Discussing the non-prescription misuse of Adderall, Wednesday's "Forum on Study Drugs" aimed to provide an informative forum to allow communication between administrators, faculty and students, according to organizer Natalie Colaneri '12. Held in Collis Common Ground, the panel featured Associate Dean of Campus Life April Thompson, biology professor Lee Witters, psychiatrist Ben Nordstrom and Francine A'Ness, an assistant dean of undergraduate students. A'Ness also served as moderator and began the forum by asking questions taken in part from information provided by a independent study on perceptions of student study drug use conducted by Colaneri. With approximately 100 attendees, the forum considered issues including health, legal and ethical problems attached to the use of study drugs such as Adderall. The forum also addressed possible reasons and pressures that drive students to take study drugs and viable ways to alleviate these pressures. Colaneri is a member of The Dartmouth Staff.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology exhibited unusual speed in replacing President Susan Hockfield when the MIT Corporation announced Provost L. Rafael Reif as the next president after only three months, Inside Higher Education reported. Most searches for presidents at major research universities require between six months and a year, involving multiple meetings among administrators, campus groups and potential presidents. Despite the speed, MIT Corporation Chairman John Reed said that the search was conducted with as much rigor as previous, longer searches, according to Inside Higher Ed. Search consultants have noted an increased demand for faster searches for both presidents and provosts at many universities in order to facilitate the transition of a leadership board, Inside Higher Ed reported.
Stony Brook University anthropology professor Richard Leakey spoke at Chelsea Piers Sports and Entertainment Complex in Manhattan this week about the future of climate change, The New York Times reported. Leakey, who conducts research in Africa, has uncovered hundreds of bones and fragments in eastern Kenya that have revealed new information about the ancestry of humans. He said he believes that fossil evidence shows the link between the past and the future and can provide insight into a climate that is becoming increasingly warm and wet, according to The Times. He emphasized the importance of five previous mass extinctions and the potential for an upcoming sixth. Leakey has recently been involved with fundraising for further exploration of the region and has raised about $2 million in New York in collaboration with musician Paul Simon and IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond, The Times reported.
