No. 14 (April 11, 2019)

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VOL. XCVIII No. 14 / April 11, 2019

THE UNIVERSITY NEWS

Cover Design by Rebecca LiVigni

NEWS

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SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH SWEEPS SLU’S CAMPUS

By SAVANAH SEYER Staff Writer

Illustration Courtesy of Ashlee Kothenbeutel

he month of April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM).

During April, organizations hold programming and disperse information in order to raise awareness of the issue of sexual assault. Programming throughout the month seeks to educate communities about the importance of consent, and to educate people about preventing sexual violence in their own communities. Sexual assault is an increasingly prevalent issue in every community.

According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, 1 in 5 women and 1 in 71 men will be victims of sexual assault at some point in their life.

At SLU, Campus Wellness has been holding events throughout the month to recognize Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and has more events and programs planned for the rest of April and into the beginning of May. SAAM is something that Campus Wellness has recognized for several years.

The events this year have included “Speak About It,� an award-winning presentation about sexual assault, a trauma-healing yoga session and various workshops and exercises focused on support for survivors of sexual and gender violence, among other events.

Jodi Seals, assistant director for health education and promotion at SLU Campus Recreation, spoke to the UNews about the importance of plan-

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ning appropriate and impactful events for SAAM.

“We wanted to make sure we had something for everyone,� said Seals. “We have presentations, creative workshops, movement opportunities, advocacy sessions and fun events to engage students wherever they are at in their experience with sexual assault prevention.�

There are several SLU departments and on-campus student groups that are involved with Campus Wellness to hold events for SAAM, such as UNA, Billikens After Dark, Beta Theta Pi and the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity. Seals said that all on-campus groups should get involved in SAAM, because it is such an important issue that affects the SLU community.

“There isn’t a group that shouldn’t be involved honestly,� said Seals. “This is a community issue and we all have a role to play in preventing sexual violence. We try to make sure we have a variety of opportunities for students that may be at higher risk, but we really want as many students as possible to engage in preventative strategies.�

As well as being an incredibly important international issue, sexual assault is prevalent on college campuses as well. According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, 20-25 percent of female college students and 15 percent of male college students are

victims of sexual assault at some point during their college experience. The NSVRC also reports that more than 90 percent of victims on college campuses do not report the assault.

Seals said that planning events for Sexual Assault Awareness Month are especially important because of information like this. She said that it was incredibly important to make sure that students and the college community are able to talk about sexual assault now, because the college years are higher risk times for students to experience sexual assault.

As mentioned, sexual assault affects all communities, and the Saint Louis University community is no different. A quick Google search can prove that. There have been several claims and reports of sexual assault and harassment at SLU made in recent months by students and staff alike.

In July of last year, a former student pled guilty to assault. In the same year, reports from female students and faculty members at the Saint Louis University Medical School were revealed, claiming that there was a culture of sexual harassment within the Medical School. SLU’s Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity investigated the reports last year. Some of the claims against doctors and officials included in the report detailed how men on the hiring committee would often comment on the physical appearances of female candidates, even going as

far as to create a ballot so others could vote. The hiring committee defended this behavior as “a joke.� The investigation found that the doctors were not in violation of SLU’s harassment policy. In addition, last year several SLU athletes on numerous teams were suspended, and one expelled over allegations of misconduct.

Of course, these are just a few of the reports of sexual assault and harassment that have been made surrounding members of the SLU community, but it is clear that sexual assault and harassment are prevalent issues on the Saint Louis University campus.

This is why Sexual Assault Awareness Month and the programming surrounding it is so important.

However, Seals hopes that the spotlight on preventing sexual assault continues throughout the year.

“I hope people understand that this is something we need to keep talking about and not just during the month of April,� said Seals. “I want people to leave these programs and start conversations with others about how they can be part of the solution. To feel empowered to do something even if it seems small. I hope people see that support and advocacy take many forms but the most important thing we can do is keep pushing forward for a safer community free from sexual violence.�

News

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TITLE IX CHANGES ON THE VERGE OF EXECUTION

By CONOR DORN Staff Writer s Sexual Assault Prevention month begins, Campus Recreation and Wellness has organized a number of events to raise awareness for victim support and campus resources for sexual assault prevention. On Wednesday, SLU’s Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity hosted a question and answer session to shed light on how Title IX cases are currently handled and address concerns over the recently proposed changes.

The Q&A was run by Anna Kratky, the Title IX coordinator, and her colleague Kim Sahr, a Title IX equity officer. The goal of the session was to promote transparency between the SLU administration and the student body over sensitive issues related to disciplinary processes for offenders and support systems for victims.

Kratky began by laying out a detailed summary of current procedures for dealing with sexual misconduct and discrimination, including the types of situations that Title IX handles, the process by which survivors can receive counseling and the general procedure for investigating Title IX claims. Both Sahr and Kratky emphasized the diligence and care that characterizes the Title IX proceedings and underscored the effectiveness of SLU’s current process, making the proposed Title IX amendments that much more troubling.

The second half of the session was devoted to a discussion of the proposed amendments to Title IX at the state and federal level.

In 2018, U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos unveiled her plan for an overhaul of the rules governing campus sexual assault and Title IX response.

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Ostensibly aimed at reducing Title IX expenditures, DeVos’ announcement has left Title IX administrators across the country questioning the effectiveness of the sweeping changes.

As the amendments at the federal level continue to be reviewed, new bills have been proposed in the Missouri House and Senate, leading to similar concerns over effectiveness. Senate Bill 259 and House Bill 573 both enumerate sweeping changes to the way universities handle sexual harassment and assault claims, which many believe will ultimately deter survivors from reporting sexual assault.

Among other potentially destructive changes, Kratky and Sahr pointed to the lengthening of the already long and traumatic process, the addition of live, direct cross-examinations and a new, looser definition of consent as the most harmful of the proposed changes. In a statement issued by Washington University, SB 259 and HB 573 were denounced as affording more protection for the accused in Missouri Title IX cases than in any other state, leading to a “process that would be re-traumatizing and re-victimizing.”

As of April 10, both bills are nearing the end of the legislative process and a decision can be expected in the next few weeks.

Kratky and Sahr and their colleagues in SLU’s Title IX office are actively working to spread awareness towards these potentially detrimental changes, working closely with University administrators and various student body organizations.

Two more Q&A style sessions have been scheduled through the rest of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, one on April 16 and one on April 17, for all those interested in learning more about the proposed regulations and how they might make their voices heard in the legislative process.

Photo Courtesy of Riley Tovornik

DEMOLITION PROJECTS

CONTINUE CAMPUS MASTER PLAN

By JACOB CUNNINGHAM Contributor hile members of the SLU community have surely noticed the overnight disappearance of O’Brien Hall, the spell of demolitions on the North Campus is set to continue with the leveling of Pruellage Hall. These campus developments, while coming on rapidly, have actually been in the works for years.

Dustin Montgomery, SLU’s assistant director of construction services, notes that these demolitions are part of the overall University Strategic Plan, which calls for SLU to become “a leader in just land use and responsible urban design.”

The first master planning process in almost 30 years began in 2016 with the goal of looking at “how the overall priorities from the University’s Strategic Plan aligned with our facilities’ needs in the next 10 to 20 years,” Montgomery said.

The master plan process, which is guided by a committee of faculty, staff, students and administration, aims at addressing the immediate goals that were laid out the University Strategic Plan.

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The University enlisted the aid of the Hastings + Chivetta architectural firm to gather data on “building condition, vehicular and pedestrian circulation, space and classroom utilization, ADA accessibility needs and utility infrastructure, among other areas,” according to SLU’s website.

Some projects of the master plan will be familiar to members of the SLU community.

The new residence halls, crosswalk improvements along Grand and the new Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building currently under construction were all part of the plan.

As for the future of these projects and the recently leveled areas, he states that “a new classroom building is a priority of the master plan, and demolition of O’Brien and Pruellage will aid this effort.”

