Archive for November, 2002

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AIDS Day remembers victims

Friday, November 22nd, 2002 | Jenni Stoff
Jack Darcher

Every day worldwide, 8,000 people die from AIDS, and 14,000 people are diagnosed as HIV-Positive. Between 850,000 and 950,000 residents of the United States currently live with AIDS, a quarter of whom are unaware of their illness.

Statistics such as these drive some students to take action toward the education and awareness of the disease, including sophomore Jami Crespo, programming coordinator for the Washington University student group People Organizing Worldwide Education Resource Services (POWERS) for AIDS.

“As a society, we need to come together and give each other support and encouragement, so hopefully, we can find a cure in the future,” said Crespo. “We’re not going to stop until we find a cure for HIV and AIDS.”

POWERS for AIDS is currently gearing up for the annual Worldwide AIDS Day on Dec. 1, an international day of remembrance and education dedicated to the thousands of people who have died from the illness. This year’s memorial will take place locally at Berea Presbyterian Church, 3010 Olive Blvd., from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Various St. Louis AIDS organizations will present HIV and AIDS information.

The contraction and spreading of the illness is one concern that POWERS for AIDS addresses in its educational presentations, both on and off campus.

“The biggest thing we talk about is that HIV can be contracted [through sex] three ways: through vaginal, anal or oral sex,” said Crespo. “A lot of people don’t know that it can be contracted by oral sex. People just don’t believe oral sex is sex. That’s a really scary thought.”

POWERS for AIDS teaches various methods for having safe sex, including the use of the traditional male condom, plus the female condom and dental dam, which is used for oral sex.

Betsy Foy, assistant director, health educator, and relapse prevention specialist at Student Health and Counseling Services, said the high percentages of HIV contraction for the 18 to 24-year-old age group in the United States is due to several high risk factors familiar to students. Though intravenous drug use, needle sharing (for both drugs and tattoos), and having several sexual partners are seen as high risk factors, having unprotected sex is the biggest risk factor, she said.

Student Health and Counseling Services offers both a blood test and an oral test for HIV and AIDS. Both tests are free and confidential. The blood test yields 99.99 percent accuracy, and the oral test yields 99.97 percent accuracy for 95 percent of the students who are tested within three months of the original HIV or AIDS exposure.

The WU Medical Clinic also offers a confidential HIV or AIDS test for $50, producing results within three to five days.

Foy tests approximately 200 students per school year through Student Health Services, generally producing less than one student per year who tests positive for HIV.

But Foy said the small number of students she sees contracting HIV may not be indicative of the WU population. Some students who suspect they may have contracted the disease prefer to be tested at a place that will not use their name on any documents if they are found HIV positive, she said.

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Students celebrate Thanksgiving at WU

Friday, November 22nd, 2002 | Oliver Scholes

Next week, most students will pack up, board a plane or train, and return to their homes across the country for Thanksgiving.

However, some will remain on campus throughout the long weekend. This group includes some RA’s, international students, and others who choose to stay for a variety of reasons.

“Students are permitted to remain in the residence halls during breaks which occur during the semester,” said Rob Wild, associate director of Residential Life. These breaks include Thanksgiving and Spring Break. Most students, however, use these times to go home or to go on vacations with friends.

Residential Advisors are one group of students unable to take full advantage of these break periods. Last year, Residential Life policy required RA’s to remain on campus either over Thanksgiving or Spring Break. This year, however, the guidelines have changed: RA’s now volunteer to stay on campus over Thanksgiving or Spring Break and are rewarded with less duties. Senior Andrea Pappalardo, who is in her second year as an RA, is much happier with these rules.

“It really takes a load off of RA’s and allows you to plan more,” said Pappalardo. “It works out well because of the amount of people on the Forty. We don’t need the huge amount we had before and that allows RA’s to go home or go somewhere for Spring Break.”

RA’s staying on campus have learned to make the best of it. Some use the time when the dorms are empty for extra study time, without the numerous distractions that residents can cause. Others use the period to relax and relieve some of the stress that comes with being both a student and an RA.

While RA’s now have the option of staying on campus, many international students are simply unable to return home over the Thanksgiving break. Freshman Harsh Agarwal, a native of Bombay, India, said that “it’s not really worth it to go home,” due to the long distance.

“It’s an American holiday,” said Agarwal, observing that Thanksgiving does not hold the same meaning for international students. Thus, while some may feel somewhat alone when all their floormates go home, they do not necessarily feel that they are missing out.

