Student Life | September 19, 2007 by Student Life

STAFF EDITORIAL | BETA KEEPS BUBBLES CLEAN, SAFE | SEE FORUM, PAGE 4

STUDENT LIFE

THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER OF WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS SINCE 1878 VOLUME 129, NO. 11

More juniors stay on the Forty BY BRITTANY FARB STAFF REPORTER It is considered Washington University tradition for students to migrate from the South 40 to the North Side at the beginning of their junior year. But as upperclassmen settle into their North Side suites and apartments, many of their classmates still remain on the south side of campus. When juniors received their South 40 housing assignments last semester, many were not pleased. Junior Leah Bressler was among the unhappy juniors assigned to live in Eliot House. “[My suitemates and I] did have pretty awful lottery numbers,” said Bressler. “But we didn’t think we would have any

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trouble getting at least the Village House or Lopata, especially since all four of us are going abroad in the spring.” Junior Rebecca Stainman is also among the group of unlucky juniors who were assigned to live in Eliot. “You would think it wouldn’t be hard for an upperclassman to get their ﬁrst or second choice for housing,” said Stainman. Junior Marguerite Burkham and her suitemates were equally surprised with their Eliot housing assignment. “We all recognized that there was a housing crisis last year,” said Burkham. “But we also expected to be housed with other juniors this year.”

University Center to be named for Danforths v Eco-friendly building will serve students, offer “fun room”

See JUNIORS ON 40, page 3

University Lawn Service recruits record-high number of guest workers BY DAN WOZNICA CONTRIBUTING REPORTER As controversy brews around the nation about the hiring of guest workers from abroad, TopCare Lawn Service, Inc, the University’s landscaping service, has drawn attention for being St. Louis’ leading employer of H-2B guest workers. TopCare’s employees, whose duties include lawn care, litter pickup, snow removal and trash hauling, are representative of a growing number of non-U.S. citizens being recruited seasonally to work under temporary visas. All of the approximately 36

full-time employees who currently keep the grounds of the University work under contract for TopCare Lawn Service, Inc. Washington University has used TopCare’s services since 1992. In the last ﬁscal year, University resource management spent $2.7 million on its contract with TopCare. “They provide a good service and they treat their employees well,” said Paul Norman, grounds manager for the University. According to the United States Labor Department, over 2,700 guest workers were approved last year to work under H-2B (non-agricultural)

See GUEST WORKERS, page 3

MATT LANTER | STUDENT LIFE

Chancellor Wrighton is set to announce today that the new University Center, seen here under construction, will be named in honor of the Danforths. The new building will be environmentally friendly, meeting LEED-NC Gold standards. BY SAM GUZIK SENIOR NEWS EDITOR Chancellor Mark Wrighton will announce tomorrow that the new University Center is to be named in honor of Chancellor Emeritus William H. Danforth and his late wife Elizabeth “Ibby” Danforth. “It is a privilege to be in a position to honor them in this way, and no one else has been considered,” said Chancellor Wrighton in an e-mail to Student Life. “Dr. Danforth remains very active in the life of the University as a member of the board of trustees and is a great St. Louisan continuing to make enormously important contributions to our community.” Dr. Danforth served as Chancellor from 1971 to 1995, immediately prior to the tenure of Chancellor Wrighton. He and

his wife are seen as the University’s “first family,” as evidenced by the dedication of the Hilltop campus to the Danforths last year. Chancellor Wrighton also unveiled more details of the University Center’s plans, including a second-floor “fun room” designed as a place for students to hang out and relax. “It’s meant to be a social spot on campus,” said Student Union President Neil Patel. “[It is meant] to give the students a place where they can relax and lounge.” According to Patel, the room will include chalkboard paint walls on which students can write all over and post messages, arcade style games and comfortable chairs, including one that will also function as a musical amplifier. The room, which was de-

signed with student input by Communication Arts, Inc., will be comparable in size to Whispers; it will be divided into three sections by garage doors that can be raised or lowered as needed. The William H. and Elizabeth Grey Danforth Center, as the new building will be known, will also house dinning areas, student group offices and the Career Center. Priced at $41 million, the building has been designed to be environmentally friendly and will be Leadership Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)NC Gold certified. “We have the opportunity to be a leader, and because we build structures with long anticipated life times, the ‘payback’ in operations expenses makes the extra capital needed for LEED certification a wise invest-

ment,” said Wrighton. “At the same time we will have the immediate benefit of lowering the environmental consequences of our new buildings.” Notably, Chancellor Wrighton added that all future buildings on campus will be built with some level of LEED certification. As part of its LEED certification, the Danforth Center touts improved water and energy efficiency and the use of recycled materials throughout the course of construction. The first University construction project to receive LEED certification was the Earth and Planetary Sciences building; however, the Gold certification which the new Danforth Center hopes to achieve is the highest attempted on campus so far. —With additional reporting by David Brody

100K surplus to fund University Center, other projects BY PERRY STEIN CONTRIBUTING REPORTER

CLAIRE HENDERSON | STUDENT LIFE

TopCare employees work outside of Wohl Center Thursday afternoon. TopCare Lawn Service, Inc. is drawing attention for being St. Louis’ leading employer of H-2B guest workers.

A whole new world Soccer stars Fox and Noll left behind the roaring crowds of Division I to play in Wash. U.’s Division III. Learn about their experiences Sports, page 6

In addition to its $2.1 million budget, this year Student Union will have an additional $130,795.50 to spend from its carryforward account. Extra money that student groups do not spend of their allocated budget is placed in to this account and transferred to the next year. “It is literally the amount of money that student groups end up not spending,” said Student Union President Neil Patel. While there is a carryforward account every year, this year’s represented a drastic increase from the $45,825.07 in

last year’s account. “When budgeting for the next year we never know what the incoming class will be so we use historical data to predict the number of undergraduates,” said Student Union Treasurer Marius Johnson. “There were many more freshmen last year than predicted and since the overall budget is a direct product of the number of students, the amount of revenue received was higher than budgeted for.” Although not all of the money has been spent, $7,000 of it has already been used to increase the number of professional newspaper publications delivered to campus each day.

Don’t just scan this article... Get the scoop on some David Cronenberg classics. From horror to psychological drama, you won’t want to miss these flicks. Cadenza, page 7

According to Patel, last year there was a high demand for more newspapers, and students this year said they have noticed the additional newspapers available on campus. “I’ve noticed that you’ve been able to ﬁ nd a lot more full newspapers rather than just sections,” said sophomore James Farner. “When you’re on campus you can lose track of what’s going on outside your own world. Newspapers are a good way to keep up.” Another $22,000 of the money has been allocated to pay for space in the 560 music building located on the Loop. The Washington University a cappella groups, as well as some oth-

INSIDE: Fo rum.................... 4 S p o r t s .................... 6 Cadenza. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 S u d o k u .................... 9

er student groups, will be using this space. “We struck a deal with the managers of the building so the student groups don’t have to pay the bills themselves,” said Johnson. An additional $5,000 has been paid to various student groups to account for money distribution errors. According to Johnson, the remainder of the carryforward funds has been committed to the University Center, unless an emergency arises. This money will be used to furnish student group spaces in the Center. “Each year the people who

See UNIVERSITY PICTURE, page 3

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University students participate in anti-war rally BY DAVID SONG NEWS EDITOR

