Princeton's annual alumnibacchanal is in crisis. Reunions, as the well-documented event is known, coincides this year with a campus-wide outbreak of meningitis. Festivities are scheduled for next weekend, but a recent string of diagnoses affecting three students and one visitor has placed the Ivy League school on edge, says Bloomberg News. Reporter (and Columbia alum)Janet Lorin cites an official Princeton directive instructing alumni "to pay increased attention to personal hygienic practices during Reunions" while otherwise party the weekend away under the dual influence of nostalgia and alcohol. But how serious of a threat, really, does meningitis pose to Princeton's campus-wide merriment? Not a whole lot if Princetonians can hold off on making out too much.

RELATED: Wait and See Is the Next Phase of the Meningitis Outbreak

The first three meningitis cases at Princeton have been attributed to a fairly mild bacterial strain known asNeisseria meningiditis, whose mortality rate (reported as 10 percent) usually accords to one's access to medical care and the exact cause of the inflammation bacterial, viral, fungal, and so forth. (The fourth case is still being studied.) The only problem?Neisseria meningiditisspreads by the exchange of saliva, a popular activity at the notoriously libidinal Reunions. So frisky Princetonians may want to reconsider any plans to recapture their younger, freer years, and keep their cocktails to themselves. Which shouldn't bethat hard.

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According to New Jersey's Department of Health, which declared the outbreak earlier this week, the best precaution remains vaccination, even though the particular bacterial profile tied to the first three cases would not have been neutralized by a vaccine. (A vaccine which targets this particular profile, known as Serogroup B, is difficult to produce in large quantities, due to the bacteria's makeup and, apparently, tense Cuban-American relations.) "Adolescents and young adults may be at increased risk for infection due to certain lifestyle factors," the department furtherexplained in a memo addressing the Princeton outbreak. Those factors include "crowded living conditions," "going to bars," and "irregular sleeping patterns." In other words, college itself.

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Princeton Meningitis Scare Threatens Nostalgic Hook-Ups at Reunion

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The Fleetwood Area School District and the FASD Foundation were very pleased to induct the inaugural class of Distinguished Alumni of Fleetwood Area High School on May 17.

The honorees were selected from 20 nominations. The honorees earned recognition through their outstanding service to our country, service to the Fleetwood community, service to or financial support of others in need, or through their outstanding contributions to their career.

Dr. Carl Constein, Class of 1938, was selected for his contribution to education and his service to our country. Dr. Constein started his career as an English teacher, and later became Superintendent of the Antietam and Wilson School Districts. He also wrote 400 weekly columns on education for the Reading Eagle in the late 50s and early 60s. He has published eight books, including ones on his experiences flying between China, Burma, and India, and four novels. Prior to his career in education, Dr. Constein served our country as a C-46 pilot and flew 96 supply missions for which he received two Air Medals and a Distinguished Flying Cross.

George Messersmith was selected for his service to our country. Messersmith served our countrys foreign service for 30 years. During that time, he was assigned to ten diplomatic posts on three continents between 1914 and 1947. During World War I, he cracked a secret German code that resulted in the identification and deportation of enemy agents. He served as the United States Counsel General in Berlin prior to World War II and was known for being a fearless foe of the Nazis. He was the Assistant Secretary of State under President Franklin Roosevelt. He was also selected as Time Magazines Man of the Year in 1946. Messersmith began his career in education and at one point was a grade school principal.

Dr. Kenneth Miller, Class of 1943, was selected for his service to our community and for his philanthropy. Throughout Dr. Millers life, he has been dedicated to improving the quality of life for others. Dr. Miller led the education of community members to bring about acceptance of fluoridation of the Fleetwood water supply. He encouraged and supported other dentists to establish new practices in our community. He has also generously supported many philanthropic causes.

Eric Schaeffer, Class of 1980, was selected for his contributions to his career in the theater. Schaeffer is the Founder of the Signature Theater in Virginia. In 2002, he was selected as the Artistic Director of the Stephen Sondheim Celebration at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Later, he directed Carol Burnett in Sondheims Putting it Together on Broadway. Over his 21 year history at the Signature Theater, he has led the theatre to 70 Helen Hayes Awards for outstanding excellence in the theater. He also received the Arts Founder Award in 2007. Schaeffer has directed many plays from New York to Las Vegas.

Florence Elizabeth Streich, Class of 1939, was selected for her service to humanity. Along with her husband, Streich joined the United Andean Indian Mission working in Ecuador in 1946. The mission is supported by the Presbyterian, Methodist and UCC Churches. During her 32 years of mission work with the Andean Indians, she established six schools, provided assistance with agricultural projects including obtaining and helping to teach the local Indians how to care for farm animals. She also helped to provide medical care through a small clinic, the only care available to the locals for many years. Both Betty and her husband devoted their lives to improve the lives of others.