The disappointment is more prevalent among students who celebrate Thanksgiving but can’t afford to go home.

“It’s really too expensive to keep going back and forth, and as I went home for Fall Break, I decided to stay here,” said Jonathon Liu, a freshman.

He is going to make the best of the situation, however.

“I can use the time to catch up in some of my classes, because there won’t be so many distractions,” said Liu.

Some students remaining behind are going to take advantage of the hospitality offered by their peers living in and around St. Louis.

Amanda Roberts, a freshman, said, “My family has a huge get-together on Thanksgiving, and I invited anybody from my floor who is staying for Thanksgiving to come along.”

While students can remain on campus over the Thanksgiving break free of charge, students wishing to remain in university housing over Winter Break have to pay a daily fee, said Wild. This charge is lower for international students. To stay here, students must alert their RCD through request forms, which are available at the Residential Life Web site after Thanksgiving break.

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WU addresses concerns about cheating

Friday, November 22nd, 2002 | Robert McManmon
Ian Orland

With reported cases of cheating and plagiarism on the rise nationwide, the five colleges at Washington University are working on approving a unified policy on academic integrity. Student Union has already approved the new comprehensive policy, which could be implemented as early as next year.

Currently all five colleges have their own policies on academic integrity. The College of Arts and Sciences, the largest of the five colleges, refers cases of academic dishonesty to the Academic Integrity Committee, which can recommend anything from a relatively minor penalty to either suspension or expulsion at the hands of the Judicial Board.

WU has also taken considerable efforts to ensure that its honor code is practiced and held in high esteem. In addition to making all incoming students read and sign the honor code, advisory groups discuss academic integrity, professors outline it on syllabi, and the Academic Integrity Committee regularly sends e-mails to students.

Sara Johnson, an associate dean and academic coordinator for the College of Arts and Sciences, said that, since most students know that the honor code exists, the success of the new policy will primarily rely on the reception of the WU student body.

“Traditional honor codes work well in campus communities where students are motivated to play a very active role in policing themselves, and where the code is deeply embedded in campus culture,” said Johnson, who has served as the Arts and Sciences integrity officer for the last four years.

The rising levels of cheating nationwide have been partially attributed to discrepancies in the actual and perceived seriousness of infractions.

A recent survey of 250 schools, conducted by the Center for Academic Integrity, found that, between1999-2000 academic year and 2000-2001, the number of students who said that cutting and pasting the work of others was “serious cheating” fell from 68 percent to 27 percent.

The same study found that 41 percent of students said that plagiarism occurred “often or very often.” Additionally, when asked if certain actions occur frequently, 27 percent of the students surveyed said yes to the falsifying of laboratory data, 30 percent to cheating on exams, and 60 percent to collaborating on projects when instructed not to do so.

“My impression is that much of the cheating that occurs here and at other colleges and universities takes place outside of the classroom, where it’s most likely to be observed by other students if it’s observed at all,” said Gary Hochberg, an associate dean of the School of Business.

Johnson noted that other factors contributing to rises in cheating include that college students have decreasing amounts of time to complete assignments and that it is easy for them to cut and paste information from the Internet. Johnson also feels the prevalence of cheating in high schools has contributed to the trend.

“I understand that studies have shown that there is a lot of cheating in American high schools, and perhaps students are bringing behaviors from high school with them to

college,” said Johnson.

Other universities feel the adoption and integration of honor codes is the best way to curb cheating. In fact, studies have shown that universities with honor codes tend to have significantly lower levels of cheating. Duke University, Cornell University, Colgate College, Kansas State, and the University of Virginia have all changed or introduced policies on academic integrity.

One of the more progressive honor codes has been adopted by Connecticut College. After an orientation which stresses academic integrity, freshmen sign the honor pledge requiring not only that they do not cheat, but also that they will turn in students who do receive undue help. Students are then given the freedom to schedule and time their own exams.

“I hold myself to a high standard, and all my friends do, so I assume others will not be cheating; but if they do they will be screwing themselves when they get in the real world,” said Grant Godfrey, a junior at Connecticut College.

Some students at WU are skeptical, however, as to whether an honor code can create a culture of academic honesty and be as progressive as those of other colleges.

“I don’t think any other students would be any less likely to cheat than us,” said WU sophomore Julie Henninberg. “The studies show that cheating is found out about less, not that it happens less.”

Freshman Blake Abrash agrees with Henninberg.

