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Vol. XCIV No. 14
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Thursday, January 22, 2015
A student voice of Saint Louis University since 1919
t f a r D S L M ley
s g n i K , e c y r B y n o h t n A , g n i n n Ma t r e b o R , o t Kris d n o m y a R , e Le
PAGE 9
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d r a c
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ARTS
Four Billikens selected
O
n Nov. 28, 1959, a small, Midwestern, Jesuit school won the inaugural NCAA men’s soccer national championship. Over the next two decades, Saint Louis University would dominate the field of college soccer, with 10 national titles (the most in NCAA history) in 15 years. The country’s first college soccer dynasty would eventually produce over a dozen professional players, including national stars such as Tim Ream, Brad Davis and Brian McBride. And now, in 2015, four more names will be added to the Billiken legacy: Bryce, Manning, Lee, and Kristo. See “MLS” on Page 7
Casey Waughn / Managing Editor
Centennial Collection
Raze phase: new dorm under way, on schedule
Big Brothers Big Sisters opens history wall; SLU grad student’s actions showcased
Gonzaga parking lot to serve as a construction staging area. For many Saint Louis Despite the cold condiUniversity students, comtions, pre-construction is ing back from winter break going well, and no issues offered many of the usual have been reported. sights: cars buzzing up and Florek added, “While down Grand Boulevard, this project has an aggresstudents walking to and sive confrom class str uction and countschedule, I think SLU is only less beautiwe always ful details going to continue to welcome a that campus grow. challenge, offers. Howand we are Preet Thiara, ever, some confident Freshman returned to that by quite a surw o r k i n g prise: Over with our construction partbreak, SLU started construcners we will be able to comtion by Beracha Hall. plete the project on time and A new, eight-story, on budget as we have with 153,000-square-foot, 450past projects.” bed residence hall for firstHowever, to many stuand second-year students dents, the construction has finally begun. According came as a surprise. Sophoto David Florek, the Direcmore Kelsey McClure said, tor of Facilities Planning and “I had no idea that a new Construction, the current residence hall was being work taking place is the site By JACQUI STACHIW Staff Writer
preparation stage. This includes removing trees and sculptures and closing the
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See “Construction” on Page 3
Emma Kelley / Staff Photographer
Service showcase: The BBBSEMO display features former SLU grad student Irene Williams, pictured.
2014 marked the 100th anniversary of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri, and to mark this milestone — and usher in a new era — BBBSEMO’s St. Louis office held a public reception on Wednesday, Jan. 21 to introduce a new history display, dubbed the Centennial Collection, that its leaders say commemorates both the agency’s history and the history of the building in which it is housed. BBBSEMO officials said it took time during much of 2014 to do research and compile photo records for the Centennial Collec-
tion. but also to the organization’s “The end result is the Cenphysical headquarters on the tennial Collection, a set of corner of Grand Boulevard agency historic documents, and Olive Street — only a photos and other memoracouple of blocks from the bilia that are Saint Louis displayed University prominently campus. The It is absolutely a on the walls history of of the St. the headhistory we had to Louis ofquarters fice’s first — the old cover floor,” BBB-Becky James-Hatter, Woolworth SEMO said building — President & CEO of Big is important, in a news release. BBBSEMO Brothers Big Sisters T h e says, because Centennial it is a history Collection rife with inincludes documents perstances of ordinary St. Loutaining to the history of Big isans making a stand for civil Brothers Big Sisters itself, rights and social equality for
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By PAUL BRUNKHORST Associate News Editor
all—something BBBSEMO sees as intimately tied to its mission. “It is absolutely a significant part of history we had to cover,” BBBSEMO President and CEO Becky James-Hatter said in the news release, referencing the importance of the Centennial Collection’s inclusion of photographs detailing the headquarters’ history. “It is important to acknowledge the history of a building where now all people are welcome and embraced.” Ryan Quinn / Photo Editor
See “Bigs” on Page 3
Detour: Construction taking place for new residence halls creates a few blockages around campus, such as on this Laclede Avenue sidewalk.
2
NEWS
JANUARY 22, 2015
SGA tackles new semester, agenda
Events Calendar
Provost candidate, elections, gender inclusion among subjects Sustainability Conference
By TIM WILHELM News Editor
SLU’s Student Government Association held its first Senate meeting of the year Wednesday, Jan. 21. Proceedings began with Dr. Daniel F. Mahoney, Dean of the College of Education, Health and Human Services at Kent State University, who is one of the candidates for the position of provost. Mahoney’s preliminary remark centered on the impact SLU creates. “When I looked at the values of this institution and what is the focus, it’s really focused on having an impact,â€? he said. Born and raised in New Jersey, Mahoney attended Virginia Tech, where he got involved in student government. Following graduation, he worked in the Virginia governor’s oďŹƒce before substitute teaching and coaching at the high school and college levels. After earning his Ph.D., he served in various administrative positions. Questions succeeded Mahoney’s remarks. When asked what he hoped to bring to and improve at SLU, he expressed a desire to go out and listen to faculty on necessary changes. Citing the University’s Strategic Plan, he said: “Most of the things that you’re focused on‌all of those things are things I believe in and want to focus on.â€? When one senator evoked SLU’s Jesuit tradition in relation to Mahoney’s state university background, Mahoney reiterated his commitment to impact and referenced SLU’s mission. “When I left accounting and I left college athletics,â€? he said, “the thing that always
Friday, Jan. 23, 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (Il Monastero) “Linking Research and Practice: Equitable Economic Growth and Sustainable Water Infrastructure� General admission $25, student admission $10 (includes lunch and snacks)
Paul Brunkhorst / Associate News Editor
In session: Dr. Daniel F. Mahoney, candidate for the provost position, speaks to SGA. Although from a state university background, he expressed interest in Jesuit education. drove me was I didn’t feel I was having much of an impact. When I look at the Jesuit mission, to me, the word impact just keeps coming back in multiple dierent ways.â€? One of the final questions addressed the Common Core curriculum. Mahoney said he was “flexibleâ€? on the issue. “What I liked about it was there are certain themes that should run through all the class. To me, what was most important was there were certain things that we wanted to come out of that Common Core experience.â€? SGA’s next order of business was the distribution of its Upperclassmen Scholarship. The five recipients “have demonstrated exceptional involvement and service to the University communityâ€?: seniors Jimmy Canning (Parks), Ellie Cash (Education & Public Service), Tiara Harrison (Cook),
Veronica Lowe (Nursing) and Kate Sulkowski (Doisy Health Sciences). Jaisel Patel, Vice President of Finance, subsequently discussed Annual Funding Directives for fiscal year 2016. Election Commissioner Liz Stark disbursed packets for upcoming SGA elections. She and her team have planned three information sessions for students that will address SGA’s functions, available positions, eligibility requirements and advertisement methods. Bills and resolutions occupied the remainder of the night’s session. The first called for the induction of seven new senators to the ranks of SGA. The bill passed and the inductees took the SGA oath of oďŹƒce. Landon Brownfield, Diversity Leadership Cabinet member, proposed two resolutions. The first would
establish a committee that would ensure inclusive housing policies pertaining to transgender and gender non-conforming students. Brownfield sought recognition of the “complexity of our neighbors’ identitiesâ€? so that SLU might “embrace the diversity of these identitiesâ€?. Mike Degnan, senator to the College for Public Health & Social Justice, commended Brownfield for his eorts, saying, “This is a big step for the University.â€? Brownfield’s second resolution was to appropriate existing areas for the development of gender-neutral restrooms. The session concluded with remarks from SGA’s executive board. SGA president Ann Knezetic, prior to adjournment, reminded the assembled senate of election protocol for the coming weeks.
History Lecture Friday, Jan. 23, 3:00-4:00 p.m. (Center for Global Citizenship, 124A) History professor Daniel L. Schlafly will present “Bridging Cultures: Jesuits from the ‘Russian’ Society in Early 19th Century America.�
Biggest Loser Competition The MOVE Committee is sponsoring its third annual weight-loss competition until May 4. Prizes will be given to those who lose the greatest percentage of body weight.
