Student Life Archives

Tuesday, Nov. 29

1:07 p.m. LARCENY-THEFT – LAB SCIENCES BUILDING – Unknown persons removed three Shure wireless microphones and an AMX audio-visual control unit from the lecture hall at 300 Lab Sciences. Occured between Nov. 28 at 1 p.m. and 10 a.m. on Nov. 29. Loss approximately $4,800.00. Disposition: Under investigation.

4:36 p.m. ACCIDENTAL INJURY – SMALL GROUP – Employee reported a chair broke that he sat in, causing him to fall. No injury reported. Disposition: Cleared.

Wednesday, Nov. 30

10:56 a.m. LARCENY-THEFT – WOHL CENTER – Housekeeping manager reported a theft of money from an employee’s purse. $70 was taken from the victim’s purse inside a locked black metal cabinet. No sign of forced entry. Theft occurred between 8:15 and 9:45 a.m. Disposition: Pending.

11:05 a.m. LARCENY-THEFT – ELIOT HALL – Unknown person(s) took a Sony data projector from the ceiling of the classroom at 213 Eliot hall. Item valued at $5,000; time of occurence between Nov. 23 and Nov. 29. Disposition: Under investigation.

1:10 p.m. SPILL – MCDONNELL HALL – A very small chemical spill occurred in Mc Donnell Hall. Hazmat team was notified and procedures for clean-up were followed. Disposition: Cleared.

4:14 p.m. LARCENY-THEFT – EADS HALL – Four wireless microphones were stolen from Louderman and Rebstock between Nov. 28 and Nov. 30. Disposition: Under investigation.

Thursday, Dec. 1

11:01 p.m. MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT – PARKING LOT #10 – Victim reported that he parked his secured vehicle on the north side of Lot No. 10 at 7:50 p.m. and found it missing at 11:30 p.m. A search of the area was conducted without locating the vehicle. Disposition: Pending.
Friday, Dec. 2

7:39 a.m. PROPERTY DAMAGE – SMALL GROUP #3 – Unknown parties attempted to gain entry to the Bon App‚tit store area by pulling the security fence loose from the floor lock receptacle. Disposition: Under investigation.

2:14 p.m. ACCIDENT AUTO – MILLBROOK GARAGE – Two-car accident. One driver backing from a parking space struck another passing vehicle. No injuries, drivers exchanged information. Disposition: Cleared.

11:57 p.m. ALARM – KAPPA SIGMA – False fire alarm sounded during a social gathering. House president contacted. Disposition: Referred to JA.

Saturday, Dec. 3

1:23 p.m. ARTICLE – WOHL CENTER – A student reports that she lost her cell phone when she dropped same into the toilet and flushed. Efforts to retrieve the item by facilities were unsuccessful. Disposition: Cleared.

1:33 p.m. LARCENY-THEFT – SIGMA ALPHA MU – Victim reported the theft of her mobile phone and wallet containing various forms of ID from her coat pocket. Disposition: Pending.

Sunday, Dec. 4

1:16 a.m. ADMINISTRATIVE – UNDESIGNATED AREA OFF CAMPUS – Roommate problems. Referred to housing. Disposition: Cleared.

Monday, Dec. 5

9:13 a.m. PARKING VIOLATION – PARKING LOT #31 – Transportation discovered a silver BMW displaying a lost/stolen parking permit. Vehicle was towed to Hartman’s towing. Disposition: Cleared.

5:43 p.m. LARCENY-THEFT – DAUTEN DORM – Cell phone stolen while at a party. Disposition: Pending.

A controversial $2.7 billion Senate plan aiming to make financial aid more affordable passed last month, lowering origination and processing fees for student loans. The plan also funnels $1.7 billion to Gulf coast schools affected by this fall’s hurricanes. The plan is part of a much larger bill trying to cut the national deficit, which currently stands at $1.6 trillion.

The plan’s opponents argue that if lenders have to pay more to the government under this plan, they will charge higher interest rates to students, which could offset the reduced fees. Some fear that students may even be worse off.

“It could hurt students, but it would be indirectly,” said Bill Witbrodt, director of Student Financial Services at Washington University. “It impacts students everywhere of every type.”

Origination fees are those paid upfront to a lender to establish a loan, and the bill lowers them from three to two percent. The University, though, pays no origination fees because of its banking relationships. But Witbrodt still doesn’t approve of the plan.

