Editor-in-Chief:Jodi Midiri

Production Editor:Joey Wallach

Production Associate:Katie Angelova

Editors:Ambica NakhasiBrittany JewkesNatalie MoreoErica Morgan

Virginia ParkerPhotographer:Adam Beaton

Oddly, and admittedly, when asked to write an article of this nature, one is compelled to step away from the gravitas of cynicism, albeit for a brief moment; playing spectator, and silently watching the 4th semester class in the home stretch.

Living through a curriculum as accelerated and concentrated as the one here at Ross, makes it, at times, difficult to foresee the moment when we will reach the zenith of our potential careers. Aside from the transition of our minds off “The Rock,” before our very beings, we study in an-ticipation and uncertainty of what awaits us beyond these waters. Soon, at the end of this semester, our student body hits a fork in the road, divided among Saginaw, Roseau, or Miramar. Our relationships will remain the same, grow, or fall apart. C’est la vie.

The experience at Ross is one that is trying, one in which we must abide not only by a novel curriculum, but also by the changes that we as very students must undergo. It is an environment that de-mands hard work, incessant adaptability, and personalities that (whom out of their own prerogative) grab the bull by the horns, and press on. This is a school of hard knocks. We work hard (and some of us manage to play hard too), but in the very end, there is no doubt that we are being crafted, slowly, but surely to excel. The number of responsibilities, risks (both fi-nancial and personal), and experiences we have by the very virtue of living on this island are

sheer, and sometimes unwelcoming. But, we press-on, we press-on for greater things.

In fourth semester, many things weigh on the mind. Whilst going through the same routine, preparing for minis, and dealing with a bizarre schedule (8 hours of lecture/day... prize for anyone who is fully alert), we must, in parallel, prepare for our move, our dispersal back to the “coveted;” where electricity doesn’t really “run

out,” and fast food, is just that…fast food. This semester brings about changes that we

still anticipate, and some, that we have also undergone. Although many tweaks should be made to the new curriculum, we consider our-selves very fortunate to be part of an integrated one.

As a fourth semester student, the notion of

“Ross trying to fail you” is one that wanes as you progress. One comes to terms with the fact that medicine, in general, is a very trying sub-ject, especially given the time constraints that we are under. We are part of a system, and must abide by it. In return, we are provided the op-portunity of a lifetime; an opportunity that will lead us to positions where the sacred trusts we are granted cannot simply be bought.

Over the course of almost sixteen months, we not only began to learn the mechanism of the human body, but about our capacities, our weak-nesses, and our strengths. It is, in its very self, a humbling experience.

Moving onto fifth will also be a novel experience, whereby our focus needs to be divided on successfully being “promoted” to next semester. We will pick up the last 16 months of our lives and move, putting all of our hard work towards successfully pass-ing our comprehensive examinations and stepping on the STEP.

The glamour, the pomp, the almost pristine nature that seems to ema-nate with white coats dissolve rather quickly when one is in the thick of studies. They serve more as a sym-

bol than anything else. White coat, or no white coat, like all things, work hard. Hard work, combined with sincerity, honesty, openness to always learning, a little finesse, and a timely sense of humor are qualities that may very well get us where we need to be.■

The flight was reserved, the books were or-dered, and the barrels were shipped.

A new home was rented, a passport was ob-tained, and a visa application was processed.

The luggage was packed, an enormous sup-ply of coffee purchased, and the goodbyes had been given.

The only thing left to do...wake up to an alarm set for 3:30 a.m.

The Commonwealth of Dominica, deemed the Nature Island, population of approximately 73,000 and home to Ross University School of Medicine, would soon be home to another round of first semester students. “You are so lucky to be going to school in the Caribbean,” texted Cynthia Balasanmugam’s envious friends. She agreed, up until the last leg of her flight into Melville Hall airport. A 50-seater plane with shrieking propellers and a luggage weight limit that could not be exceeded slowly flew through the sky. What lay beneath? The Caribbean Sea, a rainforest, and very few signs of life, leav-ing Cynthia to wonder,

What the hell did I get myself into? Far from home and living in a develop-

ing country can be quite difficult for most and even more so with the added rigors of medical school. “I did not expect to be studying every minute of every day,” men-tioned Jeff Salalac. With an average of 25 hours of lecture per week and only a definitive

amount of time to study, the first semester stu-dents are feeling overwhelmed, “but such is the life of a med student,” said Jeff. Jennifer Wald-mann added that “Milk, eggs, and sour cream” are the highlights of her day. With IGA being the main grocery store near Ross campus, these items are hard to come by, especially since they are only in stock about once a month.

With their essentials being scarce and only a limited amount of time for fun, the first semes-ter students seem to be transitioning just fine. In order to unwind, most first semester students can be found participating in intramural sports, attending the Friday Night Movie, or having a cocktail at one of the few chic bars in the Ports-mouth area, and by chic I mean De Champ, Tu-

lips, or Big Papas. The donning of the white coats on January

13th, 2012, marked the official induction into medical school, and the start of a major chapter in their lives. There will be many long nights in the library, hours upon hours spent media-sit-ing, and study product after study product being made in order to pass each mini, each semes-ter, and each USMLE Step. The first semester students must not let feelings of doubt, defeat, and discouragement prevent them from achiev-ing their goal of becoming a physician, rather remember: sixteen months successfully com-pleted on this Nature Island puts them one step closer to seeing M.D. behind their last name. ■

Volume 1

A Monthly Periodical- Established 2012 -

Photo Credit : Anthony Iwelunmor

1: “Firsties” Letter From the Editor

Staff

4: Ode to Fourth

by Brittany Jewkes

by Keyrillos Rizg

Why a paper? Simply and hopefully, to give students a voice, a means of expression, and to bridge the gap between student, faculty, and administration. And most ambitiously to make this place a happier place to live. Because I’ve spent a lot of time considering...why exactly is there so much complaining?

Michael Cunningham, Ph.D., a psychologist at the University of Louisville, believes our complaining nature evolves from just that; our ancestry. In essence, it serves as a warning call when feeling threatened. Think about it. When an issue is troubling us, we speak exhaustingly about it, often without acknowledgement from administration, and we become increasingly frustrated and feel defeated; complaining is our “cry for help.” This couldn’t have been more clear at the Dean’s Town Hall meeting on February 9th in which students respectfully expressed their concerns saying things like, “we are not empowered,” “we feel like guinea pigs,” and “there is a lot as students, we don’t know about.”

We are here at Ross, because in some way we needed a second chance.

Ok, it’s been said. Does this mean that be-cause we are imperfect, we will make poor doc-tors? No. In fact, it can be just the opposite; the overcoming of obstacles is the biggest character building exercise I have come to know. Does this mean we are expected to be managed in-stead of communicated with? No. It is now time to allow yourself, to deserve, an outstand-ing education in a supportive environment in which to learn medicine (and you’re paying a hefty price for it after all!)

The American medical school application process is flawed. And didn’t we fool them? Here, on our tiny Caribbean island, where we conquered and became better people, doctors, and mentors.

This is YOUR paper. The university does NOT fund the printing of this newspaper. All money raised is directly from our businesses advertisements, so please give them your love.

What do you want to read about? What ru-mors do you want to hear dispelled and what truths are worthy of investigating? We encour-age you to express your opinions, request topics, and to write for Rossed Daily! ■

Sincerely,

Jodi Midiri

ROSSED DAILYMarch 2, 2012

Semester 4 countdown poster in C4 Photo Credit : Adam Beaton

Page 2 March 2, 2012Rossed Daily

On December 16th, 2011 first semester stu-dents received final grades via emailed from The Exam Center. Moments later, social media sites were flooded as students took to the sites to warn fellow classmates: The grades you received are incorrect.

