No. 24 (May 4, 2017)

University News

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Thursday, May 4, 2017

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Vol. XCVI No. 24

Gunfire at Fake gun triggers lockdown Hump’s on Reports of shootings unfounded Saturday DPS. Fowler went on to explain that DPS officers received a It was a casual Saturday call regarding the incident, night on April 29: customwho in turn contacted the ers were filtering in and out St. Louis Police Department of the Library Annex on Forto respond to the gunshot. est Park Avenue; passersby “Both DPS and St. Louis and stuPolice ardents were rived on the walking by scene and Out of those Humphrey’s inter viewed interviewed, no one a number of old estabcould definitively lishment; people who say that there was several parwere there,” ties were he said. “Out a shot fired, so the underway at police were unable of those inthe Univerterviewed, to confirm it as sity Heights no one could no one saw the Lofts. Nonedef initively incident transpire. theless, the say that there lackadaisical Jeff Fowler, VP of Marketing was a shot atmosphere fired, so the and Communications drastically police were shifted at apunable to proximately 1:24 a.m. early confirm it as no one saw the Sunday morning when a incident transpire.” gunshot was fired between Along with the lack of asSpring and Laclede, as resertion, Fowler mentioned ported by Vice President that there were substantiof Marketing and Communications Jeff Fowler, who See “Gunfire” on Page 3 acquired information from

By MEREDYTH STAUNCH Associate News Editor

“

Michelle Peltier / The University News

PANIC: DPS and police officers gathered in the BSC to determine precautionary measures, ensuring student safety.

By JUSTIN SEATON Staff Writer

A helicopter stalked the dark sky over SLU’s campus Wednesday evening, streaming footage of a twohour search for a gunman who didn’t exist. Meanwhile, students all over campus worriedly sought shelter and answers.

“

Latest OneWorld released Monday

MAGAZINE : After a tulmultuous election year, OneWorld tackled divides between students at SLU and people across the country.

The magazine is released once a semester; issues can be found across campus.

At 8:46 p.m., approximately four hours after two students first reported that they had seen someone walk into Spring Hall with a handgun, an update was sent to the SLU community stating that two students of interest had been identified and questioned. The first student was determined to have no involvement in the incident, and was released. The second student “had been carrying a toy gun,” according to the incident report.

“No shots were fired; there was not a real handgun on campus.”

This final report came as a great relief to some, and further confused many others. Just hours before issuing the incident update, University Safety and Emergency Preparedness had issued two SLU alerts, reporting two separate gun-related incidents on campus.

The first alert was sent at 5:20 p.m. It read: “male wearing blk hoodie possibly

with hand gun in spring hall.”

Junior RA Holly Kleinschmidt was 40 minutes into her shift at the Spring Hall front desk when two students, one of whom reportedly a member of Air Force ROTC, approached her about a gunman in the building.

“Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary until roughly 4:40 p.m., when two students came into Spring Hall, claiming that they had seen a person walk into See “Campus on Lockdown” on Page 3

GUN: An example of the rubber band gun provided by an anonymous student, similar to the one that sparked the panic. The gun was a project for an engineering class.

INSIDE SCOOP: Free comic book day: Celebration of all things super Page 8

ARTS

SPORTS

Softball sweeps George Mason

The Ed Board’s view on SLU

Page 9

Page 11

OPINION

2 May 4, 2017

NEWS

Eliminating exclusion through respect around her. Students who entered the BSC were just as bewildered as those before them. A group of girls walking to Panera had stunned expressions. “What is going on right now?” they said.

The song ended, but it wasn’t over yet. One of the coordinators yelled, “ I would like to thank Saint Louis University’s OT school for making this possible. Remember that we are dancing for respect for all people.

Who wants to go again?” Applause echoed through the floor.

For the second time, dancers left their sweet moves on the dance floor.

At the end, everyone struck their own pose, and, once

By BRANSON FOX Staff Writer

“ Courtesy of Branson Fox

DANCE: Amanda Schultz is surrounded by a flash mob performing Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off.” For the previous six to seven years, SLU’s OT department has teamed up with St. Louis Arc in an effort to end the use of the r-word. young ladies in the OT program.

The flash mob met several times to rehearse prior to the performance on Wednesday. The performance did not go off without a hiccup, though. As one might expect from a room full of occupational therapy students, someone suggested that the room stretch before going out to perform.

While stretching out in a

room in the BSC, organizers realized that they had forgotten both the music and the speakers. Quick thinking and a few favors later, the show was still set to go on.

The room erupted when they heard a test run of Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off.” A wave of high-fives and fist bumps flooded the small space. After the cheering died down, dancers started to file out of the room.

Nursing students present capstones

Courtesy of Kristine L’Ecuyer

CAPSTONES: 28 nursing master’s students present their poster capstone projects.

By HARITA ABRAHAM Staff Writer

On Wednesday, May 3, the School of Nursing held a master’s capstone poster presentation for its 28 students in the accelerated master’s nursing (AMSN) and MSN-Clinical Nurse Leader programs. The event began at 1 p.m. in the bottom room of the School of Nursing building.

The 28 students had been working on their capstone projects since October and presented their results to all those who attended the event.

The students worked in hospitals all around the St. Louis area on quality improvement projects. They performed a detailed assessment on each system, and designed, implemented, evaluated and shared the results of a process improve-

ment in their poster presentations.

According to the event coordinator, Dr. Kristine L’Ecuyer, the poster presentations were viewed by first year CNL students. The first year CNL students will be completing similar projects next year. Faculty from the School of Nursing, clinical faculty, clinical receptors and nurse managers were also in attendance.

“We had a great turnout even though it was a rainy day,” said L’Ecuyer. According to L’Ecuyer, this was the sixth year that the School of Nursing had held the capstone poster presentation.

The AMSN program is a nursing program designed for people with degrees in other fields. It is a twoyear full time program and students enter the nursing profession with a master’s degree. SLU has a one-year

ABSN and 21 month AMSN option.

Dr. Kristine L’Ecuyer is an associate professor in the School of Nursing and was recently selected by St. Louis Magazine as the top nurse educator in the region. More than 200 nurses were nominated for the magazine’s nursing awards. A team of seven judges from outside the St. Louis area narrowed the applicants down to 64 finalists into 19 categories. Dr. L’Ecuyer will be featured in the magazine’s May issue for her success.

Saint Louis University Nursing School was founded in 1928 and has held a national reputation for its innovative programs. The staff is nationally recognized for their teaching, research and clinical experience and expertise. The School of Nursing offers a bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral program.

Students in the BSC had bewildered looks on their faces as an army of tie-dye clad dancers walked down the stairs and engulfed the area. The anticipation built as more and more dancers made their way down the stairs. Soon, you couldn’t turn your head without getting a glimpse of tie-dye. The music began and the still crowd came to life.

Excited dancers thrust

their hands in the air and waved them around. Every individual had his or her own flair to add. At one point, one of the dancers started to bust out in a world-class rendition of the robot.

Students were surrounded as the performance ensued. Amanda Schultz was enjoying her lunch and using her laptop, but her eyes and ears were quickly drawn to the marvelous clamour

The anticipation built as more and more dancers made their way down the stairs. Soon, you couldn’t turn your head without getting a glimpse of tiedye.

“

On Wednesday afternoon, students got a side of flash-mob with their kale salads.

Saint Louis University’s occupational therapy department and the St. Louis Arc teamed up to bring the flash mob to SLU. For the past six or seven years, this partnership has been bringing the groove around St. Louis in an effort to end the use of the r-word. They aim to replace the old r-word with a new one: respect.

To individuals with intellectual disabilities, the rword represents an expression of hate. This is just one of the many things that the Social Justice Committee at the St. Louis Arc aims to change. The St. Louis Arc is a nonprofit that strives to provide those with disabilities an opportunity to live a regular life. The disabilities range from intellectual development and brain injury to cerebral palsy and autism They encourage and provide “independence, respect, regular treatment with the same opportunities, language assistance, work and housing,” according to Ann Mangelsdorf, the assistant director of Family Support & Advocacy for the St. Louis Arc. In the meeting before the performance, students and Arc members gathered to say hello to one another and prepare themselves. Handshakes were traded for hugs and happy faces. A young man from the Arc said, “I’m nervous about dancing with all these girls.” His caretaker assured him, “But you love to dance, there’s just a few girls here.” He was right, the majority of the dancers were

Branson Fox, freshman

again, the crowd roared.

There was not a single person in the room without a hint of a smile on their face.

Mangelsdorf said, “This is one of the highlights of their day.” No doubt, everyone enjoyed themselves, and at the same time they were spreading a crucial message: The rword is not okay. Those with disabilities are just as capable as regular people, and for that they deserve respect.

NEWS

May 4, 2017

3

Let Us Introduce You: Megan Anthony

By MEREDYTH STAUNCH Associate News Editor

Junior at SLU and The University News editor-inchief elect for the 2017-2018 school year, Megan Anthony found her passion for writing at a young age. Originally studying communication at Spring Hill College in Mobile, Ala., she re-evaluated its curriculum and decided to transfer to SLU the spring of her sophomore year with the intent of furthering her major with a journalism track.

“I realized I had a talent for writing in middle school, and I really enjoyed it,” she explained. “I was never quite sure how to go about furthering it though – I didn’t want to be an author.” Hesitant about majoring in journalism initially, Anthony worried about it limiting her creativity; therefore, she pursued communication solely at Spring Hill. However, after a college transfer to SLU, she

Emma Carmody / The University News

LUIY: Megan is a junior communication major and the incoming editor-in-chief of The University News in fall. added the journalism track to her major, and her class options broadened, stretching from that of feature writing to literary journalism.

“Because Spring Hill was so small, there was only one track of classes being offered for that major,” Anthony explained. “We only had the basic classes, so I looked

into transferring since there are so many more classes available to me here. There are so many more avenues I can take, and I have greater opportunities for jobs and internships with living right in the city.”

