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Courtesy of Liz Vestal
TEDxSLU: The worldwide speaking series came to SLU on Sunday, Jan. 31, featuring ten speakers punctuated by three performances. One of those, by League of Laughter (LOL), is pictured above. Over 300 were in attendance.
TEDxSaintLouisUniversity, 11 months in the making, took place on Sunday, Jan. 31, in the Center for Global Citizenship (CGC). The event, modeled on the popular worldwide speaker series, showcased ten speakers from SLU and the wider St. Louis area, as well as three performances. According to sophomore volunteer Han Diep, one of 65 volunteers and committee members, the event’s organizers tallied 310 preregistered, complimentary and half-day tickets. However, many attendees bought tickets that day as well. The CGC’s student atrium housed a TED-themed backdrop for photos, as well
as tables dedicated to local organizations like Parks College, Rally St. Louis and sellers of St. Louis-themed arts and crafts. A video featuring TED curator Chris Anderson served as an introduction. Anderson said that TED, in all its manifestations, was a chance for people “to hear the best ideas bubbling up in their communities,” promising the audience that “the more you enter into it, the more you take out.” Rocky Leng, a senior public health major and TEDxSLU’s lead organizer, took the stage for his own introductory speech. In his own words, he urged his listeners to “be inspired, connect, and be reminded that, despite daunting challenges, there are passionate people dedicated to
making the world a better place.” Jeremy Goss, a fourthyear medical student at SLU, took the lead with a confession that he is “that guy” during icebreakers, ready to declare, “I own a bus and I turned it into a grocery store.” The store in question is St. Louis Metro Market, a mobile farmers market serving low income communities, known as “food deserts,” which lack access to fresh fruits and vegetables. “I’m that guy,” he said, “because there are people in this city who don’t have a grocery store.” He recounted a winding path of discernment in the medical field, which culminated in a local doctor’s breakdown of St. Louis’ demographic structure and its consequent problems. This
enlightening conversation moved his focus from South America to this city. “There’s no one more underserved than those who live in North St. Louis,” he asserted. This, he said, made for “challenging, painful work.” In the spirit of TED, Goss said, “I’m not exceptional. I’m in a room of people who are exceptional. I’m the rule, not the exception.” His concluding remarks drew parallels with his audience. “Students are bold; we take risks,” he said. “We care about social justice.” TEDxSLU featured two other student speakers: seniors Hannah Vestal and Roya Massoudnia. Vestal
See “TED” on Page 3
Department hosts Iowa-caucus forum Analysis, voter registration also encouraged By MEREDITH HARGIS Online Editor
On the night of Monday, Feb. 1, more than 200 members of the SLU community gathered in the Center for Global Citizenship to watch Ted Cruz and Hillary Clinton claim victory in the highly anticipated Iowa Caucuses. Iowan voter turnout set records, and there was a point in the night at SLU’s watch party when every seat was filled. Thanks to the Political Science Department and the help of Political Round Table, College Democrats, Student Involvement Center and others, associate political science professor Steven Rogers was able to create a successful event, allowing the SLU community to become more politically informed. Erin Murphy, a member of SLU’s Political Round Table, a student organization which hosts events to encourage political discourse on an array of current event topics, commented, “As young adults, we have the responsibility of ensuring that we play an active role in securing a bright future for our country. Playing an active role in our future means
taking the time to educate ourselves on the issues in order to form intelligent opinions about them.” “I think the sheer amount of students in attendance at last night’s watch party speaks volumes to the SLU community’s interest in being politically aware.” Saint Louis University frequently encourages its students to dialogue about the issues that affect the world around them. Mur-
phy elaborated that Political Round Table and watch party events, like Monday’s, are “great space[s] to come and have an intelligent discussion about the things that matter.” Other SLU organizations that had tables set up in the auditorium of the CGC included Una, Rainbow Alliance and College Democrats. Volunteers from HeadCount, a national, nonpar-
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tisan, nonprofit organization with the motto “Music, Democracy, Action,” helped people register to vote throughout the night. By the end of the evening, HeadCount volunteers reported a total of 36 new registrations. Not everyone happens to be a buff on the confusing electoral processes of our See “Caucus” on Page 3
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CRUNCH TIME: The Department of Political Science organized a showcase of live media coverage of Monday’s critical Iowa caucus voting.
