‘Glee’ star visits WU · ‘Glee’ star visits WU MICHAEL TABB NEWS EDITOR SEE SHUM, PAGE 2...

Monday, April 4, 2011 Vol. 132, No. 67 www.studlife.com Washington University in St. Louis

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Students accustomed to exercis-ing at the Athletic Complex late at night have had to adjust their rou-tines because of reduced hours of operation in recent weeks.

Although students were able to work out until 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday from fall break until spring break, the AC has closed at 9 p.m. since spring break.

According to Andrew Koch, director of facilities, the sched-ule was adjusted to accommodate University-wide budget cuts with minimal impact on students.

“As with other departments at Washington University, the athletic department had to respond to a bud-get reduction entering the 2010-2011 academic year,” Koch wrote in an email to Student Life. “Facility and programming hours were reduced along with other building services.”

Because the athletic department’s operating budget will remain the same for the coming year, the new, shortened schedule is expected to carry over.

According to senior Nick Hartmann, who works at the front desk at the AC, this change should affect few students.

“It doesn’t seem like there are that

many people in the building anyway at that hour,” Hartmann said.

Although few students are affected by the shortened hours, many think that the Athletic Complex now closes too early.

Sophomore Kate Klein uses the AC facilities for her tennis team practices. She says the modifica-tions will affect Village residents.

“I think for students who live on the North Side, it would affect them. I know that on the 40 there are a lot of people who work out between 9 and 11, so I assume it would be the same on the North Side,” Klein said.

Not all students think the modi-fications will have a major effect on their peers’ schedules.

Freshman Brendan Daly said that students should be able to work around the modified hours.

“I don’t think it’s too hard to work around the new schedule. I use the facilities in the morning,” Daly said.

The Athletic Center also closed at 9 p.m. prior to fall break.

With additional reporting by Allyson Scher.

More than 250 students gathered in May Auditorium on Saturday to see Harry Shum Jr., who plays Mike Chang on Glee, dance and speak.

Shum started the event by per-forming a short dance routine set to a musical medley including segments of “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus and “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz. Afterward, he briefly spoke about his

life, answered questions, took pictures and signed autographs.

The Stereotypes and WashU Hip Hop Union (WUHHU) dance group filled in gaps in the program with performances.

During his speech, Shum shared the details of his upbringing with the audience.

He was born in Costa Rica, and later moved to San Francisco and then to Central Beach, California.

‘Glee’ star visits WUMICHAEL TABB

NEWS EDITOR

SEE SHUM, PAGE 2

Washington University students in 2061 will have special insight into campus life of 2011.

University administrators and rep-resentatives from the Congress of the South 40 buried a time capsule on the South 40 Saturday morning at the Residential College Olympics.

The capsule, which was buried under the folly next to South Forty House, contains mementos from each residential college, as well as from University administrators and student groups.

According to University admin-istrators, the capsule was created as a pathway through which the University could inform future gen-erations about what the University was like in 2011.

The time capsule is set to be unearthed and opened in 50 years, at which time administrators hope that the Class of 2011 will be on campus to celebrate their 50-year reunion.

At the burying ceremony, adminis-trators said that they wished previous generations of Washington University students had created time capsules of their own.

“My only regret with the time

capsule is that someone didn’t think to do it 50 years ago,” said Justin Carroll, associate vice chancellor for students.

According to Steve Hoffner, associ-ate vice chancellor for operations, the contents of a capsule from 50 years ago would be very different from the one buried on Saturday.

“No iPads, no iPods… a notebook was a spiral thing with some paper,” Hoffner said.

Plans for the time capsule have been underway for about two years,

CHLOE ROSENBERG

SENIOR NEWS EDITOR

Time capsule buried for future students

SEE TIME, PAGE 2

An exhilarating combination of lights, music and atmosphere converged in Lopata Gallery this weekend at Vertigo, a dance party sponsored by EnCouncil.

While Vertigo is a storied tra-dition at Washington University, this year’s iteration included several new elements, resulting in an entirely fresh experience. The illuminated dance floor, the most prominent of the additions, significantly contributed to this year’s theme: Cyberspace.

Preparations began Friday at noon and continued through the

night. According to Paula Avery, the Vertigo chair, close coordi-nation with the administration helped make the event a success.

“Without their help, Vertigo would not have worked out,” Avery said.

Even at the last minute, the organizers relied on cooperation with the administration. “For a while, we didn’t realize that the lights were on a different circuit board. We turned the lights off at basically the last minute,” Avery said.

Their labors were worth the difficulties, however. “It’s really hard not to have fun while pre-paring to throw a giant rave,”

Avery said. According to Avery, 1,329 stu-

dents packed into the crowd to dance the night away. The dance floor’s animations involved mil-lions of colors and thousands of patterns, though the sheer number of people limited its vis-ibility. Some participants were given glow stick necklaces that further illuminated Lopata.

“With techno blaring and lights flashing everywhere, it was a real adrenaline rush,” Avery said.

DAVIS SARGEANT

SENIOR SCENE EDITOR

Write to Davis Sargeant at

[email protected]

Students dance in Lopata Gallery during Vertigo, EnCouncil’s annual dance party, late Saturday night. The

event drew a crowd of over 1300 students.

MATT MITGANG | STUDENT LIFE

In its twelfth consecutive match against a ranked opponent, The Washington University men’s ten-nis team lost at home for the first time in more than four years.

The No. 5 Bears hosted the No. 15 University of Chicago at the Tao Tennis Center on Saturday, but fell 5-4 to their conference rivals. The team’s last loss at home came on March 11, 2007.

The Bears started the day losing

all three doubles matches, putting additional pressure on singles play. This was the first time all season that Wash. U. has been swept in doubles.

“When you play the top teams, you have to be ready for doubles,” head coach Roger Follmer said. “We thought we were ready, but they played better than us [on Saturday].”

Despite falling to an early defi-cit, the Bears responded with a valiant singles effort, winning four out of six matches. Senior Isaac

Stein battled back after losing the first set to take a 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 vic-tory in No. 1 singles, and senior Max Woods took care of business with a convincing 6-3, 6-0 win in No. 2 singles. Sophomores Gary Parizher and Kareem Farah also posted victories in No. 4 and No. 5 singles.

