April 10, 2025 Student Life Newspaper, WashU in St. Louis
Chancellor Martin updates community on federal funding cuts
In an email addressed to the WashU community last Monday, Chancellor Andrew Martin emphasized that the WashU administration was doing “all [it] can to advocate for the university” in light of the recent investigations and funding cuts under the Trump Administration.
The email highlighted the fact that the administration is now taking action to “ensure that [WashU] is using [its] resources wisely.”
According to the email, the University may have to reevaluate the need to fill some senior-level positions, require approval before filling open positions, pause some on-campus construction projects, and reduce the number of admitted students to certain graduate programs in the next several months.
However, they did not specify which construction projects will be impacted. Details about changes to WashU’s hiring process or how the University will reevaluate certain faculty positions are also unknown.
“First, it’s important to acknowledge that this has been a time of uncertainty and stress for many of us,” Martin wrote. “We want to assure you that we continue to do all we can to advocate for the university and make sure our elected officials understand the value and impact of our work in support of research, education, and patient care.”
Since February, a series of executive orders, policy changes, and federal investigations have impacted WashU and other higher education institutions across the US.
As second in the nation for the amount of annual funding received from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), WashU was at risk of large
reductions in its biomedical research budget when a $4 billion funding cut was announced by the NIH in February.
One month later, the US Department of Education (DOE) also initiated a civil rights investigation into WashU and 44 other universities for alleged “discriminatory” practices. A memo issued by DOE threatened to withhold federal funds if the universities failed to immediately review their DEI-related programs and policies.
According to Martin in a Q&A session with Student Life last week, a group composed of several administrators and medical school executives is currently reviewing the situation and will recommend which programs to cut back on.
Formed last August, the committee includes Nichol Luoma, Chief Administrative Officer; David Gray, Chief Financial Officer; Rick Stanton, the de facto CAO and the CFO of the School of Medicine; Dr. Anna Gonzalez, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs; and Pam Henson, the Executive Vice
Chancellor for University Advancement.
Multiple members of the administration, including Chancellor Martin, failed to reply to Student Life emails requesting further comment.
Julie Flory, Vice Chancellor for Marketing and Communications, said that there was no more information to add.
“As mentioned in the email, we’ll update campus as there is new information,” she wrote.
In a statement to NPR last week, Martin, along with several other college presidents and administrators, expressed his concerns for the future of universities and their relationship with the federal government.
“This is uncharted waters for us,” he told NPR. “We’re in a moment with great uncertainty about what the future of the relationship between the federal government and American institutions of higher education look like.”
His most recent email to the University community reiterated that WashU continues to closely monitor the situation and
is seeking ways to prepare for “whatever may come.”
“We always have a responsibility to ensure that we’re using our resources wisely,” he added. “Given the current circumstances, however, the need for even more careful stewardship of our finances is especially pronounced.”
Martin’s email also stated that future updates will be posted to the “Updates on Federal Impacts” section of WashU’s website, which currently lists all the official statements made by the University in the past three months.
Currently, WashU offers over 50 master’s and 80 doctoral programs across its nine schools. In the Q&A session, Martin said that “every program is likely to be affected by [the] funding cuts,” but stressed that the University “[hasn’t] made any cuts yet.”
However, WashU was listed on a public spreadsheet linked by an Inside Higher Ed article about nationwide pauses in graduate school admissions. Reportedly, the University confirmed via email that a PhD program in the Division of Biological and Behavioral Sciences (DBBS) was now accepting students up until a “target size,” and then issuing an “automatic deferral.” Representatives from DBBS declined to comment, and the Office of Graduate Studies and College of Arts & Sciences did not respond to requests for comment as of the date of publication.
Martin also emphasized both in the Q&A and last Monday’s email that there are still many unknowns with these recent changes and developments.
“We remain hopeful that the impact of federal changes on universities like WashU will be reasonable and measured, and that we will be able to continue to fully serve society, to the great benefit of our region, the nation and the world,” Martin wrote.
Former WashU professor sues University, claims he was fired for calling out discrimination on campus
COBY RINKE LAUREN SMITH NEWS EDITORS
Former McKelvey professor of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering Tae Seok Moon filed a lawsuit against WashU on March 4, claiming that he was forced to resign because he spoke out against discrimination on campus.
The lawsuit alleges that following a “racially hostile” incident involving Moon’s student, he began to speak out against racial discrimination on campus.
In 2022, Moon was placed on administrative leave, which the lawsuit alleges was in retaliation for his speech, and was later escorted off campus by Washington University Police Department (WUPD). The lawsuit states that WUPD used “undue force” while removing him. Moon officially resigned in April 2024, after teaching at WashU for almost 12 years.
Julie Flory, the vice chancellor for marketing and communications, wrote in an email comment to Student Life that while she could not comment on specific details, the University believes the lawsuit to be “unfounded.”
“We are confident that there is no merit to the claims against the University or the faculty members involved. It’s unfortunate that our former employee has decided to take this step, but we are prepared to defend the matter in court if
necessary,” Flory wrote.
The lawsuit recounts a 2017 incident involving Tatenda Shopera, a former Black PhD student of Moon’s, who was being interviewed for a job at a private company over the phone in Moon’s lab. The suit claims that Shopera was approached by Lori Setton, chair of the biomedical engineering department, who allegedly told him to leave the lab and refused to believe he was a student.
“He begged, because this is one of the most important phone calls to him, because his career depends on their phone call … but Lori Setton didn’t listen to him, and then called the police,” Moon said.
Setton said that in order not to bias the outcome of the suit, she couldn’t comment on ongoing litigation, but added that she wished Moon well.
“Professor Moon is a strong scientist and I hope he finds his way to continue productivity in research,” Setton said.
Moon claims he was pressured to keep quiet about the incident by Aaron Bobick, the dean of the McKelvey School of Engineering.
“I clearly remember what [Bobick] said, the most disgusting remark I ever heard from anybody. He said, ‘Tae Seok, you know what to do. Make it quiet. Kick [Shopera] out,’” Moon said. “The university [is] supposed to protect its own students, but to cover up the discrimination incident, [it] threatened him and myself”
Dean Bobick wrote in an email that he could not comment on an
active lawsuit, and added that he remained committed to supporting DEI efforts.
Shopera received his PhD in Biochemical Engineering from WashU in 2018. He could not immediately be reached for comment.
