Three-year default rates on federal student loans rising

Washington University
FY 2006-2008: 36 defaults, 1.1% default rate
FY 2007-2009: 17 defaults, 1.4% default rate
FY 2008-2010: 33 defaults, 2.2% default rate

Northwestern University
FY 2006-2008: 26 defaults, 0.5% default rate
FY 2007-2009: 16 defaults, 0.7% default rate
FY 2008-2010: 36 defaults, 1.5% default rate

Saint Louis University
FY 2006-2008: 90 defaults, 2.1% default rate
FY 2007-2009: 63 defaults, 3.1% default rate
FY 2008-2010: 67 defaults, 3.3% default rate

Washington University students defaulted more often on federal student loans they started repaying in fiscal 2008 than on those they started repaying a year earlier, echoing a nationwide rise in defaults brought on by the economic downturn.

Through fiscal 2010, nearly 2.2 percent of Washington University students defaulted on federal loans they started repaying in 2008, according to data from the U.S. Department of Education. That number was up from 1.4 percent in the three-year period through fiscal 2009 and 1.1 percent in the period through fiscal 2008.

The default rate for Washington University students was far lower than the average default rate for students at other private nonprofit schools, which was 7.6 percent in 2010’s data. But experts said the rise in the default rate, even at schools with relatively affluent student bodies, stems from the struggling economy and weak job market. It may be hitting those who can’t find work especially hard, experts said.

“[Washington University’s rate is] an incredibly low default rate, but I think from students’ perspective, that’s a real increase in the number of students who are defaulting and who are facing serious consequences,” said Debbie Cochrane, program director at the Institute for College Access and Success, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research and advocacy group.

For student-aid advocates, the default rise also underscores a thornier issue—whether rising default rates could discourage students who need loans from applying to more expensive colleges like Washington University. Advocates also say that it reflects an ever-increasing need to educate students about options like deferment for preventing defaults.

Mark Smith, director of the Washington University Career Center, said graduating students have weathered the weak economy well, meaning that for the most part, they are able to repay their loans. Only a small percentage of graduates have failed to find jobs, he said—a number that has remained steady, perhaps even improving somewhat, throughout the recession.

“The employment [percentage] is still very good,” he said. “That’s not to say some students don’t have problems, because they do, especially if they have very specific things they want to do.”

Bill Witbrodt, director of Student Financial Services, was out of town and was unavailable for an interview, according to University spokesmen.

The rise in defaults won’t jeopardize the University’s eligibility for Pell Grants and federal loans, Cochrane said. The default rate here was well below the federal threshold for cutting off the University’s access to federal grants and loans.

Nationwide, however, other institutions of higher learning weren’t nearly as fortunate when it came to their default rates.

The nationwide three-year default rate rose by about one-sixth, from 11.8 to 13.8 percent. Public and for-profit institutions have been hit hardest. The three-year default rate at public schools was 10.8 percent. The default rate at for-profit colleges, meanwhile, was 25 percent. Before this year, the three-year default rates have not been broken down based on institution type.

For-profits were hit especially hard, mainly because far more students at these institutions need loans, Cochrane said.

But Cochrane added: “It raises questions about the quality of the education the students received.”

In 2010, the number of three-year defaults at nonprofit Washington University was 33 out of more than 1,500 who were in repayment.

The federal student-loan overhaul law enacted in 2010 pushed commercial banks out of the federal student loan market. But the law, Cochrane said, didn’t make any changes that would have addressed rising defaults.

“The student-loan overhaul didn’t make any changes that would have impacted students’ ability to get their student loans in a timely way or be able to repay them,” Cochrane said.

At the same time, Cochrane said, federal loans offer benefits that private loans don’t. And, she said, many students who have federal loans don’t take advantage of the benefits.

That may be partially due to lack of knowledge about alternatives, said junior Betel Ezaz, vice president of WU/FUSED, a student advocacy group that aims to improve socioeconomic diversity in the student body. But even for those students who do know their options, cultural factors may make them feel uneasy about discussing the topic or seeking help, she said. “I think it’s about making people feel comfortable about going for help, knowing there are venues for restructuring their loans or repaying them,” Ezaz said.

Alternative options include income-based repayments, which Cochrane said allow students to make payments that are a reasonable size compared to their income.

“It guarantees that students’ loan payments won’t take over their entire paycheck,” she said.

Cochrane also mentioned deferment, which allows students to suspend payments if they’re still in school, facing economic hardship, unemployed, in the military or involved in other forms of national service. There’s also forbearance, which allows some students to postpone or reduce their payments if they have financial problems.

Smith said a large number of students from the University enter deferment on their loans because they go to graduate or medical school.

He added there is always a small percentage of students who will have job-seeking problems, putting them in danger of default.

