Archive for September, 2003

Alvo, Rosenthal dominate at Regional Championships

Monday, September 29th, 2003 | Jeff Novack
CHELSEA WARREN

The Washington University men’s tennis team continued their impressive fall play in the ITA Omni Central Regional Championships. Senior Brian Alvo and sophomore Ari Rosenthal both advanced to the singles semi-finals and lost together in the doubles semi-finals on Sunday. The tournament features individual singles and double tournaments rather than head to head team competition.

The Bears sent five players to the championships, held at DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind. In addition to Alvo and Rosenthal, William McMahan, Zach Fayne, and Eric Borden competed in singles. McMahan and Fayne were entrants in the doubles tournament as well.

Alvo, who won the tournament two years ago, entered as the top seed and has lived up to his advance billing. After receiving a bye for the first round, Alvo won in dominating fashion over his next opponents including a 6-0, 6-0 dismantling of No. 12 seed Ohio Wesleyan’s Ryan Drew.

While Alvo “took care of business” as usual according to coach Roger Follmer, the coach was most impressed by the play of Rosenthal. Rosenthal won two tough three-set matches in singles before returning to the court to win two doubles matches with Alvo on Sunday. Rosenthal, seeded number ten, defeated the number five seed and first singles player for Kalamazoo Michale Malvitz, and the fourth-ranked seed and top player for Wooster Nilesh Saldanka. Saldanka went 22-2 last season at first singles while earning conference player of the year. Rosenthal and Alvo are on separate sides of the singles draw and could potentially meet in the finals of the tournament. Follmer praised Rosenthal’s performance.

“In all my time at {the University],” Follmer said, “that was the most impressive and gutsiest performance I’ve seen, bar none.”

Later in the day, Rosenthal and Alvo lost a heartbreaker doubles match 12-10 in a tiebreaker against Kenyon. After splitting sets, the duo lost a match tiebreak. Rather than play a third set in doubles, teams square off in a 10 point tiebreaker. Alvo commented on the loss.

“We’ve been working hard in singles and as a result, we’ve been a little bit tired for doubles but we played real hard,” Alvo said, “It was kind of a bittersweet feeling that we got that far in doubles but lost.”

While Alvo and Rosenthal are the only Bears still competing in the tournament, the team received strong performances from all its players. McMahan lost a tough three set match in the third round of singles play to a player now in the semifinals while Fayne and Borden each won a round in the tournament. In doubles play, McMahan and Fayne bowed out to the number two seed from Kenyon in the third round in a match tiebreak. Follmer was pleased with the team’s showing in the tournament and was particularly excited to note that this was the first time the University had two singles players reach this point in the tournament.

“Everyone picked up a win. Collectively, everyone that came here won a match so it was a great experience,” Follmer said, “This is the first time we’ve had two representatives in the semi-finals. No other school has that here.”

When the singles semi-finals and finals are played today, Rosenthal is hoping that he will meet teammate Alvo in the finals. Rosenthal, who played 10 total sets of tennis over the course of the day Sunday cited the conditioning work the team has done as a key factor in his strong performance.

“The conditioning really helped today. I had two three-set battles. I really felt that I was in better shape than my opponents,” Rosenthal said, “We’re really excited for tomorrow. We want an all-Wash U final, so we have some work to do.”

If either Alvo or Rosenthal wins the singles tournament, the winner will be invited to compete in the Small College Championships on October 16-18. The team’s strong performance should also give the team a good chance to receive an invitation to the National Indoors Tournament.

The Regional Championships marks the end of the team’s fall competitive season. The team will return to action Feb. 7 against Southwest Baptist University.

Bears give up late scoring drive in another tough loss

Monday, September 29th, 2003 | Aaron Wolfson
Bernell Dorrough

Different opponent, same result for the Washington University football team. The Bears lost another tight game, this one on the road Saturday against Rose-Hulman. The Bears were clinging to a 13-10 lead late in the fourth quarter, but they allowed the Engineers to put together a 13-play, 80-yard drive that culminated in a nine-yard touchdown run by Joe Kachmar to give the home squad a 17-13 victory.

“That was a tough loss,” said head coach Larry Kindbom, “Just a tough loss. We’re playing hard; we’re just not hitting on all cylinders. Our job as coaches is to find out how to get all those gears cranking at the same time. We’ll continue to work on it, but it’s hard to play another tight game and come away short.”

