This might have been a smart strategy—if the ban had the backing of the Wash. U. community in the first place. But the policy was put in place unilaterally by the administration with almost no student input. Community enforcement makes little sense when the community itself had not reached a consensus on a ban. Thus, we feel that the obligation rests on the University to effectively enforce its own ban.

Those who do not blatantly smoke cigarettes on campus have taken to smoking en masse on Forsyth Boulevard. This situation is arguably less favorable than before: Smokers have now condensed into an area that invariably gets a large amount of pedestrian traffic from students on the South 40. And every single campus tour makes the turn from the Forsyth sidewalk toward the Danforth University Center, leading potential students and families right through a veritable army of smokers. Clearly, this isn’t good marketing—especially when “Tobacco Free” stickers now adorn every door on campus. Without tighter control and clearer stipulations on where and when people can consume tobacco products, the campus ban could do more image-wise harm than help.

Ultimately, Wash. U. can’t rely on students and community members to enforce the tobacco ban. Policies and penalties regarding smoking on campus need to be outlined explicitly—and they need to be consistently enforced by Wash. U. Otherwise, as more and more smokers pass under the radar, the ban will be ineffective at best, and counterproductive at worst.

We urge the Wash. U. administration to seriously consider the logistics of the tobacco plan, and make adjustments to its own policies accordingly. Until then, we should not be forced to police ourselves over a policy implemented without our consent.

All Greek organizations host philanthropy events. Some are known for working with specific organizations, others for their deep commitment to raising money and making a difference. Kappa Sigma fraternity is not usually one of these.

In an effort to change its image, Kappa Sigma will be putting more effort than usual into their philanthropy event.

Kappa Sigma will sell Ted Drewes frozen custard in the DUC this week and pizza on the lot during ThurtenE teardown.

They’re not just raising money. They’re gathering funds to give to Habitat for Humanity’s St. Louis chapter, as well as donating their time later in May to build houses for three days.

“This is something new,” Kappa Sigma Philanthropy Chair Jon Kornblau said. “In the past, philanthropy has not been one of our strongest points, and we are really trying to improve on that and do something more impactful in the community.”

So far, 13 to 14 brothers have committed to staying after classes end to participate in this project. Each day, eight to 12 people will be donating about nine hours of their time to build a house in Old North St. Louis.

“We thought it would be a lot easier to get people to stay and do it if it were in St. Louis. It’s an easy way to engage our community,” former Philanthropy Chair Kurt Wall said. Wall said that this is an event he would like to see happen every year.

Next year, Wall hopes that the event will not only continue, but also expand to the community. Kappa Sig hopes to make the event during the year so that more people can participate, and perhaps open the event to non-Kappa Sig members.

Before choosing Habitat for Humanity, the brothers tossed around a few other ideas focused mostly on collaboration with other Greek groups and fundraising. In the end, they settled on something that would give them more of a hands-on experience in the field.

“It was something we think can really make a tangible difference, and we can see our results as opposed to just raising money for a cause and not seeing exactly how the money gets used,” Kornblau said.

The build will take place May 19, 21 and 22.

Although academic mysteries such as these rightfully occupy the forefront of students’ minds, a no less perplexing question lingers on the periphery: What happened to the square green plates that were used at the Danforth University Centery (DUC) last year?

When the DUC opened in the summer of 2008, all food was served on square ceramic plates with a bright green finish. They remained in service through the 2008-09 academic year but disappeared from lunch lines this fall. This year, all eat-in meals at the DUC are served on multi-colored circular plates or bowls. The new tableware is noticeably lighter than the older one.

(Paul Goedeke | Student Life)

“I liked the square plates better than the circular ones,” junior Toby Emanuel said. “The heavier plates felt more professional.”
Freshman Ashley Fox agreed. “I was here over the summer, and I loved the ceramic plates,” she said. “They gave you that college vibe, and the weight reminded you that you needed to give them back.”

The mass disappearance of green plates has slipped under the radar of many University students, even those who eat at the DUC several times a week. Sophomore Élan Stahl, who frequents the DUC between afternoon classes, said she missed the change because she usually takes her food to go.

“The bowls look elegant,” Stahl said, “but what was wrong with the old plates?”

The answer to that question, along with the current location of the old plates, remains a mystery to many Wash. U. students.

