No. 1 (Sept. 6, 2018) by University News

VOL. XCVIII No. 1 / September 6, 2018

TO ENGAGE RATHER THAN REPRESS

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Photo Courtesy of Joseph Eckert

FREE SPEECH AT SLU By MEREDYTH STAUNCH Editor-in-Chief

s an institution rooted in its Jesuit heritage, Saint Louis University strives to protect marginalized groups. Some in the community argue that bringing controversial speakers to campus – especially those whose ideas do not align with the SLU mission – further marginalizes vulnerable groups. On the other hand, strident efforts to curtail offensive speech can prove to be even more dangerous. Approximately 18 months ago, the Work Group on Speech, Expression and Civility was assigned to review current SLU policies and invited speakers, serving as a task force to research other college and university speaker policies. The feedback provided to University President Fred Pestello initiated the creation of a policy that will go into effect during fall 2018. Under this new speech and expression policy, controversial speakers

invited to talk at SLU will not be suppressed. The policy is intended to expose the SLU community to a broad range of ideas and positions, and actively engage open dialogue following the presentations. The Work Group is committed to welcoming a variety of views, and offering support to marginalized groups as needed. The focus of the policy is to create an “environment for learning that embraces diverse opinions and encourages civil discourse” while also ensuring safety for the community and security of its campus, as written in the Policy on Civil Discourse, Speech and Expression. It applies to the entire SLU community – students, faculty and staff – when an outside speaker is invited to a public SLU event, or any event not integrated into the academic curriculum. Serving as a co-chair during the policy creation process, Kent Porterfield,

vice president for Student Development, explained that the policy formulation was initiated at the height of the 2016 U.S. presidential election, when there was concern about civility of speech on campus. During this time, Pestello reassessed SLU’s policies and philosophies regarding speech, and charged the Work Group with improving the speech and expression doctrine. “Before starting to draft policy, we had to sit down and draft what we believed in philosophically about speech on the university campus, especially at a Jesuit and Catholic institution like SLU,” Porterfield said. Within the Work Group, there were dialogue and research groups. According to Porterfield, research groups specifically analyzed other universities’ speech codes and policies to see how SLU compared philosophically. Specifically, the group hoped to clarify how hate speech will be addressed. “The policy does not authorize censorship of content,” Porterfield said. “It encourages, but doesn’t mandate, opportunities for alternative views. The sponsors of these events have to make some decisions about the event, and if the University feels strongly that alternative perspectives need to be shared, this might lead to other events.” Porterfield also explained that while the University will not prohibit certain speech, it can condemn hate speech. The challenge rests on where to draw the

line.

“The policy said that the University should only take restrictive action as a last resort,” Porterfield said. “And when we would take restrictive actions, there has to be a clear threat to safety, which is a high bar and not simply being offended by something.” The prior policy primarily focused on student-invited speakers, and there was not an outline of responsibilities for sponsors. Guidelines were not given on how to manage conflict. Under the old policy, an event could be disallowed on the basis of content antithetical to Catholic teaching. “With being at a Jesuit university, it is important to respect others and learn from others,” Michael Lewis, acting provost, said. “If one side terribly offends another, it is important to engage in civil discourse to learn from each other.” Porterfield explained that not allowing a speaker on campus will not prevent specific communities from feeling hurt, but the University has a responsibility to support the marginalized, targeted groups, he said. “You don’t solve the problem of hate by not allowing a speech to happen – the speech will always be there,” Porterfield said. We need to shine a light on hate speech and condemn it. We may be strongly opposed to one another, but we have to be able to talk through things. If we don’t, we will continue to be polarized.”

SINQUEFIELD DONATION CAUSES CONTROVERSY

By SAVANAH SEYER Staff Writer

his past year was SLU’s biggest fundraising year ever, and the most recent gift to the school was a 50-million-dollar donation from Dr. Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield, to help fund the SLU Research Institute, support SLU’s Chess Team, and to establish the Sinquefield Center for Applied Economic Research. The donation is the largest in SLU’s history – but is making news for another reason as well, as members of the faculty raised concerns with certain parts of the deal. The donation was announced at the end of August, and according to SLU’s Vice President for Development Shelia Manion, Sinquefield was very excited about this gift, saying that it was something ‘he had wanted to do for a long time.’ “You could see the pride and joy that he found in being able to do this,” Manion said. Manion said that it is common for donors to want to be involved with their gifts personally, and to know that their donation is making an impact, because

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many of them have personal connections to SLU and to the programs that they are donating to. However, this gift is not without a bit of controversy. The Sinquefields’ donation would also fund the Director of the Sinquefield Center’s position. The plan was that the donor would have a role in selecting the Director, who would hold the title of “Sinquefield Profes-

“[I]t’s wonderful that the Sinquefields have done this, which is why it is all the more important that it be done right.” Dr. Bonnie Wilson

sor of Economics.” Members of the Economics Department, Professor David Rapach and Professor Bonnie Wilson, found that parts of this deal with the Sinquefields violated the SLU faculty manual. The Professors wrote memos detailing their concerns. The first concern was that the donor would be involved in hiring the director. “I immediately viewed this as an obvious violation of academic norms of

integrity and independence,” said Rapach, “It is wholly inappropriate for a financial donor to have any say in hiring and promotion decisions.” “It affects the reputation of the institution, and it also affects my reputation [as a researcher]. Does a donor have influence on what research I am doing, or what conclusions I reach?” said Rapach. Professor Wilson agreed, saying that even though individual researchers at SLU would know if their work was independent, they could not effectively demonstrate to others that this was true. Another issue brought forth in the memo was that the Director would hold the title of “Professor of Economics” and be hired by the donor themselves. “They titled this person originally ‘Professor of Economics,’ suggesting that they expected them to be doing work that a faculty member would do,” said Wilson “But that would violate the faculty manual, because then the hiring would have to be done by a committee.” This is not the first instance of a US university entering into this kind of agreement. This year, it was revealed that George Mason University had entered into (Continued onto page 4)

DOLPHIN POND DILEMMA By Kirti Veeramachanemi the scheduled demoStaff Writer lition of SLU’s Dolphin Pond. In addition, the onstruction on SSM Health SLU HosSLU’s campus pital finished placing doubled with the recent the building’s final steel announcement of the beam in August. new Interdisciplinary The ISE Building will Science and Engineer- begin construction in ing (ISE) building a few November after an arweeks ago, resulting in chaeological excavation