The other areas cleared on Laclede “will become additional greenspace in the near-term, but it’s possible that it could be used for expanded student housing or other student needs in the future,” said Montgomery.

With O’Brien Hall’s demolition complete, Montgomery expects for demolition of Pruellage to start the week of April 15.

The demolition is projected to be completed by June.

NEWS

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Photo Courtesy of Emma Carmody

BREAKING OUT OF THE

SILENCE

By CAROLINE LIPSKI Staff Writer LU is supporting sexual assault awareness month this April with a variety of events geared towards education and awareness of this widespread issue. Events kicked off last week and will last until the end of the month, with SLU’s Breaking Out Campaign particularly involved in these efforts. Since 2016, the mission of Breaking Out, “to encourage the act of healing through art and to counter the culture of silence that isolates survivors,” has grown into a campus-wide call to action.

In the past, their campaign centered around a photo series featuring the stark realities of sexual assault as survivors held posters, detailing their individual stories. This year, Breaking Out expanded upon their photo campaign with the addition of several events throughout April, including a new bystander simulation program dubbed “Walking the Walk.” This program provides a glimpse into the varying responses and experiences that survivors go through.

Rock Against Rape, another event held this past week, brought together various groups like KSLU

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and other a capella groups on campus to spread awareness through music. Events still to come throughout this month include Denim Day, a Lights Out Volleyball Tournament with Billikens After Dark and Walk a Mile in Her Shoes with Beta Theta Pi. The quantity of events as well as the collaboration of Breaking Out with other organizations on campus is a testament to the growing outreach of the campaign as a whole to SLU’s campus.

Colleen Watson, a sophomore studying psychology and the Peer Education Director for the Breaking Out Campaign, envisions that through the campaign’s events and programs, that “we can better educate SLU’s campus and break the silence that shames, blames and isolates victims of sexual assault.”

She adds that “the goal of the Breaking Out Campaign is to end sexual violence; of course we do not want this campaign to last forever, but as this is an ongoing issue that needs to be addressed we will continue our efforts in increasing awareness and education and supporting and believing survivors.”

This issue is not only pertinent to all college students, but SLU in particular. This institution is no stranger to the issue of sexual assault at hand. Just last year, three different sexual assault cases were instigated from across SLU’s campus; these in-

stances ranged from accusations of abuse from athletes to SLU’s medical school faculty.

Watson reiterates the relevance of this chilling reality. “Our campus has seen a lot of instances of assault, even ones that the University does not publicly announce to the students,” she said. “I personally know so many people who have had these experiences and continue to be affected by it.”

“It happens more often than you think,” said Kirsten Bourbon, a sophomore studying psychology and another active member of the campaign, serving as the director of events. She too hopes that their efforts will one day eliminate the need for the campaign at all.

Despite their shared dream of one day not needing a campaign, they both recognize its significance today to our population. “Being in college increases everyone’s likelihood of experiencing sexual assault, not just women,” said Watson.

The campaign brought the issue centerstage to the SLU student body while tabling in the BSC on Monday. Alongside providing informational pieces about sexual assault and proper consent, students had the opportunity to write letters to local legislation advocating for the rights of survivors. These letters addressed concerns about the alarming changes being proposed to current

legislature, of which would diminish certain resources like counseling and education available to survivors under the current Title IX law.

Students also had the opportunity to fashion a t-shirt to communicate support for survivors and sexual assault awareness. These shirts will be put on public display as part of the Clothesline Project Quilt Initiative. Quilts comprised of t-shirts from previous years are currently exhibited in the CGC for students to glean encouragement from.

The Breaking Out Campaign offers a resource and a voice to all students. The active role that this campaign and other organizations on campus have taken against sexual assault reflects the ability for SLU as a community to provide support to those afflicted, as well as educate each other on the topic relevant to all of us.

Watson acknowledges the power behind this campaign to truly make a difference. “As we bring it to more and more organizations, it will slowly make a change here at SLU,” she said. She hopes that students will simply want to get involved and learn more. “By simply talking to their friends about what we do, that creates conversation on this stigmatizing topic and creates awareness.”

News

05 Photo Courtesy of Riley Mack

IDEAS BECOME REALITIES AT 1818 GRANT SHOWCASE

By RILEY MACK News Editor ast year, the Center for Community Engagement and Service announced that the end of Make A Difference Day was upon us. As SLU students mourned the loss of the beloved event, the Center wasted no time beginning a new project – the 1818 Grant Program.

In honor of SLU’s bicentennial year in 2018, the Grant Program provided $1,800 grants to 18 student and faculty groups that applied in early September. Although the Center only expected 30 applications, 54 groups hoping to make a positive difference competed for the grant. The final 18 groups selected were chosen because of their “wide… but also [their] deep impact,” according to Bobby Wassel, assistant director for service and outreach of the Center.

On Saturday, the 18 groups chosen in October were able to showcase their projects to the SLU community. Gathered in the Center for Global Citizenship, parents, faculty and fellow students walked around the auditorium, speaking with representatives from each project that piqued their interest.

Abu Sari is one grant winner who chose to use the funds to

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move his pre-existing project to another level. Sari works with Project Downtown St. Louis, a program that usually serves meals to the homeless, which used their grant money to purchase feminine products for low-income St. Louis women. When Sari and his team asked their community what they needed most, the answer was overwhelmingly clean menstrual products to use for their cycle every month.

As many SLU students have decided to volunteer with the Project, Sari stated that “it really opened up the eyes of a lot of the students to realize that there is more that needs to be done in the community than just coming here, waking up, going to class and going home.”

Freshman Ashlyn Southard found the same results. Southard created the Sibling Support Network, which provides local schools with kits to implement support groups for students who have siblings with disabilities – a group that often also struggles with mental illness.

Although Southard agrees with Sari, she believes that the effect goes beyond students. Southard believes that the Grant also “empowered the kids that I am working with,” and that the impact is “very widespread, not just to the students who receive the grant money but also to the people they’re affecting.”

Similar to both projects, Queer Closet is an organization started last year that focuses on another underserved community.

Sophomore Grayson Chamberlain, president of the Queer Closet program, began the project out of his freshman year dorm. While he had the original intention of helping to dress boys going on dates, the present-day Queer Closet has evolved immensely.

Chamberlain stated that the project’s entire incentive changed when someone came to him and said, “Hey, I think I’m questioning my gender identity, can I borrow some clothes?” After that, the organization’s primary goal switched to providing queer people with the necessary resources to discover their identity.

Partnering with PrideSTL, Queer Closet used its funds to purchase clothes that are stored in the Rainbow Office of the BSC. Any student can come check out clothes for a semester-long fee of $4.

Chamberlain and his team decided on this small fee because “transitioning is extremely expensive and also college is extremely expensive.” The most important factor of this project, according to him, was to “help specifically my trans brothers and sisters try to be a little bit more comfortable with themselves.”

Wassel believes that Queer Closet is one example from the grant winners that perfectly exemplifies what he and his team created the project for.

“It’s neat to see students take something and run with it,” Wassel said about Queer Closet.

“But that one feels close to home

DPS REPORTS On April 5 at 8:51 p.m., DPS officers were called Reinert Hall after an RA detected the scent of marijuana in one of the dorms on the second floor. After a search, the officers confiscated two plastic bags of the dope, a plastic bottle, a six pack of alcoholic beverages and a large bottle of vodka.

On April 6 at 5:30 a.m., a DPS officer spotted a subject walking between cars in the Ignacio Parking Lot. When trying to make contact, the subject yelled obscenities before taking off running. A check of the lot found no cars tampered with but left behind was nine unopened bottles of liquor.

On April 7 at 7:29 p.m., a man who attended the cheerleading event at Chaifetz Arena exited the building. He walked behind his vehicle and began to urinate when a DPS officer spotted him and took him into custody. He was released soon after. because it’s helping SLU students who are queer or transgender, maybe they can come across feeling more connected to the University in some way.”

