STUDENT LIFE
THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER OF WASHINGTON UNIVERSIT Y IN ST. LOUIS SINCE 1878 Sadly, the men’s soccer team couldn’t pull out a win this weekend against perennial rivals University of Chicago. Page 5.
Couldn’t get tickets to Bauhaus? You’re not Scene finds out what it’s like to be an atheist alone. The editorial board protests strictures or opera singer on campus with profiles of on the annual event in Forum. Page 4. two quite different freshmen. Page 6.
VOLUME 127, NO. 30
Standing up and coming out in college can be tough. Scene looks at this “rite of passage” in an in-depth feature. Page 8.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2005
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Once upon a time at Diwali By Jessie Rothstein Contributing Reporter Many weeks of preparation and tiring rehearsals on the part of the Diwali cast and crew culminated in three performances this weekend celebrating the Indian “Festival of Lights.” With a new focus on social action, the annual event sold out Edison Theatre after many camped out at the box office to grab a ticket. This year’s show, “Once Upon A Time…Ek Baar Ki Baat Hai…” consisted of a variety of Indian dance performances and music following the light-hearted story of an American-born Indian girl who comes face-to-face with her heritage when her mother drags her to India for an arranged marriage. The show not only celebrated Indian culture in a variety of ways, but also for the first time educated the audience about the severe challenges facing the Indian population today through an informative slideshow. Diwali 2005 included 170 participants representing a wide range of backgrounds and talents. As junior Archna Eniasivam, co-cultural chair of Ashoka along with junior Hreem Dave, said, “We’re really proud of this show because we think it incorporates a lot of the general body of Wash. U. We really pride ourselves on the fact that anyone, regardless
EITAN HOCHSTER | STUDENT LIFE
Students get down at Dance Marathon in the Athletic Complex on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2005. ALWYN LOH | STUDENT LIFE
Students perform during Diwali on Friday, Nov. 4, 2005. The popular program had 170 participants this year. of being Indian, regardless of knowing how to do the dances, can be a part of it.” Behind the scenes, Ashoka plans to donate two dollars from each Diwali ticket to two different charities. Along with donating to SA ATHI, the HIV and AIDS prevention group in India that received last year’s Diwali donations, Ashoka also decided to donate to a charity called Direct International Relief, which sends money to places hit by disasters, such as the tsunami of 2004 and the recent earthquake. “This year we chose two because we thought they were both important causes,” said Dave. The show has been in the works since last spring, when this year’s co-cultural
DAVID HARTSTEIN | STUDENT LIFE
Ashoka will donate two dollars from every Diwali ticket to charitable organizations working in India.
chairs were elected and began looking for a skit-writer. Choreographers and participants auditioned during the first few weeks of the school year and practiced devotedly throughout the month of October, with the major dances requiring an average of three or four two-hour sessions per week. As the show approached, daily rehearsals were necessary, and the performers practiced late into the night. “It’s tiring, but honestly it’s worth it to see the audience react how they do,” said Eniasivam. The enthusiasm and support shown by the audience played a key role in all three performances; even in the Saturday afternoon show, which tends to be a little less energetic, “the audience still got really into it,” recounted Eniasivam. Sophomore Amelia Einbender-Lieber, who saw the show for the first time this year, remarked, “What enchanted me most about Diwali was how you could really feel the pride in Indian culture through the dancing, the music, the clothing—everything.” Diwali coincided with Dance Marathon this year, as last occurred in 2004, which Eniasivam describes as “a big problem, because we target the same audiences.” Yet the organizers of both events took certain measures to ensure that everyone who wanted to attend both events had the opportunity to do so.
