F R I D A Y NOV. 19, 2004 Vol. 126, No. 34
Dreary 62° / 48° w w w. s t u d l i f e . c o m
THE END IS NEAR . . .
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DAYS UNTIL THANKSGIVING
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
Burglaries spread off campus By Rachel Streitfeld
DAYS UNTIL FINALS END
Contributing Editor
INSIDE
A recent spate of burglaries has plagued students living off campus in University City and St. Louis apartments, Washington University Police announced Wednesday. Students have reported missing electronic devices, especially laptops—and in one instance, a student reported being at home and seeing a thief walk out his door with stolen goods. WUPD Chief Don Strom said that, while in some cases thieves have forcibly entered residences, many students who reported burglaries said they had left apartment doors or windows unlocked. “Certainly one of the things we see occur on too regular a basis is where people had their windows
unlocked or their doors unlocked and the student has either left or is actually still in the house,” said Strom. He said several students had reported seeing suspicious persons in the vicinity prior to the burglaries. In fact, the day after WUPD issued a crime advisory to students living off campus, several residents of 6627 University Drive decided to call the police about a suspicious individual who refused to leave the area. Senior Rumana Hussain said a man rang the bell at her apartment building around 8:30 a.m. on Thursday. When Hussain opened the door a crack, a man told her he needed to be let into the building to deliver phone books. Hussain asked him to leave the books outside. “I probably would have let him in if it weren’t for
the email,” said Hussain. “The email made me cautious.” Hussain said the man refused to leave, and launched into a loud and aggressive attempt to enter the building. Standing in the hallway, some students debated about what to do. Farah Tejpar, a senior, said her roommate decided to call University City Police. “I was scared to leave my apartment because there was this scary guy glaring at me through the window because I wouldn’t let him in,” said Tejpar. Eventually the police came and the man was subdued, said residents. University City Police did not return numerous calls yesterday. Now, students say they are closely following the
See THEFT, page 3
Rub a dub dub, a frat in a tub New spring By Lissy Reiman Contributing Reporter
Jude Law gives “charm and captivation” to the title role in “Alfie,” but the movie lacks much else in redeeming value, says Cadenza’s reviewer.
PAGE 9 See what the editorial board is thankful for— and what they’re not—in Forum.
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Kappa Sigma’s Hot-Tubathon has transformed the Swamp into a scene of charitable hot-tubing. Until 10 a.m. Saturday, Washington University students can buy thirty minutes in the 50-person hot tub with either five dollars or three canned food items. All proceeds will benefit the St. Louis Foodbank. “The Hot-Tubathon will be a 24-hour party—everybody will be having a good time in the name of philanthropy,” said junior Seth Goodman, philanthropy chair for Kappa Sigma. Kappa Sigma last hosted a Hot-Tubathon five years ago. The idea died out due to a lack of interest within the fraternity. To revive the philanthropy event, brothers worked within the University community as well as with local organizations to solicit donations to the event or to the St. Louis Foodbank. The event is especially timely, as the donations will come in right before Thanksgiving and help feed people in St. Louis for the holiday. The fraternity’s goal is to raise at least $5,000 in money and canned goods.
“Before this year it was a matter of brotherhood—there was a lack of interest in the event and in philanthropy beyond just giving donations,” said junior Jason Ruff, president of the fraternity. “We were concerned by this, and hope that that we can start a new tradition with the event since it is already associated with us.” Kappa Sigma has also included other student groups in the program this year, such as other fraternities and sororities. These groups have reserved the hot tub—which arrived on campus Wednesday—for specific slots of time during the event. In an effort to attract more participants, Kappa Sigma will be showing a movie at the hot tub tonight, as it did last night. A live band and the Mosaic Whispers will perform at the event as well. Kappa Sigma will also be giving away bagels, Blueberry Hill gift certificates and Fitz’s root beer floats. Goodman believes that these further incentives will make the event more fun.
classes unique By Laura Geggel Contributing Reporter
DAVID BRODY | STUDENT LIFE
Junior Seth Goodman chats with sophomore Zack Moss while he relaxes in a hot tub. For a few bucks or canned goods students can unwind at Kappa Sigma’s Hot Tub-A-Thon, which See TUB, page 2 is located on the basketball courts in the Swamp.
Point Out Hunger pointed out as Bon Appétit profit sinkhole n Point Out Hunger not allowed to surpass 10,000 meal point donations By Lauren Katims Contributing Reporter
Happy Thanksgiving! In honor of the holiday, Student Life will be taking the next week off. We’ll return on Wed., Dec. 1. In the meantime, visit us on the Web (studlife.com) for updates on breaking stories. We wish you safe travels and a happy holiday.