“Singles is more about compo-sure, and I think we showed that,” Stein said. “In the second set [of my match], I stayed composed and

DANIEL KURZNER

SPORTS REPORTER

Home winning streak snapped as Bears fall to Chicago

SEE TENNIS, PAGE 5

GETTING DIZZY AT

Harry Shum Jr. speaks about his life experiences in May Auditorium on

Saturday afternoon. Shum stars as Mike Chang on Fox’s “Glee.”


MICHAEL TABB

& SADIE SMECK

NEWS EDITORS

Write to Sadie Smeck at

[email protected]

Write to Michael Tabb at

[email protected]

AC now closing earlier

2 STUDENT LIFE

This enables students from the future to look back in a special way,” said McLeod. “To have a glimpse that goes back half a century is a pretty neat thing. Our past will be their present.

– Dean James McLeod

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NCAA Championship Watch Party at Ibby’sDanforth University Center, Ibby’s Campus Bistro, 6 p.m.Come out to Ibby’s to watch the big game and enjoy all-you-can-eat appetizers for $5 with any drink purchase. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. for live pre-game coverage, and tipoff is at 8 p.m.

Dance Marathon 2011 Blast OffDUC Courtyard, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., April 5-7, Come launch Dance Marathon 2011 at DM Blast Off! There will be snow cones, cotton candy, Fitz’s root beer, vintage DM gear, make-your-own visors, performances by WUSauce and more.

TUESDAY 4“State of Race: Segregation in the 21st Century” with Soledad O’Brien6 p.m., Graham ChapelAs part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Symposium Series, Soledad O’Brien will speak about the state of race in America, its role in our post-segregated society and what college students can do to make a difference.

Take Back the NightBowles Plaza, 6 p.m.Join the rally to take back the night from fear and violence as a part of Sexual Assault Awareness Week. The event will begin with poster making at Bowles Plaza, followed by a speaker and a march across campus to the basement of Lee House for an intimate “speak out” session.

MONDAY 3

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MONDAY 3

Although he felt out of place for being Chinese in Costa Rica, he noted that the last relocation was the most difficult for him.

“I’ve always been in an environment where I’m a different guy, [but] that’s when I really struggled with my identity,” Shum Jr. said.

It wasn’t until he tried improvisation in junior high that he began branching out to the speech and debate teams, and then to drama and musical theater. He didn’t start dancing until he was in high school.

“I’d never danced before, except maybe to Michael Jackson, and my friend said, ‘I dare you to try out for the dance team,’” Shum Jr. said.

Although Shum Jr. noted that it is difficult for directors to consider casting him in non-stereotypical roles, he says that the industry is becoming increasingly more open.

“Being Asian American and trying to have anyone see you in more than one way is hard,” Shum Jr. said. “There’s a struggle—there’s always a struggle. It’s what people are doing behind the scenes that lets us move forward.”

Shum Jr. also shared his experiences on “Glee.” He talked about auditioning for the show and later, about being cast as a regular.

“I didn’t know my fate for the show; I was still auditioning for

SHUM FROM PAGE 1

combining the efforts of Dining Services, the chancellor’s office, the residential colleges and other groups.

The administration designed the time capsule to be opened with a coin instead of a key, to avoid the risk of losing the key over the course of 50 years.

Chancellor Wrighton chose to contribute to the time capsule a pair of cufflinks and a letter he wrote to the future Washington University community.

“I also thought about putting one of my double-breasted suits in,” said Wrighton, “but they told me it had to be very small.”

Other contents of the capsule included T-shirts, hats, flyers, a menu, a compact disc and a vial holding two pieces of Dean McLeod’s hair.

According to Nadeem Siddiqui, resident district manager of Bon Appétit, McLeod’s hair serves as a tribute to the Arts & Sciences dean and will enable future students to stay connected to McLeod.

“I think that every generation should experience Dean McLeod,” Siddiqui said.

Copies of Friday’s Student Life and the 2011 “Student Libel” edition were included as well.

Students think that the time capsule will provide future genera-tions insight into the University’s current generation of students.

“I think it is a great idea,” said sophomore Aviya Lanis. “A time capsule is an interesting attempt to comment on society.”

Administrators say that the time capsule will help to bridge the gap between different generations of Washington University students.

“This enables students from the future to look back in a special way,” said McLeod. “To have a glimpse that goes back half a cen-tury is a pretty neat thing. Our past will be their present.”

TIME FROM PAGE 1

things,” Shum Jr. said. “The first season, I was literally nonex-istent or in the background, doing some facial expressions. It wasn’t until I came on the tour and had this crazy reaction from the audience, and the producers were like, ‘Wow, how do they know him?’”

While Shum Jr. said that he can relate to Mike Chang’s com-passion for other characters in the show, he considers himself much calmer than his TV alter ego.

According to Shum Jr., Glee has been the best project he has ever worked on, despite its fast pace.

“The hardest part’s been scheduling, finding the balance between life and work,” Shum Jr. said. “It’s constantly moving. It’s nonstop. When we’re not shooting, we’re doing a concert on tour.”

He said that the “Glee” cast is very tight-knit, and the most memorable moments on set happen when cast members are still on set after shoots that last more than 12 hours.

“Yesterday, we filmed until 2 in the morning,” Shum Jr. said. “It’s when it reaches the hour of midnight, everyone just goes crazy…Mark [Salling] is doing things with his fingers, Dianna [Agron] is dancing in the corner, Lea [Michele] is like mah-mah-mah-mah-mah.”

After answering questions, Shum Jr. signed posters and photos and took pictures with students in attendance. All of the photos taken will be uploaded to the event’s Facebook page.

“It’s going to be my profile picture until I die,” freshman Danielle Wu said.

The Chinese Students Association (CSA) organized the event, in collaboration with the Asian American Association (AAA) and WUHHU.

Write to Chloe Rosenberg at

[email protected]

Write to Michael Tabb at

[email protected]

Students bury a time capsule containing a copy of Student

Life, Dean McLeod’s hair, a CD, a menu and other artifacts.

