No. 1 Aug 12

Welcome Week Edition

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

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Vol. XC No. 1

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Grand Bridge construction delayed

sports

Project slated for fall 2010, now estimated to commence January of 2011

By MARK ZINN Staff Writer

and SEAN WORLEY Assistant News Editor

Billikens seek to build on successes >>Page 7 Coming off one of the most successful years in recent memory for Saint Louis University Billikens sports, it’s all about momentum.

Find out what the Billikens have in store for this year.

arts

Cinemania dances into Grand Center >>Page 6 If you enjoy films and free popcorn, check out the summer film festival that will be held in Strauss Park in Grand Center every Thursday from August 5 to August 26.

news

Let Us Introduce You: Manoj Patankar >>Page 2

After facing a number of delays from acquiring private land, St. Louis Board of Public Service President Richard Bradley, P.E., believes that the demolition of the Grand Boulevard Bridge will commence by January 2011, paving the way to the construction of a completely new and redesigned bridge.

“I believe we should have a notice to proceed on the contract by the end of 2010,” Bradley said.

The estimated year-long project calls for the complete closure of the structure during the duration of the construction, which will allow for limited transportation between the Medical and Frost campuses for Saint Louis University faculty, staff and students.

The new viaduct will replace the crumbling 50-yearold bridge and will feature numerous improvements that aim to enhance safety, mobility and appearance for the 30,000 vehicles that currently travel on the bridge.

Currently, the pedestrian sidewalks on either side of the bridge measure less than four feet in width, something SLU student Brett Kostrzewski calls “an unsafe nuisance.”

The nuisance also fails to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990.

The Board of Public Service said the new plans have the sidewalks expanding to 13 feet, three times the width of the current walkways.

Another improvement on the bridge features separate turn lanes for buses and vehicles, ending presentday traffic hazards caused by sudden stops of vehicles dropping off or picking up Metro passengers.

Other notable additions with the new bridge include separate bike lanes, improved lighting, four towers that See “Bridge” on Page 2

With a new academic year on the horizon, Manoj Patankar has spent the summer settling in as the Vice President for the Frost Campus. Read more about Patankar’s history at SLU.

Noah Berman / Photo Editor

According to both St. Louis City and SLU officials, students will no longer be able to utilize the Grand Bridge as their liaison between the Frost and Medical Campuses beginning in January 2011.

No Grand Station access for 18 months come January

By SEAN WORLEY Assistant News Editor

The City of St. Louis, Saint Louis University and Metro Transit St. Louis are all going to be partaking in the Grand Bridge reconstruction project scheduled to initiate early next year.

With a MetroLink station located underneath the Grand Bridge, service will be affected.

“Trains will continue through the station but there will be no passenger access at the Grand Bridge stop,” Senior Project Manager for Metro Gerald Wittenauer said.

MetroLink trains will still be able to travel along its current route uninterrupted, but patrons will have to find alternate stations to access the train.

Metro will work on its portion of

the Grand Bridge reconstruction project simultaneously with the City of St. Louis.

“Metro’s work is intended to run concurrently with that of the City, from approximately January 2011 to mid-2012,” Wittenauer stated.

The Metro project will include the removal and replacement of the existing elevators and stairs from the platform, expressed Wittenauer.

This reconstruction will provide for enhancement of “operational safety for train arrivals” and will permit security personnel to better monitor the area.

Also, a Park-and-Ride area for about 70 cars will be constructed, and access points to the Grand station will be moved as well.

Metro will attempt to make efforts to accommodate any inconveniences to its constituents by altering its bus

Medical Campus to receive face lift

service. No bus service will be able to run on Grand Bridge, therefore, a new north-south crossing will be established at different points.

“Now that I’m an upperclassman, I have more friends with cars, but I relied on Grand Station to get everywhere, including the airport to go home for breaks,” Hannah Beaty, junior, said.

“It would help if SLU extended the shuttle route to include other Metro stations in its stops.”

The MetroLink will still be accessible at the Union Station and Central West End stops, but students will need to find alternate modes of transportation to the stations.

“Currently, SLU does not have plans to run the shuttles to the Central West End,” Thomas West, Manager of Mail Services, Distribution and Transportation, stated.

Five new Deans settle into their positions for fall semester

By ANDREA ROYALS News Editor

opinion

Loss of bridge requires more options >>Page 4 The upcoming Grand Bridge (and the accompanying MetroLink station) reconstruction near SLU has Billikens stopped in their tracks starting in January 2011.

We need a name! Go to unewsonline.com to vote on a name for our new Billiken cartoon.

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

As new students adjust to the Saint Louis University campus, five new deans, both interim and permanent, adjust to their positions.

Submitted illustration by Saint Louis University

An artist’s rendition of the new outdoor recreational complex that includes an 8 lane, 400 meter NCAA regulation running track. This new facility will allow SLU’s track and field teams to host home matches when completed.

By ANDREA ROYALS News Editor

The Medical Campus will receive several new additions, as construction has begun for a new Education Union and an outdoor recreational complex intended to benefit the Health Sciences program at Saint Louis University.

“This will bring a wonderful sense of community to the Health Science Campus,” said Philip Alderson, M.D., Vice President of Student Development and dean of the School of Medicine.

The plans for the 30,000-square-foot Education Union, to be located in the middle of the Medical Campus, includes an auditorium, student lounges and a cafe.

The Education Union will also be home to the standardized patient stimulation program, an interactive activity for medical students to practice communication skills with actors as ill patients, as well as provide a place for the

Interprofessional Education Center.

“We believe students will get a lot out of having a facility where they can relax and get that sense of community,” Alderson said.

Construction has also begun for the Grand Boulevard Streetscape Project, which plans for the section of Grand between Chouteau and Park avenues to have new lighting, signage, sidewalks, bike lanes and landscaped medians.

The renovation is designed to accompany the Grand Boulevard Bridge project, which is expected to begin in the winter.

The addition will also provide a permanent for the track and field teams at SLU. Track and field coach Jon Bell said he is looking forward to the soccer field and eight lane, 400 meter running track because he thinks it is something that will benefit not only SLU athletes, but the general public and club sports as well.

Prior to adding a new track and field, the track and field teams have been practicing at Cardinal Ritter High School, just north of SLU’s campus. Bell said that when the track and field was under renovation at Cardinal Ritter, the SLU teams were forced to travel to several locations to practice for meets, including John Burrows School and Saint Louis University High School. The new location will mean less roaming around St. Louis for the team.

“I’m very thankful that we finally found a place to call home,” Bell said.

However, home meets for the track and field team will not begin immediately. Bell said that in order to host meets at SLU, an estimated sum of $150,000 to $200,000 must be raised for equipment.

“A lot of people don’t realize how expensive it is,” Bell said.

The track and field teams See “Track” on Page 3

College of Arts and Sciences Michael Barber, S.J., dean of Philosophy and Letters, has agreed to serve as interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences for the next academic year. The dean of two schools, Barber said that his involvement at SLU has been hectic thus far.

