STUDENT LIFE
THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER OF WASHINGTON UNIVERSIT Y IN ST. LOUIS SINCE 1878 Campus sculptures, Taco Bell, course evals, ArtSci mail, Coca-Cola, Bon Appétit and the weather are up for debate in Forum. Page 6.
Cadenza bids a sad farewell to All Real Numbers. After three years, cartoonist David Freeman is setting down his pen. Page 8.
VOLUME 127, NO. 39
Swimming and diving makes a splash: this weekend, the team earned seven school records and seven NCAA qualifying times. Page 5.
Inside Cadenza: Our editors scored a first look at some of the Xbox 360’s hottest games. Page 8.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2005
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Tulane transfers head back to New Orleans By Jessie Rothstein Contributing Reporter As the semester winds down and workloads pile up, Tulane students who have spent the past semester at Washington University are eager to head back to New Orleans and to engage in the city’s rebuilding efforts. Although many of these students have enjoyed their time spent at the University, they seem to have no reservations about returning to Tulane, excited by the rebuilding experiences to come. Looking back on the past few months, freshman Stephen Frapart said, “I met a whole bunch of nice kids, took a bunch of great classes…this semester was everything that I could have asked for.” Nonetheless, his initial considerations of remaining on this campus were permanently abandoned after he realized that “those experiences that I’ll be a part of at Tulane with the rebuilding efforts…will help me learn so much that I wouldn’t necessarily be able to learn here.” Jackie Singer, also a freshman, admitted that “I am going to be sad to leave Wash. U., there’s no question,” yet she’s excited fi nally to begin studying at the institution that she’s always wanted to attend. One especially positive aspect of her past semester in St. Louis is that she was able to forge friendships with
several other visiting students from Tulane that she will be able to carry with her back to New Orleans. Other Tulane transfers report an unsatisfactory semester spent at Washington University. Senior Andrea Dube also fi nds herself awaiting her return to Tulane after being relatively unimpressed with the University’s assistance during the transition period and the school’s more subdued social life. “As a Tulane student, and a senior, it’s been quite isolating here, and it seems as though all Tulane students have really stuck together,” she said. Although Dube notes that the University and Tulane are quite similar in terms of student body makeup and the academic scene, she’s noticed a marked difference in study habits. “While we are used to students in New Orleans rolling into an 8 a.m. class directly from the bar, all the students here have actually done all of the reading…and all of next week’s.” Differences such as these aside, issues surrounding tuition payments stand out as the most negative experience for all visiting students. While most of the schools around the country either allowed Tulane students to attend at no cost or admitted them on the condition that Tulane could keep the tuition money, Washington Univer-
sity required payment. Although visiting students at the University will not end up paying more than they would have at Tulane, due to Tulane’s promise that all payments from this semester will be credited towards their future semesters at Tulane, many students are still extremely angered by the University’s actions. As Frapart put it, “I understand that Wash. U. is a business and trying to make money, but in these circumstances you could be understanding and forgiving.” Singer agreed that this move “made me really mad, especially because Tulane really needs the money right now.” Dube pointed out that Tulane students will also face tuition hurdles when Tulane provides an extra semester in May and June, known as a “Lagniappe” semester. According to Dube, the visiting students at Washington University will not be qualified for Tulane’s offers regarding this semester, which will allow those who paid Tulane in the fall to attend this semester for free, and will grant $5,000 credit to Tulane graduate school for all seniors who paid in the fall. Many Tulane students are looking forward to joining the rebuilding efforts that they have heard about over the past few months. Administrators at Tulane have been
DAVID BRODY | STUDENT LIFE
Stephen Frapart was supposed to be a freshman at Tulane this fall. Instead, he has spent this semester living in Mudd House while enrolled in University College. keeping in constant contact with the students, informing them on what the school is doing to get ready for its reopening and even shooting
videos of the school and the city to provide proof. According to Frapart, “they’re making every effort possible to really try to keep
our class intact…it’s going to be so unique and special to be part of the Tulane class, what we’ve gone through and what we will go through.” Singer notes that in all of the Tulane president’s e-mails and speeches, the main focus has been on how the students will play a large role in the rebuilding of the city. “I’m sure it will be everything…from fundraising to actual rebuilding…My college experience is going to be a lot different than it would have been, but I’m excited,” she said. Dube agreed, saying that “the fact that pretty much all of the students are returning to a devastated city is so overwhelming.” Frapart also anticipated a revival of Tulanian camaraderie, noting, “[School spirit] will be so much more intensified and everyone will be more passionate.” This spirit is sure to persist even with the altered conditions that the circumstances pose. Dube’s apartment was completely destroyed in the flooding, so next semester she will be living on a cruise ship in the same water that consumed her home. Nonetheless, she sums up the Tulane student body’s sentiments as she states, “New Orleans is an extraordinary place, and while right now it is made up of rows of rotten refrigerators and moldy debris, I truly can’t wait to be part of the rebuilding effort.”
