WEDNESDAY OCT. 13, 2004 Vol. 126, No. 19
Rain 64° / 44° w w w. s t u d l i f e . c o m
ELECTION COUNTDOWN
20 99
DAYS UNTIL ELECTION DAY DAYS UNTIL THE INAUGURATION
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
WUPD looks for assault suspect n Suspect allegedly injured two security guards at Frat Row By Kelly Donahue News Editor
PRESIDENTIAL POLLS: WHO HAS THE EDGE?
50% 46%
BUSHCHENEY KERRYEDWARDS
Source: ABC News daily tracking poll of likely voters, taken Oct. 9-11; see abcnews.com for more
Washington University police are currently investigating an unnamed suspect who allegedly assaulted two security guards in an altercation on Fraternity Row on Saturday night. Two guards from B & D Security were injured when a fight broke out in front of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon house around midnight. One WUPD officer also suffered a minor injury. “We have a suspect who
has been interviewed and we are continuing the investigation,” said WUPD Chief Don Strom. “Once we complete all interviews we’ll make a determination on presenting the evidence to the judicial administrator and possibly the prosecuting attorney for St. Louis County.” One guard hit his head on the cement after being pushed from behind, and another ended up with a bloody nose. While both guards were treated at the scene, a representative of B
& D told Student Life that they did not require further medical attention. WUPD would not release the suspected student’s name yesterday, and Strom said he was not certain as to whether the suspect is affiliated with any fraternity. WUPD is also in the process of investigating what initiated the fights. The Greek Life Office is currently looking into which fraternities if any became involved in the alterca-
See ASSAULT, page 4
DAVID BRODY | STUDENT LIFE
A fight broke out in front of the SAE house on Saturday night. Two B&D officers were injured after being struck by students.
INSIDE
Reeve dies at age 52 By Liz Neukirch and Rachel Streitfeld
So close – a last minute goal by the Emory soccer team hands the WU squad a tough loss.
PAGES 10
There are no satanic rituals happening in the basement of the campus’ fraternities, says Matt Shapiro.
PAGE 7
He’s a Libertarian, and he’s proud of it: read Gregg Keithley’s latest in Forum.
PAGES 7
INDEX News Forum Classifieds Sports
1 6 8 10
Senior News Editor and Contributing Editor
LAURA VILINES | STUDENT LIFE
The Mr. Wash U competition, which raises money for City Faces, was last held two years ago. The idea of the competition was created by the Junior Class Council of 2003.
Mr. Wash U: Back in style By Liz Kramer Contributing Reporter Back from a one-year hiatus, the Mr. Wash U competition is returning with many behind-the-scenes changes. Twelve candidates for the title were announced Monday, with four representatives from each class bidding for the crown. The event gives undergraduate males the chance to compete for the Mr. Wash U title, with proceeds benefiting City Faces, a service organization run by architecture professor Bob Hansman. During the pageant-style competition, judges will consider personality and character traits, as well as the candidates’ onstage performances on Feb. 25 in Edison Theater. At the end of the event, one of the 12 candidates will be awarded with the coveted title of “Mr. Wash U.” “I think of Mr. Wash U as a celebration of Washington University culture,” said junior Sagar Ravi, president of the Mr. Wash U Executive Committee (MRWU), an executive committee within Student Union, and the cofounder of MRWU. “Everyone who is even nominated deserves to be recognized for their achievements on campus.” The Junior Class Council of 2003 dreamed up Mr. Wash U two years ago. Due to the huge responsibility necessary to produce a show, the Junior Class Council enlisted the help of the Joint Class Council (JCC) and had all undergraduate classes involved with the production. Mr. Wash U was still a large-scale production for the JCC. Despite some struggles, the show was
