M O N D AY NOV. 10, 2003 Vol. 125, No. 32
Cloudy 58 / 53 w w w. s t u d l i f e . c o m
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
INSIDE Worker speaks out from Nicaragua REVIEWING REVOLUTIONS
Students seek answers, lobby for worker’s rights By Jonathan Greenberger q Associate Editor
Movie Editor Matt Simonton reviews “The Matrix Revolutions.” Did it live up to all of the build-up and hype? Will his review live up to all of the buildup and hype? See inside.
PAGE 3
For a man who lives in extreme poverty and who just lost his job, Manuel is fi lled with little bitterness. “No, I’m not one who holds resentments to people who supported me,” he says, speaking of his former employer. “I love them, and I hold a good memory of them, and I support the people that gave me their hand—the people with very big hearts.” Manuel (not his real name) is one of 36 Washington University custodians forced to return to their native Nicaragua last week after the University suddenly ended its relationship with their employer, G&G Building Services. The workers had been in the United States on a 10-month visa, and originally planned to return home next May. Speaking over the phone from his home in Estelí, Nicaragua through a translator, Manuel says that he is trying his best to
rebound from being laid off. “You know, from the moment we got back, our situation has changed probably 30 percent. [In St. Louis] we had a job and we were earning a salary,” he says. “I think that it was a good job. I was earning money, and that way I was helping my family. I come from a very poor family, so we were getting a lot of benefit from that.” Now, back in Nicaragua, he is trying hard to make ends meet. “My dad has a shop, and we work as mechanics. I can’t say the work is great, but if I can earn a few bucks repairing a car or doing a little job, well, with all willingness, I’ll do that, because I’m a person who likes work, and I don’t like to be unemployed.” The circumstances that resulted in Manuel losing his job are still unclear. More than a dozen University administrators have declined to comment, referring all calls to Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs Frederic Volkmann, who refused to explain fully the situation. Volkmann would only say that the University terminated its relationship with subcontractor G&G because the arrange-
See NICARAGUA, page 2
Diwali: Festival of Lights
WOMEN EARN NCAA BID
DANA KUHN
Eleazar Gutiérrez-Cruz, a Central American laborer, talks to student activists concerned with the plight of foreign workers following the G&G firings.
Students look to higher power in greater numbers Some students feel excluded from movement By Sarah Kliff q Contributing Reporter
The Bears defeated number oneranked University of Chicago 2-1 in sudden death overtime on Saturday. Find out how the women, who entered the contest as underdogs, triumphed to earn the UAA title and a spot in the NCAA tournament. Also, check out what happened on the football field and on the volleyball court this weekend.
PAGE 9 EVENT SPOTLIGHT The Performing Arts Department presents Anton Chekov’s Three Sisters The Performing Arts Department’s production of Anton Chekhov’s “Three Sisters” will be performed this weekend and next in the A. E. Hotchner Studio Theatre. The play focuses on the Prozorov sisters, who live out a drab existence with their brother in a provincial town in rural Russia. The play debuted in 1901 at the Moscow Art Theatre and is considered by some critics to be the best drama of the 20th century. Performances will be at 8:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2:00 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are available in Edison Box Office.
INDEX Cadenza Forum Calendar Sports
pages 3-4 pages 5-6 page 7 page 9
JONATHAN LANE
Students perform in Diwali at Edison Theater this weekend. The annual show is one of the most popular cultural performances at Washington University and was performed in front of two sold-out crowds.
Photography exhibit brings art to S40 By Kristin McGrath q Contributing Reporter St udents v isiti ng Cornerstone th is month for the usua l workshops a nd help sessions w i ll be g reeted by da ncers, see stra ngers suspended i n m id- a i r a nd have a ver y close encounter w ith a n ex haust pipe. Th is elective ex h ibition of photog raphs, the work of Photog raphy I a nd II st udents, opened on Friday a nd w i ll be on display i n Cornerstone for the rest of November. Th is yea r ma rks Lect urer i n A rt Susa n Moore’s fi rst fullti me teach i ng position at Wash i ngton Un iversit y. Accordi ng to Moore, whose st udents created the displayed photos, a past elective ex h ibit was held at a different location on ca mpus. Th is yea r, ava i lable space at Cornerstone a llowed the show to be held on the South 40, wh ich Moore feels is a n idea l location for such a n ex h ibit. “Show i ng Photog raphy I work on the South 40 ma kes sense because Photog raphy I is a ver y popula r class w ith fresh men a nd sophomores,” sa id Moore. “They’ll have the opport un it y to see what goes on i n Photo I a nd hopefully sig n up for it next semester or next yea r.” St udents were a llowed to choose thei r favorite photos from va rious assig n ments th roughout the semester. Sufficient space was present for a ll entries to be displayed. Moore sa id that the va riet y of photog raphs i n the show w i ll give st udents from different academ ic disciplines the cha nce to see the world i n a un ique way. “ [St udents] may see someth i ng i n a photog raph that is fa m i lia r but presented from a different v iew or va ntage poi nt,” sa id Moore. Dea n of the College of A rts & Sciences Ja mes McLeod ag reed that each photo presented a disti nct perspective. He attended the open i ng to adm i re what he ca lls “the fi n gerpri nts of our st udents.” “Th is is the creative work of our st udents,” sa id McLeod. “It comes out of thei r creative eye a nd thei r ex perience, a nd it’s n ice to have it here, so st udents ca n stop i n a nd see how other st udents see the world.” Sen ior Dia na McA lpi ne, one of the ex h ibit’s jurors, has i ncorporated a rt i nto her life as a st udent i n School of Busi ness. “I have a n a rt m i nor, so I usua lly ta ke a n a rt class or t wo a semester,” sa id McA lpi ne. “It’s k i nd of a brea k, a nd it’s someth i ng that I love.”