It was the first time Rose-Hulman had beaten the Bears in the last ten meetings between the two teams. As usual, the receiver play was good for the Bears, with star Brad Duesing grabbing eight balls for 119 yards and a touchdown and Jeff Buening making some big plays.

“There were a lot of guys that played well and hard,” said Kindbom. “Buening is really starting to show up right now; that just adds another dimension to our offense. Obviously Duesing played pretty well.”

The Bears succeeded for the most part in their goal of throwing the ball downfield to the receivers, but the team lacked the steady offensive production that the coaching staff would like to see.

“We pushed the ball down the field a little bit,” said Kindbom. “The greatest concern on offense was consistency; finishing plays, guys not staying on their blocks and allowing their man to make the tackle. The receivers are all running good routes. We just need to make sure we’re finishing everything: blocks, pass routes, reads. If we can stay with it, we’re close. We have very good football players.”

Kindbom wasn’t hesistant to deflect some of the blame from his players after the loss.

“The burden should be on me,” said Kindbom. “My job as coach is to get those guys playing, and they are. They’re playing real hard, and I need to make sure that they’re going in the right direction all the time and finishing their tasks. I have to be a little better at that. If we can continue to do that as an organization, it’s going to happen. I’ve been coaching for too many years to not know that when you play hard, good things are going to come your way. The heartbreak is going to be short-lived, because our guys are ready to go.”

The Bears have been fairly strong on defense, but once again, a lack of consistency has plagued them.

“We played pretty well on defense,” said Kindbom. “There were two or three plays where they had a third-and-long, and we just didn’t keep them from getting that first down. We’re getting our hands on a lot of footballs, so we just need to come up with a few interceptions on them. Those things will happen, but only if we can keep playing with confidence.”

Despite the back-to-back heartbreakers, the Bears are determined to keep fighting rather than give up.

“We were real down after this ball game, but not too much,” said Kindbom. “We recruit championship people who know how to respond to these situations. That doesn’t lessen the impact the feeling after a loss like that, but our kids will be back. They’re just good kids and good competitors.”

Fowler-Finn keeps Bears’ 9-game winning streak going

Monday, September 29th, 2003 | Joe Ciolli
Bernell Dorrough

The Washington University women’s soccer team isn’t used to coming from behind. Ever since losing 5-0 to second-ranked Wheaton College in their season opener, the Bears hadn’t trailed all season before going down 1-0 to Illinois Wesleyan University.

As the Bears found themselves in this highly uncharacteristic position last Wednesday, a pessimistic fan might have expected them to give up hope. However, the Bears showed doubters that they can still perform in high-pressure situations as freshman scoring sensation Meghan Marie Fowler-Finn converted a cross from junior midfielder Kara Karnes with only two minutes remaining.

Fowler-Finn, who is quickly becoming accustomed to late-game heroics, also headed in the game-winning goal in Sunday’s 2-1 win against McKendree College. The 85th minute goal came off of a Lindsey Ulkus cross. Also scoring for the Bears was freshman Sara Schroeder, who netted her first collegiate goal in the fifth minute.

While it has become a regular occurrence for Fowler-Finn, who has already fired in 39 shots this season, and Karnes to fill up the scoring sheet for the Bears, commonly overlooked are those players who don’t impact the box score.

It may have been widely noted that since the loss at Wheaton the Bears defense has only given up two goals. However, without scoring statistics to accompany such strong defensive play, the team’s defensive anchors remain largely anonymous.

Take Meg Lag for example. As a freshman, Lag was one of the team’s three all-conference selections as a starting central defender. Lag, who is considered by coach Wendy Dillinger to be the team’s defensive anchor, may not have any offensive statistics, but certainly punishes opposing attackers on a regular basis.

Complementing Lag at center back is junior Steph Ackerman, whom Dillinger also recognizes as strong defensive presence. A regular part of the Bears line-up, Ackerman has started all six games for which she has been healthy.

Rounding out the Bears back line at outside defender are four other players: seniors Christine Vavra and Lauren Bennett, sophomore Carrie Biederstadt, and freshman Megan Bowen. While Vavra has started every game this season and Bowen has been used as a spark off the bench, Bennett and Biederstadt generally split starts.

“[These players] not only mark the opposition’s attackers out of the game,” said Dillinger, “but they are where we generate the start of our offense.”

