No. 12 (Mar. 21, 2019) by University News

THE UNIVERSITY NEWS

VOL. XCVIII No. 12 / March 21, 2019

“WE’RE

GOING

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INSIDE: ATLAS WEEK PULLOUT POSTER Cover Design by Rebecca LiVigni

NEWS

Photo Courtesy of Cullinan Properties

“PROSPECT YARDS” PROVIDES MODERN TAKE ON HISTORIC DISTRICT Developments in Midtown will change atmosphere of University By CAROLINE LIPSKI Staff Writer

xciting developments are currently underway just right around the corner from SLU in the nearby Midtown district. Midtown is a half-mile area which connects SLU’s north and south campuses within its boundaries of Laclede Avenue, Chouteau Avenue, Grand Boulevard, Vandeventer Avenue and Spring Avenue. This historic district will soon be brought back to life by efforts of St. Louis Midtown Redevelopment Corporation and their developer, Cullinan Properties, as they embark on several individual projects to revitalize this 400-acre area. One of such projects is the Iron Hill development, which will occupy 14 acres at the northwest corner of Grand and Chouteau. Brooks Goedeker, the executive director of the St. Louis Midtown Redevelopment Corporation, said that “Iron Hill is expected to help bring much needed services and amenities not only to the SLU community, but the greater area.” With easy accessibility to transportation including the Grand Metro line, the Grand bus line, as well as several highway access points, he believes that “the development is expected to be a major draw to an area that is under-retailed.”

Another project includes the 150-acre “Prospect Yards” development, which is bordered by Grand Boulevard and Vandeventer Avenue. The title “Prospect Yards” was recently voted on by the St. Louis community last year to dub this upcoming mixed-use development district. Further developments include renovations of the dormant City Foundry and Armory building sites, both located within the Midtown district. They will be replaced by a plethora of entertainment, restaurant, retail, office, hospitality and residential features. Plans include St. Louis’ first food hall, a seven-story Element hotel, modern residential apartments and much more. A new pedestrian-friendly trail, spearheaded by the Chouteau Greenway Trail Project, is expected to link everything together through a direct connection from Forest Park to Downtown St. Louis via the Midtown area. These developments will bridge the gap that currently exists between both of SLU’s campuses, and will make possible a more connected community among SLU, SSM Health and St. Louis as a whole. This is an investment not only in its retail opportunity, but also the academic and professional opportunities Midtown has to offer.

“While this development should excite all students, we think it will be particularly exciting to our students who are studying health sciences and medicine on the south campus,” said Goedeker. The opportunity does not stop there. “Our partner, SSM Health is building a new hospital and ambulatory care center. With these and other projects, more than a billion dollars is being invested in and around our campus,” he said. “So much is taking place, and we know that is going to continue. We’re truly at the start of a new era of growth and development for Midtown.” Even though “it is early in the process and details are still being finalized,” he acknowledges that Cullinan Properties “made it clear that they were committed to building something that would not only make everyone at SLU proud, but also the entire St. Louis region. We have confidence they can deliver on that promise.” Goedeker’s understanding of the importance of this project to SLU, as well as St. Louis, is rooted in his history as a SLU alumnus as well as native to the city. “I’ve had a passion for improving the city ever since I was a teenager,” he said. “Community development is all about bringing people together to improve communities, and SLU’s mission definitely guides how I approach my work today.” “Construction will be done in phases, beginning in the middle part of 2020,” Goedeker said. “The first phases of the project are expected to be completed by the end of 2021.”

News

HARI KONDABOLU:

BOUNDARY-PUSHING COMEDY By MEREDYTH STAUNCH Editor-in-Chief

Photo Courtesy of Riley Tovornik

“THIS GROUP IS COURAGEOUS” MEN'S STORY PROJECT By TANNOCK BLAIR Associate News Editor n Wednesday, the second annual Men’s Story Project was performed in the Chaifetz Business School Auditorium. The performance involved 12 men from the St. Louis area, all from the ages of 19 to 38, who shared personal, true stories about their life experiences with masculinity. Each story is told in a unique way, including spoken word, monologue, poetry and even rap. Another show will play on Thursday night in the same venue at 7 p.m., with doors opening 30 minutes before the presentation. The event was kicked off by the director and producer of the event, James Meinert, and he began by explaining how the Men’s Story Project was started. Meinert gave credit to founder, Jocelyn Lehrer, Ph.D., who was in attendance. Meinert explained that Lehrer “wanted to end violence,” specifically gender-based violence, and her way to do this was through the promotion of healthy masculinities and gender equality. Some of the topics covered by the speakers included unhealthy and abusive relationships, infidelity, sex abuse, African American masculinity, sex-

uality and gender identity and more. The presentation was then followed with audience discussion. Hayden Peterson, a junior studying Philosophy and Urban Poverty Studies was, as he explained, “one of the two SLU students doing it this year.” Peterson was drawn to the Men’s Story Project “because I’m a white, straight, Christian male so I kind of had to fall into the category of the oppressor in almost every scenario,” he said. “But it’s not the case that those identities make me like that, so I thought it might be valuable to try do some work to combat those toxic stereotypes.” “It is really a blessing how diverse the set of stories are within this group,” Peterson said. “One of the overlapping things throughout all of the stories is the sense of vulnerability; these men are opening up about aspects of their life and their story that they probably wouldn’t tell to some of their good friends, and yet they’re telling it to an auditorium of 150 people.” “In all of these stories we try to show how we can move forward from it,” Peterson said, summarizing the event. “Our hope is that we try to foster more open conversations on what it means to be a man and why it doesn’t have to fit into the toxic stereotypes of masculinity that permeate throughout our culture.”

hen you’re h u n g r y, you’ll eat a n y t h i n g ,” American stand-up comic, actor and filmmaker Hari Kondabolu said while chuckling to Saint Louis University students Wednesday night. No, he was not specifically talking about filling an empty stomach, but, instead, used this metaphor as a springboard for his conversation about his documentary “The Problem with Apu.” While “The Simpsons” tries to engage a more diverse audience by including character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, an Indian immigrant, Apu perpetuates stereotypical Indian tropes—and he is narrated by Hank Azaria, who is not of Indian descent. Kondabolu grew up watching “The Simpsons,” quoting lines frequently, and enjoyed the character Apu when he was first released. However, people who related to Apu in any context settled because he was all that was there. There was a lack of diversification within the show. In Kondabolu’s talk at the Wool Ballrooms, he addressed that there has been progress in diversifying characters and acknowledging writers and filmmakers from varying backgrounds in the media world, but this is only because the U.S. was so far behind before. “There is such a broad range of experiences that don’t get talked about,” Kondabolu said. “Human beings have infinite experiences because no one person has a single set of religious beliefs, interests, life experiences, and other variables. How are we repeating stories and stereotypes when every single human being has a unique story?” Kondabolu considers this when preparing for his stand-up routines. Unlike other comedi-

ans who further isolate minority groups, Kondabolu utilizes his degrees in race, globalization and human rights to form the basis of his jokes. He covers topics on identity, inequality and the LGBTQ+ community, to name a few. His comedic acts did not initially start out this way, though. Stand-up was a high school hobby for Kondabolu after gaining interest from seeing Margaret Cho perform on Comedy Central. “I thought, ‘Oh my God, is this even possible,’ because up to that point, everything was black and white with who you saw on TV doing stand-up,” he said. “To see an Asian person doing stand-up was not common. It seemed sort of out of the realm of possibility.” Kondabolu’s first comedy show at his high school included a large amount of derivative material, which he coined as “Chris Rock and Margaret Cho jokes with the word ‘Indian’ in them.” His voice evolved in his shows as he practiced more, and after 9/11 occurred. A sophomore in college at that point, Kondabolu experienced prejudice as a non-white person from Queens, New York post 9/11. He explained that the country was traumatized, but that some, including himself, were traumatized twice due to distrust. The experience forced him to think about the world more...

