Orientation Issue 2011

Summer 2011 Orientation Issue

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

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Orientation Issue

Summer Reading Learn all about the 2011 summer reading book, “When the Emperor was Divine” >> PAGE 4

Summer 2011

STay connected this summer Check out our website, unewsonline.com, to keep updated on everything happening around campus. For more on our print edition>> PAGE 6

Letter from the Editor-in-Chief

Welcome to SLU Dear incoming students,

Noah Berman / The University News

Every year, freshmen slather on blue body paint and embrace the Billiken lifestyle during Welcome Week. Behold a glimpse of your future.

FAST FACTS ON SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY The following statistics are based on information gathered as of May 16. A final census will be taken in September. Look for updated information this fall in The University News.

8,100 undergraduates from 50 states and almost 80 foreign countries call SLU home during the academic year.

41% 59% WOMEN MEN

TOP 5 STATES REPRESENTED WISCONSIN OHIO

MOST POPULAR MAJORS Nursing Biology Psychology Physical Therapy Accounting

MISSOURI ILLINOIS TEXAS

“What advice do you have for the incoming freshman?”

“Get a laundr y hamper with wheels, and I know it sounds nerdy, but go to the librar y.”

Kelsey Vaughan Senior

“Utilize Forest Park as often as you can. Also, use the law library. It’s quiet, and that’s where I get all of my work done.”

Nick Yuhas 2011 Graduate

“Be nice to your RA, and go to Chaifetz Arena for a game.”

Donnie Green Senior

“Don’t be afraid to get involved.”

Emily Wich Sophomore

Welcome to Saint Louis University! I am glad that you decided to attend SLU and become a part of the Billiken tradition.

For the next four years, Commentary this campus will be your home away from home, where you will grow as an individual and learn how to live on your own in our community.

Your experience will no doubt be filled with unforgettable moments, great friendships, late nights Jonathan Ernst and of course, studying.

You are holding in your hands the Orientation Issue of The University News, SLU’s student-produced newspaper since 1921. Our mission is to inform, entertain and to protect the SLU community.

This year, we will be celebrating our 90th anniversary, and we are excited to honor our past while we look forward to the future. The UNews is a tradition at SLU, and we are proud to introduce you to it.

Every Thursday during the academic year, excluding breaks, The UNews is published to the blue newsstands across campus. After being “oriented” this week, you will know a lot more about the SLU culture. As current SLU students, we developed this issue just for you to help speed up the process. We are just warming you up to our newspaper and to the SLU community that we cover.

In the next few pages you will find articles on the origin of the Billiken, the answer to why SLU does not have a football team and a review on your assigned summer reading. This issue is only eight pages; you can read the whole thing. Your homework assignments will be longer than that.

As a current senior, I can tell you that SLU has taught me valuable lessons in my three years.

I am a Communication and Environmental Studies double major, and when I am not in class or studying, I am diving into the SLU community. Classes are important, but getting involved and meeting new people is equally as important to your overall college experience.

The best advice I can give you is to get involved in a student group or organization and do what will make you happy.

These experiences will teach you far more about yourself than what you will learn in any book in the library. Working with others and being a leader has been the most important aspect of my college experience. This is college after all, have fun, but be responsible and be yourself. Use the resources that are available including the city that surrounds our campus.

As a St. Louis native, I can tell you that this city has many places to hang out and have fun on the weekends. These places include the Delmar Loop, Central West End, Galleria Mall, Forest Park and the City Museum to name a few. Use the weekends to explore these places because this is your home for the next four years.

Also, I will dispel the myth that you cannot do anything or have fun without a car on campus. I have survived for two years without my car on campus, and I have walked or used the MetroLink to get to all of those places I mentioned. Get out of the dorms and explore the campus and the city; you will not be disappointed.

The UNews is the perfect place to find out about all the campus events and entertainment around campus. Our Arts Section will feature and review the newest movies, plays and bands, so you can see what is happening around the St. Louis area and what is a worthwhile venue for your weekend entertainment. But when it is not the weekend and you are not in class, you can find your niche on campus as I mentioned earlier. Let me point out one organization in particular called The University News. For 90 years, our organization has served the campus community, and we are looking for new students to carry on this award-winning legacy.

Be sure to drop by our table during the Campus Resource Fair to talk to current UNews staff members and find out how to join our organization. We are also offering the Freshman Early Entry Program (FEEP) to freshmen students interested in learning more about college media, the SLU community and the St. Louis area. FEEP freshmen will move in three days early to gain a grasp of the campus before the other freshmen arrive. Oh, and no prior experience is necessary to be a FEEP freshmen.

I hope you have a great experience at SLU 101, and I wish you best of luck in the newest chapter of your lives. SLU is a great institution, and I really believe that you made a great choice by coming to our community.

Welcome to campus, and I hope to see you in the Newsroom.

Blue the Billiken welcomes you

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

Orientation Issue

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Summer 2011

Let Us Introduce You Julia Charles Staff Writer

”

Aug. 24: Residence halls open for approved first-year students Aug. 24-29: Welcome Week

Kelly Hinderberger / Associate Photo Editor

ing as past Welcome Weeks have been incredibly hectic for everyone involved.

When she is not decked out in orange and dragging futons into Griesedieck Hall, Charles said she loves to read, but often cannot find the time for it.

She is an avid “Gilmore Girls” fan and enjoys watching old episodes as study breaks.

She is also a self-proclaimed sports expert, particularly when it comes to Chicago sports teams.

Charles is originally from a suburb of Chicago, “like everyone else,” and is double majoring in Physical Therapy and Spanish. Her dream job is to work with an athletic team.

“I probably know more sports information than 98 percent of the woman you will ever meet and about 80% percent of guys,” Charles said.

“There have been moments where people stop and go: ‘You know more than I could imagine. Why?’ I just like it.”

If that does not work out, she would also like to open a

pediatric clinic in the south or southwest, using her Spanish to work with children.

Charles studied abroad in Madrid during the Fall 2010 semester and since then decided that one of her new hobbies will be traveling.

“I hit 12 countries in four months, and I just feel like I haven’t traveled enough in the U.S.,” Charles said.

Charles claims that going abroad was one of her favorite experiences at SLU and encourages everyone to go abroad while attending the University.

She said she loved the opportunity to meet new people and see a lot of new places, so she plans to travel even more this summer.

Whether it is going abroad or joining a club, Charles said she still feels that some of the best advice she can give to a college student is the get involved.

“Just pick one thing you will love and dedicate your all to it, you will walk away from college having had a great time,” Charles said.

Nov. 2011 Nov. 1: All Saints’ Day Nov. 2: Feast of All Souls: Memorial Mass for the deceased of the University Nov. 22: Residence Halls close at 8 p.m.

Feb. 2012 Feb. 22: Ash Wednesday

March 2012 March 5-10: Good Luck Midterm Exams!

on

March 9: Residence halls close at 8 p.m.