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JANUARY 22, 2015
NEWS
3
Bigs: Honoring a former SLU grad student Continued from Page 1
Ryan Quinn / Photo Editor
Campus Changes: This Spring Street entrance to campus, near Fusz Hall, is no longer accessible.
Construction: Work begins in earnest
will also strengthen our status as one of the country’s built. It is quite a shock to premier urban campuses,” come back from break and said Florek. see all the construction and Indeed, this year’s freshclosed pathways.” She, like men, the class of 2018, is the many, see the construction third-largest class in school has a sign of SLU’s continued history, marking a turning growth, despite the inconvepoint for SLU. SLU’s ranking niences of closed walkways. and prestige only climbs as Florek also agreed. In rethe years go on. cent years, “I think SLU has SLU is only co mp l e t e d going to a number continue to I think the housing of projects grow from projects that are bedesigned to this point. enhance the ing planned [...]will There is on-campus no turning also strengthen our experience back. As the status as one of the for students. enrollment country’s premier These innumbers clude renourban campuses continue to vations to increase, Pius Library, the need -David Florek, Dir. of the Center for on camfor Global Facilities Planning pus housing Citizenwill grow as and Construction ship and the well,” said Education freshman Union at the Preet ThiMedical Center. ara. She, like most of the Currently, around 90 perfreshman class, is optimiscent of first-year students tic about the future. A new live on campus. Construcpresident, a new residence tion projects like these and hall and a new era seem to be the renovations to the Grieswhere the school is headed. edieck Complex are not only While the residence hall designed to raise the percent may not be complete until of freshman living on cam2016, the excitement will pus, but to boost the sopholast throughout the year. The more numbers as well. inconveniences of construc“I think the housing projtion and walking around ects that are being planned seem minor to the bright fuwill not only improve camture that SLU faces. pus life for our students, but Continued from Page 1
Courtesy of Big Brothers Big Sisters
Big Brothers Big Sisters: The organization enjoys a good relationship with SLU. “[Irene] sat there alone until all were welcome to sit and eat freely,” the BBBSEMO statement said. In addition to Irene’s legacy, BBBSEMO and SLU have a good relationship, said Mary Jane Daum, Senior Director of Communications at Big Brothers Big Sisters. “We have other connections as far as SLU goes because [SLU’s] student base
Centennial Display: Big Brothers Big Sisters spent many months collecting pictures and artifacts for the display.
New position for diversity and community engagement
Ryan Quinn / Photo Editor
October: Protesters carry ‘Don’t shoot’ signs during the first night of protests and talk about the future of the SLU sit-in. Last week, when Saint Louis University President Fred Pestello sent a universitywide email, SLU actively began its search for a person to fill the new position created out of the accords reached in October between
particularly well with their mission, and its commemoration as part of the Centennial Collection is a testament to its goal of being an inclusive organization. Wednesday’s gathering, the BBBSEMO statement said, “honor[ed] the thousands who have made the impossible possible for children of the community.”
Emma Kelley / Staff Photographer
SLU searches for candidate
By PAUL BRUNKHORST Associate News Editor
volunteers to serve as Big Brothers and Big Sisters, so we appreciate that, and [SLU’s] commitment and focus to service,” she said. “I think that from my observations students at SLU feel like this is their community while they’re here, and they want to give back, so we certainly appreciate that.” But for BBBSEMO, the story of Irene Williams fits
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As a part of this commemoration of the building’s history — and its significance in the civil rights movement — the Centennial Collection display will include a number of photographs of Irene Williams, a SLU graduate student in the 1950s who helped desegregate businesses in St. Louis, including the Woolworth store. “Irene Williams was an African-American student in speech and language therapy at St. Louis University when she helped CORE (Committee of Racial Equality) to integrate eating establishments near the university,” said Vivian Gibson, Senior Director of Volunteer Recruitment at Big Brothers Big Sisters in an email. According to Gibson and a book on the topic of nonviolent civil protest, “Victory Without Violence” by Mary Kimbrough, in 1953, Williams went to Woolworth’s every Wednesday, sat on an assigned stool near the back of the store and waited to be served. It was two months before workers behind the counter offered her service. After being served, she was eventually told by the Woolworth’s manager that she was no longer limited to her seat in the back of the store; she could sit anywhere.
members of Occupy SLU and the administration: Assistant to the President for Diversity and Community Engagement. “[The job] is being advertised now on the University’s website,” said Father Richard Buhler, S.J., Rector of the Jesuit Hall community and chair of the search commit-
tee for the new position. Buhler leads a search committee that consists of Kent Porterfield, Vice President of Student Development, as well as a number of other University representatives, from alumni relations to the College of Public Health and Social Justice. Several students are
also present on the committee, including a member of the Black Student Alliance and Mikaela Romo, the Vice President for Diversity and Social Justice for the Student Government Association. But, Romo says, all student input is valuable. “The administration, staff, and faculty are always wanting and needing student input. After the selection of the candidate, it will be one of his or her responsibilities to work closely with SLU students,” she said. “SGA plans on being one of the greatest avenues for students to accomplish this kind of collaboration.” The Assistant to the President for Diversity and Community Engagement is a position created from the 13 “Clock Tower Accords” reached between SLU student demonstrators and the administration in October. And, for University officials, it is a position rife with opportunity. “We, who are Saint Louis University,” said Pestello in the email, “have the opportunity to lead, to be beacons of truth and champions for social justice.”
THE SLU SCOOP Tuesday, Jan 13
All Information Provided by Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Monday, Jan 5.
2:48 p.m.-Accidental Injury
Bad “Break”: A SLU employee advised DPS she injured her right arm when she tripped and fell near the 3rd floor break room. EMS was contacted, arrived and transported the employee to SLUH-ER for treatment.
Friday, Jan 9
7:34 a.m.- Informational
At least they got pictures: A water leak was discovered in the kitchen behind an interior wall. Maintenance was contacted, arrived and shut off the water. Pictures were taken of the leak. 7:36 a.m.-Informational
More water problems: Water was found leaking behind a wall of an IT closet. Maintenance was contacted, arrived and shut off. The building manager and IT were notified of the leak. Pictures were taken.
1:17 p.m. Informational
What a dope: An Aramark employee discovered drug paraphernalia in the first floor bathroom. DPS was contacted, arrived and secured the item in the evidence section of DPS.
Saturday, Jan 17.
No time given-Recovered Handgun
Tickets to the gun show: During the concert a fight was reported back stage between one of the artists and the show promoters. When DPS arrived the fighting had ceased and no apparent combatants were identified. A loaded 9mm handgun was located on the floor where the fight had taken place. No one claimed ownership of the gun, and it was recovered by Officer Polley, who turned it over to Interim Asst. Director Darryl Walker. Walker contacted SLMPD. Police Office Pryor, DSN 3602, responded and took possession of the weapon, reported under SLMPD complaint #15-2692.
3:27 p.m.-Informational
Always address your packages: A SLU employee received a package, between December 24, 2014 and January 9, 2015, from a person unknown to him. The package was opened by DPS. It contained a letter from the sender and numberous articles concerning the recent events in Ferguson, MO. The employee retained possession of the package.
Be a Responsible Billiken STOP. CALL. REPORT. 314-977-3000 witness.slu.edu dps.slu.edu
4
JANUARY 22, 2015
GAMES
Games
To solve the Sudoku puzzle, each row, column and box must contain the numbers 1 to 9.
