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Show Daily Utah Chronicle Friday, August 29, 2003 Mirror image U spouse cards now available The Associated Students of the University of Utah have created the d Student Spouse Card .Released on Aug. 25, the Spouse Card is designed to allow the marriage partners of Enrolled students access to the benefits students across campus can already use. Those benefits include free public transportation, access to the Marriott Library and Campus Recreation Services long-awaite- privileges. The pass is priced at $5, with extra charges for additional benefits. Those eligible are defined as, "all student spouses, same-se- x partners and opposite-se- x partners who are not married," according to the ASUU Procedure and Policy Agreement For information about the Spouse Card, call April or drop by Heiselt at the ASUU office, Union 234. John Boyack 581-278- 8, pf mice and men I i U animal researchers and activists ! Rita Sharshiner I Chronicle Staff Writer ; The Alkine Skaggs Building is a second home for many biology majors, not only because most of their classes are in it. Students spend countless hours in the labs housed within the building, studying chemicals, plants and animals in the hope of advancing the human race. Many scientists applaud animal research for shedding light on numerous human diseases and their respective dures. Animal testing has received credit for helping develop insulin for diabetes patients and antibiotics such as penicillin, both of which have saved countless lives. Those who advocate animal studies argue that animal tissue and organelles are similar enough to humans to provide accurate information on function and malfunction in many different areas of the body. Despite the historical benefits of animal testing, ethical moral 4nd questions inevitably arise regarding the controversial process. Is enough being done to ensure the safety of the animals? Is animal testing really ! ! ; necessary? The Animal Resources Center at the U is set up to make sure that animals participating in studies get treated humanely. The center is responsible for university facilities where animals used in research are housed and is in charge of making sure that all research is done under the the of compliance Institutional Animal Care and I Use Committee. The committee has set up strict guidelines under the Animal Welfare Act. The Act prohibits any "procedures that may cause more than momentary or slight pain or distress to the animals" unless Sedatives, analgesics, or anesthetics" are used. It also ensures that the animals living conditions will be appropriate for their health and comfort" ; Other attentions, such as inspections of the research facilities every six months, seem aimed to ensure the animals' Jason Hardy, a U senior in medical anthropology and president of the Students Organization for Animal Rights, is quite skeptical about the mediation tactics that the center is using. Hardy believes that, more or less, the center is "siding ith animal researchers more than with the animals by allowing confinement of animals, which is in itself a form of animal cruelty." ! well-bein- g. ! Jeremy Beckham, a U freshman majoring in medical sciences and also a member of the organization, siys that animal confinement Causes some animals to because of the irregular environment of captivity. ! lab-drato- ry self-mutila- te ! Another that problem Beckham sees with the center it that the Welfare Act does rjot ensure that all animals are handled correctly. Rats, mice nd birds are not covered by the act, which in turn exposes these animals to potential harm without breaking any rules. Franz Goller, an associate ! Spouses Student Spouse Carcj $5 Campus Recreation Fee $20 per semester, $60 pw year Transportation Fee $33 per year after ($38.50 Sept. 1, 2004 and $44 after Sept. 1, 2005) professor of biology at the U, conducts research on birds specifically pertaining to bird song and feels very comfortable with what he does. He believes that "every investigator should question animal rights." In order to really benefit from animal research, Goller says that "the researcher needs to be convinced that the benefits of the experiment outweigh the costs to the creature." Goller also points to the strict regulations that his lab is subject to, despite the exclusion of birds in the act, and believes that these regulations, if followed, provide enough security for the animal subject. "The decision should be individual, as long as it's within regulations," he says about animal researchers. The thing that frustrates Hardy and Beckham is that animal research, in their eyes, is not critical, if not damaging, to potential advances in medicine. Hardy says that "alternatives exist, such as epidemiological studies, clinical trials and autopsies." Beckham is critical of genetic research done on animals because "animals are too different from us." He points out that the genetic make-u- p of one species does not necessarily transfer over to another. In addition to Beckham and