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THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER OF WASHINGTON UNIVERSIT Y IN ST. LOUIS SINCE 1878 The No. 1-ranked women’s volleyball squad has done it again, upending four teams over the weekend on the way to 19-0. Page 6.
Porn, homophobia, and social norming are just three of the topics you can read about in today’s Forum. Check it out. Page 4.
VOLUME 127, NO. 20
From “Hair” to “Elizabethtown” to “Domino,” Cadenza has all the reviews you need to plan your weekend. Page 8.
What would happen if the American radio waves played nothing but folk music? Cadenza explores the unthinkable. Page 10.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2005
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Health Services to move to South 40 By Laura Geggel News Editor By spring semester of 2006, Student Health and Counseling Services will move from its main campus location in Umrath Hall to a larger site in Forsyth House on the South 40. The $2 million relocation will put both Student Health and Counseling Services (SHCS) and Health and Promotion Services into the lower level of the one-year-old residence hall. “There’s going to be a lot of enhancements. The physical layout of the space is going to be more efficient. It was also designed with privacy being a primary focus,” said Dr. Alan Glass, director of SHCS.
Glass explained that the larger location will allow the school’s healthcare professionals more freedom in treating small wounds. Students will now be able to get stitches, as well as have minor infections drained. “We have people on our staff that are certainly very capable of performing [minor operations], but we haven’t had a space to do it in the past,” Glass added. Forsyth House, located on the corner of Big Bend and Shepley Drive, opened for student housing in the fall of 2004. “It was built to be a resident hall and, at the last minute, we put a lower level into the building [for Student Health and Counseling Services],” said Steven
Rackers, manager of capital projects. Rackers supported the University’s decision to move the small clinic to the South 40 as it is “the largest residential concentration of undergraduates on the campus.” “We recognize the issue related to accessibility for students who don’t live on the 40, but I think we have done our best to accommodate those needs. The University shuttle routes have been extended out to the new area where Health Services is going to be. We have 16 spaces of parking allotted for people who need to drive to the Health Service,” said Glass. “Quite honestly, when you walk from the present Health
Service to the new Health Service, under the underpass, it’s about a five minute walk, so it’s really not too far.” Stephanie Beamer, a senior who lives in the Central West End, thought that the new location would be inconvenient for students who live off-campus. She agreed that the designated parking would “help matters, but it still doesn’t seem practical,” she said. Sophomore Eric Gradel, who lives on the Northside, in House 9, disagrees. “I’m not bothered. I think it will benefit students because then health services will be more accessible to students on the Forty,” he said. The new clinic, at 8,463
square feet, will be over 1,600 square feet larger than the space SCHS has occupied in Umrath Hall for the past 30 years. The new office will include an office for Health Promotion Services (HPS), currently located in the Woman’s Building. HPS, which provides advice and materials about safe sex, drug additions, and fitness, among other services, aims to help teach students how to stay healthy. “When you look at the big picture of college health, it isn’t just coming in when you’re sick or when something’s wrong. It’s trying to teach yourself ways to keep that from happening,” said Glass. On the physician’s side,
SHCS will continue to provide the basic services. Glass noted that they typically treat illnesses ranging from sore throats and ear aches to bronchitis and urinary tract infections. Over 95 percent of the cases SHCS receives are treated on campus, although sometimes health practitioners “see complex medical conditions that require the collaboration with our colleagues at the medical school,” Glass said. For nonemergency situations, not able to be treated on the Hilltop Campus, students need to acquire a referral from health services in order for it to be fully covered by Aetna, the mandatory student insurance plan.
University continues to research genetically modified crops By Helen Rhee Staff Reporter In creating the Governor’s Advisory Council for Plant Biotechnology last spring, Missouri Governor Matt Blunt selected two members of the Washington University community as part of a nine-person board that would address public policy, economics, biology, agriculture and industry. Blunt appointed University Chancellor Emeritus William Danforth as an advisor and Roger Beachy, professor of biology and president of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, as chairman of the council that will work to better maximize the state’s agricultural potentials. Danforth and Beachy’s appointments mark the University’s continued involvement in plant biotechnology research, stretching back more than 20 years. The fi rst genetically modified plant research began simultaneously in three laboratories throughout the world, in 1983: Mary-Dell Chilton’s lab at the University, the Monsanto lab in Creve Coeur, Mo., and In Science Laboratories in Ganta, Belgium. Mary-Dell Chilton is a renowned scientist and a former professor of biology at the University whose pioneering research provided the foundation for genetically modified crop research, as well as the development of plant biotechnology. Beachy began his research in the early 1980s in the University’s biology department. He drew upon his predecessors’ research conclusions to create varieties of crops resistant to viral infection. The technique came as part of an attempt to create virus-resistant tobacco plants. In 1987, Beachy’s team fi rst successfully genetically engineered a food crop with a disease resistance trait. “My own work was really made by possible by Dr. Chilton and other scientists at Monsanto Company,” said Beachy. “What my own work in
the department of biology did was to use the genetic transformation technique to create varieties of crops that are resistant to viral infections.” In 1991, Beachy moved to Scripps Institute in, La Jolla., Ca., to study how viral-resistance works inside crops. Upon his return to St. Louis in 1999 he was named the president of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, an independent and non-profit science research institution. His focus is now on developing viral-resistant plants and seeds with higher nutritional values. Working with researchers at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Beachy has developed a variety of food products, which include viralresistant papaya and squash. Beachy hopes that in eight to 15 years they will be able to use the technology on Africangrown plants such as cassava. “We hope that these technologies will be available to be of use to farmers in Africa in five to six years to improve their agricultural yields,” said Beachy. Beach said that researchers at the Donald Danforth center are also working to make increase knowledge of and develop a better understanding of how plants create energy and convert sugars. “The knowledge can be used to develop energy such as bio-diesel and bio-ethanol,” said Beachy. He hopes that the technology might reduce the U.S. dependence on foreign petroleum by allowing plants to be used as an alternative biorenewable energy source. In the private sector, Monsanto, a St. Louis-based company, has led the research and the development of biotechnology products such as Roundup, an agricultural herbicide that has the unique characteristic of being biodegradable in soil. Monsanto has also developed varieties of plants resistant to viral infections.
ALWYN LOH | STUDENT LIFE
Awareness Week participants take a break from flyering Monday evening in the underpass. Pride Alliance’s flyering campaign and painting of the underpass are just two of the ways students on campus are seeking to raise awareness about GLBTQIA issues.
New Pride Alliance sponsors Awareness Week until Oct. 16 By Alison Curran Contributing Reporter GLBTQIA Awareness Week, an event designed to spread the awareness of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersexed, asexual and ally issues on campus, kicked off on Saturday and will run through Oct. 16. Sponsored by new student group Pride Alliance, Awareness Week focuses on educating the Washington University student body on GLBTQIA matters, as well as providing social activities, said junior Tom Giarla, the Pride Alliance’s co-president. Pride Alliance formed when Spectrum Alliance and Outright merged earlier this year. The group’s mission includes education, activism
and social activities. “There is a new motivation and a new drive to get people aware and involved,” said Giarla. Already, the group has hosted a number of events during Pride Week, including a parent/family discussion over Parents Weekend, a night of “guerilla flyering,” and a coming out story exchange earlier in the week. For the remainder of the week, the Pride Alliance has organized a City Museum trip for Friday, and a viewing of “The Laramie Project” fi lm on Sunday. “The Laramie Project” tells the story of Matthew Shepard, a college student who was brutally beaten to death in 1998 because of his homosexuality. Giarla instructed students to make the most of the week.
“Educate yourself. It seems like people are misinformed. Go out and get educated,” he said. “We want to make sure people know we are here. We want people to know they have resources.” Pride Alliance stressed the importance of ally involvement in GLBTQIA awareness. “This is important for allies, too,” said sophomore Lori Weingarten, the co-president of Pride Alliance. “GLBQTIA issues affect everyone’s lives,” she added. GLBTQIA Awareness Week is not just a University activity, said Weingarten. “This happens at campuses all over,” she said. Weingarten explained that the week’s timing has to do with National Coming Out Day, Oct. 11, and the anniversary Matthew Shepard’s death on Oct. 16.
Throughout the week Pride Alliance will have a table in Mallinckrodt, where they will be selling shirts and spreading awareness of GLBTQIA issues. Giarla and Weingarten encourage interested students to stop by the tables and sign up for the group’s e-mail list. For those unable to visit the table, Pride Alliance can be reached by e-mail at pride@ restech.wustl.edu. Pride Alliance’s efforts to raise GLBTQIA awareness do not stop after this week. The group has planned several projects for the remainder of the year, including a week of programming surrounding Transgender Day of Remembrance, several visiting speakers, and Safe Zones education. The fi rst-year group plans to grow and develop throughout the year.
See CROPS, page 3
Tulane professors find refuge at WU By Mandy Silver Contributing Editor
KRT CAMPUS
Dr. Robert Fraley, chief technology officer at Monsanto, looks at soybeans containing omega-3 fatty acids in Chesterfield, Mo., on April 20. Monsanto is a leading force in the biotechnology production industry.
