The Occupy protests present a classic First Amendment problem: balancing political dissent against government control of property. “In theory, the government has very limited authority to curb expressive activity in what the law calls ‘public forums,’” says Gregory P. Magarian, JD, constitutional law expert and professor at Washington University in St. Louis School of Law.
Thanks to the generosity of Washington University’s faculty, staff and retirees, thousands in the St. Louis community will receive hot meals, job training and warm clothes for the winter. The WUSTL community has raised more than $686,000 in its United Way of Greater St. Louis campaign, surpassing the university’s stated goal of $650,000.
WUSTL international students recently learned the intracacies of Amercian football in a workshop organized by the Office of International Students and put on by Bears football player Jonathan Paramore. The main goal was to give students enough basic knowledge so they could enjoy games with their American peers.
Fannie Mae, the biggest source of money for United States home loans, said last week it will need another $7.8 billion in federal aid following a third-quarter loss of more than $5 billion. As long as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are receiving subsidies, say banking experts at Washington University in St. Louis, there exists potential for another economic meltdown.
Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown that taking a probiotic before radiation therapy can protect the intestine from damage — at least in mice. Their study suggests that taking a probiotic also may help cancer patients avoid intestinal injury, a common problem in those receiving radiation therapy for abdominal cancers.
An experimental treatment for urinary tract infections has easily passed its first test in animals, alleviating weeks-long infections in mice in as little as six hours.
The Campus Y at Washington University is celebrating its 100th year on campus in 2011 and kicking off its “Strong Community Campaign” from 4:30-6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, at Whittemore House. The celebration is open to the public. The annual campaign helps support 28 community service programs. More than 900 students and 92 student leaders are involved with these programs.
Stuart S. Sagel, MD, professor of radiology and former director of the chest radiology section at the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, died Friday, Nov. 11, 2011, of leukemia. He was 71.
The Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts will host a dedicaiton for a new, as-yet-untitled work by internationally known artist Patrick Dougherty at noon Monday, Nov. 21, on the south lawn of Givens Hall. The large woven-wood sculpture was designed and completed as part of a master class Dougherty led for students in architecture, landscape architecturea and the visual arts. The piece will remain on view through fall 2013.
The U.S. remains on track to spend twice as much for health care as for food, yet millions are without insurance or uninsured. “Health insurance premiums also continue to rise – on average another 9 percent in 2011,” says Merton Bernstein, JD, leading health insurance expert and the Walter D. Coles Professor of Law Emeritus at Washington University in St. Louis. “Medical care costs can change direction if policy makers stop whistling past a significant contributor – non-benefit costs.”