STAFF EDITORIAL | DANFORTH CENTER A STEP IN RIGHT DIRECTION | FORUM, PAGE 4
STUDENT LIFE
THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER OF WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS SINCE 1878 VOLUME 129, NO. 12
Business students question need for MBA BY JEREMY ROGOFF CONTRIBUTING REPORTER Is it worth it to go to graduate school? Those considering a career in business will make the fi rst major economic decision of their careers when they answer this question, well before they set foot in the fi nancial world. The new answer may be surprising. A greater number of aspiring businesspeople are graduating from college and passing on business school altogether to seek out jobs that immediately pay well. A recent report in The New York Times highlighted the choices of Gabriel Hammond, who enjoys the success of his own $300 million hedge fund. Following his graduation from John Hopkins University and a stint at the investment banking giant Goldman Sachs, Hammond, 28, decided that for him, graduate school was a waste of time and money. According to The Times report, more undergraduates looking to break into the financial field are defying the traditional formula—working two years at an entry-level industry job and continuing on to a two-year graduate school—and instead are taking positions in the fi nancial industry, expecting to land top-dollar jobs at hedge funds and private equity fi rms within two to three years. In choosing not to return to school to earn a Masters of Business Administration (MBA), many think that their
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time would be better spent in a real-world business environment, making real-world money, rather than back in the classroom. Students and career counselors at Washington University say that while this path may be increasing in popularity, most students do—and should continue to—keep graduate school in their future plans. Sally Pinckard, associate director of undergraduate career advising in the Olin Business School, estimates that 60 percent of undergraduate business students plan to return to school for a graduate degree, a steady fi gure over the past few years. “I don’t see that it’s changing for us,” said Pinckard regarding the number of undergraduates in the Business School choosing to continue on to graduate school. The Olin Business School does not track student careers and education after undergraduate graduation, but according to Pinckard a majority of them say they want to work for a few years before obtaining an MBA. Carlos Abreu, a junior in the Business School, plans to work in investment banking after he graduates. Following a few years at work, he will apply to graduate business programs with the intention to ultimately go into private equity. “[Private equity fi rms] want you to have experience as well as knowledge, and if you come
straight out of college you generally don’t have enough experience,” said Abreu. For students whose career paths depend on the condition of a volatile market, following the fi nancial market is essential to knowing the business environment in which they will enter. Mike Sher, a senior history and business double major, measures the fi nancial job market in terms of the market itself. “The last few years, the markets have been unbelievably liquid, which means there’s lot of money floating around,” said Sher, who also noted it is common to fi nd recent college graduates “that make a lot of money, upwards of $100,000.” Sher thinks that whatever recent trend the job market may be seeing, undergraduates should not expect the same opportunities of recent graduates. “The job market is going to be more competitive; not as much money is flowing around,” he said, adding that while the trend contains some truth, passing on business school is not the norm among business majors. “I think what’s different in recent years is that you no longer have to have an MBA,” he said of working in private equity or a hedge fund. “But that’s not to say that getting your MBA isn’t worthwhile.” Job offerings, of course, vary based on factors besides
See MBA, page 2
AUTHOR OF EINSTEIN’S DREAMS SPEAKS
BRITTANY MEYER | STUDENT LIFE
Physicist and writer Alan Lightman spoke Wednesday afternoon in Graham Chapel as a part of the Assembly Series. Lightman’s first novel, “Einstein’s Dreams,” was the selection for this year’s Freshman Reading Program.
WUTV to turn dreams into reality Pi Beta Phi
dealing with sanctions
BY JOSH HANTZ NEWS EDITOR It’s not quite Reading Rainbow and it’s not quite the Twilight Zone. But freshman Michael Wiseman’s Dream Project on WUTV, Washington University’s only student-run television station, will illustrate and narrate dreams that students describe to him. “Last year I was talking to a friend about crazy dreams and we thought it would be really cool to put crazy dreams on a TV show and that’s basically how it started,” said Wiseman. Students can submit dreams they have to Wiseman; he will then break it up into how he wants the dream to be depicted and then tells his illustrators what to draw. The pictures will be aired during the show a few minutes at a time as Wiseman narrates the dream. “I think it’s an intriguing idea,” said senior Ben Nanes, WUTV co-general manager. “It could make a great show. I know I have some pretty unusual dreams sometimes and I imagine it’s the same for other people too.” Wiseman hopes each show will last 15-30 minutes, depending on how much material he receives and how long it takes to tell the story. He can also show multiple dreams, all anonymous, in any given episode. “Even if you want your name shown I decided against it or there could be terrible consequences to others,” he
BY JOSH HANTZ NEWS EDITOR
COURTESY OF DANA HAMBY
One of the illustrations for the new WUTV show “Dream Project,” which brings students’ dreams to life. said. Since this is not a live show, WUTV will put the Dream Project into its library that plays other prerecorded shows at different times throughout the day. “If [Wiseman] delivers an episode a week, we’ll figure out a way to get it a time slot,” said Nanes. “That’s how most of our shows get played. We’re here to help people make shows and get them on the air.” Nanes hopes to soon have a schedule of what’s playing at all times posted online. Right now Wiseman is in the process of recruiting illus-
Fashion on the cheap Hit the catwalk (or the campus) with hot new looks. Get tips on how to build up your wardrobe without bottoming out your wallet. Scene, Page 10
trators and creating and posting fl iers to build publicity. He has even asked the art school and psychology department, whom he thinks could benefit from the show, to make announcements to students. Sophomore Dana Hamby is one illustrator who has joined the Dream Project. “Mike introduced the concept of the show—students submitting their whackedout dreams to be illustrated and narrated on the air,” said Hamby. “Lately I’ve been trying to do my own illustrating for a kids’ book about a boy who dreams across several pages. I think I’m more excit-
ed about it than he is.” Hamby also said that they will start out drawing their own dreams since others will likely be hesitant to do so at fi rst. “Hopefully, following the effort and humor we put into these fi rst couple episodes, students will actually want to see their favorite dreams illustrated and narrated,” he said. Wiseman hopes to start airing as soon as he gets enough material. To submit a dream, students and members of the community can e-mail Wiseman at mcwa1@aol.com.
New Indian joint gets four stars Stepping Out checks out India Rasoi, a new restaurant in the Central West End. Get the scoop on what to order and what to expect. Scene, Page 8
After an alcohol-related incident at an on-campus party occurred last semester involving new members, the Missouri Beta chapter of Pi Beta Phi at Washington University is facing probation until the end of May. “Risky behavior was involved,” said Director of Campus Life Jill Carnaghi. “On the part of the [fraternity] as well as the [University] we’re concerned for the safety of our students. We’re taking actions that will correct these indiscretions.” As part of the punishment from the University, Pi Beta Phi will not be permitted to hold social events with alcohol this semester and may hold up to one next semester. Pi Beta Phi also may not partner with other student groups to put on social events for the whole academic year. Furthermore, the fraternity for women must submit a performance plan, go through an alcohol education program and face tougher restrictions regarding new member education. Violation of any terms may lead to more severe sanctions, according to Carnaghi. “We don’t do probation lightly,” she said. “It doesn’t need to be a Greek organiza-
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tion, either. Any organization that presents threats to the safety of its members is unacceptable. We need to be ever-vigilant. Too often one thing leads to another that they never thought would happen.” However, Carnaghi noted that disciplinary action is only intended to “ensure future success.” Officers of the Pi Beta Phi chapter on campus referred all requests to comment to their national office. “Pi Beta Phi Fraternity is working closely with its Missouri Beta chapter at Washington University, as well as campus administrators to ensure the chapter complies with campus and Fraternity policies,” said Stephanie Gurley-Thomas, a national Pi Beta Phi spokesperson. Gurley-Thomas stressed the history of the chapter on campus and that the chapter has the full support of its alumnae going forward. “The Missouri Beta chapter of Pi Beta Phi is an integral part of the Greek system at Washington University and will continue to remain an active and involved chapter on campus,” said Gurley-Thomas. “Although the chapter has received sanctions, they
See PI BETA PHI, page 2
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Pulse
University takes on SLU in constitution trivia bowl
Compiled by Josh Hantz
Friday, September 21
Copyright 2007 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 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: Shamima Hossain, Julia Jay, Brian Krigsher, Allison Kong, Ryan Matos, Hannah Schwartz 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 General Manager: Andrew O’Dell Advertising Manager: Sara Judd 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.
