Hip-hop artist and actor Common will give the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Lecture at 7 p.m. Monday in Graham Chapel. The Martin Luther King Jr. lecture is an annual event sponsored by the Association of Black Students.

“The MLK symposium is an ABS tradition, and by extension it’s a Wash. U. tradition,” said Tiffany Johnson, the president of the Association of Black Students. “We try to bring someone who will get the campus excited…we want their work and their lives to be consistent with Martin Luther King’s work.”

Common, formerly known as Common Sense, has won two Grammies and been nominated for multiple others, but it’s his mix of music, philanthropy and community work that Common’s talk will highlight. As a member of the “conscious” hip-hop movement, Common focuses much of his music on social issues, often working with artists such as Lauryn Hill and Kanye West.

“He’s a staple in terms of hip-hop, and he’s transcended that genre and become prevalent throughout Hollywood,” Johnson said. “He does a lot of work with literacy and empowering youth…He’s very much an example to the community, whether they are black or white, about activism in the community.”

Common has also written numerous books geared to a young audience, including “The Mirror and Me” and “I Like You but I Love Me” aimed at raising self-esteem. Common’s acting career includes “Date Night,” “Just Wright,” “American Gangster,” “Street Kings” and “Terminator Salvation.”

The visit was moved up from its originally scheduled date on April 6.

Proposed renderings of possible Wash. U. housing on the loop. The university recently sent out a survey to undergraduate students seeking their input on possible options for housing expansion. (Courtesy of Washington University)

As Washington University students prepare to make next year’s housing arrangements, the University is looking into possible options for housing expansion, specifically north of the Delmar Loop.

Dean James McLeod, the vice cancellor for students, sent students a questionnaire to gauge interest in the new housing possibility, and he said the administration is still researching different options. Although few would question the necessity of more University-owned housing for students, concerns about safety and the character of the neighborhood complicate this possibility.

Over the course of the last decade, the University has been redoing all of its housing for students, both on and off campus. The results of the remodel lead to the split between new and traditional dorms, as well as off-campus living options for upperclassmen, undergraduates and graduate students such as the Loop Lofts. The next step involves spreading into the community close to the school.

The survey sent to undergraduate students said, “WUSTL is considering the development of an attractive, vibrant, environmentally sustainable, safe and secure residential community for WUSTL Undergraduate Students and other residents.”

The possible new undergraduate home stretches from the neighborhood that begins on the north side of the Delmar Loop through Skinker Boulevard to North Campus on the east.

“We’ve purchased a significant number of buildings off campus,” McLeod said. “This is part of a larger effort to have excellent housing for students on or near campus. It’s not just north of Delmar; it’s also south of Delmar. We are looking at all areas where we have property already.”

One of the benefits of housing north of the Loop includes a 15-minute walk to campus, closer than housing options such as the Loop Lofts. But one of the reasons that Anna Studstill, a senior living her second year north of the Loop, chose to live in this area was the community that already existed there.

“Part of what I like about my building is that it’s not all students,” Studstill said. “It’s a mix. I like the diversity of having families and graduate students.”

But what Studstill said really drew her to the area was the cost. Once Residential Life starts setting rent prices, the cost could be affected as well. Apartments north of the Loop are cheaper than other traditional off-campus areas, like Waterman Court and the Kingsbury area. A two- or three-bedroom off-campus apartment in the ResLife system, like Greenway, costs $8,842 for the upcoming school year, according to the ResLife Web site, where some three bedroom apartments in the area considered for the new housing development cost $1,250 a month, which means only $5,000 per renter for the year. Some students have expressed worries that University-owned apartments would remove one of the few close, affordable options for off-campus living. Higher rents could affect more than just students. If the rent were raised and apartments were to become scarcer because of the University’s plans, families and other non-student residents might also feel the effects.

But community members should not be worried, McLeod said, as the University values the character of the communities surrounding the University, and has no current plans to buy up large amounts of property. The community is “a real asset” for the University, he said, making good neighbor status a top priority.

As for how the University plans to collect enough buildings to make a new complex, the administration says it is still too early in the process to say.

“I don’t know that there is an answer to that,” McLeod said. “There is no aggressive buying plan right now. That doesn’t rule out lots of different ways we could…trade buildings, we could purchase buildings.”

One issue that doesn’t seem to be affecting the situation is the security concern.

After a shooting on the Loop last fall, the assault of a graduate student over winter break, and other safety problems, students regard areas north of the Loop much as they would regard anywhere else off campus—a place where people have to be on their guard.