Graphic Courtesy of Trenton Almgren-Davis

of the site, as it was previously an encampment for secessionists during the Civil War. This historic site helped establish Missouri as a Union state, and its legacy will continue with modern advancements in the science and engineering fields. The excavation will be led by Thomas Fi(Continued onto page 5)

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SINQUEFIELD DONATION

(Continued from page 3) agreements with donors where the donors were involved in hiring and admission suggestions, among other things. These revelations at GMU, along with the outrage from students and the academic community that followed them make SLU’s most recent deal all the more surprising, said Rapach and Wilson. “I’m worried about my colleagues and students,” said Rapach. Wilson stressed that these same concerns would apply to any gift or donation to SLU. “These kinds of gifts are extraordinary things, and it’s wonderful that the Sinquefields have done

this, which is why it is all the more important that it be done right,” said Wilson. “There has to be a way we can celebrate and honor these benefactors like Dr. Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield, and at the same time preserve our integrity.” Manion declined to comment on the memos specifically, but stressed that she believed the agreements she helped foster with the Sinquefields would be extremely beneficial to SLU. For students who would like to read the memos, they are available online at https://sites.google.com/slu. edu/daverapach. The press release on the Sinquefield gift is online at https://www.slu.edu/news/2018/august/historic-gift.php

Photo Courtesy of Emma Carmody

SLU gathers for open discussion of Church Abuse Crisis By TANNOCK BLAIR Associate News Editor

LU students and faculty were joined by members of the wider St. Louis community on Tuesday for an open discussion in the wake of recent sexual abuse cases against priests within the Catholic Church. The event was organized by SLU’s Department of Theological Studies and Office of Mission and Ministry and entitled “Abuse in the Church: A Conversation”. The event began with a prayer from the Rev. Chris Collins, followed by opening remarks performed by University President Fred Pestello. The conversation was mod erated by Elizabeth Block, an associate professor in the theology department. She lamented that SLU “stop as a university community to acknowledge the horror.” It was made clear that the event’s purpose was to address the issue rather than ignore it. The panel was com-

posed of members from both the SLU and St. Louis community. Collins, the assistant to the president for mission and identity, was accompanied by other members of clergy including the Rev. Daniel White and Director of academic activities the Rev. David Suwalsky. Visiting professor Lynn Branham, SLU theology professors Mary Dunn and Grant Kaplan and Bryan W. Sokol, the director of the center of service and community engagement were also in attendance. All members of the panel appeared to be in agreement that in order for the church to move forward there needs to be radical reform to its structure, especially in regard to public transparency. Suwalsky’s closing statement seemed to surmise the sentiments of all church leaders present, “I am a Catholic Priest, and I am a Jesuit and I apologize for what is happening. The Missouri attorney general announced

that his office will undertake its own investigation in the St. Louis area, similailar to the one undertaken in Pennsylvania. Without subpoena power, the attorney general will require the cooperation of church leaders. St. Louis Archbishop Robert J. Carlson welcomed the investigation, claiming that “we have nothing to hide”. Carlson was caught up in a similar scandal four years ago when answering attorney Jeff Anderson’s question of whether he knew it was a crime for an adult to engage in sex with a child. “I’m not sure whether I knew it was a crime or not,” Carlson said, “I understand today it’s a crime.” For those interested in more discourse, lay people from all faith traditions are welcomed to “Liturgy of Lament & Healing,” an event being held on Thursday, September 6 at 7:30pm in Spring Hall Chapel.

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DOLPHIN POND DILEMMA

(Continued from page 3)

Thomas Finan, an associate professor of history), and the expected completion date of the ISE Building is summer of 2020. The building will be located on Tegeler field near the Dolphin Pond, where the site is currently surrounded by a blue fence. To ease student upset over the demolition of the Dolphin Pond, the beloved outdoor space will be moved to another location nearby or on campus, which will be announced soon. The building will boast new lab spaces as well as new classrooms for students. It will be the second Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design—LEED, a green building rating system—certified building on campus after the the Doisy Research Center and will be the first to earn a LEED Silver Certification upon completion of construction. The building will be approximately 90,000 square feet and three stories high. The project will also include renovation of existing lab spaces, though the exact nature of these renovations is still unknown. On the South Campus, the new SSM Health SLU Hospital had a ceremony

TWEETS OF THE WEEK @CNN

Former Sen. Jon Kyl will be appointed to replace John McCain in the Senate through 2020, three GOP sources say

in August for the placement of the final beam of the building, which was signed by many employees of the current hospital. The ceremony was attended by SLU President Fred P. Pestello, Robert M. Heaney, SLUCare Physician Group CEO, as well as many employees and other community leaders. At the ceremony, Candance Jennings, the SSM Health Region President, stated that, “The new hospital will enable SSM Health, SLUCare Physician Group and Saint Louis University the opportunity to provide the most advance healthcare in our region and to teach the next generation of students, medical students, nursing students and allied health professional students in the coming century.” Pestello also spoke on the partnership between SSM Health and SLU and expressed his hopes for how the new hospital would be able to help the surrounding area and people. He also spoke on its value as a teaching hospital for doctors, nurses and more. The SSM Health SLU Hospital and the ISE Building are predicted to finish construction in September and summer of 2020. Additionally, renovations on Macelwane Hall (which houses the department of biology and is located on Laclede Avenue) are expected to finish in January of 2019.

@FoxNews Kim Kardashian advocates for Alice Johnson, others who are jailed

@NYTimes

Forecasters warn “heavy rainfall” from Tropical Storm Gordon’s remnants could be recorded through Midwest

@AP

DPS REPORTS Male visitor on campus reported that he was sitting at a table in the lower patio level of BSC when a black male subject wearing a red shirt struck him on the head with a hard object. The visitor stated that he did not report the incident immediately because he was studying for an upcoming exam. An RA in Reinert requested assistance in regards to an intoxicated female student. Officers on the scene assessed that she appeared to be intoxicated, but was concious and answered all question coherently. The student declined further medical attention and her roommate stated that she would look after her throughout the night. A male student reported that he was suffering from a panic attack in Monsanto Hall. The student declined medical attention but requested supervision while walking back to his dorm in Marchetti Towers West to retrieve medication for the condition and his condition soon subsided.