Barber has played an active role in preparing the College of Arts and Sciences for the transition to its new graduate program, and says that the process has been complex.

“We have to work to make sure this runs smoothly,” Barber said, as he explained that figuring budget allocations for the graduate program has been difficult. “It’s a very complicated process and I actually think it will take a year for us to on top of all the details.”

Aside from his two current dean positions, Barber said that he also plans to teach a course this semester that will orient students to the College of Philosophy and Letters.

Although he has multiple obligations, Barber said that he has been receiving help from several associate deans and administrative assistants.

“The staff here at the college is magnificent,” Barber said.

Barber took the interim position when Don Brennan, the former dean of Arts and Sciences, announced his resignation. Barber said he will strive to promote diversity

on campus as Brennan did when he served on the President’s Diversity Council and the Arts and Sciences Faculty Council. “Those are some wonderful things that [Brennan] did that I’d like to continue to ensure our college is a college where everyone is respected,” Barber said.

Brennan has decided to engage in a sabbatical leave for the fall semester and said he plans to return to SLU to continue teaching in spring.

“I need a semester to retool as a teacher and learning facilitator to provide our students the kind of education they deserve,” Brennan said. “I entered the academy because of my love for teaching and learning with and from my students and I look forward to ending my career doing this very thing.”

Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology Manoj Patankar has been promoted to vice president for Frost Campus, thus his previous position as dean of Parks College is vacant.

Currently Krishnaswamy Ravindra, who served as associate dean for the past year, has agreed to serve as interim dean for the next academic year.

Ravinda, who has been a part of the SLU community for 23 years, has held the position as the department chair in aerospace and mechanical engineering since 1996, and was a graduate program coordinator and a faculty senator. “I’ve had a lot of leadership experience,” Ravindra said.

However, Ravindra said he See “Deans” on Page 3

News

2

Thursday, August 12, 2010

unewsonline.com

Let Us Introduce You

Manoj Patankar

New VP for Frost looks to establish communication with SLU community

By ERIKA MILLER Enterprise Editor

With a new academic year on the horizon, Manoj Patankar has spent the summer settling in as the Vice President for the Frost Campus.

For Patankar, who was appointed to the permanent position after serving as interim from 20092010, this year will provide the chance to build relationships and form a strategic plan for Saint Louis University.

Patankar first came to SLU as an international student in the Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology. He graduated in 1992 and returned to Parks College as a faculty member a decade later.

Patankar said that returning to Parks College was like going home. “[Returning] gave me an opportunity to give back to the school,” he said.

As a faculty member, Patankar developed a graduate program in aviation safety management that created an interdisciplinary approach to safety within the larger SLU community. “When you focus on safety across high consequence disciplines, whether it’s the cockpit or the hospital, you can bring a lot of people together academically,” Patankar said.

After being named dean of Parks College in 2007, he took a personal approach to the position and gave faculty and students the opportunity to voice complaints directly.

“If you’re not happy, tell me, and if you like something, go tell your friends,” Patankar said.

When Patankar was appointed as the interim vice president for the Frost Campus in 2009, he said he saw a unique opportunity to use his personal experience as both a SLU student and faculty member at a higher level.

“I had to think about what was important to me as a student, and I was a student here,” he said.

Patankar said he hopes to use the same personalized

Bridge: Frost and Medical Campuses work toward alleviating schedule issues Continued from Page 1

Noah Berman/Photo Editor

Manoj Patankar looks on as he discusses his transition from dean to Vice President. Patankar hopes to improve relationships with various SLU community members. approach that helped him succeed as a dean when serving the vice president position, including connecting students with academic services, building mentoring systems and creating a strong partnership between the faculty and the administration.

Patankar said that strong communication will play a key role in his transition from interim vice president.

“It is a two-way street. I am going to try to step up my communication and I’d like to invite other stakeholders to come forward as well,” Patankar said.

As the vice president for the Frost Campus, Patankar oversees all of the Frost academic units, University

libraries, the division of enrollment management, the office of institutional research and the Reinert Center for Teaching Excellence, among other areas.

This year, Patankar hopes to have more opportunities to be among the faculty and connect on a more personal level. Patankar has requested that faculty members send him copies of their published works to keep in his office.

Patankar said that his future as vice president of the Frost Campus is ultimately about creating positive working relationships. “We need to make sure our intent is clear and that we are moving together to ensure that both faculty and students have a fulfilling experience.”

replicate the original bridge and a 9-foot-wide median that will contain landscaping maintained by SLU. “SLU is excited about taking over [the median] and having some ownership in the bridge,” said Early. He added that SLU would maintain the planting, mulching and watering of the new median.

Despite claims of 18 months to complete the reconstruction, Bradley believes the project, from start to finish, should only take 12 months.

He said the 18-monthprojection included winter weather delays, something he hopes to bypass by demolishing the current bridge in January.

“For the amount of time the bridge will be down, the final product will be well worth [the wait],” Bradley said.

“It will be the main NorthSouth route in the city of St. Louis.”

The estimated cost of the project is $25 million, 80% of which comes from federal funding.

While St. Louis City officials have been taking steps to start their portion of the Grand Bridge project, there are still two other organizations that will play roles in the redevelopment of the roadway: SLU and Metro Transit St. Louis.

Metro will be responsible for reconstruction of the Grand MetroLink station currently located underneath the

bridge, while SLU has been in talks with the city about the design elements of the bridge.

“We didn’t want another [bridge] like that,” Kathleen Brady, Vice President for Facilities Management and Civic Affairs, said. Brady expressed that SLU is aiming for more of a connection between the two campuses instead of a barrier.

Not only is SLU focusing on the aesthetics of the bridge but they have also been working on accommodating the inconveniences that students will face with the closure of the bridge.

“We really don’t know the impact until it happens but Thomas West has been trying to find a viable detour for the [student] shuttle,” Brady said.

West, Manager of Mail Services, Distribution and Transportation, is making efforts to find the best possible detour that will allow for students to make their way from campus to campus in a reasonable time frame.

“I want to be as flexible with the routes [as possible], making adjustments as needed,” West stated. “My goal is to have as little impact as possible to the SLU community. ” West expressed that the planning of a detour is difficult to do without the actual traffic congestion that will result from the Grand Bridge closure, hence his plans to be flexible with the rerouting of

the shuttles.

Transporting students is one issue that the University faces but it is also concerning itself with the academic side effects of this project.

Dr. Paige Turner, Associate Provost of the Frost Campus, is at the forefront of this initiative.

“We have formed an ad-hoc committee to provide recommendations and information to President’s Coordinating Council with a primary focus on academic issues and communication with representatives from colleges on both sides of Grand Bridge,” Turner said.

Turner stated that this committee, which encompasses many different University offices, met during this past spring semester and is scheduled to meet again in September.

The Registrar’s office is also collaborating with both the Frost Campus and schools on the Medical Campus in order to reduce students traveling between the two campuses.