JOHN HERGENROEDER | STUDENT LIFE

3STUDENT LIFEMONDAY, APRIL 4, 2011

Michelle Merlineditor in chief

Alex Dropkinassociate editor

Hannah Lustmanmanaging editor

Chloe Rosenbergsenior news editor

Daniel Deiblersenior forum editor

Sahil PatelKurt Rohrbecksenior sports editors

Davis Sargeantsenior scene editor

Andie Hutnersenior cadenza editor

Matt Mitgangsenior photo editordirector of multimedia

David Seigleonline editor

Godiva Reisenbichlergraphics editor

Mary Yangdesign chief

Chris Hohldesign editor

Ariella ElovicKevin MadsenMike Yangdesigners

Lauren Cohncopy chief

Greg HermanRobyn HusaRachel Nocciolicopy editors

Andrew O’Dellgeneral manager

Sara Juddadvertising manager

Copyright 2011 Washington University Student Media, Inc. (WUSMI). Student Life is a fi nancially and editorially independent, student-run newspaper serving the Washington University community. Our newspaper is a publication of WUSMI and does not necessarily represent the views of the Washington University administration.

Student Life Staff

A mass of runners takes off from the starting line in the Residential College Olympics’ 5K race.JOHN HERGENROEDER | STUDENT LIFE

The election of a black man to the presidency is not necessarily an indicator of racial harmony, according to Julian Bond, chairman of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Bond talked about the subject of racial inequality when he delivered the keynote address for the Chancellor’s Graduate Fellowship 20th Anniversary Conference and Alumni Reunion on Thursday.

Bond’s speech focused on the state of racism in America today. He started by noting the changes in the racial picture of America through his lifetime and out-lined his goals for future race relations.

Despite the progress made in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, Bond said that black schoolchil-dren are even more separated from white schoolchildren than they were during Martin Luther King Jr.’s time.

“Black Americans today are more likely to be poor than rich and more likely to be worse off than their white counterparts,” Bond said. “This did not happen by accident.”

Bond argued that although blacks have many more opportunities than they did several decades ago, there are still people who threaten the hard work of civil rights activists.

He focused on the tea party and other famous far-right conservatives, such as Newt Gingrich, expressing con-cern that these marginal viewpoints are now entering the mainstream.

Bond urged the audience to maintain the values of civil rights activists in order to protect the victories achieved by King and others.

“We can’t let them change our country,” he said.It is the responsibility of today’s generation, Bond

said, to continue to fight for racial equality.He called upon today’s black youth, who he said have

been notably absent in the modern movement.According to Bond, by 2050, blacks and Latinos

will make up an estimated 40 percent of the American population.

“It’s about racial justice and economic equality,” Bond said. “They occupied Dr. King’s life, and they ought to occupy our lives today.”

Bond is a widely respected civil rights leader, whose resume includes service in both houses of the Georgia legislature. He is also one of the founders of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and the first African American to be nominated for vice president of the United States.

BECKY PRAGER

STAFF REPORTER

Civil rights leader speaks on post-racial America

Write to Becky Prager at

[email protected]

Exchange students are not constituents of Student Union, according to a recent decision from Constitutional Council.

Constitutional Council decided that exchange students are not Student Union constituents and may not vote in SU elections.

In a message posted on SU’s official website, junior Justin Taylor, chief justice of Constitutional Council, announced the decision.

“Constitutional Council had determined that exchange [students] are not constituents and therefore should not have voted in SU elections,” Taylor wrote on the SU website.

According to Taylor, the decision covers all students from other universities who are studying at the University temporarily.

According to the Student Union Constitution, constit-uents are defined as full-time undergraduate students of the University. Taylor would not elaborate on the ratio-nale behind the decision until the opinion is published on Thursday.

This ruling follows a grievance that was filed about exchange students being unable to vote in the most recent SU elections.

Members of Constitutional Council considered two questions in the decision. They had to judge whether exchange students could vote in SU elections and whether the results of the recent elections were valid given the fact that exchange students were not permitted to vote.

Article II of the Student Union Constitution defines the term “constituent,” and gives the constituency a number of rights including the right to vote in SU elec-tions and the ability to appeal for SU funding. It also states that only SU constituents may hold office.

“They’re not considered full-time students at Wash.

U.,” said Cody Katz, vice president of finance. “The overseas exchange program is in charge of their [student status], [and] they decide whether they pay the student activities fee.”

Students have mixed reactions to the ruling. Some think that exchange students should not be able to vote in the elections because they are not at the University permanently.

“I don’t think they should vote. They don’t have a long-term investment,” freshman Jonathan Spalding said.

Junior Dan Cole thinks that whether they get to vote should vary depending on the issue at hand.

“It depends on how far out the votes are. If they are going to vote for something that’s going to happen after they left, I don’t think they should be allowed to,” Cole said.

Other students think that exchange students should have the same voting rights as permanent students of the University.

“It doesn’t seem particularly fair. They are part of the community; they should have equal representation,” sophomore Andrew Luy said.

Regardless of the ruling, Katz says that exchange students are still welcome to participate in Student Union-related events.

“We encourage their involvement in campus activities and with SU groups despite their constituency status,” Katz said.

Permanent students of the University who are studying abroad are still considered SU constituents.

SU decision: exchange students not part of constituencyWEI-YIN KO

NEWS EDITOR

Write to Wei-Yin Ko at

[email protected]

Running for ResColleges

Speak equivocally and carry a Tomahawk missile. Or at least, that is President Obama’s addition to the long line of presidents who

have made excuses for justifying action abroad.

As my fellow columnist Eve Samborn commented a few weeks ago, in “The Obama Doctrine”, the emergence of a new policy wasn’t too much of a surprise given the events of the last few weeks.

In recent days, the United States has involved itself in yet another conflict that bears little relation to the woes of the American people. Our economy is crippled, we are involved in two other wars and our polarized government threatens to tear itself apart. While the early days of the no-fly zone stressed the limits of America’s involvement, we have emerged as the natural forerunner of a combined effort that still falls under the rhetoric of an altruistic endeavor.

And although the current administra-tion’s dedication to protecting Libyan civilians is admirable, Obama’s rhetoric surrounding a slaughter of the innocents does not constitute the whole story. Now, Washington is considering arming Libyan rebels, a loosely defined group that has emerged only with the vague descriptor of “the opposition” to Gadhafi. As soon as such militaristic action enters the picture, humanitarian efforts are disqualified. It seems that consent has already begun to disintegrate among the allies on this issue, and the legitimizing support of the U.N. will not last.

