Oct. 3 - Oct. 17, 2018

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THE JOURNAL Sports

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Fitness Center unable to accomodate athlete numbers

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Volume 72 Issue 3

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Oct. 3 - Oct. 17, 2018

#WhyIDidn'tReport

ONe Year Later

Stockley protesters file federal lawsuits against St. Louis

By Christine Tannous Managing Editor

Police arrested Aideen O’Brien during a protest following the Jason Stockley verdict last year.

O’Brien, a Webster student, said she still deals with trauma from the protests.

“I have developed PTSD,” O’Brien said. “Like flinching at loud noises and looking behind me when I’m walking.”

O’Brien, along with other protestors, took to the streets following the acquittal of St. Louis police officer Jason Stockley on Sept.

15, 2017. Stockley was accused of shooting and killing unarmed black man Anthony Lamar Smith

in 2011. O’Brien said she was present during at least 10 protests.

As reported in The Journal last year, O’Brien was arrested and charged with rioting and two counts of resisting or interfering with arrest during a protest at the St. Louis Galleria. Her case is still ongoing a year later. O’Brien said she believes she was doing nothing illegal when she was arrested.

“They are dragging it out as far as they can even though they know that they really messed up,” O’Brien said. “They are not willing to admit fault.”

While O’Brien fights a legal battle of her own, other protesters present after the Stockley verdict are now in court. On Sept. 17, 2018, 12 federal lawsuits were filed against the city of St. Louis on behalf of the people involved in the Stockley protests. Six more suits were filed on Oct. 2, 2018. Filed by civil rights law firms ArchCity Defenders and Khazaeli Wyrsch, the suits alleges police pep-

per sprayed and arrested protesters unwarranted. The suits claim law enforcement violated protesters’ First, Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights during the Stockley protests.

Sept. 17 lawsuits Twelve lawsuits representing 14 people were filed Sept. 17, 2018 on behalf of activists present at a protest outside City Hall exactly one year before. Plaintiffs include independent filmmakers and members of the military.

“They are a small slice of the 123 people that were illegally pepper sprayed, beat and arrested that night,” ArchCity Defenders said in a press release on Sept. 17.

Alison Dreith, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri, is one of 14 protestors represented in the lawsuits. According to the suit, Dreith was let into City Hall to use the public restroom during the protest. When finished, she exited City Hall and rejoined the protest, where she was pepper See Lawsuits

websterjournal.com

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Webster students react to Kavanaugh hearing

By Glenn Fuselier Staff Writer

Groups of Webster University students across campus Thursday watched the Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court Judicial nominee hearings. Dr. Christine Blasey Ford accused Kavanaugh of sexual improprieties when they were in high school together. These allegations are coming out in the midst of the #MeToo and #WhyIDidntReport movement.

Sophomore Juliana Ness studies political science at Webster and watched the Kavanaugh hearing with other students in Sverdrup on Oct. 27. Ness said Kavanaugh did not seem logical and blamed people for his situation.

“Kavanaugh’s deposition was hostile and appeared desperate to obtain his seat,” Ness said. “His testimony showed he would not be an impartial judge if he was confirmed. Kavanaugh was too defensive and outrageous.”

When Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was reviewed for his seat in the highest court 27 years ago, Anita Hill accused Thomas of sexual harassment.

Thomas got appointed to the Supreme Court, where he still serves.

Supreme Court Justices are in office for life. The only way they can lose their seat is to retire or be impeached. The Supreme Court is the highest court and is the judiciary in all cases involving congressional laws and the U.S. Constitution.

Ness said Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony seemed sincere.

“I felt she was being honest,” Ness said. “Ford’s mannerisms are similar to someone who has been through assault. I believe her.”

Kavanaugh came off the wrong way according to Ness. She said he seemed very one-sided.

“Kavanaugh appeared to be biased and sexist,” Ness said. “He is not fit for the Supreme Court. His testimony showed he would not be an impartial judge if he was confirmed.”

As a young voter, Ness is worried about the current turbulence in the government.

“This entire situation frightens me,” Ness said. “It’s like saying if you just blame the other party you will get your way. There is no real debate, just arguing.”

John Wallis is a Webster sophomore. Wallis manages the Webster University College Democrats club and is the vice president of Webster’s forensic team. He watched the hearings through CBS online in his dorm. He said the Hill hearings were just as disastrous.

“This is an opportunity for the GOP to right the wrongs of the Thomas confirmation, but they are making all the wrong moves again.” Wallis said.

Julie Setele, Webster University Assistant Professor of Anthropol-

we are seeing “ Iathink cultural tidal wave of people saying, ‘No more, this is not okay.'

Julie Setele

”

Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Sociology

ogy and Sociology, believes women are more empowered today and do not have to remain silent over their sexual abuse.

“I think we are seeing a cultural tidal wave of people saying, ‘No more, this is not okay,’” Setele said. “It wasn’t okay 20 years ago.

It wasn’t okay 50 years ago either, but we now have enough women in power and women speaking out.

Wallis said the #MeToo and the #WhyIDidntReport movement has opened his eyes.

“This is the disgusting treatment women face everyday in America,” Wallis said. “I wished the [#MeToo Movement] had happened sooner. I wish our government wasn’t so quick to hush these voices because they are really making a change in our nation.”

Ness said she believed Kavanaugh should not be confirmed for reasons beyond the sexual misconSee Kavanaugh

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CHRISTINE TANNOUS / The Journal

Former student raises awareness for child abuse in Pakistan NOOR RASHID

By Kayla Shepperd Staff Writer

The Kasur case scandal left more than three hundred children victimized by pornography in Pakistan.

With no action being taken on the issue, Noor Rashid Chaudary became inspired. She ended her time at Webster for the fall semester to start an organization called Quwat e Uraan to raise awareness on the child sexual abuse problem in Pakistan.

“I could not see innocent children falling into hands of sexual predators just because of lack of awareness,” Chaudary said. “I started this organization with the mission to eradicate child abuse from Pakistan. It might take years to achieve this goal, but I always tell my team that even if we save one child, all the hard work would be worth it.”

The Kasur case is a series of the child sexual abuses that happened

two years ago in Hussain Khanwala in Kasur District, Punjab, Pakistan.

Chaudary said after the case was publicized in 2015, she started to do research on child sexual abuse in Pakistan. A year later, she had organized a team and started the project. Her group of 5 has grown into a group of 30 in just two years.

The name Quwat means power and Uraan means flight. Quwat e Uraan is the power to fly.

“The philosophy behind it was that we want to empower the children and give them a chance to chase their dreams and reach horizons,” Chaudary said.

In Pakistani law, a pedophile is entitled to imprisonment from less than a year up to seven years. She said some children will not get justice because of the politics that are involved, but she believes small actions can contribute towards bringing a huge change.

“Sometimes parents are hesitant to file cases as they do not want to put their child into further trauma. So we trying to find the best way to fight for justice for children who are abused,” Chaudary said.

Quwat e Uraan has three long terms goals. One is to have a child abuse preventive methods in the

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO / The Journal Noor Rashid speaks to a room of women about her nonprofit, Quwat e Uraan. Rashid was a former SGA member.

syllabus at elementary and middle school. The second is to establish a 24/7 helpline for victims to call anytime, they can send them help immediately and the psychologist will be available anytime. The last goal, Chaudary said, she wants to start an

orphanage/shelter home for children who do not have parents or guardians and who are more prone to child abuse.

She said she enjoys serving the community, seeing the smiles on the children’s faces that she talks to and

being able to spend time with them.

“I have seen many people around me becoming comfortable in talking about child sexual abuse. I have seen it becoming less tabooed,” Chaudary said. “I expect through this project we See Rashid

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NEWS BRIEFS

ThriVe campus event cancelled Webster University Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Sociology Julie Smith discovered the organization ThriVe St. Louis planned to come to Webster’s campus on Sept. 25--two days before the scheduled event. The group’s appearance on campus was cancelled the next day. Smith said based on students’ reaction on Facebook to the news, she anticipated students would have organized a rally or protest had the organization arrived.

“It was good to see the student response [to the news] in the feminist collective page, and then to hear that folks were ready to protest if they had to,” Smith said. “It was definitely a relief to find out it had been cancelled.”

According to ThriVe St. Louis’ website, the group provides free or low-cost healthcare services to women. The group is not a medical care provider, but the organization’s website says it can administer pregnancy and STD testing, as well as provide information regarding abortion and parenting services.

ThriVe St. Louis travels in their ‘mobile medical fleets’ to visit places like Webster.

Smith said the organization came to campus last year, though she did not know that until recently.

Smith said she communicated with faculty in the Women and Gender Studies program to discuss how to handle the group’s arrival.

Smith said she thought having ThriVe St. Louis on campus was a bad idea because she believed the group spread an anti-abortion, medically inaccurate message to their clients.

Smith feared ThriVe St. Louis’ appearance would influence students to spread the group’s message. “ I think students would have been encouraged to seek them out for services in the future and to recommend them to their friends,” Smith said.

“So even beyond the individuals they might have spoken with directly here on campus that day, they would have had sort of a ripple effect.”

Smith said she never saw fliers for ThriVe’s appearance, and she did not know if many faculty members knew until the week of the event.

ThriVe St. Louis could not be reached for comment.