Stahl commented that she thinks “they’re probably sitting in a box around campus and should be donated someplace.” Fox, on the other hand, guessed that “the school crushed them up and put them in a wall somewhere,” à la Jimmy Hoffa.

“The way we waste things, we probably just threw them in the garbage,” Emanuel said. “Where could they have gone? That’s a good question.”

To get to the bottom of this mystery, Student Life contacted DUC Executive Chef Justin Keimon and Bon Appétit Resident District Manager Nadeem Siddiqui. According to Keimon, “The biggest complaint [about the old plates] was weight. The new ones are far lighter.” He noted that the change took place during the first week of the school year, and that the smaller size of the new plates better complements standard meal portions.

Siddiqui added that the plates “were breaking and chipping at an alarming rate, and they are quite expensive to replace. We needed to build inventory to open for fall, and we decided to make the switch to more durable and cost-efficient plates.” The new plates cost around $10,000, which is less than the replacement cost of the green plates.

So where are the old plates now? Keimon and Siddiqui indicated that they are being used for catering and are currently in reserve at Ibby’s. But there have also reportedly been sightings of the plates in the vegetarian line.

For the foreseeable future, the green plates will no longer be a part of the DUC dining experience. But rest assured—the plates are out there.

The new service, called Webfood, is intended to reduce waiting times and congestion in the Danforth University Center (DUC) for students’ convenience. The program, developed by Bon Appétit administration, Student Union (SU) members and students at large, is the product of efforts from over the last two years.

“If you’re someone that’s frustrated about going to get food and it’s a long line, and you spend most of the time you want to spend with friends waiting in line, you no longer have to do that,” said senior Jeff Nelson, SU president. “Even if you don’t want to use Webfood, you can benefit anyway, because the lines will be shorter.”

Bon Appétit selected the independent service Webfood from several similar options in large part because other U.S. colleges, such as Cornell University, have used the system to positive reviews.

“It integrates very nicely with [the campus card system] we currently have, which lowers the cost that it would take to implement it,” Nelson added.

Another benefit that became apparent as SU was researching Webfood, Nelson noted, is that fewer wrong orders will be thrown away.

“You’d be surprised at how often it happens,” Nelson said. “They’re trying to get through 50 people in the lunch hour, so sometimes they mess up orders, sometimes they forget things, and food is wasted.”

Menu items will be limited at first, though more options will be added over time as students and food service employees become more comfortable with the new system.

The Webfood system limits the number of orders that can be placed at one time. That means an order’s cooking time alone determines how far in advance students have to order their food.

“The item won’t be prepared 15 minutes ahead of time; it’s literally just a few minutes ahead of time,” said Paul Schimmele, assistant to the director of operations in Dining Services.

While Webfood may be advantageous for students, Schimmele said Bon Appétit staff likely won’t benefit from it in any particular way.

“I don’t know if it is any easier for the staff; it’s just a different way to take an order,” Schimmele said. “I don’t think it complicates the job once everybody understands how the system works. There’s going to be changes to the routine a little bit, but I don’t think it affects what they do really.”

Nelson has heard concerns from some that Webfood may eliminate opportunities for students to interact personally with Dining Services staff, but he disagrees.

“If you value standing in line and talking with the workers, developing that relationship, you still can,” he said.

Schimmele and Nadeem Siddiqui, resident district manager for Bon Appétit, downplayed potential problems with Webfood’s implementation, saying the administration is taking the process slowly to avoid complications.

In addition, incoming freshmen and students taking summer classes on campus will be testing Webfood in a pilot program before August move-in to avoid snags.

“I’m sure there will be timing issues, other sorts of things. We want to make sure all that is tidied up before August when we open it to the larger market,” Siddiqui said.

Basic items from Trattoria Verde and Delicioso’s tacqueria and grill stations, snacks and beverages will be available for pre-purchase on a Web site that has yet to be revealed. Orders can be placed at any time of day, but can be picked up only between 7:30 a.m. and 10 p.m. at George’s Express in the DUC.

Most students have not heard about Webfood and none have had the opportunity to try it, but some are looking forward to trying it.

“If I’m going to have to wait 20 minutes either way, I’d rather have that 20 minutes in my room,” senior Amaka Onwuzurike said.

Despite Webfood’s intended benefits for students, the program may not be gladly received by all.

“I’ve heard some people sort of criticize Webfood and say it’s just a luxury. I think it’s really a necessity,” Nelson said.