Gasp. Dr. Agnes Laville, The Associate Dean Of

Education, inherited the “Don” of the Exami-nation Center in 2007, from the previous dean. Shaking her head, Dr. Laville explains that “it might have been the most awful feeling she has ever had in this position. It’s something that shouldn’t happen, and I know it would have made a lot of students nervous.” Approximately forty minutes after the incor-rect grades were distributed, an email was sent stating:

Please delete any emails from your computers regarding grades you received prior to 3 p.m. EST. There was an error with the transmittal of the grades, and we sincerely apolo-gize. We are urgently working to resolve the situation and you will receive the correct grades shortly. Thank you for your patience in this matter.

Approximately two hours from that email,

the correct grades were distributed. For many, it was too late. One student explained hav-ing received another student’s failing grades that she “cried in her bedroom for hours, be-fore sharing the bad news with her family.” Luckily, her correct grades were passing and she would only have to forget the emotional experience. Others were not so lucky. One student immediately called her family and friends to share the good news, “And then I checked facebook, which is apparently how I’m supposed to receive official information from school.” That student is no longer en-rolled at Ross and her family is still unaware of her dismissal.

The error was difficult to detect upon first glance. The notification had the correct stu-dent identification number, but had the in-correct name. So, in addition to receiving incorrect scores, students became aware of their classmate’s grades, and essentially their fate as a medical student. “What’s worse than the whole failing/passing catastrophy is the confidentiality issue,” said one student. “I re-ceived my friend’s grades and she failed. I de-bated whether it was my responsibility to share this with her; and decided this was a decision I should never had been forced to make.”

What exactly happened? It was, unbe-knownst to many, not an error in the test-taking software system, “Questionmark,” but a simple error in sorting data. Say you were trying to alphabetize or “sort” contacts on an Excel document and by accident, you failed to highlight the first column, then the names wouldn’t correlate with addresses. It’s sus-pected, that the problem was a simple failure to highlight. Dr. Laville can’t say who or how it happened for sure, but she was aware of the problem within minutes, before any students had actually discovered the mistake. Proto-

col determines that an issue like this must be phoned into the New Jersey office where it must go through “compliance and the legal department,” said Dr. Laville, and postponing direct communication with students.

Physicians are groomed in confidential prac-tices very early in their training. This seems to be a serious aberration from professional-ism. The Family Educational Rights and Pri-vacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education. In the Ross Student Handbook, Appendix X, The Family Educational Rights

and Privacy Act (FERPA) regulations are stated:

DeVry Inc. and its divi-sions (DeVry Univer-sity, Ross University, and Chamberlain Col-lege of Nursing) respect the rights and privacy of its students and ac-knowledge the respon-sibility to maintain

confidentiality of personally identi-fiable information.

In breaching confidentiality, each student

has the right to file a complaint with FERPA within 180 days of the incident. A potential repercussion might include the loss of federal funding. With the ramifications having such serious consequences, one would assume the issue, and explanation, would be delicately handled. However students expressed a lack of genuine apology and recognition for the blunder. In an effort to have the issue clari-fied, the class representative requested this, and received the following email from Dr. Nancy Perri, Chief Academic Officer in New Jersey:

This is what we sent the students

on Dec. 16, 2011, the day of the mishap;

“Please delete any emails from your computer about grades you received prior to 3 p.m. EST on Fri-day, Dec. 16. There was an error with the transmittal of the grades, and we sincerely apologize. We are urgently working to resolve the situ-ation and you will receive the cor-rect grades shortly. Thank you for your patience in this matter.”

If you think we need to issue something more, please let me know. You might want to point out that we immediately recognized the error, acknowledged it and corrected it.

The solution to the problem is that all grades

will now be accessed through myross, in which you must login to the system with your personal identification code. Dr. Laville’s concern for the students is genuine, and her compliance in speaking with me was forth-coming. When asked whether she believes Dr. Perri’s response was appropriate, she replied, “What more can we say than we sincerely apologize?” ■

Beginning in 3rd semester and certainly in 4th semester, students begin to inquire about clinical rotations beyond the 5th semester. A recent Q&A session hosted by the Office of Clinical Studies in New Jersey addressed many topics related to clinical rotations. One of the most discussed issues during the ses-sion was the term “greenbook” versus “non-greenbook” (or “bluebook”) rotations. By the end of the Q&A, there was still confusion by the concept of “greenbook” and deservingly, requires some additional explanation.

Greenbook refers to a publication of post-MD medical residency programs in the United States that are accredited by the Accredita-tion Council for Graduate Medical Educa-tion (ACGME). It’s important to emphasize that ACGME accredits individual residency programs within a sponsor hospital. In other words, a hospital may have separate accredi-tation of core residency programs (IM, FM, surgery, pediatrics, etc.) as well as of subspe-cialties (nephrology-IM, cardiovascular dis-ease-IM, etc.). Possibly, the most important program to have accreditation is family medi-cine given the “family medicine umbrella” (more about this shortly).

So, what is the big deal about greenbook ro-tations? Well, it may or may not matter for state medical licensure. Each of the 50 states determines their respective qualifications for licensure. One of the key requirements is medical training (clerkships and post-MD) and some states (e.g., California) have strict re-quirements for greenbook clerkships whereas some states may not require that any clerkship be greenbook qualified. Depending on which state we hope to be licensed in, we need to be aware of the particular greenbook require-ments of that state. In general terms, however, California is likely the model state for satis-fying any of the other 49 states. Here is an excerpt from the California code that specifies greenbook requirements.

CALIFORNIA BUSINESS AND PROFES-

SIONS CODE SECTION 2089.5 (a) Clinical instruction in the subjects listed

in subdivision (b) of Section 2089 shall meet the requirements of this section and shall be considered adequate if the requirements of subdivision (a) of Section 2089 and the re-quirements of this section are satisfied.

(b) Instruction in the clinical courses shall total a minimum of 72 weeks in length.

(c) Instruction in the core clinical courses of surgery, medicine, family medicine, pediat-rics, obstetrics and gynecology, and psychiatry shall total a minimum of 40 weeks in length with a minimum of eight weeks instruction in surgery, eight weeks in medicine, six weeks in pediatrics, six weeks in obstetrics and gy-

necology, a minimum of four weeks in family medicine, and four weeks in psychiatry.

(d) Of the instruction required by subdivision (b), including all of the instruction required by subdivision (c), 54 weeks shall be performed in a hospital that sponsors the instruction and shall meet one of the following:

(1) Is a formal part of the medical school or school of osteopathic medicine.

(2) Has a residency program, approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medi-cal Education (ACGME) or the Royal Col-lege of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC), in family practice or in the clinical area of the instruction for which credit is being sought.

(3) Is formally affiliated with an approved medical school or school of osteopathic medi-cine located in the United States or Canada. If the affiliation is limited in nature, credit shall be given only in the subject areas covered by the affiliation agreement.

(4) Is formally affiliated with a medical school or a school of osteopathic medicine located outside the United States or Canada.