Although Anthony will graduate in a year, she is looking to progress her ex-

pertise after working for the UNews: “There is a lot more to journalism now than just being a reporter – you need to know things like social media, camera, video and audio usage. Right now, I am trying to learn as much as I can, so I can be flexible with whatever is presented to me after I graduate. Your skills have to be more than just writing for a newspaper.”

As a “dream job,” Anthony expressed her passion to eventually write for “Time” magazine, or a similar publishing company. Certainly, being open-minded is pertinent in such an evolving field as it is progressively transitioning to more of a social media platform than that of pen and paper. “Being EIC and having other writing experience will give me the inner-workings of what it’s like to work for a larger company,” she said. “I hope to eventually move up the ladder to different leadership positions after graduation.”

Campus on Gunfire: No alert for Sat. Lockdown: shooting on What we know

Laclede

a Spring Hall check-in computer, according to KleinSpring Hall with a gun,” said schmidt.

Kleinschmidt.

“The witnesses gave us Shortly thereafter, DPS, someone to look for and SLMPD officers and Spring that’s who we found. It was Hall staff members gathered the wrong person,” said DPS in the residence hall’s lobby.

Sergeant Pat Signorino, They shut down the residenshortly after he started altial side of the building and lowing students back into herded other students into Spring. classrooms in the south wing Other rumors were disof the building. seminated and expanded “From there, the RAs upon by SLU students eagerwere sent to their floors to ly awaiting an official stateevacuate everyone,” said Jument. The campus remained nior RA Matt Ramsey. “We locked down for nearly two had to go door-to-door. My hours — two hours of online voice was quivering. My legs conjecture and guesswork. were shaking.”

“It was interesting to At 5:35 p.m. people came see how quickly news got flooding out of Spring Hall around,” said freshman toward the Spring resiSimon Recdent Mary reation CenJines, one of A helicopter ter, where many stuthey were dents receivstalked the to be locked ing updates dark sky over down until through variSLU’s campus further noous online tice. Students channels.

Wednesday nervously These “upevening, huddled in dates,” as it blankets; othstreaming turns out, ers ran across were little footage of a twothe parkmore than hour search for ing lot, away hearsay. from the rea gunman who “Let this ported threat be an examdidn’t exist. of an active ple that illusJustin Seaton, senior shooter. trates the inThe secciting effects ond alert of the rapid came as students were still spread of misinformation, moving toward the Rec Ceneven in times of potential ter: “Shots fired outside Marcrisis,” tweeted Senior Mack chetti East shelter in place.”

Korris.

Inside the Rec, students Officers soon discovered were sprawled across basthat the weapon from the ketball courts, hurriedly typinitial report “was actually ing messages to friends and a wooden rubber band gun loved ones. A news chopper painted gold that the engibegan live-streaming the neering students supposedly investigation on Facebook, created for a project,” said spurring the circulation of Kleinschmidt. information and misinforAn official “all clear” was mation across social media. tweeted and texted to the “There were so many rucampus community at 7:16 mors,” said freshman Spring p.m., after “authorities found resident Avery Lubbes. no evidence of shots fired One such rumor was and no injuries,” according connected to a photo that to the incident update. was circulated in campus Soon after, Spring Hall group chats. The photo was residents were allowed to of one of the students of inre-enter the building, and terest, who was later identiKleinschmidt, after a long fied as having no connection evening of questioning, was to the incident. “allowed to go get dinner The student was identiand call [her] parents who fied by the two initial witwere freaking out the entire nesses who saw his photo on time.”

at the scene, senior Doug Flaherty was at a friend’s ated reports of people setparty at the ULofts with the ting off fireworks the same intention of heading over night on the roof of The to the Library Annex after.

Standard apartment comHe described how he and plex. Without any witnesses his friends walked down to and the possibility of the the first floor and noticed “gunshot noise” being that of around 70 people funneling fireworks instead, no timely out of one of the apartments. warning was issued.

With the ULofts security However, the investiguard present, they assumed gation continued through nothing unusual was occurMonday when the DPS ofring—only that of a party beficers and detectives obing broken up. “We walked tained camera footage from outside, and then I started one of the businesses within walking toward Humphrey’s the vicinity of Laclede and on the right side of the road,” Spring—according to FowlFlaherty said. “Right away, I er, the film saw two kids showed a yelling at each male within other, but We walked the 18-22 there were a age range outside, and lot of people having an because a then I started a l te rc at i o n party was bewalking toward with another ing broken up. gentleman I kept walking Humphrey’s...I and pointing to avoid the saw a kid a gun in the people and reach to grab a air, slightly altercations; South. “The when I was pistol and pull male fired around 25 feet it out. Without one round away, I saw a hesitation, he into the air kid reach to and then imgrab a pistol fired a shot. mediately and pull it Doug Flaherty, senior jumped in out. Without a white car hesitation, he with anfired a shot.” other male and sped off,” he Frightened at the time explained. “We don’t know and hiding behind the corwho they are at this point as ner of the building, Flaherty their descriptions are pretty mentioned that people were generic, but DPS does not running in all directions after believe they are SLU stuthe shot—or as he explains, dents or affiliated with SLU.” at least three shots left the Typically, DPS sends out pistol. “Kids were running notifications to students reeverywhere, so it was hard garding any possible threat to pick out exactly what the within the same night or earguy with the gun looked like ly the next morning if there or where he ran to,” he said. is a confirmed danger. Fowl“After the guys came back, er justified the lack of comthey stopped in the Hummunication to the students, phrey’s parking lot. The guy explaining that “they could who had the gun before not confirm that an incident dropped it, and his friends had taken place that night were pushing him around until Monday. There was no and yelling at him. After they timely warning by Monday, argued, someone picked and video evidence showed up the gun, stuffed it in his that the person who fired pants, and ran.” Amidst the the weapon sped off and left incident, both Fowler and the area. There was no lonFlaherty stressed that the ger a danger to the univergunshots were not fired at sity community because the anyone—whether they were person who fired the weapon warning shots is uncertain. left. Timely warnings are imHowever, police responded portant to notify the comto the scene in a timely manmunity of an ongoing threat.” ner and are certain that it is Among those present not an ongoing problem.

“

Q. What has been you favorite memor y this past year?

Because I transferred to SLU and live at home, I wasn’t on campus enough to make a lot of friends. This year I turned 21, and because I jumped into activities, such as Phi Mu, I had people to celebrate my birthday with.

Q. Why did you rush Phi Mu out of all other sororities?

I rushed Phi Mu at my old university to meet other people, and I wasn’t even planning on accepting my bid -- I just wanted to meet others.

During recruitment, though, I fell in love with the girls there, so I decided to accept my bid. I ended up transferring and had a Phi Mu sticker on my laptop. A girl saw the sticker and told me that Phi Mu was becoming a new sorority at SLU. From there, I contacted the people in charge of Greek life, and they put me in touch with Phi Mu headquarters.

THE SLU SCOOP All Information Provided by Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

Tuesday, May 2 3:30 p.m. PANIC ALARM A check of the garage indicated all was secure.

Continued from Page 1

“

Tuesday, May 2 5:21 p.m. FIRE ALARM A check of the garage indicated all was secure.

Tuesday, May 2 9:34 p.m. BURGLAR ALARM A check of the building indicated all was secure.

Tuesday, May 2 12:58 p.m. SICK CASE DPS responded to Beracha Hall in reference to a student who was not feeling well. Upon arrival the student was conscious alert and oriented, she stated she had not eaten and was experiencing low blood sugar. Friends with the victim provided food and she denied all further assistance.

“

Continued from Page 1

Q&A with Megan:

Tuesday, May 2 7:03 p.m. ELEVATOR ENTRAPMENT A wheelchair bound student and her mother called on the elevator phone advising that they were stuck in the elevator. A DPS officer responded pressed the call button and the elevator responded with the doors opening and the student and mother exiting, unhurt. The elevator was checked and kept in service by Maintenance.

Be a Responsible Billiken STOP. CALL. REPORT. 314-977-3000 witness.slu.edu dps.slu.edu

“

4

May 4, 2017

Congratulations SLU Class of 2017 Graduates!

From the first new president in 25 years (not to mention SLU’s first ever LAY president) to the first new student housing construction since the turn of the century, if you’ve spent the last four years of your life at SLU, you’ve seen a lot of changes. Which is a good thing, because that means you’re ready to tackle all of the uncertainty and new adventures that lay before you now. As you look forward to dressing up in your cap and gown and marking the end of this chapter of your life, you can be pretty sure that the versatility and openness to new ideas that you’ve needed to navigate SLU will serve you well into the future. As you listen to our commencement speaker, influencial educator and SLU graduate Dr. Diana Natalicio, you’ll probably hear her talk about the difficulties we face as a nation in leveling the playing field and creating opportunities for equal access to quality education. The challenges that lay ahead are not likely to be simple ones, but draw confidence that you are moving on to the next stage of your life equipped with tools that have been sharpened by four years unlike any other....

2013

Fall 2013: Lumineers play at Chaifetz for SAB’s free fall concert.

2014

Fall 2014: Police shootings inspire protest and dialogue as Occupy SLU establishes a presence in the center of campus.

Spring 2014: Fred Pestello appointed by the Board of Trustees as the first lay President of SLU.

2015

Fall 2015: Students hold memorial for “Sparky,” a raccoon who many believed (without evidence) to have cause a power outage on campus to cancel class.

March 2014: The Billikens make it past the first round of the NCAA tournament.

2016 Spring 2016: In an effort to unionize, SLU adjunct professors stage a protest at the clock tower.

2017 September 2016: SLU unveils (the first draft) of the new Billiken mascot, to much backlash.

January 2017: SLU’s iconic watering hole, Humphrey’s, closes its doors for the last time.

