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The News Source for Webster University Volume 63 • Issue 3
September 3-9, 2009 www.webujournal.com
Gorloks flipped in season opener
UPFRONT
WU’s unique program in second year
Webster alumni thespians act out
BY BRITTNEY FRENCH
WU graduates act like funnymen at local performing studio.
Staff Writer
Lifestyle | 6
Collegiality for colleagues? Religious studies chair urges collegiality amongst faculty in a guest commentary.
Opinion | 4
SAM DITTMANN / The Journal
Junior defenseman Mike Politte performs a bicycle kick in an attempt to escape the Millikin University offensive unit. Politte and the Gorloks were unsuccessful in keeping the Big Blue at bay for the game’s entirety, however, as Millikin won the game, 1-0. This is the second straight year Millikin defeated WU by a single goal to start the season. For the game story, see page 10.
Network outage reveals problems BY AMIR KURTOVIC News Editor
First women’s soccer game Morgan Milfeld and the WU women’s soccer team defeat Millikin University 2-1 in the season’s first game.
Sports | 10
OUTSIDE
THURSDAY Sunny 82/63
FRIDAY Sunny 83/62
SATURDAY Sunny 81/62
SUNDAY Rain likely 82/63
Source: The National Weather Service
INDEX
News Editorial Op/Ed Lifestyle Health The Venue Sports
1 4 5 6 7 8 10
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Global MBA
A malfunctioning piece of equipment revealed flaws in Webster University’s networking and telephone systems Wednesday, Aug. 26. The uninterrupted power supply (UPS), used to ensure critical networking equipment never goes down, created the very problem it was supposed to protect against. Engineers from Eaton Corporation, the manufacturer of the Powerware 9395 UPS used by WU, were on campus until Aug. 31, trying to find out why the UPS failed. The cause of the failure had not yet been determined by the time The Journal went to press early Wednesday morning. While the cause of the failure is being investigated, WU’s server room is running off electricity supplied by the generator next to Webster Hall. The server room was renovated over the spring of 2009. The total cost of the generator, replacing old equipment, the UPS, and other renovations was about $1.6 million, according to WU IT staff. “They’ve gathered as much information as they can and they’re synthesizing that information right now,” said Ben Hockenhull,
KHOLOOD EID / The Journal
Matt Sauerwein with Schaffer and Keith Baumen, an engineer with Eaton from North Carolina, inspect power supply going from the generator to the server room located on the ground floor of Webster Hall on Monday, Aug. 31.
WU’s deputy chief information officer. “But they are still investigating the cause.” Early Wednesday morning, shortly after 5 a.m., the UPS failed and left WU’s entire network and phone system out of service for more than an hour. While WU has experienced network outages before, the installation of the new voice over IP (VOIP) phones over the summer rendered the phones
useless as well. “Everything shut down,” said Larry Haffner, the vice president of information technology. “Every network, every server, every phone system.” During the network outage it was revealed that some of the emergency call boxes located around campus do not work without the network. Pressing the red emergency button on the “code
blue” boxes routes a call directly to the public safety office. Without the network public safety is not able to receive the calls. “If there is no phone line, they would not work,” said Tracy Winka, a manager in the public safety office. See Network Page 2
Taunya Dillow spent the last 11 months traveling around the world. After collecting souvenirs and amazing memories, she returned home with something else, too. An MBA. Dillow, who received her undergraduate degree in Art History from Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville in 2008, completed WU’s inaugural Global MBA degree program last July and participated in its graduation ceremony held in Budapest, Hungary. “I worked extremely hard to complete the degree,” said Dillow. “It was one of the best things I could have done.” The first Global MBA class consisted of 11 students; three, including Dillow, were from St. Louis. In a study conducted this year by the International Educational Exchange, the total number of U.S. and international students pursuing a study abroad program is at a record high. Enrollment of U.S. students is up by 7 percent, while enrollment for international students is up by 10 percent. “We have a great number of applicants to the program,” said Denise Harrell, director of admissions of the Global MBA program. “There’s a very selective process for admission. We look at each student on an individual basis, along with GMAT scores, personal resumes, GPA and letters of recommendation.” The Global MBA, which is part of the School of Business and Technology, is an 11-month program that gives full-time graduate students the opportunity to live and study for nine weeks at five WU international campus locations — Geneva, Leiden, London, Shanghai and Vienna. “It’s truly unique and oneof-a-kind,” Harrell said. “It has become the flagship program for the university. There isn’t anything else like it.” The degree program, created in 2008, was designed to provide students with handson experience and extensive knowledge of multicultural business issues. Students are able to learn and witness the impact of social, economic and See MBA Page 2
Webster University Class of 2009 faces though economy BY KAREN MYERS Staff Writer
Unemployment rates throughout America are the highest they have been since World War II and the economy has lost millions of jobs. For thousands who have lost work, or not yet gotten a job after graduation, the prospects are bleak. Although the economy has started showing signs of improvement, 2009 has still been a tough year to try to find jobs after graduation. Webster University graduates are no exception. WU’s Career Services Department used to advise students that finding a job might take between three to six months. According to Rebecca Spear, the assistant director of employment services at the Career Center, they’re now estimating a three to 12 month wait for college graduates seeking employment. Compared to past years, fewer graduates are even looking for full time jobs, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers. A survey the association conduct-
ed in the months of February through April revealed that only 59 percent of 2009 graduates had started looking for jobs prior to graduation, and less than 20 percent of graduates who applied for a job actually had one. “The 2009 class is really the (one that) had to deal the most with the recession,” Spear said. “It kind of smacked them in the face. This is the class that we really had to stress the importance of being well rounded in all areas, including education and experience.” To gain experience, Liz Miller, who graduated from WU with a bachelor’s degree in media communications in 2009, took an unpaid internship at VegNews, a vegan news magazine in San Francisco, Calif. Before taking the internship, Miller was working at a vintage clothing store called Avalon Exchange. She said at one point she gave up looking for “real jobs.” “It was really out of frustration,” Miller said. “There wasn’t a lot of opportunity. There’s this pressure that you have to get a job in your field, but I accepted that there might not be jobs available
in (media communications), and taking a job outside of your field is better than remaining unemployed because you’re too proud to take a job not in your field.” Rather than starting the job hunt, many 2009 graduates have decided to continue their education. Jessica Hunt, a 2009 WU graduate with a bachelor’s in sociology, is one of them. “I haven’t really started looking for career type jobs since I’m planning on going to grad school (next fall),” Hunt said. Hunt is still working as a bartender and server at Petra Café and Hookah Lounge in St. Louis while continuing her education. Like Hunt, Andrea Ostendorf, who now has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and political science, is continuing her education as a law student at St. Louis University. “I’m living at home, and I will be for the foreseeable future,” Ostendorf said. See 2009 Page 2
THEO WELLING / The Journal
Webster Alumna Jessica Hunt currently lives in South City St. Louis with a few other roommates. Hunt is trying to apply for graduate school to get her masters.