F R I D A Y FEB. 18, 2005 Vol. 126, No. 53
Cold 40° / 27° w w w. s t u d l i f e . c o m
INSIDE
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
Freshman Class Council in need of mentoring, supervision, SU decides By David Tabor Contributing Editor
KWUR Week is coming up, and we’ve got you covered with all the details of the festivities. Find out who will be here and when in Cadenza.
Student Union has advised that the Freshman Class Council undergo mentoring sessions and additional supervision in response to a dearth of programming last semester. The council, a slate of five Student Union officers elected to represent Washington University’s class of 2008, has been unresponsive to business contact and has failed to attend meetings organized to discuss their lack of programming. The Freshman Class Council (FCC) is responsible for organizing class-wide events and manage Student Union funds allocated for that purpose. Student Union Vice President Pamela Bookbinder, a junior, acknowledged that FCC members had missed previous meetings of the Joint Class Council, a group composed of all four class councils. Bookbinder, whose responsibilities as Student Union vice president include chairing the Joint Class Council, explained that she now meets with the FCC separately before Joint Class Council meetings to provide them with more direct supervision. Senate Speaker Marc Bridge, a senior, described a feeling of “general frustration” with the situation. “I think it’s disappointing that
the freshman class hasn’t had the chance to experience the quality programming that other classes have had available to them,” said Bridge. Since being elected in October 2004, the FCC has organized one activity for the class of 2008, a rockclimbing event last fall that was co-sponsored with the Junior Class Council. Although the FCC has contributed to Joint Class Council events, such as Red Alert functions, it has yet to sponsor an event independent of other class councils. “When you first get elected freshman year, there’s a lot of stuff to figure out. There’s a lot of stuff that coming in as a freshman you don’t know about,” said Freshman Class Internal Vice President Stephanie Purisch. “By this point we really know what’s going on. That was the biggest thing last semester, coming in, not knowing all the ins and outs of how Student Union worked. It should be a lot better this semester.” Bill Woodward, faculty advisor to the FCC, has served as an advisor to several freshman councils in previous years, and he acknowledged that this year’s group had been slower to take advantage of the support structure offered to them. “It’s not typical to have had re
2004-2005 Freshman Class Council
President Yisrael Katz
Internal Vice President Stephanie Purisch
Treasurer Samantha Sacks
External Vice President Charlie Howard
Secretary Jared Caplan
See FRESHMAN COUNCIL, page 3
PAGE 8 Matt Simonton revisits Sunday’s Grammy Awards in his “Sonic Reduction” column in today’s Cadenza. Let’s just say he’s not a fan of the Grammys at all.
PAGE 7 The new “University Center”: First it was on.
Schaal named to top science post
Beat poet Williams slams GC
Biking for Break
By Aaron Seligman Forum Editor
By Elizabeth Lewis Contributing Reporter Members of the National Academy of Sciences elected Dr. Barbara A. Schaal, Spencer T. Olin Professor of Biology in Arts and Sciences, as v ice - presi dent of the Acade my. Serving a fou r -yea r term starting July 1, she will be the first female vice president of the Academy. “To be elected to WUSTL.EDU the National Barbara A. Schaal Academy Spencer T. Olin Professor is one of of Biology the highest honors that could be given to any scientist,” said Ralph Quatrano, chairman of
DAVID HARTSTEIN | STUDENT LIFE
Freshman Sam Gaynor bikes at the South 40 Fitness Center. Many students are hitting the gym in an effort to get in shape before Spring Break.
New York slam poet Saul Williams brought together the beats of hiphop and poetry when he spoke to a packed Graham Chapel about the relationship between them. At Wednesday’s Assembly Series lecture, Williams delivered an exposition entitled “The Connection Between Hip-Hop and Poetry,” though he focused mostly on the creative process of writing poems. He defined himself as a poet first and a hip-hop artist second, admitting that while he respects more “gangster” lyricists, he prefers content that explores an artist’s vulnerability—something he said most MC’s will never show. “The difference between an MC and a poet is that an MC has to act like he knows, while a poet admits ‘I don’t know’ and tries to figure it out,” said Williams, who has gained popularity from his recent CD releases and film appearances. In just over an hour Williams delivered four of his poems, on subjects varying from black identity
See SCHAAL, page 3
Then it was off. Then it was back on.
EPSC Building garners environmental certification By Helen Rhee Staff Reporter
Now it’s back off? “What is going on?” asks the Editorial Board in Forum.
PAGE 4 INDEX News Forum Sports Cadenza
1-3 4 5 5-8
The University’s Earth and Planetary Sciences Building was recently certified as one of only two buildings in metropolitan St. Louis to meet a variety of environment-friendly and sustainable design protocols. The U.S. Green Building Council declared the building a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) structure, making it the first building on campus to be LEED certified, and joining it with the Nidus Center for Scientific Enterprise in St. Louis County as the only two such buildings in the area. “The receipt of a LEED certification is very important because it shows the difference in terms of minimizing the detrimental impacts of buildings on the environment,” said Dr. Raymond Arvidson, James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor and chair
STUDENT LIFE
of Earth and Planetary Science. LEED buildings are judged based on five areas of sustainable design: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality. The new Earth and Planetary Science Building is equipped with environment-friendly rugs, sustainable tiles, and an efficient HVAC system. It is also located close to public transportation provided by the MetroLink and is surrounded by native plants which are accustomed to the climate and don’t need to be watered. “The energy cost associated with our campus is high,” said Arvidson. “We need to do everything to minimize the energy expenditure even if it means renovating the old buildings or building new ones. Therefore, the certification by LEED is a very good thing.” Thomas Harry Simmons, director of
One Brookings Drive #1039 #42 Women’s Building St. Louis, MO 63130
DAVID BRODY| STUDENT LIFE
The Earth and Planetary Sciences Building was certified by the U.S. Green Building Council as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building.
Newsroom: (314) 935-5995 Advertising: (314) 935-6713 Fax: (314) 935-5938
Editor: editor@studlife.com News: news@studlife.com Calendar: calendar@studlife.com
Please Recycle