Security is an ongoing concern, according to McLeod, and it will be looked into. But as this applies to all off-campus housing, the area north of the Loop is not viewed as any less safe than other areas where students typically live.

More students are moving north of the Loop for reasons similar to those of Studstill, but also because they need somewhere to live. As class sizes grow, the University struggles to find places to house everyone, forcing many students off campus. New housing complexes may help avoid situations like that senior Aparna Misra found herself in two years ago.

“Because there were no more suites left on campus to suit our needs, we [my roommates and I] were not assigned to any on-campus housing,” Misra said. “And we went off campus to find a place to live.”

Although the University is, according to McLeod, looking into all areas where the University currently has holdings, the area north of the Loop is the only area about which student interest has been gauged.

Still, McLeod emphasized that the University is still conducting research and any new developments could still be a long way off. As it is still taking into consideration different concerns and options associated with housing north of the Loop, the University simply has not reached a conclusion yet.

Michael Phelps (Christophe Guibbaud | Cameleon | Abaca Press| MCT CAMPUS)

Hot is a matter of opinion, and in my opinion, Michael Phelps, while an amazing swimmer, is not hot. His athletic feats are another story entirely. Speaking of his athleticism, no one could say that the man isn’t on fire. He is by far one of the greatest Olympians of our time. That is not my point. My point is that pure athleticism, while attractive, is not enough to make a person really and truly hot.

So what exactly goes into being hot? In our everyday lives, someone who is hot makes our eyes bulge out of our head and our hearts dance out of our chest via cartoon characters. It’s a person who makes you drool when you look at them. Unfortunately, this is not Michael Phelps.

Click here to read the opposing viewpoint

Physically, Phelps was designed to be an amazing swimmer, with the super-long torso, the huge feet, and arms longer than my entire body. He was created for the sport, if you will, and that shows up in his 14 gold medals. But I have grown up around swimmers and noticed that swimmers are built with a certain look. Michael Phelps takes that look to the next level. Unfortunately, that next level tends to seem a bit gawky. Let’s just say that when I’m watching him give a press conference, I’m thinking more about his amazing performance than his looks. In short, I’m not drooling. And that gawkiness is the nature of the beast; call it a byproduct of amazing natural talent. Add the goofy grin and, well, let’s just say he is no Jeremy Bloom (also a wonderful athlete and Olympian). In fact, it’s the goofy grin that takes him, for me, categorically away from hotness. I don’t get that thrown off by his proportions, although they always look a bit off. Instead, I find myself not wanting to look at the big ears, semi- vacant eyes, and cockeyed grin. Phelps’ body is attractive, no doubt, but the face… Personally, I’d rather watch the time clock.

I have been and will remain in awe of Phelps’s swimming abilities. He is by far one of the greatest athletes ever to grace a swimming pool. I admire his dedication to the sport. But Phelps, while perhaps the hottest swimmer around, is not an all-around-hot person. I hope his gold medals and goofy grin can forgive me that.

Click here to read the opposing viewpoint

Among the topics discussed was an online SU survey that asked 504 students about issues of racial profiling on campus. Two hundred seventy-five students responded to a question in the survey asking, “Do you feel as though you have been racially profiled on campus and by whom?” Twenty of these students said yes, and shared a variety of stories about being discriminated against for being Jewish, Asian and white, among other things.

Several black students said in the survey that they have been racially profiled on campus by WUPD.

One student wrote in the survey that, “I have been racially profiled when walking around on the 40 with my black (mostly male) friends on a Friday night, on multiple occasions. We were asked for our IDs, something that I didn’t see WUPD asking for to any white students.”

Much of the discussion at the forum centered on the role that WUPD plays in on-campus racial profiling.

According to senior Chase Sackett, speaker of the Senate, “Chief Don Strom is really eager to work with us on this issue.”

Students also talked about ways to combat discrimination on campus, including Greek Life mixers with city-wide black fraternities and diversity training. SU plans to appoint a task force to prioritize these solutions. The task force will deliver its report, and next steps will be decided on at the next Connect 4 meeting.

Sackett said that he was impressed with the town hall’s openness and that the event was productive.

“It was a very open town hall, with no distinctions between Senators and the students,” Sackett said.

The ADL contacted the group of six black students three days after the original incident to offer them access to the organization’s infrastructure and advocacy from the group. This was unusual, as most people with a complaint need to contact the ADL before it will consider a case.