Moon said he kept his concerns about the incident to himself for years out of concern for his career, but describes being extremely anxious and becoming “very sick,” because of his silence, leading to multiple emergency room visits.
However, this changed in 2021 when Shopera, who began working at Pfizer after receiving his degree, was celebrated at WashU for helping to develop the COVID-19 vaccine.
“[That] sort of made me gain hope, and then somehow I miraculously recovered,” Moon said.
The sudden publicity surrounding Shopera at WashU also motivated Moon to speak out about the 2017 incident and discrimination on campus.
“Dr. Moon reached out on multiple occasions to HR, the department, the dean [of McKelvey], and other University representatives concerning discrimination issues,” the lawsuit states.
Moon said that he believed that the University retaliated against him and his students.
He alleged that the University prevented a student who failed a qualifying exam for the McKelvey DBBS PhD program from transferring into Moon’s PhD program.
Juveniles arrested outside of ThurtenE, carnival continues as planned
ELIZABETH STUMP JOEL SWIRNOFF MANAGING NEWS EDITOR NEWS EDITOR
After weather-related cancellations on both Friday and Saturday this weekend, on its final day, the 90th annual ThurtenE carnival was open all day on Sunday, April 6. That afternoon, two juveniles — one of whom was armed — were arrested near the carnival’s entrance; however, the event continued until its scheduled close at 8 p.m.
WashU’s Chief of Campus Police Angela Coonce confirmed to Student Life that the two minors unaffiliated with WashU were arrested by WUPD outside of the carnival’s gates, one for possession of a firearm and the other for trespassing.
“One juvenile was released to a parent and the other was detained by St. Louis County Juvenile Detention,” Coonce wrote in an email comment.
She emphasized that the carnival continued as planned without further interruptions.
Notably, last year’s carnival was abruptly shut down out of safety concerns on the second day of festivities after multiple fights broke out and mass panic ensued after rumours of firearms and other weapons circulated among carnival-goers.
In addition to the final day of the 2024 carnival being cancelled, crowd safety concerns after the ThurtenE fights were cited as a reason behind the decision to move last year’s WILD concert indoors to the Athletic Center, in tandem with a predicted storm on the day of the concert.
The ThurtenE carnival is the largest student-run carnival in the country and has been put on since 1935 by the ThurtenE honorary, a long-standing society composed of 13 junior students. Profits from the annual event are donated to charity groups in St. Louis. This year’s beneficiary was the Little Bit Foundation, an organization dedicated to fighting generational poverty in the St. Louis area.
According to Moon, another student who had also failed the exam had done so in the past.
In 2022, WashU placed Moon on administrative leave, and the University sent WUPD to escort him off campus, during which Moon said they did not allow him to pack his things.
“They asked me to pick my phone and computer only and then just go home … and I asked, ‘I need [time] to pack everything, [pack] my family picture, etc.’ but they didn’t allow me to do so,” Moon said.
He also alleges that the police officers physically assaulted him.
“When I asked more, one of the policemen hit me very hard … then I hit my head and my chest on the [floor] of my office,” Moon said.
“I became almost unconscious and screaming because of the same pain [that] I used to have that typically led to my emergency room visits … when I woke up after several minutes, I had [been] handcuffed.”
Flory said that Moon’s claims about the use of force by WUPD were “patently false.”
Since his removal from campus by WUPD, Moon has published an article in Science Magazine about his experiences. He currently works for J. Craig Venter Institute, a non-profit research center.
As of the publication of this article, there are no hearings scheduled in relation to the lawsuit.
In response to the fights from last year, ThurtenE executives, in conjunction with WUPD, implemented a host of safety measures including “a separate entrance and exit to avoid big crowds forming, a no-bag policy except for medical use, and a requirement that minors be accompanied by a parent or guardian (not applicable to WashU first-years under 18).”
Students from the on-campus groups who had booths at the carnival were also required to do a mandatory emergency training in preparation for any violence, a missing person, or a natural disaster.
Emily Cole, public relations and marketing co-chair for ThurtenE, stated that she felt the new policies were effective.
“Our priority was making sure the event was both fun and safe, and we’re grateful that the new safety policies helped us achieve that balance,” Cole wrote in a comment to Student Life.
She added that ThurtenE members will review the arrests and consider whether additional changes are necessary for future carnivals.
“After the dust settles, we will evaluate and make tweaks accordingly for the future,” Cole wrote. “We’re so thankful to everyone who showed up, got involved, and helped make this year’s carnival a meaningful experience.”
Additional Reporting by Zach Trabitz
ANAELDA RAMOS | MANAGING ILLUSTRATION EDITOR
Q & A with Chancellor Martin
WashU Chancellor
Andrew Martin sat down for an interview with Student Life last Thursday, April 3. Martin spoke about University plans regarding federal defunding, on-campus construction, and student advocacy. The Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.
Student Life: A lot of students have been talking about Mudd Field. Is there a plan to provide students with that same communal green space while the field is being renovated?
Andrew Martin: We can’t create space out of thin air, so there’s kind of a constraint that we are dealing with. If you all could come up with a brilliant suggestion of where we could find another big chunk of green space, we can talk. But as I sit here today, and perhaps I’m too narrowminded and can’t figure it out, but I can’t really think about what a good alternative would be.
SL: In your most recent op-ed with the Vanderbilt chancellor, you write that universities do not better society through ideological agendas, but through research and civil discourse. How can you do any of that without being political? How can you have rules and policies at a university without being political?
AM: The role of the University isn’t to take positions on important issues of the day. Our role is to empower our faculty and our students to be able to be active citizens and participants in democracy. There are issues where it’s completely acceptable and reasonable for the University to step up and
take positions, and this has to do with things that affect the University, like research funding and student access. But universities shouldn’t have foreign policies. We’re not going to weigh in on debates about what the right way is to deal with some sort of environmental catastrophe. That’s not the role of the University, that’s the role of our faculty and students and other people who participate in the democratic process. The purpose of an institution’s policies and rules is to drive the university’s mission. We do three things: education, research, and patient care.
SL: How do you choose what issues to weigh in on or not? Wouldn’t that very act of choosing what to weigh in on be political? For example, weighing in on NIH funding but not on DEI policies or gender-affirming care.
AM: The activities of the University around important issues of the day, which includes immigration, DEI, research funding, student access — some of that work is done in a very public way, through statements and other things, and some of that work is done one-on-one with individual legislators. We make those decisions based on the strategic guidance of our government relations team and our outside partners. We’re making those decisions in order to best protect and serve the mission of the University in whatever way we think is going to be most effective.
