to Hispanic activist Carlos Munoz Jr., an issue that some U students recognize. Munoz addressed students and the community in the Union Thursday, as the keynote speaker for Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Week. "In reality, there are no islands," he said. "We are all interconnected and I think it is important to understand that." U junior Aminatu Yusuf agreed, saying that though segregation is not institutionalized, it is still a major issue on campus. "On the surface, like at football games, it might look like everyone gets along really well," she said. "In reality, students stay in smaller groups." Feleti Matagi, a staff member at the U's Center for Ethnic Student Affairs, said he has experienced prejudice at the U several times. "I interned at the U Hospital in the Burn Unit and had no indication I was doing a bad job," he said. "One day just before Christmas break, my supervisor called me into her office and said, 'I know some cultures are slower than others and you're like a "Our students will be launched into a society where segregation is prevalent and we want them to be a vanguard of society," he said. "I do not think there is segregation amongst students at the U." However, sophomore Adrienne Carlos Munoz Jr., founder of the Chicano Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, gave his Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration keynote address to observers in the Union Thursday. Munoz said in his speech that students and people from all nationalities should take advantage of the opportunities to speak out against injustices. "We are very blessed today to live in the midst of a historic moment of profound crises," he said. "We must remember what Martin Luther King fought for in his life." Munoz said his fight for civil rights was greatly influenced by King. "Dr. King argued that we must have equal opportunity in education and employment," Munoz said. "We must do like he did by keeping the spirit of revolution alive." Munoz told of his experiences fighting for the rights of his people and asked students to not be afraid to question political leaders. "We are told it is unpatriotic to criticize our president in times of war," he said. "The youth need to understand that they do not have to be in the Army to be all they can be." Munoz believes if King were alive to- SEE SEGREGATION PAGE 4 SEEMLK PAGE 4 Carlos Munoz Jr. quotes Martin Luther King Jr. during his well-attended keynote address Thursday afternoon in the Union Ballroom. big block trying tofitinto a circle.'" Matagi said he spoke with an administrator in his unit about the incident and a meeting was set up where both parties could discuss what had happened. During the meeting, Feleti's supervisor told him what she said did not sound racist to her. "Shortly after, she retired," he said. Munoz said students have the right and the responsibility to fight for a multiracial democracy. U President Michael Young said racial segregation is an issue students will face throughout their lives. U professor studied snails for new painkiller Christina DeVore Staff Reporter Pain relief might as well have been the last thing associated with slimy, little snails gliding around in the garden, but not any more, thanks to J. Michael Mclntosh, a doctor and professor of psychiatry at the U's School of Medicine. On Dec. 28, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Prialt, a painkiller that gets its potency from cone snail venom. The unique discovery that the venom had sedative powers began when Mclntosh entered the U in 1979 and began researching it. The curious freshman started isolating and characterizing the painkiller in the venom of the Conus magus, a fishhunting cone snail. He worked in the lab of U biologist Baldomero "Toto" Olivera who was using cone snails because they carry a variety of neurotoxins. "Cone snails are creatures that produce tens of thousands of compounds on the nervous system and are selective," Mclntosh said. He discovered the component in the venom affected the nervous system, and then he purified it and determined its chemical structure. After discovering the effects on the nervous system, U biologist Doju Yoshikami determined the component would block the sensors that transmit pain A&E page 5 Get schooled Samuel L. Jackson shows why he's the coach and you're just a bench-warmer Opinion page 11 Sold out The Tribune is going downhill because its new ownership doesn't care about Salt Lake City, Mike Bednarz says. page* Staying on top No. 1 Red Rocks head to Logan for first road meet. Correction In the Jan. 12 article, "MLK celebration to be marked through the arts," the telephone number for the Office of Diversity was incorrect. The correct number is 581-7569. U grads honored by Army during Fiesta Bowl Amanda Friz Staff Reporter A Conus Striatus snail uses Its harpoon shaped radular tooth to catch a "10 cent" goldfish, which it will inject with a paralyzing venom before ingesting. without blocking the motor, which could cause an individual to become paralyzed, .according to Mclntosh. Olivera and Yoshikami developed omega-MVIIA for use in basic research in neuroscience. "It blocks communication between nerve cells, allowing researchers to learn what nerve circuits do normally by seeing what goes wrong when the connections are blocked," Olivera said. The university didn't patent omegaMVIIA because the substance "didn't have a definitive therapeutic use" at the time, he added. "As with many basic science discoveries, the clinical importance of the dis- covery wasn't appreciated at the