Archive for April, 2006

Why we hate Barry Bonds

Friday, April 28th, 2006 | Scott Kaufman-Ross

Barry Bonds has been the face of baseball now for five years. With a record-breaking 73 home runs in 2001, a record-shattering 232 walks in 2004 and four straight MVP awards, Bonds’ resum‚ in the 21st century speaks for itself.

Bonds’ fame, however, is mostly due to the constant allegations of steroid use that are directed at him. With the recent release of “Game of Shadows,” it’s becoming more and more probable that Bonds did in fact use performance enhancing drugs. Ken Caminiti and Jose Canseco admitted to doing the same. Rafael Palmeiro and Ryan Franklin tested positive as well. Yet the controversy always comes back to Bonds. Why? Because he is quite possibly the best player to ever play the game.

Prior to 2001, Barry Bonds had never hit 50 home runs in a season. Prior to 2001 Bonds had never topped .700 in slugging percentage. Perhaps Bonds was too busy winning eight gold gloves, making seven straight all-star teams, stealing over 30 bases nine times and winning three MVPs. Bonds was a star, a first ballot hall-of-famer, and then came 2001.

In 2001 Bonds did something no one thought was possible. He had a season like no other player in the history of baseball, hitting 73 home runs with a batting average of .328 and a mind boggling slugging percentage of .863. Bonds became colossal, a man amongst boys. He had reached a level that no baseball fan thought was possible. Then we found out that he probably cheated.

As Bob Costas told my Sports, Media and Society class, when the Senate gets involved in a scandal, we hear about it for a day and move on. When the president gets involved, it’s the media event of the decade. In baseball, Bonds is Richard Nixon and steroids are Watergate. Consider Ryan Franklin and Alex Sanchez as rookie senators from obscure states. As Costas pointed out, Bonds’ place in baseball lore makes him the face of the story and thus he is the one that faces the most scrutiny.

I think, though, that there is a bigger reason for why Bonds takes so much heat: it’s because he is obviously lying. Bonds claims he ‘unknowingly used’ the ‘clear’ substance from BALCO. Founder Victor Conte claims Bonds is “full of lies.”

Every baseball fan in America with the slightest ability to put two and two together knows Bonds is lying. Mark McGwire stood up and testified in the Congressional hearings with regard to steroids and constantly repeated, “I’m not here to talk about the past.” In other words, Big Mac is guilty, he knows it, but he doesn’t want to talk about it. Most baseball fans pity McGwire, shake their heads and say “He’s such a good guy.” Bonds is a liar, he’s unlikable and perhaps worse, he just started his own reality TV show.

We hate Bonds because he’s a jerk. We hate Bonds because he claims that it is racism that causes people not to want him to break the home run record (when, the last time I checked, the record was held by a black man). And most of all, we hate Bonds because it is easy. He is the most easily hated person in professional sports. A rude, obnoxious athlete who is lying about destroying the integrity of the game is the perfect poster child for the most despised athlete in sports.

The debate will intensify in the next few weeks over whether Bonds’ record should stand or if he should be elected to the Hall of Fame. Personally, I don’t care. An asterisk does not need to be in print for fans to know his numbers are tarnished. His plaque need not be held out of Cooperstown for fans to know he doesn’t deserve to be there. Bonds will forever be labeled a liar, a cheat and a credent. It’s so easy to hate him and that’s why everyone does.

The year in sports

Friday, April 28th, 2006 | Karl Improv and Rachel Tepper
Jason Hubert

The 2005-2006 school year was one of great excitement for Washington University athletics. Not a single varsity team completed its season with a losing record. Junior Beth Herndon led the Bears to a third place finish at the cross country national NCAA Championship. Seniors Mike Slavic and Eric Triebe brought home the swim team’s first and second individual national championships. Senior Brad Duesing broke every major University receiving record on the gridiron while senior Kelly Manning’s brilliance on the basketball court will remain etched in the collective memory of Bears fans for years to come.

Strip Club

Friday, April 28th, 2006 | Karl Improv and Rachel Tepper
Karl Improv and Rachel Tepper

Library etiquette: the dos and don’ts

Friday, April 28th, 2006 | Erin Fults

Finals are fast approaching and students are flocking to the library. It will be days before some of them see genuine sunlight. While not everyone enjoys studying there, those that do are dedicated and strict in their code of conduct. Study spots are marked and outsiders are soon detected.

