CAFFEINE CRAZE | FINDING THE PERFECT CUP OF COFFEE | SCENE, PAGE 10
STUDENT LIFE
THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER OF WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS SINCE 1878 VOLUME 128, NO. 9
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2006
WWW.STUDLIFE.COM
Students urged to search for purpose BY FELICIA BASKIN SCENE REGULAR FEATURES EDITOR The dedication of the Danforth Campus means much more for Washington University than new banners. To honor the Danforth family and the Danforth Foundation, and to celebrate students’ potential, this year at Washington University will be known as the Year of Purpose. Harold T. Shapiro, president emeritus and professor of public affairs at Princeton University, introduced the Year of Purpose with a speech at yesterday’s dedication ceremony. Shapiro titled his speech, “A Larger Sense of Purpose: Higher Education and Society.” “Dr. [William H.] Danforth and his family and the University tied in this whole theme of what Dr. Danforth [called] a higher sense of purpose, looking at the University’s role in creating change in the world and its responsibility to make a difference,” said Jill Stratton, assistant dean of students and associate director of residential life. The University is using this theme to characterize much of
the year’s to inspire students and faculty to more closely explore their place in society. Karen L. Coburn, assistant vice chancellor for students and associate dean for freshman transition, noted that the Year of Purpose is intended to help students learn more about themselves and their goals. “To me it’s a means of focusing on basic questions,” said Coburn. “We started this trying to complement the Danforth Dedication events…looking at what role a higher education plays and…[asking questions like] why am I here, and what is my responsibility to others and to my community.” Director of New Student Orientation and Parents Weekend Danielle Bristow agreed that it is important for students to ask themselves questions and stressed that answers are not always necessary. “There is just so much at Washington University that is go, go, go, produce, produce, produce,” she said. “We want [the students] to just be able to be okay with not having an outcome. It’s called living with the questions.”
For freshmen starting this fall, these questions began even before they actually moved onto campus. This year’s Freshman Reading Program featured “One Nation, Underprivileged: Why American Poverty Affects Us All,” written by the University’s own Mark R. Rank, a professorin the George Warren Brown School of Social Work. The University mailed every freshman a copy of the book and participated in a discussion about the book during Orientation. The book presents several startling statistics about the state of American poverty. Additionally, it stresses the individual’s ability to affect society as a whole. “We knew [this year] was called the Year of Purpose and we wanted to find a book that was about your call to action or finding your purpose or doing something good for other people,” said Bristow. Students were also lucky enough to have Rank as their convocation speaker. His convocation speech highlighted the role of the individual in bringing about change to society. He encouraged students to pursue
their passions and use those passions to improve human life. “Part of what I was saying at the convocation was the idea of when you [will] get to the end of your life and think about what [you have] done,” said Rank. “I think the real question is, ‘How have I made this place a better place to be? How have I had a little impact on making the world a better place?’” The book will be used in Writing 1 courses this year. Additionally, some Writing 1 professors and art professors are working on a collaborative project to increase students’ interaction with the book. Rank hopes that freshmen are able to really take something from his work that will inspire them in their personal lives. “Usually [when] people read your book...they’re already interested in the topic,” said Rank. “Here it’s like it sort of descended on all the freshmen, but I think at least for some of them it [will] create a spark and get them thinking about some of these issues.” Of course, the Year of Purpose is not limited to freshmen. In fact, it is hoped that the year’s
UP, UP, AND AWAY!
LIONEL SOBEHART | STUDENT LIFE
Chancellor Mark Wrighton applauds as former Chancellor Bill Danforth takes the podium at the dedication ceremony for Danforth Campus in Graham Chapel on Sunday. programming and the idea of finding a higher sense of purpose will affect all students. Posters adorned with the cover image of Rank’s book and advertising events connected to the Year of Purpose can be found all over campus. Events and service opportunities are also posted on the Freshman Reading Program
CONTRIBUTING REPORTER
LIONEL SOBEHART | STUDENT LIFE
The night before the race, the hot air balloons stood at attention, stationary and illuminated. Awed spectators wandered amongst the balloons, which were sponsored by everything from Goldfish crackers to Energizer batteries. See more photographs on page 4.
