Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
unews, feb
Citation preview
By MARTINA BOYTERAssociate News Editor
Student voices were heard and confronted last week after much outcry against housing security policies. Student Government Asso-ciation President Matt Ryan released a statement on Feb. 17 announcing reforms to the much-maligned security switch.
On Dec. 5, it was an-nounced that residence hall front desks would be moni-tored 15 hours per day, as op-posed to the previous 24-hour protection provided by Whel-an Security. The changes called for student workers to man front desks from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. The security changes did not affect the back door of Griesedieck Hall or the front
Curtis Wang / The University News
Freshman Xavier Turner passes RA and desk attendant, junior Cat Costello, on his way into Griesedieck Hall.
Policies seek to improve safety and student workers’ hours
Read and Recycle
The University News prints on partially recycled paper.
Happy Mardi Gras!Blue the Billiken
Plan strives for 5 to 10 percent increase
Jennifer Wang / Photo Editor
Students return from recieveing ashes at the 9 p.m. Ash Wednesday mass at St. Francis Xavier College Church on Feb. 22. Ash Wednesday marks the begining of the season of Lent, a 40-day period of sacrifice observed by Catholics to prepare for Easter.
See “Security” on Page 3
SLU ready to rumble in ‘Recyclemania’
By MARK CAMPOSSenior Staff Wrtier
Last year, SLU participated in the nation-wide contest, “Recyclemania,” for the first time, reaching fourth in the “Grand Champion” category, which determines a SLU’s re-cycling rate as a percentage of its overall waste creation in comparison with six other Missouri universities. This year, the competition has re-turned to campus as a way to show that SLU is committed to promoting recycling prac-tices, Student Government Association President Matt Ryan said.
“I think having SLU partici-pate shows that we are com-mitted to promoting greater recycling,” Ryan said, “and to bring attention to the need that we continue to promote sustainable practices.”
Recyclemania is an annual inter-collegiate event which takes place for eight weeks during the months of Febru-ary and March, the official website reads. A not-for-profit organization, the competition
See “Green” on Page 3
SLU aims to call up veterans
By JAMES MEINERSManaging Editor
See “Military” on Page 2
Veterans are not often seen in Saint Louis University classrooms, and the Division of Enrollment Management and Retention is attempting to bridge that gap.
“We believe that…any in-dividual willing to serve in the nation’s military service deserves the opportunity to earn a degree at a top-tier university,” Vice President of Enrollment Management and Retention Jay Goff said, “and we want to find ways to expand those opportunities.”
Caroline Rutledge, a junior in the College of Arts and Sci-ences, agreed.
“As a student who has been fortunate to have sev-eral class with veterans, I am ecstatic SLU will be pushing to accept more veterans,” she said.
SLU wants bring the num-ber of military-affiliated stu-dents from its current num-ber of about 180 to 5 to 10 percent of the total student population by 2018.
Currently, SLU has 162 students receiving military benefits, including 113 under-graduates and 49 post-bacca-laureate students.
Online courses are more popular for veterans. As many of them are older than tradi-tional students, the online courses provide a way for them to work on their degree when they have families or are working part-time.
One of these degree pro-grams is aviation mainte-nance, a collaboration be-tween Parks College and the School for Professional Stud-ies.
SLU is also looking to bring on a new program director for military students.
They would prefer to hire a veteran from a military back-ground.
This director would coor-dinate the various resources available to military veteran students.
Some of the resources that SLU is looking to add include academic support and pro-grams for faculty to discuss methods of teaching that are more advantageous for mili-tary students.
Ash Wednesday leads to Lenten season
desk of Reinert Hall, which retained 24-hour, seven-day-a-week coverage.
Students quickly objected to the changes, expressing concern that the buildings would not be covered by se-curity 24 hours per day.
Student desk worker Greg Bouche felt uneasy at the prospect of unwanted visitors accessing the dormitories.
“This knowledge, if given to the wrong people, could quickly lead to having unau-thorized personnel lurking in our residence halls,” Bouche said.
A Dec. 5 statement issued by Saint Louis University’s Department of Housing and Residence Life attempted to ease the concerns of the stu-dent body.
“Overall, the campus is patrolled 24/7 by armed and
well-trained officers,” the statement said.
The message outlined the modifications that eliminated services from Whelan Secu-rity. The changes also height-ened the responsibilities of student workers, which they had no choice but to accept mid-semester.
In addition to apprehen-sion of part-time security, other issues resulted from the changes in housing security. Without a desk worker avail-able at all hours, obtaining a lockout key posed a problem. Unanticipated difficulties, such as an inoperative key, also became larger issues than under the previous sys-tem because of limited means of making contact with
intends to get students and staff to recycle more often and reduce waste, and has op-erated since 2001.
Ryan said that there is al-ready a strong commitment to sustainability on campus, and that SGA can help em-power these efforts.
“I believe that if Student Government can continue to be a catalyst for these efforts, there is great power in that. You will see some strong pro-motional and tangible efforts in the coming weeks,” he said.
On that note, water bottle filling stations have been in-stalled around campus as part of an initiative by the SGA to reduce plastic usage and pro-mote sustainability. Ryan said that the SGA wants to shift the SLU culture toward one that promotes reusable wa-ter bottles instead of the pur-chase of regular ones, he said.
“[It’s] because we’re see-ing trends in other universi-ties where water bottles are actually banned from cam-pus altogether, or, the sale of them is banned altogether,” said Commuter Senator and Civic Affairs Committee Chair
Elizabeth Alberty. In 2009, a soft ban of water bottles -no prohibition, but no sale- was ordered by the president of Washington University in St. Louis, but was received poor-ly by the campus’ students, according to Alberty. Instead, the SGA is taking a methodi-cal approach to reducing
The University NewsCelebrating 90 Years as a Student Voice of Saint Louis University
Thursday, February 23, 2012unewsonline.comVol. XCI No. 20
ACADEMY AWARD
PREDICTIONSSee who we predict to take home the Oscar >> ARTS
Check out our SGA endorsements and voting handbook >> VOTERS GUIDE WHO WILL YOU VOTE FOR?
Competition highlights recent sustainability strides
Students to vote on activity fee increase
By KRISTEN MIANOAssociate News Editor
On this year’s election ballot, Student Government Association added a referendum to increase the Student Activity Fee by $10 a semester.
The Student Activity Fee is a fee paid by every undergraduate student that is allocated by SGA to student groups during annual funding and spot-fund processes. The goal of the Student Activity Fee is to work toward the betterment of the student body. Any student can apply for funds from the Student Activity Fee, and the money is allocated at the discretion of senate and the SGA Finance Committee.
The proposed increase to the Student Activity Fee would increase the current semester fee from $45 to $55, increasing the total amount paid by each student annually from $90 to $110.
At this point, the Student Activity Fee generates approximately $720,000 annually. Should the referendum pass, the dollar amount would jump to about $900,000.
The bill to propose the referendum, passed in the Feb. 8 SGA meeting, states that it is crucial that the budget available to the Finance Committee to allocate to Chartered Student Organizations grows in comparison to the last fiscal year.
“Its important to have a vote on this because we have seen a doubling in CSOs since the last increase,” Financial Vice President Jonathan Serpas said. “I feel like there needs to be a little more money to provide funding for all these groups coming in.”
The last time the Student Activity Fee increased was in 2004, with a previous referendum to increase the fee failing in 2009. Since 2004, the number of CSOs at Saint Louis University has amounted to approximately 150.
According to SGA President Matt Ryan, SGA does not endorse the passing or failing of the referendum. He did acknowledge, however, that an increase in the fee would be beneficial when allocating funds.
“If the referendum does not pass, SGA will have about $180,000 less to work with, which will require
greater cuts than if it is to pass,” Ryan said.CSOs that are allocated Student Activity Fee
funds use the money to host events for the student body, including events like speakers, performances and concerts. Funds are also used for organizational and promotional needs, such as posters and travel costs. The Student Activity Fee can also be allocated for special projects on campus. For example, the hammocks in the SLU quad were purchased with the Student Activity Fee. In the 2010-11 school year, student groups requested approximately $1.3 million in funds. Through the course of the funding process, the amount allocated totaled to about $820,000.
Vice President of Student Organizations Tyler Sondag said that he feels it is important that students understand the effects of the fee.
“The fee affects CSOs,” Sondag said. “It’s what they want. Students need to be educated and informed what the decision means.”
President of the Great
See “Fee” on Page 4
Residence hall front desk hours shift again
CSO
CSO
Where does your fee go?
Students
SGAActivity Fees
$$ $ $
1.) In 2011-2012, each student paid $90 annually to the
fee
Student
CSO
Concerts and entertainment
Equipment
Travel Expenses2.) Activity fees are pooled and used by SGA to allocate amongst Chartered Student Organizations
through discretionary annual and spot funding.
3.) Funds awarded to CSOs are used by the
organization to fund ex-penses and events
Minghao Gao / Senior Staff Photographer
unewsonline.comThursday, February 23, 2012
News2Let Us Introduce YouAmerican Idol contestant lives for the arts, wants a normal life
Natalie Bram
Be a Responsible BillikenSTOP. CALL. REPORT.
314-977-3000witness.slu.edu
dps.slu.edu
All Information Provided by Department of Public Safety
and Emergency Preparedness
Thrusday, Feb. 161:57 p.m. - Auto Accident A University contract shuttle van and another vehicle collided. There was damage to both vehicles but no injuries reported. SLMPD responded and a report was written.
Saturday, Feb. 187:26 p.m. - Destruction of Prop-erty A Chartwell’s supervisor heard a noise coming from the dining room window. She then saw a group of males running from the area. She noticed a crack in one of the win-dows. DPSEP canvassed the area to no avail.
Monday, Feb. 209:42 p.m. - Fire Alarm DPSEP responded and the build-ing was evacuated. A student was cooking food in the microwave, burned the food and activated the fire alarm. SLFD was contacted and
responded and ventilated the floor. The alarm was reset and reentry was allowed.
Tuesday, Feb. 216:07 p.m. - Accidental Injury A pedestrian, non-SLU affiliated, was walking westbound on Laclede Ave. when the east exit gate arm struck him in the head. Medical treatment was refused.
THE SLU SCOOP
By BRIANA SULLIVANStaff Writer
There are many words to describe sophomore nursing student Natalie Bram, but two that immediately come to mind are ‘‘humble” and “talented.” Born and raised in St. Louis, Natalie got her first taste of the performing arts at age seven.
Her brothers participated in the “Summer at The Muny” program at The Muny The-ater in Forest Park. With encouragement from their mother, she auditioned for the program’s children’s chorus.
“I have just loved it ever since,” said Bram. “This year will be my 14th year with the company.”
She recalled playing sports growing up but has always had a passion for the arts. Bram has clearly demonstrat-ed this success, as a triple-threat excelling singing and dancing in addition to acting.
Most recently, Bram has gained admirers for her ap-pearance on national televi-sion, specifically, her audition on the popular show, Ameri-can Idol.
“We didn’t decide to go until 8:00 a.m. that morning, and there were thousands of people already in line,” she said. She managed not only a primary audition, but made it through to sing in front of the larger-than-life judges.
Bram sang “Because of You” by Kelly Clarkson.
“I just thought, I can’t just go out there on national tele-vision and freak out! So I took a few deep breaths and went for it,” Bram said.
Randy Jackson told Bram that she sounded too “musi-cal theater.” But with Steven Tyler complimenting her smile and guts after danc-ing for them on a whim, and Jennifer Lopez, whom Bram says is even more beautiful in person, telling her she had terrific potential, Bram was accepted on to American Idol.
“When I got my golden ticket,” Bram said, “my mom was on crutches. She’d bro-ken her leg the night before, [and she was] waving her
crutches in the air, hopping around, cheering for me.”
The producers high-lighted Natalie, featuring a hometown visit, and she was featured dancing in between other acts in different audi-tion cities.
Natalie attended Hol-lywood Week over winter break. She said it was a strange experience being constantly followed by camer-as. Although the contestants were nice, she recalled they were also pretty intense.
“Other contestants live for this. For many of them this was their fourth or fifth time auditioning.”
For Natalie, the experi-ence was once-in-a-lifetime. She said being eliminated from the show was probably a good thing and that she’s glad to be back in school.
Natalie hopes to continue spending her summers at
The Muny but says fame is not for her.
“I just want to have a fam-ily, a normal life and do local theater all my life,” she said.
Still, Natalie is incredibly modest for someone who has appeared in commercials and participated in shows at The Fox Theatre.
“I just want to be a nurse and help people.”
By now, Natalie’s time on American Idol has aired. Friends began posting her online interview onto her Facebook, where the word has spread making her some-what of a “SLUebrity.”
She laughs, “I was at Pickl-eman’s, and this kid pointed and said ‘Hey! Look, she was on American Idol!’ I was covering his mouth, I didn’t even know the kid, but I was pleading, ‘Please stop! You’re embarrassing me! I just want a pizza!’”
Military: Veterans add perspective
It’s men and women for others. They’re not only serving those that they’re fighting in battle with, but also protect-ing our country.
“”-Bridget DeClue
Continued from Page 1 some battlefield or some sta-tion over in Afghanistan, your timing is off, [so we want] to make that process easier for them.”
beyond their years, given their unique background. They bring diversity and strength to teams and problem solv-ing, they respect procedures
and authority, [they] per-form under pressure, [they] have a good work ethic [and they] are grounded in core values,” DeClue said.
Rutledge desires veteran voices to aid in the class-room environment.
“They add a unique per-spective to classroom dis-cussions, not to mention it is an honor to know SLU is stepping up to the plate to help those who have given so much in service of our country,” she said.SLU also is great for vet-
erans because of its mission. “It’s the men and women for others,” DeClue said. “They’re not only serving those that they’re fighting battle with, but also protect-ing our country.”