(e) If the institution, specified in subdivision (d) is formally affiliated with a medical school or a school of osteopathic medicine located outside the United States or Canada, it shall meet the following: …

Two points in the California code are impor-

tant to note. First, students must complete 78 weeks of clerkships so 24 of those weeks can be non-greenbook. Secondly, the last line of (d)(2) refers to the “family medicine umbrella” mentioned earlier. Family medicine residency includes training in several other core areas in-cluding internal medicine, pediatrics, ob-gyn, and surgery. Accordingly, it appears that ac-creditation of family practice will cover sev-eral other core and elective clerkships if the sponsor hospital is ONLY accredited in family practice. This exception is very important for track programs if the affiliate hospital has fam-ily medicine accreditation only. With the fam-ily medicine umbrella, other rotations would be considered greenbook qualified. On the other hand, if an affiliate hospital does NOT have family medicine accreditation, then only individual accredited programs (e.g., IM, ob-gyn) would be greenbook qualified.

So, what is the moral of the story? Every student needs to be proactive about discussing greenbook qualified rotations with their clini-cal rotation advisor during 5th semester. One of the first questions your advisor will ask is what state you want to be licensed in. You should research each state licensure qualifi-cations and determine the most conservative greenbook requirement, if any. This infor-mation will help you evaluate your clinical rotation schedule for compliance with your needs.■

Semester 2 Students await neuroscience practical Photo Credit: Adam Beaton

3: Is Going GreenThe Only Way?

Page 3 March 2, 2012Rossed Daily

by Jodi Midiri

by Jack Hamson

2: Exam Center Mishap

Anonymous student

“I received my friend’s grades and she failed.”

With the intense demands of medical school, time and prioritization is a must. While some students find the time to cook most of their meals, the majority of students resort to The Shacks, Subway, and various local restaurants. While convenient and time saving, eating out is both expensive and most of the time un-healthy. Most restaurants serve Americanized food, that tailors to the students desire for that “home cooked meal.” Unfortunately, the local cuisine is not well represented in the surround-ing restaurants and many students have yet to try a true Dominican meal. I have embarked on a journey to discover some of the unique Do-minican meals to share with the Ross commu-nity. This recipe called “Fig Flats” is normally eaten for breakfast but as any student knows, breakfast hours have no boundaries. Remember now that we are in the Caribbean and green ba-

nanas are referred to as figs. This meal is deli-cious, nutritious, healthy, and mouthwatering. All the ingredients can be found in local stores and won’t cost more than 30EC. It won’t take longer than 30 minutes to make, and you can always stack it up in the fridge and have break-fast for the rest of the week. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

7 Green Bananas (Figs) 5 Green Peppers 1 Bell Pepper Red seasoning pepper 1 Onion 3 pieces of Garlic Salt Goya seasoning (optional) Water Oil

Preparation:

1. Peel the bananas, slice into small pieces 2. Throw the bananas in boiling water, set the temperature to low and add salt to taste 3. When the bananas are tender, drain the water and place the green bananas in a bowl 4. Use a kitchen utensil to mash the bananas and even it out across the bowl 5. Finely dice the peppers, onion, garlic, and add the seasoning to taste. 6. Mix all the ingredients together, and allow to cool down 7. Set a frying pan on low flame 8. With a large spoon scoop up a ball of the mixture and place it on the pan 9. Pour some oil on top, and flip the flats back and forth. 10. Cook until slightly brown on both sides 11. Serve hot and enjoy with a cup of guava juice.Tuna fish, cod fish, or any other type of fish

can be added to the mixture if desired. ■

We all know the drive to and from Roseau. It’s filled with twists and turns, lots of hills, crazy drivers who can’t lay off their horn, and for most of us, lots of Dramamine (or dimenhy-drinate, as our pharmacology professors would like us to know). A measly 28 miles that should only take 30 minutes (driving the speed limit of course), but instead takes at least an hour and leaves you white-knuckled and nauseous.

Now imagine running it. That’s right, I said

running. Lead by marathon extraordinaire, Dr. Fran-

cisco Martinez, a professor of Pathology here at Ross, six brave souls will attempt such a feat. The six crazed runners are Philip Breaux, Jon

Dewald, Michael White, Joseph Vukin, Allison Mathews, and yours truly. Come March 25th, we will be lining up bright and early that Sun-day morning in Roseau to attempt the grueling 28 mile journey back to campus. A journey not for the faint of heart, literally.

Here’s a little background on the idea, it started out as a joke at first but then when we realized that it had been done before, we knew we wanted to be the next to try it. We then turned to the man with the plan, Dr. Martinez, who had coached the previous runners who ac-complished it, and asked him for advice on how to train for this event. He gave us a workout schedule and we have been training ever since.

The run started out as something just for fun, but as a group, we decided that it would be a good idea to use it as an opportunity to raise some money for a club in need. The club we decided on is the Ross Blood Donors group.

We will be asking for people to sponsor us as a group (not individually) by giving 1EC for every mile we run. We will also accept dona-tions and every single cent we raise will be going towards the Blood Donors. So, stop any one of us in the street and tell us if you would like to sponsor or donate to our cause. You can also contact the Ross Blood Donors group at rossblooddonors@gmail.com to find out how you can donate. And don’t forget to head to the main gate sometime between morning and early afternoon (depending on our pace) on March 25, to cheer us across the finish line! We hope to see you there!

Also, if anyone has any questions about run-ning on the island, anything such as routes to run, distances of certain routes, or places to find water feel free to email me and I will answer them as quickly as possible. ■

Photo credit: Flickr/Drinnon Nyerere

Page 4 March 2, 2012Rossed Daily

by Henri Zhuri

A Taste of Dominica

by Brenden BrunnerRoseau by Foot

Photo credit: Google Maps/Joey Wallach

Before I continue on my way, I have just one thing that I need to say: See you’ve tangled up my heart in a canopy fray Turned my task into a tropical escape Being apart is like the sky getting gray I have no defense against the salty sea spray, And all I want to do is see my blues washed away But I see you’re here for just a temporary thing Not intending this, not intending me To be a solid undertaking, or something concrete I’m just the whisper in passing of the salty sea breeze A sweet sound happening to sing to your beat A figure held as lightly as a wispy cloud’s received By warm sun rays that elude a graying scene Well that’s alright because I don’t really care See you’ve struck-out so much it ain’t really fair To have your hands all tangled up inside my hair While your mind’s floating off with another affair Please brush off the sand from where we lay bare You can step into your sandals by the door over there Now your only worry is the tide gonna reach your chair ■

by Natalie MoreoKnee Deep

Photo credit: Adam Beaton

Page 5 March 2, 2012Rossed Daily

Understanding Our Dominican Patients:

Top 10 in Medicine

Conducting a clinical interview with a patient from a rural Dominican village is challenging enough for new students not yet attuned to the Patois accent, but as the third and fourth semester students can attest, the chal-lenge does not cease once the accent is achieved. Nearly all patients who are interviewed express the consumption of “bush tea,” leaving many students to wonder exactly what constitutes this herbal concoction, and why its use is so widespread throughout Dominican culture.

