At the front of a dead silent auditorium, a single spotlight illuminated individual poets as they stepped forward to communicate their experiences relating to topics including personal identity, St. Louis and even masturbation. About 800 people gathered Friday night to see 10 student poets compete in the fourth annual Poetry Grand Slam.

University City is finalizing contracts to install a $160,000 surveillance system on the Delmar Loop by June. Joe Edwards, owner of Blueberry Hill and many other establishments on the Loop, said the project has been in the works for almost a decade, but serious discussions have been taking place for the past two years.

On May 5, 1970, a massive Washington University student protest in response to the Kent State killings the day before culminated in several students trying to light the campus ROTC building on fire. This surge in campus activism was the height of years of student protests relating to the Vietnam War.

It was not his first time participating in the Olin Cup, but the young Washington University alum was greeted with a much different result than last time. Eric Elias, who graduated with a degree in finance in 2007, took part in the competition in his senior year, but ran into technical issues that kept his group from being successful.

Student Union Treasury reversed its rule of refusing repeat speaker appeals after a straw poll of members at its meeting on Tuesday. The need to change the standard arose out of complications from the new SU Speaker Series, which was created to encourage groups to appeal for high-cost speakers at the beginning of the first semester rather than throughout the year.

A domestic partnership registry approved in Clayton last week has been greeted with tepid response from the local community. The legislation passed by the city’s board of aldermen on Wednesday entitles monogamous partners, regardless of sexual orientation, to the same rights as married couples at all city-owned facilities.

While humans may have created global warming, the problem is too significant to be solved by lifestyle changes, said Dr. Ralph Cicerone, president of the National Academy of Sciences, to an audience almost filling Lab Sciences 300 to capacity Monday afternoon.

While man may have created global warming, the problem is too significant to be solved by lifestyle changes, said Dr. Ralph Cicerone, president of the National Academy of Sciences to an audience barely filling LabSci 300 Monday afternoon.

Bucking a national trend, graduates from Washington University’s class of 2011 are in less debt than those graduating in the years right before them, according to the most recent figures from Student Financial Services. Students who graduated last year owed an average of $19,265, down from $22,042 in 2007, said Bill Witbrodt, director of Student Financial Services.

Tuition for the 2012-2013 year will be $42,500—a 3.8 percent increase over tuition for the 2011-2012 year—announced Barbara Feiner, vice chancellor for finance, on Thursday. It is an increase of $1,550 from the 2011-2012 year’s tuition of $40,950.