Scott Grayson, a chemistry professor at Tulane University, arrived on his campus only two months before the levies in New Orleans broke on Aug. 29, leaving the entire city submerged in water. Originally expecting to teach a graduate course in the fall, and organic chemistry in the spring, he instead found himself scrambling to secure temporary placement. He found a spot at Washing-
ton University in his home city of St. Louis. In addition to the undergraduates from the devastated Gulf Coast region accepted as visiting students, the University has welcomed several displaced professors, including Grayson and Mark Fink, another professor of chemistry. Since fall classes started before Fink and Grayson arrived, neither were able to teach undergraduate or graduate classes. Both professors have continued to
make progress on their respective research, however, in lab space provided by the University. In the aftermath of Katrina, Grayson said he was partially drawn to St. Louis because of his family roots. But the main attraction for him was Professor Karen Wooley’s parallel research interests in exploring how to use polymers to improve the effectiveness of drugs and vaccines. “Professor Karen Wooley invited me as visiting fac-
ulty for the semester,” said Grayson. “She is a leader in her field, and has similar research interests. It was a logical connection, so that my graduate students can interact with her graduate students. She also offered me access to her equipmentation—the things polymer chemists require to synthesize and characterize new materials.” Like Grayson, Fink, a 22year professor of chemistry
See TULANE, page 3
2 STUDENT LIFE | NEWS
Senior News Editor / Sarah Kliff / news@studlife.com
STUDENT LIFE
Daily Show plans segment on Emory Department of War
One Brookings Drive #1039 #42 Women’s Building St. Louis, MO 63130-4899
Briefs
News: (314) 935-5995 Advertising: (314) 935-6713 Fax: (314) 935-5938 E-mail: editor@studlife.com www.studlife.com Copyright 2005 Editor in Chief: Margaret Bauer Associate Editor: Liz Neukirch Managing Editor: David Tabor Senior News Editor: Sarah Kliff Senior Forum Editor: Molly Antos Senior Cadenza Editor: Laura Vilines Senior Scene Editor: Sarah Baicker Senior Sports Editor: Justin Davidson Senior Photo Editor: David Brody Senior Graphics Editor: Brian Sotak News Editors: Laura Geggel, Brad Nelson Contributing Editor: Mandy Silver Forum Editors: Zach Goodwin, Daniel Milstein, Jeff Stepp, Brian Schroeder, Matt Shapiro Cadenza Editors: Adam Summerville, Jordan Deam, Robbie Gross Scene Editors: Kristin McGrath, Sarah Klein Sports Editor: Joe Ciolli Photo Editors: David Hartstein, Pam Buzzetta, Oliver Hulland Online Editor: Dan Daranciang Copy Editors: Allie McKay, Nina Perlman, Kelly Donahue, Erin Fults, Rebecca Emshwiller, hannah draper, Julian Beattie, Mallory Wilder, Jess Trieber Designers: Ellen Lo, Laura McLean, Anna Dinndorf, Andy Gavinski, Jamie Reed, Elizabeth Kaufman, Jonathan Kim General Manager: Andrew O’Dell
NATIONAL Florida cat falls victim to python’s hunger
Student Life is a publication of WUSMI and does not necessarily represent, in whole or in part, the views of the Washington University administration, faculty or students. All Student Life articles, photos and graphics are the property of WUSMI and may not be reproduced or published without the express written consent of the General Manager. Pictures and graphics printed in Student Life are available for purchase; e-mail editor@ studlife.com for more information. Student Life reserves the right to edit all submissions for style, grammar, length and accuracy. The intent of submissions will not be altered. Student Life reserves the right not to publish all submissions. If you’d like to place an ad, please contact the Advertising Department at (314) 935-6713. If you wish to report an error or request a clarification, e-mail editor@studlife.com.
Comedy Central’s Daily Show plans to run a mock news segment on the Emory Student Government Association’s Department of War, created last semester with the goal of beginning a rivalry with Washington University. Student Government Association President Amrit Dhir has been in contact with Sarah Taksler, a researcher for
“The Daily Show” and a 2004 University alumna. Taksler stumbled upon the story in Student Life and contacted Dhir two weeks ago regarding the possibility of a segment. Dhir, who has been traveling during Emory’s fall break weekend, said that the filming of the segment will likely commence within the upcoming week.
Bomb explodes at Georgia Tech A Miami, Fla. woman looking for her Siamese cat for two days has found him—in the belly of a python snake. X-rays by a local veterinarian revealed a bulge in the python, which the woman found slithering in her back yard. The veterinarian determined that the bulge in the python’s belly was in fact the remains of the cat. The veternarian
told WTVJ-TV in Miami that cat-eating poisonous sakes in suburban Florida were an unusual occurrence. “We usually get two birds here a week that get attacked by cats. They either get killed, mauled. Baby opossums. Cats kill everything...(In this case), something killed a cat and swallowed it,” he said.
KRT CAMPUS
A bomb exploded in the hands of a Georgia Technology maintenance worker this past Monday morning in a courtyard adjacent to two dormitories. The worker did not sustain serious injury, but was taken to a local medical clinic for evaluation. Bomb squads found and detonated
John Stewart, host of Comedy Central’s hit television show “The Daily Show with John Stewart.”
four other explosive devices, each a swollen, chemical-filled plastic pop bottle. The school evacuated approximately 100 students from the surrounding dormitories. Both Georgia Tech and Atlanta police are investigating the incident,
which also falls under the jurisdiction of the Georgia Office of Homeland Security as the bombs exploded in a public place.
POLICE BEAT Wednesday, Oct. 5
Copyright 2005 Washington University Student Media, Inc. (WUSMI). Student Life is the financially and editorially independent, student-run newspaper serving the Washington University community. First copy of each publication is free; all additional copies are 50 cents. Subscriptions may be purchased for $80.00 by calling (314) 935-6713.
WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 12, 2005
11:02 a.m. LARCENYTHEFT—PARKING LOT #59 A student reported that between Tuesday, Oct. 4 at 6 p.m. and Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 11 a.m. person(s) unknown broke into her vehicle and stole her stereo and iPod. Disposition: Pending. Thursday, Oct. 6 9:00 a.m. MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT—SNOW WAY GARAGE Victim parked vehicle on level three of the Snow Way garage around 11 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 5 and returned around 8 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 6 and found car missing. Disposition: Under investigation. 3:16 p.m. LARCENY-THEFT— MYERS DORM Bike stolen from bike rack in front of Myers. Raleigh brand 21-speed unisex bike, silver in color. Value $130. Disposition: Pending.
6:57 p.m. LARCENY-THEFT— LOUDERMAN HALL Delayed report of bike theft, last seen Sept. 28 at 10 a.m. Nishiki brand, value $30. Cable lock used. Disposition: Pending.
cured black and gray mountain bike from a bike rack located on the south side of the Whitaker Building. It be noted that the bike was secured with a cable lock. Total loss valued at $300. Disposition: Pending.
Friday, Oct. 7 2:20 a.m. LARCENY-THEFT— SHEPLEY DRIVE Altercation between a cab driver and his student passenger regarding unpaid fare. Student was identified, contacted and fare paid. Disposition: Referred to JA. 5:28 p.m. MEDICAL—ATHLETIC COMPLEX Sick case. Disposition: Cleared. 5:38 p.m. MEDICAL—HILLTOP CAMPUS Accidental injury. Disposition: Cleared. 5:58 p.m. LARCENY-THEFT— WHITAKER BIO-MEDICAL WU student reported that between 10:30 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. unknown person(s) took his se-
6:21 p.m. PROPERTY DAMAGE—WOHL CENTER Parking meter knocked down. Investigation revealed the meter was not tampered with. Disposition: Unfounded. Saturday, Oct. 8 1:58 p.m. ASSAULT—WOHL CENTER Fistfight occurred between students. Minor injuries. Disposition: Under investigation. 11:57 p.m. FIRE— PARKING LOT #32 Dumpster fire extinguished by Clayton Fire Dept. No determination on the cause. Disposition: Cleared.
Sunday, Oct. 9 3:07 a.m. ASSAULT—FORSYTH HOUSE Officers responded to the area of Forsyth House for a second report altercation between students. Statements were taken by all parties involved. Disposition: Referred to the Judicial Administration for review. 5:43 p.m. VEHICLE ASSIST— LIEN GARAGE LEVEL 2 During an assist on a jump start, the vehicle was found to be improperly registered. The plates and tabs were seized pending further investigation. Disposition: Pending. 7:04 p.m. ARTICLE— SHANEDLING DORM Complainant reported a lost wallet which was later found and returned to her intact. Disposition: Cleared. 11:30 p.m. ALARM—MILLBROOK #4 Fire alarm pull station activated. Reset by mainte-
nance. Disposition: Pending. Monday, Oct. 10 11:59 a.m. PARKING VIOLATION—MILLBROOK GARAGE Transportation reported a fraudulent daily permit in a vehicle near the top deck of Millbrook Garage. The vehicle was towed by Hartmann’s to their lot and a ticket was issued by Transportation for the fraudulent permit. Disposition: Cleared. 7:20 p.m. SUSPICIOUS PERSON—EARTH & PLANETARY SCIENCES SW CORNER Four juvenile males were located trespassing in the area of the bike racks. Officers contacted and identified subjects. The subjects were warned against trespassing and released. Disposition: Cleared. 9:27 p.m. MEDICAL—SOUTH 40 Sick case. Disposition: Cleared.