Reporting by Hanna Holthaus

Policies to affect student research Webster’s acceptance of a federal grant in 2016 now affects faculty and students’ research in the 2018-2019 school year. The grant obligated Webster to use more ethical practices for conducting research.

The Institutional Review Board implemented a required online training course in response to the grant. Students and faculty had to complete the course before submitting an application for Institutional Review Board approval of their research.

As of September 26, the course originally established no longer exists.

Eric Goedereis, co-chair of the Institutional Review Board, said the group noticed the training provided externally through the National Institutes of Health would become unavailable. They are now partnering with the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative program, but Goedereis said the switch will cause a delay of up to 10 days before the

new program is available.

“We’re trying to be flexible as a board,” Goedereis said.

“We recognize [the delay] is kind of a challenging thing, but we’re trying to encourage people to be proactive about it.”

In addition to the program switch, changes were also made to the Common Rules.

The Common Rules are rules of ethics in the United States for research involving human subjects.

Goedereis said the most significant change is the establishment of research categories marked as exempt. This change identifies certain research activities such as surveys or interviews of human subjects as ‘low-risk.’

The research marked ‘exempt’ has a reduction of its regulatory burden, allowing the Institutional Review Board to focus their attention on higher-risk research.

Reporting by Kristen Farrah

Ron Stallworth to speak at Webster Ron Stallworth, an AfricanAmerican police officer, posed as a member of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1970s throughout his investigation of the group. On Oct. 17, he will speak in Grant Gymnasium at Webster University.

Stallwork successfully convinced members of the KKK he was a white man by speaking to them directly over the phone and sending a white officer in his place to meetings. His findings resulted in the removing of Klan

members from high-ranking military positions.

He has since retired from the police force, and his life is now the focus of the new movie “BlacKkKlansman.”

Students can get two free tickets to the event on cashnet. com with the ability to purchase more at $10 each. Alumni and faculty can buy tickets for $20 each on the same site.

Reporting by Hanna Holthaus

SGA confirms two new student organizations

Webster University’s Student Government Association (SGA) approved two new student organizations on Sept.

18: the Vietnamese Student Association and the Association for African Students.

The Vietnamese Student Association mission statement says the group aims to appreciate and promote Vietnamese culture on campus, as well as to aid the Vietnamese and Asian population at Webster. SGA approved a budget of $470 on Oct. 2, and the group plans to meet at least once a month.

The constitution of the Association for African Students states the group intends to welcome any student interested in learning about Africa and the country’s values. SGA approved a $1,035 budget, and the group plans to meet twice a month.

Students can discover more about the groups, as well as how to join at involved.webster.edu.

Reporting by Hanna Holthaus

Correction A Lifestyle story in The Journal’s previous issue cited Alison Dreith as a Webster alum. Dreith graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

CRIME LOG

September 18

Public safety recorded a complaint from a staff member who reported receiving multiple harassing phone calls from the same individual.

September 22 An individual left the scene of a motor vehicle accident in the Garden Park Plaza parking garage.

September 25 A student reported feeling disturbed while on campus by the actions of another individual.

News

Oct. 3 - Oct. 17, 2018

False threats force Webster Groves school district lockdown

By Kayla Shepperd Staff Writer

Impacts of School Shootings over the past 18 years 400

400

Webster Groves Police received an anonymous call Friday morning, Sept. 21, saying a student had been shot in the bathroom at an elementary school. A lockdown was then initiated in the schools where the incident could have happened.

Givens Elementary School, Steger Sixth Grade Center, Hixson Middle School and Webster Groves High School were on a lockdown that lasted less than an hour.

Cathy Vespereny, Chief Communications Officer for the Webster School District, FIRST LASTNAME / The Journal said the superintendent got a Cutlines are Minion Pro Regular alligned. call from the Webster Groves “I think kids are in a lot Police Department. They made not have a victim or specific a decision to lock down schools location after they traced the of pressure these days, to perphone call. They discovered it form, to have a social life, to be to ensure everyone’s safety.

Vespereny said admin- was a prank call from a juve- someone they necessarily don’t istrators checked every bath- nile, and they classified it as want to be or what they feel like they should be,” Shawver room in the middle school, unfounded.

Briana Shawver, an adjunct said. sixth-grade center, high school Shawver said that some and elementary schools, and sociology professor at Webster they did not find anything University, said numerous rea- kids cannot handle the pressons could explain why this sure coming from their peers, wrong.

Lieutenant Andy Miller, a type of incident happened. She teachers and parents. She said public information officer at said the incident could have to to prevent lockdowns and the Webster Groves Police De- do with the pressure children potential threats in schools, schools should teach kids how partment, said the officers did and teens face.

350

300

250

200

150

138

130

100

50

0

Shootings at school

People wounded

People that were killed

Sources for data from IndyStar, USA Today

to cope with intimidation.

Shawver said instead, society just keeps pushing them and is not letting them show their emotions.

“I think schools need to invest more time into taking care of students outside their education,” Shawver said.

Vespereny said a prank call is challenging for school districts to deal with because there is not many ways to tackle it. She said the schools are being cautious, and they reacted to make sure everyone was safe. She said there is a crisis plan for every school in place when the superintendent makes a decision that can happen quickly on whether to take the precautionary measure of having a lockdown.

Vespereny said she is not certain what will happen next, but the teachers and students are trained to know what to do.

“One of our elementary [schools] is having an intruder drill,” Vespereny said. “So even the little kindergartners are learning how to do what they’re told when a threat is called in.”

Contact the writer: websterjournal@gmail.com

#SverNOW: Alumni gather in renovated Sverdrup

By John Hund

Contributing Writer

The newly renovated Sverdrup Hall was open for alumni to explore as the first in a series of events during Webster’s Reunion Weekend. Webster provided food and refreshments for faculty, students and alumni as they toured the renovated home of the university’s School of Communications.

Current students, who have been studying in the building during the construction, said they appreciate the new look.

Senior Ellen Warning said she was glad the building no longer looked so dated.

“It matches the [Interdisciplinary Science Building],”

Warning said. “It looks much nicer, very clean.”

Dean of Communications Eric Rothenbuhler said he helped spearhead the Sverdrup renovation and was very eager to share the accomplishment with Webster graduates.

“This is was my first big project,” Rothenbuhler said. “It’s exciting. This remodeling reflects what [Sverdrup] is and what it aspires to be.”

The renovations for the Sverdrup building have nearly come to a close after six years of planning and a year of gutting the interior. Rothenbuhler said the renovation gives media students a contemporary look into the future of Webster facilities, placing it on par with the new Interdisciplinary Science Building.

“It is a gut rehab,” Rothen-

buhler said. “Nothing but infrastructure and exterior are left in the part we have remodeled.”

The building opened for the first time in February 1988. Now, workers have removed many of the old classrooms in the middle third of the building to foster a better environment for learning.

The dean was not the only one ready to showcase the fresh remodel. University President Elizabeth Stroble was present at the reception keen to see the graduates reactions.

“This new open layout reflects the interconnectedness of communications fields in today’s world,” Stroble said. “The biggest accomplishment is providing students with the same level of facilities and equipment that will be found in their fields.”

Rothenbuhler and Stroble

both emphasized how the open design is supposed to reflect the collaborative nature of the field of communications. They said multi-purpose media rooms and efforts to restore the once stateof-the-art condition of the building will bring students of different fields together.

Students like Ethan Canby, a junior studying Film and Television production, still wait for the construction to be over. Canby said he uses the building regularly and hopes the work will end soon.

“I’m glad it’s finally open,” Canby said. “I wish it was finished though.”

Official completion of the revamp is slated for Oct. 16.

Contact the writer: websterjournal@gmail.com

Kavanaugh FROM PAGE 1

duct allegations.

“Kavanaugh’s decision in the Tarlow vs. District of Columbia case is disturbing,” Ness said. “The end decision on the case sits even worse with me. I recommend people looking into his rulings.”

Kavanaugh, Ness said, could affect the most vulnerable members of society if confirmed.

In Setele’s view, Webster students tend to be very aware of structural problems facing their generation in terms of economic crisis and climate change.

“They see the big picture, problems of inequity and injustice,” Setele said. “Many of them, I think, are rightfully mad about prior generations putting them in this situation.”

The proceedings show just how corrupt the Republican party can be, Wallis said. Not one female Republican senator sat on the judiciary committee.

“The GOP has not shown the proper level of respect for these brave women,” Wallis said. “Kavanaugh is not only disqualified by the allegations but by his remarks during the hearing. He has proven he is unfit for the United States Supreme Court. He is dangerously partisan for our judicial system.”

The Supreme Court will continue with eight Justices until another one is voted in.

An FBI investigation is ongoing.

Wallis said this nomination will not affect the #MeToo movement.

“This movement continues to bring down the most powerful in our country,” Wallis said. “I firmly believe that truth and justice will win out in the end.”

Contact the writer: websterjournal@gmail.com

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News

Oct. 3 - Oct. 17, 2018

Page 3

Webster University’s biggest fan dies at 102

By Monica Obradovic Contributing Writer

Soon before Doris Federhofer’s passing, the Webster class of ‘38 alumna still talked about her love of Webster.

Federhofer arrived at Webster on a scholarship. Since her graduation in ‘38, the alumna sought to give others the same opportunity for education that she had.