In this case, however, a parent of a University student was an ADL board member in Houston, and according to ADL Chicago regional director Lonnie Nasatir, “it kind of came through the ranks.”

For the students from Washington University, the support came as a welcome surprise.

“I was surprised because I hadn’t contacted them,” said Fernando Cutz, senior class president. “I was just really grateful they reached out.”

The ADL first asked the students if they would be interested in the organization writing a coalition letter to be circulated among civil rights groups in Chicago. The organization then hand-delivered a letter to the bar last Friday. This prompted the first response from Mothers. According to Cutz, the ADL “was certainly a major part in that reaction.” The group also helped the students find free legal counsel.

The Anti-Defamation League is a non-profit organization focused on fighting anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry.

“It goes back to that notion that if one minority group is targeted, we all are targeted, and that we can really be much more effective in a broad way than if we just sort of stick within our own communities,” said Karen Aroesty, the St. Louis regional director of the Anti-Defamation League.

Griffin, who described himself of mixed background, said that he experienced the same treatment as six Washington University students on two different occasions—once six years ago and again two weeks ago.

During Griffin’s first attempt to enter the bar when he was 21 he was refused based on the same dress code that was applied in the case of the University students.  Two weeks ago after hearing that there had been a change in the atmosphere at Chicago bars, Griffin tried to again to enter Mother’s.

Wearing a pair of regular jeans, which Griffin described as the tightest pair of jeans he owns, and a Sean John sweater,  Griffin was turned away as according to the bouncer “that brand [Sean John] doesn’t fit in here.”

While Griffin stood at the door, three white patrons exited the bar wearing Eckō brand jeans. When he questioned the bouncer as to why the three white men had been allowed to enter wearing such clothing,  he was told “We don’t want your business.”

Griffin believes that the difference between him and the other customers was not his clothing, but his race.

“They don’t try to hide it at all. They’re real jerk with it,” Griffin said.

Representatives from Mothers declined to be interviewed this weekend by Student Life but said in a news release that the bar “does not discriminate against guests or patrons on the basis of race, and would never tolerate discriminatory conduct.” Mothers said it is conducting an investigation into the case and will take disciplinary action if necessary.

In reviews of the Bar on ChicagoCitySearch.com, there are multiple allegations of discriminatory conduct by bouncers at Mother’s.

Click here for more information about allegations of discrimination at Mothers Bar

Professor Anca Parvulescu (Courtesy of the English Department)

You hear it when sitting in your economics class, while sipping coffee at Whispers and even as you watch television. Indeed, laughter is one of the most common acts in our society. Yet, while the concept of laughter is so pervasive and constantly surrounds us, there has been little research on the topic. Washington University professor Anca Parvulescu, however, decided to investigate the background of laughter further and set out to explore why this freeing expression has a history of repression. She explains her findings in her new book, “Laughter: Notes on a Passion.”

While reading one day, Parvulescu, who teaches English classes and works with the Interdisciplinary Project in the Humanities, stumbled across a situation that struck her as strange.

“I came upon a rhetorical moment that said ‘and then I laughed,’ and a lot seemed to be in that moment,” Parvulescu said.

That moment eventually led to the exploration of what Parvulescu says is the long tradition of writing about laughter. “Laughter: Notes on a Passion” explores the ideas behind social constructions that once considered laughter as inappropriate and follows these constructions through today and the reintroduction of laughter into society. This tradition included notes on etiquette, conduct books or letters about proper behavior in society. Laughter, in this context, was not considered mannerly.

“You find expressions like ‘You make a spectacle of yourself,’” Parvulescu said.

Laughter was grouped with bodily functions such as farting or belching. Laughing was even more embarrassing if you were a male, according to Parvelscu, because to laugh was to be a woman. But even women were not supposed to laugh, and the ability to laugh was only granted after a woman no longer had to worry about her appearance. These stipulations carried through into literature.

“The figure of the old hag that laughs—she does so because she has nothing to lose,” Parvulescu said. “She’s no longer on the market, so to speak.”

What makes her book unique, according to Parvulescu, is the focus on laughter itself and on laughing people as subjects. Other books tend to take laughter for granted or see it as a tool used to hint at something larger.

“No one asked the question of what laughter does [in Helene Cixous’s ‘The Laugh of the Medusa’],” Parvulescu said. “Rather, they took it for granted that ‘The Laugh of the Medusa’ is an argument about the subversiveness of women’s humor.”