“If you’re one of those 2 percent of students, it hits you very hard because you’re 100 percent unemployed,” he said.

He advised students needing help to talk to their lenders, as well as to consult the Career Center, which continues to help students post-graduation.

Ezaz said it’s important to reach out not only to current students, but also to prospective students. WU/FUSED has worked with the admissions office to include more information on financial-aid options in admissions material, she said.

“Basically, ‘Where in that process can we put that information?’” she said. “There is a threshold where you’re going to lose students who won’t apply because it’s too expensive.”

Matt Mitgang

Students gather in the common room on the first floor of Gregg Hall to watch the State of the Union address delivered by President Barack Obama on Tuesday. The College Democrats hosted the viewing party.

Citing current and future education challenges facing the country, Obama told a joint session of Congress to invest in schools and make college more affordable. His education proposals were part of a broader vision he outlined to ensure the United States could “win the future.”

“If we take these steps—if we raise expectations for every child and give them the best possible chance at an education, from the day they’re born until the last job they take—we will reach the goal I set two years ago: By the end of the decade, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world,” Obama said in his nationally televised second State of the Union address.

Obama called for some policies that would appeal to college students, such as an extension of his college-tuition tax-credit program and investments in academic research. But he urged bipartisanship and veered toward the center on economic, fiscal and environmental issues that younger voters more often take progressive stances on.

Some Democratic students here who ardently supported the president in 2008 were hardly surprised at the president’s move to the center. Given that the president now faces a Republican-controlled House and a weakened Democratic majority in the Senate, they said the president did as well as he could have.

“I think that there’s a new reality in Congress, and I think his speech addressed that reality, but at the same time he talked about immigration, education…a lot of these are progressive ideas that in a speech he may have stayed away from talking about,” said sophomore Anna Applebaum, vice president of the College Democrats.

Obama declared that America was “home to the world’s best colleges and universities, where more students come to study than any other place on Earth.” But, adding that a higher proportion of future jobs will require a college degree, he said the country desperately needed to make college more affordable.

The president noted that one of his administration’s proposals overhauled the lending system and stopped subsidies to banks for extending loans to students. He asked Congress to go further by permanently renewing his tax-credit program that gives college students $2,500 a year toward tuition.

The president said he was especially concerned that many of America’s brightest students are non-citizens and international students: “But as soon as they obtain advanced degrees, we send them back home to compete against us. It makes no sense.” Obama cited that concern to call for immigration reform, an issue that made little legislative progress in the last Congress.

With the Baby Boomer generation nearing retirement, Obama said the country would need to train 100,000 new teachers in math, science, engineering and other areas. He issued a call to young viewers: “If you want to make a difference in the life of our nation, if you want to make a difference in the life of a child, become a teacher. Your country needs you.”

Sophomore Sherveen Mashayekhi, president of the College Democrats, applauded the president for emphasizing education.

“His platforms of [Race] to the Top and tuition tax credit really speak to his understanding that a nation is only as strong as its up-and-comers,” he said in a statement, adding that he was satisfied with Obama’s “thoughtful bipartisanship.”

But Obama’s proposals come as the country grapples with continuing budget deficits, and as newly emboldened Republicans in Congress press for deep spending cuts that could affect education funding.

Obama acknowledged that the country would need to cut spending and that he would need to work with both parties. But he warned that cutting investment in education and innovation to close the deficit is “like lightening an overloaded airplane by removing its engine.”

And he targeted the Bush tax cuts in seeking to preserve federal funding for education. “Before we take money away from our schools, or scholarships away from our students, we should ask millionaires to give up their tax break,” he said.

Sophomore Matt Callahan, a self-identified centrist independent who mostly approved of Obama’s speech, said he especially liked the president’s willingness to compromise and his emphasis on cutting the deficit and expanding education.

He sounded a note of skepticism, though.

“I’m going to have to research how he’s planning on building all these programs but also cutting back so much. He’s kind of saying these two things that do seem contradictory,” he said.

Obama’s State of the Union comes after a lame-duck session in which Congress repealed “don’t ask, don’t tell,” the military’s ban on gays serving openly. Obama called on colleges and universities where military recruiters are banned to allow them to return.

Washington University has had a somewhat tense relationship with military recruiters. The University has allowed military recruiters on campus because of a 1995 law that cuts federal funding from colleges that ban military recruiters from their campuses. Student activists in recent weeks have hailed the Obama administration for the repeal.

Students agreed on one thing they didn’t like in the speech: They said he didn’t talk enough about foreign affairs and national security, especially the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. “He talked a little bit about very specific things, but I wanted to hear if there was a wider plan,” Applebaum said.