Senior News Editor / Sarah Kliff / news@studlife.com
WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 12, 2005
STUDENT LIFE | NEWS
3
the WUrld
Amnesty International brings Falun Gong art exhibit to campus By John Hewitt Staff Reporter The Washington University chapter of Amnesty International is sponsoring a week-long art exhibit at the Gargoyle for the supporters of the Falun Gong, a spiritual practice with elements similar to Buddhism and Taoism that was started in China in 1992 by Lin Hongzi. The exhibit will run on Wednesday and Thursday between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. In 1999, the former president of the Communist Party of China Jiang Zemin ordered a suppression of Falun Gong by means of state media criticism and a police crackdown on members of the group. As
of this year, the Falun Dafa Information Center has reported 2,676 deaths of members, thousands of detentions, and more than 30,000 documented cases of persecution at the hands of the Chinese police. The exhibit features paintings depicting the ideals of Falun Gong, as well as graphic scenes of torture, murder and imprisonment of practitioners by Chinese government agents. It will remain in St. Louis until the beginning of November. “We fi nd [the exhibit] is a very effective way to talk about Falun Gong,” said Benji Katz, a sophomore and copresident of the University’s Amnesty International chapter.
Much of the featured art is infused with religious themes—many of the people depicted have halos, and other common features in the paintings include cherubs and Buddhist symbolism. “You see Jesus and Buddha, and the way that they’re fi gured is similar. The exhibit is in no way religious; it is to educate about human rights abuses,” said junior Kevin Pirrish, a co-president of the University’s Amnesty International chapter. St. Louis Falun Gong practitioners were the ones who approached the University’s Amnesty International chapter about displaying the exhibit in the Gargoyle. Kairong Tian, a protein
CROPS v FROM PAGE 1 “One of the nice things about modified crops is that not only do these crops behave the way we have told the farmers [they] would behave, but they also will produce more materials at a lower cost. The technology has been used for over 10 years, and there has been no indication of adverse effects,” said Ernest Jaworski, a retired senior scientist who has watched and worked on the development of modified crops at Monsanto for the past 20 years. “It’s a wonderful tool to provide farmers with crops that are safer.” William Danforth, who now serves as a board member of the Donald Danforth Science
Center, cited the importance of plant biotechnology as a means to capitalize upon the world’s limited natural resources. “Through science, the green revolution has saved over a million lives. The green revolution includes the breeding of new plant varieties, the development of fertilizers, and irrigation techniques. This has been wonderful,” said Danforth. Danforth remarked that the development of genetically modified crops would minimize the harmful effects from agriculture on our natural resources. “For example, some plants
COURTESY OF WILLIAM G. KOSINSKI
Students check out the Falun Gong art exhibit in the Gargoyle. The week-long exhibit was sponsored by the University’s chapter of Amnesty International. biochemist at Monsanto and Falun Gong practitioner, emigrated from China years ago. She visited the exhibit on Monday. “Right now I cannot visit China. They will defi nitely put me in jail,” said Tian. “They monitor my phone calls to my parents and my brothers…The security there talked to my parents, talked to my father in China. My husband doesn’t practice, but he supports me. When he visited [China], he was detained by the authorities, and they talked to him about me.” On Tuesday night, Huagui Lui, a Chinese immigrant living in St. Louis, spoke at the University about her experience living eight months in a
wide, with 70 million in China, while the Chinese government claims that there are 10 million practitioners in China. They refer to themselves as a spiritual “cultivation practice” in their literature and deny that it is a religion. A document entitled “Freedom of Religious Belief in China” published by the Chinese government in 1997 states their public stance on freedom of religion in China: “In China all religions have equal status and coexist in tranquility. Religious disputes are unknown in China. Religious believers and nonbelievers respect each other, are united and have a harmonious relationship.”
TULANE v FROM PAGE 1 are more drought-resistant and they require less water. You can use some of those genes to help other plants that are less drought-resistant,” said Danforth. He noted that more research in the same direction would yield more positive results, adding, “The world population is still continuing to grow. We are using up the supply of fresh water. Rivers are getting depleted because most of the water is going into agriculture. Fertilizers are running off in the streams, rivers, and oceans. So there are has to be a new improvement in science in order to deal with these problems.”
at Tulane, said his arrival at the University is a result of “serendipitous circumstances.” Currently staying with relatives in the St. Louis area, Fink is participating in collaborative research with University professor of chemistry Peter Gaspar on multiply banded silicon compounds. “Professors at Wash. U. were very enthusiastic with helping,” said Fink. “What I consider to be my forced sabbatical has opened up an unexpected opportunity to expand my research. There are unique facilities here that we are fortunate to take advantage of. They complement the facilities at Tulane
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reeducation camp for her Falun Gong affi liation in 1999. Before her arrest, she was a high school math teacher for 30 years in Hunan Province. “I really enjoyed the lightness of mind the practice gave me, and my health also improved,” said Lui. “The police tried to pour into my head all these slanderous things about Falun Gong. I started a hunger strike and a group of men forced feeding tubes into my nose. I had to renounce my beliefs and confess, and I felt regretful and humiliated.” Her sentence was reduced by four months in return for her confession. Falun Gong claims to have 100 million members world-
very well.” So far, both professors have found the adjustment to their new environment to be fairly effortless. “It’s very easy to fit in here,” said Fink. “There are a lot of similarities: Tulane and Wash. U. are both private universities, have an urban environment, and a strong student body drawn from all over the country.” Grayson, echoing Fink’s sentiments, added that both universities have “a strong focus on undergraduate education.” Currently, Fink and Grayson are planning to return to New Orleans by the first of the year. Grayson has al-
ready made two trips back. “Campus suffered very little damage, but it will take a while to rebuild the infrastructure, particularly for the city of New Orleans,” Grayson said. “I have heard reports that the water is drinkable and that electricity has come on around the campus area, so everything is well on schedule for classes to resume in January.” Upon their return, the two professors expect to continue life at Tulane as usual. Both expressed their appreciation for the University’s hospitality, and were eager to partake in future collaborations.
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4 STUDENT LIFE | FORUM
Senior Forum Editor / Molly Antos / forum@studlife.com
FORUM
WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 12, 2005
Our daily forum editors: Monday: Jeff Stepp Wednesday: Daniel Milstein Friday: Zach Goodwin jsstepp@wustl.edu daniel.milstein@wustl.edu goodwin@wustl.edu To ensure that we have time to fully evaluate your submissions, guest columns should be e-mailed to the next issue’s editor or forwarded to forum@studlife.com by no later than 5 p.m. two days before publication. Late pieces will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. We welcome your submissions, and thank you for your consideration.
STAFF EDITORIAL
DINA RUDOFSKY | EDITORIAL CARTOON
Let’s put an end to social norming
A
recent study published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol found that the strongest predictor of student alcohol consumption is students’ perceived level of consumption on campus. In a survey of 76,000 students, over 70 percent overestimated the average drinking norms at their school. Here at Washington University, we have a campaign to “socially norm” us to the fact that many students drink less than we perceive them to drink, ostensibly because we too are part of the 70 percent. According to Melissa Ruwitch, coordinator of Health Promotion Services, the rate of misperception for number of drinks when partying is 47.2 percent when there is no time limit. Yet is this campaign really effective on our campus? Outside of the freshman alcohol program, there is little evidence that the program is in effect. And that may be the point; the campaign is subliminal. We’re not supposed to notice it, just accept it. That way we won’t think it to be too much like parenting from the University. But our program is invisible. The administration wastes our
money on a campaign that isn’t effective and is laughed at by students. The basic problem comes from the fact that a) college students, while they may perceive normal drink counts to be high, often are influenced more by their actual drinking situations than hypothetical ones; b) many see it as a push toward a “dry” campus; and c) not only is it parenting, it is condescending. These three strikes are just the beginning. In addition, the study was done by the National Social Norms Resource Center at Northern Illinois University, an advocacy organization whose primary goal is to get universities to adopt social norming programs. Is it any surprise that the study concluded what it did? Also, if 70 percent of students are incorrectly estimating the average number of “normal” drinks, do we trust them to accurately estimate their own drinking habits? Trying to control drinking on a college campus is a tough goal to accomplish, as much as the public admires it. It’s not necessarily a bad goal, but there are right ways and wrong ways to do such things. This social norming campaign isn’t one of them.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Greek community doesn’t share same values Dear Editor: As a member of a Greek organization, I feel compelled to comment on Jody Bivens’ letter to the editor published in the Oct. 7, 2005 edition of Student Life. Although I respect the Panhellenic Organization and the Inter-Fraternity Council for presenting Grand Chapter and other terrific events to the Greek Community, and think Jody touched on several valid points in her letter, I must object to two of her assertions. First, I believe her assertion that the estimated “1,000” members of the community “stand for the same values and have similar ambitions” is decidedly inaccurate. Idealistic perhaps, but I don’t necessarily think that the Greek community at Wash. U. is as conformist as I feel she denotes. I also don’t think there’s anything wrong with that, and in fact, would assert that shared values and ambitions are relatively common traits shared throughout our prestigious university. Second, while I agree with Jody that it is “reasonable” for Greek members to “donate ONE hour ONCE a semester to the greater community of which they are a part,” I find it not only excruciatingly unreasonable but also extremely deleterious to members of the very same community that IFC and Panhel be the sole decisionmakers regarding what constitutes a “legit excuse.” I also believe that the reason why fines have not been levied in the past, despite being on the supposed books, is because they too are unreasonable. As a senior living off campus, I am decidedly not as involved in my fraternity as I was as an underclassman. However, I firmly believe that my attendance at every past Grand Chapter since my initiation warrants me not be forced to attend from fear of having my fraternity monetarily punished for my absence if I am simply unable to attend what Jody calls the “cause.” While I did not attend this year, rest assured I had what I would consider the quite legiti-