This tradition of laughter and how it was reclaimed, or “the return of laughter as a passion,” intrigued Parvulescu because in many ways, she says, laughter is something we can’t understand.

“We mostly laugh in non-humorous situations,” she said. “There is a strong distinction between humor and laughter.”

Whether laughter is a loud, awkward or joyous act, Professor Parvulescu’s book helps us recognize that laughter may be far more intricate than anyone who has laughed at a Jim Carrey movie could ever think.

The teams that have clinched playoff spots this year include the New York Yankees, both teams from Los Angeles—Californians should be proud, since this is quite a rare occurrence—and, of course, the St. Louis Cardinals. Others in the running include the Phillies, the Boston Red Sox and even the Colorado Rockies, which all have a shot at the Wild Card.

With so many teams, I normally would not even consider entering the postseason. My allegiances will be decided by two things: I really don’t want the Cardinals to win. And the Yankees are only slightly better.

About to enter my second Cardinals’ playoff series in four years, I might feel bad about publicly stating my distaste for the Cardinals had I not lived through four years of their heckling. I can feel people stare as I walk down the street in my Fukudome shirt. I am, in effect, living in enemy territory. It only gets worse if the Cardinals win a Cubs-Cards series. But at the same time, if the Cubs win so much as a game, Cardinals fans are quick to retort, “When was the last time you won the World Series?”

Some might say this is what I get for being a Cubs fan. And in all fairness, it works both ways. When the Cubs make it to the playoffs next year (statistically, it has to happen soon), Cardinals fans in Chicago might know what I’m going through.

Regardless, I really hope the Cardinals crash and burn.

While my feelings towards the Cardinals are complex—I do go to school in St. Louis, and I really admire Albert Pujols—my feelings toward the Yankees are very simple. They win too much. Last time I said this, a very adamant Yankees fan whined that the Yankees have not won since 2000. Cry me a river. When a Yankees fan has to wait over a hundred years for a pennant, then we can talk.

Now, I could not care less about the teams from California. I bear them no ill will and, in fact, feel very little about them one way or the other. Which means that this year, I will be cheering for them only slightly less fervently than I would if the Cubs were in the playoffs. The same goes for the Phillies or the Red Sox if they claim a spot. If the Cubs cannot be in the playoffs, I will be extremely happy for my friends from Detroit—again, assuming they make it. All of this extra energy, exerted for a team I really could not care less about.

When your team does not make the playoffs, you don’t have many options. For now, I will cheer for anyone but the Cardinals or the Yankees. And I pray that it does not come down to a Cards-Yankees playoff. Because then you enter the real conundrum: Which team do you cheer for when you really despise both? The only option is to choose the team you hate less.

Leaders of the Launch pre-Orientation program welcome an incoming freshman in Ursa's Firesife. (Sam Guzik | Office of Orientation)

Pre-Orientation programs are specifically designed to help introduce freshmen to the world of Washington University; but for some counselors, pre-Orientation has become an integral part of college.
Every year, upperclassmen cut their summers short and leave two weeks early to venture to Washington University in order to help welcome freshmen to their new homes. As the freshmen use pre-Orientation to explore campus, many counselors use the time to connect to their programs, participants and memories of pre-Orientations past.

Seniors Tara Benesch and Natacha Lam both participated in pre-Orientation programs as freshmen. Tara Benesch was not given a choice because her scholarship group, Annika Rodriguez Scholars, requires all new members to participate. Natacha Lam joined “Leading Wash. U. Style,” Student Union’s pre-Orientation program, in order to ease her way into what she saw as a possible leadership position. Four years later, they both still return to their respective programs as counselors.

“All the new scholars are required to go, but not all of the old scholars are required to go. It’s a volunteer [option],” said Benesch, who has volunteered all four years. “To meet the people is why I go to pre-O as opposed to just go on vacation or go with my friends somewhere.”

Lam agrees. She comes back every year for one simple reason.

“I love pre-O. A lot of my good friends I made in pre-O…Since I had a good experience I really wanted to come back as a counselor to help them have the same great experience that I had.”

“Leading Wash. U. Style” requires counselors to go through an interview process before they are named as counselors in the program. Lam, the current chief justice on constitutional counsel, has gone through that process and has been a counselor for three out of her four years.

“It frames my year. It starts off my year, and then applying is what ends my year. It’s sort of a weird anniversary. Pre-O is just this mark.”

That anniversary starts to take on more significance as the counselors reflect on the difference that four years can make.