Aug. 26: Convocation and Family Welcome

Nov. 24 - 25 :Thanksgiving Break

March 12-17: Spring Break

Aug. 26-27: Residence halls and apartments open for returning students

Nov. 27: Residence halls reopen at 9 a.m.

March 13: Midterm grades due by 5 p.m.

Nov. 28: Classes resume

March 18: Residence halls reopen at 9 a.m.

Sept. 1: Mass of the Holy Spirit-No classes from 11 a.m.-12:15p.m.

Sept. 2011 Sept. 9: Last day to drop without a “W” Sept. 23-25: Homecoming

Oct. 2011 Oct. 17-22: Good Luck on Midterm Exams!

Oct. 24-25: Fall Break

-Au Bon Pain-

-Griesedieck Hall-

Nov. 23: No classes

Aug. 29 : Undergraduate Classes Begin

priority.”

For students who may be worried about their eating habits or would like more information on how to maintain healthier dietary lifestyles, Daugherty is available in the Student Health Center every Thursday. SLU students said they have had mixed experiences with the “Freshman 15.”

“I would say the schedule changes in college made it harder to maintain steady eating habits,” junior Teresa Wink said. “Overeating was also an issue. Just because food is free doesn’t mean you have to keep eating.”

2011 graduate Laura Hahn said that getting involved with sports could be helpful.

“When I first came to college, I was so worried about it that I went to the gym at 7 a.m. almost every day. But then I decided to join the dive team, and that helped out,” Hahn said.

Hahn said that keeping off the pounds results from a balance of exercise, healthy eating and schoolwork.

A quick note about campus dining options

2011-2012 Academic Calendar Aug. 2011

Freshman year of college is a time for new beginnings, new classes, new environments…and new pounds?

The term “Freshman 15” refers to the common gain of 15 pounds by college freshmen as a result of food consumption.

Jamie Daugherty, a regisOvereating was tered dietician at Saint Louis University’s Doisy College also an issue. Just of Health Sciences, said that multiple factors play into because food is unexpected weight gain. free doesn’t mean “People’s schedules you have to keep changing, unhealthy snacks, exercising less and alcohol, eating. if students choose to participate in those activities, all can combine to [result in] weight —Junior Teresa Wink gain,” Daugherty said.

Other than those factors, lack of variety in a student’s where you’re going to eat,” diet can also contribute to she said.

Daugherty said that this weight gain.

“Knowing what [din- could prevent students from ing facilities] are available getting hungry by accidenon campus is important,” tally skipping meals, which can result in eating take-out Daugherty said.

Daugherty also stressed or fast food. “Make food a

“

By KRISTEN MIANO

FRESHMEN: Cut this calendar out to keep up-to-date on important happenings at SLU.

the importance of having a balanced diet.

“Once you get on campus, and it takes about a month to get used to living on campus, learning how to balance is key. Plan your days out ahead of time and plan out

By SEAN WORLEY Contributor

Senior enjoys wearing orange, enthusiastic about meeting incoming students

Welcome Week is Julia Charles’s favorite week at Saint Louis University.

“You have all the new freshmen and all these different people coming together who are just crazy and outgoing and full of high energy for a week, and it’s exhausting,” Charles said.

As this year’s president of Oriflamme, Charles gets the opportunity to express her love for the week in a new way.

She has been involved in the orange-shirted mob since her sophomore year and said she is really excited to work with the incoming freshmen and feels lucky to have this position.

“I was never skittish about coming to college, but this made it a seamless transition for me,” Charles said.

“I want people to be excited about SLU and all these great opportunities, and Oriflamme made it so easy for me to be excited that I want to make it easy for everyone else to be as excited.”

Charles said her favorite part of working with Oriflamme is the wide variety of people she gets to meet.

“I remember people from my floor sophomore year who still know me,” Charles said.

“It makes me so happy that they can remember all the crazy things we made them do during welcome week and that I can build those lasting friendships while still being myself. If you can’t be yourself during Welcome Week, there will never be a time.”

Charles said being yourself is one of the best pieces of advice she could give the freshmen class and is a strong advocate for them to get involved in something they love.

“Just find something you really love, and go for it,” Charles said. “Don’t be embarrassed about what that is because you will find it at SLU. And if it’s not here, you can make it here.”

As president of Oriflamme, Charles hopes to make some improvements to the Welcome Week agenda.

She said she thinks the program is great now but would like to include some more free time in the future, see-

Fighting against the ‘freshman 15’

Dec. 2011 Dec. 12: Classes end Dec. 13: Study day Dec. 14-20: Final exams Dec. 20: Residence halls close at 8 p.m.

Dec. 22: Fall semester grades due by 5 p.m.

Dec. 25: Christmas

Jan. 2012 Jan. 13: Residence halls reopen at 9 a.m.

Jan. 16: MLK Jr. Day

The place where most freshmen eat on campus.

Meal swipes are taken here ever yday for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

-Reinert HallKnown for their Wednesday Pancake Nights. Meal swipes are taken here every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

-Terra VeThe only vegetarianfocused dining facility on campus. Flex points taken here daily. Meal swipes can be used for a limited selection of entrees.

This eater y offers a selection of pastries , soups and sandwiches. Meal swipes can be used for dinner on specific nights. Visit dineoncampus.com for the schedule.

-Grand Market PlaceHungry for some pizza or Chick-fil-A? Check out Grand Market. Meal swipes can be used for dinner on specific nights. Visit dineoncampus.com for the schedule.

-Subway/C-StoreNeed a sub or toliet paper? Located in the bottom of DeMattias Hall, Flex points can be used here.

-The BeanPulling an all-nighter or needing an early morning pick-up? Grab some Starbucks coffee at the this campus coffee shop.

-Fusz Food CourtAre you brave enough to try the “Quint” burger at Smashers? If not grab a salad, wrap or pizza from Fusz. Flex points taken daily.

-SalsaritasIf you’re craving some nachos or a hearty burrito, Salsaritas is the place to be.

Flex points taken daily, and meal swipes can be used on specific nights.

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March 30: Last day to withdraw from classes

April 2012 April 4-8: Easter break: No undergraduate classes April 9: Easter Monday; no undergraduate day classes.

May 2012 May 7: Classes end May 8: Study Day May 9-15: Final exams

Jan. 17: Classes begin

May 15: Residence halls close at 6 p.m.

Jan. 27: Last day to drop without a “W”

May 19: Commencement

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Orientation Issue

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Summer 2011

The Billiken over the years late 1970s to 1984

1915-1965

Current Billiken

1960s to early 1970s

1985-1991 Photos courtesy of Saint Louis University

Meet the Billiken, your 103-year-old mascot

By JONATHAN ERNST Editor-in-Chief

The official mascot of Saint Louis University, the Billiken, was created 103 years ago in 1908.