mate excuse of a practice with my improvisational comedy group. Last, I would like to note that while I generally disapprove of Student Life’s predominantly negative coverage of the Greek community, I thought Matt Shapiro’s article was informative and well-argued, despite the minor mistakes, and notably a step in the right direction. -Eric Leventhal Class of 2006
Unitarian Church seeks ties to WU Dear Zach Goodwin: I, too, was in an end-of-thesemester stupor last spring, and I can’t recall whether I read about your original idea regarding the Center. If I did and didn’t respond then, well, chalk it up to tiredness, I guess. So, not recalling last spring, it was with some pleasure and irony that I read your Friday editorial. Pleasure, because it’s always nice to read about the positive, ethical side of students (and the general population). Ironic, because for about six to eight months (or more) last school year, or possibly at the tail end of 2003-’04, there was a rather large effort in our church (1st UU) to try to figure out how to reach out to the WU student population, in particular. The ideas that you espouse in your editorial are very much the ideas of the Ethical Society, here in St Louis, and, I think more fully, the Unitarian Universalist Church (my family’s church, and the church of A LOT of WU faculty). Here is the Web site for the church closest to WU: firstuustlouis.org. After you explore it, or if you pass the info along to the woman you write about in your editorial, you or she should contact “1st Unitarian” (Reverend Suzanne Meyers) to explore ways to make a bridge to WU. I would be happy to make preliminary
contact on your behalf, if you (and a large enough group of students) are interested. As an extra “teaser,” I’ll leave it to you to find the connection between 1st Unitarian and WU! Keep up the good work, and know that your editorials ARE read! -Dottie Petersen Professor of Economics
Focus on more important facets Dear Editor: Re: “I am not a debate,” (Matt Adler, Oct. 7) As a student currently on medical leave, I know very little of the current controversy with regards to Professor Katz and will refrain from discussing the specifics. First, when Matt claims that he himself is not an issue for debate, I take him to be meaning that the quality of being homosexual cannot be debated as being positive or negative. In other words, a person, insofar as he or she is a rational one, will never disapprove of homosexuality. However, this is far from accurate. Homosexuality is a hot-button topic today. For evidence of this, one need only look at the number of gay marriage bans in the last election. While at Wash. U. the majority believes homosexuality to be moral, I hail from North Carolina where the majority believes it to be decidedly immoral. This is not to say that one viewpoint is more correct. I am only pointing out that Matt displays an impressive degree of hypocrisy in condemning Prof. Katz and others for intolerance when he is unwilling to even consider opposing arguments. Second, Matt mocks a reasoned debate of the pros and cons of homosexuality by suggesting that to do so would be akin to sitting minorities down alongside members of the KKK. Here, he commits the straw man fallacy. Certainly it
makes no sense for minorities to debate with the KKK (hence the straw man). But this is an entirely different situation from the one at hand. The KKK has proven itself incapable of rational debate, but the same cannot be said for Prof. Katz (to the best of my knowledge) or others. The fact of it is that there are many reasonable people for and against homosexuality who will be more than happy to discuss why they think as they do. Reasonable debate is almost always a good thing and claiming that your opponents are incapable of it only suggests you fear to do so. Finally, with great alarm, Matt discusses the possibility that gays will feel uncomfortable in a class with Prof. Katz. If anything Prof. Katz will in all likelihood be extremely generous to gays after the criticism he has recently received. Nevertheless, I have some advice for anyone who feels uncomfortable, deal with it! I am a libertarian (or close to it at least) and I have heard conservatives called everything from outright morons to “crypto-racists” (I still don’t know quite what this means). And I heard all of this in class! If you want a hostile learning environment try being a conservative for a day. Frankly, I don’t appreciate whining simply because a single professor disapproves of homosexuality; let’s calm down, get some thicker skin, and focus on an issue that’s actually important. -Stephen A. Kenney Class of 2007
The Center seems like a good idea Dear Editor: Re: “Resurrecting the Center and fighting god,” (Zach Goodwin, Oct. 7) As a new transfer to Wash. U. I am very busy (as I am learning all Wash. U. students are) so I will make this brief. Your center
idea is very intriguing, especially since I had (pretty much) the same revelation about a week after you wrote your article. On top of that I found out within 36 hours that I had a very close friend who had been pondering the same type of institution (he called it the Church of Brunch and I have since adopted that name). As I am sure the three of us are very smart, I doubt that we are all that unique. The key question is how much of the population in our demographic is thinking about this. Now I don’t know if you just mothballed this idea, or if you have been thinking about it a lot, but I have put some time into it and came to the conclusion that the institution would be very, very hard to make to the level that it would have some influence and have it not be twisted into something we would not want it to be (lots of religions come to mind). Anyways, if you would like to talk about this further I am on the Facebook so you can see I do not look crazy (at least I don’t think I look crazy), we should have an informal meeting of the interested (I am guessing that might just be three…). Hope to hear from you soon, -Topher McFarland Class of 2007
More political engagement needed Dear Editor: Re: Letter to the editor, Howard Mechanic, Oct. 10. In his letter, Howard Mechanic has sought to correct misimpressions that might be gained from your news story last week. But much more needs to be written about the campus incidents and climate of 1970 here when Howard was involved. At that time, the highly unpopular Vietnam War was being fought. This was not simply something on the 10 p.m.
news, something to be ignored until the sports news came on. The war had a very personal connection with every male student. On graduating, the men stood to be drafted, by lottery, into the armed services. There was a degree of political awareness and engagement that is noticeably absent on our campus today. In many ways, the war issue is now just as important as it was 35 years ago, but most students are untouched; they are personally insulated. In those distant days, there were student protests and counter-protests. Faculty were involved on both sides. Some of the students wanted to shut the University down and there was a sit-in in Brookings, a midnight rally in Graham Chapel. The administration and many faculty worked hard to keep WU open. It is important that the University itself not take sides on these issues, not be seen to endorse either side, and it must continue to provide a forum where differing views can be expressed (with civility, I would hope). Discussion of the important issues of the day can be an important part of the education we make available. Howard’s generation was engaged. I wish there were more engagement today. -Michael Friedlander Professor of Physics Chairman, Faculty Senate Council 1969-’71
The positive press is appreciated Dear Editor: As a fellow student and Campaign Campus Manager for Teach For America, I would just like to thank you for including two stories about the program in your Oct. 10 issue. To Ben and Allie, thank you for taking the time to write these articles and for your posi-
See LETTERS, page 5
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WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 12, 2005
STUDENT LIFE | FORUM
5
Three dimensions of fun: the 3D porno
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oing to a porno—that might be a little sketchy. But if it’s in 3D? Now that’s a Saturday night. While many Wash. U. students were enjoying their parents’ company, my essentially orphaned (or with parents who realize that a round trip flight from New York to St. Louis is a little extreme for what boils down to a couple of expensive meals) friends and I decided to go see the midnight movie at the Tivoli. That movie just happened to be a porno. And not just any porno, but a 3D porno. A 3D porno described by the
Tivoli midnight movie flyer as “trash,” and a “flaming pile of shit” by a manager at the Tivoli. Obviously, this instantly became the crux of my weekend. With such a hilariously good time ahead, the journey there could not possibly have been easy. Before even leaving the 40, we ran into my girlfriend’s suitemate and her parents, having a very awkward conversation which consisted of me saying we were seeing “The Nightmare Before Christmas” (thankfully, I had been to the Tivoli earlier that night and was able to remember the other midnight movie) and watching
my nose grow about the size of Siberia. Then, one friend tackled another friend while she was making sweet love to Eliot Hall and on the phone with her friend from Mizzou, causing yet another wait. And no Daniel journey to the Loop Milstein could be complete without a quick stop in the Student Life offices. Basically, it took us somewhere around 45 minutes to walk to the Tivoli and if it weren’t for the start of the movie being delayed by an
Pay attention to sports By Jill Strominger Staff Columnist
S
pirit Week gets an F. The week was a great attempt by Student Union to generate some excitement about Wash. U.’s athletic program and school identity. Unfortunately, I have never seen a Spirit Week fail worse. Maybe I don’t entirely understand what it means to go to a school that is nationally recognized for its athletic apathy. Or apathy in general. The cause of the problem is questionable. I thought maybe the lack of spirit was a product of high-school chess players and overlooked but intelligent students taking revenge on the illustrious athletic class. But that’s not the problem. Wash. U. isn’t entirely composed of nerds who were beat up by athletes in middle school. It also doesn’t seem to be people who were overshadowed all the time. In fact, it seems like the majority of students who attend school here were athletes in high school. Okay, so maybe it isn’t that students hate athletes, but that people just don’t care about athletics in general. We’re attending school here to change the world and fi nd the cure to cancer, why does it matter how the football team does? That’s a fair enough position for students who really do feel that way; curing diseases is certainly a noble enough cause. I also don’t think that sentiment describes the majority of the campus. Every Saturday when you walk through the common rooms of the dorms, you see students passionately rooting for their favorite college football team. And we aren’t just college football fans. People on campus are more likely to know Cardinals shortstop David Eckstein’s on-base percentage than the record of the Wash. U. baseball team.