In order to minimize this said travel, Turner expressed that classes may be moved from the Frost Campus to the Medical Campus and vice versa.

This is opposed to having large troves of students traveling to and from.

Turner was clear in the fact that many different representatives from the University are being consulted on the consequences of this project, including students.

unewsonline.com

News Thursday, August 12, 2010

Track: Team receives permanent facility Continued from Page 1

are currently organizing fund raisers and asking alumni athletes to donate for equipment. Bell said he expects the first home meet will occur in two or three years. Bell said he is thankful for the support from the SLU community throughout the

duration of this project. “There are a lot of people that made this project happen, some not even involved in athletics, and I am very thankful for them,” Bell said.

The construction of a track and field is largely due to the promotional efforts of Michael Harriss, former President of Student Government Association last year.

Alderson said that he hopes the new center will bring unity to the north and south campuses. “I am very much an advocate of the university as one large campus. I would like to have students from the north campus feeling welcome to this side of campus,” Alderson said. “We are very excited about the growth down here.”

Deans: Interim and permanent positions change Continued from Page 1

is not sure if he will be a viable candidate as a permanent dean of Parks College.

“I’m still thinking about it, but I am not sure if I will continue or go back to teaching,” Ravindra said. “It’s all kind of murky right now.”

School of Public Health The School of Public Health has named a dean to succeed Homer Schmitz, who has served as the interim dean for the past two years and plans to continue as a member of the faculty.

Edwin Trevathan has been asked to serve as a permanent dean for the School of Public Health. Trevathan directs the National Center on Birth Defects and Development Disabilities at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Ga. Trevathan has previously served as the director of the division of pediatric and developmental neurology and as a professor at Washington University.

He was also the neurologistin-chief at St. Louis Children’s

Hospital.

Trevathan said he is drawn to SLU because of the Jesuit mission. In a press release, he stated, “For many of us, the School of Public Health is a place where our faith is a manifested by action to prevent death and disability worldwide, while preparing a great army of graduates who scatter around the world to improve health.”

Trevathan’s position will be effective Sept. 13.

Education and Public Ser vice Gerard Fowler has agreed to serve as interim dean of the College of Education and Public Service. He is succeeding John Watzke, who has accepted the position as the dean of education at the University of Portland.

Fowler has been a part of the SLU community since 1971, and is a member of the faculty as well as the program director for the higher education administration.

He has acted as the vice president for student development and as the interim director of athletics.

Fowler previously served as dean of students at Florida State University and received a judicial degree from the School of Law at Saint Louis University.

“I am honored to be asked to lead the college during this period of transition,” Fowler said.

School of Law Sandra Johnson has agreed to serve as interim dean for the School of Law for the next academic year. Johnson has served the SLU community as a faculty member since 1978 as a professor of law and health care ethics.

Johnson is taking over the position after Jeffrey Lewis announced his resignation last spring after serving as dean for 11 years.

Lewis plans to return to teaching full-time in the law school.

Johnson is not new to the position, as she served as interim dean once before and as associate dean for academic affairs.

Johnson also held the provost position at SLU from 1998 to 2002.

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Thursday, August 12, 2010

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Which oil spill have you been worrying about?

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Loss of bridge requires more options The upcoming Grand Bridge reconstruction project has Billikens stopped in their tracks. The steady exchange of students from haunts such as the Loop, Forest Park, and the Central West End will come to a halt this winter for approximately one year as Grand Bridge (and the accompanying MetroLink station) closes down for repairs starting in January 2011.

The most consequential damage, however, will be done to our education – not our social lives. Students who travel at least once a week to the Medical Campus for class will face greater struggles with already difficult schedules.

If it were not arduous enough to plan entire days around the 15 minute shuttle trip to and from across the bridge, it will be even harder now with alternate routes that could possibly last up to 30 minutes to take. Schedules are tough enough to plan with regular classes; med campus students already face scheduling nightmares.

Other problems on a larger scale ominously skirt the horizon. Few SLU students own cars, so the Metro naturally becomes the preferred transportation to Lambert Airport during those days before and after official university holidays. SLU could shrivel into a veritable island with students unable to access such key locales.

The administration is taking steps towards ameliorating these problems with an ad-hoc committee, formed of representatives from all SLU departments. There is also a website (grandbridge@slu.edu) where students can send their queries. These are positive first steps towards finding proper solutions.

However, official reports from the administration have lacked transparency and clarity.

The University News is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press, the Student Press Law Center, the College Media Advisers and the Missouri College Media Association, a division of the Missouri Press Association.

Several reports simply regarding the schedule for construction have circulated since Father Biondi’s June message (which buried the issue within a ­­­­­smorgasbord of other wordy news bites). This situation has likely resulted from varied reports from city planners themselves, who face a few roadblocks in their developing plans. ­­­­­­­January may seem to lie across an expanse of time; but students need to remember that scheduling begins in a few short weeks.

Cooperation and open lines of communication with SLU administrators need to begin immediately; students need to understand how to frame class schedules with accommodations for elusive travel plans for Med Campus classes.

A few simple ideas that, if implemented, can reduce this stress. A shuttle running from campus to the nearest Metro stop serves as a reasonable solution to many of these problems. Shuttles should run on weekends, if not most days of the week. Most importantly, the shuttles must run frequently during crucial days before and after school breaks. This allows students to enjoy the CWE, the Loop, and Forest Park as well as reach the airport for flights home.

SLU must work closely with the student body to provide alternate transportation that meets our needs. Students and administrators need to begin communicating about this issue; we need to see a plan develop soon.

Juniors begin scheduling classes in about four weeks, and students have not adequately collaborated with the authority figures in charge of these issues.

Students must rise to the challenge of bringing attention to these upcoming concerns with this reconstruction.

Welcome Week offers many aspects that are essential for student life on SLU’s campus

“

”

Posted below are the results from our web poll on The University News’ website.

Be sure to check unewsonline.com this week for a new poll.

What are your summer plans?

17%

Laying out by the pool

55%

Working to afford books & tuition

17%

Catching up on lost sleep

10%

Taking summer classes

0

10

20

30

40

What a relief. The oil spill is capped. Clean-up work is progressing, and people affected by the crisis will receive compensation.

Some reports suggest nature has already dealt with at least half or more of the oil released. She does this much better than we do – I remember seeing a photograph of areas cleaned by man and by nature after the Exxon Valdez spill, and the latter looked much better. It is amazing to see how resilient nature can be with large disasters: they have happened before and they will happen again.

Floods fertilize floodplains, forest fires allow pine seeds to germinate, hurricanes churn up the ocean and transport heat to the poles. Nature deals with these by integrating them into its life cycles and preparing accordingly: pine cones, wetlands, mangroves.

But nature is conservative: over time she balances her books. A flood replenishes the fertile plains around the river.

A fire clears up the under growth. In the long run she is more vulnerable to gradual imbalances in her budgets. We are now slowly cutting down the forests, slowly draining ground water, slowly changing the atmosphere.