“If you’re willing to cheat, you’re willing to lie about a signature too,” said Abrash

Johnson, however, is more optimistic about the potential of a new academic integrity policy.

“I think the WU community could certainly get to that point,” said Johnson, “but it would take a great deal of student activism and effort. It is students, ultimately, who create the cultural norms concerning cheating.”

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Students suggest subsidized deals on national newspapers

Friday, November 22nd, 2002 | Margaret Bauer
Aaron Johnson

Student Union senator David Rogier wants to free Washington University students from their bubble. To do so, Rogier hopes to bring national newspapers to campus to educate students, whom he is concerned are oblivious to news and other events occurring in the world at large.

“Last year I saw that the school did not provide options for newspapers, except for the bookstore, which had limited deals and excluded weekends,” said Rogier. “After reading [Student Life Opinion Editor] Yoni Cohen’s plea, I wondered what could be done. Providing free or subsidized newspapers would benefit everyone.”

The plea Rogier referred to is a column Cohen wrote earlier in the semester lamenting the lack of readily-available national newspapers on campus. Both Rogier and Cohen mention the absence of outside news sources as one of the major factors contributing to students’ isolation.

“WU stirs in a bubble,” said Rogier. “Students are na‹ve to the world around them. They live in their books and dorm rooms. They are blind to their community and the dynamic world we all share.”

Rogier’s proposal received support from those assembled at an SU open session on Nov. 13. The proposal includes four different options for distributing newspapers on campus, including distributing free newspapers in residence halls and dining areas, placing additional newspaper dispensers near apartments and residence halls, and subsidizing individual student subscriptions. Special rates obtained from various national newspapers for educational purposes may help SU cut costs for such a venture.

Rogier assembled a committee of interested senators, including Marc Bridge and Pamela Bookbinder, to look into the matter.

“I really feel like the students here are in a sort of ‘WU bubble,’ and many of them do not know what is going on in other places in our country and around the world,” said Bookbinder. “I think that if students have easier access to newspapers then they will become more well-rounded people.”

With this project, Rogier said he hopes to foster discussion and increased awareness of the world outside WU, enriching the quality of education for all students.

“Imagine a history major sitting in a cozy brown chair in Holmes Lounge reading a newspaper,” said Rogier. “She glances over an article that catches her attention, then shows that article to passing friend. Her friend, a biology major, adds an equally awesome perspective, explanation, or addition to the subject. That is college: the sharing of knowledge with people who know different things than you but are equally interested in learning.”

Bridge agreed with this assessment of the potential a newspaper program may unleash in WU students.

“Our goal is to break down the wall that prevents us as students from fully engaging with the world in which we live,” said Bridge. “The problem is one of access and availability. There is a great and unmet demand on this campus for readily accessible information. The vast majority of us want to keep abreast of the goings-on in the world, but our lives are hectic. Our goal is to reduce the significant barriers that stand between us and the engagement we crave.”

According to Rogier, deciding which publications to consider bringing to campus proved challenging. He contacted leaders of major political groups on campus, including the Campus Republicans and Democrats, and asked which paper they would prefer. The College Democrats suggested The New York Times, and the College Republicans wanted the Chicago Tribune. Rogier contacted these groups rather than taking a sample survey of WU students, feeling that a liberal-leaning student body might skew the results.

“I want the papers to educate, not push a political agenda,” said Rogier. “I asked groups instead of polling student opinion because if I asked students their opinion they would have chosen papers they tend to agree with. I don’t want students to be turned off from the news because they feel a paper is pushing an ideology. That doesn’t achieve anything except more political isolation.”

Kelley Mesa, president of the College Republicans, is pleased to see SU taking this kind of action to help students. She appreciates that both liberal and conservative groups on campus were taken into consideration.

“I think it’s great that SU sought a conservative opinion of national media sources,” said Mesa. “Finally, the campus community is realizing they can no longer ignore the growing conservative presence here at WU.”

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The big road games fans wish they could see

Tuesday, November 19th, 2002 | Renee Hires

12/11: Fontbonne – A “study-break march” from the South-40, has been planned as a promotion for this women’s game. The teams have been “cross-town rivals” ever since that infamous day when Fontbonne squad broke WU’s streak of 81 consecutive victories back in January 2001.

Last season was pay back for WU, as they were motivated to a 95-65 win in Francis Fieldhouse.

Crowley on Fontbonne: “It was a big game last year because they were the ones who broke the steak the previous year. It was huge. That was the “Wydown Showdown.”