Ultimately, the people at the showcase were able to experience the passion and creativity that the SLU community possesses.

According to Wassel, his goal for the day was to have students “leave here knowledgeable about all the cool things these students are doing and also inspired to submit an application for next year.”

However, the foremost hope for the entirety of the 1818 Grant Program is that it will have a lasting, positive impact on the community and students– a feeling shared by Wassel and the 18 groups showcased.

Arts and life

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Rachel whiteread’s art makes an understated statement

This Week’s

Favorites

(Photo Courtesy of Riley Tovornik/University News

(Photo Courtesy of Ashlee Kothenbeutel/University News )

By ASHLEE KOTHENBEUTEL Illustrator s I walked down a gravel road with the tour guide behind the Saint Louis Art Museum, the first thing that jumped out to me was the bright yellow of the electricity unit surrounded by a wire fence. Upon further examination, I noticed a grey object about the size of a small shed a few yards away in the grass. The object peacefully overlooked the city below it. As I neared it, I saw that it was not a shed, but rather the inside cast of a shed in concrete. Little ridges that give the implication of wood surface, a ghost.

Saint Louis Art Museum is located in Forest Park and is home to art from various time periods and genres. From classical paintings, to impressionistic, to sculpture and cultural objects, the Saint Louis Art Museum has it all. This wonderful asset to St. Louis is visited by over a half million people every year and is free to the public. A separate part of the museum has an additional fee to view houses’ exhibitions, which changes every few months.

The current artist featured in the museum is Rachel Whiteread from

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March 17 to June 9. Whiteread is a British sculptor who is known for casting the “hidden spaces in-between, above and beneath everyday objects” to make “the invisible visible,” according to museum advertisements. The museum’s description does not lie. Whiteread has perfected the art of casting, using everything from concrete to resin of everyday objects to evoke emotions and share an untold story of an object and her experiences.

The exhibit is set up in chronological order, starting with her work in 1988. She is a minimalist by nature, but her work has an intimate, personal quality that unleashes memories. The first few works demonstrate her college experiences, with the casting of a bed, closet and table done in concrete.

Her piece “Closet” is a casting of the inside of a closet to symbolize where children play, giving rise to memories of childhood.

One of her most powerful pieces was done for the Judenplatz Holocaust Memorial in Vienna. The memorial features a casting of shelves of books with closed doors. The books face inwards and are inaccessible, signifying all the knowledge lost from the Austrians killed.

Her work, as she says, has a way of “mummify[ing] the air.” It is a powerful monument due to the subtly

and symbolism that can take your breath away.

My absolute favorite part of the exhibit were the chairs, or should I say, undersides of chairs, cast in resin and placed in a geometric grid. Almost alien-like in appearance, the semi-translucent forms reflect the nuances and ware from which they were cast. While the underbellies of the chairs create order, they also reflect individuality.

Whiteread’s work reflects moments of her life, from college, to her father’s death and then her mother’s years later. While there were some pieces during those times that were more somber, some were fun and upbeat. One of the most interesting and distinctive pieces done was a casting of the insides of toilet paper and colored in pastels. This was a unique and fun way of putting an everyday object in a new light.

Rachel Whiteread brings attention to things unseen in a subtle way. Her sculptures are understated, shy but nonetheless full of emotion. Whiteread brings a calmness to the world with her artwork, which sets it apart in the chaos of an attention-hungry era. Her work raises the question: does artwork have to be loud to make an impact?

See for yourself.

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CONCERTS

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in Concert Saturday, April 13 at 7 p.m.

Powell Hall “Get ready to join Dumbledore’s Army™! When Professor Umbridge™ takes over Hogwarts™ School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix™ in Concert, accompanied by the SLSO!”

FOOD

St. Charles Food Truck Event Saturday, April 16 at 5-8 p.m.

Where: 3801 Mueller Road “Enjoy live entertainment as you indulge in a variety of delicious food options that will be available by several different food truck vendors. Bring your family and friends out for a relaxing evening in the park!”

BOOKS

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Normal People: A Novel By: Sally Rooney Published: Tuesday, April 16 “At school Connell and Marianne pretend not to know each other.

He’s popular and well-adjusted, star of the school football team, while she is lonely, proud, and intensely private. But when Connell comes to pick his mother up from her job at Marianne’s house, a strange and indelible connection grows between the two teenagers—one they are determined to conceal.”

CINEMA

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Breakthrough Releases: Friday, April 17 “When Joyce Smith’s (Chrissy Metz) adopted son John (Marcel Ruiz) falls through an icy Missouri lake, all hope seems lost. But as John lies lifeless, Joyce refuses to give up. Her steadfast belief inspires those around her to continue to pray for John’s recovery, even in the face of every case history and scientific prediction.”

EVENTS

Saint Louis Pop Up Shop April 20 at 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Hello Juice “Saint Louis Pop-Up Shop is an organization founded by a high school student dedicated to uniting local makers, artists, and small businesses, to showcase the best of Saint Louis, one event at a time.” Vendors include Artifact, Boda Clay and more.”

Arts and life “Pet Sematary” brings no life to theatres

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(Photo Courtesy of Parmount)

By LEIANNA TANEDO Staff Writer he 2010s have been a great few years for 80s nostalgia in the horror genre, thanks to popular titles like “Stranger Things” and “It.” Stephen King’s “Pet Sematary” was adapted into a film in 1989 and is back on the big screen this year, 30 years after its initial release. However, this adaptation was pretty disappointing and was full of tropes and cliches.

“Pet Sematary” is about the Creed family, who moves to a small town in Maine for a quieter life. They bought a few acres of land, including an eerie burial ground for the town’s pets called the “Pet Sematary.” When the Creed family cat gets hit by a car, their neighbor Jud (John Lithgow) leads the father (Jason Clarke) to a swamp to bury the cat. But when the

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cat comes back from the dead with matted hair and a violent disposition, things start to turn ugly for the whole family.

What draws me to horror movies is the thrill of uncertainty. There’s typically a buildup of tension accompanied by an equally tense score, perhaps some jump scares and most of all, an ending that can be either horrible for the main characters or victorious. “Pet Sematary” lacked all of this tension and uncertainty while providing all the tropes of typical horror fare. There’s a frightening child, bloody hallucinations and a constant feeling that something is going wrong. That isn’t to say that the plot is predictable. Instead, it does not play out to scare the audience. It feels like a constant attempt to recreate a movie instead of adding something new and exciting.

There are certainly shocking, gruesome and freaky scenes that color the otherwise bland landscape of the film.

The mother does have a backstory

that adds some depth to her character, involving the death of her sister, which provides some jarring recurring images in the film. However, these scenes are not compelling enough to redeem the indifference I felt towards the characters. I was curious about what would happen to them, but I didn’t care about their fate one way or the other.

They were not particularly relatable or well-developed in the first act, which was also disappointing.

The cinematography and production of “Pet Sematary” were positive aspects of the film. “Pet Sematary” was filmed in Quebec, Canada and utilizes the naturally green forested areas to characterize the solitude of the family. It was refreshing to see a film that didn’t rely heavily on a green screen. Even Church the cat was not a CGI and was played by four trained cats instead, which adds to the verisimilitude of the film’s lore.

However, since a lot of “Pet Sematary” takes place during the daytime, it strips away the scared feeling you have once you leave the theatre. Visually, the

shots of “Pet Sematary” paid homage to other 80s films, with faces framing an entire shot, rather than the more distant framing that we see in recent films. While “Pet Sematary” takes place in the modern day, it definitely feels like I am watching a creepy VHS tape at home.

Overall, I found “Pet Sematary” pretty dry, especially in comparison to the recent Stephen King reboot, “It.” While the progression of its plot and characters were not particularly compelling to me, the cinematography pulled my eyes to the screen.

I did not find it scary either, which contributed to my disappointment.

Overall, I was not impressed by “Pet Sematary,” but I think Stephen King fans will enjoy seeing a new interpretation of an old work. “Pet Sematary” is in theatres now.

