Archive for September, 2004

If you build it, they will care

Wednesday, September 29th, 2004 | Aaron Seligman

In Monday’s Forum Daniel Milstein identified a serious flaw in the CS40 and class council elections: freshmen don’t vote, don’t know or don’t care. The reason students don’t treat the elections seriously is not because of a lack of time or interest, it is because the candidates don’t treat the campaigns seriously.

The kinds of campaign tactics candidates for CS40 and SU elections use pale in comparison to those used by “real” candidates, and thus the results should surprise no one. Without spending much money, there are still plenty of tactics a candidate could use to promote their campaign.

Take a poll. Before any candidate runs they use small groups to test their messages, positions and figure out what issues matter to people. Use the three floors in your dorm for this, since you know these people will vote for you no matter what.

Get free media. They don’t need to write a book or even make a complicated TV or newspaper ad. They should write op-eds for Student Life, or a letter to the editor. We can endorse candidates, and simply getting name recognition is what you really need.

While the candidates already have space to submit a statement, you need to use these to outline a simple message and a few action items. No one cares that you were on high school student council.

Candidates should debate. Get a few upperclassmen council members who know what it’s like to serve in the positions to moderate and ask questions. Do this in the swamp or by the Clocktower, anywhere prominent. Again, this increases exposure for everyone and makes the election seem more legit.

Talk to previous council members. The goal of “building class unity” is so broad and no freshmen have any leadership experience at Wash U that they need to seek advice. The same way Kerry is talking with Clinton’s advisors and Bush picked up his dad’s friends, asking a sophomore or junior what worked and what didn’t would allow a candidate to focus on real policies and ideas.

Come up with a slogan. Bush has basically given this one to you. Regardingly class unity, hmmm, “uniter not a divider?” Put it on away messages and post it around campus.

Host a rally. Simply having a bunch of people in the swamp cheering for someone on top of a milk crate will get attention. We all know freshmen move in packs anyway, use it to your campaign’s advantage. Then post pictures of you with cheering people holding signs everywhere.

Hold a mini-convention. Invite people who support you from dorms. Have your friends tell cute stories about you. Drop balloons. Do it in Center Court. Make a scene.

Approach other campus groups and speak to their specific concerns. Have a friend in each group who can make an announcement or endorsement for you. Try for time to give a speech, and focus it for that group.

Talk to people. This is easy, just walk around and introduce yourself to people and give them a business card or address label or whatever cheap way you’ve decided to promote yourself. Walk around the dorms or through Bear’s Den.

Sign up volunteers. This relates to the last point. If someone seems to really agree with your views (and based on your message testing you should have a lot), ask them to volunteer for you. Just having them vote and bring three friends should be enough.

Host a house party. Have friends in different dorms invite their floor mates and give them food. Then show up and give a short, professional speech. Hand out more flyers and cards and shake hands.

By following this advice, on Election Day every student should know your name, what you stand for, and why their voting for you will make a difference. Now if you’ll excuse me I have a real campaign to follow.

Debate drinking game

Wednesday, September 29th, 2004 | Paul Banks

One way to make watching the presidential debate fun would be to play drinking games. The purpose of this game should be to take a shot or a swig every time a candidate does not answer a question, distorts the truth with beat down talking points, or inserts one of the countless media generated stories that have precious little to do with the election.

You might hear questions about Chung Byung-Man, the South Korean who met with Kerry aides and was later revealed to be a spy.

Mention of the forged Killian memos is possible. After all, they were pushed by the same network, CBS, that put his campaign advisor Joe Lockhart in contact with Bill Burkett who just happened to be the source of said documents.

What you should do when you hear these stories, after you take your drink, is to prepare to take another if the whole story is left out or skipped around. For instance, if the South Korean spy is mentioned, you need to drink up if it is not made known that Kerry immediately returned four thousand dollars in donations once the story broke. This should have switched the story to one about Korean manipulation of the race, but hasn’t.

Likewise, although he is prone to exaggeration on Iraq (drink at these moments), Kerry has little reason to be involved with the Killian memos and their piling on against Bush. Most people have decided whether or not Bush served out his time, what that meant and so on. Unless Kerry hints at his bizarre conspiracy theory that Karl Rove created the memos (one shot), this should be a dead issue.

