W E D N E S D AY DEC. 3, 2003 Vol. 125, No. 39
Rain/Snow 40 / 34 w w w. s t u d l i f e . c o m
INSIDE IT’S RAINING MEN
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
Crime wave creates fear v Always choose a well-lit path and avoid dark or vacant areas.
Despite recent crimes, WUPD says there’s no overall increase
v Carry a whistle to summon help.
By Robert McManmon q Staff Reporter
Precautions v Avoid walking or jogging alone and never walk or jog alone after dark.
v Be alert to your surroundings. If you suspect you are A recent wave of muggings around being followed, run in a different direction; go to the the Washington University campus other side of the street and yell or whistle for help; or has left students feeling increasingly head quickly to a lighted area, a group of people, or anxious about safety concerns. Both Washington University an Emergency Telephone.
Features editor Laura Vilines interviews the five strapping young lads of Washington University Dance Theater. Also in Cadenza: Now Hear This year-end review, Celluloid Paralysis, and enough album reviews to clog your arteries with sweet, sweet rock and roll.
v If a thief confronts you, give them what they want and don’t chase them as they leave. Report suspicious persons or activity immediately to the police. For more information, visit the Washington University Police’s Web site at www.police.wustl.edu.
and University City police independently confirmed that there has not been a statistical increase in the number of robberies in their jurisdictions compared with last year, however. Most recently, three non-Washington University students were robbed at gunpoint on Pershing
Ave. on Nov. 21. Pershing Ave. is a street on which many University students live. The three students were returning to their apartment just after midnight when a minivan pulled up beside them and a man jumped out with a gun demanding their money. The van was later involved in an accident in Webster Groves and the fleeing suspects were caught in a nearby creek bed. On Nov. 17, junior Michael Sorensen was robbed at knifepoint on Snow Way Drive. “I heard footsteps of an individual running up behind me,” said Sorenson. “I turned around and saw the individual had a knife in his hand, and he said ‘give me your wallet.’ So I tossed him my wallet and he took off.” The assailant escaped with the aid of a get away car. The police are still gathering evidence on the case.
“We have collected some physical evidence which is being analyzed at the crime lab,” said University Police Chief Don Strom. “We developed a composite drawing of the suspect which we have distributed to surrounding agencies and are also communicating with their investigators.” Strom noted that there have been several other incidents in the nearby University City and DeBaliviere neighborhoods, which is northeast of campus. According to police reports, there have been at least two other incidents during which students were physically assaulted. On Nov. 13, a student was tackled to the ground by a young black male wearing a tan puffy jacket, dark colored stocking cap and dark pants. Another student reported being robbed on Oct. 26 by a black
See CRIMEWAVE, page 3
TVs tuned to info channel fail to raise awarness
PAGE 12 20 Q’s WITH JOSH & ALLEN
WUSIC does not reach target audience By Derek Dohler q Contributing Reporter
Find out what they do on Wednesday night, who their favorite jailbait is and why Josh is fueding with Coach Dillinger.
PAGE 11 STUDENT SNAPSHOT
Q:
What’s your favorite part of Thanksgiving? A. 54%
COURTESY OF ST. LOUIS MILLS
The entrance to St. Louis Mills, the new outlet mall that just opned off highway 370 in the St. Louis suburbs. The mall is also host to the new St. Louis Blues practice area and an ESPN X Games skate park.
New outlet mall opens Marshalls, Coat Factory among stores By Jaina Wald q Contributing Reporter
B.29% C.4% D. 14% The food. Nothing can A: A.compare to stuffing my face with pumpkin pie, then taking with my traditional Thanksgiving nap. B. Seeing all my relatives. I miss them when I’m away at school, as their extreme dysfunction makes me feel so much better about myself. C. The parade. It has marginally famous TV stars, marching bands and lots and lots of spandex. What more can you ask for in holiday entertainment?