GRADUATION

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GAMES

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Arts Entertainment

May 4, 2017 arts@unewsonline.com Natalie Riopelle, Arts Editor Tom Bergan, Assoc. Arts Editor

Critic throwback ‘Guardians’ triumphantly returns Original ‘Galaxy Guardians’

unscrupulous Ronan, StarLord blasts off into space and attempts to sell the new In honor of SLU(H) alum orb, which fails and pits him James Gunn’s highly-anticfighting against several new ipated “Guardians of the characters: Gamora (Zoe Galaxy Vol. 2” releasing this Saldana), Rocket (voiced by week, I decided to review his Bradley Cooper) and Groot stellar 2014 breakthrough, (voiced by Vin Diesel). Af“Guardians of the Galaxy.” ter their fight is broken up From its initial anby the Nova Corps, Starnouncement as a Marvel Lord, Gamora, Rocket and Studios film, “Guardians Groot get sent to the Kyln, of the Galaxy” faced much a space prison full of murscrutiny over its potential derers and criminals. Once box office and critical sucthere, Gamora is nearly cess, given the largely unkilled by Drax the Destroyer known intellectual property (Dave Bautista), who wishthat this aspect of the sues to avenge his slain wife perhero genre had to offer. and daughter he believes However, almost three years Gamora is responsible for later, “Guardians” is one of killing. However, Star-Lord the most beloved films of the convinces him to wait and Marvel Cinematic Universe, to instead target Ronan, to and it boasts critical and which he eventually agrees. commercial After an entersuccess—a 91 taining prison percent fresh break, the “Guardians of the rating on Rotnewly-formed Galaxy” broke new ten Tomatoes, of cinematic ground “Guardians and a box ofthe Galaxy” fice gross of through its great mix set out on an about $775 of heart, comedy and adventure to million worldRonan well-placed action. defeat wide. and save the Written universe from and directed destruction.

by James Gunn, “Guardians While the plot may seem of the Galaxy” is an incredunoriginal, “Guardians of ibly unique superhero film the Galaxy” broke new cinthrough its focus on charematic ground through its acter development and stogreat mix of heart, comedy rylines over big-action set and well-placed action. I pieces. The opening is quite felt fully invested in these dark, as we see our protagocharacters throughout the nist Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) entire 122 minute running as a young boy, watching time of this film, and this is his mother pass away from largely due to Gunn’s vision cancer in the hospital. Quill and strong performances runs away from the room, across the board. Pratt had into the mist outside, where a breakout performance as a giant spaceship sucks him Peter Quill/Star-Lord, addinto space, setting us on our ing rare charisma and charm cosmic adventure. to an emotionally-grounded We then travel 26 years protagonist. into the future to the planet Stars Cooper and DieMorag, where Peter Quill sel really buy into their CGI now identifies as Star-Lord, characters, to the point that a swashbuckling outlaw akin you don’t believe it was even to Han Solo from “Star Wars.” their voice work. Gunn’s Quill searches for a mysteriscreenwriting career is on ous orb, while Redbone’s full-display, as there are nu“Come and Get Your Love” merous jokes and references blasts in the background. (i.e. Jackson Pollock’s drip After finding it and escaping from a villainous band of See “Throwback” on Page 6 Kree soldiers working for the

By SEAN KELSO Staff Writer

Courtesy of Marvel Studios

MIXTAPE: “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” returns to theaters as the ‘unconventional’ superhero movie, with its rag-tag team of misfit superheroes once again finding a need for their skills.

By CHANDANA KAMARAJ Staff Writer

James Gunn comes back even stronger with the “Guardians of the Galaxy” sequel, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.” Peter Quill’s quest to find his father continues with flashing visuals, the cute Baby Groot and the greatest mixtape in this sequel. It retains all of the original cast, with Chris Pratt as Peter Quill, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer, Vin Diesel as Baby Groot, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, Michael Rooker as Yondu Udonta and a few more surprises. With this power cast, Gunn manages to craft his own addition to the Marvel franchise with a memorable emotional touch.

The film starts in Missouri, a tribute to Gunn’s alma mater, Saint Louis University, introducing a couple driving through town with “Brandy You’re a Fine Girl” in the background. The couple, we learn later, is Russell Ego and Meredith, Peter’s

father and mother. The pro“Gilmore Girls” last year. logue continues in a forest, The battle with Ayesha and which houses a bright blue the strained interactions ball among the dead leaves. with various other characThe power that this blue ball ters, one of whom is Nebula contains is what later forms (Karen Gillan), Gamora’s the crux of the story, inviting sister, and Taserface (Chris wanted and unwanted relaSullivan), portrayed to be a tionships into the Guardians’ comedian solely because of family. his name, leads to the return The film then cuts to of Yondu, Peter’s criminal the current caregiver. Desbattle with tiny takes the the Guardians new crew on a Destiny takes against the search to find the new crew on Peter’s father gold- painte d queen Ayea search to find and to discover sha (Elizabeth Peter’s father and to what it truly Debicki), over means to be a which Peter discover what it truly family. throws out in- means to be a family.

This Marsults toward vel sequel Rocket right continues to where he left off in the last take the overlying Disney movie, Drax laughs heartily theme into their visuals and at them both and Gamora soundtrack. Even the action still wonders how she puts sequences seemed to have up with them. glittering fireworks shootGroot is now replaced ing out of the weapons, just with the smaller twig, Baby like the fireworks above Groot, a comic relief eleCinderella’s castle as part of ment in the film and a superDisney’s logo. There was a hero in his own way. Even magical glow in each scene, the return of Sean Gunn as such as when Yondu whistles Kraglin is refreshing after his red arrow off in various his returned appearance in directions through the dark.

Gunn adds another dimension entirely on this action film, layering the “Awesome Mixtape Vol. 2” over the gunshots and kicks with tracks including “Bring It On Home to Me” by Sam Cooke, “The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac and “Mr Blue Sky” by Electric Light Orchestra keeping the memory of Peter’s late mother alive.

Gunn revamps the original Guardians film and creates an indie twist with a whole new celestial color palette, a hodgepodge of insults, jokes and a whole lot of love. Gunn emphasizes that the Guardians are just one big dysfunctional family that carry the values of a family more than the closest blood relative does. The film begins with each character having irritating issues with their peers (or their sister), but by the end they realize that all they have is each other.

With minute scenes inspired by the Marvel franchise and a climax that was a bit too lengthy, Gunn presents a magical action-filled sequel.

The best songs of 2017... thus far

By SAM WILSON Staff Writer

I want to start by saying that the first five months of 2017 have been solid for new music across all genres.

With releases from artists like Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Paramore and Harry Styles, it is safe to say that music fans have had their work cut out for them in terms of keeping up.

Because of this, I created a Spotify playlist of my favorite releases of 2017 thus far.

The following list is a sneak preview of the 13 track (and growing) playlist, and you can listen to it by searching my name and clicking the playlist titled “2017.”

-“Hard Times,” Paramore Everyone who went through a middle school emo phase remembers singing along to Paramore titles like “Misery Business” and “Ignorance.” Those days have passed, but Paramore is back with a follow-up album to their 2013 self-titled release.

“Hard Times,” the first single off of their upcoming album “After Laughter,” combines their roots of an alternative rock sound with an 80s pop flair, and lead singer Hayley Williams continues to wow us with her insane vocal range. The music video is pretty killer too, with 70s

Courtesy of Shorefire Media

VIBES: Lana Del Rey teamed up with The Weeknd for a guaranteed song of the summer, “Lust for Life,” which combines the dreamy aesthetic Del Rey has built for herself with the ‘Starboy’ futurism of The Weeknd. and 80s pop imagery and stop motion effects.

-“Gyalchester,” Drake I included this track simply for the reason that Drake never fails to impress me. This song is so on point

with current rap and hiphop trends, with low bass, a catchy chorus and thoughtful verses. “Gyalchester” is featured on Drake’s latest release, “More Life.”

-“Lust for Life,” Lana Del Rey

and The Weeknd I cannot be the only one who has been waiting for a collab between Del Rey and The Weeknd since the beginning of time. Del Rey’s dreamy lyrics combined

with The Weeknd’s angelic falsetto is a sound to behold.

This new single has sparked several rumors of an album to be released at...some point...in 2017. Hopefully, these turn out to be true!

-“It Ain’t Me,” Kygo and Selena Gomez Is it just me, or does Selena Gomez have a voice just made for EDM? This track features trance vibes and a solid beat, as well as some subtle, but well executed, drops. Even if EDM isn’t your type of music, I recommend checking this track out. It just might change your mind.

-“Audi,” Nicky Gwiggs ft. Ice God the Macgyver Smaller, more unknown rappers have such a special place in my music library. I love finding up-and-coming artists. They tend to have a very unique sound and do what they want in their music because they are free from the pressures of being on a label. This song has a great beat and fun lyrics; check it out for yourself to see what I mean.

-“HUMBLE.,” Kendrick Lamar Last, but certainly not least, is the single from Kendrick Lamar’s latest release, “DAMN.” This track is top notch, and I give Kendrick so many props for constantly changing the face of rap music. He really pushes the envelope in terms of lyrics and politicizing music. Whatever you do, do not sleep on this album.

8 May 4, 2017

Free Comic Book Day

By KARL O’BRIEN Staff Writer

Chance the Rapper May 14, 7:00 p.m.

Scottrade Center Chance dominated 2016 with his mixtape “Coloring Book,” and now brings his massive tour to St. Louis.

Norman Starting Friday Hi-Pointe Theater Richard Gere plays the title role in this comedy about the daily life of a New York man who cons his way into important circles.

MUNY Summerstage June through August The Muny, Forest Park Starting in June, Forest Park’s beautiful outdoor theatre will play host to shows such as “Newsies” and “A Chorus Line” to massive audiences.

The year is almost over, but the pastimes of summer are just beginning. One of the greatest diversions with which you can occupy yourself is Free Comic Book Day this Saturday. Fortunately, there exists a comic book store relatively near to our campus: Star Clipper, whose friendly manager, Keya, I interviewed to get his thoughts on the importance of the unofficial nerd holiday.

Free Comic Book Day began in 2002 as a means for retailers to cash in on comic book movie adaptations, as well as to involve their local communities in comic book culture. Marvel Comics usually times the release day of a film based on one of their properties with the event. The first event was tied to the “Spider-Man” movie starring Tobey Maguire, and this year’s correlates with the release of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.”