The above are just two examples of stories kept alive for the sake of 24-hour news services and their need for content. Neither have anything to do with the election. Both John Kerry and George Bush have been elected before. While it might be fair game for veterans to call into question Kerry’s or Bush’s service when they somehow claim that it will make them a competent commander in chief, both men’s actions since the Vietnam war paint a more instructive portrait of each.

By the way, if you really want to go at it with our little game, then it would be only appropriate that you drink to every time the moderators grandstand and hypocritically lambaste the candidates for the state of American political discourse. If Bush is asked to denounce the Swiftboat ads and their alleged dishonesty, drink up if Bush or another moderator does not hold up a copy of the New York Times story that read, “Memos on Bush Are False But Accurate, Typist Says.”

You should not get the impression, however, that the candidates don’t deserve part of the blame. From Cheney’s unwillingness to truly back down from his “we will be hit” comments to Kerry’s Chomskyesque assertions that a second term with Bush will lead to the total destruction of the environment, there are countless examples of the distortion game being played.

So, when the debate is over, and you have had no doubt lots to drink, sit back and realize for a moment that, at least for me and many people I talk to, the feeling of dizziness, fatigue and the urge to heave you are going through is how I feel when I watch these things stone cold sober.

Editorial Cartoon

Wednesday, September 29th, 2004 | Nic Albonico
Nic Albonico

Is corporate involvement unethical?

Wednesday, September 29th, 2004 | Roman Goldstein

Andy Mitchell’s insightful column Sept. 25, 2000, explored the role that major corporations have in students’ education: they fund us. Just looking around campus, the buildings are a who’s-who of major St. Louis megacorps: Mallinckrodt, Monsanto Anheuser-Busch and McDonnell-Douglas.

Mitchell began by presenting a claim from a purported ex-Monsanto employee who advised to only drink organic milk for health reasons. While rightly being skeptical of that claim, Mitchell did give an example of the moral problem inherent in accepting corporate money.

Many corporations with relations to Washington University, he wrote, have done things that don’t jive with the University’s values. Mallinckrodt, for example, “buried thousands of tons of radioactive material and other noxious substances about 10 miles straight west of Washington University,” and never paid for the clean up. McDonnell was a leading manufacturer of military planes.

Which is not to say that they are all bad. Monsanto, for example, could solve the global hunger problem with its biotech crops. And its leading product, an herbicide, is one of the most effective and eco-friendly products in its class. Finally, corporations fund much of the scientific research that improves our quality of life.

Some corporations, like Enterprise, now fund students directly through scholarships. Others, like Anheuser-Busch, fund events that both interest and benefit students, including the presidential debate.

The University is deeply entwined in other ways, too. The Board of Trustees is full of corporate leaders, including executives from McDonnell-Douglas, SBC, May Department Stores, Bank of America, Nestl‚ Purina, Laclede Gas, Monsanto, Edward Jones and Mallinckrodt. Corporate contributions comprised the second-largest source of private gifts to the University in fiscal year 2003, barely behind alumni giving, at $24.5 million.

The ethical question remains: should students, directly or via the University, benefit from unethically earned corporate profits? It certainly seems bizarre to name buildings after major polluters, weapons manufacturers and people who don’t want you to know what’s in your vegetables.

But if the University doesn’t get corporate donations, who will pay for, for example, the new cancer research center? Certainly not the government, and parents cannot afford a sharp tuition hike. Alumni might seem plausible-but the major alumni gifts are from alumni that, unsurprisingly, got that money by succeeding in business.

The role of corporations in society and what it means to be a good corporate citizen are two of the most important social questions today. Yet they are exceedingly complex. The University, as a strong partner of business as well as an overseer of tremendous intellectual resources, is in a unique place to lead the effort to resolve these ethical questions.

Week of ups and downs for women’s soccer

Monday, September 27th, 2004 | Justin Davidson
Margaret Bauer

This past week proved to be a test for the sixth-ranked Washington University women’s soccer team. Suffering their first loss to Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU) this past Tuesday in Bloomington, Ill. 2-1, the Bears demonstrated their ability to bounce back from a defeat by routing Blackburn College 11-0 Friday afternoon.