pronounced a success, with over $10,000 donated to City Faces. The event was postponed for a year in order to reorganize and to create the MRWU. “The way it was produced two years ago is somewhat similar to the way it’s being done now, except completely different,” said Ravi. “We decided we wanted it to happen again, so we made it an executive committee of SU, completely dedicated to putting on the show.” MRWU chose four candidates from each class to represent the student body. Freshman Matt Adler said he fi lled out the application after someone nominated him because it was “an honor.” “It seemed like a cool thing to do,” said Adler. “It raises money for charity.” After receiving an acceptance email, Adler got his fi rst taste of being in the spotlight. The MRWU group stopped by his dorm room later that night to cheer for him. Adler says he’s not worried about stage fright—or a dance number. “I’m sure I’ll dance,” said Adler. “I’m in the Israeli dance troop and I’m doing Diwali, so I figure by then I’ll be more accustomed to performing in front of lots of people. Hopefully it won’t be too nerve-wracking.” “We want to see candidates involved on and off campus,” said Katie Gerber, vice president of MRWU and chair of the Candidate Committee. “We want them to reach out beyond the
See MRWU, page 3
New service group takes flight n Silver Wings focuses on aerospace and national causes By Angela Markle Contributing Reporter Washington University’s newest service group, Silver Wings, is ready for takeoff. An offshoot of Arnold Air Society—an Air Force-based service organization—Silver Wings is community service with a focus on aerospace and national defense. Junior Rebecca Chernoff, a student in the University’s School of Engineering, brought the organization to campus this year hoping to offer students new community service options and increased leadership opportunities. “We want to help out in the community,” said Chernoff. After getting involved last
STUDENT LIFE
year with several service activities through her suitemates, who are members of ROTC, Chernoff became interested in discovering what opportunities civilians have to get involved with military community service projects. In addition to traditional community service outings, Silver Wings plans to offer leadership seminars. The group’s objective is to “build civilian leaders” as a counterpart to the military leadership fostered by the Arnold Air Society. Arnold Air Society is characterized on its official website as a “society to help train future Air Force leaders.” Its members take part in community service
SSGT. LEE O. TUCKER | KRT CAMPUS
A U.S. Air Force F-16 fires a flare as it flies a combat
See WINGS, page 5 mission in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
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Christopher Reeve, best known for his starring role in the “Superman” movies, died Sunday night of heart failure related to a bloodstream infection. He was 52 years old. Dr. John McDonald, assistant professor of Neurology and Neurological Surgery at Washington University’s School of Medicine, treated the disabled actor. Reeve was paralyzed from the neck down in 1995 after a riding accident. McDonald worked with a team of scientists that helped him recover some sensation and mobility in his body. “He was an amazingly unique individual… He could be at one moment incredibly intense about work and then switch that off and be lighthearted,” said McDonald. “The passion that he exuded was just phenomenal. He touched you as an individual even though he couldn’t touch or feel.” McDonald first met Reeve in 1996 as a post-doctoral fellow. Later, in 1999, the two started to discuss treatment in earnest. McDonald was a faculty member at the University and had begun to build a Spinal Cord Injury Program at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. “I though there were several things we could offer Chris,” said McDonald of Reeve’s treatment in St. Louis. “He was having lots of physical complications I believed we could offset. We began a rigorous activitybased program [to] optimize activity in the spinal cord so he could optimize his ability to regenerate.” After five years of intensive therapy, Reeve’s improvement amazed other spinal cord specialists. While many considered recovery from this sort of paralysis hopeless, the quadriplegic had succeeded in moving a finger and also distinguishing between different stimuli: he could feel the difference between a pinprick and a cotton ball rubbed against his skin. Originally, McDonald too had been skeptical that quadriplegics could recover these kinds of sensations. He initially resisted the idea of the Spinal Cord Injury Program. “When I was first offered this idea…I was sure I didn’t want to do it. I feared there was nothing we could do [for people with these injuries],” said McDonald. “As it turns out, it’s just the opposite—I haven’t seen a single person in my life that we can’t help.” McDonald said his work with Reeve “dramatically influenced” his now-positive outlook on patients with spinal cord injuries. “He could motivate you so
See REEVE, page 3
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