Student Life Archives

Smith given second chance:

Former high school standout Leon Smith, who was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in 1999, re-entered the NBA last week with the Atlanta Hawks. Smith never registered a minute in the NBA, despite being a late-first-round pick. The 6’11 250 pound power forward was thrown out of his first practice as a Maverick due to an argument with coach Don Nelson, and followed that up with a suicide attempt in which he tried to swallow two hundred aspirins after a fight with his girlfriend. Smith eventually ended up in a psychiatric ward, where he remained for a month.
The Hawks, who have been dealt a laundry list of injuries which include season-ending setbacks to Emmanuel Davis and Chris Crawford, had nothing to lose with the signing. Smith was given a ten-day contract, at the end of which general manager Pete Babcock would re-evaluate his status with the team. Averaging 18.0 points and 15.8 rebounds in the CBA, Smith was a perfect signing for the talent starved Hawks. If, and this is a big if, Smith can get his act together and concentrate on the game, he will be able to help Atlanta. His 7-7 wingspan and solid vertical only begin to describe his exceptional physical prowess.

Early Season Surprises:
Aside from the expected stars who grace the courts of the NBA, there are other lesser-known players who are putting out solid seasons.
Steve Nash is a major reason why the Mavericks are winning without Michael Finley. Nash is putting up 19.3 points and 7.9 assists per game, far above his career averages of 10.3 and 5 respectively. His aggressive penetration and ball movement is a signature of the Mavericks’ offense, and there is no reason why Nash will not be dropping 30 a night come playoff time.
Up a few states there’s a man named Wally, who is having an all-star campaign after two stellar seasons in Minnesota. With Terrell Brandon on the bench and the Timberwolves needing a complement to Kevin Garnett, Szczerbiak has delivered, averaging 19.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
Finally, let’s not forget about the Nets man in the middle, Todd MacCulloch. Although his season averages of 10.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks are not indicative of what Shaq can do on the court, MacCulloch is answering the critics.

Better Left off the Box Score:
So there are those who have not had trouble lighting it up this year, and then there are the players who haven’t been able to find the rim at all. Granted, Anthony Mason’s seasons have fluctuated year by year, but Mase is having trouble putting anything up in 2002. Averaging 8.2 points and 8.1 boards a game, he is being steadily overshadowed by players other than the Big Three. Michael Redd and Joel Przybilla have been solid contributors in Mason’s absence.
David Robinson’s game has steadily digressed in recent years, and apparently it will continue to for a while longer. Robinson’s 66% free throw line percentage and 11.1 points per game, are not going to cut it this year if the Spurs are going to take the next step in beating the Lakers.
Finally, there’s Brian Grant, who can take at least some of the blame for the Heat’s early season struggles. Grant’s five-point drop in his scoring average has hurt the Heat dearly. Yet, it is his lost inside presence which will help Miami think lottery come next month.

Studlife Top 5:

1.) Lakers – Still two-time defending champions, with or without Shaq
2.) Kings – Christie remains one of the most underrated players in the league
3.) Nets – Balanced offense a product of Kidd’s unselfishness
4.) Timberwolves – Szczerbiak showing he can do more besides attract women
5.) Mavericks – Nowitzki’s new hairdo the only thing going wrong in Dallas

Studlife Bottom 5:
25.) Nuggets – Showing heart in close games, Van Exel worthy of All-Star bid
26.) Hawks – Snapped six-game losing streak but still wondering if Ratliff will every return
27.) Grizzlies – J-dub angered that teammates don’t know offensive plays
28.) Warriors – Talented youth is not translating into wins in the Bay Area
29.) Bulls – Shot enough bricks vs. MJ’s Wizards to build new Soldier Field

Contact Eric at [email protected]

Education aside, my pilgrimage to St. Louis was an excuse to be in a big sports town, but it took until Sunday’s Rams-Eagles game for me to really go out there, get out into the city, and enjoy it.
Actually, getting out into the city just means down the street to the Pageant, where the TV party is free-but the alcohol is far from it. Still, my roommate and I got to feel, at least for a day, like we were in a sports town, and not at some closed-off university.
So, idea-challenged columnist that I am, I figured that I’d document it.

