No. 17 Feb 4 by Daniel Hunninghake

The University News A Student Voice of Saint Louis University Since 1921

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Vol. XC No. 17

Super sunday Steelers vs. Packers Final Gridiron Battle >>SPORTS

Planning process reviewed By KRISTEN MIANO News Editor

The student response to the Cross Cultural Center Student Leadership meeting on Jan. 27 was, for the most part, confusion. “We appreciate being told about the changes,” UNA Core team member, Teresa Wink said. “But I feel like there is a lack of communication between the administration and student leaders.” Much of the confusion stemmed from the explanation of event planning processes. At the being of the 2010- 2011 school year, a new timeline was set for student groups looking to schedule future programs. Groups must now submit the necessary forms to the Student Involvement Center 20 business days prior to the date they hope to have their event. “Twenty business days is the minimum amount of time, though, not the maximum,” Manager of Operation for Student Involvement, David Young said. “Groups can request an event a lot earlier.” The process for planning a CSO event begins with a Program Planning Form, which is the primary form used to request an event. Student Involvement encourages student leader to submit this form, along with an Event Registration Form, six to eight weeks prior to their desired program date, but the absolute minimum is the 20 days. The form initially needs to be signed by both the group’s academic advisor and an advisor in the CCC before it can be brought to Student Involvement for approval. According to Young, the amount of time an advisor will take to sign off on the event

Friday, February 4, 2011

Check out unewsonline.com for exclusive coverage of this week’s winter storm.

Brrrr! It’s cold out there!

Two sought in slew of break-ins By JONATHAN ERNST Editor-in-Chief

Forty minutes. That is how long it took two suspects to break into 15 vehicles on three Saint Louis University parking lots on Wednesday, Feb. 2. According to Assistant Director of the Department of Public Safety and Security Services Kenneth Hornak, at 5:38 a.m. a DPSSS unit pulled into the Seattle Parking Lot on the corner of Vandeventer and West Pine and observed the suspects duck out of sight. The officers got out of their vehicle to engage the suspects when they fled north toward Lindell Blvd. As the officers put in a de-

scription of the suspects over the DPSSS radio, they noticed an empty, running vehicle on the lot. The officers were able to recover the vehicle for evidence and they called the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department to investigate further. “I am really proud of the DPSSS officers because if the officers did not spot them when they did, the suspects could have hit 15 more cars,” Hornak said. No suspects have been taken into custody, but investigators are “working some very strong leads in the case,” according to the SLMPD. Officers recovered the ids of both suspects in their vehicle, and

a warrant has been issued for their arrest. Detectives with the SLMPD believe that these suspects may be responsible for multiple car break-ins in other parts of the city. Commander of the Ninth District Michael Caruso credited the DPSSS officers for assisting in finding evidence that lead back to this “two man wrecking crew.” On campus, the two suspects broke into three vehicles in the Salus Center Lot, four in the St. Peters Lot behind Marchetti and eight in the Seattle Lot. In the suspects’ recovered vehicle, the officers found the stolen items from the vehicles See “Break-ins” on Page 3

Noah Berman / Photo Editor

Public Safety officers Jon Seefeldt (left) and Jonathan Young patrol the St. Peters parking lot on February 3rd. Four breakins were reported in the same lot the day before.

Winter storm slams SLU campus Ice Storm 2” of sleet

2” of snow

1/4” of ice

9,000 student commuters

4,946 faculty and staff

3,000 students on campus

See “CCC” on Page 3

SGA braces for upcoming election By SEAN WORLEY News Editor

The onslaught of snow and ice may have canceled two days of class and it may seem as if spring will never arrive, but there is one season that is sure to affect the Saint Louis University campus rain or shine: election season. The 2011 Student Government Association election season is upon the members of the SLU community. One year ago, Courtney Anvender and the “Come Together” ticket began their would-be success campaign for SGA executive office and now other aspiring students are setting up to take over. As the election season begins, there are some notable changes to the proceedings of this year’s election. Election commissioner Chris McGeehan said that there will no longer be an option for senatorial candidates to run alongside the executive board candidates this year. McGeehan said this change came after the elections last year under the commission of Sam Moore. “This will change things a little bit and I’m curious to see how it turns out,” current SGA president Courtney Anvender said. “Endorsement of individuals will still be a part of the game but to a hopefully lesser extent.” The other notable change to this year’s election procedures was enacted in order to “make running easier” said McGeehan. No longer due senatorial See “Elections” on Page 2

Two cancelled days in a row since 1982 Victor Liou / Photographer

Seniors Mitchell Johnson (left) and Alyssa Herrera play in the new-fallen snow on Feb. 2. All University activities were suspended from Monday, Jan. 31 at 4 p.m. and resumed Thursday, Feb. 3, giving students time off from classes.

Sleet, snow forces two day closure St. Louis shivers under ice storm, blizzard By ANDREA ROYALS Managing Editor

and JONATHAN ERNST Editor-in-Chief

Children were not the only ones rejoicing at the sight of snowfall this week when several businesses and schools in the St. Louis area closed their doors for a snow day. An ice storm prompted Saint Louis University officials to cancel classes starting Monday evening and reopening Thursday morning, citing the safety of the campus community as a primary concern. “It was a unique storm,” said Manoj Patankar, Vice President of the Frost Campus. “There was a lot of uncertainty, not just in the amount of snow or ice we would get, but when it would hit.” The storm, which began Monday afternoon and carried into Wednesday morning, brought with it a quarter inch of ice, classifying it as an ice storm, two inches of snow

and two inches of sleet. “The sleet could have amounted to an additional eight to 12 inches of snow, had the storm not pulled in warmer air aloft, causing the snow to melt into sleet,” said David Koeller, SLU-TV chief

“

It was a unique storm ... there was a lot of uncertainty, not just in the amount of snow or ice we would get, but when it would hit. - Manoj Patankar

”

meteorologist, explaining that the difference in temperature kept the St. Louis area from receiving more snowfall than predicted. However, Koeller said that the quarter inch of ice with

the sleet was particularly dangerous, and that the decision to close the University was a good call. “Safety is first,” said Kent Porterfield, Vice President for Student Development. “If we feel that we put people at risk, then we don’t feel we should hold normal operations.” According to Brett Magill, the Director of Institutional Research and Data Integrity, approximately 9,000 students, both undergraduate and professional, commute to campus on a daily basis. Additionally, 4,946 faculty and staff also travel to and from campus, according to Human Resources Specialist Karen Beyrouty. The safety of commuters was of particular interest to the University. Roland Corvington, Director of the Department of Safety and Security Services, said that the wellbeing of the approximate 3,000 students who live on campus was also a concern in the case of an See “Snow Days” on Page 2

By MARK J. ZINN Staff Writer

With predictions of a major ice and snow storm from the National Weather Service, the city of St. Louis mobilized their emergency operations center (EOC) Monday morning to prepare for any situation involving the winter storm. Directors and chiefs from nearly every city department and agency gathered at the City Emergency Management Agency’s bunker at Solder’s Memorial to gather information and coordinate any emergency situation that developed. During a press briefing at the operations center on Monday afternoon, city and regional officials urged residents to prepare for the worst and offered insight into individual departments’ plan to deal with the then projected major ice and snow accumulations. “Ice conditions are the

greatest threat to light rail,” said John Nations, president of Metro. As of print time, the MetroLink system saw only minor delays due to power outages. Ice conditions aren’t ideal for roadways either, but St. Louis Street Department Director Todd Waelterman credited the public’s compliancy of staying off the roads for his crews’ ability to be “twice as productive.” Waelterman said that when cars stay off the road, accidents don’t happen and traffic doesn’t prohibit the plow trucks from efficiently clearing the pavement. Routes like Grand and Lindell Boulevards were treated rapidly and continuously throughout the storm, but secondary roads like Laclede See “Weather” on Page 3

Is it spring yet?

We asked students: What did you do with your snow days? “I spent the first day hanging out with friends and the next day I went sledding.”

“I studied as much as you can on a snow day. I went to the gym a lot.”

“I had a couple movie nights with friends, baked and did homework.”

John Wendel Senior, Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology.

Danmei Zhang Junior, Doisy College of Health Sciences

Amy Winkler Senior, College of Arts and Sciences

Read and Recycle The University News prints on partially recycled paper.

News

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Friday, February 4, 2011

Let Us Introduce You

Debra Fowler

Bean barista dislikes coffee yet enjoys friendly faces of SLU By ANNA ELLIS Contributor

“When times get rough, let your smile be your umbrella,” Debra Fowler said over the dull roar of traffic buzzing down Grand Avenue as students ordered specialty coffee drinks on their way to class. Fowler has been an employee at Saint Louis University for 19 years, 14 of which she has spent making coffee, cappuccinos and lattes aplenty at The Bean coffee shop across from the bookstore in the Busch Student Center. A veteran of the Venti mocha, Fowler claims that she can accurately predict whether or not a new coffee drink will be successful when introduced to The Bean’s beverage menu. For such an experienced coffee maker, however, you will not find Fowler sipping straight espresso anytime soon. “I don’t like coffee,” she said, her nose wrinkled in distaste. Acknowledging the irony of her statement, Debra cannot help but smile. Customers cannot help but smile back; her smile is infectious. Fowler said her instant charm comes from her commitment to being a good person. Instead of mechanically going through the daily grind of The Bean, Fowler attempts to become acquainted with the coffee shop’s guests so they become more than just faceless coffee orders. “I love getting to know anybody,” she said. Coworkers agree Fowler is a humble and pleasant individual to work with. She is always willing to help out and explain things to others. “She’s really nice,” said Bean employee and Fowler’s co-worker, Dionne Land. “I just switched to this side of campus this year and she taught me a lot. She’s great with team work and a lot of fun to work with.” When Fowler is not working at The Bean, she enjoys spending her free time with

THE SLU SCOOP Monday, Jan 24

6:30 p.m. - Stealing over $500 An employee reported her car had been broken into in the Theresa Lot. Only the employee’s handgun was stolen. SLMPD was contacted.

Monday, Jan 28

12:46 a.m. - Bias Incident A DPSSS officer was advised by the building RA an unknown person had written a derogatory word referring to sexual orientation on the door of Griesedieck Hall room.

Be a Responsible Billiken

All Information Provided by Department of Public Safety and Security Services

Tuesday, Jan 29

8:34 a.m. - Trespassing A DPSSS officer observed a trespasser on campus near Oliver Hall. The individual was confirmed to have an active warrant. The trespasser was taken into custody by SLMPD.

Tuesday, Feb 1

3:44 a.m. - Property Damage Three individuals were observed kicking outdoor lighting elements near Fitzgerald Hall. Two of the individuals were SLU students and were

apprehanded and will be referred to Student Conduct.

Tues, Feb 1 - Wed, Feb 2

A total of 18 vehicles were broken into with various reports of items stolen and damage inflicted. The break-ins took place on the Medical Campus and in the St. Peters and Seattle lots of the Frost Campus.

Check out unewsonline.com for next week’s officer profile!

STOP. CALL. REPORT. 314-977-3000 witness.slu.edu dps.slu.edu

Elections: Students to vote Feb. 28 Kelly Hinderberger / Photographer

her children and her husband. When she first met her husband, she claimed that it was not exactly love at first sight. At least, it was not for her. “When he was first started talking to me, I was like, ‘he cannot be talking to me,’” Fowler said. Eventually, her impression of her future husband changed for the better. The two have been married for over 14 years now and have four children and eight grandchildren. Fowler is also an avid movie fan. Her favorite movies include “The Color Purple” and “Mrs. Doubtfire.” “I just love Robin Williams,” Fowler said. Fowler, like Robin Williams, is known for her comedic timing.

Her coworkers said that Fowler’s sense of humor makes even the busy times at The Bean seem less stressful. Those who know Fowler say that she is not only funny, but also very intelligent. Both the people she works with and students of SLU, praise Fowler’s brainpower. In fact, Fowler is only 13 credits shy of a degree. Her desire is to be an accountant because she harbors a love for math. Fowler has many titles: employee, barista, academic, co-worker, wife, friend, comedian, mother, and grandmother. Yet above all, Debra Fowler has the rare ability to make a person’s entire day seem that much better just by a simple cup of coffee and her contagious smile.

