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Campus Digest: Research and more
3/10/2003

Johne’s Genes
A major dairy cattle disease that costs the U.S. dairy industry more than $200 million a year is a step closer to eradication thanks to researchers from the U of M and elsewhere. Researchers have sequenced the genome for the bacterium that causes Johne’s disease, a major chronic wasting disease found in cattle and other ruminants like sheep and deer. The bacterium that causes the chronic gastrointestinal infection of Johne’s disease has been hard to diagnose because there are several bacteria with similar structures. The sequencing of nearly 5 million base pairs revealed several unique genes, the discovery of which should aid in diagnosis. Knowing the genetic structure will help researchers make strides in treatment and prevention as well. The Johne’s disease project is part of a broader University effort that seeks to sequence the genomes of a wide range of animal and human pathogens to help understand how they cause disease and to improve diagnosis and treatment. More on the University’s Microbial Pathogenomics Program and results of the Johne’s disease sequencing analysis are available on-line at here

Disenfranchisement Results
Had felons and ex-felons not lost the right to vote, the Democratic Party might have control of the White House and the U.S. Senate, according to research by University sociology professor Christopher Uggen and a Northwestern University sociologist. Almost all U.S. prisoners lose the right to vote, and in many states, so do those on probation and parole. In several states, ex-felons permanently lose that right. Since African Americans and poor or working-class whites are overrepresented among convicted felons, and these groups have traditionally voted for Democrats in elections, Uggen suggests that the rapid growth in disenfranchisement has provided a small, but clear, advantage to Republican candidates. Seven Senate elections since 1978 might have turned out differently had felons been allowed to participate, and the Democrats would have held the Senate during the Republican majority of the late 1990s and again this year. In the 2000 presidential election, Democrat Al Gore would have won because Florida has a higher proportion of disenfranchised felons than any other state and its electoral votes were the deciding factor. By extrapolating from demographic and voter turnout figures, Uggen estimates that if ex-felons had regained the right to vote, Gore would have gained at least 30,000 votes in Florida. George Bush won the state by 537 votes. The study was printed in the American Sociological Review and is available on-line.

Hope for Preventing Leukemia
A study that offers hope for the treatment, early detection, and perhaps even prevention of some leukemia cases was completed recently at the University of Minnesota Cancer Center. Researchers, led by Dr. John Kersey, found that leukemia most often develops from a long genetic process that begins before birth. By introducing the gene that is known to cause most human forms of leukemia into mice, researchers were able to follow the distinct genetic and cellular changes before and after birth that led to leukemia in adult mice. Results further suggest that in the early stages, the leukemia genes are in "survival mode" rather than growing vigorously, suggesting that early diagnosis and treatment could prevent the disease from progressing to full-blown leukemia. The research was presented on-line and will be printed in an edition of the journal Blood in spring 2003.

Overheard on Campus
"Although we recognize the [Saddam] Hussein regime is reprehensible, the war being planned will not decrease and MAY increase the suffering of the Iraqi people for many years to come. The likelihood of a high cost in lives of both combatants and non-combatants is too great given the weak justifications that have been offered for an invasion and the limited considerations for post-war Iraq."
—From an on-line petition started by University Professor David Fox and signed, as of late January, by more than 32,000 academics worldwide

"I had low SAT and ACT scores. Standardized test scores are not reflective of drive and desire."
—University of Minnesota senior David Simon, who was rejected by 17 colleges but accepted by the University of Minnesota, after learning that he had been named a 2003 Rhodes Scholar

"We try to be careful not to chalk a nice-looking building. I don’t think we’ve ever done it on Northrop [Auditorium]."
—Nonstudent Ty Moore of the University of Minnesota Coalition Against War on Iraq, quoted in the St. Paul Pioneer Press. The University is discussing limiting chalk messages to sidewalks in response to an increase in writing on buildings and other surfaces.

"I’m like, ‘They have sushi? Oh my God, they have sushi!’"
—Unidentified student at the University Recreation Center on her reaction to her first visit to the renovated Coffman Memorial Union

"When large predators lose their natural prey—whether due to rinderpest, culling or habitat loss—no one should expect these animals to quietly twiddle their claws and starve to death."
—Professor Craig Packer, a behavioral ecologist with the U’s Lion Research Center, quoted in a National Geographic News article about man-eating lions being more common than previously thought

"Americans have long cherished self-created freaks—people who set out deliberately to do something that makes other people wince."
—Karal Ann Marling quoted in USA Today about the competitive eating contests growing in popularity to see who can down the most food in the least amount of time

The Cost of an Education

In 1970, it took 24 hours per week at minimum wage to cover the cost of attending the average public university.
In 1980, it was 23 hours;
In 1990, it was 39 hours;
In 2000, it was 48 hours;
And by 2002, a student would have to work 55 hours per week at minimum wage to cover the cost of attending the average public university.
Source: November 2002 issue of Opportunity, a postsecondary education newsletter.

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