The road through competition season in the world of a cappella has paid its dividends for The Amateurs, one of Washington University’s well known a cappella groups, who placed second at the 2024 ICCA (International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella) Midwestern Semifinals in Harrison, Ohio, on March 16. This marks the best performance both The Amateurs and WashU a cappella groups have performed in competition in eight years, a major mark for the University.

Following the removal of authoritarian leader Omar al-Bashir in 2019, the recent conflict between warring militaristic factions the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) over control of Sudan has caused the deaths of over 12 thousand individuals. Additionally, the conflict has displaced more than 9 million others and remains a humanitarian crisis that threatens one of the world’s most politically complex regions. 

St. Louis Mayor Tishuara Jones answered questions from students and spoke about the lawsuit with Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey over reproductive healthcare funding, among other issues including the housing crisis.