11/30: Trinity University Classic -While the women host their tournament, the men will be in Texas that weekend, facing Trinity U.

Jeffries, a native Texan, on going home: “I know personally I’m looking forward to that game because that’s the closest I’m ever getting to home. I’m going to have a few people down there. It’s going to be good. That will be like the first real game my mom has been too.”

12/6: Coe College -The WU men won 100-80 at home last season, but playing Coe on the road may be far more challenging.

Edwards on playing Coe: “I think the biggest challenges early on this season will be our road games in the second week of the season. We have to go up to Coe College in Iowa. Coe has their whole team back also, and we have to go to Illinois Wesleyan on the same trip. In 8 days we have to play 4 tough road games, and I think that’s going to be a big test for us. It’s going to give us a good indicator of where we are.”

12/8: Illinois Wesleyan – Despite beating the team 81-58 at home last year, Illinois Wesleyan will be some of the best competition WU’s men face all season.

Edwards on Illinois Wesleyan: “I think beating Illinois Wesleyan soundly [last season] was nice for us. They’ve been a nemesis. That’s been a game that we’ve had a difficult time winning in past years, and getting them in here, playing good basketball, beating them the way we should, was big. Of course, this year we have to go up and play them at their place, so that should be an interesting game this year too.”

Jeffries on Illinois Wesleyan : “No one on the team has ever won at Illinois Wesleyan. Of us seniors, myself, Joel, Matt, Jarriot and Dustin, we got our first loss, our first two losses really, in their gym. I know I really want to win. I think we all really do. Their gym is just a totally different environment. The atmosphere is going to be so great.”

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WU Sports Score Card

Tuesday, November 19th, 2002 | Lisa Goldstein

Volleyball:

NCAA Division III Tournament St. Olaf vs Washington Univ (Nov. 15, 2002 at St. Louis, MO)

1 2 3
St. Olaf 20 23 16 Record: (20-15)
Washington University 30 30 30 Record: (38-1)

NCAA Division III Tournament Wartburg College vs Washington Univ (Nov. 15, 2002 at St. Louis, MO)

1 2 3
Wartburg College 22 11 22 Record: (30-10)
Washington University 30 30 30 Record: (39-1)
_________________________________________________________________________

Cross Country:

NCAA Division III Midwest Regional Cross Country Championships (November 16, 2002 in Peoria, IL)
Women’s Cross Country
Event 2 Women’s 6,000 Meter
1. Washington University
12 Brooke Lane 22:07.46
20 Emily Lahowetz 22:22.83
21 Melanie Mikecz 22:23.07
29 Andrea Moreland 22:37.14
35 Catherine Ogorzaly 22:43.02
39 Natalie Karas 22:46.76
74 Mindy Kuhl 23:30.36
_________________________________________________________________________

IM Ultimate Frisbee:

League A
Semi Finals
Huck Yeah 11 Med School A 12
Slipped Disc. 10 Shy’s Cell # 3

Finals
Huck Yeah 13
Med School A 10

League B
Semi Finals
Frog 10 Munkey Goddesses 5
#1 Stunnaz 5 Proto Planetary Disc 9

Frog 12
Proto Planetary Disc 7
_________________________________________________________________________

IM Coed Football:

A League
Semi Finals
WUMAN 11 PT 05 6
Backrow Who Ridahs 0 WURAA 18

WURAA defeated WUMAN in the finals

B League
Semi Finals
PT 04 ? F Troop 6
En Fuego ? Xander 0

Finals
PT 04 6
F Troop 0
_________________________________________________________________________

IM Women’s Football:

Semi Finals
Red Dog ’02 17 PT 04 Women 20
Alpha Phi 12 BB’s 0

Finals
Red Dog ’02 15
PT 04 Women 20
_________________________________________________________________________

IM Women’s Soccer:

Semi Finals
PT Women def Hot Damn def
Hot Tomales The Rubies

PT Women defeated Hot Damn in the finals
_________________________________________________________________________

IM Men’s Football:

Point League
Semi Finals
Sigma Alpha Epsilon 27 Sigma Phi Epsilon 0
Theta Xi 14 Phi Delta Theta 13

Finals
Sigma Alpha Epsilon 8
Phi Delta Theta 6

Undergrad A League
Semi Finals
The Man 6 Mean Lien Machine 5
WURAA 26 The Man Handler 14

WURAA defeats The Man Handler in the finals

Undergrad B League
Semi Finals
Thrush 13 Receivers 19
LEV 14 A.U. 7

Finals
LEV 32
Receivers 14

Open A League
Semi Finals
Big Peonas 34 B-Schoolers 13
Tsunami 12 PT0405 20

Finals
Big Peonas 13
B-Schoolers 20

Open A League
Semi Finals
International Shoe 32 Widowmakers 15
The (MB) A-Team 0 Lopata 24

Finals
International Shoe 18
Widowmakers 0

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20 Questions with Brian Hindman

Tuesday, November 19th, 2002 | Lisa Goldstein
Alyssa Gregory

Senior Brian Hindman sat down with us to discuss random topics such as staying in shape, hunting for jobs, and “swim-cest.”