Today marks the third day of Peace Week, a five-day, 24-hour anti-Iraqi war demonstration that is taking place outside the office of Senator Claire McCaskill’s (DMo.) office on the Delmar Loop. On Thursday, a number of Washington University students from the Washington University Peace & Justice Coalition will be participating in the 24-hour presence. The Instead of War Coalition, a St. Louis anti-war organization, coordinated the sit-in outside McCaskill’s office. Adam Shriver, a University graduate and a member of the Instead of War Coalition’s student committee, stated that Peace Week was planned as a reaction to General David Petraeus’ report to Congress. Delivered this Monday, Petraeus’ report discussed the effectiveness of the troop “surge” in Iraq. “As part of a nationwide movement we decided to have a response to General Petraeus’ report,” said Shriver. “We knew that report would be coming out and that Congress would be voting for funding for the war. We wanted to put pressure on McCaskill to not fund the war unless there was a decision from the Bush adminis-

tration to bring the troops.” Shriver noted that McCaskill, while having expressed opposition to the war, “has been voting along with Bush’s plan.” The Coalition intends to pressure McCaskill to halt funding for the war and to reallocate funds toward domestic concerns. On Monday night, the Washington University Peace & Justice Coalition gathered a number of undergraduate students to participate in Peace Week. University students will try to hold a presence outside the senator’s office “We’re trying to meet up with students with Saint Louis University, and have a contingent of Wash. U. students overnight at McCaskill’s office on Thursday,” said Todd Zimmer, a sophomore and member of the Peace & Justice Coalition. On Tuesday, the Instead of War Coalition held an ice cream social for members of the St. Louis community living near McCaskill’s office to spread awareness about the war in Iraq and McCaskill’s policies concerning it. “The ice cream social [was] aimed at engaging members of the community living close to McCaskill’s office to inform them,” noted Zimmer. Thursday will see a critical mass bike ride, or Pedal for

Peace, where individuals will bicycle through St. Louis, from McCaskill’s ofﬁce to a forum focused on single-payer healthcare as well as the war’s effects on healthcare funding. Pedal for Peace, noted Shriver, will serve as a symbolic movement from funding of the war to an emphasis on domestic issues. We’re going to ask how much healthcare we could buy [with Bush’s money on the war],” said Zimmer. While Shriver gauged a positive response from passersbys on Monday, he expressed uncertainty over how much voter pressure on McCaskill would be needed for the senator to respond to calls for the de-funding of the war. “It’s tough to call,” he said. “About McCaskill’s response, I’m not sure. I’m not sure what it’ll take.” On Monday, Zimmer expressed optimism about Peace Week, adding that the event would be reﬂective of antiwar rallies and demonstrations. “I think that we’re looking forward to it because it’s early in the year and it’s a good opportunity to have Wash. U. students interested in this to have the resources that St. Louis has to offer,” said Zimmer. “It’s also taking part in the national response of the peace movement.”

Editor in Chief: Erin Fults Executive Editor: David Brody Managing Editors: Shweta Murthi, Mallory Wilder Senior News Editor: Sam Guzik Senior Forum Editor: Nathan Everly Senior Cadenza Editor: Brian Stitt Senior Scene Editor: Felicia Baskin Senior Sports Editor: Trisha Wolf Senior Photo Editor: David Hartstein Senior Graphics Editor: Rachel Harris News Editors: Josh Hantz, David Song, Andrea Winter News Manager: Elizabeth Lewis Forum Editors: Tess Croner, Jill Strominger, Christian Sherden, Dennis Sweeney Cadenza Editors: Elizabeth Ochoa, David Kaminsky, Cecilia Razak, Michelle Stein Scene Editors: Lana Goldsmith, Indu Chandrasekhar Sports Editors: Andrei Berman, Unaiz Kabani, Allie Wieczorek Photo Editors: Lucy Moore, Lionel Sobehart, Jenny Shao Online Editor: Scott Bressler Design Chief: Anna Dinndorf Copy Chiefs: Willie Mendelson, Indu Chandrasekhar Copy Editors: Craig Ostri, Jeff Lesser, Meghan Luecke, Puneet Kollipara, Elyse Kallen Designers: Jamie Reed, Kate Ehrlich, Kim Yeh, Dennis Sweeney, Susan Hall, Liz Klein, Zoe Scharf, Niki Dankner, Brittany Meyer, Alyssa Anzalone-Newman, Sophia Agapova, Evan Freedman

Land acquistion may benefit intramural sports

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Copyright 2007 Washington University Student Media, Inc. (WUSMI). Student Life is the financially and editorially independent, student-run newspaper serving the Washington University community. First copy of each publication is free; all additional copies are 50 cents. Subscriptions may be purchased for $80.00 by calling (314) 935-6713. Student Life is a publication of WUSMI and does not necessarily represent, in whole or in part, the views of the Washington University administration, faculty or students. All Student Life articles, photos and graphics are the property of WUSMI and may not be reproduced or published without the express written consent of the General Manager. Pictures and graphics printed in Student Life are available for purchase; e-mail editor@studlife.com for more information. Student Life reserves the right to edit all submissions for style, grammar, length and accuracy. The intent of submissions will not be altered. Student Life reserves the right not to publish all submissions. If you’d like to place an ad, please contact the Advertising Department at (314) 935-6713. If you wish to report an error or request a clarification, e-mail editor@studlife.com.

COURTESY OF TODD ZIMMER

Wash. U. students Marly Williams, Tony Lett and Peter Jones, all members of the St. Louis Instead of War Coalition, participate in Peace Week, a five-day, 24 hour anti-Iraqi war demonstration outside of Senator Claire McCaskill’s office.

BY NICK HAWCO Last week, Washington University acquired eight acres of land that was formally owned by the Christian Brothers College (CBC) in Clayton. The University has not yet announced any developmental plans for the CBC land, but the land is expected to be used for intramural and club sport practices. “We view this as an excellent long term investment,” said Steve Hoffner, assistant vice chancellor for real estate. “There will probably never be another time when over eight acres is available on one site this close to our Danforth Campus.” The 8.2 acres of property houses several athletic facilities, including two outdoor tennis

courts, a basketball gymnasium and a football field inscribed by an asphalt track. The site also includes 169,000 square feet of office space and classrooms. However, the University has not yet made any decisions regarding the intended use of these spaces. Hoffner expects that the facilities will be put to use as soon as November, but the Athletic Department determines the final schedule of events. For the intramural office, the University’s announcement comes as a relief because it is faced with the challenge of accommodating an increased number of intramural athletes. The intramural and club sport schedules have filled all open availability for field use, making it difficult for captains and coaches to add additional practices. The concern over field space

has existed for over 10 years, according to Lynn Imergoot, associate intramural director. The addition of softball as a varsity sport in 1999 only increased the need for space. “[Space] has always been a concern, because if you want more facilities, it’s not like you have prairie land to use,” said Imergoot. “This was in good shape and it’s in a great neighborhood.” The addition of the new property has diminished the fear that intramural teams will have limited access to sports ﬁelds. “Right now, we haven’t had to limit...except last year for frisbee, outdoor intramural activities because of lack of space,” said Imergoot. Like other club sports participants, senior Miles Bellman is excited about the opportunities for new ﬁelds. Bellmen, who

leads the club soccer team, has been frustrated with field space for his team. “We have to go basically outside St. Louis,” said Bellman, describing club soccer’s struggle to find a home field. In the past, the team has tried to secure Francis Field, but communication problems between the club and the University have marred any attempts made to play on campus. With the acquisition of CBC, and its multipurpose soccer/ football field, Bellman is optimistic that his team, which includes over 60 members, may finally find a home. “It would be nice to have a real field,” he said. On Saturday, a group from the Athletic department traveled to the former CBC schoolyard to survey their options. “It’s a place that hasn’t really been used for a few years,” said

Facilities Manager Andrew Koch. Adding to that, because of the property’s lack of use, “it’s in good shape.” The land first came to the attention of the Athletic department several years ago, when CBC moved to their spacious West County campus. Concordia Seminary, however, held onto the property until recently when it was contacted by University officials. The University submitted an offer and then the transaction became official as of last Tuesday. “You can build as many buildings as you want, you can build them as tall as you want,” said Imergoot. “But you can’t make grass space.” With the University’s latest purchase, grass space may not have been made but it has been bought.