Arts and life

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celebrating life and music with bon iver

(Photo Courtesy of Bon Iver)

By LUKE VEST Contributor “hank you for existing.” In one fell swoop, a woman in the crowd exclaimed what the whole room was thinking. The man on stage with the shaggy beard looked up from his myriad of electronic instruments and responded to her, “That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me. I’m going to say that to five people tomorrow.”

Bon Iver, led by frontman Justin Vernon, has experienced a dramatic transformation in their 12 years together as a band. While the theme of struggling relationships has pervaded their music, the sound of that struggle has changed from the gentle strums of acoustic guitars to the twisting beats of miniature synthesizers. Despite the dynamic sound, fans have felt the emotion the whole way, and existing in a world with Bon Iver is something they are thankful for.

Racing against the downtown traffic from both a Blues game and a widely popular musical act, fans of Bon Iver scurried to fill the packed Stifel Theater promptly at 8 p.m. on Thursday

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night. The five-piece act arrived on stage within a few minutes, diving directly into “Perth,” the opening track of the 2011 self-titled album. The mood for the rest of the night was immediately set by a range of electronic instruments intertwined with beautiful choral vocals, powerful drumming and entrancing light displays.

The distorted guitar ending of “Perth” led into a cacophony of strange scratching sounds and electronic artifacts, leaving the audience disoriented. After a short time, it became clear that this was a segue into “10dEAThbREasT,” a staple of the 2016 album “22, A Million” that solidified the band’s venture into the electronic. The rolling drum beat showcased the incredible synergy of the band’s two drummers, Sean Carey and Matthew McCaughan.

For the next song, the stage lights dimmed, and a lone yellow spotlight was placed on Vernon, who began singing the autotuned-soaked “715 – CREEKS.” With one hand on a vocoder, Vernon controlled the electronic harmonies which engulfed his voice to produce the sound of a whole choir.

The show continued with an array of old and new songs, with each song contributing a unique sound and emotion that resonated with the au-

dience. Vernon donned a nylon string guitar for “Flume,” the first song in the band’s discography. This song highlighted the talent of guitarist Andy Fitzpatrick who created echoing ambience from his electric guitar.

The song “__45__” was notable for the soulful saxophone solo from Michael Lewis, who used a novel electronic setup called the “Messina” to mimic multiple saxophones playing in harmony.

Perhaps the most striking performance of the night was “Creature Fear,” a fan favorite from the 2007 album “For Emma, Forever Ago.” The song began soft and jazzlike, and the tremolo from Vernon’s slow guitar picking was like candy for the ears.

The song roared into powerful choruses with Vernon proclaiming, “So many territories, ready to reform.”

This was all in preparation for the end of the song, which was an explosion of sound and light. The drummers steadily kicked their bass drums, which could be felt in the chest, and the three other members of the band knelt down to twist the many knobs and dials on their pedalboards, creating sounds that crashed into each other to create a total chaos. The lights strobed white, immersing the audience in all their senses, and finally the song ended as the lights cut

out. The crowd roared its approval.

The band ended its first set and took a 20-minute break, allowing fans to mentally prepare for the next half.

The second set featured hits like “Holocene” and “Skinny Love,” leaving the crowd in awe. The band returned for an encore which was intended to be only one song, but Vernon gladly added “re: Stacks” at the insistence of a few members of the audience.

This six-minute ballad featured Vernon alone on acoustic guitar with the crowd remaining silent the whole time. The band closed out with “The Wolves (Act I and II)” as the crowd tearfully sung along to the refrain, “What might have been lost.”

Bon Iver brought the best of their musicianship to the Stifel Theater.

They also brought their genuine care for others. Vernon called attention to The Angel Band Project, a St. Louis nonprofit that supports survivors of sexual assault with music therapy.

He noted that most members of the crowd felt safe in their everyday lives, but not all people have that luxury.

The band is partnering with groups at each stop on their tour to support this cause.

St. Louis will wait eagerly for the return of Bon Iver. But for now, we will celebrate the joy of their existence, as well as all those who bring us happiness.

6pm to 10pm

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april

1pm to 3pm

6pm to 11pm

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take back the night @ clocktower

relay for life @ hermann stadium

sludm ftkolor run 2019

6pm

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SAB Vibe annual spring concert and festival @ simon recreation center

Panel: ‘the intersectionality of sentencing’ @ education union

Apo’s mr. apo @ BSC 352 6:30pm to 8:30pm

8am to 12pm

St. louis earth day festival @ The muny 11am

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Last Issue’s Solutions

games

photography

Breaking out campaign rocks against rape Photos and Story by EMMA CARMODY Photo Editor

The Breaking Out Campaign and other student organizations are hosting several events this month for Sexual Assault Awareness Month. On April 8, the Breaking Out Campaign partnered with fraternity and sorority life to give Greek Week points to attendees of Rock Against Rape.

The event included performances from SLU a cappella groups and food from Chick fil A. While they enjoyed the performances, students could write letters to survivors, write advocacy letters to government officials, donate to Call for Help, and decorate t-shirts for the Breaking Out Campaign’s Clothesline Project to fight against domestic violence.

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photography

Students Attend Showers of Service Photos by Kendra Reuther.

(Left) Members of DSP help the Community Women Against Hardship with yard work.

Story by EMMA CARMODY Photo Editor n April 6, SLU students participated in Showers of Service, a campus-wide service day organized by Alpha Phi Omega. Different student organizations and programs came together to form groups to be sent out into the community to different service sites. Students volunteered at a variety of locations, including community gardens, community centers and consignment shops.

The morning began with an opening ceremony at Hermann Stadium complete with donuts and coffee provided by APO. There were opening remarks from the Showers of Service co-chairs, Cailey O’Neill and Viviana Garcia. Seniors Samantha Kiss and Madalyn Leakey, the founders of Billiken Bounty, also

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spoke about the new student food pantry on campus and volunteer opportunities they offer.

In the past, there has been some criticism surrounding days of service, such as Showers of Service, because it minimizes the impact that service can have since it is a one-time event, rather than an ongoing effort. However, co-chairs O’Neill and Garcia hoped to encourage more continuous service opportunities for students both on campus and in the St. Louis community. O’Neill said that while it is ideal for students to have a great experience at their Showers of Service site and continue to volunteer there throughout the semester, that is not always the case. “Having Billiken Bounty gave students an on campus opportunity, which is often more accessible for some students.

It’s also a student they would be talking to, additionally having that peer relationship,” O’Neill said.

O’Neill and Garcia have been working with the sites throughout St. Louis that students volunteered at for months and said that their experience working with all of the organizations was incredibly positive. For certain organizations, SLU students did three weeks worth of work that would usually be done by only one person. The volunteer coordinators that students worked with were so grateful for the help, and many have worked with SLU and APO for years. One site, Community Women Against Hardship said they’ve been collaborating with SLU students for 16 years.

While not all SLU students do continuous service at one site throughout their college career, events like Showers of Service expose these students to the community outside of the SLU bubble with the hope that they take something away from their experience.

Photography

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1) Students gather at the Hermann Stadium early Saturday morning for the Showers of Service opening ceremony.

2) One of APO’s families pose for a photo at Hermann Stadium before eating breakfast and listening to speakers.

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3) Senior Joe Eckert rakes weeds and vines out of the alley of the Community Women Against Hardship.

4) Senior Meaghan Gernes organizes books at the second-hand store that she and her group volunteered at for the day.

5) Sophomore Nate Buchholz rips vines from the wall at a yard work site.

6) Showers of Service co-chairs Cailey O’Neill and Viviana Garcia make their opening remarks at the opening ceremony before dismissing students to their service sites.

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TRAVEL

14

Glovo bicyclists prepare their deliveries outside the Cuatro Caminos McDonald’s, the closest to SLU Madrid.