Q: So you’re from Alabama.what do you do there?
A: Well besides picking cotton and riding tractors, you can practice your skeet shooting or dove hunting or clean the outhouse.

Q: Interesting. How has the team been doing this year?
A: Better than ever. We have the fastest team that WU has ever had. We got a lot of good freshmen, which hopefully will bring in more good freshmen. They’re kinda cool, except for this one kid who drinks chocolate milk through his nose.

Q: Describe a typical swim practice.
A: Well, we’d start out with some dry-land exercises, sit ups, throwing a medicine ball, lunges, jump rope, then we get in the water and do a warm-up set, followed by a kicking set or a pulling set. And then we usually break it down into like groups of either the butterfliers or backstrokers or whatever and everybody works their asses off in main set. Sometimes people throw up. Practice lasts a good three hours a day in the afternoon and two hours in the morning if you do the doubles. Doubles are twice a week.

Q: Don’t you get hungry? I mean if I worked out five hours a day I’d be starving.
A: Yes. That’s why Center Court is so good, except for the explosive diarrhea that comes afterwards.

Q: Do you have time to do anything else during the swim season?
A: Like other extracurriculars? No. Pretty much it’s eat, swim, eat, class/sleep, eat, swim, eat, homework, sleep.

Q. What’s the best part about getting up before class to work out?
A: I’m up in time to get breakfast sandwiches at Bear’s Den. They’re so good.

Q: How much do you guys interact with the women’s team?
A: Are you talking about in practice or “swimcestuously”?

Q: Well the second sounds more interesting. Tell me about that.
A: Swimcest is like floor-cest or incest or any other kind of -cest. It’s just wrong. It can lead to many kinds of problems.

Q: It seems like the swimmers are kind of cliquey. Why is that, Brian?
A: Because no one wants to hang out with swimmers cause they’re too weird. I mean really no one else likes their hair to turn white and fall out and the constant smell of chlorine. Most people get turned off by that but swimmers get turned on.

Q: How you get along with the rest of your teammates?
A: Not so well right now. They were jealous because I got to do a 20 questions. And we have one teammate in particular who has trouble keeping his mouth to himself. He bites, he claws, he gives wedgies.

Q: Do you haze the freshmen? Or only the ones you don’t like?
A: Yeah, we tie them to the bleachers and beat them with wet towels.

Q: Brian, you’re so violent.
A: Actually we sit in a dark room in our speedos passing a candle and swapping romantic stories.

Q: That’s better. So why should students come watch a swim meet?
A: [with a blank stare]. Ummm. ‘Cause..yeah. Next.

Q: Ok, here’s a question you’ll like. How many times a day do you pee in the pool?
A: At least two or three.

Q: Are you speaking for yourself or on behalf of the team?
A: Two is the minimum. But some people choose to pee more and I encourage it. We don’t have a baby pool so we have to pee in the big pool.

Q: Do swimmers drink a lot?
A: I think swimmers don’t drink often, like many times a week, but when it rains it pours. And by pour I mean the beer really pours.

Q: What’s your favorite bar?
A: Cusamano’s. Well, it used to be until it didn’t let me in because they didn’t think a passport was an official government ID, so I haven’t been there since.

Q: Do you enjoy shaving your entire body before conference?
A: It makes dressing up in drag a lot easier.

Q: How do you get along with the coaches?
A: The coaching staff is the reason I’ve been swimming for four years. They’re my favorite favorite favorite favorite. (Are you reading this Brad?)

Q: Do you do anything to stay in shape during the off season?
A: A lot of heavy lifting. and by lifting I mean lifting kegs of beer. But besides that, yes. In my imaginary happy fantasy world all I would have to do would be lift beer to my mouth, but unfortunately I have to do a lot of running. I actually try to avoid being at the pool.