Italian Fest Head out to 221 West Main St. in Collinsville, Ill. today and tomorrow until 11 p.m. to enjoy the Paisan Pedal Push bike ride through town, a grape stomp and all the Italian beef sandwiches you can handle. The 24th annual fest is sure to provide a good time with great music, dancing and food. Call (618) 344-2884 for more info. Glass Factory For any glassblowers out there, you won’t want to miss the Third Friday Open House at the Third Degree Glass Factory (5200 Delmar) from 6-10 p.m. The free event features work by Ben Klein and Tom Lang, and hot glassblowing demonstrations.
Saturday, September 22 Archaeology Month Celebrate archaeology month at Mastodon State Historic Site, located at 1050 Charles J. Becker Drive in Imperial, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The site is home to the skeletons of mastodons and other animals discovered in the 1800s. Paintball It’s not what you’re thinking, but this charity event by Women In Charge hopes to raise a lot of money to help needy women and their kids through education and counseling. The event from 7-11 p.m. at the Centene Center for Arts and Education, located at 3547 Olive St., has beer, hors d’oeuvres, wine and live music. The highlight is the art auction featuring works from 50 local artists. Tickets are $35.
MARK DUDLEY | STUDENT LIFE
Bryan Boyle, Samuel Gittle, Seth Bridge and Chloe White compete in the “We the People” Intercollegiate Trivia Face-Off against SLU in Mudd House on Wednesday, Sept. 19.
Sunday, September 23 BY MARK DUDLEY
Ottertoberfest The Saint Louis Zoo kicks off Ottertoberfest this weekend, a three-weekend long event celebrating the North American river otter with live music, beer, brats and your variation of the “Duck Dance.” Admission is free and each day lasts from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
CONTRIBUTING REPORTER On Wednesday evening, the Gephardt Institute of Public Service hosted for the first time the “We the People” Intercollegiate Trivia FaceOff, between Saint Louis University (SLU) and Washington University in the Mudd Multipurpose Room. The event, which commemorated the 220th anniversary of the Constitution, drew in about 20 spectators from both schools. The event’s organization, which began in August, was primarily the work of Evan Krauss, the Gephardt Scholar in the Masters of Social Work program. “We wanted to make it intercollegiate,” said Krauss, “we wanted to make it exciting and we wanted to foster competition among our campuses.” Krauss contacted student leaders from both campuses and established two teams of five students, composed of campus organization leaders and law students. The teams attempted to bring together students of different political viewpoints. Representing the University were law students Bryan Boyle, Seth Bridge and Justin Gelfand; Samuel Gittle, presi-
Cowboy Comedy Come see the Longhorn Comedy Round Up Show at the CTW Lounge in Alton, Ill. (1000 Belle St.) featuring black cowboy Vernon Davis and his co-host Cuttin T. The show starts at 8:15 p.m. and tickets are $5. Twenty-one and older only.
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MBA v FROM PAGE 1 the market. Generally, students must have a very solid college academic record, a proven knack for success at a previous fi nancial job and an array of industry connections to even be considered for private equity jobs so soon after graduation. “It all depends what your
motivations are,” said Sher. “If you want to be a stockbroker in New York, you might see getting an MBA as a waste of time and money because you’re sacrificing your income.” But for Sher, who wants one day to be a small-business owner, business school
remains on the career agenda. “To work your way up [in any fi rm] you need to get an MBA usually,” he said. “I am planning on getting an MBA for networking and building additional skill sets. I still think there is a lot of value to getting an MBA.”
PI BETA PHI v FROM PAGE 1 will continue to participate in philanthropy and community service activities as well as the upcoming Greek Week. Though fraternity members were unwilling to comment, Carnaghi described reactions to their situation.
FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 21, 2007
“Some were concerned about how the [University] handled it, as well as the national headquarters,” she said. “Others understood. There’s always going to be a mixed reaction.” Pi Beta Phi alumnae also,
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“picked up and moved forward” after a meeting earlier this week with the University. Barring any future violations, the probation enacted last April will expire on May 30.
a subject and were asked to describe two relevant constitutional issues. The University, given the subject of same-sex marriage, overtook SLU, who were given the subject of Guantánamo Bay. The University earned 150 points, compared to SLU’s 100. In the end, victory and bragging rights went to the team from SLU, who finished on top after a final score of 1480 to 1370. “It was exciting to be here,” said a junior from SLU. “I’ve never seen a Constitution Bowl before.” Students who attended the event seemed to experience it as an exciting and enriching one. “It was fun,” said White, “though we obviously need to work on our lightning round skills for next year.” Whether the Gephardt Institute will hold a face-off next year remains in question. “We would like to attract more undergraduates to the program to make it an annual tradition,” said Hattori. Scott Johnson, a second year law student at the University, had choice words for the face-off: “We came here to celebrate our Constitution. We need to continue to foster understanding of it, because too many simply don’t.”
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dent of College Republicans; and Chloe White, a representative of College Democrats. As a way to celebrate Constitution Day, the trivia face-off attempted to foster a sense of community and a better understanding of the citizen’s role in the life of the constitution. “What was great about this event is that we had both undergraduate and law students; it got a different group of people working together,” said Robin Hattori, program director for the Gephardt Institute. Round one, the lightning round, covered the history of the documents and its subsequent amendments. SLU struck an early lead over the University, scoring 1000 points to 800. After a short break in the action, Washington University started round two with renewed vigor. In this round, the teams were given famous court cases and were asked to summarize the major decision and analyze its constitutional importance. The University fared better this round, receiving 420 points to SLU’s 380. In round three, which tested student knowledge of critical constitutional issues of today, teams were given
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Senior News Editor / Sam Guzik / news@studlife.com
FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 21, 2007
Economics study links obesity to gasoline prices BY PUNEET KOLLIPARA SENIOR STAFF REPORTER A recent study by economics graduate student Charles Courtemanche found that higher gasoline prices in the United States could lower obesity. Courtemanche’s dissertation, however, received national attention after many in the media misinterpreted its findings. The study, titled “A Silver Lining, the Connection Between Gas Prices and Obesity,” found that an additional one-dollar in real gas prices could reduce obesity in the U.S. after five years. Courtemanche found that when gasoline prices go up, people tend to drive their cars less and seek other forms of transportation, increasing the amount of exercise they get from walking. Courtemanche also found that with higher prices, people eat at restaurants less frequently and thereby consume fewer calories. However, the paper received skepticism. A number of writers and national talk show hosts, including Rush Limbaugh and Jay Leno, felt that Courtemanche had implied that the government should increase gasoline prices as a way of reducing the country’s obesity. In the September 13 edition of NBC’s “The Tonight Show,” Leno mentioned the study in his monologue, and Limbaugh discussed the study on his Web site. Courtemanche denied the allegations, saying that
many people had misinterpreted his findings. He explained that the study only found that increasing gasoline prices could reduce obesity but that the study did not advocate such a price increase or suggest that gasoline taxes would benefit social welfare. “My paper makes no effort at all to determine whether gasoline taxes would be beneficial for society,” said Courtemanche. Courtemanche also concluded that about 13 percent of the total rise in obesity from 1979 to 2004 could be attributed to falling real gas prices during the period, with the other 87 percent of the total increase in obesity arising from other factors. While actual gasoline prices have risen between 1979 and 2004, the study focused on real gasoline prices, which is the price of gasoline when adjusted for inflation over the period. When adjusted for inflation, the real price of gasoline actually fell over that period. In his study, Courtemanche compared average real state fuel prices with trends in obesity over two decades, 1984 to 2004, while also isolating potential confounding factors such as marital status, income, race and education. He suggested that future research could focus on the potential social benefit of increases in fuel prices, but he warned that such studies would need to account for all other potential consequences of increased fuel
costs. “If you’re talking about obesity, you don’t want to enact a policy that would make people poorer, because if people become poorer, then they tend to gain weight,” added Courtemanche. “If you did do something like raise the gasoline tax then you’d want to mash that with some subsidy or reduction in some other tax, like reducing the payroll tax, so that in the end people aren’t left any poorer.” Additionally, a Sept. 11 article in Reuters about Courtemanche’s study mistakenly printed that he found that the fall in real gas prices from 1979 to 2004 completely explained the rise in obesity in the country. The misprint led some writers to misread the study’s findings, including CNBC columnist Jane Wells, who criticized the study in a Sept. 12 blog post. The Reuters story was eventually corrected to reflect the fact that the fall in real gasoline prices explained only 13 percent of the rise in obesity from 1979-2004, and Wells posted an apology on her blog on Sept. 18. Courtemanche said that he enjoys the publicity, though he admitted he was upset about the misinterpretations of the media. “I don’t mind skepticism about my results,” he said. “The thing that is more bothersome is when people take it out of context and misinterpret it.”