“I’m against any legislation that diminishes the possibility of providing excess to kids,” he said. “The focus should be on helping students get to college and succeed in college.”

Witbrodt cites other concerns raised by the new legislation.

“Reauthorization has been going on for years,” he said. “It should have happened two years ago but didn’t because of things like the war and the deficit. Also, during no reauthorization before has Congress been charged with cuts for these programs.”

Other aspects of the overall bill include ceasing the funding of Perkins loans, which affects most University students on financial aid, and increasing the ceiling of interest rates on PLUS loans.

Witbrodt is not the only one against these changes. “There’s a lot of lobbying against the bill from student organizations and parent organizations,” said Witbrodt.

The bill also cuts part of Medicare and Medicaid, and proposes to open a new part of Alaska to oil drilling. The White House opposes these cuts and may even veto the bill because of them. Most Democrats and some Republicans are against it as well, so necessary changes will be made before it is voted on again.

If the bill passes through the House of Representatives as well, it will cut an estimated $39 billion, or two percent, off the federal deficit over five years.

Dan Daranciang

Apple’s iPod mp3 players have already attracted millions of users for their ease of use and ability to make music accessible anywhere. Now, iPods are venturing into the classroom. At universities nationwide, students and the professors are choosing to use the iPod, the latest portable digital music player, as part of their teaching. This interest follows the “podcasting” trend, in which digital audio recordings are broadcast over the Internet, allowing students to download them at the click of a button. Apple Computer, Inc., the creator of iPod, has raved about its product’s ability to make learning accessible and convenient for students.

University professors can easily upload versions of their recorded lectures online. They can create files using familiar software programs such as Quicktime Pro 7. Then, the files are ready to be published online for “podcast,” a word conglomerated from the words “broadcast” and “iPod.” On the company’s site, Apple calls podcasting a means to free “learning from constraints of the physical classroom.”

At Washington University, students can access the video version of some science courses online. But currently, the University offers no means for students to use iPods to download their lectures online.

According to Matt Arthur, director of Residential Technology Services, it is technologically feasible to post lectures online at the University and review them via iPod. Jan Weller, assistant vice chancellor of network library technology, said, however, that it would be up to each professor to decide whether or not to incorporate iPods into his or her classroom. Currently, the University does not officially endorse the use of the iPod in the classroom.

John Bleeke, associate professor of chemistry, said that since video online lectures provide both the visual and audio content of original lectures, the iPod, which mainly stores audio formats, may not be as useful for the students.

“I don’t think the audio version would be very helpful to the students,” said Bleeke. “We mostly use the blackboard during the lecture, so if you don’t have the visual, I don’t think you can get much out of it.”

Bleeke also said that allowing students to view lectures online has not decreased student attendance in the classroom.

Yet other prestigious universities such as Stanford and Duke are already using the podcasting technology to broadcast large classroom lectures to students.

At Stanford University, students can only access the recordings of the lectures after one month of the actual lecture. Stanford set the limit as a means to prevent the students from using the device as a replacement for attending actual lectures in the classroom.

Duke University has hosted various events, including podcasting symposiums, to discuss various ethical and technological issues surrounding the practice. As a part of the Duke Digital Initiative, Duke university distributed over 1,600 20 GB iPod devices, equipped with Belkin Voice recorders, to entering first-year students in August of last year.

The fall 2005 course listings at Duke indicate that a broad range of professors are using the device. At the end-of-the-year evaluations, it was suggested that over 48 courses include iPod as part of their course curriculum. The evaluation suggested that the engineering students found benefits in iPod’s ability to playback the previous lectures. Nevertheless, they found that sometimes, recordings were not of sufficient quality to replace the live lecture.

Senior Hilary Blaker transferred to Washington University two years ago, unhappy with the educational environment at Columbia University in New York City.

“I didn’t find it academically adequate,” said Blaker. “The city is too busy and too expensive for a college student.”

Sophomore Emily Niespodziewanski, a transfer student from the College of William and Mary, gave a simple reason for switching schools.

“Everything here is better,” she said.

Blaker and Niespodziewanski are among an increasing number of students transferring to schools different from their original choice, according to a recent New York Times article. While students come seeking new academic opportunities, some find a new university a difficult place to take on in-depth research and the academic opportunities available to four-year students. An annual report by the National Survey of Student Engagement found that transfer students typically become less engaged in research projects with their professors.