See PHOTOGRAPHY, page 2
STUDENT LIFE
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In recent years, religion at Washington University has been on the rise. As some students develop new resources for practicing their faith, others have been feeling left out and unable to take advantage of many opportunities. The University does not keep records of students’ religious preferences, but many groups on campus have high participation in relation to the population of the school. Out of the student body of approximately 6,000 undergraduate students, 1,100 have been involved with the Catholic Student Center and 1,000 receive a newsletter from the Jewish student center, St. Louis Hillel. Cathy Modde, public relations director for the Catholic Student Center, said that more students have started using the CSC as a resource. “The community has grown a great deal over the years,” said Modde. “I see Washington University as active and collaborative religiously. We’re one of the largest religious groups here. As far as the Church in St. Louis goes, we’re a very active student/young adult community.” Modde has seen growth among all the religious groups. “I’ve also noticed increased support from campus of the efforts of the Campus Ministers,” she said. “Each summer, the admissions department sends out a mailing to incoming students letting them know about the different religious groups, giving them a card to send back to request information. The number returned seems to grow every
year.” In their growth, religious communities have been able to provide more assets to their community. Rabbi Hyim Shafner, of St. Louis Hillel, has watched the Jewish community grow in his eight years on campus. He said that in that time the staff of Hillel has doubled, and the programming has become more focused on bringing Judaism to students. “Our goal is to support the religious life of every Jewish student” said Shafner. “We’ve been growing a lot over the past ten years by focusing more on student leadership and bringing religion out of the Hillel building and onto campus.” Saumya Garg, president of ATMA, the Hindu Student Association, has also seen an increase of resources available to Hindu students on campus. “In the past, being a Hindu at Washington University was a real challenge,” said Garg. “There was no place nearby where we could express our faith. This year we have been lucky enough to get a prayer room from [Student Union]. The room is pretty small; only a couple people can comfortably pray at a time. Yet, the fact that there exists a place on campus where we can pray has made a big difference to our membership. For example, if we need clarity of mind before a big test, we no longer have to take out two hours from our schedule to go to the Hindu Temple of St. Louis.” These new resources available to religious groups have left some students feeling excluded and unable to take advantage of the developing community. Freshman Louisa Diliberti came to the University from a Catholic school and finds
See GOD, page 2
Raines advocates in favor of marijuana By Jeff Nathan q Contributing Reporter One walks into Fred Raines’ office and is struck by the leaves. Not the leaves blowing outside through the two huge pool table-sized windows facing the door, but the enormous marijuana leaves pictured on posters on the wall. “I have never denied the fact that I am a [marijuana] user,” said Raines, a professor of economics who teaches courses including Economics of Social Policy and Labor Economics. Raines is the executive director of the St. Louis chapter of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, and has strong views about marijuana legalization and drug reform. Punishments for possession of socalled “soft” drugs like marijuana, Raines said, should be an offense similar to a misdemeanor or a traffic ticket. He said that out of all the drug arrests that occur in America, 45 percent are made for marijuana, a drug that is neither addictive nor harmful. He added that marijuana is legal in many parts of Europe, including the United Kingdon, which recently made marijuana a legal form of medicine that will be distributed by the known aspirin maker Bayer. When Raines’ son was diagnosed with cancer fairly late, his son’s doctor even recNewsroom: (314) 935-5995 Advertising: (314) 935-6713 Fax: (314) 935-5938
JOSE L. SANDOVAL II
Fred Raines, professor of economics, sits in his office. Raines preaches social justice and legalization of drugs on campus. ommended marijuana to alleviate symptoms and pain. “About the fi rst thing my son’s oncologist asked was whether we had access to good marijuana, because [he said he didn’t] have very good stuff,” said Raines. Raines also criticized the war on drugs
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See RAINES, page 2
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