“As a participant, I was trying to learn things. Everything was so new but you don’t really see things from a wider perspective. As a counselor you can see where people might fit and where their passions were. When I was younger, I felt more at the same level of the participants, and now I’m going to be a senior, I’m the oldest you can get, so I feel more capable of giving advice,” Lam said.

As Lam became more capable of giving advice, she could also personally watch the effects. In fact, one of the reasons Lam enjoys coming back is to watch former participants follow in her footsteps, becoming counselors themselves.

But advice, according to Benesch, is only one reason why the counselors are an important part of pre-Orientation.

“The point is not necessarily to bombard people with advice but to give people a spring board, to give them the basics and to let them know they have a strong community and a strong family at Wash. U. The family is most important…as opposed to just trying to memorize what we tell them and see if they can survive on that.”

Whether giving advice or merely connecting, both counselors agreed that attending pre-Orientation as a senior helps give a sense of perspective on the effects of the time spent at college.

“Sophomore year was the first time I had any authority at pre-O because I was not a freshman, so I was really enthusiastic to share my experiences with the freshmen,” Benesch said. “I was really excited to answer any questions. The older I get, the more I realize I don’t have all the answers. I think I talk less every year.”

Lam, taking a step back, saw a difference not only in herself, but in her program as well.

“I’m starting to realize how I’ve changed over the past couple years, how college has changed me. Not that the freshmen aren’t still awesome and great,” Lam said. “Honestly I think SU has changed a lot in the past couple years, and you can see the change in the dedication in the counselors and the participants.”

Pre-Orientation may be a program designed for freshmen, but the experience reaches far beyond that first week of freshman year. Sometimes, the program that starts college can be the program that becomes a college anchor. And so sophomores, juniors and seniors come back every year to kick off the school year by welcoming the new class. And according to Benesch, their reasons for joining are not that different from those of their participants.

“As a senior you come back for the same reasons, but as opposed to wanting to find a group it’s like coming home to a family you’ve already established.”

The University is currently in third place in the annual Victoria’s Secret PINK line competition. The winning schools will receive a Victoria’s Secret-sponsored collegiate clothing line that includes sweatpants, T-shirts and lingerie. Many Wash. U. students are looking forward to the variety the collection could add.

“I think it would be really interesting if we won. I don’t know much about it but I feel like Wash. U. would be a different kind of school. Plus, I’d like to see new designs for our collegiate collection,” senior Anna Studstill said.
Last year’s winners, dubbed “class of 2009,” consisted of 24 schools, including University of Missouri-Columbia.

This year’s competition may prove to be even fiercer. All four-year colleges and universities are eligible to compete, and the University is currently third in the latest round of competition, with 93,102 votes. Considering this competition, some students believe even third place is something to celebrate.

“I’m glad we’re number three,” freshman Joanne Li said. “A lot of the schools they had were really big.”

The top school, Rochester Institute of Technology, currently sports 109,366 votes in the competition.

To boost the University’s rankings, the Facebook group “Washington University in St. Louis for Victoria Secret” sent out a mass message to group members on Aug. 19, urging them to vote.
This Facebook group grew out of the one designed for the incoming freshman class, according to freshman Adam Cheng. Most of its 745 members are freshmen.

Cheng, one of the group’s administrators, invited his fellow students to join the cause. He claimed that the last time he sent a message, more than 30,000 votes were cast in under 24 hours. Washington University gained over 6,000 votes after the most recent push, but the school still remains in third place behind Rochester and the United States Marine Corps University.

As the competition heats up, some students are speaking out against it. Sophomore Justin Taylor was invited to join the Facebook group but declined, saying that Washington University does not need this connection to Victoria’s Secret.

“I don’t want this at all,” Taylor said. “We are a 150-year-old academic institution and we don’t need this.”

Cheng disagrees that this association with Victoria’s Secret would have any negative impact on the school or on its academic reputation. He believes that winning this contest would just mean that students could buy new clothes with Wash. U. pride.

“I think the students here are just like everyone else. We are young, we’re trendy and we like things that are new and fashionable. The name is still going to be prestigious even if we get new clothing,” Cheng said.

And there are other benefits, Cheng said, like school spirit and a way to connect to your fellow classmates.

Whether the Victoria’s Secret competition does “bring the school together” as Cheng believes it would, or becomes an unnecessary distraction, the clothing competition continues with Wash. U. as the underdog that has proved a competitive presence.

Students can monitor results and vote up to once a day at http://www.vspink.com/nomi​nate_your_school.jsp.