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WEDNESDAY | SEPTEMBER 19, 2007

STUDENT LIFE | NEWS

GUEST WORKERS v FROM PAGE 1 programs in the St. Louis area, as compared to about 1000 in 2001. A recent report in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch showed that TopCare, which is based in Fenton, Mo. and actively recruits guest workers from Mexican villages, employed 310 H-2B workers last year, more than any other St. Louis-area corporation. Repeated attempts to contact the TopCare corporate headquarters went unanswered. Although TopCare’s employee wages are not determined by the University, all full-time employees on the campus must be given a minimum entry-level wage of $8.50 according to University guidelines. The University does not offer insurance or beneﬁts to its contracted TopCare workers.

The employment of guest workers in the U.S. has been a subject of recent controversy, especially in light of President Bush’s call for expanded guest worker programs and recent congressional proposals to increase the number of H-2 visas signiﬁcantly. Nationwide, H-2 programs have been criticized for wage and hour abuses, contract violations and inadequate recourse for injuries. “The bottom line is that the work here is much more than they can get in Mexico, where they can’t get anything,” said Father Jack Schuler, a pastor at Our Lady of Guadalupe, a predominantly Hispanic parish in St. Louis. “But when you’re separated from your family for a whole entire season, I question the human dignity that’s

involved there.” “I agree that it may be unfair to offer potential guest workers deals that are ﬁ nancially tempting enough to persuade them to leave their families,” said freshman Peter Gabrielli. “But the decision is ultimately theirs. No one is physically displacing them against their will.” According to Alan Kuebler, vice chancellor for resource management, the University has taken measures to safeguard its workers against mistreatment. “The University has established guidelines and principles for the conditions of its basic service contract workers,” said Kuebler. “And we ask all of our service providers, including TopCare, to train people in the safe use of equipment they’re going to utilize.”

UNIVERSITY PICTURE v FROM PAGE 1 pay the activities fee are undergraduates. Part of the people who paid that fee are people who have graduated, so we feel me comfortable investing it in a long term project,” said Johnson. Assistant Vice Chancellor for Students and Director of Campus Life Jill Carnaghi said

every student group has the potential to beneﬁt from these funds and that the money in the carryforward account is reﬂective of a well organized student government. “You really want a student government that has some funds carry over because you don’t want to start the year in

a deﬁcit.” Patel hopes these extra funds will help to ensure the opening of the University Center next year. “I think that the biggest impact is that the student center will be ready for fall 2008. It will be the cultural center for the University,” said Patel.

JUNIORS ON 40 v FROM PAGE 1 Burkham transferred from Colgate University to Washington University last year. She believes that transfer students faced disadvantages in the housing lottery. “Transfer students were at the bottom of the heap,” said Burkham. “Our housing preferences were completely disregarded. It seems as though the University has assigned a ‘lesserstudent’ status to transfers.” Burkham said that she expects that living in Eliot House will inﬂuence her overall social experience at the University. As a transfer student, Burkham does not feel connected with the junior class. “My housing assignment has prevented me from becoming fully integrated into my class,” said Burkham. “As a junior liv-

ing on the South 40, I feel very little sense of class association.” Bressler also feels separated from her upperclassmen friends. “It definitely is more difficult to see people since the vast majority of my friends either live on the north side or off campus,” said Bressler. “No one ever wants to come visit us because of the long walk, not to mention that our lack of common room prevents us from hosting parties or other gatherings.” Dean of Students Justin Carroll denies that upperclassmen are out of place in Eliot. “Eliot was designed to accommodate all classes of students,” said Carroll. “Since its first year, it swings back and forth [between] freshmen versus upperclassmen depending on what the need is

at the time. Most students seem very happy with their housing this year.” Burkham disagreed with Carroll. She said that there is a discrepancy between the experiences of upperclassmen and of underclassmen in the dorm. “As juniors, we are over the silly getting to know you, wild and crazy phase,” said Burkham. “The students in my building are just getting the hang of things.” Sophomore Andrew Hiltzik, a resident of Eliot House, said that Eliot has an antisocial atmosphere. However, he did not credit this to the juniors’ presence. “I haven’t really noticed upperclassmen in the dorm,” said Hiltzik. “I haven’t met a lot of people in my building because Eliot is not very social.”

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FORUM

WEDNESDAY | SEPTEMBER 19, 2007

Our daily Forum editors: Monday: Christian Sherden ctsherde@artsci.wustl.edu

To ensure that we have time to fully evaluate your submissions, guest columns should be e-mailed to the next issue’s editor or forwarded to forum@studlife.com by no later than 5 p.m. two days before publication. Late pieces will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. We welcome your submissions and thank you for your consideration.

STAFF EDITORIAL

Beta Bubbles: Good clean fun I

n light of the surprisingly numerous dangers of “foam parties,” we commend Beta Theta Pi for their thoughtful implementation of safety procedures and policies that made this Saturday’s “Beta Bubbles” party a safe and fun event. The combination of foresight and creativity is an example for other fraternities and all those who hold parties for Washington University students. At a “Mather Lather” foam party at Harvard in 2005, there were numerous reports of a painful skin rash after the event. The effect was widespread enough that a Facebook group entitled “I Got a Nasty Rash, but Mather Lather Was Fun” was created. Some students claimed that the rash set on so early that it became apparent before they left the event. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, in 1996 there was a case where six men developed keratocon-

junctivitis, an inﬂammation of the cornea and conjunctiva in the eye, after attending a foam party. The men were diagnosed with receiving alkaline chemical burns to their eyes as a result of an agent in the foam. The same week of this case, a television news show featured a look at eye irritation as a potentially harmful effect of foam parties. And in 2000, the problem of potential slippage on the dance ﬂoor at a foam party resulted in a 16-year-old boy’s head violently hitting a metal bar, which resulted in retrograde amnesia and a loss of the boy’s ability to taste and smell, according to a letter to the editor to Injury Prevention Online. Partygoers at foam parties have also sustained numerous other minor injuries due to the same problem, as the foam party fad has become more popular. It is because of these risks, however, that we would like to commend the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. Due to their

foresight and diligent planning, the “Beta Bubbles” event has so far remained a safe and rewarding experience for many students. Working closely with the Greek Life Ofﬁce and Paul J. Landgraf, health & safety professional in the University’s General Safety Division, Beta has ensured that all ﬁ re codes are followed to ensure that students are safe in the case of an emergency. Also, they ensure the safety of the foam itself by rinsing, cleaning with bleach and rinsing again multiple times the foam machines before and after each use. They also purchase new containers every year in which to mix the foam solution with water, actively guard these containers during the event and prohibit alcohol at the party to ensure the safety of the foam that ultimately ends up all over Washington University students. Their solution is purchased from RJN World, a chemical company whose foam, accord-

Wednesday: Jill Strominger Friday: Tess Croner jlstromi@artsci.wustl.edu tacroner@wustl.edu

ing to their Web site, is “made from biodegradable, non-toxic, cosmetic grade surfactants and has no artiﬁcial fragrances, dyes or harsh smelling ingredients.” And to prevent incidents of falling, Beta uses industrial non-slip rubber matting to line the ﬂoor and assures that the matting pieces do not separate from each other. Foresight is the best way to prevent incidents like painful skin rashes, keratoconjunctivitis and concussions, as well as failed emergency responses and minor injuries from falling. Likewise, creativity in establishing events like the “Beta Bubbles” foam party brings an exciting dynamic to campus that provides students with an interesting and memorable outlet from the stress of the school week. If other events on campus strive for the same kind of novel appeal to students paired with carefulness in planning, student social life can only improve.