Matt Lee | Student Life

Washington University had an agreement with Bank of America in which the University received $3 for each card account opened by students. The agreement was terminated in July 2009.

But in July 2009, the University and Bank of America (BoA) changed that agreement. The University would no longer take money for every account sold to students, according to a copy of the agreement, which became publicly available last month.

The change to the agreement came three months after President Obama signed into law a bill requiring universities to disclose arrangements like the one the University had with Bank of America. Since the government released agreements last month, consumer advocates have criticized universities across the country for the agreements, saying they have been making money while setting up their students to misuse the credit cards. A recently released government report also shows the University took about $68,000 in royalties from BoA in 2009. Certain peer institutions took far more, in some cases more than $1 million, through similar agreements in exchange for giving banks access to mailing lists and marketing exclusivity.

In the original contract, which started in 1997, Washington University had to provide the names and contact information of at least 108,000 community members for BoA’s marketing purposes. Meanwhile, BoA paid the University $3 for each school-promoted, or “affinity,” card sold to students and alumni. Under the original contract, the bank also had to pay the University 0.4 percent of the value of all purchases students made using the accounts.

The University said it stopped including students’ names in the mailing lists sometime in the early 2000s. The University and BoA then changed royalty fees for student-bought accounts to zero in July 2009, effectively eliminating them. Royalty provisions in the contract now apply only for affinity cards opened by alumni. That change came after the federal government enacted the Credit CARD Act in May of that year, a credit-card reform law that, among other things, requires universities to publicly disclose the agreements they make with banks.

When asked how the agreement affects students, David Blasingame, executive vice chancellor for alumni and development programs, wrote in an e-mail that the affinity card is meant for alumni and the agreement does not apply to students. “Our contract with Bank of America does not apply to Washington University students, only to alumni,” he wrote.

University representatives didn’t respond to a question about why it removed the provision from the agreement in July 2009. But Pamella Henson, associate vice chancellor for alumni and development programs, did say Bank of America makes its affinity card offers based on the information the University provides. She said that students’ information used to be included, but hasn’t been included since the early 2000s, meaning the bank couldn’t have marketed the cards to students after that point.

After the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank issued a report in October showing the payments banks made to universities, commentators and consumer advocates accused universities of exploiting their students, making money as their students ended up with debt and bad credit from misusing the cards. This comes on the heels of a 2009 study by student-loan company Sallie Mae showing that the average college student graduates with more than $4,000 in credit-card debt.

Banks have responded that critics are blowing the issue out of proportion and that the affinity cards are targeted at alumni—not at students.

Student Life obtained a copy of the agreement between the University and BoA from the Federal Reserve. Universities and banks must give their marketing agreements to the Fed for public disclosure under the new law. In a recent report on universities’ agreements, the Federal Reserve predicted that banks and universities would change them in response to the new law: “The terms of some agreements may have been amended during 2010 as a result of new requirements imposed under the Credit CARD Act and the Board’s implementing regulations.”

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch first reported in late October that Washington University received $68,093 in affinity-card royalties in 2009 from FIA, the BoA subsidiary that markets affinity cards at the University. University community members opened 57 affinity cards that year, according to the Federal Reserve’s report, but there is no breakdown of students and alumni.

Among other schools, Emory University received more than $50,000 in 2009. Other university alumni groups received far more money. Northwestern University got $428,572, Duke University’s alumni group received $1.38 million, and Harvard and Cornell universities’ alumni groups pocketed $1 million and $901,900, respectively.

The University does not release how it uses its royalty money. Blasingame wrote that the money “is deposited into an unrestricted gift that supports University priorities.”

The University is renegotiating its contract with BoA, Blasingame added.

Consumer advocate Edmund Mierzwinski said that banks have targeted undergraduate students for overpriced credit cards that they might not be able to afford by taking advantage of university budget problems to get administrators to sign up.

Mierzwinski praised the University for eliminating the provision that requires BoA to give it money for each affinity card sold to students.

“Universities should have a best practice of eliminating undergraduate students from school-branded credit card marketing as Wash. U. has done,” said Mierzwinski, who is the consumer program director for Public Interest Research Group, a Washington, D.C., consumer advocacy group.

Columnists such as The Washington Post’s Michelle Singletary have also argued that credit-card-marketing agreements between banks and universities often are not made in students’ best interest. “Schools also can’t conclude a deal in which the school earns a percentage of finance charges imposed on students,” she wrote in a recent column. “If a school currently has such an agreement, it must stop accepting payments immediately.”

Bank of America spokeswoman Betty Riess said that BoA has not singled out students. She said the bank has been targeting alumni and added that about 98 percent of affinity cards are bought by non-students. The bank doesn’t break down the numbers by school, she said.