The point of drilling this oil was so that we could burn it into the atmosphere. The real oil spill to be worried about is that of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

It is the source of far greater risks for the coming decades.

--Benjamin de Meteorology

Foy,

Assistant

Professor

of

Quotes of the week

“ “ “ “ “

If you’re not happy, tell me, and if you like something, go tell your friends.

-- Manoj Patankar, Vice President for Frost Campus.

Fresh faces, orange shirts, and the Billiken- loneliness. We open our eyes in a rebirth, and spirit will be buzzing about campus in a few what we often see is a disarray of stressors.

The story you hear from students, howdays as SLU prepares to regale the class of ever, is that first semester was rough; second 2014 with Welcome Week festivities.

Welcome Week serves as one of those first semester improved dramatically. A mysteriexuberant experiences that can help fresh- ous change develops in that short space of men make the friends they need to weather time. We make friends.

While living together may generate fricthe storm of first semester. This includes everything from the traditional square dance tion, we more often make the greatest friends we will have. We share atop Olive Compton to powerful experiences the Spirit Competition of enlightenment and at the opening soccer growth that bind us to game. Freshmen engage We share powerful expecertain people with a in torrents of activities to riences of enlightenment depth we likely have smoothen the transition from comfortable lives and growth that bind us never experienced It’s mainly as high school students to certain people with a before. because we use our to (slightly) more realdepth we likely have never time so uniquely in colistic lives of college stulege. In high school, we dents. experienced before. spend time with friends Freshman face the in distinct bubbles – stark truths of homeschool, home, miscelsickness, crippling workloads, and troublesome roommates. This is laneous. Here, the bubbles discombobulate. overwhelming for those who suffer a disil- We suddenly share life and school inside a lusionment of their American Pie dreams. crowded space of time.

Thus, friendships wrap tightly around us Others will learn that straight A’s are long in coming. This is a world of its own, with differ- because friendships hold onto every part of ent rules regarding a plethora of situations. our lives at once. Friends, young freshmen, There exist added factors of roommates, can make this strange world warm and sunprofessors, and independent living that push dappled. Saint Louis University welcomes freshmen towards feelings of deprivation and you to all it has to offer. Help yourself. The

Adviser Jason L. Young jyoung42@slu.edu The Editorial Board of The University News Recognizes Avis Meyer, Ph.D. as the newspaper’s faculty mentor.

Peony Lee/Illustrator

” ” ” ”

See Page 2.

This will bring a wonderful sense of community to the Health Science Campus.

-- Phillip Alderson, Vice President of Student Development

See Page 1.

Trains will continue through the station but there will be no passenger access at the Grand Bridge stop.

-- Gerald Wittenauer, Senior Project Manager for Metro

See Page 1.

This is such a great year to be a Billiken fan, especially in basketball.

-- Michael Putnam, president of SLU’s basketball cheering section.

See Page 7.

Events like trivia night are kind of a forced opportunity to work with each other, and we hope that from this the students continue with the people they have met and develop friendships,

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60

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-- Keeley Farmer, Oriflamme See Page 6.

President

Bost by t Coffe

Opinion

unewsonline.com

Coal industry vital to future of Appalachia Surrounded by an endless sea of mountain peaks blanketed in green vegetation, and with the distant sound of cicadas filling the air, I Commentary face a paradox I have grappled with all summer.

How is it that one of the most beautiful mountain chains in the world can be utterly defined by a material Jacqueline Fuqua most commonly depicted as ‘dirty,’ ‘destructive,’ and even ‘toxic?’

A landscape of supreme beauty, the Appalachian Mountains span the majority of the Eastern Coast and are an estimated 480 million years old.

With much of their natural beauty still unadulterated, the land, the people, and the lifestyle are ultimately characterized by a quiet simplicity.

While the uncluttered nature of life here in the Appalachians can be partially attributed to high levels of unemployment and deep poverty, it can more greatly be attributed to the pride taken in the work ethic of manual laborers.

For this very reason, coal mining is one of the most respected and coveted livelihoods in the local economies. In fact, of the approximate 82,000 mining jobs available in the U.S., more than 43,000, or roughly 52.4%, are found within the four central Appalachian states (Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, and Tennessee) alone.

Simply put, mining is the bread and butter of every creek, every holler, and every county in central Appalachia, and has been for centuries. Ironically, the very material that – in areas like Jeff, KY – often sits above the very surface of the soil has sparked insidious controversy, which has permeated both the legislature and the household. Coal, a crowning jewel of Appalachia, has become a scapegoat for those desperately seeking an overhaul of America’s energy policies.

Environmentalists have for years advocated about Clean Energy what well-to-do suburban communities have ungrudgingly financed, assuming of course there was recognizable evidence of their “support.”

From the unique look of Toyota’s Prius, to Energy Star Rated kitchen appliances, our country has been very publicly moving toward clean energy for years.

Our nation’s goal, of course being, what the Sierra Club articulated as, “Repowering America with green, renewable energy: Wind, solar, and other safe, clean sources of power that will energize a new American century.”

While the Sierra Club’s summation of America’s current energy goals tout inspiring patriotic sentiments, it completely disregards the old traditions of these hills.

Our populace must look beneath such overblown language and beg the question, “what then happens to already struggling economies within Appalachia?”

No matter how you cut it, they are left behind. If as a nation we chose to near completely eliminate our usage of coal, we have sunk the last nail in the coffin for the families spread across these states. The tragedy?

The nation has, in many regards, already forgotten these people. The rural communities more closely resemble a third world country than anyone is comfortably willing to admit.

Despite how severely these people and these mountains ache with need, we are on the verge of denying them this final piece of their culture and leaving them no other viable method of economic development.

In any economics class ever taught, one of the first and most fundamental lessons is opportunity cost.

In every equation and every situation, you must first assess what is lost and what is gained. In our country’s hasty push toward Clean Energy, less carbon may be emitted into the environment, and jobs may even be created over time. On the opposite side of the scale, however, there would be an assured loss of thousands of jobs, reaping unfathomable devastation for not only the families, but also entire economies of the Appalachian Mountains.

There are some inherently necessary industries, and if my summer in these mountains has taught me anything, coal is surely one of them.

Jacqueline Fuqua is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Want to write a commentary or Letter to the Editor?

Contact us!

E-mail Priya at oped.unews@gmail.com or visit unewsonline.com.

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Thursday, August 12, 2010

World Cup shows soccer’s intrinsic beauty GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOAAAAALLLL!!

A gushing scream explodes from the waves of leaping fans in Commentary a break-neck second. Bushes and buildings jump at the impact of that sonic BOOM as the ball smashes into the netting of the goal. The energized and Priya Sirohi sweeping thrill of this moment is as untainted as the perfect summer’s night around us. In that second lies eons of time, making the long waits between goals insignificantly miniscule. Soccer is one of the few sports that can give us that shared and pristine instance of triumph.