“[We want] to train faculty when you have a veteran mili-tary student sitting in your classroom about the things that can trigger post-trau-matic stress disorder and to help them understand and help these students be suc-cessful,” said Bridget De-Clue, director of enrollment outreach. “Our ultimate goal is that military veterans that come to SLU will succeed.”
Another concern is dis-ability support.
“A lot of these soldiers are returning from these battle-fields with handicaps: loss of limbs, loss of hearing, loss of sight, PTSD,” DeClue said. “We’d like to see that program director serve as a single point of contact for our mili-tary students and prospec-tive students. If you’re trying to apply for admission from
Another way they want to facilitate military students finding SLU is by building a more robust and military-friendly site. Veterans are also great for SLU because of their fit with the SLU mission.
“They’re generally mature
unewsonline.comThursday, February 23, 2012
News 3Dick Gregory headlines Black History Month
By BRIAN BOYDNews Editor
Seventy-nine-year-old Dick Gregory walked up to the po-dium in the Wool Ballrooms in the Busch Student Center and began by thanking who he called “the invisible folks”—the people who toil diligently behind the scenes to make nights like Feb. 17 possible. Gregory was not referring to the agent who booked his appearance, nor was he refer-ring to those in attendance.
For Gregory, the invisible folks are those who work hard with little fanfare and sometimes even less pay: the people who set up chairs in the Wool Ballrooms before the show and will clean up af-terwards.
Less than five minutes later, Dick Gregory had the crowd doubled-over laughing after he said that the only non-historically African American college to offer him an hon-orary doctorate degree was Penn State.
“I’ve got 45 honorary de-grees from black colleges. I was happy about those 45, but I just wanted one white college, just to put up on my wall,” Gregory said. “I wrote to 50 white colleges over a 30 year period until two days ago. I get a letter from Penn State. They said not only will we give you the honorary de-gree, but we’ll bring it to you!”
Gregory, a St. Louis native, knows a bit about being the “invisible folk” and a whole lot about comedy.
Gregory promoted civil rights as early as his teen years, leading a march against school segregation while at-tending Sumner High School.
Mark Campos / Staff Photographer
Civil rights activist, comedian and Black History Month keynote speaker, Dick Gregory, gives a speech on Feb. 15 in the Wool Ballrooms.
Keynote speaker’s passion inspires audience to laughter, reflection
Green: Students take steps towards sustainability
‘I AM’ series raises awareness on campus
By EMILY CAVALIEREEnterprise Editor
The Busch Student Center often sees a midday rush, with groups meeting and students grabbing lunch and running to and from class. Amidst the busyness, the Cross Cul-tural Center offers students a chance to take a break and participate in a wide range of discussions, including the “I AM” discussion series.
The “I AM” series is a dis-cussion held from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the second Wednesday of every month. The series is open to stu-dents, faculty and staff and is designed to promote social justice, identity awareness and multiculturalism. The topics of each discussion vary from month to month and are meant to engage the SLU community in things that they might not have a chance to otherwise discuss.
The se-ries has been in place for the last few years in the CCC, and this semes-ter, Patrice French, co-ordinator of the series, is taking a new approach to this semes-ter’s topics of discussion. French has recently been in-terviewing and video record-ing people across campus and showing the interviews at the monthly discussions. The topics touched upon in the in-terviews give way into greater group discussion.
So far during her inter-views with two current SLU students, French has inquired about the students’ lives prior to SLU as well as how being here has impacted who they are.
“I really enjoy it because you get to see these very dif-ferent people that make up SLU. My first interview was with a non-traditional student with two children. Her life is not what you would think is associated with a full time col-lege student,” said French.
When choosing people to interview, French said she just asks around.
“I work with other staff in my department to identify folks who would be interest-ing to interview so we have a good pool of folks. We want people who have had a variety of experiences at SLU that move beyond typical college experiences.” French said.
Diversity and inclusion are ideals that SLU promotes, and students are often able to hear various speakers on topics of these natures. The “I AM” series, however, gives people the chance to be engaged and discuss their thoughts about these topics.
“The room is set up in circles so people can talk and discussions happen in both small and larger groups,” said French. “I choose the topic and create content around it, and I am relying on the people
I really enjoy it be-cause you get to see these very different people that make up SLU.
“”
-Patrice French
Conference showcases social justice efforts
Minghao Gao / Senior Staff Photographer
Students listen to a speaker in the Sinquefield Stateroom in Dubourg Hall at the Second Annual SLU Global and Local Social Justice Conference. The conference took place on Feb. 16 and 17 and gave students, faculty and staff a chance to present their academic work pertaining to global and local social justice issues.
Security: Student workers embrace night shifts
Continued from Page 1
Sam (Fangyu) / Staff Photographer
Student deposits plastic bottle in one of the recycling containers located on SLU’s campus as a part of the University’s single-stream recycling program.
Continued from Page 1
someone with the authority to help in such situations.
According to Ryan’s Feb. 17 message, after “weeks of discussions with administra-tors throughout the Univer-sity,” a plan to have student desk workers present at all time came into place. In addi-tion, Facilities Management ensured that all SLU ID card readers would be fully func-tioning to bolster security ef-forts.
Ryan also said that the De-partment of Public Safety and Security Services will “main-tain constant contact” with desk workers.
Ryan’s statement showed gratitude towards the De-partment of Housing and Residence Life student staff for their willingness to serve the SLU community. Student desk workers are required to work at least one shift per week between the hours of 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.
“Many of these members are taking greater responsi-bility and longer hours with these changes,” Ryan said. “They have put our communi-
ty first, and they deserve our gratitude.”
For Bouche, the revised desk security policies still have an adverse affect on stu-dent desk workers.
“The late night hours com-pletely throw off a student’s sleep schedule, and I believe that these late desk shifts will lead to student desk workers doing more poorly in their classes,” Bouche said. “Since we are first and foremost students here, there should be some thought into trying to help the students out with this, especially when one has a test the next day.”
In his statement, Ryan stressed the need for proac-tive work by the Residence Hall Association and SGA to restore 24-hour desk security. He also said that the adminis-tration has the students’ best interests at heart.
“I hope this can serve as another example of the need for a strong student voice on our campus,” Ryan said. “Al-though, at times, it may have seemed that students’ con-cerns were not being heard, we were working with an administration that knew stu-dents’ safety came first.”
there to push it along. That’s why it’s called a discussion se-ries and not a lecture series, it gets people going.”
French said that the I AM series is less formal than a lecture and seeks to promote mindfulness over concrete an-swers.
“When there is a speaker, the person is seen as an ex-pert so you are supposed to leave with knowledge. The series is not something where you are going to find the an-swers to these questions, but it seeks to bring awareness.”
French structures the pro-gram to leave more questions than answers in the hope that people will continue their con-versations.
French said that the dis-cussions bring about a great-er awareness of where people are coming from.
“I think it is nice to have people share their own views and perspectives and there
is a lot to be seen and heard from peo-ple who live and work in this com-m u n i t y . In that re-gard, I feel like it is an eye open-er in some ways. It is refreshing
to get to talk and not listen,” French said.
Kathleen Otto, a student worker in the Cross Cultural Center, said that the purpose of the series is to create a safe space for dialogue about topics that are sometimes dif-ficult to discuss in everyday life.
“This semester we’re put-ting a new spin on it that is sort of a miniseries within the normal series. Our focus is on the SLU identity,” Otto said. “The people we interview will consist of students, fac-ulty, staff, etc. The interviews will be centered around how these peoples’ personal iden-tities fit into and shape their SLU identities.”
The screenings of the in-terviews and the following discussions will be held in the hopes of helping us to better understand the dynamics that the diverse identities in our community contribute to, said Otto.
In addition to being more than just a lecture, the goal of the “I AM” series is to “pro-vide this platform/opportuni-ty for all members of the SLU community to allow them to talk and reflect upon their own experiences and how they personally contribute to our community,” Otto said.
Additionally, Otto said that the series is meant “to build community amongst a diverse population.
Diversity has become such a trendy word and we forget the true meaning, and why it’s important in creating a strong community.
Diversity is about more than just race - and that’s what this particular project of the ‘I AM’ series is all about.”
water bottle usage by encour-aging students to purchase reusable water bottles from the bookstore.
“We’ve spoken with Chart-wells about potentially selling reusable plastic water bottles in the dining facilities here, and also to get more of those bottle filling stations on cam-pus,” Alberty said, “Eventu-ally, when we’re further into our contract with Pepsi and everything, we can look into doing an actual soft ban.”
SGA hopes it can garner support from the students before proposing such a ban, Alberty said. She said that the SGA wants to reflect the want of the students and keep a balance between promot-ing sustainability and “doing something that [the students] wouldn’t necessarily agree with.”
Along with Recyclemania
and plastic bottle reduction, SGA is pushing for one recy-cling bin per every trashcan on campus. Alberty said that although SLU has doubled its recycling rates since switch-ing to Waste Management, the campus only recycles one tenth of its total recyclable materials.
“The problem right now is budget issues,” Alberty said, “The budget in facilities is very tight so we can’t just go out and buy a whole bunch of recycling bins.”
Nevertheless, SGA is put-ting in requests to the admin-istration for more recycling bins, and is looking for com-panies willing to give grant money for bins.
Furthermore, SGA is working on a bike-sharing program. Alberty said that the SGA created a taskforce headed by Marguerite/Pru-ellage Hall senator Ann Kne-zetic to look into creating the program.
In 1954, Gregory was con-scripted into the U.S. Army, where his comedy skills be-gan to blossom.
He won multiple talent shows throughout his Army stint.
Upon his discharge, he moved to Chicago and honed his skills alongside the likes of Bill Cosby.
Gregory was a prominent civil rights activist during the 1950s and 1960s, and was a staunch opponent of the Viet-nam War.
His sense of social justice and determination were un-flappable; on multiple occa-sions, he fasted for more than a month in protest.
His popularity as an ac-tivist, comedian and author led him to run for Mayor of Chicago in 1967 and the U.S. Presidency as a write in can-didate, losing both.
Gregory vacillated be-tween commentary on social issues and humor seamlessly. He tackled topics ranging from the state of American democracy to his (oftentimes hilarious) youthful years.
“If our democracy is so good, why are we ramming it down people’s throats? Any-thing that’s good, you don’t need to ram down people’s throats,” Gregory said, “It’ll be nice going down.”
Gregory also discussed his relationship with Dr. Martin Luther King and expressed his appreciation and admi-ration of him by repeatedly stating during the speech, “Thank you Dr. King.”
He also stressed the impact of the civil rights movement, not only on African Ameri-cans, but the entire world.
“The movement liberated
the entire world, not just Af-rican Americans,” Gregory said. “The first female univer-sity president, the first Polish pope—all of it is possible be-cause of the civil rights move-ment.”
Gregory also clearly enu-merated the difference be-tween racism and prejudice, with the former being control and the latter dislike and judg-ment.
“All ethnicities faced prej-udice when first coming to America: The Irish, the Ital-ians, Jews, Asians and Blacks, and women, too, during the Salem Witch trials,” Gregory said. “It’s this generation’s job to change the notions of prejudice.”
Gregory encouraged the audience to remember their individuality and significance and to “leave fear here; throw it away.”
“We were made by a uni-versal God, not a bank. We’re all God’s children, but we don’t act like it,” Gregory said. “We beat 500 million oth-er sperms to get here. I’d say we’re pretty special.”
Upon parting, Gregory left a personal message for the college-aged crowd: What you do for a living is not as im-portant as how you live.
“You can go to school if you want to learn how to make a living,” Gregory said. “But if you don’t learn how to live, the universe will take you.”
unewsonline.comThursday, February 23, 2012Voters Guide
The University News
Talk to us: Jonathan Ernst314.977.1590
Platforms pinpoint future goals
Limitless Audeo3 Steps to voting
1
2
3
Blake ExlinePresident
-Campus Housing and Security Policy-Meal Plan Reform: multiple options for amount paid and food received-Promote sustainability-Quicken mail services-Develop the Center for Global Citizenship-Connectedness and Transparency-Expand Campus Kitchen Connection-Improve Vandeventer Intramural Field
Sean WorleyVice President of Diversity and Social Justice
-Create University Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion position-Increase representation and senator participation in Diversity Leadership Cabinet-Acquire more University resources for the offices of Diveristy and Affirmative Action and the CCC-Develop Diversity and Inclusion educational and program-ming efforts for faculty and staff-Continue “Live the Oath” video series and initiate “Who are the Others” video campaign-Further implement Sexual Assault Working Group initiatives-Develop a relationship between “Diversity and Unity” Learning Community and DLC-Build relationship with Aquinas Institute of Theology and in-tensify SLU’s involvement in the Presidential Interfaith Service Challenge-Increase campus programming with College in Prison Pro-gram and the Bonne Terre campus-Strengthen SLU/FUSED presence on campus
Vidur SharmaFinancial Vice President
-Continue transparency: easy access to running total of al-locations for senators and funding guidelines for all students-Educate on the Annual Funding Process-Empathetic Finance Committee-Improve election timing for New E-boards
Yiqng HuangVice President of International Affairs
-Continuous Improvement of International Orientation-Work with Office of International Services-Host Safe Driving Information Session for International students-Create a Living Guide for International Students-Improve ethnic food on campus
Beth AlbertyVice President of Internal Affairs
--Increase SGA senator retention-Host quarterly town hall forums for all students-Emphasize senatorial training at the SGA internal retreat-Publish senators’ voting records on the SGA website
Richard JoubertVice President of Academic Affairs
-Integrate and centralize Academic Advising and Mentoring-Increase implementation of Tegrity technology in the class-room-Improve course scheduling registration process-Increase number of sections of core classes offered-Offer Service Leadership Certificates in every college
Keilah JohnsonVice President of Student Organizations
-Reduce booking conflicts through use of a master Google calendar for CSO leaders-Revise CSO handbook-Make leadership summit more efficient and concise, New Leaders Retreat-Increase transparency within ComSO and VP
Alexander SalazarPresident
-Inspire more scholarships for academic and extracurricular devotion and excellence-Reapply and expand SLU/FUSED grant for Undergraduate Socio-economic Diversity-Install recycle bins for a 1:1 ratio of trashcans to recycle bins-Streamline SGA senate so committees have legislative authority-Set aside part of student activity fee for initiatives that promote campus-life
Bo PengVice President of International Affairs
-Continually test ESL students for opportunity to accelerate time in ESL-Allow ESL students to start taking core classes along with ESL courses-Improve communication between international students and domestic students
Things to remember
INFORMUnderstand the issues by reading each candidate’s platforms.