“We do not market to students on campus and have not done so for some time, even before the CARD Act,” she added. “We have been amending agreements over the past few years to exclude student names from marketing lists provided by the schools.”

The relationship between BoA and Washington University extends past the range of this contract. After the bank donated more than $1 million to the school in 1998, the University established the position of Bank of America Professor of Managerial Leadership. Further, University trustee James Hance was chief financial officer of BoA from 1988 until 2004 and vice chairman between 1993 and 2005.

Retired BoA Professor of Managerial Leadership Stuart Greenbaum said he doesn’t believe that the ties to BoA are linked in any way.

“As far as I know, there’s zero connection between my chair and this affinity agreement,” Greenbaum said. “And Hance is an alum of the business school. I didn’t know him as an officer of Bank of America.”

Matt Mitgang | Student Life

Eliot B House, South 40 House Phase II and College Hall recently achieved LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Gold is the second highest level of environmental certification awarded by the council.

The council (USGBC) gave Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification to the newly opened South 40 House Phase II, Eliot B House and College Hall. LEED Gold is one step down from LEED Platinum, the highest level of LEED certification.

The USGBC’s LEED program serves as a third-party program for evaluating the environmental friendliness of new buildings. To get the basic level of LEED certification, buildings must meet minimum standards in areas such as energy and water savings, improvements in air quality and reductions in carbon-dioxide emissions. The higher levels of certification—Silver, Gold and Platinum—have progressively tougher standards.

The University has touted the buildings’ closeness to public transit, their water- and energy-efficiency systems, and their use of local building materials as examples of their environmentally friendly features.

Campus environmental advocates took Thursday’s news as a sign that the University is making good on its commitment to sustainability.

“It’s really great that Wash. U. is showing commitment to the environment by getting this certification, and we’re lucky it’s a priority at this school,” said junior Heather Kryczka, a member of Green Action.

The University now has 12 LEED-certified buildings, six of which are LEED Gold. University officials in recent years have repeatedly said that they aim for new buildings to get at least a Silver rating.

“We’re really trying for Gold, but we have to reach Silver,” said Deborah Howard, interim director of sustainability.

In past years, three other residential buildings—Village East Apartments, Umrath House and South 40 House Phase I—received LEED Silver certification. Students and campus environmental groups praised the University in 2009 when it installed an 11,000-square-foot “green roof” of grass, native plants and soil on South 40 House’s roof.

The Danforth University Center, which opened in August 2008, has LEED Gold certification because of energy and water efficiency and the use of recycled materials. The academic building Seigle Hall, which also opened in 2008, has general LEED certification.

Of the 10.6 million gross square feet of land on campus, a total of 293,926 gross square feet in the University have general LEED certification, 249,892 gross square feet are LEED Silver, and 422,063 are LEED Gold.

The University is seeking Gold certification for Brauer Hall, the engineering building that opened in the fall of this year. The University also expects Cupples II Hall to get LEED certification after renovation work on the building finishes.

With additional reporting by Michelle Merlin.

Paul Goedeke | Student Life

Liz Kramer speaks at a transit meeting in January. She became the face of the Washington University’s efforts to promote a countywide sales tax increase to fund more transit service. She will be moving to Chicago to pursue work in design.

But Kramer, who became the face of Washington University transit advocacy and a liaison between students and the administration, has finished her two-year administrative fellowship here and will move to Chicago next week to pursue work in design.

She leaves after finishing her advocacy efforts on campus and around St. Louis in the weeks leading up to the April 2010 election, which had a proposed sales tax for boosting funding to Metro, the area’s transit system. Transit advocates credit Kramer with helping mobilize thousands of college students and other young people to turn out and vote for the measure.

In addition, she got students involved in all sorts of projects, ranging from transit to the environment, sustainability and other topics — everything but the kitchen sink.

“And sometimes it was the kitchen sink,” Kramer said.

She began her fellowship after graduating from the University in 2008. Kramer was involved in community service as a student, holding the position of public outreach chair of the Alliance of Students Against Poverty. The group joined forces with the a cappella community in October 2007 put on the second annual Rhythms for Rebuilding benefit concert, which raised $2,600 for organizations that tackle poverty and malnutrition.

Even after joining the administration, Kramer continued working with students. She had a large impact in the months before the April election, when St. Louis County voters were asked for the second time in three years if they wanted to boost the county sales tax to fund more transit service.

Transit advocates were still reeling from the defeat of a similar measure in 2008 that resulted in the elimination of one-third of St. Louis’ transit service. Desperately needing a spark, advocates went to civic groups, businesses and educational institutions, including the University, to furnish a new campaign centered on reminding people that “some people ride transit, but everyone needs it.”

Kramer used an unconventional approach to get that message out to the younger crowd. She wanted transit to be an enjoyable, memorable experience. She said her goal was, simply, “to make transit fun.”