SL: When you say strategic guidance, what are you referring to?
AM: We are going to choose the modality of engagement based on what we believe is going to be most effective in terms of pursuing the goals of the University.
We have a government relations team whose job it is to counsel us on those types of decisions.
SL: Given the current state of higher education and proposed funding cuts, which WashU programs do you think will be affected by these cuts?
AM: To be honest, every program is likely to be affected by these funding cuts. Our two biggest areas for potentially huge decreases in revenue are 1) federal research funding and 2) endowment excise tax. We’re approaching this from a whole University standpoint. Some of the numbers that we’re looking at are very, very significant, and we’re going to have to do a lot of significant planning.
SL: Who is deciding which programs to cut back on?
AM: We have a group that was officially set up in August of last year, which is led by Nichol Luoma, who’s our Chief Administrative Officer; David Gray, who is our Chief Financial Officer; Rick Stanton, who is basically the CAO and the CFO of the medical school. Dr Anna Gonzalez, the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs; Pam Henson, the Executive Vice Chancellor for University Advancement are also members of this group. As we sit here today, we actually haven’t made any cuts yet. Ultimately, that group makes recommendations to the full cabinet and then to me as the decision-maker.
SL: The Creative Writing MFA post degree fellowship is one program that the University defunded and won’t continue for next year. Can you give us some insight as to what the reasoning is to defund certain programs versus others?
AM: I don’t know anything about that particular decision. Those types of decisions are made at the decano level.
SL: One topic that’s been more in the news recently is the deportation of international students based on their advocacy. How is WashU planning on providing support to those students?
AM: We are going to provide support to our students as we always provide support to our students. The Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) and our Office of Student Affairs provides lots of support for our international students. Hopefully we don’t have any of those situations that we’ve read about on other campuses.
SL: I’m noticing above your desk you have a photo from a StudLife article (the second photo in this article), of a picture taken right outside your house. Why do you keep that up there?
AM: I keep that up there because I find it kind of amusing. This was student
advocacy, which I kind of like student advocacy, and I think it’s important for students to be able to express their views even vociferously and with vulgarity. StudLife published that picture, and so I put it up there.
SL: Do you expect the number of faculty members and clinicians at WashU to grow or shrink in the next couple of years as a result of the Trump administration?
AM: No, because there’s so many different cross-pressures. Depending on what happens with the economy, we may have some opportunities to go out and recruit people that we wouldn’t have been able to recruit otherwise. As I sit here today, I can’t really say whether I expect the faculty to grow or shrink, because there’s so many different moving parts.
SL: At the beginning of the year, you spoke to Student Union for the first time. How would you describe your relationship with Student Union this past year, and what do you want it to look like going
forward?
AM: I was invited to Student Union for the first time. My team members on the [Division of] Student Affairs team are the ones who really have the relationship with the Student Union. That’s not my role. I think they have done a really good job, communicating with, providing counsel, and working with our elected student leaders. I enjoyed going to the SU meeting, it was a good opportunity for me to share some thoughts. If invited, I would certainly come back and do that again. I have talked with the Student Union president throughout the year, and we’ve had a good line of communication.
Student Union inauguration Set for April 10
Student Union (SU) will have their inauguration for newly-elected SU leadership and members this Thursday in Tisch Commons at 6 p.m. This event comes after SU’s spring election in which 26.3% of the student body voted on incoming Senate, Treasury, and executive branch representatives.
Junior and departing Vice President (VP) of Engagement Ashton Lee won the presidency with 778 votes or 40.6% of the vote. Lee ran on the Engage SU slate alongside juniors Grace Marcus, Ella Scott, Meris Damjanovic, and Beni Bisimwa.
While Scott, Damjanovic, and Bisimwa won their races for VP of Engagement, Finance, and Programming, respectively, sophomore and senator Asher Lubin won the Executive VP race against Marcus by 5 votes.
Co-campaigning, or slates, is a relatively new addition to SU elections which started in April 2023. Several semesters after its implementation, it is unclear whether its place is solidified in SU elections to come.
“It’s something we are continuing to evaluate but it’ll ultimately be a decision made by the Election Commission next fall,” senior and Election Commissioner Gavin Wagner said.
This semester, candidates sophomore Bralin Duckett, first-year Idara Etuks, firstyear Courtney Lucas, and first-year Sarah Terry were deducted 500 votes for not submitting their expenditure reports. Given the rules of the election were detailed in the Election Packet, Wagner feels these deductions were fair.
“The Election Commission feels as if these deductions were fairly administered through the procedure outlined in the packet,” Wagner said.
“The rules and regulations surrounding expenditure reports, including when they are due, are clearly outlined and all the candidates were made aware of them before the campaigning period begins.”
In the Senate race, junior Spencer Snipe and firstyear Ella McCauley led with 659 and 501 votes, respectively. Sophomore Keysha Brutus and firstyear Palladium Liang led the Treasury race with 685 and 633.
This election also passed block funding for EST, Campus Y, and Uncle Joe’s as well as three new amendments. The new amendments call for the VP of Engagement and VP of Finance to preside over speaker elections instead of the Executive VP.
“I really want to be that bridge between the students, SU, and university leadership. I want to make sure everybody’s voice is brought into the fold because I think that’ll make us a much more effective body and make really good changes
Chancellor Martin sat down for his semesterly interview with Student Life.
ERAN FANN | PHOTO EDITOR
Asher Lubin - Executive VP Ashton Lee - SU President Meris Damjanovic - VP Finance
Beni Bisimwa - VP Programming Ella Scott - VP Engagement
Harvard Professor Naomi Oreskes lectures on the free market’s role in climate change
Drawing almost 100 people to the Clark Fox Forum in Hillman Hall, Dr. Naomi Oreskes captivated WashU undergraduates, graduate students, and community members alike while discussing her latest book, co-written by Erik Conway, “The Big Myth: How American Business Taught Us to Loath Government and Love the Free Market.”
Oreskes is a Henry Charles Lead Professor of the History of Science at Harvard University. She began her professional training as a geologist, but her research has brought her to the role that politics play in science.
WashU professor of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary sciences Michael Wysession invited Oreskes to speak as part of the endowed William C. Ferguson lecture series. This series was paused during the pandemic, and is only now returning with this lecture. Oreskes was supposed to give a lecture at WashU a few years ago, but it was cancelled because of the lockdown.