Playing right in front of the back four in the defensive midfield are freshmen Talia Bucci and Jenny Southworth. The Bears have had considerable success using Bucci in a starting role and utilizing Southworth’s skills as a substitute.

“[They] are our ball winners at defensive mid,” said Dillinger. “They keep play from coming through the middle of the field and also have great vision and distribution.”

Dillinger is also quick to praise her senior captains Lindsay Farrer and Megan Drews. While Farrer and Drews may not always get called on to start, their coach recognizes how valuable they are to the squad.

“Lindsay Farrer and Megan Drews bring a spark to us when they are on the field,” said Dillinger. “The raise the level every time they step foot on the field. Their leadership is irreplaceable.”

“We are extremely deep at every position,” added Dillinger. “Every player on our roster makes us stronger. We have a very unique situation; we are stacked with talent. Every one of our players has the ability to start for us which makes my decisions difficult at times. That’s a good situation to be in from my perspective.”

AmeriCorps starts year with fewer helping hands, less funding

Monday, September 29th, 2003 | Kara Kridler

(KRT) As the school year begins, AmeriCorps volunteers begin their assignments. However, due to the drastic funding cutbacks earlier this year, thousands of volunteers will not be reporting to their first day on the job.

In June, AmeriCorps announced that it would be downsizing its largest section of volunteers. By the end of July, the news got worse for many AmeriCorps programs: The House of Representatives denied the program $100 million. The Washington Post reported that without that money, more than 20,000 of its 50,000 volunteer positions would not be filled.

Peter Rumsey Jr., director of Habitat for Humanity International North Carolina, said that the cutbacks have made it very difficult to plan and prepare in many cities. “The rug got pulled out from under us,” Rumsey said. “We didn’t even get clarity of when we would start the programs until early August.”

In North Carolina, Rumsey’s programs were granted a total of 55 positions. “There is a need and demand for 75 [positions]. Initially, we submitted a request for 75 AmeriCorps volunteers,” he said. “As the financial crisis emerged, it became clear that this was not the time to ask for an increase.”

Rumsey said that cutbacks have affected other states more dramatically. In South Carolina, the program had 15 slots last year and was hoping to grow to 21 this year based on its success in 2002. Instead, the program dropped to 10 slots.

Virginia had a similar experience. Awarded 22 slots last year, the Virginia program only received 10 for this year.

“The fixed cost of running an AmeriCorps program does not change from 10 to 20 members,” Rumsey said. “As you reduce from 22 to 10, the fixed cost stays the same, but your cost to the affiliate goes up dramatically.” The affiliate, in this instance, is the locally organized, independent non-profit organization that is associated with Habitat for Humanity International, Rumsey said.

Referring to the program in South Carolina, Rumsey said, that reducing the slots to 10 created a situation in which each affiliate would have to pay $9,000. “That’s a large financial investment for a small affiliate to make,” Rumsey said.

Fortunately, the program found ways to reduce the cost to $7,500 per member, though still a drastic increase from the $4,200 cost last year.

“There are fewer cities hosting members because smaller affiliates cannot afford it,” Rumsey said. It’s hard to justify having smaller programs for higher costs, he said.

However, for those affiliates who believe the end justifies the means, “It’s really a testament to the value of the program for affiliates to see spending this much,” said Rumsey.

Internet leads national politics into new era

Monday, September 29th, 2003 | Dick Polman

(KRT) It’s hard to believe it was only seven years ago when Republican Bob Dole made history by mentioning his Internet site during a presidential debate. Millions of Americans didn’t know what he was talking about. Actually, he didn’t know, either: He botched the address by omitting one of the dots.

Yet today, thanks largely to the Howard Dean phenomenon and other Web-driven developments, the Internet has become such a potent force in national politics that its most vocal boosters are heralding a brave new world of civic engagement, a new era of grassroots Jeffersonian democracy.

Well, maybe. Or maybe today’s sunniest predictors will soon look quaint in retrospect, like those 1964 World’s Fair visionaries who insisted that by 2000 we would be traveling in atomic submarines to new cities located 10,000 feet beneath the ocean’s surface.

It’s still early. As Michael Cornfield, an expert on politics and the Internet, remarks: “Right now, it’s like we’re living in 1955, when TV for the masses was maybe five years old, yet still five years away from the Kennedy-Nixon debates. Dean’s extensive use of the Internet is equivalent to the first TV ads by Dwight Eisenhower.”

