DAMMIT, JANET! | ROCKING OUT AT ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW | CADENZA, PAGE 8
STUDENT LIFE
THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER OF WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS SINCE 1878 VOLUME 128, NO. 28
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2006
Prison arts program comes to campus BY ELLEN JONES CONTRIBUTING REPORTER
COURTESY OF DURB CURLEE | PRISON PERFORMING ARTS
Inmates participate in an improvisation class at the St. Louis County Jail.
When Edgar Evans and Manuel Johnson were first incarcerated in a Missouri prison, they never predicted that they would one day find themselves discussing their love for William Shakespeare in the basement of a Washington University dorm. They have Agnes Wilcox to thank for that. In 1986, Wilcox founded the Prison Performing Arts program (PPA) with the dream of providing incarcerated adults and children in Missouri and Illinois the opportunity to enrich their lives through involvement in the performing arts. Accompanied by Evans and Johnson, two of her actor alum-
ni, Wilcox spoke candidly to an eager University audience about the nature and philosophies of her program. “It’s about breaking through stereotypes—one of my favorite things,” she said. During the presentation, Wilcox also previewed a DVD for one of the PPA’s recent productions of “Hamlet,” a performance in which both Evans and Johnson had leading roles. The film version of their performance, which juxtaposed their elegant period costumes with shots of barbed wire and high metal fences, helped reinforce the themes of transformation discussed by the actors. “One of the reasons we did ‘Hamlet’ was because there are only two women [in the play],”
joked Wilcox. “But another [reason] is that it’s everyone’s story.” “We couldn’t do ‘Romeo and Juliet’ for obvious reasons,” added Johnson, who played one of the four Hamlets in the production. “But I could really get into the characters in ‘Hamlet.’ I too had done something that basically condemned me, and some of us deal with that every day.” Evans, who played King Claudius, also reflected upon how acting helped him. “It gave us the opportunity to think about the harm we caused to others,” said Evans. The performances also provided a special venue for inmates and their families to reconnect. “It was wonderful to have my family there,” said Evans, a father of four and married for 21
years. “It reminds me that there’s something after prison to look forward to.” “It gave me a sense of accomplishment,” added Johnson. “And in prison, you don’t get too many of those.” All three speakers spoke carefully about how their participation in the PPA programs encouraged them to put aside stereotypes about life behind bars. “I kept thinking, ‘we’re in prison, we’re not supposed to do that,’” said Johnson. “But that’s the stereotype and [even] we tend to believe it ourselves… You’ll find some of the most talented people in prison and it’s really a shame if it all goes to waste.” For the most part, the actors’
See PRISON, page 3
Women scarce in Wham! Pow! Advertisement? university math departments BY JACOB GREENBERG
CONTRIBUTING REPORTER
BY JAROD DUVALL CONTRIBUTING REPORTER In the past 14 years, there have been 128 women mathematics majors at Washington University compared to 235 men. This year, eight of the 46 mathematics graduate students are women. A recent study conducted by the University of British Columbia in Vancouver may explain the low number of women in the mathematics department at the University. The study found that women aware of the stereotype that males perform better in mathematics test worse than those who are not. “No one is quite sure why [these results are produced], but there are a number of hypotheses,” said Psychology Professor Adam Lambert. Lambert, while cautious not to extrapolate beyond the experiment, said this study most likely holds true at the University. “There is no reason to believe that it does not occur on campus,” said Lambert. “This might just be one of the many reasons that might potentially lead to the imbalance within departments.” Mathematics Department Chair David Wright also said that stereotypes are a reason for the low number of women in the math department. “I don’t believe there is anything genetic, but I think that from an early age, in schools and in society, women are being discouraged from entering mathematics,” said Wright. “Their role models tend to be in subjects that are verbal and not analytical.” Despite the imbalances, the University encourages women to enter mathematics and is working to increase the number of women in the mathematics department, said Wright. “We are strongly encouraged to hire women,” he
said. “Up until this year we had only one woman in our department. Last year we hired three new people, two of whom were women. If we have two applicants that seem roughly equal, then we give the benefit of the doubt to the woman.” Women in the mathematics department realize that stereotypes from an early age may discourage women to enter mathematics, but once in higher education, they do not feel pressure, noted Fnu Amei, a graduate student in mathematics. “I always think that gender doesn’t matter, so I chose my subject freely,” said Amei. “There’s more pressure when you go higher in mathematics. It’s getting harder, but I just don’t think the pressure comes from the gender difference.” Overall, Wright believes that the problem needs to be dealt with at a larger level than the university scale. “It seems like the study confirms what we suspect,” he said. “People are programmed to do what they are told, and if women are told to underperform in mathematics, then they will. I think it means that we can’t expect our efforts at a university level to solve the problem because it’s a societal problem.” In the study at the University of Britsh Columbia, over 220 women were divided into four groups and given a math test, a reading comprehension test and a second math test. Two groups of women were given essays stating there are genetic differences between men and women regarding mathematical performance, while the other two groups read essays claiming equality between men and women. Not only did the women in the latter groups perform worse than those in the former, but their scores declined between math tests.