Wysession was very excited to have the opportunity to get to know Oreskes through this lecture series.
He even cancelled one of his classes to encourage students to attend, hoping the WashU community would be similarly impacted.
Wysession said that reading Orsekes’ earlier book “Merchants of Doubt” made him think deeply about the meaning of his own scientific research, and made him think about how he can use his experience to educate.
“I need to be responsible for the benefits that society has given me, and the privilege of being able to have a job where I get paid to learn,” Wysession said. “In my case, [this looks like] a lot of work with earth science literacy, science education and sort of national education standards.”
Oreskes was inspired to write “Merchants of Doubt” after meeting Conway at an academic conference. They had both observed scientific findings related to research being attacked, and decided to co-author a paper that eventually became the book. It discusses how the same people behind climate change propaganda were also behind Big Tobacco propaganda.
“We looked at a series of topics where people had challenged the scientific evidence culminating in climate change, showing that
the attack on climate science was not out of the blue and that there had been a pattern of attacking science and scientists related to the ozone hole, acid rain, the harms of tobacco, and the harms of pesticides,” Oreskes said. “We thought that was pretty suspicious, so we started digging in.”
They concluded that the politics obscuring scientific truth were a result of market fundamentalism ideology — a belief that the market should be unregulated by the government and that this freedom is inseparable from other first amendment freedoms.
“We got interested in where this ideology had come from, and we discovered a much bigger, much more complicated, much more depressing story than we ever imagined,” Oreskes said. “[There’s] this really long history of business interests in the United States trying to turn us against the government, actively trying to persuade us that the government is our enemy.”
Her argument is that American people have been taught to accept Howard Pew’s “indivisibility thesis,” the idea that freedom of speech, press, religion, and enterprise are inseparable. Oreskes asserts that
Americans have learned to think that allowing the government to regulate business might set precedent for us losing those other freedoms.
Oreskes and Conway have written three books together, including a speculative fiction novella titled “The Collapse of Western Civilization: A View from the Future” about what would happen if all of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) worst case scenarios became true, in addition to their nonfiction works, “Merchants of Doubt” and “The Big Myth.”
Some students like senior Jeremy Jacobson had already heard of Oreskes work, and were excited to hear that she would be coming to speak on campus.
“I read part of her previous book, “Merchants of Doubt,” so I was interested to hear about how this work expanded on it,” he said.
Senior Ethan McCormick decided to attend because he wants to attend more events before graduating.
In the same vein, several of Wysession’s students expressed gratitude towards Oreskes for being openly critical of political propaganda and willing to hold her colleagues accountable.
“You don’t really hear University speakers always speaking so openly in front of powerful figures in our institution that don’t necessarily agree,” sophomore Margo Crothers said.
“With the current state of the world, both economically and politically, [her work] just seems super relevant,” McCormick said. “At this point, anyone who reads the news has been exposed to this fugazi approach of certain scientists to their work, and discrediting other individuals.”
First-year Farah Bader wins the Graeme Clark Cochlear Scholarship
WashU first-year Farah Bader was selected to receive the Graeme Clark Cochlear scholarship for recipients of the Cochlear Nucleus Implant who demonstrate high academic achievement, along with Saint Louis University (SLU) freshman Grace Fleming. Both will be awarded $2000 annually for up to four years.
The cochlear implant, manufactured by the Cochlear company, is a medical device that directly stimulates the auditory nerve for people with profound sensorineural hearing loss. Most people with cochlear implants would not be able to hear without the device.
Cochlear’s Director of Customer Engagement and Support Jill Mathis said Cochlear’s academic scholarships had around 1000 total applications this cycle.
“It’s important for us to support our recipients in positive ways, and these students just have so much potential,” Mathis said.
“It’s an honor for us to continue to support their endeavors into the future.”
Bader is an aspiring audiologist and the co-founder
of Deaf-i, a non-profit organization she started in highschool with her brother Jad Bader, who is a junior at WashU. Deaf-i aims to raise awareness for cochlear recipients, whose experience people tend to be less familiar with.
“There’s a lot of awareness about the deaf community, but cochlear implant recipients get the vibe that they’re both not deaf enough and not hearing enough, because not all of us sign, yet we can hear,” Bader said. “But also we’re still struggling to hear the hearing community, so we’re kind of like in this isolated void.”
When she got to WashU, Bader and her brother started a student organization with the same name as her non-profit. WashU Deaf-i seeks to carry out the educational mission of Deaf-i, in addition to building community for students with hearing disabilities on campus.
At SLU, Fleming is pursuing a combined bachelor’s and master’s degree in Occupational Therapy and spends her free time volunteering with Best Buddies and Beyond Disabilities.
Fleming and Bader both spoke about the misconceptions people have about what kind of support
cochlear implant recipients need in an academic setting.
Bader said that people assume cochlear implant recipients don’t need accommodations because they can hear, disregarding the increased mental energy it takes for people with cochlear implants to make sense of incoming sounds, as their assisted hearing is imperfect.
“When you’re talking to us, it may look like we understand you, but we’re doing a lot of work,” Bader said. “We’re lip reading,
and it’s taking brain power to hear you guys, and there’s some things like listening fatigue that come with that.”
Bader said that because people with cochlear implants hear less than their hearing counterparts, they often fall behind on vocabulary and reading comprehension becomes more difficult.
The impact of imperfect hearing on students is non negligible. It can take cochlear implant recipients longer to process what exam questions are asking
because recipients may not be as familiar with the subject vocabulary as students with typical hearing.
Bader and Fleming said that a lot of their understanding of course material comes from taking in information visually through reading, as opposed to listening. Closed captioning on videos shown in class is an incredibly powerful tool for both of them.
“The way I experience it when someone puts the captions on, it’s like my brain can take a rest,” Fleming said.
Bader said she hopes to see the kinds of accommodations cochlear implant recipients need become a norm in education, because closed captioning is something students with typical hearing can also benefit from.
“Something like closed captioning should be a standard,” said Bader. “It shouldn’t have to be something the cochlear implant community asks for, regardless if you are a cochlear implant recipient, deaf, or have hearing loss.”
Bader and Fleming both spoke highly of their experiences with Disability Resources at their respective schools. Despite seeing room for improvement in disability awareness on
their campuses, they’ve experienced no issues having their accommodations met so far.
Fleming said she hasn’t always had the most supportive educational environment, and said that one of her teachers in elementary school singled her out in front of her classmates for going to speech therapy.
