 "Photo: Matt Mitgang | Student Life")
The Washington University women’s basketball team fought hard to erase a 14-point second half deficit but fell to No. 10 Illinois Wesleyan University 72-69 in the championship game of the Tip-Off Tournament at the University Field House on Saturday.
The first half saw no team lead by more than six points, and both teams shot more than 40 percent from the field. Sophomore Kathryn Berger led the charge with 11 of her career-high 19 points in the first half, with six other players chipping in for 32 first-half points.
For the Titans, Christina Solari and Hope Schulte led the first-half attack with 19 of the team’s 35 points. Solari took care of the inside scoring while Schulte was 3-3 from behind the arc.
While the second half ultimately finished even, the Red and Green had to fight to narrow a deficit that grew from three to 14 in slightly more than four minutes of play. Berger, junior Zoë Unruh and senior Halsey Ward each led the team with eight second-half points to help narrow the gap to two points with 34 seconds remaining in the game.
“We played well the last 10 minutes of the second half. We didn’t come out with intensity on defense for the first 10 minutes, and that’s what got us behind. They went on a run, and we just couldn’t answer,” senior Shanna-Lei Dacanay said.
A Solari free throw made the score 72-69, and a desperation heave by sophomore Alex Hoover from half court clanked off the rim to end the game.
Unruh and Ward also scored in double figures for the Bears with 12 and 11 points respectively, and while senior Jaimie McFarlin only scored eight points, she grabbed six rebounds and created opportunities for her teammates to score.
“A lot of time, they would double Jaimie, so I was able to get open. You just need to be confident and take [the shot],” Berger said. She was 8-12 from the floor.
The Titans, powered by 21 points from Solari and 13 from Schulte, outrebounded Wash. U. 40-29 and capitalized on second and third opportunities on the offensive end.
“It was all on us. We have to box out our man. We didn’t do that, but we can only look forward from this,” Dacanay said.
Illinois Wesleyan went 2-0 against ranked teams in the tournament after defeating No. 3 DePauw University 77-76 in its opening game. The Bears crushed Central College 90-48 to start their tournament behind 12 points from senior Janice Evans, 11 from Unruh and 10 from Berger.
Illinois Wesleyan was the first major test for the No. 6 Bears, and the game showed where improvements are needed.
“We had some bright moments on offense. We didn’t always execute, but there were times when we did what we had to do. We definitely have a lot to work on, but it went pretty smoothly,” Dacanay said.
“During the second 10 minutes of the second half, we picked it up on the rotations, getting out to cover the three-point shooters and boxing out. Second and third shots are what kill you on defense,” Berger said.
The 2-1 Bears continue their home stand with the Eighth Annual McWilliams Classic on Thanksgiving weekend. The team will face Whittier College Saturday at 3 p.m. after Johns Hopkins University battles Carthage College at 1 p.m. The consolation and championship games will be Sunday afternoon.
Presidents of colleges cut own pay
Many of the nation’s highest-paid college administrators are cutting their own salaries as colleges and universities watch their investments fall with the financial markets.
The Chronicle of Higher Education published its annual report on compensation for university presidents last week. Pat Callan, president of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, said that given the current economic situation, presidents’ pay has become important in schools’ public perception.
In an e-mail to the Washington University community, Chancellor Mark Wrighton announced that his salary will be reduced by 5 percent in January and another 5 percent next July after news that Washington University’s endowment had declined by 25 percent. Wrighton’s announcement came before the Chronicle’s report was released.
President of the University of Pennsylvania Amy Gutmann, one of eight university presidents making more than $1 million in 2006 according to the report, made a $100,000 gift to the University to support undergraduate research.
President of the University of Washington Mark Emmert, the second-highest paid president of a public university, is not taking a raise this year. Elson Floyd, president of Washington State University, announced that he would take a $100,000 pay cut to help with budget problems. (John Scott)
President-elect Barack Obama offered information on Saturday regarding his economic recovery plan in the weekly Democratic radio address. Obama said that American workers would rebuild roads and bridges, modernize schools and find alternative energy sources for the country.
“The plan will mean 2.5 million more jobs,” Obama said.
Obama said that those jobs will be added by 2011. He said that the plan did not just address the current problems, but also long-term issues that he said have been ignored. Obama said that his economic team is still working out details, but he wants to implement the plan soon after his term begins on January 20, 2009.
In his address, Obama said that inaction would result in millions of job losses in the next year. Obama signaled that he was willing to receive suggestions from both Democrats and Republicans and that bipartisan support would be needed to pass such a plan, but noted that immediate action was important.
