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Thursday, October 20, 2016
A student voice of Saint Louis University since 1921
Vol. XCVI No. 7
We’re (mostly) with her The UNews endorses Clinton for president... with some reservations I n a presidential election year in which party polarization, dangerous rhetoric and distrust of political elites have been major themes, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Sen. Tim Kaine would best serve our nation and its people. This view represents the majority opinion of the University News Editorial Board and acts as our endorsement. Clinton, we concede, is far from an ideal candidate. Her use of a private email server for classified material suggests negligence and her acceptance of over $100 million in speaking fees from Wall Street firms hints at corruption in politics. During the primary against Sen. Bernie Sanders last spring, she embodied the “establishment” against a political revolutionary. After the July release of emails from DNC officials conspiring against the senator during the primary, a primary election weighted toward Clinton’s victory looked all the more plausible. But despite her flaws, Clinton remains the most qualified of any current candidate to hold the nation’s highest office. However troubling they may be, the Democratic candidate’s scandals pale in comparison to Donald Trump’s. Indeed, much of her support comes from those who dislike Trump. For many, (including several on our Editorial Board) voting Clinton into the White House is much less driven by enthusiasm to see her succeed than it is by a fear of Trump winning. See “Clinton” on page 9
Middle East Studies Program hosts panel on St. Louis refugees By PATRICK HYLAND Staff Writer
St. Louis is the fastest growing city for the foreignborn and the largest city in the network of about 10 cities in the country where the federal government sends refugees to resettle. Hosted by the Middle East Studies Program, a panel of both refugees and the workers and volunteers who serve them shared their experiences. Amy Wainscott of the political science department first provided a statistical background. With about 65 million current refugees, half of them are children, but only 23 million fit the technical definition. Only about 1% of the world’s population is classified as refugee. Half of all refugees currently come from Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia. Officially, Syrian refugees number five million, but include 10 million, or half the country’s pre-war population, if the displaced are accounted for as well. Afghan refugees number around six million, although many are
not registered, while Somalian refugees make up the world’s largest refugee camp in Syria, over 330,000. An important term defined by Wainscott was that of “non-refoulement,” in which countries agree not to send refugees back to the countries from which they flee. Speaking from her own personal experience as a Bosnian, Alina KaramehicMuratovic of the sociology department noted how St. Louis, in fact, hosts the world’s largest Bosnian population outside of Bosnia. Bosnian is actually the second most popular language in St. Louis. The reason for so many Bosnians being sent to St. Louis is simple: the government. The United States Federal Government determines where the refugees will be sent and the number of them that will be sent to cities within the country. With an already sizeable Bosnian community and community resources such as extensive healthcare facilities, St. Louis sees an un-
usually high number of acute care cases, as pointed out by Blake Hamilton of the International Institute during the question-and-answer period following the presentation. Karamehic-Muratovic shared how she likes “that [she] can exit from time to time” the Bosnian immigrant community. She still feels the acculturation stress, transgenerational trauma and cultural homelessness that many others do. Still, most Bosnian refugees in St. Louis are now U.S. citizens. A current SLU student, Raquel Dominguez, of the anthropology, political sciences, and sociology departments emphasized how the majority of refugees are women and children, populations that are already vulnerable. In fact, 70% of those applying for asylum to the U.S. are unaccompanied minors along the southern border. With school nearly non-existent for so many refugees around the world, they become vulnerable to
Upcoming changes to FAFSA By PATRICK HYLAND Staff Writer
After years of discussion, changes to the FAFSA—or the Free Application for Federal Student Aid—have arrived for students at SLU and across the country. While students still need to file a FAFSA every year, SLU expects to now provide award letters on Feb. 1, which is an earlier date than previous years. For this year—which
serves as a transitional year—income information for 2015 will be used for both the 2016-17 and 201718 academic years. Now, more than ever, income information must be accurate, and conflicting information will need to be resolved for both years. Shawn McCaw, the assistant director of student financial services assures that, “If a family financial situation has changed signif-
icantly from 2015 to the current, the family can submit directly to Student Financial Services a review for special circumstances.” Even in this instance, the FAFSA should still be completed as stated, and then followed up with a notification to Student Financial Services. McCaw recommends filing as soon as possible in order to maxiSee “FAFSA” on page 2
FAFSA: Many students feel trepidation and confusion when filling out their FAFSA.
See “Panel” on page 2
Courtesy of SLU
INSIDE SCOOP:
ARTS
Fall Concert Review
Men’s soccer unbeaten in conference play
How the Ken Bone saga encompasses the election
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Page 7
Page 9
SPORTS
OPINION