F R I D A Y DEC. 3, 2004 Vol. 126, No. 36
Sunny 50° / 34° w w w. s t u d l i f e . c o m
THE END IS NEAR . . .
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DAYS UNTIL FINALS END DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS
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
Law school dean steps down n Seligman accepts presidency at U. Rochester By Sarah Kliff and Rachel Streitfeld Student Life Staff
INSIDE
Wit h t he a n nou ncement of law school dea n Joel Sel ig ma n’s appoi nt ment as presi dent of t he Un iversit y of Rochester, t he sea rch for a new dea n of t he Wash i ng ton Un iversit y School of L aw w i l l soon beg i n . Da n iel Keat i ng, associate dea n of aca dem ic a ffa i rs for t he law school, pred icts t hat sea rch efforts w i l l com mence w it h i n a few weeks w it h t he for mat ion of a sea rch com m ittee. That com m ittee w i l l na r row dow n t he potent ia l ca nd idates to a short l ist, wh ich t hey w i l l present to Cha ncel lor Ma rk Wr ig hton . He w i l l t hen ma ke t he fi na l choice a nd appoi nt t he new dea n . A lt houg h fac u lt y of t he law school rec og n ized Dea n Sel ig ma n’s i mpressive reputa t ion a nd desi rabi l it y as a leader, t hey were not awa re of t he offer from t he Un iversit y of Rochester i n adva nce. No sea rch com m ittee had been for med before Sel ig ma n’s a n nou ncement on Wed nesday.
“Dea n Sel ig ma n is someone who has a na t iona l reputat ion as a n academ ic leader a nd t herefore we k new t hat it was a lways a pos sibi l it y t hat a major u n iversit y wou ld t r y to i nterest h i m i n a president’s posit ion,” sa id Keat i ng. “I n t hat sense, because he’s so good, we k new he wou ld be i n dema nd. I don’t t h i n k ma ny of us were awa re of t h is pa rt ic u la r opport u n it y.” Bot h law school st udents a nd fac u lt y pre d ict t hat Sel ig ma n’s replacement w i l l have t he d i ffic u lt task of l iv i ng up to h is reputa t ion . “Those a re defi n itely goi ng to be some big shoes to fi l l,” sa id Keat i ng. “I t h i n k t hey’re goi ng to wa nt someone who has proven h i m sel f or hersel f as a schola r, someone who has a v ision for t he law school. Someone who has a t rack record of f u nd ra isi ng or t he potent ia l for f u nd ra isi ng, someone who ca n reach out to a lu m n i a nd st udents a nd relate to a l l t hose g roups.”
Where are they now? You read their fiction when you were in fifth grade, but do you know what Gary Paulsen, R.L. Stine, and others are up to today?
ANALYSIS
Leikhim: ‘It wasn’t my idea to quit’
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By Roman Goldstein Forum Editor
MIKE SEIGEL | KRT CAMPUS
With finals on the horizon, a staff columnist examines how we take our exams. Are we learning, are we procrastinating, and is all that cramming worth it in the long run?
Marine recruiter Sgt. Anthony D’Abrey talks with a student at Rainier Beach High School in Seattle, Washington, during lunch break.
Court says schools can ban military recruiters n Many WU Law faculty
supported lawsuit based on “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy By David Tabor Contributing Editor Some faculty members of the Washington University School of Law had reason to celebrate earlier this week, as a federal appellate court ruled that schools could bar military recruiters from their campuses without losing federal funding. Some members of the faculty had been involved with supporting the plaintiff group in the case. The Forum for Academic and Institutional Rights, Inc. (FAIR) brought the lawsuit against Donald Rumsfeld and other government officials charging that the previous law governing military recruitment on university campuses violated those institution’s first amendment rights. A group of law school faculty members formed the United Faculty of Washington University School of Law to support FAIR in the lawsuit. The faculty
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Nick Loyal reviews the recent visit by Motion City Soundtrack to the Gargoyle and says everyone in attendance had a good time – even the B&D officers.
PAGE 9 INDEX News Sports Forum Classifieds Cadenza
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY PHOTO SERVICES
Dean Joel Seligman of the Law School will step down at the end of the year. He will be the new president of the University See DEAN, page 3 of Rochester, beginning in July.
