1980-03-31; Central Michigan Life

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Central Michigan LIFE
Today: Chance of rain. Highs in the
40s and lows in the lower to mid 30s.
Tuesday: Chance of rain. Highs in
the mid 40s to low 50s. Lows in the
mid 20s to mid 30s,
Vol. 61 No. 73
©   Central Michigan LIFE
Mount Pleasant, Michigan 48859
Telephones 774-3493-774-3830
12 Pages1
Cobb students verbally
threaten to sue CMU
by PATTY WOODBURY
LIFE Staff Writer
Verbal threats of a lawsuit have been expressed by some Cobb
residents against the University's lack of security during the recent
flooding incident, but so far no concrete action has been taken.
The idea of withholding room and board payments by the entire
hall has also been tossed around, but the complaints have remained
verbal.
Concerning the lawsuit possibilities, University Counsel J, David
Kerr explained what steps would have to be taken to bring a class
SA committee
to aid residents
Student Association will go to
area businesses asking them to
help Cobb Hal! residents
recover personal property lost
in the recent flooding incident.
The Cobb Committee, which
wa? formed at the SA's meeting
Wednesday, met for the first
time Thursday to formulate
plans to aid the residents in
recovering their possessions
that were soaked March 16.
"We want to help residents
get back some of the stuff they
lost. 'We cannot get complete
replacement, but we can try to
replace some of the damaged
goods," said Kathy Brooks,
chairwomen of the committee.
The committee is currently
approaching area businesses
and asking them to give
discounts to the Cobb Hall
residents.
"We have been to just a few
businesses, They have been very
receptive to the idea, but some
are chain stores and must check
with the main office first and
some do not offer discounts,"
SA's Jeff Markel said.
Before establishing a discount
program, a list of the residents'
names and the dollar value of
the property lost in the flooding
must be compiled, said Markel,
Owosso sophomore.
The committee will also be
talking to the Mount Pleasant
Downtown Business Association
and the Mount Pleasant
Chamber of Commerce about
helping the residents by offering
discounts on merchandise.
The discounts would apply on
products ranging from records,
stereos, clothes, books, furniture
and rugs, said Brooks, Bir'
mingham junior.
"We would also like to set up a
fund, where students and
businesses, if they could not give
discounts, could donate to help
the Cobb residents," Markel
said.
Registration view
vague—Albosta
by SUE GLENN
LIFE Staff Writer
While saying he sees no harm
in registering young men for the
draft, U.S. Rep. Don Albosta
also believes money spent on
draft registration could be
better spent on student loans.
The representative's
legislative aide, who also was at
the speech, said Albosta did not
yet have a definite stand about
the registration issue.
Albosta, D-St. Charles, told a
group of about 20 in Moore 101
Saturday morning while he did
not favor military draft he did
not see any harm in having
young men register.
The speech was a part of
Disarmament Weekend, a
consciousness-raising session
about related issues sponsored
in»part by the Wesley Foundation.
"I don't see any harm in
registering 19-and 20-year-olds
for the draft," he said.
"It doesn't hurt anybody to
register."
However, in a question and
answer period after his speech
Albosta apparently contradicted
himself by saying money spent
reinstating draft registration
could be better spent if put
toward student loans.
The general argument of the
audience was registration will
ultimatley lead to draft, which in
turn will lead to war.
"You can't take freedom away
to protect j freedom," one
member of the audience told
Albosta. "Registration will
eventually lead to war."
In answer to this, Albosta said
registration would serve to
deter war rather than start it,
"Registration   will   send   a
signal to Russia saying that we
(See "Albosta"—page 2)
action lawsuit against the University.
"Anybody can sue anybody else —all they have to do is file a
complaint in court," he said, "but any suit for money brought
against the University has to be handled through the Court of
Claims in Lansing."
Kerr said it is obvious Cobb residents are upset, but added "the
University didn't turn on the water—somebody else did.
"The University has no agreement to provide insurance for the
personal property of students, and encourages students to obtain
their own insurance," he said. ''The University is somewhat paternalistic, but it can't be in every circumstance."
Kerr added "there's no doubt that the students have a lawsuit
against the culprit who did it. That's who's responsible."
One recourse Kerr said the students have is the possibility of
added security in the dorms in the future.