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NEWS

THE FOOD FIGHT FINALLY ENDS Photo Courtesy of Riley Tovornik

By CONOR DORN Staff Writer ast October, The University News published an article, entitled “Food Fight! The Future of Griesedieck Dining Hall,” which covered the repurposing of the space which formerly housed the Griesedieck Dining Hall. Since then, SGA and other student-run organizations have worked tirelessly on behalf of SLU’s student body to ensure that their needs and interests were given fair consideration as the University made its decision. Even after Grand dining hall opened in August 2017, there were no explicit plans as to what would become of the vacant space in the Griesedieck complex. Various ideas were proposed, and ultimately, the University decided that the space afforded the opportunity to reorganize and expand Career Services, which is currently housed in the BSC. SGA president Katlyn Martin and the rest of SGA were in close contact with constituent groups throughout the process, making sure that University officials were aware of the concerns that the Career Services’ relocation introduced.

In particular, commuter students and graduate students urged the University to consider how the move might affect them adversely. Martin stated that the move away from the BSC was a concern for commuter students, who benefited from the previous location’s close proximity to the Commuter Student lounge. Moreover, some graduate students, especially those located on south campus, may not be familiar with the various on-campus residence halls and felt that the former location in the BSC was the most sensible location for Career Services. Additional concerns were voiced by residents living in Griesedieck Hall. After Grand Hall was unveiled, there was talk that the space might be converted into an accessible laundry space for Griesedieck and Walsh residents, and that new spaces for study and student collaboration might be built. Because of the shortage of available study spaces within Griesedieck Hall, students currently utilize the area to study. These students are concerned that once Career Services is fully established, they will lose one of the few designated study spaces they have. With Career Services’ move to the Griesedieck complex underway, Martin has endeavored to make these student concerns a key aspect

of the process, and is proud of the compromises that the University and SGA were able to reach. Martin appreciated the accommodating stance taken by University officials in response to student concerns. Alongside the University, SGA has just announced a two-year capital improvement project to meet the needs of the residents. An accessible laundry service will be implemented, which will serve residents in Griesedieck and Walsh Halls. In addition, the SGA is working alongside the Residence Halls Association and the University to build lounges and study spaces which will enhance the social and learning environment in Griesedieck Hall. Martin said she was particularly pleased with the timeframe for the improvement project, which will commence concurrently with the Career Services’ move. With the relocation of the Career Services office, the University hopes to expand upon the tools and resources that Career Services is currently able to offer. In an email sent out to the SLU community, President Fred Pestello elaborated on the aim of the new Career Services’ program. In particular, Pestello stressed that the new effort seeks to “improve career planning, preparation, and employment” and overall to “better ensure the success of students and alumni.”

The University is currently searching for a new Associate Provost for Career Development, who will begin work at the start of fall semester, and whose office will be located in the new Career Services office. The search committee has narrowed the candidates down to three individuals, Jeffrey Jackson, O. Ray Angle and Troy Nunamaker. The candidates are scheduled to give open forum presentations in Tegeler Hall this week, and just as in the rest of the process, student input will be considered. The decision to move Career Services to Griesedieck Hall, as opposed to another area on campus, was not random. Due to its central location and, as Pestello put it, “high visibility” on SLU’s campus, it will be easily accessible to the vast majority of students, even to those residing off campus. The hope is that, despite moving away from the BSC, graduate students and others who live off campus will still have easy access to the facility. The renovated space will provide ample room for interview rooms and other experiential learning opportunities for students to gain skills valuable for the career seeking process. While plans are still tentative, Martin also pointed to the old Career Services office as another avenue for meeting student calls for performance rooms and collaborative spaces. Though there might be some shuffling of spaces on the 3rd floor of the BSC that needs to be done, Martin said, “We hope to utilize the vacant space to provide an environment for the student body, Charter Student Organizations and others to meet and collaborate.” Renovations to Griesedieck Hall are already underway, and students can expect the reorganized Career Services facilities to be up and running next fall. Martin and her fellow SGA representatives continue to sustain productive dialogue with the University to ensure that the changes accommodate the interests of the students. Students can also look forward to the increase in study and collaborative rooms in the Griesedieck-Walsh complex and the BSC, which will be completed over the next few years.

News

USING YOUR POWER TO EMPOWER IN HONOR OF WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH, THE UNIVERSITY NEWS WANTS TO HIGHLIGHT

By RILEY MACK, News Editor

A FEW INFLUENTIAL WOMEN IN THE SLU COMMUNITY

What has been a key source of motivation for you? “In terms of SGA, the people I serve and get to serve with (so students and the rest of the executive board) are my main motivation. I love what I do on campus and really enjoy elevating student voices to help address concerns and/or connecting students to resources and help that can help make their SLU experience better... It makes me really happy that people on campus can see someone they identify with in this position, which is something that I wasn’t able to do since there hasn’t been a female president in my time at SLU.” What are you most proud of in your position? “In my time at SLU, this is the most diverse that SGA has been. I think this is a result of a lot of intentionality to make SGA more inclusive and accessible. Also, I think this year has been really stabilizing for student government. I think we have raised the bar in terms of what we do, how we hold ourselves accountable, and what is expected of us … One of my goals when elected was to shape SGA into a sustainable group that every student on campus felt comfortable approaching to find resources, provide input and help make SLU better. I think in some capacity we have made great strides in that direction.”

RADHIKA PATEL LOGISITCS CAPTAIN OF SHAKTI

DPS REPORTS On 3/17 at 9:41 p.m., a car parked on Spring Ave. was found broken into. The front passenger’s window was broken, and a large rock was in the driver’s seat. The owners were notified.

KATLYN MARTIN SGA PRESIDENT

How does it feel to be a woman in a position of leadership at SLU? “If feels really good, I think that being a woman in a position of leadership sets a lot of really good examples for people. I think it’s always for me personally really cool to see a fellow peer of mine or just a friend, a woman that I know in a position of power because I not only am able to learn from her, but I am also inspired to do more myself.” What are you most proud of in your position? “I am proud of being in this position as only a sophomore with my second year on the team. I think I was able to handle it in a really positive way and take things on and just start running with it. So, I am really proud of how I handled the transition from being a dancer to being a captain.”

At Brown Hall on 3/17, a student returned to her apartment to find that her bedroom door had pry marks on the door and door frame. However, there was no forced entry into the room. DPS resolved that this may have been the result of the residents not getting along.

On 3/19 at 12:57 p.m., a desk worker at Demattias Hall called DPS to state that a non-SLU related person stated that he was being followed. DPS resolved that the person was suffering from a mental condition and he was sent to a nearby hospital.

What inspired you to create your page? “For as long as I can remember, I have believed that no one should be held back from reaching their full potential. However, low self-confidence and anxieties over how we see ourselves play a role in keeping people from being their best selves … I have learned that I am not alone in this struggle. Those I love and care for and those I go to school with, we all have these burdens that we have placed on ourselves. Each one of us is so remarkably unique and amazing, and my goal for this project is to showcase all the incredible things that make us who we are. The words “I AM…” carry a tremendous amount of weight. Being able to openly say how we view ourselves in a positive light, rather than being dimmed by our own self-doubt are just a few steps that can be taken to build up self confidence that is CREATOR OF already instilled in us.” THE "I AM" What do you hope the impact of your page is on the SLU community? PROJECT “SLU has changed my life is so many different aspects. It has become the place where I can be the best version of myself and be proud of that. My intention for the project is to serve as a reminder. A reminder of all the remarkable people that make up the SLU community. The amount of messages I receive from people I may have never even spoke to expressing their gratitude, is a feeling I will never fully grow accustomed to. Sometimes people just need a reminder that we are all humans, and we all struggle. However, we are not alone, and we are incredible.”

