M O N D A Y OCT. 27, 2003 Vol. 125, No. 26
Showers 44/38 w w w. s t u d l i f e . c o m
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
INSIDE
SU retools funding allocations
MORE THAN GREAT FOOD
Treasurer hopes revisions will do better job of encouraging student groups’ fundraising By Adrienna Huffman q Contributing Reporter
Reporter Rob McManmon takes a trip to the Hill. Find out some of the history of this old Italian neighborhood and read about what it has to offer besides great restaurants for your parents to visit. Also inside: Matt Simonton’s review of Mystic River and another installment of Making WUpee.
PAGE 3 20 Q’S WITH ANDREA MARKS
Andrea Marks answers 20 Questions from reporter Jeff Novack. Check out how she earned the title “cheer-tator,” why she worries about her bloomers, and how her brief career as a rhythmic gymnast almost cost her an eye.
PAGE 7
SYLVIA HARDY
Construction workers measure a hole that has been excavated along Forest Parkway for the MetroLink construction. The Cross County expansion will add approximetely eight miles of track to this St. Louis light-rail system.
Metro still on track despite financial woes County Illinois Transit District, and federal and state grants and subsidies. According to Farrol, the funds for expansion come solely from taxes and grants, thus Even though MetroLink usage has remained “flat” fewer passengers will not present an issue in expanfor the past two years, Kathy Farrol, a communication sion. The Cross County expansion of the MetroLink will representative for Metro, said that construction of the Forest Park-to-Shrewsbury line, right along the Wash- be an eight-mile L-shaped route with eight stops, extending from the current Forest Park station across the ington University campus, will barrel on. University and then into central Clay“The stations won’t be impacted,” said ton. From there, it will continue south Denise Zerillo, noting that financial isto Shrewsbury. The Cross County sues won’t interfere with construction of extension will enable University stuthe two new stations by the University. dents to board the MetroLink at a staZerillo is part of the consultant team for tion around Skinker or Big Bend and Cross County Collaborative working on go downtown, to the airport or to the the expansion of the MetroLink light rail, Galleria, among other locations. operated by Metro (the Bi-State Develop“Now it will be easier for students ment Agency). to get around for research opportuniMetroLink usage continues to remain ties, internships and jobs,” said Steve steady, with an average weekday “riderHoffner, vice-chancellor of student ship” of 44,539 in the 2003 fiscal year. In affairs. St. Clair County, Illinois, which includes Hoffner also pointed out that the East St. Louis and Belleville, usage is expansion will provide a direct link declining. Now, due to the decreasing from the Hilltop Campus to the School amount of passengers, the county will be Steve Hoffner of Medicine. reducing Metro service. Farrol seemed confident that stu“They’re having funding shortfalls and dents would embrace the MetroLink’s convenience. reduced schedules as a result,” said Farrol. “I’m certain that having stations that close [that] She reiterated that these “funding shortfalls” would not adversely affect expansion on St. Louis MetroLink prompt transit between the University’s facilities will be of benefit to students and in turn help us,” said lines. The money collected from ticket sales goes to op- Farrol. Students, especially those without cars, such as erational purposes, which are also supplemented by sales taxes from St. Louis City and County, the St. Clair
By Jeffrey Waldman q Contributing Reporter
In an effort to fairly reimburse its student groups for fundraising, the Student Union budget committee adopted a new fundraising policy that will apply throughout the rest of the current semester. Whereas the old policy looked at groups’ intent to fundraise, this plan rewards groups for how much they actually fundraise. Under the old fundraising policy, groups submitted their budget request each semester, and indicated in the request how much of their budget they Rob Stolworthy intended to fundraise. SU assigned each group a letter grade based on the percentage of their total budget they planned on fundraising. Groups received a bonus or penalty based upon the grades they were assigned. For example, a group assigned a grade of C, meaning it planned to fundraise 30 percent of its total budget, received an additional bonus from SU. In order to receive a grade of A, a student group had to plan to fundraise 50 percent of its total budget, and would receive a correspondingly larger bonus. Student groups with a grade of D or lower, raising less than 20 percent of their total budgets, received no bonuses and were penalized with a percentage of money deducted from the total funding they requested. Senior Rob Stolworthy, the SU treasurer, proposed the plan. Stolworthy said that the new changes represent an effort to make the fundraising bonuses reflect the actual, rather than the proposed, amount fundraised. Before, groups were hesitant to factor fundraising into their budgets if they were uncertain whether they would be able raise the proposed amount of money. “Basically, groups were manipulating the numbers,” said Stolworthy. “For smaller groups, it was more profitable for them to take the penalty than have a couple hundred dollars subtracted from their total budgets if they planned to fundraise.” Therefore, Stolworthy devised a new policy by which student groups are labeled low income or high
See METRO, page 2
See FUNDING, page 2
STUDENT SNAPSHOT
The Village does lunch
you planning on Q: Are going to Bauhaus this
By Shara Siegel q Contributing Reporter
year? Of course. I have my A: A.fishnet tights and black vinyl, all that’s missing are four-inch heels and some “liquid courage.” B. Maybe. It depends on whether or not I can find some nipple tassels and glow-in-the-dark body paint in time. C. No. It just won’t be the same. If I can’t crowd into a tent with at least 4,000 sweaty students, it’s just not worth it. D. I’ll be at home waiting with my best friends Linus and Lucy for the Great Pumpkin to arrive.
