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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 27, 1981)
Emerald Vol. 82, No. 110 Eugene, Oregon 97403 Friday, February 27, 1981 Toxic shock-Rely link still puzzles doctors By ANN PORTAL Of the Emerald Doctors don’t know what causes toxic shock, but incidences of the disease have decreased dramatically since October, a Eugene gynecologist said Wednes day. In the first of a series of talks on women’s health sponsored by Lane County, Dennis Schuelke said physicians have isolated the bacteria that causes toxic shock. But why tampon users — especially users of Rely tampons — are more likely to be infected remains unknown. As of Dec. 30, 941 cases had been reported na tionwide. Thirty-six cases were reported in Oregon, three times the number of cases in Washington. Eugene has had five confirmed cases and four more probable cases, one of which caused a death. Nationwide, 60 percent were tampon users. Almost three-fourths of those women used Rely. Schuelke said the bacteria that causes toxic shock has been around a long time. But it’s the toxin the bacteria produces that makes women sick. The same bacteria also causes food poisoning, he said. The first cases of toxic shock in the early 1970s were in children. Although 98 percent of the cases have been women, Schuelke said the bacteria is present in 7 percent of the population and can produce the toxin wherever conditions are right. Menstrual blood is an ideal medium for the growth of bacteria, Schuelke said. The length of time between tampon changes also seems to be a factor, he added Many women who have developed toxic shock have used the new, ‘‘super-absorbent’’ tampons and have left them in for as long as two days. The new tampons act as a plug and back up the blood, allowing the bacteria to grow. “The time is very crucial,” Scheulke said. Toxic shock symptoms include a fever of about 102 degrees, a sunburn-like rash, vomiting, peeling of the skin and low blood pressure In later stages, the disease can affect many of the organ systems, including the central nervous system. Some organ damage and side-effects can be life-long, Schuelke said. “This is a very serious, very hard-to-treat disease." Physicians have noted an increase in the number of women reporting symptoms of the disease, Schuelke said. Doctors have found that many women have had minor toxic shock attacks during three or four men strual periods before being hit with a “full-blown’' attack. Injuries key hazing probe By BILL MANNY Of the Emerald The injury of two University fraternity pledges has obscured exactly what constitutes hazing and how prevalent it is. During a Thursday press conference, acting University Pres. Olum said he couldn’t define hazing. But he said he considered leaving students in the country to find their way home as "risky.” “It has to be looked into. I think there is a general concern about doing that," Olum said Interfraternity Council Pres. Mark Hallquist labels the incident as isolated but called it "serious” and “shocking." And Dean of Students Bob Bowlin says hazing hasn’t been a problem at the University in the past. Kappa Sigma pledges Mark Rosier and Ron Pierce, both 18, were hit by a car Sunday night near Marcola while walking with seven other pledges along a dark road One of the groups’s members has been quoted as saying it was just a “good time” that turned sour. While the outcome is unclear, the circumstances surrounding the tragedy are clear. The nine men were left on a Marcola Road at night to find their way back to Eugene as part of a fraternity “togetherness” excer cise, Bowlin says The students flagged down a fire truck and were asking for a ride when another car came around a curve and struck two of the scattering group, according to the sheriff's office. Rosier is listed in serious condition in the intensive care unit. Suffering from head injuries, he underwent surgery Thursday that “went well,” according to a nursing supervisor at McKenzie-Willamette Hospital. Pierce is in serious but stable condition, and was removed from the intensive-care ward Tuesday. “Hazing is any mental or physical abuse," Hallquist says flatly. Bowlin says anti-hazing agreements between the University and fraternities “covers mainly excesses.” But Bowlin points out that "this particular activity" is banned by the organization of national fraternity alumni presidents because "out in the darkness these things can happen ” Bowlin said physical excesses such as fatiguing the pledges are banned. Students are at the University as students, and requiring them to stay up until 4 a m. when they have early classes is excessive, Bowlin says. Continued on Page 5 Coaches call Caine’s cuts questionable By JODY MURRAY Ol the Emerald Calling Athletic Director John Caine’s budget figures "questionable,’’ a group of University coaches presented their own budget-cut recom mendations to the Intercollegiate Athletic Commit tee. The coaches’ six-page proposal — which would eliminate no sport program — was explained at a Thursday IAC meeting. Caine's proposal, presented to the IAC Feb. 19, recommended cut ting men’s and women's swimming and men’s and women’s gymnastics. The five coaches at the meeting stressed their document was not an official counterproposal to Caine’s recommendations. “Caine's proposal was incomplete,’’ said women’s track coach Tom Heinonen. “It won’t solve the budget crunch or the big picture,’ as (Caine) described it.” The coaches also told the committee Caine's numbers aren’t entirely accurate. “We can't find anyone to explain the figures," said men's gymnastics coach Bill Ballester "My particular budget isn’t what’s reflected in that athletic budget." The coaches’ proposal adds up to a budget slash of $650,583. The athletic department’s deficit is $375,000, and could grow to more than $750,000 next year with inflation. , The cornerstone of the coaches’ recommen dation is a freeze on all coaches’ salaries for one year, not including cost-of-living increases. This, the proposal indicates, would save $87,000. The salaries would be made up in 1982-83 Another $62,500 savings, the coaches said, would come from out-of-state scholarship athletes who establish Oregon residency and can be awarded cheaper in-state scholarships Incentive for such a conversion would come from a “work study force” that would provide athletes with campus jobs. This would save the University one-half of its maintenance budget, or $50,000. Fully or partially donated services, including a volunteeer doctor to attend athletic events, would cut $20,500 in the coaches' cut proposal. Current ly, the doctor is paid a $10,000 retainer fee. Caine, contacted Thursday, didn't agree with that idea. “In a competitive society, litigation is always a problem We could get ourselves into all kinds of trouble. What if we had an injury at a soccer game, and the doctor decides not to show up?" A $216,324 chunk of the coaches’ proposal is from the administrative budget, including a $38,000 savings by dropping one position. "Most of our administrators think we re over worked now,” Caine said No matter what happens, the University must avoid fielding a crippled athletics program, said Ralph Sunderland, University director of man agement and budget. The IAC must draft a strong proposal that it can sell to the chancellor’s office, Sunderland said. v “If we could go into next year — with this year’s activities — with a profit, (the state board) might be more receptive to a plan that might take a little more time." Sunderland said the athletic department ran into trouble when it tried to build a good program and "gambled" by overbudgeting revenues, re sulting in this year’s deficit The department then looked to the state for help, he said "But that is not forthcoming."