Obama noted that 540,000 new unemployment claims were filed in October, the most in 16 years, and that new home purchases were at a 50-year low.
Obama noted that the current economic crisis is impacting current workers, retirees and students trying to pay for college. The address repeated many of the statements that Democrats had made throughout the election. Obama is expected to devote more resources to domestic programs than have been allocated in previous years. (John Scott)
Washington University will begin the installation of an interior cellular reception system within the Danforth University Center this week, hoping to alleviate network problems cited by many students.
According to Andrew Ortstadt, the associate vice chancellor for information systems and technology, the University has utilized Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) as a solution for improving cellular phone coverage in specific areas of campus. DAS places antennas throughout an area to capture and relay cellular signals. This network connects to several cellular providers’ networks at a single point.
Similar systems have been installed in the Knight Center, Simon Hall and the parking garage of the Danforth University Center (DUC).
“How well these cellular signals penetrate into buildings depends on the location of the transmitter, the construction of the building and the number of walls and floors that are in the way,” Ortstadt said. “It is not unusual for rooms in the middle of buildings, away from windows or below ground to have limited cellular signals. Many of our buildings have heavy stone walls that tend to block radio or cellular signals.”
According to a University press release, all licensed cellular service carriers in the St. Louis area have been invited to become part of the new system.
“T-Mobile has become the first carrier to connect to the system, and T-Mobile customers are now able to more reliably make and receive cell calls inside these buildings,” the statement read. “Sprint plans to complete their connection to the system by the end of the year.”
According to Bill Darby, director of the DUC, construction of the system within the DUC begins this week with hopes that it will be completed by Jan. 2009.
Plans to include more carriers in the system are currently under review. There are no plans to extend the system to other buildings on campus.
“We are talking to three additional carriers about connecting to the system,” Ortstadt said. “I would expect that we will continue to evaluate further implementation in places where there is a need for reliable multi-carrier coverage, but there are no other buildings currently scheduled.”
Ortstadt said he was not able to share the financial arrangements that the University has with the cellular providers.
According to Ortstadt, the initial results of the DAS installation have been favorable.
“The signal readings captured with RF meters and test phones indicate strong signals inside the spaces where the DAS is implemented,” he said.
For those who use carriers that have hooked up to the system, the response has been positive.
“I was downstairs in the computer lab in Simon Hall and I had full service, which is unheard of,” freshman Jessica Lee, a student in the business school and a T-Mobile user, said.
But students who use carriers that have not connected to the DAS have reported that the cellular signal is still poor.
“AT&T phone service here would be a legitimate reason to transfer out of this university,” freshman Sankalp Bhan said. “A week and a half ago, I went to Simon Hall to study computer science and there was no service.”
In addition to installing DAS, the University has been working alongside St. Louis area cellular providers on other methods to improve cellular signal reception throughout campus. In response, many cellular providers have installed new equipment around the Danforth Campus and residential areas.
According to a statement on the Student Technology Services Web site, many new cell towers have been built on the South 40.
“Verizon just completed a new cell site on Mudd Hall, and we have reports of much better reception by those users,” the statement read. “U.S. Cellular is installing equipment to improve reception in the Village House, and also has a tower on the intramural field. AT&T has a proposal for new equipment that is currently under review.”
The construction of these new towers has been effective in bringing about stronger cellular signals.
“When I first arrived on campus, Verizon service was almost non-existent,” freshman Jack Marshall said. “Since the tower was installed, it’s like night and day. Now I actually receive text messages in real time.”
With additional reporting by Lauren Olens
Washington University’s international student enrollment has kept up with national trends, as colleges around the country have been devoting large amounts of resources toward finding potential students.
Yet, according to international students who were interviewed, Washington University is not as aggressive in recruiting as other schools are, though other factors influenced the students’ decisions to attend the University.
According to the Institute of International Education (IIE), which released its “Open Doors” report last Monday, 623,805 international students enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities for the 2007-2008 school year. This figure exceeded the previous record of 586,323 students from the 2002-2003 academic year, and represented a 7 percent increase from the 2006-2007 number.
The University enrolls 1,597 international students, second in the state to the University of Missouri at Columbia. International students comprise about 14 percent of the University’s approximately 11,500 undergraduate and graduate students.
Missouri ranked 17th in host states for international students.
The Office of Undergraduate Admissions at the University did not respond to phone calls or e-mail requests for comment.
Sophomore Ian Chui, an international student from Hong Kong, said his decision to attend the University was influenced by the University’s ranking and advice from his high school counselor. Chui also said that many other schools had sent recruiters to the area as well.