2 p.m. – We hit the Pageant just as the doors open. Crowd is modest but steadily growing, an hour and a half before kickoff. Giant TV is showing the Patriots-Steelers.
The first things I notice about the setup: attendance is free, and the crowd is very diverse. I noticed a similar thing last Wednesday when the Lakers played the Clippers. The TNT announcers pointed out that Clippers tickets are significantly cheaper, so significantly more minorities go to the games. Of course, not far down the road is the day when the young, dashing Clips become so popular that only Lakers fans will be able to afford the games. Probably the same way with this Pageant TV party thing; this is its first year, and it’s fun, which has me doubting whether it will be free in the future.
2:10 – First basket of buffalo wings arrives.
2:11 – My notes aren’t clear here; someone spilled buffalo wing sauce all over them.
3:05 – Drew Bledsoe, showing amazing touch for someone who just came off the bench for the first time in months, hits Troy Brown on a rainbow that just eludes the Steeler secondary by this much. Announcer Phil Simms waxes junior high on the play: “That was so sweet it’s unbelievable!”
3:10 – Campbell’s Chunky Soup commercial, starring Donovan McNabb and his mother. Chorus of raucous boos.
3:27 – Channel switches for the kickoff of the real game.
3:28 – McNabb fumbles, Good Guys recover. Place goes wild.
We also get our first shot of Rams coach Mike Martz on the sidelines. He looks like he’s wearing makeup. If that’s true, then God help us all, we’re only a Carrot Top movie away from the apocalypse.
3:40 – It’s immediately clear that Marshall Faulk is the crowd favorite. A ten-yard Faulk run generates much more applause, and girlish screams, than a 20-yard Isaac Bruce catch.
3:57 – This crowd is pretty darn intelligent, football-wise. I can tell this because they appear quite shaken at the injury of Orlando Pace, which means they realize how important he is to the Rams. Less enlightened football fans would have just shrugged at the sight of an enormous lineman on the ground.
On the other hand, intelligent football fans can be ruthless: cheers also abound for injuries to Philly defenders Corey Simon and Damon Moore.
4:21 – Eagles score. Place goes silent except for one guy in the balcony, a Philly fan. Eyes turn, but I see no violence.
4:33 – Lesson on crowd dynamics: when things are going badly, one person can speak for the entire group. In this case, McNabb completes yet another pass for yet another first down, and the crowd is silent except for one drunk woman right behind me, who yells “Dammit!” at a volume such that I can safely say it’s representative of everyone else in attendance. Philly leads at the half, 17-13, which is a sign that we need to drink more.
5:00 – Halftime show consists of R. Kelly and some nationalistic sludge of a song. Even the dancers look like they think it sucks. I recall that my only trip to a Rams game (the Monday nighter against Tampa Bay in Week 11) had a superior halftime show to this: frisbee dogs.
5:10 – Second half starts. Guy in front of us is already passed out. What a great game!
5:23 – We’re drunk enough by this point to agree, without discussion, that Garth Brooks and Dr. Pepper just might constitute the soul of America.
5:48 – Group of twentysomethings in front of us are also drunk. How can I tell they’re drunk? They’re dancing to the Mazda “Zoom Zoom Zoom” commercial.
6:28 – This is the watershed moment: fourth and seven, Philly with the ball, couple minutes left, within striking distance. Rams blitz, Eagles pick it up, and at that moment things look bad; I can just see McNabb taking off for a 15-yard scramble with the blitzing linebackers out of the way. But instead he sits back in the pocket and throws it into the hands of Aeneas Williams. Game over. Rams win. Collective “wohoo!” from the crowd.
6:31 – Fox Instant Poll: Who will win the Super Bowl? Answers come back thirty seconds later: Rams 71 percent, Patriots 29 percent. Crowd approves.
My roommate and I decide that the Pageant was probably the best possible way to experience a big Rams game after actually being in attendance. And I decided that doing it again this weekend for the Super Bowl is in order. And that it probably would be best to keep it on the hush-hush, lest the line for buffalo wings be even longer next time.
So forget everything you just read.

