WEDNESDAY FEB. 2, 2005 Vol. 126, No. 46
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STUDENT LIFE T H E I N D E P E N D E N T N E W S PA P E R O F WA S H I N G T O N U N I V E R S I T Y I N S T. L O U I S S I N C E 1 8 7 8
Greek lifestyle changed by ‘Vision’ By John Hewitt Contributing Reporter
Are you a basketball fan who doesn’t like to leave you room? This weekend, catch your favorite WU basketball teams on the tube.
In an interview Monday, the presidents of the Greek umbrella organizations said that last semester’s alcohol moratorium has had a net positive impact on the Greek community. “I’d say its positive impact outweighed its negative impact,” said Nicole Soussan, president of the Women’s Panhellenic Association. “What’s come out of it long-term has outweighed the short-term losses.” Working together, the Interfraternity Council (IFC) and Panhel have used the moratorium as a springboard to strengthen Greek life. The first step in that process is the creation of a vision statement for all Greek organizations. The statement will be similar to the creed for each individual Greek organization but will not have any sort of enforcement power. Soussan said that a vision statement necessarily preceded specific changes to Greek life: “It’s a fundamental place to begin. We want to use the dialogue from this process to then take it one step fur-
ther so that tangible effects can be seen. It’s a process—it’s a work in progress.” In the wake of the alcohol moratorium imposed by the Greek Life Office on the Greek community last semester, members have been examining what their role should be within the University community. According to IFC President Alex Curcuru, the University has been helpful to fraternities and sororities in this process. “From the conversations I’ve had…the attitude isn’t, ‘Let’s see what we can do to keep the administration off our back,’” said Curcuru. “They’ve been incredibly helpful.” One of Curcuru’s goals is to maintain that relationship with administrators, including having open dialogue so that Greeks can turn to the administration for help resolving problems and so that the administration can identify problems in the Greek community. Fraternities and sororities recently participated in a risk management and brotherhood and sisterhood lecture by Judge Crane, who has experience in
See GREEK, page 3
JOHN HEWITT | STUDENT LIFE
SITTING DOWN TO BUSINESS Panhel President Nicole Soussan (right) and IFC President Alex Curcuru discuss ways to enhance the Greek Community’s role in the University. They are developing a ‘vision statement’ to help foster change.
SU resolution assigns senators to students By Angela Markle Staff Reporter
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“In general we’re thinking of the lectures and conferences that might happen as being open to students and maybe to the public…to make them available to anyone,” said Assistant to the Chancellor Steve Givens. Though the institute is still very much in the works, administrators have outlined four missions they hope to achieve with the program’s inception. They hope to encourage both undergraduates and “baby boomer retirees” to “contemplate voluntary community service” said Professor of Political Science Jim Davis. The institute will also encourage students to find internships in public service, though Davis said planners have not worked out all the details. They are considering compiling an internship database to help
Student Union officers are looking to close the gap between students and the government that represents them on campus. Student Union (SU) passed a resolution last week to have each SU senator represent a group of specific students in an effort to make student government more accessible. Each senator will initiate direct contact between 100 and 250 students, depending on which school he or she represents. The election process will not change as a result of the resolution, but students will have a particular SU senator to whom they can voice concerns and comments. SU hopes that this will encourage students to engage in conversation with their representatives. “It puts a face on SU and attaches a name to the Senate that people can connect with,” said SU President David Ader. “It also provides another outlet for people to contact SU. It simplifies communication between students and senators.” Currently, senators serve their respective schools. The new groups will be chosen at random to ensure that each representative contacts a sample of students that could realistically characterize the population as a whole. Senators from the College of Arts & Sciences will represent approximately 20 students, while Art and Architecture senators will have smaller groups, since both schools have fewer than 250 students. Freshman SU Senator Greg Finkelstein proposed the idea, which was met with significant enthusiasm on the part of the other senators. The SU Senate has discussed ideas such as this in previous debates, but only in general terms. Finkelstein noted that other universities had implemented similar systems using larger groups of students. “This is a roadmap for us,” said Finkelstein. Some senators did raise concerns regarding the inequality among groups, stating that some of the random groups might be more interested in certain issues than others. Another concern expressed in debate was that senators, who will probably get special e-mail addresses for contacting their constituents, could use those addresses for inappropriate purposes, such as
See GEPHARDT, page 3
See SU, page 2
News looks back on the recent Iraqi elections in today’s “Global Bearings.”
