Student Life Archives

Scott Bressler

In response to a reaccreditation report calling for an improved level of diversity on the Washington University campus, the University has formed the Coordinating Council for Diversity Initiatives, a group devoted to the issue of diversity and gender equity in faculty and administrative positions.

This report was part of the 2005 North Central Association reaccreditation report, which gave the University positive feedback overall.

When asked if there were any specific ways in which the University was addressing the reported lack of diversity on campus, Chancellor Mark Wrighton was quick to clarify the results of the accreditation report.

“The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association did not say that we ‘lack diversity,'” Wrighton wrote in an e-mail. “What was said is that we have not made as much progress in this arena as we have in many other areas. In fact, in comparison to other premier research universities we are not exceptional one way or the other.”

Wrighton explained that a University-wide effort is being made to recruit women and minorities to senior positions within the administration. Under the purview of Leah Merrifield, chair of this council and special assistant to the chancellor on diversity, the University conducts recruiting workshops intended to ensure that qualified individuals from a variety of backgrounds are considered throughout the hiring process.

“Recruiting workshops have been conducted to acquaint those who have recruiting responsibilities with best practices with respect to assuring that comprehensive and inclusive searches are conducted,” Wrighton wrote.

Merrifield said the University has also created community-building events targeted at faculty with diverse backgrounds and supported faculty and staff groups devoted to minority issues.

The University has also partnered with other universities and associated institutions to develop the St. Louis Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC). The organizations pool information regarding talented professionals in order to attract and retain qualified individuals from a variety of backgrounds to the St. Louis area.

“Recruiting and retaining faculty of the quality we seek, majority or minority, is a challenge, because the competition is very keen. Every search for a new faculty member involves an effort to draw women and members of minority groups in to the pool of candidates,” Wrighton wrote.

According to Wrighton, competition for the existing faculty at the University is fierce.

“Retaining faculty who thrive in our setting is a growing challenge, because our University is now so visible and others want to improve, too,” he wrote.

The University has made extensive progress in student body diversity, and Wrighton says the University is modeling its efforts on this successful initiative. Some students expressed the opinion that the University campus is diverse but could improve, which reflects the results of the accreditation.

Senior Ruth Poland said she believes that the diverse groups within the student body should be more integrated.

“It is diverse but segregated. I think it’s as diverse as the next private school campus, but I think that it’s certainly not better. I think there’s lots of room for improvement,” Poland said.

Senior Laelle Busch echoed this feeling and also says that the student body could be more integrated.

“I feel there’s a large contingent of ethnic groups staying within their ethnic groups, especially international groups,” Busch said.

Ceyla Erhan, a senior international student from Turkey, says that while she feels accepted at the University and that there are many international students, some areas of the world remain underrepresented.

“There’s definitely international students, but not from all over the world. There are huge groups of international students, say, from China or Korea, but, say, like from Turkey only a few. I’ve encountered only two from France,” Erhan said.

Wrighton stresses that the entire campus must be involved in the University’s diversity initiative and be devoted to this continuous process.

“Our aim is to reflect the face of America in all segments of our community, students, faculty and staff,” Wrighton wrote.

Tuesday, April 8

12:43 p.m. LARCENY-UMRATH HALL-Complainant reports a DVD player missing from Room 157 between April 7 at 6 p.m. and April 8 at 9 a.m. Value $120. Disposition: Pending.

1:57 p.m. LOST ARTICLE-MALLINCKRODT CENTER-Complainant reported a lost or stolen camera from the area of Bowles Plaza. Camera described as a Canon Power Shot. Value $160. Disposition: Pending.

3:51 p.m. TRESPASSING-VILLAGE HOUSE-Investigation into a student illegally entering Village Café after hours. Student was identified and admitted to entering the area to steal food items. Disposition: JA referral.

4:58 p.m. DAMAGED PROPERTY-UNDESIGNATED AREA OFF CAMPUS-Student reported that her vehicle was damaged when the wind blew a large plastic trash can into the side of her parked car. Disposition: Cleared.

Wednesday, April 9

9:13 a.m. PROPERTY DAMAGE-PARKING LOT #4-Reporting party stated that an unknown person(s) threw black and grey paint on the Boat House facade at the Thurtene Carnival construction site on April 9 between 1:30 a.m. and 5:45 a.m. Disposition: Pending.

5:54 p.m. LARCENY-ELIOT HALL (B192)-Bicycle stolen from the bike rack located on the north side of Eliot Hall. The bike was secured with a cable master lock. Time of occurrence was between April 9 at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Value $515. Disposition: Pending.