Birth of the Billiken Various stories surround the origin of the Billiken.

Some suggest the Billiken is an Eskimo god of good luck, while other stories tell of it being a god from China or Argentina.

According to historian Dorothy Jean Ray, however, the Billiken was really born in 1908 in Kansas City, Mo. Art teacher and illustrator Florence Pretz created the image of the Billiken.

In its first incarnation, the Billiken was an elf-like creature with pointed ears, a rotund belly and a mischievous smile. According to the University’s archives, Pretz drew the image after read-

ing the poems “The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayam” and “Mr. Moon; A Song of the Little People.”

She was so taken by the notions in these poems that she decided to develop a character that would embody hope and happiness.

‘Billikenmania’ Shortly after the Billiken’s creation, rights to the image passed to the Billiken Company. In 1909, its likeness was manufactured into piggy banks and statues.

The following year, the Billiken was made into dolls, marshmallow candies, saltand-pepper shakers and many other products.

The doll became a fad toy, enjoying nationwide popularity in a phenomenon called “Billikenmania,” lasting until 1911.

Millions of dolls were sold and were considered a good luck charm that represented

Ryan Giacomino / The University News

The Billiken as it appears on campus. The mascot has undergone a number of changes over its century-long history. three different types of luck— good, better and best.

It is said that buying a Billiken brings luck, to have one given to you is luckier and the best luck is to have your Billiken stolen.

Becoming our mascot The Billiken became associated with SLU during the 1911-1912 football season, according to University archives.

During a team practice,

William O’Connor, a sports reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, observed that as far as SLU football was concerned, things were as they should be. O’Connor also commented on how oach John Bender resembled a Billiken and later wrote in the Post-Dispatch: “Why, that guy’s a familiar Billiken!”

Before Homecoming festivities that year, local drugstore owner Billy Gunn asked SLU football fan and cartoonist Charles Z. McNamara to decorate his window. McNamara painted a picture of the coach in the form of a Billiken and posted it on the drugstore window.

The painting and O’Connor’s comments in the Post-Dispatch caused the SLU football team to be known as “Bender’s Billikens.” The name was taken up quickly by the sporting public, and all SLU sports teams from then on have been named the

Billikens.

The image of our mascot Today, the Billiken is unique among mascots in college athletics; no other University in the world has the same mascot.

“The Billiken is awesome because ... colleges usually have commonplace mascots and ours is completely original,” Junior Hannah Beaty said.

In July 2007, the Billiken was selected as the No. 1 college mascot by the website SPMsportspage.com, which listed the top 100 college mascots among Division I schools.

The image of the Billiken has changed over the years representing Saint Louis University sports teams through out the seasons (see illustration above).

The current representation of the Billiken was adopted in 1991.

University hosted ‘possessed’ boy whose Not ready for some football without a football team.

Post-Dispatch: “Why, that story inspired the film ‘The Exorcist’ “When I was looking at col- guy’s a familiar Billiken!”

Program leges... I didn’t think the col- That comment, along with

sidelined in 1949

By JONATHAN ERNST Editor-in-Chief

Matthew Lehner / The University News

The recently refurbished and reopened Sinquefield Stateroom on the fourth floor of DuBourg Hall, the falsely rumored place where the possessed boy Robbie stayed while on campus.

By JONATHAN ERNST Editor-in-Chief

More than 60 years ago, Saint Louis University housed a supposedly demonically possessed boy at St. Francis Xavier College Church.

This story inspired the popular film “The Exorcist.”

According to University archivists John Waide and Randy McGuire, the possessed boy, referred to as “Robbie,” spent four or five days in the College Church rectory.

This rectory no longer stands and it was replaced later with the current rectory.

Robbie grew up in Cottage Hill, Md., a suburb of Washington D.C. In January

of 1949, scratching sounds began to come from his room, his bed shook and objects were enigmatically relocated around the house.

As the legend goes, the mysterious occurrences began to follow Robbie to school. His desk would reportedly shake and his books would move by themselves.

Scratches also began to appear all over his body, carving the word “HELL” across his chest. Another scratch similar to the word “LOUIS” caused Robbie’s parents to bring him to St. Louis for treatment.

Jesuits Walter Halloran and William Bowdern, then pastor of St. Xavier, cared for Robbie while at the church.

It is rumored that Robbie was kept on the fourth floor of DuBourg Hall, but Waide shot down this rumor in a presentation addressing the exorcism in October 2008.

He said that it was very unlikely the boy stayed in that hall, though his screams might have been heard in DuBourg Hall.

Robbie was moved to the Alexian Brothers’ Hospital in St. Louis for the final days of the exorcism.

This hospital later burned down and was replaced by St. Alexius Hospital.

This story of Robbie’s demonic possession can never be confirmed, but Waide said that the priests’ experiences also suggest that the story

The last football game Billikens played happened more than 60 years ago and officials at Saint Louis University do not see that changing anytime soon.

“It is not in our plans to add a varsity football program; we are focused on delivering the 18 sports we have,” Director of Athletics Chris May said.

The University currently lacks a playing field, practice field, coaching staff and recruiting staff for a football program.

Rather than moving toward reviving a football program, the athletic department has lately focused on building the men’s basketball program with the additions of Chaifetz Arena and head coach Rick Majerus.

“We have the right sports for the University, and our focus is on supporting them,” May said.

According to May, reviving the football program would take years and a large budget to see progress on a NCAA Division I level. The athletic department at SLU would have to focus so much time and attention on a successful football team that it might take away from the other University sports, May said.

Some students however, feel that college is incomplete

lege football tradition would be such a big deal, but now I realize it is something we are missing out on,” junior Joe Andreoni said.

While in existence, Billiken football enjoyed various successes. The team started on the gridiron in 1899, going undefeated in 1901, 1904 and 1906. The team also did

“

It is not in our plans to add a varsity football program.

”

—Director of Athletics Chris May

something no other collegiate football team had ever done previously—incorporating the forward pass.

SLU gained a 22-0 victory on Carroll College in 1906 with the help of first-year coach Eddie Cochem’s decision to incorporate the forward pass. SLU football player Bradbury Robinson threw to teammate Jack Schneider for the first legal forward pass in collegiate football history.

The football team was also the first SLU team to be known as the Billikens. During the 1911-1912 football season, St. Louis Post-Dispatch sports writer William O’Connor observed that coach John Bender resembled a Billiken.

O’Connor later wrote in the

Charles Z. McNamara’s painting of the coach in the form of a Billiken, led to the SLU football squad to be known as “Bender’s Billikens.”

The Billiken football team started to lose its momentum with several consecutive losing seasons in the late 1940s.

College football was not as popular as college basketball during that era. Other universities started to build football programs, while SLU focused more on basketball.