LOG ONOn Monday, Feb. 27 from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. log onto SLU Groups.
CHOOSEMake your decision in the 2012 SGA elections by choosing who you think is the most qualified for each position.
SGA ElectionFollow these easy instructions in order to successfully cast your vote in the upcoming SGA elections on Mon-day, Feb. 27 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Short biographies of executive board
candidates and some senators will be included on bal-
lot.
Candidates will be listed in alpha-betical order under
each position.
Ticket names will be visible for
executive board candidates.
Students must vote on the referendum
to approve the activity fee.
Unfilled positions will be filled next semester by the Committee for
Internal Affairs.
How to vote with SLU Groups
On-Campus Polling PlaceThe election commission will host an on-campus polling location as an option to voting on SLU Groups on a private com-puter. The polling station will be located in BSC Room 254 and will be open to students from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Laptops will be set-up and ready for voters to use.
Limitless takes campaign to the road
Photo illustration courtesy of Vinnie Schnieder
The e-board candidates for the Limitless ticket stand in front of the “Limitless” tour bus. This photo was photo-shopped for the appearance a Limitless bus, but is entirely fictional.
The Basics of a Write-In Vote Students always have the option to write in a candidate for any position instead of choosing a student that appears on the ballot. For each position, there is a line meant for writing in a candidate who did not campaign for that specific position. Under the names of the campaining candidates, there will be a line where the voter can type in a student’s name. A write-in candidate must receive a minimum of 25 write-ins to be eligible to win. In the event that a write-in candidate wins more than one place on the SGA Executive Board, that individual can choose which of the positions they would like to accept. The other position will be filled through the appointment process.
Students who choose to vote on their own computer will cast their vote using SLU Groups, a change from using Banner in previous years. To get to the voting ballot, follow these steps on any computer:1. Log in to MySLU2. Go to the “Tools” tab3. Click on the “SLU Groups” icon4. Click on the scrolling banner to be directed to the ballotIssues Committee, Luke
Gatta, said he supports the Student Activity Fee Increase, as he sees it as an inverst-ment students can make in their community.
“I am grateful for the fund-ing that [GIC] receives from the student community, and it is my hope that they see the dividends of the $45 each semester,” Gatta said.
“This is apparent through-out campus--from the lec-tures GIC holds, to [Student Activities Board] concerts, to the club sports, service orga-
nizations, and more.”Not every student is in full
support of the fee increase, however. Junior Bani Saluja says she thinks the proposed increase is too expensive.
“The referendum has good intentions,” Saluja said. “I’m not interested in paying $20 extra, though it would be good for CSOs. I support an increase, but one of less value.”
Students can vote on the referendum on Monday, Feb. 27 on the ballot found in SLU Groups.
Fee: Referendum looms on ballotContinued from Page 1
Chance to meet the candidatesThis evening, Thursday, Feb. 23, Limit-less and Audeo candidates will be at The Billiken Club for Billiken After Dark’s Trivia Night at 9 p.m. Students can meet the candidates and are free to ask ques-tions and bring up any concerns.
2012-2013 SGA Endorsements
PresidentVote: Blake Exline
The following Student Government Association endorsements, an annual endeavor of The University News Editorial Board, are formulated following interviews with each candidate and attendance at the SGA Debates. Endorsements of the candidates are the sole opinions of the Editorial Board and are
not necessarily shared by the newspaper’s staff writers.
Exline
Vice President of Internal AffairsWrite in: Sean Worley
Serving this year as the Chief of Staff, Sean Worley has gained valuable knowledge and insight into the operations of SGA. While Beth Alberty’s platform points are strong and she demonstrates eagerness to perform the job, Worley’s knowledge of SGA logistics and his careful note-taking of SGA opera-tions throughout the year make him a more qualified candidate for this position. Worley has exhibited pro-fessionalism and good work ethic in his involvement with SGA, which are qualities imperative in dealing
with internal affairs. He is also passionate about stu-dent involvement and will transfer this enthusiasm to senators.
He will know not only how to train and communi-cate with senators, but will be an effective leader and will encourage good work ethic in senators. Although his platform for Diversity and Social Justice VP is extensive and reflects his enthusiasm for that posi-tion, we believe his experience and skill set has the potential to revive and mobilize senate.
Blake Exline may not be the most experienced or animated candidate for presidency, but he has sufficient enough drive to ensure that Student Government Association will do what it is supposed to do. In his experience in SGA, Exline has shown that he can work with students as well as admin-istrators to make effective change. He specifically demonstrated this ability in his involvement in get-ting the administration to amend its housing security decisions. This shows that he will be dedicated to issues that are raised by students and is not afraid of bringing them up to the administration. Exline is a person who has shown that he can advocate for students and bring the voice of the students to the administration in a professional and effective man-ner.
He resembles current SGA President Matt Ryan in that his platform is grounded in reality and prac-ticality. Most of his platform points focus on issues that are already being worked on, in which case they will be furthered, or they are issues that will inevita-bly be talked about during the next academic year. In addition, should new issues arise, Exline does not seem like a person to shy away from them. His abil-ity to recognize and discuss issues gives him great
potential to work effectively with the administration and use student input as SGA president.
Exline has clearly done the research to know what the current issues are and what they are likely to be in the coming year. The same could not be said about last year’s race. Exline realizes that he cannot be too ambitious with his aspirations and has kept his goals manageable.
This demonstrates maturity in a second-year stu-dent. He has also demonstrated that he will be com-mitted to making the needed changes, but is not afraid of taking on other small and manageable tasks that are sure to make noticeable positive impact.
Two of these goals include improving student mail services and working on developing a relation-ship between Griesedieck Dining Hall and Campus Kitchen to donate the excess foods from campus to a good cause.
On the other hand, while Salazar brings a lot of passion and experience, Exline has a more clear and manageable platform including concrete ideas for the direction that SGA should take. As SGA president, Exline can be trusted to bring students and adminis-trators on the same page on treating the most press-ing issues at hand.
WorleyAlberty
SalazarWorley
AlbertyJoubert
Sharma
Johnson
PengHuang
Salazar
Vice President of Diversity and Social JusticeWrite in: Alexander Salazar
Alexander Salazar would balance out the Limitless ticket well with his passion and experience. Having served as senator for the past two years, Salazar has a clearer idea of SGA responsibilities, capabilities and practicality than most other executive board mem-bers. While Sean Worley is an invested candidate for this position and has worked closely with the incum-bent Diversity and Social Justice VP, Kripa Sreepada, in her social justice endeavors at SLU, he does not demonstrate an achievable platform and may be embarking on a social justice project too ambitious for the length of his term.
As an executive board member of Black Student Alliance and active in the Cross Cultural Center, Salazar appreciates student diversity and will have clear plans of action to promote social justice. Having
spent four years at the University, Salazar is famil-iar with the University environment and has an invested passion in the University. His commitments in SGA over the years and his decision to step up for presidency demonstrate this investment in creating a continuously-improved environment and community.
His ambitions for SLU may be better carried out as Vice President of Diversity and Social Justice, rather than SGA president. In this position, he will be able to reach out to students directly and effectuate greater change in the SLU community.
He must, however, demonstrate clearer plans and set specific objectives that can be accomplished to cultivate inclusion, an appreciation for diversity and collective student involvement in working toward social justice.
Vice President of Academic AffairsWrite in: Elizabeth Alberty
Elizabeth Alberty is an experienced and compe-tent candidate for executive positions. She exhibits practicality and will be an experienced voice on the Limitless ticket in her current platform for Internal VP candidacy, but her versatility and profound under-standing of academics is a much-needed asset for the Academic VP position.
Alberty’s organizational knowledge and experi-ence will help to take this position to the next level. Her sustainability efforts and intents demonstrate her ability to have continued involvement and con-versation with administrators, which is a must for the Academic VP position. Her experience also allows
her to recognize and make better connections with administrators to make effective change in academ-ics.
Richard Joubert presented a series of platform points that may be far beyond the scope and ability of his committee. Being a freshman, his experience at SLU is limited. Even with his experience serving as senator for SGA, he does not have the know-how for connecting issues with administrators in order to effect change.
Alberty not only has the experience for driving academic affairs forward, she will make practical and manageable decisions.
Vice President of FinanceVote: Vidur Sharma
Vidur Sharma has gained valuable experience serv-ing as Financial Vice President for the Public Health Undergraduate Student Association. His involvement in multiple student organizations gives him the matu-rity to understand issues raised by CSOs and to be able to make sound financial decisions.
Even though he has not had a lot of experience on the Finance Committee, Sharma seems to be aware
of how the committee works. He showed that he will be efficient in this role as Vice President of Finance.
If he is elected as VP of Finance, in heading the Finance Committee and being in charge of handling finances, Sharma must uphold transparency in his decisions and be able to constantly communicate with students, CSO leaders, as well as the VP of Student Organizations.
Vice President of Student OrganizationsVote: Keilah Johnson
Keilah Johnson has a lot of potential to spark student interest in organizations with her energetic and approachable character. She shows enthusiasm and has a clear sight of what she needs to do without being too concerned with particulars. She seems very focused on her tasks and knows exactly what she needs to address.
Johnson will be willing to sit down and work directly with student leaders to help their organiza-tions thrive. She seems passionate about helping students and is very practical in the way she will try to help them. Her platform points are focused and grounded and show that she will be fully committed
to accomplishing the tasks she has picked. She may be young and appear inexperienced, but she has the heart of an involved student on campus and invokes that spirit in her constituents.
Johnson demonstrates energy and capability in fulfilling her position. As an active member of several student organizations, she understands the respon-sibilities and logistics of being a student executive member.
Using her experiences as a student leader, she will know how to best help students in need and is devoted to helping student organizations stand on their feet.
Vice President of International AffairsVote: Yiqing Huang
Having lived in the United States since 2008, Yiqing Huang understands the concerns of interna-tional students and the types of issues they face. Her experience on International Student Federation is valuable and gives her the experience that she needs to further improve the involvement of international students on campus.
In addition, Huang has worked directly with indi-vidual international students to help them move into the United States and to make their transition to SLU smoother and more inviting.
She is focused on practical and tangible improve-ments she can make in international students’ experi-ences.
Her solutions to many of international students’ everyday concerns are simple and realistic, in the form of handbooks and other customized resources. This is a quality that Bo Peng did not demonstrate in his platform, namely knowledge of issues and com-pelling ability to handle them.
Huang has also introduced plans to provide driv-er’s education sessions for international students, which is a prevalent issue she has perceived. This can be very beneficial for many international students who must get used to driving habits and regulations in a new country. Huang’s ability to recognize and address this issue with a very practical solution is commendable.
unewsonline.comThursday, February 23, 2012
SGA Endorsements 5
No opponent
No opponent
unewsonline.comThursday, February 23, 2012Opinion Talk to us:
Parisa Rouie 314.977.2812
The University News
Erika Klotz / Chief Illustrator
Editorials are opinion pieces written by the Editorial Board of The University News. The editorials printed in this space represent the opinion of The University News. Commentaries and Letters to the Editor represent the opinions of the signed authors but do not necessarily represent the opinions of The University News.
Editorials
The University News reserves the right not to publish any letters that are deemed intentionally and/or inappropriately inflammatory, more than the 300-word limit or unsigned by the original author. The following are letters and/or website comments. Because the identities of website posters cannot be verified, all website comments should be treated as anonymous. Actual letters to the editor may be submitted online at unewsonline.com or e-mailed to [email protected]. Please include your cell phone number.
Lettersto the editor
An increase in the student activity fee is long overdue. In its latest referendum, Stu-dent Government Association has placed a $20-per-year increase for this fee on the ballot. This will be a crucial vote for stu-dents, and we hope students realize the need for the fee increase as they cast their votes on Feb. 27.
Fees, especially when raised, are often met with grunts and cringes of penniless students.
This is not the case with the Student Activity Fee, as students can directly see where the money they pay for this fee is going. Every student also has equal oppor-tunity to take advantage of the fee they pay, and they should rightfully take this advan-tage to enjoy a more fulfilling college ca-reer. Concerts, retreats, banquets and con-ferences are only a few of the things that are paid for by this fee, and they are at the disposal of students for use.
The fee currently stands at $90 per year and has not changed since the last time it was raised in 2004, although a lot has changed in the University these eight years.
The number of Chartered Student Or-ganizations has nearly doubled since 2004, according to SGA records. The cost of most of the same student activities has rea-sonably jumped since 2004 and so has the demand for a variety of student opportuni-
ties. This calls for a higher sum to be paid toward student activities.
In addition, paying for student recre-ation is a wise investment. Through much of the activities paid for by the fee, stu-dents make lasting friendships and memo-ries, obtain important leadership skills and build a more complete college experience.