But it’s clear that the Web is changing the way national politics is conducted. Campaign aides talk incessantly about conquering the “blogosphere”-the corner of cyberspace where “bloggers” write daily logs about politics. (“Blog derives from “Web log.”) Some campaigns are even courting the best-known bloggers (and, by extension, their online audiences), much the way candidates in the FDR era went hat-in-hand to the cigar-chomping party bosses.

For any serious presidential candidate these days, it’s de rigeur to have a top-notch techno-geek on staff. Ten years ago, bragging rights went to the candidate who hired the best TV ad-maker. But in campaign `08, the big hire could be the tekkie who creates the best candidate blog-an online journal accessed by the citizenry.

Dean campaign manager Joe Trippi has pioneered Web politicking, and his rivals are scrambling to keep pace. Wesley Clark had his own blog within minutes of declaring his candidacy, which means the guy is serious about wooing the wired.

This is a historic moment. The Internet is hot right now due to a host of factors: a polarized nation, a costly foreign foray, a President who is despised by his detractors, and a Web-savvy candidate who also stokes emotions. As a mobilizing tool, the Internet was also crucial this year in the citizen revolt against the Federal Communications Commission’s attempt to help big media companies grow bigger. And it helped topple Trent Lott from his Senate leadership post, because his nostalgic remarks about the segregationist South were most heavily publicized by political bloggers.

And, in California, the Internet has been a key mobilizing factor in the recall effort against Democratic Governor Gray Davis-which now seems ironic, given his remarks about the Internet at a 2000 forum: “This is not something to be feared, this is a new vehicle that will allow more people to participate.”

But what the soothsayers mention most often is the money. As evidenced by Dean’s rise, the Internet can help level the playing field for insurgent candidates. With minimal overhead costs, underdogs can potentially use the Web to seed the grassroots and speedily rack up thousands of small donations-and thereby compete with big-money establishment rivals. (The first successful practitioner was ex-pro wrestler Jesse Ventura, in the 1998 Minnesota gubernatorial election.)

“The combination of small donors and a fast turnaround time-that’s a deep artesian well that a candidate can draw from,” Cornfield said. Here’s a tip: Watch to see whether Clark raises gobs of cash on the Web over the next several weeks.

So should the fat cats be quaking with fear? Will the Internet erase the institutional perks long enjoyed by candidates who hobnob with Beltway big shots and collect checks at special-interest banquets? Richard Hoefer, who runs a pro-Dean Web site in San Francisco, says the Internet means “the end of the two-party system stranglehold that has killed the lifeblood out of representative democracy,” which sounds a tad melodramatic, like something Thomas Paine might have said.

It’s true that the grassroots have been stirred. In the Internet era, campaigns don’t always need advance men to gin up a crowd; Dean fans have found each other with the help of www.meetup.com. And it’s likely that some future campaigns will seek to replicate Dean’s decentralization formula-by encouraging citizens to create Web sites and put their own stamp on the candidate’s message.

But let’s not forget reality. For one thing, Dean hasn’t won anything yet. The Iowa caucuses are four months away. In the words of Larry Noble, a campaign-finance expert: “It’s great that people can participate at home by clicking a mouse. But, in the end, does it translate into actual votes?”

Richard Davis, an expert on the Internet and politics, says there is no evidence that the Web is energizing America’s couch potatoes. Rather, he says, “it’s reshaping the existing relationship between active citizens and candidates. The Internet has just made it a lot easier for them to find each other faster.”

Unless Internet access gets cheaper in the future, it’s likely that Web-based political campaigns will be reaching an audience that is whiter, more educated and more affluent than the general electorate. That helps explain why Howard Dean will spend the next six months introducing himself to African Americans and Latinos.

This Internet “bias” could be a long-range problem for Web-loving Democratic candidates. The latest statistics reveal that only half the Americans who reliably vote in presidential elections are wired to the Internet, and the nonwired are heavily minority and downscale-in other words, members of the Democratic base. So old-fashioned campaigning won’t be totally obsolete anytime soon.

On the money front, what’s to stop the well-heeled interests from using the same tactics? Big law firms and corporations, for example, could network on the Internet to cajole candidate donations from their far-flung employees and clients, at $2,000 apiece (the maximum allowed by law).

