Monday, March 2, 1998
Community Briefs
Clinton’s lowered loan rate plan well received
An offer made Wednesday by President Clinton to reduce interest
rates on college student loans is good news to state officials and
students.
The reduction Clinton is touting will cut the interest rate on
student loans from 7.8 to 7 percent, potentially saving each public
university or college student who takes out a loan $650 a year.
"I am pleased to announce that we are proposing improvements in
the student loan program that will lower the cost of college for
millions of students and their families while preserving their
access to the loans they need," Vice President Al Gore announced at
a press conference Wednesday.
Although the reductions had been scheduled to go into effect on
July 1, many lenders worried about the losses in profits that would
result from an interest rate reduction, said Thomas Butts,
associate vice president for government relations.
"The problem is the bankers and lenders in the guaranteed (loan)
programs don’t like losing money," Butts said. "They want our
students to pay more to subsidize their profits through the loan
industry."
Law schools fight ban on affirmative action
Law schools across the county are lashing back at recent
attempts to banish affirmative action from law school
admissions.
The effects of setbacks in affirmative action at California and
Texas law schools have led to the naming of February as National
Minority Law Recruitment Month.
The month is part of a commitment to diversity and minority
recruitment by the Law School Admission Council, said Leo Romero,
Law School Admission Council chairman.
The Law School Admission Council is the national organization
that produces the LSAT, administers the LSAT internationally and
deals with law school applicants.
This renewed commitment started after the council noticed
results of Proposition 209, which amended California’s
constitution, and the Hopwood Case in Texas.
Medication errors
are killing, study finds
In the past years, deaths caused from medication errors became
the second leading cause of death in the United States. The study,
conducted by mortality expert David Phillips and his colleagues at
UC San Diego, reviewed morality rates from 1983-1993.
According to the study medication errors increased at a higher
rate that any other cause of death except AIDS.
"Although medication-error morality rates increased over this
period for both inpatients and outpatients," Phillips said, "the
increase was especially marked in outpatients."
During the 10-year study period, the number of outpatient visits
for medical care increased by 75 percent, while the number of
inpatient days decreased by 21 percent. The increase in outpatient
visits implies that patients can take more medications without
supervision, allowing more room for errors.
According to the study, African American males experienced the
highest increase in medication-error deaths, followed by white
male, African American females and white females.
In terms of pharmacology, analgesics and anesthetics showed the
highest increase in deaths.
"Our data suggests that the medical personnel may need to
compensate for changes in medical care by increased vigilance in
the delivery and monitoring of medications, especially for
outpatients," said Phillips. "There is a growing concern about the
quality and continuity of physician-patient relationships. In the
case of the medication errors, this concern may be justified."
Compiled from Daily Bruin staff and wire reports.