KAYLYN KRAUSS

JESSICA EVENSON VICE PRESIDENT OF UNIVERSITY COMPLIANCE AND ETHICS

What makes you passionate about your field of work? “I really enjoy working in the field of compliance in higher education because it is dynamic and constantly changing. One day is rarely the same. I’m passionate about our community that fosters learning and growth and one that allows us to celebrate and honor difference in each other. And, cheering for graduates as they walk across the stage is my favorite time of the year!” What are you most proud of that you have accomplished so far in your career? “I hold gratitude for so many mentors (formal and informal!) who have shaped my career. I’ve landed in professional experiences that I would never have reached for on my own because of them. I have also worked hard, experienced difficult times and have had to change directions when the future looked dim. I am proud of those experiences as well. Being at SLU, I am proud of our commitment to students and service. It’s a great time to be a Billiken!”

Arts and life

This Week’s

Favorites

Catfish and the bottlemen, simplicity at its finest (Photo Courtesy of Official Twitter) rently planned. By Madisyn Siebert One thing to note about the tranAssociate Arts Editor sitions between songs for the band ith a name like is that after almost every song the The Catfish and stage would go to black so that the Bottlemen, none of the members could be the band does seen. It was a unique choice for the more than just band to make, to constantly end spark curiosity. each song with a black stage for a It is becoming good 10-30 seconds before all the a staple for inlights surrounding the stage would die rock. The light back up to the new song. Even band made a promising return to their logo for the new upcoming althe Pageant on March 13 and trubum, a toucan drinking a soda with ly brought the unique sound it is a straw, would go black each time, known for. and would light up throughout the The Pageant closed off the balshow. It made the viewer think that cony and moved tables and chairs at any moment it could be their last from two of the main seating areas song, and with the way the band made for this concert to be a tight threw themselves into each song and packed venue, filled with peoyou never knew what would be the ple soaked to the bone from the last. torrential downpour that was ocThe band made the front load curring outside before the concert pretty heavy with classics that started. The lights were dimmed originally drew fans to them, like as a version of the Beatles’ classic “Kathleen,” “Pacifier” and “Sound“Helter Skelter” began to play over check.” With this strategy in mind, the speakers, drawing the crowd’s fans who really know their music attention. The band members nonwere excited for the songs that chalantly crossed the stage to their made them die-hard fans. assigned instruments and with the A disappointment is the fact words from Van McCann, the lead that the band did not take time vocalist, he started the show with a to ever address the audience, exsimple, “We have arrived.” cept thanking them and encourThe band started off the show aging them to clap along. It was with one of their newest singles, very much mechanical, going from released in January, “Longshot.” one song to the next without inThe band is currently promoting troductions or any backing stories their upcoming album “The Balto them. The crowd did not seem ance,” which has a planned release to mind, though, encouraging date for April 26, the point of the them with each new song that was March/April tour they have cur-

1 2 3

FOOD

Bagel Champ Opening: Sat., March 23 at 9 a.m Where: 3422 South Jefferson Ave. Bagel Champ is the brain-child from the creators of Byrd & Barrel and will feature unique sandwiches topped with New York style-bagels open during the weekends only.

played. The group dynamics were also interesting to watch, no main attention was ever directed at anyone, not even McCann as the lead singer. He would draw attention to the other band members and never do anything too crazy on stage that would draw him away from the rest of the band. Most lead singers tend to take the front and center and run with it, leaving their bandmates in the dust, but McCann is the exception. The only moment McCann really did this was to perform an acoustic version of their song, “Hourglass,” which showed the softer side of the indie rock band. The band ended the show with their song “Tyrants,” and the crowd could tell this was the leading moment to the finale. The group got the crowd amped and McCann did the most moving around stage in this one song than he did all evening. He walked on to the amps and hung his guitar up on the lit-up toucan feature before the band all exited the stage one-by-one, just as they entered. They did not even come back out for an encore, even though the crowd seemed to be begging for more and hoping it was some sort of joke. The Catfish and the Bottlemen do not need any crazy tricks or illusions to make their shows entertaining. They proved that if you make good music, you are guaranteed a good show. They do not need to hide behind confetti cannons or intricate light displays. All they need are their instruments and a crowd.

EVENTS

Taste of Indian Culture with Holi Sat., March 23 at 11 a.m. Chesterfield Central Park “Delicious food, live music and Bollywood dance instructions with a huge celebration of Festival of colors. Live Band: East Within, Music by DJ ANNA.”

BOOKS

“The Other Americans” By: Laila Lalami Published: March 26 “From the Pulitzer Prize finalist, author of ‘The Moor’s Account’- a timely and powerful new novel about the suspicious death of a Moroccan immigrant that is at once a family saga, a murder mystery, and a love story, all of it informed by the treacherous fault lines of American culture.”

THEATRE

4 5

Waitress Tues., March 26- Sun., April 7 The Fabulous Fox “Inspired by Adrienne Shelly’s beloved film, WAITRESS tells the story of Jenna - a waitress and expert pie maker, Jenna dreams of a way out of her small town and loveless marriage. A baking contest in a nearby county and the town’s new doctor may offer her a chance at a fresh start, while her fellow waitresses offer their own recipes for happiness. But Jenna must summon the strength and courage to rebuild her own life.”

CINEMA

Dumbo Release: Fri., March 29 “Struggling circus owner Max Medici enlists a former star and his two children to care for Dumbo, a baby elephant born with oversized ears. When the family discovers that the animal can fly, it soon becomes the main attraction--bringing in huge audiences and revitalizing the run-down circus. ”

Arts and life looprat’s jazz trusts and transcends By MARY ADCOCK Contributor am seeing everything in my vision from a bird’s eye view, someone said I can change the world with the words I choose so make the right decision, focus on the moves that I make, how many people impressions my footsteps make? Time will tell, as we learn our minds will swell. Learn the crime, I ain’t trying to spend no time in jail. For real, these police ain’t playing no games they shooting dogs, don’t mess around…

Sam Katz: I do think St. Louis is a jazz town, first of all, I do want to say that. But, yeah go ahead. Joey Ferber: Yeah, we’re a jazz town, but we’re also a blues town. We’re also a funk town. We’re also a hip-hop town, you know. (Yeah, yeah) Joey Ferber: And I think coming out of the Loop, we have all those musical influences right here in the city. You know growing up listening to more poppy, like Nelly and stuff. I mean that was like all of our heroes back in the day. Except for maybe Davie Napalm. Davie Napalm: Yeah I was about to say… (Laughter) Michael Perry: You were listening to Nelly too! Joey Ferber: You know when we started growing up and we started really, for the instrumentalists, honing our crafts on our instruments, it was always coming up in the jazz scene, we were coming up in jazz band. Throughout middle school and high school, coming up in jazz band. Playing in jazz clubs