SAM WASHBURN | EDITORIAL CARTOON

Playing by the rules?

hol laws would be written used to get really judgto make more sense. And if mental when I would everyone requested sinhear about people who found ways to cheat the gles for “health reasons,” there would just be better Wash. U. system. You know, screening. It doesn’t seem the few who have manlike the rules we break at aged to convince parking Wash. U. would be particuservices they were actually larly detrimental to society supposed to get a red pass if they were broken and the freshmen universally. In fact, who manage to in some cases, it switch from triseems like it would ples to singles for just make more “health reasons” sense if everyone that are anything broke the rules. but health reaNow, this doesn’t sons. The people apply to all rules. who manage to get extensions on Jill Strominger Obviously, we need to use some indipapers for the fi ve vidual judgment to different granddetermine the difference parents who all died this between stuff like having a month. I am genuinely imcar on campus as a freshpressed by these people’s man and, say, something courage and creativity. I like robbing people. But, at thought they were pretty Wash. U. a lot of the rules lame excuses for human (you must have a meeting beings. with your RA to go over a On reflection, I think the suite contract your senior real issue is simply that I’m year?) don’t make any one of those people who is sense and following them too scared to cheat the system. I’ve never had the guts to get a fake ID, I’m one of those people who actually got the blue (read: pass that has no redeeming qualities) parking pass and I never quite fi gured out how to steal cable. So, what did I get for following all the rules? Most days I’m pretty sure I got a better ethics rating in life, but even that’s not entirely clear. And so what good does a good ethics rating actually do? It most certainly does not make me a better person. In general being ethical is worth something, but in cases where you’re just breaking parking rules, being doesn’t make anybody betunethical makes you seem ter off. more human and following So, if you have the guts, the rules to a T just makes (and the ability to keep a you seem lame. A lot of straight face) there doesn’t times being more human is seem to be a lot of reasons far more redeeming than to avoid breaking them, following a calculated ethiand in many cases, since cal theory through every lots of people breaking twist and turn of your life. them would probably lead Sometimes people say to some kind of change, things like, “Well, what if everybody cheated and you’re doing the school a got yellow parking passes favor. For now I’ve decided when they were supposed to suspend my condemning to buy blue ones?” But, in judgment and congratulate situations like this one, the everyone who’s been trying end result is that all the to get around the more parking that is already blue ridiculous of the Wash. U. and yellow would be yelrules. You’re making the low, and nothing would be world a better place. much different except that blue parkers wouldn’t be Jill is a junior in Arts & disadvantaged in their hunt Sciences and a Forum editor. to fi nd parking. If everyone She can be reached via ehad fake ID’s, maybe alcomail at forum@studlife.com.

“But, at Wash. U. a lot of the rules (you must have a meeting with your RA to go over a suite contract your senior year?) don’t make any sense and following them doesn’t make anybody better off. ”

You’re busy? So is everyone else. BY KATIE AMMANN STAFF COLUMNIST

hey say you’ll never be as busy as you are in college. I think we can reasonably assume that this is true, since the people who say it usually have made it through college and know how it is, and also since most of us really are obsanely (insanely and obscenely) busy. It is true that there are days that are so busy that we can’t keep everything straight. We practically need personal secretaries, or at least good calendars. As frenzied as it can get, though, that’s the way it’s

supposed to be. It’s a rite of passage, in a way. Being able to study, work, practice, go to class and ﬁ nd a few hours for sleep are all part of the experience. In fact, I think I’d feel cheated if there weren’t so much going on. It seems that there are a few rules that come with being busy, though. First, commit only to things you want to do. If you love it, do it; if you don’t, don’t. If you love lots of things, do lots of things. The only caveat is to not lose focus or disregard priorities. This rule extends to people as well. Always keep in mind the people you love and who

love you back. It’s difﬁcult to make time for everyone, but for the people you care about, it should be easy. The other rule is simply to stay responsible to yourself. You’re in college. You do your own laundry; clean out the lint ﬁ lter. You make some yummy food; wash your dishes. You spill drinks in the hallway; clean it up. You borrow something; return it. You consume something; replace it. Simple. The way to be a good busy person is to be considerate and perceptive. When you’ve got a lot to do, everyone else probably does too. Complain-

“We do all have things to do, so remember to clean up your own mess, whether it be an academic project, an extracurricular commitment or a physical mess. ” ing is not necessary—suck it up and take it. Sure, you can tell someone what you have

going on that night, but when it becomes a whiny list of all the reasons you have to stay up until 3 and get up at 7, it’s particularly unpleasant. This goes both ways—don’t be afraid to show your displeasure at having to listen to it. So what about the times when you honestly need an extra set of hands to get something done? Ask. Nicely. Don’t assume that someone has time to spare; realize that his or her time is as valuable and laden with things to do as yours. More importantly, though, if a favor is done for you, please be ready to reciprocate.

It’s easy to forget that we’re all in similar situations—papers to write, practices to sweat through, problem sets to revise, rehearsals to attend and exams to take. We do all have things to do, so remember to clean up your own mess, whether it be an academic project, an extracurricular commitment or a physical mess. A little sensitivity to the time and obligations of others will go a long way. Katie is a junior in Arts & Sciences. She can be reached via e-mail at kaammann@ artsci.wustl.edu.

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Editor in Chief: Erin Fults Executive Editor: David Brody Managing Editors: Shweta Murthi, Mallory Wilder Senior News Editor: Sam Guzik Senior Photo Editor: David Hartstein

Senior Sports Editor: Trisha Wolf Senior Scene Editor: Felicia Baskin Senior Cadenza Editor: Brian Stitt Senior Forum Editor: Nathan Everly Forum Editors: Tess Croner, Jill Strominger, Dennis Sweeney, Christian Sherden

Why do we do this? Because Google and other search engines cache our Web site on a regular basis. Our thought is this: once an article has been published online, it’s too late to take back. It is irrevocably part of the public sphere. As such, removing an article from our site would serve no purpose.

Senior Forum Editor / Nathan Everly / forum@studlife.com

WEDNESDAY | SEPTEMBER 19, 2007

STUDENT LIFE | FORUM

Why so taboo? Alone time and you BY WANDALYN SAVALA STAFF COLUMNIST

tudents clustered together talking or studying or enjoying wraps. Students sitting under great oaks with books propped on their knees and iced coffees in their hands. Students strolling by with headphones planted firmly in their ears, mouthing the words to their favorite songs. Where are you? If you answered the Quad, then congratulations, you’re absolutely right. If you answered the 40 or North Side, then congratulations, you’re absolutely right. If it weren’t for the absence or presence of hammocks, the scenes on Washinton University’s campus would be indistinguishable from one another. No matter where you are, the scene is the same: students out and about, either in groups or alone, engaged in some form of entertainment or distraction during their free time. While striking up random conversations with friends or just immersing yourself in a book is a welcome break from classes, how much thought do students give to leisure time’s red-headed stepsister, alone time? “Not too much…usually I need something in the background—when I’m sitting in my room with nothing better to do,” said senior Derek Starkey. As evidenced by multiple interviews, this sentiment most probably reflects a similar pattern amongst the majority of students, both here and on campuses nationwide: students rarely spend time alone. At this point, you may be thinking, “I do take time out for myself.