So, plenty of us are sports fans, but not Wash. U. sports fans. While it’s true that Wash. U. is no Notre Dame, Michigan, Nebraska or North Carolina, I don’t think the answer is that Wash. U. isn’t any good at athletics. Not only is that untrue, but we support our other teams through their losing seasons. Part of the answer is that when you root for a sports team it bonds you together with other people who are also rooting for that team. You can share in the team’s victories and losses. When you go to the games you feel like you’re part of a crowd. It gives you a certain identity. When you associate yourself with a particular team, you take part in the team’s tradition. Every Notre Dame fan clings to heroic stories like Rudy’s and every Nebraska fan idolizes its old back-up quarterback, Brook Berringer, who played secondstring for four years and was good enough to play in the NFL until he tragically died in a plane crash shortly before the NFL draft. Wash. U. doesn’t seem to have the stories or the iden-
tity. We defi nitely don’t have a culture that provides a huge bonding experience when we root for our teams. We fi nd some weird sort of identity in not caring about how our sports teams perform. Maybe that’s something we can hold onto when we think about what distinguishes our school. There have to be better reasons Wash. U. is special. Every year dozens of January Program students choose to wait an entire semester just so they can attend this school. Many of these students are admitted to other excellent universities. Every year alumni give this school more money than I care to imagine. So, what is it about Wash. U.? It might be the mix of academics with a good social atmosphere, or how friendly people seem in general. I’m not sure what it is that drew us all to this school, but we should invest energy in figuring it out. We certainly could start a tradition. Jill is a freshman in Arts & Sciences. She can be reached via e-mail at jlstromi@artsci.wustl. edu.
How much do we need? By Melissa Miller Staff Columnist
I
eat at the Subway in the Rat regularly. I always order either a six-inch chicken teriyaki with cheese on honey oat with lettuce or a six-inch turkey with cheese on honey oat with lettuce, cucumbers, onions and oil and vinegar. I pay and the checkout person tells me to “Eat fresh.” I take my Subway bag, walk 20 feet to the seating section, open my bag, remove my sandwich, throw out my bag, and proceed to eat. After three years of this routine I realized something. Do I really need a sandwich bag to walk between 10 and 20 feet to my chair where I will promptly open and discard said bag? Can I competently carry a bagless sandwich accident-free for 10 to 20, maybe even 30 feet? I concluded yes. So now, when I visit Subway, I ask to have my sandwich bag-free. Now, perhaps this isn’t the profoundest of realizations or the profoundest of conclusions. It’s not like I, as one student, am going to save the world by stoically forgoing my Subway bag-use. My impact on the environment is negligible; one woman refusing a bag—will it statistically reduce the number of Subway bags used in a year, the amount of waste Americans put in landfills in a year, the amount of waste world citizens create each year? Negative. Now, this is the paragraph where you expect my rhetorical turn—the paragraph where you expect me to say, “But, my fellow students, if we all gave up our Subway bags!...” But that’s
not what this paragraph is going to be. There will be no ifwe-could-all-just-give-the-worlda-puppy-then-there-would-beworld-peace paragraph. Instead there will be this paragraph: I’m not sure how much good it would do for the world if we all, as a campus, proudly banded together to refuse bags at Subway. Maybe it would help, maybe it wouldn’t. I don’t know if I care to know. Then why do I go bagless? The point is that I realized that I don’t need my Subway bag. That I can have a complete, enjoyable, (fresh?), spill-free Subway experience without a Subway bag. I’m not really helping the environment and I’m certainly not gaining the moral high ground what with my Gandhi-like self denial. I just don’t need the bag. So, as I sat there in the Subway in the midst of my little bag “epiphany,” I progressed to thinking about other things. How much of my life is comprised of things that, just like this silly plastic bag, are things I really don’t need, things I can function perfectly without? I concluded, sadly, most of my life. But should humans only possess what they need? Is it healthy or moral to own things that you want, but don’t necessarily need? Furthermore, are want and need mutually exclusive? Many philosophers and religious figures have treaded the topic for centuries; none has closed the issue, created the definitive, be-all-end-all, userfriendly solution guide to the distinction between and morality of want and need. So I thought to myself that
perhaps this was not a subject I could conquer in the 15 minutes before my next class. But then again, I could try. I tried to set some guidelines for myself. I decided that if I haven’t used clothes or worn shoes in six months, I clearly don’t need them; they should go to charity. I decided if I want to purchase something that I can’t picture at least three different uses for, I shouldn’t buy it. If I walk by a charity and I have a dollar, I ought to give a dollar. I ask my parents to take some of the gifts they would have given me for Christmas and instead buy items on the wish list of a local women’s shelter. And going without these things—the shoes I never wore, the gizmo I’d never use, the extra dollar, the superfluous presents—doesn’t make me a saint because it doesn’t hurt to lose them; I really didn’t need them. Maybe the steps I take are insufficient. Maybe we should give more than we want to give. Maybe I’m overzealous. I don’t know. Perhaps the point is the exercise—the exercise of trying to think of what I can go without. Especially after Hurricane Katrina, especially when there’s a civil war raging in Africa, when there’s worldwide unemployment, diseases like AIDS crippling entire populations, domestic abuse, slavery, genocide, rape…it goes on. What can you go without? Hopefully a Subway bag. Melissa is a senior in Arts & Sciences. She can be reached via e-mail at mjmiller@artsci.wustl. edu.
extremely long line of people waiting to get in, we would have missed the first few minutes and have been totally lost on the plot. As promised, “Disco Dolls in Hot Skin” (the title really isn’t that important) was horrible and amazing. The hero, Chick, tries to deal with a problem whose solution Bob Dole might have, while a character simply known as The Inspector tries to catch the city’s biggest criminal—Harry Balls (“Harry Balls who?” “Harry balls anyone he
can!” is just an example of the movie’s incredible dialogue). And of course, there are sex scenes galore—and kind of in 3D. The audience at the Tivoli was nearly entirely comprised of students (except for one guy sitting all alone behind us) hooting and hollering at pretty much every moment. And many of the groups there were of mixed gender. These two factors indicate that going to the movie wasn’t just an excuse for bunches of oversexed guys to see some nudity, rather, an exercise in absurdity for all to enjoy. It was something to proudly say
you’ve done. And as I’ve continually discovered in my time here, that’s the main point of college (aside from education, of course). Be it debating the limits of academic freedom into the wee hours of the night, trying to throw a ping pong ball into a cup of bad beer, or seeing a crappy ’70s porno, it’s an experience you have to have before you’re too old and responsible to be able to. Especially if it’s in 3D. Daniel is a sophomore in Arts & Sciences and a Forum editor. He can be reached via e-mail at forum@studlife.com.
It’s time for the debate about homophobia to end
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ecently, the campus, or at least the Forum section, has been abuzz with discussions about Professor Katz and the homophobic article posted on his Web site, a Universitycontrolled domain. While I too fi nd Katz’ views to be offensive, misguided and hateful, I would also like to request something of all parties involved with the Matt discussion Shapiro over the past two weeks: stop it. No progress is being made, and the debate is resulting in little more than lots of letters to the editor in my inbox and the same points being made over and over again about how Katz’ views are incorrect, which, not surprisingly, has not yet changed his mind about homophobia. Many of these letters and articles seem to blame Katz for stirring up this debate; last Friday’s article, titled “I am not a debate,” in particular seemed to hold this view, an assertion that is entirely not true. Jeff Stepp, one of my fellow editors, brought this issue to public discussion, and Katz has remained relatively quiet publishing a few letters in response to the outpouring of responses directed his way since the publication of the original article. Katz never set out to make his views into an actively political debate; he simply has an article posted, along with many others, on his Web site. For the same reason that Holocaust deniers hold ten-
ured positions at school across the nation, such as at our close neighbor Northwestern, Katz has the right to have offensive views. It is his right to think, write, and say whatever he wants; though the question of University Web space is still relevant, that has long been passed over as the focus of this debate in favor of debating homophobia itself. What many people need to start understanding is that the University’s hands are essentially tied. Though Katz’ views may offend a good deal of its population, he certainly is not forcing them on anyone, and they most likely would have remained unknown to the majority of the campus, had there not been an article in this section about them. What Katz thinks and writes is his own personal business; though the decision to leave the essay posted on university Web space may be questionable, the administration certainly would not want to deal with a situation where it appears that they are stifl ing free speech, which, almost certainly, would be how Katz would portray it. As Katz has already shown himself to be quite skilled at framing issues in ways most convenient to him, the University must be wary of potentially taking action. Furthermore, as anyone at Wash. U. knows, few things are more important to this school than its reputation; do we really think Wrighton and crew are going to risk the established name our school has been building up for a decade over an article online? Doubtful. Until Professor Katz actually puts his homophobia into action, all of the outcries of protest are useless; Katz manages to frame the issue in
exactly the right way that his “moral” decision is difficult to rebut or argue against in any meaningful way. The best advice I can give to the people who are furious, agitated and relentlessly trying to prove Professor Katz wrong is this: let it go. By allowing this “controversy” to go on for so long, it only gives more credence and air time to his hateful and disturbing thoughts. Ideas such as having a debate between Katz and a student are ludicrous; why even bother giving him another forum in which to express his views that disturb you so much? Just as I wouldn’t waste my time arguing with a Holocaust denier, those who are railing against Katz with such vigor would do better to direct their energies elsewhere, towards an effort that could be pro-active, rather than reactionary. The University has no right to take any sort of drastic action regarding Katz as long as his views are kept out of the classroom; given the administration’s lack of response thus far, it seems that they are comfortable taking no action at all. While this may be difficult to stomach, try looking at it from a different perspective. We are lucky enough to have freedom of thought, press and speech in this country; although a few confused and unfortunate people may take advantage of these rights and abuse them to try to spread hate, trying to take their own rights away will only restrict the multitude of freedoms that we hold so dear. Matt is a senior in Arts & Sciences and a Forum editor. He can be reached via e-mail at forum@studlife.com.