Soliciting named donations for the Tisch Commons or Dains Dining Hall, expansive and expensive places they are, makes sense to me. But how about the Wheldon & Reding Entrance? The Koppler Fireplace? The Sarah Russell Meeting Room? The Winney Window?

I can name a window? Sure, if I have a spare $10,000.

Even Student Life is part of the new Angel & Paul Harvey Media Center, and the naming rights to our office are still on the market. A list of all available spaces and objects can be found on the DUC’s Web site, and there seems to be no office, alcove or oddity off limits.

My favorite has to be the Career Center. Both floors are still up for grabs, but the stairs between them proudly bear the label of the Philpott Career Center Staircase, at a price of only $100,000.

According to the Web site, 53 places and objects have already been funded, and I counted about 25 bearing plaques. Knowing the existence of all those modest donors helped restore my faith in humanity—briefly, until the moment I realized that there are still another 70 spots open to bids.

For those generous souls who wish to give back to their school but can’t afford a five-digit donation, fret not. You can buy a brick in the courtyard, and have it engraved with your name for only $500.

However, before you try, I already asked. While you don’t have to name a donation after yourself—an inspirational professor is historically a popular choice—all named donations must go through an approval process. So, I cannot donate in the name of I.C. Weiner, and I sadly must abandon my long-term goal of becoming rich enough to christen the John Wayne Gacy Fun Room.

Named donations are nothing new; almost all buildings are named after a major donor, and plenty of major spaces have names. You may have taken a pre-med exam in the Arthur L. Hughes Lecture Hall in Crow. However, the cost of building the DUC—all $42 million—was funded by donations and their acquired interest. Construction costs ended up exceeding the original budget, and the efforts to name remaining spaces help make up the deficit and endow maintenance.

The DUC’s neighbor, the equally new Seigle Hall, was fortified with a comparable number of hefty donations. Yet, their plaques never struck me as nearly as prolific or intrusive. Wandering around both buildings one afternoon, I came up with a theory. Seigle’s named spots seemed to be mostly spaces and centers on the periphery of major foot traffic.

The DUC’s named things seemed more sporadic, a random window here or meeting room there. The plaques also seemed to be found more centrally, at major entrances or stairs or junctions. You can blame the donors’ personal whims for that.

That said, I still overheard people lambasting Seigle’s plaques as I gave myself the guided tour. The new official names are ignored by staff, mocked by students and lampooned in Student Life editorial cartoons.

And yet, I’m starting to come to see the upside of this ridiculous trend. The unprecedented number of named spaces in the DUC is due to the unprecedented wave of donations. Alumni, both upper class and upper-middle class, are investing a personal stake in improving the campus and putting their money where their mouth is. For better or for worse, we’re going to see new buildings flourish, bristling with venerated stairs and memorial cubicles.

Only one plaque I find unforgivable: “North Entrance—funded by anonymous donor.” I can only hope Anonymous is basking in the glory of his or her indelible mark on our campus’s newest darling DUC.

Several student groups still use Mallinckrodt for varying reasons despite the dominance of the Danforth University Center (DUC).

For example, students in Carnaval rely on Mallinckrodt because the show takes place in the Edison Theatre located there. The lower level of Mallinckrodt, including the former food court area and the Gargoyle, is also still used for rehearsals and as an area for performers to wait before going on stage.

Senior Nadia Abouzaid, co-chair for Carnaval, worries that renovating Mallinckrodt could render the meeting spaces inaccessible for performing groups. The old food court area is very useful now that the University made changes to it, according to Abouzaid.

“Once [the University] renovated it, it became a really prime space on campus to use for practice,” Abouzaid said.

Other performances, including Diwali, Lunar New Year Festival and Black Anthology rely on Mallinckrodt for similar reasons.
Abouzaid also noted that the DUC lacks any large spaces to practice.

“I feel like the University did a really poor job of planning when they built the DUC, because [there was] news that they wanted to tear down Mallinckrodt or renovate it, but they didn’t provide any alternate large practice spaces for students to use,” Abouzaid said.

Abouzaid is concerned that the University will close Mallinckrodt so that it can  do the planned renovations, leaving Carnaval performers with no place to practice.

“I have no idea what [Carnaval] isgoing to do if Mallinckrodt’s not open to them,” Abouzaid said. “I was really nervous about where our dancers were going to practice, but thankfully they didn’t do that.”

