Vol. XCIII No. 4, September 19, 2013

UNEWS

SPORTS

Men’s soccer ready for top-25 challenge

OPINION PAGE 10

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Vol. XCIII No. 4

SLU’s ranking: what does it mean for you?

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A student voice of Saint Louis University since 1919

Shuttle app helps students keep time

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Thursday, September 19, 2013

Down, Out, Undeterred #1

Administration takes U.S. News ranking in stride

#58

John Schuler/Photo Editor

Tracking: Students boarding the shuttle at the BSC.

By JESSICA WINTER Associate News Editor

For Saint Louis University students, Christmas came early this year in the form of the Billiken Shuttle tracking system.

Thanks to Express Transportation Services (ETS) and Doublemap online application, students are now able to track the SLU Billiken shuttles 24/7. The new system ultimately allows for a more efficient use of time by students, who no longer have to spend their time waiting at the shuttle stops.

See “Shuttle” on Page 2

Panhellenic Council welcomes Theta

By ANNALISE WILCOX Copy Editor

SLU students might begin to notice a little more black and gold down West Pine in the coming weeks. This is because as of Sunday, Sept.

22, Kappa Alpha Theta will be the newest sorority to hit SLU’s campus.

Spurred by a continual increase in the number of women SLU finds interested in joining Greek Life each school year, the Panhellenic Council at SLU decided it was time to expand. “I started hearing that ladies didn’t even know everyone in their chapters,” said Colleen Drazen, Program Coordinator for the Student Involvement Center. “That was when we

#100

Through a collaboration of efforts, SLU Transportation Services and ETS installed DoubleMap into all four of the campus shuttles.

Doublemap is a real-time GPS bus tracking service that provides a web application for public transit users and allows for more efficient transportation management by transit authorities.

“The new shuttle schedules and the addition of the tracking were presented to the Presidents Coordinating Council, which was ap-

starting talking about adding a new chapter. SLU is a place that people come to find close connections and communities. Sororities are supposed to align with that.”

An exploratory committee, overseen by Drazen, looked into 12 national sororities that were interested in coming to SLU. They narrowed the search down to three potential options, inviting each to come to campus to give their pitch to a new committee comprised of representatives from each of SLU’s existing sororities, the extension committee.

Ultimately, the extension committee then chose KapSee “Theta” on Page 3

SLU #101

By JESSICA WINTER Associate News Editor

College competition intensifies every year, and according to U.S. News and World Reports, Saint Louis University is falling behind.

Annual rankings by the U.S. News and World Reports of the best national colleges for 2014, released on Sept. 10, indicate that SLU is no longer in the top 100 national universities-although it does come in a close 101.

A careful look at the study, however, reveals that the list may not be quite what it seems.

The ranking, which consists of 281 national universities, compiles the data of these eight specific categories and weighs them accordingly: undergraduate academic reputation, retention, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, graduation rate See “101” on Page 3

Illustration by Briana Kagy

The U.S. according to Stein Famed economist on millenials’ challenges

By WOLF HOWARD News Editor

The Great Issues Committee hosted Ben Stein in the Wool Ballrooms on Sept.

17, where the economist and celebrity gave his take on the United States “from the perspective of a 68 year old man.”

Stein described the situation of modern America as “unrecognizably better” than that of our country before the civil rights movement, or even during the Vietnam War. He spoke at length about the violence blacks were subjected to and the opportunities minorities and women were denied in the late 1940s and the ‘50s, also detailing the injustices minorities faced in terms of political representation and access to education as well as the absence of women and black men in the political sphere and corporate America.

Further, Stein mentioned that the most prestigious colleges and universities even had limits on how many Catholics and Jews were allowed to attend. For Stein, the opportunities available to all American citizens are a far-cry from the civil issues of the past.

Turning from the improved social aspects of

John Schuler/Photo Editor

Stein: The celebrity and economist speaking in the Wool Ballrooms on Sept. 17.

American life today, Stein talked about the housing improvements the U.S. has seen since the 20th century.

“You don’t know what life was like before air conditioning. It was hell,” Stein said to laughter, touching on the pleasures that modern American society tends to take for granted.

He also touched on the difference in our economy now compared to the 19th and 20th centuries.

According to Stein, America’s recent recession

pales in comparison to the economic situation of the late 19th century and the Great Depression. He stated that the last part of the 19th century was “marked by continuous depression.” Further, during the “disaster of the 1930s” the U.S. saw an unemployment rate of 25 percent.

Having counted the American citizen’s modernera blessings, Stein turned his attention to the nation’s present and future challenges. Focusing on federal

policy, he talked about the tax and spending issues that congress has yet to resolve.

“It took the U.S. over 2 centuries to accumulate the amount of debt we are adding year by year from 2008 to 2011,” Stein said, calling attention to the government’s overabundant spending. He also criticized the Federal Reserve’s policy of buying U.S. debt, calling it a “gigantic Ponzi scheme” that would See “Stein” on Page 3

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

NEWS

Let Us Introduce You: Melinda Pullen Carlson Chemistry app puts Head of Res Life talks about family and university facilities structure in your lap me that our students have a voice. I want our students to utilize Hall Councils and RHA (Residence Hall Asso“She’s a pretty cool kid, ciation). I will always advomuch cooler than I ever cate for our students and enwas,” Melinda Pullen Carlsure their voices are heard,” son, SLU’s new Director of Carlson said. She says she’s Housing and Residence Life still evaluating the areas that said of her daughter, who can use the most improvewas just named a National ment in Housing and ResiMerit Scholar Semifinalist. dence Life. However, she did Carlson, who started in point to facilities improveher new position at SLU a ment as a project that can be little over a month ago, left quickly undertaken. her previous position at the “Evaluating what needs to University of Mississippi be added, vacated or renoafter six years on the job. vated is something we need She’s spent 20 years workto explore. We appear to lack ing in higher s u i te - s t y l e education, housing, so I 14 of which think we can It is very imporhave been look into tant to me that devoted to that as well,” housing and she said. our students residence O f have a voice. life. Her huscourse, the band and Laclede -Melinda Pullen one daughter Houses are Calrson, Director of have stayed a hot-butRes Life behind in ton issue on Mississippi campus, and so that she Carlson said can finish her senior year of she also looks forward to rehigh school with her friends. viewing the best uses for that “She probably would have property. run off with the circus had “Whatever we do, we I told her we were moving,” want to work with the stakeCarlson said. holders, figuring out what Because Carlson’s father the goals are [of the Laclede was in the Air Force, she Houses] and if we can meet moved around throughthose goals in another way. ,” out her childhood, but calls Carlson said.

Mascoutah, Ill., home. She’s Carlson is also well aware excited for what she calls “a of Housing and Residence little bit of a coming home.”

Life’s vital role in creating a However, she’s most exdiverse campus. cited to be at the helm of the “We really need to be the Housing and Residence Life model of inclusion, making department at SLU, hearing sure people feel comfortable the voices and concerns of where they live and are not students. excluded. I don’t want to see “It is very important to pockets of types of people

By TONY TRAINA Managing Editor

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By VIVEK GORIJALA Contributor

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Tony Traina/Managing Editor

living together,” Carlson said.

She cited SLU’s room assignment process as something she’d like to evaluate to better foster inclusiveness.

“For example, students from traditionally marginalized groups tend to make their college decision later in the admissions process, which means their options

for housing may be fewer. I want to reevaluate the process of accepting rolling applications,’” Carlson said.

When she’s not hard at work in her office in the Village, Carlson says her guilty pleasure is HBO’s The Newsroom.

“Reality television drives me crazy though,” she added.

For Michael Lewis, Associate Professor of Chemistry at SLU, student participation in the classroom is a vital part of the learning process.

Now, with a new app called ChemDraw®, which allows students and teachers to draw chemical structures and reactions, Lewis believes that he has found a tool that will allow all of his students to be active, engaged learners.

“You end up with the same few students that come up to the blackboard,” said Lewis, speaking of the students that regularly participated without ChemDraw.

“Only students who performed well, learned quickly and weren’t afraid to get the answer wrong would participate.”

With the ChemDraw app, however, Lewis noticed that more students were getting involved.

“Everybody participated, especially when I encouraged them not to put their names on the answers,” he said.

One reason ChemDraw was able to increase class participation was due to the medium through which information was presented.

The main purpose of the app is to draw chemical structures and reactions that are available in a mobile, personal setting. ChemDraw brings the blackboard at the front of the class into the lap of the student.

Lewis had been looking for a similar type of app since

last spring. At that time, he changed the structure of his Principles of Chemistry II class, having the students learn the material at home and then do practice problems in the classroom. Lewis found this new method of teaching effective, but it didn’t accomplish enough.