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KRT CAMPUS
SERVICE ACCOMPLISHED Ex-House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt will be the namesake for the new Institute for Public Service. The institute will provide resources for interested students through speakers, seminars and discussions.
Daniel Milstein responds in Forum to the ongoing private school debate, speaking from personal experience.
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Gephardt public service institute to open next fall By Rachel Streitfeld Contributing Editor The University plans to bring a host of public figures to campus to teach students about working in public service—and they’re using a very big name to kick off the effort. Before he stepped down from his position in Congress, former House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt announced plans to lend his name to a new program at Washington University, the Richard A. Gephardt Institute for Public Service. University administrators have begun plans for the institute, which should be up and running by fall of next year. University officials say the school won’t offer a new major in public service; rather, students can attend seminars, workshops and discussions with various public figures at the institute.
Great ‘X’-pectations: WU’s new sex mag By Shweta Murthi
The headline on Jeff Stepp’s op-ed submission says it all: “Politically erect rhetoric inappropriate.” Yes, “erect.”
PAGE 5 INDEX News Forum Classifieds Sports
1-3 4-5 6 7-8
Contributing Reporter “X” magazine, a new publication on campus, is creating a buzz by soliciting student submissions on “anything and everything pertaining to sex and sexuality.” The Student Forum on Sexuality recently founded the publication to get students openly talking about all subjects related to sex. Sophomore Kristi Nigh, president of the Student Forum on Sexuality (SFS) and co-editor of “X” magazine, started the publication with fellow SFS members as a way to “initiate a roundtable that allows the University’s students to converse about sex and sexuality in a more inclusive, positive and stimulating manner.” SFS was started last year by group of seniors who were enrolled in classes such as “The Social Construction of Female Sexuality” and “Contemporary Female Sexualities,” both taught by Professor Susan Stiritz. In those classes, students looked at the way sex and sexuality is constructed culturally, both historically and in the present day. Students in the class wanted to spread what they learned to a campuswide
STUDENT LIFE
audience. Nigh addressed possible student concerns over the content of “X” Magazine, noting that SFS understands the problems that could arise with such a publication. “There can be a fi ne line between what is seen as pornography and what is seen as art,” she said. “It often depends on the context. If we receive a submission that seems questionable, I suppose that we’ll have to look at the piece in its own context and decide as a group whether or not the piece contributes to the overall purpose of ‘X’ magazine.” Sophomore Ian Schatzberg, a member of SFS, reiterated that “X” magazine is intended to spur discussion among students, whatever their reactions may be. “We’re not looking to sensationalize issues; our intention is only to sponsor positive discussion,” said Schatzberg. “I would hope the response would be conversation among students.” Schatzberg has received a fairly positive reaction to the publication thus far. “I would imagine the [professors] would support us because it’s a needed discourse; that’s kind of the
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nature of being a college student. I couldn’t imagine where any opposition would come from,” said Schatzberg. “X” Magazine will be accepting submissions until Feb. 25. The fi rst issue should hit newsstands soon after. Right now, SFS has put in a request to Student Union for 500 copies but is considering charging for the publication to defray costs. The publication has received one submission so far. Many more are expected. As students continue to submit, Nigh is hoping that the pieces will represent a variety of sexual issues. “I believe that it can be unhealthy to suppress conversation about sex and sexuality, especially about any sexual choices that have traditionally dealt with social stigma,” said Nigh. “I encourage everyone in the University community to submit to ‘X’ Magazine, regardless of whether their views are liberal or conservative, pro- or antisex.”
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