LETTERS v FROM PAGE 4 tive representation of Teach For America, its corps members and alumni. And to the respective editors, Margaret, Sarah and Sarah, we greatly appreciate your help in making these stories possible. On behalf of the recruitment team, thank you for your support of Teach For America. We look forward to working with Stud Life in the future to reach out to top students here at Wash. U. -Suzanne Reznikoff Class of 2006
Seeking a solution to the Katz debate Dear Editor: As an American, Professor Katz has the right to any view he wants. No matter what, even if plenty of other Americans find his views morally repugnant, we don’t try to stop him from holding them. And that’s a good thing—it’s one of the reasons we’re lucky to live in America. The reason I object to Professor Katz is not because I want to censor his right to free
speech or because I’m afraid of the legitimacy his views could gain: his writing is too full of false statistics and wildly erroneous assumptions for that. I object because of what Katz does NOT have a right to do. Because he holds a position of authority over students, his speech – “I am a homophobe and proud” – becomes intimidation. And that’s not something we at Washington University can allow. Every single student, regardless of sexual orientation, race, gender or other identity, has the right to feel safe in the classroom. Because of his articles and his public defense of them in Student Life, that’s not happening. I know students in his classes who now feel scared and extremely uncomfortable going to office hours or asking a question. I know people who have started sitting in the back row. I know even more students who are thinking about what classes they might take in the future, and crossing his classes off the list, even if it means delaying a cluster, taking a required course over the summer at another school, or not getting to take a class at all. That is completely unacceptable. No
student here should feel like a class is closed to him or her, and no student here should feel threatened by a professor. The discussions of freedom of speech and the accuracy of Katz’s claims are going on. But this goes beyond that. This is a real problem that is affecting real students here every day. And the solution that we as a community find needs to address that. Simply telling Katz to move his article to another Webspace doesn’t fi x the problem – he has already destroyed the integrity of his classroom for every group that he targets. Firing him is probably impossible. So what do we do? We need to find a way to make his classes safe for every single student. Whether that means requiring him to teach classes in conjunction with another professor, taking away his grading privileges, supervising his office hours, or something else to make it clear to his students that we actually uphold our rules about discriminatory harassment, it needs to be done. And it needs to be done soon. -Margaux Buck Class of 2008
Corrections: In a Monday, Oct. 10 story in Scene (“University alum fights New Orleans achievement gap”), McDonogh High School was incorrectly spelled “McDonough.” Student Life regrets the error. In a Monday, Oct. 10 story in News (“University grads surge towards Teach For America”), the author stated that all TFA participants receive graduate degrees after their two years of service. In fact, all TFA participants obtain teaching certification in the state in which they work by taking classes at participating colleges and universities, but only some obtain graduate degrees, namely those who take extra classes in order to obtain the degree from participating schools. In another Monday, Oct. 10 News story (“Colleges prepare for end of ‘Echo Boom’”), we incorrectly cited the St. Louis Post-Dispatch as reporting that Missouri State University was planning to increase recruitment efforts. This should have been the University of MissouriColumbia. Thanks to Kavita Kumar of the Post-Dispatch for pointing that out.
6 STUDENT LIFE | SPORTS
Senior Sports Editor / Justin Davidson / sports@studlife.com
SPORTS
WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 12, 2005
IN BRIEF: The No. 1-ranked volleyball squad upended four teams at the Bears Classic on Fri. and Sat., Oct. 7-8, extending its season record to a perfect 19–0. The women’s soccer team lost its fourth one-goal game of the season off of a penalty kick against UAA rival Carnegie Mellon University.
Bears Classic no contest Offensive woes continue for No. 1 volleyball team in 1–0 penalty kick loss
By Carrie Jarka Sports Reporter Hosting the Bears Classic this past weekend at the Field House, the seniors on the Washington University volleyball team were determined to help their squad maintain its perfect season. The Bears moved to 19-0 overall record with three wins this weekend and proved that the pollsters were correct for the upcoming week, unanimously voting the Bears as the No. 1–ranked team in the nation. The Bears opened up play this weekend against Westminster College. Making quick work of the Blue Jays, the Bears won in three straight games (30–9, 30–6, 30–12). While it was the seniors’ weekend to shine, freshmen Nikki Morrison and Alli Alberts led the offense for
the Bears with nine kills apiece. Junior Megan Delcourt, the only Bear to play in all three of the games against Westminster, tallied 20 assists with a hitting percentage of 1.000 (3 kills, 3 attempts, 0 errors). Steadfast in consistency and quality in one game of play, the seniors still made huge contributions. Senior Megan Houck had seven kills (on eight attempts with no errors, for a percentage of .875), and senior setter Kara Liefer had two kills with nine assists. As a team, the Bears hit .519 and matched a season-high of 16 service aces. Continuing their play on Friday, the Bears faced University of Wisconsin–Lacrosse in a rematch of last year’s NCAA quarterďŹ nal game. Again, the opponent did not provide any challenge for the
PAM BUZZETTA | STUDENT LIFE
Sophomore Emilie Walk takes to the air for a thunderous slam at the Bears Classic on Friday, Oct. 7. The No. 1-ranked team maintained their undefeated record with four wins in the tournament.
Bears as they rolled to a 3–0 victory (30–10, 30–16, 30–24). With another balanced attack that included four players with a hitting percentage over .500, the Bears tallied 51 kills. Junior Whitney Smith and Houck dominated again with 11 kills, while sophomore Haleigh Spencer added eight kills of her own. Liefer had an astonishing 40 assists to go along with her four kills. Saturday’s opponents were equally attened by the Bears, who beat Baldwin-Wallace College 3–0 (30–20, 30–21, 30–21) and Fontbonne University 3–1 (30–14, 30– 22, 27–30, 30–16). Against BaldwinWallace, the Bears had six players with at least ďŹ ve kills. Sophomore Emilie Walk had 15 kills and Smith added 12. Defensively, junior libero Amy Bommarito had a seasonhigh 24 digs. Spencer was an allaround asset, as she contributed six kills, four assists and 19 digs. Cross-Wydown rival Fontbonne University was the only team able to take even one game from the Bears this weekend. Still, the Bears’ offense included three players with double-digit kills, two players with double-digit assists and a total of 13 service aces. Liefer, Smith, Houck and Bommarito, the alltournament selections from Wash. U., proved their worth, responsible for 23 kills, 37 assists, 24 digs and six service aces—more than half of the team’s offense and defense. However, the focus could not be shifted from the three seniors Houck, Liefer, and Nicole Hodgman. The senior trio accounted for a combined 52 kills, 130 assists, 30 digs and 12 service aces this weekend. This is not unusual, as these three have been the anchor of the Bears all season while collecting several all-tournament team nominations. The Bears return to action at the Field House at 10 a.m. this Sat., Oct. 15, in the second University Athletic Association (UAA) roundrobin against opponents University of Rochester, Case Western Reserve University, New York University and Emory University.
DAVID HARTSTEIN | STUDENT LIFE
The women’s squad has outscored its opponents 16-8 this season, but has so far experienced difficulty scoring in tied games and coming out on top in close matches. By Justin Davidson Senior Sports Editor The offensive woes of the women’s soccer team continued on Sun., Oct. 9, as the squad saw a hard-fought defensive battle against University Athletic Association (UAA) rival—undefeated, No. 24–ranked Carnegie Mellon University—slip through its fingers. The 1–0 loss was the Bears’ fourth one-goal loss of the season, rounding out their season record to 6–5–1, 0–2 UAA. The lone goal of the game was scored off a penalty kick in the 39th minute when Carnegie Mellon’s Erica LeCount was tripped in the box to set up the penalty kick, which beat sophomore goalkeeper Nina Sass to the lower-right side of the goal. The Bears had an opportunity to get on the board early in the game but could not convert. Five minutes into the game, junior Talia Bucci nailed a shot from 20 yards out, barely missing
the back of the net as her shot bounced off the crossbar. Junior captain Meghan Marie Fowler-Finn recovered the rebound, but Carnegie Mellon goalie Christie Adams kept the score knotted at zero apiece with a save to Fowler-Finn’s shot. The strong Tartan defense effectively shut down the struggling Wash. U. offense, limiting them to five shots that challenged Adams in net. Nevertheless, the Bears out-shot the Tartans 11–8, but they could not find the back of the net—a recurring theme throughout the Bears’ season. The downfall for Wash. U. was not necessarily in its inability to get on the board, but through committing fouls, resulting in the Carnegie Mellon penalty shot. The Bears committed 13 fouls to the Tartans’ 10, and both teams were even in corner kicks at two apiece. Central to the Bears’ woes this season has been the lackluster play from the
team’s top players. FowlerFinn, who started off the 2004 campaign with eight goals in the first several games, only has four goals this season. Bucci and sophomore Kim O’Keefe, both big goal producers, have contributed only two goals to the Bear offensive thus far in the season. Although the squad has outscored its opponents by a tally of 16–8, its inability to score in tied games and win close games has been its downfall. Four of the team’s five losses have come in onegoal games. This might be attributed to the sloppy play of the Bears, who have committed 144 fouls this season to their opponents’ 99. The Bears (6–5–1, 0–2 UAA) will hope to improve on these gaudy statistics when the team hosts UAA competitor Case Western Reserve University on Fri., Oct. 14. at 7:30 p.m. on Francis Field. Case Western Reserve is 4–5–3, 1–1 UAA this season.
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Senior Cadenza Editor / Laura Vilines / cadenza@studlife.com
WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 12, 2005
STUDENT LIFE | CADENZA
7
THEATRE REVIEW
Let the reviews shine in: ‘Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical’ Cadenza Reporter
WU PERFORMING ARTS DEPARTMENT
Even in their promotional photos, the cast of “Hair” genuinely rocks out.