Nike’s #JustDoIt ad featuring Colin Kaepernick is scheduled to air during NFL opening games

@ABC

Democratic House candidates lead their Republican opponents by 14 points in a new ABC poll

Arts & Life

Courtesy of Awesomeness Films. Peter drives Lara Jean and Kitty to school after making a contract to be in a fake relationship.

hen a person hits the age of 20, they stop growing and start aging—that’s not a scientifically proven fact, but with the ever-expanding list of daily stresses, even ten-year-olds complain about the pain in their backs and the aches in their hearts. Susan Johnson’s “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” adapted from Jenny Han’s popular young adult novel of the same name, makes the eighty-year-old in anyone feel young(er) again. Traditionally, teen rom-coms present high school as a fast-paced, cutthroat and exceptionally dramatic environment with food chains and fist fights galore. Movies like “Mean Girls,” “Sixteen Candles” and “Heathers” are among those that have thrived off this brand of high school and used it to land themselves among the heap of what even the non-self-proclaimed movie buffs consider to be classics. “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” presents high school from a milder perspective. Although the movie fails to hit the mark for “classic,” it takes the cake for pure, wholesome entertainment even

parents can watch (let’s be real, movie ratings were never meant for kids in the first place). In the movie’s premise, Lara Jean writes love letters to boys she has strong feelings for, without, of course, ever sending said letters. Of the boys, one happens to be Josh (Israel Broussard) who, tragically, dates Lara Jean’s sister, Margot (Janel Parrish). Luckily for Lara Jean, Margot breaks up with Josh before leaving for college prior to Lara Jean’s junior year of high school. Unfortunately, Lara Jean, while cleaning out her room at the same time as her sister, accidentally donates the box she kept her letters in—with one addressed to none other than Josh—to Goodwill. The letters, five in total, are sent out, and so the story begins. The romance that takes place is actually between Lara Jean and her former crush Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo). Peter recently broke up with his girlfriend, Gen (Emilija Baranac), and asks Lara Jean to be his fake girlfriend in a bid to make Gen jealous. Lara Jean agrees, thinking that “dating” Peter might help alleviate her own awkward situation with Josh. While the cinematography, quick quips and cute characters make

NETFLIX’S LATEST TEENAGE ROM-COM BY TARA TABIBI Contributor

this film worth the watch, the notion of fake-dating someone only to fall in real “love” is hardly original. The 80s classic “Can’t Buy Me Love” and the more recent “The Proposal” are two famous examples that come to mind—in this regard, the film’s plot lacks novelty. What sets this Netflix original apart from the mountain of pretend relationship movies isn’t its abundance of drama, however, but rather its lack thereof. Centineo’s performance as Peter Kavinsky opposite Lana Condor’s Lara Jean shows a slightly more realistic view of modern romance than what is usually portrayed in the teen romance genre. Though there are plenty of scenes to make even the most cynical viewer think, “Awww,” none of the scenes are overplayed. Lara Jean never acts out in a crazy way as her teen rom-com predecessors might have. Likewise, while Peter shows affection toward Lara Jean, there’s no outrageous, public declaration of love. Instead, the movie focuses primarily on developing the relationship between Peter and Lara Jean, and shows a more realistic progression of their friendship into something more. “To All the Boys I’ve Loved” before is refreshing in that it feels (even if only a little bit) more real.

Arts & Life

Courtesy of Ariana Grande

ARIANA GRANDE STRIKES BACK After the bombing at the Manchester concert, the release of a new album is exactly what Grande needed. BY LANI FROST Contributor

THIS WEEK’S FAVORITES 1

oth 2017 and 2018 have been nothing short of media activity buzz and newsworthy content for Ariana Grande. With all the relationship drama that has been circulating over the past few months, and, more seriously, the tragic bombing at her Manchester concert, the release of a new album is exactly what Grande needed. After a two-year break between albums, Ariana Grande released “Sweetener” on Aug. 17. As early as November of 2016, Grande had been hinting at a new album. “Sweetener” did not disappoint. With features from Pharrell Williams, Nicki Minaj and Missy Elliott, this album has no shortage of big names. The opening track of the album, “raindrops (an angel cried),” is a short a capella piece that nicely shows off Grande’s powerful vocals, if lacking some substance. At only 37 seconds long, it serves as a nice introduction piece. Each of the tracks that have featured artists, “blazed” with Pharrell Williams, “the light is coming” with Nicki Minaj and “borderline” with Missy Elliot, serve to be interesting breaks from the tone of most of the other songs on the album and nicely mix Grande’s style with

the style of each guest artist. Of the remainder of the non-single tracks, “sweetener” and “successful” break from the mold a bit more, though this is not always for the better. The lyrics to “sweetener” are charming and uplifting, but the song itself contains oddly conflicting tones at times. While “successful” is well-produced, it is also one of the weaker tracks on the album. “R.E.M” tells the story of someone who does not want to wake from a dream about a boy. This song is upbeat enough to sound happy, but also remains relatively calm throughout, relaying the proper emotions. The bass and parts of the instrumental, however, sound slightly too aggressive for a song called “R.E.M.” Songs “better off,” “goodnight n go” and “get well soon” all have a similar relatively relaxed mood, despite the fact that some heavy subject matter is handled. They all showcase Grande’s voice well and contain very fitting harmonies. Some of Grande’s largest flaws are that, though she is a very good singer, she tends to oversing and add runs where they are unnecessary. Despite that typically holding her back, she does exactly what she continued on page 8

FOOD

CINEMA

MUSICAL

EVENTS

CONCERTS

Frozen Dessert Pop-Up Saturday September 15, 2018 519 N. Grand Blvd Saint Louis, MO 63103

A Simple Favor September 14, 2018

Love Never Dies - The Phantom Returns September 18-30 The Fabulous Fox Theater

Pete Davidson September 13, 2018 6:30 pm Center for Global Citizenship

Taylor Swift September 18, 2018 7 pm Edward Jones Dome

Ariana Grande cont.

needs to vocally in all three of these songs, which proved for a much more enjoyable listen. “Pete davidson” had the makings of being a very good song, except its short length of only 1 minute and 13 seconds is somewhat confusing. With “raindrops (an angel cried)” the runtime can be justified by saying that it is the first track and serves mostly to be an intro piece, but the same cannot be said for “pete davidson,” as it is the second-to-last track on the album.