The beauty of soccer, however, is lost on most Americans. With such sports as football and basketball (where plays last a few short minutes and points rise in number exponentially fast), we have been conditioned to believe that a great sport needs to be fast-paced with immediate rewards. In the larger forest among the trees, we all have imprinted our cultural need for instant gratification onto this key venue of entertainment. This extends into the even larger idea that “more” means “better” in both production and consumption.

Cultural implications aside, soccer serves as the perfect sport for shaping world peace and cooperation. Soccer celebrates teamwork and togetherness better than any other sport. It requires equivalence in talent across the board (the idea of having “star players” is harmful for soccer) and beautiful communication skills. Unique methods for passing the ball, greater team-oriented training practices, and a larger international scope fuel soccer towards being the ultimate sport for fusing connections between unlike parties.

The World Cup this summer has been, for me, one of the greatest celebrations of cosmopolitan virtues.

Underrepresented countries in the global conglomerate of dominant political voices hold their own as equals next to superpowers. Ivory Coast, in fact, beat the former champion, Italy, in a spectacular 1-0 match.

Teamwork defined this victory as it did for Spain in the final match. They played a game that depended more on overcoming their regional and

Poeny Lee/Illustrator

“

cultural differences than on their playing abilities (though still important). The ultimate victory – trumpeted by sports commentators around the world – lay in the dramatic shift towards cooperation that the Spanish players underwent in the last four years. The collective, awe-inspiring image of victory as the Spanish team took the

Cup embodies this mutual trust and respect.

Hard as it might be to swallow for many of us, perhaps there is something America can learn from the sport that we have so incorrectly decided is too “boring”.

SLU can be the microcosm where we learn from our own strong tradition in soccer about the need

Soccer is one of the few sports that can give us that shared and pristine instance of triumph.

”

for a global community centered on mutual respect for one another.

We have had a rough time of learning to care for each other as equal human beings in the past, both as a university and a nation. In the wake of the world’s greatest tournament where competition lies in a tense but beautiful tandem with cooperation, we need to open our eyes to each other in order to better see the ways in which we can improve our world.

So let’s play ball.

Priya Sirohi is the Opinion Editor for the University News and a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences.

College education has value, New CEO does not spell but also poses limitations new beginning for BP Charles Bukowski had a philosophy about higher education.

Well, sort of a philosophy.

He thought it was a load of Commentary crap. He went to college for a few years in order to appear productive to his parents and his peers (and perhaps, deceivingly, to himself); but underneath Roberta Singer the pretense of going to class and joining sports teams, he was a raging drunk with no hope in the prospects that his university had to offer. He was skeptical of all the pretenses of higher education and the abstractions of sociology and ancient literature. To him, the random jobs he held and the people he met riding in rail cars were far more real, alive and understandable than the business of getting a degree.

I don’t entirely agree with him. I think education is important, otherwise I wouldn’t be pursuing one. I think it is necessary to understand the world, that it is our responsibility to do so and that college opens up vast worlds that are largely inaccessible to us if were we are not equipped with the power of a big academic institution.

But at the same time, I feel college is limiting. In my four or so years, while I’ve felt I was connecting with something, some important knowledge about reality and history and people and the universe, I still felt outside of the majority of society.

That the routine of classes and the studying of books is important, but that it is only a beginning.

I’m starting to agree with Bukowski. I feel that the most valuable and down-to-earth experiences in our lives come from thrusting ourselves into that jutting and most

“

calculating space everybody considers the “real world,” where we are reliant solely upon ourselves. It is what all those 1970s hippie books our parents read were about: the shedding of our suburban skin, the rejection of privilege and class and the acceptance of the hardness, the harshness, the stark independence of “real life”.

All that those beats—Bukowski himself, and Kerouac, Burroughs, Ginsberg—meant to say that the comfy college life was more of a chimera than an Eden; that outside the dorms and lecture halls there is a sort-of-freedom (less intellectual and more ballsy) a reality that Newsweek and Times do not quite portray correctly and that we cannot quite grasp watching television. It is some reality that lies only in the experience of living on our own and the immediate discomfor t—but eventual gratification—that such an endeavor brings.

College is a good place to be, for a while.

But I don’t want to get caught there. I still want to grow up and gain knowledge about the world, but I want to do all of that in real time.

I want to work in the forest to learn about the forest and work with people to learn about them. I want to hold a thousand worthless jobs only because it will get me out of my apartment and the textbook-haze of schoolwork, and launch headfirst into brutal working-class America.

Am I justifying random, underpaid employment? Sure. Am I too lazy to go to grad school? Perhaps.

But I still think what I say is true.

There is something to getting out on our own, right off the bat after graduation, and just finding something to do and a way to support ourselves.

In being immersed in all the trials the world has to offer. In being an adult, maybe, at some point.

I feel that the most valuable and down-toearth experiences in our lives come from thrusting ourselves into that jutting and most calculating space everybody considers the “real world,” where we are reliant solely upon ourselves.

In a move criticized as “rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic,” the BP Board of Directors voted recently to replace embattled CEO Commentary Tony Hayward with the similarly ineffectual Bob Dudley.

Board Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg denied the notion that the switch was simply a surfaceBen Eldredge level stratagem aimed at appeasing the rabid media, declaring, “Tony Hayward and Bob Dudley are completely different. For one thing, Tony has a British accent.”

When pressed for further differences, Svanberg pretended not to hear the question. When asked again, the chairman muttered something about haircuts.

CEO-to-be Dudley’s career has been a bumpy ride at best. With mishaps and mistakes in Russia that could be considered material for a spy-espionage-thriller if they weren’t so utterly stupid, his track record as a corporate leader is far from clean.

In fact, while attempting to broker a semi-legal alliance with Gazprom, Dudley insisted on calling President Dmitry Medvedev “Red,” despite

being told on several occasions that this was offensive. But after overestimating “Red’s” political clout, the deal fell through, and Dudley was ousted from the country.

After his embarrassing exit from Russia in 2008, BP was unsure of what to do with Dudley. Yes, he was a complete incompetent, but he also cost them a fortune in Russian stock, so they were naturally in a quandary. Fortunately, the oil spill afforded the perfect opportunity for Dudley to burst back on to the scene, with Tony Hayward committing gaffe after gaffe until many began to think he was doing it on purpose. In fact, perhaps he was... dear God, it all makes sense now!

Dudley screws up in Russia and gets sent to America, Hayward screws up in America and is sent to Russia!

Everything was part of BP’s master plan to...to...lose massive amounts of money. Well that certainly doesn’t make any sense, at least not fiscally.

But perhaps BP was not thinking fiscally, perhaps they were thinking philosophically. Maybe the Board of Directors at BP is a secret society of nihilists dedicated to destroying to world for the fun of it. Maybe they carefully orchestrated every single one of these events in order to show that money isn’t real and nothing matters. Or maybe it was just stupid people doing stupid, stupid things.