(Photo Courtesy of Looprat) of everybody’s musical taste and around the city and various orgastuff, and how it is centered around nizations of our group. And then all the music. the hip-hop stuff, that all probably Michael Perry: LOOPRAT has alcame about into LOOPRAT’s vision ways been a very organic group in before, way before LOOPRAT. But that we never set out to say this like through NatKingFlo. He always is what type of music we’re gonna had a vision of taking the band play, we just all got in a room as infrom jazz band high school class dividual artists and made stuff toand putting it behind some bars. gether. Oftentimes it’s a matter of We even recorded something way just everybody trusting each other back in the day before LOOPRAT and trusting everyone to play their was a thing. But as LOOPRAT startown part as an artist. ed then it was just the culmination Joey Ferber: Especially in this city, of all the influences of stuff that it just kind of transcends one auwe had grown up in. When Davie dience. Like we’ll go to shows and came in for example, a lot of the there’ll just be people who are like, influences changed. Just because 50 plus there, as well as people who we had a whole new creative influare running around like eight or ence, a whole new background of nine years old, you know that came someone with those parents. All of these difNatKingFlo: Producing, too ferent types of people that come Sam Katz: Producing as well with up, and I feel like everyone has a such musical input so it’s really indifferent favorite song. teresting to have that culmination

NatKingFlo: Hell yeah. I think that’s the dope things about it. Joey Ferber: People are like, I love when you do this stuff, I love when you play with Toni (Tonina Saputo). I literally hear people say all the time, “My favorite rapper is somebody different.” (Laughter) NatKingFlo: That’s a good thing though. That means that nobody’s lacking. Davie Napalm: He came on, he was like, “This dude is freaking dope!” (Laughter) Davie Napalm: Who is this guy? I’m like, he’s just another cat in the group man. That’s Nate, that’s Nate. Sam Katz: They’re like, “He’s going places, he’s going places!” But people will say that about everybody. Davie Napalm: Yeah! It’s crazy. It’s just, cats always have one that clicks for them, and I think that’s definitely one of the beautiful things about this group, it’s just a really well-rounded group. NatKingFlo: But I don’t think it’s just the emcees either though. Davie Napalm: It’s not!...I’m like, “You listen to LOOPRAT?” What?! (Laughter)

Read the rest of the interview along with the podcast and make sure to check them out on the St. Louis Sound Project March 29at The Ready Room

Spring 2019 Vibe Artists announced By Madisyn Siebert Associate Arts Editor

The Student Activities Board announced Tuesday the lineup for the annual VIBE concert series that happens later this semester. The concert will be April 11 and features the artists B.o.B. and Andy Grammer. The concert will be located at Gonzaga (Spring) lot and goes from 6:30 - 10:30 p.m. There will be food trucks, a bubble bus and more before the concert even begins. Make sure you bring your student ID to be allowed entrance, and you can bring one non-SLU guest. Follow SAB on Instagram and Facebook to keep up with the event and discover more fun projects they have coming.

Arts and life

Sxsw film preview hints that “Long Shot” is a sure thing By Chandana Kamaraj Arts Editor he screening of “Long Shot” marked the return of a premiere of both Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron after “The Disaster Artist” and “Atomic Blonde,” respectively, both of which scored well two years ago as a comedy and action flick. The screening opening with the cast and crew welcomed the audience of a sold out show on a Saturday night at the Paramount, a theater that seats 1,270 people. Both cast members thanked the festival for giving them a warm welcome and Theron even stated that SXSW was her most favorite festival and the cast and crew were excited to be premiering the film here. Directed by Jonathan Levine, “Long Shot” is a romantic-comedy about Fred Flarsky, played by Seth Rogen, a journalist in between jobs who gets back in touch with the Secretary of State, Charlotte Fields, played by Charlize Theron, and their journey once she hires him as her writer. Being a Seth Rogen comedy, who has a line-up of films including “Neighbors” and “Sausage Party,” “Long Shot” had the potential of being filled with dirty jokes cranked all the way up. But, it was a pleasant surprise that it was not. “Long Shot” was instead filled with comedy that was toned down, which resulted in hearty laughs from the audience, instead of one that would cringe at the content. The film drew in a thoughtful plot line that allowed Theron to play a powerful role in this comedy instead of a playing a damsel in distress for comedic relief. The movie opens up with Rogen as Fred swearing into a White Supremacist group as his dedication through field research, and then goes on to get half a Swastika tattoo, before jumping out the window after he has been caught. After he goes back to report his completed article to his boss, he learns that the little news-

paper is bought by the international mogul Parker Wembley (Andy Serkis) who is also Charlotte Fields’ enemy as well. Fred then immediately quits and heads over to his best bud, Lance (O’ Shea Jackson Jr.), who takes him to a party featuring Boyz II Men. Fred happens to catch Charlotte’s eye and reconnects before she asks him to write for her on her campaign tour. The casting was the most refreshing decision made for the film. Charlize Theron is usually seen in either female-only films such as “Atomic Blonde” and “Tully” or strong action films such as “Mad Max: Fury Road” and “The Fate Of The Furious.” The film could also be labeled as a female centric powerful role not only because Theron played Senator of State, but also the character spoke her mind throughout the film and although the film highlighted the emotions that a woman would face under the pressure, emphasized when she would simply lay down oc-

casionally and would hyperventilate asking for Fred to be near, that didn’t drag her down as she tried to achieve her ambitions. The fact that this was all through a light-hearted vein in a romantic-comedy, something that Theron fans were truly happy to see. Rogen played his adult comedic role flawlessly in scenes such as when both leads get incredibly high as expected and after portraying a goofy-romantic, more of these roles should open up for him. O’Shea Jackson Jr. played the best hype man for Fred as Lance, which could be seen when Fred narrated a play-to-play to Lance over the phone dictating the entire conversation when Charlotte tells Fred her desire to meet with him. Other roles such as the Prime Minister James Steward played by Alexander Skarsgard is hilarious as Skarsgard plays the Prime Minister of Canada, simply as a pretty face which is the exact opposite of the narcissistic role of Perry

(Photo Courtesy of Lionsgate) Wright in HBO’s “Big Little Lies.” Finally, Bob Odenkirk as the president was comical, especially whenever the running joke was mentioned that he wanted to quit his presidency to become an actor to which the other characters responded, “it is a big accomplishment to go from TV to film and not a lot of actors have successfully done that.” Overall, the film was such an exceptional comedy to watch and the actors added to the depth of it. To watch it on the Paramount screen simply places a comedy film at a higher status, sharing screen space with other film festival films. After the screening and a standing ovation, surprisingly, the Boyz II Men came out on stage and performed a medley of their songs which was a heartfelt and memorable ending to the screening. “Long Shot” comes out May 3rd to theaters.

jesuit trivia night @ jesuit hall

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march

slu men’s basketball vs virginia tech @ San jose, Ca watch on ncaa.com

immigration, stress and social support @ busch student center room 251b

7:30pm

taste of vietnam @ Center for Global citizenship 12-2pm

5pm to 6pm

25 31

9pm

“knowing who i am and where I’m from” atlas kickoff ceremony @ clock tower and cgc 5pm to 8pm

friends of the rainforest @ tegeler hall room 102

3:45am to 5pm

Last Issueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Solutions

games

photography

Women’s Organizations At SLU

SOCIETY OF WOMEN ENGINEERS The Society of Women Engineers’ mission is to create a supportive and comfortable environment for women and minorities to explore STEM careers, as well as promote academic success and wellbeing. They also strive to be a guiding force in promoting diversity in the workforce and help women advance within their fields. SLU’s chapter recently attended the SWE conference downtown, the conference is open to any SLU student, but membership is strongly encouraged. Attendees had the opportunity to hear stories from successful women, as well as get advice on how to be successful in STEM careers. Their E-Board has also expressed gratitude towards their Social Chair and other donors, and promises to make sure next year is another great success. Anyone interested in joining should contact swe.billikens@gmail.com for more information. General body meetings are on monday evenings in Ritter Hall.

