U University News Thursday, December 6, 2012
the
Vol. XCXI No. 13
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A student voice of SLU since 1919
Election process pondered
Rick Majerus, 1948-2012
By WOLF HOWARD Associate News Editor
Senators considered modifications to the SGA election process in anticipation of election season during the Student Government Association’s final meeting before the end of the year. The main bill considered was identical to a bill passed at the end of the last semester, which amended the SGA constitution to bar executive board candidates from running on tickets in the annual SGA election, in addition to banning endorsements. Also on the agenda was a bill to form a task force with the intention of investigating and analyzing the election process at SLU. A ticket is a group of executive-board-hopefuls that run as a named entity with a shared platform; Limitless was the most prominent and only full ticket last year, comprise of Blake Exline, Yiqing Huang, Keilah Johnson, Vidur Sharma, Richard Joubert, Sean Worley and Beth Alberty. The group swept the election. Limitless’ highly uncontested run incited concern among SGA senators concerning the election process. Many senators thought the existence of tickets discouraged those who would otherwise run for positions, due to the intimidating power of united opposition. Others also argued that tickets encourage people to vote on the basis of who See “SGA” on Page 3
Rick Majerus coached the Billikens from 2007-2012. He died on Saturday, Dec. 1, of heart failure, in Los Angeles. In his career, he achieved over 500 victories, including a 95-69 record at SLU and an NCAA berth. Majerus’ most successful season came at Utah in the 1997-98 season, when the Utes finished as NCAA national runners-up. By DERRICK NEUNER Enterprise Editor
To many on the outside, the health of Rick Majerus seemed to be a nonfactor. The irreverent coach had a history of health scares during his career as a collegiate head coach – at Utah in 1989, he underwent heart surgery, missing most of the season; he retired from the Utes in 2003 after coaching just 20 games. But, except for a brief absence due to a leg infection in 2011, Majerus seemed to be happy and healthy as the head coach at Saint Louis University. Following the only losing season in his nearly 30 years as a head coach, the maestro Majerus guided the Billikens to the third round of the NCAA Tournament, their first trip there in over 11 years. At the post-game press conference, following a 65-61 loss to No. 5 seeded Michigan State, Majerus remarked to the gathered media that he was exhausted, tired, in need of a break, a beach and maybe a few beers. The crowd laughed. Majerus sighed. Perhaps the joke was more of a foreshadowing. On Aug. 24, Majerus announced he would be
Theology professor delivers ‘Last Lecture’ By MATT HESKAMP Staff Writer
One of the facts of life is that we do not know what is going to happen in the future, whether that is in regards to after we graduate or even years down the road. What you are committing your time to at this moment could be the very last thing you do. If you could have the security of knowing that you could do something, anything, what would you do? On Monday, Dec. 2, Tobias Winright gave his
Last Lecture speech during which he addressed some of these pressing issues. The Last Lecture Series offers Saint Louis University professors the opportunity to answer a the question: If you knew that this was the last lecture you would ever give, what would you share? Each semester, students nominate and vote on a professor to give a presentation as an answer to the question. See “Lecture” on Page 3
Kristen Miano/ News Editor
Last Lecture speaker, Tobias Winright, presents on Dec. 3
INSIDE:
Ryan Giacomino/ The University News
Curtis Wang/ The University News
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taking medical leave from his job as head coach and would not be coaching in the 2012-13 season. Shortly after, on Nov. 16, SLU announced he would not return to the Billikens’ sideline. Neither the school nor any of Majerus’ associates said why. The basketball community would have to find out the hard way. On Dec. 1, in a Los Angeles hospital, Rick Majerus, the larger-than-life former head coach of the Saint Louis University men’s basketball team, passed away. He was 64. According to Jon Huntsman Sr., a longtime friend of the coach, Majerus was told three months prior that he would require a heart transplant in order to survive the latest complication of his cardiac system. Because of Majerus’ extensive history of heart procedures – including a stent inserted in August 2011 – doctors concluded that he was not an eligible candidate for a transplant. He was taken off life support after his condition severely deteriorated. He is survived by his sisters, Jodi and Tracy, and dozens of friends and former players. “We join the rest of the basketball world in sending our condolences to Rick Majerus’ family and friends,” SLU director of athletics Chris May
said in a statement released by SLU. “Coach Majerus put his heart and soul into the Billiken program, and for that we will be eternally grateful. “What I will remember most about Rick’s tenure at SLU was his enduring passion to see his players excel both on and off the court,” May said. “Wins and losses meant a lot to him, but no more than to see our student-athletes succeed in the classroom. He truly embraced the term ‘student-athlete,’ and I think that will be his lasting legacy.” SLU will hold a memorial service for Majerus on Friday, Dec. 7, at 3:30 p.m. at Chaifetz Pavilion. He will be buried Saturday, Dec. 8, in his hometown of Milwaukee. Following Majerus’ passing, outpouring of support for his family and fond memories of encounters came from across the basketball community. “He treated me like I was his brother,” Denver Nuggets head coach George Karl, a former assistant of Majerus’, said. “He’s one of my best friends and I think most people in basketball See “Majerus” on Page 3
West Pine Gym renovations underway By KRISTEN MIANO News Editor
Construction on the new Center for Global Citizenship has progressed over the fall semester and is set to be finished in May of 2013. Located in the underutilized Bauman-Eberhardt building, the Center for Global Citizenship project began last year in an effort to turn the West Pine Gym into a location for students to congregate. “The idea of the Center for Global Citizenship is to get the most out of a space that hasn’t really been used on campus,” Student Government Association president Blake Exline said. “The Bauman-Eberhardt building will be renovated into a center which will really encompass a lot of different things, like international studies, the Center for Community Service and Engagement and the Cross Cultural Center.” According to Exline, the intent is to turn the building into a multi-functional space to serve several dif-
2 OPINION
John Schuler/ Photo Editor
Equipment sits behind the future Center for Global Citizenship as the consturtion continues. ferent groups on Saint Louis University’s campus. The complete building will feature new office spaces for the Cross Cultural Center, which is currently located in the Busch Student Center, and the student groups that work within the CCC. On the first floor, the bowl-style seating of the basketball court will be converted half into an atrium
4 ARTS
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for students to hang out and study in, while the other half will be an all-purpose auditorium for presentations and performances. The auditorium will have a video screen and seat a few hundred people. At this time, the hope is to conserve the original wood floor of the basketball court in an effort to preserve some of the old gym’s his-
torical significance. “The architect of the building described it as more of a ‘living room’ space on campus,” Exline said. “Other places we have on campus don’t necessarily provide that living room type space for students, so we want to create a space for that.” See “Center” on Page 3
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