Federhofer grew up in Peoria, Ill. where her and her family lived in a farmhouse. Although the family cherished education, they did not have the finances for Federhofer to pursue a college degree, said Federhofer’s eldest son Bill Federhofer.

Webster, at the time an allgirl Catholic school, endowed Doris Federhofer with the Sisters of Loretto Scholarship due to her academic merit.

Doris Federhofer’s family said the scholarship lit a fire in the heart of the alumna.

She and her now-late husband Earl Federhofer advocated for education and later funded the Sisters of Loretto Scholarship themselves.

Doris Federhofer remained active at Webster up until the last year of her life. Through the years, the alumna would help raise money for the university by participating in phone drives. According to Webster’s former Director of Gift Planning Ken Nickless, she attended every scholarship dinner to meet the students her Sisters of Loretto Scholarship benefitted.

Nickless said Doris Federhofer supported Webster’s decision in 1967 to become a mixed gender school.

“She told me many times in a meeting early on in that process what her husband re-

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO / The Journal

Doris Federhofer would have celebrated her eightieth college reunion last weekend.

marked to her, ‘If you don’t progress, you regress,’” Nickless said. “That became her mantra, always moving forward and progressing because otherwise you either stand still or go backwards.”

Nickless said Doris Federhofer strived to help others progress their lives by spreading the word about Webster. He characterized Doris Federhofer as the alumni association’s most passionate cheerleader. If the alumna sat next to someone on

a bus, he said she would encourage them to get their degree.

“Everyone she talked to, even young people on the street, she said, ‘You should think about going to Webster University,’” Nickless said. “She would tell strangers about the scholarship she received.”

Bill Federhofer said he admired his mother’s generosity, not only with her contributions to Webster but in many aspects of her life.

“She was a real hard work-

er,” Bill Federhofer said. “She took care of everything. She was the go-to person for all that went. She did volunteering. She was a wonderful person.”

Doris and Earl Federhofer devoted their lives to service after Earl Federhofer retired and sold his truck leasing company in 1968.

For thirty years, the couple volunteered at the International Executive Service Corps (IESC). Through the IESC, the Federhofers aided third world

countries in Central and South America, Africa and the Middle East.

Doris Federhofer extended her care close to home as well.

According to her third son Jack Federhofer, Doris Federhofer visited and read to one woman in a nursing home for twenty years.

“She loved people and did everything she could to learn from them, as well as interact with them,” Jack Federhofer said.

Doris Federhofer planned on attending her eightieth college reunion on September 29th, despite her declining health. She would have been the first Webster alum to reach that milestone.

The alumni association honored Doris Federhofer at Saturday’s Golden Circle Luncheon, an event for alumni who graduated fifty or more years ago.

Julie Reese, a Webster graduate from the class of 1968, spoke at the luncheon to recognize Doris Federhofer.

“Doris’s bright smile will be missed, but her legacy will always remain,” Reese said.

Nickless saw Doris Federhofer’s noticeable decline in her last few months when he visited her in March.

“You could tell she was really tired and worn out,” Nickless said. “I didn’t stay long.

She fell asleep, but she was still talking about Webster. It was her big thing throughout her life. Other than family, I don’t think she was ever as proud of anything as she was to have attended Webster.”

Doris Federhofer left behind four sons, seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

For Jack Federhofer, his mother’s mark will continue to live on.

“Her legacy lives on in her family and the sons and grandchildren she had,” Jack Federhofer said.

Doris Federhofer’s home church, St. Martin of Tours, will hold a memorial mass for Doris Federhofer in October.

Contact the writer: websterjournal@gmail.com

Venezuelan immigrants seek better opportunities

By Claudio Cobos Staff Writer

CHRISTINE TANNOUS / The Journal Protestors gathered outside the Metropolitan Police Department days after Jason Stockley’s acquittal.

Lawsuits FROM PAGE 1

sprayed in the face by an unidentified police officer.

Dreith said city officials she knew helped her out of the street. She said they helped her change clothes and waited with her for her husband to come pick her up.

“My skin was burning,” Dreith said. “I couldn’t see. I was in severe pain.”

O’Brien said she witnessed protesters being pepper sprayed during a protest she attended downtown. She said she used her sign to shield herself from the spray. “[The police] are operating under orders to disperse,” O’Brien said. “With that mentality, they can see anyone that could be close to the action as a threat because they’re trained to respond to people at a protest as a threat.”

Javad Khazaeli of Khazaeli Wyrsch said Dreith’s testimony violates a 2014 federal consent decree. The decree states anyone being pepper sprayed must first be warned and given a chance to leave.

Dreith’s testimony, Khazaeli said, is consistent with the other plaintiffs in the suits. Khazaeli said she was given no warning and was not breaking any laws when she was pepper sprayed.

“It seems like the police were using pepper spray as punishment,” Khazaeli said.

Oct. 2nd lawsuits Plaintiffs listed in suits filed on Oct. 2, 2018, include a disabled woman and a reverend.

Six lawsuits allege police violated protestor’s rights on Sept.

29, 2017.

Khazaeli said activists were peacefully protesting near Busch Stadium for several hours before a police officer forcefully grabbed a female member of the clergy. When a male clergy member complained, he was slammed to the ground and arrested. Another protester was tasered as more activists began to protest law enforcement’s treatment of fellow protestors.

Khazaeli said as people became more upset, police officer William Olsten began to pepper spray protesters, including a woman in a wheelchair. Chief John Hayden, at the time a supervisor, looked on.

“There was no danger to [Olsten], no danger to his property,” Khazaeli said. “He just got sick of people complaining about him, so he decided to take matters into his own hands.”

Julie Setele, Webster University Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Sociology, legally observed a protest after the Stockley verdict was announced. She said she saw the attitude of law enforcement towards protestors change over the course of the evening.

“At first when I was at a larger gathering, the police were keeping their distance,” Setele said. “Once the official protest ended and the organizers said, ‘We’re done here,’ that’s when the policing tactics changed.

The police became much more aggressive.”

Khazaeli said one of his biggest concerns with this series of lawsuits is the targeted spray of a disabled woman. He said the pepper spray seeped into the felt of her wheelchair.

“One year later, I can still smell the pepper spray that has been fused into this poor women’s wheelchair,” Khazaeli said.

Future impact

Dreith said she has received five death threats this year because of her work. However, because of her experience at the protest, she does not feel comfortable contacting the police for protection.

“I got a threatening letter sent to my home after I had gone to D.C. to protest Kavanaugh,” Dreith said. “I was too afraid to call the police. I had to have someone else do it for me.”

Dreith said she still does not feel able to publicly protest in St. Louis by herself. When she attends protests, she goes with her husband.

Khazaeli said the city is not willing to take allegations of protesters who said their rights were infringed upon seriously.

He said they are asking for monetary damages in the suits in hopes of holding those responsible accountable for their actions.

City Councilor Julien Bush said on Tuesday the city is planning on defending the lawsuit.

O’Brien said as an activist present at the protests, she hopes the lawsuits hold the city accountable. She said she wants law enforcement to be required to wear a body camera at all times and that deescalation should be police officers’ first reaction in a conflict.

O’Brien said she would only attend another protest if she had a support system with her.

“I do not want to get grabbed again,” O’Brien said. “I have been to protests after my arrest, and they have been fine.

I have not regretted going, I am just a lot more cautious.”

Contact the writer: websterjournal@gmail.com

Since 2014, almost 280,000 Venezuelans have applied for asylum in different countries, including 117,000 Venezuelans so far this year, according to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR).

According to news agency Reuters, the mass immigration crisis has reached a point where neighboring countries are pleading for aid to the rest of the world to cope with Venezuelan migrants. On August 29, 2018, a meeting of the Andean Community-- Colombia, Peru and Ecuador--tried to tackle the migration issues of Venezuela.

Reuters indicated reports of temporary refugee camps on the borders of Ecuador, Colombia and Brazil. Reuters reported instances of people attacking such camps, prompting cities officials relocating those refugee camps.

One of the incidents happened on August 18, 2018, the residents in the community of Pacariama, Brazil rioted and drove out the Venezuelan immigrants after a local restaurant owner was stabbed and beaten according to the residents and government officials.

The United Nations is currently dealing with the migration crisis as refugees call for more help from host countries. Venezuelans like Sabrina Isabel Reveron who made it to the U.S. have families still living there and cannot bring them to the U.S. Venezuela is in the list of countries who banned their citizens from entering the United States country by the Trump administration.

Reveron is an alumna of Webster University and graduated in 2011 with a degree in international relations with a minor in French. She currently works in New York City for an organization trying to find housing for the LGBT people who have HIV. Reveron said her mother and stepfather are still in Venezuela, so she sends donation boxes filled with food and medicine.

“The current situation got more drastic to the point I started donating boxes of supplies to Venezuela not only for my mom but to distribute to the whole community,” Reveron said. “I was terrified. I had a lot of anxiety of what was going to happen and that uncertainty and much anger of all the injustice.”

Octavio Pino manages Marletto’s at Webster University. Like Reveron’s family, Pino said his family it is also sometimes hard to find supplies since they live in the small-town Palo Negro.

RYAN GINES / The Journal This graph shows the immigration patterns of Venezuelans.

“The medication is hard to find for my dad,” Pino said. “He has an eye issue, and he needs his medication that most of the time you can’t find it in Venezuela. I have a niece who lives in Panama.