Friday, April 11

10:13 a.m. LARCENY-PSYCHOLOGY BUILDING (O249)-A student reports his blue Giant hybrid bicycle stolen. The bike was fastened to the bike racks at the Psychology Building with a cable lock. Value $400. Occurred between April 6 and April 9. Disposition: Pending.

1:23 p.m. TRESPASSING-EADS HALL (Y115)-Officer observed subject using the computers in Eads Hall and verified that the subject was the same person who was to have been deported by the INS in the summer of 2007 due to an incident on Wash. U. property. Subject is not affiliated with Wash. U. Disposition: Cleared by arrest.

10:32 p.m. AUTO ACCIDENT-PARKING LOT #58-Complainant reported she parked her vehicle in the church parking lot at approximately 8 p.m. and upon returning to the vehicle at 10:30 p.m., she observed damage to the front end driver’s side. The damage was apparently caused by another vehicle due to rubber transfer on the front bumper. Disposition: Pending.

Saturday, April 12

3:13 a.m. DISTURBANCE-MYERS DORM (R166)-Student became angry when his roommate asked him to turn down his music in the common room because he was trying to sleep. Student responded by yelling, using profanities and breaking furniture. Disposition: Referred to JA.

3:54 a.m. AUTO ACCIDENT-PARKING LOT #27-Complainant reported that unknown person(s) struck his vehicle while parked on the top level of Snow Way garage. Disposition: Pending.

2:11 p.m. LARCENY-DANFORTH CAMPUS-A student reported he lost his wallet between the Subway shop and Lab Sciences between 4:30 and 4:40 p.m. on March 31. Bank reports use of the complainant’s credit cards. Disposition: Pending.

4:40 p.m. FALSE FIRE ALARM-WOHL CENTER-Pull station activated by person(s) unknown. Building was found in order. Disposition: Pending.

8:56 p.m. LOST ARTICLE-URSA’S (R322)-Complainant reported a lost wallet at Ursa’s Cafe on April 11 between 11:30 p.m. and 11:59p.m. Disposition: Pending.

Sunday, April 13

2:23 a.m. FALSE FIRE ALARM-SMALL GROUP 4-Pull station activated by person(s) unknown. Building was found in order. Disposition: Pending.

10:31 a.m. SUSPICIOUS PERSON-HURD DORM (R165)-Suspicious subject observed hanging around the dorm area singing. Subject was identified as a former student who stated he was “showing his love” by singing to the students. Disposition: Cleared, trespass warning issued.

2:13 p.m. BURGLARY-PARK HOUSE DORM (R176)-Complainant reported his laptop computer stolen from his room. There was no forced entry in to the room and the door may have been left open by roommate. The theft occurred between April 11 at 5 p.m. and April 12 at 10 p.m. Value $1,200. Disposition: Pending.

2:29 p.m. INFORMATION ONLY REPORTS-OLIN LIBRARY (Y141)-Student reported a suspicious white male in Olin Library Level A. The suspect was described as a middle-aged, white male, 5’11” to 6′, heavy build, with short light brown hair, wearing black Adidas pants and a dark coat. The student stated he believed this individual left a note offering a sexual favor on top of his laptop while he was away from his work area. The entire library and men’s bathrooms were searched to no avail for the suspect. Disposition: Pending.

Monday, April 14

1:07 p.m. LARCENY-ANHEUSER-BUSCH HALL (B250)-Facilities Manager for A-B reported unknown person(s) stole a fire extinguisher out of the locked case next to the main elevators on the third floor of A-B. Theft occurred between 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. on April 11. Loss amount unknown. Disposition: Pending.

6:10 p.m. LARCENY-PSYCHOLOGY BUILDING (O249)-Complainant reported person(s) unknown stole his Trek mountain bike that was secured with a cable lock to the bike rack located in front of the Psychology Building. Time of occurrence between April 9 at 10 p.m. and April 14 at 5 p.m. Value $375. Disposition: Pending.

Courtesy of WUSTL Photo Services

With the United States facing a nervous economy, Washington University Professor Mark Rank has decided to create a Web site that he hopes will help Americans better judge their economic situations.

Among the country’s economic concerns is this year’s high rate of home foreclosures. According to the Center for Responsible Lending, two million homes have been foreclosed and 20 percent of subprime loans issued between 2005 and 2006 are also expected to default.