Students may be concerned that the money they pay will not be used efficiently. While this is a valid concern, it involves an-other issue to be dealt with later, that of al-location of funds. But before students vote against this bill based on preconceived no-tions, they should know the need for this fee and the potential cuts to several funded activities in the future.
They must also know that, if the refer-endum is not passed, while past organiza-tions may receive equal funding as before, having no chance for a raise in their funds, other aspiring organizations will have to continually get the short end of the stick.
If the fee is passed, however, we hope SGA and student leaders will continue to be as prudent as before in their use of al-located funds.
As always, students should cast educat-ed votes. Whether they decide as a majority that a raise in the activity fee is needed, it will be in the hands of their elected student leaders to allocate and make use of funds responsibly and scrupulously.
You don’t have to be Catholic or Christian to practice Lent. No matter what you preach or practice, self-sacrifice and self-restraint can be great ways to build strength and self-control.
In almost every religious tradition, mod-eration is an exalted virtue. It is recommend-ed not only in daily practice, but also as a part of more lengthy rituals, such as fast-ing, performed col-lectively by religious communities. How-ever, the emphasis is too often placed on making the sacrifice, and little is said about how it affects the per-son.
Sacrifice and re-straint are two ideas of one nature. While one signifies giving away of material goods that one possesses, the other connotes depriv-ing the self of what one does not have, but yearns for.
Sacrifice not only emphasizes that one can and should live on fewer material goods, but it also reminds us of those who thrive
on very little. On the other hand, while we may have the ability to obtain certain things, restraining oneself from those things also al-lows us to reflect on the lives of others who do not have access to material goods.
The core idea of Lent is centered around resisting temptation and desire. While it
may not be so obvi-ous, acts of charity also help in gaining control over one’s de-sires by strengthen-ing one’s willpower. The essence of sacri-fice and restraint lies in exercising control over one’s desires and cultivating a stronger willpower.
Students today can benefit greatly from strengthened will-power. Being in the transitioning stage of entering the real
world, students should learn to approach their goals more seriously and with a greater confidence. The transition stage of college can also be a great opportunity to cultivate and maintain good practices that go beyond the 40 days of Lent.
Raise in student activity fee a wise investment that students must vote for
Lent can strengthen willpower in all students
In almost every religious tradition, moderation is an exalted virtue.
“”
“Freedom of the press—print, online and broadcast—is a basic right in a democratic society and is valuable in promoting the develop-ment of students as socially respon-sible persons ... The University News is a student voice, not the student voice. The views of The University News are the expressions of the stu-dents involved ... If [The University News] can represent a point of view around which discussion may devel-op, it serves a legitimate and needed purpose.”
From The University News’ Charter
ContaCt us:Busch Student Center
Suite 35420 N. Grand Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63103
Newsroom: (314) [email protected]
Advertising: (314) [email protected]
unewsonline.comfacebook.com/theunews
twitter.com/theunews
EDITORIAL BOARD
EDITOR-IN-CHIEFJONATHAN ERNST
(314) [email protected]
MANAGING EDITORJAMES MEINERS
NEWS EDITORBRIAN BOYD
ASSOC. NEWS EDITORSKRISTEN MIANO
MARTINA [email protected]
ENTERPRISE EDITOREMILY CAVALIERE
OP/ED EDITORPARISA ROUIE
ASSOC. OP/ED EDITORFEDERICO GARCIA [email protected]
ARTS EDITORERIN EVERETT
ASSOC. ARTS EDITORTJ KEELEY
SPORTS EDITORJOSEPH CACCHIONE
ASSOC. SPORTS EDITORCHARLES BOWLES
SCIENCE EDITORLIZ KIEFER
RELIGION EDITORALANAH NANTELL
CHIEF COPY EDITORMARY KATE MURRAY
COPY EDITORSHILARY KORABIKBRITTA NORWICK
TECHNICAL STAFF
PHOTO EDITORJENNIFER WANG
ASSOC. PHOTO EDITOROLIVIA OJILE
DESIGN DIRECTORTESS HEJNA
ASSOC. DESIGN DIRECTORSTUTI DESAI
MULTIMEDIA DIRECTORNICK LURIA
ASSOC. MULTIMEDIA DIR.EMILY DIEHL
ONLINE EDITORCHRISTOPHER WEBB
BUSINESS STAFF
GENERAL MANAGERCONNOR BERRY
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE NATALIE GRASSO
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE NICK JESSE
ADVISERS
LAURA [email protected]
DON HIGHBERGER, [email protected]
THE EDITORIAL BOARD OF THE UNIVERSITY NEWS RECOGNIZES AVIS MEYER, PH.D. AS THE NEWSPAPER’S FACULTY MENTOR.
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.
-First copy, free. Each additional copy, $1.00.
Hey Students,
START SHOWING UP TO THE GAMES!!!!! It’s ridiculous that people can’t walk over to Chaifetz to watch their top 30 basketball team FOR FREE. This team will be playing in the NCAA Tournament this year, and they can’t even get their peers to come watch their games. There are 2 games left and one of them is Senior Night on February 28th against Xavier. Kyle Cassity and Brian Conklin are 2 model student athletes that everyone should support and respect. It will be one of the biggest games of the season and the team could win the conference if they win that game. Show up, be loud, and support your team.
- Jake on “Billikens demolish Richmond at Chaifetz”
Websitecomments
As a medical resident at SLUH, I wanted to live close to the hospital but 10 yrs ago, ‘safe’ options were even fewer.
I wished the row of small bungalows(recently demolished) to the north of the hospital were avail-able for rent.
I was relegated to a sleep deprived drive home after my 36-hour calls.
Reusing the pevely building as student housing would definitely be a step in the right direction. It would bring 24-hour pedestrian presence to this corner. With more foot traffic comes safety and further development.
I hope the architects on the job are creative enough to find a solution that satisfies all parties involved.
- Imran on “University’s Pevely plans reflect disre-gard for student housing crisis”
This highlights exactly why it is so hard to take religious conservatives seriously. You want to pre-vent abortions – well hmm… If only science could think of a way to prevent unwanted pregnancies!
No one is forcing Catholic women to buy contra-ceptives. if you are so confident that your female Catholic counterparts (whose opinions were al-most completely absent from this article…) agree with you on this issue, then it is a non-issue. Your insurance payments will only go towards contra-ception if someone on your plan purchases it, so since no Catholic women could possibly need the aid of an insurance company to purchase contra-ception, since their celibate male leaders all con-demn it, you all will be fine.
Mr. Piolata, this mandate is not “undermining the nature of the human person” – forcing others to fall into your fringe beliefs, however, does.
- J on “Contraceptive policy sparks controversy”
Posted below are the results from our web poll on The University News’ website. (36 votes total)
What issues would you like to see the SGA candidates focus on the most?
Housing
Library renovations
Administrative changes
Student office space
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
50%
25%
19%
6%
It’s not like the protesters are animals or violent terrorists. Is it really necessary to note how you kept a “safe distance” and approached “cautiously” and how you narrowly “escaped”? It’s almost of-fensive, to be honest. You are discussing human beings.
- SLU STUDENT on “Behind Enemy Lines: How the SLU College Republicans Occupied Occupy DC”
I love the practicality of this!
- Liss on “Multitasking clothing solves the ‘what to wear’ dilemma”
Texting is a weirdly passive form of communica-tion. Each person can say what they want, but the communication does not require both people to be engaged simultaneously.
- Josh Buechler on “Phone call? Now isn’t that out-dated.”
unewsonline.comThursday, February 23, 2012
Opinion 7
At 11:30 a.m. Central European Time on Sunday, Feb. 19, 2012, I boarded line 3 of the Madrid metro
(subway) system and headed out to the Sol stop. Two of the major Spanish unions, CCOO (the larg-est trade union in Spain) and UGT (another major union), had planned a major demon-stration against the conservative government’s re-
cent labor “reforms.” These reforms make it easier and cheaper to fire workers -- which, in a country that has an unemployment rate of 23 per-cent, seems to many like a step in the wrong direction.
And so I found myself in Puerta del Sol, the city-center of Madrid, which was slowly filling with union protestors. The protest itself was a march from the Plaza de Neptuno up a street filled with banks and government buildings and into Sol, the area I had just left. I walked the reverse of the planned route and ran into the march just as it was leaving.
During their speeches, union leaders said that more than 500,000 people were in attendance. Similar protests across Spain this Sunday also reported large numbers of at-tendees. The BBC reported that po-lice put the figure in Madrid at more like 50,000.
I was at the Obama rally in St. Louis back in 2008 that had approxi-mately 100,000 in attendance - if I had to guess, I’d say the number of people at the Madrid rally was some-where between 100-200 thousand. It is true that so many people were there for this Madrid protest that not everyone made it into Sol, so what-ever the true figure, rest assured that this was a massive gathering of people.
Many of the people I walked with were carrying signs that simply said “NO!” or called for a “huelga gener-al,” or general strike. Public school teachers and supporters wore shirts
that said, in effect, a public school is for the education of everybody. Many marched with union flags or wore stickers in support of a “izqui-erda unida” - united left.
Signs protesting Guantanamo Bay floated here and there. Some In-dignados (the Spanish precursor to the Occupy movement) were in for the march as well, although they did not quite support the union message as much as they supported protest-ing the Partido Popular (the Peo-ple’s Party - the ironically-named, recently empowered conservative party in Spain).
I even ran into a number of Span-ish Ron Paul supporters, which makes about as much sense as, well, it doesn’t make any sense. Especial-ly at a union protest. But I’ll leave a critique of Ron Paul for a later com-mentary.
You might have seen photos of the original Indignado protest that ‘occupied’ Sol in May of 2011 - this is a big space, but it fills up in a hurry. I pushed/snuck my way to slightly nearer the front of the crowd and settled in for the speeches. What
I could understand, and what I re-member as I write this, is that essen-tially, the unions of Spain think that the austerity measures are useless, unfair to workers and inefficient in how they are trying to correct Spain’s problems. The reforms are, in the unions’ perspective, aimed more at paying off debt than they are at helping the Spanish people. Playing around with the banks in-stead of helping the people.
The speeches ended abruptly, at least given what I’ve experienced at political rallies, and some of the crowd stood and chanted along to a Spanish-language version of The In-ternationale. To say it was inspiring would be to put it lightly.
This is going to sound like a bit of a humble-brag, but bear with me. It is something of a curse and a bless-ing to be interested (obsessed) with politics. As a professor of mine put it, you not only know about many of the really horrible things going on in the world, but you also can under-stand why they happen. Reading the news in the morning can be a pain-ful experience. It is easy to feel like
the future is becoming more than a little bit hopeless. The people in charge are no longer (if ever it was otherwise) the people themselves. So things seem pretty bleak.
But then you find yourself, as I did, surrounded by thousands and thousands of people standing up for themselves, for their fellow Span-iards, for Greeks, for people who needed standing up for.
Not everyone joined in when the Internationale (a socialist anthem) started playing - there was a wide spectrum of left-wing ideology at-tending the march - but the fact that so many people were willing to take to the streets in protest of misguided austerity measures makes me think that we’re not done, not by a long shot.
We can still stand up to those who would oppress us in the name of profit or prophet or power or sheer-bloody-minded status-quo. Those signs that shouted “NO!” are just the beginning.
Noah Berman is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Unions, Indignados march in Madrid protests
It seems today that our love of media entertainment has taken a drastic shift from movies to music. Is
our love for mov-ies gone? There was a time when there was fas-cination for the widescreen, but now it seems as if our generation is moving more toward music.
Is this a change in inter-est, or is it due to the fact that college students
don’t have the time to venture out to the nearest movie theaters to enjoy hours of uninterrupted entertain-ment anymore?
The interest in movies seems to have decreased drastically among college students. We have access to many other media and entertain-ment forms, but it seems as if these days music is our main focus.
Think about it for a second. How often do students have access to music during one day? Whether it comes from a radio, laptop or iPod, students are constantly lis-tening to both new and old music. We have become captivated by all different types of music, and in turn, artists have become a lot more adven-turous with their musical genres.
In addition to being immersed in the songs of their favorite artists, many students have taken an inter-est in the new artists of today.
But because we are consistently listening to music during many of our daily activities, it is unclear that we are truly appreciating it for what it is. We have become so accus-tomed to listening to music that, at this point, many of us would feel un-comfortable in the silence without it. How much can we really appreciate something if it is only there as a lull in the background?
No matter what setting we listen to music in, however, music clearly takes up a huge part of our lives and we are finding it to be a lot more con-venient than watching movies.
This year many new talented artists were awarded at the Gram-mys. One of these artists is Adele, who has become especially popular worldwide. Similar to many other musical artists, she has been known for merging her personal life with her songs. This not only makes the songs more interesting, it makes them more relatable, which many
music listeners today look for. Artists are telling their life stories
through their songs, and their mes-sages are really getting across. Peo-ple in all different age groups have no difficulty finding music that they can really connect to. Students to-day find themselves being more and more attached to their favorite art-ists, but for some reason, this does not seem to include actors.
On the other hand, the most amazing thing about movies is their ability to make us completely forget our lives, if only for two hours. As soon as that first preview is played, movie viewers become fully im-mersed in the work, and the outside world no longer exists.
Students do not seem to truly ap-preciate the things that movies can offer, things sometime way better than just plain music.
Movies today focus on the real world issues, and they give people things to talk about. Students today don’t focus on these elements any-more. After they walk out of the the-ater, the movie has completely lost all meaning. Instead of appreciating the movie and staying in that “movie world” for a little while, students
jump right back into their lives as soon as those cred-its roll.
