Being green is becoming cooler as academic institutions see an increasing number of students majoring in the fields of environment and sustainability. According to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), more than 100 majors, minors and certificates were created at a variety of universities nationwide over the past year.

Students across the nation are seeking to major in fields that traditionally lead to secure employment, resulting in a drop in enrollment in the humanities and other liberal arts fields, The New York Times reported. At Washington University, students are embracing these majors, and the University is taking steps to ensure that they are marketable.

In a packed auditorium last Friday, the Association of Black Students teamed up with Campus Progress to present a panel on the state of health care in St. Louis.

Washington University students sacrificed a few hours of extra sleep in an effort to mend the University’s relationship with the surrounding community and raise money for fallen officers by participating in the Great Rake Neighborhood Initiative early Saturday morning.

In spite of President Obama’s calls for bipartisan health care reform, only one Republican congressman—Rep. Anh Cao of Louisiana—voted for the House’s sweeping health care overhaul bill on Saturday.

Students at Harvard complained earlier this year when the school eliminated hot breakfasts in upperclassmen’s dormitories. College life is not what it once was.
Today’s Washington University students enjoy memory foam mattresses in some dorms on the South 40 and eat fresh sushi for lunch at the Danforth University Center.

The International Experience Program in the University’s Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering (EECE) department coordinates a program that allows students to travel to various Asian countries over the summer to study EECE advances and learn about foreign cultures.

The Washington University Office of Undergraduate Admissions said it is making great strides toward a more sustainable way of operating, but many sustainability groups on campus question this claim. Director of Admissions Julie Shimabukuro wrote in an e-mail to Student Life that the admissions office is continually finding “ways to ‘go green,’” in keeping with University-wide sustainability efforts.

The Washington University Class of 2013 has more freshmen than classes in previous years, according to Director of Admissions Julie Shimabukuro. “[The admissions officers are] saying it is one of the largest classes,” Shimabukuro said. “They are not exactly sure if it is the largest.” The University admitted more than 1,500 students this year, she [...]

Brauer Hall for the Washington University School of Engineering is scheduled to be officially open and ready for use in the fall of 2010.