She gets get it for him, and I wire the money so that we can purchase medicine for my family.”

According to the Pharmaceutical Federation of Venezuela, the country is suffering an 85 percent shortage of medicine leaving a 90 percent deficit of medical supplies.

Food and medicine in Venezuela became a luxury to buy in the market since prices had gone up.

“We used to pack in a box stuff that we take for granted like toothpaste, soap or deodorant,” Pino said. “Basic stuff that we bought here is become hard to find there.”

Reveron said she remembered her family’s struggle in Venezuela.

“When I left the country, there was a shortage of food and medicine, the public service collapsed, like clinics or transport, small wages because of the inflation and political persecution,” Reveron said.

Peru currently has 45 percent of all Venezuelan asylum seekers, almost 127,000 individuals, followed by United States (68,000) and Brazil (33,000). In the first six months of this year, 1,420 Venezuelans have sought asylum in Mexico, a nearly four-fold jump compared to the 361 total Venezuelan asylum applicants for all of 2016.

Daniel Hellinger, a professor of International relations at

Webster, said Venezuela has been highly polarized politically over the past 20 years. During those 20 years of the political environment of Venezuela, it became very unstable.

Political persecution in Venezuela has also become a daily occurrence in Venezuela by both administrations of Chavez and Maduro, according to Hellinger. “[Venezuela has] a government that is not very popular and has contributed to making a bad situation even worse with it economic policy,” Hellinger said. “It is facing an opposition that can get a significant number of the middleclass people into the streets, but still hasn’t mobilized the other kind of voters who are in time cosupporter of Hugo Chavez.”

According to the Penal Forum--a Venezuelan network of pro-bono criminal defense lawyers--, there are more than 340 political prisoners in Venezuelan prisons or intelligence service headquarters. Most of the people who had been persecuted are politicians from the opposition, municipal legislative, students, power executives and journalist.

“I think almost everybody, including people who used to support Chavez, recognizes that there are serious problems,” Hellinger said. “The actual positive support for Maduro and the government is very low.”

Contact the writer: websterjournal@gmail.com

Sports

Page 4

Oct. 3 - Oct. 17, 2018

‘Ridiculously small’

Fitness center unchanged despite growing athlete numbers

By Matt Woods Multimedia Editor

Scott Kilgallon started advocating for a bigger weight room for athletes when he became Webster University’s athletic director four years ago. The fitness center on campus still looks the same as when Kilgallon joined Webster.

“The weight room is ridiculously small,” Kilgallon said.

“Hopefully we’ll have an answer for that at some point.”

Student athletes advocated for new facilities during the Delegate’s Agenda in the spring of 2018. It was brought up as a top five issue in the Delegate’s Agenda in the fall of 2017. Students in 2013 requested new equipment.

The university responded to requests in 2013 by replacing equipment nine years old or older. Nine Matrix workout machines and two treadmills were the big ticket items added to the fitness center.

The dimensions stayed the same. Webster’s fitness center is a 60 feet by 31 feet room, 1,860 square feet in total.

The number of athletes attending Webster has not stayed the same over the past decade.

In 2009, 192 athletes represented Webster. In 2014, it was 281. Today, over 300 athletes make up Webster’s sports teams.

The fitness center used by Webster athletes doesn’t quite shape up to conference rival MacMurray College. Its weight room and cardio area add up to

RYAN GINES / The Journal

Webster University has seen a consistent increases in its amount of athletes on campus over the last decade.

around 4,475 square feet according to Justin Fuhler, MacMurray College’s athletic director.

Fuhler said MacMurray athletes do not complain about space in the weight room. MacMurray added all new equipment last year.

Webster is not the only school in the Saint Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with space issues for athletes. Greenville College opens its facilities to the community like Webster and has similar space to work with.

Greenville’s weight room covers 2,000 square feet. The equipment has not seen an upgrade in

seven years, longer than Webster’s last equipment boost.

Kilgallon worked as an athletic director for the University of

“

tional championship in ice hockey had to do with the university adding better facilities.

Kilgallon put it in plain Eng-

We looked at adding a different space that would be for athletes only.

Justin Fuhler

”

MacMurray College Athletic Director

Wisconsin-EAU Claire (UWEC) before coming to Webster. Kilgallon said UWEC winning a na-

lish: Better facilities equals better recruits which equals better teams.

The fitness center only makes up a small part of Webster’s facilities. The Gorloks baseball team and soccer teams play at professional stadiums, a huge selling point for coaches trying to get top players from around the country.

But for basketball and volleyball, space becomes an issue often when other events are planned in the University Center’s Grant Gymnasium.

“Let’s say I want to get extra shots up,” basketball player Marvin Saintolien said, “I can’t even do that because intramural be in here.”

Saintolien referred to nights

when he wanted to come to Webster’s gym to practice. When Webster’s gym was unavailable, Saintolien tried to go to Fontbonne or Washington University.

Saintolien said he relies on teammates to give him a ride since he doesn’t have a car. He suggested a recreational center open to general students and alumni and a different space for athletes only.

Fuhler said all students complain about space more than athletes at Macmurray.

“We looked at adding a different space that would be for athletes only,” Fuhler said.

Saintolien said the fitness center is not uncomfortable with his team but it’s also not comfortable.

The basketball team sometimes has to work out in the fitness center at the same time as other teams. Saintolien said that is when it becomes overcrowded.

Kilgallon attributed part of Webster’s problem to its landlocked campus. The university has limited space to add on campus. That’s why Kilgallon searched for off-campus options.

Kilgallon did not disclose any information on where the school searched for off campus options.

He said he will continue to keep his eye out for any options that may become available for Webster in the future.

Contact the writer: websterjournal@gmail.com

‘At one point I wanted to quit basketball’

Statistics show increase in stress for first-year athletes

MACKINNA LEIGH / The Journal Matt Amick is tied for the fewest goals allowed in the SLIAC, bolstering Webster University’s top-tier defense.

Men’s soccer leads SLIAC with historic start

By Marlow Ferguson Sports Editor

Webster University men’s soccer team approaches each game with a common mantra: respect everyone, but fear no one.

The team used that mindset of fearlessness to propel them to a 9-2 start, among their best in franchise history, and a first-place standing within the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC).

Where winning has been constant, the team recognizes two different aspects that have been crucial to the team’s success. The first being its defense, which has allowed only six points in 11 total matchups.

For perspective, Webster University and Principia College (3-2) are the only teams to have allowed fewer than 10, and the Gorloks have played six more games. Freshman goalkeeper Matt Coffey said he believes communication and depth have been key factors for success.

“Our defense has been extremely solid this year,” Coffey said. “This is because all 11 guys on the field are willing to defend as a group and communicate with one another. We have a strong defensive core and are very deep defensively, which sets us up for a lot of success.”

As cohesive as they have been on the defensive end, the team’s late-game execution has been just as telling in the win-loss column.

The team opened the season by winning 1-0 in four of the first five games, which included a

second half defensive shutout against Monmouth and the University of Minnesota Morris.

Four days later, the team would see sophomore midfielder Hunter Olaso drain a game-winning goal with 43 seconds left.

Saturday afternoon’s victory, which brought the Gorloks to 9-2, was also critical because it allowed the team to flex its muscles and add to its confidence in SLIAC games. With the 2-0 victory over MacMurray College, the Gorloks continued its streak of 10 consecutive conference victories, dating back to 2016.

Head coach Mike Siener said that the team used a game-bygame approach, but that he was impressed with the way the team had stepped up historically.

“We’ve done well in conference games in my time here, and I’d just credit our guys,” Siener said. “They really step up to the challenge. They get after it. We’ve done a good job and we’ve had some success in being other conference teams.”

The team has that streak, as well as its eight-game winning streak on the road. Junior defensemen Miles Minnaar said that the team’s fortitude on the road is based on personal motivations.

“Personally, I definitely want to win because I don’t want to drive eight hours back with a loss,” Minnaar said. “I think that’s kind of shared between a lot of the guys, and we don’t want to let our coach down either.”

Coffey, who paced the team with six saves in 90 minutes of

action during their last game, also weighed in, citing the team’s pregame saying and determination as the main reasons for that success.

“Coming into road games after making the trip, we are determined to come out of there with a win,” Coffey said. “Every game we play we have the mindset of coming out with a win, so I wouldn’t say the road games are approached more aggressively. It has just played out like that.”

The Gorloks will seek to continue its torrid pace as it reaches the home stretch of the season.

Prior to the SLIAC Tournament on Nov. 1, the team will play seven of its final eight games in league play. Five of those games will be played on the road, where they are a perfect 4-0 on the year.

The team will be clinging onto a narrow first-place lead with Greenville University (8-2) and Spalding University (7-2-1) in close proximity. The team is in the driver’s seat for a potential SLIAC championship, but AllSLIAC sophomore goalkeeper Matt Amick spoke on the team’s simple focus until that moment comes.

“We knew going into this year that we had a great group of guys from top to bottom,” Amick said. “The mentality in the locker room has just been really focused, taking it game by game.”

Contact the writer: websterjournal@gmail.com

MARLOW FERGUSON / The Journal According to the NCAA’s student-athlete survey in 2016, relaxation and sleep time is on the decline compared to 2010.

By Marlow Ferguson Sports Editor

Recent studies have offered that one in every three first-year college students suffer through some sort of mental health and stress problem, with issues such as homesickness and the increased academic workload as a key reason why.

