See Page 6 for senior farewell commentaries and Page 10 for this semester’s civic journalism questions!
The University News A Student Voice of Saint Louis University Since 1921
www.unewsonline.com
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Vol. LXXXIX No. 26
College diplomas vs. the economy Job market is looking up, but still not what it was By JONATHAN ERNST News Editor
Graduating senior Beth Wurtzler was “surprised” when she began searching for jobs relating to the biomedical engineering degree that she will receive from Saint Louis University at her graduation on May 15. After five months, Wurtzler never heard back from any of the companies she applied for, and without an employer, she has decided to continue her education at the University of Cincinnati’s graduate school. “I am not really sure where I stand, and grad school gives me the opportunity to broaden my horizons,” Wurtzler said. “It is kind of a reality check to hear that you are so great, and then these companies don’t want you.” Out of 2009’s graduating class, 54 percent are employed and 39 percent are in graduate school, according to Career Services at SLU. Kimberly Reitter, director of Career Services, instructs her staff of career counselors to have the students focus on networking and how to navigate job possibilities. The staff at Career Services assisted more than 500 seniors last year with their career searches, and she is optimistic about the job market for the class of 2010. “The job market is looking better for now, and it should be an easier year for our graduates,” Reitter said. “The economy is a big part of it. I think that if they create a realistic job search plan, they should be able to find a job.” According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers’ Job Outlook 2010 Spring Update, the job market appears to be increasing; employers expect to hire 5.3 percent more college graduates than last year. NACE moni-
Grad school structure in flux By JONATHAN ERNST News Editor
Noah Berman / Photo Editor
Jon Michael Ryan gets in the zone while filming footage for his production company called Tangent Minds. Ryan graduated from Saint Louis University in 2008. tors the hiring outlook for new college graduates with a variety of surveys and polls to potential employers. The Job Outlook 2010 Spring Update survey was conducted from March 1 to April 9, with 177 employers participating. Of the participants, 28.3 percent were from the Midwest. “I think it is just an employer’s market. Those companies have so many applicants so they can be more selective and choose the more experienced applicants,” Wurtzler said. “Career Services was not particularity helpful for my job search.”
Dan Finucane, another graduating senior, has found Career Services an “extremely helpful” resource on campus. Finucane will be attending graduate school at Boston College for his Master’s in Theological Studies. Earlier this semester, he was offered a teaching position in Theology and Philosophy. Finucane declined the offer, deciding instead to continue his education. “I am optimistic about finding a job in the future,” Finucane said. “SLU has helped See “Jobs” on Page 2
SLU Post-Graduation Stats at a Glance Class
Unemployed
Grad School
Employed
2009
6%
39%
54%
2008
4%
35%
59%
2007
4%
33%
61%
2006
4%
32%
62%
2005
4%
33%
61% Source: Career Services
We asked three graduating seniors:
How are you feeling about your impending graduation in May? “Words are tough to come by. I’m nervous and a bit apprehensive.” Michael Sarmiento Senior, College of Arts and Sciences
“Mixed feelings. I’m getting excited, getting ready to be done with homework. But I loved my time at SLU.”
“Bittersweet, exciting and sad to say goodbye to friends.”
Michelle Kizaur Senior, College of Arts and Sciences
Robin Lund Senior, College of Arts and Sciences
Housing processes to undergo a review during the summer break
Nitric-acid incident injures student in lab
questions of squatting policies and any changes to the housing sign-up process for next year, Sturdivant said that they were still under discussion. No final or large-scale decisions will be made until at least mid-summer, he said, and in the meantime, a large survey will soon be sent out to students about housing, including how students felt about the sign-up process. He said that this and other feedback would be taken into account in upcoming discussions. “As always, we’re going to review everything; once we have an opportunity to cool down from the closing of the semester … we’ll really have an opportunity to look into the feedback we’ve received and make some decisions about how to move forward,” Sturdivant said.
By KAT PATKE Editor-in-Chief
This year’s waiting list for on-campus housing currently stands at 126, according to Director of Housing and Residence Life Alvin Sturdivant. Sturdivant said he expects that all these students will be placed by the start of next school year, as Housing and Res. Life is receiving contract release requests and cancellations daily, due to transfers and students studying abroad in the fall. Juniors and seniors on that list are also being offered places in the Lofts, where there are still vacancies—99 spaces remain open there, out of a total of 298. As for the housing scholarship issues,
By KELLEY DUNN News Editor
A beaker containing nitric acid exploded on a student last Thursday in Macelwane Hall. Director of the Department of Public Safety, Mike Lauer, said that pressure in the beaker built up, causing the container to explode. As a result, a small amount of the acid splashed onto a girl working at an adjacent station, causing minor burns on her left arm and the left side of her neck.
According to Lauer, the burns were not severe enough to require an ambulance. The individual was first taken to SLU Student Health Center, and eventually was taken to SLU ER. As a precaution, Macelwane was evacuated, but Lauer said the students were soon allowed to reenter. Lauer said that the evacuation was procedure, as was consulting with environmental health about the situation. “We just wanted to make sure [of] exactly what we were dealing with,” he said.
July 1 is the official transition date that the Graduate School Transition Team has set for the Saint Louis University Graduate School to decentralize and run graduate programs and associated assistantships out of the respective colleges and schools. Paaige Turner, chair of the Graduate School Transition Team, said that the team has formed a subcommittee comprised of business managers and faculty from across the University to make recommendations of how the money will be allocated for the graduate programs without a central entity. “The benefits of this reorganization are increased flexibility for the colleges, in terms of programming and budgeting,” Turner said. “The transition team is very committed to ensuring that we sustain and enhance the quality of all graduate education.” Under the new structure, the marketing and enrollment functions of the graduate school will move under Enrollment Management, admission decisions will remain with the faculty of each graduate program, administration of assistantships will move to the colleges and schools, and the current Graduate School staff will be retained. The Graduate Academic Affairs Committee, made up of representatives from each college and school, will be responsible for overseeing the administration of graduate programs. “The plan is to give individual colleges more flexibility that may filter down to the departments, depending upon the goals of that college,” Turner said. This decentralization was first mentioned in SLU President Lawrence Biondi, S.J.’s October message to the SLU community, and with additional faculty review, the academic restructuring was made official in his Jan. 27 message. In that message, Biondi committed to increase funding for graduate programs and assistantships. “I firmly believe these changes will enhance graduate education at SLU by ensuring that our colleges and schools are even more invested in our graduate and professional programs,” Biondi said in his January message. The transition team has asked each college to create a comprehensive needs plan to address the department’s needs during the transition, and to determine what is necessary to increase the competitiveness of their graduate programs. The team has been charged with developing a communication plan that informs relevant stakeholders and provides the opportunity for input, along with identifying the key tasks of graduate education, developing subcommittees based on specific tasks, and drafting proposals recommending that institutional structures and practicSee “Grad School” on Page 3
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