No. 9 (Nov. 1, 2012)

INSIDE: YOUR GUIDE TO

THE 2012 ELECTION

U University News Thursday, November 1, 2012

the

Vol. XCVIV No. 9

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A student voice of SLU since 1919

FACULTY, STUDENTS VOTE ‘NO CONFIDENCE’ SGA joins the fray

By WOLF HOWARD Associate News Editor

John Schuler/ Photo Editor

Kristen Miano/ News Editor

Kristen Miano/ News Editor

Students and faculty participate in a march and sit-in protest in the Quad (Left, Top Right), Mark Kneupfer annouces result of Faculty Senate vote (Bottom Right) on Tuesday, Oct. 30.

Students stage sit-in and march in protest; Biondi responds

By KRISTEN MIANO News Editor

The Faculty Senate voted no confidence in President Lawrence Biondi, S.J. as president of Saint Louis University in their meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 30.

In a secret ballot vote of 51 senators in favor, four against and two abstaining, the vote expresses that the faculty do not feel that Biondi is leading the University in the best possible direction.

“This has been building for a long time,” said a faculty representative from the Department of Political Science, “We can’t seem to imagine a life beyond Biondi, but there’s a whole other world out there.”

Discussion prior to the vote mostly concerned whether or not this was the right time to take the vote and if the Senate should save the vote for a later date, but the majority of senators present agreed that the vote needed to take place. Faculty councils of most of SLU’s colleges had meet previously and expressed similar sentiments.

“I want my mission back,” said Department of Theology representative Ruben Rosario-Rodriguez. “I want this university to be a Catholic,

Jesuit university, and I want leadership that I can believe in. How are we going to be top 50 or even top 90 [when] we don’t have confidence in our leaders? We need to vote together on this.”

This vote comes after a vote by the Faculty Council of the College of Arts and Sciences two weeks ago expressing no confidence in Biondi in respect to his continued retention and support of Vice President of Academic Affairs Manoj Patankar, following a previous vote by the Faculty Senate expressing no confidence in the vice president’s leadership. The vote taken most recently by the Faculty Senate, however, is to express no confidence in the totality of Biondi’s leadership.

“A vote of no confidence is a statement of fact, not a charge,” Faculty Senate President Mark Kneupfer said in a letter sent to the Board of Trustees on Wednesday, Oct. 31. “As since, it is more than the sum of the particulars that can be set forth in its support.”

The letter sent to the Board served to both explain to the trustees why the vote passed and to call on the Board to remove Biondi and Patankar from their respective offices.

“No forward movement of the University is possible under such conditions, and

Satirist gets serious about going green

INSIDE:

“

”

NEWS

>> Meet the man leading BNS

See “Vote” on Page 3

See “SGA” on Page 3

Campus polls set for presidential election

By KRISTEN MIANO News Editor

has also worked with numerous businesses over the years to show employees how “going green saves green.”

Equipped with nothing “I think there’s an opporbut a projector and satirical tunity for humor to reach wit, Bob Hirschfeld brought a lot more an ecologipeople,” cal educaHirschfeld tion to the said in his Saint Louis pening Room last I think there’s ocomments, T h u r s day that an opportunity for explaining why he atwould have turned Jay humor to reach a tempts to educate Leno green lot more people. with comewith envy. dy. Indeed, Hirschfeld, the first a self-pro- -Bob Hirschfeld half of the claimed night found “cyber-satihim riffing in a manner simrist,” has been performing ilar to the opening of any and educating across the late-night talk show.

U.S. for the last 12 years.

His jokes, both intelOn Thursday, Oct. 25, he ligent and well-delivered, came to Saint Louis Unifocused on the confusion versity to speak as a part of Sustainability Week.

Not limiting his scope to See “GIC” on Page 3 college students, Hirschfeld

By WOLF HOWARD Associate News Editor

the longer it takes to resolve the crisis, the harder it will be for the University to recover.

The present discontent on campus must not be mistaken for the disaffection of a few,” the letter stated.

The letter continued on to state that this discontent concerns SLU and its mission as a whole.

“The vocal protests and discourse are a thoughtful and earnest attempt by many students and faculty to find a way forward that leads to a university strengthened in its dedication to teaching, research and service--a beacon for the Jesuit ideals of the pursuit of truth for the glory of God and the service of humanity in the spirit of the Gospels,” the letter stated.

There was more than one voice heard on the matter on SLU’s campus on Tuesday. That afternoon, approximately 200 students and 20 faculty members gathered in the Quad to participate in a sit-in protest to not only show their support for the decisions of the faculty, but also express their own lack of confidence in Biondi.

“We had a sit-in protest to show not only the

The Saint Louis University Student Government Association seconded the Faculty Senate’s no confidence sentiments on Oct. 31. SGA declared no confidence in President Lawrence Biondi, S.J. and Vice President for Academic Affairs Manoj Patankar. The senators voted 38 in favor and zero against, with one voter abstaining.

The vote comes just a day after the vote of no confidence made by the Faculty Senate, and following weeks of controversy within the school concerning the current administration and its relationship with the rest of the school.

“I think our senators made it pretty clear tonight what they think is in the best interest of the student body,” said SGA President Blake Exline. “They clearly stated that their constituents have no confidence in the president of the university to continue in his position.” Exline said the next step is for the executive board to write a letter to the Board of Trustees, requesting the removal of Biondi as University president and detailing the logic of the Association’s vote.

Following the successful vote of no confidence, senators made a motion “to bar all student body representatives from attending any meetings in an official capacity with Fr. Lawrence Biondi and/or Dr. Manoj Patankar presiding.” This motion was passed with the intention of making clear to senators what was expected of them as representatives, following their vote.

Voting in the 2012 general election is easy for Saint Louis University students this year, as the school is hosting a polling place in the Busch Student Center specifically geared toward students at the University.

“It really makes it easy, especially since I don’t have real transportation.

If it was too far, it would be too difficult to vote,” said freshman Erica Seal.

“It also encouraged me to register to vote in Missouri rather than vote absentee.”

The BSC polling place was put in place to cater to students who registered to vote using their student mailbox at the address “20 N. Grand Blvd.” The polling place was opened in an effort to make voting more convenient for students who may not have transportation or might be from out of state.

2 OPINION

Ryan Giacomino/ The University News

Saint Louis University students wait in line to vote in the Busch Student Center during the 2008 election .

The polls will be set up in the Saint Louis Room, located on the third floor of the BSC in Room 300, and will open at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 6 and will close at 7 p.m. In order to vote at this locations, voters will need to present either their SLU ID, an ID issued by the federal government or the state of Missouri, or a driver’s license or state identification card from another state.

“It definitely helps for

9 ARTS

>> Weighing the issues

students who may not have voted otherwise because traveling would have been a hassle,” said Kenneth Warren, a professor in the Department of Political Science and SLU’s resident expert on polling and political campaigns.

“Though there are usually polls around SLU, naturally, having a polling place on campus, a lot more students would come out to vote than normally.”

The first time the BSC

featured a polling place for students was during the 2008 election. That year, approximately 1,000 SLU students utilized the location. For the upcoming election, it has not yet been released how many student have registered for the BSC location.

According to Dean of Students Mona Hicks, however, approximately

11 SPORTS

>> Rap rocks Chaifetz

See “Polls” on Page 2

15

>> SLU preps for A-10 tourney

2 NEWS

NOVEMBER 1, 2012

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Let Us Introduce You: Maurice Roper President of Bare Naked Statues likes R&B, Judge Judy

By KRISTEN MIANO News Editor

Senior Maurice Roper joined the Bare Naked Statues his freshman year simply because he liked singing. He stuck around, however, because he found a group of people he could bond with.

“The people I met were the main factor for why I stayed,” Roper said.

“You don’t want to be in a group with people you can’t connect with. They’re what I’ve enjoyed about the experience.”

Roper is the current president of BNS and has been since January. He has been a member of BNS all four years of college, but began singing long before joining Saint Louis University’s all-male a cappella group.

“I’ve been singing ever since elementary school,” Roper said. “I’ve been in choir most of my life and did musicals in high school.”

Now, Roper said he really enjoys singing R&B style music. Some of his favorite artists include Beyonce, Sia, Miguel and Brandy, but his favorite songs to perform with the a cappella group include “I Believe I Can Fly,” in which he sings the solo, and “Who You Are,” where he is a part of the chorus.

Roper’s favorite part of being president of BNS has been the opportunity he’s had to make a positive impact on the organization.

“I’ve gotten us to a better point than when I first started,” Roper said. “We’re doing different things than we’ve done before and I feel like we’re working toward the best possible outcome.”

During his tenure as president, Roper has gone with BNS to A Cappella Fest in Chicago, attended a cappella classes to improve group motivation and performance and has began to work on BNS’s fourth album.

“We’re working on a new

THE SLU SCOOP All Information Provided by Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

Thursday, Oct. 25

8:15 p.m. - TRESPASSING

Officers responded to a person sitting in someone else’s seat who refused to move. He was escorted from Chaifetz Arena. The same person returned two other times. The person was issued a trespass warning and escorted off the property.

Monday, Oct. 29

9:56 a.m. - AUTO ACCIDENT

A SLU truck tried to pass a Sysco truck which was parked in the alley behind DeMattias Hall. The truck made contact with the driver’s side mirror of the Sysco truck.

10:45 p.m. - ROBBERY

A student reported he was the victim of a robbery that occurred at approximately 0900hrs. The suspect placed an unidentified object on the student’s back and demanded his wallet. The suspect took the victim’s wallet. SLMPD was contacted.

Tuesday, Oct. 30

2:00 p.m. - SICK CASE

A SLU professor became ill while conducting class. SLFD was contacted and responded. The patient was conveyed to SLU emergency room for treatment.

Be a Responsible Billiken STOP. CALL. REPORT. 314-977-3000 witness.slu.edu dps.slu.edu

Several students have been victims of “employment scam” emails. Students recieving mail that seems suspicious or offering jobs that are “to good to be true” should notify DPSEP. Kristen Miano / News Editor

CD with some awesome a cappella producers,” Roper said. “I really feel like BNS is on its way up right now.”

Though he loves working with the guys in the group, Roper said it is not always the easiest endeavor.

“It’s kind of hard to get a group of fifteen males to focus and pay attention,” Roper said. “Everyone has different personalities and I’m trying to figure out a balance that works best for everyone.”

As a finance major graduating this year, Roper said he has plans to work with the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City as a consumer affairs bank examiner after he leaves SLU. In the long term, however, he hopes to go to law school and become an attorney.

“I’m not sure what kind of law I want to go into,” Roper said. “It’ll come to me

eventually, I’m sure.”

When he’s not singing at SLU, Roper is involved on campus as the treasurer of the Black Student Alliance and as a member of SLU Step, the campus’s step team.

He also enjoys playing tennis, catching up on the latest news and world events on CNN, and reading books by Ayn Rand. One of his favorites by Rand is The Fountainhead.

“I also really like watching Judge Judy,” Roper said.

“That’s something I look forward to.”

Roper said that though he’s graduating this year, he will definitely miss working with BNS and watching them grow.

“It’s sad because I feel like we’re on our way up and going even farther than we have now,” Roper said.

“But I’ll definitely keep in touch.”

Polls: Convenient campus locations streamline student voting Continued from Page 1

500 students registered to vote through the SLU voter registration drives.

“I want our students to have the opportunity to serve through opportunities like Make a Difference day but also the opportunity to exercise your right to vote to enact social change in those communities in which we serve,” Hicks said, “For example, it is my hope that students learn and have the opportunity to address clean up at a public school but also vote for leadership and resources that maintain and advance the learning in that public school.”

Hicks also said that she

feels that having a polling place at SLU is appropriate because civic learning and democratic engagement is an important part of the university’s Catholic, Jesuit mission and is an important endeavor for students’ future as members of the larger community.

Many students agree with Hicks, stating that the presence of a polling place on campus is a positive addition that will make voting on Nov. 6 easier.

“I like having a voting place here,” said senior Joseph Cacchione. “ It’s my first time voting and having a polling location in the BSC is actually why I registered to vote here and not absentee.”

Students who are not sure if they are registered to vote in the BSC or in a polling location off campus can look up their designated location online at the Missouri Secretary of State’s Missouri Voting Rights website.

Correction In last week’s article, “SLU’s Greek Life community housing celebrates unusual unity,” it was reported that Fr. Nick Smith was a member of the Society of Jesus. Fr. Smith is a Diocesan Priest, not a Jesuit. The University News regrets this error.

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NOVEMBER 1, 2012

GIC: Ecologist offers tips for “going green” Continued from Page 1

and difficulty inherent in attempting to live a green lifestyle. The seamless flow from goofy to factual and back again served to keep the audience both informed and interested.

One issue featured in Hirschfeld’s speech was the difficulty in replacing incandescent light bulbs with LED bulbs, which are so expensive that the question, “How many dollars does it take to change a light bulb?” is raised.

Another joke centered on the development of biodegradable fast-food containers, which decompose naturally to avoid pollution.

Hirschfeld reasoned, it would make sense to throw the container out of your car with the leftovers, a form of eco-littering.

The talent in his writing could be seen when his focus turned to corn’s role in developing an eco-friendly society, where he argued that corn, while considered useful by most people, is subject to the whimsy of corn lobbyists.

Concurrently, Hirschfeld claimed, “Ethanol is actually shown to reduce mileage and pollute more,” not skipping a beat in his move from deriding lobbyists to debunking a generallybelieved myth about the environmental benefits of ethanol.

After giving the audience a pseudo-historical look into technological developments, opening with dinosaurs causing their own extinction from all of their carbon emissions, Hirschfeld attempted to address commonly presented counterpoints to the theory

Bob Hirschfeld speaks in the Saint Louis Room on Thursday, Oct. 25 as part of Sustainability Week. of global warming.

In response to the fact that carbon dioxide is a natural component of Earth’s life cycle, he raised the point that too much of anything can be a bad thing.

He moved on to address the cooling and heating cycles of the Earth, saying that while the cyclical nature of the planet is relevant, it’s very possible that humans could throw off the natural balance of these cycles and harm the environment.

Hirschfeld’s central claim was that resilience is key to developing a sustainable technological environment. He defined resilience as “the ability to absorb ecological, social and economic changes, and to develop self-sufficiency.”

His concept of resilience was made up of three parts:

diversity, which is the ability to get energy from multiple sources; modularity, developing big systems made of small components for more flexibility; and a feedback loop, where the consequences of our choices are close to home and hard to ignore.

The rest of Hirschfeld’s presentation talked about the ongoing developments in green technology, their future potential and the sources of the green push with reference to transportation and business and industrial buildings.

On the topic of transportation, Hirschfeld cited a remarkable statistic: only 15 percent of the energy from the fuel in a car goes to making it move. He went on to discuss the development of aerodynamic, light-weight

car designs that reduce the frictional force on vehicles; improvements in automotive design are going to increase fuel efficiency by 50 percent over the coming decades, Hirschfeld said.

In at-home green developments, Hirschfeld pointed out that solar panels are constantly decreasing in price and increasing in efficiency, while getting recycled newspaper insulation in his home saved him 50 percent on air conditioning in one year.

Hirschfeld closed with a number of ways the audience could convince their friends to “go green” and provided encouragement about the opportunities college students will have in getting involved in careers centered on ecologicallyintelligent developments.

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Vote: Biondi rebuttal points to progress Continued from Page 1

Wolf Howard/Associate News Editor

NEWS

administration but also student government that there is a large student voice.

We’re ready to move on this issue,” Colin Pajda, a representative of the student groups, SLU Students for No Confidence, said. “We had a short march as well to show the faculty that we support what they’re doing and we want to be a part of it.”