"I've never seen this University's administration be rigid in
something like this, but, in my opinion, if the students want
someone in the dorms over breaks, I suspect there will be a price,"
he said, referring to the added expense of security personnel.
Regarding present friction between Cobb residents and the
University, Kerr said "I don't blame students for being angry. I
think they should direct their anger at the right party.
"It is my hope that the students can resolve this matter internally, and work things out cooperatively for the future," he said.
"(University Officials) are not unsympathetic to student concerns
because they can't give them money for their losses. They are advocates of the students. They care a lot."
Even if no action is taken in the aftermath of the flooding incident
to insure students against such losses, Kerr suggested students
may start thinking about insurance and how contracts work, "which
will make you a more sophisticated citizen."
Bunny fun
-CM LIFE PHOTO BY STEVE JESSMORE
More than 60 children from seven local elementary
schools got some early practice in finding Easter eggs
Saturday, as Student Foundation conducted its annual
Easter Egg Hunt in Warriner Mail. The Easter Bunny was
present and played games with the children, For a story
on the event see page 12.
Prof researches cancer drug
-CM LIFE PHOTO BY MICHAEL S. GREEN
Robert Howell holds a vial of cisplatin in one of CMU's
laboratories. Cisplatin is a proven cancer remedy, but
produces dangerous side effects—such as extensive
kidney damage and nausea. Howell, assistant professor
of chemistry, says he has the answer to the problem.
by TOM HENRY
LIFE Ass't. News Editor
Robert Howell isn't an
almighty being, but he could
have the answer to a lot of
prayers.
Answers to prayers of cancer
victims.
Howell, assistant professor of
chemistry, has developed a
method of combining a time-
release drug with a proven
cancer remedy, a method he
believes will be a major step
toward someday treating cancer
as safely as the common cold.
His method consists of
combining polyvinylpyrollidone,
known as PVP, with
dichlorodiamminepiatinum, commonly known as cisplatin, by
means of an alcohol substance,
phenol.
Complicated as it sounds,
Howell's goal is simple: To wipe
out acute kidney damage and
intense nausea resulting from
treatment with cisplatin, a drug
he claims is 100 percent effective for many solid cancer
.tumors.
Cisplatin, developed by
Michigan State University
Professor of Biophysics Barnett
Rosenberg, was approved last
year by the federal Food and
Drug Administration after 10
years of research. It is used
primarily for ovarian and
testicular cancers.
Despite its merit, it is not
used in many cases because of
dangerous side effects.
"The kidney damage could
become so acute " it could
'dispatch the patient itself,"
Howell explained.
"It also produces an intense
amount    of    nausea    in    the
patient—it is perhaps the best
nausea-producing drug around,"
he said.
Some minor problems include
hearing loss and thinning the
hair scalp, he added.
"To solve the problems now,
you must first administer the
drug at low quantities to out the
nausea," Howell said, adding the
tumor will remain, however, if
dosages are reduced excessively.
"Secondly, you dehydrate the
patient, then feed him massive
amounts of liquids and flush the
drug quickly through the kidney
to avoid too much damage," he
said.
But kidney damage is
inevitable: it's a matter of how
much the patient can handle,
Howell said.
That is, unless cisplatin is
released gradually.
Howell claims the PVP acts as
a time-release agent when
combined with cisplatin because
of its protein-rich amine, composition, which helps hold the
drug.
There would not be extensive
kidney damage, he says, because
the concentration of cisplatin in
the kidneys would be low. And
nausea would . be avoided if
cisplatin is released slowly
because the amount of it in the
bloodstream would be tolerable.
The time-delay technique
triggered by PVP means
dosages of cisplatin would
gradually be excreated through
the system after about three
days. Without PVP, the drug is
excreted within a few hours,
according to Howell.
The 37-year-old Howell backs
up his novelty with firm confidence. So does CMU.    •.
(See "Cancer*'—page 11)
In Brief
Today at midnight is the deadline for getting
1980 license plate tabs. Tabs are available at
the Secretary of State Office, 300 W. Michigan
St.
Campus
A study in relaxation
was conducted in the
form of Swedish massage
Friday.
page 12
Sports
CMU    men    netters
played the role of "big
school"—and won.
page 10
Index
Arts and Leisure 7
Classifieds.  11
Doonesbury ,4
Horoscope.  ji
Off the Wire .'.'.'.'.2
Sports ' §
Spotlife ! * 11
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