SHE’S THE FIRST She’s The First was founded to educate and empower girls around the world to make a difference in their communities. They work to promote gender equality by helping to make higher education more accessible for women. Around the world 98 million adolescent girls are not attending school, which impacts their chances at avoiding child marriage, their health and their chance to earn a liveable wage. She’s The First works to provide girls with opportunities to be in charge of their futures. At the chapter level, She’s The First helps to raise money for scholarships that help women educate themselves and their communities. General body meetings consist of dialogues that address issues impacting women, such as gender-based violence and gender roles that limit the opportunities of women. She’s The First is open to people of all genders, and can be reached at shesthefirst.slu@gmail.com.

11 Story By RILEY TOVORNIK Photo Editor Special thanks to She’s The First, SWE, and Her Campus

HER CAMPUS Her Campus is an organization that seeks to promote awareness amongst the university community about each other’s experiences, give students a chance to have their voices heard, and create an empowering narrative for all university students. They have an online publication at hercampus.com/school/slu, which contains articles that span from local news to lifestyle articles tailored for students at SLU. They also hold events that help get students involved in the community, such as clothing swaps that donate clothes and money to local women’s shelters. Additionally, they attend local events such as the 2019 Women’s March. Anyone interested in learning more can contact slu@hercampus.com for more information, or take a look at their website for interesting, relevant, and fun articles.

TRAVEL

14 By TRENTON ALMGREN-DAVIS Travel Editor he MAN stands amongst the milling people on Serrano Street that runs through the Salamanca district. Amongst his surroundings, the MAN is bold and refined. He has more than 15,000 stories about the past for anyone willing to approach him. At his feet, two female sphinxes stand guard, paying homage to the protective deities of the past: the Egyptian Sphinx, the Assyrian Lamassu and the Hittite Lion. The MAN is actually a museum—el Museo Arqueológico Nacional. The MAN has aged drastically throughout his life from a mansion to a palace to a modernized museum. Its most recent change, a €65.2 million refurbishment, was completed in 2014. Today, professors and students and adventurers and residents alike walk amongst the busts and artifacts—the internal organs of the MAN. “It was a dusty, old fashioned Museum that I would never have sent my students,” said Curra Vericat who is in her sixteenth-year teaching Art History at Saint Louis University Madrid. The renovation took six years, and the museum was closed for over two years. “The moment it was opened, we were like “‘WOW,’ the Vericat says. “Very modern new museum… It was all over the media in Spain…We have to be there…” The six-floor museum underwent an extensive architectural remodeling featuring court yards, a mezzanine and a new entrance area. In these new spaces, the MAN tells his stories, the 15,513 permanent artifacts, with a profound deliverance, through bilingual text panels, audio-visual displays and virtual reality stations. Wander through 40 rooms to learn about prehistory on the first floor all the way to the 19th century found on the highest level. The museum focuses on Iberian societies such as the Celtics, Visigoths, Romans and Spaniards. It also has exhibitions of foreign cultures

MAN, MYTH, LEGEND

such as the Mesopotamians, Nubians and Egyptians bequeathed by their modern nations for Spain’s participation in the excavations, according to the second floor museography. Before the remodeling, the museum mustered around 200,000 visitors each year, according to a report from MAN.es. Now, around 500,000 people visit the museum, including the students of Vericat’s art history classes. She sends them individually to the museum for an assignment, which they must write a brief essay on an artifact. “Sending the students to the MAN is a tool to learn. They move around the museum in their own way, at their own speed,” she said.. “I realized it was a good experience for the students to be by themselves… It is so didactic. It teaches so much that you don’t need really someone explaining [to] you and moving [you] around the place.” MAN’s heart, an open area displaying marble busts, Latin engravings and toga-clad statues beneath a large window, allures his visitors. “The skylights. I love those,” said Lucy Houser, a student at Saint Louis University Madrid. “I love that it opens it up, and it brings a little nature inside. Being a Spanish museum, that idea of a courtyard in the center is such a comfortable and

familiar layout. Putting the Roman sculptures there is great, because so often those were public busts.” The Art History student originally from Chicago, Illinois has visited the museum five times, most recently to capture a photo of a wooden Egyptian sarcophagus for her essay assignment. A Spanish gentleman, Rodolfo Hoces Pérez, takes his time as he analyzes the display case of ancient Iberian artifacts. He has an interest for his country’s art. “I want to learn [about the] Celtics and Iberians—all the tribes, the ethnic groups…I come in here one or two times a week.” Hoces Pérez says. “I stay here one or two hours for the day. I have slowed time to see slowly. Slowly [in order] to learn.” The first time he ventured through the ventricles of the MAN, Hoces Pérez was a ten-year-old boy. They were different spaces then. “Then, this museum was absolutely different than now. In this time of fifty years, I am 64, in this time, [there have been] two changes in the structure…I have only [the] image. I remember seeing the Dama de Elche…,” he said. La Dama de Elche (the Lady of Elche) is a famous Iberian bust with a spiral headdress from around the 4th century BCE. La Dama de Elche has stayed intact

in his memory while the changing space around her did not. Three years after Hoces Perez’s inaugural visit, in 1968, a major renovation occurred in which patio decks were removed in order to free up space, according to the museography. This “The Modern Museum” lasted to 2008, the commencement of the most recent renovation. Benedict Donovan has been living in Madrid for three months. “The museum is particularly focused on Iberia, so think it’s interesting for tourists but especially good for the people from Spain to find out how their country was formed,” said the British expatriate. His favorite piece in the museum is from the Mudejar style. Mudejar’s Arabic origin translates to “permitted to remain,” according to Encyclopedia Britannica. Muslims under Christian-ruled Spain created the style, which incorporates calligraphy, geometry and Spanish elements. It is this mixture of cultures that intrigues Donovan. Despite it housing things of great antiquity, things whose uses are no more, things whose creators have long ago died, the MAN is not dead. “Museums are always alive,” Vericat said. “[T]hey are always changing, and there is always something new to be seen.”

sports

“WHY NOT US?” By CARTER CHAPLEY Sports Writer ollege basketball in March is a kind of magic. It’s the only sport that has consistent Cinderella stories where it seems that truly any team in the country has an opportunity to go on the perfect run and have a shot at glory. This week, the Basketball Gods smiled down upon Coach Travis Ford and his Saint Louis University Billikens as they mounted an improbable tournament run all the way to an A-10 Championship, earning an automatic bid in the 2019 NCAA National Tournament. The Bills won four games in four days, upsetting three higher seeded teams—all of whom had beaten the Billikens in A-10 regular season play.

Tramaine Isabell Jr.’s performance as the Billikens offensive force earned him the honor of “Most Outstanding Player” of the tournament, as well as a spot on the A-10 All-Tournament Team. Javon Bess joined Isabell on the All-Tournament Team. The two proved to be an unstoppable force, each averaging over 37 minutes played a game. The Bills’ unlikely run was only made more unlikely after a loss to St. Bonaventure on the final day of the regular season. The loss forced the Bills into the sixth seed in the tournament, missing out on the direct birth in the quarterfinals they would have earned with a win. Many critics had ruled out any team that had to win four games in four days to win the tournament. The odds seemed even lower for the Bills, especially considering SLU’s habit of only playing six or seven players in a game. The Billikens didn’t seem to care what anyone thought. In their opening game, the only game in which they were the

higher seed, they were able to escape an early round scare from the Richmond Spiders to start the tournament. The Bills were able to push through and get their opening round win despite trailing by as many as 11 in the second half. Hasahn French was vital as his interior presence on both ends of the floor took all focus away from other Billikens, giving them the space to mount the comeback. A date with the Dayton Flyers was the prize the Bills earned for their win. Splitting the regular season home and away series with the three seed, not only was a semi-final berth on the line, but so was the coveted “Arch Baron Cup,” the rivalry trophy awarded to the seasonal winner of the SLU-UD matchup. The issue they now faced was playing on less than 24 hours rest against a fully rested Flyers team. Despite a poor opening half, a trend began that would become the signature feature of the Billikens tournament play. A break for the Bills came their way in the