The people who participated in the protest wore red armbands and carried signs featuring statements of support for the faculty.

Some protestors carried signs with statements critical of the administration.

After the demonstration in the Quad, the group marched to the front of Dubourg Hall, which houses the offices of many of SLU’s administrators. “[Biondi] says it is a small number of students and faculty upset about this, but this is really a campuswide event,” Pajda said.

“The campus is worried about it.”

The same afternoon, Biondi and the vice presidents of the University sent a letter to students, faculty and staff sharing his own thoughts on the situation.

“Some members of the faculty have presented a distorted view of the University in an attempt to divide our SLU community, which has lead to significant disagreements among the faculty ranks in the colleges and schools as well as between the Faculty Senate and the Faculty Council of

the College of Arts and Sciences,” Biondi stated in his letter. “The information presented during the so-called teach-ins and on social media has done nothing but harm our University. It is one thing to have honest disagreements; it is quite another to degrade this institution that we all care about so deeply.”

The letter featured slides and details exhibiting the ways the University has been progressing and reaffirmed Biondi’s own confidence in Patankar.

“The administration believes the vote of no confidence is unjustified,” Clayton Berry, assistant vice president for communications, said. “Father Biondi has dedicated the past 25 years of his life to moving SLU forward, and he has been very successful.”

Berry said that Biondi’s success hasn’t been limited to new buildings or campus improvements, but also includes major enhancemants to academics and research.

“The progress at SLU is not just what you see walking through the quad. It is also in the classroom and the lab,” he said. “Despite what has been suggested, SLU is a where people can express their opinions. SLU is a large and diverse community and not everyone’s voice was heard [at the demonstration.]”

The faculty is currently making plans as to where to go next, including how they will communicate with Patankar and Biondi moving forward and making an effort to reach out to the Board of Trustees.

SGA: Lengthy list of grievances lay foundation for vote Continued from Page 1

Debate on the bill endured for nearly five hours. Most of the discussion centered on the list of grievances to be included with the bill.

The list of grievances included 24 points that the sponsors of the bill intended as evidence for their drafting a bill to vote no confidence in Biondi and Patankar. The chambers suspended parliamentary rules in order to systematically review and debate any points of contention in the list of grievances.

Multiple senators felt that including a list of grievances directly with the bill left an opportunity for criticism on the basis of the factual value of the statements made. The legislative committee involved in drafting the bill defended the accuracy of the grievances, claiming that all of the points had been fact-checked multiple times over.

Many senators also argued that putting out a vote of no confidence without a document backing up the decision with demonstrable proof put the image of SGA in jeopardy.

Further, Sen. Becky Killian argued not including the list of grievances would dismiss the fact that hours of work was put into the research and conversation that culminated in a bill of no confidence.

Sen. Andy Wilmes expressed displeasure at requesting the forceful removal of Biondi, citing his excellent history at the school and his long tenure as reasons for respecting his position and making a more docile move to incite his departure. Wilmes moved to amend the bill to request Biondi’s retirement at the end of the academic year.

Senators largely disagreed with the motion, and the amendment was voted down.

Another large part of the debate centered on whether to include Manoj Patankar, vice president for academic affairs, in the vote of no confidence.

Those against including Patankar on the bill argued that his presence took away from the focus on SGA’s intention to remove Biondi.

Sen. Nate Klosterman also argued that sending one piece of legislation to Biondi to remove Patankar but then telling the Board of Trustees to remove Biondi sent a mixed message.

“I think we need to just get rid of Dr. Patankar [in the bill] and go after the problem, which is President Biondi,” Klosterman said.

Those for Patankar’s inclusion in the vote of no confidence argued that the actions of Patankar have demonstrated a lack of competence in his position and that SGA needed to make a statement of that effect.

Vice President of Student Affairs Richard Joubert called to attention the fact that Patankar had a measurable hand in enacting many of the controversial policies and proposals that SGA has found issue with.

Guests representing various student groups attended the meeting to voice their constituents’ opinions on the vote.

Alex Giltner, a graduate student representing a group of 34 graduate students, presented a signed petition asking SGA to vote no confidence in Biondi. In the statement the students attributed the lack of communication and pervasive fear to a downtrend in SLU’s reputation under Biondi.

Giltner and Sen. Kyle Lincoln stated that the list would have been longer but many students did not include their signature for fear of losing their positions at SLU. Also in attendance was one of the administrators of the SLU Students for No Confidence Facebook group, first year law student Liz Ramsey, who spoke on behalf of the students that has been vocal about Biondi’s removal through their support of the group.

As of 11:23 p.m. Wednesday night, the group had 968 “likes.”

The conclusion of the vote was met with applause throughout the room.

“Overall, [the conversa-

Kristen Miano / News Editor

Academic Affairs Vice President of the Student Government Association Richard Joubert reads off the results of a secret ballot to decide if the association would declare no confidecne in President Lawrence Biondi S.J and Vice President for Academic Affairs Manoj Patankar in the SGA meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 31. The vote passed in favor of no confidence with 38 senators voting ‘yay’ and one senator abstaining. tion] was productive,” said McLaughlin, author of the bill of no confidence. “The bill was not passed without scrutiny of the entire senate, which was great.”

There was also an extensive discussion concerning the Student Learning Outcomes earlier in the evening.

There will be a vote as to whether the University will adopt the proposed Student Learning Outcomes on Wednesday, Nov. 7. McLaughlin and Killian expressed hesitation about the learning outcomes due to the lack of time the Senate had to consider the outcomes, as well as the apparent subjectivity of the rubrics suggested and the undue burden of the outcomes.

Vice President Joubert expressed support for Student Learning Outcomes, foremost due to the necessity for outcomes in order for the University to main-

tain accreditation as well as the ability for outcomes to concretely demonstrate the effectiveness of education at the University. Joubert showed a strong desire for student feedback on the Student Learning Outcomes and their possible

implementation.

Assistant Vice President of Student Development Mona Hicks made clear that the group of administrators developing the Student Learning Outcomes has remained open to student feedback and have been re-

ceiving and responding to emails sent to the group over the past months.

Multiple senators felt that the bill was not properly formed to address the issues the authors expressed.

The bill was tabled for next week’s meeting.

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The University News

2012 VOTER’S GUIDE

On the campaign trail, President Barack Obama has a witty response when his supporters boo Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, “Don’t boo - vote!” Voting is the foundation of the American democracy; it gives you the chance to bring change. If you don’t support a candidate or an idea, don’t just talk about it - vote. For many of you, this may be your first presidential election. For others, Missouri isn’t your native home. This guide is here to assist you - free of partisan charges - and educate you about the candidates and the issues on the 2012 ballot in St. Louis. Take time to understand the problems and the proposals. The election is Tues., Nov. 6. As the saying goes, you can’t boo unless you vote.

- Derrick Neuner, Enterprise Editor

Voting Information

Election is Tues., Nov. 6th • • • •

Polls open at 6:00 a.m. and close at 7:00 p.m.

Those in line at 7:00 p.m. are allowed to vote.

You must present one form of personal I.D. Find your polling place at: sos.mo.gov

PRESIDENTIAL

Barack Obama

Mitt Romney

AGE: 51

AGE: 65

HOMETOWN: Honolulu, Hawaii

HOMETOWN: Detroit, Mich.

RESUME: Ill. State Senator (1997-2004) U.S. Senator (2005-2008) 44th President (2009-)

RESUME: CEO, Bain Capital (1984-2002) CEO, 2002 Winter Olympics Governor, Mass. (2002-2006)

EDUCATION: B.A., Columbia University J.D., Harvard Law School

EDUCATION: B.A., Brigham Young University M.B.A., Harvard University

VICE PRESIDENT: Joseph R. Biden, Incumbent

VICE PRESIDENT: Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis.

www.barackobama.com

www.mittromney.com

Set a goal to cut tuition growth in half over the next decade with a plan to expand student aid and work with states and colleges to keep tuition growth down; Capped repayments on federal student loans at 10% of income; Established the American Opportunity Tax Credit, which helped 9.4 million students and families in 2011 afford higher education; Doubled funding for Pell Grants so more Americans can afford college.

(Obama for America) Passed the Affordable Care Act in 2010, expanding access to free preventative services like flu shots, diabetes screenings and mammograms for 54 million Americans, allowing 3.1 million Americans under the age of 26 to receive coverage from their parent’s provider; Eliminated $716 billion in waste, fraud and abuse from Medicare, adding eight years to the life of the Medicare Trust Fund and removing caps for 100 million Americans who otherwise were denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions. (Obama for America) Reversing an earlier stance, he is now in favor of same-sex marriage. In May, he explained his change in thought during an ABC interview, saying, “At a certain point, I’ve just concluded that for me personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.” He supported the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and opposes the Defense of Marriage Act. Obama continues to believe, however, that same-sex marriage is a state, and not federal, issue. (CNN/Obama for America) Neither candidate has been specific on their plan to balance the budget.

He is in favor of letting the “Bush-era” tax cuts expire. Doing so would end up stabilizing the debt -- meaning the country’s deficits would stop growing faster than the economy. The annual deficit in his proposal would fall to 2.5 of GDP by 2017 -- well below the 8.1% projected for this year, but they would climb back to 3% by 2022. He has supported cost-saving reforms to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, along with cuts to defense spending, to curb federal deficits. (CNN) Cut taxes by $3,600 for middle class families over his first term; Will eliminate tax breaks for companies that send jobs and profits overseas; Signed 18 small business tax cuts into law to encourage more hiring and investing, and would extend income tax cuts for 97% of all small business owners; Supports the “Buffett Rule” – raising taxes on families making more than $1 million annually. Would slash the corporate tax rate to 28% from 35% and pay for the reduction by eliminating “dozens” of business tax breaks. (Obama for America/CNN) Supports an “all of the above” strategy to develop every available source of American-made energy -- including oil, gas, clean coal, wind, solar, biofuels and nuclear energy -- and taking steps to protect our climate; Goal of cutting our foreign oil imports in half by 2020; Doubling fuel economy of cars and light trucks to 54.5 mpg by 2025, which will reduce oil consumption by 2.2 million barrels a day; Supports the safe and responsible development of our near 100-year supply of natural gas. (Obama for America) Kept his promise to end the war in Iraq and bring all troops home; Has a plan in place to responsibly end the war in Afghanistan in 2014; Ordered the bold raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan; Worked to gain the support of Russia and China to pass the most crippling international sanctions the Iranian government has ever faced; Stood up to China’s unfair trade practices, filing trade complaints at twice the rate of the last administration; Has consistently stood up for Israel at the United Nations and elsewhere. (Obama for America) Supports the DREAM Act; Announced a policy to lift the shadow of deportation from young, hardworking immigrants who were brought here as children; Is for comprehensive immigration reform and opposes a patchwork of state laws to fix our broken immigration system; Proposed a new rule to keep families together by allowing certain undocumented spouses and children of U.S. citizens to apply for legal status from inside the U.S. (Obama for America)

ON STUDENT LOANS ON HEALTH CARE ON SAME-SEX MARRIAGE ON THE BUDGET ON TAXES ON CLIMATE CHANGE ON FOREIGN POLICY ON IMMIGRATION

Consolidate duplicative and overly complex programs within the Department of Education; Focus the department on giving students and families with financial need the appropriate information so they can intelligently weigh the risk and benefits of the many loan options; Reverse President Obama’s nationalization of the Pell Grant loan market; Encourage market entry by innovative new education models; Emphasize skill retainment instead of time spent in the classroom and support research and development. (Romney for President) On his first day in office, he will issue an executive order issuing “Obamacare” waivers to all 50 states. In place of Obamacare, Mitt will pursue policies that give each state the power to craft a health care reform plan that is best for its own citizens. The federal government’s role will be to help markets work by creating a level playing field for competition. Placing the patient at the center of the process will drive quality up and cost down while ensuring that services are designed to provide what Americans actually want. (Romney for President) As president, he would not only appoint an attorney general who will defend the Defense of Marriage Act, but will also champion a Federal Marriage Amendment to the Constitution defining marriage as between one man and one woman. Romney repeatedly said it was up to the voters to decide, not the courts. Romney, however, does support domestic partnership. “My view is the domestic partnership benefits, hospital visitation rights and the like are appropriate, but that the others are not,” Romney said in spring 2012. (Romney for President/CNN) Neither candidate has been specific on their plan to balance the budget.

Broadly, the GOP nominee wants to cut both tax rates and spending, while reforming the tax code and entitlement programs. Specifically, Romney has promised to cap government spending at 20% of GDP and balance the budget by 2020. He has ruled out raising taxes, so he would achieve these goals by cutting spending, although not on defense. On the revenue side, Romney has promised to cut today’s income tax rates by 20%. (CNN Money) Romney supports permanent extension of the “Bush-era” tax cuts. He would reduce the current top rate paid on income from 35% to 28%, with similar reductions across all tax brackets. Americans in the lowest bracket would pay 8% instead of 10%. Individuals closer to the middle would pay 20% instead of 25%. The campaign, and the candidate, insist that the plan is “budget neutral,” though Romney hasn’t said how fast he expects the economy to grow under his plan or which tax breaks he is willing to curtail. (Romney for President/CNN) Has not expressed support for climate change theories; His energy plan includes increasing domestic energy supply by allowing oil drilling on federal land. Romney also supports deregulating many of the energy industries. One of Romney’s “day one” initiatives would include approving the Keystone Pipeline. He also wants the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to speed up systems of regulation, signaling an approach to energy independence that would include more nuclear power plants.

(Romney for President/CNN) Romney has constantly criticized what he calls the president’s failure to lead on international issues such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Iran’s nuclear ambitions and Syria. On closer view, though, some details of Romney’s foreign policy appear similar to Obama’s: advocating sanctions, coalition-building and other diplomatic moves. The main difference is in visibility; Romney says his presidency would bring about an “American Century,” in which the United States “lead[s] the free world and the free world leads the entire world.” (CNN/Romney for President) Has voiced skepticism over the DREAM Act; Criticized Obama for reversing course on deportations to woo Latino voters. Romney’s own solution includes securing the borders -- in part, by building a border fence. He says he will develop an effective, mandatory employment verification system that will enable employers to be sure that those they hire are eligible to work. This will discourage illegal immigrants from coming to America to seek jobs. (CNN/Romney for President)

6

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VOTER’S GUIDE

NOVEMBER 1, 2012

SENATORIAL

Claire McCaskill

W. Todd Akin

AGE: 59

AGE: 65

HOMETOWN: Kirkwood, Mo.

HOMETOWN: Wildwood, Mo.

RESUME: U.S. Senator (2007-present), Missouri State Auditor (1999-2007)

RESUME: Missouri State Rep. (1989-2001) U.S. Representative (2001-present)

EDUCATION: Juris Doctor (J.D.), University of Missouri School of Law

EDUCATION: Masters of Divinity (M.D.), Covenant Theological Seminary

“A Senator On Our Side”

“The Status Quo Has Got To Go”

www.clairemccaskill.com

www.akin.org

Democrat

Republican

Courtesy of: Claire McCaskill for U.S. Senate

Courtesy of: United States House of Representatives

• Helped to pass the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2007, which increased the value of Pell grants.

• Supported President Obama’s decision to allow the federal government to issue Pell grants instead of banks.

• Co-sponsor of “Post 9/11 GI Bill” to assist veterans in paying for secondary education.

• Voted in favor of the “Afforable Care Act,” also known as “Obamacare.”

• Supports providing free screenings and contraceptive services to women.

• In Congress, helped the Department of Defense to establish a suicide prevention program for veterans.

• Voted in favor of the “Jump Start Our Business Startups Act,” easing regulations and taxes on investors.