For its own part, Star Clipper has been participating in Free Comic Book Day for quite some time, and proves to be a very popular event from year to year. Keya compares it to “people going crazy for deals on Black Friday,” but with a more significant focus on “the event itself.”

The line is usually backed up around all sides of the building before the store opens, and an average of 5,000 free comics are given away each year. The usual fare varies from publisher to publisher, but often consists of special edition reprints of popular single issues, previews of coming storylines or simply catalogues of available series. Diamond, the primary distributor of comics in America, allows for independent publishers to offer products, and two local publishers, Ink and Drink, and Lion Forge, are set to continue their tradition of

“

Starting May 5 SLUMA St. Louis’ most renonwned playwright also dabbled with visual art, 17 works of which will be on display at this exhibit, in conjunction with the Tennessee Williams Festival.

I see it getting bigger and bigger. It really depends on how long people enjoy it, and I think they will continue to enjoy it.

-Keya, Star Clipper manager

even joining the fray with samples of “Street Fighter” and “Tekken.”

Star Clipper usually couples the joys of free comics with the equally exciting joy of cosplay; several employees of the store turn up at the festivities dressed as their favorite fictional characters or recruit people to do so. Some customers need no coaxing and show up bedecked in all manner of costumes. Asked about the potential of Free Comic Book Day in the future, Keya said, “I see it getting bigger and bigger. It really depends on how long people enjoy it, and I think they will continue to enjoy it.”

He anticipates that if the event grows enough, stores

May has come and spring has sprung! Rainy, warm days are here and vegetable and herb seeds are just waiting to be stuck in the ground. I love to garden, but it’s a hobby that got pushed aside when I became a college student.

Unfortunately, dorm rooms and high-rise apartments don’t lend well to those of us looking to exercise our green thumbs. However, this spring semester, I finally found a way to get around that problem. I am a student in a course called “Sustainability in Food Systems.” It is a dietetics course that I chose to take because of my interest in the improvement of food systems. An ongoing assignment in the course is to plant a raised bed in the SLU garden on the south campus and to care for the

vegetables until their harvest. I planted carrots and onions, and have thoroughly enjoyed going out to the garden, checking on them and watching their growth.

This experience of tending my own plot in the SLU garden piqued my interest in the availability of community gardens in the St. Louis area. I discovered that all this time, I could have been making use of a community garden to grow fresh foods.

A great resource that I found is the Gateway Greening website.

According to their site, Gateway Greening is a community of gardeners, neighbors, friends and volunteers that believe in educating and empowering the community through gardening and urban agriculture. The website provides a plethora of gardening resources including locations of community gar-

Whisk Cherokee Street The sustainable bakeshop prides itself on not only making incredible treats, but ones that are all-natural.

could have comic book writers come by to sign their work for fans, and businesses could cooperate to create a street festival with food and other fun promotional items. Keya believes that Free Comic Book Day has lasted as long as it has because of its consistency in offering products as well as efforts on the part of retailers to expand it from a “table of free comics in the back of the store” to a full-blown unofficial holiday.

If you’re looking for some summer comic reading, Marvel’s controversial “Secret Empire” event, where Steve Rogers was revealed to be a Hydra sleeper agent, continues in full force, and the company has rebooted its entire X-Men series.

Characters Jean Gray, Iceman and Cable will be getting solo titles that are sure to please fans of the 1990s cartoon series.

A “Totally Awesome Hulk” and “Weapon X” crossover called “Weapons of Mutant Destruction” will also be premiering this summer, so for fans who have always wanted to see clones of the Hulk with Wolverine’s powers, this is your moment.

DC will be no stranger to crossovers and epic storylines either. Coming next week is the first part of “The Lazarus Contract,” where Deathstroke, the Titans and the Teen Titans meet for the first time in the modern era. A new Batman story launches in June called “The War of Jokes and Riddles,” recounting the Joker and the Riddler’s bloody battle for Gotham and the Caped Crusader’s greatest failure.

The mystery of Rebirth unravels further, but Dark Days are coming. If you’re interested in Free Comic Book Day, Star Clipper is located at 1319 Washington Ave. in downtown St. Louis, a few blocks from the Convention Center Metro stop.

Continued from Page 5

paintings) that he seamlessly works into the film, especially with an inexperienced actor like Bautista, who portrayed Drax. The visual effects in “Guardians of the Galaxy” are top-notch, with galactic set pieces as huge as “Star Wars” or “Star Trek,” but with added flair and a vibrant color palette.

Besides the stunning visual effects and action, the emotional backbone of this film is what really stood out.

Gunn’s choice to open with the death of Peter Quill’s mother was very bold and risky for a superhero movie, and it reversed the genre on its head by focusing heavily on the characters and their motivations. The Guardians all have their own demons to fight and overcome, which makes them far more relatable to the audience—rare in the usual big-budget, ex-

traordinary superhero films.

Furthermore, the phenomenal soundtrack to “Guardians of the Galaxy,” which spent 16 weeks on top of Billboard’s Top 100 list, offered 70s and 80s flair and energy that really propelled this film into the stratosphere.

Overall, “Guardians of the Galaxy” greatly surpassed my expectations by offering a thrilling space opera grounded with palpable characters and motivations.

Writer/director Gunn cemented his name in Hollywood by delivering an emotional and craftily assembled film that pleased audiences of all demographics.

While “Guardians of the Galaxy” had a few story inconsistencies, the excitement and fun to be had largely outshines them, and I eagerly await this week’s release of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” and future works by Gunn.

Courtesy of Marvel Studios

THE BEGINNING: The first in the series, “Guardians of the Galaxy” became an unexpected, but instant, hit.

St. Louis springs into gardening

By JENNA KENNEDY Contributor

Tennessee Williams Exhibit

releasing previews to Star Clipper. Lion Forge will be releasing an issue that serves as a launching point for seven new ongoing superhero titles, one that Keya strongly recommends. Ink and Drink publishes assorted genrebased anthologies, such as Westerns and sci-fi, set in St. Louis, and always has great selections.

Major publishers, though, will still have their fun, with Marvel releasing two one-shots setting up new Guardians of the Galaxy series; DC is reprinting “Wonder Woman #2” (2016) to promote the movie coming in early June; Boom! Studios is releasing exclusive “Stephen Universe” comics and video game comics are

Throwback

“

What’s up in STL this week?

ARTS

Jenna Kennedy / The University News

SOIL: St. Louis’ environment is prime for growing a wide variety of plants and vegetables.

dens in St. Louis, how to get involved through volunteering, gardening tips and even help on how to start your own community garden.

Newbie gardeners should not be afraid to get their hands dirty. I started my gardening journey by watching my mom tend our backyard garden and helping pull weeds, and then progressed to my own windowsill herb garden. I started basil and cilantro seeds in little pots, and they are very easy to care for. There is something incredibly satisfying about ripping fresh basil leaves off of a homegrown plant and putting them directly into pasta sauce.

Now is a great time to plant beans, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cucumber and squash. It might be fun to plant something new or an old favorite veggie or herb.

As long as the last frost has already occurred—which at this point it has—there is no danger of plants being damaged from the cold. In fact, my carrots and onions survived a heavy snow in March with no problem because they had not yet sprouted.

The use of a community garden is one that may not only have personal benefits, but also many positive effects for others.

First, the term “food miles” refers to the miles that our food travels from the time it leaves the farm to the time it ends up on our plates. Foods with greater food miles make a greater carbon footprint. Food from community gardens has very few “food miles,” which means there are little to no carbon emissions used to

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

GARDEN: Though the city may not seem to be prime for growing, it is easy to have a thriving nursery. transport the food, and there is also minimal food spoilage during transport. Another benefit of community gardens is that they provide healthy food to areas that may not have access to fresh and affordable produce. The health of communities with gardens can be extremely greater than communities with limited access to nutritious food.

Also, gardens in urban areas can provide a place for ecological diversity as well as increase the beauty of an

area. Other benefits include economic stimulation, youth education and even crime prevention. The concept of urban gardening is a growing one, and one that individuals, communities and the Earth can all appreciate.

So, it is easy to get involved. Gardens heavily pepper the map of St. Louis.

Pick the closest one and give them a call or a visit. The more people participating in community gardening, the healthier and happier we all could be.

Sports

May 4, 2017 sports@unewsonline.com Lauren Tondl, Sports Editor Vivek Gorijala, Assoc. Sports Editor

Softball sweeps George Mason over weekend

By BOBBY STILWELL Staff Writer

Over the weekend, SLU Softball hosted A-10 foe George Mason for a threegame series. The Billikens broke out the brooms in the sweep of the Patriots.

SLU played under the lights Friday night, April 28.

Mason got on the board early, tallying two in the top of the first. In SLU’s half of the first, junior third baseman Allie Macfarlane doubled to right-center, batting in senior shortstop Alex Nickel.

With one hit, SLU cut the Mason lead in half, trailing 2-1 after the first inning.

Mason added another tally in the second to jump ahead 3-1. SLU struck back, tying the game at 3-3 in the third off a Nickel two-run blast.

An unearned run in the fifth put Mason back on top 4-3.

With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, sophomore second baseman Mackenzie Lawson delivered a threerun homer, securing the 6-4 victory.

Game two began at 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 29. Both teams couldn’t get any offense going early on, but a Lawson squeeze bunt scored one of SLU’s three runs in the third. In the bottom of the fourth, a line of thunderstorms forced the game to be suspended.

Play resumed on Sunday, April 30, and SLU played like the game never stopped.

SLU tallied three runs in the

Saint Louis Athletics

FLY: Sophomore infielder Mackenzie Lawson watches the ball as it hits off her bat.

She sealed the win with a three-run walk-off home run against George Mason.

Women lose to top seeded VCU

By VIVEK GORIJALA Associate Sports Editor

The women’s tennis team saw their season come to an end in the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament in Orlando, Florida. After defeating St. Joseph’s and Davidson, top seed VCU bested the Billikens, 4-1.