In order to better understand these concepts, a lit-erature review was conducted on PubMed. “Bush tea,” it was found , is a general term for the beverage made from boiling any medicinal plant in water for less than one minute.1,2 Results from a 2002 study,2 conducted by Quinlan and colleagues in a rural village on the Atlantic coast, revealed that Chenopodium ambrosioides (known among Dominicans as sime kontwá in Patois and English) is the most commonly mentioned plant when asked for a recall-list of plants used in tea preparations. Residents remove the bush from the surrounding forest and plant it in their own yard or garden for consumption.2

Throughout the Caribbean, bush teas are used for the prophylaxis and treatment of a wide variety of ailments. In rural Dominica, where access to health care is limited, herbal medicine is the first response to less urgent illness such as intestinal worms.2-4

Rural Dominicans believe that humans are born with an empty “worm bag,” rather a designated worm reservoir in the abdomen that will, over one’s life, inadvertently fill via ingestion of small amounts of soil from gardening.2 People who regularly drink sime kontwá tea claim to

rarely see worms in their stool because of its prophylactic effect, while people who drink it when feeling cramps around their “worm bag” claim to observe the worms in their stool because of the tea’s ability to flush out the dead and “sleeping” worms.2

Interestingly, the active ingredient, terpene ascaridole, of Chenopodium ambrosioides is a known pharmaceuti-cal anthelmintic used against tapeworms, roundworms, and hookworms.2,5 It has also been shown to be a potent inhibitor of Plasmodium falciparum growth in vitro.5

However, despite this evidence, the most important ethno-cultural factor for a student to consider during a clinical interview is that these herbal home remedies may exert a placebo effect.6 Dominicans strive to maintain an internal equilibrium; their belief that bush tea can serve to balance out the emotional overload brought on by fear, panic or worry6 is important to keep in mind when a patient mentions his or her use of bush tea. The plants used for this ailment include Gossypium barbadense, Lippia micromera, and Plectranthus amboinicus, which are different from the one used for intestinal worms.6

According to Quinlan and colleagues,6 there is “much more to a medicine than the chemicals it possesses. Medicines have cultural and symbolic meanings that play into the power of their healing.”

With this in mind, during every clinical encounter, it is important to be sensitive to the beliefs of our Dominican patients and, as compassionate physicians, to attempt to understand the healing properties of their herbal home remedies as they see fit in their culture. ■

10. Oncology

With 9.14% each year, the leading cause of malpractice suits against Oncologists is the delay of diagnosing the cancer, particularly breast, lung and colorectal cancer.

9. Pulmonary Medicine

9.32% of those in pulmonary medicine will face a claim each year. One reason why a lawsuit might be sought against a Pulmonologist is the misdiagnosis of a pulmonary embolism, which can mimic other ailments, such as a myo-cardial infarction. This can obviously lead to incorrect treatment and a delay of proper management.

8. Urology

10.49% of Urologists face a claim each year. Endourological procedures (a branch of urology dealing with surgical manipulation of the urinary tract) has a high rate of malpractice suits.

7. Obstetrics/ gynecology

With 11.02% claims filed per year, this probably comes as a surprise to no one. Erb-Duchenne Palsy anyone?

6. Gastroenterology

11.64% claims filed against Gastroenterologists. Biggest two reasons for a lawsuit? Error in diagnosis and improp-er performance of a procedure. There seems to be a trend here…

5. Plastic Surgery

At 12.7%, one might think this would be closer to #1. Top reason for lawsuits for Plastic Surgeons? Just go Google “plastic surgery gone wrong”.

4. Orthopedic Surgery

14.16% of Orthopedic Surgeons face a claim each year. In 2009, a Rhode Island patient received $4 million in a lawsuit because of “botched” surgery that left him with nerve damage and a deformed hand.

3. General Surgery

At number three, 15.31% of General Surgeons will face a claim per year. Many lawsuits are under the umbrella of ‘sur-gical complications’.

2. Thoracic- Cardiovascular Surgery

With technical errors being one of the main reasons, Cardiothoracic Surgeons come in second with 18.9% claims filed each year.

1. Neurosurgery

With 19.09% of neurosurgeons facing a claim every year, it’s no surprise this specialty ranks as number one. It’s brain sur-gery, after all.

Cultural Background for Insight into the Clinical Interviewby Natalie Moreo

References 1. Quinlan M, Quinlan R. Balancing the system: humoral medicine and food in the Commonwealth of Dominice. In: Pieroni A, Price L, eds. Eating and Healing: Exploration of Wild and Domesticated Plants and Animals as Food and Medicine. Binghamton, NY: Haworth Press; 2005. 2. Quinlan M, Quinlan R, Nolan J. Ethnophysiology and herbal treatments of intestinal worms in Dominica, West Indies. J Ethnopharmacol. 2002;80:75-83. 3. Dominica Botanic Gardens Web site. Medicinal plants. http://da-academy.org/medplants.html. Accessed February 16, 2012. Dominica Academy of Arts and Sciences; 2004. 4. Quinlan M, Quinlan R. Modernization and medical plant knowledge in a Caribbean horticultural village. Med Anthropol Q. 2007;21(2):169-192. 5. PollackY, Segal R, Golenser J. The effect of ascaridole on the in vitro development of Plasmodium falciparum. Parasitol Res. 1990;76(7):570-572. 6. Quinlan M. Ethnomedicine and ethnobotany of fright, a Caribbean culture-bound psychiatric syndrome. J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2010;6:9.

by Kofoworola Ojo

It’s no secret that doctors in the United States get sued. A lot. Countless sources would even go so far as to call it a ‘medical mal-practice crisis’. According to the 2005 Health Affairs Article ‘Health Spending in the United States and the Rest of the Industrialized World,’ the US had 350% more “malpractice claims filed per 1,000 population” when compared to Canada. With that in mind, the payout to American plaintiffs was slightly less ($265,103) when compared to their Canadian counterparts ($309,417).

So, what are the chances of being sued as a practicing physician in the United States? 15%, 25%, 50%? Well, according to a recent 2011 study done by the The New England Journal of Medicine, it was estimated that, by the age of 65, a physician in a ‘low risk’ specialty had a 75% chance of being sued in their lifetime as a doctor. Keyword: ‘low risk’. The chance was 99% in those in ‘high risk’ specialties. So here are the top 10 in which doctors get sued the most!

Family Practice, Pediatrics and Psychiatry, in that order, are the three ‘least likely to be sued’ medical specialties.

So what have we learned here today? With great power comes great responsibility? Don’t become a surgeon? Go into Psychiatry? It doesn’t really matter--you’re probably going to get sued anyway. ■ (source: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1012370#t=articleTop)

Dr. Lauri Costello is a newbie of sorts here at Ross, but she is no stranger. Students and faculty alike gravi-tate toward her as they would a refreshing ocean breeze. After 25 years as a family physician, Dr. Costello defines her transition to Ross as her “second start,” as she pursues her long-term goals. A Southern California native, she plans on practicing in a rural setting in a developing country. Dr. Costello’s charismatic person-ality and her passion for teaching clinical medicine are just a few reasons that we here at Rossed Daily think she’s preeetty amazing too. As our faculty advisor, Dr. Costello has supported our efforts from the get-go and that’s why she deserves the spotlight in this month’s Faculty Five.

Department: ICMAt Ross Since: May 1st, 2011Graduated/Degree: UCSB: B.A. Physiology & Cell

Biology, UCD: M.D. 1985

Question #1- What would students be surprised to learn about you? Well, they certainly wouldn’t be sur-prised to know that I love cycling, yoga, and working out. But I also enjoy the quiet moments at home where I journal and love to bake. Oh, and I’m a chocoholic.

Question #2- If you could bring anything from home back to Dominica, what would it be? Dark Chocolate, specifically Lindt 85%, (just in case anyone wants to bring me some.)

Question #3- What’s your favorite kind of music/band/artist? I like the old stuff! 70’s, Elton John, Neil Diamond. Soft Rock!