The loss Tuesday snapped the Bears’ six-game winning streak, the sixth longest in school history. Despite outshooting IWU 23-6, the Bears could not capitalize on their offensive production as the IWU defense and goalkeeping held them off.

The Bears outshot the Titans 9-3 in the first half and 14-3 in the second half, but the Titans made it on the board first by a pivotal mistake in the backfield in the second half. Senior back Stephanie Ackerman and senior goalkeeper Charlotte Felber misjudged a ball in the box, allowing Katie Kelly of IWU to sneak past the two to put the Titans up 1-0. Kelly knocked another one in during the 70th minute as she slipped one past Felber, giving the Titans the 2-0 lead and eventual game-winner.

Hope resided in the Bears as a prime scoring opportunity came when sophomore Meghan Marie Fowler-Finn got a penalty kick due to an IWU defender handball in the box in the 75th minute. IWU goalkeeper Emily Castner stopped Fowler-Finn’s penalty kick to the right to hold on to the lead. The Bears could not recover from this blow and it wasn’t until 38 seconds left in the game that the Bears were able to avoid being shutout. Fowler-Finn scored on an assist from freshman Breta Kennedy for her eighth goal of the season and 18th of her career. With the goal, Fowler-Finn moved into a tie for seventh place on the all-time goals scored list.

Despite the loss, the 4-0-1 Titans were only able to get two shots off on goal, which sadly were the two ones that got past Felber.

Putting their first loss of the season behind them was obviously not an issue for the Bears, however, as they traveled to Carlinville, Ill. on Friday to take on Blackburn College. The star of the game was undoubtedly Freshman Katie Campos, who set records in only her seventh collegiate game. Campos set a school-record with five assists as well as putting in two goals of her own in the upending of Blackburn. Campos broke the previous assists record of four, which was held by current WU assistant coach Lori (Thomas) Khazen since 1997.

Campos registered the first goal and eventual game-winning tally at the 25:46 mark; junior Jesse Munger crossed it to a slashing Campos, who flicked it with her back heel past Blackburn goalkeeper Katelyn Nonn.

Campos then assisted on the Bears next two goals. She set up sophomore Maila Labadie, who netted one in the upper left corner from 20 yards out at the 27:15 mark. The goal would be the first of three for Labadie on the day. Less than four minutes later, Campos pushed the ball ahead to freshman Abbey Hartman, who worked past a defender to the left of the goal box. Nonn came out to challenge, but it was too late as Hartman juked Nonn out, dribbled around her and tapped it into the back of the net.

Continuing the rout, freshman Kim O’Keefe took a pass from Campos to the left side of the box and touched it to cutting sophomore Sara Schroeder, who beat Nonn to the far post. Two minutes later, Schroeder netted another goal on assists by senior Lindsey Ulkus and Campos. The two goals marked Schroeder’s second and third of the season.

The Bears would not go easy on Blackburn as sophomore Talia Bucci registered a goal from more than 20 yards out later on, as Campos recorded her school-record fifth assist. Ulkus then returned the favor and assisted Campos, who scored her second goal at the 56:10 mark for a 7-0 lead. Sophomore Kristin Irmiter added another goal on an assist by Labadie with 12 minutes to play. Labadie then went on to tally her third goal of the game at the 83:37 mark to round out the scoring.

ÿThe Bears dominated play from the start and didn’t let the Beavers get off one single shot as they outshot them an astounding 54-0. WU also held a 12-0 edge in corner kicks. Senior Charlotte Felber picked up the win in goal. In as a field player late in the second half, Felber also scored, her first on the season, with the one shot she got on goal.

The Bears’ 11 goals were the most in a single game since Sept. 4, 1999, when they shut out Anderson 12-0. WU’s eight second-half goals were a school record, and its 12 assists tied a school mark.

The 7-1-0 Bears will try to continue their success against Carnegie Mellon University on Sunday, Oct. 3, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. the game holds to be the first University Athletic Association (UAA) game the Bears will play this season. It will be the first of five.

My Hometown

Monday, September 27th, 2004 | Sarah Ulrey
Margaret Bauer

Name:
Adam Reich

Age:
21-year-old senior

Hometown:
Bellmore, NY

Population:
Around 16,500

Where is Bellmore?

“On Long Island. It’s in Nassau County, by Jones Beach where are all the big concerts come.”