STUDENT LIFE | NEWS
Freshman Class Council Results
President 21.7% Zoe Madigan 51.7% Nate Fergueson 54 Candidate BSE Candidate Independent
22.8% Blake McKisick
External VP 66.6% Mae Wang 31.3% Nicole Salzman
Internal VP 68.7% Alex Kiles
29.1% Adam Abadier
Other Winners
Treasurer: Luc Elders (54) with 90.5 % Secretary: Lauren Bindler (54) with 91.5% JOE RIGODANZO | STUDENT LIFE
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Senior Forum Editor / Nathan Everly / forum@studlife.com
STUDENT LIFE | FORUM
FORUM
Our daily Forum editors: Monday: Christian Sherden ctsherde@artsci.wustl.edu
We welcome your submissions and thank you for your consideration.
Danforth Center shows promise, responsibility T
conventional certification, which means that it gained 40-50 percent of the points available in the six different categories. The new Danforth Center is on track to receive Gold certification, which requires acquiring 60-80 percent of the available points. One of the most significant ways to minimize our negative environmental impact is through green construction. If the rest of main campus is any guide, new buildings could easily be around for the next fifty years or more. For this reason we are proud not only that the new Danforth Center will be LEED Gold certified, but that Chancellor Mark Wrighton has committed the University to meeting LEED standards on all new construction projects. This is the sort of environmental leadership that we wish from the University and something that we wholeheartedly support. We are also optimistic
about the proposed “fun room” that the new center will offer students. It has been a regular complaint of both this paper and the student body that the University lacks a proper student center, complete with entertainment and lounge facilities. We hope that the new “fun room” will satisfy this demand. According to Student Union President Neil Patel, the room will be similar to Whispers Café in style. It will sport chalkboard paint walls, allowing students to draw all over them to post messages or just to kill time. Arcade machines and high-tech chairs that serve as musical amplifiers are other prominent features. While they would have been great additions, apparently ping pong, foosball and pool tables were not included in the design because they take up too much floor space. Vibrant student centers that offer on-campus entertainment
Wednesday: Jill Strominger Friday: Tess Croner jlstromi@artsci.wustl.edu tacroner@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.
STAFF EDITORIAL
he new Danforth Center, set to open next fall, will bring many new features to campus. Besides all of the new space for student groups and dining options, we are particularly pleased about two aspects of the facility: its environmentally-friendly design and its student “fun room.” The $41 million facility is set to be Leadership Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)NC Gold certified. The LEED rating system was developed in 1998 by the U.S. Green Building Council to set environmentally sustainable standards for construction. This system covers six major areas: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality and innovation and design process. The Earth and Planetary Sciences building was the fi rst University building to obtain LEED certification. It acquired
FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 21, 2007
are becoming more common on colleges around the country and are especially appealing to potential students. We are sure this factored into the University’s decision to create the “fun room” in the first place. This bodes well for the lounge, as efforts to attract potential students tend to be thorough. At this point it is too early to say whether or not the new “fun room” will live up to its name, but the potential is certainly there. The fact that there was not enough floor space in the University Center for certain kinds of recreational equipment, such as pool tables and foosball, raises concerns about whether the fun room will be large enough to satisfy student demands, but it is too early to pass judgment. We urge the University to follow through with the fun room in order to create the ideal student center that Wohl and Mallinckrodt never managed to become.
JORDAN FERCHILL | EDITORIAL CARTOON
We live in a tabloid culture BY KATE GAERTNER STAFF COLUMNIST
S
ince buying my laptop this summer, I have somehow managed not to change the Internet homepage it came with. If I were thinking pragmatically, I’d have changed it right away to something useful—Facebook, maybe, or WebSTAC, or—if I were feeling particularly sophisticated—The New York Times online. But I guess I haven’t been thinking that way, or I’m just too lazy to change it, because whenever I open Internet Explorer, I am directed to hp-laptop.com, which includes a news-feed window from AOL Today. Now, I have nothing against AOL. In fact, I have learned many useful things simply from reading the headlines on the rotating news feed on AOL Today. For example, today I am warned about a deadly strain of amoeba that “lurks in lakes” and “has killed three kids this summer.” I learned that a British woman is divorcing Osama bin Laden’s son. AOL Today also promises me a list of SUVs under $20,000, a list of high-paying jobs one can get without a college degree, a list of things that “Everyone Should be Able to Do,” and “The Secrets to a Great Back Rub.” But most importantly, I learn about “Random Drug Tests for Britney (What She Has to Do to Keep her Kids).” AOL Today has kept me up to date on the Britney saga since I purchased my laptop. Inevitably, there has been a new development several times a week. With links to tmz.com, AOL has been there to document her tragically shaven head, her trips to rehab, her sister’s pregnancy rumors, her plans to release a new album, and—in what I’m guessing was a slow week for Britney—“Britney’s Trashiest Outfits.” Sometimes I wonder what readers AOL had in mind when picking the stories to go in their rotation. I would assume that AOL targets a broad audience. So why
Britney? Let’s face it: increasingly, we live in a tabloid culture. Yes, people lament the paparazzi’s intrusion of celebrities’ private lives, but that didn’t keep US Weekly’s average circulation from increasing rapidly since 2000, from 837,000 to 1.4 million, according to The State of the News Media 2006. And it certainly doesn’t keep 2.6 million people from visiting Perez Hilton’s blog every day. An obsession with Britney, Lindsay, Paris and the like has become a cornerstone of popular culture. Although gossip rags, in some form or another, have existed for centuries, the advent of the Internet has changed the way celebrity reporting works, perhaps making it even more invasive than before. For example, when Lindsay Lohan was arrested for cocaine possession this summer, AOL Today displayed new, developing headlines about her arrest and trip to rehab every time I got online—there must have been a team of reporters continuously following her, and the story, all day. With a few keystrokes, we can now know anything we ever wanted to know about anyone in Hollywood. The Internet, then, acts as a catalyst for this tabloid culture. Perhaps our celebrity fascination has to do with an increasingly materialistic outlook on life—celebrities, after all, are just pretty things that we like to look at. Perhaps it’s cathartic—in hearing about Britney’s mess-ups, we begin to feel better about our own. Or, perhaps, it is a simple matter of preferred ignorance— maybe we’d rather see breaking news about K-Fed’s child support than breaking news about the war in Iraq. Either way, I guess I’ll keep hearing about Britney and her mishaps—that is, until I fi nally figure out how to change my homepage.
“With a few keystrokes, we can now know anything we ever wanted to know about anyone in Hollywood. The Internet, then, acts as a catalyst for this tabloid culture.”
Kate is a freshman in Arts & Sciences. She can be reached via e-mail at kgaertner@wustl.edu.
Don’t throw away that yardstick BY EVE SAMBORN STAFF COLUMNIST
R
emember the days when you measured yourself each year with a yardstick and then marked your new height on the wall? True, my parents wouldn’t actually let me write on the wall (they were slightly displeased when my little brother, then two years old, boldly displayed a penchant for large white canvases), but I still tracked my height enthusiastically. Especially as a kid who was rather “vertically challenged,” every new inch was a thrilling achievement. Alas, I’ve since stopped
growing and am now forced to resign myself to being 5’1” forever. This depressing stagnation was reinforced lately by a routine dental check-up. My dentist has a poster in his office that proclaims, “Everything I need to know, I learned in kindergarten.” As much as I hope that he picked up a few more lessons in dental school, the abundance of toy trains in his office has led me to suspect there may be some truth to this assertion. Kindergarten was a big year. I learned that sharing is caring. I learned that sand be-
longs in the sandbox. I learned how to count to one hundred, only to be heartbroken later when I couldn’t fit one hundred numbers on the worksheet that officially recorded my five year-old counting abilities. But I learned to cope with that harsh reality as well, thus inching my way up the yardstick of personal growth. I had thought that college acceptance signified an important milestone on my growth chart; it meant that I had mastered the basic survival skills needed for my journey into independence. I knew I wasn’t done learning, but I figured the growth curve would at least
begin to level off. But as I reflect on my fi rst month of college, I fi nd myself increasingly reminded of kindergarten. In some ways, I’ve been regressing. Living with a roommate has led me to brush up on those sharing lessons. I’ve learned how to tell time all over again, adjusting for the seven-minute rule. Naptime is once again my favorite afternoon activity. People keep bribing me with food. However, in kindergarten I had to behave fi rst; now I just show up and my OAs give me excellent chocolate chip cookies. The real similarity, however, between my fi rst month of
college and my early childhood isn’t the parallel between learning the idiosyncrasies of Wash. U. and learning to navigate kindergarten; it is the rapid growth. I’ve already learned more in just four short weeks of college than in perhaps an entire year of high school. It’s more than just the standard ropes of independence like waking up for class or fi nding food. Not only are my classes more intense, living with complete strangers is full of unexpected lessons. I’ve heard great new Israeli musicians and discovered that I like the TV show “Weeds.” I’m learning, albeit unsuccessfully,
how to juggle. I’ve told my suitemate from Houston about living with seasons, and I’ve compared religious traditions with both Jews and non-Jews when I missed class for Rosh Hashanah. In sharing my life, I’ve also learned more about myself. Apparently kindergarten isn’t the only time for personal growth spurts. Sadly, ResLife rules mean I still can’t chart my progress on the wall with a yardstick, but I’m inching up nonetheless. Eve is a freshman in Arts & Sciences. She can be reached via e-mail at actorels@comcast.