“Sometimes I just sit outside with my iPod and drift away.” Au contraire. When I speak of taking time out for yourself, I mean being completely and utterly alone with your thoughts—not your thoughts and the thoughts of Bowling For Soup. How many of you do that on a regular basis? If you’re sitting there smugly, fondly reminiscing about how you figured out the connection between existentialism and your self the last time you submersed yourself in your thoughts, then go on to Cadenza. If you’re rolling your eyes at my freshman naïveté, read on. Though spending time with friends is an essential part of a healthy college experience and watching your favorite movie alone is perfectly acceptable, you must dedicate time to selfreflection to maintain true balance not only during these four years, but for the rest of your life. While this may seem self-evident, most students ignore the nagging need to be alone and continue with their hectic lives. Why? Sophomore Cheryl Chi cites the most obvious reason: “There’s always something to do.” With sizeable course loads, the need to build strong relationships with peers, the endless number of social activities and the myriad of obligations students must factor into their days, it is completely understandable why students rarely spend time alone. However, in interview after interview, students rated alone time as “very important” and a necessary part of maintaining their sanity. Clearly, students appreciate the beauty of the utter

RACHEL HARRIS | STUDENT LIFE

silence that being alone without distraction can bring. So what’s stopping them from saying no to a trip to Ursa’s with friends aside from the crepes? “[Simply put], society

makes you feel like it’s bad to be alone,” said freshman Kesley Robertson. “There’s not much of a push for self-reflection,” added junior Talitha Liu. Wash. U. students, are we not above society’s pull and

tug? We recognize social manipulation when we see it. Why then do we give in to social pressure when it comes to an issue so intimately related to our mental and emotional health?

Isn’t the development of self worth more than a night out? Wandalyn is a freshman in Arts & Sciences. She can be reached via e-mail at wesavala@artsci.wustl.edu.

Why doesn’t Wash. U. have Quotables more low-income students? R ecently, the Washington Monthly magazine released its third annual college rankings. Billing itself as an alternative to the U.S. News and World Report rankings, which it argues is misguided, the Washington Monthly argues that it measures “not just what colleges can do for you, but what colleges Nathan are doing for the country.” To that end, the Washington Monthly believes that a good college should do three things: produce groundbreaking research, educate low-income students and encourage students to perform community service. Using measures such as the amount of federal work-study money that goes to community service and the amount of research money received from the government, the rankings attempt to evaluate a school’s commitment to each criterion. You may or may not think that these are good measures of a school’s quality. In fact, whether you agree with the overall goal of these rankings is almost beside the point. What is interesting to note, however, is that the rankings also measure the percentage of students at a school receiving Pell Grants. Here is where things get interesting. Pell Grants are need-based college scholarships given by the federal government to low-income students. Although students with family incomes of up to $50,000 may apply, most of the scholarships go to students who come from families with incomes below $20,000. The Washington Monthly measures the percentage of a school’s students who receive these scholarships because it is “a good measure of a school’s commitment to educating lower-income kids.”

They’re right to say such a thing. In order to qualify for a Pell Grant, a student must demonstrate that he or she has a substantial level of need. This means that measuring the percentage of students who receive Pell Grants provides a decent (though not exact) indicator of the number of economically disadEverly vantaged students attending any given school. So why does this matter? Because the Washington Monthly measured the percentage of students receiving Pell Grants at 242 national universities and Washington University had the lowest score with only seven percent of its students receiving such

“It was as if socioeconomic status either never entered the equation or was at best an afterthought when considering what constituted a diverse student body.” grants. Think about that for a moment. In perhaps the most indicative ranking of a school’s socioeconomic diversity, Washington University came in dead last. This isn’t the ﬁ rst time that Washington University has had to deal with this kind of information. The Nov. 16th, 2005 issue of Student Life reported similar results in a study conducted by the “Journal of Blacks in Higher Education.” According to this study, Wash. U. had the lowest Pell Grant percentage (roughly seven percent) among the

top 15 universities in the U.S. News and World Report college rankings. When asked to comment on the results, Bill Witbrodt, director of Financial Services for the University, stated that “the numbers are what they are.” Despite these revelations, no promises were ever made to raise the very low percentage of students receiving Pell Grants, and almost two years later, the numbers remain essentially unchanged. These numbers are deeply disturbing in their own right, but they are especially disturbing when you consider that Wash. U. cares deeply about diversity. The Office of Student Activities holds a Diversity Roundtable to encourage discussion among students on diversity issues. The campus also holds annual high profi le events such as the Campus Week of Dialogue and Diversity Week. And don’t forget that the Coordinating Council for Diversity Initiatives was launched in July 2005 specifically to increase the number of women and minorities among University faculty and staff. But perhaps the root of the problem can be found in a speech given by Chancellor Mark Wrighton. On Jan. 16th, 2006, Chancellor Wrighton gave a speech designed to address Wash. U.’s efforts, “to strengthen diversity, improve gender balance and be more inclusive and accepting.” In it, Chancellor Wrighton declared his intent “to continue to support the recruitment of an even more diverse student body.” The only problem with his speech, however, is that his defi nition of diversity never went beyond skin color, gender, culture and sexual identity. Granted, the timing of his speech, which coincided with Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, means special attention should have been paid

to racial diversity. But when discussing the importance of being exposed to different viewpoints, as Wrighton did when he recounted a discussion with a student who had connected for the fi rst time with people who are Jewish or black, no attention was ever paid to the value of having students from different income brackets. It was as if socioeconomic status either never entered the equation or was at best an afterthought when considering what constituted a diverse student body. So what should the administration do? Actively target and recruit more low-income students to attend Washington University. The Spellings Commission, a United States Department of Education evaluation of higher education, found that “qualified young people from families of modest means are far less likely to go to college than their affluent peers with similar qualifications.” To illustrate this point, consider that the commission also found that poor students who score in the top quartile on standardized tests are as likely to attend college as wealthy students who score in the bottom quartile on standardized tests. The numbers show that income inequality among those who attend college is very real (according to one study, approximately three quarters of students at the most selective 146 colleges are from the richest economic quartile), but there are enough qualified, economically disadvantaged high school students to help begin to rectify this situation. All that is required is that the administration does more than simply acknowledge that the numbers are what they are. Nathan is a senior in Arts & Sciences and the Senior Forum editor. He can be reached via e-mail at forum@studlife.com.

“ ” “The guy who put this schedule together needs a sanity check. Oops, that was me, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.”

-Head Coach Richard Luenemann, discussing the volleyball schedule of games that has the Bears going up against many nationally ranked teams, on September 13.

“Your average pancake has more topographical variation than Kansas.” -Professor John Doris, during an Issues in Applied Ethics lecture on how Kansas has been scientifically proven to be flatter than a pancake.

CORRECTION: In the September 14 article, “University sued over Thurtene accident” the legal matter at hand was incorrectly labeled as a lawsuit when in fact it was a legal claim that was filed to pay for costs associated with the incident. No lawsuit has been filed against the University in relation to the event. Student Life regrets the error.

Senior Sports Editor / Trisha Wolf / sports@studlife.com

STUDENT LIFE | SPORTS

WEDNESDAY | SEPTEMBER 19, 2007

SPORTS

Division I transfers spark to women’s soccer team BY BRITTANY BERNACCHI SPORTS REPORTER The roar of the crowd, the body paint on fans, the event that is game day. This is the scene soccer players Therese Fox and Kristina Noll left behind. In the first game of the season, transfers Fox and Noll each scored a goal, the team’s second and third this season, helping the Washington University women’s soccer team to win 3-1 over Birmingham Southern. The women’s soccer team has since remained undefeated, touting an impressive 7-0 record. Unfortunately, Noll was injured in the first half of the first game of the season. Not realizing the severity of her injury, she played into the second half, when she scored a goal to make the score 3-1. Noll later learned she had torn her ACL, MCL and meniscus, injuries that are too serious for her to continue playing this season. However, she hopes to be back on the field for spring season.

