No. 1 (Sept. 7, 2017)

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News

Groundbreaking for SLU’s new hospital

By NADIA SIRAJUDDIN Staff Writer

At 10 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 31, hundreds of people from the St. Louis community gathered together in large white tents to enjoy the groundbreaking ceremony for the new SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital.

Medical students clad in navy blue scrubs poured out from the shuttle buses to see the beginning of the hospital that would see its first patients in September 2020. With guests like US congressmen, senators of Missouri, and the Saint Louis mayor, Lyda Krewson, it was clear to see the new hospital’s impact was for more than just the medical students.

Fred Pestello, president of Saint Louis University, reminded the audience of the mission of Saint Louis University and SSM Health. Over thirty-five years ago, Saint Louis University had the choice to change the location of its hospital. However, the

decision was to stay in the heart of the city, because that is where the hospital was most needed. Our mission is to serve our community. “All we do, we must do for a purpose beyond ourselves,” Pestello said to the audience.

More than 300 individuals contributed to the planning and designing of the new hospital. From renting rooms to care for patients in the fall of 1818 to building a new hospital with more than 800,000 square feet of space, SLUCare has had significant growth.

The $550 million project features 316 private patient rooms, an expanded Level I trauma center and emergency department, larger intensive care units, expanded patient parking, green space and areas for future campus expansion. Dr. Kevin Behrns, M.D., Vice President for Medical Affairs and Dean of the School of Medicine, believes what makes this hospital great for students and residents is its unique team-oriented design.

Protesters make a stand for DACA Continued from Page 3

The hospital will be able to closely collaborate with the Nursing School and Allied Health, making it ideal for academics.

The SSM Saint Louis University Hospital Joyful Choir sang “Oh Happy Day” to celebrate the step forward, and indeed it was a happy day of celebration. The Alberici Foundation gifted the SSM Saint Louis University Hospital a challenge grant of $2.5 million. Before and after the ceremony, guests were able to go on virtual tours of the new hospital via handheld tablets.

Along with delicious hors d’oeuvres, the guests were also able to enjoy an enormous cake baked in the shape of the new hospital, complete with helipad. The ceremony concluded with leaders of the community putting on white hard construction hats, grabbing a shovel and lifting dirt to mark the start to a new era of healthcare centered on patient care and the healing of mind, body and spirit.

by people of all ages, races, genders, sexual orientations and religious/political beliefs.

One large group of people present, however, seemed to be SLU students and alumni.

Thomas Graney-Dolan, a

Lyndsey Barilier / The University News

DACA: A crowd gathers outside the old courthouse to protest the potential overturning of DACA.

Nadia Sirajuddin/ The University News

GROUNDBREAKING: Hospital stakeholders celebrate.

current junior at SLU, attended the protest with a sign that said simply, “Congress Show Compassion.”

“I came because I’m disgusted by the actions today by the Trump Administration, and I wanted to make my voice heard,” said Graney-Dolan. “[Congress needs to] save the dreamers who may not be legal citizens but who have lived here their entire lives.”

A large part of the protest and the work done by activist groups in St. Louis focuses on simply educating people on the issues. Taylor Robinson and Lohitha Guntupalli, juniors at Saint Louis University, said that they learned what DACA was truly all about through their friends.

“I had no idea what it was all about until I realized it seemed to be affecting my friends,” said Guntupalli.

“Hearing their stories and the emotional turmoil they’re going through is heartbreaking.”

“I’m not personally impacted, but I have friends that really are and I’m here to show my support,” said Robinson. “It

sucks when the people you sit next to in class don’t feel safe.

It’s disappointing and very troubling that this administration doesn’t have enough respect to realize that these people belong here.”

Both girls said that it was important for students to become educated on the issues facing our country today.

“There’s not as much discussion [at SLU] as you would hope there would be,” said Guntupalli. “But if you look, there are people willing to have these conversations. There are clubs and floors in our residence halls willing to have these conversations. Reach out to your RAs, your professors [and] reach out to influential people on campus. We can get something started. As students, we have that power.

Especially on a campus right in the heart of a city. It’s our duty to talk about these things.”

Robinson agreed, saying that students, and all people, need to “take it upon themselves to want to be educated.”