Billiken basketball ranked first in the Associated Press basketball poll during the 1948-1949 season and won the National Invitation Tournament championship that year. With the University focused on basketball, there was no room or budget for the upkeep of the football program.

The football program disbanded on Dec. 14, 1949, after a second straight year of heavy financial losses and low attendance. The last game the Billikens played was a 35-0 loss to the Cougars of the University of Houston on Thanksgiving Day. Paul C. Reinert, S.J., SLU’s president at the time, announced the program’s withdrawal from intercollegiate competition due to the financial burden of maintaining the team.

“Any channeling of resources from the essential academic objectives into areas of secondary importance such as intercollegiate football could not be justified,” Reinert said in a 1949 statement, according the University’s archives.

Orientation Issue

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Summer 2011

Summer reading explores a national tragedy: WWII internment camps

Top headlines from the 2010-2011 academic year

By TJ KEELEY

These are some of the stories that made front page news this year. Check out these stories and other news>>UNEWSONLINE.

Associate Arts Editor

Incoming students will be handed Julie Otsuka’s debut novel “When the Emperor Was Divine” for summer reading. Following the reading, students will have the opportunity to see Otsuka speak at Saint Louis University on Nov. 2 at 7 p.m.

“When the Emperor Was Divine,” published in 2002, is an accumulation of the works Otsuka wrote for her Master of Fine Arts thesis at Columbia University. As a first novel, it is smart and accomplished, using the “less is more” tradition.

Otsuka employed sparse and precise language to tell the tale of a family in 1940s Berkeley, Calif. The woman, her son and daughter are Japanese-Americans who, after seeing their husband and father taken away by a marked car, are forced to leave their home and enter an interment camp in the desert. Told in five chapters, each with a new narrator, “When the Emperor Was Divine” offers an intimate look at the sufferings of one American family during one of our nation’s darkest hours.

Otsuka succeeds both in teasing the reader with her lack of concrete details and in the complex portrayal of the mother. We are often told just enough – just some vague description – and this lack of detail creates a disillusionment that the children might have felt. But sometimes the less is just not enough. While Otsuka occasionally grounds the events in palpable details, much of her narrative reads like a collection of nightmares that can make reading a distant experience.

The antidote for this is the portrayal of the mother.

The first and strongest chapter is told from her perspective and poetically describes her last tasks before leaving while offering glimpses of her struggle to contain her own feelings. The mother and the children are never named, giving the narrative an authority of an individual experience, while suggesting the

Public safety changes faces Former FBI official named director of newly reorganized campus security Come Sept. 7, the department responsible for the safety of Saint Louis University students will be undergoing some major changes. The Department of Public Safety now has a new leader, a revised name and hopes to establish a new image.

Bridge closure: No ‘Grand’ problems St. Louis traffic crews closed the section of Grand that lies between Chouteau Avenue and Interstate 64 on Monday, March 14 around 3:30 a.m. Demolition began the weekend of March 18-20 and will continue the weekend of March 25-27.

Image courtesy of Julie Otsuka

suffering of a community as well. The namelessness also suggests that the characters are victims of erased identity and dehumanization.

Unfortunately, the children do not enjoy such a vivid interpretation. The little girl is far too precocious. I could never tell exactly how old she was, yet her knowledge of the events and ability to interpret them gave her an adult-like perspective that made me wonder if the girl was a merely a reflection of Otsuka’s adult self.

Similarly, the little boy never quite grows his own voice. But Otsuka uses this to her advantage, allowing his chapter to portray a loss of innocence, slipping in some stronger, more heavy-handed details.

“When the Emperor Was Divine” is a fast and sometimes pleasant read, but despite the beautiful B:5.67” prose and the precise detail, the book T:5.67” left me wishing we had ei-

Pius XII Library will get a facelift

ther only gotten the perspective of the just mother in the novel, or that we had gotten a longer, denser, more thorough picture of how large and devastating this moment in American history was.

Students reading this book will be treated to a reflection on the suffering in our society and the relevance of America’s past to its present. Although the novel was published nine years ago, her prophetic foresight is chilling.

This relevance is the greatest strength of Otsuka’s novel. She links the past to the present in a frightening appeal to sympathy. “When the Emperor Was Divine” becomes a sobering warning and plea from the victimized who suffer an assault on their individual persons and their collective identity. It is a work of profound humanism and demands a reconsideration of what it means to be loyal and to what kind of America we pledge our allegiance.

Pius XII Memorial Library is finally on track to becoming the centerpiece of Saint Louis University, the highlight of campus tours and an inviting study space for students. Student leaders have spoken, and the administration is prepared to take action: Pius is now poised for a two-part renovation.

New union rising on South Campus Multipurpose building slated to open in 2011 Beginning summer 2011, Saint Louis University students will be able to eat, collaborate and relax on the Health Sciences campus in one unified location. Construction is underway that will double the size of a building once owned by Tenet Healthcare Corporation and transform it into a new 30,000-square-foot Health Sciences Education Union.

Basketball referendum a slam dunk With a vote of 1,599 to 978, the Athletic Fee Referendum has passed. Students voted on the fee in the Student Government Association elections on Monday, Feb. 28, and the undergraduate student body will now pay $15 per semester in order to receive 1,000 free tickets to all home men’s basketball games.

S:5.67”

Students back ‘bridges,’ fee The Student Government Association executive board for the 2011-2012 academic year will be colored orange.

On Monday, Feb. 28, all seven members of the Building Bridges ticket were elected to serve their peers after a historic 2,807 students voted in the SGA elections.

YOUR MONEY

New Billikens boost enrollment University adapting to peak student population A crop of new Billikens inundated campus this fall, filling residence halls and classrooms to the brim. These fresh Billikens are contributing to what is now the peak enrollment year at Saint Louis University. Steady increases in new freshman applicants, international students and transfer students have raised questions about how the University is going to adjust to a larger population.

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A shuffle. That is what Saint Louis University students will find when they open their Fall 2011 financial aid package. The University’s $2,000 housing scholarship will be moved to merit-based assistance, effective in the fall.

Coke fizzles out Cola wars: Pepsi secures 10-year contract on campus

Coke or Pepsi? Saint Louis University started the year with a new answer to this question: The school picked Pepsi. The University signed a 10-year contract with PepsiCo Inc. in early January, replacing the school’s prior 12-year agreement with the Coca-Cola Co.

SLU marks grand opening of hotel SLU President Lawrence Biondi, S.J., greets guests during an exclusive VIP preview of Hotel Ignacio on Monday, April 4. Construction began in May 2010 on the boutique hotel, located on Olive Boulevard.

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Bookstore begins renting policy Saint Louis University is attempting to relieve some of the financial burdens students face when purchasing textbooks. Beginning in the fall semester, the University bookstore will begin at textbook rental option as part of the annual Cash for Books program.