SLU struggles with By EMILY HIGGINBOTHAM Associate News Editor
In recent months, Saint Louis University has taken action to combat its struggling financial standing, which at one point had the university facing a potential budget shortfall of $8.5 million, about one percent of SLU’s overall budget. According to David Heimburger, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, the university’s revenue has not been able to keep up with its costs, resulting in a shrinking operating margin. “It’s important to note the challenges we are currently facing are being experienced throughout higher education,” Heimburger explained. “You can find a number of news reports about the impact of this on other schools, both locally and nationally. “ What Heimburger is referring to is the overall decline in graduating high school students across the nation, resulting in a decline in students enrolling in higher education. In a presentat i o n to the Student Governm e n t Association on Jan. 22, Jay Goff, V i c e President of E n ro l l m e n t and Retention Management, discussed the decline in enrollment, saying that since 2010 there had been a steady decline of 4 to 7 percent every year due to fewer college-aged students in the overall population. A decline in enrollment contributes to a cycle that affects revenue and student costs. In the latest version of the university’s strategic plan, the document acknowledges the university’s challenges, stating, “Rising tuition costs pose a growing barrier to those seeking access to the advantages of a higher education, and indebtedness is a growing burden to graduates. The primary response of higher education—lowering the tuition charged on a case-by-case basis—means less revenue to support the people and activities of the university.” However, Heimburger and the rest of the administration are implementing changes that will balance the budget by the end of the fiscal year, which goes from July 1 to June 30. The university has made three strategic alterations in order to ensure a balanced budget, including: temporarily increasing the amount the university spends from its endowment, reducing general expenses across the institution, and instituting a position review process in which only open jobs deemed critical to its mission are being filled for the remainder of the fiscal year. The Department of Student Development has worked particularly hard so that these changes have had
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a minimal impact on students. “What we have to really look at in Student Development work is what are the things that have direct and significant impact on students and what are the things that we do that are a little bit more indirect,” said Kent Porterfield, Vice President of Student Development. Porterfield emphasized meeting the students’ true needs and wants ahead of what the university might perceive as what the students might regard as important, saying, “we’ve sort have shifted our focus to be more intentional and more focused on what are the things that students want to participate in and where do they need our help—because right now we aren’t able to create a lot of other things because of our staffing so we’re really focused more on student self-authorship.” In order to do so, the department has cut costs in areas that are indirect to students, such as food and beverages at events; professional development and travel costs; spending less for directors; and re n e g o tiating c o n tracts in order to lower costs, and in some cases, gain revenue. However, one instance in which Porterfield admits that students have been affected is in the student involvement center. Since the university is implementing this position review process, the center has not been able to fill the open positions. “We do have some turn over in the student involvement center that’s been challenging for us—we just have a lot fewer people there right now. That will be something we won’t be able to sustain long-term that will be something we’ll have to back fill those positions,” said Porterfield. Despite the strain these issues have placed on his department’s operation, Porterfield said that situations like these could also force universities to look closely at what they’re doing and how they can do it better. “Sometimes you have situations when you have to tighten your belt a little bit with spending; it does require you to think a little bit more creatively about what you’re doing,” said Porterfield. “It does cause you to challenge some of the assumptions that you have and I think periodically that’s a good thing.” While the university is going through these financial issues, students can see two new residence halls going up on campus, which poses the question: where is this money coming from?
It does cause you to challenge some of the assumptions that you have and I think periodically that’s a good thing.
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