But even if we can’t track the extent of the Internet’s effect on elections, we can more easily predict its future effect on governance. In Cornfield’s words, the Web is a potent grassroots tool that can generate “laser-beam emissions of public opinion,” reshape events, and wreck careers.

Like so much else in modern society, the co-optation phenomenon is probably the safest prediction. Today the Web superstars are Dean and the liberal agitators at MoveOn.org; tomorrow, if the pendulum of power swings left, the Republican right will spawn its own warrior tekkies.

The likely result: mercenary cyber fund-raisers, instant-attack blogs that traffic in rumor, the Web merely deepening the partisan divide. Yes, the new medium unexpectedly has demonstrated that the bar for entering big-time politics is now lower. But the potential for skulduggery is higher.

Filmboard edits mission

Monday, September 29th, 2003 | Helen Rhee
SYLVIA HARDY

“Cult classic” is the new theme for this year’s student-run Filmboard because, according to group leaders Victoria Caldwell and Stefan Block, it was predicted to draw the largest crowds.

In line with this notion, Filmboard plans to show movies such as “The Big Lebowski,” “Fight Club,” “Office Space” and many more. Also, during spring semester, the group has planned special events like an Oscar party.

Every Thursday night at 7:00 p.m., Filmboard offers free movies to students. School buses park outside Liggett Hall near Wohl center on the South 40 to transport students to Galleria 6 Cinema.

This year’s theme was decided by votes from group members and executive officers. Senior Block, a film major and president of the Filmboard, said that the theme serves a purpose.

“We wanted to start with a theme,” said Block. “The idea was that by organizing the movie around the theme it would give people something to talk about, [and] maybe make films more interesting things that get into people’s conversation.”

This year, club members are putting more effort into publicizing their group, because although Filmboard has been around for more than two decades, members do not feel that the group is well-known on campus. This lack of notoriety was due to leadership and management problems, among other issues, according to Block.

“In the last five years, it started to fall apart,” said Block. “For a year, it was part of Campus Programming Council. I was the chair of Filmboard within CPC. We decided that we wanted to become our own organization again, and now we are in a good place.”

The group has slowly reemerged into the public view. Last year, the group finally resurrected the program with the support from Student Union and Harman Moseley. Student Union is now the main sponsor of Filmboard. Harman Moseley runs the Chase Park Plaza and Galleria 6 Cinemas, and is also one of the sponsors who helped the group by providing free space and a film projectionist at the Galleria 6 Cinema.

“I wanted the group to continue with its program, and I loved the films they showed 30 years ago when I was there as part of the University staff,” said Moseley.

Block said that he and his counterparts were grateful for this assistance.

“The facility is free,” said Block. “It has been recently renovated with stadium seating. It is a really high-quality theatre”

Filmboard only has to pay about $350 per film for the film itself.

The partnership between Filmboard and Galleria 6 Cinema started when the members went to ask for a film projectionist. Instead, Moseley offered them the use of the theater and his projectionist for free.

According to senior Victoria Caldwell, vice president of Filmboard, the theater still makes plenty of money from the concessions stands.

In the past, Filmboard has held screenings in Brown Hall with its own projectionist and popcorn maker.

“Film qualities are lot better, it’s more realistic, and you can watch movies that are not on DVD in widescreen on-screen for free,” said Caldwell of Gelleria 6 Cinema.

Filmboard officers were at the recent Activities Fair, but they said that there still seems to be a lack of interest among students. Caldwell said that everyone is missing out.

“Students should not miss this opportunity to see a great movie for free,” said Caldwell.

Students who have taken advantage of Filmboard were positive. Freshman Ayako Mayo, for instance, noted that she liked the classic movies that were shown. Another freshman, Katie Lambardi, was similarly enthusiastic.

“I really like the program,” said Lambardi. “There are lots of awesome seniors involved. Little by little, I think they are going to improve a lot.”

Nelly lets his Pimp Juice flow

Monday, September 29th, 2003 | Sarah Kliff

William Wooten, a 2003 graduate of Arts & Sciences, spent this past summer co-creating Pimp Juice. The Washington University alumnus worked with Team Lunatics, a company belonging to St. Louis rapper Nelly, to produce this green apple-flavored energy drink.