Q: Do you think you’ll swim after college?
A: I’ll never be on a team again. I might swim occasionally. I don’t like to swim when you’re not on a team. Swimming by yourself is a lot harder, because you don’t have anyone else suffering with you.

Q: What are you going to do when you graduate?
A: I saw a job opening listed for Jack in the Box, which would be my dream job. That or I could find somebody to pay me to watch TV.

Q: Let me know when you find that. Well, I think we’ve surpassed 20 questions.any final thoughts?
A: Swimmers don’t get enough credit. Because we are the hardest working team with the longest season and we put our bodies through more hell than anyone else does.
_________________________________________________________________________

Brian Hindman:

Year: Senior

Birthday: October 28, 1980

Height: 6’

Hometown: Huntsville, AL

Worst class: Macroeconomics. It was the most boring and worst thing I’ve ever put myself through my life.

Favorite movie: Zoolander and Detroit Rock City

Favorite clothing: My John Deere hat that I got for five dollars at the flea market near Bland, Missouri.

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Women win first regional championship

Tuesday, November 19th, 2002 | Joe Ciolli
Pam Buzzetta/ Student Life

In recent years, the Washington University women’s cross country team has compiled an impressive collection trophies from various regular season events and UAA conference meets. However, one honor has proven to be quite elusive throughout the team’s history: a regional championship.

That is, until this past weekend.

On Saturday, Nov. 16, the ninth-ranked Bears, led by senior Brooke Lane, took home first-place honors at the Midwest Regional Championships.

Lane had her best showing of the season with a time of 22:07.46, propelling her to a twelfth-place overall finish. WU’s five other runners that collected points finished in the top 35, all within 36 seconds of Lane. Juniors Emily Lahowetz and Melanie Mikecz finished 20th and 21st, respectively.

While the Bears were not necessarily shooting for a first-place finish, they welcomed it with open arms.

“Our only goal was to qualify; first place is just a bonus,” Lane said. “On the whole, we were not pleased with our individual performances, but we did very well as a team.”

Competing earlier in the day, the WU men’s team, fresh off of a third-place finish at the UAA conference meet, fell short of its goal of qualifying for the NCAA Championships. Needing a top-four finish, the Bears placed ninth overall.

The highlight for WU was junior Matt Hoelle, who posted a time of 25:01.75, which was good enough for an eleventh-place overall finish and a spot at the NCAA Championships. WU’s only other top-50 finisher was senior Bryan Tilton, who came in 33rd.

Cross country may be an individual sport, but runners from both teams attributed their impressive finishes to strong crowd support. Although the regional championships were held in Peoria, Ill., which is a good three-hour drive, many WU fans managed to make the trip.

“The fans were yelling, ‘There’s a big pack [of WU runners] behind you,'” Lane said. “It was comforting, and it made me feel more confident.”

Hoelle agreed with Lane’s assesment.

“I just want to thank the fans. they came out and were great. We appreciate what they did.”

After the race, the women’s team had to endure much suspense, as they had to wait over an hour for the results.

“We had no clue that we finished first, let alone top three,” Lane said.

During their cool down jog, the Bears tried to think about anything but the pending announcement of the winners.

“Then we had to sit through all of the [men’s team] placements,” Lane said. “We were just getting more and more nervous until right before the announcement our coach told us that we’d won the meet. Then everyone went crazy.”

It was a fitting culmination of an unbelievable day for Lane. Knowing that this race could have very well be her last, Lane stepped up and will lead her team into the NCAA Championships on Nov. 23.

“Our goal is to place in the top ten,” explained Lane. “But if we all run our hardest and we get 20th, that’s OK if it was the best we could do.”

A top ten finish certainly seems possible after the team’s performance at the regional championship, but in cross country, nothing is guaranteed. The Bears need all six of their top runners to continue to stick together and each turn in strong performances.

“We’ll treat it like any other meet,” Lane said. “We’ll have easier days and taper, where we do the same things, just shorter distances.”

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The Gold Standard

Tuesday, November 19th, 2002 | Matt Goldberg

Something is fishy in the NFL this year.

The Chargers are good, players are staying out of jail (with the exception of Randy Moss), and Sunday television ratings are up. What gives?

Even more bizarre is that through eleven weeks, an astounding fifteen games have gone to overtime. Fifteen!

While that number sounds very pedestrian in a vacuum, consider that in 2001 only thirteen games went to an extra period and in 2000 only twelve needed overtime to crown a victor.

The trend has coaches reaching for the nearest Pepcid-AC and fans reaching for the nearest nacho; players reaching for the nearest glass of Gatorade and announcers reaching for the nearest conversation filler.