NIALL HORAN’S END OF THE SUMMER SHOW BY MADISYN SIEBERT Associate Arts Editor

iall Horan found famed success in the band One Direction, but since going solo Horan continues to amaze people with live performances. Horan played Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre on Aug. 25 to a loud and proud audience. Horan had Maren Morris as his opening act. What really got the crowd energized was her last song and what could be classified as the song of the summer. She played her latest release, a collaboration

Arts & Life

Though the album overall is solid and well-produced, it goes without saying that the true stars of the show are “no tears left to cry” and “God is a woman.” Released on April 19, “no tears left to cry” starts solid and remains that way for the entirety of the song. The music video is a treat for the eyes, as the editing is exceedingly well done and every set featured is gorgeous, only enhancing an already beautiful Ariana Grande. Her other single, “God is a woman” seemed to be a very clear choice for the premier single of the album, as it is excellently produced, wellsang and seems to be very

Ariana Grande overall. It serves to be a powerful and chilling song and openly talks about female empowerment, which is what Grande wanted to be a major theme of the album. Overall, “Sweetener” is a solid album with good production, and no individual song is bad on its own. Grande’s growth as an artist and songwriter is very visible and it is clear that she will continue to stun audiences and top charts for many years to come.

with DJ Zedd called “The Middle.” The whole amphitheater was on their feet— if they weren’t already— and danced and sang along with Morris as she strutted around on stage. After Morris’ set, Horan made his way to the stage, which was met with an eruption of roars of excitement from the crowd. He immediately came out and started to play his song, “On the Loose,” which immediately got people up and moving. After a couple of songs Horan finally took the time to introduce himself, while also complaining about the humidity and heat that came with being in St. Louis. “Well you are all in the right place if you came to listen to some sad songs tonight,” Horan said as

he welcomed the crowd to the Flicker World Tour. “Actually, they are sad songs disguised as happy songs.” Horan continued the gig with a couple more songs. He reached a point where he took a second to pause to talk again and addressed a sign he saw out in the lawn. The lawn sign read, “Do the Horan Jump,” which is a reference to a famous jump he use to do at every concert while he was in One Direction. Horan replied with a smart remark saying, “You can see how tight these trousers are with my leg. I swear to god if I put this

foot, another foot out, we’re done. So, we believe in that. You can put that sign down.” Horan also referenced his bad knees; the singer having had multiple surgeries on his knees to try and correct the issue. Horan continued on with the concert, doing a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark,” the Irish lad admitting his love for “the Boss.” He also brought back Maren Morris on stage and they performed their duet off Horan’s album “Seeing Blind” together. Horan took a minute away from his guitar and moved to the back of the stage towards the piano. He took a moment to address the crowd again and talked about a song that never made the album, for the tone of it was too different to make the final cut. But he loved it so much that he wanted to give the song some life on tour. The song is titled “So Long” and you can find his performance of it—accompanied by an orchestra— on YouTube. So never fear, you can hear this unreleased song even if you didn’t make it out to the concert. The last song to take note of that Horan performed was the song “Finally Free,” specifically written for the new film “Small Foot.” It has a different vibe from the rest of Horan’s music with a little bit more of an upbeat rhythm. Horan of course finished the show off with the song, “Slow Hands,” his most popular song since going solo. Horan puts on great and genuine shows; they aren’t too flashy, it’s just him and his crew from the UK having a good time and sharing laughs as they perform each night. Horan’s uplifting attitude and deep songs keep the crowds coming for more. Check out unewsonline.com for breaking news on Loufest and an article review on Dave Matthews Band’s latest album.

WANTED:

General Manager (with potential stipend), Diversity Editor, Staff Writers!

Games

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Photography SLU WELCOMES CLASS OF 2020

Below, Oriflamme leader Joe Striler soared with school spirit, showing the first-year students his Billiken pride.

SLU had yet another successful Fall Welcome Week, making the Class of 2020 feel at home. From the classic Fall Welcome soccer game, to new events such as Paint SLU, both upperclassmen leaders and incoming students had a great but tiring week of moving in and finding their place at their home away from home. Photos By NICK BERNARD Contributor Written By EMMA CARMODY Photo Editor

Above, a group of first-year students responded to a competing floorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chants during the spirit competition.

Above, a group of girls from floors three and four of Walsh Hall cheered during the spirit competitoin at the womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s soccer game.

Photography

GO â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;FLAMME, GO WORLD

Above, a group of Oriflamme leaders showed their enthusiasm despite the exhausting week they endured. To the left, Oriflamme leaders posed for a photo during the Square Dance on top of the Olive Compton parking garage. Below, left to right, Hannah Siemer, Molly Schenfelder, Katherine Kopriva, Madelyn Ennis and Katie Ross smile for the camera during move-in.

Photography

Oriflamme leaders (left to right) Emily Chisholm, Molly Schoenfelder, Alyssa Connett and Alyssa Fasoli carried fellow ‘Flamme leader Cole McNeil during firstyear student move-in.

To the left, Oriflamme leaders Maggie Slattery and John Schaefer gave a reassuring thumbs up during Midnight Breakfast, a classic Fall Welcome event.

Above, senior Oriflamme leaders Andrew “Derm” Smith and Tom Bergan DJed Fall Welcome’s inaugural ‘Flamme Prom.

Photography

To the right, a group of Oriflamme leaders raved at the new Fall Welcome event, Paint SLU, where students danced the night away while being drenched in paint. Below, first-year students and upperclassmen leaders cheered on incoming Billiken, Nicole Gallarde as she sang and rapped to “Bang Bang” by Nicki Minaj during Midnight Breakfast’s karaoke.

Above, an Oriflamme leader announced the winner of the always competitive rock, paper, scissors challenge at the spirit competition. To the left, upperclassmen leaders showed the first-year students how it’s done at the Square Dance on top of the Olive Compton garage.

