U University News Thursday, September 6, 2012
the
Vol. XCII No. 2
unewsonline.com
A student voice of SLU since 1919
See “Library” on Page 3
The Faculty Senate and the Faculty Senate Executive Committee voted that a draft of the Faculty Evaluation Policy was “irremediably flawed.” As of Wednesday, Sept. 5, the Executive Committee and 47 of the 50 senators voted to mandate that the proposals be withdrawn by the office of the Vice President of Academic Affairs. The remaining three senators abstained. “…in summary, we request that the proposed policies …
be withdrawn from consideration,” the Executive Committee stated in a letter to the Vice President of Academic Affairs, Manoj Patankar, “If this is not considered a viable option, the Senate is prepared to act further to ensure that these proposed policies are not enacted.” The draft, which was released to the department chairs on August 22, outlined the procedures and policies for evaluating faculty performance. The policy maintained that all full-time faculty members would be evaluated
in three areas of responsibility: teaching, research and service. A section that raised significant concern, however, was the section that addressed the process of posttenure review. The draft proposes a posttenure review process that could result in not only a demotion to a non-tenured position for previously tenured faculty, but also the termination of that faculty member’s position. In the draft, it is stated that
Kristen Miano/News Editor
Lawrence Biondi S.J. addresses the Faculty Senate at the Faculty Senate Kick-off Dinner on Tuesday, Sept. 4 at Il Monastero Hall.
See “Tenure” on Page 3
Gateway to the Parched Midwest Not even a hurricane could hault the Great Drought of 2012 18
St. Louis Spring and Summer Rainfall Average per Year
16 16
Spring
8
Summer
6
10 8
13.05
Spring Summer
6
6.7
10
12
10.00
12
14.35
14 14
12.33
16.78
18
13.10
As students struggled through the caution tape festival that was the Pius XII Memorial Library for the past six months, there was anticipation in the air for newer and improved library facilities. That anticipation has dissipated and has been replaced by discovery. Discovery, that is, of the new, refreshed look of Pius. The improvements include new lighting, flooring and carpeting, doubling of the seating capacity, added study and seminar rooms as well as an entirely new entrance. “All of our priorities were met and more,” Matt Ryan, former Student Government Association President, said. “I think it looks amazing.” According to David Cassens, interim university librarian, in addition to the aforementioned improvements, there are now exponentially more electrical outlets, an improved printing station, new ceilings and old drapes were replaced by UV-protected film on the windows to allow more natural light into the building. “Student comfort level was a major priority of ours,” Cassens said. “When students can become comfortable and safe in a learning environment is when they become the most effective; we modeled this renovation off of the students.” According to Ryan, the idea of a library renovation originated with the SGA administration prior to his, that of Courtney Anvender’s. From that point, the torch was passed from Avender to Ryan. The official planning began in January of 2011 and from that point there were weekly progress reviews that included Cassens, SGA and the facilities department of SLU. According to Cassens, one of the major holdups to the project was amount of time that the library would be out of commission. “We had to consider how we could make these changes while, at the same time, making sure the library was not closed for an extended period of time,” Cassens said. “We made it through this time period by having a tremendous group of librarians, and now we have a new modern facil-
By KRISTEN MIANO News Editor
11.82
By PATRICK OLDS Senior Staff Writer
Proposed tenure plan draws Faculty Senate fire
Rainfall (in.)
