STUDENT LIFE
THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER OF WASHINGTON UNIVERSIT Y IN ST. LOUIS SINCE 1878 Forum has you covered with continuing discourse about Katz and homophobia, as well as a host of other issues. Page 6.
So much for rivalry: Emory came out strong against the Bears soccer team this weekend, topping them in a 4-1 coup. Page 5.
VOLUME 127, NO. 17
The women’s volleyball team expanded their phenomenal record to 15-0 this weekend. Read more inside Sports. Page 5.
Cadenza kicks off its threepart series about music on campus with an exposé on KWUR. See Page 12.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2005
WWW.STUDLIFE.COM
Clayton events welcome WU parents v Businesses and shops in ‘Clayton Triangle’ provide live en-
tertainment, special discounts for Parents Weekend visitors By Veronica Woolley Contributing Reporter Though there is much to see and to do on the University’s campus and in the surrounding city of St. Louis, students sometimes struggle to keep their visiting parents entertained. However, this year’s Parents Weekend should prove more exciting and busier than those in previous years. In addition to the annual University-hosted events, businesses and shops in the newly defined “Clayton Triangle” are hoping to familiarize students and parents with the community by hosting a kick-off party. The Triangle, which lies between Maryland Avenue, Brentwood Boulevard, and Forsyth Boulevard, is home to restaurants, 25 shops and boutiques, galleries, salons, and a grocery store. Tonight, the Triangle will be hosting an outdoor street party with live entertainment, refresh-
ments, and special coupons from local merchants to celebrate its debut as Clayton’s premier downtown district. The festivities are set to begin at 5 p.m. with a performance by the Clayton High School Jazz Band that will continue into the evening. Kathy Leonard, a public relations director for GeileLeon Marketing Communications in Clayton, helped to organize and to publicize the event. She said that the Clayton Triangle was the idea of a number of businesses in the area. “They wanted to purposely hold an event that coincided with Parents Weekend because Washington University is such an integral part of the landscape,” said Leonard. “Now when parents come to visit, instead of students pondering what to do, at least on Friday there will be an outdoor, public event to attend where they can see all that Clayton has to offer.” Leonard hopes that the
event will show students from out of town that the Triangle is somewhere they can visit to access necessities such as shops, salons, and a grocery store. She expressed enthusiasm about joining with the University for Parents Weekend. “I am very excited, and I hope the community of Washington University will join in the fun,” said Leonard. Visitors wanting to remain on campus can also choose to partake in the University’s traditionally popular Parents Weekend events, including attending classes and hearing presentations by various majors. Parents also have the opportunity to take a bus tour of St. Louis, to purchase tickets for this year’s student theatrical production, the musical “Hair,” to take in the homecoming football game, and to view the Student Musical Showcase, which features performances by the univer-
See PARENTS, page 3
BRIAN SOTAK | STUDENT LIFE
Junior’s discovery of potential West Nile mosquito a ‘surprise’ By Shweta Murthi Contributing Reporter Junior Stephanie Gallitano, a chemistry major working at the Tyson Center – a biological research station – discovered a species of mosquito new to the Midwest that could potentially be a carrier for West Nile virus. This Asian breed, Ochlerotatus japonicus, has never been discovered in this part of the nation before and could be vital in controlling the spread of West Nile vi-
rus. Gallitano discovered the species while working on mosquito larva research as part of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute summer research program. “[This discovery] was a surprise for us,” said James Vonesh, post-doctoral research associate at the Tyson Center and Gallitano’s mentor for the HHMI program. “When she informed me that she had found mosquito lar-
See MOSQUITO, page 3
WU alum out of prison and running for office SARABETH SEER | STUDENT LIFE
The University’s mascot padded around the underpass yesterday to boost campus pride for Spirit Week. The Bear will be making various appearances around campus this week, including Cheap Lunch on today and Happy Hour on Thursday.
New Spirit Week revamps neglected WU homecoming By Jonathan Kim Contributing Reporter Some professors had an extra “student” in their classes this week: the Washington University Bear. Sightings of the University’s mascot, however, were only the beginning of Wash. U. Spirit Week, a new week of activities created by the Student Union (SU) to foster more student pride and school spirit. In previous years, the University only celebrated the homecoming football game with a parade or a pep rally. This year SU decided to change these brief events into an entire week of activities. “[We] decided that having a spirit week would be much more effective because no one is actually coming home,” SU Vice President
Pam Bookbinder said, noting that class reunions are in April and May. “So we just decided to make it a whole pride week.” Karen Halpert, chair of the Homecoming Steering Committee that coordinates the Spirit Week, said homecoming wasn’t a fit for what the campus needs. “People associate homecoming with a dance and whatever it was in high school and that is not what it is here and it is not what the purpose is here,” said Halpert. “It is meant to increase pride and have fun for a week.” Spirit Week activities will be ongoing around campus through Friday, culminating with a comedian in Graham Chapel on Saturday night and a tailgate party before the football game. The parents visiting campus for Par-
ents’ Weekend will be able to take part in these activities as well. Bon Appétit is contributing to the cause by selling special red and green sugar cookies. In addition to these plans, SU members are roaming campus with the Bear mascot, giving out free plastic wristbands, sweatbands, Frisbees, and megaphones to students who sport school spirit by wearing red or green. Students can take their picture with the Bear, which will be posted on the SU website. The Bear and company will also make appearances at Cheap Lunch today and Happy Hour on Thursday. In addition, various student leaders are handing out free items to students exhibiting school pride throughout the week. The idea for Spirit Week was conceived during the
Summer Leaders Program. One of the campus life projects that the program worked on was homecoming. Bookbinder, in conjunction with Sally Preminger, the co-president of the Campus Programming Committee, and Maris Formas, a representative to Dance Marathon, started planning homecoming activities in June. They spent all summer organizing events, designing t-shirts, ordering different giveaways, and getting in touch with different departments within the University. So far, Bookbinder thinks the week has been going well. “I have seen a lot of people wearing [the spirit] shirts. So that is what we are looking for: People who are showing that they are excited that they go to Wash. U.,” she said.
By Bill Kimmerle
happens in crowds when people get excited. People’s emotions take over, and Thirty-five years ago, then one person’s emotions Howard Mechanic took on get caught up into somebody the government as a student else’s, and people think as activist, and was charged one crowd, as far as what for his part in the Washing- the crowd’s doing, the crowd ton University Reserve Offi- moved as one down the cer Training Corps hill.” building conflagraIn the course tion in 1970. of the demonstraNow he’s taking tion, a group of on the government students set fire to in quite a differthe ROTC building, ent sense: running and someone in the for a seat on city crowd sent a firecouncil in Prescott, cracker hurtling Ariz., after spendtowards firefighting 28 years living Howard ers battling the under a pseudonym Mechanic blaze. A single witand receiving a ness said that Mepresidential pardon chanic had thrown from President Bill Clinton the firecracker. in 2001. Congress had two years Mechanic, who enrolled earlier passed the Civil at the University in 1966, Obedience Act to deal with became involved in with the students involved in antianti-Vietnam War movement Vietnam war protests. Meon campus, culminating in chanic soon became the first the May 4, 1970 burning of of only two individuals ever the ROTC building. In an in- to be charged or convicted terview with the American under that legislation for Lives project at Washington his alleged assault on rescue University, Mechanic ex- workers. Mechanic was senplained that the ROTC inci- tenced to five years in feddent was not planned. eral prison. “It just happened and I Facing the reality that his don’t think people planned first career might be that of it,” Mechanic told the inter- a prisoner, Mechanic took viewer. “There’s sort of a flight. For 28 years he hid crowd mentality that hap- out under a false name in pens. There’s been psychoSee OFFICE, page 3 logical studies about what
Contributing Reporter
2 STUDENT LIFE | NEWS
Senior News Editor / Sarah Kliff / news@studlife.com
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STUDENT LIFE One Brookings Drive #1039 #42 Women’s Building St. Louis, MO 63130-4899 News: (314) 935-5995 Advertising: (314) 935-6713 Fax: (314) 935-5938 E-mail: editor@studlife.com www.studlife.com Copyright 2005 Editor in Chief: Margaret Bauer Associate Editor: Liz Neukirch Managing Editor: David Tabor Senior News Editor: Sarah Kliff Senior Forum Editor: Molly Antos Senior Cadenza Editor: Laura Vilines Senior Scene Editor: Sarah Baicker Senior Sports Editor: Justin Davidson Senior Photo Editor: David Brody Senior Graphics Editor: Brian Sotak News Editors: Laura Geggel, Brad Nelson Contributing Editor: Mandy Silver Forum Editors: Zach Goodwin, Daniel Milstein, Jeff Stepp, Brian Schroeder, Matt Shapiro Cadenza Editors: Adam Summerville, Jordan Deam, Robbie Gross Scene Editors: Kristin McGrath, Sarah Klein Sports Editor: Joe Ciolli Photo Editors: David Hartstein, Pam Buzzetta, Oliver Hulland Online Editor: Dan Daranciang Copy Editors: Allie McKay, Nina Perlman, Kelly Donahue, Erin Fults, Rebecca Emshwiller, hannah draper, Julian Beattie, Mallory Wilder, Jess Trieber Designers: Ellen Lo, Laura McLean, Anna Dinndorf, Andy Gavinski, Jamie Reed, Elizabeth Kaufman, Jonathan Kim General Manager: Andrew O’Dell Copyright 2005 Washington University Student Media, Inc. (WUSMI). Student Life is the financially and editorially independent, student-run newspaper serving the Washington University community. First copy of each publication is free; all additional copies are 50 cents. Subscriptions may be purchased for $80.00 by calling (314) 935-6713. Student Life is a publication of WUSMI and does not necessarily represent, in whole or in part, the views of the Washington University administration, faculty or students. All Student Life articles, photos and graphics are the property of WUSMI and may not be reproduced or published without the express written consent of the General Manager. Pictures and graphics printed in Student Life are available for purchase; e-mail editor@ studlife.com for more information. Student Life reserves the right to edit all submissions for style, grammar, length and accuracy. The intent of submissions will not be altered. Student Life reserves the right not to publish all submissions. If you’d like to place an ad, please contact the Advertising Department at (314) 935-6713. If you wish to report an error or request a clarification, e-mail editor@studlife.com.
WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 5, 2005
Briefs CAMPUS Fiction writer Campbell visits campus Fiction writer Bonnie Jo Campbell will read from her work at 8 p.m. tomorrow for the Writing Program Reading Series. Campell is the author of the short story collection Women & Other Animals, winner of the Associated Writing Programs prize for short fiction. Her story “The Smallest Man in the World” won a Pushcart Prize in 2001, and her most recent work, Q Road, was named a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers book. The reading will take place in Hurst Lounge, located on the second floor of Duncker Hall.
Bush selects Miers as next Supreme Court nominee On Monday, President George Bush announced his selection of Harriet Miers as an associate Supreme Court Justice. Miers, who currently serves as a White House counsel, has never been a judge and thus lacks the track record usually scrutinized in Supreme Court appointments. Miers has served as an assistant to the President, staff secretary and as deputy chief of staff. If confirmed by the Senate, Miers would become the third woman to serve on the Supreme Court, replacing Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who announced her resignation last July.
KRT CAMPUS
U.S. Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers takes part in a news conference on Capitol Hill, Monday, Oct. 3, 2005.
National Cancer Institute awards School DeLay re-indicted under new charges of Medicine $16 million grant Representative Tom DeLay was indicted by the Texas Grand Jury for a new charge of money launA $16 million grant to the Washington University School of Medicine will provide for the development of nanomedicine, which uses tiny spheres to travel through the bloodstream to locate and highlight tumors undetectable by typical methods. The grant, which will be distributed over the next few years, will allow the medical school to build upon this technology that could potentially replace certain tests, scans or surgeries with injections.
Wednesday, Sept. 28
Thursday, Sept. 29
9:47 a.m. LARCENY-THEFT— PARKING LOT #4—An employee reports the theft of three daily parking passes from her vehicle while parked on lot # 4 with right vent window down. Permits had been on the seat. Disposition: Pending
3:22 a.m. PROPERTY DAMAGE—SNOW WAY DR.—U. City officer witnessed five subjects vandalized University property. One subject taken into custody. Disposition: Investigation to continue.
1:22 p.m. LARCENY-THEFT— WOHL CENTER—Victim left backpack unattended for a short time with her iPod in the side pocket while at Bear’s Den. Later in the evening while at her residence she noticed it was no longer there. Value of the loss: $400.00. Disposition: Pending 5:36 p.m. LARCENY-THEFT— ATHLETIC COMPLEX—Cell phone missing from sweatshirt pocket while student was using the AC. Disposition: Pending
INTERNATIONAL Australians win Nobel Prize for discovery of ulcer bacteria
POLICE BEAT
11:30 a.m. TELEPHONE HARASSMENT—ALUMNI HOUSE— Complainant reports being harassed by a subject from a former relationship. Several of the harassment incidents occurred on campus. Disposition: Investigation to continue.
dering on Monday, the second indictment for the former House majority leader in less than a week. Both indictments accuse DeLay and two aides of conspiring to get around a Texas ban on corporate campaign contributions by using a political action committee to funnel money to the Republican National Committee in Washington.
1:00 p.m. SUSPICIOUS PERSON—GIVENS HALL—Report of two juvenile males in area trying to steal bikes from south side of campus. Suspects located at Shepley and Wallace. Disposition: Cleared by arrest. 2:53 p.m. SUSPICIOUS— COMPTON HALL—Suspicious package in mail turned over to Campus Police. Determined not to be a threat. Disposition: Cleared. 11:58 p.m. ASSAULT—SIMON HALL—Victim reported an incident involving a security guard from B&D. Victim does not want to seek prosecution. Disposition: Under investigation. Friday, Sept. 30 1:02 a.m. ASSAULT—MUSIC
Two Australian scientists won the Nobel Prize on Monday for their discovery of a common bacterium that causes many stomach inflammations and ulcers. The bacterium they discovered in 1982, H. pylori, is now known to cause 80-90 percent of ulcers, debunking previous notions that such conditions were caused by emotional stress. To prove their theory, one of the two researchers, J. Robin Warren had himself infected with the bacterium in1979 at the outset of their research.
COMPLEX—Disturbance escalated between two students involved in a relationship. Disposition: Cleared by arrest. 12:49 p.m. LARCENY-THEFT— BIXBY HALL—Cash was taken from a desk in a secured office between 12 a.m. and 8 a.m. No one had access to the office, but there were no signs of forced entry. Disposition: Under investigation. 3:34 p.m. LARCENY-THEFT— SIMON HALL—Student left wallet in lower level bathroom of Simon Hall. Aramark employee found wallet, but wallet was never turned in to lost and found. Disposition: Under investigation. 3:57 p.m. AUTO ACCIDENT— PARKING LOT #4—Two vehicles, no injuries. Disposition: Cleared 6:51 p.m. ALCOHOL—MINORS IN POSSESSION—POLICE DEPARTMENT—Two underage students found in possession of
alcohol. Disposition: Cleared by arrest.
and ran off. Disposition: Under investigation.
7:46 p.m. LARCENY-THEFT— ATHLETIC COMPLEX—Report of a wallet theft from an unsecured gym locker located at the Athletic Complex between 3:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. No suspects or witnesses could be located at this time. Disposition: Under investigation.
Monday, Oct. 3
8:03 p.m. LARCENY-THEFT— OLIN LIBRARY—Report of a bicycle theft; bike was left unsecured at the bike rack located on the southwest side of Olin Library between 3:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Sept. 30. No suspects or witnesses could be located. Disposition: Under investigation.
9:07 a.m. PROPERTY DAMAGE —STIX INTERNATIONAL HOUSE—Two black metal lawn chairs on the east patio area of the Stix house were found destroyed in the grassy area east of the patio. Vandalism occurred between 5 p.m. on Sept. 30 and 3 p.m. on Oct. 2. Property value unknown at this time. Disposition: Under investigation.
Sunday, Oct. 2
11:16 a.m. LARCENY-THEFT— SNOW WAY GARAGE—Reported by transportation that four street signs were stolen sometime over the weekend. Disposition: Under investigation
1:02 a.m. LARCENY-THEFT —BEAR’S DEN—Victim reported that she dropped her cell phone on the ground near Wohl Center at 2:30 and an unknown male suddenly scooped up the phone
1:14 p.m. LARCENY-THEFT — GREGG RESIDENCE HALL—Victim reported that during a party in his dorm room his money clip containing credit cards came up missing. Disposition: Pending.
Senior News Editor / Sarah Kliff / news@studlife.com
WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 5, 2005
STUDENT LIFE | NEWS
3
MOSQUITO v FROM PAGE 1 vae that were unusual to her, my first inclination was that it was something fairly common.” The discovery was not originally part of Gallitano’s research project, which required her to study mosquito breeding patterns. “She was raising them to a larval stage because we can’t identify them for a few days – in the process of doing that she happened to get the eggs of the other species by accident. She has a natural curiosity and wasn’t satisfied with the fact that she had different mosquito eggs,” said Vonesh. Gallitano, after further research, realized that her findings were extremely different. She said that the species had different body dimensions and tufts of hair. After looking through all of the North American mosquito books, she didn’t find any matches, heightening her curiosity. “Once I found out that it was the invasive species it became more interesting, because it became this huge expansion. It was my first year doing field work, so it was a
huge discovery. It was definitely very interesting and exciting,” Gallitano said. This is the farthest West this particular breed has found in the United States. According to Jonathan Chase, associate professor in Biology and assistant director of the Tyson Center, the species was known previously but without any findings in the Midwest. “With any invasive species, when it’s introduced into a certain part of the country, it’s going to move across the country into suitable habitats. In the particular case, the surprise was more in the speed in which [this species] ended up in Missouri,” said Chase. Whether the mosquito could change the current studies on West Nile virus is currently unknown. “How this particular mosquito might impact West Nile is not something that our study comments on. There is certainly no reason to be alarmed. We don’t know what it does to the disease dynamics. It’s not very aggressive to biting people and lives in more forested habitats,”
KRT CAMPUS
A female Toxorhynchites amboinensis mosquito sucks on sugar nectar at Rutgers University. It is one of many species of mosquito that can carry West Nile virus. Vonesh said. Chase added that all the discovery will do is “change the probability that this disease is out there and relative abundance or prevalence of West Nile.” Although the number of deaths related to West Nile virus has doubled in the past
year, it has decreased steadily since 2002 when the maximum number of people were affected with the virus. As for the future, Gallitano said that the lab is “considering doing further research,” though specific plans are currently unknown.
like Orientation this year, I think we’re going to be seeing a lot of parents on campus really enjoying themselves.” Already, over 1,100 families have registered for Parents Weekend, and it is ex-
pected that about 200 more will register when they arrive on campus. A full list of the University’s Parent’s Weekend events is available at parentsweekend.wustl.edu.
public office that led to his recapture. Having moved after his release to the town of Prescott, Ariz., Mechanic is running for a city council position this November under his real name, with the slogan: “Why Prescott Needs This Felon!” Mechanic cited his time at
the University as one of discovery. “I really developed...and learned a lot about life,” he said. Mechanic encourages current University students to “look for something relevant in their lives besides getting rich.”