Top photo by: Noah Berman, middle photo by: Ryan Giacomino and bottom photo by: Shah (Yuqing Xia) / Photo Editor

Orientation Issue

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Summer 2011

No telling Kent Miller: The new face of Bills volleyball dent experience. what to The new head coach of the SLU volleyball team the individuals. I think pete. It’s exciting to be comes from a tradition of success. After a down that’s what’s great about at a program where they year, SLU is ready to compete.

Below is an excoming into this job. have that commitment.

Is this a school where expect They did a great job of Coming from Illinois, I cerpt from an exclusive interview with Miller. you think you can I think I know everything there is to know about a lot of sports. Is that cocky of me?

Sure, but in a world Commentary filled with voices screaming to fill the vacuum space that is ESPN, it seems ever yone Derrick Neuner can be an expert at something.

Take Mel Kiper, Jr., for example. For the last several weeks, we had endured him changing his mind on who would go first in the NFL Draft; you know, that primetime event we all watch to see kid’s dreams come true.

Kiper said he has a system to determine who will take who. So do I; it’s called guessing. No one has any idea what teams will do when it is finally their turn to pick off the big board. Will Cam Newton go first? If this is really the year of the quarterback, why isn’t Kiper guaranteeing it?

The easiest pick is the first one. From there on, teams get a limited amount of time to make their decisions. Put enough smart people under pressure, and they are bound to crack.

Take Tim Tebow. The Denver Broncos shocked the NFL world when they took Tebow in the first round. I guess not everyone knows everything.

Turns out, Kiper was right.

Newton did go first. What do I know?

Before I move on from football, I think that we will have an NFL season, but I do not think it starts until October.

Why? Money, and lots of it. Who wouldn’t want a few extra millions or billions in their pockets, anyway? It doesn’t make any sense to me to play football when you can cancel the season and make money anyway.

I mean, what do you have to lose from shutting down America’s most profitable sports industry? Oh, I don’t know; ask Bud Selig.

Speaking of Selig, I bet he’s an anxious man these days. The MLB just acquired a bankrupt and headed-tocatastrophe Los Angeles Dodgers club, and the league apparently has an attendance issue.

I guess baseball without steroids just isn’t as fun. Or maybe it’s that America’s pastime just isn’t what it used to be.

With over 160 games each year, and nearly every game televised in some form, there really is no incentive to go to the ballpark. That’s why they invented high definition televisions.

The only real reason is to watch Albert Pujols.That’s right, I said it: To watch “The Man.” Could this be his final year in a St. Louis Cardinals uniform?

Gasp!

I know ESPN is hoping to get exclusive rights to The Second Decision.

But I know that Pujols will be back, at less than $30 million a year and not for 10 years, and that the Cardinal Nation will stop hyperventilating. I also know the Cardinals will be in first in the National League Central when we return in late August.

Yes, I know that the NBA and NHL playoffs are fantastic this year, but who really cares? Canadians and Miami fans care I suppose.

How crazy is it that a Canadian team may win an American championship?

Hey, what do I know?

Things I do know: You have come to Saint Louis University for our fabulous football program. Yes, we do have a football program; it’s called soccer. SLU has the winningest soccer program in NCAA history. Make sure you go down to the pitch to watch the Billikens this fall.

Coach Mike McGinty has put together a tremendous lineup that should be both successful and fun to watch And finally, I know that the men’s basketball team is ready to get back on the court and ready to win. This paper will write plenty of words about our basketball team in the future, but for now, I know SLU is ready for a run at national recognition.

That’s about all I know.

win?

Absolutely. It’s a really (or at least not so soon). nice group of competiBut from the stand- tive players. point of looking at The recruiting profile schools, one of the of this institution really things I was looking at fits the recruiting of our was schools that I could sport and of our region. be at and could win at and they have support that would help do that.

What kind of transiI think that the thing tion is this going to that was most interestbe? ing to me was that this I would say that the institution offers not just most significant similara great athletic experi- ity will be the work ethic ence but also a great stu- and competitiveness of

How did you end up here?

I’ve always been aware of the Billikens and the program here, and my wife is from St. Louis.

From the standpoint of schools that I would be interested in coaching at, there really isn’t that many that interest me, especially with the last two years at Illinois.

I wasn’t expecting or looking to leave there

recruiting student athletes that really want to work hard and are competitive, and continuing to build on that. That will be the same.

I am going to both look for that when recruiting, and we are going to have high standards for those things.

Is there an excitement about SLU? Clearly, SLU wants to win and wants to com-

spent a lot of time in the St. Louis community and am very excited to be working in this community. I have a lot of connections with coaches around here and in some of the top volleyball programs in the nation. We can bring in quality opponents, and that’s something we absolutely must do.

This is a great place to build on the tradition of bringing the top programs to our place.

SLU Soccer: A History of Champions

Photos Courtesy of Billiken Media Relations

Players are renowned for keeping their eyes on the ball

By ANDREW BUSH The University News

A tradition. That is what players on the Saint Louis University men’s soccer team embody when they put on their jerseys that are adorned with 10 small stars circling the SLU logo. These stars are not just decoration—they each represent a national championship for the SLU men’s soccer program.

“Everybody involved in college soccer knows about the history of SLU,” former Billiken and current New York Red Bulls (Major League Soccer) player Tim Ream said. “To be able to put on the SLU uniform with 10 stars on it and know that you could be a part of that eleventh star, that eleventh national championship, that’s something special.

No other program has that—being able to be a part of that history.”

The history that Ream speaks of dates back to 1959, the first year that included a season of NCAA men’s soccer. The first ever NCAA men’s soccer national championship game was played on Nov. 28, 1959 in Storrs, Conn. between SLU and the University of Bridgeport.

In that initial season, SLU head coach Bob Guelker led a team that had a budget of $200 and a roster comprised of only St. Louis-area players. In the semifinal against City College of New York, the all-St. Louis roster prevailed against a squad that had 14 foreign-born players.

SLU won the 1959 national championship against Bridgeport 5-2, the first of 10 Billiken men’s soccer national championships in a span of 15 years.

Although SLU has not won a men’s soccer championship since 1973, the Billikens’ 10 national titles represent the most in NCAA history. Second on the all-time list is the University of Indiana, with seven national championships to their credit. These men’s soccer national championships represent the only NCAA championships achieved by SLU. Several current players on the squad understand the legacy they represent each time they step onto the field. Junior Mike Roach said, “I wanted to personally come [to a place] where soccer was one of the bigger sports

at the school. With no football, basketball and soccer are the two biggest sports, and with SLU having so many national championships, soccer is huge.”

Current head coach Mike McGinty represents only the sixth head coach in the history of the men’s soccer program at SLU. The five coaches who preceded him averaged 10 years at the helm of the program.

“The school has done a great job sticking by their coaches,” McGinty said. “The coaches have a long tradition of excellence in continuity. To do anything at a high level for a long time takes stability—if you change coaches, if you change staffs all the time, then you lose some of that continuity and long-term planning. Giving coaches long-term stability helps them do better.”