Wooton, with the help of Demetrius Denim, took the title of Nelly’s hit song, “Pimp Juice,” and transformed the idea into an actual beverage. By way of the Pimp Juice vehicle, word of mouth, and many cans, Pimp Juice has arrived on campus.

Current students also played a part in creating the beverage. Sophomores Paul Lee and Josh Feldman, senior Matt Bernstein, and junior Darius Bates interned at Team Lunatics this summer and witnessed first-hand the birth of this beverage.

Lee said the drink was made to compete with energy drinks like Red Bull. He pointed out that other musicians have similar products, like Russell Simons, the president of Def Jam Records, who has Def Con 3.

“The name Pimp Juice just sells itself,” said Lee.

While Team Lunatics has yet to put Pimp Juice on the national market, many Washington University students got their first taste of Pimp Juice at Sigma Alpha Mu, at Sammy’s Pimp Juice party on September 19. Lee, a member of the fraternity, provided the Pimp Juice.

“I think it’s tasty,” said freshman Louisa Diliberti. “It was better than Red Bull, a lot less gummy and [with] more citrus flavor. It reminded me of green Kool-Aid.”

Freshman Nikolas Hornback said he was not impressed.

“It’s the exact same as every other energy drink,” said Hornback. “There’s nothing special about it besides whose it is. It tastes like Mountain Dew or Mello Yello with only a little bit of zing.”

Students have also become acquainted with Pimp Juice through its flamboyantly decorated car. Lee, along with the company AdGraphics, helped design the car, which sports the Pimp Juice logo. The reason so many students see it around campus, Lee explains, is that many interns, along with Wooton, get access to the car at certain times.

“It has Pimp Juice, Nelly, and bright colors,” said freshman Josh Lawrence, “I wish I could drive a car like that!”

Not everyone, however, is hyped about the new drink. Groups such as the National Black Anti-Defamation League, Project Islamic Hope, and the National Alliance for Positive Action all are opposed to Pimp Juice for its name. They argue that it continues negative stereotypes of African-American males. The groups have gone so far as to start a nationwide boycott of the beverage, working with various grocers across the country.

Lee said that Team Lunatics anticipated these sorts of protests, but feels that the name of the drink is perfectly acceptable.

“If you look at pop culture today and in recent years, the word pimp is used freely but doesn’t mean a man who sells prostitutes,” Lee said. “It means the man, or the life of the party. In a bar, a party, or even a convenience store-you’re not soliciting women, you’re being the man.”

While Nelly’s Pimp Juice may be anything that helps get your mack on, the canned version is 140 calories of green apple-flavored energy drink. It contains 10% apple juice, 100% of the daily recommended amount of five vitamins and 100% St. Lunatic. Pimp Juice gets its kick from two natural substances, gaurana and taurine. Gaurana produces effects similar to caffeine, while taurine, an amino acid, is said to help optimize mental and physical performance.

According to Nelly, Pimp Juice is just that special something.

“Pimp Juice is anything that attracts the opposite sex,” Nelly told America on MTV’s TRL. “Whatever you [are] using to win with right now, that’s your juice. That’s your pimp juice, so keep pimping.”

Team Lunatic plans to let loose Pimp Juice in grocery and convenience stores by the end of the year.

Professor uncovers oldest humans

Monday, September 29th, 2003 | Liz Neukrich
NEWS.WUSTL.EDU

Erik Trinkaus, a professor of anthropology at Washington University, helped direct a team of researchers which recently discovered a human jawbone dated between 34,000 and 36,000 years old.

The fossil, which is the earliest known modern human bone in Europe, was found in February 2002 in Pestera cu Oase, a Romanian cave located in the Carpathian Mountains. Trinkaus was contacted to aid in research soon thereafter.

“The first fossil was found by [recreational] cavers in Romania [who] contacted the director of the caving institution [Institul de Speologie] in Cluj, Romania,” Trinkaus said. “[The institution] contacted cave biologist Oana Moldovan, [who] started searching the Internet and found my name, looked up my resume, and sent me an email.”

Trinkaus was contacted because the focus of his research has always been the evolution of the genus Homo and the study of late archaic and early modern humans. In the past, Trinkaus has analyzed a child’s skeleton from Portugal as well as bones from the largest known sample of early human remains on sites in Moravia, Czech Republic.