Entering this weekend’s Washington University men’s basketball games, we were looking forward to a pretty competitive match-up between two top-20 ranked rivals for Friday and a contest between the University Athletic Association conference leader and the team which sits in the conference cellar on Sunday.
Take your pick on which of the two wass supposed to be the more exciting game.
The Bears continued their best start in school history and extended their winning streak to 13 games by way of a 65-48 defeat of No. 20 Rochester on Friday and a 76-72 win on Sunday against Carnegie Mellon. Both games had the Bears gaining big leads early, with Sunday’s affair eventually becoming a little too close at the end.
“I think I was happy with our level of play,” said Mark Edwards, the reigning UAA coach of the year. “Friday night, our defense was excellent. We might of let up a little on Sunday, but we were able to stick with it and pull it out.”
Both contests saw stellar play from center Jarriot Rook. The 6′ 8″ junior posted 19 points and 5 blocks in the win against Rochester and followed that up with a 21-point, career-high 17 rebound, and three-block performance on Sunday.
Efforts such as these are a testament to why the fourth-ranked Bears are now 17-1 on the year and 7-0 in UAA conference games-the only undefeated team remaining after the win over Rochester.
Friday’s game was a showcase of the top two UAA teams in a rematch of sorts from a year ago when Rochester handed the men a loss to snap their streak of 15 wins in their first 16 games. The situation could not have been more familiar, with WU being 15-1 again this year. The game, however, would hold no resemblance to the past.
WU wasted little time in bee-keeping the yellow-jackets, as they jumped out to a 27-7 lead. Things got a little more interesting in the second half however, as Rochester came out with a 19-3 spurt to cut the lead to five at 41-36. The men, seeming to let Rochester hang around just for the sake of making it exciting, quickly regained control and coasted the rest of the way.
In addition to Rook’s performance, junior Chris Jeffries also had a strong game, finishing with 12 points and a career high 16 rebounds.
Sunday’s game was a series of ups and downs as the Bears would jump out to several big leads only to have Carnegie Mellon come back to make it close up until the final seconds. The Tartans came in with a dismal 1-4 UAA record (second-worst in the conference) and a 7-9 mark overall. With the big win on Friday, the men were indeed a candidate for the proverbial ‘letdown.’
“I wasn’t really worried about a letdown,” said Edwards. “I knew the kids would come out and play hard, but at the same time, as soon as we got a big lead it was kind of hard for us to keep our focus.”
While finishing opponents from the start may be a goal the men could improve upon, with each passing game this team has seemed to gain more of the “killer instinct” which is essentially vital to any championship team.
With a virtual rematch against these same teams on the road next weekend, the Bears will look to extend that mentality in order to establish themselves as the one and only powerhouse in the UAA conference. Riding a wave of momentum will be key in succeeding at the NCAA tournament this spring, and the men may be fortunate that they end their seasons with all UAA opponents. Five of the last eight games will be on the road.
The Bears got a reminder on Sunday, and know that they will pay the price of looking too far ahead or getting overconfident. You can almost hear them rehearsing those often-used sports clich‚s of “not counting the chickens before they hatch,” or “taking it one game at a time.” Remaining humble, however, is a definite mark of a winner.
“We’re not going to begin focusing on those future road games yet,” said Edwards. “Our expectations have been confirmed. Our goal is to win the conference, get into the NCAA tournament, and win the championship.”
As a result of their UAA domination, we may be witnessing a men’s team that is fast approaching the championship status of the women.
Indeed, it couldn’t be a better time to follow Washington University basketball.

Contact Nick at [email protected]

