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STUDENT LIFE
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2006
Students face roadblocks at Wydown polls BY DAVID BRODY AND MANDY SILVER NEWS STAFF Hundreds of upperclassmen encountered obstacles when attempting to vote at Wydown Middle School yesterday, unaware they were no longer registered at that polling location. Former South 40 residents were offered provisional ballots that could potentially go uncounted, leading many to express the concern that their voice would not be heard. According to election officials, St. Louis County Board of Elections sent postcards to students at their previously registered addresses, asking them to confirm their residence. Many students claim that they never received the change of address cards. Election Official Jill Cummings explained that the students, who originally registered as residents of the South 40, moved off-campus to other areas without updating their addresses with the Board of Elections.
“Apparently the Board of Elections sent them a postcard and they did not respond, so they were dropped [from the rolls],” she said. Cummings instructed the students to call the Board of Elections, which confirmed that the students were in fact registered voters. Since the student voters were not on the lists at Wydown Middle School, they were not allowed to vote using a normal ballot. Instead, they were instructed to fill out provisional ballots. A provisional ballot is provided to voters whose names do not show up at a polling location’s registry on Election Day. “When a person votes provisionally, the election board will verify if a person has a legal right to vote. If the voter casts a provisional ballot at an incorrect polling location or is for some reason ineligible to vote, their ballot is spoiled,” said election supervisor Charles Ault. John Diehl, chairman of
the St. Louis Board of Election Commissioners, confirmed that provisional ballots must be cast at the correct polling station in order to be counted. The prospect of casting provisional ballots was an undesirable alternative to some students because they are not evaluated for up to two weeks after the election. Students also worried that if Wydown Middle School was not the voters’ correct polling location, their ballots would be tossed out. Senior Aaron Weininger, who now lives off-campus, voted at Wydown Middle School in 2004 when he lived in Hurd House. “I checked in to vote and they didn’t have my name registered on the list. I was told to fill out a provisional ballot,” said Weininger. “However, I didn’t want to do that because the provisional ballots are not counted the day of the election.”
Problems persist throughout the day Senior Aaron Keyak, President of College Democrats, received initial reports of problems at Wydown Middle School early Tuesday morning. Keyak went down to the polling station to aid and inform student voters in a nonpartisan manner. Keyak advised students not to vote with provisional ballots and arranged vans to take students to the St. Louis County Board of Election Commissioners office, where they could cast a regular ballot. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) monitors reported hundreds of Washington University students passing through the commissioners’ office over the course of the day. Senior Jazzy Danziger
DAVID BRODY I STUDENT LIFE
Students line up to vote outside Wydown Middle School on Tuesday afterSee VOTING ROADBLOCK, page 3 noon.
Dance Marathon tops $100,000 McCaskill upsets Talent in tight Senate battle BY BEN SALES AND JOSH HANTZ NEWS STAFF In one of the nation’s most-watched Senate raises, Missourians elected Claire McCaskill (D) over incumbent Senator Jim Talent (R). Missourians also passed Amendment 2 furthing stem cell research, turned down Amendment 3, which proposed an additional tax on cigarettes, and passed Proposition B, raising the minimum wage to $6.50 an hour.
McCaskill takes Senate seat in close race At time of press, McCaskill had a projected win with 50 percent of the vote from 98 percent of precincts reporting. During her campaign,
McCaskill spoke about increasing national security, providing more funds for education in Missouri and also campaigned towards reducing the national deficit and setting a balanced budget. McCaskill, who became Missouri State Auditor in 1999, acted as a watchdog for state tax policy. Andrew Rehfeld, an assistant professor of political science at Washington University, sees McCaskill’s victory as an affi rmation of the candidate’s mandate and as an encouragement for her to implement the Democratic platform of progressive policy and change. “The Senate is the place where national policy gets set,” said Rehfeld, who specializes in American Political development. “[The victory] is more in terms of good for
See MCCASKILL, page 3
LIONEL SOBEHART I STUDENT LIFE
Chancellor Wrighton and others get down and boogie at Dance Marathon on Saturday, Nov. 4. The annual fundraiser raised $105,049.59. BY ELIZABETH LEWIS STAFF REPORTER The St. Louis Area Dance Marathon, an annual 12-hour dance event held in the Athletic Complex, raised a record $105,049.59 towards the Children’s Miracle Network of Greater St. Louis last weekend. To the astonishment of everyone involved, this amount trumped the respectable $71,613.61 raised during Dance Marathon last year. The executive board for Dance Marathon took several steps that were different from years past to make the event the most successful yet. “We recruited so many more people. Last year, there were just over 500 people registered, and this year there were 850. We did a much better job getting the word out,” said senior Tammy Shirley, the executive director for Dance Marathon. “There was a lot more
emphasis placed on the cause and what the money would benefit.” To get inspiration and ideas for this year’s marathon, junior Dan Silver, co-chair for dancer relations, explained that the executive board looked at Dance Marathon events at other universities like Indiana University and Penn State, both of which raise hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. From their observations, they learned that they should make students feel more connected to the purpose and the cause behind Dance Marathon. To make students feel this way, the executive board produced flyers with pictures of children and their stories of what they had been through. During info sessions, they showed videos depicting the mission of the Children’s Miracle Network. Another factor contributing to the increased amount was the
Jam-packed Bear sports weekend Bear sports have a weekend in the spotlight—three teams will be hosting NCAA tournament play. Want in on the action? Sports has the basics to get you ready. Sports, Page 4
requirement of everyone to pay a $25 registration fee, which has been a rule that has not always been fully enforced in past years. Finally, organizers pushed an aggressive letter writing campaign which enforced a minimum requirement of writing five letters to donors or raising $150 to gain entrance into the event. To help the dancers achieve these requirements and convince donors to give money, they could create an online profile to help explain to donors why they should participate and what their money would benefit. These efforts resulted in an increased commitment from the dancers. “We had more requirements of the dancers, which led to more dedication,” said Silver. “In years past, people would show up and not know what was going on.” As a direct result of these efforts, 700 of the 850 dancers who
participated raised $70,000. The executive board itself, composed of only 24 members, raised $12,000. The rest of the amount was achieved through bake sales, a date auction, proceeds earned during the Thurtene Carnival in April, proceeds from Ben and Jerry’s, Benefit Week at the Campus Book Store and additional donor contributions. Dance Marathon received money from Student Union to fund the event, as well as a sponsorship from The Coca-Cola Company, food donations from Bon Appétit, student group contributions and $1,000 from the Women’s Society to increase faculty and alumni involvement. As a result, all of the proceeds were able to be donated to the Children’s Miracle Network. Silver noted that the Chil-
See MARATHON, page 2
Gobble, gobble, Bauhaus? Will turkeys be in fashion at this year’s delayed architecture party? A new costume may come into fashion with the chilly weather and festive atmopshere. Forum, Page 6
Information complied by Laura Geggel, Margy Levinson, and Troy Rumans
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FBI statistics show crime underreported on many campuses BY PUNEET KOLLIPARA CONTRIBUTING REPORTER
Copyright 2006 Editor in Chief: Sarah Kliff Associate Editor: Liz Neukirch Managing Editors: Justin Davidson, David Tabor Senior News Editor: Mandy Silver Senior Forum Editor: Daniel Milstein Senior Cadenza Editor: Ivanna Yang Senior Scene Editor: Erin Fults Senior Sports Editor: Andrei Berman Senior Photo Editor: David Brody Senior Graphics Editor: Rachel Harris News Editors: Troy Rumans, Laura Geggel Contributing Editor: Shweta Murthi Forum Editors: Tess Croner, Nathan Everly, Chelsea Murphy, Jill Strominger Cadenza Editors: Elizabeth Ochoa, Brian Stitt Scene Editors: Sarah Klein, Felicia Baskin Sports Editor: Scott Kaufman-Ross Photo Editors: David Hartstein, Meghan Luecke, Jason Hubert, Carolyn Goldstein Online Editor: Matt Rubin Design Chief: Laura McLean Production Chief: Anna Dinndorf Copy Chief: Mallory Wilder Copy Editors: Emily Fridman, Jessica Katzenstein, Meghan Luecke, Allie Wieczorek Designers: Ellen Lo, Jamie Reed, Elizabeth Kaufman, Kate Ehrlich General Manager: Andrew O’Dell Advertising Manager: Sara Judd Copyright 2006 Washington University Student Media, Inc. (WUSMI). Student Life is the financially and editorially independent, student-run newspaper serving the Washington University community. First copy of each publication is free; all additional copies are 50 cents. Subscriptions may be purchased for $80.00 by calling (314) 935-6713. Student Life is a publication of WUSMI and does not necessarily represent, in whole or in part, the views of the Washington University administration, faculty or students. All Student Life articles, photos and graphics are the property of WUSMI and may not be reproduced or published without the express written consent of the General Manager. Pictures and graphics printed in Student Life are available for purchase; e-mail editor@ studlife.com for more information. Student Life reserves the right to edit all submissions for style, grammar, length and accuracy. The intent of submissions will not be altered. Student Life reserves the right not to publish all submissions. If you’d like to place an ad, please contact the Advertising Department at (314) 935-6713. If you wish to report an error or request a clarification, e-mail editor@studlife.com.