Sports

KALISH GETS FIRST WIN AS BILLIKEN HEAD COACH BY: SAM GLASS Sports Writer

he SLU men’s soccer team season is underway with the new leadership of head coach Kevin Kalish. The SLU soccer alumnus was brought on in January to “contend for championships and advance in the NCAA Tournament,” according to Athletics Director, Chris May. The Bills are three games into the season and rounding off some rough edges to prepare for a challenging conference schedule. Netting his first win as Billiken head coach on Tuesday, Sept. 4, Kalish is setting up the team for a successful season. The men opened their season with an away game against No. 17 Notre Dame. The game played out back and forth with the Bills leading the Irish 12-6 in shots, yet the first half remained scoreless. There was still no scoring in the second half, until the stalemate was broken when Notre Dame popped one in the net in the 63rd minute. The clock wound down and all hope seemed lost for a comeback. With 16 seconds left in regulation time, a ball from freshman defender Chase Niece found senior forward Anthony Brown’s head, and the Bills were back in the game. The game concluded after two periods of extra time went scoreless, resulting in a 1-1 draw. This kicked SLU off to a 0-0-1 start to the season. The Billikens opened their home

Billiken Athletics Men’s soccer gets their first win of the season on Tuesday over Marquette, 3-1. The win marks coach Kalish’s first as a Billiken and 50th of his coaching career.

season with a game against Memphis on Sunday, Aug. 26. Memphis went up two goals to none in the first half, despite the barrage of Billiken shots as they lead Memphis 14-5 in that category in the first half. SLU managed to get a consolation goal in the 89th minute after Brown connected with a long ball from sophomore midfielder Brandon Santel. The game ended in a 2-1 defeat for the Billikens, but the groundwork was laid for the next match against Marquette. The Billikens returned home from a cancelled match against Louisville to play their fellow Jesuit school Marquette. The game was level for almost 20 minutes until SLU opened scoring in the 19th minute when senior defender Eric Davies connected on a cross from sophomore forward Ben Huels. The goal catapulted SLU to a three-goal streak in a 10 minute span. The second goal came moments later in the 25th minute, when Brown scored his third goal of the season securing his spot as the current top goal

scorer for the Billikens. A cross from Huels let Brown dink the ball in where the keeper was unable to save it. The third goal came from junior forward Leo Novaes after a long delivery from Brown. Novaes was able to beat the keeper, burying it in the lower right side of the net. Marquette was able to nudge one past SLU, ending the first half 3-1. The second half went scoreless, leading SLU to their first win of the season. The first season win stamps a major landmark for coach Kalish. Tuesday’s win was his first win as Billiken head coach and 50th win of his collegiate career. Kalish was not caught up in all the glamour of the landmark victory saying, “I actually wish I would have enjoyed it more. I’m always thinking about the next thing. It’s early in the season and there’s still a lot of work to do.” The Bills continue their hard work with a game this weekend on Saturday Sept. 8 where they face off at home against Southern Methodist University.

Sports

WOMENS SOCCER FALLS SHORT IN SEC MATCHUP By: RYAN LEFNER Assosciate Sports Editor

he womens soccer team faced another tough test on the road Aug. 31 in SEC opponent Vanderbilt. The scoring began midway through the first half, as the Commodore’s forward Haley Hopkins broke through multiple tackles to tally her second goal of the campaign. Despite what the scoreboard read, the first half was dominated by the Billikens. “We did a great job controlling the ball and creating chances for ourselves in the first half,” junior defender for the Billikens, Alli Klug, said, “they just converted their chances and unfortunately we didn’t.” “Initially they had the upper hand”, said the Commodore’s coach, Darren Ambrose, when asked about the first half, “they were physical and they man-handled us.” The Billikens were able to stifle the Commodore’s attack for the rest of the half, but could not keep them quiet for the remainder of the match. The score 1-0, quickly turned to 2-0 as junior midfielder Caroline Marsh crushed a cross from outside the box to junior forward Kaylann Boyd. Boyd cut the ball off before the Billiken’s

Billiken Athletics Isabel Burke contributes to the Billiken posession advantage in the first half.

keeper, Olivia Silverman, could control it and blasted it past the final Bills defender to tack on her team-leading third goal this season. “The game ended up being very even,” said Klug, “we dominated the first half, and they dominated the second.” The Billikens fall to exactly .500 with the loss, at 2-2-1 on the young season. The Lady Bills will be back in action on Friday, Sept. 7 in Hermann Stadium at 7 p.m. against 4-2 Oral Roberts University.

Billiken Athletics Hannah Friedrich drives through the Vandy Defense.

Sports

Trenton Almgren-Davis

VOLLEYBALL FALLS SHORT AT MARCIA E. HAMILTON CLASSIC

By ERIN MCCLELLAND Sports Editor

he Billiken volleyball team hosted the Marcia E. Hamilton Classic this past weekend, inviting Western Kentucky, Kansas State and Marquette to Chaifetz Arena to honor a woman who battled breast cancer and loved volleyball. The tournament opened up for the Billikens with a 0-3 loss to Western Kentucky on Friday. The first set was back and forth, but the Bills weren’t able to overcome a nine-point lead by the Hilltoppers that led them to a 25-15 win. The second set ended with the same score as the first,

yet, in this one, SLU was never able to lead after WKU started with a 5-0 run. The third was somewhat closer than the previous two, ending with a score of 25-18 in favor of the Hilltoppers. Leading the Bills in the match were sophomore Maya Taylor with 11 kills, freshman Cayce Chaykowsky with nine digs and sophomore Margaret Rosburg with 20 aces. The next day brought two new competitors in Kansas State and Marquette to Chaifetz Arena. It is unusual to find the volleyball games in the arena rather than the pavillion, but Taylor said, “we play in the arena when we have bigger teams with bigger crowds to encourage more fans to come remember Marcia E. Hamil-

ton in an incredibly exciting atmosphere.” Against K-State, the Bills remained close in the first set, tying the game to 16 at one point, but were unable to hold off the Wildcats, who took the 25-18 win. Again, the second set was very competitive with both teams holding the lead until K-State’s 8-2 run to end the set. The third set belonged to the Billikens, where they took at 4-0 lead and never gave it back. K-State was able to tie the set four times but never take over the Bills’ lead. In the fourth, and final, set, SLU took the lead but were unable to fend off the Wildcat attack, which used a 6-0

run to bring the game out of reach for the home team. Later that day, sporting pink jerseys in honor of Hamilton’s battle with breast cancer, the Billikens were back on the court to face Marquette. The Golden Eagles jumped out to a fast start, but SLU was able to take five of the next seven points to keep the game close. Unfortunately the Bills weren’t able to keep up and fell 25-18. The second set saw the Bills lead until Marquette was able to go on a 6-0 run to take the match lead to two. The third set was again all Marquette; SLU got within one point. With the three losses the Billikens fell to 0-6 on the season. “We got to experience hard competitors in a fun, home environment which allowed us to develop further as team,” Taylor said. “Going forward I think we have seen that we can compete with some of the most competitive teams.” Volleyball is in action at the Sycamore Invitational in Terre Haute, Indiana this Friday at 1 p.m.