For some first-year students, such as sophomore women’s basketball player Darieana Hunter, adding the responsibility of being a student-athlete to that equation nearly proved to be one responsibility too many.

“At one point I wanted to quit basketball because I felt that I just could not balance everything and do it,” Hunter said. “Along with the preseason it was very hard and I just didn’t feel very confident within myself.”

Hunter’s struggle represents common problem among studentathletes. In 2016, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) conducted their third student-athlete survey, which showed that among Division III athletes, 63 percent of women and 56 percent of women reported that they would prefer to spend more time at home or with family.

The survey also measured how confident students were at juggling both academic and athletic responsibilities. In Division III, three in every ten students responded without confidence in their abilities, a number that continually shrinks with Division II and Division I. Webster University men’s tennis sophomore Courtland Butler said the transition was initially easy, but once the season started,

the process took time to adjust to.

“It got harder to manage time when the season came,” Butler said. “But I was able to do it by making sure I knew my priorities and I had to actually start planning set times to do homework.”

The NCAA survey did, however, cite an increased trend in relationship development for firstyear student athletes. Both men and women were above 66 percent in responding that they had created a strong relationship with at least one faculty member, something both Butler and men’s cross country sophomore Nathan Freyling saw as major positives during their adjustments.

For the second time in three years, this year’s version of the men’s soccer team is without a senior. Of the team’s seven players, three are freshmen. Freyling said that the strong player-coach relationships were a must.

“With the cross country team being very young I think we have all just looked to Coach Graber and Coach Niehaus for guidance and listening and trusting what they wants us to do in workouts/ races and in the weight room,” Freyling said. “We are also a very close group and we know that we can go to each other whenever we need it.”

Butler said that if he could change anything about his freshman year, he would have interacted with more non-athletes in attempt to broaden himself out.

Hunter, Butler and Freyling have each either started their sophomore years as student-athletes or are in the process of doing so. Each player expressed more confidence in knowing what being a studentathlete requires. For Freyling, the

season has offered success already.

During the Brissman-Lundeen Invitationals, the Freyling led all Gorloks to a 10th place finish.

Despite a lack of experience, Freyling spoke positively of the race and the future of the team.

“I came up on mile four out of five and I saw a couple teammates behind me (Colton Vaughn and Javier Cervantes) and I thought that if I picked up the pace a bit that they would pick it up as well to try to stay with me,” Freyling said. “We all finished and I know that our top five boys were really proud of what we ran. I think that this team will be able to do big things this year and down the road in later years as well.”

Optimism is high for Hunter, who begins year two as the new Student Government Association (SGA) Senator at Large, with plans of extending gym time for studentathletes such as herself. Women’s basketball will not begin until Nov. 3.

For Butler, whose season does not kick off until Feb. 23, he said that using that creating new conversations will be the key to an even more successful second year as a student-athlete.

“For my second year in tennis, I just want to be the best player I can be,” Butler said. I want to be a great tennis player, and I have worked hard all summer. I plan on cementing my spot in the rotation and playing my heart out. As a team, I plan for everyone to have really good seasons, and I want us to be number one in the conference. I really think we can do it.”

Contact the writer: websterjournal@gmail.com

Oct. 3 - Oct. 17, 2018

Opinions

Page 5

2018 midterm showdown for the Senate

Standing champion Claire McCaskill vs. up-and-coming Josh Hawley seen have been paid for by Josh Hawley and his campaign to defeat McCaskill.

Many have been paid for by dark monDenton Lee ey special interests she has fought so Contributing tirelessly against.

Writer They include candid pictures of McCaskill, edited to make her look especially gruesome. They are often alongside pictures of other notable female If you’ve turned on the television in Democrats like Nancy Pelosi and Hillthe last two months, you know election ary Clinton. They try desperately to season is upon us. You’ve seen countless advertisements trying to lift up or tear down candidates and ballot initiatives. In fact, we are less than 40 short days away from the hotly contested midterm elections, and those advertisements show no sign of slowing down.

I am no stranger to politics or campaigning. I spent most of my childhood knocking on doors and passing out yard signs for my dad who sat on my small hometown city council for well over a decade.

Things can get nasty in politics. Even folks in small town politics aren’t immune to personal attacks. I remember being in middle school and seeing anonymous discussion board posts warning that I may go missing from my school bus stop because of my dad’s votes.

Some of the advertisements we see on television and online during election season reflect that kind of nastiness on a much larger scale.

You know the type of ad I’m talking about. You’ve seen them, whether during the commercials for your favorite show or on your social media timeline. Many of them target Senator Claire McCaskill, Missouri’s vulnerable Democratic senator.

I know Senator McCaskill and her policies well. I’ve recently interned for her St. Louis government office.

I spent much of my time answering draw a connection between McCaskill phone calls and recording constituent and hardline liberal politics.

Thankfully, fact checkers at publicacomments. I got to hear out the DACA debate and the especially contentious tions across the state and country have managed to monitor and rebut some of debate on healthcare last year.

Some of the advertisements you’ve the more outlandish claims against her.

Some of my favorite attacks against McCaskill have been the most prominent ones utilized by the Republicans and the Hawley campaign. They include her positions on health care, immigration and her personal finances.

Many independent fact checkers at prominent Missouri papers, like the Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star, have already tackled the outrageous claims made by the Hawley campaign.

Ads attacking McCaskill and her husband have been called “totally misleading” by the Kansas City Star editorial board. The ads insinuate McCaskill votes to line her husband’s pockets with money when in reality her votes pro-

vide subsidies for low-income housing.

McCaskill’s husband, Joseph Shepard, works in providing low-income housing. The Kansas City Star reports that there’s no proof Shepard or McCaskill have seen profits from her votes supporting low-income housing.

The Kansas City Star also disputes claims that McCaskill is weak on protecting victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse. These are perhaps

Attacks based on McCaskill’s immigration stances are just as weak. She’s one of the only Democrats endorsed by the National Border Patrol Council, an organization that also endorsed Donald Trump in the 2016 election. As the ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, she has been known to fight for more advanced technology to help protect our border as opposed to a poorly conceived and executed wall.

McCaskill has also been a major advocate for the passage and strengthening of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). She has advocated for Missourians with pre-existing conditions and stands in stark contrast with her opponent, Hawley, who is a major voice in the GOP lawsuit to end protections for pre-existing conditions. She has spoken of her regrets in regard to the partisan way the ACA was passed through the Senate but has never backed down from her conviction that the ACA has done some real good in Missouri.

All eyes are on us this election season. Our race for the Senate will be one that is crucial in determining which political party has control of the Senate come January.

Thus, outside spending has been incredible – leading to more and more ads that can be traced back to special interests and outside spenders.

McCaskill has proven she doesn’t care if you vote for her or against her. She fights for the majority of Missourians whether she disappoints her colleagues on the right or the left. She’s had our backs since 2007 Graphic by Joeseph Schreiber when we first sent her to Washington, and I hope some of the most ridiculous claims. regardless of petty attack ads we will McCaskill has been a constant ad- have her back in November. vocate for these survivors. She’s won awards and has been drawn by artists Contact the writer: at Marvel as a ‘Senator of Steel’ for her work on the issue. websterjournal@gmail.com

Pumpkin spice everything:

A fall favorite or overrated pumpkin milk?

Pumpkin bye

Pumkin spice or die Alexa Kannenberg Opinions Editor

The other day I walked into my local Dierbergs and was overwhelmed by the smell of pumpkin, cinnamon and fall spirit. Practically every isle began with a huge display of pumpkin spice everything. Pumpkin spice frosted flakes, pumpkin spice jello, pumpkin spice beer, pumpkin spice protein powder and so many more pumpkin inspired creations.

Pumpkin spice is no longer limited to just food and drinks. The scent of pumpkin spice has given rise to a slew of products from dish soap to air fresheners to deodorant––all with that iconic pumpkin spice scent.

Pumpkin spice is nothing new to the fall season. In 2004, Starbucks first rolled out their iconic seasonal pumpkin spice latte (PSL). This year, they unleashed the PSL early on Aug. 28, a day when most Americans were still sporting shorts and tank tops amid 90 degree weather. Nevertheless, basic folks (like me) wait patiently all year for those warm cups of fall coziness.

The pumpkin spice phenomenon has only grown in power and prominence since 2004, with all sorts of products from ice cream to pasta sauce incorporating that irresistible flavor. Companies can almost guarantee an uptick in sales for a pumpkin spice version of their product just because so many pumpkin spice fans are willing to give it a try. Also, seasonal products tend to be more alluring because of their limited availability.

Admittedly, I am one of those people who will try something just because it’s pumpkin spice flavored. What can I say, the mix of nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger scream chilly weather, sweaters and the soon-to-be holiday season.

I almost always enjoy pumpkin spice flavored products but not every interpretation is a hit. Pumpkin spice yogurt and pumpkin spice kale chips are some fails I have tried and regretted. Nevertheless, I give these brands big creativity points for trying to get in on the pumpkin spice rage and add the flavor or scent to their products.

This autumn season, whether you would die for the pumpkin spice, or would rather die than drink a PSL, I encourage everyone to give pumpkin spice products a chance. Who knows, you might be pleasantly surprised by a nice pumpkin spice donut or cereal to get you in the fall spirit.