Why venture off campus for a raging good time when sex, drugs and rock and roll come to our very own Edison Theatre? The Performing Arts Department, under the direction of Jeffery Matthews, has brought the unique style, dancing and singing of “Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical” back onto the stage and into our hearts, just as it did for the generation of 1968. The set, lighting, costumes and entire atmosphere are superb. From the get-go the mood is set and the audience is brought back to a time of flower-children, peace, love and really good trips. The extremely clever set design places the band above the stage—right where it belongs in the center of the action. Meanwhile, the clever and catchy music of “Hair” makes even the most depressed dance home singing, “Let the sun shine in!” The production features several stellar performances. Junior Carolina Reiter as Sheila, a peace advocate and tribe protest leader, does a particularly fine job. Her songs “Easy to be Hard” and “Good Morning Starshine” are executed beautifully. Another highlight is a surprisingly spectacular cameo performance by freshman Jake Levine-Sisson
as Margaret Mead. With dead-on comic timing and a phenomenal voice, we can count on seeing a lot more of this talented newcomer. The fact that the entire cast is on stage for almost every musical number fills the theatre with a vivacious energy that makes it hard to not get sucked in. A long hallucination sequence, complete with strobe lights, lots of smoke and visits from Scarlet O’Hara and Abe Lincoln, among others, is extremely entertaining. Like any opening night performance, a few first-run jitters were in the air, and some trouble with mikes probably didn’t help, but the show can only get smoother, more finely tuned, and better with each night. When “Hair” opened on Broadway, it was fit for its
times, and it intended to shake things up. Since then, the times have not changed too much. Although some of the references in “Hair” are specific to the decade— for example, did you know that Timothy Leary was a campaigner for psychedelic drug use?—the effect on the audience is as profound as ever. Opening night nicely (if not boldly) coincided with Parents Weekend, and the generation before us is likely to catch many more of the meaningful references that might have gone over the heads of a younger crowd. A production with so much depth cannot be summed up in a single word, but if there is something writer Gerome Ragni explored with “Hair,” it is a timeless search for freedom, probably best exem-
plified by the song “Walking in Space.” Despite its apparent v ulgarity and sexual frankness, there is something truly poetic about the musical. It shows that the human hunger for transcendence is as voracious as ever. By the end of the show it did not make much of a difference if every single allusion had not been recognized or every joke laughed at. The show’s success, after all, does not depend on such recognition. Instead, success is found in the show’s sentimentality—in the overwhelming rush of emotion that occurs in the final scene and in the cast members’ vibes that cannot help but leak out into the audience.
ALL REAL NUMBERS
By Emily Joshi-Powell
BY DAVID FREEMAN
MOVIE REVIEW
‘Elizabethtown’: ‘Jerry Maguire’ sans Jonathan Lipnicki By Ivanna Yang Cadenza Reporter “Elizabethtown” is Cameron Crowe’s romantic-comedy follow-up to “Jerry Maguire.” Often feeling like a postcard to the American South, the scenic byways of Kentucky and Arkansas form the backdrop to the small towns in between, where people still wave at strangers and an American flag adorns every porch. This is the world Drew Baylor (Orlando Bloom) is inadvertently thrown into after enduring an ignominious end to his career. Although Drew was once a rising talent at the shoe giant Mercury (think Nike or Adidas), the fruit of his toils for the past seven years has been panned by Elizabethtown
★★★★✩
ELIZABETHTOWN.COM
“Wow, look at all those trees. There sure are a lot of them.” “Yeah. I really like trees, don’t you?”
Starring: Orlando Bloom, Kirsten Dunst, Alec Baldwin, Susan Sarandon, Judy Greer Directed by: Cameron Crowe
the American public, prompting his boss (Alec Baldwin) to taunt that the shoe may cause people to go barefoot again. Numb from his dismissal, Drew cleans out his apartment and prepares for his own suicide by taping a steak knife to a treadmill, theoretically planning to die from repeated stabbings. Just as Drew is about to press the “on” switch of the machine and bid farewell to the world, his cell phone rings. It’s his sister on the other end; their father Mitch has died from a sudden heart attack. Drew postpones his suicide plans and flies instead to Elizabethtown, Ky., to collect his father’s remains. On the flight he meets Claire (Kirsten Dunst), who immediately senses the young man’s tragedy and takes him under her wing. The next morning, she gives him advice on road directions, reminds him of which trolley to pick up his luggage from and leaves him with her number. After navigating the mazelike roads of greater Louisville, Drew arrives in Elizabethtown, where everyone already seems to know him as “Mitch’s boy.” The warmth of Drew’s extended
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family is in direct contrast to the sterile environment of Mercury. There are colorful characters all around, from a middle-aged cousin still dreaming of cover-band stardom to a precocious nephew prone to fits of screaming. Still, it is with Claire that Drew forms a deeper connection, her kooky nature revealing an inner wisdom. With her, Drew becomes spontaneous, happy for the first time since the 24-hour period in which he lost both his job and his father. Still, Claire has reservations about starting a relationship, insisting that each is the other’s “in-between person.” Meanwhile, Drew’s mother and sister, played by Susan Sarandon and Judy Greer, respectively, deal with Mitch’s loss in their own way. All three meet in Elizabethtown for the memorial service, each undergoing his or her own personal catharsis. The fledging relationship between Drew and Claire is also at a junction, and it will take a solo cross-country road trip guided by Claire’s handmade guidebook to steer his future. Bloom’s acting chops are tested as he plays the leading man for the first time—and an American at that. Though his accent wavers at times, Bloom is credible as the melancholy and introspective Drew. Dunst’s Claire is faintly reminiscent of Kate Winslet’s Clementine in “Eternal Sunshine” but lacks the biting edge. We see her vulnerable at times, but we can’t believe it would prevent her from accosting the next mysterious stranger she meets on a red-eye flight. Poignant and often funny, “Elizabethtown” transcends the traditional romantic comedy mold. Though the movie can feel disjointed at times—too many story lines and loose editing come to mind—it does offer moments of startling insight, such as when Drew discovers that perhaps success is not “the only God the entire world serves.” An equally engaging soundtrack full of rock numbers is signature Crowe. Bloom is certainly the marquis attraction, and “Elizabethtown” may draw comparisons to last year’s “Garden State.” Still, the movie ultimately does leave food for after-thought, leaving the audience to reexamine its own priorities.
8 STUDENT LIFE | CADENZA
Senior Cadenza Editor / Laura Vilines / cadenza@studlife.com
WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 12, 2005
MOVIE REVIEWS
‘Domino’: a stunning negation of creativity By Chris Breault Cadenza Reporter Domino Harvey may as well have never existed; Hollywood invented her a long time ago. Whatever she was in real life, she’s been reduced to what American audiences have known for a very long time: the action chick with guns who shoots like a guy but has the sex appeal to draw men to the box office. Her life has been rewritten for scale. The guns are bigger, the sex sexier, the colors brighter and the plot thicker. Domino’s purported real story: she was a rich, privileged woman and former model who became a bounty hunter in Los Angeles for Domino
★★✩✩✩ Starring: Keira Knightley, Delroy Lindo, Lucy Liu Director: Tony Scott Final word: Disappointing
some reason of her own and was good at her job. It’s enough material for an eye-catching human-interest article, but it doesn’t have the narrative heft of a big-budget fi lm. In a stunning negation of creativity, the fi lmmakers’ solved this issue by welding a ponderous heist plot onto the fi lm (a convoluted sub–“Ocean’s Eleven” caper, self-consciously juiced up with R-rated material). The cast of character actors in “Domino” seems bodily lifted from other fi lms: Delroy Lindo, Lucy Liu, Mickey Rourke, Mena Suvari and Christopher Walken do things they’ve done better before. None of them has a line they couldn’t have improvised on their own; they’ve lived in these roles for years. Keira Knightley does all right in the fi lm, but she doesn’t need an acting coach to tell her how to shoot guns and look hot. Screenwriter Richard Kelly proposed that he wrote Domino’s life like “a punkrock fever dream,” and the results suggest that Kelly has never actually been to a concert or had a tem-
perature. He can dream, as “Donnie Darko” proved, but his dreams are all angst and portent. His reveries aren’t the stuff that action fi lms are made of; they aren’t even energetic. Did you ever hear that Carol Reed directed “The Third Man” on speed? He did, and made one of the best, most methodical downers of the last century. I like to think that the makers of “Domino” worked under the influence of barbiturates, as their every edit is done in the most frenzied and impatient style. There’s no rule against quick editing; Welles did it in “F for Fake” in 1974. It worked fi ne for him, and I’m sure it worked for others before him. But “Domino” uses it to escape from content, focusing wildly on everything to stop our noticing that there’s nothing to see. Scenes are joined this way as well, attached to each other in a crumbling, disjointed arrangement of drunken backtracking and exhausting diversion until the narrative becomes about the least appealing thing you can
An illuminating film
WIP.WARNERBROS.COM
Can you see Elijah Wood as anything but creepy after his turn in “Sin City”? Yeah, it’s tough for us, too.