While they miss the exciting game environment of their Division I teams, Fox and Noll notice differences between the attitudes and lifestyles of Wash. U. athletes and their previous schools’ athletes. At their ﬁrst institutions, playing for the soccer team was much more timeconsuming. Fox described her previous daily schedule as “soccer, homework, school.” Noll added to this sentiment. “You could tell the attitude difference between the freshmen and senior [athletes],” said Noll, because Division I players would feel “burnt out” after being on the team for three years. The players said that, in comparison, Wash. U. athletes on the whole seem much more passionate about playing the sport. “Girls here in general care a lot more about the sport, which wasn’t necessarily the case for all the girls [playing at Division I schools],” said Fox. “When [athletes] play a sport here, they really want to play it, whereas at other schools, they’re getting money to play,”

Fox, a sophomore, has since recorded an assist and another goal and started every game for the Bears. She transferred to the University this fall after attending the United States Military Academy her freshman year. As a freshman, she started in 13 games and played in 15, with two goals and one assist. Noll, a junior, also started in 13 games and played in all 19 games during her 2005 season for Loyola University Chicago and recorded two assists. As prominent players on their previous schools’ NCAA Division I teams, Fox and Noll notice the differences between Division I and Division III athletics. Both agree that the biggest difference between playing soccer at Division I schools and playing soccer at Wash. U. is the atmosphere at games. Fox explained that at Army, thousands of fans came to every game. The school even required students to participate in sports, and at some big games it was “mandatory for a certain number of students to come.”

added Noll. While game day is less intense at Wash. U., both girls love the attitude difference of the athletes here. Important upcoming women’s soccer games are against

last year’s national champion, Wheaton, and league rival Emory. Fox and Noll both cite “a lot of individual speed” and “team unity” as their team’s strengths, and the team will work on ex-

tending its seven-game winning streak as conference games start. As Fox continues to accumulate minutes and Noll continues to recover, the team will undoubtedly feel their impact.

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LIONEL SOBEHART | STUDENT LIFE

Sophomore Therese Fox (5) hustles for a ball in a recent game against Principia College. Fox, new to the Bears this year, is already making an impact with two goals and an assist.

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WEDNESDAY | SEPTEMBER 19, 2007

STUDENT LIFE | CADENZA

n. a technically brilliant, sometimes improvised solo

CADEN Z A

passage toward the close of a concerto, an exceptionally brilliant part of an artistic work

arts & entertainment

Old movies: Four Cronenberg classics

BY BRIAN STITT

‘Videodrome’ and ‘eXistenZ’

SENIOR CADENZA EDITOR

‘Scanners’ While it was made after David Cronenberg’s pure-horror stage, “Scanners” does still rely heavily on special makeup effects. But oh, what effects. Set in a future where telepaths, or scanners, work to bring down the government that seeks to control them, Cronenberg fi lls the screen with indelible images that horrify and amaze even modern viewers. From the now infamous exploding-head scene (achieved with a latex head, rabbit livers and a twelve gauge) to the skin-crawling fi nal battle, this is not a movie for the faint of stomach. Michael Ironside is wellcast as the villainous Revok. Patrick McGoohan, creator and star of the classic television mind-blow “The Prisoner,” is a welcome addition as Dr. Paul Ruth, who mentors a young scanner in an attempt to infi ltrate the scanner

underground. The fi lm plays mostly as an action picture, but Cronenberg manages to entwine a sense of dread and unease with the storyline. This marks “Scanners” as his fi rst true success at blending genre fi lmmaking with psychological drama.

Cronenberg famous, but they deftly explore man’s place in a world in which he is replacing himself with machines. Each is fascinating, but “Videodrome” stands out slightly more, if only for Woods’ performance and its total acceptance of the dingier elements of its plot.

“Videodrome” tells the story of a sleazy television producer (the born-to-play-it James Woods) and his discovery of a pirate TV station that may be showing snuff ﬁ lms. As he gets deeper into his obsession for the programming the show starts to change him mentally and physically. “eXistenZ” follows the designer of a new kind of video game and her bodyguard (Jennifer Jason Leigh and Jude Law, respectively) as someone chases them in an attempt to destroy her game. The total immersion style of play blurs the lines between game and reality. However, both movies are better seen than described. Similarities between the two certainly abound and Cronenberg makes no effort to hide them. Each explores the reality of experience and technology’s role in the disappearance of an absolute reality. Each abounds in the stomach-turning practical effects that made

‘Dead Ringers’ A psychological drama following the tribulations of twin gynecologists, “Dead Ringers” is the first Cronenberg-written film to contain no elements of the fantastic. (1979’s “Fast Company” was directed but not written by Cronenberg and is a straight-forward drag racing movie mostly forgotten by his fans but still held dear by the director himself.) Jeremy Irons gives the performances of his career playing both Beverly and Elliot Mantle, whose gynecological practice struggles when the two start to stray from their previously identical lifestyles. The questions of identity, ever-present in Cronenberg’s work, take the center stage, pushing aside (mostly) the carnage of his past. The aggression and cruelty is of the emotional variety and the science is shocking fact instead of fiction. When the less confident Beverly spirals into drug addiction, he begins to create monstrous gynecological

tools that, in other Cronenberg ﬁlms, we might have seen used to gruesome effect. What he gives us instead is an acting piece by Irons so engrossing that it befuddles the mind to think where the awards are. Even without Oscars or special effects, “Dead Ringers” is quite possibly Cronenberg’s most complete work to date.

MOVIE REVIEW

Viggo Mortenson’s gutsy performance highlights intense ‘Eastern Promises’ BY BRIAN STITT SENIOR CADENZA EDITOR Never has such a major shift in a fi lmmaker’s career path been so surprisingly successful as David Cronenberg’s recent turn towards the “mainstream.” With 2005’s “A History of Violence,” he expanded his viewership from his relatively small and loyal fanbase to include a modern audience unfortunately unused to his unique style. With “Eastern Promises,” he explores many of the same links between familial love and gangland brutality in the same way that was so refreshingly shocking to the general public in “A History of Violence.” But while straying from the science fiction of his early career and his almost fanatical focus on man’s obsessions, “Eastern Promises,” even more so than the much praised “Violence,” blends the interests of a more experienced fi lmmaker with the venereal vigor of an

actor willing to take chances. The charming Naomi Watts plays Anna, a London midwife who uses the diary of a young patient who has died in childbirth to unwittingly gain entrance to the inner depths of the Russian mob. Her doorway to this strange land is the Trans-Siberian restaurant (a lushly decorated old-world place with ominously crimson appointments), but more precisely, its owner, Semyon, an upper-level boss in the crime family. He dotes on Anna as if she were his daughter once he ﬁ nds out that her recently deceased father was a Russian himself, but becomes stern when he discovers what the girl’s diary contains. “Eastern Promises” is deﬁ ned by Nicolai (Viggo Mortensen), who is so much more than the simple driver he claims to be. He works directly under Semyon’s alcoholic, impulsive son Kirill (the unfairly anonymous Vincent Cassel) in the mob’s—ahem—waste disposal department. Mortensen’s

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Eastern Promises Rating: ★★★★★ Directed by: David Cronenberg Starring: Viggo Mortenson, Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel, Armin Mueller-Stahl Theatrical release date: September 21, 2007

St. Louis is not only a place for Nelly, Mims, Murphy Lee, Chingy and other lyricists gifted in the art of freestyle and arguably legendary in the world of rap. It also serves as home to many musicians rising to fame in Washington University’s backyard. The Delmar Loop will play host to the innagural Play: STL music festival this weekend and will feature 90 different bands on nine stages. According to the Web site for the event (www.playstlfest.com), blue pheromone-ﬁ lled wristbands are your ticket to the three days of music and can be purchased for $10 in advance or $15 during the weekend. The stylish accessory is sold at Cicero’s, The Pageant, Screenz, Subterranean Books, Vintage Vinyl or online. The festival aims to recognize our lovely city as a “musical hub” and increase awareness of the talented musicians and fans that

surround us. It should provide both the diverse audience and diverse group of performers opportunities to learn and network. Though many of the band names may initially incite laughter, the list of performers is rockin’. Bands such as Hazard to Ya Booty and Superfun Yeah Yeah Rocketship are sure to turn heads. Most musical genres are represented; everything from country, to religious rock, to punk revival will be at your beck and call. Dear Future is said to be “bright, hopeful, energetic” and make-me-dance rock, while Go Van Gogh (clever, right?) has a sound that is purely “sex, lust, and anger.” The Web site features brief yet revealing descriptions of the musicians: be sure to check out www. playstlfest.com for the complete list of bands, scheduling, locations and other key details.