Contact the writer: websterjournal@gmail.com

Hayley Abshear lifestyle editor Ugh, it’s that time of year. Pumpkin spice season. The time when everyone and their mother orders everything supposed to be flavored like that big orange thing that tastes like literal mush. But honestly, if you think about

Graphic by Joeseph Schreiber

it, pumpkin spice flavored everything is tasty to people mainly because of the spices, not the pumpkin. The pumpkin itself is just a weird, soft baby food type substance that doesn’t taste like anything. So I would consider ditching the “pumpkin-flavored everything” shirt you got at Forever 21 this season.

Let’s talk about pumpkin spice lattes.

I might be biased, but as a barista at a coffee shop, I’ve got some feelings about pumpkin spice people. They are relentless. People were asking about pumpkin spice when August hit and it was still 90+ degrees outside. Like sit down.

It’s summertime. It’s not your time yet.

And it shouldn’t be your time, ever, because the pumpkin you so desire isn’t even real. Pumpkin-flavored is a lie.

Do you ever think about the fact that most coffee shop syrups are made with only a small amount of pumpkin?

Mostly, it is sugar and autumn spices like cinnamon and cardamom. Even with other things that are pumpkin spice around this time of year, like muffins and scented candles, pumpkins are only a small portion of those. It is mostly the sugar and spice and everything nice (that isn’t pumpkin) that make it seem so desirable.

There are many things surrounding the autumn season that make more sense. Spiced apple ciders are to die for.

And chais? Amazing. Nothing better.

That homemade chai tea with literally everything that is usually in pumpkin stuff but without the pumpkin. Forget the pumpkin pie. Apple pies or apple butter pies are way better and they actually taste like the real thing for good reason.

In the end, do what you want, but I’m over it.

Contact the writer: websterjournal@gmail.com

Opinions

Page 6

Letters & Commentaries The Journal welcomes letters to the editor and guest commentaries. Letters to the editor must be fewer than 450 words. Guest commentaries must be between 450 and 750 words, and guest writers must have their photograph taken to run with their commentaries. The Journal will edit all submitted pieces for grammar, style and clarity. If there are any substantial revisions, the writer will be notified and allowed to edit his or her own writing.

Submit all letters to the editor and guest commentaries to websterjournal@gmail.com by 2 p.m. on Monday.

The Publications Board The Publications Board acts as the publisher of The Journal, a designated public forum for students, faculty, staff and administrators at Webster University. The Board, co-chaired by Larry Baden and Linda Woolf, meets every academic month. The meetings are open to the public. Please bring us your comments and concerns. The Journal will post information on the time and place of the meeting when a room is available.

The next meeting is Friday, Oct. 5.

Our Vision To consistently provide the Webster University and Webster Groves communities with the most current and contextual information using both print and multimedia, while serving as a learning platform for our staff and a forum for our readers.

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THE JOURNAL The News Source for Webster University MCMAs Best in State 2018 Pacemaker Finalist Emma Larson Editor-in-Chief Christine Tannous Managing Editor Editorial Office (314) 246-7088 Hanna Holthaus News Editor Hayley Abshear Lifestyle Editor Marlow Ferguson Sports Editor Alexa Kannenberg Opinions Editor Section Editors (314) 246-7575 Ryan Gines Photo Editor Joseph Schreiber Graphics Editor Matt Woods Multimedia Editor John Hund Copy Editor Kristen Farrah Special Projects Editor Lianna Gallyoun Business Manager Advertising & Business (314) 246-7538 Joy Leopold Newspaper Adviser Jeslyn Trau General Manager

iPhone updates are not worth the hype Ian Scott Contributing Writer

This summer, while at a pool party, my stepmother pushed me into a pool.

It was meant as a joke, but my phone was in my pocket. After exposure to water, the common practice is to put your phone in a bag of rice. But for me, it didn’t work--the opposite happened--it fried my phone further. The next day, I went and picked up an iPhone 7 Plus.

Had this incident been a few days ago, I might have qualified to get the iPhone XS in some type of neat payment plan, something like $22.99 a month for 74 months. But it didn’t, it happened in July, and I am left with a fossil of a phone.

The iPhone XS was released on Sept.

21. A consumer cycle has taken hold of the marketplace – every year or so Apple rolls out their new model of the iPhone, iPad and other products. Meanwhile, Android has released 17 new phones during that year, all more functional and much more economical than the last. But the sleek, cold and sterile gloss of the iPhone is part of its mystique, and the Android doesn’t have this. Using an Android is akin to using a huge, ugly machine, with gears and cogs, like a handheld 18th century factory.

What makes the new iPhone worth it?

Or not worth it? Let’s find out.

Durable Glass...Surgical Grade Stainless Steel I guess I don’t know what the draw is for this. This language is clearly aimed at people who fawn over tech news. They probably have a subscription to Wired Magazine and have Elon Musk quotes

tattooed on their chest. If the glass doesn’t break the first time I drop it, it’s fine.

There are countries that have immense shortages of medical equipment.

Maybe save the “surgical grade” stuff for them?

Wireless Charging Isn’t this what everyone hated about the last model’s earbuds? They were wireless and everyone lost theirs the day after they got them. Not everything has to be wireless. If this is a way to charge the phone faster or hold the charge longer, then this is a great advancement. Otherwise, it is not needed. Just another way to lose a charger.

Advanced Face ID I thought the last one had this? Does this mean I don’t need to have a password? This is what everything is leading up to: no password, complete facial recognition technology. It started with the fingerprint analysis that earlier versions of the iPhone had. Now Apple has a complete inventory of a sizable chunk of the world’s fingerprints. Next up, our faces. Honestly, this doesn’t bother me.

I have come to terms with companies owning me and my data. As long as I am provided a service in return--more specifically, an easier time opening up my phone--I’m in.

Dual Camera System This is probably the focal point of the marketing for this phone. The photographing capabilities for this phone are staggering. You don’t even need a tra-

Joshua Johnson Contributing Writer

Recently there has been controversy over another police shooting and killing of an unarmed African American male on the night of Sept. 6.

After finishing a 12-hour shift, Amber Guyger, a 30-year-old Dallas police officer, entered her apartment complex when she walked into the wrong room.

Inside the apartment, Guyger encountered 25-year-old African American businessman, Bothem Shem Jean, and instinctively shot Jean in order to protect herself. Following the incident, Guyger immediately called the police, and the police responded in a matter of minutes.

According to the reported article composed by CNN, Guyger was not arrested for the shooting until Jean’s family pressed the issue, demanding Guyger should be arrested for murder.

Three days later Guyger was arrested with a manslaughter charge but was able to make $300,000 bail. As previously stated, Jean was in his own home and completely unarmed.

Guyger has only been charged with manslaughter, as of now, but there are other offenses she could be charged with as more details of the case were revealed. According to reports by CNN, Guyger and Jean had no prior encounters before the fatal shooting.

Looking at this case, a prosecutor must use common sense when determining whether Guyger is guilty of second degree murder. Even if the homes have similar layouts, there are small things that Guyger should have recognized instantly that would have told to her that she was in the wrong apartment. It is very difficult to believe that she truly thought that she was in her own apartment, unless she was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Hearing this case broke my heart as a African American male. It was difficult enough for me to trust the police prior to the countless fatal police shootings that seem to materialize daily. What makes this case even harder to swallow was the fact that Jean was in his own

Over 500GB 4g LTE Similar to the Face ID, I thought 4G LTE was already what all iPhones had?

That’s what mine always says in the top right corner (unless I’m on Webster’s campus). The storage is the real boost-that’s 400 GB more than the average phone. But again, this is probably cancelled out by the new, ultra high resolution photos. Still, 500 GB is a lot, more than many computers.

Overall, the iPhone XS is overpriced, overblown and overrated. Most of the updates are built around things that have already been done. The only thing brand new is the huge price. Still, having this device is a status symbol, one that signifies the owner is, 1) affluent 2) tech savvy and 3) relatively immune to smartphone radiation, all attractive things to be seen as. So if that’s appealing to you, go ahead and buy it.

Contact the writer: websterjournal@gmail.com

home and still shot dead. I once believed that the only place that I truly felt safe here was in my home, but now it seems that our own homes are not safe anymore.

Living as a young black male in this country is a nightmare. Not only am I protecting myself from the violent citizens of this society, but now I have to protect myself from the police. I was told the police department was here to help keep our streets safe, but why does it seem that I cannot go a day without hearing a story about police brutality against people who look just like me?

Usually I speculate on possible solutions to these types of problems, but this case is so indicative of a hate crime I am at loss for words. Civil Rights attorney Benjamin Crump delivered a great quote about what it feels like to be black in America stating that, “We’re still dealing in America with black people being killed in some of the most arbitrary ways, driving while black, walking while black and now we have to add living while black.”

I wrote this hoping that anyone can understand what it feels like to be black in a white man’s country. If we fight back, then it gives them a valid reason

to justify killing us; if we don’t fight back, then we are slowing being picked off.

What concerns me most about what is happening in today’s society is that either no one is noticing how our African American community is being eradicated or simply no one cares about what is happening to us. As with many other issues we face everyday, America attempts to sweep the problems under the rug and pretend that nothing is happening, and that is downright wrong.

Racial disparity is a very uncomfortable topic to discuss, but in order for us to advocate for possible solutions, we must all be willing to sit down and talk about the problems.