The protesters and SLU students at the rally all shared

the hope that people everywhere would get involved and stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves.

“I know that when we were at SLU we studied a lot about being a voice for the voiceless,” said Katie Langley. “That’s exactly what this is.”

Organizer Sara John said that for people who feel uneducated and powerless in this situation, the desire of wanting to help is a good starting point. John also said that there are countless opportunities for citizens to get involved.

“There’s my group IFCLA, Latinos En Axion St. Louis, social service providers and law firm clinics that are working on this community response to immigration and changing policy. Start conversations with other students at SLU, with clubs such as HALO and others. There are people here who are ready to show up,” said John. “Dignity has to come first,” she continued. “In our conversations about law and policy and all things. Until we focus on the dignity of all, we’re going to fall short.”

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Sports

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McGinty: “...too casual and passive...”

Continued from Page 12

a goal of their own. A pair of goals by redshirt freshman Spencer Jones propelled the Billikens to the 5-2 win.

On Sat., Aug. 19, SLU hosted Kentucky for the final exhibition game, drawing with the Wildcats. Senior goalkeeper Sascha Otte played all 90 minutes, stopping two shots. Since this was exhibition play, both teams agreed to skip overtime in this game.

SLU opened the season on Fri., Aug. 25 hosting Syracuse for one of the most anticipated games this year. The Class of 2021 was in attendance, decked out in blue and white for the annual spirit competition as part of Fall Welcome. Neither team was able to find the net in the first half, with SLU stopping two Syracuse shots. Halftime entertainment was provided by the Class of 2021’s Rock, Paper, Scissors tourney, with a lot of excitement still to come.

Midway through the second half, junior forward Jacob Krupp scored off a feed from Jones, putting SLU up 1-0. However, this was short-lived, as Syracuse scored twice, with the golden goal coming halfway through the first OT period.

Despite the loss, head coach Mike McGinty thought there was still some good moves by the team.

“It’s not the result we wanted, but a number of really positive things we can take forward to Sunday [vs.

Michigan State].”

Women: First 6-0 start in program history Continued from Page 13

SLU next hosted Michigan State on Sun., Aug. 27.

SLU again fell, this time 2-0 to the Spartans. Neither team was able to break a stalemate throughout the first half and the first 20 minutes of the second half, until Michigan State found a hole to go up 1-0. A second Michigan State goal, again late in the game, solidified the Billiken defeat.

While it seemed that the players were playing hard the whole game, McGinty saw it differently: “We were too causal and passive until we went down a goal. Then we had people come to life. [Syracuse] was a competitive game all the way, but that took a lot out of us today.”

SLU’s final game of the opening series was on Sat., Sep. 2, with Wake Forest coming to town. The Billikens again lost, 4-1. Wake Forecast scored three times in the first half with SLU only managing one goal late in the second half.

SLU Men’s Soccer next travels to Marquette Sat., Sep. 9. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

River and headed to Edwardsville for a local match on Thurs., Aug. 31. SLU blanked the Cougars of SIUE 3-0 off a late first half goal from freshman forward Megan Nixon, assisted by freshman forward Annabelle Copeland. Pokorny and Sands scored in the second half, with assists from Seitzer and Lavelle, to secure the first 5-0 start to a season in program history.

The momentum continued for the Lady Billikens at MO State, where SLU grabbed another 3-0 victory over the Bears. Pokorny found the net in the first half, assisted by Petit. Only seconds into the second half, Nixon scored, assisted by Seitzer. Freshman midfielder Haley Cox netted her first career goal, with an assist from Copeland, to cap off the record-setting sixth consecutive victory to start the season.

The Billikens return home this Fri., Aug. 8 to host the Kansas Jayhawks at 7 p.m.

Help the Billikens break their own state of Missouri attendance record for singlegame collegiate women’s soccer attendance this Friday at 7 p.m. The Billikens drew 2,768 spectators to a Sept. 1, 2000 game....also against the Kansas Jayhawks.

Field Hockey Shuffles Past Colgate

Junior midfielder Carly Kissinger

By MONICA RYAN Associate Sports Editor

Billiken Field Hockey answers back after a poor showing during opening weekend play. The women are now on a twowin streak, with a record of 2-2.