WEDNESDAY | NOVEMBER 8, 2006
Recent data on university crime released by the FBI indicate that many universities are understating certain crimes in statistics submitted annually to the Department of Education (DOE). All American colleges participating in federal fi nancial aid programs have been required by the Clery Act of 1990 to report annual crime statistics on and around their campuses to the Department of Education. The law, named after a student at Lehigh University who was murdered in her dormitory in 1986, is designed to provide a standardized assessment of crimes on college campuses. The data is posted in a database on DOE’s Web site.
But recent comparisons of FBI and DOE data for several colleges indicate that many schools may be understating certain crimes in their annual DOE statistics, particularly for crimes like burglaries, robberies and sexual assaults, and thus falsely representing the safety of their campuses. Chief of Police Don Strom of the Washington University Police Department (WUPD) said that the University’s statistics on campus crime are accurate. “We have a process that checks and rechecks the numbers. We make good judgments about that,” he said. Strom explained that a WUPD council meets several times a year to review crime classifications according to guidelines and verify crime statistics before they are submitted to the government.
Clery Act, colleges must report burglaries to the DOE, but not larcenies. Campuses must report both burglaries and larcenies to the FBI. The disparity in data between the two formats centers around the defi nitions of larceny and burglary. The DOE releases a handbook called “Handbook for Campus Crime Reporting” to give universities FBI defi nitions of Clery Act crimes. But universities appear to be interpreting the defi nitions differently, possibly to intentionally misclassify crimes. According to DOE data on Washington University’s crime, there were 15 on-campus burglaries in 2005, whereas according to the FBI data there were 14 on-campus burglaries. All other statistics for violent crimes and property
Strom cited a series of incidents on the South 40 in September in which a woman unaffi liated with the University tailgated into several freshman dorms and stole credit cards from students’ unlocked rooms. This incident, he said, will be classified as a burglary, which agrees with the defi nition of burglary in DOE’s handbook. Statistics sent to the FBI include crimes reported to the police, while statistics sent to the DOE include both police statistics and crimes reported to other parties, such as campus administrators, said Strom. “I don’t feel pressure to keep those numbers low,” he said. “We want people to know what crime exists on campus.” Inaccuracies commonly occur with burglaries. Under the
College Dems, Republicans mobilize around Mo. elections BY DREW POLLARD CONTRIBUTING REPORTER Students gathered outside six polling stations including Wydown Middle School and Trinity Presbyterian Church on Tuesday to vote for candidates in the midterm elections. The race between Claire McCaskill (D) and Jim Talent (R) was widely considered a pivotal race for the balance of power in the U.S. Senate. The importance of the election was not lost on Washington University students, who lined up in the rain, some for more than an hour, to cast their ballots. For some students, however, voting was not as cut and dry as they would have liked. Some students who voted in the presidential election in 2004 failed to register a new address for the midterm election (for more information, see
“Students face roadbloacks at Wydown polls” on Page 1). At Wydown Middle School, canvassers were out in full force, handing out literature to voters entering the polls. Voters at both locations were offered a choice of voting either by hand or electronically. One canvasser asked voters to vote for “her mom,” Barbara Fraser, a democratic candidate for County Counsel. At the Community Music School of Webster University, many were critical of the polling station’s organization. At 9:30 a.m. the line for the end of the alphabet stretched around the inside of the building, while no one waited in the other lines. Also, many admitted to being confused as to the process. When asked to vote by affidavit, students were not always given clear instructions. “I didn’t register because I
in the 10 days leading up to the election. In the days leading up to the election, the College Democrats were busy canvassing and handing out literature in Clayton, Hanley and Jefferson townships. Senior Aaron Keyak, president of the College Democrats, thought that many of the amendments affected student interests, including stem cell research and, to a lesser extent, the tobacco tax and the war in Iraq. “I think the issues that resonate with students are the same issues that resonate with all Americans,” said Keyak. “Students at Wash. U. care about stem cell research, the War in Iraq, etc.” Most voters said they were not swayed by political advertising running in Missouri and posted at the polling stations. “I was turned off by most the campaigning once it degenerated to name calling,” noted one woman voting in University City.
was under the impression that I needed a Missouri issued ID. Once I found out that that wasn’t the case, it was too late to register. Of course I wish I could’ve voted,” said sophomore Dina Ioffe. Many other students cited that that they couldn’t vote because they had failed to register by Oct. 11, the deadline for yesterday’s election. Democrats were expected to take a majority of the votes in the areas surrounding the University. College Republicans president junior Stacey Goodwin claimed that most of the College Republicans’ canvassing had been done outside the University campus, where they believed they would have a larger effect. Goodwin noted most people who were voting Republican were voting Republican because they trusted the party’s leadership to win the war in Iraq. Approximately 70 students volunteered to help the College Democrats promote their candidates. College Democrats logged 450 canvassing hours
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crimes were in agreement except for forced rapes. DOE statistics indicated six rapes, but FBI statistics indicated zero rapes. Strom said that sexual assaults are a very sensitive issue that victims often do not report to police but instead report to campus administrators. In such instances, the crimes show up in DOE statistics but not in FBI statistics. “We always take the approach here that addressing crime on this campus is a shared responsibility,” said Strom. “It’s important that the entire community become involved in addressing crime, and an informed community can do that. We want crimes to be transparent, so the public will do a better job on reporting suspicious behaviors.”