UPCOMING

GAMES Sept. 7 - Sept. 14

Sports Cross Country Forest Park Festival Sept. 7

Freshman Emily Wastell was named A-10 Rookie of the Week for her three goal performance in two games. (Billiken Athletics)

FIELD HOCKEY FALLS IN OHIO By: RYAN LEFNER Associate Sports Editor

he Billiken field hockey team opened their regular season in New York with a threegame weekend at Colgate University. The team came away from the weekend with a 2-1 record, and this is the first time the field hockey has started the season 1-0 since 2006. The first game of the season was a shutout for freshman goaltender Sasha Sander in a 2-0 win over LIU Brooklyn. The first Billiken goal was scored by sophomore midfielder Mimi Leonard, followed by freshman forward Lili Warham’s tip in off a cross

from senior midfielder Carly Kissinger to seal the win for the Bills. Following the win, the team took on Central Michigan and fell in a hard-fought, close 1-0 game. They bounced back the following day against host Colgate for the 3-1 win, with Kissinger scoring her first goal of the season, as well as freshman forward Emily Wastell’s first and second goals of her career. On scoring her first collegiate goal, Wastell said, “It was an amazing feeling. To see the hard work pay off and to contribute

Womens Soccer v. Oral Roberts Sept. 8

Mens Soccer v. SMU Sept. 8

towards the team in that way. Seeing the ball hit the backboard and celebrating afterwards was the best.” The team continued their road play at Ohio University last weekend, falling to the Bobcats 4-1. The lone goal of the game came from Wastell, her third of the season. Ohio got on the board early with two quick goals in the first 15 minutes. The Billikens were able to put one past the Bobcats’ keeper late in the second half. The late goal wasn’t enough, and Ohio sealed the game with a few minutes left on the clock. The team headed to northern Ohio for a matchup at Kent State on Sunday. Despite a strong, eight-save effort from Billikens’ keeper Sander, a three-minute goal by the Golden Flashes was all that was needed to seal a win. The SLU offense posted seven corner attempts, almost doubling that of Kent State, but the opportunities were not enough to put the Bills back in the game. A big team focus for the season is capitalizing. “We hope to improve on our offensive opportunities,” said Leonard, “We currently lead the A-10 for number of offensive penalty corners and we are in the top half for shots and shots on goal, so we would love to see more points on the scoreboard at the end of the game to reflect all the hard work

Womens Soccer v. Missouri State Sept. 9

our team puts on on the field.” The offense has been led by Wastell this year, who has tallied four goals in the campaign, including three in two games against Colgate and LIU Brooklyn. This offensive outburst earned her Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honors, which marked the first time a Billiken field hockey player has received the award since 2015, when current senior Molly Feid received the honor. Leonard said, “As a team, we are looking forward to conference play and our first home games. We are ranked eighth in the A-10 so we are looking forward to being the underdogs and causing a lot of upset.” The Bills main goal of the season is to qualify for the A-10 Conference Tournament. Leonard said, “We set little goals every game but at the end of the day we look at the bigger picture and share the goal of making the tournament. Every ounce of blood, sweat and tears from the first day of preseason until the last game will be for a spot in the A-10s.” After a bye weekend, the girls head to Richmond, Virginia next Friday for their first pair of conference games against VCU (1-2) on Friday and Richmond (1-3) on Sunday.

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Opinions & Editorials

Keep Lambert Airport public

By JAKOB BENEDETTI Staff Writer

he city of St. Louis is currently considering whether to contract daily operations of Lambert Airport to a private company, essentially privatizing the operations and management of Missouri’s largest airport. Lambert was the first municipally owned airport in the country when St. Louis bought it in 1927, and if the current process is accepted, it would become just the second to be operated by a public-private partnership under an FAA program created in the 90s. Puerto Rico’s San Juan Airport remains the only major airport to date that has successfully privatized under this program. Proponents of privatization– of ceding control over day-to-day operations to a private company–include former St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay and current Mayor Lyda Krewson, as well as billionaire Democratic donor Rex Sinquefield. They argue that considering the current state of the city’s finances, the only way to generate enough money to pay for renovations and pay off the airport’s debt is to attract private investment. If a deal is reached between an advisory coun-

cil formed by the city and a private firm, and agreed upon by the airlines and city council, then the daily operations and management of Lambert would be privatized, while the city would still technically own it. This would ideally attract large sums of private investment, and in theory increase the efficiency of airport management since businesses are better at running things than the government. There are a few problems with the arguments of those in favor of privatization. First, there are no outstanding renovations or expansions needed at Lambert. In fact, much of the airport’s current debt is leftover from an airport expansion project in the 90s that ended up being pointless when TWA (a now nonexistent airline) and American Airlines rescinded its “hub” status in 2003. Since then, however, the airport has seen consistent and significant growth in the quantity of cargo and passengers travelling through it, as well as the revenue it generates for the city. In 2016, the airport generated $6.5 million in revenue for the city and in 2017 logged over 14 million passengers–both figures have been increasing every year, with the number of passengers increasing by 5.5 percent since 2016. This also makes the airport the single-most valuable asset owned by the city in terms of how much revenue it generates. So, if city leaders are concerned about having enough money to renovate the airport in the future and pay off its debt, in addition to tackling the city’s own massive debt, clearly maintaining the status quo is the best option. At the very least, doing nothing is preferable to transferring partial control over the city’s single-most valuable asset to a private entity that did nothing to build or maintain it to this point. Additionally, the airport was able to refinance most of its debt recently, as creditors and bond agencies took note of the airport’s continual growth and