Continued from Page 1

candidates need to receive 100 student signatures. Now, only 50 signatures are required. The same is for vice presidential candidates. Students running for presidency are still obligated to receive the former 100 signatures from other students. In terms of goals for this year’s election season, McGeehan had one. “I just want to make sure the election goes as smooth as possible,” McGeehan said. “I want it to run smoothly and I want to make myself available to all those who are running.” McGeehan takes on the role of election commissioner with years of SGA experience. Having served as a senator before, McGeehan decided he wanted to take on a more passive role as compared to a senatorial position.

As mentioned before, this season will be the one year mark of Anvender’s “Come Together” campaign. When asked if she had any feelings of nostalgia, Anvender said she was proud of her running mates and of her work accomplished this academic year. “We had a ver y high energy level and I think the way we worked together this year showed that,” Anvender said. “I’m really proud we can count the library among our successes this year.” The achieved scheduling of Pius XII Memorial Library was one accomplishment Anvender said was aided by proper planning in her platform. “If there was one bit of advice I could share with those running it would be to not run on something you can’t accomplish,” Anvender said. “We met with a lot of

departments, administrators and others to make sure our goals and our platform promises were attainable.” While those student running for SGA positions are busy preparing for the rapidlyapproaching election season, those students not seeking election, or those not even on senate, are still encouraged to participate. “To the student body, I would really encourage them to pay attention,” Anvender said. “It’s really a unique opportunity for students to become a part of the conversation.” One specific outlet for students to take advantage of this season is the SGA Executive Board and Presidential debate held Feb. 15 at 6 p.m. Also, students are reminded to vote for senatorial, vice presidential and presidential candidates on Feb. 28 via the Banner system.

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Friday, February 4, 2011

Hopeville residents sheltered in College Church GIC event announced Michael Cox to speak on Feb. 9

By WOLF HOWARD Staff Writer

Each year, numerous St. Louisans find themselves homeless in the wintertime, according to the Xavier Winter Inn Program at St. Xavier College Church. However, help is coming in the form of new housing and support programs across the city. The number of homeless in St. Louis decreased from 1,485 in 2005 to 1,305 in January 2010, according to a count by the city. Included in this count is Hopeville, a homeless community located near Laclede’s Landing. Hopeville residents live in tents, but when severe weather causes the tents to collapse, many residents sleep inside of a defunct bus. Anyone looking for shelter in Hopeville is welcomed by Dena Weber, the community’s elected mayor. She only has one request: please don’t make any trouble. Though Weber claimed that “rules don’t work,” the community does have a few guidelines in order to get residents to work together to maintain the camp. Additionally, there are several old grills to cook on and a campfire kept alive with fire wood and trash. Hopeville residents have a simple plan for the future according to Weber. “[We want to] keep doing what we’re doing,” she said Teka Childress is a sociologist who has been trying to get those in need of shelter off the streets. Despite the decrease in the number of homeless, she does not think things have much improved. “Many people have reached out and many good things are happening,” Childress said, “but no, we haven’t solved the problem yet.” Childress specified short term and long term implica-

By ANDREA ROYALS Managing Editor

Erin Twiehaus / Photographer

Residents of Hopeville, a homeless community in St. Louis, are able to seek shelter from the cold in St. Francis Xavier College Church, among other establishments who opened their doors this winter. tions for the general issue of homelessness. The long-term goal is to get homeless citizens a stable income and housing, while short-term, immediate action goal is to find these citizens a place to stay at night. “There are close to 200 people without shelter at night. We’re not doing enough to take care of these people’s needs,” Childress said. “It’s demoralizing.” There are currently four locations that act as overflow housing: St. Francis Xavier Church, Metropolitan Community Church, Americorp, and Emmanuel Water Tower. The program at St. Francis Xavier Church has 196 volunteers. Cots are set up, dinner

Break-ins: More than $1,000 in stolen goods recovered from crime Continued from Page 1

in the three SLU lots, totaling over $1,000, according to the SLMPD. Sophomore Kathleen Allen had her GPS stolen from her Nissan Pathfinder, which was parked in the Seattle Lot, and was informed by DPSSS of the robbery the afternoon of Feb. 2. Allen’s passenger window was smashed in and the suspects took her GPS from under her seat and attempted to steal her stereo system. On Feb. 3 SLMPD officers returned Allen’s GPS and 10 other items that they found in the suspects’ car to the vehicle owners. These items included iPods, GPS units, stereo systems and a radar detector. “I think it is the luck of the draw that they found something valuable in my car, as I hid my items from sight,” Allen said. “I think it is kind of crazy that those guys hit that many cars, and I don’t really feel that my car is safe in the SLU lots especially with the gates not being down.” According to Director of Parking and Card Services Ann Gioia, the gates at the SLU lots were raised because of the thawing and freezing at the entrances and exit ways due to the recent inclement weather. The raised gates also allowed access for snow plows.

“As snow and ice thaw, the water is washing out of the lots at these spots and refreezing, if we put the gates up during these conditions then we could have cars running into the bars,” Gioia said. “I have been here for 17 years and we have always raised the gates and I don’t think this is the cause of the break-ins.” Hornak believes the raised gates did cause an opportunity for the suspects, as they had an easy way to escape the lots with their vehicle. He said if the gates were down, the opportunity would have been limited. However, this incident is not the first time some students experienced the affects of a car break-in. Sarah Morales, a senior in the School of Nursing, said her vehicle, which she parks on the Seattle lot, was also broken into in November. She said DPSSS ought to do more to monitor parking lots, as “two, or potentially more, car break-ins are not in every student’s budget.” According to DPSSS, officers continuously monitor parking lots for punched door locks, broken windows, suspicious characters and cars backed up into spaces with engines running. DPSSS encourages students to secure all of their items within their vehicle and to keep them out of site, thus limiting criminal opportunity.

is served, and volunteers play cards with the clients. “We’ve been playing a big game of Uno every time,” Anne Osdieck, one of the program coordinators at the church, said According to Osdieck, the four locations share the days that they are open, with Xavier taking Wednesday, Thursday, and every other Friday. “We can hold 14 people and we’ve been filled to capacity except the very first time,” she said. Dan Goeddel, a student at Saint Louis University and a volunteer at St. Xavier, felt great after his first experience in the program. “Everyone was really open and I really got to know a lot of them easily,” Goeddel said.

His night at St. Xavier also taught him more about the situation. “I asked what the shelter could do better and one guy said ‘on the weekends we’re really suffering.’” Goeddel said, “I always thought there were enough shelters to take care of all the homeless, but on the weekends they don’t have anywhere to go.” Childress would like to see many more churches do what St. Xavier is doing. “If we got churches to each open and offer hospitality that would be a big piece of the solution,” Childress said. “My hope and dream is that we’ll get 10 or 15 churches in the city that will open their doors in the winter to 10 or 15 people each.”

With the recent uprisings in Egypt, the topic of international politics is one that is on many students’ minds. The Great Issues Committee has invited academic scholar and international relations expert Michael Cox to speak at the first event of the spring semester. Cox’s lecture, entitled “President Obama and the End of the American Empire,” is scheduled to take place on Feb. 9 at 8 p.m. in the Wool Ballrooms in the Busch Student Center. Though Cox has not yet arrived on campus, his lecture, with the title alone, has already sparked controversy. Colin Shevlin, Chair of GIC, said he expects the lecture to foster an opportunity for debate on campus, acknowledging that Cox may introduce controversial topics to the University community. Shevlin said Cox will discuss the decline in prominence of the United States in the international arena. “The mission of GIC is to expose students to issues that are happening in the world,” Shevlin said. Cox is the author of several books and also edits academic journal articles that regard international relations and foreign policy. He has presented lectures to various business organizations, military and intelligence personnel and senior executives in the United States, Brussels, Beijing, Paris, Rome and Madrid for the past 20 years. Even though his resume is packed with prominent speeches, Cox is familiar with presenting to college audiences. He is currently the Chair of the Department of International Relations at the London School of Economics and has

held positions at Queen’s University of Belfast, California State University at San Diego and the College of William and Mary in Virginia. Cox has most recently researched the foreign policy of the United States and the role the country plays in the international economy. He also discusses the role China plays in the future of the global economy. His presentation to the University will address the impact of the Obama administration in regard to the global economy, human rights and world security. “Students that attend will definitely be presented with a challenging look at the role of the United States in world politics,” said student Michael Harris, a member of GIC. Harris had the opportunity to attend the same lecture while he was taking a summer course at the London School of Economics, which he said lead to him to suggest inviting Cox to speak at SLU. “Cox has a unique perspective of the current geopolitical climate, and the impact the Obama administration has had and will have throughout the rest of his term,” Harris said. “The topic itself is particularly controversial, and I would definitely encourage all students to attend, even those that are not specifically interested in American politics.” Although Cox may present controversial topics to the University community, Shevlin also encourages all students to attend regardless of political ideology. “I hope that even if people don’t agree with his stance, that they take away a different kind of perspective of the United States,” Shevlin said. “I think it’s good to consider other perspectives and maybe think about the place and power of the United States in the world.”

Weather: City sees widespread delays, icy roadways Continued from Page 1

and Spring remained either partially or fully covered. Waelterman said that his department works off a grid system that prioritizes routes using traffic volume. “Everything went really well,” Waelterman said. Waelterman also said he believes the high accumulations of sleet, instead of what could have been higher snowfall amounts, made it easier to clear the roads in a timely fashion. Areas to the north and west of St. Louis did, however, see higher snowfall tallies. More than a foot of snow and powerful winds contributed to the Missouri Department

Shah (Yuqing Xia) / Associate Photo Editor

Midtown was one of multiple areas impacted by a snow storm, which covered St. Louis, among most of the nation, in an icy, wintry mix. City officials dispatched workers in order to clear roads.

Snow Days: SLU sees first consecutive closure since ‘82 Continued from Page 1

electrical shortage during the storm. “We wanted to have as few people on campus as possible to minimize the impact of any power outages,” Corvington said. “We were prepared to provide alternative shelter in case of an electrical outage.” Alternative shelters, according to Porterfield, were primarily Simon Recreational Center, the Bush Student Center and Chaifetz Arena. The University also advised students who live on campus from the St. Louis area to return home in the case of an outage. To accommodate the

students who remained on campus, the University made several spaces available for Chartwells employees to stay so that meals could be provided. Although several departments at the University were closed, the Department of Facilities Management was prepared to clean the campus as the storm progressed. Grounds Supervisor Keith Labitska said the Grounds Department had been tracking the storm since Friday to ensure that they had enough equipment, such as ice meters and rock salt, to assist in cleanup. “Snow is much easier to

deal with,” Labitska said. “It is the freezing rain that packs itself down and is hard to plow. We had to keep going over it and get it done layer by layer.” The ice caused one vehicle accident involving a University official, which caused Corvington to tell officers to park their cars and walk on foot when patrolling. While the University has closed the campus for weather safety in the past, this is the first time since 1982 SLU has been closed for more than two consecutive days, said University Archivist John Waide, who has been working for the University for more than

36 years. The 1982 blizzard brought 24 inches of snow to St. Louis, closing the University campus for four days. Patankar said faculty could be seen thanking the administration for closing campus, and that it will be up to them and students to catch up on the canceled classes. “It was nice to be able to catch up on sleep and homework with the days off,” said freshman Tyler Green. “The dorms are a lot more fun because of the extra time that everyone had.” Although the storm did not cause as much harm as expected, the University was prepared to tackle it.