“I saw a lot of representatives from other schools. There’s a big market in Hong Kong of students trying to go to [American] schools,” Chui said.
According to Chui, about 80 percent of graduates from his high school went on to attend college in the U.S. Chui’s high school followed the American system of college application, with students taking American standardized tests and courses in English.
The most frustrating part of Chui’s applications to American universities, he said, was obtaining a student visa. Chui added, however, that his counselors were experienced in the process and were able to help.
Renault Young, a sophomore international student from Taiwan, had an experience similar to Chui’s. Young also attended an international high school that used an American curriculum.
“We [had] AP classes, the ACT and SAT,” Young said. “Ninety-five percent of the teachers in my school came from the United States.”
Sixty-one percent of the University’s international students come from Asia. India remains the most common country of origin for international students for the seventh consecutive year, having overtaken China in the 2000-01 academic year. Currently, India accounts for more than 15 percent of foreign students in the U.S. China, South Korea, Japan and Canada complete the top five.
Saudi Arabia was the leading country in the Middle East, ranked ninth for countries of origin for international students across the United States. Although American universities have seen a sharp drop in the number of students coming from the Middle East in recent years due to increased visa restrictions for students, the number of Saudi students at U.S. institutions has more than tripled since 2005, driven in part by scholarships provided to students by the Saudi government.
Business and management are the most common fields of study for international students nationwide, with 20 percent majoring in those fields. Engineering ranked second with 17 percent.
According to the report, study abroad for U.S. students also continued to grow, with nearly a quarter million U.S. students enrolled in study abroad programs. Although most students chose to study abroad in Europe, other destinations such as China, India and some South American countries have become increasingly popular with American students.
The University ranked 26th in terms of the percentage of students participating in study abroad programs, with more than 36 percent of students studying overseas at some point during their undergraduate careers.
Many schools noted that bringing international students to their campuses benefits them by enriching their campus. Such universities benefit financially, with international students bringing an additional $15 billion into the economy each year.
WU keeps pace with
international student trends
American-style universities abroad help students gain edge
PLAYING FOR THE TROOPS
Washington University will offer a Pluralism, Politics and Religion Program in Paris beginning this June, in collaboration with the University’s Pluralism, Politics and Religion Initiative.
Students participating in the program will take two classes in France for a total of six University credits. The first class, “Politics and Religion in Contemporary Societies,” taught by Professor of Anthropology John Bowen, will relate to immigration, religious pluralism and state politics in France and the rest of the European Union.
“Politics, Religion and Art in Antiquity: Representations in Paris,” the second class, will be taught in the Louvre and other French museums by Anthropology and Archaeology Professor David Freidel. The course, which will focus on antiquity religion and politics, will allow students to travel to a number of cultural and historical sites in Paris, including the Musée d’Orsay, a local Catholic church, a newer evangelical church, the oldest Mosque in Paris and a synagogue.
“[The purpose of this program] is to give University students a chance to learn on site about religion and politics in Europe,” Bowen said.
Anthropology Professor Carolyn Sargent expects students to find the program a valuable opportunity.
“This is an opportunity to explore political and religious dynamics as they play out among the diverse populations residing in France today and also to investigate the political and religious themes reflected in the art and architecture of past civilizations,” Sargent said.
Some students, including freshman Peter Bohlen, have already shown interest in such issues—an interest that will facilitate the use of the Pluralism, Politics and Religion Initiative (PPRI) study abroad program.
“I think religion and politics are a pertinent [issue] in France because France is becoming more and more secular and religion is having a more diminished presence,” Bohlen said.
Likewise, freshman Daniel Rubin agreed that attending the program could help tremendously in understanding contemporary European culture.
“Paris is my favorite city and I look forward to learning about how different religions affect their political system,” Rubin said.
While this is the first year that PPRI has been expanded to offer programming for undergraduates, the University offers an exchange program between graduates from the French University École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE) and University graduate students.
“We currently have graduates at Washington University working together with [EPHE] students, and then that group will all be in Paris for spring semesters,” Bowen said.
The initiative also has a strong presence on campus, featuring conferences and lectures open to the student body.
This fall, Michel Wieviorka, a scholar from the EPHE social sciences department, spoke at the University on anti-Semitism in France. Later this spring, the University will host another conference relating to multiculturalism and immigration in Europe.
Students interested in applying to the summer study abroad program should complete their application, which includes short essays and a recommendation, by Dec. 8.
Student Life Senior News Editor Ben Sales sat down with former Afghan Attorney General Abdul Jabbar Sabit, who was at Washington University to speak to a class before flying to Washington, D.C.