competent management. Moody’s, an agency that rates debt based on how likely it is to be paid off, said their 2017 upgrade of the airport’s debt rating was “based on our expectation of growth in enplanements, a significant decline in debt from the historic levels, and a continued increase in debt service with no major capital investment needs.” To clarify, “no major capital investment needs” translates to “no major renovations or expansions needed anytime soon.” Mayor Krewson would do well to take heed of Moody’s assessment. In regard to the argument that privatization leads to more competent management and less waste: we’ve already seen, under the leadership of former Mayor Slay and Mayor Krewson, how the airport has bounced back and seen substantial and constant growth since a relative dark age beginning in 2003. Even if privatization does lead to the benefits touted by proponents, clearly a change in management is not needed in this case. “U.S. airports are quite competently run,” said Greg Principato, an expert in the field and proponent of airport privatization. “In some parts of the world, it was felt that privatizing the airport would result in more competent management. This is much less of an issue in the U.S.... there is no crisis of competence in U.S. airport management.” There is no actual reason for the city of St. Louis to privatize Lambert Airport to any degree. I’m not going to speculate about what the motivations of city leaders are for pursuing privatization, but until they either clarify why exactly it would be a good thing in this particular instance or reveal some other hidden motivation for doing so, I would hope that the city council would reject any proposal out of hand.

Opinions & Editorials

Sexual assault awareness at SLU

By LEXI KAYSER Contributor

oming to college meant a lot of pretty scary changes: new friends, new dorm, new classes, a new schedule to figure out. But the thing that I was most scared of? I was terrified of being raped. And this fear is not one that I stand alone in. Recently, instances of sexual assault have been running rampant on college campuses; 1 in 5 women and 1 in 16 men will face abuse in their four years of undergrad, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. These are numbers that are far too high. There’s enough to worry about as a college freshman without having to fear for your safety. So when I came on campus, I had one question nagging in the back of my mind, a question that was never answered on a campus tour or an admissions meeting. I was wondering what work SLU was doing to keep me and my classmates feeling safe and secure in the midst of a national crisis. I was pleasantly surprised when I attended a presentation called “Can I Kiss You?,” which was initi-

ated by the school as a part of Welcome Week. At the event, author Mike Domitrz combined crafty comedy with heart-wrenching stories of survivors to bring awareness to the issue of rape culture in today’s society. Domitrz confronted us with all-too-familiar scenarios in which shady intentions and a lack of interference could lead to someone getting hurt. He addressed the ease of turning a blind eye, but urged students to speak up when something feels off instead of claiming that it’s none of their business what goes on between two strangers. The overall message? As humans, we should be looking out for each other. As humans, we should always interfere when someone is being compromised against their will. As humans, we all owe each other decency and respect. And what a beautiful message that was to hear. In addition to attending the presentation, all students were required to undergo “Haven” training. This online, interactive course taught us how to identify and escape unhealthy relationships, as well as how to respectfully interfere in those of others. We participated in mock conversations where we had to respond to friends who were in distress because of a toxic or abusive relationship. This helps people to overcome the common fear of saying the wrong thing, and will hopefully help to decrease the stigma around and frequency of assault/ abuse incidents in the future. To top the prevention mechanisms off, each and every syllabus on campus provides information on Title IX, the school’s all inclusive policy for helping students dealing with the repercussions of sexual assault and

other traumatic and/or discriminatory incidents. This way, every student is guaranteed to know of the options available to them and their friends if they are ever sexually assaulted. After experiencing all of these sessions and implementations firsthand, I was overwhelmed with pride for SLU. Very few institutions take these issues so seriously, despite their prevalence, so being a part of a student, and staff, body that regards them with such a deep care filled me with warmth from the inside out. But just because we have taken mass measures doesn’t mean that we can let our individual roles fall by the wayside. We need to look out for each other and use a buddy system at parties to keep someone from being compromised when they aren’t fully sober. We need to work on fighting our internalized stigmas towards victims, to stop asking what they were wearing or drinking or saying, so that people can feel comfortable coming forward to receive help. We need to be bold enough to stand up for our rights to our bodies, brave enough to call out perpetrators when we see them making their moves and brainy enough to recognize the warning signs of relationship abuse so we can stop it in its tracks. We need to take individual responsibility for every single person’s safety, and their right to hold it in their own hands, if we are ever to stop sexual assault on college campuses. Let’s use the platform given to us by our school to build a community where all can feel safe.

Opinions & Editorials

Actions speak louder than words

By JACK JOHNSTON Contributor

n 2016, then-candidate for Missouri attorney general, Josh Hawley told St. Louis Public Radio that “Missourians deserve an attorney general who wants to be attorney general. And this isn’t just the next thing to run for.” His words connected well with Missourians, considering that he would later win the general election. In the statement we can see how Hawley really was trying to beef up his “outsider” appearance, as he was merely a University of Missouri law professor at the time. But the “outsider” persona which Hawley used for his campaign wasn’t just something he occasionally spoke about in interviews. No, he fully embraced it with all aspects and made it the center of his bid for attorney general. Hawley’s campaign produced an entire television ad centered around how he wasn’t just another “ladder climbing politician,” complete with him walking through a maze of ladders in the commercial. Since he had no political background at that time, Hawley’s claim couldn’t be disputed. But here we are two years later and Hawley has somehow found himself again on our state election ballot. That’s strange, you might think. And it would be normal for you to think that, since you speak English and have read the paragraph above—someone in the back just yelled “hypocrite!” How could Josh

Hawley be running for the U.S. Senate in 2018 when he’s only halfway through his term as attorney general? That’s a really sensible question, since the answer seems to directly contradict what he told Missourians in 2016. When looking at Hawley’s campaign website, we are not offered any insight into why he’s running for Senate, just some pretty beige headings about being a “Constitutional Conservative” and how he plans on “Taking on the Big & Powerful.” Similar stances can be found on the websites of Mike Braun and Leah Vukmir (Republican Senate Candidates in Indiana and Wisconsin, respectively). Other than pretty much copying what the rest of the national Republicans are saying, Hawley has given us no statement, no personal calling or real reason for his Senatorial bid. But, after watching Hawley’s original Senate bid announcement video from last year, we learn that the reason he’s running for Senate has something to do with his concern about “the future of our country.” It’s a pretty bland statement, coming from a pretty run-of-the-mill Republican. Or so we would think. Opposed to Republican Senators like South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham or even Missouri’s own Roy Blunt, who are generally thought of as hard workers, Hawley is regarded by both sides of the aisle as lazy. According to Politico, for instance, Hawley was photographed last fall at a gym in Columbia, Missouri in the middle of the day during the work week. Some have defended him, but the gym was half an hour away from his attorney general office in Jefferson City, Missouri. Keep in mind this was a Wednesday afternoon when he should have been attorney general-ing. And this isn’t the first time he’s been accused of laziness. During an interview Hawley held in Columbia, Missouri this past spring, he bragged to reporters about how he had held 10 campaign events over the course of six weeks, all while keeping up with his attorney general duties. He claimed that his motivation came from the fact that beating