Photo by Trenton Almgren-Davis / Travel Editor

Westernizing Traditional cuisine by the OECD found that Americans only spend 30 minutes cooking or preparing food each day, which was the lowest of the countries in the study. This points to an obsession with work, which is deemed more he yellow tint of the Glo- important than the need to eat. vo app reflected off of Americans also spend less time eatErin Kahle’s face as she ing per day than the average Spanfinished placing her or- iard. During weeks of talking to der for the Combo Cla- people currently living in Spain, the sico burrito from Tier- only ones who had used Glovo were ra. “Burritos bring me joy-what can I Americans worried about time. say,” said Kahle. The 25- to 30-min- Spaniards now work 1,691 hours ute wait seemed like nothing when each year, according to the OECD, there was a burrito with guac at stake. which is higher than most other Erin Kahle orders food to school on European countries, including the occasion, but only when she is es- United Kingdom, France and Gerpecially sick of the cafeteria food, or many. This hardworking youngdoesn’t have time to pack her own er generation might not have the lunch. “I can work while I wait for same time available to pack a my food instead of hauling ass up the lunch or go home during the day street to a restaurant,” said Kahle. as the generation before. “No one Kahle’s perspective is one that is in my family takes siestas anyshared by many students and young more,” said Michael Trevino, a workers alike, particularly Ameri- student who uses Glovo regularly. cans. Many American students say Trevino’s family is no exception. that Glovo is their go to when it After weeks of talking to people comes to food on crunch days. Amer- living in Spain, not one young pericans, most of whom like to take as son—Spanish or American—said little time as possible on eating so that they participated in siesta. that they can keep on working, find Timothy Day, professor of food and Glovo up to speed. Although there literature at Saint Louis University, are many apps used in Spain to de- sees Madrid’s food culture changliver food, such as Deliveroo and De- ing as it becomes more westernized. liverum, Statista reports that Glovo He sees Americans eating out more has the widest base of users. A study than any other group. “The concept

By EVA FRANCE Contributor

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of Glovo is exotic and strange to Spaniards,” Day said. Americans are more likely to abstain from a cultural tradition such as tapas or siesta because it isn’t their culture. Other food delivery services such as Just Eat, have increased revenue by 14% over the last five years, according to Joshua Warner, a Market Analyst for IG Group.

Glovo’s app makes ordering from any restaurant extremely appealing and easy. When Kahle discovered she only had 45 minutes to finish her linguistics assignment before class and didn’t have any money left on her student ID, she quickly opened up the little yellow app. The first page asks for your location, or the location you would like to pick up your food. The second page opens up a world of possibilities.

There are several options: food, gifts, snacks, drinks and pharmacy.

All of these option icons surround a larger icon that proclaims “anything” with a magic wand. This app does seem to be rather magical.

Kahle clicks on the “food” icon and is faced with her first choice. She could click on a burger or on sushi. This differentiation is between McDonald’s and every other food available through the app. This may seem like an absurd way to divide food into two groups, but with some research it becomes clear

that McDonald’s has signed into a partnership with Glovo. There is no minimum amount for a food order through McDonald’s. Kahle however, does not have a Big Mac on the brain.

She selects the more appealing sushi icon and peruses the options for some brain food. She finds the Tierra Burrito and quickly picks out the combo classic. “This is what I order in the restaurant anyways,” said Kahle.

Kahle’s linguistics class starts at 4, and by 3:28 a message pops up that her food has arrived. She goes outside to find her Glovo driver (Glovo-er? Glover?) and brings back a still-warm burrito and drink.

“Glovo is even better than Uber Eats because most of the drivers ride bikes instead of adding to carbon emission,” Molly Jackson, a friend of Kahle’s, said. The Glovo competitors such as DoorDash and Postmates don’t seem to be able to keep up with the incessant pedaling of Glovo couriers in Madrid, as it outperforms its competitors in Spain, such as Deliveroo, according to Statista.

In fact, 37.1 percent of people all over the world using food delivery service apps are between 25 and 34 years old, according to a study done by Christoph Blumtritt, an analyst digital marketer. Marnie Alvord is an American student and uses Glovo regularly. “It is convenient and new, and shows that Madrid is innovating,” said Alvord.

15 sports TRACK AND FIELD DOMINATES AT BILLIKEN INVITATIONAL

By RYAN LEFNER Associate Sports Editor he Billikens Track and Field team hosted the annual Billiken Invitational this past Friday and Saturday.

The meet included squads from Wash U, Fontbonne, Southern Indiana, Harris-Stowe and Mineral Area College.

The meet was a huge success for the Bills, with the men bringing home a first-place team finish and the women finishing strong in second place.

The men’s overall victory can largely be attributed to 11 event wins from 10 individual performers.

For starters, Brett Kowalczyk won the hammer throw with a heave of 49.26 meters, as well as won the shot put with a toss of 15.29 meters.

Kowalczyk would have also brought home a win in discus if not for a 40.48 meter throw from sophomore Victor Wiski. Alex Eldridge rounded out the male throwers with a 52.7 meter javelin toss, good enough to also take home first place.

The SLU jumpers had an excellent weekend as well, with sophomore Alex Olsen earning a firstplace finish in the high jump with a hop of 1.96 meters. Jake Johnson also brought his PF Flyers to the meet as he won the long jump with a leap of 6.78 meters. Ethan Erusha earned the last victory for the jumping Billiken men with an impressive 13.76 meter mark in the triple jump.

Manuel de Backer turned on the jets in the 5,000 meters to bring home a first-place finish with a time of 14:51.39. Matt Prest also put his fast pants on last weekend as he won the 1,500 meter with a time of 3:53.97. Myles Gascon looked like a blur when he crossed the 100-meter finish line in a time of 10.88 seconds, good enough for a first-place finish and A-10 rookie of the week honors. Aaron Dugan served as the

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end of the Billiken men’s winning train as he earned a first-place finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 9:40.61.

The lady Bills also had a strong showing, with Alia Hayes bringing home a first-place toss in the hammer throw at 41.89 meters.

Most notably, Sarah Reich set a SLU Medical Center Stadium record for the javelin throw with an absolute laser beam that traveled 45.10 meters. The toss not only was good enough for a first-place finish, but also A-10 female field performer of the week.

Katie Wissing had a pair of wins in both the triple jump (with an outstanding mark of 12.07 meters) and the long jump (a bound of 5.55 meters).

The running Bills had a stellar performance in the 4x100 relay, as Jessica Moore, Ann Harlos, Avery Pacella and Bailey Hasken teamed up to finish in 48.09 seconds, giving them a first-place performance.

Pacella also got the win in the individual 400-meter sprint, stopping the clock at 56.29. Megan Ng rounded out the Billiken winning parade with a 12:33 in the

3,000-meter steeplechase and a first-place finish.

The Bills will be hitting the track again this weekend at the Joe Walker Invitational starting Friday at Ole Miss.

Manuel de Backer and Ben Naeger finished in first and second place respectively in the 5,000 meter race.

The Bills travel to Ole Miss this weekend for the Joe Walker Invitational.

Photo courtesy of Billiken Athletics

sports

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ONE SHINING MOMENT Virginia Crowned Kings of College Basketball

By CARTER CHAPLEY Sports Writer nother year of March Madness has now come and gone. The Virginia Cavaliers stand at the mountain top of college basketball, winning their program’s first ever national title on Monday over the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Entering as one of the narrowest lines in Championship game history, with most handicapping it as only a one-and-a-half-point game, the Cavs overcame the Red Raiders 8577. Only a year after the Cavaliers were made the laughing stock of the NCAA with a loss to the UMBC Retrievers, the first ever 16 seed to beat a one seed in the tournament’s history.

Virginia head coach Tony Bennett described the pressure his team faced as pressure “that no team in the history of the game has faced before.’’ Despite the pressure UVA completed the turnaround with one of the most pedestrian championship runs in recent memory.