“People get possessive of the library,” said seasoned library studier Whitney Lesch (who prefers the second floor, right hand, window study carrels), “and the influx of studiers around finals gets annoying.”

With the increased load of studiers in the library, and the increased workload on students, library manners can sometimes fall by the wayside. Remember the two-inch whisper the librarian made you use? There may be no librarian to enforce such rules anymore, but it is clear that an unwritten code of library etiquette exists. So before packing up the books, laptop and provisions to camp out in “the lib,” consider these tips and remember to mind your manners.

Volume: Just like in elementary school, the library is a place for indoor voices. While most people don’t talk loudly in the hallowed halls and rows of books, whispering isn’t always so quiet. The classic loud annoying whisper is a pet peeve to many, so make sure to keep your indoor whisper at a restrained decibel level.

Noises: The library is usually quiet enough to hear an orgo notecard drop, but there are an assortment of irksome noises that can pollute the silent atmosphere. Among these are loud nose blowers and the occasional snorer. Library users are also encouraged to turn off their AIM sounds and computer noises. No one wants to hear the Windows start-up noise or the Word paperclip constantly tapping on your screen.

Cell phones: The signs on the doors say it, but people still forget to turn their phone off or put it on silent. Even with it on silent, library studiers consider it an affront when people answer and talk before exiting to the stairwell. Two words: text message.

Food: Everyone needs munchies to get through the study day, but not all food is library friendly, at least to those around you. “My pet peeve is when people bring full course, loud meals,” said Lesch. It’s generally safe to stick to food offered in Whispers.

Sprawl: More obnoxious than suburban sprawl, study sprawl causes grief to the many looking for a place to sit only to see an empty chair surrounded by spread out notes and books. The library is not your room, so conserve space.

Study rooms: Quiet and set aside, study rooms are vied for frequently. It can be frustrating, then, when only one person is occupying a room. Get some friends together and share a room. But, noise levels can be an issue there too. “Study rooms aren’t soundproof,” said junior Sally Preminger, “and you can hear people talking loudly.”

Computers: When there’s a queue for the comps, be respectful and efficient. Facebook checking, sports and porn are not acceptable when others are waiting, and porn really isn’t for library time anyway.

Making out: “Just don’t make out, it’s distracting,” said senior Sarah Muszynski. Cuddling and other forms of excessive PDA are typically discouraged. “This is a work place,” said sophomore Ian Pearson. “Come to work, not to love.” Mild making out is a don’t, but it seems that many students do condone sex in the library, particularly in the stacks (see the popular Facebook group).

Whispers: For those who require a certain degree of background distraction, Whispers is the preferred study zone. Disagreements arise, however, on the respectful noise level here. “It’s called ‘Whispers,’ not yells,” said Preminger. “Just keep an inside voice.” Some disagree. “You’re allowed to be loud,” said Muszynski, “it’s a caf‚.”

Holmes Lounge: Non-library studiers may also find refuge in Holmes. Space is of the essence here and space-saving techniques are often debated. “People put their backpack at a table and then go get in line for food,” commented junior Jonathan Shelley. “Holmes is an in demand location and it’s unfair to rob a person of space. You either wait for a table or wait for food – make a choice.”

So remember to mind your library manners. The library dwellers are always watching – and listening.

WILD explodes to two-day event

Friday, April 28th, 2006 | Elizabeth Lewis

Walk in Lay Down (WILD) has almost arrived. The Saturday concert, featuring Ben Folds, Matt Nathanson and Duncan Sheik, has expanded to boast two full days of entertainment.

The event was extended to two days because Folds already had a concert scheduled in Tennessee on the final Friday of classes, the day that WILD is traditionally held.

Junior Matt Jones, co-chair of Team 31 Productions, said that over 550 people had requested Folds using an online submission form, so Saturday was chosen for WILD so that Folds could perform.

“We have 550, probably 1000 more who would love to see this guy come to campus. Do we want to have [WILD] on the last day of class or on Saturday? The decision was made to roll over to Saturday because Ben is such a great talent. [It is] kind of an honor that such a talent would want to come and play at our event.”

Questions arose, however, regarding moving WILD to a Saturday, considering its longtime position as a celebration during the last day of class.

In response to that concern, fifteen university administrators and over twenty students worked on the idea of Final Friday, a day of activities to celebrate the end of classes and the coming of WILD.