The New York Times reported that recent polling has found that the economy is the most pressing concern for Americans.

“With rising numbers of home foreclosures, job cuts, and loss of savings, more Americans are encountering severe periods of economic risk and insecurity in their lives,” Rank, the Herbert S. Hadley Professor of Social Welfare in the Brown School of Social Work, said in a press release.

Rank specializes in poverty and financial risk. Much of his work concerns what factors increase individuals’ likelihood of facing financial trouble and poverty in the future.

One area that Rank and Cornell University Professor of Development Sociology Tom Hirschl, who helped develop the site, have been researching is whether Americans have enough saved to get them through times of economic strain. Preliminary results indicate that if faced with a sudden job loss, as many as half of all Americans will not have enough liquid assets to keep them from falling into poverty for three months.

“This program will not only allow individuals the capability to see into their economic future, but it will also allow them to understand the extent to which they might lower their risk by engaging in certain behaviors, such as acquiring more education,” Rank said in the release.

Rank and Hirschl are using current medical programs as a template for their economic analysis program. The program and Web site will allow Americans to estimate their degree of potential economic risk in the same way that medical programs can calculate the likelihood of developing a medical problem such as diabetes.

The Web site will also aim to help parents and students, for whom the current credit crunch will make college loans harder to attain. Some lenders are exiting the federal loan program, on which many American families rely to subsidize the rising costs of higher education.

A recent New York Times/CBS News poll surveying parents of future college students reported that 70 percent said they were “very concerned” about how to pay for college.

The Web site also aims to be helpful to upperclassmen, for whom the economic crisis is most likely to be felt upon graduation.

When faced with large financial decisions, such as buying a home, Rank’s research says that American homeowners take on a great deal of financial risk. While he says many Americans will be able to purchase homes, nearly 40 percent will no longer be homeowners 10 years later.

Steve Fazzari, professor of economics at the University, says that the Web site will help people stay informed about external economic factors that affect their lives.

“This helps people become more aware,” Fazzari said. “Even in a country like the U.S., people face a risk of poverty, and [Rank’s] research really drives that home.”

Scott Bressler

In front of the Engineering School, the bright pink trees are blossoming, a sign that spring is finally here. Around campus other vibrant vestiges are blooming as well, such as daffodils, crocuses, and even bunny rabbits.

Courtesy of Lady Film

The 2008 Italian Film Festival of St. Louis has come to Washington University.

The free festival will show a total of six movies ranging from comedy to drama, with one Italian feature film being shown each Friday and Saturday night at Brown Hall.

The Italian Film Festival of St. Louis is a nonprofit organization. Its president Barbara Klein began the organization after taking an Italian film course at the University in 2005.

“The Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago was willing to sponsor some films. I then was able to get the [University] program in Film and Media Studies to host [the festival]. They provided some funding and also the projection. After the first [festival], we started the nonprofit,” Klein said.

This will be the fourth year of the Italian Film Festival of St. Louis. The festival boasts six recent Italian feature films, all of which have won public and critical acclaim.

The National Italian-American Foundation, the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis and the University program in Film and Media Studies also helped fund the festival.

“Our mission is to try and show films others wouldn’t have the opportunity to see otherwise,” Klein said.

Michela Becchi, an Italian graduate student at the University, became involved in the festival when contacted by a member of the organization. Becchi said that since then, she has come to appreciate the program because it educates Americans about Italian film and culture.

“It was very nice not only to see a movie in my language but to give a sense of Italian culture to others,” Becchi said.

Becchi said she is impressed by the way U.S. nonprofits can organize, fund and implement their visions.

“I like the idea that the organizers bring movies that would otherwise not come to St. Louis. If it was not for this festival, it would be very difficult to get these movies here,” Becchi said.

Of the six films the festival is screening, only one comes from a distributor in the U.S. The rest are sent from distributors in Europe-primarily in Italy.

According to Klein, the University was a natural place to host the festival. It is not only the place where she got the idea for the festival but also a familiar place for locals of the St. Louis community.

“It’s a great venue. The projectionist is great. Wash. U. is convenient, people like to come there, and we can get speakers to introduce film. Wash. U. has been wonderful in supporting the film festival,” Klein said.

The festival has been a valuable resource for students at the University and is especially meaningful for those who are Italian and Italian-American.

“There’s a large constituency of Italian nationals who are working at the medical campus. A lot of them come. For them, it provides a form of contact with their homeland. They’re here working and don’t really have an opportunity to see these films otherwise, and [they] particularly appreciate the festival,” Klein said.