To African Americans and minorities, we must come together and fight for our human rights. This process will take time and substantial effort but we cannot continue to hopelessly sit around and expect them to listen, obviously that approach hasn’t worked well for us. This is the time for us to take action and demand change.

Contact the writer: websterjournal@gmail.com

Cancel Kavanaugh

Contributing Writers Ian Scott Denton Lee Joshua Johnson Monica Obradovic Photography Ryan Gines Christine Tannous Website www.websterjournal.com Facebook Facebook.com/websterjournal Twitter @WebsterJournal

Graphic by Joeseph Schreiber Alexa Kannenberg Opinions Editor

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The Journal is the official student publication of Webster University. Unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the newspaper, not necessarily that of the university or the Publications Board.

The opinions expressed by columnists and contributing writers do not necessarily reflect those of The Journal. All text, photos, graphics and other content are copyrighted by The Journal and may not be reproduced without permission. Any photograph that has been substantially altered or staged for use as a graphic will be labeled as a photo illustration. The Journal reserves the right to reject advertising, stories, columns or letters to the editor that it deems graphic, obscene or that discriminate on the basis of race, culture, gender or sexual orientation. Single copies of The Journal are free; for additional copies, contact the business office, located in the Sverdrup building, room 247, on the Webster Groves campus.

Graphic by Joeseph Schreiber ditional camera anymore, you can just use your phone. The quality of pictures you can take with the XS is insane, but compared to the previous few iPhones, the difference isn’t that noticeable. Not $1500 worth, at least.

Police brutality makes me feel unsafe

Staff Writers Maddy Dixon Glenn Fuselier Kayla Shepperd John Hund Claudio Clobbos

470 East Lockwood Avenue St. Louis, Missouri 63119 Sverdrup 247

Sept. 19 - Oct. 3, 2018

I am tired. I am only 20 years old, but I am tired of the way women are treated by men in this country. Whether these men are senators, judges, managers, bosses or the President of the United States, it appears men––especially those in power––continually get away with taking advantage of women.

After watching the Ford-Kavanaugh hearing, some things became abundantly clear to me. No matter how poised, respectful and well-spoken a woman is, she will not be taken seriously when up against a man. Dr. Christine Blasey Ford is a highly educated and intelligent woman, which she

made clear during her testimony. Brett Kavanaugh is also well-educated and has a strong record of cases he has tried in the court system.

It is a tale, literally, as old as time for women. I remember during the 2016 Presidential election when critiques demonized Hillary Clinton for her demeanor, appearance and cadence. Daily on the news, men interview women and make light-hearted comments that are clearly sexist and condescending while the women look down and laugh it off, rather than start a fuss.

During Kavanaugh’s testimony, he came off as an angry, entitled and disrespectful child. He interrupted senators and asked condescending questions rather than answer the questions they were supposed to ask. He called for revenge on Democrats who he alleges set all of this up in an elaborate smear campaign. He was volatile and contentious, speaking almost incoherently of

beers, weight-lifting and hanging out with his friends in high school, all in good clean fun of course.

If we look past his sloppy answers to what were clearly sexual innuendos in his 1982 high school yearbook page, or his vague answers to whether or not he ever drank too much in high school, there were bigger problems in Kavanaugh’s testimony.

To me and so many other women, Kavanaugh’s testimony only reinforced what we already knew about how insidious rape culture can be. I wonder if Kavanaugh actually did these things, but just doesn’t see a problem with his actions. Rape culture entails that degree of confusion with what is acceptable to do to women without their consent and what isn’t. What is “just joking around?” After all, she wasn’t raped.

She wasn’t beaten or physically harmed in her account of what happened. So what’s the big deal?

Any physical contact with a human body, female or male, without consent is unacceptable.

One of the most powerful moments of Ford’s testimony was when she told senators what her strongest memory from the assault was that haunts her to this day. It was their laughter. The laughter between Kavanaugh and his friends as she screamed and tried to get away from them.

I remember the flushed red faces of girls in my middle school, when boys would grab them inappropriately in the hallways and laugh about it with their friends later. I remember the boys in high school, putting my name in sexual

songs and singing the words while holding eye contact with me even though I was clearly uncomfortable. They also laughed. I remember overhearing boys at frat parties boast about their sexual conquests and calling certain girls who frequented their frat more than others derogatory names. So much laughter.

I will remember when so many people I know jumped to Kavanaugh’s defense. Whether or not they believed Ford’s testimony, it didn’t seem to matter. The narrative shining through is that women are simply less reliable than men to tell the truth. A man with a record like Kavanaugh’s couldn’t have done these things. Even if he did, it was 36 years ago, and he is a good person now. These allegations shouldn’t taint his ability to serve on the Supreme Court.

I do not accept these lazy excuses for his behavior. I do not accept that Republicans are only giving the FBI one week to conduct an investigation into these allegations. I do not accept that Republicans refuse to subpoena Mark Judge, a key witness in this case, to testify before voting on Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court.

I believe Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, and I am tired of seeing so many survivors of sexual assault silenced after being brave enough to stand up to their abuser. Especially when that abuser is a man in a position of power.

Contact the writer: websterjournal@gmail.com

Lifestyle

Page 7

Oct. 3 - Oct. 17, 2018

Grad receives job on Wall Street right out of college

By Hayley Abshear Lifestyle Editor

Semir Gabejlic took 33 credit hours his senior year at Webster with one goal in mind: to work at one of the top investment banks on Wall Street, Goldman Sachs. It paid off.

Gabejlic received a job right out of college as a Financial Analyst at Goldman Sachs based out of New York City.

Although the process was not easy, he said it was worth it.

“At the end of the day I realized, if I really wanted something out of life, I can make it happen,” Gabejlic said. “If you really set your mind on a goal, it’s obtainable no matter how hard the circumstances are.”

In 2016, Fortune said getting accepted into Goldman Sachs was rarer than receiving an acceptance letter from Harvard University. Gabejlic, who graduated in 2017 with a finance degree, said it is even more rare that they accept a college graduate not coming from an Ivy League school.

Even though he was coming from a university like Webster, Gabejlic said, the people at Goldman Sachs saw something different in him. He took on extracurricular activities to make him stand out from the rest, like piano and fencing classes. He also obtained several internships.

“Whatever’s on your resume paints a picture, but whenever you are sitting face to face with someone, they can pick up on who you are as a person,” Gabejlic said. “When I’m there, I want people to know me for what I like and certain traits. That’s what I want to be remembered by.”

All of his hard work before graduating could not have

Semir Gabeljic stands in front of the New York Stock Exchange building in New York City.

been done without the help of his former advisor Debbie Psihountas. She said when it came down to it, it was really about stretching policies and begging and pleading in order to make the 33 credit hours happen Gabejlic’s senior year.

“I know financial markets and financial firms well enough to know that those sorts of opportunities don’t come by very often,” Psihountas said. “I used to be a stock broker myself, so I knew that

Goldman Sachs was quite a coupe.”

There were a lot of mishaps that almost cost him to lose the job he had lined up. Psihountas said it was really by the skin of the teeth that he didn’t.

“I told him ‘I can’t guarantee anything, it’s really so far out of policy at this point, but I will promise you that I will give it my all’ and I did,” Psihountas said.

Gabejlic said out of all the Wall Street banks to work

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO / The Journal

at, Goldman Sachs is the one that is chased after the most because of the diverse workforce population. He said coming out of a college like Webster where he was exposed to different races and cultures helped him at his new job because it is similar.

“You work with some of the brightest people in the world, and you also work with some of the most intriguing and interesting people,” Gabejlic said. “You’re constantly work-

ing with [them]. You’re never doing your own work, but it’s like a chain link fence.”

Growing up in a different culture As a first generation college student and Bosnian immigrant, Gabejlic said he didn’t have a lot growing up, and he had to work hard with his family to make it into college. He said he would not be where he is today without his family.

“Without their sacrifice, and without them providing for me in the early years I would not be here. My parents pushed me to do it,” Gabeljic said. “They knew how much I worked towards that too, so they were thrilled.”

Gabeljic’s good friend Irhad Sehovic has been by his side since they were in high school. He is also a Bosnian immigrant, and they bonded over coming from the same type of background. Although Gabeljic went off to Webster, Sehovic landed at Harvard.

He now works in corporate finance for Microsoft in Seattle, but they still keep in touch even after getting different jobs.

“For him to graduate from one of the smallest schools in St. Louis county, and still be one of the very few people [to get in], it really speaks to his intelligence and determination,” Sehovic said. “A lot of that came from his time at Webster.”

The future While most people work towards their top dream job after graduating, Gabeljic’s got his already. So when he thinks about his future, he says, he gets a little stumped.

“Honestly I’ve been thinking about [the future] a lot recently. I’m gonna be at Goldman Sachs for a while. I don’t know the career path in front of me yet,” Gabeljic said. “I don’t know what I want to do long term, but I’m gonna stay here, learn as much as I can and get the valuable experience.”

Contact the writer: websterjournal@gmail.com

Class of ‘68 celebrates 50 years

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO / The Journal Noor Rashid gives a speech as the leader of Quwat e Uraan in Pakistan.

Rashid FROM PAGE 1

can also pressurize the courts. I want to see predators receiving the punishment they deserve.”