“Ultimately, it was still me writing problems at the front with students yelling at me with what to write. I still relied on students raising their hands,” Lewis said about the spring class. Looking for a better way to get more students involved, Lewis opted to use ChemDraw for his summer organic chemistry course.

PerkinElmer, the company that owns ChemDraw, provided Lewis’ entire organic chemistry class with iPads and the ChemDraw app. Lewis would e-mail problems to the class, then display some answers at the front of the class and discuss the problems with the students.

According to Lewis, the app was a success in that summer class due to the increased class participation. Students from his class agreed that the app had the potential to enhance understanding of the material. Joshua Korba, one of the Lewis’ students, found the app very useful when studying with other students.

“I helped one of my friends by sending her a structure I made and explaining how to get to that

See “ChemDraw” on Page 3

THE SLU SCOOP All Information Provided by Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

Thursday, September 12 1:30 a.m. - FOUND PROPERTY

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DPS officer discovered a black bag in Ritter lobby. The bag contained two chess game clocks and was entered into Returnity.

5:41 p.m. - STEALING UNDER $500 A student reported that unknown person(s) had removed his clothing items from a laundry room dryer.

Monday, September 16

10:26 a.m. - INFORMATIONAL

9:00 a.m. - STEALING UNDER $500

DPS officers conveyed seized narcotics to the FBI for destruction.

Unknown person(s) removed the mouse and key pad from the computer in Room 473.

4:07 p.m. - PEACE DISTURBANCE

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SLU staff member reported that while she was teaching class a student argued with her. The staff member felt uncomfortable.

Food left on a burner activated the smoke detector in Marchetti East.

Be a Responsible Billiken STOP. CALL. REPORT. 314-977-3000

Shuttle: App on 3-year contract

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proved over the summer,” stated William Devers, assistant vice president of service operations. “The system started implementation this past summer by ETS, [who] made sure that the system was up and ready to go right as classes began.”

The idea for the tracking system was sparked by a student shuttle survey performed by a student group last year. The civic affairs committee of SGA approached Transportation Services to discuss the idea.

“The idea was perfect timing, since our shuttle contract was up for renewal,” commented Devers. “We also liked this idea because the shuttles now provide us with digital tracking of our passengers at each stop location, notifications of traffic

delays and real time notification for riders of the arrival of the shuttle buses.”

Shuttle locations include the Billiken Loop, Grand Shuttle and Scott Hall campuses. The Grand Shuttle now operates until 7 pm in order to accommodate students with evening classes.

The new shuttle contract involved slight funding adjustments for the overall shuttle program, but was included in the current hourly rate being paid to ETS. “Once we decided to award the contract to ETS, we partnered with ITS to include the application tracking ability into the SLU mobile app,” said Devers.

“All of this was done within our current budget and no additional spending was requested, except the addi-

tion of adding the Scott Hall shuttle.”

The system thus far has received nothing but positive feedback.

“We are expecting an increase in ridership in the shuttle programs, which will further our SLUstainability efforts,” reported Devers.

“Everyone seems to love the application, and we are so thrilled that this project, along with the adjustment of the shuttle schedules, have been positively received by the SLU community.”

SLU hopes to make the new tracking system permanent, but at the moment it remains part of the three year contract agreement with ETS. Students can download the Doublemap application from SLU mobile.

NEWS

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

ChemDraw: App gives new method of learning

Photo courtesy of PerkinElmer

Chemistry: The ChemDraw app allows students and professors to learn and share in a virtual environment.

Continued from Page 1

certain step,” he said.

Amanda Vest, another student in the summer course, stated that the app had a lot of potential in the classroom.

“It is a really great tool for when a professor is explaining a new concept,” she said. “You can practice it, in the room, and the professor can gain a really good understanding of how well we understand the concept on the spot.” She added that the class became very interactive when discussing right and wrong answers to the problems that Lewis put up.

Despite these positives, the layout and some of the features needed improvement according to Lewis and his students. In addition, many students believed that room to take notes next to the main screen would be helpful in learning the material. Vest disliked the lack of organization in the way the app saved structures.

PerkinElmer, however,

has been working to rectify these problems. The company received feedback from SLU students and Lewis, all of who will be an integral part in the development of ChemDraw. Text boxes have been added in the newest update of the app, and according to Lewis, the notebook idea proposed by students was well received and will be added.

Lewis intends to use ChemDraw in class this spring if it’s available on the web and has undergone appropriate improvements.

Still, he finds that the main strength of the app is that it comes in a medium familiar and interesting to the current generation of students.

“This technology helps us meet our students where they are, and where they are right now is that they are a part of a generation that grew up with technology like tablets and the web being widely available.

This is how they consume information, and that is really what education is.”

Stein: U.S. plagued by ‘flight of responsibility’

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Theta: Preparing for charter bid day Continued from Page 1

Alpha Theta as the best addition to Saint Louis University, and Kappa Alpha Theta accepted the invitation.

“Kappa Alpha Theta just stood out,” said Drazen. “The extension committee knew Kappa Alpha Theta has a strong national reputation and a strong commitment to philanthropy. We knew they would fit in line with our current organizations.”

Kappa Alpha Theta’s National Grand Council was thrilled when asked to charter at SLU. When choosing where to colonize, Kappa Alpha Theta is very selective, searching for universities that are academically prestigious with outstanding students that can make outstanding sorority women, said Ashley Freeman, one of the Educational Leadership Consultants (ELC) representing Kappa Alpha Theta here at SLU. Theta, as they are more commonly known, began their pursuit for new members when Freeman and partner ELC Margaret Burke

Wolf Howard/News Editor

Tabling: Kappa Alpha Theta representatives recruiting members in the BSC. arrived in St. Louis on August 21. Since the beginning of the school year, Freeman and Burke have been spreading the word about Theta’s colonization and sparking interest in students. Freeman and Burke will be working at SLU for the entirety of the school year to help the newest Theta chapter get up and running.

Freeman was very enthusiastic about the success Kappa Alpha Theta has seen

thus far. Though the measurement of basic interest right now has been focused on quantity, Freeman emphasized that when choosing women, their focus will be completely on quality.

“We don’t have one specific number we are shooting for; we just want as many girls as we can find that align with the values and mission of Theta,” said Freeman.

This weekend is the most important weekend thus far

in launching SLU’s chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta. After their kickoff event on Friday, Sept. 20, Freeman, Burke and other area alumni will interview all interested women this Saturday, Sept. 21. These interviews will allow them to select women for their charter pledge class, who will be celebrated on their first bid day this Sunday, Sept. 22.

Kappa Alpha Theta will officially be an established panhellenic organization at SLU.

SGA holds first assembly of the year

Jessica Winter/Associate News Editor

The Student Government Association held their first meeting of the year on Sept. 18. The meeting was light-hearted, with the agenda focused on inaugurating new members and senators competing for committe chair positions presenting their points. Interim President Bill Kauffman is expected to appear at next week’s meeting.

Continued from Page 1

norm for men to knock up their women and run away from responsibility,” he said. become a major burden to “It is the greatest mass discitizens in the coming years. play of irresponsibility and While he calls himself cowardice in U.S. History.” a Republican, he called for Stein stated that the sinhigher taxes on the rich gle-parent problem has been and discounted the idea more prevalent for black that lowering taxes would families and has in part led increase revenue as a failed to a “nation within a nation Republican policy. of self-inflicted pain and “We don’t want to tell lawlessness.” rich people to go out and Stein said that the curachieve and make money rent state of the K through and then tell them that 12 educational system isn’t they’re horrible, bad people up to par compared to many because they’re successful,” other countries.

Stein said, “but it’s not right “We cannot continue at for [rich] this level of people to prosperity pay such or even close It’s become the low taxes.” with a colsocietal norm for Moving lapsed eduaway from men to knock up cational syseconomics, tem,” Stein their women and he touched said. run away from briefly on His firesponsibility the issue of nal contenterrorism, tion was the lambasting -Ben Stein, economist “stupef ying the NSA, materialism” CIA and of American similar organizations for alculture. lowing clearance and perAdmitting that money mission to carry a gun in a has been a primary concern top security facility to a man for society throughout all of with a criminal record and a history, Stein said America’s history of mental disorders. modern level of worship of Stein then spoke about material things has reached the growing trend of sina harmful level. gle-family homes, which “We treat our nation he called “the flight from now as if it were an auction responsibility.” Pointing to house and nothing has any data for support, Stein arvalue unless it attaches itself gued that two parent houseto something with a large holds regardless of economamount of money,” Stein ic status are often more well said. “It’s a false value.” adjusted and less likely to Instead he encouraged a have issues with school or dedication to service to oththe justice system. ers ahead of selfish inten“It’s become the societal tions and materialism.