“It was very embarrassing, just because I didn’t want anyone to know that I was struggling,” she said. Fleming said the experience made her hesitant to talk about her hearing loss, but ultimately motivated her to push herself academically, and end up where she is today.
“The mindset that I had after that experience was if people are going to see me this way, then I have to work harder to prove them wrong,” Fleming said.
Bader voiced excitement for the opportunities the scholarship has opened up for her, and said she hopes she can use it to bring more visibility to the cochlear recipient community.
“Now that I have this scholarship, I can use it to talk more about my experience, and hopefully use my experience to help younger cochlear recipients,” she said.
VOLUME 146, NO. 24
NINA LASER NEWS EDITOR
LAUREN SMITH NEWS EDITOR
Dr. Naomi Oreskes discusses her book about American business and the free market.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SUDON CHLOE
Farah Bader signs “I love you” for the camera.
PHOTO COURTESY OF FARAH BADER
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Dispelling myths about writing in McKelvey
My name is Seema Dahlheimer, and I’m the director of the Engineering Communication Center and a teaching professor in the McKelvey School of Engineering. I’m also the chair of the committee that decides on writing placements for engineering students. Therefore, I’m in a unique position to respond to River Alsalihi’s “Even engineers need to take College Writing,” both from my own perspective and on behalf of the McKelvey School of Engineering.
Alsalihi and I are aligned in our beliefs about what students should gain from a WashU education. The ability to critically analyze a text, think through an idea, consider audience and purpose, and write — not just coherently but with excellence — is something that I truly believe is important for all WashU students to learn and struggle through. An education without critical thinking is no education at all — it’s simply an information download.
The original op-ed offers me an opportunity to share a bit of what the Engineering Communication Center does and the ways we value and support critical thinking and the writing process in our courses. I hope this also dispels some misconceptions about engineering students and the engineering curriculum. Almost all engineering students are required to take a writing course
Almost all undergraduate engineering students are required to take Technical Writing, a 300-level writing course. The name of the class might conjure up images of technical specs, bland instructions, or code documentation. You might imagine that we spend the whole semester writing the sort of Byzantine instruction booklets that teach you how to clean your Keurig machine. If so, it’s no wonder you feel like engineers are missing out on the transformative experience of taking a small writing class that focuses on critical thinking! In reality, Technical Writing is exactly the kind of class Alsalihi describes when discussing the value of College Writing. It’s a small discussion class focused not simply on producing good writing, but on thinking. Our students think about different audiences
and rhetorical situations, spend time with a librarian analyzing information, consider different formats for communicating information, and research topics that inspire them. For their research projects, many of them explore their engineering-related interests through a critical lens — for example, some of their research paper topics include inequities in the healthcare system, the environmental impacts of mining practices, and the human implications of AI.
Most of us who teach these classes have humanities or social science backgrounds, and that’s by design — it’s so that we can challenge our students to think in new and different ways. In class, students do a lot of freewriting, small-group discussions, fullclass discussions, revision, peer workshopping, and collaborative writing. If you walked into one of our Technical Writing classes, you may not recognize it as an engineering class at all! It’s a writing class, through and through. Most McKelvey engineering students actually do take College Writing.
Alsalihi’s article mentions that engineering students “may take a pre-test to be exempted” from College Writing. This is not wrong, but
rom-com man tropes I’ve hated before
RIVER ALSALIHI
SENIOR FORUM EDITOR
A couple of years ago, “La La Land” seemed to be one of, if not the, most beloved film among my peers (high school girls in a creative and performing arts program). When I finally watched it, I was confused — while I appreciated the use of color as a subtle storytelling tactic and thought the cast’s performances were great, the story fell flat for me. I didn’t really care for Sebastian and Mia’s relationship, mostly because I disliked Sebastian, and not just in the moments where you were clearly meant to resent him for being selfish or self-centered. Pretty much the whole time. He’s snobbish, often desperate for attention and praise, and exhibits the kind of slightly-annoying masculine behavior that’s generally brushed off when it comes from talented and eventually-famous guys.
Every character can’t be perfect and completely likable. It’s just that Mia never irked me the same way; she makes some decisions that compromise their relationship, but she doesn’t walk through Universal Studios telling Sebastian he “doesn’t have the context” and simply doesn’t understand her favorite movies, rubbing her temples like he ignorantly has no conception of real art. Allow me to hop off of “La La Land” and onto “(500) Days of Summer,” a movie seven years older and led by a male character perhaps deserving of more moral reprehension. Before meeting his love interest, Summer, Tom’s coworker gossips with him, calling her a “bitch” and “superskank.” Tom agrees, deciding he doesn’t need her. For the rest of the movie, we watch him desperately cling onto whatever notion
of romance he thinks he has with the woman he initially denounces, and we’re meant to root for him.
Movie relationships, especially those in movies we consider cultural classics, have an undeniable effect on how we build and perceive our own relationships. Accepting certain behavior on the screen can often translate to accepting that behavior in real life. I seem exceptionally and particularly bothered by these minorly-faulty men compared to their general audiences; yet I reassert that the way these movies frame problematic or just irritating male behavior as inevitable, even natural, is wrong. Watching these movies can actually help us reflect on our own relationships, the way we behave, and the way we expect others to behave. Sometimes seeing something irritating or insensitive on screen is an illuminating experience. If we consume content consciously, with an awareness of when it was made and who made it (men, in the case of “La La Land” and “(500) Days of Summer”).
I don’t think we need to condemn every rom-com written by a man, either. “Eternal Sunshine of the
calling it “a pre-test” makes the Writing Placement Exam sound like a bit of a walk in the park. What does this exam actually look like? In it, we ask students to write a critical analysis of a text that we’ve given them — it’s typically an op-ed from a news source like The New York Times or The Atlantic. A committee of a few instructors (myself included) read the students’ essays, and those that rise to the level of “exempt” from College Writing are written with nuance, sophistication, and a critical eye. In recent years, we’ve offered this timed exam on Canvas and prohibited the use of outside sources, but we’re moving back to oldschool paper and pencil this year to ensure students can spend dedicated time on the exam without distractions. It’s not enough to simply respond to the prompt; the students who earn this exemption do so because their writing is excellent. These are students who were fortunate enough to have high school experiences where they learned to think critically and showcase that thinking in their writing — much like they would have in College Writing.
