The University News A Student Voice of Saint Louis University Since 1921
Vol. XC No. 10
Bare Naked statues A capella group soars to new heights with recent album >> ARTS
unewsonline.com
Thursday, October 28, 2010
What’s on the ballot?
Do your last minute research before Tuesday’s election by reading a breakdown of the key issues >>PAGE 3
Shuttle service seeks new path Delays plague
bridge plans again By MARK J. ZINN Staff Writer
Noah Berman / Photo Editor
Students load into the express shuttle, a new route added to alleviate congestion created by a large number of students traveling between the Frost Campus and the Health Sciences Campus. Members of Facilities Services, Student Government Association and various schools are working on plans for the shuttle system as the closure of Grand Bridge approaches.
Plans to test alternate routes; feedback wanted By ERIKA MILLER Enterprise Editor
The shuttle system run by Saint Louis University transports students from the main Frost Campus to the Health Sciences Campus regularly. However, scheduling conflicts, high demand of transportation and the delay of Grand Bridge reconstruction has made this process into a complicated web of logistics, leaving many students and staff unsatisfied. “I think in its current form [the shuttle service] is not giving the service we need. The University needs to invest further in transportation services,” said Philip Alderson, vice president for the Health Sciences Campus. Currently, SLU Facilities Services operates three shuttles, each of which holds 28 seated passengers. The choice for the number of seats is well above the average number of passengers, according to Tom West, director of Mail, Distribution and Transportation Services. “We have our peak times, but at times zero people are riding the shuttles, so that choice [of seating] was made as the most efficient way to do it,” West said. Right before the start of fall break, an express shuttle route was implemented to alleviate the crowding of peak riding times. This route picks up at the Busch Student Center and runs to the corner
of Caroline Street and South Theresa Avenue. “We took a look at where the peak times were and where [the students] are getting on and getting off, and that’s kind of how we established that express run,” West said. The new route puts a shuttle departing the BSC every seven to eight minutes. Adding an express route is the direct result of the flood of students trying to get down to the School of Nursing and Allied Health for early morning classes, particularly for an 8 a.m. class of more than 200 students. According to Joe Stumpf, a Mail, Distribution and Transportation Services supervisor, “There’re about two pickup times when [students] are just flooding the busses.” The express route is meant to alleviate the congestion caused by these peak times, which can often cause the shuttle schedule to be disrupted. Michael Shay, a sophomore in the Doisy College of Health Sciences, said he has yet to take the shuttle to his classes this year due to the unreliability of the shuttle service. “I have waited for shuttles for long periods of times this year and have decided to walk instead, beating the shuttle to the [medical] campus,” he said. Allison Usher, also a sophomore in Doisy, echoed Shay’s account, stating that this year the shuttle seems to be
more unreliable. “It feels like every time I wait at the shuttle stop, I seem to have just missed the shuttle, and I am usually there on time for the set arrival/departure,” she said. Heavy congestion during shuttle routes will be further disrupting once the Grand Bridge is taken down, a project that has now been delayed until February. The constant changes in the start date have complicated plans for alternate routes that the shuttles will use once Grand is no longer the main thoroughfare between campuses. “We’re going to try and remain as flexible as possible,” West said. West said that the plan includes working with the city to determine where the city will redirect traffic, and then adjusting shuttle routes accordingly. Facilities Services is also working with members of a Parking and Transportation Committee and a Grand Bridge Closure ad hoc committee, which includes representatives from Student Government Association, to get feedback on the current status of the shuttle system, and to make adjustments in light of construction projects. “We’re trying to be more proactive than reactive at this point,” SGA President Courtney Anvender said. See “Shuttle” on Page 3
We asked students: What do you think of the shuttle service? “The shuttles are only reliable when I take the extra time out of my personal schedule to wait for them.”
“Before this year I wouldn’t consider it a reliable mode of transportation, but it’s better now.”
“It’s hard to fit all the people on the shuttle, and I feel it’s unsafe to have people standing on the stairs.”