PARENTS v FROM PAGE 1 sity’s Chamber Choir, Chamber Orchestra, and many a capella groups. The University has also added several new events to the Parent’s Weekend itinerary. These include an intimate walking tour of the
Central West End, a tailgate party hosted by the Spirit Week Committee, and a program for parents about Student Health Services. “Parents really enjoy the weekend and open classes,” said Osborn. “If it’s anything
OFFICE v FROM PAGE 1 suburban Arizona and undertook community service through local charities. Eventually, though, his desire to run for public office lead him to reveal his identity. Mechanic was soon discovered by federal authorities, who rearrested and imprisoned him under the same thirty-
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Senior Sports Editor / Justin Davidson / sports@studlife.com
WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 5, 2005
SPORTS
STUDENT LIFE | SPORTS
5
IN BRIEF: The No. 1-ranked volleyball team upended three UAA rivals this past weekend in the first UAA Round Robin tournament, improving their record to 15-0. The men’s soccer team was defeated 4-1 by No. 9 Emory University on Saturday.
Bears soccer beaten by Can volleyball be stopped? rival Emory in 4-1 match v Women roll to 15-0 on the season with stellar UAA play By Carrie Jarka
The next match, against Brandeis University, returned the same results as WU went on to win 3-0 (30-17, 30-16, 30-25). In last week’s poll, WashingMorrison led the Red-and-Green ton University was unanimously with an efficient nine kills in voted as the top team in Divi11 attempts. Sophomore Emilie sion III by the American VolleyWalk also contributed to the kill ball Coaches Association. The total and percentage with seven squad defended their position kills in nine attempts. Liefer with great success in the continued her rock-solid, first round of University all-American play with 27 Athletic Association (UAA) assists, four kills, three conference play this past blocks, and five digs in just weekend. While winning all two games. of their conference match“Our tournament draw es, the Bears also extended this weekend didn’t find us their undefeated record to playing the tougher teams 15 games. in the UAA,” explained LuenIn their first match emann. “The second round against Carnegie Mellon robin at Washington UniUniversity, the Bears easversity will be a much more ily triumphed, winning the spirited competition. We’re match in three games (30slated to face both NYU 23, 30-13, 30-21). Carnegie and Emory in back-to-back Mellon enjoyed a rare lead matches, and it would be in the first game, before the great to see a huge Bears Bears went on an 8-1 run. crowd in the stands as we Junior middle hitter Whitface top-25 ranked competiney Smith and senior settion.” ter Kara Liefer led the Bears With a UAA championoffensively with seven kills ship, WU will not only reeach, while freshmen Nikki ceive an automatic bid to Morrison and Ali Crouch the post season, but will contributed four and three PAM BUZZETTA | STUDENT LIFE also extend a conference kills, respectively. championship streak that “Our second team has Senior setter Kara Liefer sets up senior extends back to 1989. been a huge reason for our middle hitter Megan Houck for a hard spike. “This team is a hungry success,” said Head Coach This weekend, the Bears ousted UAA competiteam. If we’re fortunate Rich Luenemann. “They’re a tors to improve their season record to 15-0. enough to win the UAA very talented team in their own right and continually push the Maroons. championship, they won’t rest “Our offense has been a pil- after that. In fact, I think they’ll the first team in practice.” The match against University lar of strength,” continued Lu- take their focus and energy to of Chicago posed no challenge enemann. “Our team attack per- an even higher level,” said Luenfor the Bears, as they routed the centage hovers around .350, and emann. Maroons in three games (30-8, that’s outstanding, particularly The Bears return to action at 30-13, 32-30). In a team effort, the when considering the quality of home this weekend in the Bears Red-and-Green compiled a sea- our opponents so far this season. Classic, where they will face off son-high 16 service aces against Our .350 stat is akin to a baseball against Westminster College Chicago, with senior defensive team hitting .450.” and University of Wisconsin-La Smith led the way with 16 Crosse on Friday, and Baldwinspecialist Nicole Hodgman leadkills, while Houck added seven Wallace College and Wydown ing the way with four. “Two weeks ago we targeted kills of her own. Spencer tallied rival Fontbonne University on serving as a skill we had to six kills on nine attempts. Saturday.
Sports Reporter
By Joe Ciolli Sports Editor Heading into its matchup with ninth-ranked Emory University this past Saturday, the Washington University men’s soccer team knew it would have to turn in an exceptional performance to emerge with a victory. The pressure to perform against our newly-formed rivals was definitely apparent: playing on Emory’s home field in Atlanta, Ga., the Bears had the odds stacked against them as they commenced University Athletic Association (UAA) play. Emory, unbeaten in the season, certainly made things difficult for coach Joe Clarke’s squad. Boasting a powerful offense and a stifling defense that has outscored opponents by a whopping margin of 29-1 this season, Emory applied pressure early and often en route to an easy 4-1 victory. The Eagles struck for the first time in the 21st minute, as freshman Patrick Carver put his team up 10. Emory was able to add another tally just before halftime. The Bears were held without a shot in the first half, conceding seven to Emory. Carver struck again in the 66th minute, this time off of an assist by senior midfielder Karl Dix. The set-up on the goal made Dix the all-time UAA leader in assists. Down 3-0, the Bears were able to pull one goal back in the 73rd minute, as sophomore forward Onyi Okoro-
RACHIT PATEL | STUDENT LIFE
Junior goalkeeper Matt Fenn clears the ball out of his zone. Fenn let up four goals against Emory on Saturday, the most he gave up in one game all season. afor controlled a loose ball in the penalty box and converted one of his team’s few scoring opportunities. The tally was Okoroafor’s third of the season, good enough to tie him for first on the team with sophomore striker Marshall Plow. Despite the Bears’ late efforts, Emory was able to widen their lead to 4-1 in the 80th minute, before settling back and conserving a thoroughly solid victory. The Eagles finished the game with 13 shots, as the Bears managed just two. With one disappointing conference performance now behind them, the Bears must regain their focus and concentrate on their next opponent, perennial power-
house Carnegie Mellon. The Tartans won the UAA last season, and found themselves ranked highly for the majority of the season. Although Carnegie Mellon is unranked at this point of the season and currently sits with a 0-1 UAA conference record, they should be primed to create some problems for the Bears. However, coach Clarke’s squad has shown the potential to match up with any opponent. It will undoubtedly take a great deal of preparation to recover from the Emory loss, but the Bears (52-3) should be able to find their stride before playing their first home conference contest.
improve. A missed serve is simply a lost point. We’ve made great strides, and we’ll get better,” said Luenemann. The offensive stars were shining again against Chicago, as Smith, sophomore Haleigh Spencer, and senior Megan Houck each had stellar numbers against
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In DOWNTOWN Clayton (take Forsyth west to Brentwood in Clayton) • Clayton Triangle Celebration Fri, October 7 (4:45 - 8:00 p.m.) Sat, October 8 (10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.) Businesses along Maryland Avenue, Brentwood Boulevard and the Forsyth Circle celebrate the unveiling of this premier shopping district with live entertainment and champagne receptions on Friday (shops open until 8 p.m.) Live music and in-store promotions on Saturday. In Clayton’s Shaw Park (take Forsyth west to Brentwood in Clayton) • Clayton Canine Classic (first annual) Sun, October 9 (11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.) Doggie games, doggie parade with a doggie costume contest judged by local celebrities, a pet psychic, silhouette artist and pet photographer. Proceeds benefit Stray Rescue of St. Louis. OTHER area activities: • Wydown Fall Festival Sat, October 8 (10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.) (at the intersection of Hanley Road and Wydown Boulevard) Raffles and business giveaways with live music, works by local artists and fun for kids in Wydown Park. •
Clayton Row Welcomes Washington University Parents (on Clayton Road between Hanley and Brentwood) Stroll this row of charming boutiques, antique and specialty shops for special discounts and special treats.
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6 STUDENT LIFE | FORUM
Senior Forum Editor / Molly Antos / forum@studlife.com
FORUM
WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 5, 2005
Our daily forum editors: Monday: Jeff Stepp Wednesday: Daniel Milstein Friday: Zach Goodwin jsstepp@wustl.edu daniel.milstein@wustl.edu goodwin@wustl.edu To ensure that we have time to fully evaluate your submissions, guest columns should be e-mailed to the next issue’s editor or forwarded to forum@studlife.com by no later than 5 p.m. two days before publication. Late pieces will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. We welcome your submissions, and thank you for your consideration.