In the first round of the tournament, No. 5 SLU faced No. 12 St. Joe’s on April 26.

The women had no problem sweeping the Hawks, 4-0. In doubles, seniors Eleonore Tchakarova and Verginie Tchakarova defeated Claire Minnoe and Alex Zachem, 6-2. Sophomore Ally McKenzie and freshman Cassie McKenzie downed their competition, Sarah Contrata and Katherine Devlin, 6-1.

With the doubles point in hand, the women took three of four singles victories to end the match. Senior Aspen Cervin won at the top spot, 6-3, 6-0, against Minnoe.

Verginie Tchakarova took the victory at the third spot over Isis Gill-Reid, 6-0, 6-2.

Finally, Ally McKenzie took care of business at the fourth spot, 6-1, 6-0, over Zachem.

The quarter-finals proved to be more of a challenge for the Bills. SLU had to fight

SLU traveled to West Lafayette, Indiana, to take on the Purdue Boilermakers on Friday, April 28. The trip was originally intended to be for a three-game series against the Big Ten Boilermakers, but the same storm system that hit St. Louis was also present in West Lafayette, causing the final game of the series to be called off due to rain.

The first game of the series saw Purdue defeat SLU, 5-2. The loss came despite fairly strong pitching from sophomore Miller Hogan, who struck out eight in 5.2 innings pitched. He allowed six hits and three runs in those 5.2 innings, although only two runs were earned.

He also had three walks in the game. Hogan took the loss in the game, which was his first loss of the season.

He has now dropped to a 7-1 overall record for the season. Hogan’s eight strikeouts were the second time this season that he has recorded eight or more strikeouts in the past two weeks. Against Dayton, he had nine strikeouts.

Purdue took the lead early in the game and never looked back, with SLU’s runs coming in the top of the ninth inning with the game

CHEER

Weavers was perhaps the most reminiscent. “I’m really going to miss this team and everything I’ve learned at SLU. I think I’ve learned a lot of life lessons on and off the field.”

Head Coach Christy Connoyer reflected on the contributions by the seniors.

“Proud of that class…They will be missed.”

In the final home series, SLU hosted Indiana State for nonconference action on Tuesday, May 2. SLU split the doubleheader with the Sycamores.

In game one, Nickel hit a solo shot in the first, putting SLU up 1-0. Indiana State struck back in the fourth with three runs and the fifth with two. SLU headed to the seventh down 5-1, but Peter hit her eighth home run to begin the seventh, but SLU couldn’t muster more offense, losing 5-2.

In game two, Knesel opened scoring for SLU with a sac fly, but Indiana State clawed back to tie in the fourth. SLU bats came to life in the bottom of the fourth. Buckles drove in two off a single to shallow right field, with Lawson drawing a bases-loaded walk in the 4-1 win.

To wrap up conference season, the Bills will travel to St. Bonaventure in Olean, New York on May 6-7. The Billikens will then compete in the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament in Fairfax, Virginia on May 10-13.

Baseball bests SEMO in border battle with walk-off double

By LAUREN TONDL Sports Editor

See “Women” on Page 8

bottom of the fourth off a single by junior left fielder Josie Knesel and a Macfarlane two-RBI double. SLU tallied single runs in both the fifth and sixth innings, thanks to a Nickel RBI single and RBI double from senior infielder Taylor Meeks. SLU took game two 8-0.

SLU went for the sweep in game three. Mason scored an unearned run in the second, but SLU tied it back up in the third when Lawson drew a bases-loaded walk.

The game stayed tied at 1-1 until the eighth. Macfarlane, the last batter of the game, found a hole and doubled to the left-center wall, scoring the winning run and completing the sweep.

Following the sweep, SLU honored five seniors: Right fielder Emma Buckles, center fielder Mackenzie Peter, Meeks, Nickel, and catcher Hailey Weavers.

Most of the seniors were excited about the win, but reminisced about their time on the team. Buckles was “really excited to get the sweep, and it’s always bittersweet for senior day.”

Peter was “thinking about all of us playing for each other and getting that win for each other.”

Nickel looked ahead to the tournament. “We really need these games…to make it into the conference tournament.” Meeks was appreciative of the fan support.

“Seeing all the support from everyone…is cool.”

JEER WHO TO CHEER EMRE CAN The Liverpool central midfielder scored an outrageous overhead kick that gave Liverpool a 1-0 victory over Watford in the English Premier League.

Overhead goals are always beautiful, but what makes Can’s goal even more special is that he is already running backward to the goal before jumping.

nearly over. SLU’s two runs came from junior shortstop Alex King, who hit a two-run home run. King was one of the few bright spots in SLU’s offense on the day—he hit his home run in the only official at-bat he registered, as he walked three times earlier in the game.

Meanwhile, junior infielder Nick Reeser went 2-for-4 in the game. Hogan and senior pitcher Brett Shimanovsky each had a pickoff in the game.

SLU also fell in the second game, in a close 4-3 loss. SLU went down twice throughout the game, but managed to battle back with home runs to tie the score each time. However, a Boilermaker walk-off single in the ninth inning ultimately sunk the Billikens.

King and redshirt senior Trent Leimkuehler both had home runs in the game— the fifth consecutive game in which the Billikens notched a round-tripper. King hit his second home run in as many days, for his fifth home run of the season. Leimkuehler’s home run was his second of the season.

Meanwhile, Reeser once again went 2-for-4 in the game. Junior catcher James Morisano also went 2-for4. Sophomore pitcher Ryan Lefner was hit with the loss, despite not allowing

an earned run. He has not allowed a run in the three consecutive games, with 6.1 innings pitched.

The final game of the series was cancelled due to rain, which meant that the Billikens returned home to take on SEMO on Tuesday, May 2.

The SEMO game turned out to be a thriller, with Leimkuehler hitting his 17th double of the season in the bottom of the ninth inning, with the hit bringing in the game-tying and game-winning runs. SLU won 6-5 behind the clutch extra-base hit. The hit was part of a 3-for-5 Leimkuehler performance.

The walk-off hit was SLU’s first walk-off since March 16 of last year against Illinois State.

SLU also got strong production from the middle of the order, with the third, fourth and fifth batters in the order, Reeser, Hanford and Garella, respectively, each recorded two hits in the game.

In terms of pitching, junior Aaron Patton earned the start, and threw four innings, allowing one run on three hits with three strikeouts and no walks.

SLU’s relief pitching was also strong. Sophomore Sean Frontzak entered with the bases loaded with one

Saint Louis Athletics

POWER: Junior shortstop Alex King drives through a pitch. He has four home runs in the current season. out, and he threw 1.2 scoreless innings, combined with two strikeouts. Meanwhile, freshman Charlie Sheehan earned his first collegiate win, as he threw a scoreless ninth inning, including a strikeout looking of SEMO’s top hitter.

Next up for the Billikens will be a three-game away series against Davidson in Davidson, North Carolina, starting on Friday, May 5.

The Atlantic 10 Conference Championships are set for May 24-May 27 at the Billiken Sports Center.

FEAR WHO TO JEER BOSTON RED SOX Red Sox fans were heard hurling racial epithets at Orioles centerfielder Adam Jones. This is an issue that transcends a win or a loss—there is no place in the world for such racism and it is good to see that the responsible fans were identified and thrown out of the game. Hopefully, this is the last we hear of such behavior.

WHO TO FEAR HOUSTON ROCKETS The Rockets just dismantled what is widely considered a wellcoached and highly disciplined San Antonio Spurs team. They turned in that performance with a barrage of 3-pointers, as has been their style all season.

If they can continue to shoot well, they could be a threat to Golden State.

10 May 4, 2017 Tweet of the week

@billbarnwell The only disappointing part of Paul Pierce’s career is that he didn’t have Twitter the entire time.

Scores from the week Baseball Billikens 2 Purdue 5 Junior shortstop Alex King hit his fourth home run of the season.

Billikens 3 Purdue 4 The Bills held on until the ninth inning when Purdue hit a walk-off single despite coming back to tie twice.

Billikens 6 SEMO 5 Senior outfielder Trent Leimkuehler had his 17th double in the ninth to win.

Softball Billikens 6 George Mason 4 Sophomore infielder Mackenzie Lawson hit a three-run walk-off home run to win.

Billikens 8 George Mason 0 Junior pitcher Maddie Baalman threw her first career one-hitter.

Billikens 2 George Mason 1 SLU squeaked in a run in the extra inning to sweep George Mason.

Billikens 2 Indiana State 5 Senior Mackenzie Peter hit her eighth home run.

Billikens 4 Indiana State 1 Freshman pitcher Kaylea Chappelle had a six-hitter in seven innings pitched.

Women’s Tennis Billikens 4 St. Joseph’s 0 The women took the Hawks down easily, earning the doubles point and three of four singles matches.

Billikens 4 Davidson 2 SLU came back from a doubles deficit in the quarterfinal victory.

Billikens 1 VCU 4

SPORTS

This week in sports Thursday, May 4 St. Louis Cardinals 12:45 p.m. v. Milwaukee Brewers

Friday, May 5

Saturday, May 6

Sunday, May 7

Monday, May 8

Tuesday, May 9

Wednesday, May 10

Baseball 5 p.m. v. SIUE

Softball TBA, A-10 Conference Tournament @ George Mason

Baseball Track and Field Softball St. Louis Cardinals 5 p.m. @ Davidson All Day, A-10 Conference 11 a.m. @ St. Bonnie’s 6:10 p.m. @ Miami Marlins Men’s Tennis Tournament Baseball 3 p.m. A-10 Championship Softball 12 p.m. @ Davidson v. VCU @ 11 a.m. @ St. Bonnie’s Men’s Tennis Orlando, Florida.