”

Roberta Singer is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Peony Lee/Illustrator

Arts OUT ON THE TOWN Ashley’s Picks

The University News Thursday, August 12, 2010

unewsonline.com

Cinemania dances way into Grand Center

Wednesday, August 18

By Brent Lang

8 p.m.

Trivia Night Busch Student Center, Wool Ballroom

If you enjoy films and free popcorn, check out the summer film festival that will be held in Strauss Park every Thursday from Aug 5. to Aug 26.

Despite the heat, the first showing went well and according to Grand Center project Manager Rachel Kell, they were able to accommodate everyone.

Kell doesn’t anticipate the heat to effect attendance for the upcoming showings because “Strauss Park is one of the coolest places in the city with ample shade due to the trees.”

The next film, Dirty Dancing, will be shown on Aug. 12 and a greater turn out is expected due to the greater popularity of the film The festival will be wrapped up with the showings of Billy Elliot on Aug. 19., and Saturday Night Fever on Aug. 26.

For those movie buffs in attendance, Cinema St. Louis, which is responsible for the

10:30 p.m.

Movie: How to Train Your Dragon Quad (outside Gries) Thursday, August 19 8 p.m.

Cinemania: Billy Elliot Strauss Park at Grand & Washington Ave. 8 p.m.

Welcome Week Kick-off Event Hermann Stadium 9 p.m.

Square Dance Olive Compton Garage

Film Critic

St. Louis International Film Festival, will have a trivia contest before each film. Prizes include everything from Tshirts to concert tickets.

Besides the obvious six degrees of Kevin Bacon that connect these films, all are popular dance films. In addition, all of the films feature protagonists who rebel against their society in order to pursue their passion for dance, with the exception of Baby (Jennifer Grey) in Dirty Dancing, whose only passion seems to be John (Patrick Swayze).

According to the project manager Rachel Kell, the theme of this Cinemania is intended to promote Grand Center’s Dancing in the Street event on Sept. 25. Each year, this event draws crowds of between 15,000 and 20,000 people.

This is the third year that Grand Center has sponsored Cinemania, and this year, they are partnering with Ameren UE. The festival will be located at a more central location this year, Strauss Park, which is at the intersection of Grand

Ryan Giacomino/Photographer

Students can venture down Grand to Strauss Park to enjoy dance-themed movies throughout the month of August. and Washington, across from The Fox Theatre. The themes from previous Cinemanias included cult classics and musicals turned to film. The event originally began as both a mar-

Friday, August 20 4-11 p.m.

Midtown Alley Street Fest Locust St. from Compton to Garrison St. 10 p.m.

C U @ the Rec Simon Recreation Center and SLURuba Saturday, August 21 9 p.m.

Grand Center Street Party Strauss Park at Grand & Washington Ave. 11 p.m.

Midnight Breakfast Griesedick Dining Center Sunday, August 22

8 p.m.

Movie: True Blood Moolah Theatre 9 p.m.

TV: Mad Men Moolah Theatre Monday, August 23 6-10:30 p.m.

SLU Theatre Auditions Xavier Hall Theatre 8 p.m.

Comedian Rob Riggle Busch Student Center, Wool Ballroom Wednesday, August 25 9 p.m.

Outdoor movie Quad (outside Gries) Thursday, August 26 8 p.m.

Recycled Percussion Busch Student Center, Wool Ballroom 8 p.m.

Cinemania: Saturday Night Fever Strauss Park at Grand & Washington Ave.

keting campaign for Grand Center as well as a reminder to St. Louis residents that the area continues to thrive as a center for the arts during the summer.

Trivia will begin at 8 p.m. and will be followed by the movie at 8:30 p.m. For more information visit www. g r a n d c e n t e r. o r g / s h o w s _ events/?event=61.

Scott Pilgrim doesn’t match up to Wright’s other films

10:30 p.m.

Ice Cream Social Tegeler Field

6-9 p.m.

SLU Theatre Auditions Xavier Hall Theatre

Talk to us: Ashley Jones 314.977.2812 arts.unews@gmail.com

Ryan Giacomino/Photographer

Every year Welcome Week provides freshman with an opportunity to get to know each other through events such as the pep rally (above). This year’s pep rally will be held on Aug. 19 at 8 p.m. and will be followed by a square dance and ice cream social.

Welcome Week aims to create sense of belonging

By Gina Cassaro Staff Writer

Students from various walks of life will flood Saint Louis University’s campus this month, some for the first time.

The new students will find that they have many differences from each other as they chat with other new faces. However, they will find a general commonality; they are each hoping to find that SLU is a place that they can call home and meet friends they may keep for life. Welcome Week gives these students a chance to familiarize themselves with other students embarking on the same four-year adventure and to get a little taste of the fun times SLU has in store.

Welcome Week consists of a series of events that are held on campus from Aug. 18 to Aug. 22.

Students will have the chance to meet others in the quad while watching How to Train Your Dragon and to prove who knows the most useless knowledge during Trivia Night on Aug.18. In addition, they will be able to enjoy a Midnight Breakfast together for the first time on

Aug. 21. These are just a few of the numerous activities they will have the opportunity in which to participate.

“Events like trivia night are kind of a forced opportunity to work with each other, and we hope that from this the students continue with the people they have met and develop friendships,” Oriflamme president Keeley Farmar said.

“Our biggest goal is for first week students to meet others in as fun a way as possible and make them feel they belong somewhere.”

Welcome Week is a SLU tradition that continues to provide students with the opportunity to develop new friendships year after year.

“Welcome Week has been going on since long before my time,” Coordinator of Undergraduate Initiatives Susan Bertelsmeyer said. “We have a Welcome Week committee that works closely with Oriflamme to bring this week into action. We want to welcome incoming students to campus and introduce them to the campus community.”

Although Welcome Week is an annual tradition, it continues to change as the com-

mittee and Oriflamme see fit.

The two groups have been working together for two full weeks in order to prepare for the big week and continue improving the activities.

“We learn from the past based on attendance trends and surveys. We like to keep some of the old, traditional events, such as the square dance and the soccer game, but also add new ones, like trivia night, to keep things fresh and exciting,” Bertelsmeyer said.

However, this year Welcome Week aims to integrate first year students with their elders by including students of all years to participate in certain events.

“The soccer game in the past has been Saturday evening but we wanted to make the street party for all students, not just first year. This year we made the soccer game Friday so we could hold the street party Saturday, making it more of a Welcome Back Week Event,” Farmar said.

For the full list of Welcome Week events and times visit the Welcome Week website at http://www.slu.edu/x37696. xml.

What do you get when you captivate you, don’t worry; it mix a comic book series by didn’t do much for me either.

Although the rapid cutting Bryan Lee O’Malley with fight scenes reminiscent of arcade techniques of Edgar Wright games within the context of a abound in this movie and romantic comedy? Scott Pil- lead to considerable comic efgrim vs. the World. fect, the story fails to hold toThe much-awaited North gether the seemingly random American debut of the film, collection of witty scenes. directed by Edgar Wright Nevertheless, the interesting (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the techniques used in this movie Dead), stars Mido deserve a menchael Cera (Juno) tion.