MARATHONv FROM PAGE 1 dren’s Miracle Network’s ties to St. Louis increase participation and contributions from donors. “[The cause] is so localized and the money stays in St. Louis. That is how we can get so many local participants involved. [They] know someone who has been [at the hospital],” he said. The board is already thinking about changes to implement next year to make Dance Marathon even more successful. “Some ideas include a larger projection screen so that all of the dancers can see. Also, more families can come to the event beforehand so that the dancers can meet them,” said Shirley. For now, though, both Silver and Shirley relish their experience and what they and everyone else involved accomplished. “It was so much fun working for such a great cause, and I would go even if it was not for charity. There was a huge amount of energy, and at 2 a.m., people were still excited to be there,” Silver said. Shirley echoed these sentiments, recalling one of her most memorable parts of the event. “The Chancellor danced, and everyone was taking pictures. It is so nice to know that an event we planned inspired so many,” said Shirley. “We have reached a landmark that we will continue to move forward from.”
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STUDENT LIFE | NEWS
WEDNESDAY | NOVEMBER 8, 2006 Senior News Editor / Mandy Silver / news@studlife.com
MCCASKILL v FROM PAGE 1
EITAN HOCHSTER I STUDENT LIFE
McCaskill supporters celebrate at the victorious Democrat’s headquarters in St. Louis late on Tuesday night. the nation. Most of it is just in terms of the Democrats winning office.” Rehfeld added, however, that the Executive Branch is likely to suffer more than the Republican senators and congressmen. “The Bush administration is likely to be pulled back,” he said. “We will see increased antagonism versus the Bush administration.” Professor Andrew Martin also looks at the election in a national scope, and says that McCaskill’s win is meaningful in terms of the Democratic party’s national strength. “[McCaskill’s victory] does not matter a whole lot,” said Martin, also of the political science department. “The issue is who carries the senate. Missouri was one of two closest Senate races, and in terms of this, the bigger issue is who controls the Senate.”
Amendment 2 passes Amendment 2 passed with 51 percent of the vote from 94 percent of precincts reporting at time of press. The passing of Amendment 2, allowing embryonic stem cell research, will have a “dramatic” effect on the University according to Rehfeld. Because the biomedical department at the medical school has a lab capable of conducting this kind of research, it [would] be able to attract top researchers who would have otherwise been turned off by the rejection of the stem cell initiative. The Medical School will also be able to better retain current researchers. Professor of Political Science Randall Calvert mentioned that the University had top researchers in the Human Genome Project before they went to other research universities. “It’s a real area of leadership,” he said. The amendment specifically prohibits cloning human beings and producing stem
cells only for the purpose of conducting research. It also bans buying and selling stem cells for “valuable consideration.” Stem cells have the ability to cure many injuries and diseases including diabetes, Parkinson’s and cancer. The University fully supported the amendment.
Amendment 3 fails Amendment 3, a proposed change to the Missouri State Constitution that would add an 80 cent tax to all cigarette packs, did not pass upon referendum in yesterday’s election. Rehfeld pointed to there being a higher percentage of college students in the smoking population than in the overall population, and said that the amendment’s institution would dissuade students from smoking. “College students are disproportionately represented,” he said. “Hopefully it would have provided a modest disincentive to smoke.” Rehfeld also said that he hoped to see the money go toward more affordable medical care for Missouri’s citizens. He added, however, that the funds may have been sent elsewhere. “It should raise money for health care,” he said, “but the money might not actually go there.” Calvert seconded Rehfeld’s concern, and added that where the claiming money (the money coming from the tax) would have gone may have been the most important effect of the bill’s passing. “We should look at how claiming money will be spent,” he said. “The question is whether that would have had a distinctive impact.” Junior Steve Swartz, meanwhile, thinks that the amendment would have had several positive benefits no matter where the tax income went. “I was all for it,” he said. “It would have deterred people from smoking, especially those who are more social
smokers and are not heavily addicted. Smoking is a bad idea. It’s a good thing if people are deterred from that kind of behavior.”
Proposition B passes Proposition B’s passing raises the minimum wage in Missouri from $5.15, the federal minimum wage rate, to $6.50 an hour. “It will have a very good effect on Missouri citizens,” said Rehfeld. “I’ve always been hostile to local wage ordinances. My concern is kicking out workers for richer, more educated workers. The good thing about statewide wages it that it makes it impossible to compete for better workers at the better or worse end.” He said that a higher minimum wage increases competition to get the best workers, leading to higher wages in general. It will also help the many college students working minimum wage jobs. The amendment would also increase wages paid by the University to minimum wage workers. Although the University does not employ these workers directly, it pays contract companies who in turn pay the workers. The change goes into effect at the beginning of 2008, marking the end of the nine-year wage rate of $5.15. According to the Missouri Budget Project, raising the rate to $6.50 would generate $85 million for state citizens while not “adversely affecting” jobs. This comes out to about $3,000 more per lowincome family per year. Additionally, were the federal rate to go above $6.50 per hour in the future, the Missouri rate would be raised to compensate.
VOTING ROADBLOCK v FROM PAGE 1 went to the election commissioners’ office to cast a regular ballot at 11 a.m. “I met up with about 12 other Wash. U. students. The location looked incredibly understaffed, and I was told later by someone who had tried to call them multiple times that no phones were being answered,” said Danziger in an e-mail to Student Life. Danziger said that a staffer told the students to step off to the side, where they waited for a few minutes. When a student asked if they would be helped, Danziger said the students were told to return to Wydown and that they would receive no help at that office. Danziger reports that election workers did not treat the students kindly. “One voter came up to us to wish us good luck and was yelled at by a woman behind the counter for ‘discussing the ballot in the polling location,’” said Danziger. “We were referred to as ‘kids,’ spoken to in a very condescending tone, and pushed aside.” The other students eventually were allowed to vote at the Board of Elections office after filling out change of address forms. Danziger
noted that by the time the others finished voting, over two hours had passed since they initially arrived at the Wydown Middle School polling station. By 5 p.m., election official Joseph Goeke III told students that they should return to their polling site because the commissioners’ office did not have the resources to deal with them. He continued by saying that if the students stayed, they would be processed eventually, but must wait outside because they were becoming “rowdy.”
Students ‘disappointed’ with voting complications Keyak voiced concern that problems encountered at the polls potentially reduced overall student voter turnout. “It shouldn’t be so difficult to participate in democracy. The concern is that students who left, unable to cast a regular vote, went back and told their friends,” said Keyak. “This could have potentially discouraged stu-
dents from voting.” Despite Keyak’s apprehension, several election officials were pleasantly surprised by the efforts of student voters. “I’ve been very impressed with the students,” said Margaret Donnelly, Democratic state representative of the 73rd district. “The students are determined to exercise their right to vote. I’m discouraged that we’ve established a system that makes it harder for students to be able to vote. We should do everything in our power to make sure they have the opportunity to vote.” Danziger expressed dismay at what she saw as a failure of the system. “Frankly, I was shocked that so many of us had this problem,” said Danziger. “The process was long, tedious and frustrating, and would have been fruitless if not for a large amount of determination and assertiveness. It shouldn’t have to be that way. In an election as important as this one, I think it’s an tragedy that so many students faced these obstacles.”