In the meantime we can rest assured,

since the United States is holding on to all that dirty money that Gadhafi had stored up under his bed. “After all, this money does not belong to Gadhafi or to us,” Obama said on March 28. “It belongs to the Libyan people, and we will make sure they receive it.” And while the role of the United States as an economic guard-ian is nothing new, this is perhaps what I found most disconcerting about Obama’s address. At what point will the Libyan people be worthy of their own $3 billion? When can they be trusted? How many recent large-scale democratic efforts can be seen as successes in the eyes of the American people? None come to mind.

Understandably enough, Obama was sure to shy away from comparisons to the persisting war in Iraq, which marked yet another tyrannical fall amidst threats of a humanitarian crisis. “Thanks to the extraordinary sacrifices of our troops and the determination of our diplomats, we are hopeful about Iraq’s future,” Obama said, in the same speech, “But regime change there took eight years, thousands of American and Iraqi lives and nearly a trillion dollars. That is not something we can afford to repeat in Libya.”

As a world superpower, we undoubtedly have the responsibility to promote justice. However, with the rockets’ red glare and the bombs bursting in air, we must again reevaluate the issue of “peace through strength.” And while stability might come with an iron fist, sustainable peace cer-tainly does not. As we stand on the brink of another conflict, let’s not confuse one for another.

SOPHIE ADELMAN

FORUM EDITOR

4 STUDENT LIFE MONDAY, APRIL 4, 2011

Once an article is published on studlife.com, it will remain there permanently. We do not remove articles or authors’ names from the site unless an agreement was reached prior to July 1, 23005.

We welcome letters to the editor and op-ed submissions from our readers. Submissions may be sent to [email protected] and must include the writer’s name, class and phone number for verifi cation.

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YOUR VOICE:SUBMISSIONS

OUR WEB POLICY

forum

RE: WU should aid local PBS and NPR stations“…you must be forget-ting that somebody has to get paid to cre-ate the content. Don’t eat McDonald’s three times this month and buy a subscription.”—AS

“This is strengthen-ing inequality in the country because those with money (and thereby, access to education and infor-mation) will continue to have access to in-

formation. Those who were benefi ting most from the free service (i.e., college stu-dents, lower-income families, homeless, unemployed/under-employed) will be

disempowered by an increased distance to quality journalism.”—ryan

“You argue in favor of dinosaurs. If the New York Times can-

not fund itself on a free model, a better paper will. I say great that media companies struggle. The fi ttest of them always survive.”—Estudlife.com

Wait-list wasteland: A letter to high schoolers in purgatory

STAFF EDITORIALSTAFF EDITORIAL

Dear wait-listed high school students,We at Student Life under-stand your plight. You want

to come to Wash. U. Who wouldn’t? But that tease of a Washington University Office of Admissions acceptance letter is tantalizing you, putting our illustrious institution within smelling distance (the sweat of overachievement is pungent, is it not?) and you in purgatory. Despite a 15 percent increase in applications for the Class of 2015, Wash. U. admitted 15 percent fewer students. There were 28,823 bright-eyed hopefuls that applied this year.

So why are you languishing in the wastelands, hoping for salvation? This may have something to do with the fact that someone’s calculator malfunctioned last year and now, approximately a bajil-lion (give or take a kajillion) students

now populate the current freshman class. While we at Wash. U. love freshmen, at least in theory, this year they mostly just increase the lines at Bear’s Den and make frat parties even sweatier and more disgusting than usual.

To be honest, we are thrilled that fewer freshmen will be admitted. Enough of our classmates have been screwed over by housing selection this year to ignore the issues with over-enrollment. A repeat of this process would dramatically increase the number of face-palm-related injuries (up this year by more than 45 percent).

This may have something to do with college rankings. Not that our infallible administration would ever decrease the number of admitted students to increase our ranking in U.S. News & World Report. This connection seems unlikely, as the most obvious way to advance our selectivity would be simply to admit 10

students to the freshman class, decreas-ing the acceptance rate to a mere .00035 percent. The admissions team is definitely intelligent enough to figure that out. Whether this connection exists or not, we are definitely better than Johns Hopkins; this tie thing is complete B.S.

This is not the time to despair. No need to attempt to bribe the admissions committee just yet (although it never hurts to plan for the worst). Even though no one was admitted off of the wait-list last year, more students should be taken off of the wait-list this year. Last year, the University over-admitted in terms of the regular admissions applicants, so there was no room for anyone from the wait-list. This year, it is much more likely that you will be admitted. You will not be compensated for emotional anguish experienced in the interim.

Even if you don’t get in, take this to

heart. Your rejection, as painful as it may be, will only serve to increase the value of a Wash. U. degree for the rest of us. The rising exclusivity of our little club of overachievers makes employers and graduate schools drool over us like a drunk undergrad over a half-and-half. Although this basically relegates you to the role of sacrificial sheep, really, it’s quite an honor. Perhaps you could do us all a favor and tell your friends and family where exactly Washington University is located. We are assuming that you did a bit of research and realize that no, you did not apply to that school in D.C. If there has been a mix-up, we are not sorry. It’s in St. Louis, damnit, the Paris of the Midwest. Someday it will be home to the most selective university in the world. Thanks for helping us get there.

Love,Student Life

Editorials are written by our opinion editors and refl ect the consensus of our editorial board. The editorial board operates independently of our newsroom.

editor in chief: Michelle Merlinassociate editor: Alex Dropkinmanaging editor: Hannah Lustmansenior sports editors: Sahil Patel & Kurt Rohrbeck

senior scene editor: Davis Sargeantsenior cadenza editors: Andie Hutner

seniors photo editor: Matt Mitgangsenior forum editor: Daniel Deiblerforum editors: Chase Ferree & Natalie Villalon

The Obama corollary

As I am a Catholic (a term which I sometimes use shakily), Lent is usually my favorite time of the Church

year. It gives me time to think about what my Catholicism means and my relationship with the man upstairs.

But, for now, I want to talk about Lent as something that isn’t necessarily just for Catholics, or Christians. Some of the most adamant ex-Catholics I know still think about Lent and what it means. Others still actually participate—perhaps out of tradition, but maybe from something else. And it’s the “something else” that makes me want to explore participating in Lent outside of religious bounds.