JOSH STEIN | EDITORIAL CARTOON
STAFF EDITORIAL
Congrats to Riddic-a-fest R iddic-a-fest, the block party thrown by three seniors to raise money for various charity organizations relating to Hurricane Katrina, was a raging success. There was a sense of camaraderie at this well-intentioned gathering; even the University City police were jamming along with the students. Student groups all pulled together to create an amazing experience, and a large fund was raised to provide substantial help for people who genuinely need it. It has been uncommon in the past for students to take the initiative on independent projects like this, since generally philanthropy is reserved for organized student groups. Everyone who attended the
party raved about it, however, and the students in charge deserve praise. Additionally, KWUR and Students of the South were wonderful in pulling together for this event. These students also did a great job in covering all their bases. They made sure to obtain the approval of all the residents on the block and involved the police force in order to ensure a safe experience. Congratulations to these three seniors, Josh Ellis, Daniela Torre and Cassidy Blackwell—it was truly a one-of-akind, successful event. Even though this money cannot completely compensate for the tuition Washington University refuses to donate to Tulane, your efforts did not go unnoticed.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Katz: Did you actually read what I wrote? Dear Editor: The latest round of letter-writers (Sept. 30) has realized that censorship isn’t a liberal approach to a disagreement. But they don’t seem to have read what I wrote. It wasn’t an attack on someone’s favorite “Uncle John,” nor an assertion that only homosexuals get AIDS. In a nutshell, it was: 1. The increasing social acceptance of homosexuality in the 1970’s led to an increase in homosexual promiscuity. 2. This provided fertile ground for HIV, and led to the AIDS epidemic in America. 3. The homosexual movement is morally culpable for 1 and 2. The first two points are accepted by epidemiologists who have studied AIDS. The third point is an issue of moral philosophy. To what extent are individuals responsible for the unintended consequences of their acts? Are ideas responsible for the consequences of people acting on them? This is not an academic exercise; more than 500,000 Americans have died of AIDS, and nearly a tenth of them contracted AIDS from blood, blood products, their spouses or their mothers’ milk. These last nearly 50,000 victims surely bear no responsibility and were entirely innocent. A number of letter-writers assume that a student who disagrees with his professor risks reprisal. Any professor who does such a thing violates academic integrity. I have never done so, and never will, nor would I reward a student for agreeing with me (I don’t even do the grading in Physics 107). But why would students fear this, unless it happens? Washington University is a sick and corrupt institution if professors abuse their authority in this manner. -Jonathan Katz Professor of Physics
Someone should have challenged Katz article sooner Dear Editor: On Friday, I challenged Professor Katz to a public debate on his homophobic views through an open letter in Student Life. This weekend, he sent me a one-line e-mail accepting my invitation. It should never have come to this: an undergraduate student challenging a professor six years after the article was written. We live in a university community, where the standards of proof and argumentation are higher, because we have a duty to think critically about everything we do and say. But the system failed. Six years ago, Professor Katz failed in this duty when he published an article without citations in a field where he has no expertise. Using his status as a professor, he gave the article undue credibility. As a man who has dedicated his life to teaching people, it baffles me that he could have published a work of such abysmal academic value. Where were the debates, the outcries from his peers? Our entire system of developing knowledge is based on peer review and mutual criticism. Why didn’t his peers challenge him to defend his views? Professors, you allowed a member of faculty to publish an article without criticism. You had a duty to challenge Katz on his unsupported assertions and poor reasoning; you failed. For six years, this university community has failed to call Katz to account for an article he wrote six years ago. Unfortunately, it has fallen to me, an undergraduate student, to challenge a professor. All I had to do was write an open letter in Student Life, and Katz immediately accepted. There have been questions as to my motivation for challenging Katz to this debate. I’m not doing it on behalf of the GLBTQIA groups on campus; they are more than capable of speaking for themselves. My motivation isn’t a personal vendetta against Katz, or even simple anger at what he’s said. I am motivated by frustra-
tion with the fact that this article has been silently accepted for so long. I recognize that the debate occurring in Student Life is partially rectifying this, but Katz is still getting away with using baseless assertions. With our debate, I hope to restore an environment where everyone on campus should expect to be challenged on their views. Professor Katz and I are currently working to select a moderator and a time for this debate to occur. The format will be: opening statements, followed by a moderated exchange of questions, followed by moderated questions from the audience, and possibly an opportunity for us each to make a brief closing statement. More information on the time and location of the debate will be made available as soon as it is decided. I hope that everyone will choose to participate in this debate in the spirit with which I enter it. This is not a time to heckle a member of the community, but rather an opportunity to participate in the academic process of challenging someone to provide evidence and reasoning to support their views. By going to a university, we choose to be held to a higher standard. For six years, Katz has escaped his duty to that standard. It’s time that this community remind Katz what is expected of every scholar. -Lawrence Wiseman Class of 2007
University should control Web space Dear Editor: In response to Professor Katz’s academic freedom, I think the University has a responsibility to monitor what views are represented on their Web site. Although I believe what Professor Katz says is hateful, bigoted and most disturbing of all for a supposed man of SCIENCE, uneducated, I would defend his right to say it. However, if he wishes to express such controversial views, I do not think that the school Web space is the appropriate forum.
What he says on our Web space is a reflection on our school, and the University has a right to monitor and censor what appears on the Web space to a certain extent. While every American has freedom of speech, do they have the freedom to go on national TV and use vulgarity without consequence? If the TV networks have the right to censor the material which represents them to a nationwide audience, then I would argue that the University, which allows Professor Katz to use their Web space, has this same right to censor. Therefore, I think the University should take action to censor some of the Professor’s more hateful and controversial material so as to send a message that the school does not support such homophobia. Moreover, the school should seriously question how they could hire a man who specializes in science who would hold such unscientific views. Society as a whole has a tendency to disregard homophobia, while a significant portion of society suffers the consequences. By censoring the professor, the school would send a powerful message saying that homophobia is indeed intolerable and should be treated like any other discrimination. -Sean Karunaratne Class of 2008
AIDS not only a homosexual issue Dear Editor: I was extremely disturbed to read Professor Katz’s article “In Defense of Homophobia,” specifically that Professor Katz had the audacity to blame homosexuals for the spread and origin of AIDS. His argument was irrational and close-minded. I believe that it is bigoted individuals, such as President Reagan and Professor Katz, whose inability to see the context and severity of such a disease because of its primary target are what have led to the rapid spread of HIV/ AIDS. It took President Reagan four years after the first reported case of HIV/AIDS to publicly address the disease, solely as a result of the questioning of a reporter. I would like to think that
we have grown from our past, and are now able to see that this disease is no longer called GayRelated Immune Deficiency, we are all susceptible to HIV/AIDS, and homosexuals are merely more susceptible than heterosexuals. It is absolutely necessary for individuals to look at the HIV/AIDS epidemic from a global lens, study this disease in South Africa, where it is most prevalent, or in Asia, and then draw conclusions. Professor Katz may be a brilliant physicist and I would not question his understanding of scientific law. However, AIDS is not a mathematical problem with a simple solution, it is a complex epidemic and rather than searching for the origin and who to blame, we should be searching for a cure and methods of prevention. -Natalia D’Souza Class of 2008
What about AIDS and promiscuity? Dear Editor: Why has nobody else brought this up? I’ve even e-mailed Katz himself about this. People condemn Katz for condemning homosexuals as evil and wrong. Katz condemns homosexuals for their reckless promiscuity. But what I don’t understand about Katz is why he restricts himself to condemning simply male homosexual promiscuity. Maybe that’s how AIDS first spread, but now it spreads among all types of groups. In addition, there’s always herpes, chlamydia, all other STDs. These all spread through promiscuity. So why is it that gay promiscuity is evil and wrong, but regular promiscuity is ok? If anything, Katz should be condemning promiscuity and unprotected sex in general, and maybe admonishing the gay community and everyone else to learn from the past and not repeat its mistakes. It’s not like the gay community was being any more “evil and morally wrong” than your average collage campus. So if Katz wants to condemn sexual promiscuity, he can. It’s simply a logical fallacy that he attributes AIDS to the homosexuality rather than
the promiscuity. And as a side note, even though I don’t agree with Katz (and told him so personally), I think the calls for censorship here on this liberal college campus are ridiculous. “Lets end tolerance of intolerance”? Both sides need to step back and realize the glaring flaws in their arguments. -Scott Fabricant Class of 2009
Student Life is hypocritical about censorship Dear Editor: I applaud Professor Katz. Not for his opinions, but for his courage in standing up for what he believes in. Wrong or right, this guy has some cojones to hold his ground in the midst of so much vitriol. I also applaud most of the writers who weighed in on academic freedom, homophobia, AIDS, censorship...Thank you for the enlightenment and the entertainment. You said many things I wanted to say much better than I could have. On the other hand, I decry the editorial staff for their hypocrisy and revisionism. Last week the editorial staff appeared to give a tacit endorsement of censorship with its rallying cry to “End tolerance of homophobia now.” Now the other “students have called for the censoring of Katz’s opinions.” As for today’s headline “Katz sparks academic freedom debate.” Katz did no such thing. Jeff Stepp did. Katz may have provided the gasoline, but Stepp provided the spark. So,there’s the revisionism—what about the hypocrisy? Ironically, while denouncing someone for opinions posted on a personal Web site, the staff approved Johnny Chang’s humorous cartoon with similar opinions for mass distribution. Oops. -William Knapp Graduate Student
See LETTERS, page 7
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WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 5, 2005
STUDENT LIFE | FORUM
7
Oh, that wild and crazy Wash. U.