Just as s t u d e n t s use music to block out their lives, movies are used to for-get about life’s prob-
lems and to relax. With our chaotic schedules, it
makes sense that the time for movie viewing is just not there anymore, but hopefully this does not become an ongoing trend even after college. Movies and music make up a huge part of our culture, and it would be a shame to be a part of a generation that no longer appreciates these things. For the amount of technol-ogy that we surround ourselves with daily, it is interesting to notice what medium is missing.
Movies and music are made for our entertainment. Whether it is because of our age, generation or schedules today, students are spend-ing less and less time truly appre-ciating the art and culture that sur-rounds us everyday.
We do not give ourselves time to value what is around us, and we do not open ourselves to what culture can give. We must challenge our-selves to become more culturally oriented and to realize how we can truly benefit from it.
Maeve Donahue is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences.
The world is full of music, but do not forget the value of a good film
Some of the higher state officials of the United States had the pleasure last week of meeting Xi Jinping, the
man who will likely become China’s future leader for the next 10 years.
His visit was somehow trou-bled by harsh comments from Vice President Joe Biden, who bluntly pointed out some of to-day’s most obvi-ous flaws in the
“country of the rising sun.” Repres-sion in Tibet and Xinjiang and theft of intellectual property from foreign companies are just some examples.
Jinping’s meeting with President Obama was, on the other hand, mod-erate and simple. There is a reason for this, though. China is suffering its own instability problems, with a Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China retir-ing in almost its entirety. Only Jin-ping and his colleague Li Keqiang are staying.
The remaining seven members will be gone next fall. New blood in the PSC could help China to intro-duce some of the changes that the rest of the world has been tirelessly requesting, such as “fair game” in the international markets.
This is something that both Obama and Biden advised to Jinping in their conversations last week. The idea that China is not playing by the rules of international trade has be-come a recurring topic.
This is itself misleading in many ways. There are rules in the inter-national markets, but so many coun-tries have violated them for so long that their value is questionable or precedence has been set to rather avoid the application of such rules.
Besides, not everybody is even competing at the same level. In a re-cent article in Foreign Policy, Clyde Prestowitz describes the issue as “watching tennis players trying to play a game with football players. It
doesn’t work, and insisting on play-ing by the rules doesn’t help be-cause both sets of teams are playing by the rules -- of their game.”
What Prestowitz is referring to is the collision of America’s (and a large portion of Europe’s) free-trade policies with China’s neomercantil-ism. While the first seeks a balance between imports and exports, let-ting prices be self-adjusted by the supply and demand of the market, the second focuses on empowering exports over imports and control-ling currency from a centralized government.
When both of these market poli-cies encounter each other, we see meetings like the one Obama and Jinping had last week. Since Amer-ica tries to apply policies of no-inter-vention, China takes advantage of that vacuum of power and controls as much as it possibly can. Can we blame them, though?
I think we cannot. Blaming them for seeking success would be a huge-ly hypocritical statement, especially if it were said by the U.S., a country whose whole history has been the pursuit of becoming a great nation. It is no surprise that now that Chi-na’s power is finally rising, countries are starting to complain and throw political arguments at each other as if they were knives.
Believe it or not, China is now one of the big guys and plays a role in world politics. The veto of a U.N. res-olution to condemn Syria’s regime was the latest proof of how much influence China has gained in the last few decades. However, lack of human rights guarantees and large impoverished areas in the country devalue such influence.
Jinping’s visit has demonstrated two things: It is important to listen to China, and China cannot keep on ignoring the rest of the world. The best trading situation is the one in which both parties encounter a win-win situation, and China has a lot of trading ahead.
Federico Garcia Lorca is a senior in Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology.
Xi Jinping visits U.S., raises issues
Goodbye sweets, goodbye cheese, goodbye Facebook, goodbye TV. Actually, it’s more like “See you
in 40 days!” I’m sure Jesus would be thoroughly impressed with your ability to forfeit that Häa-gen-Dazs or un-natural addiction to Pretty Little Liars for a few weeks a year (even if you do slip up on cer-tain weekends and maybe even
on Spring Break). Giving up unhealthy habits for
Lent is all well and good, but what about true sacrifice? Or, better yet, what about actually doing some-thing productive for humanity or at least for your neighborhood?
Forget hiding those potato chips temporarily. Indulge yourself -- you deserve it. Instead, consider doing acts of kindness. Hold the door for strangers, buy lunch for a distraught roommate, talk to the man at the Grand Boulevard crosswalk and “be willing to donate to the homeless,” using his own words.
Honestly, you don’t even have to be Catholic to practice Lent. Really, it’s all the rage. It is rather easy to forget the true meaning of the sea-son, and I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t quite get it.
How does giving up biting my nails until Easter bring me closer to Jesus? It seems almost disrespect-ful to try to parallel my sacrifice to his. Not only that, but also the habits we often try to kick during Lent are generally things we shouldn’t do or eat anyways, so why do we bother returning to these “sinful” ways that harm us even after the 40 days ex-pires?
I am tired of the same routine every year where I give up the one thing I love most in the world: chocolate. It seems that without fail, two weeks before Easter I enter a frenzy of craving and wind up cheat-ing. The guilt I endure while wiping the Hershey’s off my cheek far out-weighs the pride I felt the previous five weeks of success.
However, this year will be differ-ent. I don’t feel the desire to deprive myself of the charming sayings on the inside of the Dove wrappers anymore. As an alternative, I am taking an environmental approach. No more toilet paper! Ok fine, I will just switch my apartment over to re-cycled toilet paper (saving the earth from chlorine pollution while simul-taneously preserving trees). I will also be using washcloths instead of paper towels.
And lastly, in lieu of coming home with 14 plastic bags from Schnucks, I will splurge on some reusable bags. On top of all this, I will be far more conscientious about recycling as well.
If you are still struggling to fig-ure out exactly what to give up for Lent, try instead to give back. One constructive idea may be to donate blood. According to American Red Cross, 38,000 blood donations are needed daily. Ditch the daily Star-bucks latte and instead accumulate that money and give it to charity.
About 27 percent of the popula-tion of St. Louis earns an income below the poverty level. Spend one Sunday cleaning out your jam-packed closet and donate those far-too-skinny jeans from freshman year to Goodwill.
Sacrifice small indulgences (i.e. purchases on iTunes, magazines, quality beer) and give that money to an on-campus organization such as Habitat for Humanity or Relay For Life. Avoid lazy Sunday mornings and volunteer at Campus Kitchen. Or even take the challenge to the next level and drink nothing but wa-ter for six weeks…right.
A hot topic for Catholics between February and April tends to be “So what are you giving up for Lent?” Im-press some of your friends with your selfless intentions for the holiday. Nothing would make momma more proud.
Hopefully after 40 days of true “sacrifice,” a new habit will emerge, and we will all be better people by Easter. Wishful thinking, I know, but at least it’s productive and not vain.
The benevolence does not need to cease even come April 9, the day af-ter Easter. This Lenten season could be an opportunity to start a whole new way of living. Rule of thumb is that it takes about 21-28 days to form a habit, so 40 days should be plenty to have it deeply ingrained.
At any rate, I think we could all use a little penance and cleansing after the usual party excess during Mardi Gras.
But if all this is really just too much for a college student to handle, then it may help to know that I heard a glass of red wine a day is good for the heart. Things to think about.
Stephanie Wood is a junior in John Cook School of Business.
Give up giving up for Lent, go for sacrifice, selflessness
Photo by: Noah Berman / Foreign Desk Chief
Parisa Rouie / Opinion Editor
Commentary
FederiCo GarCia LorCa
Commentary
maeve donahue
Commentary
noah Berman
Commentary
Stephanie WoodS
Students today find themselves being more and more attached to artists, but for some reason, this does not include actors.
“”
Crossword
Sudoku
Word Search
unewsonline.comThursday, February 23, 2012
Advertise with us:314.977.2813
The University News
Games
Last Week’s Solutions:
Comics/Student Art
By Tyler Sondag
“� e Artist” “� e Descendants”
“Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”“� e Help”
“Hugo”“Midnight in Paris”
“Moneyball”“� e Tree of Life”
“War Horse”
RP – “� e Artist” takes this one, proving that silence is golden.
TK – I agree, but I would love to see “� e Tree of Life” sneak in there.
Oscar PredictionsMichel Hazanavicius for “� e Artist”
Alexander Payne for “� e Descendants” Martin Scorsese for “Hugo”
Woody Allen for “Midnight in Paris”Terrence Malick for “� e Tree of Life”
RP – Hazanavicius all the way. TK – In a lineup featuring two of America’s all-time
greats, a metaphysical poet and a modern satirist, Ha-zanavicius— a Frenchman whose only previous � lms are basically French versions of Austin Powers— will
claim his � rst Oscar.
Demian Bichir in “A Better Life”George Clooney in “� e Descendants”
Jean Dujardin in “� e Artist”Gary Oldman in “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”
Brad Pitt in “Moneyball”
RP – I’d love to see Oldman win this one, but you can’t bet against Clooney. Speaking of which, where is
Michael Fassbender for “Shame?” TK – I enjoyed Oldman’s performance, too, but Dujardin gets caught up in “� e Artist” wave.
My personal vote would have been a write-in for Michael Shannon in “Take Shelter.”
Glenn Close in “Albert Nobbs”Viola Davis in “� e Help”
Rooney Mara in “� e Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”Meryl Streep in “� e Iron Lady”
Michelle Williams in “My Week with Marilyn”
RP – Mara with the “Dragon Tattoo” should win, but Meryl rules with an iron � st.
TK – My heart and my prediction go out to Davis, without whom “� e Help” is a soulless mess.
Kenneth Branagh in “My Week with Marilyn”Jonah Hill in “Moneyball”Nick Nolte in “Warrior”
Christopher Plummer in “Beginners”Max von Sydow in
“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”
RP & TK – Von Sydow, 83, should win for bringing down the house with nay but a word,
but Plummer, 82, will � nally win his long-deserved Oscar. Either way, we will see
the oldest winner in the show’s history.
Berenice Bejo in “� e Artist”
Jessica Chastain in “� e Help”
Melissa McCarthy in “Bridesmaids”
Janet McTeer in “Albert Nobbs”
Octavia Spencer in “� e Help”
RP & TK – Spencer’s name is already engraved
in this statuette.
“A Cat in Paris”“Chico & Rita”
“Kung Fu Panda 2”“Puss in Boots”
“Rango”
RP & TK – � e daring whimsy of “Rango”
will wrangle the 8-pound gold man.
“� e Artist”“Harry Potter and the
Deathly Hallows Part 2”“Hugo”
“Midnight in Paris”“War Horse”
RP & TK – With its winding staircases and churning clocks, “Hugo” fully realized the train
station central to its story.
“� e Artist”“� e Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
“Hugo”“� e Tree of Life”
“War Horse”
RP—“� e Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” for the perfect insight to a Swedish lifestyle.
TK – Emmanuel Lubezki should have won in 2006 for “Children of Men,” and he will
� nally get the award he deserves for creating some of the most beautiful images
on � lm in “� e Tree of Life.”
“Anonymous”“� e Artist”
“Hugo”“Jane Eyre”
“W.E.”
RP & TK – W.E. (pardon the pun) have to go with
“� e Artist,” here.
“Hell and Back Again”“If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front”
“Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory”“Pina”
“Undefeated”
RP – With a title like “Hell and Back Again,” how can the Academy not go with the doc about Iraqi veterans having trouble moving back home? Milton wrote
2 sequels to “Paradise Lost” — wasn’t the epic poem long enough?
TK – � e Oscar will go to “Paradise Lost 3” because of its political press, but I’m going with the innovative “Pina.”
Besides, one wonders whether Wim Wenders will ever win one.
“� e Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement”
“God Is the Bigger Elvis”“Incident in New Baghdad”
“Saving Face”“� e Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom”
RP – Based on title alone, I have to go with “God Is the Bigger Elvis.”
TK – Following that trend, then, I’ll go with the punny “Saving Face.”
“� e Artist”“� e Descendants”
“� e Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”“Hugo”
“Moneyball”
RP- “� e Artist.” A picture is worth a thousand words.
TK – � elma Schoonmaker should win her fourth Oscar for cutting “Hugo,” but the French invasion continues as Hazanvicius wins his third of the night with “� e Artist.”
“Bullhead” from Belgium“Footnote” from Israel
“In Darkness” from Poland“Monsieur Lazhar” from
Canada“A Separation” from Iran
RP & TK– Iran wins this one for “A Separation,”
a � lm so sad we forgot to cry.
“Albert Nobbs”“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hal-
lows Part 2”“� e Iron Lady”
RP – “Albert Nobbs” should win based o� the press photos alone.
TK – Streep spent half of the � lm in makeup, so I’m going with
“� e Iron Lady.” Anything to beat the makeup in the “20 years later”
epilogue to “Deathly Hallows.”
“� e Adventures of Tintin”“� e Artist”
“Hugo”“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”
“War Horse”
RP – � e music in “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” really
helped to set the mood. TK – For its wall-to-wall score,
“� e Artist” wins.
“Man or Muppet” from “� e Muppets”
“Real in Rio” from “Rio”
RP & TK – Hmmm . . . this is a tough one. It’s literally either “Rio” or
“Muppet.” WILL.I.AM is great in animated � lms but, at the end of the day, how can you bet against “� e Muppets?”
“Dimanche/Sunday”“� e Fantastic Flying
Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore”
“La Luna”“A Morning Stroll”
“Wild Life”
RP & TK – “Mr. Morris” is pretty fantastic.
“Pentecost”“Raju”
“� e Shore”“Time Freak”
“Tuba Atlantic”
RP & TK – Hilarious and with a sweet title, we are
going to pick “Tuba Atlantic.”