I recently heard that a friend of mine, who isn’t Catholic, is attempting to give up caffeine for Lent. When I asked him about it, he said it was for no other rea-son than to see if he could actually do it. Forty days without a single caffeinated beverage at a place like Wash. U. seems like it would be an eternity.

This kind of choice initially con-fused me. Lent lends itself more easily to reflection for religious individuals: They give something up and by doing so think about their relationships with their higher power, with their institutions of belief and with themselves. For those who participate and don’t identify as religious (or spiritual), I wonder— what is the point of Lent? Perhaps they are trying to get at that last thing, at deepen-ing their relationship with themselves, but, as with my friend, this doesn’t seem to always be the case. Instead, they just

spend 40 days abstaining from meat or sugary foods or Diet Coke, or working out daily, or refraining from gossip. Why 40 days? Why not 365? The religious context, if anything, gives some credence to the 40-day period, which holds little importance when outside of it.

I sound like I’m trying to maintain a kind of religious elitism: “If you aren’t Catholic, don’t participate in Lent!” I can certainly be confused by a non-Catholic’s decision to participate in Lent, but that shouldn’t give me any space to call them out about it. As I said earlier, my relationship with my Catholicism is oftentimes tenuous, and I feel that it should be that way. If I’m not question-ing and having trouble with it, then the point of Lent, for me, disappears. But that’s a bit beside the point.

If you learn just one thing from an intentionally difficult time like Lent, be it about your religious affiliation or just about yourself, then it’s been a successful endeavor. Perhaps it’s something you’ll continue beyond the 40 days, perhaps it’ll just be something you do once a year; but what matters is that you, Catholic or not, got something out of the experience. And, in that, Lent really can be some-thing that’s great for anyone, regardless of his or her religious identity.

Forty daysCHASE FERREE

FORUM EDITOR

Sophie Adelman is a senior in Arts & Sci-

ences. Write to Sophie at

[email protected]

Chase Ferree is a junior in Arts & Sciences.

Write to Chase at

[email protected]


sportsTrack teams put forth strong effort in home invitational

The Washington University track and field teams continued their streak of solid performances during the second meet of their current three-week homestand to open the spring outdoor season.

The men’s team took second and the women placed fourth amongst 24 different competing schools on Friday and Saturday, at the Washington University Invitational meet.

“This is maybe the best meet, specifi-cally on the men’s side, that we’ve ever had at this time of year,” head coach Jeff Stiles said. “On the women’s side too, we had just great marks all around.”

Three first-place finishes helped the men’s team have its presence felt across the board. Senior Dave Spandorfer’s 30:10.47 bested his own school record in the 10,000-meter run, senior Alden Black took the 3,000-meter steeplechase at 9:19.90 and

junior Ben Cutting’s 50.20 meters won the javelin throw.

“It was definitely a very well-rounded meet from almost everyone,” senior Ben Harmon, whose third-place score of 6,763 in the decathlon automatically qualified him for the NCAA championship, said. “A lot of people stepped up this meet [and] had a lot of [personal records], so [we got] very solid performances from sprints, throws and the team as a whole.”

Junior Dan Davis narrowly missed out on first place in the 110-meter hurdles, with his time of 14.61. Meanwhile, juniors Michael Burnstein and Tucker Hartley finished right behind Spandorfer in the 10,000-meter run at 30:43.32 and 30:55.00, respectively. All three, along with Black and Davis, picked up NCAA provisional qualifying times.

“We knew that we all had a good chance at getting provisional marks,” Burnstein said of the 10,000. “I wasn’t really sure what to expect, because it was my first race

of the year…and it ended up kind of work-ing out pretty well.”

Senior Scott Pettit’s 4.55 meters in the pole vault was good for second place, and senior Chris Malaya’s 50.29-second time in the 400-meter dash netted him fourth place.

“It was a good sign of things to come, I think, because it’s still pretty early in the season and we’ll all have a lot of opportu-nities to qualify again,” Burnstein said.

Two first-place finishes highlighted the women’s side of the meet. Junior Erica Jackey took first in the 1,500-meter run for the second straight week, with a time of 4:43.14, while freshman Anna Etherington won the pole vault at 3.35 meters, just missing the NCAA provisional mark.

“If you’re a freshman and you’re just missing [provisional], that’s pretty good,” Stiles said of Etherington and freshman Shannon Howell, whose fifth-place time of 1:04.88 in the 400-meter hurdles put her just short of qualifying as well.

Freshman Jasmine Williams took second in the women’s high jump at 1.55 meters, and sophomore Anne Diaz-Arrastia’s 11.08 meters won fourth place in the triple jump.

One of the high points for the women’s side, according to Stiles, was the 4x400 meter relay, which placed sixth with the efforts of four freshmen: Alison Cesarz, Nkele Davis, Shannon Howell, and Williams.

“The women’s [4x400] was a big high-light,” Stiles said. “We dropped a lot of time and just kind of made a big breakthrough.”

The teams will be back in action at home on Saturday, April 9, at 10 a.m. for the Washington University Select Meet.

KURT ROHRBECK

SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR

Hot bats earn Bearsthree wins in Hy-Vee Classic

The Washington University softball team returned to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association’s Top 25 rankings last past week and backed it up with three wins at the Hy-Vee Classic in Grinnell, Iowa.

The No. 24 Bears (19-6-1) opened the tournament with a 12-8 win over Simpson College and a 3-2 loss to No. 9 Central College on Friday and finished the week-end with blowout victories of 25-1 and 20-5 over winless Grinnell College on Saturday.

The results this weekend made clear how important hitting is to the success of the team. The Bears combined for 67 hits in its three wins, but they recorded only six in their loss to Central. In all three wins, every player who went up to bat reached base at least once.

“I think our bats in general have been really strong this season,” senior Claire Voris said. “We have a lot of excellent hit-ters who are consistent across the board.... I don’t think there are any weak spots in our lineup, which is a valuable asset. You can always be confident that the next per-son up can start another rally.”

With the wins over Grinnell, head coach Leticia Pineda-Boutté picked up her 179th and 180th career wins at Wash. U., mak-ing her the Bears’ all-time leader in wins. These were her 200th and 201st career wins as a Division III softball coach.