Warming up to Washington University

The 100-150 transfer students arriving at the University each year receive services to acclimate them to the University. Nanette Tarbouni, director of undergraduate admissions, said in an e-mail that the orientation office runs an orientation program for transfer students in both spring and fall semesters.

“It is always our goal to make every new student to Washington University feel welcome,” said Tarbouni.

Niespodziewanski attended one of those orientations last year.
“They did a lot of get-to-know-each-other programs. It was nice to be part of a group – it was better than being thrown into a matrix of people who already knew each other,” said Niespodziewanski.

According to Niespodziewanski, one of the University’s nice touches in orienting transfers was the presence of transfer students as advisors. “Our peer advisors can share their positive experiences, which helps a lot,” she said.

Niespodziewanski did find some things difficult about being a first-year sophomore. “Orientation was better here [than at William and Mary], but I didn’t get a library tour – I’m working on getting that,” she noted.

Students also make academic adjustments when arriving on campus.

“Most transfer students have similar problems as freshmen, different workloads, and adjusting to a new culture,” said Dean Molly McBurney, who coordinates peer advising and other orientation programs. “A lot of them worry about [studying abroad], but it’s definitely possible, just have to plan ahead. Summer study-abroad [programs] are a great option.”

According to McBurney, the most common things that transfer students worry about are clusters. She said, “It’s more of a concern rather than actually [a problem]. [Transfer students are] generally right on track.”

The ability to study abroad also presents a challenge for students attempting to fulfill their new university’s requirements.

“It’s easier if [transfer students] come in as sophomores; juniors are trickier. However it depends on a lot of factors:major, coursework, pre-reqs,” said Warren Davis, an assistant dean and Academic coordinator, regarding study abroad.

Another concern is transferring credits. According to McBurney, each department has its own requirements, and it’s up to the department when it comes to credits and prerequisites.

Overall, Niespodziewanski is satisfied with her experience in transferring to the University. “Everything here is the same [or] better. All my credits transferred, and I have no setbacks. I have no problems with graduation requirements,” she said.

From the first day on campus to final projects

While the University’s admissions office takes measures to welcome and integrate students, the 2005 National Survey of Student Engagement found that in general, “transfer students participated in fewer educationally enriching activities.”

Blaker found her transfer status presented hurdles when she began pursuing a thesis project.

“I was desperately searching for someone who would manage my thesis project,” said Blaker, who is currently writing her thesis in the environmental studies department. “I only knew two professors, who either said they were too busy or their research didn’t relate enough to my research. I’ve been relatively behind.”

When two professors told Blaker they could not advise her because they did not know enough about her subject matter, she ended up working with an advisor spending the semester in Canada. She has only been able to meet with him twice this semester.

Assistant Biology Professor Doug Chalker oversees student researchers in his lab. He said that student initiative, rather than time on campus, determines their ability to become involved in research projects.

In fact, Chalker’s first student researcher was a transfer. According to Chalker, the student sought out the opportunity for himself by contacting several professors, which he suggests is how any student should go about finding a research position.

“Summer is a good time [for people] who need to do research,” said Chalker. He also noted that many students arrive at the University with a background in research from high school, “but we are willing to train.”

According to Chalker, there is also no limitation on research based on level in school, “but at least by the end of junior year” students should be able to take part in research. Chalker supervises students at all class levels. He said that what matters most in selecting student researchers is not their time at the University but “mostly commitment to showing up and being trainable.”

The English department is currently taking steps to revise its program to make it more academically engaging for transfer students.

“We are also developing a Writing 2 course for people who internally want to go on from Writing 1,” said Lawton. “It is a good option for some transfer students, and opportunity to build on what they have already done on a more advanced level.”

“We’ve work very hard to improve Writing 1, but there is always room for improvement” said David Lawton, chair of the English department. “[There have been] huge strides in the last few years.”

While according to Lawton, transfer students submit a portfolio, some are still required to take the Writing 1 course.

“It’s done on a case-by-case basis,” said Lawton. “[We look at] what they have done, and try to be flexible and see if it’s equivalent to [required] courses.”

As the English department attempts to alleviate difficulties for transfer students, Blaker overcomes the obstacles she faced with her thesis.

Blaker has spent the semester researching environmental degredation and the human health hazards that result from both the production and consumption of factory-farmed animals.