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FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 21, 2007
STUDENT LIFE | FORUM
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Psychology, politics and the danger of media BY ZACHARY STEINERT-THRELKELD STAFF COLUMNIST “Political Leaning May be in Your Head,” “Left Brain, Right Brain: Are Liberals More Adaptable than Conservatives?” or “Brain Type May Dictate Politics”—the headlines have blared during the past week. The reason: “Neurocognitive correlates of liberalism and conservatism,” a study published on September 9 in Nature Neuroscience by David Amodio, an assistant professor of psychology at New York University, which concludes that “greater liberalism was associated with stronger conflict-related anterior cingulate activity, suggesting
“Liberals are more adaptable to new situations whereas conservatives remain committed to their beliefs.” greater neurocognitive sensitivity to cues for altering a habitual response pattern.” Professor Amodio recruited 43 subjects and presented them with a Go/No-go game. Subjects watched flashing Ms and Ws for 15 minutes; one group was told to press a button for every M and make no response for every W while the second group received opposite instructions. For the first group, M was programmed to appear 80% of the time; W had the same frequency for the second group. The subjects were also asked to report their political orientation on a 10-point scale, with -5 being extremely liberal and +5 being extremely conservative. Amodio found that conservative subjects were more likely to continue pressing whichever letter was appearing the majority of the time whereas liberals responded more accurately to the change in stimuli. From this, Amodio concludes that “Stronger conservatism (versus liberalism) was associated with less neurocognitive sensitivity to response conflicts.”
In other words, liberals are more adaptable to new situations whereas conservatives remain committed to their beliefs. Moreover, Amodio then suggests this is related to heritable brain structure, meaning the fact that “liberals […] report higher tolerance of ambiguity and complexity, and greater openness to new experiences on psychological measures” is genetic. This study has serious flaws, and they are endemic to psychological studies. First, these 43 subjects are not an accurate representation of America, so it is dangerous to extrapolate from them to 300 million other people. Moreover, this is an impossibly small sample from which it is specious to say that this one incidence of significance is itself significant. Either Amodio needs to test 43 people many more times or he must enlarge the sample size to decrease the possibility that this result is not significant only by chance. Second, respondents only had onehalf of a second to respond to the letters flashed on screen. To then argue that conservatives support lower taxes or disdain abortion because they resist change as indicated by their poor half-second reaction times is absurd. Even soundbites, the least complex but most popular form of political communication, last at least 15 seconds, and had the letters been flashed on screen for that long Amodio surely would have determined that conservatives and liberals respond to information with exactly congruous flexibility. Third, political ideas may be presented to the lowest common denominator, but they cannot be reduced to something as simple as two letters. To say people process information differently based on flashes of letters is an insult to the term. Moreover, M and W are so physically similar that anyone—and especially dyslexic individuals—could confuse them at a quick glance and in such a sample that individual could have
CHRISTINE GARVEY | STUDENT LIFE
skewed the results. Finally, the concept of “change” and “adaptation” is contextually specific, so the author’s use of the terms plays directly into Manichean political stereotypes. For example, outlawing abortion would entail drastic change to the American political and social system; in this case, liberals are the ones seeking to conserve the status quo. The meaning of change and reaction depends entirely on which party controls the organs
of power (especially the Supreme Court) and not on an eternal alignment of ideology. American news outlets, continuously searching for startling headlines with which to attract more eyes, immediately seized upon this article. Every major American newspaper immediately reported these findings without critical reflection. As Karl Rove realized, the repetition of any statement, regardless of its veracity,
leads people to think it is true. Newspapers’ reporting of this experiment without any critical analysis has without doubt furthered the erroneous idea that humans are hardwired with a certain political outlook. This study represents everything that is dangerous about psychology and the media’s obsession with it. Nearly every study reported on involves a miniscule, unrepresentative sample performing highly specific tasks from which grand
biological or evolutionary conclusions are dangerously drawn. The media, too often stocked with journalists lacking either the time, desire or intellect to seriously analyze these issues, exacerbates the hold alluring, but dangerous and harmful, psychology studies maintain on the American public. Zachary is a senior in Arts & Sciences. He can be reached via e-mail at zsteinert@gmail.com.
Diary of a long, long distance relationship BY ADRIAN TORRES STAFF COLUMNIST
I
n his opening speech at Convocation 2007, our Student Union President, Neil Patel, empathized with incoming freshman on the daunting experience of leaving home and taking the next big step on the road to adulthood. Much to the laughter of the audience, he said one of the main things plaguing his conscience upon entering college was the status of his relationship with his girlfriend. But shrouded by the laughter and smiles, for many students there was indeed a deep connection with Neil’s experience—a connection based on the heartwarming, loving, unpredictable and volatile future of a long distance relationship. As someone who transferred to Washington University while tied to a relation-
ship beyond the borders of America, I can personally state that while it may indeed be one of the most difficult transition periods of your life, it is a time of immense personal growth and understanding about the intricacies of life. In less than a month of living in St. Louis, the connection that I had back home unfortunately got lost. As pitiful as that may sound, I cannot help but bask in the lessons learnt from this experience. Rather than trying my best to impersonate the Suzy Orman of long-distance relationships, there is just one essential factor that I would like to share—one in which I strongly believe will maybe, just maybe, be the ‘make-or-break factor’ for others who currently find themselves in the same precarious situation: realizing (and I mean truly realizing) if you are built for a long-
distance relationship. University life, especially at Washington University, can be quite demanding. Classes. Clubs. Studying. Partying. All these things take up an immense amount of our time. What I found difficult in the first couple of weeks of being here was something everyone in my situation goes through: trying to squeeze that longdistance relationship into college life. The simple vocabulary of my words changed from, “definitely,” “of course” and “always” to “maybe,” “I’ll try,” “I doubt it” and “I can’t.” Trifling arguments started taking up a majority of our chatting time. And of course, there were countless inquisitions into who I was spending my time with. It was a quagmire of hopeless thoughts, and the connection gradually dissipated due to the impact of college
life, slight jealousy, silly arguments, and a foreboding lack of time to keep the line open. So what was the most important move? When I realized at the appropriate time that I was not suited for a long-distance relationship and consequently averted a soon-to-be explosion. Many
“Should the pursuit of happiness involve total unhappiness?” of us start with the hope that things can work. And by all means, a lot of the times they do. I have met several people who ended up marrying their high school girlfriends/boyfriends after years of keeping it alive through college (if you’re one of these people, don’t
worry, there’s enough hope to go around). Sadly though, there are those select couples that don’t find it so easy. They fight and they battle to make it work. But at the end of the day, or perhaps even before that day ends, you might want to ask, at what cost? Frustration? Confusion? Should the pursuit of happiness involve total unhappiness? There is nothing wrong with “trying to make things work,” which undoubtedly may involve a lot of bumps along the road. However, the important thing is to figure out whether your heart and mind are like SUV’s equipped for the off-road, or whether they’re more like modest compact cars that might be able to handle a scratch, but which ultimately fall apart on rough terrain. If you’re finding yourself
frustrated too often, or if the majority of your time is spent on petty disputes, or if there just seems to be no time at all for your relationship, then perhaps the best thing to do might be to allow each other to let go and grow apart without any added despair. If you truly believe you are an SUV, then by all means keep working on your long-distance relationship. But if you know yourself to be more like a nice Corolla, incapable of handling a bumpy ride, then it might be best to head for the “freeway.” As for me, realizing I could not push my little Honda Civic much further was the best choice I could make for both of us. Adrian is a junior in Arts & Sciences. He can be reached via email at aptorres@artsci.wustl.edu.