15 form of an injury to Dayton star, Obi Toppin. After making contact on a play under the basket with Bills forward D.J. Foreman, the first team all-conference player came up limp and left the game for the remainder of the half. When Toppin returned to the game, he was never quite the same, clearly being hampered by what looked to be an injured hip, a devastating blow to the Flyers. The Billikens locked down on defense in the second half, allowing just 25 points. That effort led to a 6455 win, awarding the Bills the Arch Baron Cup and a rematch with the highly touted Davidson Wildcats. It was after the Dayton game that Isabell tweeted out a simple thought that caught fire with the SLU fanbase, “Why not us?” Players all year long repeated their belief that this team was a championship level team, however, until the Dayton win, the supporter’s belief was moderate to none. When asked about the tweet, Isabell indicated that while the words used were not discussed or said, everyone in the locker room knew exactly what kind of opportunity they had in front of them. Social media continued to play a role in the Billikens march to glory. Just hours before the Billikens took on the Wildcats, sophomore guard Jordan Goodwin posted a picture on Instagram depicting the final moments of SLU’s loss to Davidson just two months earlier. The Billikens lost 64-63 to Davidson for their second and final loss at home on the season. In the final seconds of that game, Goodwin was fouled and given the opportunity to shoot free throws, one make sends the game to overtime, make both and they win. He missed both. The picture made it clear that the Bills were going into their semi-final appearance looking for revenge.

Read the rest about the semi-final and final online

For the first time since 2014, SLU basketball has earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by winning the A-10. Photo courtesy of Billiken Athletics

Bracket courtesty of NCAA.com

sports

BILLIKEN BASEBALL SPLITS SERIES BEFORE CONFERENCE PLAY By SAM GLASS Sports Writer illiken Baseball is back in full swing (pun intended) as a string of home games prepared them for the start of conference play. While some students spent the break lounging on the beach, the SLU baseball team stayed at the luxurious Billiken Sports Arena. The Bills played a threegame series against Chicago State over the weekend. The first game of the series started on Friday. Chicago took the lead early, tallying two runs to the Bills, one at the end of the first inning. The Bills hit back (pun still intended) with five runs in the second and third innings, holding Chicago scoreless. The Bills went up one more run in the sixth, and Chicago made an attempt to catch up with a run in the eighth, but their efforts were fruitless as the game ended in a 7-3 Billiken win, ending a two-game losing streak. Chicago and Saint Louis clashed again the next day, and Chicago suffered a similar fate. Redshirt junior pitcher Cody Luther stole the show, pitching seven innings, allowing no earned runs and striking out three. The clean Billiken start propelled the Bills to take a 7-0 lead before the start of the seventh inning. The Bills slipped in the final innings but kept the lead, ending the game at 7-5 for another Billiken win. The final game of the series was a real catch (anotha one). Senior pitcher Drew Reveno started the game for the Billikens, going four innings with five strike-outs. The Billikens were able to pick up the lead with one run in the second inning and two more in the third. Chicago came back in the fourth, racking up three runs, leveling the score. The Bills put one more run

on the board in the bottom of the fourth. SLU held Chicago at zero runs in the fifth and then advanced, adding three to their own and sending the Bills to a victory margin of 7-3. The Bills put in one more run in the sixth to wrap up the game at 8-3. SLU played their final two games before conference in a series against the No. 23 Illinois Fighting Illini on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Tuesday, the Billikens jumped up with an early lead in the third but the Fighting Illini came back in the fourth with a run of their own, tying the ball game at 1-1. The Bills remained scoreless the remainder of the game while Illinois tallied two more points in the sixth and one in the eighth. The game wrapped up

as a 1-4 loss for the Billikens. The Bills came back eager to settle the score the next day. Junior pitcher Luke Matheny started the game, pitching five innings and giving up just one earned run. This earned Matheny his first win as a Billiken. The game heated up early in the second when a double from junior shortstop Kevin Jordan drove in two runs for the Bills. Jordan kept the heat coming in the fourth and smashed his first home run of the season, tallying two more runs for the Billikens. But Illinois swung (last pun) at the Bills racking up two runs in the fifth. The Bills sealed the deal with a run in the sixth and three more in the seventh, ending

the game at an 8-3 win. Billiken Baseball is back in action this weekend as they begin conference play against Dayton. Catch the first of the three-game series on Friday at 6 p.m. at the Billiken Sports Center.

Baseball split a two-game midweek series with No. 23 Illinois at the Billiken Sports Center. The team opens up conference play this weekend at home against Dayton. Photo courtesy of Billiken Athletics

sports

SOFTBALL TAKES THREE WINS, ONE LOSS TO OPEN HOME PLAY BY ERIN MCCLELLAND Sports Editor he Billiken softball team lost at Missouri State yesterday coming off of a loss and three home wins in the Billiken Spring Tournament last week. They have gotten off to a rocky start this year, sitting at 5-18 going into their conference season. Last Friday, the Bills played a double-header at Billiken Sports Center in the second day of the tournament, the first game against Omaha, and the second against Northern Colorado. Despite going down a pair of runs to the Omaha Mavericks at the top of the first inning, the bats

were on fire for the Bills, starting with Megan LoBiancoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s two-run double in the bottom half of that inning. They had a five-run fifth inning to take the lead, one they held onto for the remainder of the game. The Bills went on to win the game, their third win of the year, 7-2 over the Mavericks. In the win, senior pitcher Kallen Loveless got a career-high 10 strikeouts, playing in all seven innings. Later that day, the Bills regrouped to take on the Northern Colorado Bears. The scoring picked up right where it left off from the previous game, with the Bills driving in four runs in the first. After Mackenzie Lawsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second home-run of the year, they were able to go up 7-1 in the third and then a Sadie Wise RBI made it 8-1. The Bears were able to post four runs in the seventh to try to mount a comeback, but sophomore pitcher Aubrey Hacke was up to the challenge and finished

the game stranding the tying run on the bases. The final score was 8-5 and the Bills got their second win of the day and fourth on the season. Following the two wins on Friday, the Bills continued the win streak into Sunday with a 6-4 victory over Detroit Mercy. In the bottom of the first, LoBianco put the Bills up by two with a double. The Titans went ahead in the second with a three-run inning, but the Bills quickly responded by tying it up at three. The game continued with the back and forth scoring as Allie Herron brought in a runner on a sacrifice fly and Kristi Stevenson brought in the sixth run with an RBI single. Detroit Mercy had the tying runs on the plates but Loveless was able to work her way out of the inning, giving the Bills their third win of the tournament. In a mid-week matchup with Missouri State, the Bills traveled to Springfield to take on the Bears. The game was their last non-conference matchup before starting conference

play this weekend at home at the Billiken Sports Center against La Salle. The team fell to the Bears 6-0. The Bills had five hits in the effort, including a double from LoBianco. The instate rival continues to be a struggle for the Billikens to overcome and the all-time series fall very heavily in favor of Missouri State. Freshman Kristi Stevenson was named Co-Rookie of the Week in the A-10 for the week of March 11. In five games, she led the team with a batting average of .667 (8-12) and slugging percentage of 1.083. The accolade is her first of the season and her career. A-10 play starts for SLU softball this weekend with a double-header against La Salle on Saturday. Game times are 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. The third game of the series is Sunday at 12 p.m. Freshman Kristi Stevenson was named Co-Rookie of the Week in the A-10 for the week of March 11. Softball opens conference play at home this weekend with a three-game series against La Salle. Photo courtesy of Billiken Athletics

SENIORS: DOES YOUR MOM LOVE YOU?