CCC: Diversity groups student leaders confused with new policy alterations Continued from Page 1

varies by adviser, but this should not hold up event planning. “This will help with basic event planning,” Young said. “It’s not meant to hinder students, but meant to encourage them to be more proactive in their planning. Advisers will work with the groups through out the entire process” Some student leaders are not convinced, however. “[There] was a lot of talk about holding student leaders accountable to a burdensome administrative bureaucracy and little talk about how administrators can be more accountable to students,” Rainbow Alliance President Thomas Bloom said. “If we are expected to complete lengthy paperwork and adhere to

rigid deadlines, administrators could at least commit themselves to responding to us in a timely manner with straightforward answers.” One of the biggest complaints leaders have about the matter is how little input the student involved in CSO leadership had in the decision process. According to Young, the extent of student consulting fell on three members of the Student Government Association. “Last year, we talked to three senators who had concerns about the speaker approval process,” Young said. “This lead to the discussion about the event planning processes.” Young said that none of the student leaders affected by the policies were consult-

ed before the changes were however, that these policies would help ensure qualimplemented. “Basically, there’s a lot of ity event planning and avoid confusion,” Alexander Salazar, financial troubles for CSOs. Student a junior leaders also on SGA’s expressed P o l i c y concern Committee, with the said. “We’re Basically, there’s a process all worried required about the lot of confusion. We’re for bringing spur of the all worried about the a speaker moment to campus. events and spur of the moment Should a this new events and this new group want time line.” time line. to have an Salazar event feastated that -Alexander Salazar turing a in spite of s p e a k e r, the shared per for mer, governance or musical statement between SGA and the Saint artist, they would also need Louis University, senate to submit a Standard Speaker had little input on the policy Agreement Form in addition change. He acknowledged, to the Program Planning and

“

”

Event Registration Forms. The Standard Speaker Agreement form is not an approval form, but a contract between the proposed speaker and the University. This form also needs to be looked over by the group’s advisors before being sent to Student Involvement and needs to follow the 20-business day minimum policy. Student leaders are worried about the time crunch with all the steps CSOs need to take to plan events. “The 20-day policy is misleading because we need to get posters made and put up two weeks before the event,” UNA Core Team member Lauren Araujo said at the Jan. 27 meeting. “So it’s really a six week process. We want guidelines as to how to submit these forms.”

Though these polices were explained to the CSOs during the mandatory CSO leadership meeting in the fall, the best advice Young and the CCC advisors, Patric French and Andre Benson, could give students was to plan as early as possible for events, as there is no limit to how early a group can submit an event proposal. This increases a CSO’s chances of getting their programs and speakers approved and keeps the planning processes running smoothly. “Communication first semester was not the best,” Young said. “The policies were discussed with the CSOs but were not implemented right away. But it’s been fully stated now, and we are open to questions about the matter.”

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Talk to us: Priya Sirohi 314.977.2812 oped.unews@gmail.com

Friday, February 4, 2011

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Enough is enough: Students deserve your explanations, not your silence

editor-in-chief Jonathan Ernst (314) 977-1590 eic.unews@gmail.com

Enough. We need to talk. Students deser ve respect as adults. The utter degrading lack of communication from the administration to the student body has reached the limit. Saint Louis University’s new policies affecting student organizations under the Cross Cultural Center comes parading towards us dressed in mocker y and distrust. SLU asked and utilized little to no student feedback before bouldering us with this restructuring of Student Involvement. They did not even bother to explain any kernel of meaning or intention behind their actions, let alone gather our thoughts about them. Una, Rainbow Alliance, Black Student Alliance, Students United for Palestine, and a considerable number of other student organizations that fall under the CCC all now have to submit additional forms to the CCC in order to book events on campus; only after CCC approval can these groups submit forms to Student Involvement. This, and a large, jumbled plethora of other forms, regulations and advisor changes, has formed a barrage of initiatives that have left students blind sided, confused and angr y. To what purpose is SLU dismembering its student events policies? We do not know. There are two ideas that we can grasp, however. First, the administration has apparently tabbed students under some label of “Philistines” in their record books. It’s obvious from the silence on their part and their increased bureaucratic controls (without student feedback) that they fear us. They fear students will not act rationally or responsibly; if they tell us their reasoning behind their actions, there might be protests like the ones last year. Is there something to hide, then? This distrust and secrecy alone is causing the effect they want to avoid. The

general manager JOE Mckeon ads.unews@gmail.com Managing Editor Andrea Royals me.unews@gmail.com News Editors Kristen Miano Sean Worley slunews@gmail.com Enterprise Editor ERIKA MILLER enterprise.unews@gmail.com op/ed editor PRIYA SIROHI Assoc. OP/ED editor DANIELA MONDRAGON oped.unews@gmail.com Arts editor Ashley Jones Sports editor BRIAN BOYD Assoc. Sports editor DERRICK NEUNER sports.unews@gmail.com photo editor Noah Berman photo.unews@gmail.com Assoc. PHOTO editorS SHAH (YUQING XIA) KATI CUNDARI photo.unews@gmail.com Design Director Brianna Radici design.unews@gmail.com

Last week, a storm hit Washington Uni- need to learn a ripe lesson here. SLU is not versity in St. Louis that, far from leaving a perfect school; problems exist at every carnage, has vitalized and refreshed the level. student body. In its wake it leaves a rather Anything from laundry room maintenance embarrassed national figure, a massive peti- to bureaucratic policies is legitimate game tion and an empowered group of dedicated for our critical attention. individuals who set out to create change. As the Wash U students have so admiraThe ousting of Bristol Palin from an ab- bly exhibited, the power of a few dedicated stinence panel by and determined the Student Health individuals is not Advisory Committo be underestitee stands as one mated. At a school where our of the most recent They used Faand successful cebook to spread advisors literally tell us that no achievements of the message. They student input was taken before reached the atthe power of opinion. of their certain policies were enacted, tention While this is Student Advisory it is absolutely incredible to Board— and they nothing on the scale of student saw sweet sucsee students so empowered... protests that occess. curred in the 1960s At a school during the Vietnam where our adviWar, it certainly sors literally tell serves as a powerus that no student ful example of grassroots leadership. input was taken before certain policies were Students identified a problem with the way enacted, it is absolutely incredible to see sturesources were being used. Instead of sim- dents so empowered and active in the events mering in resentment for a few moments and and happenings at their school. We give a forgetting about it, they took their complaint hearty commendation to student body of to other students. They spread the message, Wash U for speaking out against the wrongs garnered 1,153 signatures on a petition, and that they saw occurring at their university. raised their voices in opposition. Despite the onslaught of this last week, Students here at Saint Louis University SLU could use this kind of storm.

Account executive madalyn guy ads.unews@gmail.com

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Account executive RACHEL CAMPBELL ads.unews@gmail.com Account executive CONNOR BERRY ads.unews@gmail.com Adviser Jason L. Young jyoung42@slu.edu The Editorial Board of The University News Recognizes Avis Meyer, Ph.D. as the newspaper’s faculty mentor.

The University News is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press, the Student Press Law Center, the College Media Advisers and the Missouri College Media Association, a division of the Missouri Press Association.

Check out our blogs!

Blogs, additional commentaries and activities such as our web poll are all available on our website: unewsonline.com.

policies concern student organizations, the leaders of which are some of the most intelligent and respectable students on campus. It is insulting to feel like lambs; they expect us to meekly, timidly accept these rules – rules that come with neither explanation nor consultation, rules cloaked in mistrust. Second, we can perhaps think of ways SLU is tr ying to improve. We want to give them the benefit of the doubt that there is some greater good to be reached through these new policies. However, we can’t see the truth in that idea when the administration puts little faith in students to provide guiding and intelligent suggestions as to how policies need to be framed. It more honestly appears to us as if they are tr ying to push students far away from administrative decision making, and not at all tr ying to improve our University. This might not be the intent; but again, we don’t know their intentions when nothing has been communicated. Vague replies - far from avoiding exposure and thus anger and controversy – are destroying the administration’s credibility for the student body; people are angr y already. We demand communication. There is such a thing as a student voice. We cannot let SLU bypass us. We need to send a message, a message that we are here. We are active. We are listening, and hearing nothing. We ask critical questions, and receive tepid, political and dodgy answers. We are tired of it. We need explanations, even if they might cause controversy. Prove to us that you are capable of opening up, and give us an opportunity to prove to you that we can behave like the adults we truly are. Let’s sit down, open up, and work this out together. Let’s talk.

Bristol Palin is pushed aside by Wash U student voices

copy editors HEATHER FLISS SARAH MAREK copydesk.unews@gmail.com

-The Conservative Billiken SLU’s conservative voice -The Progressive Billiken SLU’s liberal voice -Foreign Affairs Students studying abroad -Going into OT On and off the court - 24/7

Peony Lee / Illustrator

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Posted below are the results from our web poll on The University News’ website. These are the current opinions on how students are spending their snow days. How are you spending your snow days?

39%

Sleeping

28%

Studying

25%

Frequenting the local bars

Catching up on your TV shows

Administration’s apathy has left student groups slighted and confused About a week ago, cultural student organizations at Saint Louis University’s were brought together for an announcement. In a meeting led by the SLU administration, cultural student organization leadership was told that a new policy had been put in place. This policy has added more steps to efficiently plan an event for cultural student organizations. Although many details were laid out about the policy, answers varied from administrator to administrator. To be honest, we’re really not 100 percent positive of all the details of the new policy. It depends who you ask. We are sure, however, that new policies have been put in place that affects a great majority of students. Efficiency is what we all should strive for, isn’t it? Shouldn’t students, especially leaders of cultural student organizations, be able to plan events, speakers and the like at least a month or so in advance? As students involved in several student organizations and event-planning committees, we’ve seen firsthand the complexities and more-than-likely possibility of potential issues with planning events and speakers. Without a doubt, we understand the administration’s reasoning and logic behind their decision for the 20-day policy. It will ensure that student organizations stay on top of things, and that events are well planned. It does, however, seem like students are being slighted about issues that more than directly affect us. Perhaps the administration sometimes forgets that students are the sole reason universities and places of higher education even exist. Adding unclear policies without student input is unfair to us students trying to make SLU a thriving and active campus. Perhaps a reality that our University administration has yet to acknowledge is that certain offices and specific employees might need more help. Instead of pushing the stress from one office down to students, administrators need to consider hiring more officials to aid students. -Jonathan Serpas and Tyler Sondag are SGA Senators for the John Cook School of Business.

Quotes of the week

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I feel like there is a lack of communication between the administration and student leaders. -Teresa Wink, sophomore in the School of Nursing.

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See Page 1.

... the characteristic of a good team is when you have them down, you step on them and throttle them. -Kyle Cassity, junior in the John Cook School of Business.

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See Page 9.

If we are expected to complete lengthy paper work and adhere to rigid deadlines, administrators could at least commit themselves to responding to us in a timely manner with straight-forward answers. -Thomas Bloom, senior in the College of Arts and Sciences.

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See Page 3.