1 p.m. @ St. Bonnie’s 12 p.m. A-10 Final Baseball Baseball Softball 5 p.m. @ Purdue 1 p.m. @ Davidson 12 p.m. v. George Mason

Track breaks records at Drake Relays

By VIVEK GORIJALA Associate Sports Editor

Saint Louis track and field saved some of their most impressive performances for the prestigious Drake Relays, which took place in Des Moines, Iowa. Several relay teams broke school records throughout the track meet.

Some Billikens also competed in the Kip Janvrin Open that took place at Simpson College, located in Indianola, Iowa.

First off with the strong performances was the men’s 4x1600-meter relay team.

The team was composed of senior Hiob Gebisso, sophomore Kevin Ganahl, sophomore Manuel de Backer and sophomore Sean Conlin. The foursome managed to break a school record in the relay that had stood since 2012, with a time of 16:56.96.

Meanwhile, the men’s 4x200 relay team, which was made of sophomore Will Moore, junior Josh Freivogel, senior Griffin McCurren and senior Kyle Clinkingbeard, just barely surpassed last year’s Drake Relays time with a race that they ran in 1:29.16.

Meanwhile, the men’s 4x400 relay team also made school history, although it did not come in the form of a school record. The relay team, composed of Clinkingbeard, Freivogel, Moore and McCurren, qualified for the finals in the event, the first time that the Billikens have qualified for any Drake Relays final in program history.

The women also had several strong performances.

Senior Hannah Rohde finished in seventh place in the unseeded 800 meters. She earned the seventh place finish with a time of 2:10.84.

Sophomore Ann Harlos finished eighth in the 400-meter hurdles, crossing the fin-

ish line in 1:01.42.

Several Billikens competed in the Kip Janvrin Open at Simpson College, as well.

The Billikens had a strong performance there in the women’s 4x100-meter relay. The team, composed of senior Rachel Staab, sophomore Avery Pacella, senior Jenna Ginsberg and senior Jackie Bynes placed fourth.

Their fourth place finish came with a recorded time of 51.66.

The Billikens have nearly completed their outdoor track season. The only scheduled meet left for SLU is the Atlantic 10 Conference Championships. This year, the A-10 Conference Championships are scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 6.

The A-10 Conference Championships will be located at the University of Massachusetts, in Amherst, Massachusetts. This means that the Billikens will have to travel quite a bit before the meet. All SLU track fans will be hoping that the travel won’t hinder the Billikens, who have shown through broken school records that they have certainly improved in several events through the outdoor track season.

After the A-10 Conference Championships, the majority of the SLU track and field team will be done.

However, if any Billikens run qualifying times, they will take part in the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds on May 25-27 and the NCAA Championships on June 8-11.

Reaching either of these rounds would be a tremendous achievement for a runner from a program of SLU’s size.

Looking forward, SLU will hope that the seniors they lose won’t hurt them too much as they look to improve starting in the fall.

Women: Tchakarova’s break doubles record Continued from Page 7

win four singles matches in a row.

Cervin was victorious over Anna Catharine Feast, 6-1, 7-5. Eleonore Tchakarova won in the second spot, 6-3, 7-5, against Megan Scholvinck. Verginie Tchakarova destroyed her competitor, Gabrielle Centenari, 6-0, 6-1. Finally, Cassie McKenzie finished the job with a win at the fifth spot over Ava Todd, 7-5, 6-1.

SLU had strong momentum in their favor rolling into the semifinal match, but the VCU Rams proved to be a tough top seed to crack, downing the Billikens, 4-1.

Previously, VCU has won four consecutive A-10 titles, pining for their fifth in 2017.

SLU was unable to find success in doubles play, and VCU continued to dominate in singles. Verginie Tchakarova earned the sole win for SLU at the third spot, 6-1, 6-1, over Magda Aubets.

The Bills finished the season with a 16-8 record. In the A-10, the women were 2-3 in the regular season.

Their strongest asset was their home advantage, as they posted a 9-1 record at Forest Park.

This season, the Tchakarova sisters and doubles partners set the school record for most doubles wins, with 26 each, breaking the previous mark made in 1997.

The three seniors, Cervin and the Tchakarova sisters, have certainly made their mark at SLU.

Men’s tennis drops nailbiter to VCU

By LAUREN TONDL Sports Editor

Saint Louis Athletics

TEAM: Junior Josh Freivogel takes off in a relay race at SLU’s Medical Campus track at the Billiken Invitational.

Saint Louis Athletics

FLIPSIDE: Freshman Ethan Erusha hurls himself over the high jump bar during the Billiken Invitational.

The men’s tennis team ended their season with a 1-1 record at the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament in Orlando, Florida. SLU defeated Fordham, 4-1, in the opening round, but ultimately fell to VCU, 4-3, in a tight match fought all the way to the final singles match.

SLU, the sixth seed, lost their first point of the tournament when they dropped two of three doubles matches. Juniors David Ferragut and Juan Calero defeated Victor Li and Fabian Mauritzson, 6-3, in the lone victory for the Bills at doubles.

However, the Bills were ready to grind out the singles matches as they won three 3-set matches to help pass through the opening round.

Sophomore Oscar Pachon started the wins off with a two-set victory over Jeremy Chung, 6-1, 6-3. Then, junior Charlie Parry defeated Nick Borak, 6-2, 7-5. Calero topped Tomas Cosmai at the second spot with a 2-6, 7-6, 6-3 victory. Finally, junior John Nogalski sealed the team win for SLU with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 victory over Mauritzson.

SLU’s victories were unfortunately short lived as VCU ousted them from the competition in a 4-3 nailbiter. The Bills sealed the doubles point and continued to fight despite trailing in singles, 3-1, with victories from Ferragut and Calero in the singles arena. The final match came down to senior Paarth Dodhiawala at the fifth place, but he was bested

by Ignacio Rivero Crespo, 7-5, 7-5.

The men finished the year with a 8-11 record, including a 3-2 A-10 record. SLU loses their lone senior, Dodhiawala from next year’s roster.

Opinion: Meteorologist’s take on severe weather in sports

By BOBBY STILWELL Staff Writer

On Saturday, April 29, with a squall line to the west of St. Louis, a decision was made to play the second game of the SLU Softball series against George Mason.

As any meteorology student can attest, this was a reckless and dangerous decision for multiple reasons.

Firstly, squall lines normally pack damaging wind gusts that often meet or exceed 58 mph, the benchmark for severe criteria in the U.S. In the case of Saturday, winds met this criteria, along with small hail and a weak

tornado just 50 miles north of campus.

Second, the four and a half innings rule is silly for softball. According to the 2016-2017 NCAA Softball Rulebook, a rain-shortened game is official “[i]f the home team has scored more runs at the end of its fourth inning than the visiting team has scored in its five offensive half-innings.” If softball played nine innings, this rule would make sense, as half of the game would be played in such a scenario. However, NCAA softball only plays seven innings. This has the effect of forcing teams to play nearly two-thirds of a game, which can take up to

90 minutes. Saturday’s squall line was an hour from campus.

Third, there was uncertainty among spectators on who made the call to play, despite the situation. According to the NCAA Softball Rulebook, that decision fell to “the coaches of both teams and/or the on-site administrator.” According to this, SLU made the choice to play, despite the severe weather in the area.

No matter who made the call, there needs to be better decision support services (DSS) in the future, and there should be consideration given to changing the four-and-half innings rule.

Senior Verginie Tchakarova posted the lone win at number three singles, 6-1, 6-1.

Men’s Tennis Billikens 4 Fordham 1 The men defeated the Rams in three, three-set singles battles after losing doubles.

Billikens 3 VCU 4

Saint Louis Athletics

Senior Paarth Dodhiawala lost the final match for SLU.

DETERMINATION: Senior Verginie Tchakarova swings through a shot during a match at Forest Park.

Saint Louis Athletics

DARK AND STORMY: A radar image taken at 3:55 p.m. on April 29, within an hour of Billiken softball game time. The decision was made to continue with the game.

&

Opinions Editorials

May 4, 2017 opinion@unewsonline.com Trevor Rogan, Opinion Editor

Editorials are opinion pieces written by the Editorial Board of The University News. The editorials printed in this space represent the opinion of The University News.

Commentaries and Letters to the Editor represent the opinions of the signed authors, but do not necessarily represent the opinions of The University News.

The state of Saint Louis University

Next spring, Saint Louis University will celebrate its 200th anniversary as an institution of higher learning.

Two centuries have provided ample room for both good and bad times for the University. Today, we measure the current state of SLU. The University has undergone substantial change since its founding in 1818, improving the education that it provides and developing the midtown area. Once the only university west of the Mississippi, now SLU competes with many other schools in the region. With increased competition and greater educational costs, the University is making painful adjustments to modernize—adjustments that include the university-wide layoffs this past March. Even with the downsizing, SLU is among the institutions across the country that are raising the price of a university degree.

Seeing that the University is losing faculty and staff should be concerning to any prospective student, it puts into question the University’s priorities and its identity. Will the University hire more faculty and staff in the future, or is this

Sophie Lappe//Illustrator

the new normal? Will the University focus more on updating its residence halls than on improving the education it provides? (For clarity, Grand Hall was financed with bonds; the layoffs were not directly connected with its costs.)

Many departments are being downsized, and several professors have been either laid off or are simply not being replaced after retiring or leaving the University. There are many reasons to choose a college, but academics are of obvious importance, and fewer options for students is never a good sign. Of course, SLU’s administrators understand the value of academics, but it is still unsettling to see too little attention given to the actual purpose of the University: educating in classrooms.

Students attend SLU to receive an education and to feel comfortable doing so, but for many students, SLU has not felt like a welcoming environment. The University has been criticized for marketing itself as an open and inclusive environment without achieving this reality, and earlier this year, the

Student Government Association suspended the use of the Oath of Inclusion by the administration in response.

Despite its commitment to fulfilling the Clock Tower Accords, SLU has not made significant progress in making the campus a welcoming place for minority students.

Parts of the Clock Tower Accords also describe a need for greater involvement in the St. Louis community, but too little change has occurred. For a university that emphasizes service and the role it plays in helping others, SLU has done a lot in the interest of the University but less in the surrounding area.