MAKE HER PROVE IT WITH A BABY PICTURE AND A CUTE SENTIMENTAL NOTE FOR ALL TO SEE!

(FEATURING MANAGING EDITOR, MONICA RYAN)

SEND US YOUR GRAINY PHOTOS FROM THE 90s TAKEN ON DISPOSABLE CAMERAS! THEY WERE KODAK MOMENTS, BABY! CONTACT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MEREDYTH STAUNCH FOR MORE INFORMATION! EIC@UNEWSONLINE.COM

Opinion

CLIMATE CHANGE IS NO JOKE

By JAKOB BENEDETTI Staff Writer

n 1988, the UN created the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change—or the IPCC— with the purpose of studying our understanding of climate change, how climate change itself has progressed and what the possible causes and impacts of climate change could be. This past fall, they released their most recent report, which provides a damning analysis of our current situation. They believe that human activity has directly caused an increase of up to 1.2 and no less than 0.8 degrees Celsius in average global temperature compared to pre-industrial levels. This means that even if some climate change is natural, the vast majority can be directly attributed to human activity. Furthermore, they outline how if the current rate of warming continues, human activity will cause a 1.5-degree Celsius increase in average temperature as early as 2030. This might sound complicated and uncertain,

and that’s because it is. No one is suggesting that we know everything about climate change or what its exact impact will be, but we can be reasonably certain of a few things: one, climate change is happening, two, human activity is primarily responsible for this and three, if we continue to neglect radical action on this issue, we will regret it. The IPCC report outlines how temperatures rising over time caused the effects of climate change to become more apparent. They suggest that we s h o u l d view the 1.5-degree mark as a tipping point, since after we reach this point, the impacts of climate change will begin to become much worse and much harder to reverse. Summers will be hotter, especially at the equator, and winters will be colder; storms like typhoons and hurricanes will become more common and much stronger; and the melting of polar ice caps will make sea levels much higher and colder. I’m not saying all this to scare you, but to show just how ridiculous the debate over climate change in our country is. Facts

don’t care about your feelings, and the fact of the matter is if we don’t get our act together and take radical action to eliminate fossil fuels as a primary energy source and reign in environmental devastation— which disproportionately impacts the poor—then our entire planet is going to suffer. This is where the conversation over climate change should begin, and it should end with a robust, good-faith debate about how best to accomplish the level of mobilization required to avoid catastrophe. Unfortunately, the only plan released by any U.S. politician which would a c t u a l l y accomplish what needs to be done is the so-called Green New Deal introduced by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Ed Markey. W h a t ’ s exciting about the GND is that it provides the opportunity to seriously address climate change and move away from fossil fuels, while also tackling s y s t e m i c economic issues that have plagued the U.S. for decades. By making broad public investment in renewable energy research and implementation, as well as in repairing our existing infrastructure, cleaning up our environment in general and building new infrastructure to protect coastal cities and other

“One, climate change is happening, two, human activity is primarily responsible for this and three, if we continue to neglect radical action on this issue, we will regret it.”

vulnerable communities, we can create millions of good-paying jobs, in addition to moving the needle on climate change. In fact, two key tenets of the GND are a federal jobs guarantee, which would virtually eliminate unemployment and provide massive stimulus to the economy, and a “just” transition, which basically means that anyone who has been disproportionately impacted by climate change or the Green New Deal itself would be given special attention to ensure that all benefit. Obviously, the biggest problem is how to pay for it. First, we have to recognize that no one in the media or in Congress ever asks how to pay for increasing an already bloated military budget or tax cuts for the rich, but I digress. There are actually plenty of ways to raise revenue, such as reversing Republican tax cuts on the rich and corporations, which are responsible for most of the emissions anyway, or enacting a financial transaction tax on Wall Street speculators, you know, the kind that crashed the economy in 2008. But at the end of the day, we also have to recognize that the costs of doing nothing on climate change will vastly outweigh the cost of the GND. We’re talking about the possibility of irreversible losses of key marine ecosystems, as well as sea-level rise that will wipe out dozens of coastal cities, and drought that will create millions of climate refugees. Frankly, we can’t afford not to do the Green New Deal, and until another plan comes out that addresses climate change to the degree we need to, it seems to me like it’s our only option.

Opinion

NOT A JOB, THE JOB

By FIONA CLAIR Opinion Editor hen I was in high school, I wasn’t allowed to get a job. I picked up the odd babysitting gig whenever I could, but other than that I was to put my academics first. Looking back, it’s one of those things that my dad was annoyingly right about. I couldn’t have handled a job. Back then I was, at times, a twosport athlete and/or involved in four theatrical productions a year. That was of course on top of being involved with chorus, two dance classes a week and a full course load of honors and AP classes. So yeah, you could say I was busy, but everyone was. The point is, I didn’t start my long and tumultuous relationship with finding the job—the perfect, soul-fulfilling job—until the summer before my senior year of high school. That summer I “interned” for my dad’s company for half the week and acted as his personal secretary for his growing side jobs the other half. I use the term intern in the loosest sense possible.

Essentially, I learned what it meant to get up and commute to work on top of sprucing up my Excel and cold calling skills. That was it. I sold my soul to capitalism and I never looked back. My next adventure in responsibility and income came with the exciting transition into college life. Luckily, having federal work-study made it easy to get a job on campus, and one that I really liked. It may be one of my more obscure jobs, but I worked in the University Theatre’s costume shop where I made costumes for all the SLU productions with no prior sewing knowledge. I got paid $7.25 an hour, and I chose when I wanted to go in. I was set. Unfortunately federal workstudy is a finicky thing, and I was kicked off the list after my sophomore year. Alas, the hunt for a new shackle to the American economy began. Since then, I’ve had an online quiz writing job, a public relations internship, an online recipe writing internship, a good old-fashioned American manual labor job at a sandwich shop that shall remain nameless, all while balancing a side-job at a party princess company during school breaks. Which brings us to now. I am currently working three jobs (plus being a princess any chance I get). I intern at a local TV news

“For

station four days a week (to hopefully kick-start my career in broadcast journalism), I work for the marketing director of DineSLU (because it’s easy to get to and pays well) and I freelance for a credit card processing company (because I somehow fell into the position and the work is super flexible). I do this in addition to being the opinion editor of this very paper, the vice president of leadership development for my service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega, completing a senior capstone project, going to school and s o m e h o w keeping some sort of hygiene and sleep schedule. And yet, all that I can think about is getting a job. No I don’t mean just any old job, I mean the job that is going to secure my future. A job to top all jobs. The job. This quest has been ongoing since about my sophomore year when I realized that one day I wouldn’t be a fulltime student—a concept that is a little hard to grasp after 18 years of being just that. And it has led to several zombie-like states of endlessly scrolling through job sites. It’s a full-time hobby. Ok fine, it’s an obsession. All I do is look for internships, and apply for internships and diligently wait for a response from internships who nine times out of 10 never even get back to me. I’ve

now, I’m just the girl with three jobs who is constantly thinking about how I am going to get a job.”

networked and sent professional emails and developed a kick-ass digital portfolio highlighting my best work. But I’m still a giant ball of career path-induced stress masquerading as a college student. Perhaps I’m being a bit dramatic right now, but with graduation quickly approaching in May it’s hard to think of anything else. All anyone wants to know is what happens next. Luckily, last month I accepted a position with my dream gap yearesque program for the fall. I have some semblance of an answer. But right when you think you’re in the clear they come up with some other question you don’t have the answer to, like “what are you doing this summer?” To which I have to smile and say I’m still in the (terrifying, aggravating, mind-numbing) application process. For now, I’m just the girl with three jobs who is constantly thinking about how I am going to get a job. It shouldn’t be like this right? If I do everything right— like all the career counselors and professors have told me I have— shouldn’t I at least get a chance at a job that makes me feel good and safe about my future? Maybe if I majored in engineering, or nursing, or business I’d be having a different conversation. But this is where my liberal arts, communication education has dropped me off— and I’m the five year old who clings to their parent on the first day of school. Oh well, back to the dashboards!

