Scott BresslerThis school year started with students protesting the Student Technology Fee rate hike. As the year progressed, tensions cooled as Student Technology Services backed off and wireless Internet gradually became accessible around campus.
October brought racism and other forms of discrimination to the forefront of campus as a student’s car was vandalized with a slur. Student groups continued to lobby for a sexual assault coordinator but were unsuccessful even as they succeeded in establishing a coordinator for the LGBTQIA community. As a result of these tensions, Connect 4 was created to address discrimination on campus.
The school hosted several famous and highly controversial speakers throughout the year. Alberto Gonzales spoke at the 560 Building, and his $30,000 speaking fee sparked a peaceful protest led by the College Democrats and other groups. Other notable speakers included Newark Mayor Cory Booker, author Alan Lightman, political pundit Paul Begala, Loveline’s Dr. Drew, actor Peter Sarsgaard and comedian Margaret Cho.
Inflatable couches returned to W.I.L.D. as rapper Lupe Fiasco headlined the fall show and funk star George Clinton headlined the spring show. Other notable performers were Stars, who played at WUStock, and Cascada, who gave a brief performance that disappointed many. A student was tasered by the Washington University Police Department (WUPD) while resisting arrest at the Gargoyle, overshadowing Girl Talk’s concert there.
WUPD had its hands full this school year as multiple robberies occurred over winter break in the Myers and Hurd dorms. Many students became more conscious of their surroundings after a freshman was mugged at gunpoint on the South 40.
Several influential professors changed their roles at the University. Professor Richard Smith, who taught the popular Introduction to Human Evolution course, left the anthropology department to become the dean of Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Tzachi Zach, popular accounting professor, will now teach at Ohio State after being denied tenure.
November saw upheaval in the engineering school as Dean Mary Sansalone came under fire from faculty and students. Sansalone announced her resignation as dean in Feb. 2008.
Politics played a growing role in student life in conjunction with the University’s selection as the host site for the 2008 vice presidential debate next October. Chelsea Clinton led a question and answer session at Kayak’s Coffee while many students were dismayed to find that the University would not allow Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), a presidential candidate, to speak on campus in the run-up to Super Tuesday. This incident sparked the creation of the Student Civic Initiative, which aims to increase campus involvement in politics.
Online war also came to the University as hundreds of students battled over the Danforth Campus in a massive GoCrossCampus game. Other Web sites such as Facebook were in the spotlight for gathering users’ personal information and selling it to companies.
Several construction projects were completed or neared completion this year. The new 560 Building debuted in a sea of controversy as a cappella groups protested their off-campus relocation. The Danforth University Center will be ready this fall, and several departments from the School of Law and the College of Arts & Sciences will begin moving into Seigle Hall over the summer.
New construction continues as the University announced plans to tear down Umrath House this summer in order to make room for a new Wohl Center.
In the world of sports, the men’s basketball team captured the school’s first-ever national championship title for a men’s team and the women’s volleyball team captured its Division III-record ninth national championship. The athletics program was ranked first in Div. III and seventh in all divisions by Hall of Fame Magazine. For the first time in school history, the University led all schools in the Director’s Cup, as the women’s track and field team took third place at nationals, the highest in program history. The women’s cross country team, which took third, and men’s soccer team, which took sixth, also matched their best finishes at their respective national tournaments. The men’s tennis team defeated UAA rival Emory University for the first time in program history.
Sustainability rose to the forefront of campus debate, as groups like Green Action led the charge for greener facilities. Bear’s Den now has metal silverware, and a sustainable garden created by the Burning Kumquat took root. Green Action’s Sustainabilitree joined the ranks of various artwork done on campus, including the bubble wrapping of Bowles Plaza and the bed outside Olin Library.
Mother Nature continued to fluctuate throughout the year as the University was blanketed in more than six inches of snow in March. A 5.2 magnitude earthquake rocked St. Louis in the middle of April, surprising many members of the community.
Dance Marathon broke records as other successful student-led events such as Relay for Life, Thurtene Carnival, Diwali, Lunar New Year Festival and Carnaval continued to unite the community.
The Student Union (SU) executive board was elected largely unopposed and encountered controversy in the proposal and confirmation of the 2008-2009 general budget upon taking office. Several student groups facing funding cuts mobilized their supporters, as the budget was passed by Treasury only to be rejected by the Senate. The deadlock was broken during an emergency joint session and the budget passed with only three minutes to spare.