Opinion

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Friday, February 4, 2011

Wikileaks is super, but Julian Assange is not the hero we need

In the months that have passed since “Cablegate” began, my stance on Wikileaks has not Commentary changed. I still believe the intent behind W ikileaks to be good; governments, especially democracies, need to be Noah Berman as open as possible -and the cables do provide interesting reading. There’s nothing overtly shocking; people don’t like each other, American diplomats are critical of other countries, sometimes the public face of a government does not much its internal diplomatic actions. As far as I know, lives have not been put in danger by the leaks and I continue to be of the opinion that when the dust settles, we will be able to see that this was inevitable in a post-Cold-War world. I don’t, however, continue to support Julian Assange. For those who are not aware, the Wikileaks founder and figurehead was accused by Swedish authorities of what is essentially sexual misconduct. This is a nuanced situation. There are people with more column inches available who can tell you more about the details behind the charges. But the gist of which is that Assange is being accused of committing a sex crime, and Swedish authorities would like to ask him some very serious questions. Assange claims that he is innocent, and that these charges are an attempt to lock him down and extradite him to America or spirit him away in a black-ops extraordinary r endition program. So, that’s the situation. I’m not going to comment on the charges or whether or not the man is innocent. That is a matter for the

Mauriel Blakeley / Illustrator

courts to decide. But I am extremely interested in the reaction to these events. The assumption seems to have been, from all corners of the progressive media, that Assange was being set up; that the two women accusing him are CIA plants or something. A noble hero like Assange could never possibly have done something so reprehensible. The problem with this mindset is that sometimes, sadly, these sorts of charges are true. Or if they aren’t true, they at least deserve a thorough investigation. The fact that people progressive feminist media figures - would so instantly dismiss these charges is a little bit unsettling. It says all sorts of weird and uncomfortable things about our culture. Following comments from the likes of Keith Olbermann and Michael Moore, the

feminist blogosphere nearly exploded and a concentrated campaign to get some

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nesses located near its seemingly ubiquitous locations. If that isn’t enough to convince you to avoid Wal-Mart, just take a look at popular funny photoblog, peopleofwalmart.com. If Wal-Mart was claiming to improve the lives of Americans, they would have to present a pretty strong case to convince me, personally. However, after further investigation, I have come to the conclusion that this new plan may be just the thing America needs. The United States has one of the highest obesity rates in the world. There is no doubt that choosing unhealthy foods and having poor eating habits contribute to this problem. As a powerful developed country, there is no reason why people living in the U.S. should not have access to affordable healthy food. According to The New York Times, “Wal-Mart sells more groceries than any other company in the country.” If this grocery store “superpower” actually follows through on its promise to reduce sodium by 25 percent, reduce added sugars by 10 percent and eliminate all industrially added trans fats, then it can have a significant impact of the lives of many Americans. Furthermore, there is a good chance that Wal-Mart’s new healthy initiatives will

The fact that people - progressive feminist figures would so instantly dismiss these charges is a little bit unsettling.

apologies for dismissing what - true or false - are very serious charges, succeeded. Moore and OIbermann apologized. This is good. I wrote before that the United States government should realize that the Cold War has ended,

Wal-Mart needs to shape itself up before attempting to get us into shape When you think of WalMart, what words come to mind? I’m going to go out on a limb and Commentary assume that “healthy” is not at the top of your list. While visiting a friend’s apar tment recently, I tried a glass of Wal-Mart apple juice Lizzie Bartek that turned out to actually be an “apple flavored drink” with 30 grams of sugar per eight ounce serving. Executives at Wal-Mart are on a mission to change your mind. This month they announced a five-year plan to reduce sodium and added sugars and eliminate added trans fat in all Wal-Mart brand foods. They have also promised to lower prices of fresh fruits and vegetables to encourage customers to eat healthier. Proponents of this plan claim that these changes will transform Wal-Mart customers into healthier consumers. I have never been a fan of WalMart, so I was pretty skeptical when I first heard about their plan. This is the same company that ships many jobs overseas, is rumored to mistreat its workers, and manages to shut down many small busi-

and that Wikileaks might just be a good thing. Growing up in a post-Cold War world, it seems as though a definite remnant of those anxious years is a tendency to see things in a very us or them, good or bad, yes or no fashion. Assange did a good thing so he must be a good person, and so the nuances of sex crimes get tossed out the window. The CIA has done bad things so they are the enemy and that is that.

pressure other food manufacturers to follow their lead. Wal-Mart already eliminates many opponents by providing products at extremely low prices. If they are also able to provide healthier food options, then there is no reason for customers to buy less healthy foods for higher prices. Wal-Mart may be the catalyst needed to bring about a healthier food revolution. Don’t get me wrong, I still would not advise anyone to change their shopping habits and start buying everything from Wal-Mart. In my opinion, Wal-Mart needs to fully embrace these healthy initiatives and make some radical changes when it comes to the ethics of their business practices before I will ever shop there regularly. However, it is obvious that Wal-Mart has a lot of clout in the grocery industry. I believe that this new plan can definitely have a positive ripple effect on other food companies in the U.S. Wal-mart executives, there are a lot of things you do poorly. This is your chance to make a legitimate positive change that may benefit millions of people. Don’t blow it. Lizzie Bartek is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Starla Salazar / Illustrator

I do not presume Assange’s guilt, but I do not believe these charges to be a trick. Assange should go to Sweden and face charges. If he becomes a victim of extraordinary rendition, he will be the single-most public figure to disappear-- perhaps the greatest leak of all. If it turns out he did commit a sex crime, he should go to jail. Assange is not Wikileaks, a service which will continue to run on no matter who is around to speak for it. We need to remember that there has never been a time in which crime was simple, and that sometimes people who do commit good acts are capable of committing equally bad ones. Noah Berman is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Forget resolutions I have never been one to to change the world. make New Year’s Resolutions. But I did realize that there I think that if we are lucky is an important step that enough to must be taken before somebe able to body can actually make a difCommentary recognize ference. that our Making a change in the souls are world doesn’t start with talkready and ing about it, but by starting to willing for look at the world from your impor tant own perspective. change, we To help others, you first shouldn’t must figure out where you decide to are in this world, and there e m b a r k is an immense beauty in that Laura Hicks on such discovery. a jourPull a Monet. Stop spendney just ing your time concentrating because of the date. on life’s details. Take a few I never saw the point of steps back, open your eyes, forcing growth upon myself and see how beautiful it is if I’m just going to end up as a whole. Absolutely gorresenting that growth. geous. The body doesn’t grow It isn’t until you take in because it’s confined by the entire picture that you restraints. can finally realize what you Actually, the exact oppo- once thought was just a site happens, and that is true messy blob of paints is actufor the mind and the soul as ally a breathtaking water lily. well. There’s W h y no need to say, “I’m announce going to your decision do this” to change Life is a continuous when your or “I’m not going story that doesn’t begin soul is open. to do and end each year, so we Change that” just is the only because shouldn’t act like it does. thing we can you’re truly depend s u p on in life, and posed it doesn’t just to start come around a n e w once a year. on Jan. 1? Life is a continuI strongly believe that ous story that doesn’t begin keeping your heart, mind, and end each year, so we and soul open will lead to shouldn’t act like it does. more growth than any annuThere is so much more al resolution will. out there to learn and to Look at the world until grow from if we just shut our you find that beauty. mouths and open our eyes. Inspiration undoubtedly I could have written that follows. last sentence a month ago, and while the words would Laura Hicks is a junior in have been the same, it would the College of Education and have been empty of mean- Public Service. ing. It seems to me that too often we, as young adults, feel like we must act in order to make a difference in the world, more importantly, that we must act now or never. I don’t know about anybody else, but as a college student, I find the idea that I’m supposed to change the world a bit daunting— especially when I can’t even decide what electives to take. How am I supposed to know how to change the world? That’s the revelation I had this past week. No, I didn’t figure out how

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“Australia Day” is reminiscent of home After learning most of the new customs and attempting to fit in, I got to experience Australia Commentary Day celebrations during my second week here at Bond “Uni” in Australia. Australia Day, celebrated annually on Jan. 26, is a pubWilson Fulk lic holiday that denotes a day of partying for citizens on the island. In my first class, I was offered homemade Lamington, a sponge cake covered in chocolate and sprinkled with coconut with a little Australian flag stuck in the top, as a way to celebrate. After class was over, our teacher gave us a “Happy Australia Day!” salute and let us out early to enjoy the festivities. As I walked around campus on the way to my next course, I noticed that everyone seemed excited. They wore their Aussie flags around their shoulders, “I Love Australia” t-shirts and had Australian flag tattoos on their faces. All around campus I heard people discussing their party plans to participate in their nation’s holiday. After my courses were over (and after another store-bought Lamington or two) I headed to the beach with a few “mates” to fully experience the Australia Day celebrations. I felt like I was at an American Fourth of July party with the wrong kind of flag. Everywhere I looked I saw people hanging out with barbecues going, music playing and swapping words of pride and joy back and forth. They played rugby, cricket, volleyball and other lawn games, and everything they had out on display was stamped with an Australian flag. The beach was packed with children, adults and teenagers— all having a good time in celebration. I even got to experience some Australia Day hospitality, as an Aussie mate handed me a Weiss Bar, a sweet treat, as a sign of cheers. Even though the country I was in had just experienced massive amounts of hurt and pain due to the devastating effects of intense flooding, Australians were able to hold their heads high and celebrate the independence of their country together as one nation. The amount of compassion and pride fellow Australians shared with each other and those of us who are not Australian truly moved me. Their actions opened my eyes even more to this culture and country. Though I still have more than 100 days here in Australia (which I am by no means complaining about since the weather is an average of 82 degrees) certain aspects of home do seem appealing. I miss my family, Taco Bell and not paying $5 for a jar of generic peanut butter. Though prices are a bit higher here, and they have never heard of Double Stuff Oreos or Reese’s, the pride within and for their country makes it feel like home to me. Though they wave a different flag, sing a different national anthem and drive on the opposite side of the road, they still have the same attitudes as American citizens do about their country. With my fellow Australians (for the time being) I say, “In joyful strains then let us sing, advance Australia fair!” Wilson Fulk is a sophomore in the College of Nursing.

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Friday, February 4, 2011

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Comics/Student Art

Last Week’s Solutions:

By Noah Berman / Photo Editor

News 2/3/11 Sudoku

PuzzleJunction.com

Sudoku

Figger It

University News 2/3/11 Figger-It

To solve the Sudoku puzzle, each row, column and box must contain the numbers 1 to 9.

Figger-It

9 5

1 7 8

To solve the Figger-It, simply change the FIRST letter in each of the words below to form a new word. (Example: Hat can be made into Fat.) Using the new first letter of each word, place it on one of the spaces provided to find the mystery answer. You will have to figure out on which space each letter belongs. Note: some words can be changed into more than one word!

6 7

9 3

That’s the last one!

DEMO CIVET SPEND THUG FIELD JASON

5 2 7

PuzzleJunction.com

__________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________

How the donut maker felt after his business went down the tubes.

Crossword

University News 2/3/11 Crossword

Word Search

PuzzleJunction.com

University News 2/3/11 Word Search

Across 1 5 9 13 14 15 16 18 19 20 22 24 25 28 32 33 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 44 46 47 48 53 57 58 61 62 63 64 65 66

Launching sites Ferry, for one Weapons At the apex Cattle spread Cleanser Affectionate missive Food ﬁsh Newspapers and TV, e.g. Mileage recorder Winter malady, for some Asphalt Grave Wasp weapon Frogman Will Vow words Singles Eliminate Sundowns Raced Curt Cream (Fr.) Fail to detonate African desert Printer’s marks Oolong Ovation Rituals Field game Possible Flair Tango, e.g. Highway Disclaim Was (Lat.) Wager type

39 42

5 625 1 2 7 9 3 4 849

3 927 8 1 4 5 43 6 246 7

622 2 4 9 3 40 7 8 1 5

1 8 23 9 7 3 5 8 1 7 9 33 3 34 5 8 37 6 5 4 5 2 1 8 4 1 2 6 9 7 4 2 6 3 7 9 2 4 51 6 52 3

2 284 6 7 9 3 44 5 47 8 1

24 29

35 38 41 45

56 60

63 66

Down 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14

Buddy Molecule Pigeon Hastened Baseball item In the know Played in one stroke Choke Abaft Defeat Lion’s headdress Mast Kingdom

Down in the Dumps Figger-It Solution

4 726 2 3 6 8 1 5 950

Solution 17 2/3/11 Sudoku 19

PuzzleJunction.com

17 Inmate without parole 21 Letters 23 Doubtful 25 Red Sea peninsula 26 Kilns 27 ___ Miserables 28 Wisest 29 Donor 30 Dropsy 31 Showy ﬂower 32 Student residence 34 Time periods (Abbr.) 37 Sway

38 40 41 43 45 48 49 50 51 52 54 55 56 59 60

Time period Louise or Turner Constraint Serious crime Bird’s nest Mocked Rod Design Nova Bunsen burner Gone with the Wind location Black Spline Perform Dutch commune

G Memo N I Rivet U M C Upend D Chug I D Yield L Mason L B

Y L

A G A Crummy S M E

AGITATED

DISMAYED

MOROSE

BLUE

DISTURBED

ON THE SKIDS

BUMMED OUT

DOWN

PERPLEXED

CHEERLESS

FLUSTERED

RUFFLED

DEJECTED

FORLORN

SAD

DEMORALIZED

GLOOMY

SORROWFUL

DEPRESSED

GLUM

SULKING UNHAPPY

DESOLATE

GRUMPY

DISCONSOLATE

MELANCHOLIC

UPSET

DISMAL

MISERABLE

WISTFUL

The University News

Arts OUT ON THE TOWN Arts Editor’s Picks

Talk to us: Ashley Jones 314.977.2812 arts.unews@gmail.com

Friday, February 4, 2011

unewsonline.com

2720 Cherokee fosters creativity

MUSIC Friday, February 4 8:30 p.m. Firebird two year anniversary show: The Life and Times Firebird Tickets are $10 8 p.m. Story of the Year The Pageant Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 the day of the show There will be a $2 minor surcharge at the door Saturday, February 5 9 p.m. The Good Foot The Gramophone Tickets are $6 plus a $2 minor surcharge Tuesday, February 8 9 p.m. Yetisburg with Blue Sol and Coryography 2720 Cherokee There will be a $2 cover charge

THEATER

Friday, February 4 8 p.m. Hotcity Theatre: True West The Kranzberg Arts Center Blackbox For ticket prices visit hotcitytheatre.org Saturday, February 5 8 p.m. Hotcity Theatre: True West The Kranzberg Arts Center Blackbox For ticket prices visit hotcitytheatre.org Sunday, February 6 7 p.m. Hotcity Theatre: True West The Kranzberg Arts Center Blackbox For ticket prices visit hotcitytheatre.org Tuesday, February 9 8 p.m. 9 to 5: The Musical The Fox Theatre For ticket prices visit fabulousfox.com Wednesday, February 9 8 p.m. 9 to 5: The Musical The Fox Theatre For ticket prices visit fabulousfox.com Thursday, February 10 8 p.m. 9 to 5: The Musical The Fox Theatre For ticket prices visit fabulousfox.com

Leda Riley / Photographer

Joshua Grigaitis of Loyal Family and Davide Weever of Art Dimensions have teamed up to bring St. Louis an art and music venue all wrapped into one. The venue saw 50,000 attendees during its first year of operation.

