FINALS SURVIVAL| THROWING THE PERFECT STRESS-FREE PARTY | SCENE, PAGE 10
STUDENT LIFE
THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER OF WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS SINCE 1878 VOLUME 128, NO. 38
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2006
South 40 dorm safety scrutinized BY DAVID SONG STAFF REPORTER Washington University campus dorms are the least secure among three other St. Louis area universities, according to a recent undercover investigative report by KMOV, the channel 4 St. Louis news. The news report, which aired on Monday evening, involved a visit to the campuses of four area universities—Washington University, the University of Missouri St. Louis, Lindenwood University and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville—to examine university and student security by attempting to have an undercover producer enter the dorms. The investigator fi rst approached Dardick Hall, where the undercover reporter was able to gain entry into the locked building when several University students unlocked the door and allowed him inside. According to the report, the producer spent several minutes in the hall without confrontation and then left the building. However, the same students who opened the door for the producer later called the University police, who in turn confronted the reporter outside Dardick Hall. “The dorm security was similar to what we encountered at Lindenwood and UMSL—the key access or swipe-card access system,” said Steve Chamraz, the reporter for the story. “SIUE chooses to staff its residence halls 24 hours a day. Once [Washington University] campus security was alerted to our presence, they moved in quickly and with quite a few
officers. That was impressive.” The report also cited crime data for the University from 2004 to 2005, noting 14 reported forcible sex offenses and 29 burglaries. Both figures were the highest among the four university campuses investigated; UMSL and Lindenwood reported no sex offenses, and SIUE saw five over that time span. Director of Campus Police Don Strom suggested that the news report was, in regards to the University, somewhat misleading. “The way the story was packaged was, to me, a little disingenuous,” he said. Strom said that the students’ reporting of the undercover producer in Dardick Hall served as an example of University security. “Students recognized the person was out of place and called the police. From that perspective, the system worked the way it’s supposed to.” Strom also stressed the joint responsibility between the students and the University police for security on the campus. “Whatever we do for safety and security on campus is a shared responsibility. It’s all of us working together,” said Strom. “In this case, shared responsibility worked.” Associate Director of Residential Life Rob Wild added that both Residential Life services and the University police work to maintain the dorms’ security. “Residential Life and [the University police] work together to ensure the residential halls are safe. The greatest
See DORMS, page 3
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SUNDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
DAVID BRODY | STUDENT LIFE
CBS Sports Executive Producer Andy Goldberg, a University alumnus, calls the shots at the Rams vs. Chiefs game on Nov. 5. Check out what goes on behind the scenes of an NFL broadcast on page 4.
Talking college with Meg Cabot BY ELLEN JONES CONTRIBUTING REPORTER Walking through the Campus Bookstore, it can begin to seem like textbooks and MCAT study guides are the only books written with college students in mind. And, helpful as they may be when it’s time to prep for that final exam, the average college students probably will not be turning to their statistics book when they fi nd some time to relax. This apparent gap in the market has not gone unnoticed by the publishing in-
dustry, or by members of the Washington University community. Best-selling author Meg Cabot, known best for her “Princess Diaries” series, believes that college students are underrepresented in the world of fiction. “That time period where you get out of college and are trying to fi nd out what you want to do [with your life], for me it was extremely traumatizing,” said Cabot. “There aren’t a lot of books of fiction out there that are about that time period.” Her latest book, “Size 14 is Not Fat Either,” attempts to
fi ll that void. Inspired by the students Cabot worked with when she was assistant manager of a New York University residence hall, “Size 14” weaves sensitive issues, like sexuality and uncertainty about the future, into a light-hearted novel about college life. “I wish I could fi nd time to read for fun more,” admits freshman Ginny Page. “Whenever I actually have time to read, I always reach for ‘Chick lit’ and Meg Cabot is one of my favorite authors.” But Cabot’s ability to reach
out to young readers is not a new thing. Many current University students grew up reading Cabot’s books and are excited to see that her characters have grown up as well. “When I started reading “The Princess Diaries” in high school, I could easily relate to some of the things going on in Mia’s life,” said Page. “That made the book not only more realistic, but also more interesting.” This latest book, like so many of Cabot’s books, en-
See CABOT, page 3
Contentious I-64 changes unveiled Bollywood meets the Midwest BY ELIZABETH LEWIS STAFF REPORTER
SHWETA MURTHI | STUDENT LIFE
BY PUNEET KOLLIPARA CONTRIBUTING REPORTER The Missouri Department of Transportation (MO-DOT) recently released details about the impending reconstruction of a 12-mile stretch of I-64, otherwise known as Highway 40. Commuting Washington University students, faculty and staff are concerned about the impact of the project on their everyday lives. Donna Kepley, administrative assistant in the Department of Women’s Studies, agrees that I-64 is in major need of work.
“It’s like a parking lot out there,” she said, describing typical rush hour conditions. Kepley typically uses I-64 to commute to and from work. In good weather, it takes Kepley as long as an hour to make the 20-mile drive from Danforth Campus back to her home in Manchester. At a November 17 meeting, MO-DOT released its choice for the design-build team, Gateway Constructors, as well as tentative construction schedule outlines. The $535 million project, the most expensive highway project
The more tests, the better? Unwelcome news during finals season: a new study from the psychology department suggests that frequent testing improves learning. News, Page 2
in MO-DOT’s history, will begin in the spring of 2007 and finish in late 2010. Gateway Constructors will be working on the highway in segments to allow continual traffic flow. MO-DOT’s primary goal is a complete overhaul of I-64 from Kingshighway Blvd. to just west of Spoede Road. MO-DOT hopes to add one lane to each side of the highway and new interchanges between I-64 and I-170 to reduce the highway’s notoriously heavy congestion. The department also wants to replace the route’s bridges, many of which MO-DOT said
could become dangerous if not repaired, and resurface the highway so it can better handle the 170,000 cars that drive on it daily. The project has raised many concerns, such as traffic congestion, that were addressed but not resolved at a public forum on the project at the University in late September. For those who must commute to school or work, like Kepley, Highway 40’s reconstruction poses a major new obstacle. Commuters must now
See I-64, page 2
And the next rock star prof is... On Wednesday, our Editorial Board asked for a big name professor. We suggested Jim Talent but cartoonist Johnny Chang has a different idea Forum, Page 6
Washington University got a taste of Bollywood, India’s thriving movie industry, on Wednesday with an Assembly Series event entitled “Bollywood and Beyond.” Actress and social activist Shabana Azmi and her husband Javed Akhtar, a famed lyricist, poet and scriptwriter, addressed a large crowd in Graham Chapel. Both are international superstars who are just as famous for their work as for their efforts in social justice. Both Azmi and Akhtar are currently in the United States to perform a play, “Kaifi Aur Main,” in 20 cities across the country and to talk at several universities. Though the play will not be performed in St. Louis, Mohammad Jahangeer Warsi, a professor of Hindi and Linguistics, was able to convince them to speak at the University. “We met at a seminar
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in India, and I convinced [Azmi] to come and have an open talk in Graham Chapel,” said Warsi. To prepare for her and her husband’s arrival, Warsi organized all of his students in his Hindi classes into committees that were in charge of alerting the media to the event, receiving the guests and fl yering around campus. This proved to be a fortunate opportunity for many University students who are avid admirers of the famous duo. “They are pivotal fi gures. I have a great interest in South Asia, and I am also South Asian. I have an intellectual and personal interest,” said senior Aisha Sabar, a beginning Hindi student. “Through art and activism, [they] have been extremely active. [They have] become icons of South Asia for leadership.”
See BOLLYWOOD, page 3
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