Cast your vote at studlife.com
INDEX Cadenza Forum Sports Calendar
pages 3-4 pages 5-6 page 7 page 9
COURTSEY OF LEI WANG
University researcher Lei Wang in his University office. Wang is one of a several scientists studying Alzheimer’s disease in the baby boom generation.
Scientists research Alzheimer’s crisis By Brandon Pierce q Contributing Reporter On the verge of what some experts consider to be an Alzheimer’s crisis, scientists at the School of Medicine are revealing important details concerning the disease’s destructive neurological effects. The eldest members of the baby boom generation, a significant segment of the United States population, will soon turn 60. Consequently, studies show that the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease in the U. S. is likely to surge sharply upward in the upcoming decades, straining already overburdened health care systems. In light of this crisis, the National Institute of Health (NIH) and other organizations are funding scientists like Lei Wang, a research associate in psychiatry at the School of Medicine, who are interested in the pathology of this disease.
See RESEARCH, page 2
STUDENT LIFE
One Brookings Drive #1039 #42 Women’s Building St. Louis, MO 63130
to go to main campus to get food,” said Leyton. “It also gives me a good excuse to come back to the Village after class and do some homework.” The new hours will mean more victual options for students during lunch time, especially for those who residing in the Village. The menu for lunch will include grilled items, a mini-salad bar, deli sandwiches, soup and a “value meal” option whereby students can combine a sandwich or salad, soup and a drink. Junior Maggie Grabow, another Lopata resident, said that she looks forward to the change. “There’s such little variety in Small Group now,” said Grabow. “There’s just grab-and-go sandwiches, and it will be nice to have something besides a
The students spoke and they were heard: starting Nov. 3, the Vilage will begin offering lunch. Director of Operations Steve Hoffner and Greg Teator, Dining Services general manager, made the decision to offer lunch in Small Group Housing between the hours of 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on a trial basis, starting Nov. 3 and lasting until spring break. After spring break, Hoffner and Teator will reevaluate the change, making a decision as to whether or not lunch will be a permanent service in the Village. Hoffner and Teator based their decision on a survey sent to 926 students living on the north See LUNCH, page 2 side of campus, including residents of the Village, Millbrook Apartments, Small Houses 9 and 10 and the fraternities. “The majority expressed their dissatisfaction with current hours and asked us to begin offering lunch,” said Hoffner. “This is a change, because in past years, we had very little interest in lunch on that side of campus.” Aside from the results of the survey, two other factors swayed Hoffner and Teator’s decision: the upcoming inclement winter weather and more activity occurring in the Village, including classes and events. Sophomore Mollie Leyton, who lives in Lopata, said that the decision to offer lunch will be especially beneficial when bad weather arrives. “I am excited about the new SYLVIA HARDY hours for Small Group Housing lunch, because in the win- Rachel Kwal enjoys dinner in the Small Group Housing dinning area with a ter, I am less inclined to want friend. SGH will soon serve lunch on a test basis.
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