Hardy's belief that there are alternative and effective ways to study human diseases, they also believe that much of the animal research conducted on college campuses is "all about money, not science." They explain that more grant money given for animal studies equates to more papers published, which in turn provides more money for the researchers. Goller does not believe that animal research is a waste of time. Even if the research conducted is basic, such as his study on bird song, it may still prove useful in the future when enough basic research is collected to apply it to human beings. Hardy's organization's goal this year, he says, is to "empower the university community with knowledge to form their own decisions." Another goal that Hardy is striving for is to make U students think about how animal research serves their interest, if it does at all Goller supports the animal rights movement, but is oftentimes frustrated with the radicals who are known to release the studied animals from their cages to set them free. Goller says "that's defeating the purpose of animal rights activists." Goller wonders how far is too far, and hopes that protesting activists avoid hypocrisy by "not wearing leather belts" when protesting animal research. More information on animal rights can be found at v Transportation .... per month fee pays for use on all Utah Transit Authority buses and TRAX. Both on-- and student spouses need to pay the fee only if they want an unlimited pass. The transportation Spouse card applicants are subject to verification of eligibility. J BIRTH DEFECT understanding helped by Capecchi research 1 similar abnormality in a human. A mouse with the "Hoxio" genes disabled can show abnormalities, such as malformed legs or missing kneecaps. That gene, therefore, is attributed to developing the upper leg, according to the research. A human with a mutated gene might suffer from an incorrectly formed thigh bone. Capecchi discovered the lower leg forms under the control of different genes, named "Hoxn." A mutated Hoxn gene in a human could cause abnormally sized or missing toes. Capecchi disabled an entire family of genes to create the mouse with ribs all the way to its tail. The study concluded that 16 of the 39 genes found in mammals play an important role in the evolution of the vertebrate. By identifying each of these genes, scientists have a better understanding of how human limbs and spines function. These findings may have important implications in understanding how many skeletal birth defects in humans occur. One out of every 1,000 babies is born with some limb defect, Wellik ' HELP continued from page 1 the collaboration of so many meant two main things. "It means that the people of Salt Lake City care about the west side," he said. Also, it reinforced the partnership between the U and the neighborhood. "The significance of the U in our neighborhood is immense. As far as the U's outreach, there's no end to it," Turner said. One of the main goals of the partnerstudents to the ship is to send west-sid- e U, to keep it a "strong" institution, he said. The result of the day's work was one most seemed pleased with. "This is one of those really great contributions to the medical and science fields, including the National Medal of Science and the Wolf Prize in Medicine. Wellik is pursuing gene research at the University of Michigan Medical School this fall. cwieserchronicle.utah.edu H f Mike Dolan sketches the Student Services Building for an architecture class Thursday afternoon. said. Capecchi has been both nationally and internationally recognized through numerous awards for his ROSE LAUNDRY moments," said Salt Lake Mayor Rocky Anderson, who was on hand for the park s ceremonial opening. "It really has exceeded our expectations," said Jeremy King, a local resident of Glendale who had the initial idea of building the playground. "This is where children will play until they're adults," said Turner, calling the playground a "safe haven." "I'm excited about it. I hope they do it again," Elija said. Fisher is confident that the playground represents just the beginning of ongoing collaborations between the U and other community members. "This is not just a one-tim- e thing," Fisher said. "We've got to maintain it." ahasnainchronicle.utah.edu PAINT IIALW Tiaer StriDe f 9lBftl 7 I Local website sponsoring of ROTC cadets, """ - " - il Open 7:30 M -- 12 paintball team or paintball a can as function team. that players All equipment and travel expenses paid. Paintball experience is important, but not required. 1 I 900 East 300 South V midnlqht Email: sunnyggiolympuscredit.com UNIT y JL'i!ilV-llH'f-ijiA'i- t o u ii ijfrw&-- bmet CORPORATE Likewise, the rules and regu- lations imposed on animal researchers can be found at the Animal Resource Center on 201 S. President's Circle, II for an appointment w i- V v i--mm www.soar.uarc.com. Room 'ft Spouses Fee-$- 33 continued from page square off in animal rights debate 3 7L M 210. rsharshiner chronicle.utah.edu mi i I I ifllliM" ' 'I' "" r"1 COPY "l |