• Delivered more than $12 billion in lending support to small businesses, including rural businesses in Missouri.

• Opposes “cap and trade” energy bills; supports efforts to expand use of clean domestic sources of energy.

• Introduced bipartisan legislation in 2011 that would permanently ban earmarks.

• Has investigated the Department of Defense for waste in the Iraq/Afghanistan wars and abuse by contractors.

EDUCATION & STUDENT LOANS

• Supports abolishing the Department of Education.

• Opposed “No Child Left Behind.”

• Has compared student loans to “stage three cancer of socialism.” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) • Believes education is best left to parents, teachers and local communities.

“OBAMACARE” & HEALTH CARE

• Is opposed to “Obamacare” and in favor of its full repeal.

• Supports free market solutions, which will improve healthcare.

• Supports removing federal funding for Planned Parenthood; Opposes abortions in all instances, including rape.

• Believes Medicare is unconstitutional. (Columbia Tribune)

JOBS, TAXES & ENERGY THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT

(Positions from Claire McCaskill for U.S. Senate except where noted.)

• In favor of reducing regulations on the economy and giving tax breaks to small businesses.

• Supports the “Bush tax cuts” and eliminating the IRS, giving taxing powers back to the states.

• Supports the exploration of domestic energy and the dissolution of the Energy Protection Agency.

• Co-sponsor of a “balanced budget” amendment.

• Voted against the “American Recovery and Re-investment Act of 2009.”

• Advocates a “cut, cap and balance” approach.

(Positions from Akin for U.S. Senate except where noted.)

GUBERNATORIAL ON MISSOURI JOBS

ON HEALTH CARE

NIXON

Nixon balanced Missouri’s budget without raising taxes on individuals or businesses. He believes in training Missouri students for the jobs of the future and expanding exports to China.

NIXON

Due to a changing electorate in Missouri., he does not support Obamacare. However, he has hallmarked his expansions of state programs to help austistic and blind Missourians.

SPENCE

As governor, Spence would work to reduce burdensome regulations and eliminate unnecessary red tape, as well as reduce taxes and modernize the Missouri workforce.

SPENCE

He believes Obamacare is unconstitutional and would work to fight against implimentating its reforms in Missouri. He hasn’t otherwise outlined health care reform policies he supports.

Jeremiah “Jay” Nixon

Dave Spence

Democrat

Republican

AGE: 56

AGE: 54

HOMETOWN: De Soto, Mo.

HOMETOWN: Overland, Mo.

EDUCATION: J.D., University of Missouri Law School

EDUCATION: B.S. in Home Economics, University of Missouri

RESUME: Mo. Attorny General (1993-2008) Mo. Governor (2009-Present)

RESUME: CEO, Alpha Packaging (1985-2012) Chairman, Legacy Pharmaceutical

(Positions from Jay Nixon for Governor)

ON CLEAN ENERGY

(Positions from Dave Spence for Governor)

ON COLLEGE AFFORDABILITY

NIXON

Has outlined policy to develop Missouri energy sources, such as ethanol and nuclear power. Supported emissions standards, but also the construction of oil pipelines through Missouri.

NIXON

Ordered the University of Missouri system to freeze tuition upon his election. Expanded the A+ Schools program, giving two years of free tuition at community colleges to students.

SPENCE

Believes the EPA has overstepped its bounds and would fight its carbon-emission regulations. He supports the building of coal-fired power plants, nuclear power and natural gas drilling.

SPENCE

He will reprioritize education in Missouri’s budget and increase funding for job retraining programs such as technology training, vocational schools and community colleges.

7

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VOTER’S GUIDE

NOVEMBER 1, 2012

In 2012, Missouri no longer center stage After close margins in ‘08, ‘12 election bypasses the ‘Show-Me State’

By DERRICK NEUNER Enterprise Editor

On Oct. 18, 2008, thenSen. Barack Obama spoke to over 100,000 supporters under the shadow of the Gateway Arch; it is, to date, the largest presidential campaign rally ever on U.S. soil.

Missouri was a popular stop for candidates in the ’08 election: Obama held 12 rallies; his Republican opponent Sen. John McCain stopped by 6 times; and Washington University in St. Louis hosted the Vice Presidential debate between Sen. Joe Biden and former Gov. Sarah Palin.

But for the 2012 presidential election, Missouri has been largely ignored.

Obama last visited the state on May 21 to deliver the commencement address at Joplin High School, one year after the deadliest tornado in U.S. history hit the town.

GOP nominee Mitt Romney has been in the state once as a presidential nominee – June 7, when he visited a defense production company in St. Louis County. His vice presidential nominee, Paul Ryan, attended a fundraiser in Springfield, Mo., on Aug. 23. There’s a reason for this.

The time of the candidate is the most valuable resource any presidential campaign has. In today’s age of campaigns, resources do not get wasted on any more than a handful of states where polls and demographics allow either party to win electoral votes.

As of this publishing, FiveThirtyEight, the foremost blog on predicting

the nation’s reacelectoral outcomes, tion to the “inflated” gives Romney a 99.5 margin of victory percent chance of for Obama. That, winning Missouri’s coupled with the popular vote. A Posttough economy, has Dispatch/News 4/ made the incumKansas City Star bent vulnerable. poll released Oct. 26 But while Misshowed the RepubliNumber of electoral votes for Missouri souri may not be can leading Obama competitive in the 54-41 in the state. presidential elecIt’s a remarktion, it’s anyone’s able shift for a state bet which man is that provided Mcnamed victor on Cain in 2008 with Nov. 7. his slimmest vicNumber of electoral votes needed to be Polls across the tory amongst the 50 nation show the race states – 3,903 votes. elected President within 3-4 percentBut in the last four age points, although years, as Obama and Obama holds an his Democrat allies electoral advantage pushed a massive because of his supfederal spending port of women and bill, the American Fewest number of states needed to reach 270 minorities in swing Recovery and Reinstates such as Ohio vestment Act, and electoral votes and be elected President and Nevada.

“Obamacare,” MisShould he secure sourians have reactfour more years in ed negatively to the the White House, President’s policies Obama will reand leadership. write conventional And without the wisdom. No presianti-Bush sentiment Number of consecutive elections in which dent has ever been of 2008, the state has Missouri correctly picked the President (1956-2008) elected with an unshifted decidedly employment rate conservative. over 7 percent, with “Missouri may be favorability ratings losing its status as under 50 percent, or a bellwether state, losing independents but it is still a pretty by double-digits, as good microcosm Difference between the number of votes for John polls show he may. of the country,” Dr. Diana Carlin, AsWilliam T. Horner McCain and Barack Obama in the 2008 election. sociate Vice Presiof the University of dent for Graduate Missouri said. “In Education and a 2008, people were professor in the conservative direction According to Goldstein, voting for a change department of communicaanyway. Even when Misin 2008, Democrats were and Obama represented tion, says that Obama sufsouri was dominated by extraordinarily unhappy that change.

However, fers from an impatient electhe Democrats, they were with the administration of things have not rebounded torate angered by a changdominated by conservative George W. Bush, the Iraq as quickly as people expecting economy. rural Democrats, not liberal War and the economic coled.

While Obama is personDemocrats.” lapse in 2007, leading to an “Just as the electorate ally liked by a majority of Dr. Joel Goldstein, a proinflation of Obama’s margin is less enthusiastic about the nation, Carlin points to fessor of law at Saint Louis both nationally and in MisPresident Obama at the technology as a major crux University and an expert souri. national level, it is also less for the president. on the vice-presidency, He notes that the 2010 enthusiastic in Missouri, “There are 3 million echoed Horner’s sentiment. mid-term elections showed which tends to lean in the

PICKING POTUS: BY THE NUMBERS

10

270 11

13

3,903

unfilled jobs in this country with millions of people that aren’t skilled for those jobs,” Carlin said. “People are waiting around for someone to bring back what they had. Those jobs aren’t coming back.

“I think there are very angry people who feel left behind by the economy, they are struggling, and they don’t see a path out.

They thought in 2008 that Obama was the path out, and that hasn’t been true, so he’s lost support,” she said.

Although Obama noted in his victory speech on Nov. 4, 2008, that the change he believed in would take more than four years, Carlin says that has been largely forgotten and ignored by society.

“We are still a young country,” she said. “It is very difficult for us to take the long-view on any policy making, really. We are “bumper-sticker” politics.

Our nation is a teenager, and we still have a lot of the lack of attention span, instant gratification, it’s part of our culture, and we get frustrated.”

Regardless of who wins the keys to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., the next president has the opportunity to substantially change the nation.

The next president must face a decision almost immediately upon inaugration, including how to avoid a major tax increase and cuts to Medicare.

Though the government seems divided, Goldstein offers a reminder to SLU students for Nov. 6.

“Ultimately, people get the government they deserve. If people don’t exercise their rights, you get what you pay for.”

THE SWINGIN’ SHOW ME STATE IN 2008..

2008

­­

Obama/Biden

BARACK OBAMA

49.23%

JOHN McCAIN

McCain/Palin

49.36%

2004

50% 50%

Kerry/Edwards

46.10%

50% 50%

Bush/Cheney

53.30%

59%

39% Ages 18-29

2000 Gore/Lieberman

47.08%

Bush/Cheney

50.42%

2,925,197

Missouri voters

8

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VOTER’S GUIDE

NOVEMBER 1, 2012

EXPLAINING THE PROPOSITIONS PROPOSITION A

Shall Missouri law be amended to: •

•

•

PROPOSITION B

Proposed by Initiative Petition

Shall Missouri law be amended to:

PROS

allow any city not within a county (the City of St. Louis) the option of transferring certain obligations and control of the city’s police force from the board of police commissioners currently appointed by the governor to the city and establishing a municipal police force; establish certain procedures and requirements for governing such a municipal police force including residency, rank, salary, benefits, insurance, and pension; and prohibit retaliation against any employee of such municipal police force who reports conduct believed to be illegal to a superior, government agency, or the press?

State governmental entities estimated savings will eventually be up to $500,000 annually. Local government entities estimated annual potential savings of $3.5 million; however, consolidation decisions with an unknown outcome may result in the savings being more or less than estimated. Simple majority is required.

• •

Local taxes are used to pay the cost of the St. Louis Police Department.

The wording of the measure allows the creation of a civilian review board while offering police officers adequate protection.

•

• •

CONS •

•

Local control would bring politics into the police department, encourage corruption and jeopardize the pension system.

The new police review system would lack the ability to investigate charges of police misconduct.

PROPOSITION E

create the Health and Education Trust Fund with proceeds of a tax of $0.0365 per cigarette and 25% of the manufacturer’s invoice price for rollyour-own tobacco and 15% for other tobacco products; use Fund proceeds to reduce and prevent tobacco use and for elementary, secondary, college, and university public school funding; and increase the amount that certain tobacco product manufacturers must maintain in their escrow accounts, to pay judgments or settlements, before any funds in escrow can be refunded to the tobacco product manufacturer and create bonding requirements for these manufacturers?

Estimated additional revenue to state government is $283 million to $423 million annually. The revenue will fund only programs and services allowed by the proposal. The fiscal impact to local governmental entities is unknown. Simple majority is required.

PROS •

•

No direct costs or savings for state and local governmental entities are expected from this proposal.

Indirect costs or savings related to enforcement actions, missed federal funding, avoided implementation costs, and other issues are unknown.

•

CONS •

•

•

•

• •

•

• •

Missouri has the lowest cigarette tax and the 11th-highest smoking rate in the U.S., costing the state millions of dollars in health care costs.

If the price of tobacco increases, the number of people who smoke will decrease.

The revenue generated will provide needed funds for smoking-cessation programs and education.

CONS

Missouri will lose tax revenue from consumers who cross state borders to buy cheap cigarettes.

Increased education revenues will not improve the quality of Missouri schools.

The target taxes will disproportionately hurt lower-income people who are addicted to tobacco.

(Board of Alderman Amendment)

The free market is the best way to provide consumers with health care insurance options.

The exchange program may cost consumers more than presently available policies.

Federal assistance to set up and maintain health care insurance exchanges would not produce programs that would improve medical care for Missourians.

A simple majority is needed.

PROS

PROPOSITION R CHARTER AMENDMENT

Proposed by the 96th General Assembly

Shall Missouri law be amended to prohibit the Governor or any state agency, from establishing or operating state-based health insurance exchanges unless authorized by a vote of the people or by the legislature?

Proposed by Initiative Petition

Missouri must follow federal law and the state risks losing targeted funds to pay for Medicaid and Medicare.

Exchanges will provide consumers with a variety of high-quality, economical insurance policies.

More people will get the care they need, lowering the cost of Missouri Medicaid programs.

Shall the Charter of the City of St. Louis be amended in accordance with the Board of Alderman Amendment Ordinance?

This Amendment restructures the Board of Aldermen of the City of St. Louis as a body of fourteen Aldermen representing fourteen wards, provides for a transition schedule to implement the restructuring, and other related matters, all as set forth in the “board of Aldermen Amendment Ordinance,” a copy of which is avialable at all polling places.

60 percent is required for passage.

PROS •

•

CONS • •

(Select information for these propositions provided by the League of Women / St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

St. Louis has lost substantial population since the city’s charter was adopted in 1914; The city could save about $500,000 per year in payroll.

It would streamline city government, increase the professionalization of city services, and eliminate duplicated services between city and county.

•

A decrease in wards and aldermen will make the city government less democratic.

Aldermen will be less responsive to constituents’ needs and requests.

Questions about the amount of revenues to be saved; aldermen would need more full-time staff to serve constituents.

THE OFFICIAL 2012 BALLOT For Polling Place Judges Only

[ [

WARD

] [

]

PCT ] [ ] JUDGES' INITIALS

DEMOCRATIC (DEM)

OFFICIAL BALLOT GENERAL ELECTION CITY OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI NOVEMBER 6, 2012 @precinct

REPUBLICAN (REP)

E L P

LIBERTARIAN (LIB)

CONSTITUTION (CST)

GREEN (GRN)

TO VOTE, COMPLETELY DARKEN THE OVAL TO THE LEFT OF YOUR CHOICE, LIKE THIS: FOR PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT

(A VOTE FOR PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT IS A VOTE FOR THEIR ELECTORS) (VOTE FOR ONE PAIR)

M A S BARACK OBAMA / JOE BIDEN - DEM MITT ROMNEY / PAUL RYAN - REP

GARY JOHNSON / JAMES P. GRAY - LIB VIRGIL GOODE / JIM CLYMER - CST Write-In

FOR U.S. SENATOR (VOTE FOR ONE)

CLAIRE McCASKILL - DEM TODD AKIN - REP

JONATHAN DINE - LIB Write-In

FOR GOVERNOR (VOTE FOR ONE)

FOR U.S. REP. DISTRICT 1 (VOTE FOR ONE)

LACY CLAY - DEM

ROBYN HAMLIN - REP

ROBB E. CUNNINGHAM - LIB Write-In

FOR STATE SENATOR DIST. 5 (VOTE FOR ONE)

JAMILAH NASHEED - DEM Write-In

FOR STATE REP. DISTRICT 79 (VOTE FOR ONE)

MICHAEL BUTLER - DEM Write-In

FOR CIRCUIT ATTORNEY (VOTE FOR ONE)

JEREMIAH W. [JAY] NIXON - DEM

JENNIFER M. JOYCE - DEM

DAVID [DAVE] SPENCE - REP

Write-In

JIM HIGGINS - LIB

FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR (VOTE FOR ONE)

Write-In

FOR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR (VOTE FOR ONE)

GERARD A. NESTER - DEM JUSTIN EDWARD STROHM - REP

SUSAN MONTEE - DEM

ELSTON K. McCOWAN - GRN

PETER KINDER - REP

Write-In

MATTHEW COPPLE - LIB

FOR SHERIFF (VOTE FOR ONE)

CYNTHIA L. DAVIS - CST Write-In

JAMES W. [JIM] MURPHY - DEM

FOR SECRETARY OF STATE (VOTE FOR ONE)

ROBERT VROMAN STERNBERG - REP Write-In

U OPINION

NOVEMBER 1, 2012

unewsonline.com

Editorials

Editorials are opinion pieces written by the Editorial Board of The University News.