Across 1 5 9 13 14 15 16 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 28 31 34 35 36 38 40 41 43 44 45 46 47 49 51 54 56 57 58 59 61 62 63 64
Newborn Garbage barge Cleanser Military facilities Earthen pot Division word Mollusk habitations French couturier Little piggies Towel embroidery Split to unite Shack Persian spirit Baker’s need Grazing locale Walking stick Stitch up Rhino relative 1975 Wimbledon winner Achy Diving ventilator Lofty in style Dwarf buffalo Catch sight of Stares Knock Scheme Canny Freudian topics Curved molding Chinese tea Disgusted Sheltered, at sea Gangster’s blade Son of Seth Type of strike Race track tipster Goals Schoolbag item Choir voice
Copyright ©2015 PuzzleJunction.com
Copyright ©2015 PuzzleJunction.com
11 12 13 17 21 23 24 25 27 29
65 Hellzapoppin’ actress Martha 66 Chances Down 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Swampy lake Strong point Wagers Compass pt. Judicious Clergymen Auto pioneer Used to be Move laterally Meal starter, at times
Above Sweat source Not just one Poseidon’s mother Apple picker
30 31 32 33 34 35
37 39 Gawk at 42 2nd century astronomer 45 Soft drink 46 Appear 48 Oomph 50 Ganders 51 Youngster 52 Nettle rash 53 54 Greek cheese 55 Form of ether 56 Met solo 57 Poker variety 59 Standard 60 Favoring
Unique person Turkish money Sailor’s cry River to Donegal Bay Marries Romanov ruler Visitor to Siam Fatigued In addition Gallows reprieve
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©2015 PuzzleJunction.com
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UNews
&
Arts Entertainment
January 22, 2015 arts@unewsonline.com Maggie Needham, Arts Editor Katherine Kelliher, Assoc. Arts Editor
The Academy deciphers the best of the best
‘Potter’ fans win
Oscar nominations leave some unsettled
battle on chocolate
By KATHERINE KELLIHER Associate Arts Editor
The first few months of a new calendar year are host to acceptance speeches, red carpets and acknowledgments of the previous year’s best works in the categories of film, television and music. Many would say that the Academy Awards lead as the most prestigious of the group, beating out the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild awards. The topic of the Academy Awards includes several subtopics. Sadly, a significant number of people who watch the Academy Awards do not know who the “academy” is or why it is different from the Golden Globes, whose laurels are bestowed by the votes of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. In most cases, when an actor, actress, director, writer, producer, etc. is accepting an Oscar, the first line of their speech is, “I would like to thank the academy.” The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a big deal; however, it is not some big brother complex that rules over the film industry. The academy is composed of any participants in the film industry. For example, actors nominate actors for Oscars, directors nominate directors for Oscars, etc. This year marks the 87th Academy Awards. The Oscar nominations, announced earlier this month, sparked controversy as many were quick to point out the films and actors, actresses, directors, etc. that failed to receive recognition from the academy. People will always have an opinion, whether it is educated or not. Unless one has studied film or is experienced in the film industry, they will not properly understand what qualifies a film or individual as worthy of an Oscar nomination. For the most part, the nominations this
year recognize familiar folks – Meryl Streep, Keira Knightley, Bradley Cooper and Robert Duvall. One category featuring some new kids on the block is Best Director. Not one of the directors nominated in that c ate g o r y h a s received an Oscar yet. E v e n though the majority of America remains out of the loop where the academy is concerned, it is fair to question the academy’s choices. One question I would ask is why Clint Eastwood was not nominated for Best Director. “American Sniper” is nominated for Best Picture, and Bradley Cooper is nominated for Best Actor, but Clint Eastwood was left in the dark. Another snub worth mentioning is “Selma.” David Carr, a New York Times columnist, published an article on Jan. 18 entitled, “Why the Oscars’
Courtesy ReelThinking. wordpress.org
omission of ‘Selma’ matters.” The article talks to the timeliness of the movie and how it is important to recognize a film that features African Ameri c a n emp ow erment and success. In response to Carr’s article and other criticisms regarding the “Selma” snub, one factor may be the release date. “Selma” was not released in U.S. theaters until Jan. 9. While Jan. 9 is quite late in the game as far as the Academy Awards are concerned, “American Sniper” was released on Jan. 16, and Bradley Cooper’s name managed to appear in the Best Actor category. Though “Selma” was not nominated in categories such as Best Actor and Best Director, it was nominated for Best Picture.
Throughout the past 87 years, the Academy Awards have been a respectful, elegant event that recognizes the talent and accomplishments of members of the academy. Many choose to watch the awards show for the sole purpose of the glitz and glamour, the gossip of the red carpet and to watch the host’s opening monologue. However, there still remain those film buffs, including myself, who watch the awards to show support and respect for their favorite film, director, actor, actress, etc. in hopes that the academy will recognize the most deserving of the nominees. The film industry has been a significant element in America’s culture throughout the past century. Directors, actors, actresses and writers work to portray stories reflective of a certain time, movement or to portray a message. The Academy Awards recognize those who do it best.
And the nominees for Best Picture are... The Imitation Game American Sniper Birdman Selma The Theory of Everything Boyhood Grand Budapest Hotel Whiplash
By MAGGIE NEEDHAM Arts Editor
On Tuesday, Jan. 13, I received an email that included the following sentence: “By the end of 2015, and sooner when possible, all Harry Potter chocolate products sold at Warner Bros. outlets and throughout licensed partners will be 100-percent UTZ or Fairtrade certified”. This is a sentence that many Harry Potter fans had been waiting years to read, and the way in which the changes were achieved is monumental; showing the power of fan communities to make change in the world. The fight to make Harry Potter chocolate a fair trade product has been a four-year struggle. The organization heading the effort is a nonprofit organization called the Harry Potter Alliance (HPA). The alliance was formed in 2005 by comedian Andrew Slack, and band mates Paul and Joe DeGeorge, of the wizard rock band Harry and the Potters. The charity’s goal was to motivate Harry Potter fans to do social justice work through the lens of the story they cared about. They have organized campaigns focused on issues of LGBT rights, immigration reform and climate change, among others. After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the HPA, together with the nonprofit Partners in Health raised more than $123,000 to send five cargo planes of supplies to help those affected by the earthquake. The campaign to make Harry Potter chocolate fair trade began in 2011, when the last Harry Potter film was released. In the months leading up to the film’s release, the HPA highlighted a different injustice, or “horcrux”, to destroy. The first horcrux centered on starvation wages and the inhumane working conditions of much of the chocolate industry. This campaign later morphed into “Not In
Harry’s Name”, an on-going movement in which the HPA repeatedly reached out to Warner Bros. to ensure that all chocolate sold under the name of Harry Potter is ethically sourced and manufactured and the workers treated fairly. Slack reached out to Warner Bros. CEO Barry Meyer after an independent report assigned Harry Potter chocolate an “F” in human rights.The HPA collected signatures to send to Warner Bros., and fans created videos promoting the campaign. In June 2014, J.K. Rowling voiced support for the campaign as well. Finally, on Dec. 22, 2014, Warner Bros. contacted the HPA informing the group of the company’s agreement to ensure that all Harry Potter chocolate would be fair trade by the end of 2015. This declaration marked a victory of a years-long battle. Through organizing, speaking up and working hard, Harry Potter fans have been able to accomplish what they set out to do. However, making a specific chocolate fair trade is not going to fix all problems related to unethical working conditions or turn Warner Bros. into a completely guiltfree company. Warner Bros. still sells a multitude of other products that no doubt were manufactured by underpaid laborers, including a lot of other Harry Potter merchandise. Nevertheless, this small step shows what is possible, and what can be accomplished. HPA proved that groups of organized individuals can make the world better and giant corporations do listen to consumers. After all, as J.K. Rowling once said, “We do not need magic to make the world better. We have all the power we need inside ourselves already. We have the power to imagine better.” The HPA imagined the world to be just a little bit better, and they accomplished it. Now, it’s time to continue this work and take another step forward.
NOAH GUNDERSEN TOUR STOPS IN ST. LOUIS Singer and songwriter, Noah Gundersen, 24, provides a fresh, refreshing addition to the current pop trends emphasizing the bass. His mellow, relaxing sound has been compared to Fleet Foxes and Gregory Alan Isakov. His debut album, released in February 2014, “Ledges” was self-produced and maintains a smooth folk sound throughout the album. Gundersen’s track “Ledges” features thought-provoking, spiritual lyrics, while a separate popular track off the album, “Cigarettes,” is a soft melody featuring an acoustic guitar and sonicallypleasing harmonica notes. Gundersen’s music has been featured on popular television shows, including “Sons of Anarchy,” “One Tree Hill” and “Vampire Diaries.” Gundersen is currently based in Seattle.
Follow us on Twitter at @TheUNewsArts for live tweets of the performance at the Old Rock House, Thursday, Jan. 29 at 8 p.m.!