She had created a tiara-wearing alter ego known as Miz MetroLink and worked with other students and young advocates to throw MetroLink Prom, which was an actual prom on the MetroLink train system.

Whether she was frolicking on campus as Miz MetroLink or visiting other schools to mobilize students, those who know her or worked with her on public transit issues said she has left an indelible mark on the campus.

“She will be sorely missed…by both the Washington University community and the St. Louis community at large,” said Rose Windmiller, director of state relations and local government affairs.

Kramer and an army of students and green-group leaders appeared on campus with their own form of reminders: signs all around, a MetroBus-themed flash mob dance outside the Danforth University Center, an appearance by Miz MetroLink in Whispers Café. The students even got the help of Dining Services, which sold MetroBus-shaped cookies in the days before the election and allowed chefs to wear Metro buttons.

The students’ efforts seemed to work. Hundreds of supportive students streamed to the polls on April 6. The transit measure, known as Proposition A, passed overwhelmingly.

The student-led effort marveled regional campaign leaders so much that they recently gave a shout-out on St. Louis Public Radio to students here and at other local schools. Tom Shrout, former executive director of the Citizens for Modern Transit (CMT), said the student turnout defied history.

“All the experts said in an April election that no students will vote,” Shrout said in a phone interview. “Liz took it upon herself not only to pick off where she left off on the November of ‘08 vote…but to keep that momentum going and spread it to other campuses like UMSL and SLU and community colleges and Webster.”

CMT will honor Kramer on Sept. 17 with an award for her work in uniting young people around public transit. The University’s Rose Windmiller will also receive an award.

“I’m very honored to be recognized by CMT for the work, but I also really feel that the work was done by a lot of very dedicated students who were committed to passing Prop A,” Kramer said.

Kramer’s work in St. Louis may be done now. But Shrout, Windmiller and others say that Kramer’s impact will last long after she departs for Chicago.

“She was instrumental in getting a whole new generation of people in St. Louis acclimated not only to using public transportation, but also [to] supporting it financially,” said Windmiller, director of state relations and local government affairs.

Senior Peter Murrey, former president of Green Action, said Kramer “empowered students” by seeking to involve them in her projects. “No matter what year you were or if you had ever met her before…she wanted to include everyone on it, and her enthusiasm just bubbled over into you,” Murrey said. “It was just infectious.”

Not everyone agreed with the causes Kramer has championed. Opponents of Proposition A continually criticized the University for its U-Pass program, arguing that Metro was giving the school a big discount to provide free transit passes to students and employees here. The University and Metro repeatedly denied those claims.

“Now is the time for [opponents] to work with public transit agencies, government agencies in St. Louis to improve the system and to help make their problems less so,” Kramer said.

Tom Schweich taught law at the University for two years after serving in high-level diplomacy and law-enforcement posts in the Bush administration and now is facing Democratic incumbent Susan Montee in one of the state’s most anticipated November showdowns. Missouri Republicans will try to put the state auditor post back in their column for the first time in 12 years.

And Schweich likes his chances against Montee this November.

“Of course I think I’m going to win,” Schweich told Student Life. “I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t think I was going to win.”

The state auditor’s office serves as the watchdog over the state’s money, performing audits and investigations to crack down on waste and fraud in government spending. Three past auditors have gone on to serve as U.S. senators — John Ashcroft (R-Mo.), Christopher “Kit” Bond (R-Mo.) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) — underscoring the status of the auditor position as a political stepping-stone.

The race will be one of the closest watched in Missouri. It’s one of only two statewide races this November, the other being the U.S. Senate contest between Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan (D).

Schweich taught courses on Afghanistan and the United Nations, among other topics, and finished his teaching duties at the close of the last school year. Though he had never taught before, he said he enjoyed the experience immensely, and he applauded his students for their motivation and intelligence.

“It’s a very smart group of students,” Schweich said. “They’re very open-minded, and we had good healthy discussions in class, and I thought it was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed being in the classroom.”

Schweich defeated MBA graduate and state lawmaker Allen Icet in the GOP primary on Aug. 3 in part because of healthy fundraising and the backing of prominent national and state Republicans. Former U.S. Sens. Jack Danforth (R-Mo.) and John Ashcroft (R-Mo.), state Senate President Pro Tem Charlie Shields (R-St. Joseph), former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder all backed Schweich in the primary.

It’s still unclear if the race’s prominence will be enough to get the attention of campus politicos. The College Democrats “will be doing as much campaign volunteering as possible, but…we don’t yet know which candidates and races we’ll be focusing on,” said the group’s president, Kat Berger.

Schweich said that some of his former students have helped his campaign out in a minor capacity after the associate law dean signed off on it.

