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Show Cow tipping - myth or reality? UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY THE Page 4 Logan, Utah • Campus Voice Since 1902 www.utahstatesman.com Wednesday, Sept. 27,2006 National outbreak of E. coli spreading through spinach BY ARIE KIRK Assistant News Editor Photo courtesy of Natalie Cook MEGAN Scon AND M I K E SMITH , first-year debate team members, hang out Friday night at the College of Southern Idaho tournament. USU took 11 debaters to the tournament. With the latest outbreak of E. coli O157:H7, people nationwide are being warned against eating bagged spinach grown in three counties in California. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is reporting to have determined that the contaminated spinach was grown in Monterey, San Benito and Santa Clara counties in California. The public is advised to avoid consuming spinach originating in one of the three counties or if the location in which it was grown cannot be verified. However, it is safe for the public to consume spinach from non-implicated areas, the FDA also said, noting canned and frozen spinach is also safe to eat. E. coli is a bacteria commonly found in the intestinal tract of mammals. "E. coli itself is bacteria and bacteria's common place of residence is where it can survive. E. coli is found in warm-blooded mammals' intestines like animals and humans. It is predominant in the intestinal track," said Brian Nummer, Utah State University's Extension food safety specialist. Because E. coli is found in the intestinal track of animals, Donald McMahon, a professor in USU's nutrition and food science department, said it is possible that the bacteria made its way to spinach plants through irrigation or fertilization. The bacteria could have been present in sewage or manure used on farms, McMahon said. There are hundreds of strains of E. coli, with O157:H7 being the deadliest. Strains of this bacteria are identified by their physical harm to people, McMahon said. E. coli O157:H7 is more harmful because it can attack the kidneys, he said. "This particular strain produces toxin that is quite deadly to kidneys," McMahon said. "When ingested, it can start to multiply in the intestinal track and start to generate toxin." Cases of less serious infection typically lead to mild intestinal upset Debate team members place at tournament and Jake Nutsch of the College of Southern Idaho. Eric Peatross took second in persuasive speaking, and The 11-member USU Di Lewis and Jane McBride Debate Team's open divireceived honorable mension parliamentary debate partners placed third out of tions in prose and informative speaking, respectively. 2i teams at a tournament at the College of Southern The debate team is only Idaho in Twin Falls last two years old and is comweekend. pletely volunteer. Some other schools pay debate Trevor Linderman and coaches and even award Jane McBride won five debate scholarships. USU s preliminary rounds and debate conference encoma quarter-final round passes the Northwestern before losing in the semistates. finals to Linfield College. Parliamentary debate "It's exciting to go in as requires pairs of debaters a non-budgeted team with to prepare an argument in volunteer students and 15 minutes on an assigned coach and be consistently topic and position. competitive and win the conference," Worthen said. "This is a great way to use this tournament in Linderman, ajunior preparation for our confer— majoring in public relations, ence tournaments," said said, "Debate is an exceldebate coach Tom Worthen. lent exercise for the mind, "We're the reigning champs and associating myself with for two years running in our the high class members of conference. We're a young debate is both an experience team and we compete I enjoy and learn from." against 30 other universiFor more information ties and win." about the debate team, Other awards taken by contact Tom Worthen at the team included second drtom@p oeticp ower. com. place by a novice pair made -ella@cc.usu.edu up of Natalie Cook of USU BY LIZ LAWYER Editor in Chief that last a few days with no lingering affect, McMahon said. Nummer said people with weaker immune systems are more likely to suffer serious effects of O157:H7- Those more at risk include pregnant women, newborns, children and the elderly. McMahon said there are some standard steps people can take to avoid O157:H7, or other strains of E. coli, including good sanitation of cooking utensils and cutting boards. It is also important to have some idea of where food was processed, McMahon said. "Have some knowledge of where the product was grown. It is different on a larger scale where most people don't grow their own foods, but avoid consuming spinach right now," McMahon said. The fresh produce market is losing $1 million a day as a result of the latest scare, Nummer said. The question now for companies and distributors is whether or not they will require consumers to wash and sanitize spinach at home, he said. Before spinach is packaged, it is collected by the processing company and put through a long washing process designed to completely sanitize the Staff Writer While many feel a college campus is safer without guns, Utah State Law says state and local agencies cannot restrict possession or use of firearms on public or private property. Students, visitors and employees of the University of Utah have