Muhammad Sikandar Ali Chaudary, vice-president of Quwat e Uraan and the younger brother of Noor Rashid writes awareness articles, reports about events and the social media specialist. He said she is brave for raising awareness for an issue like child abuse, because they live in a conservative society where people do not want to talk about it.

“When she proposed an idea for this organization, many people in her close circle didn’t like it,” Chaudary said.

“They told her not to start the process because it is very risky and it will bring her a lot of problems, especially [when it comes] with child abuse.”

Chaudary said that in the beginning it was hard because they didn’t have a team, but that Rashid knew that child abuse would be a hard topic to discuss in Pakistan. When it comes with discussing plans in detail, Chaudary said she listens to the group when they have an idea, and as a leader she gets everything done in a perfect way so she can get the best results.

The plans including having more workshops on child sexual awareness in areas that are economically deprived and areas that are not educated on child abuse. Rashid’s team members also volunteer at an orphanage regularly to take the children on field trips, teaching art classes to students.

Chaudary said she is a good democratic leader. He said she listens to people, sits

with them and works on different ideas by accepting constructive criticism. He believes she is not afraid to step up first and take initiative.

“We went to a homeless community, and no one wants to step in to help because the area was not clean, the house was not well maintained and it was stinking,” Chaudary said.

“Noor was the first person to step into that area and she keep telling us ‘you are here to work, you are here to change a life, it’s not whether we like this area or whether we don’t like it, it’s about giving something back to the community’ and [after that] we all followed her.”

Quwat e Uraan has visited more than 50 organizations and planned five awareness events that are open to the public. They started an awareness campaign in slums and rural areas of Rashid’s city of Lahore. She said children who live in an economically depressed status are more likely to be abused. Her team visited 60 different slums, and have workshops with parents to teach them the importance of educating children to protect themselves from abusive situations. This also includes teaching the benefits of speaking out on the issue.

Vladimir Radojkovic, a senior at Webster said his friendship with Rashid started when they were in the same class.

Radojkovic said Rashid is very hardworking, noble, has no fear in what she does but a strong desire to achieve and accomplish.

“She has that drive, she never stops. There was always something that is going on in her life at Webster,” Radojkovic said.

Rashid and her team in Quwat e Uraan raising awareness to people in Pak-

istan by preparing booklets for children, which Rashid said is because the booklets are animated and the children learn fast.Through research and surveys, she said it became easy to convince the schools authorities and the parents about letting them to talk to children about child sexual abuse. When they go to schools to lecture about the awareness of child abuse, they invite the children’s parents and have a separate session for the them to discuss the issue and to answer any questions they have.

Other than doing work for child abuse awareness, Rashid said her organization works towards other issues as well. Quwat e Uraan annually hosts an open mic on feminism and equal rights.They also had planned a campaign during Ramadan, which is a fasting period for Muslims to promote acceptance amongst the communities in Pakistan.

Rashid said they served the transgender communities and made a documentary on how they deserve equal rights. She said Quwat e Uraan is participating in the national environmental project called “Green Revolution” by planting trees across the city. She said that they are doing small projects as well like getting medicines for the elders in the nursing home or providing shoes for children at the orphanage.

“Raising awareness is not a risk. Apart from convincing authorities at schools and getting all the paperwork done, it is pretty easy. Child abuse awareness is just one way to make sure that children have safe and healthy environment to learn and grow,” Rashid said.

Contact the writer: websterjournal@gmail.com

President Elizabeth Stroble gives a gift to one of the grads of 1968.

By Matt Woods Multimedia Editor

Graduates from the class of 1968 spent part of reunion weekend sharing stories about the controversial times when they graduated from Webster.

Martin Luther King was shot dead during their senior year. Robert Kennedy was assassinated a year after they graduated. Race relations were unstable in America.

The 1968 graduates began to talk about the dividing times when they were in college, remembered former Webster President Jacqueline Grennan-Wexler, and spoke of the empowerment they felt as women graduating from college.

Susan Fitzpatrick still remembered what former Webster President Francetta Barberis told her before she came to Webster.

“When people came here, they were used to seeing the world in black and white,” Fitzpatrick recalled Barberis saying. “When you come here, you’re going to see shades of grey.”

Webster’s class of 1968 was enrolled with mostly women. Fitzpatrick said she

felt like she could take on the world after getting her degree in history.

“We came at a time when women were coming into education in greater numbers,” Fitzpatrick said.

The college served only women for nearly 50 years until it opened the door for male students in 1962.

Webster University President Dr. Beth J. Stroble joined the graduates of 1968 at the reunion dinner to hear stories from their days in college.

Stroble acknowledged Webster’s roots as being a place where women could go for an education, something she said was not accepted as much as it is now.

“Fifty years ago, most people didn’t necessarily think that women could have these careers that were of high quality,” Stroble said.

Stroble herself filled a position dominated by men when she became the President of Webster. Only 30 percent of college presidents in the U.S. are women, according to a survey in 2017 from the American Council on Education.

Three round tables in the Edward Jones Commons were filled almost entirely with

MATT WOODS / The Journal

women at the private dinner with the president. Only two men attended the reunion dinner, an example of how Webster College was far ahead of its time.

Stroble spoke to the attendees after they ate dinner and caught up with old friends. Stroble then opened the floor for people to share stories from their days at Webster. Moments of silence followed. Nobody jumped to talk after Stroble prompted them, but once one spoke, the conversation picked up and did not stop for a long while.

Madelyn Cain volunteered first. Cain was involved in Webster’s conservatory in the 1960s.

Cain studied at Webster’s conservatory when the university decided to make the Loretto Hilton a professional theatre company.

“I’m hoping I get to go downstairs to the dressing room,” Cain said, “ and see the beginning and my thankfulness to this school.”

Contact the writer: websterjournal@gmail.com

Oct. 3 - Oct. 17, 2018

Lifestyle

Page 8

‘We can all get a feeling from an image’

Webster student curates art show through local museum program

By Madyson Dixon Contributing Writer

To Webster University freshman Shelby Morgan, art is a universal language that can reach all, regardless of any language boundaries.

“We don’t all speak the same language but we can all get a feeling from an image we see,” said Morgan. “Art lets us communicate in a way that words can’t.”

Morgan grew up around art, and it was always a large part of her life. She said she never thought she would get the opportunity to curate a museum exhibit - especially with one of her closest friends, Webster Uni-

Art lets us “ communicate in

a way that words can’t.

Shelby Morgan

”

Student

versity freshman Skylar Thone.

“It’s nice to collaborate on, especially an exhibition like that, in my eyes,” Thone said.

The Contemporary Art Museum in St. Louis (CAM) allowed them to participate in the Teen Museum Studies program over the summer. This program allows high school students to work together and curate an exhibit that would be on the second floor of the museum.

This program lasted six weeks from mid June to mid July.

Students met twice a week for four hours during this time. Curating the museum for these students entailed picking an artist, community outreach, teamwork, and idea sharing.

The process to choose an artist was a democratic one.

They voted on their favorite artists as a group then voted again

RYAN GINES / The Journal

Shelby Morgan curated a show with the Contemporary Art Museum.

once the selection was reduced through process of elimination.

“It was really cool because we created this final project that has all of our ideas in it,” Thone said.

The exhibit they created featured the artist Lizzie Martinez.

Martinez is a St. Louis native whose art generally focuses on one subject. For the exhibit her art centered around a femme fatale version of Little Red Riding Hood where the grandmother and Little Red end up killing the wolf.

After they had chosen Mar-

tinez as the exhibition artist they made a visit to their studio to see where her art is created.

“Her studio was in her apartment so it wasn’t necessarily like a house visit, her studio happened to be there. We met her and then she would come to the museum to work with us,” said Morgan.

CAM focuses on bringing in artists based in St. Louis. They do this to create a sense of community in the St. Louis area.

Before the beginning of every session, they would all sit down and have lunch together.

This time allowed participants to get to know each other as more than just coworkers.

“Working together as a team and compromising and learning to listen to others was something I feel like me and everybody else got better at,” Morgan said.

Conversation is not the only thing that happens when art is the the topic. It is also a way to learn from other individuals, whether that is through looking at art someone created or talking about a piece of art with a new friend. “[Morgan’s] art style when

she’s drawing is more impressionism type stuff. It’s more loose while mine is really uniform so it’s kind of opened my eyes towards that sense a little bit,” said Thone.

Morgan and Thone have know each other since their freshman year of high school, but did not become close until they related through art. The conversation of art is what made them grow from acquaintances to close friends and now roommates.

“We were able to relate about art so that’s what we would talk

about in class was art,” said Morgan. “We were always acquaintances, but it is what made us move past acquaintances and become really close friends.”

Morgan believes art can be interpreted in many different ways, but that some boundaries do exist.

“The loose boundaries are where the conversation happens is in those fluid boundaries that art has,” Morgan said.

Contact the writer: websterjournal@gmail.com

You’re invited to the

SVERDRUP GRAND (RE)OPENING EVENT! Tuesday, October 16 3–5 p.m.

8300 Big Bend Blvd.

Webster University’s School of Communications prepares students to achieve excellence in the ever-changing global fields of communication. From journalism and advertising to video game design, animation, film, audio and everything in between—we push our students to master the communication and technical skills required to make a difference.

To best serve our students, we’ve commissioned a newly designed and cuttingedge communication center. Stop by and see what we have to offer!

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