With easy wins over Gardner-Webb and Oklahoma, the Cavs found themselves in the sweet sixteen and a matchup with the Oregon Ducks. After “escaping” with a four-point win, they moved on to play Purdue. Scoring 80 points on the Boilermakers, their best offensive performance of the tournament thus far, the once mocked University of Virginia punched their ticket to the Final Four. It wasn’t until this matchup did things get tight, nar-

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rowly edging out the Auburn Tigers 63-62. Earning them a championship matchup with Texas Tech, and while it took an overtime period to get the job done, Virginia ultimately reigned supreme. The first national champion to be crowned in overtime since Kansas ousted Memphis in 2008.

The University of Virginia win came in what many called the “chalkiest” tournament in recent memory. Chalk describes what happens when there is a particular lack of upset winners in the bracket. Unlike previous years, where the likes of Loyola-Chicago or Virginia Commonwealth make unexpected runs deep into the tournament. This year, all the favorites made their expected deep runs. All of the one, two and three seeds made the sweet sixteen and every four seed save for Kansas State met them there. The only true surprise in tournaments Final Four was Auburn as the five seed, which is hardly a surprise in the grander scope of National Championship tournaments. But as it turned out,

this year’s true “Cinderella” was Virginia.

The hometown Billikens though, did not fare as well as they would have hoped. Having been the Cinderella of the A-10 tournament, their luck simply ran out when they ran into a very strong Virginia Tech team in the opening round of the tournament. Despite outscoring the Hokies by 12 in the second half, a disastrous first half effort where they allowed 44 points proved simply too much to overcome.

The College Basketball world now looks forward to June 20 for the NBA Draft where most of the last months stars will make the jump from student-athlete to professional. The likes of national sensations like Zion Williams, Ja Morrant, RJ Barrett and De’Andre Hunter will all be early first round picks and thus multi-millionaires.

The futures of lower tier prospects like Carsen Edwards, Tako Fell and SLU’s own Javon Bess are all less decided. While seniors like Bess will have no choice but to try their luck

The University of Virginia won their first ever men’s basketball national championship over the Texas Tech Red Raiders last weekend. After becoming the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 just a year ago, the Cavaliers rebounded for the ultimate revenge.

Photo courtesy of forbes.com

in the draft, younger players will have the opportunity to declare for the draft and return to their school should they not be selected. That being said, Billiken head coach Travis Ford is confident in his star senior’s ability to make it to the next level, so regardless of if Bess is drafted or signed as a free agent, Billiken fans can be sure to see their star playing at the next level soon.

sports

17

BILLS BASEBALL CONTINUES CONFERENCE PLAY, SMACK SEMO

By SAM GLASS Sports Writer illiken Baseball slid back into conference play over the weekend with a threegame away series against UMass. The Bills went into the series with a 1-2 conference record and were looking to shake things up to catch some wins.

The first stretch of the series was a doubleheader on Saturday. SLU and UMass each took one game in the matchup. The Billikens started off trailing UMass after the second inning. They tied it in the fifth and took the lead in the sixth. Another run from UMass tied it up again and the seventh added one run to both teams.

The Bills picked up steam in the eighth when they scored three runs, lead by a two-run homer from

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senior second baseman Cole Dubet.

Dubet smashed it out to right field with an exit velocity of 92.6 mph. To put that into perspective, that is almost as fast as your crazy uncle driving down highway 40.

The Bills wrapped up the top of the eighth at 6-3. Another UMass run put the score at 6-4. The Bills were stagnant in the ninth and UMass managed to put in three more runs, ending the game at a 6-7 loss for the boys in blue.

The second leg saw the Bills come back with more ferocity. The game kicked off quick when the Bills scored a run in the first. The Bills picked up four more runs in the fourth putting them up 4-0.

UMass looked to try and make a comeback in the fifth holding the Bills at zero runs and then adding

three of their own. With one run a side in the sixth, the game looked to be heating up at 5-4, but UMass was unable to put any more runs on the board.

SLU managed to throw on four more insurance runs with two coming off a two RBI single from senior third base Shane Benes. The Bills took the second game 9-4.

In a strange turn of events, the final game of the series saw a total of 25 runs between both teams which was one less than the 26 in the prior two games combined. The Minutemen started the revolution with two runs in the first and proceeded to score in every inning but the fourth and eighth.

By the end of the third, the Billikens were down 9-0 and looked to jump back into the game with a

three-run inning in the fourth, but a five run inning for UMass in the sixth squashed the hopes for a Billiken comeback.

By the top of the eighth, UMass were up 17-5 and SLU’s three runs hardly put a dent in the deficit, and the game wrapped up a 17-8 loss for the Bills.

The Bills hopped back on the saddle to the Old Town Road for a game against SEMO on Tuesday at the Billiken Sports Center. The Bills came back in a big way, winning the game 15-6.

A big game from junior shortstop Kevin Jordan helped propel the Bills to victory. Hitting 4-5, Jordan was only a double shy of the cycle with a home run, a triple and two singles.

“This game is made to break you, so I’m just trying to go out and have fun every game. It’s easy to let the bad thoughts control you,” said Jordan on his performance in the season high 15 run game. S “So after a rough game I tell myself I’m dope until I believe it, and [Tuesday], I was.”

Baseball loses a conference series at UMass 1-2 before handing SEMO a massive loss. Junior Kevin Jordan was just a double away from a cycle in the 15-run effort against the Redhawks. Photo courtesy of Billiken Athletics

sports

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SOFTBALL GETS REDEMPTION AFTER SWEEP IN DC

BY ERIN MCCLELLAND Sports Editor he Billiken softball team traveled to the nation’s capital last weekend to take on the George Washington Colonials. It was an unfortunate weekend for the Bills, who were swept by GW, a team that was 3-3 in the conference prior to the series. The Billikens fell to 4-6 in A-10 play and move to sixth in the standings.

In the Bills’ first game against GW they struggled to get the bats going and ended up being shut out, 7-0. In the game, Kat Lane, Megan LoBianco and Gab-

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bie Kowalik were able to record a single apiece in the offensive effort.

In the second game of the doubleheader, the Colonials took a two-run lead after the third inning before Sadie Wise hit her second homer of the season to cut the lead in half. After Wise’s blast, SLU’s bats were quiet, but the Colonials were able to tack on seven more to secure the run-rule victory in five innings.

The Bills were able to get a few more runs on the board in the third game of the series, but the Colonials put 12 across the plate to take their third decisive victory in two days. In the effort, Alyssa Chavez and Kowalik homered, their first and third on the year respectively, and Lane and Wise had two hits each.

“The GW series was what

one would call a ‘gut check,’ but George Washington is a good team that could hit the ball,” sophomore catcher Chavez said. “Our hitting wasn’t what it has been in the past couple of games, but we came back to life in the UMKC game.”

After the conference struggle in D.C., the Bills came back to Billiken Sports Center for a one-game matchup with UMKC. “One thing we learned from the weekend is that hitting is contagious,” said Chavez. “George Washington felt it in the games against us, but we definitely felt it against UMKC.”

Against UMKC, the Bills took a two-run lead in the bottom of the third, but the Kangaroos got the lead back on a three-run bomb in the fifth.

Kowalik was able to tie the score at three with an RBI single in the bottom half of the inning, and UMKC was never able to put another run on the

Alyssa Chavez connects with her second home run of the season against UMKC to extend the Billiken lead.

Photo courtesy of Billiken Athletics

board.

Seniors Mackenzie Lawson and Kaylyn Breitbach hit back-toback doubles to put the winning run on the board for the Bills in the sixth.

Freshman Allie Herron put the Bills up two with an RBI single that drove home Breitbach, and not long after, Wise drilled her third home run of the year to score three runs and move the game to 8-3. Chavez and Maria Connell both followed up the home run with solo shots of their own to bring the game to its final score, 10-3.