Venue hosts musicians and artists By MATT BOMMARITO Staff Writer

2720 Cherokee first opened its doors in September of 2009. Since then it has experienced steady growth, with approximately 50,000 people attending the venue in its first year of operation, according to Joshua Grigaitis, known to most as Joshua Loyal. He is the man behind Loyal Family, which is concerned with music production and has a space at 2720 Cherokee. 2720 Cherokee, which serves as a concert venue as well as an art gallery, was first envisioned about three years ago by Grigaitis and Davide Weever. Weever r uns Ar t Dimensions, which is an organization and gallery that displays local, regional and national artists with a new opening every 4-6 weeks. “[2720 Cherokee] really is a collaborative effort between me and Davide. We were looking for a space that would have enough room for both of us to do what we need,” Grigaitis said. With two 7,000 sq. foot floors, there is an abundance of space at 2720 Cherokee, most of which has been occupied with some type of decorative art. There are also plans to add a third floor to the operation and to open up the basement. “As to the basement, we can only imagine what will evolve down there [laughs],” Grigaitis said. 2720 Cherokee is host to a variety of events every month. Monday nights are dubstep nights, Tuesday nights usual-

2720 Cherokee Where: 2720 Cherokee Street Contact: 314-276-2700 or info@loyalfamily.com Website: 2720cherokee.com

ly have some type of DJ mixing music, and Wednesdays are Reggae. There are almost always performances on Thursday, Friday and Saturdays, but those are usually the bigger acts and are not as genre specific as the events earlier in the week. “We try to be a place for all kinds of music. I think that’s been the downfall of [other St. Louis clubs] … they’re cliquey,” Grigaitis said. In addition to these events, 2720 Cherokee hosts a monthly burlesque and magic event called Beggar’s Carnival where they have vendors and food. It is quickly becoming a favorite event among regular attendees of 2720 Cherokee. The space is also available to be rented out for parties or other events. What is interesting is that there is a dual creative process going on. 2720 Cherokee See “Most Anticipated” on Page 9

Local band to take stage at 2720 Cherokee and a few painters can usually be found. The second floor serves as an art gallery. Downey explained that Some would describe the he originally discovered the band Yetisburg as belong- venue after attending a Mardi ing to a genre all its own. Gras celebration there last However, drummer Steve year. The venue’s party-like Downey uses terms such as environment drew him in. synthetic, organic, live elec- The fact that it doubled as an art gallery also appealed to tric and jam band. This band, consisting of Downey. “There is more than one five Farmington, Mo., natives, brings together sounds of thing going on at a time … the synthesizer and bongo It matched us perfectly,” drums. This combination is Downey said. The members of one that Downey said hapYetisburg met while attendpened by chance. The group has been togeth- ing Farmington High School. er in its current form for a Before their formation, they year. During that year, they had played in other local have produced one recording bands. In addition, they studand are working on a second. ied music from the time they According to Downey, the were children. However, according music on the first recording is more organic, while to Downey, their intertheir most recent music has est in music started when become more heavy and elec- Farmington used to have a local venue, The Rock House. tric. In early April, the band will It was attending this venue be traveling to Mercenary that turned the group onto Recording Studio in local music and made them Springfield, Mo., to record realize they had to be the people on stage. new songs. Downey explained that In addition, the band recently jumped from No. 250 when the band is not performto No. 3 on the St. Louis ing, they enjoy being outside in the fresh air. music charts. “We write a lot about nature “Really in the last month, we’ve exploded as far as atten- because we love nature,” Downey said. tion,” Downey said. Yetisburg will be performThe band performs the second Tuesday of every ing at 2720 Cherokee on Feb. month at St. Louis venue, 8. Doors open at 9 p.m., and 2720 Cherokee. The first floor the cover charge will be $2. of the venue serves as the They will be joined by Blue event space where musicians Sol and Coryography. By ASHLEY JONES Arts Editor

The White Stripes duo split to go their separate ways “The White Stripes belong to you now and you can do with it whatever you want.” It is difCommentary ficult to describe a world in which The White Stripes will no longer perform. It is still fresh news - the Noah Berman band anno -unced the split just hours ago, as I write this. Feb. 2, 2011. We still have the music they made, the videos they performed in, the interviews they did not often give. Barring a miracle, however, we will never again see Jack and Meg White perform as The White Stripes ever again. I’ve had the experience of seeing two of Jack’s supergroups live - The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather - and it is the sort of thing everybody ought to do at least once. Jack White performs with a sort of theatre that terrifies you and makes you want to

rock out like a little kid hearing The Beatles for the first time. The best concert review I’ve ever read gets to have that title because it referred to the Dead Weather’s first public concert as “a shootout between God and the Devil at the OK-Corral.” When it comes to Jack and Meg, however, all I have ever seen is YouTube videos and “Under the Great White Northern Lights,” a sort of White Stripes documentary. They carry that same shootout spirit; us against them, fighting off the world with some thunderous tunes. There’s a song by Son House, “Grinnin’ in your face,” that Jack White lists as his favorite tune. It’s a song about ignoring the people getting you down, about acknowledging the fact that “You know they’ll jump you up and down / They’ll carry you all ‘round and ‘round / just as soon as your back is turned / they’ll be trying to crush you down” -- a song about taking these people on, with off-time claps or a guitar chord. And so that’s what The White Stripes has been about

and always will be about. It’s not so much the James Dean “rebel without a cause” type of thing -- more of a “things might not be so great right now, but nobody’s gonna keep me down!” attitude. You don’t listen to the White Stripes because you want to hear acoustically perfect, high quality audio; you listen to the White Stripes because you want to rock out. But this isn’t your garden variety rocking out. Watch any live video of a White Stripes performance (I recommend the version of “Icky Thump” posted on the band’s official YouTube page), and you can see that this is something different. It isn’t that people haven’t rocked out like this before. But Jack White seems like he isn’t so much playing as he’s fighting; Meg attacks her drums like they’re muggers in a dark alley. This is music to exorcise your demons. More than that, though, the White Stripes are fun. You can dance, drive fast, head-bang, collapse onto your couch, make dinner and yes, even study while listening to this

band. They’re just … well, until now, they were the one band I would have done just about anything to see live. I mean - you know, if they came back or something, I’d still want to go see them live. The point is that it’s unlikely. I disagree with those who said this split was inevitable. Meg and Jack could have gone on making music together until their dying day. And it’s not inconceivable that they’ll play together again, in some other form; their press release said nothing about creative differences or the usual signs of a band torn apart by argument. The White Stripes had just run its course and now it is time to do other things. The quote at the beginning of this article is from that very same press release (which you can find at thirdmanrecords. com), and it’s the perfect end to a beautiful thing: here you go, music lovers, remember us as you experienced our music, and better yet, make some music of your own. Godspeed, Jack and Meg. I can’t wait to hear what comes next.

Looking ahead: Most anticipated films of 2011 10. “The Beaver” Let’s be clear, by “anticipated” I am not implying these will end up Movie Reviewer being good films. One such example is “The B e a v e r. ” J o d i e Foster’s return to the director’s chair could be T.J. Keeley an absolute catastrophe. The draw? Jodie Foster + Mel Gibson. “The Beaver” is described as a dramedy about an estranged husband and businessman who, in a last attempt to save his image as a father and a husband, adopts a beaver hand puppet as a means to communicate. Yeah, you heard that right. I know what you are thinking: the feel-good movie of the year? Anton Yelchin and “Winter’s Bone’s” Jennifer Lawrence round out the cast. Opens March 23. 9. “We Need to Talk about Kevin” I believe Tilda Swinton is one of the most underappreciated and underrated actresses working presently. When she’s given a rich role, Swinton delivers, and when she’s not, she still delivers. L ynne Ramsay takes on Lionel Shriver’s novel “We Need to Talk about Kevin” about a mother whose teenage son went on a killing spree. Dealing with feelings of grief and guilt, Eva writes her estranged husband (played by John C. Reilly) a series of letters, hoping to reconnect and searching for someone to help process the trauma. I feel that “We Need to Talk about Kevin” might be an acutely observed film that starts as a character study before exploring larger social issues. Opens Sept. 2. 8. “Piranha 3DD” Let me indulge a little bit on this next one. “Piranha 3D” was easily the most fun I had at the movies in 2010. It’s not a great film, by any stretch of the imagination, but when one pays $8.50 to watch an uproarious homage to 80s monster films, a film about fish eating people, “Piranha 3D” was just what the doctor ordered. So, naturally, I cannot wait for “Piranha 3DD” (no, I’m not joking, that is the title). Adding to the intrigue, the franchise switches hands from Alexandre Aja to John Gulager, who has done nothing but the little-seen “Feast” trilogy. His stint on Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s “Project Greenlight” treated viewers to an eccentric nepotist who didn’t seem to realize that his shot at filmmaking was a gift. What he will do with a $20,000,000 budget gets my mind racing. Opens in August. 7. “A Dangerous Method” David Cronenberg and Viggo Mortensen are turning into one of the great actor-director collaborations. Their two previous efforts, “A History of Violence” and “Eastern Promises,” were fantastic companion pieces about a man with a violent past who isn’t how he seems. The two men team up again for “A Dangerous Method” about the often, tense relationship between Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. Mortensen plays Freud and Michael Fassbender (“Hunger, Inglourious Basterds”) plays Jung. I just hope Cronenberg works in some psychological obsession and good, old-fashioned body horror into the mix. Release date unknown. 6. “The Descendants” Alexander Payne hasn’t worked on a feature film in over six years, but the man has never made a film that I’ve walked out of. From “Election” to “About Schmidt” to “Sideways” and even “14th Arrondissement” (his contribution to “Paris Je’Taime”), Payne delivers funny, often deeply touching character studies with pitch-perfect writing. Not too much has been released about Payne’s newest effort “The Descendants,” except that it stars George Clooney as a man who seeks out his two daughters after his wife suffers a boating See “Most Anticipated” on Page 8

Arts

Friday, February 4, 2011

‘9 to 5: The Musical’ tells tale of women scorned

Photo courtesy of The Fabulous Fox Theatre

The Fox Theatre will host “9 to 5: The Musical” Feb. 8-20. The musical, based on the 1979 movie, tells the story of three female co-workers who hold their boss hostage after they become tired of his chauvinistic behavior. By KATERINA CANYON Staff Writer

In 2009, “9 to 5: The Musical” was nominated for four 2009 Tony awards. The touring production will be directed and choreographed by Tony nominated, Jeff Calhoun and will highlight Dolly Parton’s original hit title song, along with her new Tony Award and Grammy-nominated score. This musical will take the stage at the Fabulous Fox Theatre Feb. 8-20. The show also features St. Louis’ own Marjorie Failoni. Failoni is a swing cast member and associate choreographer for the show. She grew up in St. Louis and attended Rosati-Kain High School. “It is so exciting to be able

to come home and share this show with everybody,” Failoni said. She also mentioned she would enjoy having the chance to get some Ted Drewes. She performed quite a few shows at the MUNY while growing up and developing her musical career. “It was a lot of fun and a great training ground for my career,” Failoni said. This musical marked the Broadway debut for Parton, who will be making a cameo video appearance at the St. Louis show. “[Parton] is so sweet, and she always brings us fudge wherever we are,” Failoni said. The musical is based on the original 1979 movie. The story is about a chauvinistic boss who is constantly ha-

rasses and fails to professionally acknowledge the female employees in his company. Three women, tired of the treatment they receive, decide to hold this discriminating boss hostage in his home. These women then go on to run his company while keeping him in hiding. The company flourishes and comedic problems ensue as these women attempt to keep their boss in hiding. “We tried to think about what the movement was like in 1979 and what that era suggested to these office workers,” Failoni said. “We tried to maintain what was great about the movie and enhance it and make it a really fun time. It’s two hours of fun.” For more information on times and current pricing, visit fabulousfox.com.