W
atch out for the wild and crazy bear. It’s going to get you. It’s going to drag you to Francis Field and…well, make you watch the football game. After all, SU has declared this week spirit week, and as we all know, they like their bears wild and crazy and full of Wash. U. pride. It’s a good idea, and for once, I will give SU props for something (I know, I’m shocked too). Unfortunately for SU, that little Emory “rivalry” proved that we have Wash. U. pride
coming out the wazoo. The notion of a rivalry with Emory has been all but pushed out of the minds of Wash. U. students. Sure, there are the new “Emory was my safety school” shirts, but I’ve seen as many people selling them as wearing them around campus. The rivalry, which dominated Forum for about a week, has been pushed off the pages of Student Life by the Katz controversy, which will be pushed aside by the next scandal within two weeks (I’m hoping for some-
manifested itself as thing along the lines apathy. It was like of “Ader, Bookbinder we were Donald have secret love child Trump, and Emory’s who gets an A in Orgo M.C. Hammer said despite being only that they had more two months old”). money than us. This happened not Emory thinks they’re because the majority as good as us? How of Wash. U. students cute! Now go back to don’t care enough your home and drink to have a rivalry. It Daniel some Coke, we’re too happened because we Milstein busy to really care dismissed the rivalry about you. We could say that as frivolous—we know we’re we’re really indifferent to this better than them. rivalry, but it’s due to the fact This superiority complex
Where exactly is Katz’s argument? By Betsy Rubinstein Op-ed Submission
P
rofessor Jonathan Katz states, “If you think I’m wrong, explain why, and try to convince the undecided” (Student Life, Sept. 30). Clearly, Professor Katz is looking for someone who can challenge him and give him a good valid argument against his stance. With this in mind, I intend to argue not whether his article should stay up on the Web or even if I agree with him, but rather that his arguments lack true conviction and validity from a philosophical and academic standpoint. According to the MerriamWebster Dictionary, homophobia is defined as an “irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuality or homosexuals.” In Professor Katz’s essay, he defines homophobia as a “moral judgment that homosexual behavior is wrong” (“In Defense of Homophobia,” Jonathan Katz). Right from the beginning, Professor Katz has indicated that he is misinformed about the mere definition of the word that he clings so closely to, and is “proud of.” In reality, homophobia has nothing to do with the question of morality, but rather an irrational fear of homosexuality. Professor Katz does, however, choose to discuss the “morality” of homosexuality, and does so with insufficient arguments. Thus, I feel the duty to challenge him in these views. In the beginning of Profes-
sor Katz’s article, he takes a religious stance against homosexuality through quoting the book of Leviticus which states that, “A man shall not lie with a man as he lies with a woman. It is an abomination.” Please note that the Bible also states, “And if a woman has an issue, and her issue in her flesh is blood, she shall be put apart seven days…” (Lev.15: 19-30) The second citation, in other words, claims that a woman should not sleep with her husband for seven days while she is menstruating. Today, that statement in the Bible is often overlooked and dismissed because it is predominantly an outdated rule which women no longer follow. But what about homosexuality? How can we simply dismiss one line in the Bible as “outdated” and clench on to another? Who are we to say what is and is not dismissible? Professor Katz also mentions that homosexuals must be condemned for causing the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. He states that “its first victims were promiscuous homosexual males.” Thus, it can be inferred that Professor Katz is intolerant of gay people because of their “notorious” promiscuity. Yet, his argument is inconsistent when one considers his response to one of Mr. Stepp’s questions in his Sept. 26 column. “When I asked how he felt about homosexuals who were in monogamous relationships, practicing safe sex and too young to have any involvement with the original AIDS outgrowth, his opinions didn’t
change.” This clearly shows that regardless of their promiscuity (or lack thereof), Professor Katz just does not like gay people. He de-validates “promiscuity” as a possible argument or justification because his opinions don’t change with promiscuous homosexuals and monogamous homosexuals. Next, Professor Katz states, “The human body… was not designed to be promiscuous, and it was not designed to engage in homosexual acts.” Before we discuss what the human body was “designed to do,” we must first recognize that not everyone shares the same view on the origination of human beings in the first place. Not only does Professor Katz have no basis to claim what the human body was designed to do, but he has no basis to claim that the human body was designed at all! In addition, when criticizing promiscuity, Professor Katz fails to recognize that both homosexuals and heterosexuals have varying degrees of promiscuous behavior in history. “Lethal diseases spread rapidly among people who do such things,” Professor Katz states. Notice
how Professor Katz uses “people” here. He says it himself that promiscuity is dangerous, which it undoubtedly is, but it is dangerous for anyone to be promiscuous, whether one is homosexual or heterosexual. AIDS, for example, is a sexually-transmitted disease, not a “homo”sexually-transmitted disease. Also, both homosexuals and heterosexuals perform unprotected anal sex, but he never mentions heterosexual behavior at all. Again, my purpose for this article is very clear: if one is going to publicly take a stand, he sure as hell better be able to defend it. And unfortunately, Professor Katz has left himself no argument to defend. Betsy is a sophomore in Arts & Sciences. She can be reached via e-mail at brubinstein@wustl.edu.
JESS ROGEN | STUDENT LIFE
Homophobia is morally wrong By Eric Brown Op-ed Submission
I
am not sure why so many intelligent people have the urge to share so many of their half-baked ideas on the Web. Professor Katz of Washington University’s physics department apparently believes that the world wants or needs his half-baked ideas about matters far outside his expertise because he is a “public intellectual” (Jeff Stepp, “Should Wash. U. tolerate homophobic professors?,” Student Life, Sept. 26). Ordinarily, I am content to shrug my shoulders at such vanity or delusion or whatever it is. But I am not content to shrug at the defense of homophobia that Katz has posted. Jeff Stepp has already raised some intelligent questions about Katz’s essay, but he focused on whether it is appropriate for a Washington University professor to post such an essay on Washington University’s Web site. I am writing with a different concern. I want to show that all of Katz’ reasons for saying that homosexual behavior is morally wrong are terrible. Among his “arguments” Katz highlights what he considers a “logical explanation” for “rationalists,” but he begins by referring to two other reasons why many people oppose homosexual behavior. He might not endorse these as reasons why homosexual behavior is morally wrong, as he seems to fancy himself a “rationalist.” On the other hand, he might endorse them, as he begins his essay by promising multiple “arguments” why homosexual behavior is morally wrong and it is hard to find multiple reasons if one does not take the initial two seriously. Either way, I want to make explicit why they are not good reasons. The first is that some texts traditionally deemed holy condemn homosexual behavior. If one takes one of these texts to be the infallible word of some omnipotent, omniscient deity, then this is a reason to think that homosexual behavior is
wrong. But there is no good reason to take one of these holy texts to be infallible in every particular. The Hebrew Bible to which Katz points, for example, claims that the world was created in six days. Indeed, it gives two contradictory accounts of the creation! One can hardly take this to be the literal truth. One might try to suppose that although the text’s descriptions are suspect, its prescriptions are beyond reproach. But this runs into difficulty, as well. Leviticus prescribes animal sacrifices as repentance for sin. Are we who do not make such amends for our mistakes morally wrong? Anyone who wants to point to Leviticus’ condemnation of homosexual behavior should carefully read all of that book’s prescriptions before concluding that Leviticus provides an unproblematic reason for concluding that homosexual behavior is morally wrong. More generally, no one doubts that many traditional societies have decreed that homosexual behavior is morally wrong. The question is whether they had any good reason for doing so. The second reason that Katz invokes without explicitly endorsing is “the revulsion that most people feel.” I will admit to feeling disgust at the thought of some sexual behaviors. I can hardly think of coprophilia, for example, without shuddering. But that’s me, and I am disgusted by lots of things, including, for example, the song “Sunshine on my Shoulders.” Do I think that these things are morally wrong? That is another question altogether, and especially because disgust is culturally variable, one should be careful not to infer judgments about morality from feelings of disgust. Having introduced two bad reasons without fully endorsing them, Katz turns to his central concern, “the logical explanation” why so many people condemn homosexual behavior: “Recent medical history provides a convincing argument.” He notes that AIDS became an epidemic largely due to the
transmission of HIV through unprotected anal sex, especially among male homosexuals. He then makes an inference: “The religious believer may see the hand of God, but both he and the rationalist must see a fact of Nature [sic].” What fact of nature is evident in the origins of the AIDS epidemic? Katz explains, “The human body was not designed to share hypodermic needles, it was not designed to be promiscuous, and it was not designed to engage in homosexual acts.” Now, first of all, this is a strange thing to be calling a fact of nature. (Is it significant that Katz has capitalized the word ‘nature’?) The religious who believe in a divine designer might think that the human body was designed. But why must the “rationalist” think that? Evolution does not design anything, at least as long as we are checking our metaphors at the door. Second, who cares what the human body is—Katz says ‘was’—”designed for?” The relevant question is this: what uses of the human body are morally wrong? Katz’s reference to design is relevant only if he is assuming that it is morally wrong to do something for which the human body was not “designed.” But is this a plausible assumption? Consider Katz’s claim that “the human body was not designed to share hypodermic needles.” If that’s the case, why think that the human body is designed to be punctured by hypodermic needles at all? Why think that it is designed to be subject to massive doses of radiation? I presume that Katz would not like to infer that modern medicine’s use of invasive technologies is morally wrong. Consequently, I suspect that Katz does not really mean to talk about design at all. I suspect he means that the human body is such that some behaviors are conducive to its survival whereas others subject it to significant risk of death. Now, there is no denying that. Nor is there any denying that in a world with HIV infection, un-
protected anal sex is extremely risky behavior. But can we infer from this that homosexual behavior is morally wrong? We cannot, for two reasons. First, this inference, too, uses a general assumption that is quite dubious. Why think that extremely risky behavior is morally wrong? Consider Katz’s own example of motorcycling without a helmet on an icy road. This is imprudent, yes. But is it morally wrong? Or consider any number of “extreme sports.” Are these risky endeavors morally wrong just because they put one’s life and limb at risk? Second, Katz’s reasoning does not even show that homosexual behavior is extremely risky. He notes that unprotected anal sex in a world with HIV is extremely imprudent. But that’s a very different thing, again for two reasons. First, there are many homosexual behaviors that are not unprotected anal sex, and there are many acts of unprotected anal sex that are not homosexual. Second, there was a world without HIV infection. Does Katz really mean to imply that homosexual behavior was morally acceptable until about 1980, when HIV infection first made unprotected anal sex extremely risky? It would be a strange “fact of Nature [sic]” if the evolution of a particular virus could render innocuous behavior morally wrong. These are not good reasons to think that homosexual behavior is morally wrong. No one who wishes to be known as a public intellectual should be proud to be a homophobe on the basis of these reasons. Moreover, Katz’ essay reveals more than intellectual failings. One needs to have good reasons to proclaim that some class of behaviors morally wrong. To take this stance condemns people who would, for many reasons, like to engage in those behaviors, and it is morally wrong to condemn people without good reason. Eric is an associate professor of philosophy. He can be reached via email at eabrown@wustl.edu.
that we have so much Wash. U. pride that we don’t even get riled up after being insulted by such an inferior challenger. We’re too good for that. Many people, myself included, have often bemoaned the apparent absence of Wash. U. pride. But we’ve confused a lack of attendance at sporting events with a lack of school pride. “Emory was my safety school” shirts are a somewhat rare sight, but plain old Wash. U. shirts aren’t. People even buy and wear Wash. U. flip-flops. If
that’s not school pride, I don’t know what is. So SU can send out all the wild and crazy bears and presidents and emus and whatever it wants. It’s a good idea, but it won’t boost school spirit; spirit is already high. Wash. U. students just go wild and crazy about the next exam more than the next football game. Daniel is a sophomore in Arts & Sciences and is a Forum editor. He can be reached via e-mail at forum@studlife.com.