Question #4- If you could travel anywhere, where would you go? I just went there- Galapagos over break, off the coast of Ecuador. It should be on EVERYONE’S bucket list- no excuses! The animals have no predators so they’re unafraid, and at times you have to be careful not to step on them.

Question #5- What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? To believe in myself. My mom told me that, in so many words.■

by Jodi MidiriFaculty Five: Dr. Costello

Photo credit: Adam Beaton

Page 6 March 2, 2012Rossed Daily

The Bunion

2nd Semesters’ online community briefly initiated Junior High School 5th period lunch last month. Celebrity status of both parties involved was unscathed.

1st Semesters were heard reporting Mini I Part I grades one point above that of their conversation partner for two weeks straight.

A number of concerned students reported finding Silver Lining residents in their clos-ets and beneath their beds. Attempting to re-move them produced relentless sobbing and hysterical refreshing of their browsers.

Spouses of medical students were reported to oversleep on occasion this month.

Complaints of know-it-alls knowing it all were heard following Friday PBL groups, while B strongly forbade the touching of ca-davers while dissecting them.

X was intolerably curious as to why tufts of hair in the lower back, characteristic of spina bifida occulta, were not properly dem-onstrated on X-ray images. Ross professors were unable to adequately address her con-cerns. In other news, 1st Semester Polycom attendees were happy to learn that their pa-tient had no sign of “blood things” in their stool.

A vast assortment of gentlemen reported this month that they were on their way to, at, or have just returned from The Gym. Said gentlemen had not been spotted in the vicinity of The Gym.

After treating Page 6 to a glass of wine after ‘closing time,’ Hans shared a late-night story of the awakening of his unyielding love for Lise. The god of campus nightlife explained that the greatest difficulty in love is getting rid of your love interest’s seven girlfriends on the night of your first meeting. Cheers to that.

A second and third semester were reported stripping down to their skivvies for this se-mester’s Peds Club Date Auction. When asked for the reason, one said “I did it for the children.” Page 6 is working on getting pictures. On a related note, a starstruck 3rd semester spent 1500EC on someone she thought was Ryan Gosling.

Remember the time someone went to a ra-diology lecture? No? Neither do we.

Some non-4th semesters tried studying in classroom four last week and were met with a resounding “You can’t sit with us!” One girl said she was punched in the face by a Regina George doppleganger and that it was, indeed, awesome.

2nd Semesters were seen carrying socially unacceptable amounts of… Tomato’s sand-wiches on board a white cruise ship follow-ing their MCAT-length Mini I. Reports of bathroom doors acting strangely surfaced one week later.

Phi Delta Epsilon’s TRAFFIC JAM STOP LIGHT PARTY was a huge success, although it was firmly established that many of our fel-low Ross students are in fact color-blind. ■

by Katie Angelova & Steven Shanab

Rossip

With Dean Flaherty’s recent announcement of a new campus cafete-ria, suggestions have been pouring in from students for meal plans that include healthy and varied menu items. We at the Rossed Daily have been lobbying for weeks to pay homage to the professors that have left such a mark in our lives, by memorializing them with their own meals.

Our current list includes:

1) The Laville’d Eggs 2) The Meisenburger 3) The Lamb Sharma 4) The Kalli-fornia roll 5) Sham Chowder 6) The Vigh Newton 7) Shark Yin Soup 8) Uddin Noodle Soup 9) Lambert Chops 10) O’dono-Stewed Chicken 11) S’Moore’s* (plans for the campfire site have yet to be approved). ■

by Arthur Dermen

New Campus Menu Puts the Fun in Fundamentals

This holiday break, Ross admins had an extra reason to break out the bubbly: the triumphant launch of the long-awaited and clandestine Grade-Share Program. Ross administrators used this novel program to share another stu-dent’s final grades with each member of the September 2011 class. Unbeknownst to Ross students, the New Jersey Office has been fe-verishly working on the project since early September of 2011. “Students probably aren’t aware, but this program has been in develop-ment for months, and we couldn’t be happier with the results,” said a Ross administration spokesperson. The months of careful planning showed in the semester one beta test of the

program that was released this December. “It would have been a breeze to just email grades to people willy-nilly,” shares an administra-tion insider, “but the Grade-share program is so much more sophisticated.” When pressed on the issue, the administration was reluctant to divulge their trade-secret methods of match-ing the shared grades with their recipients, but Rossed Daily was able to get a few exclusive insights into the program’s top secret algo-rithm. “Some borderline students were paired with a risingly-challenged student, to help really motivate them to do better in semester 2.” The algorithm took into account important factors, such as Shacks Dollars entries, Mini

Scores, logged time at the gym, and academic success participation to determine the grade-share pairings. “We are interested to see how the high achieving students who shared with middle-of-the-road grades are affected this semester,” said the Ross administrator. “We expect that the little taste of mediocrity will propel them to greatness in the second semes-ter.” When asked about the inspiration for such an innovative new program, the Ross ad-ministrator said “Well, one of the Deans was watching Beyond Scared Straight on televi-sion this fall, and the rest is history.” ■

Admin Celebrates Grade-Share Program Success

Photo Credit: Lise Van de KampTravis Nelson helps out the kids in the Pede’s Date Auction, Paul Catella emceeing

Photo credit: Joey Wallach

1) Mitt Romney

Willard Mitt Rom-ney is economically savvy, experienced, and in spite of this, humble. He personi-fies the American Dream as he ascended from the middle class to the billionaire class

by hard work. Throughout his career he made failing corporations into lucrative ones. Wher-ever Mitt Romney went, companies like Bain Capital and Staples Inc, would increase prof-its and create jobs. This is exactly the type of president we need to get the economy back on track, decrease unemployment, and increase individual wealth.

Besides his economic acumen, Romney knows what it’s like to be bipartisan, some-thing Washington hasn’t had for 12 years. Firstly, Romney was elected Governor of Mas-sachusetts to one of the most liberal states in the nation. Despite his occasionally capricious viewpoints, he has maintained his commitment to the state above his party. When he entered office in January, 2003 there was a projected 3 billion dollar deficit for Massachusetts, but instead, he left with a 400 million dollar sur-plus by implementing policies that were not always popular, but were right. Two words: economic genius.

2) Ron Paul

Ronald Ernet Paul has served Texas’ 14th and 22nd district on and off since 1979. Ever since taking office Ron Paul has given a voice to the values of limited and smaller govern-ment. In a time of administrative overspend-ing and stifling job growth, Paul’s views that less government intrusion provides for a bet-ter government is exactly what the economy needs to be revitalized.

But Paul’s downfall is his foreign policy. He wants to enact policies like simply ceas-ing communication with Iran. In the long-term

this may make sense: If we stop bothering Iran, eventually they will stop bothering us. Unfor-tunately, one cannot simply ignore forty years of history. Iran will just continue to lash back regardless of if we ignore or engage them; and that is where Ron Paul’s foreign policy plan becomes deleterious. Ultimately, Ron Paul would be the best for internal affairs. The economy would be revived, the government’s egregious overreaching arms would be tucked away, but his foreign polices and his approach to certain issues just makes his too risky of a candidate

Number Zero) Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama Jr. should simply not be reelected due to his long list of unfulfilled promises and failed policies. Despite Obama vowing to lower employment, 10 million jobs are still non-existent. The economy itself has barely rebounded, our national debt is higher than ever, $89 billion in tarp funds has still not been repaid. So if not for economics, what has he accomplished? In a 2011 interview with Barbara Walters, Obama admitted to this shortcoming.