So what is the inside information on the cool places to go?

“In Bellmore, ain’t no, it’s f***in’ suburbia. The cool place to go for any Long Island kid is the city. You can’t really hang out on Long Island. Long Island is: go to the movies, go to the mall, get drunk with your friends and do other such shenanigans.”

So for all the “activities” you go to the city?

“Well, yeah, but the problem with New York is its really expensive. There are bars you can go to out on Long Island but it’s kind of like, they’re tired. They’re not really as hip as the city and you get the same crowd. It’s kind of redundant.”

So, how is it different than St. Louis?

“The difference between St. Louis and New York is… it can’t compare. It’s a lot smaller scale and all the women here who are from the Midwest are like 6’7”. So, where I’d be average height in New York, here I’m like, short.

“But, what else is different about St. Louis? Everybody is so nice. In New York, if you’re crossing the street, nobody cares if there is a cross walk. They’ll run your ass over and you’ll deal with them in court. Here in the Midwest everybody is like, ‘Oh sorry, excuse me,’ everybody has really nice manners. Lots of people have manners in New York. It’s just that people don’t really care to use them.”

What’s the stereotypical person from Bellmore?

“Well you got a combo. I don’t fit the stereotype for Long Island at all. They, you know: you wear your $120 jeans, your real prepped out clothes. You go to bars every weekend and start going to parties when you’re like 15, 16. Oh, and they got to go to the gym all the time: they work out 24-7, which I obviously don’t give a shit about and don’t do.”

So, that doesn’t really fit your image?

“I mean, when I came to Wash U I had that whole thug concept. Where I wore, well I still wear crazy ass shit, but I wore big thick chains and stuff. You know, I like to say I was an above average fan of the hip-hop culture. Or as other people would say, “black,” not realizing that I was short, white and Jewish.”

Do you consider yourself more from Bellmore or Long Island or is all the pride for New York?

“I don’t have Long Island pride. I mean I used to, I used to come around and scream ‘I’m from Strong Island.’ According to people, the way I act screams Long Island. But I’m proud of the fact that I’m from New York. A lot of people say I have as much pride in New York as those crazy Texans have for Texas.”

Students serving students

Monday, September 27th, 2004 | Justin Choi
Margaret Bauer

Everybody eats. But many students do not prepare their own meals: that’s what Bon App‚tit is for – that’s what our $3000-$4650 meal plans are for. Some students, however, have found that they can take part in both sides of the counter. Bon App‚tit’s payroll includes a number of students, neigh, Wash U students.

Walking across campus, you would likely spot a flier or two offering jobs. Bon App‚tit has its own, which caught the eye of senior Rishi Rattan.

“I became interested in it because they were looking to hire some student workers,” said Rattan, “and [a flier] said flexible hours and free meals.”

“I went into the Bon App‚tit office at Wohl and filled out an application,” he continued, “I was hired through the normal job application process. This wasn’t work study or anything.”

And so Rattan found himself on the other side of the counter for a change. He’s been working for Bon App‚tit for two years now. Happily.

In his own words: “I like it. It’s a lot of fun. It’s one of the best jobs: it’s on campus so it’s easy to get to; the pay is decent; and you get free food.”

Sophomore Sam Duby, another student who works for Bon App‚tit, agrees.

“I think it’s actually relaxing,” said Sam, “it’s something that allows you to interact with people and see people when they’re having a good time. It’s actually a lot of fun to interact with my coworkers. They’re quite a different group of people than the students.”

Both of these students work at Ursa’s, a relatively popular venue for hungry students. Some might think the pressure of handling long lines of students would be stressful, but Rattan views it a little differently.

“At Ursa’s, because it’s a high traffic area, I see a lot of people or I can meet a lot of people,” he explains, “The workers are really cool and it’s a social environment. The manager at Ursa’s, Richard Poe, is very fun to work with.”

Although work can be fun, Duby found that it can be equally draining. He has developed a new respect for Bon App‚tit employees.

“Working there gives you a lot of respect for what they do,” said Duby. “I think a lot of people expect [their food] to be perfect every time – but what they fail to realize that those people are standing there for eight hours and are doing it all day. More often than not, the individuals who make a mistake don’t do it intentionally. One thing that surprised me was that even some of the students who knew I was a student were very impatient and didn’t want to sit there and wait the extra 10 seconds [when I was being trained].”