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4 STUDENT LIFE | SPORTS
Senior Sports Editor / Andrei Berman / sports@studlife.com
WEDNESDAY | NOVEMBER 8, 2006
SPORTS
Campus prepares for jam-packed weekend in Wash. U. sports v Volleyball, soccer and football all hosting NCAA Tournament play BY ANDREI BERMAN SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR The busiest weekend in recent Wash. U. athletics history gets underway tomorrow afternoon. Not surprisingly, the athletic department has had its hands full preparing for the various events on and off campus. The volleyball team is hosting an eight-team NCAA regional, while the men’s soccer team is playing host to three other schools in four-team NCAA regional play. The women’s soccer team, which has a fi rst round bye, will host a second round match-up on Saturday at Francis Field at 4 p.m. In addition to the NCAA tournament action, the men’s basketball team opens its season with an exhibition game on the road against Division I national power Southern Illinois University. The football team plays host to Greenville College in its season fi nale Saturday at noon on Francis Field. Gridiron action was pushed up an hour to noon, so that the soccer matches could also be squeezed in. Both the men’s and women’s cross country teams are in action this weekend as well, competing in regional competition on the road. The men’s and
women’s swimming teams are also set to do battle, as both are on the road competing at meets at the University of Chicago. No one seems to be complaining. Although the tandem of Sports Information Director Chris Mitchell and assistant director Nick Povalitis will have to put forth a Herculean effort over the weekend, neither approached the challenge with frustration. “It’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s great for the student athletes to play on their home field. What more can you ask for? It gives us a great opportunity to win,” said Mitchell, noting that Wash. U. is the only Division III team in the country to be hosting NCAA tournament play in three different sports this weekend. Not only will Povalitis have to track Wash. U. teams this weekend, he will have to keep tabs on each of the other seven volleyball squads coming to the Danforth Campus. Beginning Thursday afternoon, Povalitis will keep statistics and write game stories on every single game of the single-elimination volleyball competition. NCAA requires the host institution to provide this service. Mitchell, meanwhile, will man the Francis Field press
box beginning with Friday evening’s men’s soccer competition, a doubleheader featuring Redlands College against Fontbonne University in the fi rst game and Wash. U. versus Wheaton College for the nightcap. He will return to Francis Field the next morning for the football game then stay put for the women’s soccer game, which begins at 4 p.m. His day doesn’t end there, however. Should the men’s soccer team emerge victorious in Friday’s match against Wheaton, they would host the winner of the Fontbonne-Redlands game on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Even if the men lose and do not play Saturday, Wheaton would play the Fontbonne-Redlands winner on Francis, and since part of Mitchell’s job is helping accommodate the traveling contingents from the athletic departments of the various other schools coming to town this weekend, he will still be working. In total, some 11 teams will descend on campus this weekend. In spite of all the action, the sports information department remains focused on promoting the events to the entirety of the Wash. U. campus. In addition to the department’s flyer campaign throughout cam-
JASON HUBERT | STUDENT LIFE
Junior Joe Lubelski jukes past Carnegie-Mellon defenders after a catch at a game on Oct. 28. The Bears play their last game of the season against Greenville College at home this Saturday. pus, Student Union has heavily promoted the events in e-mail messages and newspaper advertisements. They are also covering the cost of tickets for students who otherwise would have to pay to attend the vari-
ous events. Student Union President Paul Moinester said he will personally be attending at least a couple of games. “I’m defi nitely going to the women’s volleyball game on
Thursday night. I’m also definitely going to the men’s soccer game on Friday,” he said. A full preview of the weekend in sports will appear in Friday’s paper.
Bear Volleyball’s path to the Final Four Note: This bracket includes only the Central and New York Regions. The winner of this bracket advances to the Final Four.
NCAA Central Region Championship Game Schedules Thursday, Nov. 9 Game 1: Simpson vs. Maryville Game 2: Rhodes vs. Webster Game 3: Coe vs. Capital Game 4: Neb. Wesleyan vs. WASH. U.
1 p.m. 3:30 p.m. 6 p.m. 8:30 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 10 Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4
4:30 p.m. 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 11 Region Championship
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WEDNESDAY | NOVEMBER 8, 2006
STUDENT LIFE | CADENZA
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Leave your sense of decency at home: ‘Borat’ is coming to town BY DOUG HORN CADENZA REPORTER For those of us who are familiar with Sacha Baron Cohen’s character, Borat Sagdiyev, the idea of an hour and a half of our favorite Kazak reporter sounds like pure joy. Trust me, “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make BeneďŹ t Glorious Nation of Kazakhstanâ€? certainly is. Opening up in Borat’s homeland of Kuczek, Kazakhstan, viewers are given a tour of the desolate shantytown replete with ridiculous, backwards characters of third-world quality. We ďŹ nally get to meet his family, including his sister Natalya, number four prostitute in all of Kazakhstan, and even get a brief meeting with the town mechanic/abortionist. Of course, this is just an introduction to Borat’s mission to America for the Kazak Ministry
of Information. Borat’s comic strength lies in his outrageous ability to overlook any and all social norms in his interviews and personal interactions, and this deďŹ nitely shines through in the movie. There was a need for a loose plot to connect the string of heinously over-the-top public displays, provided by Borat’s cross-country quest to marry his love, Pamela Anderson. The only weak spots the movie had to offer were those that arose because “Boratâ€? was put in a movie format. The scripted scenes were simply there to move the plot along and were nowhere near as funny as the rest of the ďŹ lm. Luckily, those scenes only comprise about 10 minutes of the movie. At some points, even the obviously intended “coincidencesâ€? that occur lead to hilarity, like when Borat and his producer end up staying in a bed and breakfast
run by a Jewish couple. What makes the movie so endlessly entertaining is the fact that Cohen is willing to go farther for the sake of comedy than any person before him. For the very ďŹ rst time there is a comic without any conceivable boundaries or shame. The best part about Borat making it to the big screen is that he is allowed to go to the extremes that I didn’t even think existed. It’s raunchier and more offensive than anything I’ve ever seen, but I was far too busy laughing to really care or notice. The most ironic part about the movie is that I felt like I actually learned something about the parts of America I’ve never experienced. When Borat goes to a rodeo, he encounters racist, homophobic cowboys that I thought didn’t really exist. He even gets the entire stadium to cheer that America shouldn’t
Borat Rating: â˜…â˜…â˜…â˜…âœŹ Directed by: Larry Charles Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Ken Davitian, Luenell, Pamela Anderson Now Playing: Chase Park Plaza
leave Iraq until the streets run red with the blood of every man, woman and child. What is quite possibly the most brilliant scene in the entire movie is when Borat stumbles across an evangelical religious revival. The laughs keep coming for ďŹ ve minutes, before Borat even says anything; the ďŹ lmmakers just want you to sit back and focus on the people. Despite the sheer absurdity of the situations, Cohen manages to deliver some serious commentary on American society.
MCT DIRECT
Sacha Baron Cohen, who stars as Borat, poses with his new American friend - a cactus - in the comedy, “Borat.� Any Borat fan is obligated to see this movie. Any person who wants to laugh harder than he or she has in months should tag along too. A classic piece of
American cinema? Most likely not. A movie that’ll end up in the movie collections of every comedy fan? DeďŹ nitely.