Pius XII enhancement nearing completion
4
4 2 2 0 0
2009
2010
2011
2009
2012
2010
2011
2012
Year St. Louis, Missouri Spring and Summer Average Temperatures
SPRING 2009 57.4°F 2010 60.3°F 2011 58.0°F 2012 64.8°F
SUMMER 76.6°F 81.7°F 81.9°F 82.0°F Source: National Weather Service
Photocredit: Derrick Neuner; Graphic: Brianna Radici
A statue of Lewis and Clark stands at the foot of the Eads Bridge on the Mississippi River in St. Louis. The river is at its lowest point since the 1940s. By GABBY GEERTS and DERRICK NEUNER Science Editor and Senior Staff Writer
Mark Twain once described the Mississippi River as having “a soul … of having it’s own way. No engineering skill can persuade it to do otherwise.” And nearly 10 years ago, in the Great Flood of 1993, St. Louisans found out why. Under the anxious shadow of the Gateway Arch, the river swelled to heights unseen: cresting at 49.6 feet on Aug. 1, 1993, nearly 20 feet above flood stage, it had a peak flow rate of 1,080,000 cubic feet per second, enough to fill Busch Stadium to the brim in 69 seconds. Travel down to the Arch today and you’ll glimpse a vanishing river. Water now stands at just 11.72 feet, its lowest level since President Roosevelt roamed the Oval Office. Engineering skill, in the form of
barge dredging, is keeping the waterway open to commerce. The U.S. Corps of Engineers has to keep the river at least nine feet deep or traffic stops. Each day of stoppage costs the American economy $300 million; with over 500 tons of grain, coal and goods moved each year down the Mississippi, over 400,000 jobs are dependent on this flow. Mark Twain’s beloved Mississippi is drying up. This is the Great Drought of 2012. With high temperatures scorching the Midwest, moisture has been evaporating much more quickly than usual. This, combined with lack of rain, has created a parched environment. What started as an abnormal winter for the western U.S. has spread east, becoming not only an environmental, but also a human emergency. The Great Drought of 2012 was born out of the
waning months of 2011. The development of a La Niña weather pattern - characterized by elevated sea temperatures in the Pacific Ocean -- limited snowfall in St. Louis to just 6.3 inches and pushed temperatures to unconditional levels. According to Mike Roberts, a member of the American Meteorological Society and Saint Louis University adjunct professor, forecasters were warned. “March was 14.8 degrees warmer than the mean. That’s warmer than the mean average. It was way, way beyond the pale,” Roberts said. “We knew we were going to have some problems. The seeds were sown. I don’t think anyone, however, was expecting See “Drought” on Page 2
Old West Pine Gym ‘goes global,’ offers new space for students By PATRICK GRILLOT Staff Writer
Photo courtesy of SLU Marketing and Communication
INSIDE:
A drawing of a proposed design for the auditorium of the future Center for Global Citizenship.
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>> Parks gets new pilot
Two years after the installation of dozens of international flags atop the roof of Saint Louis University’s Bauman-Eberhardt Center, significant renovations to the building’s interior have begun. The Bauman-Eberhardt Center and its recently renovated neighbor, Des Peres Hall, will comprise the Center for Global Citizenship. In his August message to SLU, President Lawrence Biondi, S.J., announced that the building will include a “Global Student Commons and a 1,000-plus-seat, hightech auditorium.” Originally built in 1928, the Bauman-Eberhardt Center, formerly known as the West
2 OPINION
>> Temporary tenure?
Pine Gym, had played host to student registration and distinguished lectures, including a 1964 address from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Prior to the Department of Athletics move to Chaifetz Arena, the building was home to SLU athletics. The last sporting event there was a women’s basketball game in February 2008. Since then, the court itself has been used infrequently while various departments, including the Honors Program and Student Educational Services, have resided in the offices under the bleachers. Renovations to the building will include an interior bridge that will connect the east and west sides of the building and a café carved out of the eastside bleachers. According to Kent Proterfield,
4 ARTS
the Vice President for Student Development, the café will be operated by Chartwells and will offer hot and cold sandwiches, soup and beverages from different cultures, such as Mediterranean or South American. In addition, renovated offices in the BaumanEberhardt Center will house three departments with a global focus. The Cross Cultural Center will be relocated from the Busch Student Center into space in the Center for Global Citizenship. LaTanya Buck, who directs the Cross Cultural Center, believes the new location will make the center more accessible and convenient to students and allow it more flexibility in the programs it
offers. The Center for Intercultural Studies and the Center for Service and Community Engagement will also move into the Bauman-Eberhardt Center. While Des Peres Hall and the Bauman-Eberhardt Center are not physically attached, Porterfield left open the possibility of adding an outdoor patio to connect the hall to the updated center. With the details of the student commons still being worked out, Porterfield said the University is looking into having furniture samples brought to campus for students to test out and provide feedback, similar to the process led by the Student Government Association last November prior to
7 SPORTS
>> St. Louis goes Greek
See “Global” on Page 2
9
>> Stones gets SLU rolling