“Drive”“� e Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
“Hugo”“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”
“War Horse”
RP – “Transformers” should win for all the times they cut out Megan Fox’s lines in the past,
but I’m choosing “Drive,” because you can’t beat boys with toys.
TK – One word: “Hugo.”
“� e Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”“Hugo”
“Moneyball”“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”
“War Horse”
RP – “War Horse” gallops into the lead.TK – � ey should give an Oscar to whoever
can tell me the di� erence between Sound Editing and Sound Mixing. So, I’ll
wager “Hugo” wins this one, too.
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2”“Hugo”
“Real Steel”“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”
RP – A bubble around Hogwarts? ‘Nu� said. “Harry Potter.” TK – � ey love Andy Serkis and all that motion capture-y stu� . I think those damn dirty “Apes” will have their paws on Oscar gold.
“� e Descendants” by Alexander Payne, Nat Faxton and Jim Rash
“Hugo” by John Logan“� e Ides of March” by George Clooney,
Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon“Moneyball” by Steven Zaillian
and Aaron Sorkin. Story by Stan Shervin. “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” by Bridget O’Connor
and Peter Straughan
RP - No � lm has ever put so much meaning into the furrowing of a brow as “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.”
TK – Although I’d love to see Sorkin reclaim his title in this category, the Academy will feel the need to throw a
bone to “� e Descendants.”
“� e Artist” by Michel Hazanavicius“Bridesmaids” by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig
“Margin Call” by J.C. Chandor“Midnight in Paris” by Woody Allen“A Separation” by Asghar Farhadi
RP & TK – In this, his 15th nomination in this category, the King of Comedy, Woody Allen,
will claim his third award.
Best Picture Best Director Best Actress Best Actor
Best Supporting Actor Best Supporting Actress Best Adapted Screenplay Best Foreign Language Film Best Documentary Feature
Best Original Screenplay Best Sound Editing Best Live Action Short Film Best Documentary Short Best Animated Feature Film
Best Film Editing Best Sound Mixing Best Original Score Best Visual E� ects
Best Art Direction Best Original Song Best Costume Design Best Makeup Best Cinematography Best Animated Short Film
RP = Richard PughTK = T.J. Keeley
THEATER
unewsonline.comThursday, February 23, 2012
The University News
Talk to us: Erin Everett
OTHER
MUSIC
OUTOn The
TOWnArTs ediTOr’s Picks
Arts
Friday, Feb. 24 & Saturday, Feb. 25
Doors open at 7 p.m.Show begins at 8 p.m.Celebration Day: a tribute to leD Zeppelin
The PageantTickets for Saturday’s show are sold out
Saturday, Feb. 25
Doors open at 6 p.m.Show begins at 7 p.m.the 7th annual St. louiS blueS FeStival
Chaifetz ArenaShirley Brown will be headlining. Supporting acts include Mel Waiters, Sir Charles Jones, Millie Jackson, Bobby Rush and Theodis Ealey.
Monday, Feb. 27
Doors open at 7 p.m.Show begins at 8 p.m.ruSko with Slante
The PageantThere will be a $2 minor surcharge at the door
Wednesday, Feb. 29
Doors open at 7 p.m.Show begins at 8 p.m.eli young banD with eriC paSlay
The PageantThere will be a $2 minor surcharge at the door
Thursday, Feb. 23 through Sunday, Feb. 26
Show times vary by dayweSt SiDe Story The Fabulous Fox TheatreTickets available at fabulousfox.com
Friday, Feb. 24 & Saturday, Feb. 25
7 p.m.the Slu MonologueS
Tegeler Hall, Carlo AuditoriumTickets are $10
Friday, Feb. 24 & Saturday, Feb. 25 and March 2-4, 2012
8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. on Sundaysbat boy:the MuSiCal
Main stage theater, Xavier HallSLU Theatre Department
Sunday, Feb. 26
6 p.m.the 84th annual aCaDeMy awarDS
ABC7Hosted by Billy Crystal
Latest University Theatre play unveils a Bat BoyBy T.J. KEELEYAssociate Arts Editor
Theatre major Robbie Dis-tasio arrives to rehearsal two hours early every day, just so that his makeup can be ap-plied before the curtain rises. A freshman, Distasio landed the lead role as Bat Boy in “Bat Boy: The Musical,” the SLU theatre department’s first production of the Spring semester.
“Bat Boy” premiered off-Broadway in 1997. Based on a 1992 Weekly World News story, “Bat Boy” imagines the hijinks that ensue after a half-boy, half-bat was found living in a cave by three teen-age spelunkers. After being taken captive by the boys, the Bat Boy b o u n c e s b e t w e e n S h e r i f f Reynolds and the local vet-erinarian, Dr. Park-er, who, along with his wife, agree to take Bat Boy in.
Senior Greg Cuellar, who has shown a knack for the musical maca-
bre— winning The Riverfront Times’ award for Best Actor in Musical in 2011 for his role as Ash in “Evil Dead: The Mu-sical” — plays Dr. Parker.
“He is a misunderstood character,” Cuellar said. “It’s easy to look at him as the vil-lain, but he just wants love and to be accepted.”
As Bat Boy tries to fit into society, he faces fear and re-jection at nearly every turn. The fish-out-of-water story provides a backdrop for the musical to explore themes of othering, revenge and toler-ance.
“The story will bring some-thing out in yourself,” Tyler Linke, sophomore, said. “It will teach you about yourself.”
Linke works as assistant stage man-ager, and helped to create many of the show’s crazy and gory props, including a decapitated cow head and what Linke d e s c r i b e d as “a Freddy K r u e g e r -esque dead body.”
But there is romance, too. In keeping with its camp-
horror aesthetic, “Bat Boy” serves up a subplot in which romance develops between Dr. Parker’s daughter, Shel-ley, and Bat Boy.
“‘Bat Boy” is not like a normal musical. It’s more rock and pop-y,” Distasio said, cleaning blood off of his hands. (Stage blood, that is, which Linke explained con-sists of mostly corn syrup.)
The tone and content of “Bat Boy” requires an imagi-native stage design and di-rectorial vision. Justin Bari-sonek was brought on as a guest scenic designer in the absence of Mark Wilson, who is on leave this semester. Bari-sonek and a group of students tackled the musical’s diverse settings. From the inner re-cesses of a cave to a home
in West Virginia, anything in “Bat Boy” could be portrayed with a judicial application of cardboard.
“We got cardboard to look like a whole lot of things it doesn’t normally look like,” Barisonek said.
Freshman Martin Moran
Courtesy of John Lamb / Saint Louis University Theatre Department
From L to R: Kristin McGuire, Robbie Distasio and Natalie Sannes star in the upcoming production “Bat Boy: The Musical,” opening at the Xavier Hall University Theatre on Friday. He is a misunderstood
character. It’s easy to look at him as the villain, but he just wants love and to be accepted.
“”
-Greg Cuellar, cast member
See “Macabre” on Page 10
The University Newsunewsonline.com
Thursday, February 23, 2012Arts10
New Broadway cast refines classic tale ‘West Side Story’ brings romance, dramatic flair to the Fox Theatre
© Carol Rosegg 2011
Evy Ortiz and Ross Lekites co-star in “West Side Story,” now playing at the Fox Theatre through Sunday, Feb. 26.
The highlight of Valen-tine’s Day was the opening of “West Side Story” at the
Fabulous Fox The-atre. What better way to show a f fec t ion for the one you love than with t i c k e t s to one of the most r omant ic shows to
ever grace the stage? Based on the book by Ar-
thur Laurents, “West Side Story” first graced the stage in 1957 and has since been performed countless times around the world.
The musical follows two New York City street gangs: one consisting of poverty-stricken Caucasians (the Jets), and the other, newly-im-migrated Puerto Ricans strug-gling to achieve the American dream (the Sharks). Both gangs fight for territory and respect in a seemingly end-less cycle of violence and de-struction.
Tony, the former Jet lead-er (played by Ross Lekites) is consumed by the feeling that something is coming— something that will change the course of his life forever. Breaking away from the Jets, he decides to pursue this feel-ing. Tony’s best friend Riff (Drew Foster), current leader of the Jets, pressures Tony to re-connect with the gang be-cause they need his help to fight against the Sharks.
At a local gymnasium, the gangs collide in fervor of ten-sion and dance. Through all the noise and color, the world stops when Tony sees Maria (Evy Ortiz), younger sister of the Sharks’ leader. Maria is an innocent girl, experienc-ing America for the first time.
The two instantly fall in love, but struggle to let their love grow in a cold and indifferent city that will not accept their relationship.
“West Side Story” is a clas-sic, and therefore takes a great deal of vocal power and control to perform accurately. The new Broadway cast tack-led Stephen Sondheim’s lyr-ics at full force and performed the music as only profession-als could. The pit, which in-cluded some St. Louis locals, was fantastic and deserves as much praise as the vocal per-formers.
The most awe-inspiring aspect of the show, as al-ways, was the choreography. Watching dancers perform the original 1950 choreog-raphy of Jerome Robbins is always impressive. Praise is in order for characters such as Anita (Michelle Avavena) and Riff, who showed great stamina throughout their per-formances.
The cast was able to per-form the choreography with incredible accuracy, going back and forth between danc-ing and singing without skip-ping a beat.
The addition of Spanish into the original script— and even into some of the lyrics, for the Puerto Rican charac-ters— adds a fresh authentic-ity to the musical. One down-side to this addition, however, was that the incorporation of Spanish into trademark songs such as “I Feel Pretty,” “To-night” and “A Boy like That” made it hard to sing along, and caused a few mumbles in the audience.
Technical aspects of the show were very professional, and very detailed. The color schemes of the costumes and hairstyles reflected a more modern look than in previous performances. The set was made with clean and simple lines, giving the city a cold
and industrial feel. “West Side Story” is a com-
plex and dynamic story that registers different emotions and life lessons in every audi-ence member.
The musical is able to ap-peal to those who love ac-tion, drama, dance, music and overall fantastic artistic expression, as well as those who love romance. “West Side Story” examines interra-cial and cultural relationships, racism, poverty, the American Dream, violence, corrupt law enforcement, brotherhood and the evils of revenge, and so much more.
Anyone who sees the show will leave with something they can relate to, and that can be related to others. It is much more than an adaptation of the well-known love story of “Romeo and Juliet”— it is life on stage, performed in front of your eyes. Living, breath-ing life.
If you missed last week’s performances, do not fret— the New Broadway cast will be at the Fox through Feb. 26.
It is rare to see a show with such high caliber, so don’t miss the chance to experi-ence “West Side Story” for yourself.
TheaTer review
T.K. SmiTh
Comedy Central’s Gabriel Iglesias charms the Peabody
A laser lights show and LMFAO’s “Sexy and I Know It” introduced the fluffiest
man in s h o w business: the 5-foot-1 0 - i n c h , 250-pound G a b r i e l Iglesias.
On Fri-day, Feb. 17, Igle-sias came to the P e a b o d y O p e r a
House, along with a few of his comedian buddies, to bring a stand-up revolution of sorts. Iglesias had a two-and-a-half hour set— running more than an hour over his allotted stage time— and offered St. Lou-isans a show that was funny and, of course, fluffy.
“When I first got to St. Lou-is, I saw the arch, and I said, ‘I want to go to McDonald’s,’” Iglesias said.
Roughly half of Iglesias’ performance consisted of new material, which included tales of meeting some gay fans who described them-selves as “bears” in a Califor-nia comedy club; describing how he stripped naked during a show eight years ago after having 19 shots of Jägermeis-ter; his son’s experiences dur-ing puberty; and getting peo-ple drunk to be honest about their relationship history.
After that time, Iglesias began to take questions from the audience about the vari-ous people in his stories. The iconic funnyman became particularly sensitive when one audience member asked about his mother.
Iglesias said that he had a “falling out” with his mother after she suffered a stroke last year, and then moved in with him and his girlfriend. Iglesias’ mother began to dis-like his girlfriend, and their relationship became strained.
After that awkward mo-ment, Iglesias asked the audience if they wanted to hear some of his old comedy routines. Iglesias’ request invoked a very positive audi-ence response. Some of the audience members began to ask Iglesias to do some of his old bits from previous tele-vised specials. Iglesias did five or six of these bits. Two notable mentions were “The Fat and the Furious” and “Chocolate Cake Made Me Late.”
“The Fat and the Furious” is a story about an instance when Iglesias bought a Volk-
swagen Beetle, drove to his friend Martin’s house and screamed out “Martinnn!” At the house across the street, where two “gangsters” lived, they would make fun of Igle-sias because of his small car. When Iglesias decided to put a new engine in his car, on a subsequent visit, one of the neighbors said, “Hey, look, it’s the fat and furious.”
“Chocolate Cake Made Me Late” is a tale about how Igle-sias let his son eat an entire small chocolate cake, which caused him to be ill the follow-ing morning.
Iglesias drove him to school, and they were 45 min-utes late. Iglesias decided to drop his son off at the front door of the school, but he was not supposed to do that. Just as Iglesias’ son begins to step out of the car, he be-gins to “freak out.” According to Iglesias, the principal ap-proached the car to tell Igle-sias that he could not drop off his son at the front door. Iglesias decided to act dumb, and spoke Spanish to the prin-cipal, saying that he did not understand. The principal responded to Iglesias in Span-ish, saying “I’m not stupid.”
Three of Iglesias’ come-dian friends opened for him: Sean Lathum, Alfred Robles and Rick Gutierrez. Lathum’s set included stories about his experiences at fast food restaurants and playing on Xbox Live. Robles focused his set on religious humor, mainly focusing on the Cath-olic Church, and Gutierrez focused his set on the ways in which kids can “ruin” peo-ple’s lives.