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101: Admins shed light on ranking system SLU’s Report Card Tuition and Fees Undergraduate Enrollment Average GPA Average ACT Average Class Size Acceptance Rate 4-Year Graduation Rate Student-Faculty Ratio RANK

Continued from Page 1

performance, alumni giving rate, and high school counselor ratings. These eight categories are then used to calculate a university’s overall score, out of 100 points, which results in a list of the who’s who of universities.

With a college’s reputation weighing 15 percent more than the graduation rate performance and a majority of the components relying on a school’s wealth, one may question the legitimacy of the rankings.

“There is a lot of misconception about what college

$36,726 8,806 3.81 27.6 24.4 63.7% 61% 12-1

101

rankings are measuring and what they are not measuring,” stated Vice President for Enrollment and Retention Management Jay Goff.

Amongst the eight categories evaluated, SLU had increased its score in five of them, decreased in two, and remained stagnant in one since last year. However, because this year’s ranking changed the weights of the categories, putting the most emphasis on academic reputation and retention, the university did not seemingly reflect these improvements.

“I think it’s a political process,” commented senior student Robbie Barn-

hart. “Reports are highly subjective and political and any factor could swing one school some way or another.

I’m concerned for the public reception of the University, but not the intellectual integrity of the institution.”

SLU’s position in the ranking for the past three years has fluctuated, going from 90 in 2012, to 92 in 2013, to the current slot of 101. Since last year, the university has decreased by one point in the overall score.

What the ranking fails to implicitly highlight is that within the top 100 schools alone, there are 26 ties. SLU’s position at 101 supplies the 27th tie, with Iowa State University, Loyola University, North Carolina State University, University of Kansas, University of Nebraska, University of Oklahoma and University of Tennessee all claiming the same position.

This slot, due to so many ties, is a mere one point away from the 97th rank, and two away from the 91st.

“We think of the groups from 1-200, but within that there are 46 ties—even at our number there are 8 ties,” commented Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Steven Sanchez. “So it doesn’t mean that there are 101 schools whose scores are higher than ours.” Upon seeing the ranking, a few students remarked on SLU’s

position as being “worrisome” and “embarrassing”, and linked the rank decline with last year’s No Confidence Vote. Statistics on this matter, however, do not connect the two as SLU’s university peer assessment score has been 2.9 since 2011. The ranking, though not motive for improvement, fuels discussion on future advancements and what areas need the most attention.

“We need to continue to focus on increasing student retention and graduation rates and making sure our faculty and staff have the resources they need to provide a top-quality education,” said Goff. “[But] we’re not going to use rankings to drive our strategic investments.”

Vice President of Academic Affairs Ellen Harshman parallels this sentiment and says that with these priorities on SLU’s mind, the rankings will follow.

“Given the economy, I find it amazing that we have been able to hold our own [with graduate job placement],” stated Harshman.

“The things that I hear from employers [of our graduates] have to do with a consciousness of ethics and integrity and a good work ethic—that is the reputation that our students have in the higher community.”

So it would seem SLU is doing just fine.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

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September 19, 2013 sports@unewsonline.com Alex Kozich, Sports Editor Ryan Glover, Assoc. Sports Editor

Men’s Soccer bounces back: Team sets sights on No.12 UConn

Billiken Media Relations

Soccer: Nick Shackleford records one of his five saves in the Billikens’ 1-0 shutout against Denver on Saturday, Sept. 14. The Billikens will travel to Storrs, Conn. to take on the number 12 ranked Huskies. This is the first nationally ranked team the Bills will play this season.

By CHARLES BOWLES Staff Wwriter

The Saint Louis University men’s soccer team bounced back from last week’s loss with a 1-0 victory against the University of Denver. The Billikens will be 4-1 entering their first match against a nationally ranked

team, the No. 12 Connecticut Huskies.

“It is kind of funny because I think we played better soccer against Evansville and found a way to lose; today we maybe didn’t play as well, but found a way to win,” said Head Coach Mike McGinty. “So, moving forward we want to combine the both. We want to play

well, we want to improve every week and we want to get results. It has been a brutal five-game stretch in a short period of time.”

The Bills had their only goal in the 18th minute. David Graydon passed a ball off to a sprinting Jon Roeckle who crossed the ball into box for Robert Kristo who slipped in at the far post and

headed the ball into the net.

It was Kristo’s second goal of the season.

“It was a great ball by Roeckle to the far post and the defender just stood there and I just beat him to it and got right in there,” said Kristo.

Denver applied pressured late, but Bills keeper Nick Shackelford made a couple

of key saves in the second half to preserve the Bills shutout. After playing four games in eight days, the Bills will have a full week of rest before squaring off against No. 12 Connecticut. This is the first nationally ranked team the Bills will face this See “Save” on Page 6

Volleyball struggles in Billiken Classic

By GRACE BONOMA Staff Writer

SLU Volleyball returned to Chaifetz this past weekend hosting Miami (Ohio), Youngstown State and Bradley in the annual Billiken Challenge.

Before opening tournament play, the Bills started the weekend dropping a five set thriller to Northern Iowa, 2-3 (31-29, 19-25, 3133, 25-18, 14-16). The Billikens battled UNI the first set and a five point run late in the game secured a 31-29 victory for SLU. The Panthers responded in the second game, silencing the Bills with a 25-19 win. Out of the time out both teams were at it again. With the score tied seventeen times during game three it was anyone’s set to take. A late attack error shifted the momentum in favor of the Panthers and UNI closed out game three 33-31. SLU bounced back, leading the Panthers by an impressive 13-1 margin to start the set. The Billikens went on to win 25-18. The fifth set was nothing short of

CHEER

JEER

heartbreaking. After a 14-14 deadlock UNI broke loose to clinch the win at 16-14.

Statistically, SLU was led by freshmen Danielle Rygelski and Mallory Dillon on the offensive end. Both Rygelski and Dillon recorded 28 kills in the match. Rygelski hit a team-best .358 and added 13 digs to record a double-double. Dillon hit .217 with seven digs and five blocks. Libero Anna Church also notched 30 digs in the contest.

The Billikens continued play Friday evening opening the Billiken Challenge with another marathon match against Miami (Ohio) 2-3 (25-22, 21-25, 25-18, 1925, 15-17). SLU began the match with a decisive 25-22 victory over the RedHawks in set one. The Bills again opened with a 6-3 lead in set two, however a 5-1 run for Miami put the RedHawks at 8-7. SLU made a late run to close the 22-14 gap but dropped the second set 25-21. An eight point run See “Digs” on Page 6

Billiken Media Relations

Volleyball: Freshman Danielle Rygelski led the Billikens with a team-best .358 hitting percentage and added 13 digs in the Billiken Classic tournament this past weekend.

FEAR

WHO TO CHEER: ROCKY BALBOA We knew he was good, but not this good. Philadelphia Magazine wrote that Rocky’s famous running route covers more than 30 miles, bringing the “Gonna Fly Now” scene to a whole new level of inspiration. This type of physical feat makes Floyd Mayweather’s recent bout look like child’s play.

The things we don’t talk about This is not another commentary about the NCAA. This is a commentary about the institutions that perp e tuate the stranglehold of power that the NCAA Tony Traina has on America’s “amateur” athletes and college sports. Another piece of “investigative journalism,” this time from Sports Illustrated, has apparently lifted the curtain on rampant impropriety within Oklahoma State University’s football program. Included among the allegations: players being paid for fake jobs, women having sex with visiting recruits, and players smoking marijuana before games.

None of this is particularly revealing. It’s somewhat akin to an “investigative report” on the widespread gun violence and murder occurring on Chicago’s Southside every day. We hear about these things, failing to analyze their real causes and attempting to address them.

This has led some to declare that “some athletes have no business being on an NCAA campus,” as The Oklahoman put it. There has been the typical invocation of university ideals and how these athletes represent a radical departure from a particular university’s mission. Somehow, a group of a few hundred athletes (and less than 100 if we just look at football and basketball players) is cited as contrary to a university’s mission.

Somehow, giving a handful of athletes the chance to succeed at the college level, obtaining a degree in the process, is now morally objectionable and compromises the integrity of an entire student body. . Not to mention that some of these athletes are from less fortunate backgrounds than the average student and disproportionately African American.