“[It was] a great opportunity for student leaders to get together and put together a really cool day of events,” said Jones.

Final Friday, a thirteen hour extravaganza of eating, entertainment and music will take place today, starting at 11:00 a.m. with Second Stage in Bowles Plaza. Student bands will take the stage at this time, and the famous mechanical bull will also be available for wild rides.

At noon, The City Drive, a professional band currently on tour with Fall Out Boy and Hoobastank, will take the stage.

Other highlights of the Final Friday daytime activities include a Ben and Jerry’s Vermonster Eating Contest in which teams of 4 compete to finish 20 scoops of ice cream, four brownies and four bananas. There will also be a McDonald’s barbeque in the swamp presented by the Junior Class Council.

“[This is] not confirmed, but Ronald McDonald might be floating around for pictures,” said Jones.

At 5:00 p.m., Dance Marathon will present “Best in Show,” featuring acts like Garba, the Aristocats a capella, Irish Dancing and the Mosaic Whispers at the Athletic Complex. There will also be a screening of “Wedding Crashers” in Graham Chapel, complete with a wedding reception to follow. Jones added that the reception will include wedding cake, champagne and cider.

From 10:00 p.m. to midnight at the Athletic Complex, Campus Programming Council will present VH1 TV personality Michael Ian Black, who starred in “Wet Hot American Summer.” Following the event, Filmboard will screen “Dark Side of the Rainbow” on the Swamp, with a countdown until WILD beginning around 11:55 p.m.

Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m., the “doors” will open in Brooking Quadrangle and there will be two hours of free barbeque plus music by a local band, The Feed, at 3:45 p.m. at Second Stage in Bowles Plaza. At 4:45 p.m., Duncan Sheik will take the stage, followed by Matt Nathanson at 6:15 p.m., and finally Ben Folds at 7:30 p.m.

Jones thinks that the event will provide a great way to celebrate the end of classes.

“The purpose of WILD is a fun way to celebrate the end of the year with your friends. The University community, the students and your friends can enjoy that and have fun,” he said.

Several students are also looking forward to the concert.

“I don’t know a lot about the people who are coming, but [WILD] is just fun in general,” said sophomore Eric Schmidt.

Aiden Yandell, a senior, echoes these thoughts.

“I have a friend coming in from out of town who is going with me, so I’m really excited about that. It will be a good weekend, and it is a good way to relax before exams.”

More information can be found at ff.wustl.edu or team31.wustl.edu.

120 students still without housing

Friday, April 28th, 2006 | Josh Hantz

About 120 Washington University students are still without housing assignments as of yesterday, down from more than 200 after the end of the second round lottery.

So far, all groups have been able to stay together, but that may change during the upcoming week.

“There has always been a pool of unassigned people,” said Rob Wild, associate director of Residential Life. “We make as many people happy as we can.”

Wild attributes the unusually high number of unassigned students to the popularity of four-person suites this year.

For the last two years, six-person suites have been the most popular. He says it’s too hard to predict which size students will go for.

“I’d love to hit the number exactly but that’s impossible,” he said. “It varies from year to year.”

To help ease the problem, ResLife is moving some groups already assigned to dorms on the South 40 to off-campus apartments, the students’ original first choice. This has been especially common in Gregg Hall according to Wild. ResLife’s initial goal was to have everyone assigned to housing by today, but the deadline has been extended one week in hopes of keeping more groups together. There are enough spaces to accommodate all students who want to live on the 40, but not necessarily in their desired groups.

Wild sympathizes with these students, but admits the system isn’t perfect.

“It’s a tough time of the year not to know about housing,” he said. “Unfortunately it doesn’t always work out. Hopefully we’ll do a better job next year.”

Wild’s comment expressed his hope that the problems in this year’s selection process will be smoothed out the next time around.

“Every year in the fall, we review the spring room assignments process with a group called the Room Selection Task Force,” said Wild. “That group will meet again this fall to review the process. It certainly is not our preference to have students unassigned at the end of the process, so we will look at how to decrease this number for next year.”

Wild did note that it would be possible for students who are still without housing to obtain a refund of their advanced payments.

“We take appeals for the $450 advance payment refund on a case by case basis, so a student should come into our office and speak to someone if they feel they have a valid reason to have that payment refunded,” said Wild.

Freshman Alex Broad applied for a four-person suite with three of his floormates but was denied housing both in round one and two. He feels cheated, but still wants to maintain his group.