The war in Iraq was promised to terminate within one year, but instead Obama ended it three years into his presidency, just around re-election time. Guantanamo Bay is still open TODAY even though it was promised to be closed immediately. The only reason DADT got repealed was because the Log Cabin Re-publicans won a court case against it. Regard-less of how you feel about these issues, one trend among them emerges: Obama promised a lot of things and did nothing to accomplish these goals.

It is indeed easy to look at his failures, but what about his accomplishments? This is ultimately the biggest issue the Obama ad-ministration faces: He doesn’t really have accomplishments. Yes, Obama came into a difficult scenario, but he has done nothing to help it. Unemployment? Worse. Foreign policy? Worse. Healthcare? Nope. LGBT Is-sues? Did nothing to help. The simple fact of the matter is, Obama has accomplished noth-ing worthy of noting. How will he woo voters now on a record of nothingness? ■

http://www.famouscutouts.com/

Ian’s PicksPage 7 March 2, 2012Rossed Daily

by Ian M. Kahane

It is now March 2012, only 8 months until the presidential election, and most likely only 9 until the beginning of the 2016 presidential primaries. All jokes aside, the Republi-can field has really narrowed in on what will inevitably be the

Republican nominee, former governor of the great liberal state of Massachusetts, Mitt Rom-ney. Now I know it may seem as though I am “jumping the gun” declaring Mitt the eventual nominee, and believe me I hope I am wrong, but the Republican Party needs Mitt to win and here is why:

Mitt Romney: electability Let us be serious for one moment: Mitt Rom-

ney’s Massachusetts health care insurance re-form law is nearly identical to the Affordable Care Act signed into law by President Obama on March 23, 2010. Passed in 2006, the Mas-sachusetts law has an individual mandate for those with incomes over 300 % of the federal poverty level: $32,490 for an individual(a feature of Obama’s reform legislation harped by republicans as “unconstitutional”). Both laws, among other things, also establish an exchange/health connector through which citizens may access private health insurance plans that are available. Romney’s history on healthcare, while hurting him among the radi-cal right wing of the Republican Party, actu-ally helps him in a general election. According to a recent Harris Interactive/HealthDay poll, only 36% of citizens want the Affordable Care act repealed.

Newt Gingrich: polarizing Remember him? Unless you are here as a ca-

reer change student, most likely not. Newt was the former speaker of the House of Represen-tatives from 1995-1999 under President Bill Clinton. Newt is the only semi-realistic threat to Mitt Romney, winning the South Carolina primary over Romney by 12% of the vote, and coming in second with 31.9% compared to Romney’s 46.4% in the Florida primary. Just what is it that makes him dangerous to the Republican brand? Newt Gingrich is a po-larizing candidate with a history of alienating those around him, both Democrats and Repub-licans. As speaker, Gingrich led impeachment proceedings against Bill Clinton while having an affair of his own with a White House staff member (Gingrich admitted to ABC news in 2007). More recently, when Republicans tried to push a massive Medicare overhaul plan, Gingrich referred to it as “right-wing social engineering” upsetting several congressional republicans, including Senator Tom Coburn who told ABC news in May, 2011 that Newt needs to “keep his mouth shut.” Newt also has an attitude of invincibility. Back in early De-cember when he was polling 20 points higher than Romney nationally, Newt predicted, “I’m going to be the nominee. It’s very hard not to look at the recent polls and think that the odds are very high. I’m going to be the nominee.” All these factors combined make for a product unappealing to voters in a general election.

According to a February ABC News survey,

Obama polls higher than both potential re-publican nominees. Against Romney, Obama would win by 6%. Against Newt, Obama wins by 11%. This goes to show that with Newt as the nominee, Obama has an even easier ride to the White House. ■

http://www.famouscutouts.com/

GOP Lineupby Joey Wallach

Dr. Fadul spoke to Ross students about his experiences after the island. As a family medicine resident at Stamford Hospital in Connecticut, Dr. Fadul plays a key role in the selection of new residents. His program is no stranger to Ross grads, and he is quick to mention that he enjoys tak-ing them under his wing. Dr. Fadul remembers not knowing many details about Miami or clinical rotations while he was on the island. In an effort to bridge the gap between island life and the later semesters, he spoke about clinical rotations, residency interviews and STEP exams. He laments that too often the resumes of potential residents are the product of happy accidents rather than planning. Dr. Fadul stresses the importance of the

reputation of clinical rotation sites that we choose, and emphasized choosing Green Book sites. He mentions the close-knit nature of the medical community, and warns that the interviewer will be familiar with the rigor of the sites that you choose. When asked for advice on how to strengthen Step scores, Dr. Fadul strongly recommends the use of question banks throughout the semesters on the island. He believes that if you can work the STEP problems related to the material in each semester, that not only will you be prepared for your Mini, but also for the STEP in the future. He credits his score on the STEP to working thousands of problems, and encourages students to do the same. ■

Alumni Reflectionby Erica Morgan

Off to the Polls

Ross Oncology Club visits clinic in Martinique Photo Credit Colin Filbrun

In every professional establishment, various methods are developed to address account-ability. At Ross, this process is mediated via Professionalism Cards (P-Card). A P-card ac-cording to the Ross Student Handbook is “an educational tool intended to provide a method of tracking and recording commendable and behaviors of concern observed by faculty.” I chose to address this issue because it is one that many students, unfortunately, fail to grasp, the concept of professional account-ability, largely due to the “Rossip” around campus. The negative opinion generated by “Rossip” often causes students to overlook the significance of P-cards--a tool that fosters a professional learning environment.

To better understand how professionalism cards affect the student body, I interviewed the Director of Professional Standards and Judicial Management, Mikhel Kushner, JD. According to Fall 2011 data, of the 218 fourth semester students surveyed regarding cards of concern, 74% received no cards, 19.72% re-ceived one card of concern, 4.5% received two cards of concern, and 2.75% received three or more cards of concern. While this data points a majority of students not receiving a card of concern in the four semesters here in Domi-nica, I would have liked to see the data on how many students cards of commendation effect. However, I was informed that there were no surveys on positive cards of commen-dation. Next, I decided to look into the types of P-cards issued in January 2012. 43 cards of commendation and 29 cards of concern were issued to the student body. Not surprisingly, this data conflicts with the popular belief that P-cards always negatively affect students. More importantly, however, this data demon-strates that P-cards affect but a small popula-tion of the student body, and also that cards of commendations are issued more often than cards of concern.

So you just received a card of concern, what do you do? Well, like most people you are probably not too thrilled about the idea. You are probably wondering if there is any way you can appeal the card of concern. Well, not to worry because here is the secret to turning a card of concern into a positive reflection of the concern being addressed. According to the Dr. Kushner, it’s quite simple; because as the recipient you play a big role in the outcome of the process. With the notification of a card of concern being issued, there is usually a set of instructions on how to respond on the concern being addressed. This ranges from writing a response about the concern, to visiting the Of-

fice of Student Professional Standards and Ju-dicial Management to discuss the concern with the staff. As most students who have visited the office will tell you, the meeting is simply a conversation and another way to get your side of the story on the record. This may eventu-ally play into your favor, as it demonstrates a student’s acknowledgement and reception of criticism in a professional manner. This reflec-tive approach is simply an opportunity for a student to understand why a particular concern was considered unprofessional. Ultimately, a positive response shows a student’s maturity and professional behavior to anyone who may review a student’s record in the future. ■

Page 8 March 2, 2012Rossed Daily

by Emmanuel Uchechukwu Obi

Pro P-card

I have no professionalism cards. For those of you who know me, this may come as noth-ing short of earth-shattering because I am a walking offense to civility. Despite what we’re told time after time, when you get a P-card, it’s frankly less constructive than it is embarrassing and annoying. To receive a “professionalism card of concern” (not yet en-dorsed by Hallmark) you can be late submit-ting paper, say something disrespectful to a faculty member, wear the wrong color scrubs in the wrong place, etc. Getting a “positive professionalism card” seems random and rare – you have to be in the right place at the right time and probably use the word ‘empathy’ somewhere along the line.