Film Critique as Scott Pilgrim, a In one scene, 23-year-old slacker Scott covers his eyes, that is in a band, which causes an imbetween jobs and mediate fade-out sharing a bed with on the screen. This his gay roommate. deepens our awareDespite his nasty ness that Scott is break-up a year the protagonist and earlier, Scott has a that we are seeing picture-perfect life the world through Brent Lang and a new girlfriend his eyes. Later, in who is 17, a fact that homage to his Seindraws ridicule from feld legacy, Wright his friends. At first, Scott and includes the theme song and his girlfriend Knives (Ellen laugh tracks from the televiWong) appear to be the per- sion show, proving that he is fect match, until a mysteri- the author of the movie. ous hipster Ramona Flowers Unfortunately, the acting (Mary Winstead) begins to in this movie does not match appear at parties that he at- the direction, as most of the tends, and then in his dreams characters lack depth. While The basic premise of the most of the actors cannot be movie begins later when blamed for this due to the inScott learns that in order to adequacy of the script, Cera date Ramona, he must defeat proves that he is simply a perher seven evil ex-boyfriends. sonality star, as he continues Meanwhile, he must practice to play the scrawny slacker with his band for a Battle of that gets the girl. the Bands competition that So, for those of you who a famous indie producer will are fans of Edgar Wright, be attending. Fight scenes, you can expect more of the featuring punch combinations same in Scott Pilgrim vs. the and flying, ensue as Scott World. However, the movie is struggles his way to Ramona’s ultimately good for a couple of heart. If the story does not laughs but nothing more.

Midtown Alley Street Fest highlights urban growth

By Sarah Fentem Staff Writer

Students new to the Saint Louis University community will be able to get a taste of the neighborhood beyond campus at the Midtown Alley Street Fest on Aug. 20. The event, hailed as “the happy hour of the summer,” takes place just north of the OliveCompton Garage on Locust, from Compton to Garrison Streets.

The festival, now in its second year, will showcase businesses, restaurants, and artists from the revitalized neighborhood. Nine restaurants, including Pappy’s Smokehouse, the Triumph Grill and Vito’s, will be offering selections from their menus.

Local brewery Schlafly will be providing their beer, with proceeds from sales going to the charity Food Outreach.

The event will feature six local bands throughout the evening, including Sleepy Kitty, the Murder City Players and Tilts. For art lovers, local artists will be giving demonstrations and selling artwork.

The Arch Rival Roller Girls

will also make an appearance.

“The whole premise behind Street Fest is to promote the branding of new businesses,” Jassen Johnson, a developer of the Midtown Alley area, said.

The festival will serve to “bring neighbors together and get a flavor of what this is all about.”

However festive the street party may sound, don’t expect Ferris wheels and face painting.

The street fest will honor the neighborhood’s urban, industrial history. Once known as “Automotive Row” for its many automobile showrooms, it is undergoing a revival, boasting nightclubs, restaurants and loft living.

“It’s definitely an urban area wrapped around creative ideas of the city,” Johnson said.

New students are encouraged to explore the neighborhood and see for themselves.

The festival will be from 4 -11 p.m. For more information on the festival or Midtown Alley visit the Midtown Alley website at www.midtownalley. com.

Sports Billiken Briefs Men’s Soccer

After winning the title last year, the Bills were overwhelmingly picked to capture the Atlantic 10 Conference men’s soccer crown by the coaches in the league.

Men’s Soccer

Junior forward Mike Roach earned a spot on CollegeSoccerNews. com’s third-team preseason All-America squad. He scored 24 goals for the Bills last season.

Men’s Basketball

ESPN announced that SLU will take part in the inaugural Cancun Governor’s Cup in December. The Bills face Northeastern on Wed., Dec. 22. East Tennessee and Ole Miss are also part of the tournament.

Next time in The University News Soccer Preview Thursday, Aug. 26 • Q&A with new men’s head coach Mike McGinty • Features on players, coaches, and opponents • Players to watch, and games you can’t miss • Complete 2010 men’s and women’s schedules Volleyball Preview Thursday, Sept. 2

The University News Thursday, August 12, 2010

unewsonline.com

Billikens seek to build on ’09-’10 success

New initiatives aim to draw more fans to home contests

By CHRIS ACKELS Sports Editor

Coming off one of the most successful years in recent memory for Saint Louis University Billikens sports, it’s all about momentum.

From students in Griesedieck Hall to alumni throughout the city of St. Louis, a nervous excitement fills the blood of Billiken fans as the school builds on a handful of young teams who surpassed expectations during the 2009-2010 school year and look to raise the bar once again this season.

The men’s soccer team, a young squad that will be returning eight of 11 starters, reshapes itself under a new head coach and a new strategic system.

The Bills were Atlantic 10 Champions in 2009 and were recently selected as the favorite to hold the title this season.

The volleyball team, thriving under the direction of head coach Anne Kordes, works to improve upon their conference championship birth and an invitation to the NCAA tournament last season.

The baseball team, after a slow end to the regular season, shocked the entire conference at the A-10 Tournament by twice upsetting the favorite Charlotte and earning SLU’s first A-10 Championship in baseball since 2006.

Last year’s success in soccer, volleyball, and baseball has once again made SLU relevant on the college athletics radar. NCAA Tournament appearances in each of those sports undoubtedly translates to better recruits, a more involved fan base and a raising of expectations for SLU athletics in St. Louis and around the United States.

And this year, count on the men’s basketball team to continue to raise those expectations.

Ryan Giacomino / Photographer

Blue Crew members cheer on the Billikens during the traditional “Blue Out” men’s basketball game against Atlantic 10 rival Dayton Flyers. The “Blue Out” game is regularly the most well-attended game by students each season at Chaifetz Arena.

In his third year of coaching, Rick Majerus took the youngest team in Division 1 basketball last year and transformed them into a serious A-10 threat. Without a single player on the active roster above the age of 20, even a season as successful as that one can at best be viewed as a building year, a launching pad for future teams.

“We’re only going to get better,” says Michael Putnam, president of SLU’s basketball cheering section.

“This is such a great year to be a Billiken fan, especially in basketball.”

Men’s basketball games at Chaifetz Arena highlight the otherwise cold winter months on SLU’s campus.

Along with a handful of free t-shirts, stadium giveaways and stomach-stretching tailgates, the basketball team

provides more than enough excitement for an electrified college campus.

SLU’s Athletic Department also recognizes the benefit of a rowdy student section. On numerous occasions, SLU players and coaches have noted the significant impact a large and supportive student section can have on the game.

Last season a multitude of opposing coaches, including Dayton’s Brian Gregory, and a handful of visiting players, including Temple’s Juan Fernandez, noted Chaifetz Arena as one of the toughest places to play in the NCAA. With a growing team, and a handful of new incentives, SLU students look to make this year even tougher.

