YOU’VE BEEN ‘PLUTOED’ | WU’S SPEAKS OUT WITH FAVORITE WORDS| SCENE, PAGE 8
STUDENT LIFE
THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER OF WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS SINCE 1878 VOLUME 128, NO. 46
Dean Sansalone unveils new ‘Plan for Excellence’ BY SAM GUZIK ASSIGNMENTS EDITOR
DAVID BRODY | STUDENT LIFE
Joey Fasl watches as fellow freshman Brian Griffin adjusts a pendulum during an Introduction to Engineering Design lab in Jolley Hall on Thursday, Jan. 25. Dean Sansalone recently announced major changes to the structure of the Mechanical, Civil and Aerospace engineering programs.
In a letter to engineering undergraduates earlier this week, Dean Mary Sansalone set forth a plan to modernize the School of Engineering, announcing the reshuffl ing of majors and the proposed construction of three new engineering buildings. The biggest change to the School will be the elimination of the Aerospace Engineering major, which received accreditation this past year. “The masters is becoming the entry-level degree, and to offer a full aerospace program needs a range of specialties— we don’t have that full scope [at the undergraduate level],” said Sansalone. Aerospace engineering is usually taught as a graduate program, and the University’s undergraduate program was an attractive feature to some students. “I became interested in the University because they had the bachelors [program] in aerospace and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do graduate school or not. I was shocked that they dropped the undergraduate [program] but kept the graduate school,” said junior Kevin Feld, an aerospace engineer. Sansalone elaborated that since many aerospace courses are offered as evening classes, students must take them at unusual times. Although current Aerospace
majors will be able to complete their curricula, students enrolling in the Class of 2011 will not have that option. This decision was partially based upon feedback from industry advisors who suggested that a Mechanical Engineering degree better prepares undergraduates to become Aerospace engineers, after receiving a master in the field. The second large change unveiled was the merging of the Department of Civil Engineering with the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering; the new department will be called the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Structural Engineering. Some students expressed concern that this could weaken Engineering School enrollment in the future by narrowing the school’s focus. “It seems like this is downgrading the importance of the engineering school. There were pretty good programs for all the majors before, but they are now changing the emphasis towards BME,” said Philip Boone, a freshman biomedical engineering (BME) major. “Enrollment in those departments was already down, and this is just going to hurt the number of people coming in next year,” said Sara Schroder, a senior civil engineering major. Students also suggested that
See ENGINEERING, page 2
Sorority recruitment falls short BY BRITTANY FARB STAFF REPORTER For over 200 University women, winter break was cut one week short to attend this year’s sorority recruitment. After a steady increase in participation over the past several years, this year saw a marked decline in attendance. According to the Greek Life Office (GLO) there are 261 women who rushed this year, with 236 new members receiving bids, compared to 339 women who rushed last year. “Apparently sorority rush numbers are down nationally,
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which is why we weren’t so worried about it,” said senior Julie Davis, the Women’s Panhellenic Association (Panhel) 2006 vice president of recruitment. “Also, in past years, a lot of women sign up, but then never show up for rush. We didn’t have that problem at all [this year], which was great.” Recruitment Advisor Jessica Gendron could not explain the decrease in national numbers, but did attribute the University’s decrease in registration to more clearly defi ned expectations of members during prerush information sessions. “Sororities did a better job
this year than in previous years of explaining the commitment level and expectations of members,” said Gendron. The number of women who self-withdrew from the rush process remained the same as previous years, said Gendron. The GLO would not release the statistics on the number of rushees who did not receive a bid from any sorority. Each sorority hosts a series of parties during the recruitment process in order to meet potential new members (PNMs). All potential rushees are assigned to groups led by two Rho Chis, sorority mem-
bers that have temporarily disaffi liated from their chapters to serve as liaisons during the rush process. Another change this year involved Unity Day, the day when new members receive their bids. Panhel wanted to place a greater emphasis on solidarity by giving active sorority women and new members identical pink shirts to wear during the ceremony at Graham Chapel. “Unity day was a positive experience this year,” said junior Lisa Bridge, president of Delta Gamma. “I remember
See RECRUITMENT, page 2
Campus drag show debuts
COURTESY OF PRIDE ALLIANCE
“Siren” performs at the University of Missouri, St. Louis. She will be the master of ceremonies at Friday’s drag show in the Gargoyle. BY ANDREA WINTER STAFF REPORTER Washington University will give students the chance to watch professional drag queens perform and participate in gender-bending fun at the University’s first annual Drag Show this Friday at the Gargoyle. “Students can expect a fun, loose atmosphere and to enjoy something they may not have attended before,” said junior Lori Weingarten, the co-president of Pride Alliance who spearheaded the drag show. Weingarten came up with the idea for the show a year ago after attending Webster University’s 10th annual Drag Show with other students. He joined a drag show committee which was formed last semester, and Weingarten’s vision will finally come to fruition tonight. Although this is the first year that a drag show has been officially sponsored by a student group, the first drag show on campus dated back to 1998. A drag queen or king is “one who performs masculinity (king) or one who performs femininity (queen) in a theatrical setting,” according to the University’s Safe Zone’s Ally Workshop Guide. Weingarten said that a drag performer is not necessarily male or female, and that drag performers have a wide range of experiences. The show will feature several professional drag performers from St. Louis, including a University graduate student. There will be a raffle and an amateur