Just grow up (or maybe not)
T
his past summer I its bluster. Before school made plans with my started, we had visions of roommates for jua sizzling wok and dinner nior year. Big plans. parties and mom’s recipes Serious stuff. We hashed it pulled off with fl air. Now out and made a pact. Junior we’re settling for pita pocket year, we agreed, PB&Js and granola bars. we would simply As excited as I was to grab adulthood have a full kitchen, now by the balls and I honestly can’t imagine squeeze. We us using it. I mean, it would step up, took us two weeks to and step into the buy a sponge. To date, kitchen. We would break-and-bake cookies decorate and are our only culinary make our apartaccomplishment. ment into a home. It’s not our fault, reTess Croner We would keep ally. I blame the Village. the place clean. The cushy location of So here we are, one month in. the Millbrook Apartments Mission Status: Failure. demands that we capitalize All that big talk has lost on the readily available food
supply. It’s simply not natural to work hard to produce a meal when a pre-made alterna-
“You could say that living on campus is depriving us of vital life skills and effectively stunting our maturation” tive is only a few feet away. And hey, there’s no cleanup. I guess you could say that living on campus is depriv-
ing us of vital life skills and effectively stunting our maturation. Or maybe it’s just one of those sad human truths: many of us only take on responsibility when we absolutely have to. Me? I’m sure not doing extra work just for kicks. When life demands that I grow up, I’ll grow up. When the trash smells, I’ll take it out. When I can’t fi nd my calculator, I’ll organize my desk. When there’s nothing for dinner, perhaps I’ll cook. But what is “cooking” anyway? Do Trader Joes’ microwaveable dinners count? If they do, then I’m already one step closer to becoming
a fully functioning adult. I spent an entire summer living off of teriyaki chicken bowls and turkey pot pies. Isn’t that some sort of allgrown-up self-sufficiency? Or is it just another shortcut for pretenders? All the convenience of the Village, in cardboard and shrink-wrap. I’m pretty sure adulthood does not come with a meal plan. I keep expecting to undergo some major transformation and to suddenly fi nd myself an older, wiser person. I expect to be neat and tidy and skilled. But instead I’m stunned by my consistency. Our apartment is still not completely unpacked. Our common room remains
littered with unopened, mystery boxes. Just yesterday, I suggested using one of them as an end table. Put a tablecloth on it, and it might even look classy. If we can’t manage to put some posters on the wall, how are we going to muster the strength to go grocery shopping and prepare a meal? It seems pretty hopeless. But there’s an old proverb: an empty belly is the best cook. So I’m fi guring, when we really need to do it, we might just grow up. Tess is a junior in Arts & Sciences and a Forum editor. She can be reached via e-mail at forum@studlife.com
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Senior Sports Editor / Trisha Wolf / sports@studlife.com
STUDENT LIFE | SPORTS
FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 21, 2007
SPORTS
VOLLEYBALL
WU 3 w FONTBONNE 0
Bears spike back against Fontbonne v Volleyball wins cross-Wydown showdown BY JOHANN QUA HIANSEN SPORTS REPORTER Washington University came off a rough weekend to fight back by taking down the neighboring Fontbonne University Griffins in Wash. U.’s most decisive victory of the season so far. “The losses this [past] weekend made us all realize that it’s time to kick our game up a notch,” said freshman libero Ali Hoffman. Tuesday night’s sweep featured an opening set where the Bears nearly tripled their opponent’s score (30-11). The largest margin of victory this season had previously been a set against Illinois College, which ended with a score of 30-13. The other sets against their crossWydown rival were closer with scores of 30-22 and 30-19. Wash. U. was engaged in point-for-point battles at times before coming together as an offensive juggernaut that rolled through the Fontbonne defense. The Bears were actually down in the third set before ratcheting it up to a whole new level. After tying with the Griffins at 13 points, the Lady Bears sprinted in an 80 scoring run from which the
Sophomore Erin Albers, who is the tallest player on the team at 6 feet 2 inches, showed no fear as she dropped to the ground to save a ball that had been shanked into the net. Rolling to less than an inch from the lane, Albers popped the ball up enabling a hitter to go for the kill. Almost every girl had to go low to the floor as the team combined for 77 digs against Griffin servers and hitters. Senior captain Haleigh Spencer contributed 21 digs, closely followed by junior Alli Alberts who had 19 digs. “This was a real confidence booster,” said sophomore Laura Brazeal. According to Brazeal, the girls are also doing informal practices and working their butts off in preparation for next week. The Lady Bears, currently ranked number seven in the nation, have no games this weekend as they get ready for the first UAA Round Robin series where they will play Carnegie Mellon University, Case Western Reserve University and the University of Chicago in New York on September 29 and 30.
Griffins could not recover. Monday night was a night of simple pleasures as a gaggle of giggling girls gathered with their coach over milk and cookies. Coach Rich Luenemann shared a few encouraging words as the team discussed their weaknesses. Although serious topics were discussed, the players were able to just talk and laugh with each other, further contributing to their team’s spirit. The bonds linking the Bears have grown stronger as their spirit continues to soar. With this determination to succeed propelled to new heights, the players have been cheering louder and playing harder than ever before. “Being more vocal on the court is one thing we’re working on,” said freshman Marya Kaminski. “There was a lot more energy.” Tuesday night’s game featured one of the Red and Green’s greatest strengths as players set the ball up so a teammate could go for the kill. Junior setter Audra Janak was responsible for two out of every three of the 33 assists that night while other players raced to the floor for loose balls.
Around the WU: This week in sports Sunday Soccer vs. Illinois Wesleyan Men at 1:30, Women at 3:30 both at Francis Field LIONEL SOBEHART | STUDENT LIFE
Junior Alli Alberts reaches for the ball during the Sept. 15 match against #2 ranked Juniata. The volleyball team regained momentum Tuesday after a string of losses on Friday and Saturday.
Wednesday Women’s soccer vs. Webster at 7:00 at Francis Field
Recent Top Performers Caitlin Malone, Soccer The junior emerged as an offensive leader on her team over the past week. She scored her first collegiate hat trick, as well as the Bears’ only goals last Tuesday as the team defeated Principia 3-0. She then scored both game winners in their weekend matches, with the first goal in the Bears’ 4-0 win over the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and an overtime goal in a 2-1 victory at Loras College. She also had an assist in the Oshkosh game. For her efforts, she was named UAA Offensive Player of the Week and to the national D3kicks.com Team of the Week.
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Pierre Hoppenot, Soccer The junior had a breakout week, assisting Marshall Plow on the game winner in a 2-0 victory against Principia last Tuesday. Later in the week, he again assisted the game winner and scored an insurance goal as the Bears defeated Southwestern University 3-0. Following this performance, he was named to the D3kicks.com Team of the Week. Tyler Mulkin, Cross Country The senior won the women’s 5K race at the Maryville Cross Country Invitational Saturday. Her time of 19:46.60 led Wash. U. to a first place finish, 64 points ahead of second place Lincoln University. She was also named to the UAA weekly honor roll. Ellen Bruegge, Volleyball The senior was Wash. U.’s representative on the All-Tournament Team at the Teri Clemens Invitational last weekend. Over three matches, she recorded 33 kills and 8.5 blocks over the course of the tournament as well as a career high 16 kills against Juniata Friday. John Watts, Tennis The sophomore won the A singles flight at the Washington University Fall Invitational last weekend. In the final, he pulled out a three set win over Michael Greenberg, showing why he was national runner-up last spring. He then teamed with freshman Isaac Stein in the A doubles flight, where they advanced to the finals.
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Corey Kubatzky, Cross Country The senior led the men’s team to victory last weekend at the Maryville Cross Country Invitational with his second place finish in a time of 16:29.54. Scoring only 15 points, the team finished well ahead of second place Fontbonne, which totaled 56 points. Jaclyn Bild, Tennis The freshman won the B singles flight at the Washington University Fall Invitational last weekend, defeating teammate Kalee Cassady in the finals. She then teamed with junior Ania Tchergueiko in the A doubles flight, which they also won. They beat Magida Taracena and Ellen Maty of Lindenwood in the finals. Tommy Bawden, Football The junior provided many of the few bright spots last Saturday as the Bears fell to Wheaton College 55-14. Over the course of the game, he recorded five tackles and returned a fumble for 29 yards. He also downed two punts within the 20 yard line.