Overtime is a fan’s paradise: a rare moment, in the current state of the NFL, when advertisements fade into the background and the game takes center stage. The intensity is ratcheted up a notch, the fans get louder, the coaches yell more and the players play like there is no tomorrow.

Everyone is on pins and needles, captivated by the contest. Overtime is one of the best things in the NFL, but a victim of the worst rules.

Whether the rise in overtime games is a product of parity, inept kickers, or El Nino, one thing is for sure: the current overtime system stinks. Luck becomes the determinant of the victor, while skill matters not.

Brett Favre and the Packers could be in overtime against the expansion Houston Texans (although I don’t know how the Texans could hang with the Packers for four quarters, but anything can happen), and never get a shot to win the game. How does that make an iota of sense?

Under current NFL stipulations overtime is sudden death: whoever scores first wins. Sudden death sounds sexy and macho in theory, but in practice it is just as ridiculous as Dennis Miller calling games on Monday Night Football.

Right now the coin flip is overtime and overtime is the coin flip. In the fifteen overtime contests this year, teams that have won the overtime coin flip are 11-3-1. That means that upwards of 75 percent of the time, the team that wins the coin flip wins the game. I’ll take those odds any day of the week.

With that statistic in mind what is the point of overtime? Is it an exercise in luck? Is it a ploy to get coin makers some press? Is it to show off the NFL referees coin-flipping abilities? Is it to stir up controversy? Is it just an antiquated policy that is outmoded?

I have no clue, but I do know that it has to go. Playoff berths, coaching careers, and player personnel decisions cannot be determined by blind luck. The coin and sudden death must go!

So what to do instead?

Teams could brawl and whichever team had more guys standing after five minutes would win. Laugh all you want, but it would be entertaining and effective. Unfortunately, brawling would probably be a bit too messy and bloody for the suits at NFL headquarters. (Remember. the NFL is cracking down on late hits to protect its superstar players.)

Another option is to have a field goal kicking contest (i.e. a shootout like in soccer). Have the kickers kick field goals from 20 yards, 25 yards, and so on until one kicker misses. It would make the kickers a more integral part and keep injuries to a minimum, except for the occasional muscle pull on the victory jump (a la Martin or Bill Gramatica). Furthermore, the field goal kicking solution would net kickers some serious dough.

I’ll admit the first two solutions are far-fetched, unworkable, and dumb, but they would still be more equitable than the sudden death coin-flip. The ultimate solution lies in what college football has done. It is fun, exciting, and most importantly, fair!

Under this framework, both teams get the ball from the twenty and they keep playing until one team fails to score or fails to score the same amount of points. For example, if both teams score touchdowns, but one team goes for the two point conversion, the team that went for the two point conversion would win.

This strategy would showcase the marquis names, allowing quarterbacks, running backs, and receivers to win the game on the field. Furthermore, both teams would get the ball so drama-less finishes would be avoided.

The suits would be happy because ratings would go up, the players and coaches would be happy because the game would be decided on the field, and the fans would be happy because it would be an exciting way to break the deadlock.

So NFL rules committee, listen up: “Make the switch, and make it now.”

Otherwise, the Super Bowl winner might be decided on a coin-flip.

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Bears win two, advance to Elite Eight

Tuesday, November 19th, 2002 | Stephen S. Lefrak
Jeff Kahntroff/ Student Life

WU defeats St. Olaf and Wartburg in Central Regional

By Krystin Kopen

The Washington University volleyball team, with a record of 39-1 after winning the Central Regional Championship this weekend, has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Division III NCAA Tournament for the 15th time in the last 16 seasons.

The Bears had 3-0 victories over St. Olaf College and 15th-ranked Wartburg College in the Central Regional Championship. They currently rank third all-time in Division III NCAA Tournament wins with 53 and Final Four appearances with ten.

Junior Cindy McPeak had a career-high 16 kills, and senior Rebecca Rotello added 38 assists in Friday’s match against St. Olaf College. McPeak registered 16 kills in 23 attempts with no errors as she recorded a .696 hitting percentage, the third-highest hitting percentage in school history in the NCAA Tournament.

In game three Friday night, Junior Amy Brand added nine kills, while sophomore Colleen Winter had eight. Brand hit .500 in the match, which was the ninth-highest percentage in school history.

The Bears’ victory Friday night sent them to the NCAA Sweet 16 where they took on second-seeded Wartburg College in a Saturday night match that was broadcast live over the web at http://bearsports.wustl.edu.