Montee’s campaign, meanwhile, noted her own connection to the University.

“She enjoys the support of young people across the state who recognize the important role her audits have made in drawing attention to problems confronting higher education,” campaign spokesman Phil Olafsen told Student Life. “Her daughter attends Washington University and, along with many other young people, has worked hard on behalf of state Auditor Montee.”

Montee won election to the post in the 2006 Democratic wave election, succeeding McCaskill, who ran a successful bid that year for U.S. Senate. But Republican enthusiasm is up considerably this election cycle, putting some Missouri Democrats like Montee at considerable risk.

Former Missouri Gov. Bob Holden (D) said the Senate race is likely to be the dominating factor in driving voters to the polls since it garners more of the public’s attention. But despite the political climate, he noted that the winds could shift before November.

“Eight months ago, the political landscape looked different than it did today,” Holden said. “It may change by Election Day. What both campaigns will have to do is do what they can to organize and motivate voters.”

Icet (R-Wildwood), the chairman of the state House Budget Committee, had the backing of nearly all of the state’s GOP lawmakers and some conservative elements of the party. But it proved not to be enough for Icet to overcome Schweich. After Schweich got the GOP nod, Icet urged his supporters to back Schweich.

Schweich has cited his management of audits and investigations in federal agencies as experience that would help him as state auditor. He also has touted his work as an ambassador to Afghanistan who focused on drug crime and corruption, and an international law enforcer.

Both the Montee and Schweich camps said they don’t want politics to get in the way of the campaign or their work

Although Schweich is a Republican, he said he would bring an “independent” mind to the job.

And when asked about the headwinds Democrats currently face, Montee’s camp said she “is more concerned with doing the job of state auditor than speculating or engaging in partisan politics.”

Johann Qua Hiansen | Student Life

Senior Megan Fieser, the current leader on the Bears’ all-time stolen base list, looks to score off a base hit from second base.

Voris’ complete game highlighted the Bears’ 4-2 comeback win in the first game, while Cook also tossed a complete game as the Bears cruised to a 6-1 win in the second game.

Harris Stowe’s Jenna Walter held the Bears to a run in the first three innings of the first game, but their bats came alive with three runs in the fourth inning. Trailing 2-1 to start that inning, the Bears took a 4-2 lead to seal the win for Voris.

Senior Megan Fieser stole two bases in the game, moving her into sole possession of first place on the Bears’ all-time stolen base list. While she is excited to achieve major milestones, she noted that it helps the team in the process.

“I think [stealing bases] helps me get into scoring position, and just having that goal to reach toward helps me help the team,” Fieser said.

The Bears sought to get on the board earlier in the second game, and they did just that. Senior Caitlyn Hoffman’s two-run homer to right field set off the Bears’ five-run second inning.

“I’ve been hitting the ball not that great lately, so I was just trying to hit the ball hard someplace and get a good feeling, so it worked well,” Hoffman said.

The outburst was more than enough for Cook, as she almost threw a shutout. An error in the sixth inning allowed Harris Stowe’s only run to score. “Sometimes stuff like that just happens. More importantly I’m glad that we got the win and that we hit great,” Cook said. “I think we’re where we need to be this season, and the shutout doesn’t mean as much as the win.”

On Sunday, the Bears forced the mercy rule in both victories against Fontbonne University, collecting 27 hits en route to five-inning finals of 14-2 and 11-1. Senior Ashton Hitchcock led the barrage with a grand slam in the first game on Sunday.

“I wasn’t really even thinking about trying to hit a home run or how many people were on base,” Hitchcock said. “At that point it was fun more than anything because everyone was hitting.”

Though Voris and Cook both delivered strong outings again, the Bears’ offense was too much for Fontbonne, putting up 10-run innings in each game.

In the first game, the Bears scored 10 runs in the fourth inning to extend their 4-2 lead to 14-2, giving Voris a hefty cushion. Sophomore Corissa Santos doubled home the first run of the inning, and Voris followed with a two-run single. Freshman Ashley Janssen and Fieser each added an RBI.

Hitchcock came to the plate with the bases loaded and put the exclamation point on the inning with her grand slam. The home run for Hitchcock was the 15th of her career, which puts her in fourth place all-time.

In the second game, Cook and Fontbonne’s Kourtney Von Behren were locked in a pitcher’s duel, allowing one run each in the first four innings.

In the top of the fifth, though, the Bears exploded with another 10-run inning, capitalizing on two errors by Fontbonne. Six different Bears drove in runs in the inning, and eight of the 10 runs the Bears scored were unearned.

Fieser highlighted the game with a 3-for-4 performance, including a two-run triple. She went 6 for 8 in the doubleheader and extended her hitting streak to 17 games.

