F R I D A Y OCT. 29, 2004 Vol. 126, No. 25
Rain 80° / 58° w w w. s t u d l i f e . c o m
ELECTION COUNTDOWN
4 83
DAYS UNTIL ELECTION DAY DAYS UNTIL THE INAUGURATION
PRESIDENTIAL RACE: WHO HAS THE EDGE?
49% 48%
BUSHCHENEY KERRYEDWARDS
Source: ABC News daily tracking poll of likely voters, taken Oct. 24-27; see abcnews.com.
INSIDE
STUDENT LIFE T H E I N D E P E N D E N T N E W S PA P E R O F WA S H I N G T O N U N I V E R S I T Y I N S T. L O U I S S I N C E 1 8 7 8
Site sealed for asbestos removal By Rachel Streitfeld Contributing Editor In the course of renovations of Ridgley Hall, workers unearthed and are removing asbestos from two sites in the building. The asbestos, found in floor tiles on the ground and third floors, is in non-friable “chunk” form and not in the more dangerous friable form, which is airborne. “There’s no asbestos problem on campus,” said Ralph Thaman, associate vice chancellor for facilities planning and management at Washington University. Until 1972, asbestos was frequently used in building construction across the country. So, when the University looks to renovate older buildings, they sometimes discover asbestos in the floors. This week, rooms on the ground floor in Ridgley have been sealed off while a company comes in at night to remove the “chunk” or non-friable asbestos. The company installed critical barriers and filters around the rooms, and workers wore protective suits during the removal process. Workers did not find friable asbestos in Ridgley. Unlike “chunk” asbestos, the highly dangerous friable variety comes in a powdered form and can be inhaled. Ridgley houses the Department of Romance Languages. Employees say they worry about the danger of the construction projects. “I think people need to be reassured that they’re proceeding in a safe manner,” said Kathy Loepker, who works on the third floor of Ridgley. “I feel that the University—they’re not communicating with us. How do we know if it’s being done properly?”
Loepker said yesterday morning she found dust all over the stairways in Ridgley. She called maintenance and someone came to clean up the debris. “How do I know that wasn’t dangerous?” she said. “I just want to make sure that they’re doing this correctly. I think there is a lack of communication.” Steve Rackers, manager of capital projects, said the form of the asbestos in Ridgley does not present a danger to people working near the sealed-off rooms. “Unless somebody’s sanding on the floor, it’s not a problem,” said Rackers, The University is renovating two old language labs on the ground floor to make one large classroom. Students exiting the food service line in Holmes Lounge by way of Ridgley are confronted by these two sealed-off doorways, with large danger signs warning of asbestos in the rooms. Upstairs on the third floor, the University has blocked off rooms that will later be used as offices for romance language employees. The asbestos removal of these rooms has not yet begun. Faculty and staff will continue to work on the third floor during this renovation. Rackers said the people working on the third floor understood that the asbestos removal was not dangerous to their health. “We tell them what’s going on and they know what’s going on because of the [renovation] project. By laws and regulations, you’ve got to protect the public,” said Rackers. “The only thing is, when you
DAVID BRODY | STUDENT LIFE
A small section of Ridgley Hall has been closed off while asbesis removed. Asbestos is an obsolete insulating material that See ASBESTOS, page 3 tos has been linked to lung disease and cancer.
‘Curse’ lifted by Red Sox victory With Halloween right around the corner, Cadenza visits St. Louis’ most haunted locales.
By Kelly Donahue News Editor
PAGE 10 Brian Schroeder has advice for Corporate America: follow the Russian Mafia’s lead and find a “happy, market driven solution” to its MP3 filesharing problem. DAVID HARTSTEIN | STUDENT LIFE
Top: David Ortiz high fives a line of Red Sox players as he is introduced prior to Game 3 of the World Series on Oct. 26, 2004. Bottom: Ortiz gets a hit later in the game. Boston overcame the 86-year-old Curse of the Bambino to win the Series 4-0 against the St. Louis Cardinals.
PAGE 5
If you’re lazy and don’t want to leave your room, Cadenza has your guide to Halloween flicks that will scare you without your having to leave the couch.