I am mildly fascinated with professional-ism cards, not solely due to their grotesque frequency of distribution, but because of how well they illustrate the dichotomy of expecta-tions with respect to professionalism between the faculty and the students. For example – my first semester, right as we walked into the exam center to take our final, a faculty member (let’s call them Dr. X, per se) said something we couldn’t hear. When asked to repeat, Dr. X proceeded to say to us “Well, then, you all need to shut up, just shut up! You must be jackasses, then!” Where was Dr. X’s P-card? P-cards reveal to us the true lack of command a staff member has over their domain – there-fore, they resort to a P-card, a shaming device. Professors (at least the good ones) should have sufficient control over their classroom so that when a student needs to be corrected, it is done using only the professor’s advising, not the involvement of a third party.

It’s no secret that there are a few power-hungry faculty members here. When I was a first semester, a few days before the final (Sun-day morning at 08:00) I made the mistake of wearing scrub pants to the shacks. Anatomy practicals were over and the lab was closed but admittedly, it was an error on my part. A corybantic pro-sector who was well-known for issuing multiple P-cards on a weekly basis showed up out of nowhere and began to berate me. During his juvenile rant, he started elu-cidating how serious the P-card was and bla-tantly insulted me. As a first semester, I was genuinely scared of getting a card. Because trying to reason with this scholar was almost as useful as arguing with Domlec, I was forced to resort to a third party to reason with him (and no, I didn’t get the P-card for those following along at home). This is only one of many ex-amples we all have of how some faculty assert

their ‘superiority’ over nothing more than an annoyance. Therefore, it should be clear that instead of shaping a student’s behavior, these cards just annoy us and lose their intended purpose.

P-cards were probably meant as a “deter-rent” (Are they, though? We need three to create a problem for ourselves) so that students would be required to act with a certain level of decorum. I hate to admit it, but some of our classmates act like prize idiots. Some of us need to be reeled in and held accountable for our actions. The pedagogical flaw with P-cards is that our incentive for acting as profes-sionals should not stem from a piece of paper that effectively says “bad dog!” but from com-mon sense. If we want our future coworkers and patients to treat us with the respect that we deserve, we have to act like adults, not ado-lescents: dress appropriately, turn papers in on time, and be respectful to faculty members even if they are acting like Neanderthals.

Students who fail to act like the profession-als they aspire to be should be held account-able for their actions. When the uselessness of P-cards is realized by the RUSM administra-tors (projected date: 2052), they will have to adjust the disciplinary architecture around the weight they want a P-card to carry. Recently, a friend of mine said to me, “I have a few P-cards to burn; I’m not going to ICC.” This made me realize what a joke these cards are, and I can’t say I disagree with him. By current standards, you can get a card by not bringing your ID to a third semester behavioral session (a most egregious error in your medical edu-cation) or by being downright rude to a profes-sor you are asking for help (this makes you an idiot). Are these two events really deserving of the equivalent reprimand?

What’s the solution? Unfortunately, we’re in a Catch-22 (no, I’m not talking about Di-George syndrome). Until we, as a student body, act like a responsible group of future professionals, there isn’t a chance we’ll get the respect we want from anybody. The same is true for certain (not all) faculty members. The solution is for both sides to check themselves. RUSM faculty: pick your battles, examine more carefully what you require from students and pick a ‘punishment’ that fits the ‘crime.’ Students: we need to stop acting like we’re in middle school – once we’re back in the real world, the discourtesy, blatant disregard for rules (no matter how asinine they seem), and nonchalant behavior towards important re-quirements will earn us much worse than a P-card. ■

by Max Hockstein

P-cards: Do you feel special now?

We’ve always heard the phrase, “no man’s an island.” Well, I have come to know that to be TRUE. As we all have such busy schedules and want to make sure we get enough time in for studying, we all have to remember that no man’s an island. We have heard from numer-ous people here at Ross say, “Do not try to go through medical school alone, go to tutoring sessions, attend anatomy lab reviews, and do study groups.” Well, I did absolutely none of that stuff last semester. I tried to study as if I was in undergrad and that doesn’t work in medical school.

Have you have been in a real foggy place? I remember when I was in grade school in Los Angeles, and sometimes walking to school in the thickest fog. I could not even see my hands extended in front of me. I would have to listen for the sounds of cars in order to safely cross the street. Well, that was me taking my mini

exams, everything was foggy. So, I decided to make some changes and follow wise counsel. I reached out to my fellow classmates. I grabbed everyone that was willing to be pulled into a study session with me. And the end result? Clarity. Things are so clear to me, now.

So, if you are in a spot that seems tough, and you don’t know which way to go...reach out for help. There are answers waiting for you. Keep reaching out until you get what you need. “I need you.” I’m not afraid to say that because I realized that in order for me to reach my dream,

I can not do it alone. I am not an island. Con-sistently, I sought GOD for answers through trying times on what I needed to do to improve my exam scores. I was lead to reach out to a classmate and together we both were able to improve our mini scores by 75%. Let go of fear, pride, and intimidation. Trust your fellow classmates to help you. Embrace the Divine Connections that could be yours for the ask-ing. And you will see the fog lift and clarity will come.

I’d like to share this scripture with you that was especially meaningful to me to get through hard times.” The things that are seen (complex-ities of life) are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Cor 4:18, 1 Cor 2:9-16) The eternal things are yours, reach out and get them.

Best wishes on your journey. ■Photo Credit: Adam Beaton

by Joyce BuschClarity

Photo Credit: Joey Wallach

Page 9 March 2, 2012Rossed Daily

Intramural StandingsBall Hockey FootballBasketball Volleyball

Softball Soccer

The Lake Show is Falling Apart

Over the course of this season, the Los Angeles

Lakers have looked nothing like their former team. During a transitional period, Kobe Bryant and company are adjusting to a flurry of new players and a new coach-ing staff, the latter being the glaring concern. Phil Jackson was arguably the most levelheaded coach in NBA history, which gained him the title of “Zen Master”. He never let his emotions be known, and this allowed his to make brilliant adjustments during game. Additionally, Jackson was an offensive genius, and the Triangle offense was one of the most complicated offenses in the League. This philosophy sharply contrasts new Lakers head coach Mike Brown’s, who is defensive-minded and emotion-ally extroverted. Brown has recently proven his lack of emotional control by getting ejected in the game vs. Utah on February 4th. His idea of offense is, “Here Kobe, jack up whatever shot you see fit. I won’t dare tell you to pass to those two seven-footers we have”. This may have worked somewhat well when he coached Lebron James in Cleveland, but Lebron was twenty years old. Kobe is currently thirty-three and has a myriad of injuries. He cannot do it alone!