6
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
JANUARY 22, 2015
OUT
MLK comes to life in ‘Selma’ SLU Raas team
gears up to win
On The
TOWn
By MEREDITH HARGIS Staff Writer
ArTs ediTOrs’ Picks
On Sunday, Jan. 18, SLU Raas, SLU’s traditional Gujarati folk dance team, performed in the Refractory Hall of DuBourg at 8 p.m. The team performed a sneak peek of their routine for a sizeable audience, in preparation for their first competition this upcoming Saturday, Jan. 24, at the University of Michigan. The group contains both male and female dancers, who wore traditional costumes of magenta and orange for their fun, energy-filled performance. The first time performing their “Matrix”-themed
Movies American Sniper Through Jan. 29 Chase Park Plaza
Birdman Through Jan. 29 Chase Park Plaza
Wild Through Jan. 29 Chase Park Plaza
Selma Through Jan. 29 Moolah Theatre
Music Noah Gundersen Jan. 29 Old Rock House
Theater Cinderella The Fabulous Fox Jan. 20 - Feb. 1
Beethoven Mass in C Major St. Louis Symphony Jan. 23 - Jan. 24
The Big Muddy Dance Co. The Pageant Jan. 30
Courtesy of Selma Facebook page
Marching to vote: Martin Luther King Jr., played by David Oyelowo, speaks to student leaders in Selma, Ala., about how to make effective change in the city. By ABBEY NORTON Staff Writer
The film “Selma,” about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., is one of the most inspirational films I have seen in a long time. This is due to the actors in the film, such as David Oyelowo (Martin Luther King Jr.), Oprah Winfrey (Annie Cooper), Carmen Ejogo (Coretta King), and Tom Wilkinson (President Lyndon Johnson). “Selma” is not about the life of Dr. King, in general, but focuses on the issue of voting rights in Selma, Alabama. This film provided an honest portrayal of what happened in Selma, and the actors invite the audience to feel as if they are actual witnesses to history. The film shows the horrible conditions that Dr. King’s followers endured and the horrific ways they were treated. “Selma” does not hold anything back when it comes to showing the violence that occurred, from the brutal beating of Annie Lee Cooper (Winfrey) during a protest, to the murder of four innocent girls in a church. The film begins with Annie Cooper sitting in a courthouse filling out the form to be a registered
voter. The camera focuses specifically on the form in order to show that one of the requirements is to fill out one’s race. I found this to be quite important because although Selma technically opened voting to everyone, there were very cruel restrictions against AfricanAmerican citizens. After she fills out the form, she brings it to the worker, hoping she will gain the ability to vote. However, she is not granted this right. The white worker asks her a series of rude and specific questions to which most Americans would not know the answers, such as to recite the preamble to the Constitution. This moment is one of my favorite parts of the film, because this scene sets the mood for the entire film. Cooper’s struggle is broadened to a wider scale to thousands of AfricanAmericans across the US. But, what I enjoyed most about this film was David Oyelowo’s portrayal of Dr. King. I feel that Oyelowo made this film and gave it the great reputation that it has. Oyelowo closely resembled Dr. King, and exuded his true essence. He captivates the audience from the very beginning of the film, whether it’s giving
a speech or simply standing silently during a protest. Oyelowo’s Dr. King had the raw emotion and passion that I pictured the actual Dr. King to have, and I felt that he did the King family justice with this film. “Selma” deserves five out of five stars, hands down. As the credits began to roll, I sat stunned in my seat and at a loss for words. It was remarkable. I did not know whether to cry or smile, because the film was so wonderful. This film should be an inspiration to all, and it’s well worth spending two hours of your day watching.
Selma
A
THE GOOD Excellent acting and music; the film was easy to follow
THE BAD No complaints.
THE VERDICT A must-see for the beginning of 2015!
Elizabeth Scofidio / The University News
Dancing to win: SLU’s competitive Raas dance team debuted their routine for this year in the Refectory Hall in DeBourg at a performance on Sunday, Jan. 18, for a crowd of enthusiastic supporters. They will compete at the University of Michigan this upcoming Saturday, Jan. 24.
#BlackPoetsSpeakOut: Poetry as art and activism On Monday, Jan. 19, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, poets and activists gathered in the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis share their work. Poets of color performed pieces of their work that relate to the current protests against police brutality and violence against people of color. The curator of the event, Treasure Shields Redmond, spoke about the event and how it relates to activism. Redmond is a St. Louis-metroeast-based poet, performer and educator, who is an assistant professor of English at Southwestern Illinois College.
Million Dollar Quarter The Fabulous Fox Feb. 27 - Mar. 1
What is the goal of #BlackPoetsSpeakOut? #BlackPoetsSpeakOut was conceived and named by three Cave Canem poets: Jericho Brown, Mahogany Brown and Amanda Johnston. (Cave Canem is a Brooklyn-based foundation created to support Black poets.) It was started as a way to gather video recordings of poems of resistance via social media. You can search for it on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook, and there is a dedicated Tumblr: http://blackpoetsspeakout. tumblr.com
Events SLU Professor Deborah Douglas’ solo art exhibition MICDS campus Jan. 25 - Feb. 10
Perspectives on Fighting Human Trafficking SLU Law School Jan. 30
routine for an audience, Raas’ dancers exhibited confidence, obviously from an advantage of consistent practice and dedicated team members. Their smiles, passion for dance and vitality were infectious. The fans cheered Raas members on by name; the excitement was not limited to the dance floor, and the audience was filled with friendship and community spirit. The Gujarati folk dance style originates in India, a part of the Hindu tradition. The dance is popular during the festival of Navratri, which occurs in September or October each year. More than 20 universities around the United States, like SLU, have teams that compete year-round.
Courtesy of Treasure Shields Redmond
Poetic justice: Clockwise, from top left: Aaron Coleman, Surreal Sista, Justin Phillip Reed and DuEwa Frazier perform at the #BlackPoetsSpeakOut event on Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis.
What is the role of art/poetry in activism? Well, when one thinks of all the great songs that have served as the voice of protests, the labor songs, the freedom songs and political Hip Hop, one can not deny the importance of art in activism and in simply pricking the conscience of the general public. Where poetry specifically is concerned, the list of poets whose work has been used to spur political change is endless. But spurring change isn’t the only way great verse aids in activism. Great verse also serves as a place of witness, as [poet] Carolyn Forche has so eloquently delineated. The Black Arts Movement canon of verse (which includes my father, Eugene B. Redmond, and others, like Sonia Sanchez, Nikki Giovanni and Amiri Baraka) serves as possibly our best resource for work that engages the big questions of the day. Can poetry effect change? Poetry continues to effect change. From “OCaptain! My Captain!” to Tef Poe’s “War Cry,” we see verse making people engage discussions that lectures would not draw them into.
UNews
Sports
For continued multimedia coverage of Billiken sporting events, visit unewsonline.com or follow us on Twitter @TheUNewsSports
January 22, 2015 sports@unewsonline.com Kyle Smith, Sports Editor Lexie Vasos, Assoc. Sports Editor
MLS: Record draft ‘4’ SLU
Three players bound for MLS, Kristo looks to Italy
Saint Louis Athletics
From left to right: Seniors Anthony Manning, Raymond Lee, Robert Kristo, and Kingsley Bryce. The 2014-2015 squad produced more MLS draft picks than any other in Billiken history. Continued from Page 1
These four seniors have been selected in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft. SLU, alongside North Carolina, had the most players picked in this year’s draft. In fact, this is the largest class of professional players SLU has ever graduated. The former teammates
will now be playing all across the country, and perhaps even the world. Midfielder Kingsley Bryce, the first to be chosen, went to the Chicago Fire as the seventh pick of the second round, 28th overall. “Kingsley plays in a position that we wanted to fill,” Fire Head Coach and Director of Soccer Frank Yallop said.