The editorials printed in this space represent the opinion of The University News.

Commentaries and Letters to the Editor represent the opinions of the signed authors but do not necessarily represent the opinions of The University News.

Letters

to the editor The University News reserves the right not to publish any letters that are deemed intentionally and/or inappropriately inflammatory, more than the 300-word limit or unsigned by the original author. The following are letters and/or website comments. Because the identities of website posters cannot be verified, all website comments should be treated as anonymous. Actual letters to the editor may be submitted online at unewsonline. com or e-mailed to opinion@unewsonline. com. Please include your cell phone number.

“

Quotes

of the week

Mike Hogan/ Opinion Editor

Defending the value of our degrees We at The University News stand behind the Faculty Senate of Saint Louis University and believe that the faculty represent the best interests of the student body and the university as a whole.

Such a statement would be uncontroversial and innocuous at almost any other school. The fact that it is not so at SLU is just proof that there is something terribly wrong with this university.

After all, one of SLU’s stated missions is to teach, and so the relationships between students and instructors form the cornerstone of a healthy university community.

As students, we see the faculty ever y day. They teach us, collaborate with us and mentor us. Without a faculty, this university is nothing but bricks and shrubs.

So when an over whelming majority of faculty representatives express dissatisfaction with the direction taken by our administration, we listen. It would seem prudent that ever yone involved with this university do the same. More than that, there should be firmly established avenues for both faculty and students to effect change when they perceive problems with the direction of the university.

It is not clear that these avenues exist at SLU, and this, more than anything else, is the issue at hand. The problems at SLU go beyond any single administrative decision; they dwell in the flawed structure of governance that renders faculty and students alike powerless and silenced.

The legitimate concerns of the faculty have been called petulant, selfish and hysterical and subsequently ignored.

Mass demonstrations of dissatisfaction by the students have been treated with contempt. Whenever a student or faculty member has criticized the administration, the reaction of University leadership has been condescending and unprofessional to the point of insult. This is not what

“shared governance” looks like. This is a culture of fear, where dissent is suppressed and dialogue is impossible.

Some might wish to see this university run like a machine, where students enter one side with their tuition and come out the other with a diploma. Some students might even prefer that, like a well-oiled engine, the workings of the university remain silent, out of sight and out of mind. This naïve view might prove costly. Education is an active experience, and students must act now to continue the for ward progress of their university. For if the reputation of SLU declines, the value of our degrees falls with it.

Right now, the grinding gears of our university are being heard around the countr y, and the publicity is far from positive. The longer these controversies go on, the more damage SLU will sustain. University leaders claim that they’re acting in the best interests of the students, and no one would dispute that in the past 25 years under President Lawrence Biondi, S.J., this university has shown great progress in many metrics. But when administrative decisions are being lambasted around the countr y, it becomes difficult to see how obstinacy and a refusal to cooperate helps the students, the faculty or anyone else.

What SLU needs now is for its students to take charge of their education. As our representative body, we commend the Student Government Association for making a timely response in support of the Faculty Senate, and we hope SGA will continue to be proactive in working to resolve the governance issues at SLU. Doubtless the days ahead will bring challenges, but we believe they can be surmounted with communication and earnest effort. And in the future, we hope that we will all still be proud to put our Saint Louis University diplomas on display.

Your vote is your voice in election This November, Americans have a decision to make.

Though there are many bubbles to be filled on the ballot, the selection of our countr y’s next president is the most far-reaching of all decisions to be made next week.

Here at The University News, our goal is to provide fair, accurate and complete coverage of ever y election issue. Even so, when dealing with such polarizing topics it is impossible to remove all bias. Though we cannot completely eliminate our biases, we can make our readership aware of them, and with that in mind our editorial board sat down to discuss whether we should endorse a particular candidate as other major media outlets have done.

But this newspaper is far from a monolithic entity, and our editors are, in fact, ver y divided on the issue of the upcoming election. So rather than endorsing any one candidate, we will tr y to address each of the major candidates in terms of the issues most important to our readership: the economy, education and health care.

President Barack Obama’s policies are mostly clear since we have seen many of them debated and enacted over the past four years. Inheriting an economic crisis, Obama passed into law an $825 billion stimulus package. Today, unemployment is at its lowest in four years, though it must be noted that labor force participation remains low.

Obama would cut taxes for the middle class while raising taxes on the highest-earning Americans. Obama also supports the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which tightens regulations on banks and other financial entities.

As for education, Obama has reformed the Pell Grant distribution system so that funds come directly from the federal government, rather that through subsidized loans from banks. This was done in order to maintain the availability of funds for the program even in times of economic

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crisis. In health care, Obama passed the Affordable Care Act. Under this law, young adults may stay under their parents’ health insurance until they are 26. Beginning in 2014, people cannot be denied insurance coverage based on pre-existing conditions. The act also gives millions of women access to free preventative ser vices such as birth control, pap smears and mammograms.

Gov. Mitt Romney’s stated priority for the economy is putting people back to work. He wants to preser ve the Bush-era tax cuts and lower taxes for ever yone. Also, he plans to lower the capital gains tax rate to bring big businesses into the countr y. Romney has vowed to repeal Dodd-Frank but replace it with legislation that would retain some of its elements.

In education, Romney wants to foster more private-sector funding for college students. He also wants to develop partnerships between businesses and community colleges and trade schools. As for healthcare, Romney plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act. He would give state governments the responsibility of regulating insurance and caring for the poor and chronically ill. Romney would reform Medicare so that future seniors would receive a fixed amount to spend on private insurance plans.

These two candidates have sharply diverging visions for our countr y, and it is up to each voter to determine the pros and cons of each. To that end, this issue of The University News contains a detailed election guide.

Many Americans may be dissatisfied with both of the major candidates. Regardless, your vote is your voice, and it is vital to use that voice. Voting for a third-party candidate can give voice to that dissatisfaction, whereas not voting at all implies apathy or disinterest.

So, no matter what bubble you plan to fill, get to that ballot box next week. Other wise, as they say, you have no right to complain the next four years.

“

sports editor charles bowles sports@unewsonline.com

copy editor hallie kaiser copy@unewsonline.com

managing Editor TJ Keeley managing@unewsonline.com

Assoc. sports editor tony traina sports@unewsonline.com

copy editor lizzie bartek copy@unewsonline.com

News Editor kristen miano news@unewsonline.com

Arts editor Alanah nantell arts@unewsonline.com

online editor christopher webb webmaster@unewsonline.com

Assoc. News editor wolf howard news@unewsonline.com

assoc. arts editor maggie needham arts@unewsonline.com

fashion editor julia christensen fashion@unewsonline.com

OPINION EDITOR MICHAEL HOGAN opinion@unewsonline.com

design director brianna radici design@unewsonline.com

SCIENCE EDITOR GaBRIELE GEERTS science@unewsonline.com

ENTERPRISE EDITOR DERRICK NEUNER enterprise@unewsonline.com

multimedia director emily diehl multimedia@unewsonline.com

RELIGION EDITOR ADNAN SYED religion@unewsonline.com design@unewsonline.com

PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR JOHN SCHULER photo@unewsonline.com

”

-Faculty Senator

See Page 1.

“

We take the music very seriously. We just don’t take ourselves seriously.

-Ryan Ahlwardt, member of a cappella group Straight No Chaser

”

See Page 11.

“

All that I learned in prison helped me later in life as a scientist.

-Gunther von Hagens, founder of Body Worlds exhibit

”

See Page 14.

“

It was nice to let him see me as a man; it was important to let him see that part of me.

”

-Nick Shackelford, referring to his dad watching him play for the first time in five years.

See Page 17.

2012-13 EDITORIAL BOARD editor-in-chief Brian boyd eic@unewsonline.com

”

How are we going to be top 50 or even top 90 when we don’t have confidence in our leaders?

General manager connor berry gm@unewsonline.com account executives Rachel Cambell natalie grasso Nick Steinauer advisors laura thomson don highberger advisor@unewsonline.com the editorial board of the university news recognizes avis meyer, ph.d. as the newspaper’s faculty mentor.

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OPINION

NOVEMBER 1, 2012

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10

Making sense of the dismal science (while staying sane)

The Cards vs. our college

“It’s the economy, stupid,” said William Jefferson Clinton in his successful 1 9 9 2 presidential c a m paign.

We l l , B i l l y Boy, the econo m y makes Brian Boyd me feel stupid.

Media outlets inundate their respective audiences with facts, figures and a lot of finger pointing. Consumer confidence, gross domestic product, unemployment, bulls and bears buzz around the airwaves and blogosphere. All the noise can be a bit chaotic. I have a general understanding of the data. I get most of the pundits’ points. Still, I wrestle with the big picture: Where have all the good economic times gone?

More importantly, when are they coming back?

Fact: math is hard. Yet without it, I’d be carving this article into a cave wall. Dig deep enough and you’ll find that mathematics have played a role in pretty much every technological and scientific innovation since … well … math was discovered. Euclid laid out the elements. Newton and Leibniz cooked up calculus, much to the disdain of college freshmen everywhere.

From Euler to Riemann, the

This commentary was submitted by the Public Relations committee of the College of Arts and Sciences.

breakthroughs have been breathtaking, but the byproducts have been mindblowing. The ever-increasing depth and complexity of mathematics gave Einstein the tools to bend space and time. The logic of Boole laid the foundation for the computer I’m typing on.

Economics is not immune to the sway of mathematics; modern economics uses complex maths and statistics to model everything from consumer demand to optimal decision making. I emphasize the complex part—Google “Econophysics” and see for yourself. Even the prices of securities flying around the financial markets are determined by heavy numbercrunching.

Trying to wrap my head around the economy leads me deeper into the rabbit hole, where I’m greeted by man-eating partial differential equations. I feel like I need a Ph.D. to figure out an economy I’m a part of.

What if understanding the economy isn’t as scary as it seems? Perhaps the dismal science has left me in dismay without reason.

Yes, the math behind it all can be terrifying. What if it’s not necessary? Maybe people like me can glean a thing or two from good old reasoning and common sense. That might not be a bad choice. The 2012 presidential election is a week away and economic plans are a key issue, per usual.

So instead of trying to turn the behavior of billions into a smooth stack of symbols and numbers, we can get back to the big picture with some sweet simplicity. What happened, and where’s the economy heading?

In the past four years, the world has flirted with financial Armageddon and teetered over the fiscal cliff. Right now, the world economy seems to be carefully clawing itself out of a recessionary quagmire. Before pointing fingers at Wall Street or the White House for the recession and slow recovery, take a step back.

Complex financial derivatives blew up some banks.

831 billion Uncle-Sam-approved dollars later, and a full-blown meltdown was averted. Housing prices were bopped off their bubble, and people couldn’t pay their mortgages. Interest rates are sniffing the all-time floor. Today our economy is still in a tough spot with slowing GDP and high unemployment. Even without the math, figuring out the economy is complex. There are a lot of variables that go into it, and the causation between events is tough to pinpoint. There are some themes in the proposed causes to the “great recession,” and anyone can grab them: practice some discipline and be accountable for your actions.

Debt plays a prominent role in the U.S. economy. As of Aug. 2, 2012, the St. Louis

Federal Reserve reported that household debt is 86.92 percent of GDP. That’s 12,945.06 billion U.S. dollars. Follow along with the zeroes: 12,945,060,000,000.

In January 2008, the figure stood at $13,821.55 billion.

Debt is an element of any modern economy. Consumers, corporations and governments rely on it for financing. It can be destructive when the borrower drowns in the debt. Loose lending standards became the norm—the loan originator generates more loan volume and profit, and the subprime borrower buys that dream home that’ll take 80 years to repay. Eventually, reality comes roaring back and the loan can’t be repaid.

The consumer loses, the business loses, and, if widespread, the economy loses.

Making short-sighted decisions to boost income isn’t sustainable for any economic agent. Greed has disastrous consequences.

Avoiding the consequences exacerbates the problem.

Where the economy heads has a lot to do with what we the people—the consumers, the business owners and the legislators—decide to learn from the past. The math and data are good, no doubt.

But they’re limited by how rational people are. A little economic rationality and a dose of discipline can help us thrive.

Touche, Clinton.

Touche.

Editor’s note: This is the last of a series of commentaries focusing on issues that are important to voters in the upcoming presidential election. One commentary is written by a representative of SLU Democrats, the other by a representative of SLU College Republicans.

Better off after four years

It’s neither a secret nor debatable that President Barack Obama inherited a horrible, plummeting economy, the worst since the Great Joey Klinker Depress i o n .

What is debatable to some is whether or not the economy is worse than it was four years ago. It should be needless to say that we are not worse off now than four years ago. Unemployment is down and still decreasing. The stock market and consumer confidence are up and still increasing.

The economy is recovering.

This is a result of not just stimulus and financial regulation, though both have helped us recover. It’s been a rough ride, with credit downgrades influenced by an obstructionist Congress, but, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the country has been treated to 30 straight months of job growth with an estimated 3.5 million jobs created. We are coming out on top, and the next four years are crucial to continued success.

Obama believes that an economy grows from the middle out, not from the top down. Putting money in the hands of the middle class helps everyone – they buy products from the rich and pay taxes that fund social programs for the poor. The economy is a circle, and the best place to start is in the middle, because the middle class helps both sides. According to the BLS, Obama has already cut taxes for the middle class family by an average of $3,600 over four years. By ending ridiculous tax ideas like Bush’s tax cuts, more money can be funneled to the middle class through social programs and other tax incentives.

Gov. Mitt Romney, however, has expressed an almost quantifiably insane tax plan. He calls for acrossthe-board tax cuts for everyone including the top 1 percent of earners, many of whom have requested tax increases rather than tax cuts. This plan would add trillions to our deficit, and Romney has yet to identify how he’s actually going to address this explosion.

He’s requested more mili-

tary spending rather than less as the joint chiefs have asked. He keeps discussing closing tax loopholes and ending different programs, but aside from funding for PBS, voters have no idea what will be cut and how they will be affected.

Romney’s budget is a five-point plan that lacks specifics. However, Romney selected a running mate with a very detailed budget, one that Romney essentially endorsed when he chose his running mate, though he may not follow it exactly. Still, the Ryan budget must be considered, and it is, to put it lightly, irrational. The decimation of social programs and the reduction of the tax rates of the wealthiest to less than 1 percent are insane. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops called the budget plan, specifically the cuts to programs, “unjustified and wrong.” Romney, when fighting for the GOP nomination, called federal disaster relief “immoral.”

Well, I call destroying the social safety net that lower and middle class citizens rely on in favor of cutting rates for the rich “immoral.”

Our president, on the other hand, has quantifiable plans, actually released to the public, to decrease the deficit by $4 trillion. These plans begin with the end of the expensive wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. They continue with tax increases on the wealthiest in the country, those making more than $250,000 a year; the closing of corporate loopholes, an end to tax breaks for companies that send jobs overseas and more. Obama’s efforts to shrink the deficit are already beginning—$2 trillion in reduction have already been signed into law and these laws have an increasing effect over the next four years. The president’s budget is aimed at the middle class and will affect families nationwide.