On Aug. 25, the Billikens lost their first regular season game on the road to the Ball State Cardinals. The Cardinals scored five goals against SLU, while SLU experienced offensive failure.

The Billikens next matchup was a neutral site game against Ohio University at Ball State’s field. The Billikens doubled their shots on goal from the previous game from three against Ball State to six, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Bobcats. The Billikens fell 1-6 with a goal in the first half by Jess Dunlap, midfielder.

On Aug. 30 the Billikens had their home opener against LIU Brooklyn where they had an overdue offensive explosion. Carly Kissinger, midfielder, had the first two goals, with Morgan Crowe, forward, assisting both goals. Then at 33 minutes into the half, Julia Bakker, forward, found the back of the cage off a pass from Katie Moss, midfielder.

The scoring continued in the second half with another Kissinger-Crowe combo, but with the roles reversed. In the 64th minute Moss dove in front of LIU’s goalie for a tip on a shot by Hanna Smith, forward. The Billikens came out on top, winning 5-1.

The Billikens edged out over Colgate to continue their winning streak on Sept. 2. Throughout the first half the Billikens held their ground against Colgate’s shots, ending the half 0-0, with Colgate having four shots on goal to SLU’s two.

The second half continued scoreless until the 66th minute when Kissinger assisted Moss. In the final minutes the Billikens played possession to run out the clock to beat Colgate 1-0.

Tuesday, Kissinger received Atlantic 10 Player of the Week, an honor a SLU field hockey player hasn’t received since 2011.

The Billikens look toward playing Central Michigan in Mt. Pleasant, Mich. Sept. 10.

Senior midfielder Katie Moss

Courtesy of Saint Louis Athletics

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20 September 7, 2017

OPINIONS & EDITORIALS

Making the most of your freshman year

John Schaefer

There is an old saying that goes something like this: The only things that are inevitable in life are death and taxes. Well, I’d like to provide a new addition to this otherwise ancient mantra. I feel that it is necessary to account for the fact that each year, around 18 million young adults leave for institutions of higher education stationed all around the world.

Their reasons for attending are various. For some, their recent enrollment may be evidence of a direct relationship with their desire for additional education or to become a strong future job applicant. For others, they may be paying tens of thousands of dollars to bask in a four-year dopamine-fueled joy ride consisting of nonstop excitement and fuzzy memories. Lastly, many prospective students see going to college as something that everyone must do in their path to entering the “real world.” These individuals are attending merely to join in the formality.

Regardless of students’ motivations to attend college, one thing is for certain and that is: college is a critical period in the development of an individual.

It is now my goal to pass on some advice that I wish someone would have given me as an incoming freshman.

The single biggest piece of advice I can offer is to acknowledge that no one cares. No one cares about

your past achievements or failures, no one cares if you go to class or not and no one cares enough to judge you before they get to know you. College is truly the one time in your life that you are able to hit the reset button if you so choose and be the person you truly are.

I’m not saying that everybody should and will do so, but if ever there was a time, it is now.

Additionally, you need to take responsibility for your own life. I have personally witnessed classmates fail to meet

College is truly the one time in your life that you are able to hit the reset button if you so choose. academic standards, lose scholarships and, in the most severe case, be forced to take a leave of absence from the institution. This is not high school anymore and no one is going to be able to hold you accountable more than yourself. Go to class, do your homework and move on.

Additionally, college is about so much more than school. Take advantage of all the opportunities that are presented before you. I highly recommend trying to convert any of your prior interests into on-campus organizations. That is the primary reason I got involved with The University News.

Funnel your time into doing things that are meaningful to you. If school is important to you, which it should be, block out time in your schedule to do homework. Be very goal oriented so you aren’t wasting more

time studying than you have to.

Once you’re done studying, explore the city, visit Forest Park, support SLU athletics, go out to eat in The Loop and Central West End and keep an open mind.

I recently was having a conversation with a friend who said that he approaches every situation with the mindset of “If it will make for an interesting story, definitely consider doing it.” I have tried to adopt this mindset in my life, and it truly makes a difference.

When you decide to step outside of your comfort zone and open yourself up to all that the world has to offer you, the possibilities are endless.