“My twist on it is now industrial farming of animals has managed to evade direct legislation,” said Blaker.

“I think honestly the idea of a senior thesis, exploring a subject matter that’s interesting to you, that you want to derive conclusions from, and that you’re extremely inquisitive about is so extremely valuable,” she said.

Dan Daranciang

As the semester winds down and workloads pile up, Tulane students who have spent the past semester at Washington University are eager to head back to New Orleans and to engage in the city’s rebuilding efforts. Although many of these students have enjoyed their time spent at the University, they seem to have no reservations about returning to Tulane, excited by the rebuilding experiences to come.

Looking back on the past few months, freshman Stephen Frapart said, “I met a whole bunch of nice kids, took a bunch of great classes.this semester was everything that I could have asked for.”

Nonetheless, his initial considerations of remaining on this campus were permanently abandoned after he realized that “those experiences that I’ll be a part of at Tulane with the rebuilding efforts.will help me learn so much that I wouldn’t necessarily be able to learn here.”

Jackie Singer, also a freshman, admitted that “I am going to be sad to leave Wash. U., there’s no question,” yet she’s excited finally to begin studying at the institution that she’s always wanted to attend. One especially positive aspect of her past semester in St. Louis is that she was able to forge friendships with several other visiting students from Tulane that she will be able to carry with her back to New Orleans.

Other Tulane transfers report an unsatisfactory semester spent at Washington University. Senior Andrea Dube also finds herself awaiting her return to Tulane after being relatively unimpressed with the University’s assistance during the transition period and the school’s more subdued social life.

“As a Tulane student, and a senior, it’s been quite isolating here, and it seems as though all Tulane students have really stuck together,” she said.

Although Dube notes that the University and Tulane are quite similar in terms of student body makeup and the academic scene, she’s noticed a marked difference in study habits. “While we are used to students in New Orleans rolling into an 8 a.m. class directly from the bar, all the students here have actually done all of the reading.and all of next week’s.”

Differences such as these aside, issues surrounding tuition payments stand out as the most negative experience for all visiting students. While most of the schools around the country either allowed Tulane students to attend at no cost or admitted them on the condition that Tulane could keep the tuition money, Washington University required payment.

Although visiting students at the University will not end up paying more than they would have at Tulane, due to Tulane’s promise that all payments from this semester will be credited towards their future semesters at Tulane, many students are still extremely angered by the University’s actions.

As Frapart put it, “I understand that Wash. U. is a business and trying to make money, but in these circumstances you could be understanding and forgiving.” Singer agreed that this move “made me really mad, especially because Tulane really needs the money right now.”

Dube pointed out that Tulane students will also face tuition hurdles when Tulane provides an extra semester in May and June, known as a “Lagniappe” semester.

According to Dube, the visiting students at Washington University will not be qualified for Tulane’s offers regarding this semester, which will allow those who paid Tulane in the fall to attend this semester for free, and will grant $5,000 credit to Tulane graduate school for all seniors who paid in the fall.

Many Tulane students are looking forward to joining the rebuilding efforts that they have heard about over the past few months. Administrators at Tulane have been keeping in constant contact with the students, informing them on what the school is doing to get ready for its reopening and even shooting videos of the school and the city to provide proof.

According to Frapart, “they’re making every effort possible to really try to keep our class intact.it’s going to be so unique and special to be part of the Tulane class, what we’ve gone through and what we will go through.”

Singer notes that in all of the Tulane president’s e-mails and speeches, the main focus has been on how the students will play a large role in the rebuilding of the city. “I’m sure it will be everything.from fundraising to actual rebuilding.My college experience is going to be a lot different than it would have been, but I’m excited,” she said.

Dube agreed, saying that “the fact that pretty much all of the students are returning to a devastated city is so overwhelming.”

Frapart also anticipated a revival of Tulanian camaraderie, noting, “[School spirit] will be so much more intensified and everyone will be more passionate.”

This spirit is sure to persist even with the altered conditions that the circumstances pose. Dube’s apartment was completely destroyed in the flooding, so next semester she will be living on a cruise ship in the same water that consumed her home. Nonetheless, she sums up the Tulane student body’s sentiments as she states, “New Orleans is an extraordinary place, and while right now it is made up of rows of rotten refrigerators and moldy debris, I truly can’t wait to be part of the rebuilding effort.”