LETTERS v FROM PAGE 6 Student Life made Katz debate Dear Editor: The headline on Monday’s issue of Student Life summed up a big problem with the paper. “Katz sparks academic freedom debate,” proclaimed the headline. This is untrue. The controversy surrounding Dr. Katz was born in Student Life, largely exists within the confines of Student Life, and will die in Student Life. Before I sound like I’m defending Dr. Katz’s views, let me state my thoughts. If some inconsequential asshole in the physics department doesn’t like me for ludicrous reasons, that’s fine. When assholes hate me, it lets me know I’m doing things right. I’ll focus my time and energy on the consequential assholes, like the one currently occupying the White House. More specifically, I second the views voiced by the ever-enchanting Annabelle Burnum in last Friday’s issue. My point, though, is that this whole controversy seems to have been ginned up out of boredom by Student Life. Dr. Katz’s views and Web site are old news. I imagine the staff sitting around, nostalgic for all the real news of last year. Without SWA, dump-gate, or public sorority drunkenness, what to do? The new student center story has no panache, so let’s invent some excitement. I’ve observed this pattern many times in the three years I’ve been here. There’s a story about something or other on the front page which really isn’t consequential (like, oh, I dunno, drinking on campus), but a passionate editorial is written in Forum. Many letters are written in response, more editorials...and nothing changes. Ever. Just something to fill space and time. This is my plea to Student Life. Become a positive force for change on campus. Do some investigative reporting into consequential wrongs on the campus, unknown to the student body at large. I’ll give you the first one. Let’s look at Bon Appétit’s management vs. their labor. Now look at the racial makeup. Now state the obvious, and ask the hard questions. -Nick Beary Class of 2007
Gay rights groups not impotent Dear Editor: As members of Safe Zones and Pride Alliance (formerly Spectrum Alliance) we would like to respond to David Brody’s article in the Sept. 30 issue of Student Life. In contrast to his claims of our groups’ “impotence,” Safe Zones and Pride Alliance have clearly had an impact on the campus atmosphere, given that the vast majority of responses disagree with Katz’s views. However, the dialogue surrounding Katz’s obviously homophobic views misses the point; it is a distraction from the more subtle and pervasive forms of oppression aimed at lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual and ally (LGBTQIA) people at Washington University. Safe Zones’ three hour-long ally workshops focus on addressing homophobia, biphobia, transphobia and heterosexism, ranging from personal interactions to institutionalized oppression. In the last year Safe Zones has conducted workshops for all RAs, Career Center staff, Office of Student Activities staff, Uncle Joe’s, 1 in 4, CORE, Wilderness Project Pre-Orientation leaders and the Social Justice Center. Each semester Safe Zones facilitates at least one Open Ally Workshop. We are currently accepting applications
for new Safe Zones Educators, trained individuals who lead our workshops (see http://resteech. wustl.edu/~safezones). We look forward to reading Mr. Brody’s application by the extended deadline of Oct. 14. In addition to our workshops, Safe Zones co-sponsors events with other LGBTQIA student groups, including Pride Alliance, Keshet, Outlook and Outlaw. Last spring, the first annual LGBTQIA prom, Gayla, attracted over 200 fabulous attendees! Beginning Oct. 8, Pride Alliance will kick-off its annual Awareness Week, which includes a program co-sponsored with PFLAG during Parents’ Weekend and a celebration of National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11. A week of events surrounding transgender issues in November will culminate in a lecture given by the renowned transgender artist Loren Cameron on Nov. 18 from 6-7:30 p.m. in Steinberg Auditorium. Far from being “impotent,” our groups actively spark discussion of a full spectrum of LGBTQIA issues, beyond polarized debate with an avowed homophobe. While blatant homophobia easily becomes this campus’ hot topic, we encourage readers to thoroughly examine the implications of the many forms of oppression that surround them. -Bennet Goldstein, Class of 2007 Nathan Miller, Alumnus Lori Weingarten, Class of 2008 Tom Giarla, Class of 2007 Stacy Read, Class of 2007 Tanya Antonini, Class of 2008
Brockway’s advice could use depth Dear Editor: (Re: Rachel Brockway’s “Sex, lies and Lucky Charms – Oct. 3) Today’s iteration is not the most irrelevant piece of relationship writing ever, only the most recent in a train of pointless articles. It is not my wish to attack the piece specifically (though that strategy could prove simple enough: a citation of Napoleon Dynamite as proof of success in technology-based relationships? You are actually citing a satire?), but to address the thought processes that go into these articles. Concerning subjects and including sources that appear limited to an insular group of undergraduates on campus, “Sex, lies and Lucky Charms” is not by any stretch of the imagination journalistic writing. Each piece is literally pregnant with enough inane suggestions and trite details that a point-by-point apology column could appear next to it. Far be it for me to claim that I have the answers to all relationship issues, but Brockway’s sophomoric, Livejournal-esque stream-of-consciousness advice certainly cannot be considered cogent guidance either. In a dating/relationship column, I would expect quotes from health counselors, psychologists, therapists and the like. Advice from the author’s boyfriend or those bearing the moniker “Dirk Diggler” does not convey thoughtful counsel to me. Also, a preponderance of these articles spend a majority of their print detailing highlights of Brockway’s week (i.e. novel Internet access, or a nude encounter with the police) that are only tenuously linked to what can be called the “lesson.” This is another fallacy for an advice column; it should focus on relationship concerns affecting students around campus, not the most recent hedonistic “epiphany.” I would love to see a relationship/dating/sex advice column maintain a post in Student Life, but “Sex, lies and Lucky Charms” is not it. Frankly, it is insipid drivel masquerading as legitimate journalism. This is a request from a regular reader and contributor to Student Life to raise the standards. -David Freeman
8 STUDENT LIFE | CADENZA
Senior Cadenza Editor / Laura Vilines / cadenza@studlife.com
WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 5, 2005
MOVIE REVIEWS
‘Serenity’ neither serene nor ‘MirrorMask’: a film that peers realistic, but still a good time through the looking glass By David Freeman Contributing Reporter Writer/director Joss Whedon’s wide-release theatrical debut, “Serenity,” is a fun sci-fi space opera. The title is drawn from the moniker of a pirate spaceship captained by Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds (Nathan Fillion), an officer on the losing side of an interplanetary civil war. Having left Earth and “terra-formed” an entirely new solar system, the Alliance has decided to kill all those who will not accept their utopian rule. Existing on the outskirts of galactic civilization, Mal takes any dirty job with his loyal (albeit eclectic) crew aboard the Serenity: his second-in-command, Zoe (Gina Torres), her husband and the ship’s pilot, Wash (Alan Tudyk), the brutish Jayne (Adam Baldwin), and the sex-obsessed mechanic, Kaylee (Jewel Staite). Things become even more complicated when the ships takes on two fugitives from the Alli-
ance, young doctor Simon Tam (Sean Maher) and his newly rescued sister River (Summer Glau). Now on their heels is the Operative (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a placid killing machine whose only concern is either the deliverance of River back into the hands of the Alliance or the silencing of all she has contacted. The violently unstable River is so very valuable because she is telepathic and has encountered a dark secret that could potentially usurp the Alliance’s control—something they are willing to stop at any cost. Those familiar with Joss Whedon’s directing record (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Angel”) will immediately recognize this movie as a feature-length adaptation of his TV series “Firefly.” Although Whedon has decided to put on his big-boy director pants, his TV background shows. Consider one of the opening sequences in which the entire crew aboard the Serenity is introduced. The camera pans from
By Adam Summerville
Serenity
Movie Editor
★★★✩✩
“MirrorMask” is another in a long line of tales in which a girl is transported to a world of magic and fancy that reflects the happenings of her real life. Helena (Stephanie Leonidas) is a teenage girl with a wish opposite from most teenagers: she wants to leave her exciting, different life as a performer in her parents’ circus to live a life of going to the mall and geometry homework. After having a fight with her mother (on whom tragedy then befalls), Helena falls asleep only to wake in a world eerily similar to her own drawings and quickly befriends a local juggler, Valentine (Jason Barry). It is a world where books will float back to the library if you insult them thoroughly, and everyone wears a mask because facial expressions are just far too creepy. The world is divided into a land of light and a land of shadow, and each has its own queen (both played by Gina McKee), who is very reminiscent of Helena’s mother. Both lands are falling into chaos, and only Helena can find the charm to awake the queen of light and save the world. The world looks like a Salvador Dali painting made live and is easily the most visually
Starring: Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk Directed by: Joss Whedon Now Playing: AMC Esquire, Galleria 6
one two-dimensional character to the next, and each recites his or her respective diatribe just as if it were the opening to an episode of “Home Improvement.” Throughout the movie, this “family” spouts enough one-liners to make you wonder if they lie awake at night in the Serenity creating new ways to interact unrealistically. Such implausible interactions are the key flaw of this movie, but they are also intentional and amusing. As “Serenity” rockets across genres, from action to sci-fi to horror to comedy, you come to realize that this is not a great film, but it is a damn good rush. Serious scenes and dogfights are shuffled in with maudlin love sequences, punctuated with giddy references to sex, overly choreographed martial-art sequences and endless cheesy, melodramatic Eastern catchphrases. (If the title did not give it away, there are enough Eastern/Oriental references in Serenity to shake a stick at. For example, when the gruff Jayne gets pissed, he drowns his frustrations not in whiskey, but tea.) The result is a movie that does not take itself seriously, and neither should its audience. Joss Whedon likely had a fun time making this thriller, and keeping this in mind makes the whole film much more enjoyable. Good science fiction (or in this case, psuedocamp/action/science fiction) is a rarity in theatres nowadays, so go see “Serenity” if you feel the need to fill the space-opera void left by the waning Star Wars trilogies.