Next year, Sabit will run for president in the upcoming Afghan elections. Here are his thoughts on domestic Afghan politics, the role of the United States in the country and what should be done with Pakistan:
Student Life: How have you liked Washington University so far?
Abdul Jabbar Sabit: I like the campus. The class was very good. I enjoyed it very much. They asked me very difficult questions and I was very frank with them. Believe me, in my message to them I did not conceal a single fact from them, nothing.
SL: What did you focus on during your tenure as attorney general of Afghanistan?
AJS: My main concern when I was attorney general was corruption and drug trafficking. I wanted to strengthen the rule of law there.
I was happy with my trips to the provinces, something that no attorney general had ever done. As you know, Afghanistan is a mountainous country. The roads are not very good, and lots of people have problems in remote and distant provinces. They do not have the opportunity to come to the capital and take problems and grievances to the central authorities, so I decided to go to the provinces and listen to the people.
Another thing I consider an achievement is that I received petitions every day from all over the country. Between 100 to 150 petitions would come every day, and I would respond to each of them and solve their problems if I could.
SL: Is there anything you were dissatisfied with while you were attorney general?
AJS: When I wanted to prosecute powerful persons, I could not. This was very bad and I could not tolerate it. I do not want to mention their names. There were many.
SL: How big of a problem is corruption in the Afghani government?
AJS: We have corruption, there is no doubt about that, but one thing I have always said in the past and I will say now is that we have corruption, but there is not as much corruption as people say there is. Some people exaggerate things.
SL: You’re running for president in the upcoming Afghani elections. What are the main points of your platform?
AJS: If I get elected, the first thing that I will do is to take major steps to strengthen the rule of law in the country, to see that no one is above the law, to be very harsh on those people who would violate the law.
On the other hand, corruption should be fought on all levels of the country, and I should bring peace to the country. The best way to bring peace to the country is negotiation, to negotiate a kind of settlement in which there should be involved our foreign friends like the United States and the neighboring countries like Iran and Pakistan and Indonesia. And the warring faction, the Taliban. If Pakistan and Iran agree that we should have peace in Afghanistan, then we will have it, but if the negotiation is only with the Taliban it will not work.
SL: Why won’t negotiations with the Taliban work?
AJS: Even if I negotiate with them, they will not negotiate with me. They will not accept the constitution of the state, they will not accept free elections and they will not accept many other democratic things.
SL: Would you be in favor of the United States invading Pakistan in order to curb the Taliban?
AJS: I would ask the United States government to put pressure on Pakistan to curb the Taliban. We would see what kind of invasion that would be. If it is needed, I would say yes, but if not I would persuade my American friends not to do that.
SL: Some have criticized you for favoring ethnic Pashtuns while you were attorney general. What do you think prompted those claims?
AJS: I am not a Pashtun, I am not a Kathar, I am not a Tajik; I am just an Afghani. I have proved that. People come to me and tell me that I proved that; I am not affiliated with any of those Afghan groups. Those are just baseless allegations.
SL: Do you think that Afghanistan can stably exist as a multiethnic society?
AJS: We do not have that many ethnic groups like, for example, Pakistan has, like Iran. Look at Iran. Look at India. Look at the United States. The United States can justify peace with that many ethnic groups in the country. Why shouldn’t we do that?
SL: What should be the United States’ role in Afghanistan in the future?
AJS: The United States government should increase its involvement in Afghanistan in every aspect. Every good thing that the president of the country does is attributed to the United States and every bad thing that is done by the president is blamed on the United States.
If I had been in the government of the United States two or three years ago, I would have advised the authorities to get deeply involved in Afghan affairs. I am in favor of increasing the military presence of the United States in Afghanistan.
It’s a good idea that the United States and Iran should negotiate. We say something in our language: If a knot can be opened with the hands, there’s no need to take it to the mouth. If the atomic problem is solved in negotiation, there’s no need for invasion.
SL: Why should American college students care about what is going on in Afghanistan?
AJS: The United States government has sent troops, billions of dollars of the taxpayers’ money and the people of the United States should know what’s going on there. That’s something the people of the United States should know, how the taxpayer money is spent there, what their government is doing there and what the people of Afghanistan expect the government of the United States to do.
For many students at Washington University, Thanksgiving is a time for family, a rest before the crunch of finals and a much-anticipated home-cooked meal. But for others in the St. Louis community, Thanksgiving is a reminder of the coming winter and hard economic times.