Romney has spent the past eight months changing his mind and policies and labeling half the country as moochers. Obama stands for everyone. Democrat or Republican, rich or poor, West Coast, East Coast or Midwest, President Obama is our advocate in the Oval Office. As he said in 2008, “We have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states. We are, and always will be, the United States of America.”

Obama’s economic crash

No one is going to argue with the fact that President Obama inherited a mess.

O u r economy in 2 0 0 8 was already a car headed Kelsey Massa over a clif f.

But when Obama got behind the wheel, he didn’t hit the brakes or turn the car around. He accelerated.

And we fell faster and we fell harder. Our credit rating went out the window, unemployment went through the roof and the housing market is still bouncing around in the back seat When he took office in 2008, Obama promised to create jobs. But he went about it in precisely the wrong way: by throwing money at the problem, money that we didn’t have and still don’t have. The 2009 Recovery and Reinvestment Act, otherwise known as the stimulus, poured $825 billion of borrowed money into the economy, but lord knows where it went. Job growth remains anemic, investment even more so, and because the Federal Reserve is basically printing money now, inflation will become a big problem in the not-so-distant future.

It has been estimated by the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers that every job the stimulus “saved or created” cost the taxpayer $278,000. Unemployment peaked at 10 percent, though Obama promised it wouldn’t go over 8 percent.

You cannot spend your way out of an economic recession, a fact the Obama administration refuses to acknowledge. Federal spending remains out of control, at 25 percent of our national GDP. That’s a 5 percent increase from what it has been for the last 50 years, according to the Office of Management and the Budget. In one term, Obama added $5.3 trillion to our national debt. To help balance this, Obama wants to raise taxes, another thing you just cannot do during a recession because it stifles economic growth. Businesses aren’t going to hire more workers, and families have less disposable income if you raise their taxes. No, no, he says, I only want

to raise taxes on the rich.

They need to pay their fair share. Well, according to the Congressional Budget Office, the top 1 percent of earners already pays 22 percent of the nation’s income taxes. The top 20 percent of earners pay around 70 percent. The bottom 20 percent pay three-tenths of a percent of the total income taxes. Besides this not actually being fair in any sense of the word, it won’t help pay off the debt. Know why?

Because raising tax rates does not magically raise tax revenue. That’s a dirty little secret that people won’t tell you. But you can look at the 1920s or the 1980s -- if you cut tax rates, especially for higher tax brackets, tax revenue soars. High tax rates encourage foreign investment, the use of tax shelters or outright tax evasion.

Cut taxes and you increase the size of your tax base because there is less incentive not to pay them. Also, when Obama says he ‘ll only raise taxes on the rich, he is conveniently forgetting that Obamacare will enact $500 million worth of new taxes, which will disproportionately affect the middle class.

What needs to be done to help the economy get back on its feet is, basically, have the government get out of the way. Reduce federal spending, cut taxes, simplify the tax code, reduce the amount of bureaucratic red tape that businesses are forced to wade through.

The government’s job is to foster an environment that encourages businesses to grow. Where the government does have a responsibility to be proactive, we need to make sure it is doing so efficiently and effectively. Every federal agency should justify every dollar that it spends, because that is our money. (Or at least, the Chinese’s money.) Romney has a plan to do these things I just mentioned. He has run a successful business, so he knows what he’s doing when it comes to efficiency. Obama has never run anything except a campaign, and it shows.

The great economist Friedrich Hayek wrote, “The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design.”

Obama imagined that he could steer our economy in the right direction. But just think of the mess he will inherit if reelected.

have different benchmarks does not seem to matter.

Biologists generally don’t publish books; theologians and historians do – and In the ongoing struggle are expected to do so at at Saint Louis University the top 50 schools which over questions of adminSLU seeks to emulate. Yet istration, governance and under these formulas, pubevaluation, many, including lishing an internationallyFather Biondi in his Octorespected scholarly monober message to the Univergraph would not even meet sity community, have pointminimum annual standards ed out that the votes of no -- and it takes an average of confidence against senior six to 10 years to publish a administrators took place book based on significant after Vice President Manoj pioneering research. A proPatankar had formally withfessor could have to publish drawn his controversial as many as 30 - and in the proposals to abolish tenmost extreme case, 60 – ure. Since the proposals are articles per year simply to dead, why has the faculty avoid being labeled an unbeen clamoring for Patanderperformer. There is no kar’s dismissal? one even at Harvard capaFor us faculty, this fight ble of spewing out research is about our duty to protect at this rate.

Saint Louis University from Trying to impose metmismanagement that imrics across the board for evperils its future. ery department, moreover, Let’s draw a parallel with is inherently unworkable. the St. Louis Cardinals.

Why would you use the Imagine that the Cards had same matrices for rheumaappointed a new assistant tology researchers, Shakegeneral manager. He was speare scholars, chemists given the assignment by the and specialists in internageneral manager to create a tional finance? Why should comprehensive formal evalquantity be given priority uation matrix for the entire over quality? Why should roster. This rubric would a dozen hastily-dashed off determine assignments, salarticles published in jouraries, the starting line-up, nals with dim reputations the pitching rotations and, really be worth more than most importantly, whether a groundbreaking study the players would be kept developed over years that on, sent down to the minors changes the field? for additional coaching or Were the Cards to implefired at the end of the year. ment such a plan, the team The new guy came up would become a perennial with nearly 50 pages of deficellar-dweller. The startnitions, complex mathematers would leave as soon as ical formulas, tables, evalutheir contracts were up; the ation matrices, surveys and best free agents would shun procedures. Sending it out the team. Those drafted by to his manager and coaches the Cardinals would defer for review, he made it clear for a year and re-enter the that the plans were going draft a year later. The fans to be implemented mid-seawould abandon the team, son. Struggling to decipher as the roster would be filled its formulas by desperand impeneate aspirtrable jargon, ing major the coaches For us faculty, this l e a g u e r s and players and vetd i s c o v e r e d fight is about our duty erans on that the plan to protect Saint Louis their last diverged radlegs who ically from University from misman- c o u l d n ’ t a n y t h i n g agement that imperils its find a ever attemptplace with ed in Major future. any othLeague Baseer team ball. and who The new guy was going would likely to be shown to judge the pitchers based the door at the end of the on their total number of inseason. The club would be nings. He was going to dock left with a first-rate physical the bullpen for not being on infrastructure and a minorthe mound as long as the league cast. starters. For the other playThe same fate will befall ers, even many pitchers, SLU should similar plans only batting averages apparreturn. A once iconic and ently mattered. A home run proud St. Louis institution was now seemingly worth will never again be a serious no more than a bunt. If - and contender in the academic only if - a player batted in big leagues. As top faculty the top tier of the league for flee or are dismissed, alumfive years running would he ni and current students will be eligible for a meager pay invariably find SLU’s naraise. If a player’s five-year tional ranking gashed and batting average was .314 the value of their degree .280 for the first two years, drastically reduced. then .336 for the next three Which graduate stu-- no raise. dents would come to SLU To top it off, the new for five-year Ph.D. proboss warned his players grams, knowing that their that if they didn’t want to faculty advisers could be be penalized for “underperdismissed at the end of any formance,” all batters had given year? to hit .350 and all pitchers Why the no confidence needed ERAs of less than votes, when Patankar has 2.00. This was necessary to seemingly taken these plans make sure that the Cardioff the table? The Sept. 24 nals remained a top five ball letter from the chairman of club that could consistently SLU’s Board of Trustees to compete with the likes of faculty, staff and students left the door open for simithe Yankees and Braves. lar proposals to return unThis is, essentially, what der the window-dressing of has just happened to the a “blue-ribbon committee.” faculty at SLU. Patankar’s The new university-level guidelines punish teachstrategic plan specifically ers who teach the small calls for imposing accountclasses that SLU proudly ability and performance advertises. Never mind that standards on all faculty and many upper division semistaff. The vice president nars are formally capped at has continued to defend his 10 students, or that enrollbrain-child even after more ment can fluctuate widely than 180 faculty and deans depending on the time of showed convincingly that it day that a course is offered, would and could not work. the number of majors and He defended them at a pubthe total number of underlic meeting with students graduates and graduate stuand ominously called for an dents admitted in any given “exit strategy” for faculty. year. Online courses are He has given no sign that given a greater weight than he has read or understood regular courses. Anyone the objections raised. can predict the result. Class Would the Cardinals resize will increase, and SLU’s tain executives whose plans place in the U.S News and showed no understanding World Report rankings will of how a baseball club is to plummet, since class size be run? Clearly not, and this is a critical variable in the is why the Faculty Senate at equations employed.

SLU voted no confidence For researchers, the in Patankar. This is also plan’s matrices are even why the Arts and Sciences worse. They could assign Faculty Council backed up the same evaluation score this vote with a vote of no to a 10-page conference confidence in Biondi that paper or a book chapter as remains in effect until Pathey do to a 300-page book. tankar is no longer serving That different disciplines

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U ARTS

OUT on the

TOWN

Arts Editor’s Picks

Music November 1 Madonna World Tour Scottrade Center 8 p.m. from $45

November 2 Natalie MacMaster Sheldon Concert Hall 8 p.m. $35

October 26 Freelance Whales The Firebird 9 p.m. $18.50

November 2-3 Pronfman Plays Brahms Powell Symphony Hall Fri: 10:30 a.m., Sat: 8 p.m. from $30 (students $10)

November 3 Datsik The Pagaent 8 p.m. $25

November 3 Celtic Festival featuring Black 47 Touhill Performing Arts Center at UMSL 8 p.m. $25

November 4 Hip Hop Symphony Powell Symphony Hall 3 p.m. $12

November 4 Matt & Kim The Pagaent 8 p.m. $20

Art

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Wiz Khalifa brings his crew to Chaifetz The Taylor Gang works and plays hard in St. Louis

By JOE STEIN Staff Writer

Subtlety is not Taylor Gang’s forté.

This powerful hip-hop collective from Pittsburgh makes no mistake about what they stand for. The packed crowd on the floor at Chafeitz Arena watched smoke rise from a massive, winged bong in the center of the stage, which perfectly exemplified Taylor Gang’s individuality..

Wiz Khalifa, founder of Taylor Gang, keeps his loving relationship with cannabis very public and knows many Taylor Gang followers share his love. But the Taylor Gang movement is about much more than weed.

On stage, Khalifa thanked his supporters and addressed the Taylor movement as such: “It’s about doin’ you. It’s about being who you are and enjoyin’ life.”

Though one may not approve of Taylor Gang’s methods, the movement’s core values are hard to disagree with. Smile, be happy, love life . . . who wouldn’t want that motto?

Khalifa and the Taylor Gang derived their name from two sources: the Chuck Taylor All-Star sneakers Khalifa came to be known for and Taylor Allderdice High School, the group’s alma mater in Pittsburgh.

Staying true to his roots on this 2050 Tour, Khalifa had Taylor Gang artists Tuki Carter, Berner, Lola Monroe, Chevy Woods and Juicy J warm up the stage for him. Each opening act was incredibly impressive; Taylor Gang has shown the world that Pittsburgh is the epicenter of new wave hiphop.

After five openers, Khalifa finally graced the stage with his presence. This man exudes confidence. He’s no newbie to the art of stage performance and definitely knows how to get a crowd going.

Khalifa came out with a set list beyond expectations. He likes to provide his audience with a wide variety of tracks, traversing different stages in his musical career.

Songs fluctuated from mainstream radio hits such as “Young, Wild and Free” to thumping party anthems like “On My Level”

Photo courtesy of Atlantic Records

(above) Wiz Khalifa is the founder of the hip-hop collective Taylor Gang and recently played a show at Chafeitz Arena in St. Louis. (below) The cover art for Wiz Khalifa’s recent single “Work Hard Play Hard.” and stoner jams like “Still Blazin.”

Taylor Gang faithfuls range from ratchet clubhoppers to focused honor students; Khalifa loves to break boundaries.

That’s the beauty of Khalifa. He brings together people from all walks of society. Though the people may be different, they all share a love for his music. With several Grammy nominations, an American Music Award and the title of Billboard’s Best New Artist, Khalifa isn’t an “underground” rapper anymore.

A new album is currently in the works, and after the success of his debut album, “Rolling Papers,” this upcoming album is much anticipated.

Khalifa revolutionizes his sound with each new mixed-tape and album, from the deep electronic beats of “Flight School” to the styling of “Cabin Fever 2.”

Hardcore fans can’t wait to hear what’s next.

Some may love it, or some may hate it at first, but most fans are guaranteed to grow to like it. Khalifa’s sounds are, after all, infectious.

Photo courtesy of Atlantic Records

‘Cloud Atlas’ soars

Until January 20 Federico Barocci: Renaissance Master Exhibit St. Louis Art Museum Tues-Sun: 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Fri: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. free

Juan William Chavez on View Laumeier Sculpture Park 8 a.m.-sunset free

Other So You Think You Can Dance 2012 Fox Theatre 7:30 p.m. from $39.50

Until November 15 The Lemp Experience The Lemp Mansion November 1, 8, 15 reservations required $30

Straight No Chaser comes to the Fox

By KRISTIN MCGUIRE Staff Writer

Until January 30

November 1

NOVEMBER 1, 2012

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Halle Berry and Keith David perform in the various stories that weave throughout “Cloud Atlas.”

By TJ KEELEY Managing Editor

It is hard to find anything terribly fresh at the multiplex. That is the nature of commercial cinema: easily digestible, predictable, accessible, likeable. These films are often served on a tray, fresh out of the oven from the same cookie cutter.

“Cloud Atlas” disassembles that cookie cutter.

It breaks it, throws it away and goes back to the start

while questioning the very fundamentals of baking.

No, “Cloud Atlas” has nothing to do with cooking or baking, but it has everything to do with ambitious filmmaking. At $100 million, “Cloud Atlas” marks the most expensive independent film in American history.

Six stories that span 600 years are wound and cut together to create a tapestry of a cinematic epic.

Jim Sturgess (“Across the Universe”) plays Adam Ewing, a sailor sent in 1849

to negotiate the purchase of a plantation island when he falls ill. His journal falls into the hands of Robert Frobisher (Ben Whishaw, Q in the upcoming “Skyfall”), a gay composer in 1930s London who makes himself the assistant of Vyvyan Ayrs, one of the greatest and oldest living musicians.

Frobisher’s lover, Rufus Sixsmith (James D’Arcy) serves an important role in a nuclear energy See “Atlas” on Page 12

Straight No Chaser, an a cappella group originally formed at the University of Indiana, performs live at the Fox Theatre on Saturday, Nov. 10 for a night of fun, entertainment and some unbelievable singing.

Member Ryan Ahlwardt said that the premise for starting the group back in 1998 was to “sing for sorority girls and get some free meals out of it.” No one could have imagined that just 13 years later, they would be touring the country, recording albums and hosting live television concerts.

Straight No Chaser began as a college a cappella group at Indiana University.

The group was incredibly popular within their circle, but when members graduated, they accepted that the days of a cappella had come to an end. The 10 men went on to pursue a variety of paths, most not even in music.

However, in 2006, one of the members posted a video of the group singing “12 Days of Christmas,” and the video immediately went viral. When Atlantic Records contacted the orig-

inal group and asked them to get back together, group members thought it was a hoax.

Charlie Mechling, a bass in the group, was pursuing a career on the stage in New York City when he got the call about reuniting the group. Mechling had played violin and saxophone throughout his childhood, but got involved with singing in high school when he was cast in Oklahoma.

“Singing meant I didn’t have to carry an instrument case around,” Mechling said.

As one of the original members of Straight No Chaser, Mechling was ecstatic about the prospect of singing with his friends again.

“To think that the 10 of us could go our separate ways after college, start professional lives, and then commit to putting SNC back together after all these years is nothing short of a minor miracle,” he said.