For those whose experiences with Italy are limited, Klein hopes that the festival will encourage more awareness and appreciation for the country’s language and culture.

“People come away learning something new about Italy,” she said.

The festival will continue until April 19. All showings begin at 8 p.m. and will contain English subtitles. For a full list of dates and times, visit the festival’s Web site at www.italianfilmfestivalstlouis.com.

Scott Bressler

Chancellor Mark Wrighton receives the 2007 Citizen of the Year Award from David Kemper, last year’s recipient and the Chairman of the Washington University Board of Trustees. The ceremony was held Tuesday afternoon in Graham Chapel. “It was a complete surprise,” said Chancellor Wrighton. “I’m thrilled to receive this award.” In his speech at the award ceremony, Wrighton discussed the University’s accomplishments, plans for the future and involvement with the St. Louis community. He ended his address saying, “Building teams, fulfilling dreams. That is what we will do in the era ahead.”

Although no plans have been finalized, administrators say that there are various construction plans under consideration that would revamp the Mallinckrodt Student Center.

Pending approval by the Board of Trustees, the planned construction is expected to cost more than $20 million. The start date for this project is not yet known.

Mallinckrodt will serve to complement the amenities being offered in the new Danforth University Center (DUC).

“We want both buildings to work in tandem,” said Jill Carnaghi, assistant vice chancellor for students and director of campus life.

While plans have not yet been finalized, Steven Hoffner, assistant vice chancellor of real estate, has several ideas.

According to Hoffner, under the proposal Mallinckrodt’s current upper level will cease to be the top floor. A third floor above ground will be added, which will house academic offices.

The Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and the College Office would be moved to the top floor from their current locations in North and South Brookings Hall. Additionally, the Office of Student Records would be moved from the Women’s Building and University College office would be moved from its current space in January Hall.

The Performing Arts Department is expected to gain space on the top floor as well.

On the lower level, Hoffner said the Gargoyle would likely be renovated to become black box theater space, though it would continue to be a space available for concerts. A new addition may be attached to the north side, where Bowles Plaza is currently located.

Additionally, the food court would be moved. In the front seating area, a new kitchen and cafeteria will be built, while the Campus Bookstore will likely absorb the backmost seating. The existing eateries will be removed to make way for part of the new addition.

“During the construction phase, the bank and copy center will be moved to the food court seating area on a temporary basis,” said Hoffner.

On the main level, the Edison Theatre will be preserved as it is, but the bookstore will be renovated. Mallinckrodt’s main hallway is expected to house a new food vendor, the details of which the University and Bon Appétit are still negotiating.

The Bank of America and Kinko’s branches will be permanently relocated to the main level, where the Hilltop Bakery is now. A new office devoted to Campus Card services will be placed alongside the familiar vendors.

Hoffner said that those involved in the planning hope this “retail corridor” ensures “there will still be a lot of foot traffic through the building.”

The DUC will contain primarily student groups and services. Community service groups, Greek Life, WUTV, Media Services and Student Life will all be housed in the DUC, a space Jill Carnaghi said is meant to be “used by everyone and owned by no one.”

Scott Bressler

He can be found in public spaces, greeting strangers and offering a little bit of joy to those who will lend him an ear. However, sophomore Morgan Grossman-McKee is no preacher, politician or philosopher-he gives out bouncy balls.

This math and economics double major simply believes “life is not random enough” and says he enjoys handing out roughly one-inch-wide, brightly-colored spheres of pure fun.

In carrying out his mission, Grossman-McKee has resurrected a vending-machine favorite for many a stranger and University student, in all its childhood glory.

Apparently the rules for enjoying the childhood staple change as an adult. No toy withdrawal or sibling rivalry is necessary to enjoy a good bouncy ball. For enthusiasts like Grossman-McKee, they are available on the Internet, in every color and style.

In 10th grade he realized he could get the balls on the Internet and increase his childhood bouncy ball collection exponentially. But his excitement for thousand-ball bags, at only 10 cents a ball, left him with more rubber trinkets than a single person can do anything with.

So he set out to share his childhood love with others. He hit the streets and passed them out to individuals, families and anybody who didn’t seem too frightened.

“It helps to give to groups; they are less intimidated-it can be a less threatening situation,” said Grossman-McKee.

He even used his collection for intellectual purposes in a high school senior project on the physics of the bouncy ball.

It is easier to pass them out at the University than at home, he conceded, because people here know he is a student and not a random man wandering around.

