The University News A Student Voice of Saint Louis University Since 1921
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Vol. XC No. 18
Thursday, February 10, 2010
It’s that time of year again. Roses, diamonds, chocolates and dinner dates: Your guide to Valentine’s Day. >>ARTS
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SLU community addresses protests in Egypt By ANDREA ROYALS Managing Editor
When student Peter Gadalla, S.J., was in the fifth grade in Cairo, he was instructed to write an essay about why he liked Hosni Mubarak, the fourth and current President of the Arab Republic of Egypt whose administration has been ruling the country for the past 30 years. Gadalla, then too young to understand politics, said he sensed that there was a general detest for Mubarak’s policies, but wrote the essay anyway. “I wrote so I could pass,” Gadalla said. Afterward, he and a friend sneaked into each classroom and took down
all the portraits of Mubarak hanging in the school. “The only reason I did that, when I reflect, is because the people around me disliked him,” Gadalla said. Until two weeks ago, Mubarak, criticized for a corrupt authoritarian regime, was only met with forms of protest like this from grade school children and smaller demonstrations from high school and college students. The children, now older, have lived under the rule of Mubarak for nearly all their lives, and have decided to radically speak out against him by forming a revolution in Tahrir, the activist hub on the streets of Cairo, Egypt’s most populated
city. Gadalla, who moved to the United States when he was 18, said that the revolution was organized through social networking, and that he received an invitation to take part in the first protest, held Jan. 25, through Facebook. More than 100,000 people responded to the Facebook invitation and thousands attended the peaceful protest, which eventually became violent when police reportedly used tear gas and water hoses to disperse the crowd, the majority of which are of a young, educated generation. “This is a revolution first of
Marianna Awad / Photo Submission
Activists in Egypt have been protesting the regime of President Hosni Mubarak, who has been in power for 3 decades since Jan. 25. The revolt, primarily lead by a young generation, began through social networking efforts.
SGA candidates on three tickets gear up for Feb. 15 face-off
Jimmy Meiners
Matt Ryan
Evolve
Building Bridges
Ignite
Semesters in SGA: 5 Current position: Financial VP Fun Fact: I have always dreamed of being on Xquizit, and I thoroughly enjoy the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. Favorite part of SLU: Being in the middle of a large city Favorite campus spot: The ponds by Chaifetz
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I deeply enjoy serving others, which is why the Jesuit Mission of ‘men and women for and with others’ has always meant a lot to me. I want to use my passion to translate the Presidency into a position of student service leadership.
Election Timeline
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Green Ticket
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Senior in Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology
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Semesters in SGA: 5 Current position: Senator for the College of Arts and Sciences Fun Fact: Plays water polo, high school swim team captain (although always placed last) Favorite part of SLU: The urban atmosphere of St. Louis Favorite campus spot: DeMattias Hall
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I am the candidate who can do the most to change things and evolve into the next generation of what SLU should be. I have learned to work with others and I understand that we need to get all points of view and not everyone is going to agree.
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Sophomore in the School of Public Health Semesters in SGA: 3 Current position: Senator for the School of Public Health Fun Fact: Mario Kart Nintendo 64. Koopa Troopa Beach. It’s not a hobby. It’s a lifestyle. Favorite part of SLU: The attention to the individual student Favorite campus spot: Griesedieck Hall
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I want those that are familiar with SGA to know that our ticket will push for a more approachable and courageous student government. For those that do not diligently follow SGA, I want them to understand our ticket will take full responsibility to engage you in the process. s
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PAGE 2>> Introducing “All the President’s Men.” See the VP candidates.
GIC speaker analyzes political realities for Western civilizations By KRISTEN MIANO News Editor
Kati Cundari / Associate Photo Editor
Foreign policy expert and professor of international relations Michael Cox addressed the University community as a guest for the Great Issues Committee.