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Indie bands take the stage at The Billiken Club Dubb Nubb, Oberhofer, Flaming Death Trap share eccentric nature It was an indie night at The Billiken Club, with three different bands that fit into various genres Concert Review while still maintaining a common link in their D-I-Y roots and eccentric nature. Dubb Nubb,a folk duo Wolf Howard m a d e up of St. Louis-based twins Hannah and Delia Rainey, started the night off. Armed with two guitars and two microphones, they offered up their bubbly and whimsical version of indiefolk music, harmonizing, whistling and strumming their way through their set. The high school seniors sang about teenage experiences, ghosts and pretty much anything their hearts pleased. Both were entirely comfortable on stage, playing and singing confidently and charming the crowd with jokes and giggles. Their whole set was well-performed, minus one or two instances when the vocals overpowered the microphone. Hannah recruited a mandolin for the band’s closer, “Mound City Baby,” a song about their dearly beloved hometown, which ended up being the stand out song for the set. Shift musical landscapes to Missouri based indie-rock quartet Flaming Death Trap, the most rock-radio-ready of the three acts. Echoing early Kings of Leon and 80s hard-rock outfits, the band played furiously. Drummer Rattlesnake’s high-energy performance was absolutely explosive, complete with some stick spinning techniques, and vocalist A Rock’s rough wail added even more edge to the band’s beefed up chords. Danger Dan’s lead guitar supplied the band with its indie touch, and on songs like “Jack Carowack,” Brandon

Blaze highlighted his bass skill. The minute-long “Depression Makes Me Sad” -- which went very simply, “I hate depression, depression makes me sad, that’s why I smoke cigarettes and drink beer instead” -- showed off the band’s darker sense of humor. They kept up the energy throughout the show, closing with “Swat Bust,” a high-power rocker, which ended the performance perfectly with every band member throwing themselves into the music and finishing with a bang. The final act of the night was Oberhofer, Brad Oberhofer’s indie-pop brainchild. The set list came from all over the place, both eclectic and eccentric, with Brad pulling off some neat microphone sound tricks by way of wrapping his mouth around

the receiver for feedback. Some songs sounded like a darker Vampire Weekend, largely thanks to the highspeed drumming and varied use of toms, but Oberhofer’s brand of melodic pop stayed interesting and unpredictable. The lead guitarist operated as the band’s anchor, handling all of his duties with a collected cool and taking on the xylophone for a song or two, and the bassist grooved his way through the night. On the faster numbers, Oberhofer’s body shook as he strummed along and belted out his lyrics. The night was filled with Buddy Holly-esque “uh-ohoh’s” and melodic “ooooo’s,” (one song is actually named “OOoOoOoOo”), and the band had members of the crowd dancing their hearts out from start to finish.

Han Li / Photographer

St. Louis natives, Hannah and Delia Rainey are the sister duo that is Dubb Nubb. The twins performed at The Billiken Club on Jan. 26 along with Oberhofer and Flaming Death Trap.

‘Enter the Void’ provides viewers with mind-bending performance “Enter the Void,” the third film from French visionary director Gaspar Noe, is the film everyMovie Reviewer one wanted “Ince -ption” to be: mindbending, transcendent, mesmerizing. While tough on the rear T.J. Keeley end and not for the squeamish, “Enter the Void” tries to be a cinematic drug trip. Told entirely via the point of view of the main character, Oskar (Nathaniel Brown), the film follows Oskar’s soul as it floats through Tokyo watching over his sister (Paz de la Huerta), whom he promised

4/5

The Good: Complete committal to the style and awesome visuals

The Bad: The movie often displays a detatched tone

The Verdict: Shameless ambition deserves high praise

never to leave. Beginning on the night of his death (no spoiler here, it happens at minute 35 of 163), we see the world from Oskar’s eyes on this side and the next.

The middle of the film provides the end-of-life flashback through Oskar’s life, and the final chapter is the search for rebirth. The film references the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Early on in the film, two characters talk at length about the book and the promises it makes about death and the hereafter. While this exposition feels a bit clunky, it is necessary for understanding what we are about to see. As children, Oskar and Linda witnessed the death of their parents from a graphic car accident. The experience draws the two together (perhaps too closely), and they promise to never leave each other, “never ever.” Oskar promises Linda that even if he dies, “he’ll come

back.” The two are then placed in separate foster homes and reunited years later in Tokyo. Tokyo, photographed with lush and vibrant colors and set design with a floating camera, represents both a moral wasteland (Oskar is a drug dealer and Linda a stripper) and a sort of purgatory, where one makes sense of their life after they have died. I feel obligated to say that “Enter to Void” is not for everyone. While it is clearly the work of an auteur who is trying to create something we have never seen before, the film is quite graphic violently and sexually. Furthermore, the visuals are breathtaking, yet arresting, like a psychedelic odyssey. Noe is known for taking no hostages. His 2002 film “Irreversible” is told, well…in

reverse and features a graphic nine-minute rape scene. “Enter the Void” is never quite that graphic, but viewers beware. If I haven’t made it clear enough yet, the film looks amazing, unlike anything I have ever seen before. In addition, Noe’s narrative experiment is nothing short of intriguing, if it isn’t entirely successful. The direction is maverick, leading me to believe this is Noe’s film through and through; no other working director could have made the film quite this effectively. However, the writing seemed to take backseat to the visuals. Because of the constant POV, the viewer rarely gets to see Oskar’s face. Without seeing his crucial facial expressions and reaction to

the world as he sees it, I had a hard time empathizing with Oskar, or knowing what he was really about. It’s not often American audiences watch films from overseas. If you feel adventurous, give “Enter the Void” a try. You won’t be bored or feel like you’ve seen this before. (Also, the dialogue is all in English). “Enter the Void” is at its soul an experiment; the result of an inspired artist stretching the limits of his medium. Even when “Enter the Void” comes up a bit short, its shameless ambition deserves high praise. [Note: if you’re not interested in this film, at least go on YouTube and watch the opening credits sequence. It’ll blow your mind and maybe give you a headache.]

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Arts

2720: Venue provides an outlet for artistic expression

Most Anticipated: ‘The Tree of Life’ tops the list Continued from Page 7

Continued from Page 7

allows for the collection of this certain group of people, and in turn this group of people provides the atmosphere, vibes and resources necessary to ensure that more culture gets created, just so that they and others can continue to enjoy it. In other words, more art gets produced, and more music gets made. Ever ybody involved in the evolving process of 2720 Cherokee is doing so because they wholeheartedly believe in what is happening there and want to keep it going. Things are created at 2720 Cherokee to be experienced collectively. What is happening at 2720 is nothing less than cultural creation. This creation of culture attracts people and binds them together in union because others have shared in this culture, this collective experience. And just about anybody can be a creative force in this culture. At 2720 Cherokee, there is a place for everybody. In turn this cultural creation presents boundless opportunities. Not only are people comingling with other people and having social lives, but they are also coming into a neighborhood for the art, the

Friday, February 4, 2011

food and the music. These are the things that keep a city running. In fact, since 2720 Cherokee has opened, the Cherokee neighborhood has attracted more business. When Grigaitis and Weever were scouting for potential properties, they realized that at 2720 Cherokee, they could get a large amount of space for a relatively small price. According to Grigaitis, at the time there were multiple properties for rent on Cherokee Street, whereas now you would be hardpressed to find a building with cheap rent. Grigaitis explained that 2720 Cherokee embodies a “post-recession vibe, at least that’s what we hope.” One thing that stands out about 2720 Cherokee is the sense of community there. After the show on Friday when the main act, TwoFace, had finished performing, the Cheers theme song blared over the loudspeakers and nearly everyone joined in the singing of it. Ultimately 2720 Cherokee stands out as a communitygathering place centered on the production of art. “I’ve always liked the term ‘outlet for artistic expression.’ It’s always been something I tried to create. I think [out-

Leda Riley / Photographer

St. Louis venue, 2720 Cherokee not only serves as a concert venue, but also an art gallery. The gallery can be found on the second floor of the building. lets for artistic expression] are needed for society. And beyond that it’s a good thing for the community,” Grigaitis said. 2720 Cherokee has much to offer: music, art and people. “It’s all the familiar faces, and I never have a bad time here,” concertgoer Alan Moriconi said after the Jan. 28 show. 2720 Cherokee will con-

tinue to be one of the places to be in the coming months and years. Plans to add a third floor are already underway as well as plans to open up a retail section and serve food. “We want to remain open to evolution. We didn’t want to pigeonhole ourselves. Open minds and open arms to different experience of events allow us to adapt as well,” Grigaitis said.

accident. Judy Greer, Beau Bridges and Robert Forster round out the cast. Release date unknown. 5. “The Ides of March” The team behind “Good Night and Good Luck” brings you “The Ides of March.” Writer-director-star George Clooney adapted the play about an idealistic staffer for a presidential candidate learning more than he bargained for. The premise feels prime for some political satire. Clooney has worked extensively with the Coen Brothers, so I’m hoping some of their deft ear for irony carries over. Good satire is a rarity in film today. The rest of the cast along the campaign trail include Ryan Gosling, Marisa Tomei, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Evan Rachel Wood, Max Minghella, Jeffrey Wright and Paul Giamatti. I just hope it’s ready for a March 15 release date. It actually opened in December in limited release. 4. “Hugo Cabret” “Hugo Cabret” is a 3-D film based on the popular children’s book, “The Invention of Dr.Hugo Cabret” about an orphan boy in 1930s Paris who lives in a train station and becomes involved in a mystery regarding his late father. If you’re still with me, I have you know, it stars Chloe Moretz (“Kick-Ass”), Jude Law, Emily Mortimer, Christopher Lee, Michael Pitt, Ben Kingsley, Sasha Baron Cohen, Ray Winstone, Richard Griffiths, Helen McCrory, Frances de la Tour and Michael Stuhlbarg. Still not interested yet? Oh, did I mention it is directed by Martin Scorsese. That is honestly the only reason I will see this film. James Cameron continues to make the claim that 3-D can be uses with integrity. If 3-D should stay, Marty will lead the way. Opens Dec. 9. 3. “The Muppets” If you have seen “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” then you know Jason Segel truly loves puppets. Who better than he to make a feature length reunion for The Muppets. Written by and starring Segel, “The Muppets” is still skimpy on plot details. This film is a

passion project, though, to put it simply. A labor of love. Furthermore, the cast list and cameo list includes, but is not limited to Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Zach Galifianakis, Rashida Jones, Danny Trejo, Jack Black, John Krasinski, Ed Helms, Chris Cooper, Ricky Gervais, Kay Perry, Eric Stonestreet, Billy Crystal, Mickey Rooney, Alan Arkin, Liza Minnelli, Wanda Sykes and Rachel Ray. That’s quite an eclectic group of thespians! James Bobin (creator of “Flight of the Conchords”) directs. Opens Nov. 23. 2. “Moneyball” When Michael Lewis’s book “Moneyball” hit the shelves, readers were treated to in depth examination of the method Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane employed to draft baseball players on a limited budget. The book introduced the interwoven relationship between baseball and mathematics. Sounds like a thrilling movie, right? What if I told you it starred Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Robin Wright and Philip Seymour Hoffman? “Moneyball” is Bennett Miller’s follow-up to 2005’s “Capote” and the next project from writing genius Aaron Sorkin. If Sorkin can make typing on computers thrilling, imagine what he can do with sports mathematics. Opens Sept. 23. 1. “The Tree of Life” Cinephiles will likely all agree on my number one choice. When Terrence Malick emerges to release a film, it’s like a Thomas Pynchon sighting for film nerds. The reclusive director has made only five films in 37 years, during which he disappears from cinema complete for 25 years. “The Tree of Life” is Malick’s follow-up to 2005’s “The New World.” “The Tree of Life” has been in editing for about two years, so the emergence of a trailer was solid proof that we may actually see the auteur’s latest offering. The trailer, featuring Sean Penn and Brad Pitt, was rich with the poetic voice-overs and lush imagery. Opens May 27.