INDEX News Forum Sports Classifieds Cadenza
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This year’s Point Out Hunger meal point drive, an annual philanthropy event sponsored by the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity (SAE), has been handed a set of restrictions ensuring that a new 10,000 meal point limit is not surpassed. Washington University students have been donating meal points to SAE members during the weeklong event. Bon Appétit will take 10,000 of those points and buy an equivalent amount of food, which SAE will donate to Operation Food Search, a local food bank. According to senior Greg Robinson, an SAE member,
in previous years Point Out Hunger has raised over 35,000 points in a week. This year, if donations exceed 10,000 points, the extra amount will simply be lost. The extra points are neither given back to the students nor used by Bon Appétit. In the past, SAE had been given a $20,000 spending limit, which it frequently exceeded. Now, the foodservice provider is cracking down. “We were getting too much money from Dining Services, and now they are losing money,” said Robinson. Bon Appétit makes money from unused meal plan points at the end of each
DAVID BRODY | STUDENT LIFE
Sophomore Bob Dowling buys dinner at Bear’s Den.
See POINT OUT, page 3 Bon Appétit runs Bear’s Den and other food services.
Picking new classes for spring semester can be a time-consuming and engrossing effort, with Washington University students scrambling toward fulfilling prerequisites necessary for graduation. “First I worry about what courses I need to take for my major,” said sophomore Rachel Bock. “Then I look for cluster requirements. If I’m lucky, I’ll find a class that fits both.” The College of Arts & Sciences offers a wide variety of classes that encourage student enrollment regardless of major and minor. “Topics in American Literature: American Crime,” taught by Professor Dan Grausam, will be offered for the first time next semester. “[Crime] is a popular genre,” said Grausam. “There’s this deep anxiety running through much of it.” American Crime, which fulfills clusters for the Arts & Sciences, Business and Art Schools, offers students a chance to investigate crime in literature on a metacritical level. “I think reading about crime opens up a space for refining or rethinking our notions for how complex crime and plot are,” Grausam said. Students will be reading from a selection that includes, but is not limited to, Poe’s short stories, Chandler’s “The Long Goodbye” and Capote’s “In Cold Blood.” Grausam stressed that crime fiction helps students learn about their own status as readers. “It’s a reciprocal relationship—it helps reflect on the act of reading itself,” he said, commenting on how crime novels usually integrate high culture and art into their plot. “I don’t think I can overstate how much fun it is.”
A new freshman seminar next semester, Rap of Ages, allows students to delve into the history of rap as an oral tradition that dates back to Homeric times. Taught by Dean Henry Biggs, Rap of Ages will concentrate on how rap is conveyed through rhyme and meter. Anyone “with a passion for style and structure in all metrical traditions,” would enjoy this class, Biggs said. Biggs noted that while some people may find the content of certain kinds of modern rap offensive, he is more interested in “teasing out the style that’s rap.” “The people who appreciate rap can appreciate a lot of the literature that is already out there,” said Biggs. Students will be reading Homer, medieval troubadours, the Guslars and the Griots. Rap of Ages counts toward the requirement for textual and historical studies in the College of Arts & Sciences. Other out-of-the-ordinary classes include “American Culture Studies: American Horrors” and St. Louis AfricanAmerican History. American Horrors, taught by Professor Bill Paul, is offered only once every three years and involves the study of how horror films reflect changing cultural values and norms. A prerequisite of Film 220 is required. St. Louis AfricanAmerican History, taught by Professor Mary Seematter, educates students about black experience in St. Louis over the past 100 years. While students will be assigned primary and secondary readings, Seematter will also invite a wide variety of St. Louis notables to come and speak at lectures. The Arts & Sciences and Art schools both have clusters for the course.
news@studlife.com
Freshmen highlight Chechnya crisis By Erin Harkless and Liz Neukirch Contributing Editor and Senior News Editor In response to continued warfare between the Russian military and Chechen militants fighting for independence, freshmen in Washington University’s International Leadership Program sponsored Chechnya Awareness Week this week to make students more conscious of the situation. Freshman Lawrence Wiseman said “Prisoner of the Mountain,” a movie about Russian soldiers in Chechnya that the group watched as a kick-off for the week, changed his
STUDENT LIFE
opinion of the Chechens’ struggle. “It made me reassess what I knew about Chechnya … I had sort of grouped it with extremist groups, but it’s not. It’s literally people fighting for their existence. It’s not just fundamentalists fighting against the government,” Wiseman said. Landen Romei, another participant in the program, noted that the group has attempted to provide objective information for students. “This isn’t necessarily a ProChechnya or Pro-Russia event. … It’s just to make people more aware,” Romei said. Participants in the International One Brookings Drive #1039 #42 Women’s Building St. Louis, MO 63130
Leadership Program, Wiseman and Romei explained, attempt to educate other students about international issues. They chose the crisis in Chechnya because of its obscurity in comparison with other events. Thus far, 2004 has been a tumultuous year in Chechnya, as violence has continued in the republic with militants becoming more aggressive and resourceful in their campaigns. In May the Russian-backed leader of Chechnya was killed in a bombing, which took the lives of six others. A prominent warlord took
See CHECHNYA, page 3
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Recent Historical Events: 1991: Fall of USSR. Chechens again declare their independence from Russia 1999: Yeltsin sends over 100,000 troops to Chechnya; capital of Grozny occupied; close to 250,000 refugees 2002: Chechen rebels take control of a Moscow theater, holding close to 763 people hostage. In the end 100 were killed 2004: Hostage situation at a school in Beslan. Over 300 killed, half of which were children
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