“He’s also a versatile player, can play wide right, and is a powerful player who had four good years at Saint Louis.” Bryce was the Billikens’ second leading scorer in 2014, with six goals and four assists. The Texas native posted 58 points (23 goals, 12 assists) in his four years at SLU. He was named second-team All-Con-
Women beat La Salle By LEXIE VASOS Associate Sports Editor
The Saint Louis University women’s basketball team travelled to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvaniavv., to face Conference member Duquesne University last Thursday, Jan.15. Duquesne hit the ground running, scoring the first five points of the game and led 13-6 before SLU’s Sadie Stipanovich hit a jump shot, and Jamesia Price successfully scored a layup to bring the Billikens within three points. Unfortunately, the Billikens could not keep the momentum going, and the tide shifted back to Duquesne who went on a 23-1 run. The first half ended with the Billikens down 39-18. SLU slowly worked their way back in the second half, bringing the score to 53-42 with 9:21 left in regulation time, but the Dukes scored the next five points, resulting in a 77-64 loss for the Billikens. SLU’s offensive leader, Price, scored a career high of 19 points, with 4 threepoints, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. Jackie Kemph also had an impactful performance with 10 points and 7 assists, paired with Stipanovich’s 9 points and 3 blocks, but it was not enough to overcome Duquesne’s dominating offense that had five players
CHEER
ference as a junior and Most Outstanding Player of the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship his sophomore year. “It’s exciting for me and everyone associated with the SLU soccer family to see Kingsley get drafted,” SLU Head Coach Mike McGinty said. “I’m proud of him and can’t wait to see him play as a
Saint Louis Athletics
who scored in the double figures. The women’s team returned to Chaifetz for their game on Sunday, Jan. 18, against new A-10 Conference member Davidson. The Wildcats led 11-4 early in the first half, but the Billiken defense buckled down, holding Davidson scoreless for 10 minutes. The offense stepped up as well, going on a 14-0 run, which allowed them to gain an 18-11 lead. The first half ended with a 23-18 SLU lead and the Billikens carried the momentum into the second half. The Billikens dominated on offense to secure a 30-18 lead with
JEER
In the first game of what the UNews Sports Section has unofficially dubbed as “Atlantic 10 rivalry week,” the men’s basketball team came up short against its Ohio rivals, the Dayton Flyers. The Billikens found themselves playing catch-up, so to speak, for most of the evening, losing by a final score of 61-45 in Dayton, Ohio, on Jan. 17. The Flyers immediately put SLU in the hole 9-0 to start the game. SLU spent the first half edging its way back
See “MLS” on Page 8
in, and the score at halftime was a five-point margin, 2722 Flyers. SLU put up a fight straight out of the locker room when freshman forward Milik Yarbrough scored and freshman guard Davell Roby sank a 3-pointer, tying the game at 27. Shortly after, however, Dayton went on a 10-0 run, making the score 42-31, opening up the game for the Flyers and giving them their largest lead of the game at that point. However, SLU fought back with a 6-1 run, making the
score 43-37 Dayton with 11 minutes left. Just as SLU did, Dayton had a scoring spurt, rattling off six straight points, putting them up 12. The lead remained double-digits the rest of the evening. The loss evens SLU’s record at 9-9 on the season and 1-4 in the A-10. Dayton improved its record to 15-3 and 5-1 in the A-10. The win was the eighth straight for the Flyers, but they have since lost to A-10 newcomer Davison on Jan. 20. See “Men” on Page 8
Newbie: Freshman guard Marcus Bartley, below, has worked his way into the starting five.
16:51 left in the game. Davidson clawed their way back into the game hitting a jumper and back to back 3-pointers to make the score 30-26. The Billikens retaliated with an 11-5 run to make it 41-31 with 8:32 left in the second half.Thanks to a 3-pointer from forward Hannah Early, Davidson went on another 22-9 run, which resulted in a comeback win for the Wildcats. Denisha Womack lead the Billiken offense with 10 points and 8 rebounds, while Hannah Early had a stellar game for Davidson with 17 points, See “Women” on Page 8
Ryan Quinn / Photo Editor
FEAR
WHO TO CHEER: USWNT Goalkeeper Hope Solo was suspended by the United States Women’s National Team for 30 days, due to an incident during the team’s training camp. It is speculated that this decision was a result of an earlier altercation involving her 17-year-old nephew. Domestic violence assault charges against Solo stemming from that incident have been dropped.
Billiken’s back row; he led the team to a league-high 11 shutouts this season. Raymond Lee will take the field on the opposite side of the country, with the Philadelphia Union. Lee was selected in the fourth round, as the ninth pick. The midfielder
Men drop back-and-forth contest at rival Flyers By CASEY WAUGHN Managing Editor
Drive: Juinior Jamesia Price brushes up against an opponent. Price scored a career-high 19 points against Duquesne.
professional.” Another Texas native, Anthony Manning will head to Oregon to join the Portland Timbers’ defense, as the 10th pick of the third round. Manning was named the A-10 Defensive Player of the Year twice, his junior and senior years. With 70 career starts, Manning was integral to the
BY LEXIE VASOS, ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR WHO TO JEER: BILL BELICHICK After the New England Patriots’ 45-7 domination of the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship Game Sunday, ESPN broke the news that 11 of 12 Patriots game balls were
WHO TO FEAR: SONYA CURRY Stephen Curry is dominating the NBA, but what should be feared most about the Golden State Warrior is his mother. Sonya Curry made an agreement with her son a year ago, stating that he would
The change in pressure was noticed after Colts linebacker D’Qwell Jackson intercepted a Tom Brady pass.
come out to be $100 per giveaway and includes a list of fashion item demands.
8
JANUARY 22, 2015
This week in sports
SPORTS
MLS: Looking forward
Tweet of the week
By KYLE SMITH Associate Sports Editor
@PatMcAfeeShow (Colts punter)
“If New England was to be DQ’d.. We’d be their replacements right??... I should probably lay off these strawberry margs”
Scores from the week Women’s Basketball Thursday, Jan. 15 Duquesne Billikens
77 64 Saint Louis Athletics
53 50
Men’s Basketball Saturday, Jan. 17 Dayton Billikens
Continued from Page 7 61 45
Swimming and Diving Friday, Jan. 16 Men Women
1st of 2 2nd of 2
Track and Field Friday, Jan. 17 Men Women
Goodbye: Senior striker Robert Kristo embraces teammate and midfielder Kingsley Bryce. Both players have been drafted and will likely be playing professional soccer next year.
6th of 8 10th of 10
Player of the week Sadie Stipanovich Women’s Basketball
from Kansas City was a second-team All-Conference pick this season. He finished fifth on the team in scoring with eight points, consisting of two goals and four assists. One notable such assist took place against Creighton, when a cross to Kristo resulted in a game-winning golden goal. Finally, two-time Hermann Trophy semifinalist Robert Kristo was drafted by the Columbus Crew as the 13th pick of the third round; however, the Bosnian-born striker is reportedly weighing his options in Europe, possibly in Italy’s Serie B league. With 97 career points (41 goals, 15 assists), Robert Kristo was ranked second among active scorers in NCAA Division 1 soccer. His
senior year, he led the team ed to announce his decision in scoring for the fourth conregarding his professional fusecutive ture soon. season R e with 14 gardless goals of the outand 2 come, all It’s exciting for me and assists, four playeveryone associated i n clu d ers have a with the SLU soccer ing six successful family to see Kingsley gamecareer to winning look back get drafted. I’m proud goals. upon. The of him and can’t wait H e four men to see him play as a was sehave conprofessional. lected as tributed a -SLU Head Coach the 2014 combined Atlantic total of 83 Mike McGinty 10 Ofgoals and fensive 201 points, Player of which is the Year goals plus for his success and named as assists. Saint Louis University a first-team All-American, is still the winningest NCAA his third career All-American Division I men’s soccer prorecognition. Kristo is expectgram to date.
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Sunday, Jan. 18 Davidson Billikens
Women: A-10 record now 2-4 Billiken Media Relations
Sophomore Sadie Stipanovich has been dominating the center position for the Billikens this season, towering over the competition at 6’3. Stipanovich recorded a career-high 28 points in the victory over Utah Valley. Over Christmas break, she continued her stellar performance with four consecutive games as leading scorer and had two doubledoubles against Ball State and George Mason, for a total of 43 points and 24 rebounds. Sadie contributed 9 points and 3 blocks against Duquesne, and was the second highest scorer in the Billiken win over La Salle. , with 13 points and 7 rebounds.