The Athletic Department recently announced a point system as incentive for

Marquee year ends quietly for baseball A-10 crown, NCAA berth highlight 2010 season for Billikens

The Billikens Sports Network provides coverage of SLU sports for The University News, KSLU, and SLUTV. Look for more information in weeks ahead.

From baseball to hockey, soccer to football, we cover all the bases. For insightful opinions and analysis about the sporting world, check out our blog Going Into Overtime at unewsonline.com

SLU student body’s presence and enthusiasm will again be critical to the Billikens’ success.”

The Athletic Department looks to rename and “rebrand” the student section for basketball games and is currently gathering suggestions and ideas from the student body.

They are aware of the awesome impact students can have on any given game.

Soccer players, volleyball players, and basketball players alike will say that a loud and proud student section can have a bigger impact than most realize.

With the addition of new initiatives – and more importantly, with the success of Billiken athletics – the coming school year looks to provide for an once-in-alifetime fan experience.

National champion Duke will dance with Billikens Dec. 11 sports analysts believe both Coach “K” and Majerus will be entered into the NCAA Hall of Fame.

So much for a light The two coaches have schedule. combined to win 1,347 After years of lamenting games; Majerus has nabbed being unable to schedule top 479 victories, and Blue Devil 25 teams, head coach Rick mentor Mike Krzyzewski Majerus has delivered big. leads all active coaches with The 2010 NCAA national 868. champion Duke has agreed to While the prospect of host the Saint Louis University featuring a national champion Billikens on Sat., Dec. 11. The can seem daunting, senior and game, played at legendary team co-captain Paul Ecklere Cameron Indoor Stadium, says he’s felt “a degree of is expected to be nationally excitement” he’s never felt broadcasted on CBS. upon hearing the Billikens “In our continuing attempt would be headed to North to upgrade the schedule, we Carolina. are playing the biggest brand “It’s going to be the best name in college basketball, in team I’ve ever played,” Eckerle perhaps college basketball’s added. “I’m really excited for most storied setting,” Majerus the opportunity to play them, said in a statement. to play at Cameron Indoor, “I [believe] unequivocally and measure how good of a that Mike Krzyzewski [is] the team we are against how we best coach in the game. It will compete with them.” be a real challenge to face that Having the national Duke juggernaut. This should champions on the schedule, help us prepare for a difficult along with the opportunity Atlantic 10 Conference to be on CBS nationally, season. gives SLU a Majer us chance to continued, promote “There is itself as no tougher an up-andWe are playing the c o m i n g road test in the game program. biggest brand name today than Eckerle in college basketto play the admitted Blue Devils ball, in perhaps [its] that the u n d e r game has most storied setting. “big effecta C o a c h Krzyzewski on how at Cameron —Coach Rick Majerus p e o p l e I n d o o r perceive Stadium.” [us], and SLU and give us the Blue Devils have played some element of credibility three times, and Duke has and notoriety.” prevailed on each occasion.

But he was quick to counter The last SLU-Duke meeting that, to the Billikens, it’s just was Jan. 14, 1988, when the another game. “We know how Blue Devils posted a 69-53 good we are and how good we victory. can be,” he said. “And at the The game will mark the end of the day, we’re the ones first time since the 1980-81 putting in the work. season that the Billikens have “As long as Duke doesn’t played the defending national count for more than one champions.

SLU faced win, the nuts and bolts of the Louisville Feb. 25, 1981, after program don’t change. the Cardinals won the 1980 “We’re going to approach NCAA title. the season as if we weren’t The square-off will also be playing them,” Eckerle a battle of the coaches. Many added.

Associate Sports Editor

Sports Editor

After final exams in May, Saint Louis University’s campus may have been cooling down, but baseball season was just heating up.

Despite an empty campus, the Billikens finished the season with a three game sweep of Dayton, solidifying the fifth seed in the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament in New Jersey.

The Billikens started the tournament with a 16-11 win over Fordham, a team that had taken two out of three from the Billikens earlier in the season. Even more shocking was SLU’s 12-9 victory over No. 2 seed Xavier in the conference semifinals.

But twice in the tournament – once in the second round, and again in the conference championship – the Billikens were faced with the conference’s top team, Charlotte.

The 49ers had just completed a three game sweep of the Billikens, only two weeks earlier. After SLU squeaked by Charlotte 3-2 in the second round of the tournament, the 49ers looked to regain their dominance in the A-10 Championship game on Sat., May 29.

Charlotte jumped out to an early lead in the conference championship game, scoring two runs in the top of the first inning. But the Billikens responded in the bottom half of that inning, putting five runs on the board, thanks to an extended two-out rally.

Those five runs would be all SLU needed to hang on to the 5-4 victory and secure the school’s first Atlantic 10 Baseball Championship since 2006.

Bryant Cotton, who started as pitcher in the second-round game and beat Charlotte, secured the save in the

students to attend home sporting events.

Just by attending games, students can rack up points to receive free t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, basketball jerseys, and even a television. The system applies to all men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball and basketball games.

The basketball season ticket package includes discounts at local restaurants, admission to pre-game tailgates, a bonus in the point system and a guaranteed seat at every Billiken home game.

Every other sport is completely free for students, and many include promotions throughout the season.

“The SLU student body is an integral part of all athletic events,” says Athletic Director Chris May. “It’s going to be an exciting year on the playing fields and courts, and the

By DERRICK NEUNER

By CHRIS ACKELS

• A comedic conversation with head coach Anne Kordes • How will the Bills rebuild after losing key seniors?

• Does SLU have a shot at the A-10 title this year?

Talk to us: Chris Ackels 314.977.2812 sports.unews@gmail.com

Ryan Giacomino / Photographer

Danny Brock, who was drafted by the San Francisco Giants, set single season records for RBIs (75) and home runs (18). championship match. Cotton was named Most Outstanding Player for the tournament.

The A-10 title gave SLU an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament and placed the Billikens as the bottom seed in the Louisville Regional.

In Louisville, the Bills jumped out to an early lead against the regional host Cardinals. A pair of back-toback solo home runs from Danny Brock and Jon Myers gave SLU a 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth inning against Louisville. But Cotton, who handled the Cardinals’ lineup with ease in the first four innings, gave up seven runs before exiting the game after six innings of work. Louisville

went on to win the game 11-2.

The next day against No. 3 seeded Illinois State, the Billikens once again jumped out to an early lead by scoring in the bottom of the first inning on a Myers single. But Illinois State launched two home runs in the top of the second to jump out to a 4-1 lead. The Redbirds went on to hit five long balls, and win the game 8-3.

The Billikens finished the 2010 season with a 33-29 record, making it the first time in the program’s history to win 30 games in back-toback years. Thirty-three wins also breaks the university’s record, bettering the previous mark set in 2006.

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Thursday, August 12, 2010

unewsonline.com

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