‘Marie Antoinette:’ Just another pretty face BY SHA SHA LU CADENZA REPORTER SoďŹ a, what happened? Seriously. I was really looking forward to this. After all, pair an Oscar-nominated female director with one of the most intriguing women in Western history and you’ve got a winner for sure. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Yes, the visuals were spectacular, from the beautiful, intricate costumes to the magniďŹ cent settings (you can’t beat the real Versailles). But a movie without a captivating plot and well-developed characters is nothing but an empty shell. That is what “Marie Antoinetteâ€? became. The story follows Marie Antoinette from the age of 12 when she becomes the dauphine of France through marriage to Louis (soon to be Louis XVI) to her downfall at
the hands of the revolutionaries. Director SoďŹ a Coppola aims for an innovative new take on the young queen by presenting her as an innocent, spirited girl under great pressure to hold intact the alliance between Austria and France. Kirsten Dunst plays the young queen well enough, with a sweet voice and a sweeter smile. Jason Schwartzman gives a convincing portrayal of the awkward and socially inept Louis XVI. Nevertheless, no groundbreaking performances would have been enough to save the movie from falling into a pit of pointlessness. Marie Antoinette, as both a movie and a character, seemed to lack any kind of identity. Stylistically, it is caught between the pressure to be original and modern, with the scattered clips of rock music and present-day colloquialisms, and the desire to retain a
adjustment to court life, her increasingly loose spending and her new role as a mother. This is not personal growth. This is simply what happens when you move to Versailles and marry the future king. Louis himself is even more static: with increased time, he manages to listen to his advisors and impregnate his wife, the latter being the much harder achievement. Shallow dialogue is exacerbated by inconsistent, awkward accents cringe-worthy enough to detract from the credibility of the movie. It seemed like Versailles housed a hoard of Americans, Englishmen, Frenchmen and everyone in between. Scenes go by, but nothing ever really happens. The later portion involving the revolutionaries is extremely rushed and the movie ends brusquely with no feeling of closure.
sense of the realistic, traditional French court. The characters are sorely lacking in development as the movie progressed. Madame du Barry, the old king’s mistress, struts around in heavy dresses and looks contemptuously at the other ladies of the court. Baron Axel von Fersen becomes merely the queen’s playboy – he’s dashingly handsome, she’s young and pretty, they utter their eyes at each other, make love, he leaves, end of story. As for the queen herself, she never quite reaches the level of innovative. Okay, so she’s a rock star of the 18th century who lives by her own convictions, tires of the routine court life and likes to have good time by romping about with her small clique of ladies and gents. The only real growth she experiences is limited to her
SOPHOMORE SLUMP
In trying to avoid the stereotypical story of Marie Antoinette, Coppola fails to create a real story at all. Instead, we experience a moving still life of breathtaking shots and a sensory overload of stunning dresses, gilded staterooms and an extravagant assortment of sweets and overowing wine. Clearly the movie was made with a keen sense of detail and fashion, as is a trademark of Sophia Coppola. Unfortunately, the product leaves an intense
feeling of unfulďŹ lled potential.
Marie Antoinette Rating: â˜…â˜…âœŹâœŠâœŠ Directed by: Sophia Coppola Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Jason Schwartzman, Rip Torn, Judy Davis Now Playing: Tivoli
BY JASON ANDERSON MCT CAMPUS
Mary Nighy, Kirsten Dunst and Judy Davis star in the movie “Marie Antoinette.�
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6 STUDENT LIFE | FORUM
Senior Forum Editor / Daniel Milstein / forum@studlife.com
FORUM
WEDNESDAY | NOVEMBER 8, 2006
Our daily Forum editors: Monday: Chelsea Murphy cemurphy@art.wustl.edu
Wednesday: Nathan Everly Friday: Tess Croner neverly@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. We welcome your submissions and thank you for your consideration.
STAFF EDITORIAL
University failed students in 2006 voting
I
urge all members of the Washington University community…to vote on Nov. 7” Chancellor Mark Wrighton wrote in his infamous letter to students and faculty on Oct. 23, 2006. After the myriad of voting problems incurred by many students yesterday, the University again encouraged members of the Wash. U. community to vote, e-mailing solutions to the problems. But the University’s advice came at 4 p.m., too late to make a difference for most of those who suffered from the confusion at the polls. This is a problem that has happened before, and the University should have made a greater effort to prevent the problem before students ran into roadblocks at the polls.
Many juniors and seniors who tried to vote yesterday were living on the South 40 in 2004 and voted at Wydown Middle School. Now, many of these students live offcampus and no longer have the same mailing addresses or polling places. So to vote, they would have had to change their addresses with the St. Louis County Board of Elections. Unfortunately, this came as news to many of them when they showed up to vote. The Board of Elections sent address confi rmation postcards to students’ previously registered addresses on the South 40. Since those students no longer resided on the 40, they never received the information; the postcards were returned to the
Board of Elections unseen by students. Consequently, when they went to vote yesterday, as the Chancellor (as well as Student Union President Paul Moinester) urged them to, those who went to Wydown Middle School were offered provisional ballots. This was an unsatisfactory option given that provisional ballots cast at incorrect polling locations are not counted in the election. Since the University had previously impelled students to vote, one would expect that they would have ensured that students knew of the various complications involved with the voting process. The University failed to do this. This is a common problem in election years on campus. Students who vote at Wydown
Middle School as freshmen or sophomores frequently move to different voting districts and are then unable to vote at Wydown Middle School as juniors or seniors. In the past, the University’s failure to provide students with reminders to change their addresses or fi ll out provisional ballots would have been understandable because of its previous silence on voting matters. But this year, the University was not silent. Once Chancellor Wrighton’s letter hit mailboxes, the University committed to helping students vote. While the letter came after the deadline to register, the University still should have anticipated the problems and warned students earlier than 4 p.m. on Election Day, after
RACHEL TEPPER & KARL IMPROV | EDITORIAL CARTOON
many students unsuccessfully tried to vote. Student Union should be commended for reminding students to vote, and went above and beyond in providing information to students about where they were supposed to vote, information that the city of St. Louis was delinquent in providing in a timely fashion. Many campus political groups did extraordinary jobs in registering and getting students to vote, evidenced when one poll worker remarked that she had never seen so many students voting before. These groups could not have anticipated the problems that students faced this Election Day. These groups are also comprised of students, and they, like their
peers, had not seen a pattern of this confusion before. The University, on the other hand, should have seen this pattern, and should have known what could happen. If the University does not want to interfere with voting, that is fi ne. But when Chancellor Wrighton tries to encourage students to vote, the University needs to do stay consistent with this message, and do more than send out an e-mail that is rendered useless by its timing. Election Day 2008 is on Nov. 4 of that year. When registration deadlines roll around two years from now, the University must ensure that students know what problems they might face and, optimally, how to avoid them.