Junior Katie Quinn led the Bears with 13 kills while Brand had 11 and sophomore Ishi Ballew added ten. Rotello had 45 assists and moved into 22nd on the all-time Division III list with 4,539 assists.

“Our match in the Regional Championship was a top 10 match and was one of the best matches of the season,” said head coach Rich Luenemann. “We controlled the match from start to finish.”

Freshman Nicole Hodgman was a valuable asset to the team this weekend playing the libero position. The libero player wears a different-colored jersey than the rest of the team and is usually a defensive specialist. Additionally, the libero is able to substitute in and out of the action freely over the course of the game.

“I think that Nicole’s play was a great plus for us this weekend,” said Luenemann. “She asserted herself in the lineup as a defensive player, picking up all types of balls, and became a fan-favorite.”

“Nicole got a lot of digs and took a ton of momentum away from the other team,” said Ballew.

The women were not daunted by the tough competition they faced in the Regional Championship matchup.

“Everyone played well over the weekend. The players stepped up to the level of play and demonstrated that they are not a one-dimensional team,” said Luenemann.

“Everyone on the team played well together,” said Ballew. “Other teams have one or two star players, and the ball goes to them all the time. But every player on the WU team is able to [execute all the moves], and that was really evident this weekend. Our opponents tried to adjust to us, but we would just switch up out game.”

The Bears remained strong throughout the weekend and ended up dominating because of their determination.

“A lot of times, it’s easy to get timid [when you’re faced with such tough competition], but we stayed aggressive,” said Ballew.

The Bears will take on the nationally-ranked No. 1 squad, Cal-State Hayward, this Saturday at 2 p.m. for the right to advance to the Final Four.

WU will again serve as host for the match.

“We’re excited that we’ll be hosting Cal-State Hayward this weekend in the Quarterfinals,” said Luenemann. “We’re hoping that the WU community will show up and support the Bears this weekend. We’re hoping for at least 1000 people.”

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Three players named to 2002 all-UAA first team

By Aaron Wolfson

One mark of a great team is how many of its players receive top awards.

It is no surprise then that the number two ranked Washington University women’s volleyball team placed three of its members on the all-UAA first team for the 2002 season.

Senior Rebecca Rotello, junior Amy Brand, and sophomore Colleen Winter all earned the honor, which was announced following the completion of the UAA tournament last weekend in Cleveland.

Rotello was also named the national player of the week for her efforts during the conference tournament. The three hope to justify their awards by helping lead the Bears, who qualified for the Sweet 16 on Saturday, to the national championship.

Rotello, a setter, has thrived as the lone senior on the team and its most experienced member. While excelling in the middle of the Bears’ offense, she has ascended to second-place on WU’s all time assist chart, with 1466 this year alone. In one of many strong games this season, Rotello gave out 51 assists in only three games against Nebraska-Wesleyan on October 18. She is also highly valued by her teammates, who believe she should have been honored even more for her contributions this season.

“We were disappointed that she didn’t get the Player of the Year award,” said Winter of Rotello. “She is just awesome and deserves all the recognition that she gets.”

Rotello, however, is modest in accepting the praise. “It’s always an honor to be named to a special team such as all-UAA,” Rotello said. “It’s not something I focus on though. It’s more of a team effort, and that success is much more important for me.”

Brand is part of WU’s talented corps of juniors, and earned her all-UAA honor in part with a strong showing at the conference tournament.

For the season, she racked up 377 kills to lead the team, and she also led the Bears with 136 blocks. Brand also showed her durability by playing in 127 out of 130 games, and she scored her 1,000th career kill earlier this year. She also helped the Bears get a huge victory over third-ranked Juniata on Nov. 1, with a season high 19 kills.

Winter’s accomplishment, as just a second year player, is particularly remarkable. She has been a large part of both the Bears’ offense and defense all year.

Winter led the Bears by hitting 65 serves for aces, with just 44 errors, and she also amassed 448 digs. She also developed the knack of being a big-game performer, setting a school record with 35 digs against sixth-ranked Wisconsin Whitewater on October 5. She also came through with a combined 38 digs in two games against Emory, the Bears’ biggest conference rival.

Although being named all-UAA first team is a big achievement, all three players refuse to get caught up with individual awards.

“Getting the award is exciting, but I’m proud that the whole team played so well,” said Winter. “I try not to think about myself too much, because it’s really more of a team thing.”

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