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INDEX News Forum Sports Classifieds Cadenza
1 4 6 8 10
A fter 86 yea rs of close ca l ls a nd d isappoi ntments for ded icated fa ns, the Bos ton Red Sox won the World Series Wed nesday n ight for the fi rst ti me si nce 1918. With a 3–0 v ictor y over the St. Lou is Ca rd i na ls on thei r home t u rf at Busch Stad iu m, Boston overca me its fa med “Cu rse of the Ba mbi no” to pu l l off a fou r - ga me sweep aga i nst the season’s w i n n i ngest tea m i n the Major Leag ues. “A l l of ou r fa ns have wa ited a l l thei r l ives for th is n ight, a nd it’s fi na l ly here,” Red Sox Ow ner Joh n Hen r y told the Associated P ress. A fou rth - pitch homer u n by Red Sox center -fielder Joh n ny Da mon, a t wo - r u n double by right-fielder Trot Ni xon i n the th i rd i n n i ng, a nd a n outsta nd i ng ga me for pitcher Derek Lowe contrib uted to the tea m’s v ictor y. Lowe a l lowed just th ree h its i n seven i n n i ngs. Boston was the fi rst tea m i n World Series h istor y never to tra i l i n a ny of the cha m pionsh ip’s fou r ga mes. They were a lso the fi rst club ever to w i n eight stra ight ga mes i n a postseason a fter upsetti ng the New York Ya n kees 3–0 lead i n the A merica n Leag ue Cha mpionsh ip Se -
ries. Left-fielder Manny Ramirez was the fi rst Red Sox player ever to be presented w ith the World Series’ Most Va luable Player awa rd. Ra m i rez h it a n average of .412 i n the se ries, scori ng one homer u n i n Ga me 3, fou r R BIs, a nd one r u n. Ra m i rez is now tied w ith New York Ya n kees Ha n k Bauer a nd Derek Jeter for the longest postseason h itti ng strea k of 17 ga mes. Ra m i rez a lso received th is yea r’s Ha n k Aa ron Awa rd as the top h itter i n the A meri ca n Leag ue, lead i ng w ith 43 homer u ns, 130 R BIs a nd a .308 batti ng average. Despite a n outsta nd i ng reg u la r season record of 105 w i ns to 57 losses, the Ca rd i na ls fa i led to w i n a cha mpi onsh ip for the 22nd yea r i n a row. “I’m d isappoi nted that we d id n’t play wel l i n the World Series just for the sa ke of the people, a nd to hea r that crowd go crazy aga i n,” sa id Ca rd i na ls’ center -fielder Ji m Ed monds. “That’s tough. We d id n’t even g ive them a cha nce to cheer.” Fresh ma n Ada m La More, a Ca rd i na ls fa n, ex pressed fr ustration over the tea m’s performa nce i n the series. “The Ca rd i na ls cou ld have
See REDSOX, page 2
SU delays elections Getting out to vote n Students can vote today on WebSTAC until 5 p.m.
Student Union (SU) fall senate elections were delayed by one week due to administrative issues related to WebSTAC programming. Elections were originally to be held on Oct. 21, but they were rescheduled to begin yesterday at 8 a.m. and end at 5 p.m. this afternoon. “It’s not like we had some sort of insidious plan to disenfranchise people,” said junior Spencer Young, SU’s election commissioner. “Everything was set for Oct. 21, which was right before fall break, but the WebSTAC people were really busy and were unable to set up the voter site in time.” Director of Student Records Susan Hosack, who organizes the elections on WebSTAC, said the SU request for elections came too late to accommodate the original date. “They notified me a week before they wanted the real election, and the programmers were not available on that short of notice,” said Hosack. “Usually they tell us at the beginning of the semester [when they
STUDENT LIFE
want the elections]. Had we known earlier, we could have done it in time.” According to Hosack, it usually takes about one month from the time SU notifies her to organize the election on WebSTAC. The perceived effects of the postponement are mixed. Incumbents and SU members believe this mishap can have a positive impact, or, at worst, no viable effect on the election. “It hasn’t really affected my campaign at all,” said sophomore and incumbent senator David Hall. “I haven’t really done much of anything. I don’t think it really has impacted anyone—the ones running for reelection don’t seem to be bothered.” “It will make for a longer campaign period, but I don’t believe it will have any drastic effects,” said SU President David Ader. “Hopefully it will give people more time to get to know the candidates.” On the other hand, some new candidates for the one-year senate positions
One Brookings Drive #1039 #42 Women’s Building St. Louis, MO 63130
By Lauren Katims Contributing Reporter
Where to VOTE!
Pro-voting student organizations like Rock the Vote and Project Democracy are teaming up with the St. Louis Voting Rights Commission in order to ease the voting process on Nov. 2 for Washington University students. Two polling places will be available for students living on campus based on where they live. Students on the South 40 will vote at Wydown Middle School, and students living in Small Group Housing or Millbrook will vote at Lady of the Lourdes, which is located just south of Forsyth. Students living off campus will vote at one of a number of different locations. (See sidebar for more information.) Josh Gantz, the University coordinator for Rock the Vote, said there would be shuttles running to and from both sites from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. With 20-25 volunteers aiding the voting process, Rock the Vote plans to eliminate any possibilities for confusion over where
South 40 Wydown Middle School 6500 Wydown Blvd.
See SU, page 3 Newsroom: (314) 935-5995 Advertising: (314) 935-6713 Fax: (314) 935-5938
See VOTE, page 3 Editor: editor@studlife.com News: news@studlife.com Calendar: calendar@studlife.com
University Drive Trinity Presbyterian Church 6800 Washington Ave. Forsyth, Millbrook, the Village Our Lady of Lourdes School 7157 Northmoor Dr. Waterman and Rosedale St. Rochs Middle School 6040 Waterman Blvd. Skinker Missouri History Museum Library 225 S. Skinker Blvd. U City, west of Trinity Center of Creative Arts 524 Trinity Ave.
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