The two first coaches at SLU, Guelker and Harry Keough, are each responsible for leading SLU to five national championships. Guelker led the Billikens from 1959-1966 and Keough from 19671982. Guelker continued his coaching career long after he left SLU, even coaching the United States Men’s National Team at the 1972 Summer Olympic Games.

“We have an enormous sense of pride and respect for the guys that were here before us,” McGinty said. “We embrace it; we go about our business every day trying to honor and pay homage and respect to those that came before us. We understand that the program itself is bigger than any one of us. The backs of the jerseys change every year, but the ‘SLU’ on the front of the jersey stays. We do everything we can to create some of our own history and some of our own memories.”

“You just respect [the jersey] every time you go out and play, knowing all the players that have gone out before you,” junior Beau Bellomy, a current member of the team, said. “It means a lot knowing that I wear the same jersey as all the guys who won all those national championships and guys like Brian McBride who have done so well for the University and have played on national teams and in the MLS.” McGinty also said that he stresses the past success of SLU soccer to all of his potential recruits,

although he does not know how important that is to a potential player.

“Our history is something that we talk about all the time,” McGinty said.

“We definitely talk about it with recruits. But at the end of the day, families are looking at the value of education and how much is coming out of their pocket. Some of those things trump the soccer program, but we talk about our history every chance we get.”

Ream certainly considered the championship tradition at SLU when he signed his letter of intent to play at SLU in 2005.

“The history is what keeps players coming in,” Ream said. “It’s something bigger than yourself; it’s bigger than the team you’re on. That’s something that no other college will ever be able to duplicate.”

The legacy was also special to Roach, who grew up in close proximity to Billiken soccer. “I’m from St. Louis, so I’ve always known about SLU soccer.

I would go down to games, and one day I thought it would be awesome to play for the school, and I’m honored to have that opportunity right now.”

McGinty himself was drawn to SLU in part because of the winning tradition of the men’s soccer program.

“For me, it was an exciting and positive aspect of the job. It was probably a bigger deal in recruiting me than for some of the 17-year-old boys that I was recruiting,” McGinty said.

Unlike the 1959 team, the current SLU men’s soccer squad features players from all over the Western Hemisphere. The players come from three countries and seven states. Still, 10 players on the the 2010-11 men’s soccer roster hailed from the metropolitan St. Louis area.

Although much has changed in the landscape of NCAA soccer since 1959, a core of St. Louis-area talent still provides the nucleus of the SLU men’s soccer team.

No matter the odds, when the players and the coaches step onto the field, with the 10 championship stars on their chest, the tradition enters the field with them.

BUILDING A TRADITION: The road to 10 titles 1959

1960

Head Coach Bob Guelker Overall Record 11-1-0 Championship game 5-0 (vs. Bridgeport)

Head Coach Bob Guelker Overall Record 14-1-0 Championship game 3-2 (vs. Maryland)

1962 Head Coach Bob Guelker Overall Record 12-0-1 Championship game 4-3 (vs. Maryland)

1963

1965

Head Coach Bob Guelker Overall Record 13-1-0 Championship game 3-0 (vs. Navy)

Head Coach Bob Guelker Overall Record 14-0-0 Championship game 1-0 (vs. Michigan State)

“It would take an all-star team picked from the other three semifinalists to give the Billikens anything like a close game.”

- Bridgeport coach John McKeon, after Saint Louis’ 1959 championship victory

1967

1969

1970

1972

Head Coach Harry Keough Overall Record 8-3-2 Championship game 0-0 (vs. Michigan State*)

Head Coach Harry Keough Overall Record 13-0-0 Championship game 4-0 (vs. San Francisco)

Head Coach Harry Keough Overall Record 14-0-1 Championship game 1-0 (vs. UCLA)

Head Coach Harry Keough Overall Record 15-2-3 Championship game 4-2 (vs. UCLA)

1973 Head Coach Harry Keough Overall Record 15-2-3 Championship game 2-1 (vs. UCLA)

“If standing up under pressure means anything, we’ve been through lots of it this season.”

- Saint Louis coach John McKeon, before a semifinal match in 1967 *Due to weather conditions, co-champions resulted

Infographic by Ryan Giacomino

Orientation Issue

6

Summer 2011

unewsonline.com

Introducing your student newspaper Don’t get us wrong, this Orientation Issue is pretty rockin’, but it’s not exactly what The University News will look like when the first edition of the academic year hits the stands on Aug. 18. Below, we’ve snagged some of our best work to give you a sneak peak of what the news, opinion, sports and arts sections will look like. These pages make their way to you thanks to a staff of student writers, advertising staffers, photographers, illustrators, designers and editors, who are completely responsible for the look and feel of each edition.

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The front page gives you the top news stories for the week.

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Don’t forget to “like” Blue’s page on facebook to keep updated on things happening around SLU’s campus

The staff box, which always goes on the first page of the Opinion section, can help you get in touch with the students who work on The University News.

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

Vol. XC No. 15

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Thursday, January 20, 2011

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The news where you wanT IT

Mitchell gets okay to play; Reed returns

Coke fizzles out Cola wars: Pepsi secures 10-year contract on campus

By ANDREA ROYALS News Editor

After losing two of its top players last fall, the men’s basketball team is getting one back. Former teammate Kwamain Mitchell received a waiver from the NCAA on Jan. 18 allowing him eligibility to play for the rest of the 20102011 season.

Mitchell All though Mitchell has attended practices and sat on the sidelines at the games against Saint Joseph’s University and Fordham University, head coach Rick Majerus said that it is not certain if Mitchell will officially play this season.

“It is in our team’s best interest for Kwamain to play, but I don’t Reed believe it is in his best interest to play,” Majerus said. “But the decision is his, and I will respect whatever he wants to do.”

The team, which has racked up seven wins and 11 losses so far this season, has already benefited from Mitchell’s return to the team since he was reinstated by the University on Jan. 6. While practicing for the game against Saint Joseph’s, Mitchell acted as an opposing guard against Kyle Cassity.

“You’re not going to run into too many that have his speed and his quickness and his stability,” Cassity said of Mitchell. “He’s a good guy to have at practice when you are trying to run scout team.”

Mitchell’s return to the team follows a suspension from the University in October after he and teammate Willie Reed were found guilty of violating the school’s Code of Conduct amidst allegations of a sexual assault against a female student last spring.

Both Mitchell and Reed were readmitted to the University for the spring semester, but only Mitchell has returned to the team.

In statements released from the University, the administration said that each student’s educational record, which includes academic standing and conduct performance, were considered while reaching a decision.

The administration said the readmissions process for Mitchell and Reed were considered individually.

“In Reed’s case, the educational record includes academic performance issues and several previous incidents of misconduct,” the statement said, affirming his suspension from the team.