drag competition during intermission, which is open to anyone. Students are encouraged to dress in drag and prizes will be awarded to the best-dressed attendee. “I am excited for students to come and hopefully to dress in drag because I don’t think there are many opportunities for Wash. U. students to do so. This a professional show, but we’re hoping that people will want to have a student drag show in the future,” said Weingarten. The Alternative Lifestyle Association (ALA) has teamed up with the Pride Alliance to help coordinate the show. According to the ALA’s president, senior Dallas Bryson, the organization has had little outreach in the past, but the drag show will allow the group to make itself better known. “One of the alternative lifestyles is cross dressing, so it is certainly something that falls both under our domain and the Pride Alliance’s domain,” said Bryson. “I am really excited that the ALA is a part of the first drag show at Wash U. I know we have some great entertainment coming.” Half of all proceeds from the charity event will go to the St. Louis LGTB (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender) Community Center. The Interim Executive Director of the center, Muriel Lynn Jones, who goes by “Blue,” said that even though St. Louis has over sixty LGTB organizations, more than most cities, it does not have a LGTB community center. Over the last two years, the St. Louis LGTB center has launched a Web site and a newsletter, but it still does not have a location. The organization has been working on both fundraising and finding a facility. “The LGTB is excited, happy and appreciative that the students at the school are doing their part to contribute,” said Jones. Many University students are looking forward to the drag show with anticipation. “I’m really excited to go to such a significant event for the gay community,” said junior Natalie Jarecki. Not everyone shared the same enthusiasm for the event, however. “I do want to see a drag show,
See DRAG SHOW, page 2
New hybrids make special showing on campus BY ELIZABETH LEWIS NEWS MANAGER The General Motors (GM) conference, held yesterday, featured a presentation on GM’s new fuel-efficient technologies and vehicles by GM representative Eric Kaufman. Pratim Biswas, the chair of the new University department of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, presented Washington University’s research and educational efforts in the energy and environmental area. Biswas began the event by discussing the goals the University hopes to achieve through its newly created department. One of the key missions of the department is to conserve the planet and its
resources, which it hopes to achieve through its studies of energy, advanced materials such as nanoparticle technology, and sustainable technology, such as benign synthesis and reaction engineering. “The entire planet depends on understanding these disciplines in a rigorous manner,” said Biswas. But in order to accomplish these long-term goals, Biswas stressed the need to understand environmental options and to come up with solutions, an area which Biswas said the University is leading. Presently, he said the department is focusing on biofuels produced from plant-based sources, oxy-biofuel combustion and carbon dioxide mitigation methodologies. In the
Basketball takes on Brandeis Men’s and women’s basketball have one of their most anticipated match-ups against Brandeis today. Sports has previews of both games. Sports, Page 3
future, he said that energy sources will likely come from solar energy, and from converting waste into energy. “The campus is a living laboratory for us. We want the buildings [on campus] to be energy-efficient and environmentally sound,” said Biswas. Along these lines, Eric Kaufman, a technical integration engineer at the General Motors Energy Center, discussed the current progress that his company has made in developing more fuel-efficient vehicles and their plans for the future. He said that in the year 2020, there will be approximately 1.1 billion vehicles—enough cars to circle the Earth 125 times. “Petroleum alone is not going to cut it when you look at
the world’s fuel demands,” he said. Sources of energy that GM are examining include biofuels and electricity, and a longrange goal of hydrogen fuel cells. Specifically, GM is using E85, which uses 85 percent of the biofuel ethanol and only 15 percent gasoline. Ethanol is a renewable fuel that helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduces the current dependence on petroleum, supports the local economy, and offers better vehicle performance. GM Flexfuel vehicles, such as the E85 capable Chevy Tahoe, can run on any combination of gasoline and/or E85. Kaufman stressed that such
See GM CONFERENCE, page 2
Take Out: recipe for cold nights When the weather is too chilly for the trek to Bear’s Den, take out comes to the rescue. Jackie Allen samples some of St. Louis’ finest meals to go. Scene, Page 8
LIONEL SOBEHART | STUDENT LIFE
A hybrid Saturn Jeep drove onto campus yesterday as a model of General Motor’s conference on fuel-efficient technology.
INSIDE: Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Forum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Sudoku . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
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