Katrina victims face linguistic discrimination v Anthropology professor explains phenomenon BY HELEN RHEE STAFF REPORTER August 29 marked the oneyear anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, a natural disaster that devastated the Gulf Coast of the southern United States. Since then, many Katrina survivors whose homes were destroyed or heavily damaged have looked to relocate within the region. Professor John Baugh has been researching the dif-
ferences between white and black citizens in fi nding new housing. His work follows closely with a National Fair Housing Alliance study that found that 66 percent of the time, white test callers were treated more favorably than the black test callers. According to their fi ndings, white applicants received housing related offers that black applicants were never offered. Instead, black callers were often bombarded with extra administrative fees. Baugh calls this phenomenon “linguistic profi ling,” which can be thought of as the auditory equivalent of racial profi ling, with one important exception: linguistic
Sports weekend of highs and lows Women’s volleyball lost to top ranked Juanita College at a weekend tournament, while the women’s soccer team coasted to an easy victory against Wartburg College. Sports, Page 7
differences are not based solely on race, but also on gender identity and region identity. “These issues essentially correspond to the comparison between the dominant language of a particular culture and the dialect or accents, which are seen as nonstandard, uneducated ways of speaking in those societies,” said Baugh. “My research asks the question: is it possible to discriminate against someone based only on hearing their voice over the telephone?” Baugh’s research was prompted by his own experiences of racial discrimination.
See DANFORTH, page 2
The doctor is in for GO! Week BY PUNEET KOLLIPARA
COURTNEY LEGATES | STUDENT LIFE
Web site. “We [really] wanted to try to gear it towards the student experience so [that means] the Freshman Reading Program, and ongoing programs through orientation and Residential Life,” said Coburn. “Also, I’ve
“Although I am AfricanAmerican, most people can’t tell by the sound of my voice that I am black,” said Baugh. Baugh said that the research was based on overall statistics rather than individual calls. The reasoning behind this stems from the fact that people who are discriminated against very often do not even know that they have become victims to discrimination. Baugh’s research shows that many landlords screen prospective tenants either by using answering machines or simply by making a judgment when they hear the caller on
See LINGUISTICS, page 4
Health Beat: A new Scene column Taking classes, participating in activities, working, socializing and staying energized? This year’s debut column explains how to do it all. Scene, Page 8
Health and pre-health organizations are teaming up this week to alert the Washington University community about both educational and personal medical issues in a series of programs known as GO! Week. The event got its name because “it helps the Wash. U. student body, especially the freshmen, ‘get going,’” with pre-health studies and health issues in the community, said junior Chandan Khandai, a GO! Week coordinator. The GO! Week events, traditionally spread out over the course of the academic year, have been consolidated into five days to maximize the benefit and knowledge students may acquire. “It’s a one-stop shop for all your health and pre-health needs,” said Khandai. The organizations, which comprise the Student Health Alliance (SHA), include the Student Health Advisory Committee (SHAC), Uncle Joe’s Peer Advising Center, Reflections, Alpha Epsilon Delta (AED), the Black Pre-Med Society, the Pre-Med Society and the WU Marrow Registry. During GO! Week, one aim of the SHA is to provide academic and professional advice to prehealth students. Khandai said that many students choose to be pre-health without knowing the greater implications that it may have for them. The events of GO! Week will help pre-health students learn more about their prospective fields. The Events Tonight from 5-7 p.m., WU Marrow Registry is hosting an information session in Friedman Lounge to encourage students to become involved in the health community. Members of WU Marrow Registry
INSIDE: Forum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Scene. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Sudoku . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
will inform attendees about the group’s annual registry drives and the marrow donation process, answer questions and debunk common myths. Joining the marrow registry requires only a cheek swab to determine marrow type, said senior Brayden Yellmann, president of the organization. “A lot of people are really scared that they’re doing a surgery,” said Yellmann, noting a myth about donating marrow. But, according to the National Institute of Health, if a patient’s marrow matches with a student’s, the student’s stem cells can be harvested by removing blood with a needle, fi ltering out the stem cells and returning the blood to the donor through another needle. The procedure, said Yellmann, “is as easy as donating blood.” Only in rare cases will doctors use the more invasive procedure, extracting marrow cells by inserting a needle into the pelvis. On Tuesday, AED, the PreMed Society and the Black PreMed Society will educate prehealth students about classes to take, research opportunities and advising and to acquaint them with pre-health faculty. Despite the wealth of premed events, Khandai emphasized that pre-health encompasses much more than just pre-med and includes allied health professions, such as occupational therapy, physical therapy, podiatry, clinical psychology, public health and genetic counseling. AED is hosting an event entitled Pre-Health Beyond PreMed at 6:30 p.m. in Ursa’s. The event, according to Khandai, is devoted entirely to exploring the allied health professions. Wednesday, from 7:30-9 p.m., the Black Pre-Med Society will hold a medical admissions
See GO! WEEK, page 2
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