AIRGUARD

Even the best medical schools can’t prepare you for what comes next. Nobody can teach you about challenge and adventure. But you can experience them for yourself, serving part-time as a health professional in the Air Guard. Whether you’re currently in school or working in the medical profession, you can find success as a vital member of our exceptional medical team. The opportunities are limitless, and could involve everything from providing in-flight care to sick or injured patients, to helping to save countless lives in a field hospital. All while receiving excellent benefits and the chance to work a flexible schedule. Most important, you will experience the satisfaction that comes from serving your community and your country. Talk to a recruiter today, and see how the Air Guard can help you take the next step.

The University News

Sports @ Xavier Saturday, Feb. 5, 10 a.m. CST ESPNU

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Stingy defense shuts down UMass Despite shooting freeze, SLU hangs on

Billiken Briefs

By DERRICK NEUNER

Men’s Basketball

On any other night had the Saint Louis University men’s basketball team gone on an eleven-minute drought of scoring, they would have lost. Look no further than the 52-46 loss at George Washington on Jan. 29 when SLU shot under 30 percent from the field in the second half. But this was not a normal night, and an 11-minute absence of baskets was not enough to derail SLU from a 69-53 win over Massachusetts. The win ended a two-game losing streak and advanced the Billikens to 8-13 overall and 3-5 in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Freshman Mike McCall led four Billikens in double figures with 17 points. Kyle Cassity scored 11 points on three three-pointers and a pair of free throws, while Cody Ellis and Rob Loe chipped in 10 points apiece. “The real reason we won is because we defended well, and we took care of the ball,” head coach Rick Majerus said. “We were fortunate that some shots dropped. The guys did a great job of playing with each other, supporting each other and adapting to changing defensive assignments.” The Billikens committed just seven turnovers and recorded 17 assists. SLU’s defense forced 13 UMass turnovers, which turned into 16 Billiken points. SLU also made a seasonhigh 10 three-point attempts.

Associate Sports Editor

On Dec. 10, 2010, the 1999-2000 Saint Louis University men’s basketball team was inducted into the SLU athletics hall of fame. The team made one of the most improbable runs in Conference USA tournament history when, as a nine-seed, they marched through four opponents to secure the C-USA title and a berth in the 2000 NCAA tournament. The team’s performance in the conference tournament was dubbed “The Miracle in Memphis.”

Tennis Both the men’s and the women’s teams opened up their seasons on Jan. 28 against Oral Roberts University, and both squads secured victories. The women’s side was especially dominant, with all four of their victories coming in straight sets en route to a 4-2 victory. For the men, freshman Joe Flanagan came up big in a super tiebreaker to set the tone for the Billikens 5-2 victory.

Women’s Basketball On Feb. 2, the women’s basketball team traveled to Philadelphia, Pa. to take on the Temple Owls. Despite a career-best performance in scoring in rebounding by Jenna Mueller, the Billikens fell by a tally of 82-48. Temple jumped out to a 40-20 halftime lead, and SLU was never able to recover. Mallory Eggert and Lorreal Jones both chipped in 10 points for the Bills. With the loss, their record fell to 7-15 (1-6).

BILLIKEN SCOREBOARD

Men’s Basketball

W 69-53 vs. UMass Women’s Basketball

L 38-75 vs. Charlotte Men’s Swimming and Diving

L106-137 @ Evansville Women’s Swimming and Diving

W141-101 @ Evansville

Talk to us: Brian Boyd 314.977.2812 sports.unews@gmail.com

Friday, February 4, 2011

Ryan Giacomino / Photographer

Kyle Cassity (23) and Mike McCall (11) led the Billikens with 17 and 11 points, respectively. McCall also dished out a teamhigh six assists against the Minutemen of Massachusetts on Wednesday, Feb. 2, at Chaifetz Arena.

2010-2011 Standings

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Duquesne Xavier Temple Richmond Rhode Island Massachusetts Dayton

Perhaps what was most remarkable about an otherwise unremarkable win was how the Bills held on despite hitting just eight field goals in the second half. With an eight-point lead at half, SLU had to hold off a feisty, but short-lived, UMass run to start the second half. Two field goals from Cory Remekun and a three from Ellis ensured that the Billikens would lead by at least 10 for the remainder of the game. SLU then did something it has not done all season. They won the game from the free-throw line. The Minutemen sent SLU to the line 23 times in the second half, and the Billikens capitalized, sinking 20 shots and coasting to victory. “Coach [Porter] Moser says the characteristic of a good team is when you have them down, you step on them and throttle them,” Cassity said. “We did that tonight.” Majerus acknowledged that SLU’s shooting woes are “concerning” but attributed them not to bad looks, but rather too much effort. “We squeeze the trigger too hard sometimes, and part of that is youth and inexperience,” Majerus said. “They try so hard to be successful that it becomes counter-productive … It’s a nice problem to have … [but] we hit some baskets and that gave us confidence going forward.”

8. George Washington 9. St. Bonaventure 10. La Salle 11. Saint Louis 12. Charlotte 13. Fordham 14. Saint Joseph’s

Cody Ellis

Billikens make a difference in Haiti By TYLER VACHIO Staff Writer

Saint Louis University student-athletes have a lot to balance throughout the school year: homework, practice, classes, friends and family, along with all of the travel to play their opponents. Two SLU women’s basketball players decided that it was time to throw something else on their to-do list: a trip to Haiti. Billikens Ashley Hanlen and Mallory Eggert took a week off this past summer and traveled to Haiti to provide “an extra hand for those in need.” The thought of taking a trip down to Haiti started a year or two ago. Hanlen’s aunt, Kathy Corbett, is a member of Healing the Children, a non-profit organization with the mission to bring children to the U.S. from third-world countries to receive special medical attention. One child in particular remained close to the Hanlen family during the summer of 2006. A young girl named Lulu. Lulu’s family in Haiti realized that they were not going to be able to provide her with the amount of medical care that the Hanlen’s could in the United States. Six months ago, the now four-year-old Lulu became an official member of the Hanlen family. Hanlen’s mother Colleen, younger sister Maddie and grandmother Jane visited Haiti during the summer of 2009 and stayed a week in an orphanage called Melissa’s Hope. “My sister came back and said that it was the most amazing experience she had ever had in her life. I knew that I wanted to experience that same feeling,” Hanlen said. The plan was set. Another week in Haiti would be the outcome for the Hanlen family during the summer of 2010. Hanlen started to talk about her plans with her fellow Billiken teammates. Hanlen’s story caught the attention of one of her teammates in particular. Billiken forward Mallory

Submitted by Ashley Hanlen

Sophomores Hanlen (left) and Eggert (right) play with orphaned children in Haiti during their trip to the devastated island. Eggert, a physical therapy Eggert said. major, wanted to partake in Although many great and the trip as well. special memories were formed “I want to go to underde- on the trip, there were also veloped countries around the memories that made a differworld and utilize my degree ent impact on the Billiken teamin physmates. i c a l Hantherapy len and after I Egger t gradumade a t e . a visit It definitely changed So it to anseemed my views on life. We all other like the need to be more grateful orphanper fect age in o p p o r - for what we have here Haiti, t u n i t y and not take things for which for me was not to join granted. w h a t A s h t h e y ley in expect-Ashley Hanlen Haiti,” ed. Egger t said. One June 20, 2010, Egg“When we arrived [at the ert, Hanlen and her family other orphanage], all you ventured down to Haiti once could see were children that again. The group stayed in were hungry … It changed the same orphanage as the my life completely. All they previous summer, Melissa’s had to eat was one hardboiled Hope. egg. I was so disgusted. I “Every day something dif- couldn’t eat for two days after ferent happened. We got to seeing that,” Hanlen said. play with kids and take care “These kids just wanted of them,” Hanlen said. to be held. All they wanted “We would spend one-on- was someone to lift them up one time with all of the kids and hold them in their arms. and teach them games that Then they would be content,” we played when we were kids, Eggert said. like ‘Duck, Duck, Goose,’” The two teammates did

“

”

their best to make their presence felt, in a nation that was devastated by an earthquake only six months before their visit. On June 27, 2010, the group headed home for St. Louis, to a world much different from the one that they had just experienced. “It definitely changed my views on life. We all need to be more grateful for what we have here and not take things for granted,” Hanlen said. This upcoming summer, Hanlen and Eggert plan to continue their tradition, hoping to visit Haiti for many more years to come. “We plan on making it an annual trip: Me, Ashley and her family,” Eggert said. For SLU students that are looking to make a difference and cannot make a trip to Haiti this summer, tax deductable donations can be made out to the Haiti Orphan Refuge/ Melissa’s Hope. Or you can also visit www.healingthechildren.org to learn more about what you can do to help the orphans in Haiti. Hanlen, Eggert and the Billiken women’s basketball team return home to face George Washington University at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 5 at Chaifetz Arena.

Xavier awaits Billikens Kyle Cassity made a bold statement following his team’s 69-53 victory on Feb. 2. “Februar y is the month Commentary of the Billiken.” As a journalist, there are some quotes that make your ears Derrick Neuner perk up and your head tilt sideways. Mr. Cassity just delivered. Being the keen writer that I am, I thought to myself, “Now here’s a fact I just have to investigate.” Congratulations, dear reader, for you are about to journey with me on the “Cassity Quest” to discover if February really is the best month to be a Billiken. Let’s start by examining the month of February itself. Oft held in high esteem by college basketball fans, the month of St. Valentine brings us the heart of conference play. Teams like Duke take on teams that can’t beat them, like St. John’s, and Mizzou struggles to win outside of Mizzourah. Teams hopes of dancing, like the Izzos of Michigan State, are broken while other teams, like the Atlantic 10’s Duquesne, start dreaming of the Ides of March on CBS. Ah, yes, while most of the country freezes and Punxsutawney Phil tells us, “it’ll all be over soon my children,” college basketball fans gear up for the hottest month of the year. That’s exactly what Cassity is hoping for. You see, February is the month of the Billiken, or at least, the Billikens that Cassity knows. Since the junior joined the team, SLU has gone 13-3 in the second month of the year. Included in that lucky #13 is the tripleovertime thriller at Richmond where former Bill great Kevin Lisch hit two buzzer beaters to seal the win. On top of that, the Bills kicked off their February this year with a blowout of Massachusetts. Is that hot or what? But there’s just one problem in Cassity’s proclamation about February. A third of those losses were to Xavier University. Yes, that Xavier. And guess where Cassity and Crew are headed on Saturday, Feb. 5? OH-IO! When Xavier is involved it doesn’t matter which month SLU steps on the court. The Musketeers are 12-25 overall against the Billikens, spanning almost 100 years, and are on a 5-0 streak against the Midtown men. Let’s rewind the clock: January 2009, SLU lost at Xavier. March 2009, SLU loses to Xavier in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. February 2010, SLU drops the ball at home against Xavier. This February, the Billikens are 7-8 all time against their conference foe. Looks like Cassity better be right. And if he is, the fortunes of the team may be reversed. This season, SLU takes on 8 opponents in February: Massachusetts, at Xavier, La Salle, at Richmond, at St. Bonaventure, Charlotte, Chicago State and league-leading Duquesne. Of those teams, all but Chicago State have winning records. With Wednesday, Feb. 2’s win over UMass, SLU has started off on the right foot but still does not have a winning record. The Billikens sit at 8-13, 3-5 in conference play. So what have we learned? SLU does tend to play well in February. And they must if they plan to resuscitate the 2010-11 season. The Bills cannot go just .500 this month; they must win the games they are supposed to win (La Salle, at St. Bonnie, Chicago State) and pull a surprise win at home. For the Billikens to enjoy March, they better play to win in February.