stimulating locale ever committed to film. The inhabitants of this world are also wonderfully imaginative (from weird human-face-masked sphinxes to gorilla-penguins named Bob) and manage to remain fascinating as opposed to being weird solely for weirdness’ sake. Stephanie Leonidas does a great job of taking us through this world (particularly because she is the only character whose facial expressions are available to the audience), thus placing much more import on her acting skills to carry the film. Unfortunately, the imagination of the film’s creators far exceeded their wallets. At points the computer graphics become transparent, and the fantasy melts away. However, given that the film is essentially one giant bluescreen shot, it is amazing that such a small budget could stretch so far. The movie was written by acclaimed fantasy writer Neil Gaiman, and those familiar with his works will definitely recognize his touch here. The dialogue is clever and snappy but not trite, and the story moves at a decent clip, never getting bogged down despite the introduction of some new aspect of the world every few minutes. Fortunately, the movie also manages to avoid the stan-
MirrorMask
★★★★✩ Starring: Stephanie Leonidas, Gina McKee, Rob Brydon, Jason Barry Directed by: Dave McKean Now Playing: Tivoli
dard “it was all a dream” setup, surprising us with the fact that Helena can look through windows in the world and glimpse images of her increasingly rebellious life taking place without her. “MirrorMask” is one of the most visually stunning and imaginative worlds created in years. The world itself is fascinating and its inhabitants even more so—the characters, particularly Helena and Valentine, are all well-developed and ably played by their respective actors. The movie is very similar in aesthetics to previous Jim Henson works such as “The Dark Crystal” and “Labyrinth,” and the story is a complete retelling of “The Wizard of Oz,” which is the movie’s largest creative stumbling point. It is a wonderful restructuring of the classic tale, though, and the sheer creativity of the world makes “MirrorMask” a worthwhile film.
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“MirrorMask” looks like a live-action Salvador Dali painting, all surreal glimmers and starshine.
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The cast of “Serenity” poses on board the film’s futuristic set.
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WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 5, 2005
STUDENT LIFE | CADENZA
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MOVIE REVIEW
‘A History of Violence’ too poignant to explain By Chris Breault Contributing Reporter Is David Cronenberg the most devious fi lmmaker we have? His fi lms, from “Dead Ringers” to “Crash” (the 1996 version) seem to be made with the intention of frustrating analysis. He hasn’t gotten any easier to pin down, but what he’s made with “A History of Violence”
seems to be a pastiche of action fi lms, a brief illumination of our American fantasies of violence. Granted, it’s not a new idea. But, as Cronenberg tells it, it’s one that deserves another look. A second question: has there ever been an action fi lm purely about action, as “A History of Violence” is? One that investigates our attraction to brutality without condemning it, that
A shot reminiscent of his turn in “A Beautiful Mind.”
uses violence not to explore another topic, as an extension of character or natural forces, as spectacle, camp or a means to toy with the genre? We’re introduced to Tom Stall, father of two, played by Viggo Mortensen, the soft-spoken owner of an improbably quaint diner in Millbrook, Ind. But he used to be Joey Cusack, a psychotic Philadelphia mobster who skipped town after some murders years ago and made himself into an entirely different man. The transformation isn’t as complete as Tom might hope. When his diner is robbed in a random hold-up, he guns down the offending parties as smoothly as he makes the soup of the day. (Like riding a bicycle, I guess.) Stall is celebrated as a small-town hero and quickly tracked down by his old associates, who are not as chummy as one might hope. This is all handled with something less than the utmost seriousness. “A History of Violence” is a movie of small, pure pleasures, and, as in most narratives, they come mostly from the villains. Ed Harris, as a oneeyed gangster, has far more fun than most directors allow. He relishes his own appearance in this cheerful country setting and his own power of corruption on the place. You can hear it when he thanks Tom for taking care of “those two bad men,” sharpening the end of the sentence like a born orator. You can see it in his talk with Edie Stall (Maria Bello); he seems on the verge of laugh-
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A tough crowd makes a showing in offbeat “History of Violence.” ter while asking her in mockseriousness why her husband “is so good at killing people” and then teases her about her shoes and cracks up entirely. Cronenberg scrubs out as much as he can get from his fi lms without washing away their meaning, leaving us with an airtight, elegant surface that resists our assigning it significance. The action scenes in this fi lm are where the world breaks down, and Cronenberg incorporates Hollywood techniques into his own system (a bullet-stuffed body plunging through plate glass, etc.). All the while he amplifies brutality with close-ups of smashed faces and of heads with gun wounds and a comic surreality (an odd temporal distortion, where Tom seems free
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to hit a man’s face in the same way three times while the thug remains motionless). There’s even the occasional, blatant jab at convention: we see both of the mob bosses in the fi lm turn their backs, confident that Tom will be killed, in the entire span of time it takes him to defeat their henchmen. At the fi lm’s end, a question of character is left hanging: what made psychopathic Joey decide to be nice-guy Tom? Cronenberg could have found the answer trite or never asked himself the question. But he takes the characters (if not the plot) of his fi lm seriously. Maybe when he looked at Mortensen’s practiced, thoughtfully stylized performance, he decided Tom Stall was too good a character to be explained. We know as much about Tom from the
way he carries himself as we learn from all the fi lm’s exposition, and we recognize the difference in the way Joey moves and looks at people immediately. One would do both Mortensen and Cronenberg a disservice by thinking them intentionally shallow— they’re just too precise to be summarized.
A History of Violence
★★★★✬ Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, William Hurt, Ed Harris Directed by: David Cronenberg Now Playing: AMC Esquire, Chase Park Plaza
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Senior Cadenza Editor / Laura Vilines / cadenza@studlife.com
WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 5, 2005
‘Hair’ set to lay the Edison stage bare By Laura Vilines Senior Cadenza Editor Protest marches, stonedout trips and be-ins will fill the Edison stage this Friday as Claude Bukowski and his Tribe (monikered “Midnight Zephyr� by the cast) release the battle cry of a desperate generation. Set in 1968, “Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical� follows the plight of a group of hippies as they struggle to deal with their identity, their emerging sexuality and the painful initiation of the draft as it begins to deeply affect their tight-knit community. According to Director Jeffrey Matthews, “‘Hair’ is not so much a play as a happening. It’s the product of a very particular moment. It’s happy and fun and the songs are great, but it does have some
harder edges. There’s love but there’s also cruelty.� Featuring such notable hits as “Aquarius� and “Good Morning Starshine,� “Hair� premiered in 1967 and was the anthem of an entire counterculture, quickly becoming a Broadway classic. Despite its obvious datedness, “Hair� remains truly poignant for every generation, touching on the basic human qualities of love, solidarity and friendship in the midst of political turmoil. “Hair� will be performed at the Edison Theatre on Oct. 7-8 and Oct. 14-15 at 8 p.m., as well as on Oct. 9 and 16 at 2 p.m. Tickets are now available and can be purchased at the Edison Theatre Box Office.
COURTESY OF “HAIR�
Jonathan Larson musical explodes at a theatre near you By Amy Sapan Contributing Reporter
so few times means that no single standard has been set for the director, actors and designers to look to for guidance. Production has been an exercise in creative license—an exciting process that will more likely than not produce an equally exciting product for the audience. A live rock band will bring life to a score that is both reminiscent of “RENTâ€? and a true testament to Larson’s afďŹ nity for amboyant experimentation. Hirsh described the play as a blessing. “It’s got a ďŹ ne mix of heartpounding ‘90s rock and roll, experiments with several
ALL REAL NUMBERS
When Jonathan Larson’s “RENTâ€? opened in Feb. of 1996 it quickly became one of the most popular musicals of a generation. Though Larson tragically died of a brain aneurysm before “RENTâ€? premiered, his plays remain as popular as ever. This Parents’ Weekend, Cast n’ Crew will present Larson’s “tick, tick ‌ BOOM!â€? The play is largely an autobiographical monologue about the successes and failures he experienced in producing the rock musical “Superbia.â€?