Senior Scene Editor / Felicia Baskin / scene@studlife.com
FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 21, 2007
HealthBeat
F
tein/low carbohydrate diets, or years and years, peowhen followed too long can ple worldwide have tried also lead to a buildup to maintain of ketones in the blood or lower (creating a condition their weight by called ketosis) that can altering their diets. induce the production of Americans seem to high levels of uric acid, have an obsession which is a risk factor for with developing kidney stones and gout new tricks and tips (a condition characterthat will ensure ized by painful swelling weight loss. Many Brooke Genkin in the joints). of these methods, however, are not only Myth 3: Certain foods, like ineffective, but actually coungrapefruit, celery, or cabbage terproductive. The following is soup, can burn fat and make an explanation of some of the you lose weight. most common dieting myths and why you should be wary. There is no such thing as a food that helps you burn fat. Myth 1: Fad diets work long The only thing that helps burn term if you stick to them. fat is activity and exercise. Still, it is true that if you Fad diets are the type that only ate grapefruits, celery promise quick weight loss by or cabbage soup, you would eating certain foods in comlose weight due to inadequate bination with one another or nutrition and calorie intake; by eliminating some sorts you wouldn’t necessarily lose of foods all together. These only fat. Starvation-type diets diets are “scale-focused” and encourage the body to go into thus, weight lost is due to panic mode and so usually water loss. Also, due to their muscle tissue will be used for restrictive qualities, fad diets energy in addition to fat stores, can often leave followers with leaving a person looking flabby low amounts of important and under-toned. nutrients. Healthy dieting in combination with exercise is Myth 4: Low-fat or nonfat the most effective way to lose foods are good for you. weight and usually anywhere from one half to two pounds While this may apply to per week is considered a fruits and vegetables, it cerhealthy amount of weight loss. tainly doesn’t apply to cookies, granola bars or my personal Myth 2: High-protein/low-carfavorite, frozen yogurt. Just bohydrate diets are a healthy because a food item like frozen way to lose weight because yogurt has fewer grams of fat starches are fattening. than ice cream doesn’t mean First of all, carbohydrates it is good for you. This is are not bad for you. I don’t especially true when considerknow who started this myth, ing that it is still loaded with but it needs to stop. With this sugars that the body turns to said, it is important that when fat. Add toppings to it, and that trying to lose weight, you limit only perpetuates the problem. the amount of refi ned carboSo what is the message here? hydrates and instead replace Low-fat or no-fat may be better them with high-fiber fruits, than high-fat, but it certainly vegetables and whole grains. does not mean that it is There are numerous problems “healthy” or “good” for you. associated with getting a large portion of dietary intake from Myth 5: Skipping meals is a protein alone, including degood way to lose weight. creased energy (carbohydrates are the fi rst source of energy), While we’ve heard about which is often associated with the importance of breakfast feeling weak and nauseous. In ad nauseum, there are still so addition, many people commany students who go withplain of constipation when out breakfast…. or lunch… or eating only high protein diets dinner, for that matter. I had a because they are not getting close friend last year who took enough dietary fiber. High proclasses during meal times, so
STUDENT LIFE | SCENE
7
10 dieting tricks myths
she decided that she would just snack her way through the day. While at fi rst this seemed like a logical idea, a granola bar and fruit snacks during the day and soup or hummus and pita chips for dinner weren’t providing her with enough calories or nutrition. She was often left feeling hungry, unsatisfied and frustrated. On the fl ip side of this, I also have friends who enjoy having no specific eating time. These “grazers” continuously nosh on foods throughout the day, never really sitting down to have a meal. Both of these approaches to meal times can be extremely detrimental to weight loss efforts. My recommendation: if eating during mealtimes is inconvenient for your schedule, eat meals either during class (a small sandwich will go unnoticed in a lecture class) or when it is convenient for you. For example, if you get up at 11 a.m. and have class from 12 p.m. until 4 p.m., eat a meal before and after class. Eating meals will keep your metabolism running, preventing the drop in metabolic rate that occurs in reaction to decreased food intake, and it will prevent bingeing on snacks later on in the day. Myth 6: Drinking water will make you lose weight. While it is true that ample water consumption is an important part of healthy living and a well-balanced diet, drinking water alone will not promote weight loss. Drinking water instead of high calorie drinks will encourage weight loss because by replacing the other drinks with a zero calorie option, you are saving
several hundred calories. Consuming fewer calories is what ensures weight loss. I have also heard that water will “fi ll” someone up, replacing food. Some sources do claim that people often mistake thirst for hunger, but I have found that most often, when a person is hungry—i.e., stomach is growling and mouth salivating—only food will satiate them. Still, it is important to drink water and I highly recommend it to dieters and non-dieters alike. Myth 7: “Going vegetarian” means you are sure to lose weight and be healthier. This should be rephrased to say, “Going vegetarian almost always ensures that you are going to lose muscle mass and be less healthy with a higher body fat percentage unless you are extremely careful.” The reason for this is that in order to obtain adequate protein, which we need for rebuilding muscles, a vegetarian often has to consume more foods that are higher in calories to get the same amount of protein that someone who eats lean meats and fish can get in far fewer calories. Tofu, beans and high protein grains like quinoa need to be eaten in large quantities to obtain the same amount of protein. This is coupled by the fact that proteins from plants are incomplete proteins, needing a second form of plant protein to compliment it (more calories), while those from animals are complete proteins, and can be used by the body right away. Still, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t thin vegetarians or healthy ways to diet as a vegetarian, but it does require a lot more research and
hard work to maintain or lose weight on a vegetarian diet. Myth 8: Nuts are fattening and you should not eat them if you want to lose weight. Nuts, while fattening, are sources of healthy fats. Every diet needs fats, as they carry out extremely important functions—transporting vitamins A,D, E and K throughout the body and promoting the growth of healthy hair, nails and skin. Nuts also have been identified as a great way to stave off hunger prior to meal times or to add to cereal, dried fruit or yogurt to make them more fi lling. As long as you are careful about portion size, nuts are the perfect addition to plenty of foods. For example, seven almonds have 40 calories, two grams of protein, zero grams of carbohydrates and three point five grams of fat—pair it with a piece of fruit or some dry cereal and you have the perfect dieter’s snack. Myth 9: Salads are always the healthiest choice at meal times. I have personally witnessed several of my friends only getting salads for lunches, dinners or both. While a side garden salad without dressing is always a healthier option than a side order of fries, salads may not always be the healthiest choice. First off, many people add fattening and caloric toppings to their salads—crispy chicken, creamy dressing and full fat cheese all raise the calorie and fat content of the salad. Even fruits can be a downfall as students pile on sweetened dried cran-
berries, apricots and banana chips. Nuts, seeds and beans, while all healthy, also add several hidden calories to salads. So salad enthusiasts beware: while there are many lowercalorie salad options, there are also salads that far surpass the calorie content of mozzarella sticks, burgers or any of the other tasty Grill options. Myth 10: Eating after 8 p.m. causes weight gain. This one is my personal favorite, mainly because I’ve heard it so many times. As in all of the above statements, there is a shred of truth in this tip. You should be aware of mindless snacking. Most Americans, after rising at 6 a.m., are getting ready for bed around 10 p.m. or 11 p.m., so they should not be eating too much too closely to when they go to sleep. Also, some people complain of heartburn or indigestion that is often associated with eating close to bedtime. Now, here’s why it isn’t true, especially for college students. We are all on completely different schedules; some of us don’t go to bed until 3 a.m. To be eating after 8 p.m. is fi ne if you stay up that late. Even more importantly, it is not when we eat that influences weight gain, but rather how much we eat over the period of a day and how that is balanced with the number of calories we burn. Eating a sandwich at 8 p.m. or eating it at 3 p.m. makes no difference in the amount of food you consume daily, but you should still be aware of late night snacking, as it is the downfall of many careful dieters.