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ﬁt the world in which they have chosen to live. Here he explores how these choices affect, and are affected by, one’s parents. Is where we come from just as important as whom we wish to be? Is our identity born internally or out of our surroundings? In the end, Anna does not get answers to all of her questions and neither does the audience. In my mind, it is Cronenberg’s way of asking us these questions, without possibility of a complete answer, that proves him a true genius.

performance is a revelation, especially in that he is neither little known nor poorly regarded. Nicolai’s motivations remain mysterious throughout and yet, when looking into his inscrutable blue eyes, the viewer can be sure that there is a reason behind every move he makes. Certainly, much of the quality of this particular performance is owed to the level of trust between actor and director. In “Promises,” Cronenberg puts Mortensen into situations many actors would refuse. A bloody brawl in a Russian bathhouse takes place for over three minutes with Mortensen completely nude. He is covered only by the tattoos typical of Russian prisons but retains a dignity most actors never even reach when fully clothed. These tattoos are representative of the main themes of “Eastern Promises.” In all of his ﬁ lms, Cronenberg seems fascinated by a human’s ability to change him or herself, to shape themselves to better

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Students receive a 10% discount

UTOPIA Salon and Spa Central West End • 4484 W. Pine Blvd. (314) 531–0400 • www.utopiahairstyling.com

609 Eastgate Ave half block west of skinker, off delmar Book your party with us! Show Wash U ID get a deal.

Senior Cadenza Editor / Brian Stitt / cadenza@studlife.com

STUDENT LIFE | CADENZA

WEDNESDAY | SEPTEMBER 19, 2007

MOVIE REVIEW

ALBUM REVIEWS

Animal Collective: ‘Strawberry Jam’ ‘Sydney White’ brings fairytales into our lives

BY ELIZABETH OCHOA MUSIC EDITOR

Like every good music writer, I enjoy being pretentious. A lot. So much so that I am willing to listen to music I don’t particularly enjoy, just so I can honestly say I listen to it. Animal Collective’s newest album makes my life easier by being both insanely hip within the indie community and great to listen to. To be completely honest, I hopped on the Animal Collective train after I heard they were coming to campus. In general, their work was interesting to listen to, but more like when your four-year-old cousin starts to play recorder at Thanksgiving dinner than what I’d call going-to-a-concert worthy. I loved the song “The Purple Bottle” on their album “Feels,” but I couldn’t be bothered with the rest. “Strawberry Jam,” their latest collection of noise, is easier on my ears. The problem with a

band whose genre descriptions include terms like “freak folk” and “experimental rock” is that the average listener has trouble digging the oddness. “Strawberry Jam” tones down the insistent kookiness and amps up the consistent musical talent. “Peacebone” leads off the LP with seemingly nonsensical lyrics: “You’re progressin’ letters that you use to cook your broccoli/The other side of takeout is mildew on rice.” But a constant beat throughout helps to tie the whole track together. My favorite part of the song is the crazy, thumping outro; think along the lines of the ending in “She Don’t Use Jelly” by the Flaming Lips. The track “#1” kicks off with a synth line straight out of an educational video from the early ‘80s. While use of synthesizer is by no means new to Animal Collective, they simplify it in “#1” to a point that makes the song more focused. This is paired wonderfully with Panda

Animal Collective Strawberry Jam

Rating: ★★★★✩ Tracks to download: Peacebone, #1, Derek For fans of: Panda Bear, very early Flaming Lips, TV on the Radio

Overall, this album helps upgrade ”Animal Collective” from the status of “Citizen Kane” to that of “The Godfather.” That is, liked because it’s good, not because you’re supposed to like it. Animal Collective is playing at The Gargoyle on Sept. 24. Tickets are $5 with a WU ID and are available at the Edison Box Ofﬁce. The pre-sale is now sold out, but there are tickets held for day of show only, so show up at the door early to get into the concert.

Bear’s (or Noah Lennox’s) wildly meandering vocals. The closing track is far folksier than the preceeding popheavy songs. “Derek” features a simple guitar riff accompanied by the sounds of what seems to be running water. This builds to a huge percussion section which ﬁnishes the song off in a style reminiscent of older material. The lyrics are fantastic: “Sorry when I get unruly/ when you carry on so much I get a little tired.”

James Blunt: ‘All the Lost Souls’ BY KAITY LI CADENZA REPORTER In a perfect world, someone like James Blunt would be barred from both singing and speaking publicly. In a perfect world, James Blunt would never have a chance with supermodelhumanitarian Petra Nemcova. She is pretty and actually makes beneﬁcial contributions to society, neither of which could be said about James Blunt. Unless you consider his name becoming everybody’s favorite offensive insult in Cockney rhyming slang to be a beneﬁcial contribution to society. Unfortunately, God is cruel and that is why we have to endure both his music and his public boasts about sexual conquests and groupies. Maybe you could stretch the truth and say that Blunt’s last release, “Back to Bedlam,” was a decent album. This is not true of “All the Lost Souls.” It is truly and absolutely bad. While the album is somewhat listenable, it is also forgettable, boring and cliché in every

possible way. There are songs about fame, songs about failing relationships and—what a surprise—songs about James Blunt’s involvement in Kosovo, all of which utterly fail in being original or interesting. In typical James Blunt style, all of these songs are saturated with sappy and overemotional whines in the guise of lyrics and sung in his “trademark” warbly voice. Emotional teenage girls think that it’s sensitive, but the part of the population with more than two functioning brain cells and decent hearing know that strangled cats are not hot. The instrumentals, like everything else involved with this album, lack originality and progression, making each song sound like the unremarkable, manufactured tripe that it is. If you took out the vocals, the songs could double as boring and repetitive elevator music (or maybe Coldplay could recycle them for their next album). He could’ve made this album in GarageBand and saved himself the money it cost to hire a real

James Blunt All the Lost Souls Rating: ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ Tracks to download: It’s not worth the effort For fans of: Robbie Williams, Coldplay

band. In fact, I could’ve made this album in GarageBand. Let’s pretend for a second that some of his melodramatic and sentimental lyrics are actually profound. Whatever effect he was reaching for is completely ruined by lines like, “I’ve taken a shipload of drugs,” and “Will you go down on me?” How touching. Someone should send James Blunt that memo that says that if you sing about begging for blowjobs the same way you sing about your torment over Kosovo, you’ll sound like an insincere sleaze. Even if you ignore the ter-

rible lyrics, voice and instrumentals, it’s hard to ignore how James Blunt brings nothing new to the table. Whatever he does has already been done before. If you’re thinking about buying this CD, don’t. Don’t enable James Blunt to make more music and to have more conquests. There are other, more talented cross-Atlantic singer-songwriters that you could listen to. And if you’re really craving that James Blunt sound, just listen to the Coldplay or Snow Patrol CD you probably already own. You won’t be able to tell the difference.

