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BEARS SWEEP UAA| WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL ADVANCES TO NCAA | SPORTS, PAGE 8

STUDENT LIFE

THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER OF WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS SINCE 1878 VOLUME 128, NO. 30

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2006

WWW.STUDLIFE.COM

University neutrality limits discourse BY SAM GUZIK CONTRIBUTING REPORTER In an election year that many pundits have labeled critical to the future of the nation, free discussion and debate are crucial to the process of making informed decisions. At Washington University, however, many feel that such open discourse is sometimes stifled. Senior Aaron Keyak, president of College Democrats, notes that the University could do more to facilitate that kind of participation by relaxing some of the restrictions on partisan

speech. In the past two years, College Democrats have had to make alternate plans for programs that would have allowed University students to become involved with politics on a national scale by allowing them to interact with national figures. Last year, the College Democrats national convention had to be moved to the Saint Louis University campus because of University policies. “We could have brought John Kerry to campus, but couldn’t because of University rules,” said Keyak. “This would have

been a tremendous opportunity for an educational institution, but the University said ‘no.’” James McLeod, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, defended the University’s decisions because of certain constraints that must be placed upon partisanship in an educational community. Because of the University’s tax-exempt status and the Missouri State Charter that established the school, University policy does not permit facilities on campus to be used for campaign rallies or events, prohibits partisan political meetings

Availability of Plan B varies BY SARA RAJARAM CONTRIBUTING REPORTER With the election tomorrow, Plan B may be a deciding factor for many voters. Dr. Susan Wood, former assistant commissioner for Women’s Health at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), addressed the Plan B controversary on Friday as part of the FDA Hero Speaking Tour. Wood resigned from her position in August 2005 after the FDA ignored the advice of health professionals and postponed the approval of Plan B emergency contraception for people without a prescription. Wood recommended that

Plan B become available overthe-counter for women of all ages. This past August, the FDA approved the over-the-counter sale of Plan B for women at the age of 18 or above, with minors needing a prescription. Wood discussed this restriction as an example where government agencies have formed policies on the basis of political maneuvering instead of scientific facts. “Scientific data and professional scientists are being overruled,” said Wood. “In part, this is due to elected leaders using predetermined ideologies to ignore the science. It is also due

See PLAN B, page 2

and requires the University to maintain political neutrality. McLeod also stressed that members of the faculty feel strongly about having students speak up—both inside and outside of the classroom. “We applaud the principles of free speech and we have a special responsibility to encourage people to pursue that speech as a university,” said McLeod. Creating an atmosphere where there is free and meaningful discussion, however, is not simple. “Students are very nervous about the tone of discussions,”

said senior Meredith Davis, coeditor of the Washington University Political Review (WUPR) and a member of the StudentWorker Alliance (SWA). Davis suggested that despite some well-known stories of activism, such as the SWA sit-in two years ago, many students tend not to express their opinions in vocal and active ways. Instead, they choose more conservative, written forums like WUPR. Because the majority of the student body considers itself liberal, this often works to stifle the message of other sides of the

political spectrum. This type of closed-mindedness is a significant barrier to discussion not just in cases of partisanship, but in all types of discussion. “Students will condemn you just for speaking out as a Republican,” said junior Stacey Goodwin, president of the College Republicans. In addition to the barrier provided by single-mindedness, the largest roadblock to effective discussion is the perceived apathy of students on campus. “People need to quit seeing political speech as outside their lives,” said Davis.

MISSOURI SENATORIAL RACE HEATS UP

EITAN HOCHSTER | STUDENT LIFE

MCT CAMPUS

With the Missouri Senatorial election only two days away, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) spoke in support of Claire McCaskill (Dem) Sunday night in Forest Park. The important election has garnered significant national attention, so much so that President George W. Bush visited Missouri to support incumbent Sen. Jim Talent (Rep) in June. Talent thanks Bush for speaking during a fundraiser for Talent’s campaign in Clayton, Mo., on Wednesday, June 28, 2006.

WU seniors make final four in Chevy Super Bowl Ad Challenge BY JOSH MALINA CONTRIBUTING REPORTER Three seniors were recognized as finalists last Tuesday in the Chev y Super Bowl College Ad Challenge, a national competition of college students to create an idea for a commercial to run during next year’s game. The students, Hubert Cheung of the Olin School of Business, and Shlomo Goltz and Nathan Heigert from the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts, were among only four other teams from across the country selected to present their ideas to Chevrolet ex-

ecutives and their ad agency. “Chevrolet Team 509” wined and dined with company executives, toured company headquarters and attended workshops on advertising—all before presenting their concept to Chevrolet on Monday morning. The winning team was announced later that day, but participants were legally bound to keep the results confidential until Chevrolet works out some remaining details, said a company spokesman. “It’s probably the hardest part,” said Heigert. “I really

COURTESY OF CHANDRA KENNETT

Shlomo Goltz (left), Nathan Heigert (center) and Hubert Cheung (right) pose at the Chevy Superbowl College Ad Challenge in Detroit. The three Wash. U. seniors were named as finalists in the competition after pitching their ad idea to Chevy executives.

Rembrandt comes to Forest Park Students can view a collection of the famous Dutch artist’s paintings and etchings at the Saint Louis Art Museum in Forest Park. Scene gives you a brief inside look. Scene, Page 4

want to tell everyone.” Heigert served as chief illustrator for the team, designing the storyboards for the commercial. Goltz specializes in sound and motion design and helped relate the overall idea of the commercial to the Chevrolet executives. And Cheung, a marketing major, was charged with deciding how the ad would fit in with Chevrolet’s business goals. “My job was to decide, ‘How will this ad help sell Chevrolet’s cars?’” said Cheung. Cheung learned of the competition through the Adventures in Advertising group, a company he worked with on a marketing project last semester. He started asking around, looking for someone “art-oriented” who might be interested in the competition. On the day before the registration deadline, he found Goltz. “It was complete luck that we bumped into each other,” said Cheung of Goltz, who was only an acquaintance at the time. With the addition of Goltz, and then Heigert later, the team was building the diversity of talent that they felt was responsible for their success. “In our three-person team, I had no idea about business. Hubert had no idea about visuals,” said Goltz. “I think we were very lucky in that

we were the only team in the final round with a mixture of disciplines.” Although Cheung acknowledged creativity as a necessary part of advertising, he bases the team’s success in getting to the final round more on the merit of their ideas. “Advertisement is about selling a brand and a product, rather just making it look good,” said Cheung. Regardless of how they made it to the finals, once there the team spent many hours and late nights focusing on presentation. Marketers at Campbell-Ewald, Chevrolet’s advertising firm, coached team members on how to properly present their ideas to the Chevrolet executives. “Each team was provided professional support to develop their story boards,” said Kelly O’Neill, a Chevrolet advertising manager. “Each team did a fantastic job presenting their concepts.” As part of developing its concept, Chevrolet has plans to produce a short, realityTV spot for the weekend prior to the Super Bowl. Toward this end, TV cameras monitored the finalists the entire weekend, from the moment they got to the airport on Friday until they left Detroit three days later.

See AD CHALLENGE, page 2

Students dance the night away Dance Marathon was this weekend and Student Life was there. Check out photos from that crazy, crazy night, where even Chancellor Wrighton hit the dance floor. News, Page 3

INSIDE: Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Forum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Sudoku . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

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