STUDENT LIFE
THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER OF WASHINGTON UNIVERSIT Y IN ST. LOUIS SINCE 1878 Sadly, the men’s basketball team has ended their season with a loss and a failure to win an NCAA at-large bid. Read more in Sports. Page 5.
Harvard president Larry Summers, Mardi Gras debauchery, course listings, Darfur, and more, all in today’s Forum. Page 6.
VOLUME 127, NO. 59
Geometry Wars: How can a $5 title from Xbox Live compete with $60 games? Jordan Deam explains in today’s Cadenza. Page 8.
It’s that time of year again— Cadenza makes their 2006 Oscar picks. See Page 10.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1, 2006
CHEMICAL REACTION CAUSES FIRE IN LAB SCIENCES
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LGBTIQAA task force to present concerns to WU v Committee preparing suggestions for safety,
diversity and campus life to shape University policy By Kristin McGrath Senior News Editor The newly formed task force that represents the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, questioning, asexual, and allies (LGBTIQA A) community will take its first steps in shaping future University resources at the end of April. After meeting weekly this semester, the task force has formed subgroups to investigate five main issues to present to Dean of Arts & Sciences James McLeod. The task force, which is composed of faculty, administrators, and students, was formed in January in response to a reso-
lution passed last year by the Student Union (SU) Senate to create a resource center to serve students of alternate orientations and lifestyles. The first subgroup will address the appointment of a person who would serve as coordinator for LGBTIQA A issues, said Professor of Anthropology T.R. Kidder, who heads the task force. “We’re dealing with questions now such as where physically [the coordinator] would be housed and to whom they would report,” said Kidder. “The idea we’re wrestling with now is if this is something we’d want to recommend.” The second issue involves providing a safe en-
vironment for LGBTIQA A students. One of the task force’s subgroups is currently investigating the safety concerns of members of the Washington University community and the existing policies of the Washington University Police Department (W UPD), Student Health and Counseling Services, and Residential Life (ResLife) that affect students’ safety. “One of our concerns is how can we make this a safer campus,” said Kidder. “There have been incidents on campus that people feel have been threatening. I don’t know to what extent these [incidents] are real or perceived or what the
See LGBTIQAA, page 3
New vice chancellor of research appointed By Josh Hantz Associate Reporter
DAVID BRODY | STUDENT LIFE
The Lab Sciences building was evacuated on Monday at 4 p.m. when an organic chemical on a hot plate boiled over under a fuel hood, causing a minor explosion. The incident, which took place in lab 130b, involved the chemical dicyclopentadiene, according to professor Thomas Vaid, who teaches Inorganic Chemistry. “These kind of things can happen when you do synthesis in the lab,” said Vaid. “The TA closed the fuel hood and evacuated the students. A member of the chemistry department came in with a fire extinguisher. The TA acted commendably. And students went back in and finished their reactions afterward.” According to Washington University Chief of Police Don Strom, there were no injuries and no major damage. After environmental checks were performed by the fire department, the building was reopened at 4:30 p.m.
Department of Molecular Microbiology Professor Samuel Stanley is slated to become Washington University’s next vice chancellor of research. Effective July 1, 2006, Stanley will replace Theodore Cicero, who resigned after holding the position since 1996. Stanley predicts the transition will be smooth because of Cicero’s previous work. “Ted [Cicero] did a remarkable job,” said Stan-
ley. “He set up a great infrastructure. It’s very nice to come into a job where someone else has already done a good job. It also creates an opportunity to build on things he has done and expand.” As vice chancellor of research, Stanley will have a few major goals to achieve. One is to coordinate more efficiently across Forest Park between the main campus and the medical school. Collaboration will put them in a better position to apply for big programs. The other is to make sure the University
conducts research appropriately. “I want people conducting research responsibly,” said Stanley. “It’s really an educational process. It hasn’t been a major issue but we certainly do have some problems and most of the time it’s because people don’t know the rules. I want to increase education so that they understand what they have to do.” His other responsibilities as vice chancellor will include continuing facul-
See STANLEY, page 2
Longer, harder GRE delayed by one year By Elizabeth Lewis Staff Reporter The launch date for the new form of the Graduate Record Examinations that was originally to be released in October 2006 is being postponed until the fall of 2007. “ETS [the maker of the GRE] was not able to logistically have the new exam ready for the October launch,” said Matt Fider, the GRE program manager for Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions. “They were not able to get enough seats to manage the volume.” Changes in the test, which is required for most graduate-level programs, will be significant, perhaps the most drastic in the test’s 55 year history. Other changes include an increase in the length of exam time from two-and-ahalf hours to four hours, an increase in the price of taking the exam, and revised content in all three sections (Verbal, Analytical Writing, and Quantitative). Additionally, the test will now be offered on 30 fixed dates throughout the year, instead of being offered six days per week as it is currently. “I am surprised by [the de-
lay]. They have been aware of the desirability of changing the test for quite some time,” said Robert Thach, the dean of the University’s Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. ETS had being considering changing the test when Thach was on its board, between 1998 and 2003. Fidler thinks the postponement is for the best. “It can be viewed as good news that the change is going to be pushed off for a year because more students can take the old exam,” said Fidler. “It provides choice. This year’s seniors will take the old exam. Juniors and even sophomores have a choice. Previously, they would have been forced.” One of the main changes to the test is that it will become more writing intensive. Instead of simply answering questions about the strength of an argument, test takers will have to complete two writing exercises in an Analytical Writing Assessment. The first exercise is a 45-minute essay in which the writer must express an opinion about an issue of general interest. The second is a 30-minute written analysis about the strength of an argument.
“The reason for the change is to make sure that the test accurately predicts critical thinking and complex reasoning. [These skills] are needed across all disciplines,” said Fidler. Thach thinks that the changes could be positive for some areas. “Engineering programs want a quantitative test that relies on the knowledge of calculus,” said Thach. “The current quantitative test does not.” Thach added that the deans in the engineering school have expressed an interest in the new GRE test. He does not think that the changes are essential, however. “I would have to be convinced,” he said. Thach also does not believe that the longer and perhaps more challenging test will increase the caliber of graduate students at Washington University. “Why would it matter? [The University] gets an excellent caliber of students anyway,” said Thach. “The changes would not necessarily make Washington University more attractive with applicants.” The test will probably not
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make the already daunting task of getting into graduate school more difficult, said Fidler. “Students must realize that, starting next fall, everyone has to take the exam. The scale will adjust accordingly,” said Fidler.
But he warns that with the test change, some schools will alter how they do admissions. “Students should talk to their target schools to understand how they will interpret and implement the changes in the test,” says
Fidler. Fidler recommended that, in the meantime, students should take the older GRE while they still can. “The scores are good for five years,” said Fidler. “Take it especially as a senior to get it out of the way.”