Following a short period of correspondence with Moldovan, Trinkaus was invited to co-direct the research team at the excavation site. After meeting with Moldovan in May 2002, he brought the jawbone to the University for temporary analysis, and then returned to the cave in June 2003 to map the site.

“The original entrance is collapsed, [so] the site was accessed through the inside of the cave system-[this] is what has preserved [the fossils],” said Trinkaus. “The cave was principally a hibernation cave for bears of that time period,”

Though other human bones found during the cave’s mapping are still undergoing analysis, they are likely the same age as the jawbone, which places them in the period during which late Neandertals and early modern humans in Europe overlapped.

“While [the fossils] are ‘modern,’ they are very archaic in a number of features, [which indicates] that modern human evolution continued significantly after the appearance of ‘modern’ humans,” Trinkaus said.

He added that these humans were not fully modern in the sense that we think of ourselves today. Some of their characteristics indicate an archaic human origin and, possibly, a connection to Neandertals.

“We do not know how the human fossils got in there,” he said. “My best guess is that their relatives were putting their bodies in the cave as a form of burial. [There is] no sign they were carried in by carnivores.”

Trinkaus said the new finds were beneficial, but will initiate a lot of hard work.

“The second set of discoveries was unexpected, and we were all very pleased by it-however, it leads to the organization of long-term work at the site, which will be complicated,” he said.

The international research team that was formed is currently organizing to go back next summer. Trinkaus said that no students, however, will be taken because of the dangerous access route of the cave, which involves scuba diving. He described the field group working in the cave as “very specialized.”

Results of the jawbone’s analysis are currently online at www.pnas.org, the Online Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

KWUR best in city

Monday, September 29th, 2003 | Stacie Driebusch
Bernell Dorrough

Though KWUR’s signal hardly reaches the South 40, let alone anywhere else in St. Louis, The Riverfront Times (RFT) gave the Washington University student radio station top billing in the paper’s annual “Best of St. Louis” issue.

“KWUR is the best radio station in St. Louis precisely because of its contrary nature,” wrote the RFT editors. “A 10,000-milliwatt powerhouse, KWUR broadcasts exactly what you’d expect from a college radio station…a little bit of anything and everything.”

Sophomore Michael Bortinger has been a DJ for KWUR since last year, and currently serves as the station’s treasurer. He said the recognition is a testament to KWUR’s commitment to top-notch programming.

“Although we might not have as much wattage as other stations, our programming is on par,” said Bortinger.

The RFT also went on to compliment KWUR on its “stand against the consolidation of the airwaves.”

Last spring, senior Spencer Kathol, KWUR’s general manager, and Jim Hayes, media advisor for the Office of Student Activities, applied to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to expand its broadcasting power from 10 to 100 watts. Kathol said that they took advantage of a loophole in the FCC application process, enabling KWUR to use the new station application, which would have allowed the station a six month grace period to set up and experiment.

KWMU 90.7, St. Louis’s National Public Radio station, however, feared the encroachment of KWUR’s signal on their own. The FCC sympathized with KWMU and rejected KWUR’s application.

Kathol and Hayes responded by creating a petition signed by roughly 2,500 University students. They are also working on applying again.

Kathol said he hopes the recent newspaper recognition will give KWUR momentum in its fight against the FCC and KWMU.

“I think that this might be a turning point for the station with all of the difficulty that we’ve been having,” he said.

Bortinger also said he hopes the publicity garnered by the RFT article will help KWUR expand its audience. Although access to KWUR over the airwaves is limited, the station is accessible online at www.kwur.com.

The station is also trying to do more to promote itself on campus by bringing hip-hop and rock bands to the Gargoyle. Bortinger said these are usually smaller, unpublicized bands that are still quite good.

KWUR also offers a D.J. service that is competitively priced and serves such school functions as Bauhaus.

Currently, there are roughly 65 students involved with KWUR. Before hosting their own show, students undergo seven hours of training distributed throughout a semester. Bortinger said this teaches students how to perform the basic activities involved in radio which they will have to apply when they get their own shows.

“Every time you do a show, you get a little better,” he said.

After hosting his own show, Kathol said he became engrossed with the musical culture that the station opened up to him. As general manager, he looks forward to pursuing a larger broadcasting area and adding more interesting programming.

“We’re making some changes that will affect KWUR and benefit the station in the future,” said Kathol.

Editorial Cartoon

Monday, September 29th, 2003 | Yu Araki
Bernell Dorrough