Kobe Bryant has reverted to year ‘05-’06 Kobe, averaging just under 30pts/game. He has also joined an exclusive club, scoring 40+ points in 4 consecutive games this season. All of this sounds good, but really, it’s not. Kobe is averaging 24 shot attempts per game. On a given night, 30 points on 24 shots is not efficient enough to consistently win games. Kobe is no longer willing to trust Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum to score. He certainly shows no confidence in new additions Troy Murphy, Josh McRoberts, and Jason Kapono, not that they have given him any reason to. Kobe is making some incredibly difficult shots, but the equation doesn’t add up when the only player he trusts is D Fish. Derek Fisher cannot run this offense. The triangle offense did not require a point guard, so Fisher’s lack of point guard skills was never an issue. Now, the Lakers run a typical offense that runs through the point guard, and Fisher is struggling. He has already relinquished his crunch time role to Steve Blake,

but Blake is not the answer either. WE NEED A POINT GUARD, OR WE WILL LOSE. Without the triangle, the offense must work though the big men. Pau Gasol is still an all star caliber player, and if we are going to pass up on many a trade to keep Andrew Bynum, then we need to feed the beast. Let’s really feed the post, and see what they can do. Then, in the fourth quarter, we can let Kobe win it for us if necessary.

All of this has led me to one incredibly painful conclu-sion. Barring some miracle trade for Dwight Howard or Deron Williams, the Lakers will not win a championship this year. At the very least, they need to make a minor trade to acquire a point guard with passing ability, like the Cleveland’s Ramon Sessions, and/or a capable scorer at the small forward position, like Minnesota’s Michael Beasley. I do hope I’m wrong. But, even with all this, the Lakers still have a good shot to win their division. The Kings, Warriors, and Suns are pretty bad, and the only team in our way is the Clippers. The Clippers are good, probably the better of the LA teams, but still quite beat-able. Good luck Lake Show. ■

by Phillip Yadegari

PHOTO CREDIT: HTTP://NBA-FUNNY-PHOTOS.BLOGSPOT.COM

Something Missing?

Tell your commissioner to email standings to

RossedDaily@gmail.comSubject: “sports”

PHOTO CREDIT: TONI LEIGH DEASONMatthew Parisi of Merp Strong

There were 5 doctors out on a bird hunting expedition. A general physician, a psychiatrist, a surgeon, a pathologist, and a pediatrician. As they were walk-ing along, a bird flew by and the general physician raised his gun and aimed. He wasn’t sure if that was exactly the bird they went out to hunt for, he wanted a second opinion. By the time he could make up his mind, the bird flew away. A few minutes later, another bird flies by and this time the psychiatrist drew his

gun. He was pretty sure this was the bird they set out to hunt for. “I know that’s the bird we are looking for, but how does it feel about being hunted? “

He asked himself. By the time he could make up his mind, the bird flew away. Yet another bird flew by and the pediatri-cian aimed his gun. As he was about to shoot, he thought about the bird having small chicks to care for so he let the bird fly away. Some time passed and yet an-other bird flies by. The surgeon this time draws his gun. BOOM, he shot the bird down and he turned to the pathologist “Check if that was the bird we were look-ing for, will you.” ■

5 Doctorsby Henri Zhuri

Sometimes WeChoose

Sometimes we choose to love and sometimes to hate. I chose to fall in love, yet hate the very reality of love. I envy not to love, yet I lust for it. Sometimes we choose to live and sometimes not. I live because I love, yet it kills not to be loved. The very thought of you brings life, yet strangles it with deeds. Sometimes we choose to remember and sometimes forget. The past brings pleasure, which gives hope to a future. The future brings hurt, better forgotten than remembered. We can’t choose who we love or force them to love us. We can’t control life, yet life controls us. We can guide how we live, by being human. Sometimes we choose to be human, the very flaw of nature. ■

Page 10 March 2, 2012Rossed Daily

by Emmanuel Uchechukwu Obi

Seeking cartoonistSeeking cartoonist&&

contributing writers.contributing writers.

Upcoming Events

To Jodi:Roses are red, violets

are blue... sugar is sweet and so are you...

Love,Secret K.

John Arghh-

You’re the Father...

MESSAGE BOARDS

Congrats Adam Beaton, the Congrats Adam Beaton, the March photo of the month win-March photo of the month win-ner!! (We promise we weren’t ner!! (We promise we weren’t biased in choosing our very own biased in choosing our very own staff photographer, but this picture staff photographer, but this picture was rad). was rad).

Want to compete next month? Want to compete next month? Send your photo to:Send your photo to:

RossedDaily@gmail.comRossedDaily@gmail.comsubject “PHOTO.”subject “PHOTO.”

Photo Photo of The of The MonthMonth

Doc Brown-Doc Brown-Next time aim for theNext time aim for the

shoulder and try paying shoulder and try paying with your student ID.with your student ID.

Katie Angelova,you make my heart

sing!

Thank you to Jodi for being an inspiration, tackling so many

things and providing thisamazing column while also

fulfilling her dream of becoming a doctor.

Love,Kenny

Page 11 March 2, 2012Rossed Daily

Happy Birthday Leili- get it!

Thank you “Buckets” for

helping to facili-tate the intra-mural standings and to all the

sportcommissioners

who participated!

I’m so proud of you Jennifer Hubbard. You

inspire me with your hard

work anddetermination!

Love,Kenny

Dear Constantine,

We miss you and

hope you are doing well with

classes.Love,

Mom, Dad, Elena, Canaan

Legit.com/Rickert

Kelly Akin Duggin,

I’m not much of a wordsmith, but I love you and am so proud of how hard you work.

-Keith

Happy Bday Ayla, You sexy

lady!

Well done Indian Student Association

(ISA) for making over $5,000 in donations to

the Community

PAWS: Adopt-a-PetThis is Mae. She is super sweet and gets along with everyone including cats and kids. She is 3.5 months old. Contact Kelly Nelson at knelson@rossmed.edu.dm for more information.

Bayron Gutierrez“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000

kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”

- Bruce LeeKick butt on the mini!

Happy Birthday

Albert KaziJairo EspinosaMeril GeorgeJason PattonRyan Davis

Daniel FernandezVarkey PurarthurAlex Osak

Natasha Stribbell

Dear Luba,We are very proud of you

and hope everything is well in Dominica.

Love,Mama, Baba and Dana

To the best PBLmember-

Happy birthday Steven Yale!

Sorry Greg Grandio You’re the best cliff jumper I know. xo

I would like to thank

Ian Kahane for

bringing me to

Dominica and showing

me a great time. It was

an amazing experience

that I will never

forget. You truly are

a wonderful person

and I am thankful

for having you in

my life everyday.

I love you very

much!

Thank You Dream Team

Editors: Ambica, Erica, Natalie, Brittany and

Virginia!Happy birthday Moazzum

March 19th!

Shout out to a friend for Shout out to a friend for 50EC!50EC!

Email:Email:RossedDaily@gmail.comRossedDaily@gmail.com

with the subject “MESSAGE”with the subject “MESSAGE”

*Send our digital version *Send our digital version (released in two weeks) to (released in two weeks) to

friends and family at home and friends and family at home and let them paypal their way to a let them paypal their way to a

shout out!* shout out!*

Couldn’t do it without you Wallach!

Cows like pumpkin,Pigs like squash,

I like you,I do by gosh.

Sending our love from Southeast Missouri!

Britni & Scooter

Gursharn Kaur

“You have to learn the rules

of the game. And then you

have to play better than any-

one else.” - Einstein

First semester almost in the

history books, we got this!

“We love you Nick and are so proud

of you!” Love Mom (Josie) & Dad (Ron)

Page 12 March 2, 2012Rossed Daily