Above all else, find your balance and what matters to you. For most, the summer after high school and before college is one of the most difficult transition periods that one will face in his or her lifetime.

With that being said, it is easy to get wrapped up in the crowd. No matter what happens, stay true to who you are and you will find others with similar values.

If you come across individuals different than you, accept them for who they are and try and learn something from them. You can never have too many friends and it makes life a lot more fun when you can walk down the center of campus and see familiar faces and exchange formalities.

College is a once-ina-lifetime opportunity to find out who you are as a person. Work hard with school during the week, go out on the weekends and soak in as much as college has to offer. Cheers to the next four years and making them the best that you possibly can!

SLU: Pay what you preach Phoebe O’Meara Opinion Editor

If you are a student with a job in St. Louis, there is a good chance your next paycheck is going to be lighter than usual.

Last week, St. Louis’s minimum wage was rolled back from $10 an hour to the state wage of $7.70, becoming the second American city in history to decrease the minimum required pay of workers after a raise had gone into effect.

This unprecedented action took effect just days before Labor Day, a federal holiday designed to celebrate American workers and their contributions to society.

More than 100 businesses within the city have pledged to continue paying employees a minimum of $10 an hour, despite it no longer being legally required. Saint Louis University has not yet announced an intent to do so.

Lowering employees’ wages is an act of economic injustice that threatens the financial well-being of the university’s workers. Reducing the pay of hourly employees would be in direct opposition of SLU’s mission to seek justice and a greater good as a Jesuit institution.

The minimum wage decrease is the latest development in a long battle over the establishment of a livable wage in St. Louis. In May, the city’s base pay was set at $10 an hour after a Missouri Supreme Court ruling upheld a pay increase ordinance originally passed by the city in 2015.

Shortly after, the Missouri Legislature passed a law that prohibited local governments from establishing a minimum wage above the state’s rate.

This went into effect on Aug. 28, meaning that after having lived with a raise for three months, employees’ pay can

Reducing the pay of hourly employees would be in direct opposition of SLU’s mission to seek justice and a greater good as a Jesuit institution. now be slashed down as low as $7.70 an hour.

A single adult must earn an hourly wage of at least $10.43 to support themselves in St. Louis, according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator. This amount skyrockets when children and dependents, unpaid sick days and business closings limit the number of hours an individual can work.

While the $10 rate certainly does not erase this problem, it is a small step toward closing this gap and ensuring that individuals working full time can fulfill their basic needs.

If SLU and its contractors elect to reduce the wages down to the state requirement, many student and service-level workers could see a 23 percent decrease in their paycheck.

That means the Aramark employee that flips your morning pancakes in Grand Dining Hall may have 23 percent less money to support their family.

The student worker who is scheduled to the late-night shift at Pius Library, making it possible for the building to stay open 24 hours a day, may have 23 percent less money to use for their tuition payments. The mail services worker who ensures that every Amazon

See “Pay” on Page 21

21September 7, 2017

OPINIONS & EDITORIALS

Cardinals Pride too little too late?

On Aug. 25, the Cardinals officially hosted their first Pride Night. The road to this Pride Night has been a bumpy one, starting with the fact that while the Cardinals have hosted many LGBTQ+ groups in the past, they haven’t always been the best allies.

In fact, for Christian Day, the Cardinals announced that their keynote speaker was going to be Lance Berkman – an outspoken opponent to the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, also known as HERO. HERO was proposed to protect Houston residents and visitors from discrimination due to a variety of factors, including gender identity and sexual orientation, which Berkman spoke up against.

Berkman, in a public YouTube video sponsored

by Campaign for Houston, claimed that “Proposition 1 would allow troubled men, who claim to be women, to enter women’s bathrooms, showers and locker rooms.”

First of all, transgender women are not “troubled men” – they are women, something that Berkman is unable to understand.

That’s only the tip of the iceberg on Berkman’s stance toward LGBTQ+ individuals, so it did not come as a surprise when various LGBTQ+ groups protested against Berkman being allowed to speak at Christian Day. The Cardinals addressed the backlash Berkman stirred up with a statement that also officially announced their first Pride Night.