A couple of election season lessons
U
smart, if you’re intellectually lazy? You end up getting us stuck in a war in Iraq. Just ask President Bush.” So far, so good. It’s not terribly original but it gets the point across. But for unknown Everly reasons, Kerry tried to improvise the joke and wound up saying this instead: “You know, education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq.” That’s right, a pot shot against 1. John Kerry really needs to President Bush accidentally stop talking morphed into an explicit suggestion that U.S. soldiers By now, you’ve probably currently serving in Iraq heard of Democratic Senator are only there because they John Kerry’s well-publicized weren’t smart enough to avoid gaffe over his botched joke the confl ict. Let’s be clear that about President Bush. SpeakSenator Kerry apologized later ing directly to a group of community college students, Kerry and almost certainly didn’t mean that. But that wasn’t planned on cracking this joke enough to stop the intense about President Bush: “Do you know where you end up if See EVERLY, page 7 you don’t study, if you aren’t nfortunately this issue of Student Life will be published the day after the mid-term elections take place. Even more unfortunate is that Nathan this article had to be written before the results from Nov. 7 are known. That said, there are still lessons from this year’s election campaign season that can be talked about.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Murphy’s take on promiscuity is correct Dear Editor: I’m writing to throw in my support for Ms. Murphy and her recent column on modest dress, college women and the issue of rape (“A clarification of a misconstrued opinion,” Nov. 6, 2006). Having read it myself, I do not think her original article should have been mistaken as an argument for rape. Her recent clarification point also deserves more treatment. I have noticed over my years at the University a startling trend among many members of activist groups on campus. Some student activists believe that, because things ought to be a certain way, we should behave as if they are. This line of thinking is unwise and can lead to harm if practiced rigorously. One example is the implicit argument of Ms. Murphy’s detractors. Unarguably, young
women should be able to dress however they want without fearing rape. However, young women who then go and behave as if they actually can court danger. Many who look upon such behavior with derision do so not because they believe young women deserve rape. Instead, they know that rape is something that happens, and that risqué-dressing young women expose themselves to more danger than necessary. I personally have wondered about the wisdom of college women who get drunk at parties. Date rape, according to “The Date” presentation I attended freshman year, accounts for the majority of all unwanted sexual contact in college. Young women who drink to the point of serious intoxication disarm themselves of any defense against this, the
most common type of sexual abuse. They rely on the honor and inhibitions of the young men they are drinking with to protect them from ending up as the “one in four.” Friends, relying on the honor and inhibitions of intoxicated, college-aged men is unutterably stupid. The “right” of the issue lies with the victimized young women but is also completely irrelevant to wise behavior. To generalize these examples, how we should be able to behave and what is safe are two unrelated issues. Ms. Murphy, who advocates prudence in light of this fact, deserves no attacks from anti-rape activists. -James Aguilar Class of 2007
Wood spoke on
more than Plan B Dear Editor: I would first like to commend Ms. Rajaram on a wellwritten, well-researched article (“Availability of Plan B varies,” Nov. 6, 2006). She clearly read a lot about Plan B and interviewed the right people to obtain a balanced story. I would like to note, however, that Dr. Wood did not simply come to campus to speak about Plan B. She also wanted to inform students and faculty about the creation of a new non-partisan organization, Scientists and Engineers for America. The group’s mission is to ensure that, as much as possible, federal and government policy follows science. This message is especially relevant to the Wash. U. campus because there are many poten-
tial pre-med students who are unaware of the impact their science training can have in the political realm. I encourage all students interested in science to visit the SEA website at www. sefora.org. The interaction of science and politics belongs not only in Congress, but in the classrooms and dormitories of this university. -Dave Shapiro Class of 2009 Vice-President of Students 4 Choice
Student Life’s news not newsworthy
This is what your publication runs as a front page article ? If you and your staff have any interest in the University community viewing Student Life as a pertinent source of news, I suggest you strongly reconsider the content chosen for publication, especially as a cover story. I’ve been a member of the Washington University community for six years and never have I seen such a ridiculous story prominently displayed on the paper’s front page. The content is both inappropriate and entirely irrelevant to my life as a student at this fine academic institution. I call on Student Life to better represent the integrity and sense of decency our University espouses.
Dear Editor: Re: “‘Threesome’ Facebook group allegedly a scam?” (Nov. 6, 2006).
-Ari E. Roisman Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering MS ‘07
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Student Life welcomes letters to the editor and op-ed submissions from readers.
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Senior Forum Editor / Daniel Milstein / forum@studlife.com
WEDNESDAY | NOVEMBER 8, 2006
STUDENT LIFE | FORUM
7
Try to keep yesterday in perspective I
and no matter what t’s easy to get happens with these lost in the blur of individual issues, politics, ethical they aren’t the end-all debates and the be-all of existence at general competition large. What I’m trying of opposing viewto say is, no matter points that occurs what happened in within our society’s the elections, some marketplace of ideas. Jill Strominger of us got to grab a In the whirlwind of StudLife and walk to political attack ads class today excited about the and messages from political results and some of us had to groups in general, we often walk to class in spite of news take the people who don’t that seemed like another step support our side of an issue towards the complete collapse and make them out to be the of civil society. What matters ultimate enemy. Whether here is that we all did, in fact, or not a politician supports make it to class (or whatever stem cell research or the better destination we might right of a woman to have an abortion seems to determine her character and whether or not she really qualifies as a human. People who agree with us are enlightened and compassionate; people who actively disagree with us often become pure evil. And when people we don’t support are elected to office, we’re afraid the Earth will fall off its axis, or worse yet, the sun will suddenly decide to swallow the Earth tomorrow instead of in billions of years. Despite our initial reactions to these groups, it turns out that both Republicans and Democrats (and maybe even Green Party members) support the Earth have chosen instead). staying in its proper rotation. John Kerry said it eloquentI’m not saying that issues ly in his concession speech like stem cell research aren’t after being defeated by George important—since I am a typeW. Bush in the 2004 election one diabetic, decisions about when he talked about how, stem cell research will most win or lose, we’ll all wake likely have a direct impact up as Americans. Bottom on my future—but debate on line: Really, we’re all in this these issues will continue,
“It’s written on the chalkboard walls of the restrooms at Kayaks, where everyone, given their chance to chalk a note to the world, seems to write a unique, yet similar, note of encouragement to or affirmation of humanity.”
Ruckus responds BY MICHAEL BEBEL OP-ED SUBMISSION
W
hile I fully respect and support the First Amendment rights of the staff in publishing the editorial titled “Ruckus’ behavior unacceptable” (Nov. 3, 2006), I also believe in the importance of fair and accurate communication by the media. Your editorial contained a number of inaccuracies detailed below. Ruckus Network, Inc. delivers a fully licensed and therefore legitimate music and media downloading service to college students throughout the United States. Our popular music downloading service is free to the students of the colleges and universities that we serve. Since 2003, Ruckus has demonstrated that legal downloading can be a positive experience. In so doing, we have successfully supported the rights of the creators of the music and media that we distribute. Many of our staff members are recent college graduates who have joined Ruckus because they love our service and believe in our objectives. Many of them are musicians themselves. In the Brody Ruckus matter, one of our young marketers attempted to create the single largest group on Facebook. He based the Brody Ruckus profi le on a close personal friend and proceeded along the lines outlined in the aforementioned editorial. When he communicated to management his success in building a huge group around this profi le, we determined that the appropriate course of action would be to let the Brody character fade away. Soon thereafter Facebook deleted the profi le. Contrary to what has been reported in other media outlets, and as noted in Student Life’s news story written by Josh Hantz on the same day as the editorial in question, Ruckus did not use this profi le to market the Ruckus service. Also, please know and understand we did not collect e-mail addresses or spam any of the members who joined the group. Ruckus Network, Inc. has had a comprehensive and strictly enforced privacy and e-mail policy in place since day one. In the fi nal analysis, I understand that the creation of the Brody Ruckus profi le was ill-advised and I can promise that this tactic
will not be repeated. While your editorial suggested otherwise, the events at the University of Wisconsin-Madison were completely separate and totally unrelated to the Brody Ruckus matter. In the UW case, we included the school in a new “pilot” program that has been successfully launched at a select number of schools around the country. The program is designed to test and prove student demand for free legal media.Unfortunately, in this, we made several missteps. First, our communication to the UW students stated that we had a direct partnership with their school; we should have made it clear that Ruckus was seeking a partnership with UW and that their participation in our pilot program would help. Second, we assumed that UW’s network could handle the demand created by the students who signed up for the Ruckus service during the pilot. Unfortunately, this was not the case and the substantial usage of our service significantly slowed the UW network. Third, our outbound communication to our new users at UW suggested that the network problems might be solved if Ruckus and UW had a direct partnership because we could place a server directly on the campus network to further improve its performance. I discussed these issues directly with a senior UW administrator immediately after the incident and apologized for any difficulties that we caused. It was not our intent to harm the University of Wisconsin and we have learned some valuable lessons. As a result, we’ve adjusted our pilot program protocols to ensure a more mutually rewarding experience for Ruckus, the universities and their students. As the president and CEO of Ruckus I take full responsibility for the integrity of our actions and I apologize for any inconvenience or confusion that may have been caused. Finally, I look forward to working collaboratively with school administrators, faculty and students as we continue to make the Ruckus service available to colleges nationwide. Michael Bebel is the President and CEO of Ruckus Network, Inc. He can be reached via e-mail at mikeb@ruckus. com.