Games this week , Jan. 23
, Jan. 24
, Jan. 25
Saint Louis University track and field teams hit the ground running with a pair of meets to start the new year and a new season. The Billiken’s indoor season began Dec. 6, with the Saluki Fast Start Meet at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois. There, the Billikens performed admirably, winning six events and setting two school records. And last Saturday, Jan. 17, they competed in their first meet of 2015 at the Illini Classic in the University of Illinois Armory. Several Billikens turned in their best-ever performances, with eight total personal records (PRs). In Carbondale, both men and women topped the podium in three mid- to longdistance runs. For the men, sophomore Kyle Clinkingbeard won the 400 meters with a time of 51.37, junior Albert Marban took the 800 with 1:58.84, and junior Jeff Orf clocked in at 4:26.09 to place first in the mile. The women had three winners as well: sophomore Hannah Rohde in the 400 meter with a time of 58.03, freshman Alex Groene in the 800 with 2:22.27, and senior Kayla Snyder in the mile with 5:13.39. In addition, two jumpers set school records. Freshman Shon Layson set a new SLU record for the men’s long jump, at 6.75 meters, and junior Stephanie Uhrich broke the indoor record for the women’s pole vault at 3.37 meters. “It was good to get the first meet under our belts,” SLU head coach Jon Bell said of the competition. “I felt we had some nice performances out of our distance runners
Men: No. 16 VCU up next Continued from Page 7
Junior forward Ash Yacoubou led the Bills with 12 points on 5-10 shooting. Another notable statistic for Yacoubou, one of the five starters, was that he played 33 minutes in the outing, 10 minutes more than the next closest player. Sophomore guard Mike
Crawford contributed 10 points including a pair of 3-pointers in the first half and was 2-3 from behind the arc. Freshman guard Marcus Bartley, also one of the five starters, contributed the next most points, adding six. Sophomore forward Reggie Agbeko and Yacoubou snagged the team-high rebounds with five each.
Shooter: Junior guard Ash Yacoubou drives to the rim against Duquesne. Yacoubou had 12 points in their last game. Ryan Quinn / Photo Editor
Saint Louis Athletics
Powerhouse: Sophomore center Sadie Stipanovich contributes 13 points in the win over La Salle on Wednesday. Continued from Page 7
shooting 50 percent behind the 3-point line. Early was a key component in the comeback for the Wildcats, with 14 out of her 17 points coming in the second half, and her last 3-pointer ignited the run that destroyed the Billiken’s lead. SLU fell to 8-10 on the season, and 1-4 in the conference. The women’s team will try to recover from these losses before traveling to Philadelphia to play La Salle on Wednesday, Jan. 21. Saint Louis University traveled to Philadelphia on Wednesday, Jan. 21 to play La Salle (10-8) in a game that would improve their losing A-10 record. SLU guard Kemph had a big first half for the Billikens scoring 12 points, hitting four out of her six shots with three bas-
kets coming from behind the 3-point line. SLU outscored La Salle 35-18 in the first half, but the Explorers gained some ground early in the second half scoring 7 points compared to SLU’s 2 at the 16:32 mark. The Billikens pulled away from La Salle, and gained their largest lead of the game with 10:38 left on the clock and a score of 57-33. SLU did not slow down, and extended their lead to 30 points with 6:38 left in the game. The Explorers could not recover, and the game ended with a score of 76-47, improving the Billikens to 9-10 on the season and 2-4 in the A-10. Kemph led the SLU offense with 20 points followed by center Stipanovich, who contributed 13 points. The women’s team will be back at Chaifetz on Saturday, Jan. 24 to play A-10 opponent Fordham (14-5) at 3 p.m.
and our jumpers. The long sprints had a nice day as well. We have a very young team so each meet we are just trying to get better and see improvement.” Improvement came for several athletes in their first meet following the Winter break. Eight different athletes had PRs in their respective events at the Illini Classic. For the women, freshmen Courtney Link and Julie Yaeger registered PRs of 10:20.44 and 11:00.77, respectively, in the 3000-meter run, while senior Jessica Hoefert took third in the same event, with a time of 10:10.50. Sophomores Emma Kidd and Jackie Bynes also turned in PRs in the 600 meters, clocking in at 1:38.27 and 1:43.35, respectively. Freshman Jasmine Jefko recorded a throw of 11.35 meters in the shot put event, another PR. On the men’s side, junior Robert Tosie and senior Todd Johnson each set PRs; Tosie threw 13.77 meters in the shot put and Johnson recorded 14.62 in the weight throw. Clinkingbeard took seventh in the 400-meter dash with a PR of 51.03, with sophomore Griffin McCurren finishing right behind him in eighth at 51.76. The Billikens will have two meets this upcoming weekend. The Gladstein Invitational at Indiana University begins Friday, Jan. 23, and the John Craft Invite at Eastern Illinois University will take place on Saturday, Jan. 24. In addition to these, the Billikens have two additional meets to prepare for the Atlantic -10 Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships, which will take place at Kingston, R.I., on Feb. 21-22. The NCAA Championships are Mar. 13-14 in Fayetteville, Ark.
Yacoubou and Bartley were joined in the starting line-up by Yarbrough, Roby and senior forward John Manning. Crawford and Yarbrough played 23 minutes in the contest, while junior guard Austin McBroom played just eight. In his eight minutes, McBroom was held scoreless, but he did contribute two assists and a rebound. SLU was bogged down by a poor shooting percentage in the first half, finishing just 29.2 percent from the floor on 7-27 shooting in the first 20 minutes. In the second half, the Bills went 10-22 in the second half for an improved 45.5 percent. Dayton’s second-half shooting performance also trumped their first, and it shot 52.6 percent from the field in the first half, and only 34.8 in the first. Next up for the Billikens is rival VCU on Friday, Jan. 23. Last year, SLU first squared up against VCU a few weeks later into the season, on Feb. 15, 2014, at Chaifetz. Last year’s game, played in front of a crowd of over 10,600, had much higher stakes for the Bills, as a loss would have snapped the 16-game winning streak they were riding. The score was tied nine times and changed 12 in last year’s contest, but SLU came out on top in a narrow, last-minute victory, 64-62, and saw four players in double figures on the night. At stake in this game for VCU is a blip on their so-far perfect 5-0 conference record. The Rams also have the opportunity to extend their 10-game winning streak. Nothing is directly at stake for SLU, but they need to win this game to improve in the A-10 and better their seed for the conference championship tournament at the end of the season.
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UNews
Opinions Editorials
January 22, 2015 opinion@unewsonline.com Ryan McKinley, Opinion Editor
Editorials are opinion pieces written by the Editorial Board of The University News. The editorials printed in this space represent the opinion of The University News. Commentaries and Letters to the Editor represent the opinions of the signed authors but do not necessarily represent the opinions of The University News.
Letters The University News reserves the right not to publish any letters that are deemed intentionally and/or inappropriately inflammatory, more than the 300-word limit or unsigned by the original author. The following are letters and/or website comments. Because the identities of website posters cannot be verified, all website comments should be treated as anonymous. Actual letters to the editor may be submitted online at unewsonline.com or e-mailed to opinion@unewsonline. com. Please include your cell phone number.