And while the media seems intent on uncovering these improprieties that belittle a university’s mission, fraternity houses across the nation haze pledges, dehumanize women and share old tests every day. Pre-medical students pass around answers during a physics final worried a B+ might jeopardize their future. We’re perfectly comfortable moralizing about college sports but ignore misconduct when it’s uncomforting. Listen, the public is well aware of the corruption in college sports.

We don’t need more startling revelations about the sex, drugs and improper paySee “NCAA” on Page 6

By TONY TRAINA, Managing Editor WHO TO JEER: WASHINGTON NATIONALS In their first game after the Navy Yard shooting, the Nationals wore Navy hats in honor of the fallen...for warm-ups. Fans stepping off at the Navy Yard-Ballpark Metro stop could get to the game nice and early if they wanted to see the Nationals’ small tribute to the shooting victims, which occurred just five blocks away.

WHO TO FEAR: BERNARD POLLARD Since rolling over Tom Brady’s ankle in 2010, Pollard has become the NFL’s latest bad boy. He was fined a measley $42,000 for his helment-to-helmet hit on receiver Andre Johnson last week.

And he’s mad. “If you don’t want us to play defense, don’t call us defense and take us off the field.” Watch out this week, San Diego.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

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SPORTS

Three sports in the spotlight

For the latest Billiken coverage

Friday September 13th

Cross Country

The men’s tennis team participated in their second tournamement of the season this weekend, taking part in the River Forest Invitational.

Yehia El Sallaly and Vuk Poledica took home first in the No.3 doubles consilation bracket. The team will compete in the SIUE Fall inviational this weekend, Sept. 20-22.

The men’s and women’s cross country teams participated in the Big River XC festival over the weekend. The men’s team finished in fourth place overall and the women took home third.

Thomas Beddome paced the men, with a time of 20:09 in the 6k. For women, Jamee Holmes led with a time of 19:31in the 5k.

Volleyball vs. UNI

L (2-3) XC - Big River XC Festival

Women 3rd, Men 4th Womens Soccer @ Iowa

L (2-3) Volleyball vs. Miami (OH)

L (2-3) Photo by nao2g

Women’s Soccer

Phtoto by Billiken Media Relations

Scoreboard

Tennis

The women’s soccer team dropped games to Iowa and Illinois State, Friday, Sept.13 and Tuesday, Sept. 17, to fall to 1-6-1 on the season. In the 3-2 loss against Iowa, Maddie Bush and Jenny Hummert notched their first and second goals of the season, respectively. Against Illinois State, Jessie Jarrett scored her first and the Billikens’ only goal in a 4-1 loss.

Photo by pjmorse

Saturday September 14th Volleyball vs. Youngstown State

L (1-3)

Volleyball vs. Bradley

W (3-0) Mens Soccer vs. Denver

W (1-0) Tuesday September 17th Womens Soccer @ Illinois State

L (1-4)

Digs:Volleyball team drops three of four

NCAA: It’s not their fault, it’s yours Continued from Page 5

Calendar Friday, Sept. 20 Volleyball 4:30 p.m @ South Alabama (Razorback Invitational) Cross Country 2:30 p.m National Catholic Invitational - South Bend, Ind. Women’s Soccer 7:00 p.m vs. UT Martin

Saturday, Sept. 21 Volleyball 4:30 p.m @ Kansas State 7:00 p.m @ Arkansas (Razorback Invitational) Mens Soccer 6:00 p.m @ Connecticut

Sunday, Sept. 22 Womens Soccer 12:00 p.m vs. Iowa State

Briefs Basketball sticks with 101ESPN

Billiken Media Relations

Digs: Sophomore blocker Megan Gilbert was named Atlantic 10 conference defensive player of the week. She led the Bills with 28 total blocks in five matches last week.

Continued from Page 5

early in the third by Sophomore libero Anna Church led the Bills to a 25-18 win.

The RedHawks responded with a 25-19 win of their own sending the match to a fifth game. SLU again came up short in a nail biting fifth set dropping the match 1715.

The Challenge continued Saturday as SLU matched up against Youngstown State.

After playing ten sets Friday night, SLU opened play with energy defeating the

Penguins 25-23. However, Youngstown’s impressive defensive efforts proved to be too tough for the Bills.

The Penguins closed out the match with scores of 25-20, and 25-21.

The Billikens capped off the weekend on a positive note with a 3-0 sweep of Bradley. The hot hitting Billikens recorded a .406 hitting percentage in the first set.

Rygelski led the Billikens in the second set recording no errors on seven swings, and SLU went on to close out the third 25-23.

The defensive trio fresh-

man Maryann Ejele (four blocks), junior Nicole Sniffen four blocks) and sophomore Megan Gilbert (five blocks) held the Braves at a .174 hitting efficiency on the match.

Rygelski and Dillon were awarded all-tournament honors for their performance over the weekend.

The Billikens return to action next weekend, Sept. 2021 in Fayetteville, Ark. in the Razorback Invitational. Saint Louis will join South Alabama (Sept. 20 at 4:30 p.m.), Kansas State (Sept. 21 at 1 p.m.) and Arkansas (Sept. 21 at 7 p.m.) in a talented field.

ments that occur every day.

That’s what we talk about.

What we don’t talk about is how to fix it, our why it happens in the first place. The same thing can be said for the shootings on Chicago’s Southside.

We hear reports of another five dead in the last segment of Brian William’s Nightly News, buried beneath Miley’s twerks and New York City’s mayoral primaries. It’s white noise; we don’t even think about it anymore. Sports Illustrated’s report quotes Oklahoma State players as saying that some of their teammates were “functionally illiterate.”

It’s too easy to blame this on the NCAA though.

Why not speak about the education system that failed this individual or the parents who allowed their child to believe home runs were more important than homework? Would that cause us to reflect within, revealing a truth about ourselves and our society that we don’t want to admit?

These are the things we don’t talk about. Instead of worrying about this, what do we agonize over? Well, after 15 years of complaining about the BCS system, ESPN and the rest of the moneyhungry media have finally gotten what their filthy-rich hands have long wanted, a college football playoff, allowing them to further profit off these student-athletes.

Now the topic of paying college athletes is the fodder of roundtable discussions and Time magazine covers.

To be sure, this is much clos-

er to the problem than a silly playoff, but it’s still not the real issue. Sure, let’s toss another few thousand dollars the student-athlete’s way if that will shut up those moralizing journalists. It pales in comparison to the billions ESPN makes off of airing college football and basketball games every week.

These student-athletes, these illiterate, barely eligible, sex and money hungry student-athletes (according to Sports Illustrated), are the product of an irreparably broken system, a system we’ve all helped create.

It starts from the hospital, when we slip a cute Chicago Bears beanie on baby Johnny, continuing through elementary school and high school, where status can be determined by one’s ability on the field.

The truly talented are invited to play AAU basketball or travel football, dedicating more time to athletics than academics. It culminates in college, where money and popularity bring big-time media to campuses every weekend, looking to profit off student-athletes. That is the issue no one is talking about, that everyone is even afraid to address.

Instead of writing about these problems, journalists focus on NCAA bashing and trying to uncover the next great NCAA scandal. They are so fame obsessed that they forget their true function of creating and cultivating an informed public, addressing society’s issues and facilitating a conversation to begin solving them. These are the things we don’t talk about.

Save: Billikens shut out Denver Continued from Page 5

Men’s Basketball The voice of Billiken Basketball will remain the same for the upcoming years. The Saint Louis University athletics department announced a two-year extension with 101ESPN radio with an option for a third year.

101ESPN representative John Kijowski said the station “feels fortunate to have had the opportunity to grow alongside the men’s basketball program.” SLU Athletic Director Chris May said we “look forward to working with their great team as we continue to promote the Billiken Basketball brand.”

John Schuler/ Photo Editor

Save: Billikens rebounded from their lone defeat on the season with a 1-0 home shutout of the Denver Pioneers.

season. The Connecticut Huskies are a loaded team.

Like the Billikens, they return a lot of talent from last season’s team and received a lot of pre-season hype. Last season, the Huskies made it all the way to the NCAA quarterfinals before losing to Creighton. UConn lost its first match of the season to Bradley University on Saturday which knocked them down to No. 12 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll.

Two key players that the Bills must watch out for on UConn are junior forward Mamadou Doudou Diouf

and goalkeeper Andre Blake.

Both players are on the Mac Hermann Trophy Watch List, the Heisman trophy of college soccer. Diouf was second-team All-American and first-team All-Big East last season. He scored 15 goals and had two assists last season. Blake was the NSCAA first team AllAmerican and two time Big East goalkeeper of the year.

Blake had a 0.54 goal against average last season and a 0.39 gaa average his freshman year. Blake recently had a 293 minute scoreless streak snapped Saturday against Bradley University.