Reed said that the decision was a mutual agreement with

By KRISTEN MIANO News Editor

Coke or Pepsi? Saint Louis University started the year with a new answer to this question: The school picked Pepsi.

The University signed a 10-year contract with PepsiCo Inc. in early January, replacing the school’s prior 12-year agreement with the Coca-Cola Co. This spring, students should expect to find Pepsi beverages in place of the old Coke products that could be found on campus in years past. The Pepsi line up includes brands like Gatorade, Mountain Dew, Tropicana, Lipton Iced Tea, Sobe, and Aquafina water.

“Coke’s contract expiration date was Dec. 30, 2010 which prompted a competitive bid process for the University’s beverage pouring and vending rights, Annaliese Giordano, Contract Management Specialist at SLU said. “It is the University’s policy to collect competitive bids when purchasing decisions need to be made so the University is ensured the best combination of price, service and quality the market can offer.”

Both Coca-Cola and Pepsi submitted contract proposals. At the end of the bidding process, the University decided that Pepsi’s offer was the strongest.

“Pepsi offered superior financial support, improved customer service, highly-rated product line, enhanced marketing support, reasonable contract terms and the option to sell Coke at select on-campus locations, Giordano said.

Some of the benefits that come with the new contract include increased funding that will be put toward activities at the Simon Recreation Center, Billiken Club events and student organization initiatives.

Pepsi will also allocate funding to the Billiken athletics program and provide additional support to the athletes with Gatorade products and merchandise, Giordano said.

The Pepsi contract also appealed to the University because of its enhanced sustainability program, Giordano said. All the new vending machines are Energy Star rated, making each energy efficient, and Pepsi will provide the school with a green machine recycling kiosk.

“This machine accepts empty bottles and cans for recycling, Giordano said, Pepsi will donate proceeds to disabled veterans.

Kevin Morris, a spokesperson for the Coca-Cola Company, wished

Kati Cundari / Associate Photo Editor

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See “Players” on Page 3

Student Government Association President Courtney Anvender delivers the annual address to the senators in the senate chambers during the Jan. 19 senate meeting.

2008-2009

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Anvender commends senate, calls for greater constituent advocacy Assistant News Editor

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DPSSS continues to help boost security

Pepsi Contract Details

By SEAN WORLEY

The first page of the Opinion section features editorials, which are opinion pieces written collectively by the editors.

These represent The University News’ official opinions.

”

10 year contract Greater Financial support and funding New Energy Star rated vending machines Coke will still be sold at select locations Enhanced Sustainability initiatives

In addition to her weekly report on various ongoing projects, Student Government Association President Courtney Anvender presented the annual State of the Association address this week, where she expressed her sentiments regarding what she feels the senate has accomplished thus far, and where she sees the senate going in the future.

Anvender’s address concentrated on the leadership of the caucus and how their accomplishments echoed the Jesuit ideals of “in the spirit, from the heart, practically.”

Biondi reiterated this in his

By JONATHAN ERNST Editor-in-Chief message as he cited that the tuition is increasing because the University’s costs also The price is right. That continue to rise. is what the Saint Louis Uni“I believe the FY12 genversity Board of Trustees af- eral operating budget approfirmed when they approved priately balances the need to the annual mark up of SLU’s continue investing in our acatuition rates for the 2011-2012 demic and student programs academic year. with the economic realities In his January message faced by our students and to the SLU community, Law- their families,” Biondi wrote rence Biondi, S.J. announced in his message. that undergraduate tuition This increase allows the would be University incr easing to allocate by 4 percent $9.5 mil(3.5 percent lion in new for graduate spending We know it is study, 2 per- difficult to have any according cent for the to the 2012 law school, tuition increase, but budget.

2 percent for we have commitments E i g h t the medical million of ... and we want to school and 4 this new percent for continue to enhance spending the Madrid the academic offerings. budget will Campus). go towards H o u s - -Bob Woodruff increased ing rates faculty posiwill also tions, a new increase at an average of 2.5 Center for Interdisciplinary percent.

Study of the Courts and AdVice President and Chief vocacy in the School of Law, Financial Officer Bob Wood- additional resources for the ruff describes the University’s Pius XII Memorial and Medifinancial position as “solid” cal Center Libraries and addand credits the increases to ed classroom technology, to SLU’s commitments to “stay- name a few. ing competitive.”

The other $1.5 million in “We know it is difficult to new spending will be used for have any tuition increase, but additional resources for the we have commitments that Department of Public Safety we are required to fund, and and Security Services, new we want to continue to en- positions in the Division of hance the academic offerings Research and additional staffand enhance the quality of the campus and that requires inSee “Tuition” on Page 3 vestment,” Woodruff said.

“

See “Pepsi” on Page 3

-

Tuition hikes set for SLU

Tuition Increases (Undergraduate)

Check out the teaser on the top of the front page to see what else you can read about inside of the current week’s issue.

Opinion Section

Referring to the efforts and dreams of past administrations, Anvender commended her senators on creating a statement of shared governance, a student oath of inclusion and the successful campaign to renovate Pius XII Memorial library. Anvender said she feels each initiative was “in the spirit of previous administrations.”

Continuing on in evaluating the senate’s actions last fall in terms of the Jesuit ideology, according to Anvender the conversations held between senators and various other parties were genuinely “from See “SGA” on Page 2

Last fall, the Department of Public Safety and Security Services welcomed director Roland Corvington to Saint Louis University, who went straight to work to heighten the visibility of safety measures on campus. As the new semester begins, members of the SLU community can expect these measures to continue to increase.

These initiatives will be supported by a portion of the $1.5 million allocated in the 2012 fiscal year budget for University spending on non-academic units, said SLU President Lawrence Biondi, S.J., in his January message.

“My plan for things to come will [be in] respect to my budget and advances in technology, or the incorporation of technology into our operations to make things safer here,” Corvington said.

Improved notification systems, which utilize textmessaging, installation of additional blue emergency contact pillars and the possibility of purchasing the experimental Trikes that were seen on campus last semester could all be included in Corvington’s attempts to continually improve campus security.

“Another area that I’m looking to try and improve

is utilizing a multi-year, multi-phase approach to the procurement and installation of external cameras to cover such areas as our surface lots,” Corvington said.

Many of Corvington’s new initiatives are technologically based, but he said he also wants to make strides in other areas that could improve campus safety, including communicating safety tips with students.

Though it is the responsibility of DPSSS to maintain safety on campus, Corvington said that the officers cannot be the only individuals held responsible for student wellbeing. Thus, the department initiated various campaigns to raise See “Safety” on Page 3

A new flavor

The results of the weekly unewsonline.com poll are published here. Go online and vote!

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

Arts Section The Arts section covers a cultural smorgasbord, including movies, music, books, Broadway and local offerings. If you want to get acquainted with St. Louis’ fun side, this is the section for you.