See DIWALI, page 3
Dance Marathon nets over $58,000 By Margy Levinson Contributing Reporter A record-breaking 521 students packed the Athletic Complex Saturday night, singing along to the Backstreet Boys or just laughing and giggling while getting their groove on at Washington University’s seventh annual Dance Marathon. The 12-hour charity event netted over $58,000 for St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. “Our goal was 500 participants, and we went over,” said Adina Seidenfeld, senior and co-chair for family relations. This year there were 521 registered dancers. “This is 100 more than last year, and last year was at least 100 more than the year before,” said senior and co-overall Katie Kross. “There has been an increase since we moved to the fall.” The Dance Marathon moved to the fall semester last year. According to Kross, this was done to “get more freshmen involved” and to bring a large community service event to campus in the fall. “There was no big event in the fall, and we wanted to balance it with our big spring fundraiser, Relay for
Life,” said Seidenfeld. “We target freshmen, because then people realize how much fun it is and continue doing it.” Dance Marathon raises money for the national Children’s Miracle Network, an organization that helps raise money for children’s hospitals. This year’s Marathon focused on fundraising for St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. “Infants in the prenatal care unit need units that can cost $20,000 for just one [isolette],” said Seidenfeld. An isolette is similar to an incubator for newborns. “That’s why it’s important to raise money. The hospitals need the money,” she said. Although freshmen were the largest group that participated, groups from Greek Life and Campus Y, among others, joined in on the party. “People can bond doing this together for 12 hours,” said Seidenfeld. Christine Linck, a national Children’s Network adviser who works with Washington University, has been working with Dance Marathon since the beginning. “I’ve seen it grow. It’s now to the point where it’s a tradition,” she said. “I’m just thrilled. It’s incredible
how much people are aware, and it’s amazing how much students and execs put into it.” Dance Marathon is more than just dancing; it also includes silent auctions and dancing with patients. “We have miracle children come and visit. They are like superheroes that come to inspire,” said junior Tassy Hayden, co-chair of public relations. “We do it all for the kids.” Throughout the night the Marathon jumped into theme hours. Some, such as the Halloween-themed hour, were geared toward the kids, featuring activities like face painting. Other themes included country, rock star, pajama and Greek motifs. Several clubs and organizations from around campus performed as well, such as the Salsa Team, who danced during Around the World hour. “The ‘90s hits hour was quite good,” said senior Ben Kornfeld. “I know all the words because I grew up on them.” “This year’s Disney hour was a very big hit. Everyone loved it,” said Kross. “We’ve had really good music.” Organizers provided other activities for dancers
See DANCE MARATHON, page 3
CS40 to tackle Giuliani brings presidential air ‘hybrid living’ NEWS ANALYSIS
to Founders Day campus visit By Brad Nelson News Editor
DAVID BRODY | STUDENT LIFE
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani answers students’ questions at a Founders Day event in Lab Sciences on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2005.
It was evident from the moment Rudy Giuliani stepped into the Laboratory Sciences lecture hall Saturday afternoon that this was a man gearing up for a presidential run in 2008. He may not have officially declared his candidacy yet, but everything about him seemed to indicate that his Founders Day talk to students was a notso-subtle dress rehearsal for the campaign stops that await him in the months to come. Wearing a sharp pinstripe suit and red tie with white checks and accompanied by a procession of bodyguards and Chancellor Mark Wrighton, Giuliani strode regally down the stairs to the podium, allowing each of the some 250 audience members in attendance to catch a hint of the aura of a man who guided the nation out of one of the darkest days in its history. Even the audience members
you would least expect to be awestruck were. A Student Life reporter couldn’t help but blush after Giuliani turned around in his chair and whispered with a gentle smile, “Hi, how are you doing?” David Ader, the Student Union president, stopped twice in his speech to collect himself. “I’m just so taken aback by being in your presence,” said Ader, a man well known for graceful public speaking. After a disarming story surrounding Giuliani’s proclamation that “New York is the greatest city on earth”—which apparently some other mayors took offense to—he opened the floor for questions. In a format similar to that of a town hall meeting, Giuliani took questions for 45 minutes from a group of pre-selected individuals—though it should be noted he seemed to express interest in taking questions from
See GUILIANI, page 3
By Josh Hantz Contributing Reporter Recycle a plastic bottle with the cap still on and the Congress of the South 40 (CS40) may call you out on it. It’s all part of CS40’s revamped environmental awareness agenda spearheaded by its new Hybrid Living Committee (HLC). “Our goal is to inspire healthy living on the 40,” said sophomore Debra Stern, an HLC co-chair. “It’s more than environmental. It’s about how we can all live together.” The program started this year after students saw a general need for increased awareness of these issues around campus. “It was a huge eye-opener living on the 40,” Stern said. “We’re trying to do as much as we can, but the system makes [recycling] kind of difficult. It can be more built-in, though. Even if someone has to think about it, it’s not so hard to switch over.”
The biggest issue facing HLC and the Committee on Environmental Quality (CEQ ) is recycling, or the lack thereof. According to Stern and sophomore Alex Lowenstein, HLC’s other co-chair, students often do not know how to recycle. “People don’t have the proper information to recycle,” Stern said. “Things are actually being thrown out, not recycled. A whole bin can be ruined by one thing [that contaminates it]. Now we’re making a distinction between garbage and recycling.” Lowenstein added that students must be conscious of their own actions and the environment. “If people think there’s no problem, they won’t change,” he said. “We have to set a precedent for next year and future years so that more and more will change.” According to sophomore CEQ Student Chair Emily Dangremond, the policies of
See HYBRID LIVING, page 3