How to cement a presidential legacy On Jan. 8, President Obama unveiled a plan to make community college free for students who maintain a 2.5 GPA or higher and make steady progress in finishing their program. Such a plan would save community-college students on average $3,800 per year and would benefit up to 9 million Americans. Federal funding is intended to cover three-fourths of the cost, with participating states covering the remaining costs. A few days later, Obama signed a presidential memorandum to direct federal agencies to offer six weeks advanced paid sick leave in the case of a new child or sick family member, while also advocating Congress to pass a more comprehensive sick-leave policy for Americans. These policies may seem unrelated, but they all seem to point to a goal of Obama’s as he enters his final two years in the presidency. It seems he is trying to make the U.S. more European. Much of Europe is well known for its generous social policies, including long periods of paid parental leave and free or reducedprice higher education. Indeed, the U.S. is the only developed Western country
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not to have a paid parental leave policy, and higher education has become exorbitantly expensive to students and families, so these actions could become catalysts for more socialist policies in the future. We agree that Obama is trying to cement his legacy with these moves. Since getting the Affordable Care Act through Congress, he has had few successes in Congress, with notable failures in the realms of gun control and immigration reform. After the midterm elections, where Democrats suffered a massive defeat, even after many Democratic candidates distanced themselves from the president, Obama is seen as even less likely to push his own agenda through Congress. Increasingly, the President has looked to executive actions to implement more progressive policies among federal workers. Such actions include protections for LGBT federal employees from workplace discrimination, establishing a minimum wage for government contractors and providing more resources towards citizenship and greater peace of mind for families of un-
documented immigrants. We see this as planting the seed for more progressive and comprehensive policies in the future; if the massive cohort of federal employees believes the policies work, they may be protected even from Republican-led governments and be used as the basis for future policies. Addressing the community college plan, we believe that such a policy, if well made, could be useful for the enrollment and retention of lower income students. Missouri high schools offer the A+ Program, which, in exchange for service or tutoring hours, offers free tuition to participating community colleges in the area. While one editor didn’t use this opportunity, their parents greatly valued the presence of this program in Missouri. Several editors remarked that they would have highly considered the option if it were available in their states. We see Obama as feeling very limited by a sometimes-recalcitrant Congress and expect him to continue to use executive actions and other federal policies to cement his legacy.
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Treasure Shields Redmond, Poet and Educator, Page 6
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Kingsley plays in a position that we wanted to fill . . . he’s also a versatile player, can play wide right, and is a powerful player who had four good years at Saint Louis.
Frank Yallop, Chicago Fire Head Coach, Page 7
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It is important to acknowledge the history of a building where now all people are welcome and embraced.
Becky James-Hatter, President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri, Page 3
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But there is another choice. I can choose to see injustice, and I can choose to encounter this injustice in the context of my faith life, even when it’s confusing or uncomfortable.
Caroline Belden, SLU student, Page 10
THE UNIVERSITY NEWS 2014-15 EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF JOHN SCHULER eic@unewsonline.com
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CHIEF ILLUSTRATOR JESSICA PARK
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One can not deny the importance of art in activism and in simply pricking the conscience of the general public.
GENERAL MANAGER MATTHEW PALKA gm@unewsonline.com ADVISOR MICHELLE PELTIER advisor@unewsonline.com
THE EDITORIAL BOARD OF THE UNIVERSITY NEWS RECOGNIZES AVIS MEYER, PH.D., AS THE NEWSPAPER’S FACULTY MENTOR.
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great, though game-day jobs would only provide supplementary income for St. Louis residents. The stadium design is much more modern than the Edward Jones Dome and is more in line with new NFL stadiums being built. Additionally, the stadium is also being built to hopefully accommodate a future Major League Soccer team. However, there are some negatives to this proposal that we feel aren’t properly being addressed. The first is the cost. Anywhere between $860 and $985 million, this project will be funded through a combination of private funds and an extension of the current bond paying for the Edward Jones Dome, with about half being paid by the latter. While Peacock states there will be no new taxes, we agree that it is not very genuine to say there will be no new taxes when the plan is to continue a tax that would otherwise no longer exist. The second concern is that his stadium could be built and the Rams could still leave for LA. It is reported that Kroenke has not been returning the city’s or the task force’s calls or emails, and it is possible that he has already made up his mind. It is unlikely that the city would build the stadium without an assurance from the Rams or the NFL that it would house an NFL team, be it the Rams or another team. A new stadium could certainly attract another NFL franchise, but it would be an expensive gamble to make without some sort of reassurance. Overall, we think that although the state of California already has enough professional sports teams, the market for a NFL team in LA would be difficult to pass up for an owner. The Rams already have ties to LA that make such a move all the more conceivable. We’d like for the Rams to stay in St. Louis, but we have trepidations with the current plan that seeks to keep them here.
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Earlier this month reports began to arise suggesting that the St. Louis Rams of St. Louis would soon become the Rams of Los Angeles. Stan Kroenke, the majority owner of the Rams, who had bought property in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, a year ago, has begun receiving stadium proposals for the space, which could lead to the Rams returning to LA. The Rams moved from LA to St. Louis when Kroenke had agreed to fund the move in 1995. The Trans World Dome, now the Edward Jones Dome, was built to house the Rams. Now, after 20 years, the Edward Jones Dome is seen as old and antiquated as newer, more ambitious stadium designs are popping up across the country. The dome is also frequently near the bottom of NFL stadium rankings. After stadium proposals to bring the Rams to LA began to flood in, St. Louis realized it needed a stadium proposal of its own in order to keep the Rams in St. Louis. How this calculus came to be, many of us don’t know, but one editor stated that if the city wants the Rams franchise, they need a new stadium. The proposal that is receiving the most attention would have the Rams moving a few blocks northeast of their current location. The new stadium, and massive parking lot, is to fit snugly between Laclede’s Landing to the south, the Stan Musial Bridge to the north, Interstate 44 to the west and the Mississippi River to the east. The proposal calls for a 64,000-seat, open-air stadium that David Peacock, a task force member for the proposal, says would create 5,000 jobs for the construction – set to be completed by 2020 – and would retain 2,400 game-day jobs. All of this is great. The location could be much worse; the area of the proposal now is relatively empty of currently used residential and commercial space. Job creation for the area is
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A last-ditch deal to keep the Rams
Quote of the Week
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Jessica Park/Chief Illustrator
“Freedom of the press—print, online and broadcast—is a basic right in a democratic society and is valuable in promoting the development of students as socially responsible persons ... The University News is a student voice, not the student voice. The views of The University News are the expressions of the students involved ... If [The University News] can represent a point of view around which discussion may develop, it serves a legitimate and needed purpose.” - From The University News’ Charter
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JANUARY 22, 2015
ner to speak about it, but as I listened I discovered that my friends were already informed and discussing the situation. Social media networks were jammed, and details surrounding the incident kept getting more suspicious. I thought this seemed to be just another incident, like the Trayvon Martin killing. Curious and uneasy about what was happening with my two friends and partner feeling the same, we wondered whether it would be a good idea to go out to Ferguson. We were not afraid of what could happen to us, but of the unknown. We felt troubled by what we saw on the local news on the activity in the small St. Louis County suburb. This feeling didn’t subside when we finally made an agenda to see everything together; we headed out to Ferguson anxiously. We were unified in that we cared more about seeing for ourselves. Conversations between my friends and partner that were already happening inperson and on Facebook became our own experiences the next night. As I reflect on my beginnings, I think about how far
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behind the United States is, and how much more advanced it could be if Ferguson Action demands were implemented long ago. These demands speak to at least some of our movement’s present agenda, as well as that of many movements in history. If these items had been in motion before Aug. 9, imaginably, Michael Brown would now be in his second semester of college. “ De-militarization of local law enforcement” across the country prior to Aug. 9, would have deterred a massive, combat-outfitted police force f r o m occuping the streets of Ferguson. B y late afte r n o o n S u n day, my friends, partner and I had made our trip, coordinating our visit and driving out to Ferguson. Along the way, I remember listening to songs, such as Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song”. More details of the post-shooting affairs were still isolated to our Facebook timelines, as local news struggled to pick up what was going on. As a generation of Twitter and Facebook users, we are used to sharing
We need not agree on everything except that you cannot set the “timetable”
and re-tweeting everything instantly, like any other trending topic. My friends and partner had heard that Ferguson was live with police, activity, and people our age. I was also starting to learn many different background stories. For example, I would hear that people our age were asking established leaders for satisfactory advice, swearing to take justice into their own hands . When established leaders were not in a position to give such mentorship, people our age responded. As we were arriving in Ferguson, we passed up many entrances that were blocked by police cars signaling with their blinding lights. By the time we navigated around to West Florissant Ave., people were sitting on top of their cars. Vehicles were lined up and down business parking lots on West Florissant. Police presence was prevalent, but disengaged. We could feel the spirit of the atmosphere, and the streets were riled up. The sound of stereos bumping to the likes of N.W.A. and Lil Boosie’s street anthems, the visual of red, black and green colored “Back To Africa” flags, and hordes of people our age filling the streets, set an ambiance we had never felt before. I was happy that we didn’t let our feelings stop us from searching for our own answers together.