Last year he handed out bouncy balls at Ursa’s on Wednesday nights, but because he lives off campus now, Olin Library and Hilltop Café have become his target areas.

“Ursa’s was better because people were hanging out instead of working,” said Grossman-McKee. In the library, he explained, people are not usually in the mood for a silly toy.

Most people think he is observing them and recording data about how they react to him. While this is far from the truth, Grossman-McKee is sympathetic.

“You expect that if you give something, you want something in return,” said Grossman-McKee. But people need not be afraid of him: He advises people to consider his actions as “purely rational.”

Rather, one should think “this kid derives some kind of happiness from doing this, so there he goes.” He surely expects others will enjoy bouncy balls too, but does not take his analysis far.

“I hope it makes other people happy too, but there’s nothing deep going on. I have very low expectations,” he said.

Grossman-McKee said he wants students who see him around campus to consider him an uninterested party. Students are free to take or leave any one of his frosty or smiley-face bouncy balls.

Anyone who remembers the days when nothing was sweeter than a gigantic bounce past the parents will appreciate Grossman-McKee’s attempt to recreate such youthful excitement. For the more interested, he has plenty of advice ranging from how to encase a bouncy ball in dry ice to the best kinds of bounces.

“My dream is to replicate the Sony Bravia commercial,” said Grossman-McKee. The commercial is titled “Balls,” and films millions of bouncy balls shot from air cannons bounding down a hilly San Francisco street.

If this dream is realized, Grossman-McKee will pursue a new bouncy-ball project in the future. If that project outdoes giving bouncy-balls away by the handful, Grossman-McKee might one day be recruiting other bouncy ball fans in Hilltop or Olin Library.

Courtesy of Elliyahu Melloule for Yokneam Community Photographer

It is estimated that one in three young American Jews will go on a Taglit-Birthright Israel trip, according to Rabbi Hershey Novack of Chabad on Campus.

With a $10,000 grant from a private philanthropic foundation, Novack will establish post-Birthright Israel programs, with the mission of empowering, “Birthright Israel participants to advance their engagement with Israel and Judaism upon their return to campus.”

Birthright trips run throughout the year, often timed for University break, and come in dozens of variations; several campus organizations lead Birthright trips including Chabad on Campus and Hillel.

Participants can choose between everything from hiking to meeting Israeli soldiers. All trips include visits to historical sites and extensive touring of the country.

“Having been to Israel, I do feel I can relate a bit more when I read about it in the news,” said senior Zachary Steinert-Threkeld. “I was at the Golan Heights, drove through the West Bank, went to the Western Wall [and] went to the Holocaust Museum.”

But to Rabbi Novack, there’s a catch in the organization of the program.

“The great flaw of the trip is inherent to its being a trip,” said Novack. “When participants come back to America, the question is, what does the American-Jewish enterprise provide to allow these young adults to express their sense of Jewish identity and ongoing Israel involvement?”

Taglit-Birthright Israel aims to strengthen worldwide Jewish solidarity, and Novack said he thinks it should not stop once students return to campus.

“I don’t believe the American-Jewish community has fully reaped the benefits of the sense of heightened Jewish identity and Jewish awareness that students gain from the trip,” said Novack.

The project that Chabad on Campus is undertaking is not the first of its kind nationally, but it will be the first follow up program available at the University.

“I think it would be a great opportunity to continue the questions and dialogue about what is going on in the State of Israel and the Middle East because those issues have been opened up from visiting Israel,” said senior Laelle Busch.

Busch added that because the question is by definition an open-ended dialogue, there are no easy clear-cut answers, and there should be no conclusion to the conversation.

Novack has yet to design his post-Birthright program, but he knows its general shape. Upon return from Israel, fellow Jewish students will greet Birthright Israel participants and help participants translate their experiences to the United States.

In the upcoming weeks, Rabbi Novack plans to hire University students who understand and support the mission of Birthright Israel as Peer Fellows.

According to its Web site, trips through Taglit-Birthright Israel intend to “diminish the growing division between Israel and Jewish communities around the world; to strengthen the sense of solidarity among world Jewry; and to strengthen participants’ personal Jewish identity and connection to the Jewish people.”

In less than a decade, the Birthright Israel Foundation and partners have sent over 120,000 young Jews from around the world for a 10-day trip to Israel, all expenses paid.

The only requirements are that individuals must be Jewish, between the ages of 18 and 26 and have never lived in or visited the country with a peer-group since age 12.