Since former President Biondi came into office and transformed SLU’s campus, the University has become a distinct and separate feature of midtown. Although students must cross Grand Boulevard to attend classes or access campus dining options, students remain unexposed to much of the city and its atmosphere. West Pine Avenue was once a road that passed between SLU’s buildings, but now it is the central walkway for students. Together with the numerous trees, the pond and green space around the busi-

ness school—as well as the relative sense of enclosure provided by the tall university buildings—on-campus residents may hardly notice that they live in an urban setting.

This pseudo-urban feel of the campus is not inherently bad. SLU’s campus is beautiful, and removing trees or making the campus less attractive would not help the area. Many colleges across the country have more of a suburban atmosphere, which makes students coming from suburban areas feel more comfortable. But with plans to continue expanding the campus into the surrounding area, the identity this institution wants for itself remains uncertain.

The University has its eye on closing Laclede Avenue west of Grand, which would increase pedestrian safety, but ultimately lead to SLU’s growing separation from the rest of the city. SLU’s current path aims toward becoming a suburban island within an urban setting. The University must compete with other colleges in the area and across the country, but we are concerned about the risks of students losing touch with the community at large as the University further sequesters itself from the rest of the city.

In the next few years, we hope that SLU will act as a responsible neighbor to the people living around its campus. We also hope that SLU will concentrate on improving the education it provides, which includes hiring proficient professors and maintaining a diverse assortment of undergraduate programs. SLU offers students and the region many opportunities, but there is still much progress to be made.

Letters

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 300word 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.

“

“ “ “

Quotes of the Week

”

I am trying to learn as much as I can, so I can be flexible with whatever is presented to me after I graduate.

Megan Anthony, incoming Editor-in-Chief, page 3

” ” ”

I’m really going to miss this team and everything I’ve learned at SLU. I think I’ve learned a lot of life lessons on and off the field.

Hailey Weavers, senior, page 9

The United States may produce more than the Nordic states of Europe, but these countries tend to have happier citizens and more equal societies.

Trevor Rogan, Opinion Editor, page 12

Senior send offs: Looking back on our editors’ time with the UNews Meredith: I began writing for the UNews the second semester of my freshman year and now have been the online editor for two years. As the voice behind our social media accounts and webmaster on our website, my position has been a great learning experience, especially in this digital age.

I’ve witnessed two great editors-in-chief lead the paper and have been continuously impressed by the editors of each section staying up past midnight every Wednesday night in order to produce the best paper possible. I know in the future the UNews will continue to grow, and I hope that with a new website in the works they will be able to reach more readers than ever before. In our world today the fourth estate needs to stay strong, and I’m happy to say that for these past few

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years I got to be involved with an organization supporting it.

Vivek: I don’t remember much from the first week of September 2013, except that one of the things that freshman me wanted to do was become involved with the student newspaper. I walked into the newsroom, and before long I was writing weekly for the news section.

Everything seemed quite simple back then—school was a breeze, the newspaper was fun and I was on top of the world.

Of course, things aren’t always that way. My sophomore year, I was named Associate News Editor, and before long the difficulties of taking organic chemistry and molecular and cell biology along with the editor position exposed my naivety. I was reeling, and within

two months I quit my editor position to focus on school.

That was the most painful decision I’ve had to make in college, but as I look back, I’m glad for the lessons it has taught me.

I realized the importance of taking a little time for yourself every now and then.

It can be relaxing to step back from everything, and taking school just a little less seriously helped me bring my grades up while still writing for the sports section— and now I’ll be heading to medical school next year!

I’ve also come back to the editorial board as the Associate Sports Editor, and I’ve enjoyed every moment of it.

The good friends, the feeling of a freshly finished sports page, and even the late nights have become unforgettable hallmarks of my senior year.

When I look back at college,

I will look back fondly on the people that I’ve met, whether I met them freshman year or senior year. However, the University News will always hold a special place in my heart.

Kyle: A newspaper has many purposes: a source of information, a public forum, a history of the present. But in my three years as an editor on this paper one such use has always stood out to me: As a sports editor my sophomore year, I asked a teammate of mine—who happened to be an exchange student from Ireland—if I could interview him for a story about rugby. He said he’d never even heard of the UNews, but when I told him what it was, he exclaimed, “Oh, ya mean the school paper? I know that paper! I use it to stuff me cleats after practice!”

As the editor of a college newspaper, you get used to seeing your hard work being repurposed, often in ways you’d never expect. I’ve seen papers used to cover windows during sorority recruitment, or as umbrellas on rainy days. Every once in a blue moon, I’ll see someone reading it — but that’s a bit of a rarity. But the truth is, I’ve learned to enjoy seeing people appreciate my work, no matter what form it takes.

Running this newspaper has been simultaneously the most enjoyable and most stressful experience of my life. I can’t explain or justify why it has come to occupy a central part of my life these past three years. It’s something I never expected or asked for (nor can I say I’m always particularly thankful for it). But I don’t regret a

THE UNIVERSITY NEWS 2016-17 EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF KYLE SMITH eic@unewsonline.com

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second of it.

I’ve gotten to write frontpage stories, and secondpage corrections. I’ve won awards and issued more apologies than most people will in a lifetime. I’ve met Ken Bone and Brandon Stanton. I’m pretty sure I’ve aged three decades in the past eight months. I’ve made some of my closest friends on this paper, working late into the night. I’ve also made a few enemies, which is not something I ever thought I’d get to say.

I’ve given my heart, my health, the last three years of my life and countless Wednesday nights that I could have spent at Pennies for this paper. But it doesn’t belong to me. This is a student paper, and it belongs to the students.

So go ahead: stuff your cleats.

“Freedom of the press–print, online and broadcast–is a basic right in a democratic society and is valuable in promoting the development of students as socially responsible persons ... The University News is a student voice, not the student voice. The views of The University News are the expressions of the students involved ... If [The University News] can represent a point of view around which discussion may develop, it serves a legitimiate and needed purpose.”

- From The University News’ Charter

advisor@unewsonline.com

THE EDITORIAL BOARD OF THE UNIVERSITY NEWS RECOGNIZES AVIS MEYER, PH.D., AS THE NEWSPAPER’S FACULTY MENTOR

The University News is a member if the Associated Colegiate Press, the Student Press Law Center, the College Media Advisers and the Missouri College Media Association, a division of the Missouri Press Association.

First copy, free.

Each additional copy, $1.00.

12 May 4, 2017

OPINIONS & EDITORIALS

Fiscal policy: A means toward an end

Trevor Rogan Opinion Editor

When discussing the reforms from the New Deal era, many pundits who lean toward the right side of fiscal policy claim that President Roosevelt’s programs did little to improve the economy and actually slowed the recovery. Although the New Deal reforms were not perfect—many were quite regressive, deriving their funding primarily from taxes on poor people, and most excluded minorities from the benefits—the idea that government policy should focus primarily on optimizing economic efficiency discounts the end result that our society should seek.

Programs like Social Security and policies like the minimum wage may lead to inefficiencies, but they deliver a more equal world.

Efficiency versus equity, often discussed as the primary tradeoff in public sector economics, must be balanced effectively, yet fiscal conservatives stress too strongly the need for efficient markets. Economic efficiency is not an end in and of itself; an economy is a means toward an end. Employment, growth and stability give people security and meaning in conducting their private lives, but comparing economic indicators, such as gross domestic product, makes us lose sight of more important measures of what

makes a good society. There are a number of indicators that calculate how happy a country’s citizens are, such as gross national happiness, that tell more about whether a country’s policies are positively impacting its citizens.

High economic output (GDP) also does not mean that everyone is sharing in the success of a country.

The United States may produce more than the Nordic states of Europe, but these countries tend to have happier citizens and more equal societies. Despite the growth that the U.S. economy has exhibited in the past few decades, inequality has grown immensely, and many people are still suffering.

Some of the ways to reduce inequality will sacrifice

Economic efficiency is not an end in and of itself; an economy is a means toward an end. economic growth to achieve redistribution of wealth.

Progressive taxes—when the government taxes wealthy individuals at a higher rate than those less so—are less efficient than flat taxes because they draw in less revenue for the same tax rate.

Even so, they are needed to create a fairer society.

Research suggests that they do not have the negative impacts on economic growth that some conservative pundits have asserted.

There is little evidence that high taxes on wealthy individuals impact the economy.

In 2012, the Congressional Research Service, the public policy research division

of the Library of Congress, released a report that identified no correlation between tax rates on the rich and economic growth and unemployment.

Moreover, taxing the rich more heavily might even lead wealthy employers to pay their workers better.

Writing in the National Bureau of Economic Research, scholars Thomas Piketty, Emmanuel Saez and Stefanie Stantcheva find that, as tax rates on high-income earners decrease, the wealthy have a greater incentive to fight for higher salaries, leading to greater income inequality. This incentive leads those with greater means to pursue business practices that serve their interests rather than letting growth actually trickle down.

Alana Semuels, writing in a September 2016 “Atlantic” issue, says that “trying to achieve incredible returns for those at the top can motivate companies to make changes in the way they run their business, such that they employ fewer people.”

In the financial industry, lower taxes on the wealthy have led these individuals to spend less time on creating actual growth and more time on manipulating markets.

Lower taxes on capital gains also means that the financial sector endeavors are more profitable but don’t make as many jobs.

Some social programs might lower economic output and company profits, but we should not measure our country’s success in these simple economic indicators.

We should qualify our country’s success by ensuring the greatest welfare of our citizens.

Nootropics: A brain-powerenhancing life hack

Branson Fox

We’ve all heard it before: “Don’t be the person buying Adderall in the library during finals week.” As tempting as it is to have hyper focus and the ability to forgo sleep, it is both illegal and dangerous. But what if I told you that there were drugs just as powerful, completely legal and readily available? You may be interested. I know I was. Enter the world of Nootropics.

Popularized by self-proclaimed “bio-hackers” in Silicon Valley, Nootropics are brain-enhancing drugs with limited to no side effects.