Sports

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Friday, February 4, 2011

VS.

Green Bay Packers

Pittsburgh Steelers

10 20 30 40 50 40 30 20 10 Brian Boyd, Sports Editor

Derrick Neuner, Associate Sports Editor

“I must have flip-flopped about 10 times while writing this, but I think the Pack pulls this one out. Big Ben and the Steelers pack a potent defensive punch, but Aaron Rodgers will not be denied on the biggest stage of them all. The Packers defense is playing at a high level right now, and if their defensive line can keep Rashard Mendenhall at bay, I doubt that Roethlisberger will be able to pick apart a stellar Green Bay secondary.”

“Let me let you in on a secret: Unless you have an invested interest in one of these teams either winning or losing, Super Bowl XLV is a pure toss-up. So I did exactly that. I tossed a coin: Heads Pittsburgh, tails Green Bay. I used a Canadian coin, by the way. It told me to pick Green Bay. The coin didn’t tell my why, though, so here are my thoughts. Nobody, and I mean nobody, is hotter than Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Can the Steel Curtain shut him down? If the Steelers want #7, they better hope so. Jerry Jones wanted his boys in his house. Instead, he’s getting a Texas-sized smash down. Hee-haw y’all.”

Packers 24, Steelers 17

Packers 28, Steelers 24

Jonathan Ernst, Editor-in-Chief

Brianna Radici, Design Director

“Super Bowl XLV is shaping up to be a memorable game. The key will be the match up between the Steeler defense and the Packer’s protection of Aaron Rodgers. Without a strong running game, the Packers will need Rodgers to once again carry them to victory. Look for the Packers to come out charging and if they can get off to a good start, they have a great chance of winning this game.”

“America’s hungry- and the Pittsburgh Steeler’s have cooked up the perfect recipe for a Superbowl XLV victory. Combine six previous superbowl wins, a 12-4 season record and a solid defense. Stir in a better running game, superior special teams and Roethlisberger’s own two Superbowl appearances as quarterback, and you’ve got yourself a Lombardi Trophy. Sorry, Packers, take your cheese and go home. Looks like you’re going to bed without dinner on Sunday.”

Packers 24, Steelers 17

Steelers 27, Packers 24

10 20 30 40 50 40 30 20 10 Super Bowl XLV Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Green Bay Packers Sunday, Feb. 6 6:29 p.m. ET Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas

A-10 challenge awaits swimmers Records fall for track and field By CHAD CARSON Staff Writer

After a successful season and an away win at Evansville, men’s swimming and diving looks forward to their last meet before the Atlantic10 Championships. This Saturday, Feb. 5, the team will travel to Charleston, Illinois, to face Eastern Illinois University in the last meet before heading to Buffalo, New York, on Feb. 23 to swim for the A-10 Championships at St. Bonaventure University. The team heads to Eastern Illinois with an 11-1 dual meet record, one of the best in SLU history. “Being 12-1 is one of the main driving forces for why we want to swim fast. People look down on us, and we really want to show them up at this meet,” sophomore Marco Navarro said. Once SLU faces Eastern Illinois this Saturday, the swimmers will begin to taper in hopes of cutting additional time. Last year, SLU fell to Eastern Illinois 135-70 after coming off a series of wins. At last year’s A-10 Championship meet, Massachusetts took first with a total of 814.5 with SLU finishing 7 of 8 with a total of 198.

“Last year we just wanted to beat one team, and we achieved that goal. Our main goal this year is to beat two teams in the conference, and we have the ability and the drive to do it. It just has to be recognized with a win this weekend,” Navarro said. The team enters the last weeks of the season after a successful drowning of Evansville 141-101. Among the many highlights, Patrick Merlihan, Spencer Litzau and Mike Kelly swept the 1000-Free, taking first, second and third. Jimmy Brabbins, Brian Brasser, Will Butzke and B.J. Sayre took the 200-Medley, while Michael Dahle and Mike Kelly took first and second in the 200-IM. Stephen Sheridan took first in the 100-Free, and Kelly took the 500-Free with Litzau following less than a second later and Merlihan placing third, finishing up the second sweep of the day. Brasser also took first in the 100-Breastroke, and the team ended the day with a win in the 200-Free Relay. Although a freshman, Merlihan will be a key in the distance events during the championship meet. “His fastest times overall in distance are faster than the school records. He hasn’t

gotten those times yet here, but once he tapers for conference, I’m excited to see how fast he really is,” Anne Marie Christensen, a member of the women’s swimming and diving team said. Dahle, a senior on the team, will also play a critical role during the championship meet. Having already earned the honor of A-10 Performer of the Week on Jan. 18, Dahle will lead the team into familiar territory. Last year after his performance at the championship meet and his impressive season, Dahle earned a selection on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District First Team. In addition to Dahle, junior diver Chad Carmichael also earned the honor of A-10 Co-Performer of the Week this season after sweeping the one- and three-meter diving events at a meet in early October. His performance will earn the team critical points at the championship meet. “We’re more willing to stride this year, and we know what it takes to get our goals accomplished. “We’ve set goals as a team and achieved them and plan on continuing that at the championships,” Navarro said.

By BRIAN BOYD Sports Editor

Although relatively young program, this year’s edition of the Saint Louis University Track and Field team has been setting the bar high for teams to come. Through the indoor season up to this point, the team has already bested 23 SLU records. On the men’s side, senior Justin Kwasa has been continuously improving his SLU best marks in the weight throw and the shot-put event. At the Illini Open on Jan. 15, Kwasa broke his own school record with a shot-put throw of 45 feet, 11.75 inches en route to a fifth-place finish. That same day, Kwasa topped another school record, this time in the weight throw. His 60 feet, 8 inches effort earned him second place in the event. However, despite his record-setting performances, Kwasa knows that there is room for improvement to set the bar even higher for the program. “It really is not as exciting as we might think because we’re still a young program. It’s kind of like we’re trying to cement our place in the program. We’re trying to get all of our records up to a point so that it will be a meaningful thing and that someone will have to work really hard to break them,” Kwasa said. Despite this, the team’s achievements are not lost on him. “As a team, we’re doing pretty well breaking these records. Right now we’re in

good position,” Kwasa said. Senior Brian Holdmeyer has been another member of the men’s squad rewriting the record books, and in the process earned the Atlantic 10 men’s indoor track and field Performer of the Week award on Jan. 24. “I was very pleased to receive the award. It just shows that I am getting where I want to be in the conference heading into the A-10 championships. It is a huge confidence boost knowing that I am there with the top guys in the conference, and it helps to have credentials by my name,” Holdmeyer said. Holdmeyer owns three SLU records in distance races: the mile run, the 3000-meter run and the 5000-meter run. Along with besting the school times, Holdmeyer has placed highly at multiple events this year, winning the 3000-meter run at the Missouri Invitational, third in the mile at the Illini Open and first in the 5000-meters at the Gladstein Invitational. Holdmeyer attributes his success to grueling work on the track and in the weight room during the offseason. “A lot of it is just progression from four years in the weight room. Now we’re doing a lot more advanced weight lifting from what we’ve done in previous years. I have also been doing a lot more mileage than I have in the past. That gives me the aerobic ability to run at a faster and more efficient pace comfortably,” Holdmeyer said. As a high-level performer on both the cross country and outdoor track and field teams, Holdmeyer acknowledges the

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difference between indoor and outdoor competition. “It’s different. The environment is controlled, there’s no wind, and the races are a lot more tactical.” “The track is a lot smaller, so there is a lot more pushing and shoving … there is not a chance for the race to spread out as much,” Holdmeyer said of indoor competition. On the women’s side, the season started off with freshman Margo Richardson earning a bid to the USA Junior Track and Field Championships in Oregon. At the Illinois State Early Bird Open on Dec. 5,, her very first collegiate track and field meet, she won the threekilometer run with a time of 10:15.94. Her time in the event was the 11th best score in the nation, and it earned her the distinction of A-10 rookie of the week on Dec. 6. At the same event, senior Brittney Cloudy placed first in both the triple jump and the long jump, with her triple jump distance of 40 feet, 2.25 inches, breaking her own school record. Cloudy is the two-time defending A-10 triple jump champion. Cloudy has been dominant in the triple jump all year, winning the event at the Missouri Invitational, Kansas State Invitational, the Illini Open and the Gladstein Invitational. At Gladstein, Cloudy posted a career and SLU best mark of 40 feet, 3.5 inches. “First and foremost, the goal in every meet is to execute in competition,” Cloudy said. “My goal is to continue to accomplish and execute and continue on holding the title as A-10 champ.” On Feb. 4, the teams head to Lincoln, Neb., to participate in the ultra-competitive Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational. Seven nationally ranked teams will be competing in the event. “It is a great meet to go to before conference. It is a highly competitive meet. Ever yone’s getting better at each meet, and I look at Nebraska as an opportunity to get better,” Cloudy said. Because of the stiff competition at the event, Holdmeyer knows to keep a level head. “The main thing is to keep a calm outlook going there. There are some teams there that we have never ran against, a lot of Big Ten and Big 12 teams, some professional athletes compete there as well. You need keep within yourself, keep focused on your goals,” Holdmeyer said.

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Friday, February 4, 2011

WE ARE ALL BILLIKENS

WE ARE ALL BILLIKENS WE ARE ALL BILLIKENS

The Last Lecture Series provides an informal format for selected faculty to share reflections from their lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s journey and to speak to students as if it was their last lecture ever.

Nominations from students will be accepted until February 18, 2011 The nomination process is online. Please visit the website: http://www.slu.edu/lastlecture.xml.

Nominations are now open. Please consider nominating a student, organization, or staff/faculty member to recognize the outstanding service they provide to our community.

LEADERSHIP AND SERVICE AWARDS CEREMONY

Nominate someone TODAY! This program is supported by the offices of the Vice President, Frost and Vice President, Health Sciences and the Division of Student Development.

FYE Leadership Selection

TOMORROW!

FEBRUARY 4, 2011 SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2011

Fall 2011 Room Selection Important Dates:

Applications Available: December 17, 2010 Deadline for Learning Community and Specialty Housing Applications: February 15, 2011 Priority Application Deadline: February 25, 2011 Jr/Sr Lottery Results Posted: March 11, 2011 Sophomore Access Times Posted: March 21, 2011 Online SelectRoom Access Dates: Juniors and Seniors: April 4 & 5, 2011 Sophomores: April 8 & 11, 2011

Fall 2011 Room Selection Information Sessions: January 27 at 11am, BSC 256, Senate Chambers

All questions should be directed to the Department of Housing and Residence Life at 314-977-2811 or reslife@slu.edu

slu.edu/fye WE ARE ALL BILLIKENS

WE ARE ALL BILLIKENS

APPLICATIONS DUE

SAVE THE DATE FOR GROUP INTERVIEWS WE ARE ALL BILLIKENS

Nominate a Leader

WE ARE ALL BILLIKENS

Each semester a faculty member will be selected from student nominations to speak for the Last Lecture Series.

WE ARE ALL BILLIKENS

Who would you like to nominate for the Last Lecture Series?

WE ARE ALL BILLIKENS

Last Lecture Series

http://slu.edu/leadership.xml