F R I D A Y AUG. 27, 2004 Vol. 126, No. 1
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STUDENT LIFE T H E I N D E P E N D E N T N E W S PA P E R O F WA S H I N G T O N U N I V E R S I T Y I N S T. L O U I S S I N C E 1 8 7 8
INSIDE
Film producer Moore may visit WU in October n Mo Rocca also
scheduled to speak on campus again By Laura Geggel Contributing Reporter
Your dorm room can still delight, even if you’re on a budget – or so say our Scene reporters.
PAGE 20 Wrighton will be staying put, but won’t say whether he looked at MIT job.
PAGE 5
Thai food goes under the spotlight in the debut of “Masticate This.”
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JONATHAN LANE | STUDENT LIFE
Television personality Mo Rocca greets students in Graham Chapel after his lecture there in March. Rocca’s return to campus this fall will coincide with the presidential debate, and Campus Programming Council is trying to lure filmmaker Michael Moore as well.
Michael Moore may be joining the fray on campus this October. Student Union President David Ader confi rmed that the Campus Programming Council is in the later stages of talks with the controversial documentary fi lmmaker to speak to students about the presidential election—though Moore has not yet signed a contract. If he agrees to come, Moore will join a list of nationally renowned political analysts and activists slotted to speak at the University in anticipation of the
Special security status for debate denied
debate Oct. 8. Indeed, for political junkies, debate preview events will start long before the fi rst news truck rolls into town. Among those events are those sponsored by Educate Yourself 2004, a student-run group, which has planned a series of forums designed to keep students abreast of the issues likely to play a major role in the presidential debates. Local specialists, University professors and national experts will share their expertise with attendees. The series of forums will touch on hot-button issues like civil rights, the economy and trade and the political process. Students can attend forums every Monday at 4:45 p.m. in Rebstock 215, starting with a discussion of foreign policy on
See MOORE, page 3
Fundraising campaign tops $1.5 billion By Liz Neukirch
By Katie McKenzie
Senior News Editor
Contributing Reporter With the presidential debates approaching, local and federal law enforcement officers are preparing to cope with a necessary increase in security. The presence of such prominent figures as President George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry raises concern that Washington University will become a target for terrorist groups during the debate on Oct. 8. While the main concern for police handling debate security in previous years was to prevent violent acts of civil disobedience, scenarios for the upcoming presidential debate include thwarting biological and chemical attacks. Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge, however, has denied Missouri Governor Holden’s request that the debate held at the University be declared a “National Security Special Event” (NSSE). Designation as an NSSE would put organization of the debate security into the hands of the Secret Service. It would also allow additional federal law enforcement to be present for the duration of the event. “We don’t know why the Department of Homeland Security turned the request down,” said Steve Givens, assistant to the chancellor. “We are moving ahead with all of our security precautions and are working closely with the Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies.” As it stands, the St. Louis County police—working in conjunction with University police—will organize all security efforts and allocate manpower as they see fit.
See SECURITY, page 5
STUDENT LIFE ARCHIVES
Chancellor Mark Wrighton announces last November that a presidential debate will be held on campus this fall. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security recently rejected a request to classify the debate as a “special security event.”
After nine years, the Campaign for Washington University has raised a total of $1.55 billion in gifts and commitments. “Current students enjoy the benefits of work done throughout the course of the campaign, which started in what we call a “quiet phase” on July 1, 1995,” said Chancellor Mark Wrighton, noting that much of the funding for Olin Library’s renovations and the new academic buildings on campus was secured through the Campaign’s success. In the time since the Campaign began, a total of 26 new buildings have been erected, including the Laboratory Science Building, Anheuser-Busch Hall, and the Lucy and Stanley Lopata House for students. More than $185 million from the Campaign has also been designated for scholarship endowments. According to Wrighton, this fi nancial aid is already benefitting students that might not have been able to “enjoy the Washington University experience” otherwise. The University received its largest gift to date through the Campaign: a $25 million donation for the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Scholars program, which will help to ensure that deserving young men and women are
See BILLION, page 5
Drop in U.S. News rankings leaves some perplexed By Erin Harkless Contributing Editor
See campus from the perspective of freshmen: the 2004 edition of “Freshman Press.”
SECTION F INDEX News Sports Forum Cadenza Scene
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After climbing to a tie for ninth with Dartmouth College in the U.S. News and World Report rankings of undergraduate programs last year, Washington University has fallen to 11th place out of the 248 national universities surveyed, tying with Northwestern. In the “best value” category, however, the University moved up two spots to No. 12. Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton expressed his pleasure at the University’s new position, noting that the University is stronger than it was a year ago. “It is great to see that the University remains so highly regarded,” said Wrighton. “Recruiting great students and attracting and retaining talented faculty contribute to strengthening the University.” U.S. News publishes its ratings of undergraduate programs yearly, ranking the top national universities, liberal arts colleges, undergraduate business programs and engineering schools. The John M. Olin School of Business received a bump in the undergraduate business program rankings, moving up to 11th place from its 14th place spot last year. The fi nance program is ranked 17th. The School of Engineering is ranked 39th, where it is tied with seven other schools, including Notre Dame and Brown. In each specific category, the University posted strong numbers. These include fourth place in fi nancial resources, ninth in alumni giving, sixth in faculty resources, eighth in selectivity, and 12th in best value. The University improved on its position
STUDENT LIFE
from last year in the last three categories. In addition to its position in the rankings, the University is featured prominently in several other articles in the magazine, including a college profi le where the University is labeled a “hidden gem no more.” This piece highlights the low student-to-faculty ratio and the University’s campaigns to attract top students with merit-based awards. Students also seemed pleased with the University’s position, especially considering that the school was barely cracking the top 20 a few years ago. “It is disappointing to see that the rankings went down, but I’m glad that the business school moved up,” said senior Amanda Rauschkolb. “Overall, I think name recognition is more important in the end than the exact ranking.” Freshman Danielle Davidson noted that the University remains a great place, regardless of the rankings. “The school didn’t become any worse or change in any way due to the drop in the rankings,” Davidson said. Parents also seemed pleased with the University on the whole, but noted that the drop is disappointing. “Washington University should not be moving down in the rankings,” said Kiran Sikand of Colorado. “The school communicates well with students and parents and has an excellent faculty. Academically it remains well-known.” The rankings are based on several key factors,
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2004 U.S. News rankings 1. Harvard University Princeton University 3. Yale University 4. University of Pennsylvania 5. Duke University Massachusetts Institute of Technology Stanford University 8. California Institute of Technology 9. Columbia University Dartmouth College 11. Northwestern University Washington University
See RANKINGS, page 5 Newsroom: (314) 935-5995 Advertising: (314) 935-6713 Fax: (314) 935-5938
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SOURCE: USNEWS.COM
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