Student satisfaction ranks high on Bon App‚tit’s list of priorities. Rattan has noticed that employees’ moods are greatly impacted by the managerial styles of their supervisors, and that student impressions of eateries are impacted by employees’ moods. Bon App‚tit apparently noticed this as well.

“Bon App‚tit does a really good job with hiring good supervisors who are on the line, [who work on shift] and that creates a great environment for workers and students. Richard, Connie and Kim are definitely examples of that,” Rattan continued, “[Connie and Kim] made [The Village] a great environment because they were relaxed and weren’t very authoritarian. So the people under them were also happier and the students got a much more fun environment.”

While working for Bon App‚tit is a good job in and of itself, there are a few additional perks. Workers receive $6 of credit to be used towards a meal for each 8-hour shift. The company also has a program where it pays up to $50 towards the purchase of sneakers. Bon App‚tit recommends a line of Sketchers with soles that are made of tire rubber, which better grips the slippery ground near smoothie machines and soda dispensers.

The best perk by far, however, is that of flexibility. Duby explains that “the company does a very good job with accommodating students. […] I’ve had no problem telling them I need to leave work to study for an exam or participate in classes. They’re all really understanding that the students who work there all come to Washington University as students and that that’s [a student’s] first priority.”

Juxtaposed: Sizing Up Greek Life

Monday, September 27th, 2004 | Seth Dubner and Matt Reed

Monica O’Malley:

Sorority girls, fraternity boys. Chances are you will see a lot of them in the days to come. With the annual Greek Week celebrations upon us, members of both groups seem to pour out of every Wash U nook and cranny. But don’t hate us because we’re beautiful. Yes, I said “we.” I am an upstanding member of one of Wash U’s national sororities. And even though I was completely joking with the whole “beautiful” line, it would be nice to not be looked down upon for being Greek.

Proud to be a member of Alpha Phi sorority, I’ve had to deal with the stigma of being “a sorority girl” for the past two or so years. Ask any member of the Greek community and they’ll tell you the same thing.

At times it really is a stigma, no matter the chapter or the house. If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard “You’re in a sorority?!” by some flabbergasted peer, I could take my sisters and me on a crazy “Girls Gone Wild” trip to South Beach, Fla. Since I’m in a sorority, naturally that’s what I’d do with all that extra money.

Or not. I know it’s hard to look past the drunken debauchery and the scandalous stories, but the thing is, nobody ever wants to hear the good things the Greek community does. This very paper didn’t even run an article about a recent week of philanthropy that raised about $5000 for heart disease research.

Granted, parties may make for better gossip, but ask the girls who help hearing impaired children every weekend or the guys who throw Swing parties at the local senior citizens’ home whether or not what they do means something to them. Chances are they’ve helped many more than those people who sit around complaining about the Greek system.

Though the Greek community may be a predominantly social one, socializing doesn’t define Greek life. Bonds that are forged through sleeping in the wilderness, sponsoring charity concerts and yes, partying with new people, happen every day in sororities and fraternities, but the same things happen on freshman floors and campus clubs. However, other organizations just don’t have to carry the burden of Greek letters.

But we do, and we’re more than happy to do so. The good that comes of being Greek might be too hard for some to imagine, but 30 percent of Wash U’s population found it. Together we revel in the good times, endure the bad and come out better and stronger people either way.

So this week, when you pass by people wearing those “scarlet” letters, don’t judge them. Don’t hate them. Just talk to them; ask them about their experiences. You might just meet someone as cool as you.

Joshua Trein:

Greek Week has begun, and again the school and the student body will allow the fraternities to pretend like they stand for something positive. To prove that point, think of the Sigma Chi video, ostensibly “leaked” last year.

Overall, the video had little to no effect on how Greek culture was perceived by students. Not only was the behavior it depicted expected, but many were heard to remark that it was reasonably tame. After hearing about incidents concerning drugs and small firearms, as with Sammy, what’s an ice bucket?

I simply cannot give my blessing to a collective that sexually demeans both its own members and every single woman ever born. If you live in a dormitory, look for posted notices of frat parties for some examples. Thinly-veiled references to the use of women as sexual tools abound.