University students had the opportunity to give hundreds of these St. Louis locals in need a Thanksgiving dinner at Jireh’s fifth annual Thanksgiving dinner at the West End Community Center in St. Louis on Thursday, a week before the national holiday.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2008 11 percent of the population in the metropolitan area of St. Louis lives in poverty, while 22.4 percent of the population in the central city area lives in poverty. Jireh’s provides relief to this sector of the population at times when many are in need of something to be thankful for.
This year, the group served 250 people, 150 more than the number attending the first Jireh’s meal in 2004. The Thanksgiving dinner program featured a sit-down meal, performances by youth who attend the community center, music, a raffling of turkeys and a bag of Thanksgiving-related groceries for each child in attendance.
The Congress of the South 40 and Lock and Chain Honorary hosted a potluck dinner as a fundraiser for the event, and the Office of Student Activities and the African and African-American Studies department were also major financial donors. The program has been building a base of sponsors through grassroots efforts since its establishment.
Founded in 2004 by then-undergraduate student Katrina Marshall, Jireh’s was initially established as an ad hoc committee in the Association of Black Students (ABS). The name Jireh’s comes from Jehovah Jireh, which means “The Lord will provide,” a biblical reference to Genesis 22:14.
Due to Jireh’s goal of growing beyond the St. Louis community and becoming a non-profit organization, the group has separated from ABS. While ABS still provides Jireh’s resources in the form of volunteers at the dinner, other organizations such as small businesses, churches and individuals in the St. Louis community provide all other resources, including finances and food.
According to Marshall, all of the program’s donors began through personal contacts in the area, including those with cooking skills and those who were willing to help the cause.
Marshall is still involved with the group, and as a part of its expansion as a non-profit, she plans to make Jireh’s a year-round contributor to the St. Louis community.
“We can get help from places like Einstein’s Bagels, because they understand that times are really hard now and it’s really been good to see how people in big organizations have big hearts too,” junior Njaimeh Njie, who volunteered at the event this year, said.
Kathryn Brown, a sophomore who participated in the event both last year and this year, said that she may have gotten more out of the event than the people they fed did.
“I think we all went into the event thinking that we were going to help them, to lift their spirits, and it was interesting how as the night went on I began to think the exact opposite,” Brown said. “I would say that through my interactions with the families that were there, I actually got more out of the night then they did.”
Brown added that support was mutual between the dinner’s attendees and volunteers this year.
“Several of the women told me how proud they were to see an African-American woman attending Washington University, and to stay strong. I wasn’t expecting them to be encouraging me; I thought if anything I’d encourage them,” she said.
Alpha Omicron Pi will be the seventh women’s Greek organization to join Washington University’s campus, the Women’s Panhellenic Association announced Sunday.
The women’s fraternity is set to join campus in Spring 2009, with representatives coming to the University in one week. Alpha Omicron Pi (AOPi) will work with the Women’s Panhellenic Association (Panhel) on a public relations campaign and colonization schedule over the coming weeks to detail the process of joining the Greek community.
Local alumnae of the fraternity and a full-time consultant will also work with Panhel to transition AOPi onto campus.
The decision this past April to add a seventh women’s Greek organization, according to a press release sent out by the Greek Life Office, resulted from increased enrollment at the University, coupled with rising interest in the school’s sororities.
Panhel selected AOPi over Delta Delta Delta and Gamma Phi Beta, which also applied to be the newest women’s Greek organization here.
“Alpha Omicron Pi is an international women’s fraternity promoting friendship for a lifetime, inspiring academic excellence and lifelong learning, and developing leadership skills through service to the fraternity and community,” the press release stated.
AOPi was founded in 1897 at Barnard College of Columbia University in New York City.
New women’s fraternity set to come next semester
Psychologist Donald Kausler, WU alum, passes away
Donald Kausler, a leading researcher in aging and memory and professor emeritus at the University of Missouri, died on Thursday of brain cancer at the age of 81. He retired in 1992 after teaching for 21 years.
He earned his Ph.D. in psychology from Washington University at age 23.
Kausler is also known for publishing “The Graying of America,” intended to help readers understand the effects that aging has on memory, after he retired from teaching. The book is now in its third edition and is titled “The Essential guide to Aging in the Twenty-First Century.” He also wrote for the Scripps Howard News Service and was a guest on several radio shows.
Kausler was born in St. Louis on July 16, 1927. He graduated first in his class from McKinley High School when he was 16 and spent part of his career as a psychologist for the U.S. Air Force. (John Scott)
MEN’S BASKETBALL
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
CROSS COUNTRY
SWIMMING
THE ETERNAL FRESHMAN Sierra Dangerfield
Be the first to comment on this article!