BY NADIA SOBEHART CADENZA REPORTER Based on the classic fairytale of Snow White, “Sydney White” brings childhood stories into the college setting. Beginning her freshman year at Southern Atlantic University, Sydney (Amanda Bynes) hopes to find sisterhood in her late mother’s college sorority. But Kappa’s president (Sara Paxton) sees her as competition for the title of hottest in the land and tosses Sydney aside at a crucial time in her life. As an outcast, she comes across a group of seven “dorks” and the story thus begins. Stereotypical of most do-good movies, “Sydney White” has a valuable lesson to teach us: strength comes in brotherhood and in finding where we belong. The movie is very silly and unrealistic, but delivers strong, feel-good scenes throughout. Despite her ironically orange skin color (it’s not Sydney Auburn, is it?), Amanda Bynes is dazzling as always—quirky, fun and often times refreshingly eccentric; the movie may have been a complete failure without her. Her male counterpart, played by Matt Long, is reminiscent of Freddie Prince Jr. in his “She’s All That” glory days. Sydney’s companions (the seven dorks) all possess the same characteristics as Snow White’s dwarfs, but do not carry the same names. Paxton delivers a good performance as the villain, a role it seems she was born to play. The film begins like “What a Girl Wants” (2003), and includes similar narrative overtones throughout. Though set in a collegiate atmosphere, the presentation in this movie is more like a high school setting, both in maturity level and situationally. It was crafted as if it were targeted

at a more mature audience, but is certainly not sufﬁcient for the public it represents. Between cliché “groups”— jocks, Goths, bandies, outcasts, etc.—and the typical cheesiness associated with teen movies, the movie is just too much to handle. On the other hand, the occasional use of curse words and references to sex make the ﬁlm unsuitable for PG audiences. Although some references to the Snow White plotline seemed forced into this movie’s plot, such as the “true love’s kiss,” the clever placement of other story elements was quite comical. For example, the “ho” of “hi-ho” was used as college students these days would use it. In the end, “Sydney White” was corny but lovable—especially the seven dorks. The director could have dispensed with some sappiness, but the overall feeling of happiness makes the movie worth seeing. Despite the unrealistic circumstances and high-school mindset, the silly representation of college students will result in a good theatrical experience. Should you go see “Sydney White”? Well, that depends on how much time you have on your hands and how much cheesy, feel-good scenarios you are willing to put up with.

Sydney White Rating: ★★★✩✩ Directed by: Joe Nussbaum Starring: Amanda Bynes, Matt Long, Sara Paxton, John Schneider, Jack Carpenter Theatrical release date: Sept. 21, 2007

I WANT MCT

WU INTRAMURAL NEWS Entries are now being accepted for the following: Sport

Divisions

Entry Deadline

Volleyball

Men’s, Women’s

Tues. Sept. 25

Stop by the Intramural Sports Office in the Athletic Complex (4th Floor) for entry forms and information. Ofﬁcials Needed for Soccer!!

Congratulations to our ﬁrst IM Champion this year: SCHOOL YARD KICKBALLERS Winners of IM Kickball

Reminder to IM Soccer Teams:

Captainʼs meeting Thursday, 9/20 at 6pm in AC

U.S. Cellular is wireless where you matter most.

getusc.com 1-888-BUY-USCC

MONDAY | SEPTEMBER 19, 2007

STUDENT LIFE | CLASSIFIEDS

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Help Wanted For Rent Roommates Sublet Real Estate For Sale Automotive

Wanted Services Tickets Travel Spring Break Lost & Found Personals

EARN $800-$3200 a month to drive brand new cars with ads placed on them. Visit www.AdCarClub.com to sign up today! FRESHMEN: IF YOU want to eliminate drunk driving around WUSTL, you have time to spare, and you consider yourself a strong leader, email dmschlic@ wustl.edu. HELP CHILDREN TO Learn Math and Reading. Kumon Ladue Center (www. kumon- ladue.com) Graduates and undergraduates. $11-$17/hour. If interested, send resume to tdk@cse.wustl.edu. MAD SCIENCE INSTRUCTORS. Enthusiastic instructors needed to teach part-time (after-school, 2-4 days per week), FUN, hands-on science programs in elementary schools. MUST HAVE TRANSPORTATION. $25$27.50 per 1 hr class. Call 314-991-8000. NIGHT STUDENT SEEKING babysitter. Monday and Wednesday from 6:15 PM 9:15 PM. $10/hour. University City Location. Please email mbarnett@im.wustl. edu or call 314-607-5627 if interested.

Sudoku

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SITTERS WANTED. AVERAGE $10 per hour. Register free for jobs near campus or home. http://www.studentsitters.com. TANTRUM IS NOW hiring! We are seeking a part-time sales associate with at least one year retail experience! Good hours! Good discount! Call 314-783-0527 for more information. WANTED: FRENCH TUTOR. French lessons from native speaker, 1 hr/week, intermediate level. Call 314-4027881. WASHU FAMILY NEEDS responsible student for occasional babysitting for 3 young boys. Must be OK with dogs and not allergic to cats. Car helpful but not a must. Salary negotiable. Please contact sherberg@ wustl.edu or call 314-4325532.

2-BEDROOM CONDO on McPherson for rent. 6 monh lease available, gated parking. Contact Lisa or Chris at 314-747-1389 or 618-6926890.

CLAYTON, UNIVERSITY CITY Loop, Central West End and Dogtown. Beautiful studios, 1, and 2 bedroom apartments. Quiet buildings. Rent ranges from $410$900/month. For more information, visit us on the web at www.ByronCompany. com or call us at 314-7255757. INCREDIBLE 3-BEDROOM, 1300 SQUARE FOOT University City Loop apartment for $1295/month! New kitchen & bath, hardwood floors, dishwasher, central air conditioning, washer and dryer, and parking. Also available: 2-bedroom apartment right behind Kayak’s for $995/month. Good credit and rental history a must, quiet building policy. No dogs, please. London Properties, LLC: 314608-2692. LARGE SELECTION OF apartments throughout STL! Red Brick Management has apartments in University City, Central West End, Richmond Heights, Dogtown, Shaw, and Soulard. Find your space today! Please call us at (314) 361-7067 or visit www. redbrickmanagement. com.

SPRING SUBLET! 1-BR in a two bedroom apt available. Located on the corner of Forsyth & Big Bend. Safe area. Lots of space. Parking available. Building is all WashU students. Female preferred. Email katiericci@gmail.com.

CLASSIC CLAYTON CONDO. DeMun Area, 2BR/1BA. Granite countertops, stainless appliances, in-unit laundry, garage. $224,900. Call Jan Waters - CBGundaker at 636-579- 9812. FOR SALE: 6258 Cabanne. 3BR/2BA house on double lot in Loop area. Great investment or dorm alternative. $129,900. Owner/ Agent: 314-863-5100. NEWLY RENOVATED CONDO for sale! Great location & perfect for students! 8054 Davis Drive @ Brentwood Blvd, near downtown Clayton. Listed below St. Louis Assessed Value. New 42” flat screen plasma TV included. Motivated seller. 1&2 BR units available. Call Andy @ 314-3677787, ext. 9.

By The Mepham Group Level: 1

Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit www.sudoku.org.uk.

Solution to Monday’s puzzle

9/19/07

FOR SALE: NIKON D2X digital camera body, recently serviced by Nikon, complete with 1 Gig CF card. $2,100. Email Stan at strembici@ samfox.wustl.edu or call 721-3127.

$5000 PAID EGG donors. +Expenses. Non-smokers, ages 19-29, SAT > 1100, ACT > 24, GPA > 3.0. Reply to: info@eggdonorcenter.com.

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WEDNESDAY | SEPTEMBER 19, 2007