“I think it is definitely a great honor,”

coach Pineda-Boutté said. “I have to give credit where credit is due. All the previous players and current players in the program do all the work. I am just happy to be at Wash. U.”

Sophomore Sondra Polonsky led the charge for Wash. U. in Saturday’s first game, recording four hits, including a grand slam in the fourth inning that pushed the lead to 25-0. Junior Olivia Cook earned the win as she struck out six and allowed only one unearned run in a five-inning complete game.

Polonsky followed her game one perfor-mance with a three-for-three, three RBI show in game two. She went a combined 11-of-15 with eight RBIs and five runs scored over the weekend.

The Bears used a nine-run, nine-hit fourth inning to put the game out of reach. Sophomore Kathy Peter picked up her fifth win of the season in three innings of work, and Voris struck out five in the final two innings to close out the win.

“I’m excited about where we’re going to go. After scoring 45 runs in two games, the sky is the limit for us right now,” freshman Maggie Mullen said.

The Red and Green hitting flexed its muscles, as it has all season, against Simpson, tallying 19 total hits. Every player who stepped into the batter’s box recorded at least one hit, led by junior Alyssa Abramoski’s three-hit effort.

Mullen continued her strong start to the season, recording an RBI double in the first inning and a solo home run in the third,

her fifth of the season, which put the Bears ahead for good.

“I try to keep the same mentality that I have all season,” Mullen said. “I really just try to have fun [during] the at-bat and not focus too much on the technicalities. Once you start to focus on the mechanics, that’s when things start to go downhill.”

The loss to Central was a pitchers duel, as each team’s starter threw a com-plete game. However, Voris got the loss after three Wash. U. errors and a “safety-squeeze” bunt in the sixth inning, which scored Central’s winning run.

“Central is a really great team. They are just good competition every time we play them,” Voris said. “You have to bring your A-game. Offensively, we were with them the entire game; defensively, we had a few errors. It’s good to have that kind of game early in the season. That just makes us focus on our defense earlier in the season instead of later.”

Washington University returns to action on Wednesday with a doubleheader at home against Maryville University. The Saints have struggled this year, posting a record of 8-20 so far. The first pitch of the series is at 4 p.m.

SAHIL PATEL

SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR


Junior Dan Davis clears a hurdle in the 110-meter hurdles competition. Davis finished second with a time of 14.61 seconds, which was good for a NCAA provisional qualifying time.

Write to Kurt Rohrbeck at

[email protected]

Write to Daniel Kurzner at

[email protected]

Write to Sahil Patel at

[email protected]

TENNIS FROM PAGE 1

Illinois College Spring Invitational: 1st place/10

Hannah Buck: 80-85-165

Andrea Hibbert: 80-85-165

fought through it. I knew if I kept playing solid tennis and kept being aggressive, [my opponent] would eventually break down.”

Nevertheless, the team refused to shift its focus from its uncharacteristically weak doubles play.

Year to year, Follmer consistently preaches that doubles is the key to defeating top oppo-nents. While he expressed confidence in the current doubles combinations and said that he does not plan to mix up the teams, he still believes there is work to be done.

“The guys now need to know that in the next two weeks [leading up to the University Athletic Association Championships], we will spend more time on doubles than ever, and if they need things to work on outside of doubles, then they can do that on their own,” Follmer said. “The team time will be spent going back to the drawing board and work-ing on some basic stuff in doubles: serves, returns, volleys and communication with your doubles partner.”

The team also hosted the first annual

Campus Kids’ Day on Saturday, featuring a fastest serve contest, a target serve contest, and a raffle with prizes. The next community event that the Bears will sponsor is its annual Special Olympics clinic on April 30.

“We always get a great turnout for [the Special Olympics clinic]. People from all over Missouri come in for that,” Follmer said. “I know all the guys on the team are excited about that as well.”

The Red and Green will have a chance to avenge Saturday’s loss when they take on

NAIA Lindenwood University on Friday, April 8, at the Tao Tennis Center.

“We just need to work on some basic stuff in doubles, but if we do that I think we’ll be fine,” Follmer said.

Washington University is now 8-4 on the season.

Baseball

W: Rogalski. L: Letizia. HR: May.

W: Gordon. L: Chain. S: Rielly. HR: Rogalski.

W: Flanagan. L: Ayers. HR: Ingell.

W: Liebman. L: Armstrong. HR: May; Ingell 2; Dempster.

Saturday

Sunday

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E

WU 0 0 0 1 0 3 3 0 1 8 9 6

GV 3 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 7 9 1

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E

WU 2 0 0 2 2 3 3 12 12 3

GV 3 0 0 1 1 2 0 10 12 5

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E

WU 0 3 0 0 2 4 2 11 17 2

GV 3 0 0 1 1 2 0 10 11 2

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E

WU 3 11 5 2 0 2 2 25 22 0

GV 2 0 0 0 0 2 1 5 7 3

Women’s Golf

Electricity surged through 18,000 indi-vidually soldered components as the first illuminated dance floor in years debuted at Vertigo on Saturday night.

This floor, the pride of Washington University’s chapter of the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) culminated over a year of dedi-cated labor. Student Life met with Dave Pilla, the project coordinator and vice chair of IEEE, to discuss the story behind the dance floor’s creation.

“We started in September of 2009, a year and a half ago, and we did it because of the old IEEE dance floor. The old one had fallen apart, and we wanted to make one based on our own design,” Pilla said. “The other one was derived from a design by MIT students, but the new generation is a unique creation of Wash. U.”

Unfortunately, there wasn’t a book of instructions on how to make dance floors; IEEE had to innovate. “When we began, we actually had no idea how to do it. No one had done anything related to dance floors,” Pilla said. “We started out writing the high-level features we wanted, a sort of wish list. Some, like the wire-less control, pressure sensors and beat

sensitivity made it into the final product. We originally wanted to waterproof the floor as well, so that we could put it in a pool, but that would have been far too expensive.”

After compiling a list of desirable features and learning about their respec-tive functions and applications, the team built prototypes and test modules. A team of seven engineers designed the floor; the team included mechanical, electrical and computer engineers, and computer scientists.

The most grueling work required soldering the diodes, wires, sensors and chips. Soldering and testing all 18,000 parts was impossible without running into some hurdles.