Michael and Debbie Hopkins looked curiously at the massive metal structure towering above the main entrance to St. Louis Mills. “We could see it from the highway and weren’t really sure what it was,” said Debbie Hopkins of Glenview, Ill. “It looks like a giant ball of yarn— or that big ball from Disney.” Standing under the object of their curiosity, Michael added that “the outside is definitely unique.” “Now we want to go inside the mall and see the rest,” he said. On Nov. 13, St. Louis Mills officially opened its doors to thousands of shoppers, a few officials and several celebrities who spent the last two weeks endorsing the city’s newest landmark. The not-quite-mall, not-quite-shopping center features over 100,000 square-feet of retail, entertainment and restaurant space and houses more than 100 tenants, including a Burlington Coat Factory, Marshalls MegaStore, Books-A-Million and an 18-screen Regal Cinemas multiplex. For those students whose long weekend with
Group works with younger area troops By Kelly Donahue q Staff Reporter
Results are unscientific; based on 114 votes cast
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INDEX pages 7-8 pages 5-6 page 9 page 11
See MILLS, page 3
See TV, page 3
DANA KUHN
Freshman Jessica Brodbeck proctors at the Mallinkrodt information desk. Above her hangs a TV, part of the WUSIC information channel.
Girl Scouts isn’t just for little sprouts
D. I hate Thanksgiving. Any prolonged exposure to my family is traumatic, and to be honest, turkeys scare me.
Forum Cadenza Calendar Sports
the relatives meant a little extra cash (read: grandma slipped $20 under the table between the potatoes and the turkey), St. Louis Mills is not a bad place to spend it. Best described as an “outlet center,” the Mills essentially joins together higher-end retail stores with stores that one might find in a generic strip mall. While it seems jarring at first to find an expensive women’s apparel store next to a store selling discount brooms and vacuums, St. Louis native and self-proclaimed “shop-a-holic” Jessica Peterson, 40 years-old, says the change of pace is refreshing after a while. “At first, I thought it was really weird having stores like Saks and Dress Barn together, but it’s kind of grown on me,” said Peterson. “Now, I spend most of my money at the nicer clothing stores and use what’s left at the cheaper jewelry stores.” In addition to the hodgepodge combination of outlets, the interior design of the Mills is a combination of quirky and whimsical objects. Organized into six different “neighborhoods,” each section of the mall is designed with a different theme. One section, called “Shakespeare in the Park,” has green walls, lampposts and park benches, while the “Circus of Fire” segment features a gi-
Seemingly overnight, televisions seemed to sprout out of the walls of certain buildings during the fi rst week of November. In fact, only four televisions were installed around the campus, but they were placed in high-traffic areas so that they are more accessible to the student body. The four television sets are placed in the Wohl lobby, above the Mallinckrodt information desk, above the salad bar in the Mallinckrodt food court, and in the Village dining area. They are the result of a year-old project by the Office of Student Activities.
COURTSEY LIESL BUECHLER
Liesl Buechler is the founder of the Campus Girl Scouts.
Thin mint and tagalong fans take notice: girl scouting isn’t just about selling cookies anymore. To sophomore Liesl Buechler, founding Washington University’s first Campus Girl Scouts (CGS) organization is a way for college students to interact with young girls and provide them with “leadership, friendship, and motivation.” Campus Girl Scouts, although not an actual troop itself, is made up of adult
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Girl Scouts now attending a college or university. The University’s CGS intends to work with younger members in the greater St. Louis area on various service projects. Currently, a volunteering project with a troop from nearby Wydown Middle School is in the works. Buechler, who has been a Girl Scout since the second grade, feels that it is important to keep people girls involved in the group. “Many girls drop out of Girl Scouts around middle school or hide that they are Girl Scouts because they think they’ll get made fun of,” said Buechler. She admitted that at one time she felt the same way until she came to the conclusion that Girl Scouts “is a life-
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long endeavor that every girl should get to enjoy.” Other members of the new Campus Girl Scouts expressed similar motivations for joining the student group. “I want to help break down the stereotypes people have about Girl Scouts and show that there’s more to being a Girl Scout than wearing a uniform and selling cookies,” said sophomore Kristin Dorage. “I want to help younger girls take an active role in community service.” According to Buechler, you don’t have to have ever actually been a Girl Scout in order to join the organization.
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See CGS, page 3
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