STAFF EDITORIAL | PROTECT ACADEMIC FREEDOM IN MISSOURI | SEE FORUM, PAGE 4
STUDENT LIFE
THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER OF WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS SINCE 1878 VOLUME 129, NO. 44
Obama, McCain lead among student voters Republicans and Republican leaners:
Democrats and Democratic leaners:
Preferred Candidates
Preferred Candidates
Wouldn’t Vote Thompson 1.05% 6.05%
Obama 57.70%
Other 7.89%
McCain 26.58%
Clinton 21.19%
Giuliani 8.95% I Don’t Know 9.74%
Huckabee 17.11% Ron Paul 11.58%
Romney 11.05%
I Don’t Know 8.62% Edwards 7.36%
v Most students support Democrats;
wars seen as most pressing issue BY SAM GUZIK AND DAVID BRODY NEWS STAFF Supporting the theory that Barack Obama’s presidential bid is being fueled by the youth demographic, Washington University Democrats and Democratic leaning independents are significantly more likely to support the Illinois senator than Democrats nationwide, according to a recent poll. Senator John McCain, RAriz., is leading among Republicans and Republican leaners, although by a smaller margin than in national polls. Challenging the traditional assumption that college students are not a powerful electoral demographic, 89 percent of the University student population are registered voters and 67 percent of those eligible voted in 2006. In a poll of undergraduate and graduate students
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conducted on January 15 by Student Life, 58 percent of Democrats and Democratic leaners, compared to 27 percent nationally in the most recent New York Times/CBS poll, said that if the election were held today they would vote for Senator Obama. Senator Hillary Clinton, DN.Y., was the nearest Democratic opponent, receiving the support of 21 percent of Democrats and Democratic leaning independents; nationally, she leads with 42 percent. In both polls, former North Carolina Senator John Edwards placed a distant third. If the election were held today, 27 percent of Washington University Republicans and Republican leaning independents, compared to 33 percent nationally, would vote for Senator McCain. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee
Wouldn’t Vote 0.89% Other 4.24% JOE RIGODANZO | STUDENT LIFE
Most Pressing Issue 22% 16% 13% 10% 7% 7% 6% 6% 5% 3% 2% 2% 1%
Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan Economy and globalization Climate change and environment Healthcare Civil liberties and privacy rights War on terror and homeland security Other Education Corporate greed and corrupt politics I don’t know Moral issues and family values
Immigration Taxes
See POLL, page 3
University neighbors concerned over potential expansion BY GREGG RE STAFF REPORTER University City residents, the nearest neighbors to the University, are voicing their concerns about Washington University’s increased expansion into the subdivisions surrounding campus. The University recently purchased several single-family homes near the Millbrook Plaza on Westmoreland Place. In September and October 2006, the University bought two homes on Pershing Avenue before they went on the market. The move raised concerns among local residents that their communities would eventually become an extension of the campus. “The neighbors are concerned that Washington University is purchasing single family homes in their neighborhood, which if purchased and demolished for larger projects will irrevocably change the nature of the neighborhood,” said University City Manager Julie Feier. Concerns also center on the way that the homes on Westmoreland Place were purchased. Residents said that local realtor Sean Rosenthal of London Properties made unsolicited offers to buy their homes. Rosenthal claimed to be looking for a home for his parents, but residents noticed he was only interested in properties on the south side of Pershing Avenue, which the West End Word identified as a key area for University expansion. It is unclear whether Rosenthal was acting on behalf of the University, though the incident aroused the suspicions of the community and widened the rift between city officials and University administrators. “[There are] no plans to expand significantly into University City, [though] we consider opportunities on a case by case basis,” said Steve Hoffner, assistant vice chancellor of real estate at the University. In a letter to Feier, Hoffner said that future expansion was likely. “Eventually—I’d say at least five to ten years from now—we would consider a major redevelopment,” he said. “We have no plan per se at this time,” said Hoffner. Hoffner drew criticism at a
meeting between University officials and residents. “The University says it does have a long-term plan for the properties, and then, in the same breath, says it doesn’t have a plan,” said Tim Rice, a resident of Ames Place. Feier said that the University is not interested in purchasing more homes on Pershing Avenue because it would be unable to use them. “[The University] has stated they do not intend to purchase additional homes for larger scale reuse because the Westmoreland Place subdivision indentures are limited to two story single family use only,” she said. A resolution proposed in the city council on Jan. 15 noted the importance of communication between the University and local residents. “Single family, owner occupied homes are a critical ingredient for the overall health of our city,” the resolution stated. “The Council urges Washington University to engage in continuous communication with residential neighbors.” University administrators said they agree with the resolution’s main points. “We value opportunities for dialogue,” said Hoffner. “We have told the City Council members that we will abide by the city’s regulations and that any future redevelopment plans will be submitted to the City for review and comment. We have also offered to meet with a committee of residents in this neighborhood. At this time we have no plans, other than to make the few homes that we have acquired available to faculty and staff who would like to live in University City in close proximity to the campus.” Cheryl Adelstein, director of Community Relations and Local Governmental Affairs at the University, said she understands the concerns of the community. “We value opportunities for constructive dialogue with municipal officials and the residents of surrounding neighborhoods, so that future projects will create significant benefits for and address the needs of the neighborhood, the community, the City and the University,” she said.
Highway construction causes problems for commuters BY TEDDY WHITE NEWS MANAGER Students may find themselves looking for alternative means of transportation as the commencement of Highway 40’s reconstruction project has left them stuck in traffic. In its largest single building project ever, the Missouri Department of Transportation has shut down the major St. Louis highway for reconstruction, causing a significant increase in traffic throughout the city. Drivers now have to find alternative routes to navigate throughout the city. This controversial two-year initiative is forcing St. Louis residents to change their daily schedules to deal with the new driving conditions. The anticipated $535 million dollar project has made commuting to the University a daunting task for students who
live off campus. “There are only so many routes from my house to Wash. U., and with traffic and random construction on all of the possible routes, commuting has become the worst part of my day,” said junior Erin Swaller, a commuter student. “It takes twice the time to get anywhere and makes it so that once I go home for the night, I don’t want to go out again.” The rebuilding of Highway 40 also affects campus clubs and teams, such as the women’s and men’s tennis teams. The new traffic constraints have forced the teams to move to a new indoor practice facility and vary their practice times from day to day in order to avoid the heavy traffic. “It is difficult for us to plan practices around all the different class schedules of everyone on the team due to the limited
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times offered to us by the practice facilities and the need to avoid the bad traffic times,” said Ania Tchergueiko, co-captain of the women’s team. “We still waste a lot of extra time in transit, and we are only able to practice together as a whole team twice a week.” The next two years will be difficult for Missouri drivers, but many believe that this is a necessary sacrifice. Some sections of the highway are as many as 70 years old, with dangerous overpasses and exit ramps that have caused serious car accidents. Sophomore Danny Levy, a native of St. Louis, attests to the hazardous conditions of the old highway. “Even if you were familiar with the abruptness of some of the old off-ramps, if you weren’t extremely careful, you could have been in for a nasty surprise,” said Levy.
DAVID BRODY | STUDENT LIFE
The westbound entrance to Highway 40 at Hanley Rd. is closed due to the highway construction project. The Missouri Department of Transportation has shut down the highway, causing a significant increase in traffic throughout the area.
More polling numbers online Want to see more nitty gritty details of the political poll? Want to see how the demographics pan out? Check out our Web site for more info. www.studlife.com
INSIDE: Forum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Cadenza . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
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