“With each opportunity to perform that comes our way, we are reminded of how fortunate and blessed we are to be able to do what we love to do.”

See “SNC” on Page 12

12 ARTS

NOVEMBER 1, 2012

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Primus rocks with Les Claypool Fans flock to bass guitar master’s funk metal

Theater department provides unique offering in Italian musical revue

by Bobby Darin, and songs from today, such as “Quando, Quando, Quando” by Michael Buble. The actors themselves sang and Last weekend, Alpha Psi danced very well.

Omega, the national honIn addition, it was fasciorary theater society, and nating to recognize the inteSLU theater presented “Stogration of music into Ameriria Italiana: An Original Mucan culture in the 1950s sical Revue” at the Studio culture.

Blackbox Theater.

Both Sinatra and MarThe student-produced tin were great names in cabaret, directed by Mollie American Amburgey music and and Kristin were both Rion, used a also of Italwide range The show was ian descent. of music to tell a story. captivating, and of- The song choices This story c e n t e r e d fered a small taste were built the around four of what 1950s Ita- into story. Rion, couples in m a g i c a l ly must have been the scenic artist, modItaly.

Not like. eled the quite a musets after sical but not -Sarah Mallick Italy and quite a play, New York, the cabaret complete with piazzas and had no specific script, but visions of “Little Italy.” the actors sang specific The show was captivatsongs the entire time and ing, and offered a small had well-choreographed taste of what 1950s Italy dances. must have been like, someThe setting was 1950s thing most people today New York City and Ascoli probably could not relate to.

Piceno, Italy. Interestingly, Amburgey, Rion and the mood of the play varied company will also be holddepending on the song being a series of one-acts in ing sung, from the glamour December at the blackbox of songs like “Sway” and theater. One-acts are small “Mambo Italiano” by Dean plays which last approxiMartin, to the theatrical, mately 20 minutes each. bold “Be Italian” from the SLU’s one-acts will feamusical “Nine” and “Stupid ture plays written by David Cupid” by Connie Francis.

Ives, Richard Greenberg, It was certain that the Darryl Watson and Chriscabaret was able to fit totopher Durang. The perforgether sophisticated, clasmances will be produced sical songs from the 1950s, and directed by students. such as “Beyond the Sea”

By SARAH MALLICK Staff Writer

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Jason McCoy/ Staff Writer

Les Claypool performs as a part of Primus with a 3-D screen behind him projecting images related to the songs they play.

By JASON MCCOY Staff Writer

Typical is precisely the wrong word to use to describe Primus’ collection of curiosities displayed at the Peabody Opera House last Sunday.

Primus is best known for writing and performing the opening song for the popular satire cartoon “South Park.” Channeling the same irreverence that “South Park” is famous for, Primus filled the dignified opera house with deadheads, hippies and other vestiges of a bygone psychedelic era.

While the clientele varied greatly from the standard, they possessed the same passion for music.

The urban parking lot was stocked with cars from states as far as Florida and Minnesota.

Without supporting bands or warning, Les Claypool walked out on the stage and unleashed volleys of sound from his bass guitar.

The fans, restrained to seats, stood and cheered.

As Claypool strummed out rhythmic blasts of bass, the 3-D screen responded appropriately. The videogra-

pher mixed film live on the screen in response to the set list.

Huge, inflatable American astronauts flanked the central screen, their helmets filled with the projected image of a male astronaut.

His visage panned back and forth across the audience, meeting the eyes of all in attendance.

If Jimi Hendrix is the master of the electric guitar, then Claypool of Primus is surely the master of the bass guitar.

Traditional rock concerts are dominated by the high wail of electric guitars, whereas a bass guitar dominates a Primus show.

This fundamental change draws a dedicated fan base for Primus’ funkinspired metal tunes. Claypool’s unique accent and punk singing style adds an atypical facet to a strange collection of sounds.

Early in the set, Claypool improvised a jam session for a quarter of an hour before breaking into an ode to Lee Van Cleef, an actor typecast as a villain for Western movies.

Claypool’s funky bass beats reverberated around the room as the videogra-

pher remixed movies starring Van Cleef.

Stage video for concerts is often unrelated to the music being played.

The stage video for this concert was always related lyrically to the songs playing live. A funky song called “To Defy the Laws of Tradition” often used Christmas as a lyrical theme.

The videographer remixed Christmas footage of an American family in the 50s while showing 3-D snowflakes falling in the foreground.

In most 3-D movies the depth attained is shallow and images will only protrude several feet from the actual surface of the screen.

Through some technological wizardry, Primus’ videographer pushed snowflakes to what seemed like 20 feet deep. While it pained the eyes a bit, the effect was pleasing.

The second set of the concert began after an intermission. The screen played reruns of “Popeye the Sailor Man” until Claypool returned.

The second set featured old Primus standards like “Jerry Was a Race Car Driver” and “My Name is Mud.” However, the songs dif-

fered from the familiar studio recordings, and there were several improvised solos.

During a Primus hit called “Mr. Krinkle,” Claypool donned a pig mask and switched from electric bass guitar to electric upright bass.

Reverberation and distortion effects over the very traditional instrument made for unique and creepy sound.

The set ended with tracks from their newest album, “Green Naugahyde.”

The final images on the 3-D screen were majestic American flags waving in the wind, Mount Rushmore, the Lincoln Memorial and the Statue of Liberty.

The end of the concert was oddly uplifting. It started in a very dark, subverted place and ended with blunt American images accompanied by an uplifting funky tune.

The song Primus ended with, as fan’s exited the Peabody, was “Pure Imagination” from the 1971 film “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.”

As in the lyrics of the song, “If you want to view paradise, simply look around and view it.”

SNC: Unique and entertaining a cappella

Atlas: complex film weaves together sprawling plots malism of “Cloud Atlas.”

The film gives us things we have never seen before (namely Hugh Grant as conspiracy that is being ina cannibalistic war chief vestigated in the 1970s by in an inspired bit of castLuisa Rey (Halle Berry). ing), and that’s commendIn the contemporary able enough. Still, though, scene, Jim Broadbent plays I found myself deeply and Timothy Cavendish, an ecprofoundly moved. “Cloud centric book publisher who Atlas” has the ability to finds himself quickly with elicit intense emotional rea fortune and even more sponses and to vibrate at quickly struck with misforthe very core of its auditune. In futuristic Korea, ence’s being. It is one of the Sonmi-451, a clone, rebels year’s best films. against her society and beThis is a rare and unique comes an icon for a future film. It is made not be scruisland tribesman (Tom tinized, but to be experiHanks) struggling to proenced and cherished. Not tect his family from tribes all of its idiosyncrasies and of cannibals. emotionally moving parts Everything is connected. work: the most futuristic And while many of gems story employs a vernacuin “Cloud Atlas” sound like lar that sounds silly when fortune-cookie wisdom spoken, and Hanks simply when isolated from the can’t pull off multiple roles. whole (indeed, some critHanks is like a lovable unics say they remain so, but cle playing dress up. these critics are mistaken), The film starts and ends the film creates a spectacle with a long by challenggaze upon ing tradithe stars. tional cineIn between, matic form.

Ever y moment and “Cloud AtFor example, each of ever y image feels in- las” breaks your heart the principal actors oc- fused .... with a sin- and seizes cupy four cere appreciation for your soul.

“Cloud Atto six parts, capappearing in momentar y and cos- las” tures fears roles large mic beauty. and sadand small in ness, even each of the triumphs vignettes. large and In addismall. All the stories deal tion, writers/directors/prowith humanity’s ability to ducers Tom Tykwer and consume each other and Lana and Andy Wachowski with the constant struggle choose to cut between the for freedom. stories, rather than let the Every moment and evstories unravel mostly uninery image feels infused terrupted, as David Mitchwith this struggle and with ell’s novel does. As a result, a sincere appreciation for “Cloud Atlas” becomes a momentary and cosmic pastiche of tone and genre beauty. “Cloud Atlas” poswhile opening up connecits a cosmos in which all tions between the stories actions have consequences that may take several viewand voices echo across the ings to fully grasp. universe. By exploring the Many critics say “Cloud nature of transience and Atlas” is “too much”— too eternity, of love and viomany directors directing lence, of souls and bodies, too many actors playing “Cloud Atlas” has the potentoo many roles in too many tial to make all of its viewers stories. But to give in to more fulfilled human bethis criticism is to miss the ings. Don’t miss it. splendid excess and maxiContinued from Page 11

“

”

Photo courtesy of Atlantic Records

The 10 men of Straight No Chaser, a professional a cappella group that began as a collegiate group at Indiana University.

Continued from Page 11

The concert will feature songs from a variety of genres: pop, soul, oldies and even some holiday tunes.

“We like to make ar-

rangements unique [and] not a direct cover,” Ahlwardt said. “People respond most to hearing songs in a completely different way.

Some people even like that better. That’s very rewarding as an arranger.”

Whether eight or 80

years old, Straight No Chaser will entertain audiences of any age.

Ahlwardt shared the secret to Straight No Chaser’s success. Staying lighthearted is their key.

“We take the music very seriously,” he said. “We just

don’t take ourselves seriously.”

To purchase tickets through the Fox Theatre box office, visit www.fabulousfox.com.

For more information about Straight No Chaser, visit www.sncmusic.com.

U SCIENCE

TRUST or BUST?

Hurricanes

MYTH: Only coastal areas are affected by hurricanes.

Front pages of papers flood with news of hurricanes crashing onto shores but effects are felt inland.

Usually it comes in the form of strong winds to tornadoes.

Houston owed $4.8 billion after Hurrican Allison, far from the storms landfall.

BUST

MYTH: Hurricane Katrina was the deadliest U.S. hurricane in history.

The total number of deaths attributed to the storm was 1,800 but it is a misconception to believe that was the worst of all time. The great Galveston hurricane caused 8,000 deaths back in 1900.

BUST

MYTH: Atlantic hurricanes always spin counterclockwise.

The rotation of the Earth and the Coriolis Effect are responsible for this one.

These two spins combined cause the direction to always be the same in the Atlantic, counterclockwise.

TRUST

MYTH: The surge of the storm is the deadliest part of a hurricane.

It’s hard to believe that a wall of water pushed ashore as the center of the hurricane hits land isn’t the worst of it. However, most people are injured during flash floods and flooding due to the disrespect of moving waters strength.

BUST

NOVEMBER 1, 2012

unewsonline.com

Sustainability week at SLU

By GABBY GEERTS Science Editor

Wednesday wrapped up the first ever Sustainability Week at Saint Louis University. The events started on Oct. 24, aligning perfectly with the designated Campus Sustainability Day by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability.

The United Nations defines sustainability as, “meeting the needs of today’s generation without compromising the potential for future generations to do the same.”

The University’s strong partnership with Facilities Services began in 2009, when single-stream recycling was first instituted.

Since then, the collaboration has grown and rooted itself throughout the University, promoting awareness and fueling action within departments, organizations and students.

A large movement of the week has been the implementation of the new single-stream recycling program recently installed on campus, in the form of sister blue garbage cans next to the normal black ones.

These new cans hold paper products, metal, plastic and glass; trash in the form of food, liquid and Styrofoam is to be placed in the traditional cans.

Even pizza boxes caked in day-old melted cheese can be recycled. This improvement to campus was only one of many steps for the betterment of the University’s environment.

Efforts are not going unnoticed, either. In October 2011, SLU was awarded a bronze rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, an honor recognizing efforts in environmental, social and economic sustainability.

This trend won’t soon pass, with the first class from the master’s program in sustainability graduating this upcoming May

By WOLF HOWARD Associate News Editor

John Schuler / Photo Editor

Top: A recycling cage was planted in the Quad for the week to promote recycling. Left: Bins line the mailboxes for easy disposal of junk mail. Right: Signs make recycling easy.

– putting SLU alumni in careers that further develop sustainable efforts within government, business and education.

On Oct. 29 and 30, a sustainability conference was held here on campus.

The conference worked to restore areas struck by natural disasters, using sustainable, energy-saving practices.

Even Make a Difference Day (MADD) jumped on board, making the service day’s theme sustainability.

MADD promoted green practices by providing reusable water bottles to volun-

teers and using biodegradable bags for complimentary lunches.

There is even a solarpowered golf cart rolling around. The cart was created and developed by a team of undergraduates in Parks College of Engineering, giving hands-on experience to the students and a new set of wheels for Facilities Services.

The speed of the cart has not been released but a video was leaked of a race between the normal cart and the solar cart. The solar cart won.

All of these improve-

Playing the hurricane name game

By ADNAN SYED Religion Editor

Tropical storm Isaac visited the Gulf Coast just a few months ago. Major Hurricane Bret and tropical storm Arlene came last year. The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina lingers.

The connection these Atlantic storms (originating and forming in the Atlantic Ocean) have to each other is their human names.

The latest storm, Sandy, just passed through the East Coast causing a 10-day electricity outage in New York City.

One wonders how and why these names are given.

According to Geology. com, tropical storms that form in the Atlantic Ocean,

Plastic bags go green

with wind speeds reaching 39 mph are given a name.

When the storm’s wind speed reaches more than 74 mph, it is categorized as a hurricane.

Thus a hurricane is actually a tropical storm that has retained its name.

In regards to the history of naming Atlantic hurricanes, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website states, “For several hundred years many hurricanes in the West Indies were named after the particular saint’s day on which the hurricane occurred.”

Hurricanes Santa Ana and San Felipe are examples of hurricanes from that time.

The practice of using

traditionally female names for hurricanes became the norm during World War II among the forecasters.

Army and Navy meteorologists who strategically planned military movements around the weather also adopted it.

This method made communicating information about storms easy, leading to more awareness about hurricanes.

Finally in 1953, The U.S. abandoned the plan to name storms by a phonetic alphabet (Able, Baker, Charlie) and started using the method of naming storms by female names. In 1979, meteorologists started using both male and female names to identify the storms.

The turn of season provides vibrant colors

MYTH: The right side of the hurricane is more dangerous than the left side.

Knowing that the hurricane always rotates counterclockwise makes this an easy answer. Since it travels in a forward direction, the right side of a hurricane will have faster wind speeds than the left.

TRUST

John Schuler / Photo Editor

Three pigments are responsible for the colors of fall: chlorophyll, carotenoids and anthocyanins. Chlorophyll is responsible for the green color, and during the fall, it does not have time to grow due to the shorter days and longer nights leaving a feast of autumn eye candy.

ments are helping the environment but also deflating the bottom line. Replacing one light bulb may not be that influential, but replacing all of the light bulbs on campus can make a huge difference.

At the SLU Medical Center, one switch of the lights has cut electricity by more than 370,000 kilowatt hours. Annually, this adds up to nearly $25,000 saved.

Sustainability Week is over but that doesn’t mean efforts to educate and improve SLU have stopped.

Go green and throw it in the blue.

Green technology isn’t just a thing of the future; researchers in Buenos Aires and France have made breakthroughs in edible plastic to help cut down on plastic waste across the globe.

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates 31 million tons of plastic waste were generated in the U.S. in 2010.

In response to the modern world’s issues concerning plastic waste, researchers at the University of Buenos Aires have developed nontoxic edible plastic built around starch extracts from corn and cassava.

The novel polymer is being called bioplastic.

The key ingredient in bioplastic is a form of starch nanoparticle from a common corn variety called waxy corn.

According to Professor Silvia Goyanes, the nanoparticles are 50,000 times smaller than a hair and allow starch plastics to be stronger and more resistant to breaking, making them more like your average plastic materials.

The result is a strong plastic that protects both food and the environment and can be safely discarded since it breaks down like vegetable matter.