Lillian Schlegel Walter, Class of 1926, was selected for her service to the Fleetwood community. Walter served the children of Fleetwood as an elementary teacher for 46 years. She was a founding member of the Womens Club of Fleetwood and the Fleetwood Historical Society. Throughout her life, she donated hundreds of artifacts to the Historical Society.

It was a true honor to recognize these six outstanding men and women for their contributions. Each was honored with a plaque that is displayed on the wall opposite the high school auditorium entrance. Dr. Constein and Miller were able to attend; the others were represented by relatives.

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Fleetwood honors six Distinguished Alumni

Princeton University is moving forward with its annual alumni reunion at the end of the month, and the New Jersey school is urging as many as 24,000 attendees to take added precautions in light of a meningitis outbreak.

The most recent case is a Princeton student who traveled to his home state and was receiving treatment in a hospital there after he was diagnosed with meningitis on May 20, according to a statement from the Ivy League school. No campus events have been canceled, Martin Mbugua, a spokesman, said in an e-mail today.

While many colleges hold reunions for classes every five years, Princeton draws thousands back annually. The May 30 to June 2 gathering includes alumni-faculty forums with prominent graduates. The school will also introduce its president-elect, Provost Christopher L. Eisgruber, a member of the class of 1983.

The university urges attendees to pay increased attention to personal hygienic practices during reunion events in light of the diagnoses of three students and one campus visitor over the past few months, according to a statement on a reunion website.

The first case was a student who developed symptoms of bacterial meningitis after returning to campus from spring recess in March, according to a statement from the New Jersey Department of Health. A visitor to campus was diagnosed after returning to another state in April. Another student was diagnosed on May 7.

Bacterial meningitis is generally transmitted through direct exchange of respiratory and throat secretions by close personal contact, such as coughing, sharing drinks, kissing and being in close proximity for an extended period.

More than 4,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with bacterial meningitis each year, and the damage can be severe, with 500 dying from it annually, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most cases can be treated with antibiotics. Timing is critical, though, and many patients dont realize symptoms like nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light suggest they need immediate medical attention.

To contact the reporter on this story: Janet Lorin in New York jlorin@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Lisa Wolfson at lwolfson@bloomberg.net

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Princeton Expecting 24,000 at Reunion Amid Meningitis Outbreak

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) May 23, 2013

SoFi (Social Finance, Inc.), the alumni-funded student lender, launches a new program today for doctors to refinance their educational debt.

As a result of exciting demand from the medical community and accelerating capital raised from alumni and institutional investors, SoFi is extending refinancing options to doctors who have completed residency and graduated from one of the 82 schools in the companys footprint. Medical-school graduates from Johns Hopkins, University of California San Francisco, and Washington University of St. Louis are also eligible.

With this announcement, SoFi is helping to address the 86 percent of 2012 medical-school graduates who reported to the AAMC that they have student loans. The majority of medical students who finance their education through borrowing have taken out Stafford and Grad PLUS loans at interest rates of 6.8% and 7.9% respectively, while the median student debt for the class of 2012 is $170,000.

As Bloombergs Janet Lorin reported in her April 2013 article on medical-school debt, The next generation of U.S. physicians is being saddled with record debt amid a looming shortage of doctors needed to cope with a rising elderly population. The burgeoning debt burden may be turning students away from primary care, which pays about $200,000 a year, toward more lucrative specialties.

SoFi will refinance student debt for doctors with a fixed rate of 5.74% APR when a 5-year-term is selected. This rate is further discounted to 5.49% APR when customers make monthly principal and interest payments by an automatic, monthly deduction from a savings or checking account. Also available are 10-year and 15-year loan terms with fixed rates set at 6.375% APR and 6.875% respectively. These loans are also eligible for a 0.25% rate discount when a customer makes automatic payments.

SoFi cannot succeed in transforming student loans without addressing the critical debt burdens experienced by those who ensure the health of our community. We are excited to offer loan products that provide more flexible options and meaningful savings. said SoFi's Chief Executive Officer Mike Cagney.

In addition to financial benefits, doctors refinancing with SoFi will benefit from a supportive community of people vested in one anothers success.

We help our borrowers realize their goals beyond paying off student debt. Whether seeking employment opportunities, career advice, access to industry luminaries, or simply a like-minded network, our borrowers have many reasons for choosing SoFi, said Cagney.