The four wins and the solid pitching and hitting came despite the Bears’ having taken a week off from games. The Red and Green said the team worked hard on fundamentals last week. “We had a good week of practice and we got to adjust some things and solidify positions, so I think we’re on a good roll right now,” head coach Leticia Pineda-Boutté said after Saturday’s games.

The Bears (28-6) continue their eight-game home stand against Westminster College at 4 p.m. Wednesday.

Chief Operating Officer Ray Friem said service will be restored in phases over the next 12 months. The first changes will come June 28 after a series of public hearings in the coming weeks. Among the likely first changes are an increase in MetroLink frequency from four to five trains per hour and more bus service in the form of new routes and alterations to existing ones.

Friem said bus routes serving Washington University’s campuses—Red Line, Gold Line and Green Line—likely won’t see any major changes. Those routes were changed little in the March 30, 2009, service cuts, and they have continued to enjoy good ridership, he said. Jessica Mefford-Miller, Metro’s chief of planning and system development, said changes to most routes near the University are unlikely.

Metro’s approach, rather, is to “put as much service back on the road as quickly as possible” to regain lost ridership, Mefford-Miller said. That means that areas with the greatest need—places like the Central West End and areas of St. Louis County beyond Mid County—will be among the first recipients of increased bus service. Metro also wants to split some routes, such as the 49 Lindbergh, into two routes to increase efficiency and accommodate demand.

And while local transit leaders and University students are mostly cheering Metro’s restoration proposal, few details are final. The final additions and changes, Friem said, will depend largely on public feedback and how quickly Metro can rehire bus drivers and purchase new buses. Friem said bus routes will be a major focus of public hearings, especially because bus service took the biggest hit on March 30, 2009.

“We have our intelligence, we have our data, we know where connection problems are, and we’ve prioritized them ourselves, but it’s a little disingenuous of us to say we know what’s best,” Friem said of the need to get public feedback.

Metro has received no feedback so far from the University community on what services to restore, Mefford-Miller said, but she noted that it’s very early in the feedback process.

Senior Will Fischer, a member of Green Action, said he’s very interested in attending a public hearing. He’s most excited about the possibility of a new north-south MetroLink line in St. Louis, but he also hopes to see plenty of new service. “I really hope they increase frequency of all different lines, for both MetroLink and MetroBus,” Fischer said.

Friem said a second wave of restoration and expansion will likely occur either entirely in September or in two sub-phases in September and November. Metro officials are aiming to have the final wave occur by June 2011, provided that hires and bus orders go as planned.

Metro has 78 fewer buses on the road now than it did before the March 30, 2009, service cuts. The agency has almost 50 buses of its own that it can return to the roads, but it will need to order almost 30 more. Normally it takes about 18 months to receive an order of buses, but Friem expressed confidence that the order could be filled in just a year. “We have a good relationship with the manufacturer,” Friem said.

And Friem said Metro will need to train the bus operators and mechanics it hires.

Metro has already received some pressure to increase bus service in downtown St. Louis, after eliminating all area bus routes in 2009 to have more buses in western parts of the city. Metro replaced those downtown routes with a downtown circulator, which Friem said has had poor ridership and is the “biggest disappointment of my professional career.”

Tom Shrout, executive director of Citizens for Modern Transit, is among those who want Metro to pay more attention to bus routes downtown. He also wants to see the downtown ride-free zone restored.

Still, he described Metro’s restoration plan as “well thought out.” He especially likes the proposed increase in train frequency. “Going from four trains to five trains an hour on each line will help a lot, especially in the Central West End station, where there’s really been severe overcrowding,” Shrout said.

Friem said getting people to their jobs will be an important consideration in Metro’s restoration plan. “As the area recovers and jobs become more plentiful, you don’t want transportation to be a barrier to people’s success,” Friem said. Metro’s goal at the end of first year is to reinstate service to 98 percent of jobs within walking distance of 95 percent of the population.

“That’s an excellent ratio for St. Louis,” Friem said, “and that’s what I’ll try to get back there.”

Friem also hinted at the possibility of adding a Forest Park-Central West End circulator shuttle that would likely run during summer only. It would start at the Forest Park-DeBaliviere MetroLink stop, which is close to some student apartments, and travel through Forest Park, down Oakland Avenue and through southern St. Louis until Tower Grove.

Friem also does not expect any changes to how Metro sells bulk passes to universities and businesses. Washington University pays Metro over $2 million per year to provide transit passes for free to benefits-eligible faculty and staff and full-time students.