“We’d rather live together off campus than apart on campus,” he said.

He added that the University should build bigger dorms to accommodate students who are in similar situations.

Currently, most dorms still have empty rooms. Millbrook apartments and the Village offer other opportunities for those who don’t wish to live on the South 40.

SU takes money out of current budget for University Center

Friday, April 28th, 2006 | Ben Sales

In preparation for the new University Center’s opening in 2009, Student Union has set aside $30,000 in funds from next year’s Student Activities Fee.

The money, which will fund new facilities and equipment for the building’s Student Union (SU) office, is one of many installments of funding that will come from the Student Activities Fee over the coming years. Although the funding will not directly benefit the students from whom it is coming, SU President Paul Moinester says this is the only fair solution.

“There is no other way to get that money,” said Moinester, who presided over the SU budget allocations this past week. “It is distributing the cost over the longest period of time.”

Moinester said that otherwise, a withdrawal of over $100,000 would need to be taken from the budget in 2009, leaving almost no money for that year’s programming.

“It is unfortunate that we have to do it but it has to be done,” he said. “It is the fairest way to do it.”

SU Treasurer Jason Lewis compared the move to college tuition management, saying that current students have a responsibility towards future students’ enjoyment of campus facilities.

“How do you feel about parents saving for their children’s education?” he said. “This is the same way. We think that it is completely unfair of us to push the University Center cost to people four years down the road.”

In addition, both Moinester and Lewis said that the funds will go only to facilities for SU, meaning that though the funds from the fee will not benefit current students, they will be sure to go to the needs of future SU officers and participants.

“We have a general interest, unless people want to move into an office with no furniture,” said Moinester. “In the long run it is going to be much better off.”

Lewis added that the decision also reflects a responsibility towards Washington University as a whole.

“We do not want to move into a blank space,” he said. We want to maximize the stuff that the university is giving us. This money will not be touched at all until the University Center is built.”

The principal concern arising out of SU’s action is that this allocation takes away from current student groups that could otherwise use the funds. Moinester says this year’s budget process was more equitable towards groups than last year’s, and that no harm was done as a result of the University Center planning.

“It is not getting taken specifically out the student group fee,” said Moinester. “Student groups got more money this year than they got last year. Student groups are not going to spend everything they are allocated.”

Lewis seconded Moinester’s words and added that the money is being taken out of increased revenue that SU accumulated over last year.

“This does not hurt student groups at all,” said Lewis. “It benefits them. Our revenues increased $115,000 this year. We took 28 percent out of the increase alone.”

Because of this revenue, Moinester said, SU had no choice but to use the Student Activities Fee for the deposit.

“Every year we get more money,” he said. “Because we have so much money, we are not going to have the opportunity to go to anyone else.”

Moinester added that if students want to give input on the budget allocations, they are welcome to attend meetings and speak to their representatives.

“Those meetings are open to the public and not one student showed up,” he said. “Not one representative spoke out against it. It was the only real option.”

Alpha Phi and Sig Ep raise $24,000 for charity

Friday, April 28th, 2006 | Troy Rumans
Courtesy of Satyan Khanna

While many fraternities and sororities vied for the coveted Burmeister Cup, members of Sigma Phi Epsilon and Alpha Phi achieved a different goal: charity.

The pair ultimately raised $38,000 for the Thurtene carnival, $24,000 of which went directly to St. Louis SCORES, a charity that brings soccer, poetry and community to urban youth in the St. Louis area, according to senior Satyam Khanna, who was in charge of fundraising for Sig Ep.

“Alpha Phi and Sig Ep have won the chancellor’s cup for the last seven or eight years,” said Khanna. “Our overall goal was just to donate to charity, and donate a lot to charity. We also wanted to beat our own goal.we ended up shattering it by $10,000.”

The duo employed a wide variety of methods in order to accrue such a large amount of funds. Members sent letters out to other members and to their parents, as well as to alumni, asking for donations. Members also sold magazines to friends and family and stood outside Schnucks in order to raise funds. Community businesses purchased advertisement space on the program for their performance and donated gift certificates.

And, most importantly, they pinched pennies.

“”We were really tight on spending as well, which is something new for us. Our treasurer, Craig [Wilen], was able to map everything out ahead of time,” said Khanna.