Lathum and Robles had very strong sets. Both of them had excellent timing and execution of their jokes and punch lines. Gutierrez mainly relied on anger for his humor, which was good for the first part of his set, but the lack of variation made his rou-tine seem stale.
Iglesias had a great set. He was very lively and happy and had the audience laughing all night. He really blended his humor and storytelling into a very special night for the au-dience.
His new material was a re-freshing break from previous material, which had consisted mostly of him making fun of his eating habits and his own self-deprecation.
The show was one of the best comedy shows I had seen in a long time, and Igle-sias certainly knows how to make an audience happy— and a little fluffier.
Homoud Al-Jalahma / Staff Photographer
Comedian Gabriel Iglesias visited the Peabody on Feb. 17.
Macabre: Surrealism in student production
Continued from Page 9
worked on scenic design with Barisonek in addition to por-traying Ron Taylor, whom Moran calls “the coward of the family.” Moran’s performance involves “a lot of screaming,” but Moran said he has had a lot of fun working with guest director Jason Cannon.
Like Moran, Cuellar spoke highly of his experience work-ing with Cannon.
“I’m always interested in the director’s perspective and what the director brings to a show,” Cuellar said. “[‘Bat Boy’] fits right up his alley. He really understands the hu-mor.”
“Bat Boy” is a bit of mixed tape, featuring music that would fit into many different genres and dabbling in a vari-ety of tones from slapstick to
surrealism and even horror. “It’s not something you find
on a daily basis,” Moran said. “It’s interesting, different. Not at all what I expected.”
“Bat Boy: The Musical” opens Friday, Feb. 24 at 8 p.m., and continues Saturday night at the same time. Shows will resume the following weekend on Friday, March 2 and Saturday, March 3 at 8 p.m., with the closing show being a Sunday matinee on March 4 at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $7 for students, and all shows will be per-formed in the Xavier Hall Uni-versity Theatre.
“Who doesn’t love a love story?” Cuellar asked, rhetori-cally. Especially one as campy, grisly and bestial as “Bat Boy: The Musical.”
Comedy review
CharleS BowleS
Lotus: Jam band’s live shows are ‘a main attraction’
Homoud Al-Jalahma / Staff Photographer
Lotus, a five-man band, performed at the Pageant on Feb. 18.
I do not consider myself a music aficionado. I neither concern myself with the tech-
nical i t ies of why a band is “good” or “bad,” nor do I fol-low cur-rent music t r e n d s . For exam-ple, I have never seen the Gram-mys, or
any other awards show. Music is for the ears rather
than the eyes, so I do not care who makes it— I’m just a guy who enjoys good music. So,
ConCerT review
rhoBB hunTer
I hope you can bear a music review written by a guy who knows nothing, but is open to everything.
I absolutely despise New Year’s resolutions, but, in 2012, I promised myself that I would broaden my horizons, taking every opportunity to experience something new. Having listened to hip-hop my entire life, I have missed out on music from other genres. So, I jumped at the chance to see Lotus at The Pageant on Feb. 18 because a friend of a friend said they were incred-ible— possibly the best show they had ever seen.
Formed in 1999, Lotus, an electronic jam band, graced St. Louis with their stage pres-
ence. Playing a wide variety of music, Lotus consists of five talented artists: Mike Rempel (guitar), Jesse Miller (bass and sampler), Mike Green-field (drums), Luke Miller (guitar and keyboard) and Chuck Morris (percussion).
Having released nine al-bums, with the latest being the self-titled “Lotus,” the group has seen generally pos-itive reviews throughout their career. Still, the band encour-ages fans to share Lotus’ mu-sic, even allowing audience members to record their live shows. Lotus also sells audio copies of their live shows, which is their main attraction.
Prior to seeing Lotus, all I knew about them was that they made “super cool music” and had a “freaking ridicu-lously awesome light show.” I went and was thoroughly sur-prised by how much I enjoyed the concert. The jam band re-ally jammed!
Lotus took me on a crash course of psychedelic funk pop through their ethereal, lava lamp and melodic dance songs. Lotus appealed to my hip-hop background, too. Their consistent tempo kept me interested, while their live improvisation kept me want-ing more. Miller showcased his guitar skills while using the sampler to create repeti-tive, almost chant-like sounds.
They offered a nice mix of slow and fast songs, but lo-
cal fans must be more famil-iar with the up-tempo tracks, because the faster songs got more voice recognition from the crowd than other, mel-lower songs. I also found it pretty refreshing that Lotus is a solely instrumental band. Their instruments spoke for themselves.
Hip-hop concerts generally attract the same crowds, so I was really excited to experi-ence a new group of people. The crowd— a motley crew of hippies, hipsters and music-lovers swayed, nodded and jumped around, as they en-joyed a good ol’ time listening to Lotus’ funky tracks. Every-one dressed differently; from Britney Spears-esque plaid skirts and knee-high boots to tie-dye shirts, each individual had a distinctive personality and wore it on their sleeves that night.
This psycho-funk-electron-ica-hop concert completely blew my mind. I was bopping to the beats like an animal from Outkast’s “Ms. Jackson” video, and was mesmerized by the colorful light show. Lotus concerts are neither for the elderly or faint at heart, due to the bright lights that will have your hearts and fists pumping. Lotus has some-thing for every music lover to enjoy.
Whether you’re interested in jazz, pop or hip-hop, Lotus has something for you.
SLUMA exhibit highlights untold stories of African-American women
Spirituality, history and art come together in Saint Louis University Museum of Art’s
c u r r e n t e x h i b i t “ S p i r i t and His-tory.” This e x h i b i t f e a t u r e s work from J a m e s H a s s e , S.J., a Chi-cago Je-suit priest, and Judge Nathan B.
Young, St. Louis’ first African-American municipal judge.
The eastern portion of the exhibit, the “History” part, is dedicated to Young’s art. It is a rich display of the history of the black experience in America.
Such historical events as the Brown v. Board of Educa-tion decision and one of the
arT review
Jimmy meinerS
first all-black military units are reflected in the judge’s work. He also pays attention to local black history, such as the Missouri Compromise and civil rights leader Percy Green II.
Another work, “American Gosherie,” takes the iconic “American Gothic” and sub-verts it by inserting a black woman and a white man. Such a painting was controversial in 1974 when it was finished, only seven years after the Su-preme Court overturned anti-miscegenation laws (includ-ing Missouri’s) with Loving v. Virginia.
Hasse’s section, “Spirit,” dedicates itself to the spiri-tual history of black people in the United States, including black women. He details the struggles vividly, with plenty of Christian imagery.
One of the most power-ful images is of a lynching, with the victim stretched out
in a Christ-like fashion. For a Catholic audience, one of the most intriguing is “Wom-en crucified on St. Peter’s square.” The imagery is obvi-ous, but a placard describes the painting with: “The Catho-lic Church has done its share of oppressing women.”
Hasse once described his art by saying, “I paint women crucified, not as the historical Christ, but as the feminine half of the Mystical Body of Christ, which continues to save society and our families today through the offering of their sufferings, their cruci-fixions.”
Hasse upholds women through his use of the cre-ation story. He uses two paint-ings to show that we are all made in God’s image— an important corrective to the position of power taken by both white people and males. Hasse’s paintings supply a much-needed antidote to the
white male view of Christian-ity that has dominated most of the history of the Church.
Be sure to check online for an article about the panel discussion of the exhibit that occurred on Wednesday, Feb. 22, and visit the “Spirit and History” exhibit before it closes on March 4.
Courtesy of Mary Marshall / SLUMA
Judge Nathan B. Young’s “American Gosherie.”
unewsonline.comThursday, February 23, 2012Sports Talk to us:
Joseph Cacchione314.977.2812
The University News
Billiken Tennis
The success of both the men’s and women’s tennis teams took a downward turn this weekend. The men’s team lost 3-4 to SIU Edwardsville and 1-6 to Bradley, and the women lost 3-4 to Illinois State and 0-7 to Missouri after winning against SIUE. The women don’t compete again until Feb. 29 against Murray State, and the men’s team is back in action on March 2 against Drake in Des Moines, Iowa.
Billiken Briefs
66-46
Men’s Basketball
Women’s Basketball
W
Baseball
@ Dayton
54-72L
70-69W
vs. Charlotte
BILLIKEN SCOREBOARD
W 6-1
vs. Middle Tennessee
Women’s BaskeTBall
The women’s bas-ketball team won a thriller against Char-lotte Wednesday night 70-69 in overtime. This dramatic win came just four days after falling to Dayton 72-54. SLU’s overall record stands at 10-18 and have a 4-9 record against teams in teh Atlantic 10 Confer-ence. In the loss to Day-ton, Lorreal Jones and Desirae Ball combined for 24 points, scoring 13 and 11 points respec-tively. Mallory Eggert also contributed by recording a game-high-tying eight rebounds.
Brittany Cloudy ended the Atlantic 10 Indoor Track and Field Championships this past weekend by winning the triple jump and the long jump events. These were her fifth and sixth conference championships during her Saint Louis University career.
In 2009 and 2010, she also won the indoor triple jump.In 2010 she won the outdoor triple jump, and she has won the last two indoor long jumps. She was also named the Women’s 2012 A-10 Track and Field Most Outstanding Field Performer.
“My success this season is due to the training my coach prepared for me. We worked a lot on getting me fit and in better running shape,” Cloudy said.
Cloudy’s mark of 18-7 3/4 in the long jump beat Charlotte’s Biauna Jones’s mark of 18-4 1/2. Her triple jump mark of 40-8 1/4 broke her own school record and
marked the first time she has swept the horizontal jumps at an A-10 tournament.
“I am very happy with my results, and I used wanting to be the ‘most outstanding field performer’ as motivation to strive to win both events, break meet records and go out with a bang. Although I was already happy with winning two titles, the outstanding performer was icing on the cake. I am very grateful to win the award,” Cloudy said.
Overall, the women’s team finished seventh and the men’s team finished 10th in the conference at the event.
Not to be overshadowed by Cloudy’s success, many other Billikens performed at an elite level, nearly winning their individual events.
Naya Owusu finished in second place in the high jump, with a mark of 5-7. Margo Richardson also placed in second overall in the mile run, finishing with a time of 4:57.68, and Hannah Kuenzel threw 44-9 3/4 in the shot put. All of these marks were new school records.
Senior brings home two conference championshipsWomen’s team places seventh overall; men falter and finish in 10th
>>Track and Field
By JOSEPH CACCHIONESports Editor
Senior Brittany Cloudy is now the Atlantic 10 champion in both the triple and long jumps. These were her fifth and sixth championships in her career.
Courtesy of Billiken Media Relations
This marked the end of the indoor track and field season for the Billikens as they next compete in the Alex Wilson Invitational at Notre Dame University on March 2. Although the events
will now be held outside, the teams plan on using the same approach.
“I plan on keeping the same mindset I had at conference, treating everything like it’s my last, which it is,” Cloudy
said. “I have confidence in my coach with prepping me physically for competition. It is my job to come mentally prepared. With those two things, I feel confident in my ability.”
Pep band entertains crowd, supports basketball teams
Shah (Yuqing Xia) /Senior Staff Photographer
The pep band plays their instruments in order to pump up the crowd at the home basketball games. Their adaptations of modern pop songs energize the team just as much as the audience.
Whether it is playing “Poker Face,” “Forget You” or the Billiken Fight Song, the Billiken pep band plays an instrumental role in creat-ing part of the atmosphere at Chaifetz Arena.
The pep band is under the direction Mike Beczkala, who has led the band since its in-ception in 1989.
“The band -- it is like a fam-ily. Sometimes that term is overused, but we really care for one another and do any-thing for one another,” Bec-zkala said. “The people that are in the band want to be there. They are there to have fun and enjoy basketball. The camaraderie and friendship is really strong.”
Beczkala said that the first year he had 30 members in the band, and over the years the band continued to grow into its current 110-member group that plays at every Bil-liken basketball game.
The band members play various instruments including tubas, trombones, trumpets, saxophones and various other instruments.
Beczkala said participation in the band has picked up the last three or four years since the building of Chaifetz Are-na. As the Billikens continue
By CHARLES BOWLESAssociate Sports Editor
>>Basketball
Softball continues success in Florida, wins three games>> Softball
Over the weekend, the women’s softball team played in the Florida Gulf Coast Tournament. Playing five games in three days, the Bil-likens ended the tournament with a record of 3-2.
The success of this tourna-ment added to their overall re-cord of 7-4. On the first day of the tournament, the Billikens lost the first game 3-0 to Uni-versity of Tennessee-Martin. Leading the Billikens in of-
By TOM HANLONStaff Writer
fense was Jessica Buschjost, who went 2-4. Julian Austin (1-1) pitched just under sex innings, allowing five hits, walking one and striking out three.
The Billikens redeemed themselves that evening in a 5-3 win over the host of the tournament, Florida Gulf Coast. Laura Bohning’s three-run homerun in the sixth in-ning put the Billikens on top.
The Billikens were able to hold on to win the game with great relief pitching by Kelcie Matesa (2-1), who struck out 14 and allowed just four hits
and one unearned run. On the second day of the tourna-ment, the Billikens faced yet another double-header.
The Billikens took the first game against Binghamton with a score of 4-3. Alyson Brand hit her third homerun of the season, and the Billik-ens were able to hold on to a lead with great pitching by Hannah Huebbe (3-1) and starter Austin. Breanna Lock-ette registered a pinch-hit double as her first collegiate hit.
The second game of the day proved to be more dif-
ficult as the Billikens fell to Boston College 5-4. The Bil-likens held Boston College in a corner until the seventh inning, when Boston College pulled even with a pinch-hit two-run homerun.