Ryan Quinn / Photo Editor
Ferguson comes to SLU: Occupy SLU brought activists to SLU community in October.
I am sure all of you have seen those articles showing the cool infographics conce r n i n g death tolls of diseases v e r sus the money raised to combat them. I always f i n d Paul Otto t h e m fascinating, in no small part because I am a sucker for colors and circles with relative diameters. I also like to think about why there exists such a vast difference between the two figures. What worries me the most is that I think that some diseases have become normalized and as such receive less funding than the scarier diseases. If you look at the graphics, available at iflscience. com, for the diseases that raised the most money, the top three are breast cancer, pancreatic cancer and heart disease. Of those, only heart
disease is also top three in deaths per year in the U.S. In fact, heart disease causes 14.5 times more death than breast cancer, but it raises around one-fifth of the money donated towards breast cancer research. Admittedly, the three main killers in the U.S. – heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and diabetes – are fairly well researched and most people can lessen their chances of dying because of them. Heart disease and diabetes can be helped by maintaining a vigilant diet and COPD can be avoided by not smoking (admittedly, genetics play a role in all three as well). On the other hand, there is no cure for cancer, and the treatments are massively invasive and painful. So I understand the discrepancy to an extent. The problem is that I took the infographic to another level. I calculated the millions of dollars raised per thousands of people that died because of the disease each year. Prostate cancer, breast cancer, and ALS all had good numbers: $7 mil-
lion per thousand deaths, $6.28 million per thousand deaths, and $3.27 million per thousand deaths, respectively. Conversely, heart disease, diabetes, and COPD have $.09 million per thousand deaths, $.057 million per thousand deaths and $.049 million per thousand deaths, respectively. You don’t have to be a math major to know that is a huge discrepancy. For every person that dies from breast cancer, $7,000 is raised. For every person who dies because of heart disease, the number is only $90. Clearly there is a discrepancy between what diseases we donate money to and those that kill us, so naturally, I started wondering why there was a discrepancy at all. My hypothesis is that the diseases we donate to are those that scare us the most. Cancer is something that seems like a death sentence, even though it depends on the type and severity. ALS takes away a person’s autonomy, something immensely frightening in our freedom-oriented society. On the contrary, a major-
ity of people probably know someone who suffers from heart disease, COPD (or at least someone who smokes), or diabetes. I think that part of the reason that we donate less to those diseases is that they have become normal to us. Because of their frequent occurrences and the well-publicized prevention techniques, we don’t think anything of them, but these are still debilitating diseases that kill thousands every year. Admittedly, there is some influence from the Susan G. Komen foundation, Movember and the ice bucket challenge. Big name foundations bring in millions to fund research, and it is much harder to think of diabetes or COPD foundations. I think we need to analyze our charity and try to give in places where we think it most needed. For some that may be breast cancer research; others, animal shelters. I don’t think you need to donate to any specific cause, just that we consider why we donate and the unspoken influences in our lives.
Abandoning a privileged faith Today, on Martin Luther Jr. famously said in his NoKing Day, I am grateful for bel Peace Prize acceptance teachers because I have a lot speech, “The ultimate meato learn sure of a man is not where he in this stands in moments of comlife. I am fort and convenience, but an upwhere he stands at times of per-midchallenge and controversy.” dle class, He also said, “Faith is takwhite ing the first step even when woman you don’t see the whole stairand a case.” student MLK was calling us to an at a priactive faith. He was calling Caroline Belden vate unius to a faith that moves us to versity stand in opposition to injusin the tice, even when it is uncomUnited States- an education fortable. The witnesses of for which my parents are Archbishop Oscar Romero, graciously paying. My point (who was recently named is, that in my experience, I a martyr by the Catholic often have to choose to see Church) and the six Jesuits injustice, because I could who were murdered at the easily live my life in blissful University of Central Amerignorance. That is my priviica during the civil war, live lege. I am also a woman of on in the faith of many of the faith. I have faith in the Spirit Salvadoran people. These of love, who speaks through priests boldly spoke out the fight against oppression. against injustices that the My faith has propelled me to poor faced in their country do one thing: listen. While I because their faith demandfully admit that I do not aled it. Consequently, the peoways listen well, in the times ple of El Salvador continue that I have, I have learned to remember these martyr’s listening is often the key to lives and draw inspiration progress. from them So after doas they ening my best counter into listen, justice in [MLK] was in a year in their daily calling us to a which much lives. They faith that moves has hapwalk forpened in my ward in us to stand in life and my search for opposition to city’s life, justice beinjustice I want to cause they share what I have to. have heard. They enLast secounter this mester, I spent four months struggle in their faith every in an alternative studyday because they do not have abroad program in El Salvaa choice. dor called Casa de la SolidarI have a choice. I can idad, learning what it means choose to live in the SLU to accompany a community bubble with the privilege of and to be in solidarity with an excellent education, and the oppressed and sufferpray from the safety and ing. I encountered injustice comfort of my new apartin the daily lives of my Salment or College Church that vadoran friends, and I had to one day there will be peace learn how to walk with, rathin this city. That people who er than work for. I learned live in more difficult realities that, sometimes, I couldn’t than my own will be able to fix that which is broken in rise above those realities. the moment. It sometimes But there is another has to be enough to have choice. I can choose to see hope and live each day with injustice, and I can choose gratitude. to encounter this injustice in The difficult realities of the context of my faith life, the Salvadorans were daily even when it’s confusing or reminders of my privilege uncomfortable. I can choose while I was abroad, but the engage in dialogue inside people I walked with still and outside the SLU comwelcomed me into their munity about the state of St. struggle of facing these reLouis. I can choose to listen alities. In hearing heartto the teachers who stand breaking stories of war, vioall around me: my profeslence and extreme poverty, I sors, fellow students and felstruggled to maintain hope low St. Louis residents, even and faith in a God who could when I don’t immediately allow such evil in the world. understand their viewpoints This is certainly not a new or frustrations. I can actually or unique crisis, but what I leave the SLU bubble and enlearned was that my crisis gage issues of race, gender, in itself was somewhat of sexuality and socioeconomic a privilege. My Salvadoran status. teachers believe and trust in What does it mean to God because their faith is inhave faith if I do not listen to separable from their struggle those who have no choice but for justice, and their survival to have faith? As a Catholic and hope depends on that Christian, what does it mean struggle. to go to Mass on Sunday, but How do I return to this refuse to listen to and be in city and walk in solidarity solidarity with the voices of with the struggle for justice the struggle against injusthat persists in our commutice? It means a privileged nity and in our streets? Once faith; one that I can choose again, I need to listen. to step outside of, if I choose. Dr. Martin Luther King What are you choosing?
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Billikens: if you or your peers still say, “I support your movement, but don’t agree with the tactics”, y o u likely s t i l l have a burning Q u i kTrip as Jonathan Pulphus the introduction to your Ferguson story. Understand that in order for you to support this movement, to use Dr. King’s words, we need not agree on everything except that you cannot set the “timetable”. If you think you can support us by altering how we do things, you need to re-evaluate and figure out where you find yourselves. “Police shot a young black boy.” When these words left my mom’s mouth on Saturday, Aug. 9, I did not have any serious plans to protest 166 days later. It was a Saturday morning after a long week of job training to be a Resident Advisor. I was tired. I didn’t have any plans for the weekend but to sleep, eat, and rejuvenate with my friends and partner, in preparation for another long, hard week. We were going to do the stuff college-aged students do. Shortly after hearing that someone had been killed, I called my friends and part-
OPINION & EDITORIALS
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Oscar Romero: Like Martin Luther King Jr., Romero had a choice to struggle in solidarity with the people. Photo Courtesy of Ale Vazquez
JANUARY 22, 2015
SPECIAL PAGE
This Week in UNews History... Here are a few headlines that made news in Januarys past. Courtesy of UNews archives.
Jan. 25, 1980
5 9 9 1 , 0 Jan. 2
4 7 9 1 , Jan. 18
Jan. 15, 1971
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JANUARY 22, 2015
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