Among the proposed service changes coming June 28:

• MetroLink trains will run five times per hour instead of four times.
• A new bus route, 06 River City, will connect the Shrewsbury-Lansdowne I-44 MetroLink station to the River City Casino.
• Frequency will increase for the 70 Grand, 90 Hampton and 95 Kingshighway MetroBus routes.
• The 49 Lindbergh MetroBus route will be split into a 49 North Lindbergh route and 48 South Lindbergh route.
• The 34 Earth City route may be split into North Earth City and South Earth City.
• The 03 Forest Park-Central West End circulator may be created.

What service do you want Metro to restore?

Metro will be hosting the following public hearings to get feedback on what service to restore, add and alter.

April 27, 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Mehlville High School Library
3200 Lemay Ferry Rd.
St. Louis, MO 63125

April 28, 3 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Riverview Transit Center
9000 Riverview Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63147

May 4, 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley Multi-Purpose Room
3400 Pershall Rd.
St. Louis, MO 63135

May 5, 3 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Ballas Transit Center
790 S. Ballas Rd.
St. Louis, MO 63141

May 7, noon – 1:30 p.m.
St. Louis City Hall
Kennedy Room
1200 N. Tucker Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63102

Daniel Eicholtz | Student Life

Senior John Watts plays a game on March 20th. On Wednesday, he won his single and double matches against Division II University of Missouri-St. Louis.

The Bears eked out two of three doubles matches against the Tartans before winning five of six singles matches in the road match.

Head coach Roger Follmer said the men successfully executed some of the performance goals they have practiced recently, which included keeping their cool when they hit a great shot or made an unforced error.

“The guys did a very good job of not letting mistakes upset them,” Follmer said. “They did a good job of being more mature on the court.”

The second doubles duo of senior John Watts and freshman Kareem Farah edged UMSL’s Tim Bryant and Jamie Lawlor, 8-6. Meanwhile, seniors Danny Levy and Slavi Fildish pulled out a 9-8 win at third doubles, defeating UMSL’s Alex Cherman and Felipe Naranjo. Both the second and third Wash. U. doubles squads stayed on serve for most of their matches.

“When it was all said and done, we played well in big points down the the stretch,” Follmer said.

At third singles, freshman Adam Putterman split the first two sets against opponent Lawlor, but prevailed in a tiebreaker to take the match, 5-7, 6-3, 11-9.

Meanwhile, junior Max Woods won the 50th singles match of his career with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Bryant at fourth singles.

Woods, however, downplayed the accomplishment.

“I really didn’t think about that. I go out there, do my best and win for the team, and that’s most important,” Woods said. “Individual accomplishments are always second.”

Watts, Levy and Farah rounded out the singles victories for the Bears, notching straight-set wins at first, fifth and sixth singles, respectively.

Farah injured his ankle during his singles match, and while he finished his match, he is questionable for next week’s contests, Follmer said. Follmer hopes Farah can return to action with a few days of rest but added that he doesn’t yet know who might replace Farah should the freshman not be ready.

The Bears have just two matches left before the UAA tournament. They are fresh off a 9-0 win over Carthage College on April 5, a victory that gave the Bears added confidence that they were on the right track to perform well at the UAA tournament.

Still, even after Wednesday’s decisive win, Follmer said that the team will “still have work to do before UAAs.” The team will practice much of this weekend in preparation.

Next up for Wash. U. (11-3) are home matches against No. 18 Lindenwood University on Monday and No. 24 McKendree University on Tuesday. Both matches start at 4 p.m. at Tao Tennis Center.

“We’ll be getting ready mentally and physically for conferences,” Woods said. “We’re going to work hard in these two games and be ready.”

Wash. U. v. UMSL 7-2

Singles
1. #1 John Watts (WASHU) def. Hammar, Andreas (UMSL) 6-3, 6-2
2. Anthony, Daniel (UMSL) def. Isaac Stein (WASHU) 6-3, 1-6, 10-5
3. Adam Putterman (WASHU) def. Lawlor, Jamie (UMSL) 5-7, 6-3, 11-9
4. Max Woods (WASHU) def. Bryant, Tim (UMSL) 6-1, 6-1
5. Danny Levy (WASHU) def. Naranjo, Felipe (UMSL) 6-1, 6-0
6. Kareem Farah (WASHU) def. Antwi Adjei, Karl (UMSL) 6-1, 6-3

Doubles
1. Hammar, Andreas/Anthony, Daniel (UMSL) def. #3 Isaac Stein/Max Woods (WASHU) 8-5
2. John Watts/Kareem Farah (WASHU) def. Bryant, Tim/Lawlor, Jamie (UMSL) 8-6
3. Danny Levy/Slavi Fildish (WASHU) def. Cherman, Alex/Naranjo, Felipe (UMSL) 9-8

Freshman Claire Voris tossed a complete game as the Bears won game one 4-2, while sophomore Olivia Cook’s complete game highlighted the Bears’ 6-1 win in game two.