Student Life Archives

Margaret Bauer

Washington University students will have a new place to grab a snack when Whispers Caf‚ opens in Olin Library on May 10. The addition of the caf‚ is part of the ongoing renovations to Olin Library and represents one of the major changes to food service in the upcoming year.

Whispers Caf‚ will serve coffee, baked goods, grab-and-go snacks and other coffee-shop style items.

Kathy Carmody, general manager of Bon App‚tit, explained that the choice of food items would be similar to those already available in the Hilltop Bakery.

According to Steve Hoffner, assistant vice chancellor for students and director of operations, many major universities have popular coffee shops in their libraries. Hoffner expressed optimism that the caf‚ would be well received and would provide a new service to students.

“Whispers [Caf‚] will provide another opportunity for students to study, socialize and discuss [important issues] with the convenience of food service in the same area,” said Hoffner.

He also speculated that students might visit the caf‚ to relax between classes or use it as an alternative to the often-congested Holmes Lounge. Hoffner expects the caf‚ to go over well with students in University College, who are often on campus during the evening hours when regular dining facilities are closed.

“We believe this space will become one of the more popular ‘hang-out spaces’ on the Hilltop Campus,” he said.

With finals ending on May 13, many students will be able to enjoy the caf‚ only briefly, but opening the caf‚ late in the academic year was part of the plan to ensure that it will be operating smoothly by next fall.

As Hoffner explained, the caf‚ will remain open during the summer months, and this period of slower activity will allow the staff to become acclimated to operations.

Other changes in dining services planned for the coming academic year include updates to menus across campus, a Center Court remodeling project, and changes to the hours of operation at Holmes Lounge.

Bon App‚tit, the catering company used by the University, updates its menus each academic year. Carmody explained that new menu items are chosen carefully in response to student interest.

“We get student feedback throughout the academic year, and we focus on what is ‘hot’ in the industry [when making these changes],” she said.

Bon App‚tit will focus on choosing new menu items for Center Court, which the University plans to remodel during the summer. According to Hoffner, the Center Court remodeling project would create a pleasant aesthetic, but menu changes have not yet been decided upon.

Holmes Lounge Caf‚, which is currently open Monday through Friday until 7 p.m., will close earlier next year at 3 p.m.

Hoffner said the change addresses the inconvenience caused when Holmes closes early to host special events in the evening. He also said that business at the cafe generally slows after 3 p.m.

Emily Kuhn

Washington University started off its 150th year with the announcement that the University had risen in rank to be the ninth best undergraduate program in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report. This was the University’s first appearance in the top ten. The School of Engineering & Applied Science rose to 38th best in the nation, and the Olin School of Business held its spot at 14th in the rankings.

The Sesquicentennial Celebration, commemorating the University’s 150th anniversary, brought approximately 20,000 students, faculty and community members to campus for over 200 festive events. Chancellor “Magic Mark” Wrighton wowed students and younger children alike with his Magic Show, and University alumnus Ted Drewes created a special “Ses-Quete” flavor of frozen custard to celebrate the event.

To many students’ dismay, they attended the University’s first keg-free WILD in the fall, watching Busta Rhymes perform. Live was the headliner at the spring WILD.

An October strike at local grocery stores, including Schnucks, had some students protesting outside and others crossing the picket lines to get to their groceries. Student Union provided new shuttle routes during the 25-day strike that took students to Straub’s for their shopping needs.

The Student Worker Alliance (SWA) formed in October in response to the deportation of 36 Nicaraguan grounds workers. While the return of the workers still remains uncertain, the SWA has widened its mission to pursue the implementation of a living wage on campus through events such as the “Boot the Bell” campaign against Taco Bell and a rally on the steps of Brookings Hall that brought in activists from throughout the St. Louis community.

Student Health and Counseling Services (SHCS) welcomed new Director Alan Glass after former Director Laurie Reitman decided to retire. SHCS is also considering plans for a new home on the South 40 in the future. James McLeod, vice chancellor for students and dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, announced the possible move to a yet-to-be-decided location closer to student housing.

In November, Chancellor Wrighton announced that the University would host one of the Presidential Debates in the fall of 2004. Preparations for the debate on Oct. 8, 2004, have already begun within the administration, including the recruitment of student volunteers and planning for the debate’s logistics on the basis of the University’s experience hosting debates in 1992 and 2000. The Oct. 8th Coalition, a student group formed to shed light on issues not being discussed in the debate, formed in reaction to the University’s selection as a debate host.