Amelia Bernauer Freshman, Doisy College of Health Sciences
Amy Keys Sophomore, Doisy College of Health Sciences
Caitlin McCumber Freshman, School of Nursing
Patrick Wessel, 25; SLU-TV activist, newspaper cartoonist By SEAN WORLEY Assistant News Editor
Those that knew Patrick Wessel would not have expected for him to end up in New York City working as an aspiring model. They were also, for the most part, taken aback by his recent death. Wessel died on Sunday, Oct. 24 from cancer. Wessel was 25-years-old. Having graduated from Saint Louis University in 2007-the youngest of eight siblings who are also SLU alumni-Wessel obtained a degree in entrepreneurship. Yet Wessel is not remembered for his field of study but instead for his interactions with all those around him. Friends and loved ones of Wessel expressed that he was more than just creative,
more than just determined, the shared accreditation, Wesand more than just an average sel has been attributed to the person. Wessel has been de- result. scribed as cultured, compasWessel used his creative sionate, accepting, genius to incorpounique and inspiring, rate many different amongst so many aspects into the stuother descriptions. dent organization. It Nonetheless, the was Wessel that camabove adjectives canpaigned for, and ultinot seem to do justice mately brought, live to the unreserved broadcasting to the emotion behind those SLU campus. It is Patrick Wessel words that were used in the works to have 1985-2010 to describe Wessel. the SLU-TV studio Few could match his cre- named after Wessel in honor ative prowess at any level and of his commitments and conthis claim, that those close to tributions to the organization. Wessel make, can be support- Wessel was also an illustrator ed by Wessel’s unrelenting de- for The University News from termination to transform what 2006-2007. was then a struggling SLU-TV From talks with former station into what it is today. teachers, faculty mentors, Wessel was one of three core friends and Jesuits, there members that helped truly seems to be one conclusion form SLU-TV, but even with from his death: no one will
ever be able to live up to the persona of Patrick Wessel. Those who knew Wessel valued his individuality and Illustration by his aura of Patrick Wessel humanistic published in the 26, 2006 authenticity; Sept. issue of The his unique University News gait and his even more eccentric hairstyles; his iconic wire-rimmed glasses and oversized coat. Those who knew Wessel remember his smile that radiated with acceptance and warmth. Those who knew Wessel will miss him dearly. A memorial service at St. Francis Xavier will be held in Wessel’s name on Friday, Oct. 30 at 10:30 a.m.
When Richard Bradley, P.E., began working as an engineer for the City of St. Louis 23 years ago, plans were already underway to replace the then-aging Grand Bridge. However, the actual construction of the bridge is not set to begin until early spring 2011. The Grand Bridge connects the Frost Campus at Saint Louis University to its Health Sciences Campus, and its renovation could pose obstacles for members of the University community traveling between these locations. Although he believed that the reconstruction project was deemed necessary, Bradley, now the city’s chief engineer, said he witnessed numerous setbacks, like funding, that have plagued the 50- year-old bridge. Currently, that same vision to enhance the bridge is now becoming a reality, despite a new delay that postpones the start date of the renovation project— again. “The schedule slipped just a little bit,” Bradley said when discussing the recent twomonth pushback in closing the bridge. The bridge, as previously reported, was scheduled to close this January, paving the way for a year-long reconstruction. Bradley said that numerous compliance issues had to be met between the city and the Missouri Department of Transportation
(MODOT), the state agency who oversees federal highway transportation dollars given to the state. These compliance issues are especially important because 80 percent of the project is federally funded. Although the project is behind schedule, Bradley said that compliance issues have now been met and MODOT gave the city final approval to advertise for bids on Oct. 13. The Board of Public Service said they plan to open the bidding for the $25 million estimated project on Nov. 23 and issue the notice to proceed in early February. This means the current bridge will likely be torn down in March or April and open again in early May of 2012. Junior nursing student Mary Clare Hogan expressed some frustration with the new delays. “I will not be able to utilize the new bridge,” Hogan said. “I will only face the inconvenience of the construction.” Others said that they did not know that the reconstruction project was even taking place. “I haven’t heard a thing about [the bridge project] from anyone, not even Newslink,” said Rich DeClue, a first -year graduate student in the School of Public Health. While many questions remain about getting around the bridge’s closure, Hogan said that she knows one thing is certain: “Most of my classes begin at 8 a.m., so the construction will require me to leave much earlier.”
Noah Berman / Photo Editor
Freshmen Tabitha Williams (left) and Priya Dixit (right) study in the Cross Cultural Center.
Cross Cultural Center notes improvements By JULIA CHRISTENSEN Staff Writer
In response to last year’s racial incidents on campus, Saint Louis University was faced with calls for change and justice. One semester later, that feeling still lingers. “We served as a support and presence for the students directly involved in and impacted by these events,” LaTanya Buck, Program Manager of the Cross Cultural Center, said. According to Buck, the Hate Crime and Biased Related Incident Protocol has been written in response to these events. “We’re making strides,” Buck said. “I did see students come together after the events. I don’t want students to forget about it because it’s not as hot of a topic as it was last spring.” This year, the Cross Cultural Center plans to hold monthly panels and discussions and to increase collaborations with the Career Center and the Office of Student Development. According to Buck, the center has created a new position that will conduct research and develop retention and support programs for minority students. The new position will also oversee programming of the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship. The Cross Cultural Center was also criticized last year, as students felt it promoted separation of the SLU community.
“Are we separating people with the intent of creating diversity? The Cross Cultural Center doesn’t have a lot of white students,” Michael Harriss, former Student Government Association President, said last year. “Maybe it’s because of the presence of all the multicultural organizations there, but are we building a home for diversity or are we still keeping groups separate unintentionally?” “It’s my role to create a comfortable and safe place for all students, but I think it is up to the students to look into themselves and ask why they’re not comfortable walking into the Cross Cultural Center,” said Buck in See “CCC” on Page 3
Blue the Billiken A new divide
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