Matchmaker, matchmaker... The Performing Arts Department continues its run of “Fiddler on the Roof.” Theater Editor Michelle Stein tells you why this is a can’t miss production. Cadenza, Page 5
In the 21st century, people expect to see advertisements everywhere: in the stores, newspapers, websites and, of course, on TV—but in video games? In a world of TiVo and pop-up blockers, advertising in computer and video games is one of the emerging trends in the industry. “I don’t see this new method of advertising as a problem,” said Amar Cheema, assistant professor of marketing in the Olin School of Business. Users are aware that they are in a commercial space, said Cheema, and that they may be exposed to stimuli that are violent, harmful
or commercial in nature. Most advertisements used in video games are created to blend in with the nature of the game. For example, in the online multiplayer game “Counter-Strike,” a player may pass by a building with a Subway poster hanging from it. A player might see a Red Bull energy drink in “Judge Dredd: Dredd vs. Death.” “I don’t believe advertisers are in the wrong to place ads in video games,” said Patrick Rishe, who teaches a class entitled “The Economics of Sports.” The danger of such advertising, according to Cheema, comes in the heightened vulnerability of consumers, particularly children.
“When I see an ad in the real world, I know it is an ad and may use remedial arguments to counter it, if I choose. In a video game, I am not necessarily aware that I am viewing an ad,” said Cheema. This advertising might be particularly problematic for children, because it is an avenue that may not be monitored by adults. “In addition, kids may be more susceptible to this medium because they have less developed capabilities to filter what is an ad and what is not,” said Cheema. Students expressed varying opinions on in-game advertising. “I think that in-game ads are cool and add realism to the
game,” said freshman Jacob Kider. Others are wary of advertising, saying that it detracts from a game’s ability to be perceived as art. “When the game becomes commercialized in that way, then it loses its ability to be a true form of art,” said freshman David Houston. In-game advertising firm IGA Worldwide recently confounded problems associated with ingame advertising. Approximately a week and a half ago, news leaked across the Internet that with the release of Electronic Arts’ (EA) “Battlefield 2142”
See VIDEO GAMES, page 3
Danforth proposes $1 Billion Agriculture Research Center
MCT CAMPUS
In an effort to modernize agricultural research, former University Chancellor William Danforth has proposed a new agricultural research center. BY SCOTT FABRICANT CONTRIBUTING REPORTER Former Chancellor William Danforth is proposing a new $1 billion National Institute of Food and Agriculture to modernize agricultural research. The institute will issue grants to scientists performing research to solve agricultural problems. According to Danforth, agricultural methods in the past have been successful but not sustainable. Such problems
include draining much of the world’s fresh water, fertilizer run-off polluting rivers and oceans and erosion of topsoil. Additionally, new technologies such as genetically modified foods and biofuels can be pursued. “It’s a long and very difficult challenge to wean people off of petroleum, but we ought to start now. If you’re going to get more of your fuel from plants, you have to do a whole bunch of other things, including growing more plants per acre,
Football falls to Carnegie Mellon Football had a heart-breaking loss this weekend against UAA champs Carnegie Mellon. Also inside: cross country takes second at UAA meet. Sports, Page 4
so there’s enough for food and fuel,” said Danforth. In an editorial to the journal Science, Danforth suggested that the next great agricultural innovations are going to come from basic science, rather than traditional agricultural research. Danforth chaired a U.S. Department of Agriculture committee, which submitted the proposal for the new institute. Their plan is for it to be modeled after the National Institute of Heath and the National
INSIDE: Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Cadenza . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Forum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Sudoku . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Science Foundation. Scientists will apply for grants, and advisory committees will choose the most important and promising projects to be issued the grants. The institute’s $1 billion budget will also increase total spending on agricultural research. “The NIH spends about $14 on research for every dollar spent by the Department of Agriculture. That, in my view, is a [poor] setting of national
See AGRICULTURE, page 2
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