“I think we will be very excited for it, once we get a

couple days rest we will be great,” said McGinty.

Kristo has been fighting ankle and fitness issues throughout this season, but has seen a lot of minutes recently due to two double overtime games against Northern Illinois and Evansville.

“We are excited,” said Kristo. “I mean those are the games that we want to play, that’s where we want to be, we want to play the number one, two, three teams so we can become that team.”

After the UConn game, the Billikens will return home for their homecoming match against Central Arkansas on Sept. 28 at 7:30.

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Arts Entertainment

September 19, 2013 arts@unewsonline.com Molly Rippinger, Arts Editor Kendra Cruse, Associate Arts Editor

How to define St. Louis Artist breaks down social barriers with a typewriter

By KENDRA CRUSE Associate Arts Editor

Strolling around the city, you’ve most likely happened upon musicians, mimes, painters and preachers sharing their talent, broadcasting their message or trying to make a quick buck. Street performing is nothing new, but one St. Louis busker is challenging the norm with a typewriter and a passion for poetry.

Henry Goldkamp has been found posting up under the arch or on the streets of the Grove and the Central West End, pleasing passersby with personalized poetry for the past three years. Sometimes the setup is simple, comprising just the man and his typewriter. Other times, a more elaborate display is fashioned, complete with an oriental rug, an antique floor lamp and a sign that oh-sofittingly reads “Fresh Poetry.”

More than just a clever description of the commodity he offers, Fresh Poetry, Ink. (pun intended) is the name of Goldkamp’s “kindasorta profit” organization. Of course donations are always appreciated, but the poets involved are in it solely for the love of the art. To them, it’s “about sticking a quirk in Photo by Rob Rohe

Typewriter: Henry Goldkamp, St. Louis’ own busking poet, helps a cat sculture type out its thoughts on the streets of the Central West End.

See “Typewriter” on Page 9

Jewelry designer recalls images from her childhood for inspiration Images remind us of our history. They force us to reminisce and bring back a rush of emotions. Liz Krinsky’s jewelry incorporates such powerful imagery in an effort to preserve a local history that is very much personal due to the fact that she grew up in St. Louis.

Having recently come back to the area, she is now remembering the entire city from her childhood experiences. It was in her search to see what happened to all the places she used to love that she stumbled upon her inspiration for her jewelry.

When she compared the St. Louis she grew up in to what is it like today, she felt like a witness to the decline of the American dream.

Krinsky focuses on the fall of the bigger-than-life advertizing associated with the baby boomers era.

“When they [the iconic neon signs and loud advertisements] were around, the American dream seemed so real and so possible,” said Krinsky.he wants to give people a sense of urgency; in order to understand not only this city, but also to understand that it is through knowledge of our past that we grow.

Krinsky has been fascinated by architecture since she was a young girl. She believes that the style of a building can tell you about its purpose and its history.

Today, Krinsky goes around

St. Louis on her scooter stores called Tomboy. She looking for inspiration from remembered it as a place the city. where everyone had friendly She first got into metalrelationships with the emsmithing and jewelry makployees. For Krinsky, Toming in college because she boy was a reflection of how needed to take a 3-D course much St. Louis companies for her graphic design mameant to the people in the jor. Krinsky said it was then area and how proud they when she began to see “jewwere of their city. elry like small sculptures.”

What Krinsky seemed to Once she started she could be particularly fond of was not stop. how every neighborhood had She later worked for 12 an identity, whether it was years in a Cincinnati gallery. an amusement park, a driveThe way she found the job in theater or just something was like t h a t a dream, caused and she people to When [the iconic neon recalls i nte r a c t signs and loud advertisethe time and see worked themments] were around, there as selves the American dream some of as a part seemed so real and so her best of that possible. memoneighr i e s . borhood, -Liz Krinsky, Jeweler However, they had after 12 someg r e a t t h i n g years of being there, the galuniting them. This was the lery closed. history that the everyday She then worked in many person experienced. other places but by the time She wants her jewelry she got back to St. Louis, to be a revival of those old she had lost everything. She community identities. came back home as a way to Krinsky believes the loss restart.With her new beginof these local businesses and ning she found a whole lot neighborhood lifestyles has more. She had not lived in caused us as a population to St. Louis for 20 years, but become impersonal. being back reminded her of Another aspect Krinsky so many things. Memories of loved about St. Louis was how she had gotten engaged the aviation scene at Mcat The Fox Theatre. Or of Donnell Douglas and Ozark how her father used to work Airlines. She recalled that at the Southern Bell compawhen the airport expansions ny on Delmar flooded back. happened, people would go One void she found from to the airport for dinner and growing up was the chain the opportunity to watch of neighborhood grocery the planes landing and tak-

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By MELENA ABIJAOUDE Staff Writer

ing off. She still remembers the theme song of Ozark Airlines when they first got jets, “Ozark is the growing airline – the going, growing airline...there’s jets!”

She also spoke of other memories, such as The Holiday Hills Amusement Park, Midtown’s “Automobile Alley” and North Grand’s theater district. Today we only see little traces of these things. According to Krinsky, it was almost as though everyone was improving with them. It was a time when each neighborhood had a park where there would be picnics, school functions or even a rollercoaster ride or a Ferris wheel.

Krinsky sees how the city has evolved, noting that some things have improved, while others have decayed or just simply disappeared.

For example, the Palladium Ballroom is abandoned now when at one time people such as Ella Fitzgerald performed there. Krinsky often wonders if everything changed overnight and what sparked such a drastic change.

Today, it feels like that entire era in St. Louis history is being tucked away under the old, dilapidated image of the city. Today, when you go to St. Louis’ last drive-in it looks so shabby, but it was once a local favorite. Krinsky thinks that this is what the bigger-than-life era gave to the people; it attached peoSee “Jewelry” on Page 9

Melena Abijaoude/Staff Photographer

Jewelry: Liz Krinsky was inspired by Tomboy grocery stores and Vess Soda for her “small sculptures.“

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

No seasonality when it comes to soup OUT on the

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Courtesy of Mai Lee Restaraunt Facebook

Soup: For some of the best soup you can find, head over to Mai Lee Restaraunt in Brentwood near the Galleria.

While wearing my chef whites in Washington D.C. – the one place I’ve lived that’s a c t u ally hotter and more humid than St. Louis – I was always baffled by what Molly Rippinger the staff called the “soup phenomenon.”

You see, in just one night we could easily sell twelve or fifteen orders of our French onion soup. Every time an order came in I immediately stared out into the dining room, wondering who in the hell had wanted to cozy up to a brimming crock of magma hot soup when the heat index had hit 104 degrees earlier that afternoon.

I guess now that I’m on the other side of things as

a diner I can finally underbeef broth is lovingly cared and allow a cloud of steam stand the seemingly illogical for by the chefs who softly to give you a nice little facial. draw of soup in summer. simmer, skim and season Now, before digging in with For some reason it beit until all of the flavors are your chopsticks, you have came my mission this past coaxed from the bones and to add the accoutrements July to seek out some of the aromatics. Once everything synonymous with Vietnam tastiest soups of St. Louis. is strained, the liquid may – bean sprouts, Thai basil, On my list were three reslook unpretentious and almint, cilantro and limes. I taurants I had been meaning most bland, but just wait. add everything plus a little to try – Pho Grand, Mai Lee The second step for pho nuoc cham (Vietnamese and Corner 17. The first two is layering the ingredients hot sauce), loving the way places have a loyal bunch of (which in my bowl includit transforms the wafts of followers, or junkies if you ed rice noodles, shaved steam into a complex perwill, that flock for the pho, medium-rare eye of round, fume. which is one of my all-time chunks of beef brisket, little Even though there’s a lot favorite dishes. The latter of homemade meatballs and going on, if pho is done right the group, Corner 17, has tripe) and then pouring over the flavors should never taste created quite a buzz as the the piping hot broth. overpowering or clunky. newest addition to With every slurp The Loop this sumyou should be enmer, but was one joying the delicate I can finally understand the I kind of unintenbalance between tionally stumbled the beef, noodles seemingly illogical draw of upon. and herbs. Both soup in the summer.

First up was the Pho Grand and Mai pho. If you’ve never Lee take great care -Molly Rippinger, Arts Editor had the pleasure, all to keep their reciyou need to know is pes authentic, and in the broth. you’ll be surprised Now, in a good VietnamWhen this bowl hits the how much you care too once ese restaurant this is not just table you instantly forget you go check them out. any ol’ stockpot that serves about how sweaty you got The next stop on my list as the dumping ground for on the walk from your car to was somewhat unexpected, kitchen scraps. Rather, this the restaurant’s front door but sometimes that is what

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By MOLLY RIPPINGER Arts Editor

makes food taste the best.