together, and we all care about people. It’s not just politicians forced to make speeches that send this message, though. It’s written on the chalkboard walls of the restrooms at Kayak’s, where everyone, given their chance to chalk a note to the world, seems to write a unique, yet similar, note of encouragement to or affi rmation of humanity. Though we may have differing perspectives on what’s best for humanity, we’re all looking to do what’s best. You fi nd this searching for the best end for people in the angry letters that accuse different political groups of lying, manipulation, or of just being unethical, insensitive and irresponsible people. You fi nd it in the angry letters responding to the angry letters. You can even fi nd this theme in your own outrage at the decisions of the voting public: your anger, disappointment or extreme excitement just means you care. Whoever you are or whatever sort of vote you placed or politician you supported, if today you have any sort of feeling about the election results, it means you have enough room in your life to care about the future of this country and all the people who live here. That seems to me more important than any specific outcome of an election. Jill is a sophomore in Arts & Sciences and a Forum Editor. She can be reached via e-mail at forum@studlife.com.
TEMU BROWN | STUDENT LIFE
EVERLY v FROM PAGE 6 media barrage that erupted. “The senator’s suggestion that the men and women of our military are somehow uneducated is insulting and it is shameful,” stumped President Bush. Most of this indignation has been predictable, opportunistic and often fake. Everyone pretty much knew that Kerry didn’t mean to insult the troops and yet there was a media circus anyway. Nonetheless, the incident did reveal one thing about John Kerry: He’s not very funny. 2. Michael J. Fox should continue exploiting the hell out of his Parkinson’s Another issue that has received plenty of attention in the past several weeks was a controversial ad showing Michael J. Fox endorsing Missouri Democratic Senate candidate Claire McCaskill for her support of federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. Fox, famous for his acting roles in the “Back to
the Future” movie series, has Parkinson’s disease and sees the research as a potential cure for Parkinson’s. It was only a matter of time before he would use his celebrity status to try to influence the Missouri Senate race. The premise of the ad itself was clear: Show a 30-second clip of Michael J. Fox endorsing Claire McCaskill while suffering from the advanced stages of Parkinson’s disease and hope to appeal to undecided voters. This prompted many conservatives, among them conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh, to charge that Fox was exploiting his illness for political gain. “Democrats are politicizing disease and illness,” remarked Limbaugh in response to the ad. Now, Limbaugh is not known as a diplomatic man (he accused Fox of exaggerating his Parkinson’s symptoms for the ad) but he’s not necessarily wrong. Is Michael J. Fox using his private condition to politicize the stem cell
research debate? He most certainly is. But anyone who has ever heard of the term “snowflake baby” will understand that he’s not the fi rst person to do such a thing. Back in 2005, the national debate over embryonic stem cell research still centered around what to do with the 400,000 embryos frozen in labs across the country. Opponents of the research maintained that the embryos were still useful, and trotted out embryo adoption programs to demonstrate this. While most of the frozen embryos are never used by their original parents, some of them are donated to other couples. Children conceived in these programs are called “snowflake babies.” But there’s a catch: just two percent of all available frozen embryos can be used in embryo adoption programs because of legal issues. The other 98 percent, sadly, will probably not be as fortunate. Yet this didn’t stop Presi-
dent Bush from staging a press conference and surrounding himself with dozens of snowflake babies. “The children here today remind us that there is no such thing as a spare embryo,” he remarked. It’s no secret what he was doing. He was politically using the snowflake babies to cast the stem cell debate in more favorable terms. It didn’t really work, but opponents of embryonic stem cell research nevertheless didn’t have a problem with it. Granted, there are legitimate moral concerns about the research. But when one side uses misleading photoops to oversimplify a complex moral issue, it can’t convincingly cry foul when the other side begins parading the people who could benefit from the research. Nathan is a junior in Arts & Sciences and a Forum editor. He can be reached via e-mail at forum@studlife.com.
A mind beside itself BY GEOFFREY SCHAEFER STAFF COLUMNIST
I
t was kindergarten when I met Bryan Mitchell, the only guy I ever knew that maintained long blond (or any color, for that matter) hair his entire life. It was fi rst grade when he whipped my jacket at my face and split my lip open during a schoolyard fight following a wall-ball game that turned ugly (well, as ugly as any wall-ball-instigated fight by 6-year-olds could turn). It was second grade when we became friends after discovering a shared love for dinosaurs and he introduced me to the Aliens trilogy. In third grade, we started a UFO club—though, admittedly, there were only three or four members, including us—and maintained our respective positions as the two smartest kids in Mrs. Pontillo’s class. At the age of 9, we would throw apples we had saved from lunch into the road as we walked home from school, waiting to see how many cars would run them over. The record for consecutive hits was somewhere in the vicinity of five or six. We’d also make movies on my family’s camcorder—usually about alien abductions—and felt like cinematic revolutionaries for using the line “holy shit.” Throughout middle school and high school, we remained
best friends. We discovered “Weird Al,” the Presidents of the United States of America and eventually (though I don’t like to admit it) Korn and Limp Bizkit together. In high school, I was the Silent Bob to his Jay. If there was one thing Bryan was known for at that point, it was his loud and fast speech, which complemented (and still
“The typical Wash. U. student is so forwardthinking that they often lose perspective of the world, knowing, as Yoda has said ‘where you are, what you are doing.’” complements) his quick and sharp wit, the likes of which I have yet to fi nd anywhere else. Sophomore year, we staged a ninja battle in the middle of gym class, with our 80year-old senile coach completely oblivious. We were, and remain to this day, partners in crime in every sense of the phrase. One night, after graduating from high school, we were abandoned by another friend who was supposed to give us
a ride when we had decided to take up an adventure of sorts. We trooped across town to his girlfriend’s house after a strange white SUV kept driving by us at our waiting spot for our automotively mobile friend. The white wizard! We had to take the tree-covered route, so that we could be protected. We walked in step the entire way, unintentionally at fi rst, until we realized that doing so actually made us walk faster. But what lay ahead? King Street… cars and busy-ness… The Channel of Despair! How had we evolved from the apple-tossing kids to the cosmic adventurers we had become? He and I would, and still do, talk in those kind of metaphors and somehow we both know exactly what the other means, even if we have no idea what’s going through the other’s head. The really weird part is how we’ve both evolved into who we are now, especially with me in St. Louis most of the year and him in New York. In a way, we’ve influenced each other, but in a way we’ve also both grown in a similar manner independent of each other. Even after I haven’t spoken to him in a while, we can still strike up a conversation that immediately becomes abstract and deeper than I could possibly imagine any other conversation going. The
typical Wash. U. student is so forward-thinking that they often lose perspective of the world, knowing, as Yoda has said “where you are, what you are doing.” Bryan knows how the world works, and he’s knows what he wants out of life—meaningful things—better than anyone else I know. I’m the Jack Kerouac to his Neal Cassady. Or perhaps vice versa, because at this point, who’s to say? As we had on our aforementioned adventure, we naturally walk in step with one another, completely subconsciously. It was by doing this that we were able to conquer the Channel of Despair, and I have no doubt that we will cross it together again in the future. So I say to you, fair readers: if you are fortunate enough to fi nd someone who you mesh with like peanut butter with jelly, appreciate it. It’s rare to fi nd a truly deep connection that keeps you best friends with someone from third grade through age 20. And if you don’t have this, I urge you to look for it, because it keeps you sane and it keeps you going, despite all the crap. Seriously. Geoffrey is a junior in Arts & Sciences. He can be reached via e-mail at glschaef@artsci. wustl.edu.