While the push for the Cardinals to hold Pride Night started well before Berkman was announced to be a speaker for Christian Day, the choice to announce Pride Night in direct response to public backlash

against Berkman feels suspicious.

Was the team really planning on having a Pride Night before that, or was it an attempt to smooth things over and reassure LGBTQ+ groups that they were still welcome at games?

Was the team trying to take a stand for LGBTQ+ visibility, or were they trying to do damage control?

If the baseball team trully was an ally to the LGBTQ+ community, why had they not publically demonstrated this support in previous seasons?

and be part of the LGBTQ+ community, because your gender or sexual orientation doesn’t always determine your religious affiliation.

The Cardinals were not given an impossible task.

If they were truly allies, the Cardinals would have found another Christian speaker to feature for their Christian day.

So, are the Cardinals truly LGBTQ+ allies?

While hosting Pride Night and giving a portion of each theme ticket sale to the PrideSTL Scholarship is a good thing to do, more needs to be done in order to be a proper ally.

The Cardinals can’t just pick and choose when they are going to support the LGBTQ+ community, or choose to host an event only when they are receiving backlash because of other speakers.

If the Cardinals are only hosting Pride Night because of backlash from a previous speaker, then it isn’t the act of a group who wants to truly help the LGBTQ+ community and break down homophobia and transphobia.

The Cardinals are trying to brand themselves as allies, but as long as the team continues to allow speakers who are openly anti-LGBT and refer to transgender women as “troubled men,” the Cardinals aren’t allies; they’re trying to do damage control.

Was the team really planning on having a Pride Night before that, or was it an attempt to smooth things over and reassure LGBTQ+ groups?

The team had the choice and option to have any number of Christian Cardinals players and staff speak on Christian Day, but instead decided Berkman was the best option.

They could have chosen another Christian speaker who was not staunchly against the LGBTQ+ community that the Cardinals claim to support.

The Cardinals could have had a Christian Day that didn’t involve a speaker who is anti-LGBTQ+.

Because, unlike what some people want us to think, being LGBTQ+ and being Christian are not inherently opposed to each other.

You can be a Christian

Public safety Continued from page 19

no-knock searches, broad general warrants, pre-conviction asset forfeiture — we see the magnitude of the problem.”

South Carolina Republican Mark Sanford struck a similar note, saying, “This makes my blood boil, from both a taxpayer standpoint and a civil liberties standpoint.”

Ultimately, despite the Trump administration’s claims, America’s police departments do not need bayonets, grenade launchers, machine guns or mine-resistant armored vehicles in order to protect and serve their communities. By allocating these military resources to small towns and big cities alike, the federal government has blurred the line between military and police.

As a result, the role of the American police officer is too

easily construed as that of a soldier, either as a soldier in a war on drugs, a war on illegal immigration or a war on crime generally. While this view of police work might make for good political rhetoric, the treatment of police officers as soldiers must ultimately mean that we treat our communities as war zones, and that we treat suspects as enemy combatants.

For Trump, promoting such a view of police work might play well with his base and with certain police organizations, but in the end the administration’s decision to resume the militarization of America will only exacerbate the problems of excessive force and civil liberties violations that plague our criminal justice system, making all of us less safe and less free.

Pay: $10 wage Continued from page 20

Prime package and Chegg textbook delivery gets to the right person may have 23 percent less in which to buy their groceries.

Since the minimum wage decrease, several SLU departments have advertised campus jobs with rates below $10 an hour, including the Department of Housing, Residence Life & Student Involvement, the School for Professional Studies and the Events office.

Other departments have committed to protecting their workers and paying above the base line. For example, the Community Service Federal Work Study positions available through the Center for Service and Community Engagement allow students to earn $10 an hour working for nonprofit organizations around St. Louis.

While a common argument among individuals opposed to raising workers’ wages is the belief that higher wages kill small

businesses, small business owners have been at the forefront of the “Save the Raise” movement that is encouraging employers in the city to maintain at least a $10 base pay.

SLU student favorites such as the Moolah Theatre, El Burro Loco and Pappy’s Smokehouse are just a few of the many locations that have chosen to maintain a higher wage for their employees. Yet as a major St. Louis institution and employer, SLU has not yet made a commitment to pay their employees a fair wage for the work they do that is essential in allowing the university to function as it does.