Over the past few months there has been an escalation of tensions in South Asia between Pakistan and India over the disputed region of Kashmir. There are many factors contributing to this, but the U.S. War on Terrorism and the attack on the Indian Parliament have helped to exacerbate the situation between these new nuclear powers. This problem in South Asia has a direct impact on the efforts of Washington University students to encourage dialogue and understanding on the issue.
The partition of India and Pakistan in 1947 is one of the saddest events in human history. As this was the largest human migration in history, it brought about great suffering and loss of life, as people found themselves on the wrong side of the border. The ethnic and religious clashes left millions dead or homeless. The visual image of this time is beyond explanation, as dead bodies were piled on trains; women were mutilated and raped; and civilians were killed in cold blood by the millions. This transition of power, a legacy of the British, created human misery which is seared in the minds and hearts of those who experienced this horrible turmoil. Shortly after, the misappropriation of Kashmir had its impact of three subsequent wars between Pakistan and India. The legacy of partition and Kashmir, as well as extremist nationalism, has created the view that the conflict is between Islam and Hinduism, which has always been in South Asia. Any well informed person would be able to easily discount this myth; however, the lack of education and surplus of opportunistic politicians lead to such heinous acts as the destruction of the Babari Masjid in India or the Bombay riots of 2000.
The major problem between the peoples of India and Pakistan is a lack of knowledge and understanding of the religion, history, and politics of the other side. Politics in the South Asian context is integral to the life of even the common man. From the bazaars to the restaurants and the coffee shops, everyone talks about regional politics and it is a common daily discussion. For politics shapes not only how Indians and Pakistanis see themselves, but how they understand their history and their future.
But this is not just a regional problem for South Asia. It is a problem for the world. Now that both sides have nuclear capabilities, the possibility exists for a nuclear war. Unfortunately, both sides do not necessarily see nuclear arms as only a deterrent in the Balance of Terror theory. Presently, there are 1,000,000 soldiers on both sides of the border. This is the largest buildup of forces anywhere since WWII. Over one-fifth of the world’s population can be affected by a war in the region. And now it has become imperative for a solution, which only the U.S., as mediator, can provide.
It is this dialogue that I am advocating here at WU. The Pakistani students at WU have been advocating for a long time that there should be a dialogue and discussion of South Asian politics, as they relate to each side. However, the Indian student groups on campus have been reluctant, citing various reasons. My answer is this: inasmuch as the benefit exists for exposing students to the cultural richness of South Asia, one also does a disservice by not wanting to understand the very substantive and real life issues faced by Indians and Pakistanis alike. Culture in a vacuum is for those who are content with abstractions and the fantasy of ancient glories. Indians and Pakistani’s today are spending more time in front of the news because they are facing the biggest crisis since independence. They are not dancing to Bollywood remixes. It is time to start something…and maybe WU is the place for that. WUPSA’s goal is to inform about every aspect of Pakistani society, as today there is a greater need to be informed then ever before. It is a great disservice one does to his or herself, in not wanting to be exposed to new ideas, perceptions and viewpoints on what is by far the greatest threat to South Asian stability for the future. As students, we are here to learn and to experience and understand new ways of thinking, and to challenge our pre-conceived notions about others and ourselves.
I challenge all students, especially of South Asian descent, to get actively involved in helping to plan the upcoming Kashmir forum in April, hosted by the WU Pakistani Students Association. It is only by dialogue that we may be able to understand others and perhaps achieve a deeper understanding of ourselves.

“Where are you from?”
“St. Louis.”
“Yes, but where are you originally from?”