While performers may use the building frequently, most students go there much less often.

“I feel like Mallinckrodt as a building has become less central, because when the food court was situated in that building, I think it was really the center of campus life, and now it’s not as much. But for me, our dance groups definitely utilize those spaces for practice,” Abouzaid said.

With a maximum capacity of 499 as determined by the fire code, the Gargoyle is almost unmatched on campus in its ability to host events with large audiences like concerts.

Mallinckrodt also continues to draw students to the building’s many businesses, including FedEx Office, the Danforth Campus Bookstore and Bank of America.

“To me, [the Mallinckrodt Center is] basically where the campus store is and Bank of America is. Those are the only things I routinely use Mallinckrodt for,” sophomore Ben Ingell said. “The DUC doesn’t really replace it, all it seems to add to me is a new place to eat.”

Ingell also said that he rarely uses the DUC for anything other than the food areas and that he still goes to Mallinckrodt because he uses the businesses located there.

The University had planned to renovate the Mallinckrodt Center and provide additional space to the businesses that will remain there, but the plan was put on hold in response to the recent drop in the school’s endowment.

The renovation would have cost the University $20 million.

The University has not indicated when new construction projects will resume.

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

The positive aspect of the new process for reserving space is that it is web-based. Moving the process onto the Internet does make it more accessible to students. However, when Event Services responds slowly or fails to respond to student requests for space, it doesn’t matter how easy it is to place a request. Event Services has been plagued with an inability to respond to groups and a tendency to double-book. At best Event Services is inconvenient and slow, and at worst it is entirely ineffective.

Booking a space should not be this hard. A wonderful example of an Internet-based calendar that works phenomenally well is the calendar used by many of the Deans in Arts & Sciences. Once given a password, students can log-in and see when their dean is available and then reserve a time to meet. This calendar is easily accessible to students and it prevents overbooking. The technology and system are already in place for this calendar; let’s find a way to expand it so that it can also be used for reserving space for groups.

Every student group must find space to meet in order to continue functioning and enriching the University community. Because this need is so basic to every group and the University’s inability to meet this need impairs so many students, changing the system should be on the University’s list of priorities. Event Services needs to become more customer-service oriented so that it is a tool students can use to have successful events rather than an obstacle they must overcome. The changes do not need to be complex—the University could just expand and re-implement an existing program—but the changes would have significant effects. It’s time to take the small steps to finally solve the nightmare of using Event Services.

The first thing that struck me about the Fair was the number of tables featuring mentoring programs. I believe there were approximately 5 or 6 tables of mentoring programs, all based out of St. Louis City. How does one go about deciding which program to select if they all offer the same thing? I was already aware of Big Brothers, Big Sisters. There were several others.

One of the “others,” Mentor St. Louis, stipulated that participants needed to spend only an hour per month with a student from one of a number of pre-selected schools. I was reminded that although at least one hour per month was required, more were recommended. Indeed, Ryonnel Jackson, the program director, informed me that mentors often contacted their mentees throughout the month to catch up. Still, I came away feeling a little discouraged by the program.

I imagined the college student who might meet that one time with an eager youngster from inner-city St. Louis. What kind of difference could that possibly make? Even if we were to judge being a mentor on the merits of trying to do ‘good,’ rather than actually achieving something good, surely an hour per month would fall short of that standard? Is it wrong that as I write this, I conjure up images of ‘that guy,’ who will write down on his resumé his pride in being a mentor, when in reality he acts as one for only an hour out of every 720 hours? My showers last almost half that long (of course, that brings up another issue entirely).

Still, I ask that you do not equate my skepticism with frustration. I believe mentoring programs work. They are more effective the more time mentors and mentees spend around one another, yes, but as the saying goes, every little bit helps. I strongly encourage all Wash. U. students to get involved in mentoring. When public schools aren’t doing their job, and you aren’t qualified to be a teacher, mentoring is the next best thing; it might even be a better thing!

Mentoring was just one of the opportunities available at the Public Service Fair. There were many other ways to get involved, through human rights groups, legal advocacy groups and several medical organizations. I know next to nothing about nutrition, health, exercise or even general well-being. Just ask my girlfriend. So, I decided to reach beyond my comfort zone of legal aid and youth-interest groups to explore Saint Louis Effort for AIDS.