It was a blistering hot afternoon and I found myself in the Delmar Loop running some errands when girls walking by with bubble teas caught my eye. Dear God, did those drinks with their extra-awesome neon green straws looking so satiating!

Before I knew it I had crossed the street and retraced their footsteps back to the door of Corner 17, the Loop’s newest Chinese restaurant.

Little did I know walking in that this was no Asian version of Jamba Juice, but rather a full-fledged noodle house complete with an adorable old lady stretching each noodle strand by hand in a little glass-windowed kitchen. Somehow, I wasn’t hot anymore (thanks A/C!) and was asking the waitress what soup she recommended.

Not 10 minutes later and I had a beautiful bowl of See “Soup” on Page 9

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Music

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New art exhibits for a new building St. Louis Art Museum expands collection with modern pieces

By MICHAEL SCHUFREIDER Staff Writer

After years of planning and construction, the Saint Louis Art Museum proudly opened its doors to the new East Building expansion on July 29. It is a sprawling and ambitious 200,000 square foot project that adds 21 new galleries for permanent and temporary collections and increases the public space by 30 percent. The expansion houses the museum’s extensive postwar and modern art collection and is free for all visitors to the museum.

The East Building includes new amenities such as an additional museum shop and a new dining option called the Panorama Restaurant. It is an upscale dining affair that offers patrons a sweeping view overlooking Art Hill.

Some of the entrée selections include a seasonal spin on blue crab cakes, roasted Missouri trout seasoned

with Saffron and grass-fed beef skirt steak on a bed of zesty horseradish-potato puree. The restaurant is open during museum hours and reservations are highly recommended for dinner.

Architecture for the East Building has been modernized to mirror the kind of artwork inside. Giant floorto-ceiling windows line the exterior and coffered ceilings provide much of the natural lighting for the museum.

The design is a bit bland, but stands as a nice counterpoint to the main building’s neoclassical façade.

The interior shares many of the same characteristics as the exterior. It is a very modern design with whitewashed walls, wood paneled flooring, high ceilings and spacious galleries. It gives the impression that one is walking through a private owner’s personal studio admiring his collection. The design sets a reverent and intimate tone, which provides

the necessary atmosphere for appreciating these works.

The museum currently has two exhibitions on display in the East Building which are “Postwar German Art in the Collection” and “A New View: Contemporary Art.” The latter exhibition encompasses a wide variety of styles such as pop art, abstract expressionism, minimalism and everything in between. Some of the notable artists in the collection include Andy Warhol and Jackson Pollack.

The collection is tremendously diverse and no two pieces look alike. One gallery contained a pile of rocks positioned in a circle on the ground while another gallery showcased a long, spiraling tornado. The artwork ranges from semi-traditional to totally abstract, but there is certainly something that will catch your eye – whether it be shocking, funny or beautiful.

There were definitely mo-

ments where I was scratching my head in bewilderment trying to uncover the hidden meaning behind a particular piece, but there were other times when a piece challenged me to take a new perspective of what could be considered art.

It was in these moments that the significance and importance of modern art becomes clear.

Modern art challenges centuries worth of reinforcement of what constitutes art.

It’s weirdness, abstractness and complexity is all part of a collective movement that seeks to redefine the rigid conceptions of art.

The East Building celebrates this freedom of expression and wishes to put on a pedestal for the world to see.

The Saint Louis Art Museum should be applauded for its commitment to all forms of expression and the East Building is a manifestation of this dedication.

Courtesy of David Chipperfield

MUSEUM: Contemporary art in the new wing of the St. Louis Art Museum in Forest Park.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

Balloon Glow takes off this Friday

Soup: A delectable delight to be enjoyed any time of the year.

Continued from Page 8

Shah (Yuqing Xia)/The University News

Ballon Glow: The annual Balloon Glow and Race is happening this weekend in Forest Park.

beef noodle soup before me.

Armed with chopsticks in my right hand and spoon in my left I began to slurp my way through the dish.

The noodles were superb.

Their elasticity was unlike anything achieved by Italians (sorry folks from The Hill) and they picked up a terrific amount of flavor from the broth.

Making my way through the soup, I discovered little

jewels of beef short rib that quite literally melted when I bit into them. Just like the pho, I also ended up spicing up the mix with a little Chinese chili paste, which added a nice zing to the baby bok choy and broth.

So now that St. Louis is at a semi-chilly temperature, you should go explore the world of soup. Trust me, there’s much more than chicken noodle out there, so be adventurous and go fall in love with an often underappreciated dish.

Jewelry: designing for the future while keeping an eye on the past Continued from Page 7

ple to surreal images. She hopes that by capturing these images and incorporating them into her jewelry she will bring back the old memories and people together.

Her next project is trying to get photos of all the old places that played a role in everyday life and comparing them to the places today.

Krinsky believes that putting these side by side will reveal such a history. “Whole neighborhoods have come and gone over the past 50 years,” said Krinsky.

Not only does she want to revive St. Louis’ rich history, but she also wants to question the future and where are we heading. Krinsky summed it all up by saying, “People were so inviting even on a small scale. It was not just left up to the big businesses to run everything – people were excited!”

Check out Krinsky’s inspirational work through her blog (onstl.com) and on Etsy (look under Liz Krinsky Designs). If you are interested in a truly unique piece of jewelry for a gift (or for yourself ), contact information is available.

Typewriter: Collecting thoughts in STL the spokes of your ragtag & bobtail day.”

Fresh Poetry instilled the values of public art and collaboration into is work and, these days, Goldkamp is experimenting with a new variation of street verse.

With his biggest coordinated piece of art to date, bluntly called “What the hell is St. Louis thinking?” he’s gaining national attention by asking for the sentiments of us fellow river-dwellers.

Goldkamp and Rob Row, his right-hand man, refurbish old typewriters. Sprinkling them across the city, they invite anyone and everyone to rant and rave to their heart’s desire. At each station, you’ll find a typewriter, typing paper and a drop box patiently awaiting your impression of the community, your plans for the future, your arcane secrets or anything else you decide to share.

If lucky, you might wind up reading your own thoughts in a book that is soon to be compiled. As the thoughts come in, Goldkamp sifts through for “useable” material, filing it all into categories like “St. Louis is Drunk,” or “St. Louis is Creative” or “St. Louis is racist .” Unchanged and uncensored, they’ll eventually be published in a book that is written collectively by the city of St. Louis.

The title’s similarity to a prompt found on Facebook along with the use of outdated machinery begs the question, is this steam punk version of Twitter meant to take a stance on modern technology? You might be surprised to learn that Goldkamp isn’t trying to take on a Ralph Waldo Emerson persona, and he’s definitely not anticomputer. He even posts highlights of the project on (real) Twitter (@WTHSTL).

“You have to find balance

between technology and the real world,” he says, “so you don’t forget how to interact in day-to-day life.” Technology is necessary and useful, but for some people the scales are tilted too far in its favor. The typewriter is a nice reminder to not forget about the more simple things in life. More than that, it is meant to understand the people of this city as a whole.

In the book, the entries will be anonymous, leaving out the neighborhood it was collected from and, of course, what high school the writer attended. This information, along with the ingrained ideas we have of race, religion and the

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Continued from Page 7

[The project] is not meant to put St. Louis on a pedestal; it’s meant to put St. Louis on the ground.

-Henry Goldkamp, poet

like, make us unintentionally judgmental. Though he loves this city and believes it’s a good place to live, the project is “not meant to put St. Louis on a pedestal; it’s meant to put St. Louis on the ground.” The anonymity will even out the playing field, giving St. Louis a collective identity instead of allegiance to a certain area or subculture. The idea is that with this compilation, you will be able to “have in your hands, a definition of St. Louis.”

“What the Hell is St. Louis Thinking?” has deviated a bit from the artist’s original expectations. It was supposed to end in August and the stations were intended to remain, well...stationary. The deadline has been extended indefinitely, though it is now expected to wrap up in early October. Goldkamp was having doubts about the extent to which the entire city would be represented. After

receiving some constructive criticism in the form of an entry, he decided to branch out and become more accessible to more diverse crowds, not just “white hipsters or tourists,” as the City Museum visitor typed.

Now, instead of staying put in the original 32 businesses that housed typing stations the typewriters are floating around homeless shelters, schools and lowbudget community centers.

Some are being put into people’s homes with the request that they pass it along to a friend once they’ve written their two cents.