Transfers adjust to University’s academic setting By Sarah Kliff and Margy Levinson News Staff
DAVID HARTSTEIN | STUDENT LIFE
Going beyond the realm of music, Apple’s iPod has found its way into classrooms nationwide. In such classes, students have the ability to download the audio from class and listen to it at their convenience.
iPods in school: will the device revolutionize the classroom? By Helen Rhee Staff Reporter Apple’s iPod mp3 players have already attracted millions of users for their ease of use and ability to make music accessible anywhere. Now, iPods are venturing into the classroom. At universities nationwide, students and the professors are choosing to use the iPod, the latest portable digital music player, as part of their teaching. This interest follows the “podcasting” trend, in which digital audio recordings are broadcast over the Internet, allowing students to download them at the click of a button. Apple Computer, Inc., the creator of iPod, has raved about its product’s ability to make learning accessible and convenient for students. University professors can easily upload versions of their recorded lectures online. They can create files using familiar software programs such as Quicktime Pro 7. Then, the files are ready to
be published online for “podcast,” a word conglomerated from the words “broadcast” and “iPod.” On the company’s site, Apple calls podcasting a means to free “learning from constraints of the physical classroom.” At Washington University, students can access the video version of some science courses online. But currently, the University offers no means for students to use iPods to download their lectures online. Matt Arthur, director of Residential Technology Services, said it is technologically feasible to post lectures online at the University and review them via iPod. Jan Weller, assistant vice chancellor of network library technology, said, however, that it would be up to each professor to decide whether or not to incorporate iPods into his or her classroom. Currently, the University does not officially endorse the use of the iPod in the classroom. John Bleeke, associate pro-
fessor of chemistry, said that since video online lectures provide both the visual and audio content of original lectures, the iPod, which mainly stores audio formats, may not be as useful for the students. “I don’t think the audio version would be very helpful to the students,” said Bleeke. “We mostly use the blackboard during the lecture, so if you don’t have the visual, I don’t think you can get much out of it.” Bleeke also said that allowing students to view lectures online has not decreased student attendance in the classroom. Yet other prestigious universities such as Stanford and Duke are already using the podcasting technology to broadcast large classroom lectures to students. At Stanford University, students can only access the recordings of the lectures after one month of the actual lecture. Stanford set the limit as a means to prevent the students from using the
device as a replacement for attending actual lectures in the classroom. Duke University has hosted various events, including podcasting symposiums, to discuss various ethical and technological issues surrounding the practice. As a part of the Duke Digital Initiative, Duke university distributed over 1,600 20 GB iPod devices, equipped with Belkin Voice recorders, to entering first-year students in August of last year. The fall 2005 course listings at Duke indicate that a broad range of professors are using the device. At the end-of-the-year evaluations, it was suggested that over 48 courses include iPod as part of their course curriculum. The evaluation suggested that the engineering students found benefits in iPod’s ability to playback the previous lectures. Nevertheless, they found that sometimes, recordings were not of sufficient quality to replace the live lecture.
Senior Hilary Blaker transferred to Washington University two years ago, unhappy with the educational environment at Columbia University in New York City. “I didn’t fi nd it academically adequate,” said Blaker. “The city is too busy and too expensive for a college student.” Sophomore Emily Niespodziewanski, a transfer student from the College of William and Mary, gave a simple reason for switching schools. “Everything here is better,” she said. Blaker and Niespodziewanski are among an increasing number of students transferring to schools different from their original choice, according to a recent New York Times article. While students come seeking new academic opportunities, some fi nd a new university a difficult place to take on indepth research and the academic opportunities available to four-year students. An annual report by the National Survey of Student Engagement found that transfer students typically become less engaged in research projects with their professors. Warming up to Washington University The 100-150 transfer students arriving at the University each year receive services to acclimate them to the University. Nanette Tarbouni, director of undergraduate admissions, said in an e-mail that the orientation office runs an orientation program for transfer students in both spring and fall semesters. “It is always our goal to make every new student to Washington University feel welcome,” said Tarbouni. Niespodziewanski attended one of those orientations
last year. “They did a lot of get-toknow-each-other programs. It was nice to be part of a group—it was better than being thrown into a matrix of people who already knew each other,” said Niespodziewanski. According to Niespodziewanski, one of the University’s nice touches in orienting transfers was the presence of transfer students as advisors. “Our peer advisors can share their positive experiences, which helps a lot,” she said. Niespodziewanski did fi nd some things difficult about being a fi rst-year sophomore. “Orientation was better here [than at William and Mary], but I didn’t get a library tour—I’m working on getting that,” she noted. Students also make academic adjustments when arriving on campus. “Most transfer students have similar problems as freshmen, different workloads, and adjusting to a new culture,” said Dean Molly McBurney, who coordinates peer advising and other orientation programs. “A lot of them worry about [studying abroad], but it’s defi nitely possible, just have to plan ahead. Summer study-abroad [programs] are a great option.” According to McBurney, the most common things that transfer students worry about are clusters. She said, “It’s more of a concern rather than actually [a problem]. [Transfer students are] generally right on track.” The ability to study abroad also presents a challenge for students attempting to fulfi ll their new university’s requirements. “It’s easier if [transfer students] come in as sophomores; juniors are trickier. However it depends on a lot
See TRANSFERS, page 3