Boston College took what proved to be the decisive lead in the eighth inning on an RBI single. Despite the loss, the Billikens had some bright spots, Matesa (2-2) striking out five.
Also, the Billikens man-aged to knock eight hits and have only one at-bat lead to a strike out. The Billikens
ended the tournament strong, with a win over Delaware 4-3. Bohning and Lindsay Fried-man each drove in two runs apiece.
Austin also recorded her second win of the season with a solid five innings, and she pitched with six strikeouts and only two earned runs.
The Billikens’ record now stands at 5-1 in one-run games this year as they look ahead to this weekend as they play five games at the Phyllis Rafter Memorial Tournament in Woodstock, Ga., including a game against Indiana.
to win games this year, Becz-kala has noticed some chang-es in the student section.
“With the success on the court, the band as well as the student section at the end of the court have really gotten into it a lot more this year,” Beczkala said. “It brings more students out, and I think that we are more active and more vocal.”
Part of the band’s identity can be found in their unique
chants, which differ slightly from their cheering section counterparts, the SLUnatics. The band tricks the oppo-nents by counting down the shot clock prematurely.
One of the band members is freshman trombone player Brian Reinholz, who is enjoy-ing his first year as a member of the pep band.
“It is always upbeat, always busy playing songs, getting songs ready or cheering in
general,” Reinholz said.Reinholz had nothing but
praise for his band director and really enjoys his style of direction.
Mike is great,” Reinholz said. “He stresses communi-cation and is very into what he does. He is dancing and mov-ing his arms around, trying to get people into the game.”
Reinholz sees the band as an extension of the SLUna-tics, who have a dual role of
being students and fans but also have to entertain the crowd. Reinholz said that it is fun the entire time being at the basketball games and hav-ing good seats.
Beczkala has seen a lot of Bills basketball, serving as the band director since 1989. He said that this cur-rent team reminds him a lot of Charlie Spoonhour’s teams in the 1990s with their outside shooting, but he admits the defense is much better than with Spoonhour’s old teams.
Beczkala also believes that another reason the band is growing is because of Head Coach Rick Majerus. Becz-kala called Majerus his “top recruiter.”
“Coach Majerus is very supportive of the students,” Beczkala said. “He talks a lot about the students and has re-ally been my top recruiter for the pep band.”
The band will potentially make their final performance this season at the Xavier game on Tuesday, Feb. 28.
Just like senior basket-ball players Brian Conklin and Kyle Cassity, for the pep band seniors, this will likely be their final time playing in Chaifetz Arena.
Beczkala said that he want-ed the band to be recognized for all of the effort they have put in this year.
Ryan Giacomino / The University News
During Billiken basketball games, elementary school principal Mike Beczkala can be found leading his band members. Beczkala leads the Billiken band during the team’s home games.
SLU’s most loyal fans provide enthusiastic atmosphere at Chaifetz Arena
L 4-8
L 2-3 vs. Lipscomb
vs. Bowling Green
vs. Belmont
4-5L
vs. Fordham
If you have watched SportsCenter, you have un-doubtedly heard about how the Big East is the “deepest” or “most talented conference in the nation” when it comes to college basketball. This was true last year when the 2010-11 men’s college bas-ketball season was capped off with the Connecticut Huskies winning the title.
This year, however, the winner of the big dance will not come from the Big East. As far as we are concerned, last year UConn only got by from riding the coattails of one player and taking a much-easier-than-usual path through the tournament.
The Big East is often said to be the best conference in basketball. However, seven of its nine NCAA tournament teams last year lost in the first or second round, and this year some of the better teams in the Big East had some very inexplicable non-conference losses. To win the champion-ship, more often than not, a team needs to possess bal-ance. They need a good mix-ture of personnel and sche-matics in order to take them far in the tournament. If a team is too one-dimensional, more often than not their op-ponent will exploit their weak-nesses. For this argument, let us consider the three highest-ranked teams in the Big East: No. 2 Syracuse, No. 8 George-town and No. 10 Marquette.
The Marquette Golden Eagles, who just recently made their way into the top 10, have solid talent in guards Darius Johnson-Odom and Vander Blue and forward Jae Crowder. However, they have a very considerable lack of a post presence. They play a four-guard system similar to that of the Missouri Tigers and give up height for quick-ness and good perimeter play. The Tigers do a great job of making up for this with solid shooting. Marquette, on the other hand, does not possess
Big East conference is overrated
By JACOB BERRY AND PATRICK MCNAMARA
Staff Writers
>>Commentary
SLU baseball begins season with inauspicious startTeam loses three of their first four at Mule Mix Classic by small margins
By ALEX KOZICHStaff Writer
>>Baseball
The Billiken baseball team kicked off their season last weekend as part of the Mule Mix Classic in Nashville, Tenn., by dropping three out of their first four games. The team is projected to finish sixth in the Atlantic 10 Con-ference.
The Billikens started the tournament Friday after-noon with an 8-4 loss to the Lipscomb University Bison. Sophomore left-handed pitch-er Damian Rivera took the mound for the Billikens and went 5.2 innings, giving up 11 hits and seven earned runs with one strikeout and one walk.
Lipscomb led the entire game, with the Billikens only mounting one major threat in the ninth inning, scoring all four of their runs in the in-ning.
On Saturday the Billikens split their double-header, first falling 3-2 in 11 innings to Middle Tennessee State, and in the second game rebound-
File photo by Ryan Giacomino / The University News
Baseball started in Nashville, Tenn., in the Mule Mix Classic. The team lost three out of four close games in the tournament.
Swimming and diving head to conference championship
By NICK SHACKELFORDStaff Writer
>>Swimming and Diving
Team travels to Buffalo to compete against tough Atlantic 10 competition
The Billiken swimming and diving teams are head-ing to the Atlantic 10 tourna-ment this coming weekend at Flickinger Acquatics Center in Buffalo, N.Y.
SLU is coming off a great performance, with the men picking up two convincing victories over Eastern Illinois 158-57 and Evansville 151-69. The women defeated Eastern Illinois 169-49 but came up short against Evansville 110-113.
This season, the Billiken freshmen have held their own. Zack Billingsley is ranked second in the A-10 in the 50 Free and third in the
100 Free, Stephen Hansen is sixth in the 100 Breast and ninth in the 200 Breast, and Patrick May is second in the 100 Free and seventh in the 50 Free.
For the women, Jaylnn Gie-seke is sixth in the 100 Fly and seventh in the 200 Fly. The Billikens will lean on these young swimmers entering the Atlantic 10 tournament.
Senior Taylor Streid has dominated recently, includ-ing winning all five events in which she swam during the Washington Invitational on Jan 13.
Sophomore Lizzie Oster-man looks to succeed in the tournament after setting the school record in the 200-me-ter Freestyle.
The Billiken swimmers are
ranked in various A-10 top 10 lists. This season, 12 swim-mers have been ranked in the top 10 of at least one event.
Billingsley (50 Free, 100 Free), May (100 Free), Brian Brasser (100 Breast), Billy Hrabovsky (one-meter div-ing) and Courtnee Lagestee (one-meter diving) all were ranked in the top three in their events.
The Billikens have only earned two Atlantic 10 ac-colades, both coming from freshmen: Patrick May, who earned Rookie of the Week Dec. 15 and Melanie Batta-glia, who took those honors for the week of Oct. 10.
Patrick earned the acco-lade for his record-setting performance at the Missouri Tiger Invitational, whereas
that shooting ability. They certainly are not a bad shoot-ing team and can get hot at times, but they do not have that consistent outside shoot-ing to make up for their lack of post game. The Golden Ea-gles rank 308th of 345 teams in opponents’ offensive re-bounding. This not only leads to extra shots for the oppos-ing team, but it can also lead to significant foul trouble for Marquette, which will prove crucial down the stretch in tournament time.
The Georgetown Hoyas, praised for their tremendous defense, can cause signifi-cant problems for opposing attacks. Unfortunately, the Hoyas seem to have a similar problem to deal with. George-town has a somewhat stag-nant offense and struggles at times to create shots. They play at a relatively slow pace, which can skew some of the numbers a bit, but the Hoyas, nonetheless, do not rank in the top 60 in the country in scoring, rebounding, assists or field goal percentage. They cannot rely on stopping ev-eryone.
That leaves us with No. 2 Syracuse. The Orange have only one loss all season, and they have very conference good wins on the road. How-ever, they have a few glaring weaknesses that could pose problems for them in March. Syracuse ranks 334th in the country in opponents’ of-fensive rebounding. The Or-ange have 7-footer Fab Melo and are also relatively tall throughout the rest of the lineup. Syracuse is famous for running a 2-3 zone on de-fense. Zones generally give up more offensive rebounds because defenders are not specifically assigned to any-one to box out on a rebound. Good teams will expose this in the tournament.
Some of the top teams in the Big East are tremendous in some aspects of the game, but they have significant weaknesses that might hold them back in the postseason, leaving the national cham-pionship completely up for grabs.
The University Newsunewsonline.comThursday, Thursday 23, 2012
Sports12Who to
CHEER
Kevin Durant
The Oklahoma City Thunder superstar scored 51 points in a Feb. 19 win over
the Nuggets. Durant claimed, “See, excit-ing things do happen Oklahoma.” Durant
then got in his horse and buggy and rode to the local IHOP to
celebrate.
Who to
JEER
Courtesy of espn.go.com
Courtesy of flashfogsecurity.com
ESPN
The “World Wide Leader in Sports”
recently apologized for offensive remarks
made about Asian American NBA point guard, Jeremy Lin. If they are in the mood of apologizing for of-fensive behavior, they should apologize forletting Skip Bayless
on television.
Who to
FEAR
The Los Angeles Angel slugger ar-rived at camp this week for his first
spring training not in a Cardinals’ uniform. “Take a good look
because it won’t be long until you start
missing this,” said an angry David Freese, slowly eating a piece
of toasted ravioli.
By: Jonathan AupingStaff Writer
Albert Pujols
Courtesy of wrapupp.com
ing to beat Bowling Green 6-1. Against Middle Tennessee
State, the Billikens drew 11 walks and pounded out nine base hits but were unable ride the strong pitching perfor-mance of junior pitcher Alex Alemann, who went 6.1 solid innings and surrendered just three hits and one earned run with three strikeouts and one walk.
The Raiders ended the game with a two-out single in the bottom of the 11th, with the loss for the Billikens going to Steve Jenson, who pitched 1.2 innings, giving up three hits, one earned run and three strikeouts.
In the second game, the Billikens’ offense was on track from the beginning, scoring two runs in the first and a run in each the third, fourth, sixth and seventh innings.
The Billikens’ pitching staff combined to surrender eight hits but just one run, with six strikeouts to go along. Senior Jerry Mancuso got the win for the Billikens, throwing 3.2 strong innings, with three hits, two strikeouts, no walks
and no runs allowed.The Billikens played their
final game of the classic on Sunday against Belmont, looking to carryover their mo-mentum from their previous win against Bowling Green.
Unfortunately, that was not the case. The game started well for the Billikens, who led 2-1 after four innings, but they could not hold the lead as Bel-mont scored four runs in the fifth to take the lead and ulti-mately the game.
Despite amassing nine hits to Belmont’s six, the Billikens were done in by three errors, with two coming in the deci-sive four-run fifth inning for Belmont.
Sophomore Clay Smith was stuck with the loss, de-spite surrendering just one earned run on three hits in 4.2 innings, with six strike-outs and four walks.
The Billikens look to im-prove their record this week-end, Feb. 24-26, as they head to down to Winter Haven, Fla., to participate in “The Mount” Tournament against Mount St. Mary’s.
May led the Billikens to a fifth-place finish, which is nothing to look down upon, considering their NCAA power-house competitors, Missouri and Boise State, and D-II champion Drury.
May performed heroics in the relay, helping the 200-yard Freestyle Relay, 200-yard Freestyle and the 200-yard Medley. That day, the relay teams set new school records for Saint Louis.
Battaglia earned her award for her efforts in the win over Arkansas-Little Rock and Wil-liam Jewell at home in the Si-mon Recreation Center. Mela-nie won the 100 Breaststroke and assisted in a 200 Medley Relay.
The heavy favorites com-ing into the Atlantic 10 Con-
ference Championship are Joey Sborbon and Chris Ing-lis, both out of the University of Massachusetts.
Sborbon is the current A-10 leader in both 200- and 500-yard Freestyle, and Chris Inglis is the current A-10 lead-er in 1,000-yard Freestyle and the 1,650-yard Freestyle.
The University of Mas-sachusetts’ men’s swim and dive team are on the quest to capture their sixth-con-secutive Atlantic 10 Confer-ence title after beating St. Bonaventure last year. On the women’s side, the Richmond Spiders are looking to defend last year’s title.
The tournament begins Wednesday, Feb. 22 and will conclude with the final races on Saturday, Feb 25.
unewsonline.comThursday, February 23, 2012
Advertisement 13
unewsonline.comThursday, February 23, 2012
Advertisements from Student Development 14 W
E ARE A
LL BILLIK
ENS W
E ARE A
LL BILLIK
ENS W
E ARE A
LL BILLIK
ENS W
E ARE A
LL BILLIK
ENS
WE ARE ALL BILLIKENS WE ARE ALL BILLIKENS WE ARE ALL BILLIKENS
WE
ARE
ALL
BILLI
KEN
S
WE
ARE
ALL
BILLI
KEN
S
WE
ARE
ALL
BILLI
KEN
S
WE
ARE
ALL
BILLI
KEN
S
WE
ARE
ALL
BILLI
KEN
S
WE ARE ALL BILLIKENS