In “Diagnosing the Race Problem in America,” Seth Bloom asserts that “whites often experience similar emotions in their daily encounters with African Americans.” Bloom’s statement implies that part of the “race problem” originates from the fact that stereotypes persist. However, prejudice isn’t limited to the melanin-based categories of “reflects all” and “absorbs all.” Discussions concerning racial issues often fail to include red, brown, yellow, and other skin tones.
And, who could blame you for overlooking Asians? Unless you’re twelve years old, you would strain your back bending down to look me eye-to-eye. We’re a model minority. The only depictions of Asians in mainstream media are Bruce Lee and the occasional old guy who runs a laundromat. I will always have job security because producers, in the name of diversity, will need Asian extras (I’m looking forward to being that laundromat owner).
I don’t mean to claim that Asian people are not blameless in racial problems. People who eat lunch on Hilltop are understandably terrified to venture into “the Asian corner” deep within the heart of Mallinckrodt. Rude and bigoted exclamations such as “some black guy is gonna rape me” and “only white people do that crazy shit” come out of Asian mouths too. But, I’ve never asked a Caucasian where she is originally from. Heaven forbid I introduce a non-Chinese woman to my immigrant parents. Their reaction would probably begin with bludgeoning me using chopsticks. Not that I could get an Asian girlfriend anyways. I’m an impotent guy who can handle math, but lacks any form of eloquent vocabulary (I had to use a thesaurus to get “eloquent”). What chance do I have of attracting a subservient sexual goddess when I don’t even own a whip? The exotic Orient, though, is amazingly over-populated, and I may still stand a chance.
Raised in St. Louis, where black and white racial issues are the only existing ones because other minorities are not very visible, my concept of an Asian person was me. In high school (which at the time followed a desegregation program with St. Louis city), the only occasions where my skin tone became obviously apparent to me, concerned inquiries of my original country and the traditions of “my” culture. The issues were all black and white and, to me, the thin gray line was actually yellow. I naively expected racial barriers to be absent at WU, but an insult at an IM softball game last spring changed my mind. The confrontation did not become physical, and fortune must have been smiling upon the vocal racist, because everybody knows that all Asian people know kung fu.
Of course, it is unfair to expect world peace and universal acceptance of color. It is unreasonable for me to ask other people to view Asian people as anything other than the model minority, just as it would be unreasonable for me to suggest that blacks can be anything other than ghetto thugs, imply that Latinos can rise above housekeeping duties, propose that Jews are not frugal media moguls, indicate that Arabs are not Jihad-bent terrorists, or assume that whites are not affluent suburbanites. White, after all, is a color too.
On a final note, should you choose to compose an angry response, be sure to address it to the sophomore Steven Lau. Out of 1.3 billion Chinese, a freshman sharing my name found his way to the same institution. However, if you confuse us, I’ll understand. We do all look alike.

The Umrathskeller, known to friends and well-wishers as “The Rat,” is dead this semester. The Rat was 26 years old.
Born in September 1975, the Rat had been the only bar on the Washington University campus. Located under Umrath Hall on main campus, the Rat was once a popular Thursday night party place for undergraduates; but no more. Raising the price of beer, using smaller beverage cups, and cracking down on the use of fake I.D.’s were all contributing factors to the death of the Rat.
Many people think Student Life killed the Rat last year. I do not know if the university giving the Rat flack for its supposed looseness was caused by the Student Life article or not. (I personally have nothing to do with that; I merely write articles every other week and do not sit on the editorial board or decide what news articles are to be written.)
“My friends couldn’t even go there for lunch the other day before the Activities’ Fair,” one senior said.
“No one goes there to hang out anymore,” sighed a disgruntled sophomore.
The sophomore seems to have taken a page out of a Yogi Berra quotation book: “Nobody goes there any more because it’s too crowded,” the Hall-of-Fame catcher once said. The long lines outside of the Rat in the early part of first semester, have deterred many from going there since. Why wait in line for thirty minutes in the cold to spend more money on less beer? That’s why we go to WU: we’re smart and realize that we have better things to do than stand and wait.
What made the Rat fun was the crowd of people, packed in so tight that you couldn’t move without running into a few pairs of black pants.
Don’t discount the future of the Rat-not yet. The Rat is a resilient creature; it has died many times before and will probably come alive once again.
For example, on Thursday night, March 26, 1998, agents from the Missouri Liquor Control Board entered the bar, packed with its once-regular Thursday night crowd, and cited four students with underage drinking and one with possession of a fake I.D.
All it would take to revitalize the Rat is one successful night: a night in which hundreds of people would be sure to attend. The only social organizations on campus that could produce that many people are fraternities and sororities. The Greeks should sponsor a Rat Night, and they should do it fast. Someone needs to save the bar before students realize they should open the books they bought in early January and read them.
It is fun to go to off-campus parties, but it is not fun to run from the University City police (uh, so I hear). The Rat is safer because it is on campus and has the potential to draw more people-who do not have to drive to get to a party (like WU students would walk all the way to Kingsbury in the cold)-than any other venue this side of Blueberry Hill.
Both last year, and first semester of this year, the bar was again packed with students who realized that Thursday night marks the beginning of the weekend in college. Unfortunately for upperclassmen, these things go in cycles. For now, the Rat is dead; but it may be back soon, especially if it becomes the Thursday night party.
So if don’t like the Rat this year, wait a while; it will be back. For many of us, though, it will be too late; we do not have that long to wait.