been strictly prohibited from carrying guns on campus since the 1970s. According to Utah's Attorney General, Mark Shurtleff, the case is not an issue of guns or violence. The case was about obeying the laws. The decision came four years after the University filed a lawsuit against Attorney General Mark Shurtleff and challenged his opinion that the school's policy was contrary to Utah's Uniform Firearms Act. The Supreme Court agreed with Shurtleff. A 4-1 ruling on Sept. 8 declared that the U'S ban on guns was contrary to state constitution. While many argue that allowing guns on a educational campus is absurd, an amendment to the law specifically reads, "including state institutions of higher learning." "This decision is a victory for the rule of law. It also gives clarity to the University and allows school officials the opportunity to work with legislators to discuss any changes to state laws," Shurtleff said in a press release. U of U president, Michael Young is urging the case toward the Federal Supreme Court and says he is primarily concerned with keeping the learning environment safe. Shortly following the Utah court decision, Young said the university will continue the ban on guns until a decision is reached by a federal court. More recently, however, the University of Utah has announced that it will suspend its policy on banning guns on campus for the immediate future. The only justice to agree with the universities decision to ban guns was Justice Christine Darham who said the schools policies are with in its Speak Up ^Comments to remember • "The people with a permit to carry guns aren't the ones we need to worry about" Jeanette Shields, Agriculture Education major autonomous authority over academic affairs. Durham wrote, "The policy is necessary to the educational enterprise." In contrast to the Chief Justice's decision, the other four Supreme Court justices were in consensus that the ban is unconstitutional and the school should not be able to make its own laws. While feelings were mixed among the court, feelings on Utah's college campuses are much the same. Several students expressed views after the court's decision, saying there is no need for guns at school. Statesman Photo Illustration Here at Utah State, it seems some students have little concern about the safety of campus. According to students like James Call, who admit to carrying a gun on campus, it is not about needing a gun on campus it is about having the right to choose to have one. "The people with a permit to carry guns aren't the ones we need to worry about," said Jeanette Shields, an agriculture education major. "Those who admit to carrying a gun are usually those who don't intend to use it." When asked if he thought USU students should be concerned about people bringing guns to school due to the awareness that has been generated by the case at the University of Utah, Reed Merrick, a senior majoring in landscape architecture said students should not be worried. "I don't think USU is an unsafe place," Merrick said. "Bringing a gun to this school is a constitutional right, but I don't think students often feel the need to have a gun." USU's administration also expressed views on the court decision saying that higher education in Utah will work with legislative leaders on potential legislation that would create some specific exemptions to current law. According to USU President, Stan Albrecht, changes to the current law might include prohibiting guns in places like student housing areas, classrooms, and hospitals (as in the •GUNS see page 3 • E. cou see page 3 A NATIONAL OUTBREAK of E. coli has some people worried about eating their veggies. People are warned to avoid food that can carry this deadly strain of the disease. Supreme Court rules guns on campus Constitutional BY STEVIC STEWART plant, Nummer said. However, in light of recent events, he said the industry must face the question of requiring additional washing by customers. Nummer said, "People love bagged spinach because it is so convenient. The giant question once this is over is, 'How will people feel about bagged spinach coming from New Jersey or Minnesota or wherever it might be?'" Foodborne E. coli is typically found in undercooked hamburger. "The greatest concern for E. coli, actually, has been in hamburger. They slaughter the cow and their insides are filled with E. coli. Hamburger is ground and the bacteria gets mixed up all the way to the center," Nummer said. "It is recommended that consumers and restaurants cook meat to 155 degrees Fahrenheit and to use a thermometer and insert it in the middle fat juicy part because it can be undercooked," Nummer said. "Temperature is really important to killing bacteria." There is also concern about E. coli and other bacteria in juices that are not pasteurized, Nummer said. Parading tractors for kg Week Jamie(rane/jamiecrane@cc.usu.edu TRACTORS MADE A JOURNEY from the Spectrum parking lot to the TSC to memorialize the nine people that died in and the two survivors of the agriculture van accident last year. The tractor parade had 11 tractors with wreaths on them, one for each person in the accident. After making its way up 800 East and turning to 700 North, the tractors were parked at the TSC prior to the remembrance ceremony held for the victims that night. The bells in Old Main rang nine times for each victim, and the T was lit blue to commemorate the anniversary. |