“Frequently, many small problems arose.... Nothing was catastrophic, but we had a lot of emergency fire drills and runs to Home Depot,” Pilla said.

Even the mundane, unnoticed aspects of the floor required creative design. Pilla mentioned that there were concerns early in the project about the floor’s ability to support the weight of the dancers. “We had to consider two scenarios. First, we thought about a really heavy person standing on a module. In the other case, we thought about someone with stilet-tos who focuses force on a much smaller

area,” Pilla said. “As a sort of worst-case scenario, we considered a really heavy guy wearing those stilettos. Would the floor collapse at that point? So we talked about this test in which the heaviest member of the group put on stilettos and jumped up and down. We never actually got to that point once we realized the strength of the polycarbonate that forms the surface. If it were a little thicker, it would be bullet resistant.”

Despite frequent tests, setbacks and headaches, IEEE persevered and com-pleted a product with both form and function. “As a dance floor, this thing has nearly limitless potential,” Pilla said. “For one thing, consider all the colors the floor can produce. Your standard computer has something like 16 million colors because it uses red, green and blue. We added white, which gives us all those pastel colors and dramatically increases the amount of colors the floor can produce.”

How many, exactly? “Billions.” The previous floor was the same size,

8 feet by 16 feet, but the new generation is far more portable. “The design centers around the use of 32 modules, which are each 2-by-2 feet. The modules weigh about 25 pounds each, so it’s much easier to transport than a solid 800-pound floor.

Plus, the modules can be arranged how-ever you like. We’re no longer limited by the rectangular dance floor.”

The floor has great market potential as well. “We took the business plan through the Hatchery, which is a program through the business school to evalu-ate entrepreneurial ideas. With all the market research, competitive analysis and financial forecasting, we found out that this was a practical idea. A floor like this could sell for $25,000-30,000,” Pilla said.

IEEE’s current plans for the floor, though, will keep it available for future Wash. U. parties.

“We plan on fundraising with it. We can rent it out to local clubs and easily make a good deal of money in one night. Plus, it will be ready for future Vertigos,” Pilla said.

When asked to summarize the expe-rience in a single word, Pilla looked pensive. Most of the core team members were running on little sleep. Yet, a project that had excited and motivated them for more than a year was ending. After some consideration, Pilla replied, “We had so much fun, despite the ups and downs. It was a rollercoaster.”

DAVIS SARGEANT

SENIOR SCENE EDITOR


scene

Write to Davis Sargeant at

[email protected]

St. Louis has been the home city to a number of literature’s greatest talents, including Maya Angelou, Tennessee Williams and Nelly (lyricists totally count). But even with such famed writers from the area, most students don’t know about the literary scene of St. Louis.

If you are like many Washington University students, it’s likely that the last bookseller you visited was a large company like Borders or Barnes & Noble or a website like Amazon. In our Wash. U. bubble, not very many know of the delightful independent bookstores that operate throughout St. Louis.

Avid readers or students interested in exploring St. Louis should definitely visit one of the city’s independent bookstores before they finish their time here.

Luckily, now it is easier than ever to stay informed of the independent book-store scene: On Feb. 16, 11 locally-owned independent bookstores formed the “St. Louis Independent Bookstore Alliance.”

This coalition includes Left Bank Books in the Central West End, Subterranean Books on the Delmar Loop, Pudd’nHead Booksellers in Webster Groves and Main Street Books in St. Charles.

According to the Alliance’s website, stlindiebook.com, the stores allied to fos-ter “the literary needs of St. Louisans.” Among other aims, they hope to support the creative and literary efforts of the St. Louis community and offer books that “fill their souls.”

So what, exactly, is the difference between an independent bookstore and a commercial bookstore like Barnes & Noble? I asked Jarek Steele, co-owner of Left Bank Books and president of the St. Louis Independent Bookstore Alliance, for his opinion.

“Everything!” was his enthusiastic response.

“For one thing, the person doing the buying has had years of experience and has a good idea of what works for the customers of his store,” Steele said. “A big-box store has to serve many differ-ent locations across the country, and

its buyer has to make essentially wild guesses as to what will work for every single store. At an independent store, it’s tailored by us to our customer’s tastes and interests.”

The Washington University students who frequent St. Louis’ independent bookstores have noticed this individual-ized attention.

“I’ve found that [the employees] are so eager to help you,” junior Lizzy Fleagle said. “They’re passionate about literature and want you to enjoy your time there. I like that you can go into the store and mention a book you like, and then bam! Like wildfire, they’ve given you five awe-some recommendations.”

The St. Louis Independent Bookstore Alliance also helps spread the word about each store’s unique qualities and the benefits of the local bookstore mar-ket as whole.

“The better we do as an alliance,” Steele said, “the better we do as indi-vidual stores.” This alliance will help to keep the rich literary scene of St. Louis alive, as “sales reps and authors visit a

store based on the health of the city’s bookstore market.”

In addition, buying at one of the local bookstores helps the St. Louis economy.

“The money you spend in these book-stores stays in St. Louis,” Steele said. “If you buy a book from Amazon, you’re essentially putting $20 in an envelope and sending it away into the world. If you buy books here, [the money] stays here. We pay taxes locally and support other local businesses.”

Steele and the other bookstore owners are confident that this alliance will help them connect with a larger audience in St. Louis and get the word out about all that these bookstores have to offer. “It’s like I always say,” Steele said. “One independent voice may be quiet and ineffective, but if you band together and sing, your message will be heard.”


St. Louis independent bookstores form alliance

KARINA STRIDH

SCENE REPORTER

Write to Karina Stridh at

[email protected]

Members of Washington University’s chapter of the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) work to assemble the the Vertigo dance floor on Saturday

afternoon in Lopata Gallery. The new light-up dance floor, designed and built by IEEE, is the culmination of more than a year of hard work.


Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis

FOR RELEASE APRIL 4, 2011

ACROSS1 Cotton swabs

originally calledBaby Gays

6 Actor Guinness10 More than

stumbled14 Basic belief15 Capital

surroundingVatican City

16 Falco of “TheSopranos”

17 Shabby18 $3 million, 30-

sec. Super Bowlfeature

19 Poet __ St.Vincent Millay

20 Feeling ofuneasiness

23 Jungle swinger25 Fla. hours26 Cummerbund

fold27 Hand-held two-

waycommunicationsdevice

32 Cheering noisily33 Mashed luau

staple34 “M*A*S*H” staff37 Reprimander’s

“reading”40 Leave for a bit43 Mind reader’s

skill, briefly44 “How beautiful!”46 Oil refinery input47 Up-tempo jazz

piano style51 Ami’s good-bye54 Tiny bit55 His-and-__

towels56 Herbal nosegays61 Isaac’s eldest62 Knucklehead63 Close, as a parka66 Hollywood

success67 Hollywood

favorite68 College town

near Bangor69 Nanny’s charge70 Bills with

Hamilton onthem

71 Rehab step

DOWN1 Super Bowl div.

2 Green or blackbrew

3 Fully informed4 Sampras of

tennis5 Eyelid problem6 Manet or Monet7 Affectionate bop8 Key with four

sharps: Abbr.9 Give up formally

10 Weak11 Murphy of “48

HRS.”12 Top of a form,

perhaps13 “It’s the __ I can

do”21 Honey maker22 Prefix with center

or cycle23 Informed (of)24 Capital on the

Seine28 See 31-Down29 Lyricist

Gershwin30 __ Angeles31 With 28-Down,

layered chocolatebar

34 Glitch in need ofsmoothing out

35 Film withnakedness

36 Cattle drive critter

38 Pigeon’s sound39 Dress (up)41 Green prefix42 Athlete who isn’t

green?45 Stumble across,

as an idea47 Have no doubt48 “Yes, mon ami”49 Props for Monet

and Manet

50 Part of wpm:Abbr.

51 “This is only __”52 Like the trail on a

cattle drive53 Singer Chris57 Change text58 Pie à la __59 Former Lacoste

partner60 Dublin’s isle64 Half of dos65 Chicken __

Friday’s Puzzle Solved

By John Lampkin 4/4/11

(c)2011 Tribune Media Services, Inc. 4/4/11

Complete the grid soeach row, column and3-by-3 box (in boldborders) containsevery digit, 1 to 9. Forstrategies on how tosolve Sudoku, visitwww.sudoku.org.uk

SOLUTION TOFRIDAY’S PUZZLE

Level: 1 2

3 4

© 2011 The Mepham Group. Distributed byTribune Media Services. All rights reserved.

4/4/11

HOW TO PLAY Spell the phrase in the grid above it, writing each unique letter only once. The correct solution will spell the complete phrase along a single continuous spelling path that moves horizontally vertically and diagonally. Fill the grid from square to square - revisiting letters as needed to complete the spelling path in order. Each letter will appear only once in the grid.

4/1 SOLUTION

topic: Cocktails

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cadenza

With the movies that have been com-ing out lately, it’s been pretty hard to find a decent thing to view on the big screen. Luckily, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is here for you. The cable channel is cur-rently sponsoring a tour to bring classic movies around the country. Tonight, they are bringing not only Alfred Hitchcock’s

classic “The Birds” to the Hi-Pointe Theatre, but also a special treat—Tippi Hedren, star of the film, will attend the screening. If you haven’t seen the movie, but want to feel intense fear every time you look at a bird, be sure to show up for this great opportunity. Tickets are free. Just visit www.tcm.com/roadtohollywood/index.html to secure a ticket, and then show up early because seats are limited.

TCM Road to Hollywood:‘The Birds’

When: Monday, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Hi-Pointe Theatre

Price: Free

ANDIE HUTNER

SENIOR CADENZA EDITOR

Write to Andie Hutner at

[email protected]

GEORGIE MORVIS

TV/MOVIE EDITOR

Write to Georgie Morvis at

[email protected]

The hidden gems of Ark Music Factory

NOW

TH I S

see

The label behind Rebecca Black and other young pop star hopefuls

We have Los Angeles-based Ark Music Factory to thank for the fact that Rebecca Black now has a manager and is in the studio working on her second single. Do any other Ark Music Factory phenomena deserve the type of fame that Black is experiencing? We took to YouTube to see if any of them do, and the answer is yes.

“Ordinary Pop Star”CJ FamHer voice is the lovechild of Miley

Cyrus and Alvin the chipmunk. To pic-ture her, just imagine a baby drag queen competing on “Toddlers & Tiaras.” This is CJ Fam, who, according to what will hopefully be her hit single, just wants to be an ordinary pop star. And I hope she becomes an extraordinary pop star, because she has the most expressive voice of the Ark Music Factory “artists.”

No Auto-Tune can be found on this song, although it would probably help. She has the stage presence and utter diva-hood that Rebecca Black is missing, so it’s only a matter of time before CJ Fam takes over the world.

“My Jeans”Jenna RoseOkay, so Jenna Rose isn’t a product of Ark

Music Factory...yet. But seeing as the video is already at 3 million views on YouTube, it’s only a matter of time before “My Jeans” blows up

to become bigger than “Friday.” In the video, 12-year-old Jenna Rose accuses celebrities like Ashley Tisdale and Keke Palmer of wearing her jeans. Please note that she never wears jeans in the actual music video. Musically, the song is an Auto-Tuned disaster, but the lyrics are pure gold. Highlights include, “It feels like Heelys are racing down my spine” and “Ha ha ha ha / Jack my swag.” Up-and-coming emcee Baby Triggy guests on the track, spit-ting out wicked lines like “Trig bought a new Blackberry / Just take the picture already.” Who cares if she can actually sing? If “Friday” is supposed to be so bad it’s good, “My Jeans” takes the cake.

“Can’t Get You Out of My Mind”Kaya RosenthalThis video is catchier than “Friday” and has

two dance numbers to boot. However, it does absolutely nothing to put to rest the conspiracy theory that Ark Music Factory is just an outfit to make producer Patrice Wilson a famous rapper. Despite some questionable production decisions (manipulating Kaya’s voice to sound deeper than James Earl Jones’ or a dance-off with a boy who clearly cannot dance), this song deserves radio play. Kaya is a young version of Cascada. With the right training, she could become the next Britney Spears.

After Rebecca Black’s video “Friday” went viral on YouTube, similar music videos pro-

duced by record label Ark Music Factory gained increasing popularity online. The record

label will produce a video for as little as $2,000.

PAUL RODRIGUEZ | THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER | MCT

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