This past fall, about 60% of incoming McKelvey students were required to take College Writing — and then, two years
later, they will take Technical Writing. Contrary to the implication that McKelvey students don’t have to take a writing course while at WashU, most are required to take two such courses. We deeply value the humanities and social sciences and build them into the curriculum.
Alsalihi characterizes the Engineering School’s mentality as “so long as [students] don’t write with complete incoherence, we should just let them through so they can get started on Physics and Thermodynamics.” The implication here is that we prioritize science and math over a well-rounded academic background and clear communication skills. But if you talk to your engineering school friends, I think you’ll find that — by and large — they can communicate effectively about their work, think critically about their decisions as engineers, consider ethical implications, and explore human impacts in meaningful ways.
Furthermore, our faculty in the Engineering Communication Center teach a number of courses that might surprise you! For example, Engineering Ethics and Sustainability (required for most engineering majors)
challenges students to think in depth about ethical dilemmas, apply an ethical framework to their analyses, present cases to the class, and participate in formal debates with their classmates. In Engineers in the Community — a communityengaged, social-justice class that satisfies a requirement for most majors — we explore the way St. Louis’s systems contribute to inequities. We discuss environmental inequities, the legal and healthcare systems, and other socially relevant topics. These are just a few of the courses required for many majors that we offer. Also, all of our engineering students are required to take 18 credits in the humanities and social sciences, which further strengthens their crossdisciplinary thinking.
Alsalihi’s perspective is appreciated, and I absolutely agree that critical thinking is an essential part of students’ education here at WashU. I hope this clarifies how we value critical thinking, the writing process, and the humanities and social sciences within the Engineering School. I invite any Student Life readers who want to learn more about the Engineering School’s humanities and social sciences requirements or course offerings to reach out to me at dahlheimer@wustl.edu.
Spotless Mind,” in my opinion, provides a precedent where the male and female lead are both jerks! It makes the dynamic and argument of the movie much more interesting, to me, anyway.
I also want us to be conscious of the characters we take in and how they reinforce social standards. While writing this, I read a Reddit post calling Mia from “La La Land” a “villain and selfsaboteur” because she “stays the course with her pursuit of acting greatness and she ultimately chooses to veto the couple’s future by moving to Paris.” A villain because she prioritizes her career? The post frames Sebastian as a victim of Mia’s carelessness and emotional immaturity. You can imagine my disagree ment, of course.
I think we are more practiced in rejecting misog ynistic interpretations of female characters than in rejecting misogynistic char acters disguised as endearing, attractive love interests. Reforming real-life social dynamics so that people are equally criticized and appreci ated, regardless of gender, can begin with how we watch a movie and what we take away from it.
Professor Diane Winston
APR 24, 2025
7:00 – 8:30 PM
Emerson Auditorium in Knight Hall
Register at rap.wustl.edu
LUCIA THOMAS | STAFF ILLUSTRATOR
Eighteen units, two jobs, and a blur of a semester later, I have decided to reclaim my summer. I will not be doing an internship or another awful food job; instead, I will be packing my bags and becoming a church camp counselor in rural Wisconsin. This is possibly the most impulsive thing I’ve ever done. Being a native Missourian, I will be 13 hours away from my family and everything I’ve ever done in my free time.
However, as a horror fanatic, I have decided to make this my “slasher summer.”
For the uncultured readers, slasher summer is the aesthetic inspired by iconic slasher films with a camp setting, set around the 80s. The term slasher summer has experienced a few spikes in popularity, most notably in 2021. The foundational movies representing this aesthetic are the “Friday the 13th” films, but it is also showcased in more recent films like “Fear Street: 1978” and “Hell of a Summer.”
To fit into a trending aesthetic, we are subconsciously
taught to create distance from our authentic self. However, I think slasher summer can be separated from previous aesthetics and their frivolous ways. Slasher summer is achievable with a change in our activities and mindset, not a new wardrobe or a perfect picture. This aesthetic goes beyond watching slasher films and becoming a camp counselor in the middle of nowhere (or just dressing like one). Slasher summer requires us to disconnect from an online and professional presence. When we allow this distance in our lives, we are able to connect with ourselves as people outside of trying to impress others and alter our personality for the workplace. Thus we can all be the poster person for this aesthetic with only minor tweaks to our lives. And so I provide my StudLife guide to the best summer of your life.
First things first, you have got to get off your phone. The phones don’t work in these films! They are in the woods or have the landline cut. And you shouldn’t feel sad you can’t call anyone to help you escape from this summer lifestyle; imagine a summer where
you aren’t in your bed at noon, scrolling through Instagram, watching the people you knew in high school on the beach in a bikini.
Instead, this summer you will get out of bed and adopt an “I’ll do it alone” mentality. No more waiting for your friends to want to do the things you want to do. This summer, nothing will keep you from experiencing life, so go on hikes alone and swim in lakes (while being safe; you don’t want a murderer sneaking up on you) because you will be comfortable being with yourself. At first you will probably feel uncomfortable, but it’s important to acknowledge why, and push past it.
However, being stupid with your friends is also part of the slasher summer aesthetic. With the constant pressure we face while at school, we deserve a summer of stupidity. This means bringing back good old-fashioned 80s fun: bike around the suburbs at night, go skating, chase down ice cream trucks, and just play. For the part-time Missourian who returns back to their roots in summer, you too can embrace slasher summer
activities. This may look more like bowling, listening to 80s music with friends, watching moviethons, driving out of the city, or reading at nearby parks. At its core, slasher summer is embracing a lack of responsibility and care. It is important to keep in mind where we go to school, though. This means we have to keep up with our reading! So, I am moving away from my childish literature (like “Paradise Lost” and “Beowulf”) and onto the actual intellectual literature, R.L. Stine’s “Goosebumps.” I know Stine is an intimidating author to approach, so I recommend beginner books like “Welcome to Camp Nightmare” and “Ghost Camp.” To fully embrace slasher summer, these books are best read at night paired with a bonfire.
This summer you don’t have to spend a fortune to curate an 80s aesthetic or stream tons of old horror movies, but you do have to enjoy your summer. This is not the time to “get ahead” or make connections — we do this most of the year. This is the time to discover ourselves and make
mistakes while we are still able to. Slasher summer is embracing the environment you’re in and yourself, and not falling into the lie that we constantly have to overwork and achieve to be successful. I do understand that people are sometimes stuck with responsibility. For those like me who need a job for expenses while at school, I recommend getting a job with people you like at a place you like. This may look like a movie theater with late-night shifts, a local library, or a
diner in your town. Having a job doesn’t take away from slasher summer! It may lead you to new friends or opportunities you wouldn’t have had access to without.