In local politics, two University faculty members announced they would be vying for the seat of former Missouri Congressman Dick Gephardt. Jeff Smith, adjunct professor in University College, and Mark Smith, associate dean of students at the School of Law, are competing for the Democratic nomination to run for the 3rd District seat.

Thomas Friedman drew a crowd that filled the University’s Athletic Complex for his speech about the war against Iraq as part of the Assembly Series. Friedman, a columnist for the New York Times, will return to campus this month to give the commencement address to the graduating class of 2004.

Students also had a chance to hear a voice from the political right when the Conservative Leadership Association (CLA) brought author Ann Coulter to campus for the Assembly Series. This year the CLA also sponsored a lecture about the hypocrisy of society and pitfalls of liberalism given by the WWF wrestler Ultimate Warrior.

Construction on and off campus has been an inconvenience to many students but yielded many developments. The renovated Olin Library, which has been three years in the making, will open its doors on May 7. Along with the obvious changes to the building’s outer surfaces, the changes inside include a new 24-hour caf‚ and the Arc technology center.

As library construction drew to a close, the building of the $56.8 million-dollar Sam Fox Arts Center commenced. The Arts Center, located in the parking lot east of Brookings Hall, will open in the spring of 2006 to serve as a center for fine arts at the University.

Residents of the Village and those living on Washington Avenue woke up daily to morning construction on the MetroLink expansion. The project, with an expected completion date in 2006, will add MetroLink stops at Forsyth Avenue and Skinker Boulevard.

The University’s women’s volleyball team captured their eighth national championship this year. The women clinched the title in a 3-0 win over New York University, finishing out their season with a 28-game winning streak.

Tuition increases announced at the beginning of the spring semester will bring the total cost of attending the University to over $40,000 next year. Undergraduate tuition will rise $1,400 (4.9 percent) to $29,700 for the 2004-2005 school year. The cost of living in a double room in a new residence hall with a full meal plan will rise to $10,292, bringing the total cost of attending the University to $40,838.

The Direct Connect file-sharing hub was shut down this semester after the administration became aware of the program, whose existence was largely publicized by an article in the Riverfront Times. Students reacted to the hub’s shutdown by forming an impromptu 4 a.m rally outside of Umrath Residence Hall. The Hatch, a student band, performed until University police stopped its set. Administrative letters about student file-sharing activity on Direct Connect and possible consequences have yet to be distributed.

Revisions to the Ervin Scholar Program, which opened the traditionally African-American scholarship to students of all races, brought controversy to the University’s campus. Many current Ervin Scholars saw this change as an end to the community and support system that the program had traditionally provided. While the University decided to revise the program because of pressure from the U.S. Department of Education, revisions have yet to be made to the Annika Rodriguez Scholarship program for Latin American students or the Chancellor’s Graduate Fellowship program for African-American graduate students.

The year also ended with controversy, with the surfacing of videotapes and photographs displaying questionable behavior at the Sigma Chi fraternity. The materials showed fraternity brothers and pledges dunking their heads in freezing water and throwing beer cans at each other during sexually-charged skits. The national Sigma Chi organization has suspended the University chapter for 45 days, although the University itself is still deciding what action it will take. University administrators have said they will consider Sigma Chi’s past misconduct in their final decision.

Along with the more than 2,300 Washington University students who will receive degrees at the Commencement ceremonies on May 21, the University will award six esteemed and accomplished individuals with honorary doctorate degrees.

Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, who will deliver the Commencement address, will also receive an honorary doctor of laws degree from the University.

A doctor of laws degree will also be awarded to Joe Edwards, the co-founder and opener of Blueberry Hill, for his orchestration of the ongoing revitalization of the Loop.

The first of three doctor of science degrees will be presented to David Kipnis, M.D., distinguished university professor of medicine and distinguished university professor of molecular biology and pharmacology. Kipnis has been a dedicated contributor to the School of Medicine throughout the past fifty years, conducting groundbreaking research in the areas of diabetes and metabolism.

A doctor of science degree will also be offered to the late Robert M. Walker, Ph.D., a former professor of physics in Arts & Sciences. Walker’s numerous accomplishments include his service as the inaugural director of the McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences, his election to the National Academy of Sciences in 1973 and his pathbreaking laboratory research of moon rocks. The late professor’s wife, Ghislaine Crozaz, a professor of earth and planetary sciences at the University, will accept the doctorate in Walker’s honor.