The Bills travel to the Bronx this weekend to face fifth-place Fordham for a chance to move up in the A-10 standings. “We learned a lot from our GW series that we will take into our upcoming series with Fordham,” said Chavez. “We have a lot of fight in us and we are ready for the rest of the conference season, the tournament and winning the A-10 trophy!”

the university news is in need of section editors for the 2019-2020 school year

HELP WANTED CONTACT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MEREDYTH STAUNCH FOR MORE INFORMATION! EIC@UNEWSONLINE.COM

Opinion

20

FEELING NOSTALGIC? HOW ABOUT NOW?

By FIONA CLAIR Opinion Editor raduation is quickly approaching, which means the end of nearly a lifelong s t u d e n t career for many seniors. If you aren’t already getting emotional about this great monumental moment, I thought I’d put together a list of trends from all our years of schooling so we can laugh and grumble about our fading youth.

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2001: • People were listening to “Drops of Jupiter,” “Bootylicious” and “Fallin’” • “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” “Shrek” and “Monsters Inc.” hit the theaters • “Fairly Odd Parents” premiered on Nickelodeon • Britney and Justin wore all denim to the AMA’s • The first iPod was released • The first Juicy tracksuit was made for Madonna 2002: • People were listening to “A Thousand Miles,” “Dilemma” and Avril Lavigne’s debut album • “Lilo and Stitch,” “Spiderman” and “The Bourne Identity” hit the theaters • Kelly Clarkson won season one of “American Idol” • Sanyo SCP-5300 was the first phone with built-in camera • People were wearing Crocs and Heelys

2003: • People were listening to “Lose Yourself,” “In Da Club,” “Crazy in Love” and “Hey Ya!” • “Finding Nemo,” “Holes” and “Love Actually” hit the theaters • “The Lizzie McGuire Movie” and “The Cheetah Girls” premiered • Tyra introduced the world to “America’s Next Top Model” • Trucker hats, low rise jeans, yoga pants, cargo pants and shorts, light-wash bootcut jeans and tube tops were all the latest fashion • Crazy Frog was created • Myspace was founded 2004: • “This Love” made Maroon 5 big, and “American Idiot” was released • “Anchorman,” “Napoleon Dynamite” and “Mean Girls” gained cult followings • Rachel got off the plane, and “Friends” ended • “Drake and Josh” premiered on Nickelodeon • Ashlee Simpson lip-synced on SNL • thefacebook.com went live at Harvard • Livestrong bracelets kickstarted the wearing-of-rubber-bands-toshow-support-for-causes trend 2005: • People were listening to “Don’t Cha,” “Gold Digger,” “My Humps” and “Sugar, We’re Going Down” • “Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” Batman Begins” and Madagascar” hit the theaters • “The Office,” “How I Met Your Mother” and “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody” premiered • YouTube was founded • Guitar Hero hit the shelves • Carrie Underwood won season four of “American Idol” • Ties with regular clothes, Ugg boots, shrugs and tennis visors were all the latest fashion • “Twilight” hit the shelves • Webkinz and Club Penguin kept us busy online 2006: • People were listening to “SexyBack,” “Chasing Cars” and “S.O.S.” • “Little Miss Sunshine,” “Cars” and “Borat” hit the theaters • “Hannah Montana,” “30 Rock,” “Dexter” and “Ugly Betty”

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premiered “High School Musical” premiered on Disney Channel Facebook became available for anyone 13+ Twitter launched Steve Irwin died Blu-ray players, the Nintendo DS and the Nintendo Wii were invented

2007: • People were listening to “Crank That (Soulja Boy) [and learning the dance],” “Umbrella,” “Apologize” and “Beautiful Girls” • “Juno,” “Ratatouille,” “Bee Movie” and “SuperBad” hit the theaters • “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” premiered • Netflix announced their streaming service • Britney shaved her head • Beyoncé released the B-Phone with Samsung • Ripstiks were invented 2008: • People were listening to “I am...

Sasha Fierce” [and dancing to “Single Ladies”], “I Kissed a Girl,” “Burnin’ Up” and “Viva la Vida” • “Iron Man,” “WALL-E,” “Twilight,” “Step Brothers” and “Slumdog Millionaire” hit the theaters • Heath Ledger died after the premiere of “The Dark Night” • “The Hunger Games” hit the shelves • Leggings became pants • Wayfarer glasses and shutter shades hid everyone’s eyes • Obama became the first African American president of the United States 2009: • People were listening to Lady Gaga’s new album “The Fame,” “Boom Boom Pow,” “FireFlies” and “Party in the U.S.A.” • “Avatar,” “The Hangover,” “Up” and “The Blind Side” hit the theaters • Tiana became the first black Disney princess in “The Princess and the Frog” • “Glee,” “Modern Family” and “Jersey Shore” • Kanye dissed Taylor at the VMAs • Miley Cyrus pole-danced at the Teen Choice Awards • Pepe the frog made his way across MySpace

2010: • People were listening to “Airplanes,” “Forget You,” “Just the Way You Are” and “California Gurls” • “Inception,” “Toy Story 3,” “How to Train Your Dragon” and “True Grit” hit the theaters • “The Walking Dead” premiered satisfying everyone’s zombie craze • The Angry Birds app launched • Dabbing started • Dubstep came to the U.S. • Silly Bandz were life • Nike elite socks and pink yoga pants were all the fashion 2011: • People were listening to “Rolling in the Deep,” “Superbass,” “Country Girls (Shake it for Me)” and “Love on Top” • “The Help,” “Captain America: The First Avenger,” “Bridesmaids” and “Midnight in Paris” hit the theaters • “Game of Thrones” premiered • “Fifty Shades of Grey” hit the shelves • The Harry Potter series met its end with “Deathly Hallows Part 2” • The Oprah Winfrey Show ended • People started planking and twerking everywhere for no reason • Will and Kate got married • The world met Siri • Snapchat launched

For the high school through college years, follow this code:

Opinion

21

THE BENEFITS OF STUDYING MATH

By ARJUN BAGAI Contributor

any people stress over the fact that they have to take mathematics in high school or college.

Students do not want to find the roots of a quadratic equation, calculate the integral of a function or determine the eigenvectors and eigenvalues of a matrix. They say that math does not have any real application in the world.

Some high schools and colleges are even decreasing the number of math requirements. But I believe math has many amazing and crucial applications. I would even go so far as to consider it an art.

Math is important, as it visually models and explains scientific phenomena that may be difficult to explain conceptually. Math has tremendous application in physical chemistry. In thermodynamics, partial differentiation is used to understand Maxwell relations which provide the link between thermodynamic parameters such as enthalpy, internal energy, entropy, temperature, Gibbs free energy and Helmholtz free energy. In quantum chemistry, integrals are used to determine the probability of finding an electron between certain regions of atomic space (orbital!). Differential equations are used to solve the Schrodinger equation, which is an equation describing the energetics of the hydrogen

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atoms in terms of kinetic and potential energy.

In general chemistry, chemical kinetics are studied using derivatives and integrals.

To determine the rate of product formation or reactant dissipation, the derivative is used. To determine the expressions between the initial and final concentration of a species at some time, the rate equations must be integrated to get the integrated rate laws.

In physics, calculus is used to study classical mechanics and electromagnetism.

To determine the work produced by a moving body, the force must be integrated over a distance.

To determine acceleration from velocity, the velocity function must be differentiated.

Gauss’s law for magnetism tells us that the flux integral of the magnetic field over a region is zero.

In other words, there is no isolated magnetic moments suggesting the nonexistence of magnetic monopoles.

Even biology has some calculus involved.

Logistic growth of a certain population can be modeled using differential equations.

These examples are proof of the importance of math in STEM fields.

No matter what subject you are majoring in, if you choose to do research, there will be some math involved. When presenting data or conclusions,

there needs to be a way to represent the data accurately.

This is where statistics come into play. In many disciplines, the presenter or author has to figure out how to convey their point in graphical form.

Some data can be represented as a line graph while others should be represented as a bar graph. Some data needs to be analyzed in terms of statistical significance. Tests such as the t-test or chi-square are utilized to analyze statistical significance of sample and population sets.

