STUDENT LIFE
THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER OF WASHINGTON UNIVERSIT Y IN ST. LOUIS SINCE 1878 Men’s swimming and diving is fast outpacing the competition. Find out more inside today’s Sports section. Page 6.
As Forum editor Zach Goodwin found over break, WU’s higher tuition doesn’t necessarily mean increased name recognition. Page 5.
VOLUME 127, NO. 42
“Yupsters” may be putting an end to the independent music scene. Laura Vilines explains the trend in Friday Features. Page 6.
Is the CIA tracking us on the Facebook? Molly Antos looks into that rumor and other strange news items in Forum. Page 4.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2006
WWW.STUDLIFE.COM
Undergraduate tuition nears $33K By Brad Nelson Contributing Editor Washington University announced Thursday that it will increase undergraduate tuition for the 2006-2007 school year by the biggest margin in six years—the result of rising energy and employee health care costs. Next year, tuition will cost $32,800—a 5.5 percent increase from this year’s tuition of $31,100. Total costs for residential students will rise 5.1 percent from $41,854 to $43,976. In a letter to parents and students, Executive Vice Chancellor Edward Macias wrote, “Our increases reflect the nationwide cost pressures on colleges and universities, including some costs that are rising in ways obvious to all of us—such as energy and employee health benefits.” His letter continued, “How severe are these cost pressures? Our primary energy source—natural gas—is expected to nearly double over last year’s prices. Employee health benefits have increased by 16 percent annually over the past five years.” Scott Jaschik, editor of the online magazine Inside Higher Ed, said the rising cost of health care has been plaguing schools nationwide.
“We usually don’t think of universities as employers, but they are and they face a lot of the same pressures large corporations do,” said Jaschik. Inside Higher Ed has also documented the struggles colleges are facing in paying their energy bills. The magazine reported that university energy bills had spiked 20 percent on average, translating to millions of dollars in additional operating costs. The crunch has caused some colleges to turn off their ventilators at night and others to turn the thermostat down a few degrees, the magazine reported. Barbara Feiner, the University’s chief financial officer, said in an interview yesterday that raising tuition was the only solution to making ends meet, even though the University maintains an endowment of over $5 billion. “Endowment is designated for specific purposes,” she said. “Most endowment gifts come from donors, and those donors specify the use for endowment.” Bill Witbrodt, the director of Student Financial Services, said financial aid packages will be adjusted to help families burdened by the hikes. “The bottom line is that University has planned to have significant scholarship funds available for students,” he said.
Compared to so-called “peer institutions”—universities of comparable size, prestige and resources—Washington University charges a similar amount for tuition and room and board [see accompanying chart]. Still, the University’s total undergraduate costs for the 20052006 academic year were well above the national average of $30,295, according to statistics compiled by the College Board. Around campus yesterday, reactions from students varied from outrage to understanding. Sophomore Shweta Dambal said she didn’t understand why the University charges students so much. “If other schools can run so much cheaper, there is no reason. All of my friends get shocked by how much I pay to go here,” said Dambal. Sophomore John Hung, agreeing with Dambal, pointed out that the University “is already one of the most expensive colleges.” Hung questioned why students pay higher tuition than their peers who attend Iv y League schools. Senior Rachel Burton, although not in favor of the tuition hikes, was more sympathetic to the University’s decision. “To be a top university they need top facilities,” said Burton. DAVID BRODY | STUDENT LIFE
Wash. U. soldiers’ stories Part I: Flying choppers in Saddam’s tribal homeland
WU alum Sarsgaard to host SNL By Ben Sales Staff Reporter
themselves and their business at risk just to deal with the American forces. In the four months I’ve been in Iraq, I know of at least three who have been kidnapped and executed by insurgents for doing business with coalition forces. We are stationed in Saddam’s tribal area, and because of our location, we are not too popular with the locals. Our base receives sporadic mortar and rocket attacks, and insurgents plant roadside bombs and fi re on our aircraft whenever they have the opportunity. Despite all of this, we have been fortunate thus far, and my unit has suffered fewer casualties than the other infantry units around us, which are hit on a regular basis. I was proud to be here to witness both the referendum and the elections. Most people seem to think we have reached a turning point for the better, and everyone is looking forward to the day when Iraq will need fewer U.S. troops for protection. Being away from home is hard at times—different people have differ-