Beyond St. Louis City limits, former residents and our county counterparts are welcome to send their thoughts via snail mail.

Goldkamp wasn’t sure that this extension was staying true to the spirit of the project, but decided that it’s not cheating because of the time it takes. The effort “makes it real,” he says passionately. It shows that these quasi-outsiders believe in the project as much as he does.

Also making it real is the honesty and depth that many participants include in their scrawling. From one-lined confessions to almost-essays, St. Louisans put their heart and soul into it, surprising Goldkamp with everything he hoped for and more. The most powerful way to inspire someone through art is to make it accessible. “Each and every person in this city has the potential to be an artist,” he claims, and mass collaboration might just be the push needed to understand the possibility of self-expression.

Keep an eye out for typewriters and you can join the rest of St. Louis in this cultural phenomenon. Soon, you’ll be able to participate without leaving SLU’s campus! If you miss out this time around, don’t be discouraged, you can expect more poetry-themed projects in the near future.

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Opinions Editorials

September 19, 2013 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 to the editor

The University News reserves the right not to publish any letters that are deemed intentionally and/ or inappropriately inflammatory, more than the 300word 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.

The rankings are up... and we’ve gone down again The new US News and World Report ranking for the 2013-2014 academic year is available, and Saint Louis University has again dropped in the rankings, this year moving down to 101.

For students and faculty actively involved in the events surrounding previous university president Rev. Lawrence Biondi, S.J. last year, these rankings came as no surprise. SLU has been steadily moving down in the rankings for the past six years. SLU was ranked number 77 in 2007.

While the new rankings aren’t exactly surprising to some within the university, it is still important to note that an extremely disconcerting trend is happening here.

Students at SLU have ample reason to be concerned with these rankings beyond the obvious asthetic stigma.

The US News and World Report ranking has become the premier college ranking in the nation, and therefore their rankings are extremely important for incoming students. However, the US News and World Report rankings can also be “gamed.”

For one example, a significant portion of the US News and World Report ranking metric is dedicated to alumni giving

rate (what percentage of alumni donate to the University). So, many universities go on fundraising drives asking for donations as low as five dollars to encourage a greater amount of alumni to donate to the university, which gives the university a much higher giving rate. SLU has significantly dropped in the rankings, a large extent due to SLU not being able to beat the “game.”

The other troubling fact of SLU’s decline in the rankings is that they may hinder SLU’s ability to attract talented students to the university. The biggest of SLU’s pipelines for incoming freshman is Missouri. For high school juniors and seniors in this state, attending a school like the University of Missouri in Columbia (MIZZOU) is much cheaper than attending SLU. For many students, it was possible to argue that by attending SLU they would be attending a better school, and would then be worth the much higher tuition bill. Frankly, the rankings no longer reflect that argument. This year MIZZOU surpassed SLU in the rankings. (As early four years ago, SLU was over ten spots ahead of MIZZOU.) Some other area state

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of the week

schools such as the University of Kansas and the University of Iowa are now tied with SLU in the rankings. Either high school students are going to have to find more creative reasons to attend SLU, or many top talents will now be headed to state schools, further exacerbating SLU’s decline.

However there are reasons that one can be hopeful that SLU will be able to turn its decline around. Most of the optimism is surrounding interim president Bill Kauffman and the new look of the administration this year. This year’s SGA President Vidur Sharma has remarked many times that the openness to change displayed by Kauffman and the administration is drastically better than the administration of years past.

Hopefully, Kauffman and our next university president will be able to transfer that same openness to tangible, positive gains within our university. The US News and World Report ranking combines scores from the past three years to make its ranking each year, so while it may take a little more time to see the changes from this administration, progress is starting now.

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There is a lot of misconception about what college rankings are measuring and what they’re not measuring.

Jay Goff, SLU VP for Enrollment and Retention Management, Page 3

It’s like sticking a cork in the spokes of your ragtag and bobtailed day.

Henry Goldkamp, Poet, Page 7

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Briana Kagy/ The University News

New technology, new problems The adventures of Edward Snowden captivated the American people this summer after his massive leak of classified government material showed just how involved the United States government is in our daily lives.

The government leaks released information that the US government, through a government agency called the National Security Agency (NSA), compiles phone records and emails of just about every American and scours over them, searching for key terms, phrases and people. The NSA defends this compilation by stating that they are using this surveillance to catch terrorists.

While extensive government surveillance is constantly portrayed in popular media, advances in digital technology have given major corporations (such as Google, Facebook and Microsoft) the ability to collect vast amounts of data of our personal lives, often without our explicit knowledge.

Have you ever noticed the cleverness of Facebook ads and, unlike years before, how their ads are actually for things we may buy? The truth is, with the help of massive data collections, corporations can acquire a great deal of information in our digital lives. There is a distinction between our digital lives and our own lives, but that distinction is becoming more blurred with an ingenious bit of innovation called Google Glass.

While there are other new products that could potentially be misused and allow privacy violations, there is no item more controversial than Google Glass. Shaq Katikali, an information privacy professional, describes Google Glass as a “phone in front

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of your eyes with a front-facing camera. A heads-up display with facial recognition and eye-tracking technology can show icons or stats hovering above people you recognize, give directions as you walk, and take video from your point of view.”

As well as being pretty cool, the Google Glass unfortunately creates a myriad of privacy issues. Katikali gives two frightening examples of what the Google Glass could do: First, Google Glass could enable police officers to use the video collected by Google Glass cameras to aid in their investigations without the individual’s knowledge.

The second example is the possibility of losing everything if someone hacked your Google Glass. Katikali asks, “How many of you will turn off your Glass while punching in your PIN? How about when a person’s credit card is visible from the edge of your vision? How about when opening your bills, filing out tax information, or filing out a health form? Computers can recognize numbers and letters blazingly fast - even a passing glance as you walk past a stranger’s wallet can mean that the device on your face learns her credit card number.” These frightening scenarios are made possible as technology further integrates itself into every aspect of our lives.

Massive data collections are by no means an inherently dangerous thing. These collections allow just about every entity that uses it to become more efficient. However, there are many reasons to be a little more suspicious when contemplating buying new products such as Google Glass.

THUMBS UP:

Economic Recovery

SLU’s new interim president Bill Kauffman is expected to visit SGA during its next senate meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 25. Kauffman, in his short stint as interim president has already earned a heap of praise for his openness and commitment to transparency.

Five years ago, President Obama enacted an economic recovery plan, the effects of which have not been felt by most Americans.

Although unemployment has decreased three percent since its high of ten percent in 2009, many new jobs are low-paying service jobs.

THE UNIVERSITY NEWS 2013-14 EDITORIAL BOARD editor-in-chief Brianna Radici eic@unewsonline.com

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THUMBS DOWN:

Kauffman to visit SGA

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

OPINION & EDITORIALS

A 21st century pope Pope Francis: All good things Catholic Recently, Pope Francis, the influential political leader of the oldest Christian church in the world a n d spiritual guide to its 1.2 billion m e m Paul Brunkhorst bers, got a new car. It’s not new, actually, but new to the pontiff. The 20 year-old Renault 4, given to Francis to symbolize his efforts to fight poverty, has 186,000 miles on it, according to the Catholic News Agency. The reception of this old vehicle is the most recent action during Francis’ papacy that solidifies his ushering in of a new age of the Catholic Church. After the popular papacy of John Paul II, Pope Francis has once again brought the world back to realizing all that is good about the Catholic faith. Although some of Francis’ actions may seem revolutionary in contrast to those of his

ostensibly bookish and aloof predecessor, they simply embrace key aspects of Catholic social teaching that have been in the shadows for too long.

Francis has been raising eyebrows since he first stepped out to face the faithful on the day of his pontifical election. Unlike Benedict who, while scholarly and knowledgeable about the faith nonetheless drew criticism for his strict adherence to pompous dress codes, Francis’ first appearance as pope was refreshing. Dressed simply, Francis looked uncomfortable in his new position of power and while he now seems more at ease with his new role in the Church, he continues to startle the world with his “revolutionary” actions. In late June of this year, Francis caught the attention of many Vatican observers when, in response to a reporter’s question about gay priests, he responded: “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?”

Many people saw this com-

ment as revolutionary to the Church, and in comparison to many of the things Pope Benedict said concerning the same issue, it is. However, a closer examination of Church teaching reveals that this comment is not a turnaround of Church doctrine. According to writings by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, “The Church seeks to enable every person to live out the universal call to holiness.”

While further research will expose that other Church teaching on homosexuality is questionable, unreasonable and possibly discriminatory, Francis preaches the best the Church has --that God loves everyone and that holiness can be achieved by all--and leaves out the rest.