About SoFi SoFi is transforming the $1 trillion student loan market. By connecting accredited alumni investors with students and recent graduates through school-specific loan funds, investors can earn a compelling risk-adjusted return while helping borrowers reduce the cost of their loans. All members benefit from a supportive community of people vested in one anothers success. Founded in 2011 by a team of Stanford Graduate School of Business alumni, SoFi has funded over $100 million in new and refinanced student loans to students and alumni of 82 schools. SoFi loans are made by SoFi Lending Corp, California Finance Lenders License Number 6054612. To learn more about SoFi visit https://www.sofi.com/

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SoFi Tackles Medical School Debt with Refinancing Options for Doctors

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- A Cedar Falls real estate development company is reaching out to friends and families affected by the killer tornado in Moore, Okla., not far from where the company is helping build a major medical complex serving those injured.

Lockard Cos. of Cedar Falls has been working with the Norman Regional Health System in Norman, Okla., on development of the health system's 96-acre West Campus.

The campus is about an 18-minute drive south of Moore.

The tornado missed that campus by about four miles, said Ken Lockard said, company president.

However, another smaller Norman Regional medical facility in Moore was decimated, Lockard vice president Dave Wilson said.

Wilson called Norman Regional president and CEO David Whitaker and offered assistance. "We are going to try and help them get it back to order," Wilson said. "He said, 'We'll be calling you.'"

Not only is the West Campus in Norman receiving and treating people injured in the tornado, many of the staff working there have lost their homes, Ken Lockard said.

"One of our partners, an orthopedics firm, have a whole number of people that, when you go to their home, there's just a driveway. They have nothing," Ken Lockard said. "It reminds you of Parkersburg.

"We're thinking about adopting families down there," Lockard said, "kind of helping them out with clothing and shoes, all those thing you don't think you're ever going to need. You can just go into your closet and they're there. But you know what? There's no closet."

With the West Campus project in Norman, Lockard is overseeing the construction of a 125-bed hospital, two 80,000-square-feet medical office buildings, a hotel and more than 200,000 square feet of medical service and retail facilities.

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Cedar Valley residents have ties to ravaged city

NEW HAVEN, Conn. A long road of hurdles overcome, a Utah couple graduated together from Yale Universitys School of Medicine this week as the only married pair of their class Monday.

Josh and Madison Hustedt, alumni of Jordan High and East High respectively, officially became doctors after completing their education as classmates.

The odds were astronomical, but they did it, said Joshs father, Barry Hustedt, of Sandy. It took a tremendous amount of sacrifice on both of their parts. Most people would have changed course, but they knew what they wanted and had the confidence, skill, and persistence to make it happen.

On graduation day, the couples families attended the commencement ceremony in New Haven, Conn. Madisons parents, Peter and Michelle Morgan, reside in Salt Lake City, and Joshs parents, Barry and Linda Hustedt, live in Sandy.

It was really fun to share that moment with our family, said Josh Hustedt, 28. Our families are really important to us. The whole reason we went through medical school together was for our future family.

Graduating together from one of the worlds leading centers of medical education culminates many years of the Hustedts dedication to each other and determination to accomplish their goals.

Jordan High and East High alumni

A gifted athlete, Josh Hustedt was also known for his academic prowess during his high school years.

The thing I remember most about Josh was he was an excellent student. I wasnt surprised at all to hear that he got a scholarship to Stanford, said Mark Petersen, science department chairman at Jordan High School, who taught Joshs anatomy class. It hasnt surprised me that hes done so well.

Josh graduated as a Beetdigger in 2002, while Madison, 27, graduated from East High in 2004.

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Learning together, Utah couple graduates from Yale Med School

The Yuma University of Arizona Alumni Club has awarded $60,000 in scholarships to 37 high school seniors or junior college students heading to Tucson in the fall.

Since 1991, the Yuma Chapter has awarded over 500 scholarships worth $877,000 to Yuma youth. The club's goal is to become the first non-profit organization to award over $1 million in scholarships to local Yuman scholars.

The Yuma University of Arizona Alumni Club raises money throughout the year with a number of different activities, and then they invite these incredible students to apply for the funds, said Melinda Burke, president and executive director of the U of A Alumni Association.

I think it is a remarkable display of community pride and a demonstration of their commitment to higher education.

The scholarships were announced during a banquet held at the Yuma Civic Center April 30.

We look for the best and the brightest, but 90 percent of our scholarship winners are in the top 10 percent of their class, said Jeff Byrd, President of the Yuma University of Arizona Alumni Club, during the banquet.

We offer scholarships to every person that is in the to five percent of their class, and tonight we've got four or five valedictorians, so we are really proud.

The banquet was a celebration of the past and the future, Burke noted.

These are alumni who want to share the kind of experience and the great education they had at the University of Arizona with these young adults who are just starting off in their careers. It is the quintessential pay it forward.

What is most rewarding is when you see these kids you gave a scholarship to 10 or 15 years ago come back as a doctor, lawyer or farmer, and watch them thrive because of the U of A experience, Byrd continued.