St. Louis EFA was organized to provide education and raise awareness about HIV/AIDS in the region and to provide support for those with the disease. Their office on 1027 South Vandeventer also provides free confidential STD and HIV testing. Their booklet offers some frankly shocking statistics, which hopefully will prompt Wash. U. students to involve themselves with more health-outreach initiatives.

St. Louis is ranked fifth nationally for both HIV and syphilis and first for both gonorrhea and chlamydia. Those are not good statistics. If you’ve seen the commercials about partners not knowing about AIDS, then you know that these statistics can be changed. Education stops the spread of HIV/AIDS, and this organization does just that. Wash. U. students can get involved with STL-EFA in two main ways outside of the direct mission statement. First, they can help with fundraising efforts. Second, they can volunteer with one of their subdivisions, PAWS (Pets are Wonderful Support), which helps those infected with HIV/AIDS, who have to deal with so much already, to keep their pets.

To find out more about these offerings, as well as others, including the ones mentioned in this column, contact the Gephardt Institute or the Community Service Office. To reach the Mentor St. Louis program specifically, e-mail farragut@mentorstlouis.org. To reach STL-EFA, contact Kim Rosenstein, the Volunteer Coordinator, at (314) 333-6660.

Director of Student Activities Julie Thornton, however, claims that 12 to 18 months are needed to work out the flaws in every new building. Student perceptions of the Danforth University Center (DUC), she believes, will improve as the University corrects those flaws.

“Whatever opinions people have now will change over time as we work out the kinks of the building,” Thornton said.

Phyllis Jackson, the assistant director of Event Services, agrees with Thornton.

“Right now, just because it is a new facility, there are some policy issues that need to be worked out,” Jackson said.

Performance student groups feel especially affected by what they view as the lack of space in the DUC, which hinders their opportunities to hold practices and rehearsals.

The South Asian student organization Ashoka, which hosts its Diwali performance every winter in the Edison Theatre, is one of those groups.

“Although Ashoka loves the DUC and what it has to offer the campus, to be honest, it doesn’t provide much use for us as a student group,” Ashoka Co-President and junior Kashyap Tadisina said.

According to Thornton, student groups that perform annually in the Edison Theatre or require rehearsal space will naturally have issues with the architecture of the DUC.

“What we have [in the DUC] are meeting rooms,” Thornton said.

Ashoka acknowledges the fact that the DUC is primarily used as a meeting area and that the group still remains mostly reliant on the Mallinckrodt Center for rehearsal space.

“We can only use [the DUC] for executive meetings,” Tadisina said. “The spaces don’t lend themselves to our uses as well as Mallinckrodt does.”

Tadisina says that the Gargoyle and the food court in Mallinckrodt are good spaces for performance practices.

“It also provides a center to access Edison Theatre, whether it is during ticket sales or during the days of the Diwali performance,” he said. “As of right now, the DUC is off-limits for dancing in their rooms, so if we lose Mallinckrodt and all of its practice spaces and don’t add other spaces, we are at a loss as far as where to prepare for a student-run production such as Diwali.”

The former food court in Mallinckrodt is easily converted into a rehearsal space, since the room is already furnished with wooden floors and mirrors on the walls. Some spaces also remain available in the Wohl Center, where Diwali’s hip-hop dancers practice every weekend for their performance.

The University has future plans to renovate Mallinckrodt, but the yearlong period for those renovations may cause problems for student groups such as Ashoka. The reconstruction plans, however, include preserving the space in the Gargoyle.

Thornton says that the DUC, unlike Mallinckrodt, was never built to serve as a space for rehearsals. She said that comparing the two buildings is like “comparing apples to oranges.”

According to Jackson, many student groups have reserved spaces in the DUC for general body meetings. Likewise, many groups have used the commons area for larger events, such as a function hosted by the Society of Women Engineers.

DUC has also seen significant tabling by student groups, and the Dance Marathon student group has made use of the patio in the northeast corner courtyard.

Despite complaints, Thornton believes that the school is still at a “better place than where we once were.”

Already this school year, Student Union hosted a session where student groups could give feedback on the DUC; more than 200 student group presidents attended.

According to Thornton, groups voiced a significant amount of constructive criticism. Since the session, several changes have been made to the DUC and more information has been distributed on how to take advantage of its resources.

“Overall, we love the DUC, what it offers to the students [and] its place on campus, but do not feel that it is a replacement by any means for Mallinckrodt,” Tadisina said.