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Both the Career Center and the Weston Career Re-sources Center are under new management.

James J. Beirne, who took the helm at the WCRC Monday, comes to Washington University from a job in human resources at General Mills Inc. Previously, Beirne worked at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania as director of career development and placement.

Beirne replaces former WCRC director Greg Hutch-ings, who resigned in June. Beirne will also serve as associate dean of the Olin School of Business.

“Jim has a wealth of experience, a disposition and a professional intelligence that qualifi es him to take ca-reer services at Olin to the pinnacle of achievement and renown,” said Dean Stuart Greenbaum.

Mark Smith, current associate dean for student af-fairs in the School of Law, has been named director of the Career Center and assistant vice-chancellor. He will start his new position Jan. 1, 2005.

“It sounds like a great opportunity and I’m really excited about it,” said Smith.

Smith has already begun planning for January. “One of the fi rst things I want to do is to try and

reach out to as many undergrads as I can to fi nd out what they want and what we can do to help make the biggest difference,” said Smith.

In his new role, Smith would like to both learn and lead by performing different roles within the Career

Center. “I want to be involved in all aspects,” said Smith.

“I see myself doing individual student counseling and talking to employers.”

Smith is an alumnus of the University’s law school, and he has worked there for almost 14 years. After graduating from the University, Smith practiced law for fi ve years, and then returned to become the Associate Dean of Student Affairs at the law school. Smith has also worked in the School of Law Career Center, which he said afforded him valuable insights that he can put to use in his new position.

James McLeod, vice chancellor for students and dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, had the fi nal decision in the selection. He said that, although others were considered for the position, Smith possessed all of the qualities they were seeking in a new leader for the Career Center. He was mature and had leadership expe-rience as well as a sense of responsibility, among other attributes, said McLeod.

As Career Center Director, Smith would like to focus on making stronger connections between current stu-dents and University alumni, connections he has found advantageous of during his time in the law school’s Career Center.

Smith said he would miss working in the law school, where he had become close with many of the professors and administrators he had known as a student there.

“I have real mixed feelings about leaving the law

Despite tough job markets in past years, a recent job outlook survey from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) predicts that 13.1 percent more 2005 graduates will find work than their counterparts did last year.

The survey, released the second week of November, offered encouraging results for Washington University stu-dents graduating with degrees in me-chanical engineering, business admin-istration, computer science, finance, economics, electrical engineering and accounting. Although they will not be able to tally the total number of job of-ferings until spring, the career centers in both the Olin School of Business and the College of Arts & Sciences said they had noticed this upward trend, which began late last year.

“We are, in general, seeing more jobs being offered to students, particularly because of the improving economy and because more companies are coming to campus,” said Sally Pinkard, the un-dergraduate adviser at Olin’s Weston Career Resources Center.

Over 40 percent of the employers surveyed by NACE said that they plan to visit college campuses in the spring and interview potential new employees. A little less than 18 percent plan to visit in the fall.

Kevin Byron, a senior in the business school, is looking for jobs in consulting and investment banking and already has two job offers.

“The business career center has been amazingly helpful,” said Byron.

Professor of economics Steven Faz-zari discussed several factors that have contributed to the current state of the economy. The Iraq war, for example, could be producing both positive and negative effects on the economy.

“We have higher budget deficits that the high spending [for the war] creates, and that hurts the economy,” said Faz-zari.

The indirect effects, he said, are harder to gauge. The war’s uncertain-ty—its expenses, its affect on oil prices and its influences on the American gov-ernment—could be discouraging busi-ness investment.

Career Centers hire new directorsBy Caroline WekselbaumContributing Reporter

Job outlook better for college gradsBy Laura GeggelContributing Reporter

In lieu of injectable f lu vaccines, which are in short supply nationwide, Student Health and Counseling Ser-vices (SHCS) will be administering FluMist to interested students during clinics today and tomorrow from 9-11 a.m. and 1-3 p.m. in the SHCS offices.

FluMist, a nasal-administered alter-native to the traditional injected flu vaccine, is a mist that contains three live f lu virus strains, which have been weakened. The vaccine strains are de-signed to reproduce only in the nose, remaining in a weakened form that will not lead to a case of the flu. This triggers an immune system response in the body that helps prevent the flu for the entire season.

“Immediately after hearing that some of the injectable f lu vaccine had

been withdrawn, the first thing that we did here is contact the company that makes the FluMist vaccine and get on the waiting list to get as much of the vaccine as we could,” said Dr. Alan Glass, director of SHCS. “Because we were fairly early on that waiting list, we were able to get some.”

Possible side effects of the vaccine are minimal and include chills, a sore throat, headaches and weakness.

MedImmune Vaccines, Inc. is cur-rently the only company that distrib-utes FluMist, which is the first f lu vac-cine in the United States that is given as a nasal mist instead of a shot. The vaccine was licensed in 2003.

Healthcare providers such as private practitioners, private institutions like Washington University and medical companies running private f lu clin-

SHCS to administer FluMist today and tomorrowBy Liz Neukirch Senior News Editor

See FLUMIST, page 4

See MORE JOBS, page 4See CAREER CENTER, page 4

Dr. Linda M. Chinn administers a dose of FluMist to another physician at Family Care North in Columbus, Ga.

MIKE HASKEY | KRT CAMPUS

SU VP resigns, says Ader

Medical concerns have prompted se-nior Katie Leikhim to resign from her post as Student Union’s vice president, according to SU President David Ader.

Leikhim has been on medical leave from the University this semester, and

although she will be returning in the spring, SU President David Ader said he believed the resignation was in the best interests of all involved.

“The Executive Council had some concerns about her health and her abil-ity to perform her job responsibilities,” he said.

Numerous attempts to contact Leikhim on Monday and Tuesday were unsuccessful.

Twenty-four hours after Ader an-nounced Leikhim’s resignation in an e-mail to members of Student Union, speculation quickly turned to her prob-able replacement. According to the SU

constitution, both Senate and Treasury must confirm the new VP. In the e-mail he sent Monday night, Ader explained that this process would begin at last night’s Treasury meeting and continue at the Senate meeting tonight.

Early yesterday, numerous sources told Student Life that the Executive Council would recommend Senator Pa-mela Bookbinder, a junior, for the job. But no names were mentioned at the meeting last night after members of the Treasury tabled replacement talks until next week to allow the student body to

By Roman GoldsteinSarah KliffStudent Life Staff

See SU VP, page 4

Katie Leikhim has resigned from her position as the SU Vice President, according to SU President David Ader.

DAVID HARTSTEIN | STUDENT LIFE

Senior Julia Day is a Career Peer at the Career Center. The job market for college graduates has signifi cantly improved over the past few years.

It was a heartbreaking

end to the season for the women’s soccer Bears,

with a loss to the University of Puget

Sound in Wash.

PAGE 9

What would Wash U be like if its athletic teams were Division I,

instead of Division III? Reporter Sarah

Ulrey and some varsity athletes

offer a look.

PAGE 9

Are our belongings in

danger of being stolen? Craig Pacheco asks

in Forum if housekeepers

can be trusted not to steal items from

students’ rooms and suggests

students be able to opt out of the housekeeping

system.

PAGE 7

n Treasury delays

replacement proceedings