“My roll was ‘every dollar we spend is a dollar we waste fundraising.’ We cut about 50 percent from last year without really compromising anything,” said Wilen.

Emilia Epperly, the Thurtene chair for Alpha Phi, echoed Khanna’s sentiments.

“Our goal every year is to donate a lot of money. We try to keep our expenses down on our fa‡ade so we can donate because that’s kind of the whole point,” she said.

Khanna felt that charity is often overlooked at the Thurtene carnival.

“Everyone in our fraternity loves Thurtene, it’s the heart of our year, but I think that the carnival would benefit the community more if we incorporate fundraising into it more. A lot of sororities and fraternities don’t donate at all, because it’s not required.”

Epperly agrees.

“They have the competition to get student groups excited and to get them to participate, but I feel like there’s too much emphasis on the competition aspect, and not enough emphasis on the charity. That’s why so many groups spend lots of money on their fa‡ade and not so much on charity. I think Thurtene should emphasize that, while it’s great to win, this is what we’re here for.”

Khanna and Epperly both noted that even they had challenges in motivating members to help donate, as they knew it would not improve their chances of winning the Burmeister cup.

“The challenge was motivation. It had to come from people’s hearts. We were raising all this money for charity, but we knew we wouldn’t get any recognition for it,” said Khanna.

Aside from the changes that could be made to the competition, both felt that fraternities and sororities could increase charity donations fairly easily.

“I would definitely hope that they would think ‘well, we could spend this much amount of money by making it more ornate, or we could donate more to children’s charity.’ I think a lot of people waste too. They don’t stay within their budget, or look around for the best price. That’s something we really tried to do this year,” said Epperly.

Khanna also mentioned that taking such a stance towards Thurtene could do much to improve Greek Life’s image in the eyes of Washington University, considering the mounting tension this past year.

“An easy thing for us to say is, ‘look, we did Thurtene carnival, and raised 30-40k every year. We can mobilize 600 people to raise money for charity’…nobody else in the school can really boast about that,” said Khanna. “I think it would look great to the administration if everyone got involved.”

“In the end,” said Public Relations Thurtene Chair Felipe Macia, “it is about the community.”

“The purpose of the carnival is not about money…[We’re] most successful in our outreach to the community.”

Art Prom banned from Magic House

Friday, April 28th, 2006 | Shweta Murthi
Matt Rubin

Advertised as “Wash. U.’s biggest, most unpredictable party,” this year’s Art Prom lived up to its billing, but not as organizers intended.

Art Prom goers allegedly engaged in “excessive consumption of alcohol and other behaviors unacceptable to the University,” according to an official statement released by the Office of Public Affairs.

According to an employee of the Magic House, the local children’s museum that served as the party’s venue, excessive vomit was left in multiple locations, parts of exhibits were stolen and alcohol-soaked carpets required professional cleaning. Beer cans were found floating in the Magic House’s pond and three couples were caught having sex.

The museum has decided to no longer host college events that involve alcohol.

The treasurer of Art Council, Chelsea Krause, apologized for the students’ behavior, but felt that some of the events were “blown out of proportion.”

“Only one couple was having sex in the elevator. The rest were only minor acts of nudity on the couch,” said Krause.

The Art School Council faces possible judicial action from the Judicial Administrator for the April 1 event, after the Magic House claimed approximately $700 in damages for stolen items and destruction of property. The staff of the Magic House, all high schoolers, had to stay into the early morning hours to clean up the mess. The presence of an open bar was not agreed upon in the contract with Art Prom organizers, according to a Magic House employee.

The University stated that it “deeply regrets” the events of the Art Prom and “future funding for next year’s ‘Art Prom’ has been withheld by Student Union as a result of this incident.” The Art School Council, however, may still appeal for funding for Art Prom in front of SU Treasury next year.

More than 600 students showed up for the event, themed “Agent: Astronaut.” Although only 300 students were anticipated, announcements that tickets were being sold at the door nearly doubled the turnout.

Although the Art School Council has apologized to the Magic House and paid full restitution, the Magic House has officially created a policy to not host college events with alcohol.

“There were no attempts to hide the situation,” said Jill Carnaghi, assistant vice chancellor for students. “I think it is a grave concern of ours and it is something we will review over the summer. That is, how do we be more explicit regarding when groups take events off campus, what kind of contracts they sign and how do they behave appropriately and represent themselves and Washington University.”