S o m e e v e n appreciate math in a theoretical point of view. Math on its own provides beauty and simplicity in the complex world of education.

S o m e important courses described b e l o w highlight new tools obtained to solve myriad problems. Calculus 1 looks at differentiation and the role of the rate. Rates can be useful when studying optimization.

Optimization is an important application of differentiation.

If you want to find the absolute maxima or local minima of a function, the derivative must be taken, and the solutions are found. Related rates describe how one quantity is changed when another quantity is changed. For instance, when

“Math on its

own provides beauty and simplicity in the complex world of education. ”

the radius of a cone changes, how does the volume of the cone change?

Calculus 2 looks at integration and series and the role of the sum. Sums can be useful when studying volumes. The volume of a function revolving about an axis or line can be determined by integrating the function.

The arc length of a function is determined by integrating tiny pieces of length together.

Before calculators were used to evaluate certain functions, mathematicians used techniques to evaluate these functions in terms of polynomials. These are known as Taylor polynomials. For instance, to evaluate cos(x) for any x, a characteristic polynomial is used to evaluate the function.

Calculus 3 applies the principles learned in calculus 1 and 2 and takes it to three-dimensions. Now, derivatives and integrals are taken for multivariable functions and vectors. Higherlevel mathematics involves the use of proofs. Proofs are important to show the audience why theorems are true. Higher mathematics looks at the intricate pieces and explains them using proofs and computations. At these levels of math, people start realizing the art and beauty of such a field.

Overall, mathematics is important and crucial in both the theoretical and practical frameworks. Just like any other field, math answers many questions about the world. I encourage anyone to take at least some math courses to see what it’s like and how it’s used to solve a variety of problems.

Opinion

22

ABOLISH THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE

By JAKOB BENEDETTI Staff Writer fter Donald T r u m p b e c a m e the second Republican in this century—and only the fifth candidate in history to win the Presidency despite losing the popular vote—there has been increased scrutiny by many on the left about the electoral college and how much sense it really makes in the 21st century.

We already know that the electoral college makes people’s votes have a significantly different weight depending on what state you live in. For example, Missouri has 10 electoral votes and 6.1 million people making roughly 460,000 people per electoral vote. This is far more than smaller states like Delaware, which has only 231,000 people per electoral college vote,

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or Wyoming, which has only 143,000 people per vote.

But the discrepancy is even larger for states bigger than Missouri. Illinois has about 485,000 people per vote and New York has over 519,000.

Basically, this all boils down to the fact that if you live in a smaller state, your vote counts more toward the actual outcome of the election as a direct result of the electoral college.

A s someone who lives in Missouri—a mediums i z e d , non-swing state—this is unacceptable because it means that not only does my vote essentially not count (because, barring a landslide, the Republican is always going to win statewide for President and thus get all of the state’s electoral votes), but it also means that my vote and the votes of all Missourians count for less than the votes of people who live in neighboring states like Iowa or Kansas.

In other words, the electoral college is an anti-democratic and unconstitutional institution.

In regards to the fact that by making some people’s votes worth more than others to the outcome of the election, it violates the principle of “one man, one vote” and gives outsize political power to voters in smaller states.

The reasons why the electoral college has become so uniquely dysfunctional and undemocratic aren’t that hard to uncover: it’s because the founding f a t h e r s wanted it that way.

Something that I always find hard to keep in mind yet am constantly b e i n g reminded of is the fact that the founding fathers were, by and large, a g a i n s t the idea of democracy.

All being fairly wealthy, they feared redistribution of wealth, which they thought democracy would inevitably bring. So when they wrote the new Constitution, they made sure to put in plenty of mechanisms to restrict voting power to a handful of wealthy individuals and to dilute the power of the masses.

This is why, under the original Constitution, you had to own a certain amount of property

“The reasons why the electoral college has become so uniquely dysfunctional and undemocratic aren’t that hard to uncover: it’s because the founding fathers wanted it that way.”

and be a white adult male in order to vote. It’s also why, under the original, senators weren’t elected by the people, but rather chosen by the state legislatures.

Over time, as American society has trended towards democracy and equality, we have eliminated these vestiges of the past age, allowing for nonwhites, women and poor people to vote for direct election of Senators. However, one final fossil from our nation’s founding remains: the electoral college.

If you’re from a small state—or if you’re a Republican—and thus your party has benefited most recently from the electoral college, you might be content to ignore all this and continue to bask in the glory of your more powerful vote.

Unfortunately for you, that might not be a good idea. True, the most recent examples of the electoral college overriding the popular will have been in favor of Republicans, but that doesn’t mean the next one will be.

It could very well be that in the coming election cycles, there’s an instance where a Republican wins the popular vote but loses the electoral college. When that happens, I won’t say I told you so, but I will try again to convince you that for the sake of democracy, the electoral college has got to go.

Opinion

23

HOW WE’RE KILLING CULTURES WITHOUT EVEN REALIZING IT

By LEXI KAYSER Staff Writer

I

t cleverly disguises itself as neighborhood “improvement,” but is it really improving life for the right crowd?

Gentrification is one of the biggest issues facing St. Louis and cities around the country today, yet it’s one of the least talked about. Chances are you’ve never even heard the word before.

I hope to change that.

Gentrification is politely defined by the Webster Dictionary

as, “The process of renovating and improving a house or district so that it conforms to middleclass taste.” So, to put it bluntly, it’s when white hipsters move into a neighborhood, drawn by its “fixer-upper” charm and historic buildings, and decide to make it their own. The issue is that it was never their own to begin with.

These neighborhoods typically belong to people of color and those in poverty, and to take them over with cute coffee shops, trendy boutiques and luxury lofts is to systematically push out a vibrant culture.

Sure, there are “benefits” on the surface. At first glance, these areas are riddled with crime and poverty. It’s easy to look at them and think that they need a good revamping. By adding a new Shake Shack or an upscale clothing shop, or even a new set of apartments branded as “lavish,” we’re increasing the value of the area. And perhaps that’s exactly where the problem lies.

Most of the people living in these areas haven’t been granted the best circumstances in life, and therefore, the majority of them are living paycheck to paycheck and struggling to meet

rent each month. They can’t afford a $6 drink at a new coffee shop or a $12 deluxe burger.

The businesses being put in are not being put in for existing residents; rather, they’re being put in to push them out. The local businesses that have been around since the start now have to fight for their place on the block as newer, hotter places attempt to shove their way in.

Even worse, as the area gentrifies and becomes “nicer,” property values skyrocket. When rents go up and people can no longer afford to pay them, they’re forced to move out. Imagine leaving the only home you’ve ever known, and leaving it unrecognizable.

It’s not fair. It’s not just.

This is happening all around us, and chances are, we don’t even realize the extent of the harm that we’re causing or the ways that we’re perpetuating it. Take, for example, the Shaw neighborhood, one of the most gentrified in the St. Louis area.

You probably know it as home to quirky and eccentric eateries and shops, such as Lulu’s Local Eatery, a place for fairly high priced vegetarian and vegan options, or Found by the Pound, a resale store for vintage items

where the average cost of a piece is $12. South Grand is full of cute, Instagrammable brunch locations like Rooster, and home to a variety of international cuisines. But once you hit Utah Street, you also hit reality and can truly see that this gentrification is covering up the real issues surrounding Shaw. In the aftermath of a police shooting in 2014, with food deserts and the impaired walkability that accompanies them and with crime rates and a fear of victimization, Shaw is struggling. We’re masking these issues with chai lattes and upscale avo-toast locations and, honestly, that’s not okay.

So what can we do? We can support local businesses instead of commercial chains.

We can vote for candidates that want what’s truly best for our organic populations, and do our due research to ensure our accuracy in these decisions. We can advocate on the issue and understand that there’s a line between the natural recycling of neighborhoods and the systematic oppression of certain demographics. Most of all, we can be aware and be honest.

We owe it to our city.

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