imagine watching. It’s a little disappointing, because there was a day when you could depend on Tony Scott. His was the mind behind “Top Gun,” “Beverly Hills Cop II,” “Days of Thunder,” “The Last Boy Scout” and “True Romance.” Until 1993, Scott was creating some of the most jovial violence the world had ever known. His movies all sucked, but there was affection in them—Scott believed in all the stuff we weren’t stupid enough to be taken in by, and that made him invincible. But eventually he lost his love for the things that pop, shine, explode and crack wise. In his last two fi lms, “Man on Fire” and “Domino,” Scott retreated into the most technical zones of fi lmmaking, using the tricks of fi lters, lighting and stock he learned as a director of commercials. He gave up on all but the most cursory content, and worked at imitating the post–“Fight Club” fi lm aesthetic, laying on the grit and dirty yellow light. His fi lms were always
By Jason Dowd Cadenza Reporter Jonathan Safran Foer is a collector. What does he collect? Everything. On her deathbed, his grandmother gives him a photograph of his grandfather standing in a field with another woman, but she dies before providing an explanation. He takes the picture as he leaves— he takes her dentures, too. Quirky traits typify all of the characters in “Everything is Illuminated.” The story is narrated by Alex (Eugene Hutz), the reluctant Ukrainian translator who escorts Jonathan (Elijah Wood) through his country in search of an explanation for the photograph. Alex’s family is in the business of “showing rich Jews where their dead relatives are buried”—a strange occupation, given the anti-Semitic views of the elders in the family. Also along for the trip is Alex’s grandfather (Boris Leskin), who believes himself to be blind and yet insists on driving the car. There is a dog, too—Sammy Davis Jr., Jr., often referred to as the “seeing-eye bitch.” We laugh at the characters, but we never laugh at everyone at once. The humor comes from
DOMINOMOVIE.COM
Oh, that “Fight Club” aesthetic: bandages, cigarettes, cuts, and yellow light. can’t enjoy Scott’s movies anymore, and, saddest of all, you can’t even laugh at them.
hollow, but they were well made on the outside, and emptiness agreed with them. Now they’re not even professional—“Domino” is a bad student fi lm with an all-star cast and explosions. You
the mismatch—an American curious about the Ukrainian past, a Ukrainian interested in the American present and an old man with an unspoken determination, all trying to uncover a history that many would rather leave forgotten. However, as they tread closer to their destination, the goofy humor dissolves away and reveals a more subtle truth about the characters themselves. We come to see them in light of the journey as well as the history that ties them together. The comedy and the solemnity of the fi lm work well together but only because of the sincerity with which the story is told. Based on the novel by Jonathan Safran Foer and under the charge of fi rst-time writer/director Liev Schreiber (who happened to play the role of Orson Welles in HBO’s “RKO 281”), the fi lm works on virtually all levels. The Ukrainian countryside is both beautiful and haunting, and the sensation is conveyed effortlessly on screen. The acting, perhaps most notably Leskin’s, conveys a perfect sense of character beneath the surface. No element seems forced or misplaced, which is all the more impressive given the shifts in tone that take place over the course of the narrative.
There is a sense of cruelty and contempt that comes out of denying one’s past, which the fi lm beautifully brings to light. No single character is the centerpiece of the narrative. Jonathan is the catalyst of the story, but Alex is the more dominant narrator, and perhaps even his grandfather has the most to reveal. Actually, the focus is on all three, as well as on the rich history that they uncover—the lives of their ancestors and the buried testimonies of a country that is oblivious to its own past. The journey is long but satisfying. One might consider this a story about the Holocaust—in fact, it is one step removed, and much of the fi lm is spent trying to fi nd a way back to its meaning. It succeeds. The truth revealed is as genuine as one could hope to fi nd on-screen.
ALBUM REVIEW
Everything is Illuminated
★★★★★ Starring: Elijah Wood, Eugene Hutz, Boris Leskin Directed by: Liev Schreiber
Wolf Parade, “Apologies to the Queen Mary” By Jordan Deam Cadenza Music Editor Maybe I’m just being paranoid, but it’s starting to get a bit more difficult to play the “originality” card when talking about indie rock with those who haven’t taken to the genre. It seems like what once was a blanket term for interesting music without any commercial appeal has become an easily identifiable aesthetic with plenty of marketing potential. Consequently, it’s hard to fault those that don’t enjoy the “indie” sound for not “seeking out unique new music”: frankly, many new indie releases are only unique compared to what’s being played on top-40 radio. For those that enjoy the sound, however, any claims about “innovation” are
beside the point. Montreal quartet Wolf Parade prove this within the first few minutes of their debut LP, “Apologies to the Queen Mary.” Like Brooklyn’s Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Wolf Parade’s music is easily described as a recombination of a few well-beloved indie and proto-indie mainstays, including Modest Mouse (whose vocalist, Isaac Brock, produced “Apologies”), the Pixies and Berlin-trilogy-era Bowie. This isn’t groundbreaking music in any way, but “Apologies” is so well executed and tuneful that this can hardly be considered criticism. The band’s chief strengths are its two vocalists, Dan Boeckner and Spencer Krug, who split vocal duties fairly evenly between the album’s twelve tracks. Boeckner’s voice is
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reminiscent of Beck, albeit more energetic and melodic, whereas Krug’s voice is often compared to Bowie’s wavering, slightly awkward tenor. Each vocalist has his highlights of the album, including Boeckner’s bouncy yet morose “Shine a Light” and Krug’s rollicking “I’ll Believe in Anything.” Typical of the indie sound, each track features synths and keyboards that are just as prominent as the guitars, and, while they often find just the right place in the song and the mix, the sounds themselves can be corny and uninspired.
Thankfully, Wolf Parade never quite settle for the typical new-wave figures that so many lesser bands are content to rip off from New Order and Duran Duran. For those who gravitate towards slightly out-oftune vocalists, simple drums and well-layered guitars and synths, the decision is easy: you are pretty much guaranteed to enjoy “Apologies to the Queen Mary” immensely. For the rest: don’t feel too bad about passing on this one.
Wolf Parade “Apologies to the Queen Mary” Grade: B+ For fans of: Modest Mouse, Pixies, David Bowie Bottom line: perfectly executed indie rock, and little more Songs to download: “Grounds and Divorce,” “Shine a Light,” “I’ll Believe in Anything”
WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 12, 2005
STUDENT LIFE | CLASSIFIEDS
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10 STUDENT LIFE | CADENZA
Senior Cadenza Editor / Laura Vilines / cadenza@studlife.com
CAADEN DEN Z A
WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 12, 2005
n. a technically brilliant, sometimes improvised solo passage toward the close of a concerto, an exceptionally brilliant part of an artistic work
arts & entertainment
My Country ‘Tis of Thee: Re-Imagining America’s Radio Waves Recently, Venezuela’s populist government, led by nationalist Hugo Chavez, passed a new and quite bulky Social Responsibility Law, intended to further force the country to promote its own culture over that of other influential nations (including the United States). Hidden deep within this new policy is an addendum requiring all radio stations to play a significant amount of Venezuelan music. In fact, the law requires that at least 50 percent of all radio music programming must be Venezuelan, and at least half of all of that music is required to be folkloric. While the resolution has been helpful to traditional musicians, such as 71-year-old bandola player Anselmo Lopez, who has recently seen a huge revival of album sales, others, especially those in the capital of Caracas, feel deprived of musical options, including staples of American pop, rap, and rock. Radio stations have felt perhaps the most incensed by the mandate, and some have rebelled by playing folkloric music filled with vulgar content. As a result, we here at Cadenza have decided to take a look at what our American radio waves would sound like if a similar policy beset our own “purple mountains” and “amber waves of grain.” What would happen if we were no longer allowed to air our indie rock favorites and poprock staples? What would happen if all of our Marilyn Mansons and Britney Spears’s were suddenly wiped off the air-waves? The surprising results are below.
By Laura Vilines Senior Cadenza Editor
>
d e r o s n Ce America’s Radio: A Hit List ^ Folk-Filled
1. The Quakers—“Simple Gifts”
No one else rocks out quite like the Quakers. An American folk song staple, this song reminds us that it truly “‘tis a gift to be free.”
2. Bob Dylan—“Times They Are a Changin’” While Dylan’s work isn’t considered among traditional American folk songs, he was the voice of an entire generation, and his folk hit told others to quickly “get out of the new [road].” If you’re not with us, you’re against us. So tune your radio station in and prepare for lots of folk favorites.
3. Lee Greenwood—“God Bless the USA”
A classic, performed by artists from all genres, this American anthem declares loudly, “I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free” to listen to twangy country songs just like this one.
4. John Fogerty—“Centerfield”
5.
It’s not a folk song, but it does sit atop President Bush’s iTunes list. And of course, what W wants, W gets. So in addition to this former CCR rocker’s slide into mediocrity, also look for hits from Joni Mitchell, Alan Jackson, and George Jones: all other W favorites.
Toby Keith—“Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue” It may not be a folk song, but this country hit is probably the most nationalistic anthem we’ve got. With lyrics like “You’ll be sorry that you messed with the US of A/ Cause we’ll put a boot in your ass; it’s the American way,” this song promotes nothing but the pure patriotism, values, and truth this nation was founded on. In fact, I think George Washington had a similar battle cry when he crossed the Potomac: “Up yours, you Redcoats.”
6. Dexy’s Midnight Runners—“Go toora loora toora loo rye aye!” An American folk favorite? The American folk song “Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ra (That’s an Irish Lullaby)” was an American folk song staple, a 1944 hit for Bing Crosby, and the obvious (if unsubstantiated) inspiration for these ‘80s one-hit wonders. An American folk hit or an ‘80s pop hit? We’ll let you decide.
7. Elvis Presley—“How Great Thou Art”
Nothing quite says America like Elvis and Jesus. With W behind the wheel, the censored radio stations are sure to be cranking out even more of our gospel favorites. And who better to proclaim the good news than the King himself? Rock on, Elvis, rock on.