presents a guide to places of worship in the WU community
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All Saints Catholic Church Corner of Westgate & Clemens (One block North of the Loop)
Lutheran Campus Ministry Learning, Loving, Living in the Spirit of Christ
Young Adult Mass Sunday 6pm
Sunday Worship 10:30am Wherever you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here! 6501 Wydown - 314.721.5060 Right next to the South 40! www.firstcongregational.org
INSPIRING ETHICAL LIVING The Ethical Society is a community of people united in the belief that an ethical life creates a more just, loving and sustainable world for all. Join us on Sunday mornings for the 9:45 Forum and 11:00 Platform Address. Children's Sunday School meets 10am-noon Ethical Society of St. Louis (1/4 mile west of the Galleria) 9001 Clayton Rd. (314) 991-0955 www.ethicalstl.org
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(SBDF 6OJUFE .FUIPEJTU $IVSDI 6199 Waterman (at Skinker)
Sunday Worship Services for Everyone: ∙ Casual Worship in Chapel, 8:30 am ∙ Contemporary Worship, 9:30 am ∙ Classes for All Ages, 9:30 am ∙ Classic Worship in Sanctuary, 11:00 am Van Service from Shepley Drive at the Clock Tower 10:40 am
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AVENUE CHRISTIAN CHURCH DISCIPLES OF CHRIST
study – Sunday worship @ 10:45 – lunch 733 Union Blvd. (63108) in the CWE call 314.361.8844 for info. or rides www.union-avenue.org
8
Senior Scene Editor / Felicia Baskin / scene@studlife.com
STUDENT LIFE | SCENE
India’s Rasoi
Stepping
35 N. Euclid St. Louis, MO 63105 Phone: 314-361-5911 Price Range: $10-15
Rating:
BY KATE GALLAGHER
you that you really need to check this place out, even if you are unsure of how much you’ll like Indian cuisine. First things fi rst: there are some items that you should order at India’s Rasoi no matter who you are (well, that is unless you’re lactose intolerant or don’t like mangoes or something). First, try the mango lassi. This is a delicious, sweet, and refreshing drink made from yogurt and—you guessed it – mangoes. Next, order some naan. Naan is round bread made of white flour. It’s similar to pita bread, but it’s hot, has a softer texture and is, in my opinion, much better. You can get normal naan or you can mix it up and get cheese naan, which is topped with
SCENE REPORTER My older sister, the chef of the family, always tries to make unique, ethnic dishes. One day, she decided to prepare an Indian feast. Though I am the gourmand of the family, I must admit that I was a bit hesitant to try out this new cuisine. However, I stepped out of my comfort zone and ended up discovering my love for Indian food. In the back of my mind, I had a sneaking suspicion that my sister, though a great cook, might not have provided me with the best representation of authentic Indian food. I recently got to taste some authentic Indian dishes at India’s Rasoi and let me tell
★★★★✩
FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 21, 2007
Out
mozzarella cheese and has a sort of pizza-like dimension. I tried this at Rasoi and found it to be absolutely delicious. Next, it’s time to pick some entrees. I suppose that I can offer a little leeway on what you must order here. However, my fi rst recommendation is the chicken tikka masala. This dish consists of charcoal-roasted chicken cubes in a moderately spiced sauce. It comes with basmati rice, but in order to enjoy this dish fully, I recommend eating it with the rice and dipping some naan in your extra sauce (there is plenty). Other entrées I’d recommend include the paneer tikka masala and the channa masala, both of which are vegetarian dishes. The paneer
tikka masala includes charcoal-roasted cheese cubes cooked in a tomato and cream sauce with bell peppers and onions. The channa masala is made of garbanzo beans cooked in a blend of Indian spices. Like the chicken tikka masala, both dishes taste delicious when combined with basmati rice and naan. There was one dish I would not recommend—the tandoori chicken. While the presentation was nice, I found that the dish lacked flavor. Basically, it was a whole chicken, served on a sizzling platter. However, the chicken was dry, and I was disappointed that there was no accompanying sauce. For dessert, I decided to really step out of the box and try something new. I ordered
DAVID BRODY | STUDENT LIFE
Waiters set up the dining room of India Rasoi in the afternoon on Thursday. The restaurant is located in the Central West End on Euclid Ave. gulab jaman, which are milk and cheese balls soaked in a honey syrup. Sounds weird? Yeah, it was a bit on unusual side, but the more I ate, the more I liked it. Odd as it sounds, I would say that the balls tasted like mini doughnuts soaked in sweet syrup. The cheese flavors were reminiscent of what you’d taste in cheesecake. Overall, my experience at India’s Rasoi was great
because I enjoyed the food so much. However, I must say that while the waiters were friendly, the service was slow and we experienced substantial waits after ordering our dishes. One last important note— the restaurant is soon moving to a new location. The new location will be at the corner of Euclid Avenue and West Pine Boulevard on the fi rst floor of the Forest Park Hotel.
§ Ciao, bella! Adventures in the mecca of sketchiness
I
fi rst learned of the importance of eye contact from a story about a friend of a friend who decided, on a whim, to travel alone to Rome without money or a place to stay. She followed up this brilliant idea with another lightbulb-worthy plan: she got room and board by seducing men on the street, which, apparently, wasn’t too difficult in Italy’s capital. During the course of that story I was told that should an American woman make eye contact with an Italian man, he may take it as permission to look her up and down. Now that I’m studying in Florence for the fall semester, I can
attest to this fact. My gender spares me from borderline harassment, but the American women here have no such escape. I’ve heard the eye-contact wisdom repeated several times and have seen more than one Italiano ogle a tourist and yell “Ciao, bella!” (Hello, beautiful!) with a glinting eye. It sounds bad, and it is. Most men you’ll meet here are nice and wholesome, but you do experience groups of street vendors shouting explicit catcalls across open markets (or outing themselves in other ways that would be more than taboo where we come from), and it’s one of the many daily reminders that I am, in fact,
often. It isn’t out of ill studying in another will, and if a man yells country. to a beautiful woman And that’s the across a piazza it point. It is another doesn’t mean he’s a country, with difpotential sex offender. ferent social norms That’s just the way and different ways he saw it done and of viewing sex he probably doesn’t and gender. That Ben Sales know that it could be doesn’t make it right construed as wrong (because it clearly behavior. isn’t) and it doesn’t make it Of course, we American any easier for the women who men see this behavior as deal with it every time they go wrong, and each of us can home from class, but it should (hopefully) give you a dissertachange the way we view the tion about respect for sexualsituation. ity, women’s rights and what Italy, for better or worse, we see as basic common sense. possesses a culture where But before we pass a death men feel free to express their sentence on every Italian man emotions and do so relatively
with a wandering eye, maybe we should step outside of our box for a minute and try to understand where he’s coming from. We’re often told that we live in a world of multiculturalism, and in this case that message is no less true. It is altogether unacceptable when anyone’s sexual comfort is violated, but unless the situation is extreme (and there’s a lot of gray area there) both sides of the interaction have a responsibility to take a step back and look at the bigger picture before they condemn an entire country or an entire gender. At the same time, there’s something to be said for un-
derstanding tourists’ sensitivities. In a country so heavy with visitors, those men should make an effort to respect American rules when they choose to relate to American girls. By the same token, American women should stop buying those tacky t-shirts that say “Ciao Bella!” in the Coca-Cola font, clichés of fashion that celebrate a part of the culture that we protest. That being said, if you’re a woman walking down the streets of Rome and you hear a man shout out to you, try to look away. The discomfort isn’t worth it, no matter how good of a story it may make.
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We miss you, Snookums! Good luck at WU! Love, Mom, Dad & Steven
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STUDENT LIFE
FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 21, 2007
STUDENT LIFE | CLASSIFIEDS
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CLAYTON, U. CITY Loop, CWE and Dogtown. Beautiful studios, 1, 2 bed- rooms. Quiet buildings. $410-$900. Visit un online at ByronCompany.com or call us at 725-5757. INCREDIBLE 3BR 1300SF UCity Loop apartment for $1295! New kitchen & bath, HW floors, dishwasher, C/A, W/D, and parking. Also available: 2 BR apartment right behind Kayak’s for $995. Good credit and rental history a must, quiet building policy. No dogs, please. London Properties, LLC: 314-608-2692. LARGE SELECTION OF apartments throughout STL! Red Brick Management has apartments in UCity, CWE, Richmond Heights, Doctown, Shaw, and Soulard. Find your space today! Please call (314) 361-7067 or visit w w w.r e dbri c k manage ment.com.
