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The Week in Brief'Outside' editor addresses predators' problems`Outside' editor addresses predators' problems
Can humans and predators coexist? In a Thurs., Oct. 29, presentation entitled, "The Improbable Lion and the Ultimate Fate of Ultimate Predators," Outside magazine editor-at-large David Quammen, CC '70, discussed the current predicament of the Asiatic lion. Asiatic lions have caused 28 human deaths and 165 injuries since 1978. Retaliation by farmers and breeders, on whose crops and livestock the lions feed, has prompted outcry from preservationists. The issue, however, is not a simple one. "The people who live next door [to the lions] are the ones whose lives and property are being affected," Quammen explained. "They see governments and conservationists as their enemies." "The scientific questions are the easy ones; it's the political issues that are hard," Quammen noted. But he concluded optimistically: "Maybe the improbable lion isn't impossible." --Janey Lewis
Dartmouth follows Ivy financial aid trendDartmouth follows Ivy financial aid trend Following the examples of Yale, Harvard, and Princeton, Dartmouth announced sweeping plans to revamp its financial aid on Fri., Oct. 23. The college will increase the amount of scholarship money it awards by $1.98 million. By 2002, Dartmouth plans to ease students' loan burdens, reducing loans by between $1,000 and $3,525, depending upon family income. The university further proposes to lessen the extent to which family assets and home equity factor into its new financial aid formula, which will help middle income families. Finally, the college will permit students to retain the full amount of outside scholarship awards.Dartmouth President James Wright commented, "These changes will ensure that a Dartmouth education remains within the reach of our nation's most talented students, regardless of their financial circumstances." A recent fundraising capital campaign and alumni donations will permit Dartmouth to increase its financial aid endowment. --Melissa DePetris
Yale grad gets city administration postYale grad gets city administration post Yale graduate Albert Lucas, BR '90,continues to make a name for himself in Elm City politics. On Mon., Oct. 19, he was appointed director of the city's Office of Legislative Services.Lucas, who served as a legislative aid from 1990 to 1998, majored in political science at Yale. He described his new position as a sort of chief of staff for the Board of Aldermen. While "staying out of the limelight," he explained, he will work on coordinating events, drafting legislation, writing speeches, researching policies, and keeping the board informed of current events. Lucas said it's too early to tell what major issues he'll be working on, but said that he is "honored and humbled by the opportunity to help the elected officials of New Haven as much as I can." Ward One Alder Julio Gonzalez, CC '99, was excited by Lucas' promotion. "Al's a great, down-to-earth guy with a keen understanding of politics," Gonzalez said. --Liz Oliner
Nursing school adds new departmentNursing school adds new department The Yale School of Nursing announced this week the creation of the Office of Research and Policy. Designed to place emphasis on research and scholarship, the office will be headed by Margaret Grey, the associate dean for research affairs and the Independence Foundation Professor of Nursing. "[The new office] will provide support for faculty research and faculty policy activities and help bring together research and policy," Grey said.The office, currently located in the School of Nursing facility at 100 Church St. South, will make available administrative support and consultation services in grant development and management, writing, statistical analyses, and database management and development. "As our research and scholarship are translated into policy and practice, we not only advance the health of our own patients, we advance health care itself," Grey explained. --Kris Siriratsivawong
City teachers agree to new contractCity teachers agree to new contract New Haven's teachers finally settled their differences with the city on Mon., Oct. 26, and agreed on a new contract after weeks of protest. "Any negotiation process is a give and take," New Haven Federation of Teachers President Frank Carrano explained. "We did about as well as we expected, though we'd hoped for more."The teachers union gave up part of their proposed medical benefits package, agreeing to a cost-sharing plan that Carrano claimed is common in other school districts. For its part, the city agreed to give the teachers $6.3 million in total raises, an increase of 12 percent over the four years of the contract. While the new contract puts veteran teachers among the highest paid in the state, its provisions for new teachers leave their salaries behind those of Hamden and West Haven teachers. In addition, new teachers' dependents are no longer covered by their medical plans. Carrano believes these changes will probably hurt the city's attempts to hire teachers in the future. "I think the Board of Education will regret that in a year or so," he said. --Molly Ball
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