Sports Section The Sports section covers multiple aspects of Billiken athletics.

From club teams to the University’s Division I competitions to profiles of your favorite SLU athletes, you can find it here.

Check out the front page of the sports section to see what is happening during the next week in Billiken Athletics.

Check out the front page of the arts section for a list of upcoming musicals, concerts, plays, etc., happening at SLU and around the St. Louis area.

Here you can check out scores from the previous week’s games.

2011-2012 Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief: Jonathan Ernst Managing Editor: Chris Ackels

Opinion/Editorial Editor: Parisa Rouie

News Editor: Brian Boyd

Copy Editor: Andrea Royals

Assoc. News Editor: Patrick Olds

Copy Editor: Mary Kate Murray

Enterprise Editor: Caroline Rutledge

Photo Editor: Shah (Yuqing Xia)

Arts Editor: Erin Everett

Assoc. Photo Editor: Kelly Hinderberger

Assoc. Arts Editor: TJ Keeley

Multimedia Director: Curtis Wang

Sports Editor: Michael Johnson

Design Director: Brianna Radici

Assoc. Sports Editor: Derrick Neuner

Online Editor: Chris Webb

Orientation Issue

unewsonline.com

7

Summer 2011

Midtown: Bringing back the luster After years of uncertainty, life returns to neighborhood ments that aim to enhance the special taxing district. “[The Grand Center] has Saint Louis University economic development going made a commitment in the on, even in a tough market,” early 1960s to the city of St. 19th Ward Alder woman Louis by refusing to move the Marlene Davis said. main campus out of a strugAn example of this new gling Midtown neighborhood development can be found and into a developing and spa- with the opening of Pete and cious St. Louis County.

Jeanne Spoto’s newest City A declining and outward- Diner location, just steps ly-expanding population away from the brass doors of and tax base in the 1960s the Fabulous Fox Theatre. halted the city’s theatre and The 88-seat diner hopes entertainment district, caus- to attract families catching a ing a near disappearance of show in the area, and SLU the Midtown neighborhood, students trying to grab a late which includes SLU. night snack.

An area Despite that once the Grand boasted Center eight thelocation atres, dozbeing a SLU’s presence in ens of busithird of nesses and the size as a regional the Midtown area his South transporta- and the improveGrand restion hub taurant, was declin- ments... made a difPete Spoto ing rapidly. ference... that helped said he Now 50 thinks he years later, the Grand Center has struck this same gold. area come back area, now “ T h e k n o w n around. neighas Grand borhood C e n t e r , —Mayor Francis Slay is really has promoving pelled into for ward,” a thrivS p o t o ing ar ts said. He and entertainment district, said he believes the diner’s marked with renovation, reasonable pricing, kidreconstruction and new life. friendly menu, late hours and “Certainly SLU’s presence free Wi-Fi will add to the list in the Midtown area and of recent Grand Center sucthe improvements that were cesses. brought about by President Other restaurants are Fr. Biondi’s leadership has, planned to be added to the I think, really made a differ- area as well. Davis said resence and really did create an taurateur and developer environment and an anchor Steve Smith, whose dining that helped the Grand Center credits include Triumph Grill area come back around,” St. and KOTA Grill, is planning Louis Mayor Francis Slay to turn the Shakespeare’s said, “and as a result, the area Gastropub space at Grand around [SLU and the Grand and Washington into an Center].” upscale establishment, which Despite the current reces- could appeal more to patrons sion, Midtown’s Grand Center of the Saint Louis Symphony neighborhood is flourishing Orchestra, a world-class with new business develop- orchestra situated a block

By MARK J. ZINN The University News

“

”

Top left: Midtown today. Ryan Giacomino | top right: Midtown in the 1940s. Dorrill Studio / Missouri Historical Society | bottom right: Midtown in 1919. Landmarks Association of St. Louis.

north of the proposed new restaurant.

While more restaurants may be on the menu, Grand Center officials are also working on other business projects that include renovating the Metropolitan Building at Grand and Olive into 74 units of artist housing.

Vincent Schoemehl, Jr., CEO of Grand Center Inc., said the financing stage for the apartments is near completion and Davis added the that project could be closed on at any moment.

A 136-room Hyatt Place Hotel could soon be towering over the once struggling neighborhood as well.

In July 2010, Davis said an interested party requested a yearlong extension on developing the building which would renovate the old Missouri Theatre building at 643 N. Grand.

That building, like most structures in the Grand Center, is owned by Grand Center Inc., a non-profit organization founded in 1987 to “facilitate the revitalization of the Grand Center arts, entertainment and education

District.”

Davis added that National Public Radio affiliate KWMU will continue to add to Grand Center’s reputation for arts and education when their new station and offices on Olive open in August of 2011.

Construction on that project is set to begin soon, said Davis.

KDHX, another public radio station in St. Louis, recently announced that they would also be moving their studios to the Grand Center.

St. Louis Magazine reported that an anonymous donor gave the entire Creepy Crawl building on Washington to the popular station.

The federal government is contributing to the new development as well. Davis said the Veterans’ Administration Hospital just north of Powell Hall on Grand is slated to receive a $300 million expansion.

The project includes new doctors offices, a parking garage, a hospital tower and expanded green space for employees and visitors.

Davis said he believes this expansion will transform the

Midtown VA Hospital into a regional health care facility.

A stimulus-funded streetscape project for Grand Boulevard is also set to begin in the next month, said Richard Bradley, P.E., President of the St. Louis Board of Public Service.

The plan calls for new sidewalks and beautification of the districts main thoroughfare.

2011 graduate Thomas Combes has lived in the University Plaza Apartments at Grand and Washington since his sophomore year.

“When I moved in [to Grand Center], restaurants and other businesses were not here,” Combes, who credits recent developments for increasing pedestrian traffic and improving safety, said. “[Midtown] is alive,” Davis said. He called University President Lawrence Biondi, S.J., a “good neighbor.”

But before Biondi became Midtown’s neighbor, many of the buildings and lots surrounding the campus were run-down or blighted.

Office buildings like the University Club and Continental Life building

became vacant. Most of the theatres were closed or torn down.

The potential for crime and vandalizing rose tremendously.

Despite the negative economic trends facing the area in the 1960s and 1970s, SLU began purchasing nearby land, most of which consisted of vacant or run-down buildings, said E. Allen Tomey, a faculty member in the Department of Public Policy Studies at SLU. “In the 70s, when I went to school [at SLU], it was more of a hodge-podge of buildings,” Slay said. “There wasn’t an identity.”

Slay called the revitalization of the area “dramatic” and said he believes the positive trends of development will continue for the neighborhood.

As surrounding neighborhoods may struggle to keep businesses open, Midtown and the Grand Center continue on a path of growth that many hope will become the premiere destination for arts and entertainment in the region.

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