Sophomore Andrea Powell, who attended the Art Prom, said, “People were seeing how high they could pour liquids at each other. I didn’t notice anyone being really destructive, I guess because there were so many people. The DJ turned on the lights around 11:30 p.m. and we left early.”

Krause said that Art Council did not foresee Wash. U. students acting in such a manner, saying “we held them to a higher [standard of] responsibility.”

According to Krause, next year, Art Council is planning to “better control the situation” by raising the price of tickets to reduce the number of attendees.

Britney Spears: Pro-Life Icon?

Friday, April 28th, 2006 | Josie Smith

In case you thought all the debate over abortion was limited to StudLife, you’re wrong. A recent art exhibit at Brooklyn’s Capla Kesting Fine Art Gallery has stirred new debate about abortion in the “real world.” That exhibit is “Monument to Pro-Life: The Birth of Sean Preston.” Sean Preston is the name of Britney Spears’ son and the statue recently on exhibit is of a nude Spears crouched on all fours on a bearskin rug, the crown of her son’s head emerging from her vagina. The statue dedication was supplemented by materials provided by Manhattan Right to Life Committee. Spears had nothing to do with the statue-neither posing for nor endorsing it.

Sculptor Daniel Edwards is laudatory of Spears for her choice to give up her superstar career in order to raise her child: “Britney provides inspiration for those struggling with the ‘right choice.'” The gallery co-director, Lincoln Capla, points out that it is rare for such a young, successful celebrity to have a child and to put her family before her career. Women all over the world are putting their families before their careers, but with nowhere near the amount of resources or recognition of Ms. Spears, which would make them braver, in my opinion, regardless of their age (Spears is twenty-four). Yet this is the example chosen to be a “monument” to “pro-life.”

Many bloggers have commented on the irony of the piece, and it is strong. The first definition of “monument” in the Oxford American Dictionaries is, “a statue…erected to commemorate a famous or notable person or event.” I can see how the statue is commemorating Spears’ life and/or the birth of her son. What I don’t see is how it can be a monument to pro-life. Interestingly enough, the second definition of “monument” in this same dictionary is, “a statue … placed by or over a grave in memory of the dead.” A monument to pro-life. Could this be a figurative gravesite for the pro-life movement? I’m not sure the irony was intended, but thank goodness it’s there.

Whether or not it is an ironic statement, the piece is truly mistitled. There is nothing about this piece that is pro-life. First of all, Spears did not endorse the project and is not a known advocate for the pro-life campaign. For all the sculptor knows, Spears may well have had an abortion (or multiple abortions) in her lifetime, although she may not be an active pro-choice advocate, either. It is doubtful Spears meant her pregnancy to be a political statement. I can agree that the statue represents the beauty of life by celebrating the act of birth. But being pro-life and pro-birth are not the same thing. I would argue that most of the world is pro-birth, unless they disagree with the continuation of the human species. Pro-choice advocates are in no way opposed to women giving birth and are just as likely to admire and take part in the pains and pleasures of childbirth.

I was poking fun in my first paragraph, but really, the positioning of this “piece of art” may have both sides of the abortion debate riled up. Pro-choice advocates may be understandably upset about the misleading title of the piece, and pro-life advocates may be wary about so closely tying their name with a celebrity such as Spears, or at least a naked statue of her on all fours. Edwards claims the piece is not meant to be political, but by titling it “Monument to Pro-Life,” I’m not sure how he was hoping to escape that one. If I were Spears, I would personally feel exploited, because it really does seem that Edwards is using Spears to make a name for himself. After all, would there be any sort of media attention paid to the statue if it were of a nameless woman?

Women do deserve monuments to honor their status as mothers in our society, but I’m afraid Edwards’ statue has failed to do this. Edwards’ choice to depict Spears “as she has depicted herself-seductively,” is questionable. Although Spears has spent years crafting her image as a seductress, and although even in pregnancy she may have maintained a somewhat “sexy” image, there is no proof that she tried to depict herself as seductive while giving birth. In fact, many have pointed out that Spears actually gave birth by way of a Cesarean-section. This statue is a complete fantasy on the part of the sculptor, revealing his misconceptions of life and birth rather than adding intelligent art to the community. A real image of Sean Preston’s (or any child’s) entry into this world would be far less seductive, and far more compelling.

Josie is a senior in Arts & Sciences. She can be reached via e-mail at [email protected].