When I see a Greek organization campaign for a cause, I get a sinking feeling that positive methods are being abused in an effort to atone for some gross misdeed. On the general list of ‘why I joined my frat,’ noble services like washing cars for cancer research are sure not to crack the top ten. Having a place to meet liquored-up women is probably a bit more apt.

I sternly refuse to call the vast majority of individuals in fraternities bad men and must admit that whatever I think of their organizations general worthiness, our school would be the worse without the time and effort they put into improving their surroundings. Unfortunately, this is a case where the few bad apples do indeed spoil the entire bunch: no one remembers the checks sent to charities, but far too many have a story about the frats that would make you cringe.

However, I simply find no reason to endorse the misogynistic, beer-soaked culture that the row creates, nor (albeit to a far lesser extent and for other reasons) the emotional fluff passed off as “sisterhood” by the sororities. But at least the girls don’t take nearly as much pride in dehumanizing themselves and degrading the opposite sex. They receive my blessing, not that they care, simply by being more benign.

Gentlemen: if you want to do something to feel cooler, I suggest you start a band. At least then, if you begin to abuse drugs, alcohol and women, no one will ever have grounds to think you set out intending to do otherwise.

Stepping Out: Nik’s Wine and Hookah Bar

Monday, September 27th, 2004 | Seth Dubner and Matt Reed
Raelyn Newton

Titillation Score: No Titillation Whatsoever

Nik’s Wine and Hookah Bar?

Let us tell you a little about our Wednesday evening.

We preface the story by saying our previous Nik’s experiences had been nothing but enjoyable. Chill bar scene, delicious hookah flavors, friendly wait staff and an extremely extensive drink menu to choose from. Why was this night different from all other nights? Allow us to explain.

We walked in at approximately 6:30 p.m. to the sound of Creed on the radio. Our first order of business was requesting a hookah and a bottle of wine. We were particularly jubilant since we were accompanied this evening by our dear old friend, ‘Doctor’ Hookah Sheehan, who had studied Hose and Base Tectonics for four long years at the prestigious International University of Hookah in Cairo, one of their branch campuses.

A lovely waitress who we will from now on refer to as ‘the Hookah Nazi’ loomed towards our table bearing the three-hosed hookah which we had so kindly requested not a half an hour before it arrived.

Our lungs were palpitating with anticipation as the hookah was placed on the table, which was set for four people and actually only large enough for two. The Hookah Nazi proceeded with her lecture to the honorable Dr. Sheehan.

This seemed odd at first, since sucking from a hose is not exactly Hose and Base Tectonics and since Dr. Sheehan all but wrote the manual on American hookah etiquette, which also happened to be the topic of his doctoral thesis. Things only went downhill from there as the hookah did not function properly and we waited another 20 minutes before the Hookah Nazi came back to fix it.

Meanwhile, our bottle of wine arrived with the soft sounds of The Venga Boys playing in the background and we hastily ordered an appetizer since we hadn’t spoken to our waitress since the hookah and wine were originally requested. We decided to go with the crab dip with warm pita bread – sounded very enticing at the time.

Twenty minutes later, Nik’s kitchen threw us a curveball in the form of a baseball-sized lump of cream cheese with very little trace of crab. The pita was pretty tasty when it hit our lips even though the dip was schwag.

At about this time, at least 25 wine glasses were dropped by the wait staff and shattered all over the floor. Matt politely asked about any specials or recommendations as our waitress promptly responded by telling us that she did not have enough time and turned to wait on another table. We quickly leafed through the confusing menu ‘booklet’ so we’d be ready to order when she eventually came back. The wine truly accentuated the ass crab dip.

We finally ordered our food and it showed up about an hour and a half after we got there. Two of our salads came with the meals, the third showed up 10 minutes later. The kitchen decided to make a blockbuster trade: angel hair for penne and a 2nd round draft pick. This was bad news since Matt is deathly allergic to penne pasta. The pasta dishes were absolutely drowned in sauce. If the pasta doesn’t suit your fancy, you can order the $10 BLT.

After the meal, we decided to order a round of drinks to see if Nik’s could redeem itself. We ordered two Mai Thai’s and Dr. Sheehan ordered a fruity drink that was supposed to come with an umbrella. Not only did Dr. Hookah receive no umbrella, but the Mai Thai’s tasted terrible.