One Nootropic we are all familiar with is caffeine. Caffeine offers improved alertness, focus and what many describe as a “boost,” which is the stimulant effect of caffeine on the nervous system.

The military is no stranger to many of these drugs.

Germans utilized amphetamines in World War II and caffeine already had strong implementation. A returning Afghanistan veteran, who declined to be mentioned by name, shared with me a horrible concoction called “Ranger Dip.” After finishing an MRE (meal ready to eat), some infantry would dump the instant coffee packets into gauze and put it under their lips like dipping tobacco.

Caffeine has killed before, and we know even less about these other Nootropics.

Noopept, for example, has been shown to cause total loss of emotion. Piracetam

has been known to cause depression in some adverse cases.

I had to see what all of the online chatter was about.

I bought a Nootropic stack called Dragon. A stack is the combination of two or more nootropic substances.

It was $30—with a discount I found—for a bottle of 60 capsules, enough for 30 doses. In two days, I had a very powerful mix of chemicals in my hand. The process was incredibly easy.

The capsules had arrived the afternoon of a big chemistry test. A friend of mine, whose identity will remain anonymous, was interested in the Nootropic stack I had bought; I had been telling him about it ever since I ordered it. This friend of mine was very averted to any drugs or alcohol. In my time knowing him, he refused to drink or use any illicit drugs.

He told me he would try a Nootropic if I did first. I agreed; I took only one capsule, half the recommended dose. Within 10 minutes, I felt a surge of energy and hyper focus. My acute symptoms of OCD vanished. I thought through my words much more methodically.

Part of the reason I chose to keep my friend’s identity anonymous is because of academic integrity policies.

Although it doesn’t clearly define Nootropics, one could argue that Nootropics are an unfair, unauthorized advantage and therefore a violation of academic integrity.

In fact, a study published by Phytomedicine claims that students using a Nootropic averaged scores over eight percent higher than a placebo group.

My friend claims that the Nootropic left him feeling “wired,” but he does not believe it impacted his test score by any significant

amount. Another friend of mine also tried the Dragon Nootropic. His response was similar. He claimed to be “wired” and “focused.”

On the occasions where I have taken Dragon, I have accomplished large amounts of work in short periods of time. However, I can sometimes do this without the assistance of Nootropics if I’m in a focused environment.

Dragon has had some negative side effects for me, though. On one occasion, I had an increased level of anxiety, rapid heart rate and felt that I was intoxicated.

On many occasions, I feel an increased need to take a nap, something I already do routinely. On a few occasions I’ve had headaches, but drinking water resolves the issue.

Not all Nootropics are legal. Many of these substances are recognized by the World Anti-Doping Agency as unfair stimulants, and therefore are banned. Adderall is still considered a Nootropic, as is Modafinil, although research has shown both to be very dangerous and potentially life threatening. You can still obtain these substances with a prescription.

Prescriptions for such drugs are at an all time high. There is a caveat to Modafinil’s legal status. Adrafinil, a drug that metabolizes the same as Modafinil, is legal and requires no prescription to obtain.

I had multiple peers admit to using Adderall during finals week, including one with a genetic disposition for heart health. Stimulants like Adderall pose a risk to all users, but especially those with family history of poor heart health. Nootropics on the other hand, despite our limited knowledge of their longterm use, have shown to be safer than amphetamines.

Why Lil Dicky is one of the greatest rappers alive

Michael Tettambel

Yes, Lil Dicky is one of the greatest rappers this generation has ever seen. David Andrew Burd was born in 1988 in a town near Philadelphia. Raised in an uppermiddle-class, Jewish family, Burd did not face the same back stories as many influential rappers. He attended the University of Richmond and graduated Summa Cum Laude from their business school. He then went on to get a job as an account manager at an advertising agency and quickly moved to their creative department.

LD is best known for his odd style, which can be seen in his music videos. One of the main contributors to his fame was the music video to “Ex-Boyfriend” which rapidly went viral. It was this video that drew me to Lil Dicky. He embraces his weirdness and includes it in his lyrics. In his track, “Professional Rapper,” LD responds to Snoop Dogg calling him out for backing out of a hypothetical fight: “Nah, that’s my niche!

Don’t get offended by this, but that’s the market y’all missed. That’s the target I’ll hit and that’s the heart of my pitch I wanna do this whole thing different.”

Burd acknowledged that he is not a “typical” rapper by any means. He wants his flow to be different and to draw a crowd of his own, not the same crowds associated with current rappers. The topics

of his songs are completely out of the ordinary. Titles of his tracks range from “White Crime,” “Lemme Freak,” “Classic Male Pregame” and “Pillow Talking.”

He is using his contradictory personality to create a name for himself in the rap community. Many listeners take his songs as jokes, but the man can rap. His flow is on par with some of the most popular rappers on today’s radio stations. In an article titled “A Complete Breakdown of Lil Dicky’s Bizarre ‘Pillow Talking’ Short Film,” Brent Bradley said, “Lil Dicky has built a reputation on his penchant for blurring the lines between trite, Three Loco-esque comedy rap and legitimate lyrical ability.”

Just recently, LD released another music video to “Pil-

LD shows that he is not like basic rappers trying to showboat their wealth. low Talking” that includes his twist on rap. Another example of his unusual flow is that, on this track, a character named “Brain” is featured.

Brain is a CGI character of LD’s from his own Twitter and Instagram accounts that is seen in this music video.

However, this music video is the quintessential example of Lil Dicky’s effective, yet odd, twist on modern rap.

Rather than being like most of the influential rappers of this time, he decides to rap about completely random things while creating a culture of embracing his bizarre self. The video features hypothetical alien invasions, a CGI brain, dinosaurs and

many more wild things. In his other music videos, such as “$ave Dat Money,” there is a part where he walks around an extremely affluent neighborhood going doorto-door in search of a house to use for his video. In the video, he spends almost no money to produce a video that, without his objection to “save that money,” would have cost thousands of dollars. In taking a different spin on the rap game, LD shows that he is not like basic rappers trying to showboat their wealth.

In addition, Lil Dicky’s SoundCloud features many of his other tracks, even freestyles over beats used

by Kanye and Drake. He finds ways to incorporate his weird flow over other popular beats such as the one in “YEEZUS.” LD also has a song titled “The ‘90s,” where he reminisces about all of the highlights about growing up in the 90s. In the song, he raps about a variety of topics reminiscent of this time, from Michael Jordan, to Tamagotchis, to Oregon Trail, to Beanie Babies. I instantly connected when I heard this song and I know many other 90s kids did too.

Finally, Lil Dicky is known for opening up most of his songs with a nickname for himself, reinforcing the idea that he just wants to have fun rapping and enjoy being himself. An example being “The Independent Variable” or “White Jesus.”

I encourage everyone to listen to Lil Dicky. I understand that rap is not for everyone, but he is an atypical rapper. He redefines the rap community with his “don’t care” attitude and unique flow, refusing to conform to the basic rap lifestyle.

Students call for clean energy in the St. Louis region

Erin Kollar

Embracing sustainable practices and clean energy directly aligns with the mission of Saint Louis University, whose motto boasts pursuing a higher purpose and a greater good. Students here at SLU have decided that now is the time to play a larger role in pushing for clean energy in the St. Louis region. We cannot continue to neglect the negative impacts coal power has on our health, on our environment and on future generations.

Local pressure is becoming extremely crucial, since the environment and our health are being jeopardized by decisions made at the federal level.

Students from different universities in the St. Louis region are coming together to demand that our utility provider, Ameren Missouri, invests in more wind and solar energy. Washington University (WUSTL), Webster University, University of Missouri in St. Louis (UMSL) and SLU students have made commitments to work toward a cleaner future for our region because we see the importance and benefits of transitioning away from energy sources that do

more harm than good. This coalition of students will be especially impactful since Ameren is currently creating their 20-year Integrated Resource Plan where they decide how they will invest in energy for the next 20 years. Students are finding ways to show that our community wants to invest more into clean, renewable energy sources—particularly wind and solar.

On the day that Ameren held a stakeholder meeting for their Integrated Resource Plan, SLU students decided to make a statement about clean energy by organizing together in the shape of a human turbine. By showing their support for clean energy, students are providing evidence that the community of St. Louis is willing to embrace clean energy. This statement was also a celebration of our student government passing public legislation stating the importance of SLU being a leader in pushing for clean energy in the St. Louis region.

Our student representatives unanimously voted in favor of a bill that acknowledges that embracing clean energy would bring a public benefit to all people living in the St. Louis region. Transitioning to clean energy is not only an environmental issue, but also a public health and social justice issue; many lower income, black residents in St. Louis are statistically more affected by asthma than white residents.

Local pressure is becoming extremely crucial, since the environment and our health are being jeopardized by decisions made at the federal level.

This shift toward clean sources of energy in St. Louis would be responding to the widespread asthma rates in our region. St. Louis City has a childhood asthma rate that is three times higher than the national average, and it is proven that polluted air exacerbates asthma. Ameren Missouri’s Labadie coal plant is known to be one of the deadliest coal plants in the entire country due to its age and lack of pollution controls such as scrubbers, and yet Ameren is still holding onto this energy dinosaur.

Students are encouraging the energy sector of St. Louis, and beyond, to use available innovative technology that improves quality of life.

Other student efforts that are taking place in St. Louis include Washington University student government working on a clean energy resolution, along with their long lasting divestment campaign that seeks to withdraw from any investments in fossil fuel. Thousands of SLU students have also embraced Ameren’s Pure Power Plan, that would ensure wind energy credits going on the grid to power all of our residence halls. UMSL students are also considering a resolution from their student government that would show school-wide support for clean energy in the St. Louis region. With all of these universities, student groups and individuals working together to push for clean energy for St. Louis, we are sending a stronger message to Ameren that clean energy is not a passing fad, but is something that people are willing to put extended time and effort into. This is our health, our environment and our future—these are not things that can or should be taken lightly.

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