The people who foster hobbies and address their personal needs will succeed more in all aspects of life compared to the ones who do not take care of themselves and become their work. So as we end the semester and solidify our summer plans, ask if it looks like a summer for discovering yourself.
MANUEL LOPEZ
SCENE
KTalks: WashU’s underground TED Talks
HANNAH LA PORTE COPY EDITOR
Fifty thousand minutes of Glee. The story of a rock. Plastic deck chairs. Church choir. These seemingly unrelated topics come together for four Sunday nights during the school year, where students gather in a basement strung with fairy lights and sprawl out on mismatched blankets.
Pajamas are encouraged, and for the next couple of hours, everyone enters a space free of school, work, or stress. There’s no stage, just a projector, a comfy chair, and a space for honest, unfiltered storytelling. This is KTalks.
At KTalks there’s nothing at stake — just students showing up however they want to. Speakers find themselves reflecting and uncovering thoughts they didn’t even know they had. The themes of the talks are generally broad — growth, identity, relationships, transformation — yet deeply personal, making every talk an intimate
window into someone’s life.
KTalks began in 2012 as a response to a simple need: a platform for students to process and share the experiences that were shaping them. Founder and then-junior Rachel Binstock, reflecting on the origins of the event, wrote in a document passed down to future organizers:
“I remember seeing many friends in deep angst from experiences they were having … they had all this raw insight that was often tangled, painful, exciting, and deep but they had no space or impetus to sort through it.”
For Binstock, the event started as an act of quiet defiance. The first talk was named “Per Veritatem Vis,” WashU’s motto, meaning “strength through truth.” Binstock believed that this motto was not the guiding principle for a university “hungry to be on top and enlisting with little shame ethically ambiguous methods … to get there,” she wrote. For her, KTalks became a way to reclaim this idea — finding
strength through sharing diverse experiences in a space unconstrained by the University.
Senior Clarissa Worthington, who gave a talk about the way the television comedy Glee, has shaped her worldview and her perspective on her family, shared how KTalks allowed her to hear different stories from people she sees every day.
“It’s a reminder every single person has a story to tell,” she said, “and these people that you know well have parts of their lives that you still don’t know about them.”
In addition to being an enriching experience for audience members, KTalks is equally, if not more, rewarding for the speakers.
“Every night [leading up to the talk], I’d spend an hour journaling,” Worthington said. “There was so much that I had never really thought about but I had the opportunity to reflect on.”
For the organizers, the magic isn’t in speaking themselves — it’s in witnessing the event’s impact.
Senior and co-organizer
Zach Kahn described the event as a powerful reminder of the diversity of thought and experience that exists at WashU.
Fellow co-organizer and senior April Springer echoed this sentiment, finding value in supporting others through the process. She describes each speaker growing and redefining their message as incredibly inspiring, adding that being a part of the team that helps make the event run is extremely gratifying.
“When it [runs] and we hear how people are impacted,” she said, “it’s awesome.”
Another way for students to get involved with KTalks is through mentoring. Two mentors and an auxiliary mentor are paired with each speaker to help them workshop their pieces, meeting four times throughout the process.
For mentors, this experience can be a way for underclassmen to get involved with KTalks and to connect with
upperclassmen. Firstyear and former mentor
Alexa Marcus discovered KTalks through her sister, a former organizer. After attending her first event, she was awestruck by the “emotion and passion” of the speakers and volunteered to mentor.
She instantly clicked with Worthington, her mentee, and described mentoring as one of the best experiences she’s had at WashU.
“I think it’s very sweet that we’re sharing our experiences and stories, not only for the sake of ourselves, but for the sake of our friends and also a bunch of strangers that we don’t know.”
At a time when many intellectual conversations are overshadowed by polarization and fear, KTalks offers a refreshingly positive and uplifting environment.
“It’s so important to have a period of time where you can just hear things that are good, enriching, thoughtful, that are not political, upsetting, or dark,” Springer said.
More than a decade since its creation, KTalks remains an underground tradition, passed down through students. Both Binstock and current organizers like Kahn and Springer emphasized that the beauty of KTalks is its ability to evolve, becoming whatever the students need it to be.
“Don’t do this because you feel like you should,” Binstock wrote about continuing KTalk’s legacy.
“Do it because you actually want to.”
For Binstock, the joy came from building a community that exists solely for the benefit of those involved. This spirit holds true today.
“This club just feels very human in the way that it allows people to show up as their authentic selves,” Marcus said. “It’s all about learning from and growing with each other.”
This year’s final installation of KTalks will be held on April 20. Check @ ktalks__ on Instagram for location, time, and recordings of past talks.
‘Brighter days ahead’: Ariana Grande’s deluxe album brings rich production and vulnerable lyrics
In her latest release, “eternal sunshine deluxe: brighter days ahead,” Ariana Grande reaffirms her place as one of pop music’s defining voices. This deluxe edition of Grande’s album “eternal sunshine,” which was released in March 2024, feels not only like the culmination of her previous albums, but also like a love letter to each era of her artistic and personal evolution. Every new track echoes sonic and lyrical elements from past records — ranging from “Positions” all the way back to her 2013 debut, “Yours Truly.”
The release of the deluxe album — which features six new songs and a short film — closes the chapter on Grande’s public divorce from Dalton Gomez and her new romance with “Wicked” co-star Ethan Slater. Tabloid headlines may have tried to narrate this story, but here, Grande reclaims it on her own terms. The original “eternal sunshine” album begins with Grande reflecting on heartbreak and divorce, moving from “intro (end of the world)” through “bye,”
“don’t wanna break up again,” and the title track “eternal sunshine.” Grande is emotionally candid as she sings about the decay of her marriage: “I fall asleep crying / You turn up the TV / You don’t wanna hear me.” But she also finds power in learning to put herself first — “But you didn’t even try / When you finally did, it was at the wrong time / Won’t abandon me again for you and I.”
The first new track on the deluxe album is an extended version of “intro (end of the world),” which introduces a new layer to the album’s emotional journey. Upon an initial listen, the first track sounds somewhat lackluster, with the added melody coming in abruptly, disrupting the natural flow of the song. But after a few more listens, Grande’s intention behind this choice comes to light. The new version of this intro sets the tone for the rest of the deluxe, shifting from the original’s hopeful sun, into a darker, bittersweet moon. The final line of the track says it all: “I do need you, I did / I wish I could un-need you, so I did,” reaffirming themes of letting go and moving on.