Great Issues Committee Speaker Michael Cox began his presentation with a brief apology. He did not apologize for his message or his views, but for the title of his speech. “It’s a bit provocative in a way,” Cox said, “It’s got that word, ‘empire.’ I don’t mean it by a criticism. Not all empires are bad. Empires can be positive sometimes.” Cox, who is currently a professor and chair of International Relations at the London School of Economics, gave his speech to an audience of approximately 100 people on Feb. 9 entitled, “President Obama and the end of the American Empire.” While the speech did not really ad-
dress Obama’s impact on “the American Empire,” Cox did focus on what is being seen as an economic decline of America as a superpower. “It’s not the same world any longer,” Cox said. “It’s not the same America with the same level of self-confidence.” Cox broke his speech down into three main points. The first asked: if there is a decline in American power, is there a power shift going on? More specifically, is power shifting from the Western world to Eastern emerging markets like China? “There is a kind of feeling something big, historic [and] structural is happening in the balance of power in the world,” Cox said. “This is also tied to something else, namely that the balance of historic power is moving from the West to
>>SPORTS
Satellite countdown underway Editor-in-Chief
See “Egypt” on Page 3
Blue, Red & Yellow Ticket
78-77
By JONATHAN ERNST
Campaign 2011: Election season begins
Tim Janczewski
Billikens fall to La Salle
the East.” According to Cox, the axis power has always been the Atlantic, or the power of the European nations combined with America. But as this power dwindles, it’s not unreasonable to think that this power shift to the East will be “the big one.” If there is a power shift going on, this has created a lot of tension between the East and the West, as the shift can go in a variety of directions, Cox said. “This will challenge the United States, and China cannot rise peacefully. It may want to, and it doesn’t matter that it’s run by the communists,” Cox said. “It could be run by Mickey Mouse. As long as its run in China with 2.2 billion people working 24 hours, outproducing everyone else and
becoming the second largest economy in the world— but this is an emerging power.” With China’s economy rising at the rate that it is, Cox said he thinks the United States is most likely in for a rough time. According to him, there are two ways America could approach the new power balance. The U.S. could perceive it as threat, or teach China to be good capitalists and integrate them smoothly into the world economy, Cox said. But he said he worries that however this happens, the shift will come with conflict. “It’s like two sides of the panda: there’s the cuddly bit and the one with claws,” Cox said. See “Speaker” on Page 3
NASA called and Saint Louis University is going to outer space. One of Parks College of Aviation, Engineering & Technology’s 2.2 pound, four-inch long, cube-shaped nanosatellites, called CubeSats, will be participating in NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative to fly satellites as auxiliary cargo aboard rockets planned to launch in 2011 and 2012. NASA received 31 proposals for this initiative and the COPPER CUBE team, made up of six Parks College students, was selected as one of the top 20 recommended for participation. “People go their entire careers without getting something of theirs launched in space and it is really exciting to start my career with a NASA launch,” COPPER CUBE team leader and senior aerospace engineering major Allison Cook said. “This is very exciting and now it is time to finish the satellite.” Seventeen other institutions received similar recommendations for participation including Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Louisiana, Lafayette and University of New Mexico. This is the first time that SLU has had a chance to fly equipment built at Parks College into space and interim Dean of Parks College Krishnaswamy Ravindra said he is excited for the possibilities of these projects for students. “The work experience the students gain prepare them well to enter the industry after graduation,” Ravindra said. Freshman aerospace engineering major Tyler Olson believes that this provides him with an edge, as he was eager to get started on a hands-on project for his major in his first year. “Space and spaceflight have always excited me and working with something that will launch into space is something I wanted to do since I was three years old,” Olson said. Since fall, 10 students have been working on two separate satellite projects and in November the proposals were sent to the NASA program. MR LEO, the second CubeSat being developed by Parks students, was put on the waiting list by NASA, meaning that their satellite will be launched if another school doesn’t complete their construction in time. “We didn’t get one of the first launches but we are still moving to get our project completed by May,” senior MR LEO team leader Kerry Fessenden said. “It is really amazing that SLU got one and it feels like we won even though we aren’t on the first list.” Cook also set the deadline for her CubeSat to be completed in t-minus 85 days or by May 6, as they need to submit their satellite through a series of tests. Each system has to go through a number of different tests to survive the See “CubeSat” on Page 3
Be my Valentine
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