The recent events of chemical weapons use in the Syrian civil war have also given Francis the opportunity to demonstrate his style of servant leadership. Pope Francis truly lives out that which he preaches. On a recent Saturday, Francis led a group of hundreds of thousands of the faithful in a five

hour long vigil of prayer and fasting for peace in Syria.

The Pope, a one-lunged man in his late seventies, fasted the whole day and prayed for five continuous hours during the public vigil. In a truly powerful demonstration of Francis’ dedication to promoting peace and spreading the Good News of God embedded in the Catholic faith, the Pope asked the crowd:

“Can we get out of this spiral of sorrow and death? Can we learn once again to live and walk in the ways of peace? Invoking the help of God under the maternal gaze of Salus Populi Romani, the Queen of Peace, I say yes it is possible for everyone. From every corner of the world tonight, I would like to hear us cry out: Yes it is possible for everyone!”

What Pope Francis says and does is not revolutionary. Instead, his words and actions represent what the Church has finally gotten in this modern age: a humble man who, reflecting on the ministries of Jesus, demonstrates all that is good in the Catholic faith.

Photo by Catholic News UK/ Flickr

Reagan ‘84: Win one for the Gipper nothing else mattered. The Americans have become Gipper made Americans so scarred by actual policy more free while liberating debate that they’d rather sit Eastern Europe and displayback and watch their couning the military might of try tear itself apart than acAmerica to the rest of the tually think about the best world, drastically increasing course of action. Don’t quesdefense spending during his tion any of Reagan’s policies presidency. because he is a god- a flawListen, the debate over less and fearless leader who Reagan’s presidency can be led the Western world, along had from now until Barack with Margaret Thatcher, into Obama becomes a conservaa new, deregulated and libtive savior. But, from Syria erated economic era. Infalto sequesters to Social Seculible as the Pope, his policy rity, Fox News seems to ask, decisions have been taken as “What would Reagan do?” It conservative doctrine, a sort seems we’ve of GOP catretreated echism that from analyztests one’s ing Reagan’s readiness for Instead of folactual policy the national lowing the smartto accepting stage. est person in the it as revoluThis isn’t tionary and to say libroom, we listen to trying to erals don’t the one talking the i mp l e m e nt do the loudest.

20-year-old same thing. ideas into They’ve bethe modern come so enworld. thralled with On Saturday night, peodefending Obama’s policy ple would tell me Reagan was initiatives from the right that their favorite president. I’d they never seem to stop and ask why. I heard a lot of reathink if a particular idea is sons: he won the Cold War, actually a good one. people would tell me. Never Vladimir Putin’s op-ed in mind the Soviet Union was last week’s New York Times already falling apart inside. made the case that He was a great public speak“it is extremely dangerous er they’d say; the aforemento encourage people to see tioned “tear down this wall” themselves as exceptional.” speech was exhibit A. Never But what about this current mind Obama and JFK could state of affairs is exceptiontap into the American ethos al? Instead of passing laws just as strongly as Reagan. and waging wars for moral And both cut taxes upon enreasons, we base our opintering office! ions on political allegiances

“

“

For one reason or another, I thought it would be a good idea to wear my friend, Christ i e n We s t ’s , “ReaganB u s h 1984” hat to parties last Saturday.

Tony Traina I’m not p a r ticularly conservative. Not particularly liberal either. I voted for candidates of both major parties in the 2012 election; I try to vote for the individual, not the party affiliation. However, I do consider myself very engaged in politics. I hope to make a career of public service.

On more than one occasion on this evening, an unwitting, inebriated individual came up to me and slurred out a compliment about my Reagan hat. You said the magic words, my friend. Always ready for a lively political debate, this was my queue. Never mind the fact that our generation seems to have bought into the baby boomers’ “Reagan as god” zeitgeist, it seems everyone has forgotten the not-sogood things Reagan did during his presidency. IranContra, anyone? His entire folklore can be summed up in that one epic shot, when he tells Mr. Gorbachev to “tear down this wall.” Reagan beat the commies, man;

or personal vendettas. The GOP has spent the last two years trying to defund the Affordable Care Act, seemingly forgetting that its roots can be traced to conservative ideas. We used to fund the sciences and arts while also allowing American individualism and innovation to become the envy of the world.

Now, science and education funding are the first to go.

Intelligence was cherished and idealized. Now, politicians hide their Ivy League degrees in a closet, pretending to be folksy and talking down to Americans. Instead of following the smartest person in the room, we listen to the one talking the loudest.

America is exceptional.

But instead of telling me Reagan is your favorite president because of his beautiful baby blues, tell me it’s because he signed the INF Treaty with the Soviet Union, reducing the nuclear threat. Tell me it was his efforts to curb runaway inflation while reducing unemployment that made you love the Gipper.

Having those conversations is at the root of American exceptionalism. We used to be informed; now we’re afraid of what we might find out.

So next time you see someone wearing a “ReaganBush ’84” hat, be ready for a debate. Don’t just tell me Reagan’s your favorite; teach me something. That’s how you win one for the Gipper.

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Olympic Obstacles The 2014 Winter Olympics ministry to protect the rights to be held in Sochi, Russia of the athletes competing. may not be most remembered While the IOC stated it had by the received assurances that the a t h l e t e s law would not be enforced, or perfor- Russia’s Sport Minister said m a n c e s that it would be.

In response to Russia’s during the g a m e s , passing of the antigay law, but by the many athletes have pledged p o l i t i c a l to wear armbands, pins, flags, c o n t r o - anything in support of gay versy that rights. However, the OlymRyan McKinley will un- pic Charter prohibits athletes doubtedly from making political gessurround it. That is not fair tures during the summer and to the athletes who have dedi- winter games and any athcated their entire lives to their lete doing so risks being sent sport, so the 2014 Olympic home by the IOC. While it is highly unlikely games should be held in a less that the IOC would create politically divisive nation.

Much of the world has such a public relations disastheir eyes on the diplomatic ter by sending home an athbouts between the US and lete that publicly supports Russia over Syria’s chemical gay rights at the games, the weapons. However, contro- IOC should be doing much versy surrounding the 2014 more to protect and promote another aspect of the charOlympics will continue.

There have been a number ter that states that sport is a of events in Russia that have human right that should be made this country an unviable practiced “without discrimioption for the Olympics. First, nation of any kind.”

Due to Russia’s antigay there was the legal battle bepolicies, the tween the US and 2014 Russian Russia surroundOlympics are ing famed whistledrawing comblower, Edward This is not a parisons to the Snowden, a fornation fit to 1936 Olympics, mer employee of held in Germathe National Sehost an event ny during Nazi curity Agency that beloved by rule. In a recent managed to disthe whole Tonight Show close data regardworld. episode with ing the agency’s guest Presidata collection, dent Obama, including collectJay Leno said, ing huge databases of American citizens’ “In Russia, suddenly homophone calls and emails, and sexuality is against the law. It then fled the United States for sounds like [Nazi] Germany.

Let’s round up the Jews. Let’s Hong Kong and then Russia.

Despite intense politi- round up the gays. It starts cal pressure from the United with that.”

President Obama respondStates and its allies to extradite Snowden to the US to ed later by saying “I have no stand trial, Russia granted patience for countries that Snowden temporary asylum try to treat gays or lesbians or transgendered persons in inside the country.

This action drew castiga- ways that intimidate them or tion from US leaders and led are harmful to them.” While some, including South Caro- the White House does not lina Senator Lindsey Gra- support boycotting the games, ham, to call for a boycott of he said, “Nobody is more ofthe 2014 Winter Olympics in fended than me by some of the antigay and lesbian legisRussia.

Then, Russian lawmakers lation that you’ve been seeing passed an Anti-gay law that in Russia.”

The two recent actions prohibits propaganda in support of nontraditional sexual by Russia’s leaders illustrate orientation that has received a recalcitrant nation that is widespread condemnation unwilling to adhere to interfrom the western world. Some national norms and human members of the LGBTQ com- rights. This is not a nation fit munity in the United States to host an event beloved by and Western Europe have the entire world. The world reacted to Russia’s discrimi- and the IOC cannot allow an natory policies by boycotting event as pure as the Olympics Russian vodka in bars and res- to be tarnished yet again. The IOC must use Russia as an extaurants.

Meanwhile, the Interna- ample to other nations with tional Olympic Commit- discriminatory policies that tee’s (IOC) response to these the Olympics will not be held events has been tepid. The in places where human rights IOC has engaged in “quiet di- are not protected, so history plomacy” with Russia’s sport may not be repeated.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

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