A three-character play made complete with ‘90s rock and roll, “tick, tick ... BOOM!â€? features the directorial vision of recent Washington University graduate Dan Hirsh and the acting of Ian Sherman, Jessica Schild and Erik Romanelli. Hirsh stressed how fortunate Cast n’ Crew is to have the opportunity to produce this show. “I was extremely lucky‌We are extremely lucky to be able to do this show,â€? said Hirsh. “As far as I know, the show has only been produced a few times with very, very limited rights [since] Jon Larson’s family seems very protective of them.â€? A play that’s been produced
BY DAVID FREEMAN
different alternative musical styles such as ‘50s bubblegum and western hoedown and has a fair amount of continual emotional development in the characters,â€? he said. In many ways “tick, tick ‌ BOOM!â€? reects the obstacles Larson faced and overcame during his own life. Yet on a deeper level, the play is an outlet for Larson’s impressions of our era, something Hirsh strongly identiďŹ es with. “Upon reading it, I realized that Larson was vocalizing much of how I’ve been feeling during my time here at Wash. U.,â€? he said. “I’ve also felt what he feels about living in a time when we really have nothing to believe in, and all of us artists blame it for our lack of inspiration.â€? For Hirsch, though, the play does more than entertain or inform. It is cathartic. “I feel as though our license to do this play has released my—and I hope other’s—current dissatisfaction with the lack of values in today’s culture,â€? he said. “tick, tick ... BOOM!â€? premieres Fri., Oct. 7, at 8 p.m. Additional showings will be on Sat., Oct. 8, at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sun., Oct. 9, at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.
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KWUR HISTORY v FROM PAGE 12 duced a total of 16 issues and had featured interviews with a veritable “who’s who� of ‘90s alternative and underground music. Sonic Youth, Fugazi, Nirvana, the Flaming Lips, Pavement, the Beastie Boys, Uncle Tupelo, Yo La Tengo, Neutral Milk Hotel and Blackilicious are only a handful of the more than 75 names interviewed over the decade.
The iPod and Future of KWUR According to Klacsmann, the abandonment of “Sampleâ€? reected a period of general decline for KWUR. As the ‘90s segued into the new century, KWUR was forced to confront a number of problems that the station is still dealing with today. The ďŹ rst is the ubiquitous iPod. Radio itself is still trying to ďŹ nd itself since the days that alternative new music became readily available through the mp3. “Providing alternative music when people had limited access to it was huge,â€? Klacsmann said. Now, KWUR ďŹ nds itself having to adapt. Some reforms have already taken place. Over the summer, the station was renovated and cleaned up and the Internet site was upgraded. Other reforms are old issues. The station was given 10 watts with which to broadcast in 1976 and has not been given, despite numerous protests, any additional wattage since. In 1997, the station was again historically early in streaming its music live via the internet, but the problem of low wattage remains one of the central concerns for KWUR even today. According to FCC regulations, a station can only be upgraded to 100 watts if it is at least
three clicks on the dial away from another station. KWUR remains two clicks from 90.7, KWMU, St. Louis’ NPR and Public Radio International station. Still other progressive measures are in the works. There is talk of moving over to the AM dial once all of radio becomes digital in the near future. Plans for a thirtieth-year anniversary next summer are being discussed, with rumors of a celebration that will in-
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clude one DJ broadcasting for 30 straight hours. As always, KWUR week is being planned now so that it can continue to be one of the musical highlights of the year. The history of KWUR reveals a radio station often inappropriately managed and not always loved. One of Klacsmann’s goals for the future has been to understand KWUR’s past. He has compiled the magazines, discovered old recorded interviews and
talked with numerous KWUR alumni Despite its tumultuous history, when compared to other student groups around campus, KWUR’s longevity and consistentcy are ultimately rather remarkable. “We’ve been around 30 years, but we’ve pretty much stayed the same,â€? Klacsmann said. One need only tune in to ďŹ nd out what the future has in store.
Student Musical Showcase Friday, October 7th 8pm Graham Chapel
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12 STUDENT LIFE | CADENZA
Senior Cadenza Editor / Laura Vilines / cadenza@studlife.com
WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 5, 2005
n. a technically brilliant, sometimes improvised solo
CADEN Z A
passage toward the close of a concerto, an exceptionally brilliant part of an artistic work
arts & entertainment
Wash. U. Music Matters
y y r r o o t t s s i i H H e e h h TT R R U U W W K K f f o o Part 1 of a Series
By Robbie Gross Theatre Editor
If music is truly the soundtrack to our lives, then in college our lives must be musicals. In college one
is exposed to new music more than ever before. Music is shared on freshman floors and discussed over lunches and in the Quad. It is digested in on-campus concerts and reported on by campus newspapers. The Performing Arts Department’s production of “Hair,” which begins this weekend, is just one demonstration of the power music has, particularly in young people’s lives. But what, exactly, has been the role of music at
ROBBIE GROSS | STUDENT LIFE
A KWUR disc jockey interviews a student on campus.
Washington University? What is its history? This is the first in a series on the history of music at Wash. U. Today’s focus is KWUR, Washington University’s student-run radio station.
P
receding KWUR, the University’s fi rst radio station was KFRH. Established in 1961, KFRH operated out of Liggett Residence Hall and served the South 40 only. Musically, KFRH did little to stand out. When it shut down in the spring of 1974, KFRH’s claim to fame was in 1968, when freshman Beau Harris set the national collegiate record for consecutive hours broadcasting at 136. Though KFRH shut down, the students’ thirst for college radio remained. Robert Felekey and other students worked with administrators during the spring semester of 1976, and KWUR was born on July 4 of that same year. Its programming, from the beginning, was full of content not played on mainstream radio. Progressive rock bands like Rush and Frank Zappa were some of the early KWUR DJs’ favorites. Underground and free jazz music was another early mark on the station.
Listenership, Money, and Drugs In the early 1980s, KWUR became plagued with a combination of low listenership, fi scal constraints and illegal activities. The radio station was funded by a 3-2-1 ratio between the Office of Student Activities, Student Union and the Congress of the South 40. In September of 1982, though, the Congress denied KWUR funding due to a perceived lack of student interest. One school survey found that only 19 percent of students listened to KWUR. With student interest low, a significant amount of funding was pulled. In Sept. of 1982, KWUR ceased broadcasting for the remainder of the year. Student Life reported at the time that the decision was based on disputes with the administration over funding. The perception among the administration was that KWUR’s
alternative music content was not popular with the students and that it focused too much of its energy on the non-Wash. U. community. Yet today there are speculations that KWUR was in trouble for other reasons as well. Though the details are murky, according to Klacsmann and other current and former KWUR associates, disc jockeys were accused of illegal activities in the early 1980s. There was evidence that DJs were making illegal transactions and other arrangements over the air for what were likely drugs. When KWUR began to rebroadcast in 1983, it did so with the oversight of a new advisory board. By the late ‘80s, though, KWUR’s reputation for obscure music and illegitimate activities were well publicized. KWUR news, both good and bad, was frequently the leading headlines of Student Life. A 1988 op-ed in Student Life by Jonathan Handelman seemed to capture the mood: “KWUR broadcasts, you see, are sort of like missionaries of old. The difference here is that instead of spreading the gospel … KWUR spreads Progressive and Alternative music to the tasteless.” Handelman said. “We need good music, wholesome music,” he concluded.
John Klacsmann, the current KWUR training director and historian, the interview is a “little unbelievable.” “It’s just a couple of DJs hanging out with Kurt Cobain,” he said. The Nirvana story was lost for years before Klacsmann found a recording of the interview in the station. For him, the interview is
too elitist, expensive, and irrelevant, “Sample” was the way for the station to respond in print. In the fi rst issue, Mark Schwartz published an article entitled, “In defense of alternative music,” in which he blasted Student Life for its treatment of KWUR as the home of “music no one likes.” Schwartz provided a choice to the reader. “You can participate in the record-industry—radioconsumer
Nirvana, a Magazine, and a Flourishing Out of the relative chaos of the ‘80s came a KWUR radio that flourished in the ‘90s. It began on Oct. 16, 1991, when a then little-known band called Nirvana was set to play Mississippi Nights. Before the show, band members Kurt Cobain and Krist Novocelic drove around in a car with two KWUR disc jockeys. They were then brought back to the station for an interview. According to
ROBBIE GROSS
ic. tables, and mus ge ve , ts ui fr h fun wit lks have wacky These K WUR fo
| STUDENT LIFE
KWUR has outlasted its humble
beginnings in Liggett Dorm on the Sou
evidence of just how ahead of the curve KWUR was at the time. “KWUR was very into Nirvana before they got huge,” he said. Other former DJs agree. “It was the real alternative radio station in St. Louis,” added Derek Teslik, hip-hop director from 1998–2000. KWUR was one of the fi rst St. Louis stations to feature hip-hop. The station “had serious rap shows back before there were rap shows in St. Louis,” he said. “It was one of the few outlets for real, underground rap.” Eric Ratinoff, a KWUR disc jockey in 1991 and 1992, saw KWUR’s success as a product of its musical content. “REM and U2 had moved college rock into the mainstream” during the 1980s, he said. In the early ‘90s KWUR, “there was an attitude that those guys sold out and let’s fi nd something else.” Nirvana, the Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam and Red Hot Chili Peppers were some of the bands that took their place. “The ethic [at KWUR] was that nobody understand[s] us and we don’t want them to,” Ratinoff said. As the alternative bands became increasingly popular with the mainstream, KWUR simply continued to fi nd good, less recognizable names. The scope of KWUR’s success in broadcasting new and alternative music during the ‘90s was not limited to the confi nes of its radio station. In the spring of 1991, the station’s ambitious managers began publishing a magazine, “Sample,” that would provide a forum for discussion of alternative “musiculture.” At a time when KWUR was under attack in the pages of Student Life for being
ROBBIE GROSS | STUDENT LIFE
th 40 in the 1960s.
ménage à trois” by listening to “Eric Clapton on 90.3.” Alternatively, he said, on a “college campus, where minds are supposedly broadened … you can support less visible artists and musical styles.” If the longevity and quality of “Sample” is a measure of what choice Wash. U. students made, then KWUR won the battle by a long shot. By the time of the magazine’s last issue in the spring of 1999, it had pro-
See KWUR HISTORY, page 10
ROBBIE GROSS
| STUDENT LIFE The KWUR office is home to ton s of memorabilia.