The research team is working on creating a stronger plastic that they hope can be used commercially to replace shopping bags.

Just across the ocean, a team of researchers in France is developing a line of edible containers with food inside them.

Called WikiCells, the edible plastic containers were designed with nature See “Bioplastic” on Page 14

Caffeinated consciousness

By KATHLEEN KAYSEN Staff Writer

Caffeine is a common staple among American adults. According to the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, almost 90 percent of adults ingest caffeine every day, making it most people’s drug of choice.

Caffeine keeps many college campuses running.

Faced with a full night of papers and studying ahead, college students consider an all-nighter full of caffeine to be normal. However, college students often overlook or are unaware of the dangers of repeatedly ingesting too much caffeine.

The Mayo Clinic recommends that most healthy adults can safely consume 200 to 300 milligrams, or about two to four cups of coffee a day. Going beyond that number on a regular basis or in a person with outlying health issues may present a problem.

While it’s easy to forget that caffeine is a drug, it is possible to abuse caffeine. In fact, a 2006 study at Northwestern University found that 265 caffeine abuse cases were reported to a local U.S. regional poison control center from 2001 through 2004, and the average age of abusers was 21. Many college student feel more comfortable with pushing a project off to the last minute when they know caffeine will keep them up all night to complete the assignment.

However, what most students don’t realize is that the caffeine may be working against them and their study plans. Researchers at Duke University found that caffeine increases heart rate and blood pressure, intensifies the hormone adrenaline in the body and causes the body to experience more panic than alertness.

While the idea of staying

up all night with a looming deadline already induces stress, the excess caffeine consumption may only unnecessarily add to this stress. Additionally, college students often complain of feeling tired or sluggish, attributing this feeling to their large workload, job schedules and late nights.

In actuality, it may be that morning cup of coffee that begins the vicious cycle.

About 12 to 16 hours after the first cup, the body goes into withdrawal, so the student interprets this as a need for sleep. When he or she wakes up the next morning, the body has already slipped further into withdrawal.

Understanding the fuzzy feeling as a need for more caffeine, the student allows the body to work through the cycle again by feeding the addiction. There are several caffeine substitutes that can help college students transition to a healthier lifestyle, while also lessening the pain of withdrawal.

For example, ensuring that vitamin B12 is a part of a daily diet or taking a supplement can greatly improve mental clarity, energy levels and regulate the sleep cycle. An easy caffeine substitution found in many college food courts and cafeterias is an apple.

The fructose levels and vitamins contained in one apple make it equal to drinking one cup of coffee. Another option is regular exercise, especially in the morning.

Studies show that exercise has stronger energizing effects than caffeine.

Regardless of the replacement method, it is important to remember that it will always take some time to adjust to the slower, less intense effects that these substitutes offer. Spending several weeks concentrating on kicking the habit and picking up a good one will be well worth it for the longterm benefits.

unewsonline.com

NOVEMBER 1, 2012

Exposed: The man responsible for body worlds

By GABBY GEERTS Science Editor

You’d be hard-pressed to find somebody that hasn’t once dreamt of becoming a rock star. Luckily, becoming one doesn’t require a drug habit or smashing good looks.

Scientists are breaking rules and pushing limits much similar to the way that Gene Simmons and the gang did back in the 70s, but replacing the face paint with goggles and the microphone with a microscope.

One of these scientists is Gunther von Hagens, an anatomist, inventor of plastination and developer of Body Worlds.

Von Hagens was born in 1945 in Poland, which was then a part of Germany.

Russia was closing in on his homeland at the time, forcing his parents to pack up five-day-old Gunther in a laundry basket and set west to Greiz, a small town in eastern Germany.

Growing up, von Hagens was diagnosed with a rare bleeding disorder that hospitalized him for much of his childhood.

Von Hagens’ constant surroundings of doctors and medicine are what fueled his desire to become a physician himself; the hospital was also responsible for creating his feelings of alienation and uniqueness.

Fast forward to 1965.

Von Hagens was attending medical school at the University of Jena.

Here, professors noted his ambition and unorthodox personality. Luckily, his unusual behavior usually ended up benefiting the entire class, opening their minds to ideas that allowed critical self-evaluation Outside of the classroom, von Hagens immersed himself in politics, questioning Communism and Socialism.

Photo courtesy of Paul Stevenson

Titled “The Skin Man,” this creation is one of many done by von Hagens. And yes, that is his real skin he is holding.

He attempted to break for freedom from East Germany into Austria but was caught, arrested and imprisoned for two years as a young 23-year-old.

Later, though, von Hagens recalled this time as being a positive one, stating, “All that I learned in prison helped me later in life as a scientist.”

After release, von Hagens completed medical school and began working as an anesthesiologist at Heidelberg University.

It wasn’t for him, and

he soon began working as a lecturer, which led to the invention of plastination – a technique for preserving anatomical cell tissue.

The process works by pushing plastic into the cells rather than surrounding them, allowing the plastic to be picked up and held.

Decomposition of the specimen must be stopped first; then, it is treated with heat, light and gas.

The final product is rigid, oderless permanence of the specimen that is immune to decay.

What von Hagens did with this technique was unprecedented: he started Body Worlds in 1995.

The traveling exhibit has been viewed by over 34 million people across three continents.

It showcases preserved human bodies posed so that inner anatomical structures are visible.

This technique has raised controversy and resistance, with many believing that the displaying of dead bodies as art is irreverent to the human body.

Von Hagens has responded to this accusation by bringing up the fact that all of us will end with a similar fate; his intentions are to push his viewers toward seeing this truth.

Regardless of one’s beliefs, the final products that von Hagens and his team create are a sight to see.

Bodies that have undergone plastination are not arranged in standard positions.

Bodies are situated in positions that enhance the role of certain internal systems.

A baseball player’s abdominal cavity is opened to reveal the tense contracted muscles while another is specialized to show all the blood veins running throughout.

There is even a showcase that compares the organs of smokers and non-smokers, as well as those who are obese and those who are of normal weight.

To do all this requires about 1,500 hours of work in order to complete just one body.

There are about 340 employees constantly working on creations for Body Worlds and all displays are authentic, meaning the bodies were donated willingly.

Von Hagens’ best friend even signed up to be part of the show.

SCIENCE

14

Bioplastics: Waste goes from landfill to full stomach Continued from Page 13

in mind. The packaging is meant to mimic the way fruits are encased in shells and peels.

The hope is to make strides in replacing the plastic and paper packaging often used at grocery stores.

Professor David Edwards of Harvard University is leading the project.

A report by Daily Mail claimed that the plastic, made of a combination of algae and calcium, gets mixed with food par ticles that cause the packaging to taste like what is inside of it.

The team has created several examples: an orange membrane filled with orange juice, tomato-flavored skin holding soup, and grape membranes filled with wine.

Edwards has claimed that WikiCells will be available to the public by the end of October.

He believes that they will make their way to the U.S. by next year.

But according to a recent study done by the Federal Environment Agency

“

of Germany, biodegradable plastics are no better than common plastics in terms of environmental benefit.

“Whereas their [carbon dioxide] emissions and consumption of petroleum are lower, they place greater strains on other environmental areas, particularly through the use of fertilizers,” said an FEA press release.

Such environmental strains included causing eutrophication of water and acidification of soil to a much greater extent than in the production of common plastics.

Eutrophication is a process that promotes excessive algae growth, which leads to depletion of available oxygen in the water, according to the U.S. Geological Survey website.

Soil acidification has been attributed to a decline in crop and pasture production.

However, both sides agree that preserving the planet is important.

Reducing plastic waste is a large step in achieving this green dream, regardless of the technique.

France is developing a line of edible containters with food inside them.

”

Help fill our issues. ads.unews@gmail.com

U SPORTS

WHO TO

CHEER LSU Fans

Courtesy of bleacherreport.com

Before this weekend’s huge AlabamaLSU tilt, some Tigers fans walked over to Tuscaloosa and pinned the tail on the Saban, providing a bit of laughter before this interstate rivalry. Probably not the smartest idea to piss off the No. 1 team in the country though, Tigers. At least Saban’s statue is still standing though, right Joe Pa?

WHAT TO

JEER NBA Season

Courtesy of Sports Illustrated

Wait, it’s that time of year already?

Didn’t we just start caring about the NFL season? It was a lot better last year when no one had to listen to the NBA hype until Christmas Day because of the lockout. Why can’t it be like that every year?

Now we have to listen to eight months of questions about the Lakers, and if they can come together as a team. Come on guys, everyone knows Kobe’s the consummate team player, right?

WHO TO

FEAR Big Ten Basketball

Courtesy of USA TODAY

While their football teams are either suspended from postseason play or just flat out stink, the Big 10 seems primed for a stellar year on the hard wood. Indiana leads the way as the preseason No. 1 in every significant poll, while Michigan and Ohio State also sit in the top 5.

By TONY TRAINA Associate Sports Editor

unewsonline.com

NOVEMBER 1, 2012

Soccer reunites father and son Goalkeeper’s dad watches his son play for first time in five years

By CHARLES BOWLES Sports Editor

SLU men’s soccer goalkeeper Nick Shackelford was looking for someone very special on the sideline after the Virginia Commonwealth University game.

“I’m very proud of you, and I’m sorry it took so long,” Brad Shackelford, Shackelford’s father, said after his son had found him.

The two embraced as tears fell from their eyes. It was a reunion five years in the making.

For Shackelford, his father had been distant from his life, but in that moment, they were able to reconcile their time apart.

“I know he has his own things that he has to deal with, but I’m happy that he is finally back and able to be a part of [my] life again,” Nick said.

Brad Shackelford was his son’s first coach as he grew up. It was his dad that got Shackelford interested in soccer.

“He never wanted me to be a goalie, he wanted to be a forward because I have a good left foot and he said that ‘you could be a goalie if you want, but I want you to be out on the field,’” Shackelford said.

Shackelford became a goalkeeper and played the position after his dad coached him.

However, his dad then became distant from his life after his parents divorced in 2001. Brad Shackelford remarried and moved to the mountain areas of California.

“He kept to himself and just worked. It was all he knew was just how to work.

It was mainly my mom, my grandparents and I… They were supporting me,” Shackelford said.

As Shackelford became a better goalkeeper, he began to have success. He was a part of the U.S. club team that won a regional championship and his club team was a national finalist the next year while he was

in high school.

As he entered the University of California for his freshman year of college, it was hard for Shackelford to maintain a relationship with his father.

“It was hard to contact my dad at home because my life was training and soccer, and I was trying to stay focused…My dad was not really involved at that point,” Nick said, “I tried to keep him informed of what I was doing, but it was not relevant to keep in touch.”

Shackelford, after redshirting his freshman year at California decided to transfer to Saint Louis University in hopes of more playing time. After two years at SLU, Brad Shackelford decided to contact his son in hopes of a reunion.

“My dad contacted me last summer saying that we should have a dinner and that ‘I have not seen you in a while.’ I decided to go,” Shackelford said.

Shackelford describes the dinner as “very emotional” since the two men had not seen each other in a long time.

“He was very sad, he felt that he had not been in my life,” Shackelford said. “He wanted to try to be a part of my life again.”

There was only one way that Brad could be a part of Nick’s life again and that was watching a soccer game, the game that he had introduced his son to as a boy.

“I told him that was the biggest thing that [he] needed to do. I felt that was necessary because soccer was such a big part of my life,” Shackelford said.

After the team began to have some success this season, beating some top-25 teams like Creighton and the University of Louisville, Shackelford hoped that his dad would keep his promise of coming to a soccer game.

“Finally, he texts me and let me know on Wednesday that he was coming to the VCU game on Friday. I See “Shackleford” on Page 17

John Schuler/ Photo Editor

Nick Shackelford is the goalkeeper for the men’s soccer team. He has six shutouts on the season. His dad saw him for the first time in five years during the VCU game.

Men’s soccer clipped by Charlotte but trounces George Washington

By CHARLES BOWLES Sports Editor

After recent successes, the men’s soccer team hit a speed bump as the team fell, 1-0, to nationally-ranked Charlotte Friday night. The team quickly bounced back on Sunday to defeat George Washington, 5-0.

The Billkens (12-4 overall, 6-2 in the Atlantic 10) had two very different games. The Charlotte game was the first time all season that the Bills did not score a goal, while they produced a season-high of 5 goals in the GW game.

The Charlotte game was intense, as the Bills came into the game at the top of the A-10 conference standings, while Charlotte was ranked second.

The Bills had an early opportunity to score, but Alex Sweetin missed a penalty kick off the post in the 6th minute. After that, Charlotte controlled the game.

Charlotte broke through early in the second half when Donnie Smith collected a ball deflected by a SLU defender and shot the ball past the Bills goalkeeper for the only goal of the night.

The Bills had very few opportunities, but in the 82nd minute they nearly scored a goal. Michael Robson was able to collect the rebound but hit the ball off the post.

The game became confrontational at the end as Sweetin received his second yellow card, knocking him out of the game after a hard tackle. The team began to argue and jostle, but order was quickly restored.

“It is obviously disappointing. I thought we played hard, but they were a step quicker,” Head Coach Mike McGinty said.

“They put us under a lot of pressure, and we knew they were going to, but we need

John Schuler/Photo Editor

Jonathan Svigos and his teammates celebrating his first goal as a Billiken. The Bills defeated George Washington 5-0 after suffering a tough loss to Charlotte the previous Friday. to manage things a little better.”

However, Sunday was a completely different story for the Bills.

The team rebounded from the performance against Charlotte with a 5-goal game against George Washington. Five different players scored for the Bills that day.

The scoring began in the 11th minute when Jon Roeckle received a pass from Marco Heskamp off a corner kick by David Graydon. In the 17th minute, the Bills got their second goal of the game. Nick Maglasang scored for the Bills off the assist from Robbie Kristo.

In the 33rd minute, Kristo got his team-leading eighth goal of the season

after charging down the center of the field. The Bills were up 3-0 at halftime, but the team was not done scoring. In the 82nd minute, Adnan Gabeljic came in and scored another insurance goal. In the 89th minute Jonathan Svigos scored his first career goal as a Billiken.

“I thought we played well. We came out strong and [were] able to get on the board quick, and we did not give up,” Roeckle said.

The Bills have their final, regular season game on Sunday, Nov. 4 against Butler. It is senior day for the Bills and will likely be the last game at Hermann Stadium for Robson, Joda Holloway, Svigos and Maglasang.

The Bills however are

not done with their season as they will play in the Atlantic 10 tournament in Charlotte, N.C. The Bills currently have 18 points in the conference standings which puts them in third place.

The Bills will be fighting for seeding during the Butler game. Butler is looking to get into the conference tournament with a victory against the Bills. The top eight teams in the A-10 get into the conference tournament which runs from Nov. 7-11.

The Bills will be in the tournament, but Sunday’s Butler game will give them an idea of their seeding and road through the A-10 tournament and even to a possible NCAA tournament berth.

Dumb jocks? Not at SLU The derogatory utterances can be heard at least once on an average walk d o w n W e s t P i n e Boulev a r d . “ We l l he’s an athlete,” “that’s just a blow-of f Tony Traina major anyway,” or any flippant stereotypes used to diminish the college experience of another student.

One of Saint Louis University’s goals is to “alleviate ignorance,” according to its mission statement.

Isn’t it time to foster understanding between students first before we attempt to project an outward image of understanding the world’s bigger problems?

Too often though, students are content with pigeon-holing others, assuming they know everything they need to about a person after learning her major and one or two of her favorite extracurricular activities.