Opinion

OPERATION STREAMLINE: AN EXPEDITED PROSECUTION TO DEPORTATION AND INCARCERATION

By CELINE REINOSO Copy Editor magine a cold, moderndesigned, brightlylit, huge courtroom. Now imagine sitting in it with your hands in shackles, in a country you have never been to and everyone around you is speaking a language you cannot understand. And then imagine yourself sitting amongst 75 other people in the exact same situation. This image is probably something you have never pictured before and will likely never experience in your lifetime. It is, however, exactly what migrants in a federal courthouse in Tucson, Arizona are experiencing, 75 people at the same time, every single day. This criminal prosecution program is called Operation Streamline. A joint initiative by the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice in the U.S., Streamline proceedings prosecute people who have crossed the border at unauthorized areas as criminals. Instead of being sent to immigration court, they are sent to federal court and charged with

a criminal misdemeanor or felony, depending on how many times they have crossed the border. “Culpable,” or guilty in English, is one of the three words the defendant says in response to the judge’s four questions. The other two words are “si” or “no.” The judge addresses groups of people at a time—some groups of 10, some all 75 at once—and dictates a lengthy description of their rights, their charges and their sentences, packed with legal jargon that’s already difficult to comprehend in one’s native language. I sat at the back of the courtroom, with knowledge of the U.S. judicial system and a foundation of understanding of Streamline, and I still came out with hundreds of questions. I can’t even imagine how the defendants— who were literally walking in the Arizona desert three days prior—were feeling and the thousands of questions they had themselves. The defendants—the migrants—were clad in the clothes they were likely wearing on their journey. One man was in a green t-shirt and jeans and I wondered if he got cold over the 30-degree nights. Another man wore a black and gray sweatshirt with “NEW YORK” written all over it, and I imagined maybe someone special bought it for him, or if he picked it out for himself. A woman, I assume

around my age, in her early 20s, wore a pink long sleeve shirt and leggings, and it pained me to think of her motivation for crossing the desert alone and what dangers she might have experienced along the way. The entire proceeding is in English, and each migrant is given a headset to hear a Spanish translation. One man, however, had a faulty headset and it was clear from his answers that he did not understand the judge’s brief at the beginning or the questions personally asked of him. It was a tense moment— seeing the confusion and fear on this man’s face and the exasperation and annoyance on the judge’s. The judge presiding over this hearing chose to have 10 migrants at a time in her courtroom. It was her effort to humanize the people, to be able to look them in the eye when speaking to them, to see their faces and recognize their names. On the judges’ side of the Streamline, they are scheduled for a week straight of daily Streamline proceedings— meaning by the end of the five days, they would have charged 375 people as guilty and either sentenced them to federal prison or deported them back to their home countries. After speaking with the judge after the hearing, I was able to see her genuine

“It was her effort to humanize the people, to be able to look them in the eye when speaking to them, to see their faces and recognize their names.”

attempts to humanize the people coming through her courtroom everyday and understand what capacity for change she has in the judicial system. I realized that while each judge operates differently and perpetrates different levels of injustice, they are ultimately limited to abiding by and applying the law to cases that come into their courtroom. The judicial branch can make every effort to humanize each defendant, remove their shackles, preserve the dignity or ensure a just trial, but judges are still part of an entirely unjust, discriminatory and inhumane policy enforced by the executive and legislative branches. Operation Streamline is a disgrace of a policy in our country’s justice system—a country that was founded on freedom and promises it to its descendants. Operation Streamline represents every hypocritical decision made by our government that promotes “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” but not for everyone—75 people each day are given exactly the opposite. Operation Streamline robs people of a better life, of an opportunity to prosper, of refuge and safety. Operation Streamline is not the solution to “thousands of illegal border crossings.” It is an unjust, shameful and misinformed approach that treats humans like animals and strips them of any right to justice and dignity. The United States is not protecting people and granting them liberty when it tricks them into an expedited process of criminal prosecution, deportation and incarceration. Our government needs to do better. Our lawmakers need to do better. We need to do better.

Opinion

LET’S CHAT ABOUT ABORTION

By LEXI KAYSER Staff Writer

y heart is in absolute tatters after reading about an 11-year-old Argentinian girl who was raped by her 65-year-old grandfather and was forced by doctors to carry the baby, despite her begging for an abortion. A child, forced to carry a child. Even if you’re one of the three in 10 Americans who don’t support Roe v. Wade—the court case that granted women the access to a safe and legal

abortion—surely this particular case can strike a cord of deeper empathy in your heart for those that choose to terminate their pregnancies. I can (to an extent) understand where the division occurs. Once upon a time, I was a good Christian girl from a good Christian home, and I was adamantly pro-life—as many good Christian girls from good Christian homes are. I believed deeply that God created all life with a specific purpose in mind, and that by prematurely ending that “life” before it had the chance to reach its peak fruition, we were sinfully altering the divine plan for humanity. It was easy for me to look at the world in this way, not just because it was how I was raised to think, but also because I had a skewed perception of life due to my position of privilege. I was fortunate enough to be born into a family with two parents and a stable, upper-class income. For the first few quarters of my life, I was sheltered from rape and incest—I couldn’t have told you what those words even meant if I tried. My abstinence-focused school taught me that sex was always a choice, and that it was dirty and morally

wrong if done out of wedlock and to be used solely for procreation. Naturally, the combination of these factors led me to believe that people would only get pregnant if they wanted to get pregnant. I didn’t see abortion as anything other than cruel. Like an attempt to erase a mark made in pen, I saw it as more destructive than helpful in any way. I would even call it selfish, as I believed that a mother should always put her child’s needs ahead of her own. My perspective changed the minute that one of my privileges was stripped from me. Very few positive things came from my sexual assault, but I would say that one of those few was my outlook on abortion. Though I was fortunate not to get pregnant from my sickening experience, I was able to see that so many other women do. The idea of having to forfeit nine months of my life that would probably dip into my first semester of college was absolutely gut-wrenching. I suddenly understood, and I understood more than simply cases of rape. I understood that when a woman chooses an abortion, she is prolife: she is simply choosing her own life. The best example that I’ve heard of this is that of organ

donation. If I was a donor match for my sister who, say, needed a kidney, I would not be forced to sacrifice my kidney for her. Even if it meant that she would die, I would not be forced to give up my kidney because I have autonomy over my body and what happens inside of it. Am I then, by default, a “murderer?” Well, I suppose it depends on who you ask. But I should have that choice. I should have the free will to decide who and what occupies the space within me, and when, and how, and on what terms. Let’s retreat to that case of the 11-year-old girl. Think of her pain, her fear, the stripping of her innocence from her soul. Think of how she felt powerless when she was raped, and think of how powerless she felt when she was told that she would have to give birth. To overturn Roe v. Wade, as many far-right politicians would like to do, would be to equalize our society with the one that wronged this poor child. Aren’t we better than this? It’s time to drop the taboo surrounding abortion and let women be. We are human, and we deserve the basic human right to our human bodies, our forever homes.

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