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Yuma students awarded $60K in scholarship funds

(PRWEB) May 20, 2013

The Allen School, New Yorks leading healthcare training school, is proud to have participated in the 28th Annual AIDS Walk New York, a 6.2 mile walk to benefit HIV programs and services in the tri-state area, held on Sunday, May 19.

Allen Schools medical assistant and nursing assistant students and alumni were joined by faculty and administration during the walk. Over $3,000 has been raised so far for the AIDS Walk in 2013, and that amount will be doubled with a match from the school itself. For the past nine years, Allen School has raised in excess of $15,000 to help find a cure for the deadly virus that has touched so many friends and family of both students and staff.

Allen School and the AIDS Walk have always been a natural fit because we train Medical Assistants and Certified Nursing Assistants who genuinely care about helping people affected by the AIDS virus, said Jason Teich, President of Allen School of Health Sciences.

You can learn more about the AIDS Walk by visiting http://aidswalk.net/newyork

About Allen School Allen School of Health Sciences has trained over 70,000 medical professional, including students from the Medical Insurance Billing and Coding training program, over its 50-plus year existence. You can learn more about becoming a Medical Assistant or Nursing Assistant at Allen School of Health Sciences by visiting http://www.allenschool.edu or by calling 718-206-1300.

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Allen School Participates in 2013 AIDS Walk New York

Hello, Morehouse! Thank you Dr. Wilson, the Board of Trustees; Congressman Cedric Richmond and Sanford Bishop both proud alumni of this school; Congressman Hank Johnson and the great John Lewis; Mayor Reed, and all the members of the Morehouse family. Most of all, congratulations to this distinguished group of Morehouse Men, the Class of 2013! Some of you are graduating summa cum laude, some of you are graduating magna cum laude, and I know some of you are just graduating, thank you Lordy.

I see some good looking hats on the moms and grandmas here today. Which is appropriate, since were here on Sunday, and folks are in their Sunday best. Congratulations to all of you the parents and grandparents, brothers and sisters, family and friends who supported these young men in so many ways. This is your day, too. Just think about it your sons and brothers have spent the last four years far from home and close to Spelman. And they still made it here today. So you must be doing something right. Graduates, give them a round of applause.

I know some of you had to wait in long lines to get into todays ceremony. I would apologize, but it didnt actually have anything to do with security. These graduates just wanted you to know what its like to register for classes. And this time of year brings a different kind of stress, with every senior stopping by Gloster Hall over the past week making sure your name was on the list of students whove met all the graduation requirements. If it wasnt, you had to figure out why. Was it the library book you let your roommate borrow freshman year? Was it Dr. Johnsons policy class? Did you get enough Crown Forum credits?

I can help with that last one. Today, I am exercising my power as President to declare this speech sufficient Crown Forum credits for any otherwise-eligible student to graduate. Consider it my graduation gift to you.

Graduates, I am humbled to stand here with all of you as an honorary Morehouse Man. And as I do, Im mindful of an old saying: You can always tell a Morehouse Man, but you cant tell him much. That makes my task today a little more difficult, I suppose. But I think it also reflects the sense of pride that has always been a part of the Morehouse tradition.

Benjamin Mays, who served as the president of Morehouse for almost 30 years, understood that tradition perhaps better than anyone. He said, It will not be sufficient for Morehouse College, for any college, for that matter, to produce clever graduates but rather honest men, men who can be trusted in public and private life men who are sensitive to the wrongs, the sufferings, and the injustices of society and who are willing to accept responsibility for correcting [those] ills.

It was that mission not just to educate men, but to cultivate good men that brought community leaders together just two years after the end of the Civil War. They assembled a list of 37 men, free blacks and freed slaves, who would make up the first prospective class of what later became Morehouse College. Most of those first students had a desire to become teachers and preachers to better themselves so they could help others do the same.

A century and a half later, times have changed. But the Morehouse Mystique endures. Some of you probably came here from communities where everyone looked like you. Others may have come here in search of that kind of community. And I suspect that some of you probably felt a little bit of culture shock the first time you came together as a class in Kings Chapel. All of a sudden, you werent the only high school sports captain or student council president. All of a sudden, among a group of high achievers, you were expected to be something more.

Thats the unique sense of purpose that has always infused this place the conviction that this is a training ground not only for individual success, but for leadership that can change the world.

Dr. King was just 15 years old when he enrolled here at Morehouse. He was an unknown, undersized, unassuming young freshman who lived at home with his parents. I think its fair to say he wasnt the coolest kid on campus; for the suits he wore, his classmates called him Tweed. But his education at Morehouse helped to forge the intellect, the soul force, the disciple and compassion that would transform America. It was here that he was introduced to the writings of Gandhi, and Thoreau, and the theory of civil disobedience. It was here that professors encouraged him to look past the world as it was and fight for the world as it should be.

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Prepared text for President Obama’s speech at Morehouse