8 STUDENT LIFE | CADENZA
Senior Cadenza Editor / Ivanna Yang / cadenza@studlife.com
CADEN Z A
WEDNESDAY | NOVEMBER 8, 2006
n. a technically brilliant, sometimes improvised solo passage toward the close of a concerto, an exceptionally brilliant part of an artistic work
arts & entertainment
diddy the evolution of a name and a hip-hop icon
“
It preserves my sexy.
”
-P. Diddy, 2004, in a soft sell commercial for the number one topical acne treatment, Proactiv acne system.
“
We valuepacks, you all small fries.
MCT CAMPUS
BY ERIC LEE CADENZA REPORTER
P
uff Daddy has been on the forefront of the hip-hop music scene for 15 years. Fifteen years of odd facial hair, a monotonic voice, questionable emcee talent and never taking off his sunglasses have equated to one thing for Sean Combs: an estimated value of $500 million and an impressive shag list including Jennifer Lopez and Kim Porter. On one hand, Combs represents the best of American capitalism: the ability of an individual from a modest background and little privilege to rise, by virtue of his own talents, to the top of the list. On the other hand, Combs’ rise represents what many hate about the cultural elite: the extravagance, overindulgence, degradation of moral values and repetitive, brainwashing nature of commercial hip hop. Combs is a businessman in every sense of the word. After his dismissal from Uptown Records in 1993, Combs became head of the Bad Boy label under the Arista family tree, taking with him friend and iconic rapper Christopher Wallace, also known as the Notorious
“
B.I.G. Success followed rapidly for the label, and prolific artists were added to Bad Boy’s increasingly powerful lineup, including TLC, Lil’ Kim, Mase and Jadakiss. Combs also had his own commercial successes, including the seven times platinum album “No Way Out.” He has been constantly accused of putting his own career in front of his label’s, especially by inserting himself into the covers, videos and singles of other Bad Boy artists. This has been a recurrent theme in the commercial fortune of Bad Boy Records, whose periods of success have largely revolved around Combs’ public appeal. Success brought rivalry, and there is perhaps no greater one than the Bad Boy-Death Row feud that has characterized the 1990s rap culture. Suge Knight’s West Coast armada of rappers, including Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre, clashed with Combs’ New York-based label. Infamous verbal volleys and death threats were thrown around, and former Bad Boy artist Tupac Shakur was recruited by Death Row after his bail was paid for (he had been accused of assault). Things were brought to a dramatic
I feel safe in white because, deep down inside, I’m an angel.
”
-Sean John’s head designer, P. Diddy, in response to his frequent appearance in such pigmentless outfits.
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You should do what we do, stack chips like Hebrews.
”
-Puff Daddy in his 1996 single “It’s All About the Benjamins.”
”
-Puff Daddy, in his track Reverse, tellin’ it like it is, like he always do.
conclusion when Tupac was shot and killed in 1996. Six months later, Notorious B.I.G. was also killed, in what many say was revenge for Tupac’s death. In the wake of this disaster, Combs and Wallace’s widow, Faith Evans, recorded “I’ll Be Missing You,” sampling The Police’s “Every Step You Take.” This was Combs’ biggest hit to date, spending 10 weeks atop the Hot 100. Bad Boy experienced a period of fiscal upturn, as Mase’s album went quadruple platinum and hip hop became the greatest gainer in radio airplay nationwide. Bad Boy artist Shyne, while criticized for being a Notorious B.I.G. knock off, was one of the biggest sellers of the year. But in the one-hit-wonder world of hip hop, fortune leads to failure, and Shyne was arrested in connection with a 1999 shooting outside a Manhattan nightclub where Combs and then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez were partying. Mase abruptly discovered religion and rescinded his contract, and Bad Boy began a four-year fiscal downturn, only recently rejuvenated by the stunning success of Making the Band 3 winners Danity Kane and Atlanta emcee Young Joc.
The 2000 trial of Combs for weapons charges started with the hiring of infamous O.J. Simpson lawyer Johnny Cochran and ended with a quick acquittal. He began to emphasize his mentor persona through the hit TV show Making the Band and through various social action campaigns. Combs has proven himself to be much more than a rich singer. His generosity and call for social awareness have been the trademark of his public persona. In 2003, he ran the New York marathon and raised $2 million for charity. In the election year of 2004, his Vote or Die campaign was partially credited for increasing voter turnout among the 18-24 demographic by five percent. Sean Combs now sits at the top of a media empire that is comparable to any other business in terms of power and recognition. Bad Boy Records has a value of around $341 million, and Combs has recently opened two restaurants as well as a Manhattan venue for his Sean John clothing line. Diddy’s newest album, “Press Play,” has just been released, and at 36, he shows no signs of slowing down.
Diddy: ‘Press Play’ BY ANDREW SENTER CADENZA REPORTER Diddy’s persona is possibly the most intriguing aspect of his new album, “Press Play.” Diddy, a.k.a. P. Diddy, a.k.a. Puff Daddy, is one of hip hop’s most recognizable figures. Unfortunately, his numerous successes in the hip hop industry do not help him produce a coherent or particularly engaging album. “Press Play” attempts to be a record with cutting edge production. Diddy enlists some of hip hop’s most successful producers including Timbaland, Kanye West and The Neptunes to help achieve this goal. Unfortunately, the results are not spectacular. The production offers little inventiveness, and over the course of 19 songs becomes a bit repetitive and mundane. Even though the production is mediocre, some of the tracks are great variations on popular hip-hop. “Come to Me,” produced
by Young Lord, has a pulsating beat that challenges the listener to dance. “Hold Up” is a dark but danceable production that creates a distinct atmosphere. One of the highlights of the album is “After Love” produced by Timbaland. Supported by stellar production, the highlight of the song is the singer Keri, who passionately sings about the aftermath of a relationship gone sour. Unlike most of the songs on the album, “After Love’’ is thoughtful and engaging. Diddy’s biggest shortcoming is that he is not a good rapper. His flow is indistinct, and he pronounces words in a truncated way that hinders them from sounding lyrical. “Wanna Move” featuring Big Boi of OutKast—one of the most talented rappers in hip hop—highlights Diddy’s poor rapping abilities. Diddy seems like an amateur compared to the lyrical prowess of Big Boi. Moreover, he rarely has anything new or creative to
say. His rhymes become stale and boring before the first half of the album is over. The production also begins to feel repetitive during the second half of the record. Diddy’s new album, “Press Play,” is bogged down by mediocre production and a sub-par lyricist. Some of the tracks are engaging, but overall the record is listless and dull. The album’s length, at 19 tracks, makes it feel interminable by the end.
Diddy Press Play Rating: ★✬✩✩✩ Tracks to download: “After Love,” “Wanna Move” For fans of: Young Joc, Timbaland, and other hip hop that is played on MTV
WEDNESDAY | NOVEMBER 8, 2006
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Sudoku
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2
3
4
Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit www.sudoku.org.uk.
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