After playing a supporting role in the movie “Jarhead,” burgeoning talent and Washington University alumnus Peter Sarsgaard will be hosting this weekend’s episode of Saturday Night Live on NBC. Sarsgaard, who graduated from the University in 1993 with degrees in literature and history, appeared in several plays for the Performing Arts Department and co-founded the improvisational comedy group Mama’s Pot Roast durPeter ing his senior year. Sarsgaard “Peter was known to us as ‘the weird guy,’” said Michael Holmes, another co-founder of Mama’s Pot Roast who recently played a minor role in the recent film version of ‘The Producers’. “The choices he made onstage were left of center. When he was onstage, you could expect something unique to happen.” Holmes added, “Not that he was weird as a person. He is very approachable, charming, and intelligent.” Holmes also appeared with Sarsgaard in the comedy “Tartuffe,” written by 16th century French play wright Molière, in which Sarsgaard played Loramfe, a character without any lines. “He stole the show,” said Holmes. “You cannot stop watching him and you cannot help but feel for him. That is one thing that makes a movie star—you see the clarity.” Sarsgaard also appeared in “The Art of Success” at the University. He has since appeared in such films as “Garden State” (2004), “Kinsey” (2004), and “The Skeleton Key” (2005). Holmes first saw him on film several years ago in “Boys Don’t Cry” (1999). “We had two reactions to the movie,” Holmes said. “The first was, ‘Oh my god, that character is an asshole.’ The other feeling we had was, ‘Hey! That is Peter! We know the guy that plays that asshole!’ He was excellent. That is a great role for him.” According to Holmes, Sarsgaard is no stranger to displaying strong emotion on stage. “If at any given point he needed to
See SOLDIER, page 3
See SNL, page 3
COURTESY OF RYAN MCCRACKEN
Army 1st Lt. Ryan McCracken, class of 2004, poses in front of one of Saddam Hussein’s palaces in Tikrit at FOB Danger. The palace was turned over to Iraqis in Nov. 2005. Over the past few months, Student Life has corresponded with several Washington University graduates who have served or are serving in the military in Iraq. Some of these soldiers wrote firstperson accounts of their experiences in the Iraqi War and the transition from college to the military. These articles will run as a multipart series over the course of the spring semester. Today’s story, the first installment of the series, comes from Army 1st Lt. Ryan McCracken, of the 101st Airborne. McCracken graduated from the Business School in 2004 and is an alumnus member of the Sigma Nu fraternity. He currently is still serving in Iraq. -David Brody
By Ryan McCracken Special to Student Life If someone had told me as a freshman at Washington University that I would be spending some of my postgraduate years in Iraq, I never would have believed them.
Then, during my sophomore year, 9/11 happened, and we all know where things went from there. I was an ROTC cadet then, a business school student living in my frat house and far more concerned with partying and having fun than world politics or potential confl ict. Now I am a First Lieutenant in the Army with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), stationed at Forward Operating Base Speicher in Tikrit, Iraq. I left home with the lead element for our unit on Sept. 11, 2005, the anniversary of the event that started me down this road in the fi rst place. Even in September, the heat in Kuwait is unbelievably oppressive. I grew up in Montana and had never seen a real desert, so it was quite a shock to see the expanse of nothing but sand in every direction. Iraq is slightly better, with a comparatively cooler temperature and a little more vegetation (at least in our area). Living conditions here are also not too bad. We have housing units that are similar to a 20-foot railroad car with a door and windows. Each unit sleeps anywhere from
two to four soldiers, depending on rank and crowding in your area. We also have shower trailers and latrines not too far away from where we live. Around here, it seems like no matter where you are there is always something burning, whether it’s an oil fi re, trash, or something else. It usually smells bad wherever you go, but you get used to that pretty quickly. Truthfully, we are all just glad actually to have housing and glad that we don’t have to live in tents anymore. My job is to serve with an aviation (helicopter) battalion as the logistics officer, or S-4, for the unit. Mostly, I handle procuring and managing the supplies, ammo and property for the unit. Our mission includes everything from flying around general officers and VIPs to cargo and troop transport, air assaults and medical evacuation. One of the most interesting parts of my job is using U.S. dollars to buy things that we need from the local economy. This portion of my job puts me in direct contact with a local network of merchants. Most of the merchants that I work with are great, hardworking people who put