time," Mclntosh said. The Irish based company, Elan Corp., got FDA approval to sell Prialt for pain suffered by people with cancer, AIDS, injury, failed back surgery or certain nervous system disorders. The drug, which is expected to be available this month or early February, is injected into fluid surrounding the spinal cord by external or implanted pumps about the size of a hockey puck, according to Mclntosh. Mclntosh said his experience in the lab was "really an example of how reSEE SNAILS PAGE 4 U, Smithsonian join forces to protect native languages traditional students but Native American communities who will work with their tribes," Campbell said. "We're going to The U's newly established Center for take a gentle approach; we're only going American Indian Languages is collabo- to offer services that the tribes want." rating with the Smithsonian to help preThe center is part of the U's linguistics serve disappearing languages. program, and it opened its doors last seThe two groups will create diction- mester, though it has not yet had an ofaries, record oral tradition and teach ficial opening. classes for tribesmembers to learn their The center is currently working with native languages or reinforce it. two grants, one to study Shoshone and "Both the Smithsonian and us have the Goshute languages and one to study the same goal: to protect endangered lan- indigenous people of Northern Argenguages. They share a deep concern about tina and Brazil. the loss of languages and the needs of the "The center's idea is that first it will communities who speak them," said lin- focus on the tribes of Utah, and then guistics professor Lyle Campbell, direc- expand from there. We'll offer what we tor of the center, which is located in Fort can, but we can't do too much with the Douglas. number of people we have," he said. "The The first planned activity is a joint con- need to protect endangered languages ference and a jointly developed publica- is pretty universal, and we're willing to help anywhere that needs it." tion beginning in April. Languages are an essential part of While the number of linguistics proAmerican Indian culture, Campbell said. fessors able to work with the program is "Many Native Americans see their currently small, Campbell said he and his languages as tied to their cultural identi- colleagues are starting to make contact ties—values they don't want to lose," he with professors in other campus departments. said. Campbell said he hopes his work with Those on campus aren't the only fellow academics will help preserve the ones who are involved. People from the languages, but he also hopes to attract community have donated their native others as well. "I hope students will not include only SEE S M I T H S O N I A N PAGE 4 Sheena McFarland Editor in Chief third most prestigious award in the military. Porter said that even afArmy First Lt. Cori Lynn ter witnessing the death of a Chapman and Marine Capt. friend, he and his fellow solSam Porter have witnessed diers have to just keep going. firsthand the tragedies of war. "You just do it," he said. The U alumna and U busiIt was this kind of attitude, ness school graduate student, in addition to their outstandrespectively, both lost a close ing service and awards, that friend during their service in earned them recognition beIraq. fore the recent Fiesta Bowl Porter said he was stand- game as part of Operation ing right beside the late James Tribute to Freedom, a DeCawley, a staff sergeant and partment of Army program Salt Lake police officer, when designed to honor soldiers rehe was accidentally hit and turning from the Iraq and Afkilled by a Humvee in late ghanistan Wars. March 2003. Each university competing "The Humvee just came fly- in a bowl game was asked to nominate veterans for recoging over [to them]," he said. Porter was also hit by the nition. The U was the only Humvee and suffered a shat- school with two honorees, said Ann Floor, a U spokesperson tered mandible. He spent two weeks In a and coordinator the U's annumedical unit where "they al Veterans Day celebration. patched me up, made me look The 2002 graduate was deall pretty again," he said. ployed to Iraq from August Soon after, he was sent home 2003 to April 2004, where she in late April of 2003 with a served in Al Taqudium Air Field as the ambulance plaPurple Heart. Chapman also felt the pain toon leader, then later served of losing a fellow soldier and with the surgical team. a friend in Iraq. She said that Porter; who plans to graduone of her most prominent, ate in the summer of 2006, was and tragic, memories came in Iraq, "sitting on the border," from serving with the presti- three months before the war gious paratroopers of the 82nd started and was deployed 29 Forward Support Battalion in months later. Al Fallujah as the executive of"These two people have reficer for the forward surgical ally had some amazing experiteam. ences," Floor said. One day in March 2004, a One of Chapman's amazing group of wounded and killed experiences was more of a cosoldiers were delivered to incidence. While in Iraq, she her team. She recognized one ran into one her teachers from of the dead as a surgeon and theU. good friend with whom she "Kind of crazy running into worked closely. your old ROTC instructor in For her service in Iraq, Iraq," she said. Chapman received the Army Commendation Medal, the SEEU G R A D S PAGE 3 Mark Koebel interviews First Lt. Cori Lynn Chapman about her service in Iraq and Army Commendation medal before the Fiesta Bowl at Sundevil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz. \