At this point, two more wine glasses were dropped at our feet which drowned out the thumping sound of vintage Blink 182. We searched the room for a bit of ambience to cheer us up.

Fortunately, Nik’s is also somewhat of an art gallery. Photos and paintings by local artists are both displayed and sold at the bar. The only real titillation at Nik’s Wine and Hookah Bar was that 90% of the artwork displayed photos of naked boobies.

We finally left at around 9 p.m. Nik’s Wine and Hookah Bar was anti-titillating. If you decide to go to Nik’s, don’t go for the food, go for the bar scene later in the evening.

Nik’s Wine Bar and Hookah Lounge (314-454-0403) is located at 307 Belt Ave. off of Pershing.

Campus Spotlight: Beta Four Square

Monday, September 27th, 2004 | Kristin McGrath
Raelyn Newton

Ah, the playground. Tag instead of term papers. Monkey bars instead of midterms. And, of course, if you were King of the Court in 4 square you were on top of the world. The sounds of 200 college students reverting back to childhood could be heard as far away as the underpass yesterday, when Beta Theta Pi took over the tennis courts with its second annual charity 4 Square tournament.

“It’s just a great day, because a lot of people come out here, and they’re having a blast, cheering and yelling. And it’s competitive,” said Tomer Cohen, member of Beta and the event’s organizer. “It’s a kid’s game and it’s just fun to play.”

The real “King of the court” of this event is St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, who will be receiving the proceeds. Christina Forcelledo, event marketing representative at St. Judes, was in the stands, and her description of her organization was the ultimate pep-talk.

“No family ever receives a bill for treatment at St. Jude’s,” said Forcelledo. “Their transportation, housing, food, treatment, everything is taken care of. It’s awesome to see college students so passionate about helping St. Jude’s. To be involved in philanthropy at this age is really exciting.”

As the sun approached high noon, the athletes were poised and ready.

“We’re in it to win it, that’s our motto,” said Philip Crouse of Team Lock and Chain, better known on the 4 Square scene as Team Crusher. “It makes me a little nervous to see all these kids out here, but we’ve got athletic focus. We’ve been training for a couple weeks now.”

But things have changed since Crouse’s days on the playground.

“In the past, I used such tricks as the cherry bomb, black magic, shoe-shine and those aren’t allowed here, so it’s a definitely a different playing field,” said Crouse.

Representing Ruby-Umrath residential college was Aaron Apple, whose team had prepared for the event with 2 hours of practice. The fact that he hadn’t played for years didn’t worry Apple.

“I feel my game has only improved,” Apple said. “It’s like a fine wine. It only gets better as the years go on.”

Members of the Greek community arrived in droves to show their support for the event.

“I think it’s important to show we’re much more about helping others than about having parties all the time,” said Sarah Bickel of Pi Phi sorority. “Things like this create a lot of sisterhood. We’re bonding, as well as helping out the community.”

Cassie Jones of Chi Omega found herself unexpectedly acting as her team’s cheerleader.

“Actually, I was originally supposed to be on this team, but then they decided that I would be better holding signs,” said Jones “That’s bogus! The decision was made for other reasons, not my athletic ability. But I came out to support my girls. It’s what we’re all about.”

After an 11-year hiatus, Erika Enstrom of Delta Gamma returned to the game yesterday.

“I think we have the spirit to just go in there, have fun with it, and not worry about winning,” said Enstrom. “So I think that could give us an edge on everyone.”

Yet, while fun, four square can be as brutal as the playground bully.

“The most challenging thing about four square is reliving the memories, reliving my childhood,” said Jonathan Lisenby, representing the SU Senate on the court. “I get these flashbacks while I’m playing, and I can’t get them out of my mind. I’m reliving the cherry bombs and getting picked on and having my lunch money taken. That’s the hardest part about four square.”

When recess was over, Team Lock and Chain emerged victorious in the male / co-ed category, while Kappa Kappa Gamma took the title in the women’s division.

For Liza Wadlington of Kappa Kappa Gamma, playing four square was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

“It’s a beautiful day,” Wadlington said. “And it’s a good way to get some sun and play for the kids at the same time.”