The Polo-wearing, Chanel-toting sorority girl; the bookworm engineering student; the overly zealous pre-med student; the career-minded business student; and the dumb jock are all existing stereotypes, like it or not. One should avoid these shallow labels promptly applied to someone after briefly meeting them. Not only is it unfair to See “Stereotypes” on Page 16

16 SPORTS BILLIKEN BRIEFS

unewsonline.com

After late season charge, women’s soccer misses Atlantic 10 tournament

Basketball Preview

By TONY TRAINA Associate Sports Editor

The University News will be publishing our 12page basketball preview next week.

The special section will feature an exclusive interview with Head Coach Jim Crews, player features and our in-depth analysis of the Billikens’ 20122013 season.

Volleyball For her dominating performances against Eastern Illinois and Rhode Island, freshman blocker Megan Gilbert was named Atlantic 10 rookie of the week. She recorded 37 kills and 14 blocks over the week.

Billiken Media Relations

Field Hockey The women wrapped up their season with a loss to VCU on senior day, 2-0. The game caps a 1-19 campaign for the Billikens, another rough season for the squad.

Follow us @TheUNewsSports for the latest Billiken sports coverage

BILLIKEN SCHEDULE

Men’s Soccer Nov. 4 Butler Atlantic 10 Conference Championship

Men’s Basketball Nov. 3 Rockhurst (exh.)

Nov. 9 USC-Upstate

Volleyball Nov. 2 Temple Nov. 3 La Salle Nov. 10 at Butler

NOVEMBER 1, 2012

Sophomore Lindsay Elking dribbles downfield, attempting to beat the defense. The forward has scored five points for the Billikens (5-9-4) this season, who ended their season with a lost against George Washington on Sunday.

Stereotyping: Subtracts from the college experience Continued from Page 15

them. Not only is it unfair to the person being judged, it is most unfair to the culprit.

Students come to SLU to learn, not only from professors, but also from their peers. The beauty of college is the intellectual atmosphere created by bringing together a disparate group of young people, all with diverging interests and points of view. Every student brings something unique to the university, creating a whole vastly greater than the sum of its parts. Every student should feel obliged to invest his talents into the university.

Student-athletes are perhaps one of the most visible and most talked about groups on campus. Other students often belittle their on-campus participation to the hours spent training in the gym for competition, the weekend trips away from campus, and the glossy media guides circulated by media relations.

Professors do it too, attributing classroom performance to their athletic participation instead of viewing them as a normal student struggling the same way any other student does.

The fact is athletic experiences go much deeper than this. By all accounts, the companionship and sense of team developed is something unmatched anywhere else on campus.

Teams often spend more time serving the community than other groups on campus, feeling more connected to their campus and their community. Studentathletes develop lifetime communication and leadership skills. They achieve a work-life balance while pursuing the sport they love for at least four more years.

For most, their athletic participation serves as a stepping-stone and a way to pay for a valuable education.

These aren’t the superstar athletes that people are so accustomed to watching on television, dropping in for a few classes in underwater basket weaving on their way to the pros. For the most part, student-athletes at SLU are commit-

ted to contributing to the overall atmosphere created here.

College athletics would not exist if they did not contribute to the scholastic environment. They are yet another characteristic that differentiates the United States’ higher education system from the rest of the world; it is the only system that has such formalized intercollegiate competition in such a diversity of events.

The college-athlete system forges a lifelong bond of students to the university.

I can’t wait to be the angry middle-aged man yelling at the television when the Bills can’t stop Draymond Green in the NCAA Tournament. Athletics appeals to humans’ most innate passions and serves as a reminder that it’s just an organic chemistry test, not Jonas Salk trying to cure polio.

The student-athlete’s goal is the same as that of any other student participating in extracurricular activities: to develop valuable skills for the rest of his life. Everyone’s college experience is different, and to think yours is better than another’s is simply uniformed. Indeed, maintaining this air of superiority subtracts from your own experience, as it entails missing out on learning from your peers, arguably the most valuable aspect of the college experience.

In 20 years, you won’t remember how to find a derivative or calculate elasticity.

What you will remember is the friendships formed, the time spent abroad, even the daily acquaintances who went on to do great things.

Listen, all of us are headed to the real world in a few years, and boy does it look dismal out there. Regardless of forces largely outside students’ control, what one does in college is much more important than the name of the university on the diploma. A college degree is only as valuable as you the student make it.

So next time you’re walking down West Pine and you hear one of those awful little utterances, hope to yourself that that person figures out soon what college is really about.

The Billiken women’s soccer team ended their season on a sour note, losing at George Washington on Sunday. The Bills (5-9-4) finish the Atlantic 10 season in 12th place, outside the eight-team conference tournament being held this weekend. The loss caps another roller-coaster season for the Billikens, as they had hopes of making the tournament going into the final weekend.

Before heading to the nation’s capital, the Billikens picked up their first Atlantic 10 road win of the past two seasons, beating Charlotte 1-0 on Friday evening. The win briefly catapulted the Billikens into 10th place, on the cusp of a tournament berth. Jessie Jarrett scored the lone goal for the Billikens, her first of the year. Senior Katie Walsh was again strong in the net, adding one last shutout to her career total that will leave her second on SLU’s all-time list.

SLU then headed to Washington D.C. to face the George Washington Colonials, hoping to pick up a victory over the conference’s last place team. The game was moved up because of Hurricane Sandy. A victory would have clinched a place in the Atlantic 10 tournament for the Billikens, their first appearance in the tournament since 2009.

The Colonials played perhaps the best 20 minutes of their soccer lives, tallying 4 goals en route to their first Atlantic 10 victory

of the season. The loss was ill-timed for the Billikens, as they ended up 3-4-1 in the Atlantic 10, and will have a sour taste in their mouths the entire offseason.

In the end, first-year Head Coach Kat Mertz season looked much like last season’s effort, when the Billikens finished 5-10-3.

There were positives to take from the season though, not the least of which was the road-win against Charlotte. Charlotte will play in the Atlantic 10 tournament this weekend. Mertz will look for positives like this to build from as she attempts to further implement her system and bring in new skilled recruits this offseason.

The Billikens have much work to do, as they have not reached the NCAA tournament since the 2006 season.

Now, the Billikens have not had a winning season since their 2008 campaign. While the program experienced steady success around the turn of the century, it has not seen this kind of consistency since that 2006 tournament year.

Mertz is just one of a few newly hired coaches attempting to rebuild previously fledging programs at Saint Louis University.

New women’s basketball coach Lisa Stone begins her first year as head coach next week, and men’s soccer coach Mike McGinty has returned the program to national prominence in just his second year on the job. Mertz will look to follow in this path as she goes to work over the offseason, beginning by coping with the loss of four seniors.

Cody Ellis and Company get ready for the season

Emily Diehl/ Multimedia Editor

The Basketball Fanfest ushered in the beginning of what promises to be an exciting Billiken season. It also brought the beginning of our comprehensive basketball coverage, which will begin with our 12-page preview next week.

NOVEMBER 1, 2012

SPORTS 17

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Volleyball continues to vex on the road

Shackelford: Father returns for key game of regulation and then got a golden goal in overtime for the victory.

For Nick, the game was texted and asked him if he already emotional draingot his ticket, but I got no ing, but having his dad at response,” Nick said. a game for the first time in Shackelford had to mainyears made it even more so. tain his focus as the team “It was such an intense was preparing to play its game. We had high expecthird ranked opponent, Virtations going into the game ginia Commonwealth Uniand having Dad there was versity. Brad Shackelford so nice. It was nice to look eventually contacted his to up into the stands and acand let him know he was tually see him there,” Nick in St. Louis to attend the said. game. The arrival of Nick’s N i c k dad was was not well-timed, only happy as it cointhat his cided with dad got to S h a c k e l - ...the little things see him ford’s 22nd that he says mean play socbirthday. cer, but “If there that Brad was any so much more got to see doubt or than anyone could him on focus that the field I was miss- understand as both a ing for leader and that game, -Nick Shackelford role modhim saying el. that ‘I’m “It was here’ was nice to let just [like] him see an exhale, a sigh of relief,” me as a man; it was imporNick said. tant to let him see that part The game itself was an of me. This season I was emotional roller coaster for trying to step up and be the Billikens. a role model and leader,” The Bills were down Nick said.

1-0 and then equalized the After such a long time game, but then were down apart from each other, the 2-1 for nearly the rest of two men put the past beregulation time until near hind them. the end when the Bills had “No matter how far away a free opportunity. that he is, those little texts Raymond Lee kicked the that he sends me and the ball in the back of the net little things that he said, with seconds to spare and means so much more than tied the game. In double anyone could understand,” overtime, the Bills comNick said of his father. pleted the comeback and Nick and Brad Shackelwon 3-2. ford will never forget the The game was a difficult VCU game, not just for the match for the Billikens, double overtime win, but they multiple opportunities the long-awaited reunion of to score but could not score between the father and son. a goal until the final seconds Continued from Page 15

Continued from Page 15

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Courtesy of Billikens Media Relations

Freshman Megan Gilbert, tallying one of her 37 kills last week. Gilbert’s stellar performance earned her Atlantic 10 rookie of the week honors, after she broke onto the scene with a dominant performance against Western Illinois.

By TONY TRAINA Associate Sports Editor

Another weekend on the road brought mixed results for the Billiken volleyball team. The women fought hard but lost in five sets to Rhode Island on Saturday before sweeping Fordham in three sets on Sunday.

The Billikens finished the weekend at 8-17, with three games remaining in Atlantic 10 play.

The Billikens dropped the first two sets against Rhode Island before fighting back to force a fifth set.

The Billikens turned it on between sets two and three, with senior Cassie Clarke leading the way, perhaps due to some motivational words from coach Kent Miller. Setter Clarke tallied

47 assists in the game, 11 in the third set, which the Bills won 25-20. In the final set, the Billikens could not keep the momentum, as they alternated scores with the Rams until Rhode Island finally managed to string together a short run, winning 12-15 to take the match.

As usual, the Billikens defense was led by Grace Bonoma, who had 32 digs, adding to her season total that is good enough for second-best in the Atlantic 10.

The next day at Fordham, freshmen Megan Gilbert and Anna Church took advantage of Clarke’s setting skills, combining for 21 kills.

Church led the way with 11 kills, and the Billikens had no problem putting away the Rams to catch

the early flight back to St. Louis.

Besides the strong offense, the Billikens also stifled the Rams attack, as the Rams managed to hit just .065, the lowest percentage they’ve allowed this season.

The Billikens faced a tiny threat to their sweep bid, as they led just 13-12 when junior Erin Klostermann stepped up to the service line.

However, Klostermann led the Bills to five straight points and the team used the momentum to propel itself to a 25-17 victory.

Freshman Megan Gilbert also took her chance to shine at the net, leading the Bills with 37 kills. Most importantly though, she had a .478 hitting percentage, and also contributed to the Billikens’ defensive effort, re-

Bombs away: It’s the Great Pumpkin Launch, Charlie Brown

cording 14 blocks. Gilbert built on the momentum she began in the Billikens’ previous game against Eastern Illinois, when she burst onto the scene with a career-high 14 kills.

SLU now has just three regular season games left in what has been an adversity-laden season for the Billikens in Miller’s second season.

They return to Chaifetz Pavilion this weekend, capping off the home season with Senior Night against La Salle on Nov. 3.

Seniors Clarke, Aleksandra Niemiec, Andrea Bolt, Carly Marcum and Carly Schumacher will be honored before the game. The Billikens will be looking to prepare for the Atlantic 10 Championships, which begin Nov. 16.

”

Cross Country can’t crack top ten at conference championships, finishes season

Courtesy of Billikens Media Reliations

The men’s cross-country team ran to an 11th place finish at the Atlantic 10 Championship last weekend, ending their season on a solid note.

Andrea Royals/ The University News

The Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology will host their 4th annual Great Pumpkin Launch this Saturday, Nov. 6.

By TONY TRAINA Associate Sports Editor

There are many ways to celebrate Halloween: trickor-treating, handing out candy to little princesses and pirates, or going to blowout costume parties, wearing costumes that one outgrows lifetimes ago. The Parks College of Engineering, Aviation, and Technology takes a slightly different approach though, using the holiday as a teaching experience for its students by hosting their fourth annual “Great Pumpkin Launch.”

“The contest may sound like fun and games, but it’s serious stuff,” Mary Jennerjohn said in a press release.

The contest gives students a chance to apply their inclass knowledge to real-life problems. Contestants are assigned the task of launch-

ing large pumpkins across Tegeler to a 12-inch target, 75 feet away from where they lay their trebuchets or catapults.

While Charlie Brown will not be in attendance, physics and engineering students alike will vie for the top prize, launching themselves into the annals of Pumpkin Launch victors.

Fame may be the primary prize, but this does not deter motivated students.

While one may be asking why this tasty morsel of news falls in the sports section, fear not.

The competition has rules, scorekeepers and judges to determine the kings and queens of fall.

Last year proved an interesting compilation of team names ranging from Morpheus to Pumpkin Head.

Much more then the cliché “Smashing Pumpkins” title

is required of teams that want to compete here.

Like any good sport though, the referees do not deter from the spirit of competition. They serve as invisible judges, letting the students duke it out on the field.

Some professors will be on edge, as two years ago one trebuchet backfired, sending a pumpkin flying through a window in Ritter Hall.

“I couldn’t help but laugh,” Jessica Rozycki, the then coordinator of the event, said.

Not only does the launch help students put their engineering skills to good use, it also raises money for charity.

Canned goods are collected at the event, and a cornucopia of fall treats will be sold, with half of the proceeds going to charity.

By CHARLES BOWLES Sports Editor

After running all season, the Saint Louis University cross-country team began to see the finish line of their season at the Atlantic 10 Championship at Temple University in Philadelphia.

After being pleasantly surprised with the team’s success all year, Head Coach Jon Bell was hoping for a top-five performance from the women’s team and top-10 performance from the men’s team in the conference championships. Before the season began, he set expectations high, saying he expected just such a finish from his women’s squad.

The Billikens had a strong day and were very close to meeting Bell’s expectations going into the meet. The women’s team placed fourth overall in the conference and the men’s team placed 11th. Both sides matched their best performances of the season in the conference cham-

pionship. The teams had multiple succeses to write home about.

The women’s side was led by Margo Richardson who has lead the team all year. She placed fourth overall in the 5K with a time of 17:50.5. Richardson also claimed all-conference honors. She has now claimed all-conference honors all three years she has been at SLU. Not far behind Richardson was her teammate Jessica Hoefert, who placed 13th in the 5K with a time of 18:20.3. Hoefert also received all-conference honors. Richardson and her performances were a key reason that the Bills were able to place fourth in the Atlantic 10 meet.

Two other female runners placed in the top 30.

Natalie Myers finished 20th with a time of 18:34.2 and Lauren Fyalka placed 26th with a time 18:38.8. The Bills had a strong showing from the women’s side.

The men’s side, not to be outdone by the women, had some good performances of their own.

The men’s team was led by sophomores Tim Zellmer and Michael Scolarici. Zellmer placed 12th in the 8K with a time of 26:07.8, and Scolarici finished 15th in the 8K with a time of 26:09.1.

Both men earned all-conference honors. They are the first two male runners at SLU to earn all-conference honors.

James Collins placed 75th with a time of 27:27.7 in the 8K and freshman Nathan Rubellke placed 77th with a time of 27:31.3.

The cross-country team was formed in 2005, and Bell took over the team in 2006. In the past few years, the team has found success despite being the newest Bills sports program.

Richardson, Hoefert, Zellmer and Scolarici have shown how the program has grown in just the past few years, with the four earning all-conference honors.

SLU still has a few meets left this season. The team will compete in the NCAA Midwest regional on Friday, Nov. 9 in Springfield, Mo.

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NOVEMBER 1, 2012