SPRING SUBLET! ONE bedroom in a two bedroom apartment available. Located on the corner of Forsyth and Big Bend (the 20). Really safe area. Lots of space. Parking available. Building is all other WashU students. Female tenant preferred. Please contact katiericci@ gmail.com via email for more information or if interested.
CLASSIC CLAYTON CONDO. DeMun Area, 2BR/ 1BA. Granite countertops, stainless appliances, in-unit laundry, garage. $224,900. Call Jan Waters CBGundaker at 636-5799812. FOR SALE: 6258 Cabanne. 3BR/2BA house on double lot in Loop area. Great investment or dorm alternative. $129,900. Owner/Agent: 314863-5100.
$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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ROOMMATE WANTED EARN $800-$3200 a month to drive brand new cars with ads placed on them. Visit us online www.AdCarClub. com. 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. MAD SCIENCE INSTRUCTORS. Enthusiastic instructors needed to teach part-time (after-school, 2-4 days per week), FUN, hands-on sci- ence programs in elemen- tary schools. MUST HAVE TRANSPORTATION. $25- $27.50 per 1 hr class. Call 314-991-8000 for more information. ST. LOUIS HILLEL. Phoneathon - $10/hour - 2 shifts. 10/7/07 - 10/11/07. Call Smadar 935-9044 for more information. TANTRUM IS NOW hir- ing! 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. WASHU FAMILY NEEDS responsible student for occasional babysitting for 3 young boys. Must be OK with dogs and not allergic to cts. Car helpful but not a must. Salary negotiable. Contact sherberg@wustl.edu or call 314-432-5532 if interested or for more information.
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10 STUDENT LIFE | SCENE
Senior Scene Editor / Felicia Baskin / scene@studlife.com
FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 21, 2007
SCENE
FASHION WEEK: BY ANGELA MIN
Coming to a store near you
SCENE REPORTER
N
ew York City’s 2007 Fashion Week has come and gone, leaving a mark that’s worth noticing. From veteran designer Oscar de la Renta’s elegant and subtle fashion show to the Dali-esque fashion show of overachieving wonder boy Marc Jacobs, designers saluted the female body. They’re tossing away the tent dresses of past seasons and concentrating on high waisted pieces, tailored designs and fabrics that hint at the alluring curves of the female figure, achieving masculine cuts with fabrics that retain feminine movement. It’s a concept best displayed by relative newbie Proenza Schouler. Though you won’t be able to get the exact clothes from the runways anytime soon, there are similar pieces in a store near you. LAMB, Phillip Lim 3.1, Grey Ant, Vena Cava and Lela Rose displayed campus friendly outfits that can also, with a change of shoes and accessories, moonlight as “going out” wear. For as low as $30, you too can look as fierce as the models on the runway. For a peek at what was featured on the Scene runway, also check out elle.com.
(left to right)
LAMB H&M: Black Skirt: $24.90, White Ruffle Blouse: $24.90, Grey Jersey: $12.90 TOTAL = $62.70
Vena Cava Target: Button Down: $19.99, White Cover up: $8.98, Silver Chain: $14.99 TOTAL = $43.96
Lela Rose Target: White tunic: $9.08 H & M: Grey woven skirt: $19.90 TOTAL = $28.98
LIONEL SOBEHART | STUDENT LIFE
Phillip Lim 3.1
Grey Ant
Urban Outfitters: Black Dress: $58, Blue Knit Sweater: $42 Salvation Army: Brown Belt: $2
Target: White tank: $4.00 H&M: Beige vest: $24.90 Urban Outfitters: Purple vest: $38.00 Splash: Jeans: Citizens: $170
TOTAL = $102.00
TOTAL = $236.90
LILY SCHORR | STUDENT LIFE
What’s in a freshman floor? BY MEGHAN HEALY LUECKE SCENE EDITOR When Washington University students arrive for their freshman year, almost all of them have at least one thing in common: they’re placed on a freshman floor in one of the campus dorms. It’s a time of transition and people from every imaginable background are thrown together to share a living space. For some, the freshman floor is just a place to crash at night. But for many students, it’s the place where they make some of the most defining friendships of their college careers—and the place to find future roommates. Though not completely random, the process of arranging freshman floors involves a certain degree of chance. There’s no guarantee that students will get along, bond or have any desire to stick together after freshman year. Nonetheless, an amazing number of students end up living with freshman floormates into their sophomore years and even later. What is it about the freshman floor that’s so conducive to creating lasting bonds—or at least, lasting roommates? “Living together in such close quarters makes it like a family,” said Sarah Podolsky, a junior currently living with friends from her freshman floor. Podolsky lived on Lien 2 during her freshman year. A majority of the students from that floor continued to live together sophomore year and Podolsky estimated that nearly half of them still live with floormates this year.
Senior Marcus Behrens expressed a similar sentiment. “I think our freshman floor was abnormally close,” he said. “[Freshman floormates] become your close friends. It’s just like living at home.” At least half of Behrens’ freshman floormates have continued to live together even into their senior years. Senior Kelly Gelpi, who lived on Koenig 3 with Behrens during her freshman year, went on to live with four girls from that floor during her sophomore year. Behrens himself has had different roommates in different years, but all of them have been friends from his freshman floor; he now lives in an apartment building where two other friends from his freshman floor live across the hall. It seems that what Behrens thought was abnormal might actually be quite typical. Junior Meredith Pierce, who lived on Liggett 2 in her freshman year, lived in a six-person suite with old freshman floormates in her sophomore year. “Something big about our freshman floor was the vibe that we got,” she said. “Our floor got along really well, and we would all go out together. Our RAs did a lot for that, too.” Pierce’s large group was not unique; four other girls from Liggett 2 lived in a suite together sophomore year. Of about 45 students on the original floor, Pierce estimated that over 25 lived with floormates again. Junior Yogitha Potini, who has lived with freshman floormates every year, explained that it’s a matter of comfort and familiarity. “These are the people who
know you better than anyone else, since they’ve been around you all the time,” she said. But the reasons for living with freshman floormates again go beyond friendship bonds. Many students pointed out that there’s a simple convenience factor in living with people you’ve already lived with before. “You’ve gotten to know these people so well in freshman year, and you know that they’re people you can live with again,” said senior Segolène Zimmern, who lived with her roommate from freshman year three years in a row. “My freshman roommate and I just really knew each other’s space and when not to cross the line.” Potini agreed. “With outside friends, even if you’re really close, you don’t know how that will translate into living with them,” she said. It’s also important to note that Residential Life offers incentives to live with freshman floormates again through their dorm preference programs. Freshmen dorms often have sister dorms that house sophomores and students from the freshmen dorms get preference for housing spots in the sophomore dorm the following year. For example, Podolsky’s freshmen dorm was linked to the sophomore dorm Gregg, so many of her floormates chose to live together again because they’d get priority for the new and desirable suites in Gregg. Whatever the reason for living together again, the pattern seems to be increasing. “We continue to have more and more sophomores [from the same freshman floors] who shoot to live together,”
JENNY SHAO | STUDENT LIFE
Sophomores Karen Heisler, Alex Choi, Jessica Lewis and Cheryl Chi share a six-person suite in Dauten Hall. As freshmen, they all lived on Beaumont 2. said Cheryl Stephens, assistant director of Residential Life. Across the board, students emphasize time spent and physical proximity as important factors for both creating deep friendships and finding convenient future roommates. It begs the potentially touchy question: if you had lived on a different floor, would you have made equally strong bonds with other people? More bluntly, is the freshman floor dynamic likely to create strong friendships regardless of the individuals? And the next question: if you hadn’t lived with the people from your freshman floor but had met them elsewhere, would you be such good friends?
Behrens offered a mixed answer. “If I didn’t live on that floor, I think I would be closer friends with the people that I did live with,” he said. “Wash. U. is small, but it’s not that small. In the first few weeks [of freshman year], people divide up according to the floors and buildings they live in.” Behrens added that many of his friends from Koenig 3 share his interests and participate in similar campus activities and groups, which has strengthened their friendships and also makes it likely that he would have been friends with them even if they hadn’t lived on the same freshman floor. Pierce remarked that time is
a good friendship-builder, but it’s also a good test of friendship. “It’s easy to be friends with people for a year,” she said. After freshman year, even people who live together again can experience changes in their friendships, or shift toward other friendships. Podalsky said this was her experience. “There were other people from my freshman floor who I didn’t know as well then, but who have become some of my closest friends now. The dynamic has to be right,” she said. “Each friendship is different because of what you experience with that person and where you experience it.”