Our mission calls us to do what is right, not just what is required. If SLU is truly committed to living out the values of its Jesuit identity, then it must commit to paying all employees a fair wage, beginning with at least $10 an hour.

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September 7, 2017

Editorial Updates The editorial section of The University News will be receiving a makeover this semester. In years past, the paper’s editorial board would meet up every week, choose a topic to discuss, and then write an editorial based on that discussion.

As a publication committed to the Saint Louis University community, we are striving to better voice more of the thoughts, opinions and experiences of SLU students. This year, instead of hearing from the same members of the newspaper staff in each issue of the paper, we will be featuring editorials from students outside of The University News staff.

Beginning with the next issue, the editorial page with feature articles written by three students from different areas of SLU. This includes students from different colleges, majors, organizations, and year levels, as well as from a diverse range of race, gender, sexual orientation, religious and socioeconomic identities.

Featured students will have the opportunity to discuss a topic they are passionate about, share their opinions on current events in the community, or talk about their experience as a student at SLU. If you are interested in writing an editorial or would like to nominate someone to do so, email us at opinion@ unewsonline.com.

Letters

OPINIONS & EDITORIALS

to the editor

The University News reserves the right not to publish any letters that are deemed intentionally and/or inappropriately inflammatory, more than the 300-word limit or unsigned by the orginal author. The following are letters and/or website comments. Because the identities of website posters cannot be verified, all website comments should be treated as anonymous. Actual letters to the editor may be submitted online at unewsonline.com or e-mailed to opinion@unewsonline.com. Please include your cell phone number.

Dear Editor,

In March, SLU announced job cuts as part of the Magis Operation Excellence Program. Nearly 200 were cut, including nearly 20 in ITS. Later in the spring, it was announced that ITS, despite being one of the hardest hit divisions, would face later cuts due to restructuring throughout 2017. In a pair of cuts announced in July, and executed in August, another 20 members of ITS were let go. As many of you were coming to campus, many of these staff faced their last day at SLU on Thursday, August 24.

Included in this group were some wonderful colleagues: the people who designed the entire campus network in use today, including both cabling and routing; the people who designed the first campus wifi systems, and worked for years to improve it to cover every corner of the campus; and people with some of the longest tenures on campus, including the person who originally hooked up campus to the internet and created the first SLU email system. Other members have been here for less time, but came here to be a part of the Jesuit Mission to which we all must explain our commitment when applying to be staff members.

The work of this group can be felt throughout campus, and while staff don’t gain tenure, or carry the title of Doctor, these people have made SLU what it is today in ways that will long outlast their employment here. The staff served as part of the University, gave their time generously, worked hours beyond a normal workday, all in order to make our IT systems reliable for the faculty, medical professionals, and countless staff who deliver the core mission of SLU. In simpler times, these are the people that corporations (and universities) would build around.

But in this day in age, and at this University, dedicated staff salaries are a detriment to the institution. Many of these staff will be replaced instead by contracted workers. This includes many contractors who have been here since March replacing full time staff laid off in those cuts.

You will have heard the claim that it is more cost efficient, but common sense will tell you that the cost of these contractors is often much higher than that of a full time employee because of the overhead of travel and that of the management companies. This cost is often characterized not as an ongoing cost, but is instead stated as a short term cost as part of capital or project costs. It reduces the ongoing or mandated costs to the University, one of the goals of the Magis program. And so, while it may be more expensive in the short term for contractors, it does deliver flexibility, and in some ways actually lower the operational cost for SLU. And let’s be clear, many of the contractors now working as part of ITS are experts in their field. They are experts from across the country in fact, and many of them are flown in every other week. It’s a way of doing business, and there are benefits to it.

But what contractors don’t bring you (with some notable exceptions) is dedication to the University. These people are experts in their field, but they haven’t worked day in and day out to improve the University.

They don’t volunteer at move-in, attend Billikens basketball games, or serve on the Staff Advisory Committee. They are not part of the SLU community. They are here to move projects and initiatives forward, and those may be well aligned with the company mission. But we must be careful that we are losing that which makes us different as a university.

In the Jesuit tradition, we must be certain we are not losing the Magis of this institution.

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