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group acted as individuals in supporting FAIR and did not pursue an administrative action. At the heart of the issue was the Solomon Amendment, a 1995 law that blocked federal funding for colleges and universities who prohibited military recruiters on their campuses. As it had come to be interpreted since, the law prevented federal money to be provided to any part of a university if one branch, such as its law school, failed to fully support military recruiters. Susan Appleton, a professor at the University’s School of Law, argues that the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy constitutes discrimination because it prevents openly homosexual individuals from being employed. She was involved in organizing the faculty who gave their support to FAIR and reacted with enthusiasm to the recent ruling. “It feels very gratifying for the court to recognize how the Solomon Amendment compelled us to convey a message that was inconsistent with our nondiscrimination policy,” said Appleton. The federal appellate court ruling found that the Solomon Amendment violated the First Amend-
See MILITARY, page 3
Congress may cut Pell grants By Kelly Donahue News Editor A$388 billion spending bill approved by Congress before Thanksgiving break could have negative implications for college students who rely on federal aid to finance their education, eventually decreasing the number of undergraduates eligible for federal Pell grants. Federal Pell grants, which do not have to be repaid, are awarded to low-income undergraduate students. The new spending bill would give Congress the ability to change the expected family contribution formula for financial aid and grant eligibility. Such a formula change means that 1.2 million students would receive lower grant amounts,
and 90,000 would lose their Pell grant eligibility completely, said Brian K. Fitzgerald, the staff director of the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, which advises Congress on higher education and student aid policy. At Washington University this year, 460 full-time undergraduate students are receiving Pell grant funds. Despite the projected nationwide figures from Fitzgerald, Bill Witbrodt, the University’s director of Student Financial Services, said that students at the University would not feel any impact from a change in the student aid formula. “It won’t have any effect,” said Witbrodt. “The
STUDENT LIFE
The
$388,000,000,000 bill
• The new spending bill gives Congress the ability to change the way expected family contributions are calculated for financial aid eligibility. • If the formula is changed, approximately 1.2 million students will receive lower grant amounts; 90,000 students will lose their Pell grants completely. • Four hundred sixty full-time undergraduate students at Washington University are currently receiving Pell grant funds. • According to Bill Witbrodt, the University’s director of Student Financial Services, “The new legislation, if it does come to pass, would have no impact on our students.”
K
atie Leikhim is not happy about having to resign from her position as Student Union Vice President. She is also unhappy with the way SU’s Executive Council went about getting her to resign, she said. But SU President David Ader has refused to talk at length about the process that led to her resignation. For instance, when asked by the SU Treasury to explain how long the Exec Council had been talking about a replacement or recommendation for Leikhim’s successor, Ader replied, “The timeframe doesn’t matter as much as the fact that Exec Council does have a recommendation.” But the timeframe does matter, because it makes no sense to have Leikhim resign now. For the whole semester, SU officials have been sharing Leikhim’s duties, since she has been at home on medical leave. If they were concerned about the extra Katie Leikhim: Former SU Vice work, why did President. Says she resigned they not replace under pressure from Executive Leikhim earlier Council. in the semester? Plus, with David Ader: SU President. Leikhim slated Chairs Executive Council. to return to St. Louis in Pamela Bookbinder: SU January, they Senator. Executive Council’s would not have reported favorite to replace to shoulder her Leikhim. duties next semester, anyway. Justin Huebener: Former Yet regardless Junior Class President. Says he of the logic of it, resigned under pressure from Ader reportedly Executive Council. told Leikhim that her resigExecutive Council: An SU leadnation would ership committee comprised be in SU’s best of the four SU executives and interest. the speakers of the Senate and Here is Treasury. the chronology of events, as compiled from Leikhim, Senator Pamela Bookbinder, and public records. In early August, Leikhim told her fellow execs that she would be on medical leave for the semester. In response, they divided her duties among other SU officers. Months later, on Nov. 3, Bookbinder declined to re-run for speaker of the Senate. The following week, Exec Council approached Bookbinder asking if she was interested in being VP, and shortly thereafter asked Leikhim to resign. Though Bookbinder lost her seat on Exec Council when she refused to be speaker again, she was still party to the resignation talks. Exec Council members told Leikhim that Bookbinder wanted to be VP, and that they would recommend her for the job. Leikhim sent a letter to the Exec Council, which they received Nov. 15, expressing frustration and disappointment with how they were treating her. From then on, Exec Council stopped communicating with her, except for Ader, who made frequent calls urging her to decide whether to resign. Leikhim caved on Nov. 19, the deadline Ader had set for her, and told him that she would resign by the end of the semester. On Nov. 29, Ader announced her resignation to the SU e-mail list; he put the announcement on the SU Web site Nov. 30. That day, SU execs urged the Treasury to install a replacement VP quickly. They claimed that they wanted
Cast of Characters
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