The third doctor of science degree will be presented to Edith Waldman Wolff, a generous supporter of the School of Medicine. Wolff has funded research on diabetic, pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases, among other things.

The University will also award Theodore McMillian, a judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit, with a doctor of humanities degree. McMillian was the first African-American appointed to the federal bench in the seven states of the 8th district, and many of his opinions have greatly influenced rulings in the U.S. Supreme Court.

WILD used to be an event marked by kegs, couches and uninhibited drinking. Some students claim that, sans kegs, this atmosphere is still an integral part of the all-campus party. Friday’s event seemed to prove otherwise.

According to Jill Carnaghi, assistant vice chancellor for students and director of campus life, the behavior of students at WILD was mild in comparison to past years.

“I was more than thrilled with the outcome,” said Carnaghi. “Each semester, WILD is the event I fear the most [in terms of students’ health and safety…] This semester it was great to work. I think if any, very few [students] were dangerously intoxicated. [It was] nowhere like I remember from six or seven years ago.”

Carnaghi went on to describe her experience patrolling fraternity row after the concert as “heaven.”

“What this WILD marked for me was a cultural shift…a great band [and] students acting responsibly with [regard to] the alcohol policy,” she said. “To my knowledge, we didn’t have one student in the [medical] tent all evening.”

Regardless of the downpour hours before Lucky Boys Confusion and Live took center stage in the Quad, sophomore WILD co-chair Mike Duncan noted that there were no concerns that the events would be cancelled.

“It put me in a bad mood, but that’s all the rain did,” said Duncan. “We knew [the rain] was going to go through pretty fast, so there wasn’t a chance it would be cancelled.”

Although sound checks ran an hour and a half late because of afternoon storms, the opening bands were on stage by 6 p.m. Some of the opening acts had to cut their sets short, Duncan said, but otherwise things ran smoothly.

“The only thing that was cancelled [in the afternoon] was the mechanical bull…in Bowles Plaza. Everything went as scheduled,” Duncan said. “We gave away a lot of money for eating hot dogs.”

The winner of the hot dog eating contest, Duncan reported, ate about ten or 11 hot dogs in ten minutes and received $50.

Carnaghi described the event as “a bit much to watch.”

“We had a good turnout, and hopefully that’s a tradition we can start-getting people out there to stuff their faces,” Duncan said.

Compared to past years, turnout for this year’s concert was also high, he said.

“I was talking with our age, and we decided it was a much bigger crowd than Busta Rhymes,” Duncan said, noting that in the fall, Team 31 thought Rhymes had netted the biggest WILD crowd.

After listening to opening act Lucky Boys Confusion-a band that started in Chicago several years ago that has worked its way to national acclaim-freshman Tyler Starr met several members of the band, including frontman singer/songwriter Stubhy, while buying a t-shirt.

“They were really friendly guys, talking to the fans…it was cool that they were out here meeting people,” said Starr. “[The concert] was a great time, and I got up front and went crazy. They said they would have played more if things weren’t pushed back by the rain.”

Lucky Boys Confusion played such singles as “Beware,” “Fred Astaire,” and “Broken” during its set.

Carnaghi said that though the Quad filled up slower than it had in past years because of the weather, approximately 3,000-4,000 students, faculty, and alumni were in attendance for Live’s performance.

Duncan would not elaborate on what other bands had been considered, because Team 31 intends to “look into them for next semester.” He said, however, that Live was the group’s first choice.

Made up of singer Ed Kowalczyk, guitarist Chad Taylor, bassist Patrick Dahlheimer and drummer Chad Gracey, Live made its first appearance on the national music scene in the early 1990’s. The band’s latest album, “Birds of Pray,” was released last May.

During Friday’s set, Live played such favorites as “Dolphin’s Cry,” “All Over You” and “The Color Gray,” ending their set with crowd-pleaser “Lightning Crashes,” a single from their second LP, “Throwing Copper” (1994). Readers of Rolling Stone magazine selected Live as Artist of the Year in 1995 partly due to the success of that album.

Not everyone was thrilled, however, with the band’s appearance on Friday.

“For the past two WILDs, the opening bands have been cooler than the main bands,” said freshman Julian Frachtman. “It seems like Washington University is only getting bands that are ‘washed up.’ Busta Rhymes was popular five years ago. They should have bands like Coldplay…or the Red Hot Chili Peppers-some people think they’re on the decline, so we should capitalize on that and get them here.”