Democrat Claire McCaskill in the general election would not be an easy task. But compared to McCaskill’s schedule, Hawley’s “uphill battle” looks like a cakewalk. McCaskill, around the same time, responded in a tweet: “This week @HawleyMO was interviewed and said he’d done 10 events in 6 weeks. I did 5 yesterday, will do 3 today and 5 tomorrow. 13 in 3 days. Just sayin… #HardWorkMattersinMo.” McCaskill also held over 50 town hallsaccus across Missouri since Ugia in nos susaper ovitios the beginning 2017—all this on top suntiis of a velique voloofmaximi, of her duties in Washington. She iseven optas rendi dit estio. At ium camenonecuptate to my conservative hometown sitaturem veliquiandisof California, Missouri. milicie ntiaepe llorro cus dianiam McCaskill has come under fire id quat. recently for catering to the rural vote, and while that has distanced some progressives in the Democratic Party, she’s still the one that liberals need to rely on in this election. Hawley seems to have complicated relationships with his personal beliefs. In August when Prop A, or “Right to Work,” was on the primary ballot, Hawley restrained himself from speaking on the issue, as a large majority of Missouri was against the ballot measure. Hawley wanted it to pass, just as his Republican colleagues around the state had wanted. Reporters around the time kept asking for his opinion, but he kept dodging the questions, not wanting to upset the large population of Missouri that voted no on Prop A (specifically 67.5 percent, a lot of that vote coming from rural Missouri). And of course there’s also the issue of his belief that the sexual liberation of the 1960s and ’70s has somehow led to the rise of human trafficking. While human-trafficking experts have come out saying that Hawley’s claims are completely false, it’s just another example of how Hawley tries to pander to rural populations. It goes to show that while he claims to be an outsider, someone who’s “just like us,” he can’t hide the fact that

he’s really trying to please the Republicans higher up the ladder. He can’t hide the fact that his actions speak louder than his words.

Opinions & Editorials

The benefits of undergraduate research

By LUKE VEST Contributor

esearch has become an important part of the medical school admissions process. While not required for admission, research experience often helps applicants to stand out from their peers and gain exposure to medical sciences. When I entered college as a premedical student, I didn’t understand how performing research would prepare me for a career in medicine. Physicians spend their time treating patients, and the logical way to prepare for this would be to work in a clinic. However, research is emphasized just as much as clinical experience by many medical schools. After working in a lab for the past two summers, I now know that research can offer a wealth of benefits to the aspiring physician. Through research, I have been able to practice critical thinking in a real-world setting, apply my technical skills in data science to clinically relevant questions and learn to be an effective communicator. I work in the Center for Abdominal Transplantation at Saint Louis University Hospital, in the clinical research lab run by Drs. Krista Lentine and Mark Schnitzler. My job is to analyze large databases capturing information for transplant recipients and organ donors

with R statistical analysis software, a program that I learned to use in my coursework. When I first started, I was intimidated by the seemingly impossible task. I had to work with a dataset of nearly 100,000 patients, often with multiple records per patient, and I had to learn medical terminology associated with kidney disease and transplantation. However, I was determined to succeed, so I went into work every day and asked many questions to my advisors and other team members. Performing research has allowed me to engage in critical thinking outside of a classroom setting. This is important because the classroom setting is more relaxed, and you have as much time as you want to solve a problem. In research, I was expected to communicate my results with physicians and biostatisticians, so I had to make sure I was executing my tasks correctly and sharing them in a timely manner. When tasked with performing an unfamiliar analysis, I had to step back and understand the problem. In R statistical analysis software, hundreds of lines of code can be required to perform an analysis, and it is easy to get lost in the small details. Before jumping straight in to solving the problem, I sketched out graphs on paper to visualize the big picture, and I wrote down lists of the exact steps I needed to follow. This allowed me to be more efficient as I worked. I gained greater confidence in my ability to think critically in a medical setting, and this will help me in the future as I approach new problems in medicine. In addition to critical thinking, research has allowed me to practice effective communication skills. In medicine, effective communication is marked by clarity and conciseness. When sending emails to my colleagues, I had to make sure I was clearly explaining my results in a succinct manner. In one instance, I had

to speak on the phone with a nephrologist for two hours. I didn’t know the answers to many of his questions, and I had to accept the gaps in my knowledge and explain everything as best as I could. At the end of the conversation, he said that I had been very helpful, much to my surprise. Research has also taught me to communicate failure. In one instance, I found a significant result that held in nos susaper ovitios much Ugia promise foraccus the transplant popsuntiis a velique voloitmaximi, ulation. When I discussed with my estio. At ium is brother,optas whorendi is a dit physician, he said nonecuptate sitaturem veliquiandis the finding was “earth-shattering.” I thought I had donellorro everything cormilicie ntiaepe cus dianiam rectly, but when double-checking my id quat. work, I found a single line of code that didn’t belong. When I removed it, the result became nonsignificant. I was nervous to admit my mistake, but I had to own up to it, so I approached my colleagues and clearly communicated the error. They were kind, and they told me that identifying and troubleshooting mistakes is part of the research process. What I thought would be a negative experience turned out to be a very positive one, and reinforced the importance of transparency, accountability and integrity in research and in medicine I did not expect it, but performing research has been one of my most meaningful experiences as a premedical student. I have developed skills that will help me to provide the best patient care. When treating patients, critical thinking is required to make a diagnosis and treatment plan, and effective communication is necessary to make sure the patient is fully informed. While research should not be used as a substitute for clinical experience, it offers unique opportunities that cannot be found elsewhere. If you are a premedical student, do not hesitate to add research to your list of things to do. It might just end up being your most valuable experience in medicine.

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