From there, the deluxe takes off.
Grande’s
production choices are some of her most compelling yet. The rich synth-pop textures of “twilight zone” evoke echoes of “we can’t be friends,” and “dandelion,” with its sultry trap beat and brass intro, is quickly becoming a fan favorite. Overall, the instrumentation of this deluxe album is meticulous, intentional, and — true to her name — grand.
Tracks like “twilight zone” and “warm” continue in the dreamy, lush, synth-heavy vein of “eternal sunshine,” but “dandelion” makes a distinct sonic departure. It channels the attitude and style of “thank u, next” and even nods to unreleased demos from the “Sweetener” era.
Lyrically, these new tracks didn’t immediately stand out as Grande’s strongest work, and came across quite blunt. But, like “intro (end of the world),” after many afternoons of listening to them on repeat walking to class, her lyrical bite gradually became apparent. Grande is scathing, unapologetic, and precise. In “twilight zone” she throws direct shade at Gomez, singing “Hope you win for best actor.” She also calls out his new girlfriend: “Does she know you’re
not who you say you are? / ‘Cause I might give her a call.”
“past life,” a “Positions”esque track, is filled with reminiscent sounds of orchestral pop, where Grande continues her lyrical condemnation. She confesses, “Always wondered what would happen if I let you lose me,” and asserts to self-growth with, “Might f*ck around and elevate my expectations.” Grande wants listeners to know that these aren’t just breakup songs, but declarations of rebirth.
The most poignant moment, however, comes in the final track, “Hampstead,” a vulnerable ballad that Grande has called “one of [her] favorite songs [she’s] ever written.” The song is rich with references to her past work, with lyrics alluding to her “Sweetener” and “Dangerous Woman” albums. Grande pointedly rewrites the narrative from “pov,” a love song from “Positions” that was written for Gomez about appreciating the way he viewed and loved her. Now, she sings, “I’d rather be seen and alive than dying by your point of view,” lyrically severing their connection with fierce clarity.
DAVID WANG | STAFF ILLUSTRATOR
What makes “Hampstead” especially powerful is its vocal performance — layered, emotional, and resolute. In lyrics like, “You think you’ve read the book I’m still writing / I can’t imagine wanting so badly to be right / Guess I’m forever on your mind,” Grande speaks not just to her ex, but to the tabloids and the public. She acknowledges the cost of the media frenzy amidst her controversial romance with her co-star, and even though she had to throw “away [her] reputation,” she “saved” herself and Gomez from suffering “more heartache.” Despite numerous
references to her previous albums, “Hampstead” features a unique melody that feels deeply personal and unlike anything else in Grande’s discography — undeniably securing its place as the standout track of the album. Like the rest of the deluxe album, it seamlessly weaves experiences of Grande’s romantic history and personal growth to create a captivating, moving soundtrack to her life. With vulnerability and boldness in equal measure, Ariana Grande reminds us that no matter how dark the past, there are always “brighter days ahead.”
Speaker Clarissa Worthington embracing her friend after a successful KTalk.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ALEXA MARCUS
Speaker Will Armstrong discusses thier experience in his local church choir.
PHOTO COURTSEY OF ALEXA MARCUS
SPORTS
No. 14 softball extends win streak to nine with sweeps of NYU and Illinois College
HAILEY BERGER STAFF WRITER
The No. 14 WashU softball team traveled to New York City to face conference opponent New York University.
The Bears swept the threegame series, winning 3-0 on Friday, April 4, and the doubleheader on Sunday, April 4, 3-3 and 8-1, extending their winning streak to seven games.
In the opening game, the Bears got off to a quick start. In the first inning, senior Erin Reardon singled up the middle and later stole second base. Then senior Brooke Capparelli grounded out, advancing Reardon to third.
Senior Natalia Pilpil drove Reardon home on a sacrifice fly in the next at bat.
When the fifth inning approached, the Bears found their spark again. Junior Jamie Cendana singled to middle field, and then junior Alexa Hanish reached on a fielder’s choice.
Soon after, the Violets committed an error on second base, loading the bases. Pilpil
delivered a clutch single to left field, making the score 3-0.
“Taylor, Kennedy, and Julia had already started putting hits on the board and really set us up for success”, Cendana said. “With them already in scoring position, I just wanted to put the ball in play and give them a chance to score. I’m glad I was able to keep the rally going and help put up some runs”.
While the Violets did put up a fight toward the bottom of the sixth inning, senior pitcher Jordan Rossi pitched out of the jam.
“By watching how they positioned themselves and how they swung, I could figure out which pitches would work best in certain situations,” Rossi said. “That helped me make smarter choices pitch by pitch. I also really relied on my defense— anytime a ball was put in play, I trusted my teammates to make the plays behind me”.
The Bears had successfully started their three-game series with a 3-0 shutout win.
“Getting that first win is also really important because
it sets the tone for the rest of the series,” Rossi said. “It gives us momentum and puts us in a strong position to stay on track with our bigger goal of making it to the postseason”.
In the first game of the doubleheader on Sunday, NYU got on the board first. However, the Bears got their momentum back in the fourth inning. Senior Taylor Geluck and sophomore Kennedy Grippo singled, getting on first and second base. When sophomore Julia Nicholus got up to bat, she doubled to right field, driving in Geluck and advancing Grippo to third. Cendana’s clutch single to center field drove in Grippo and Nicholus and gave the Bears their first lead of the game.
In the fifth inning, senior Maggie Baumstark advanced to third after Capparelli reached first on a fielder’s choice. The Bears attempted a double steal. Capparelli was caught stealing second and Baumstark stole home, widening the score to 4-2.
The Violets did fight back in
the sixth inning, but it wasn’t enough for them to win.
The Bears got off to a strong start in the first inning of their second game of the day. Pilpil and Geluck both singled, putting them on first and second base. Next at bat, first-year Harper Nix reached first on an error, driving in Pilpil and Geluck.
NYU came close to responding in the second inning after a Violet player advanced to third on a wild pitch, but senior pitcher Jamie Burgasser pitched her way out of the tight situation.
It was not until the fourth inning when a Violet player singled to third base to bring a player home, but this was the only time they could find home plate.
The Bears remained the dominant team for the rest of the game. In the fifth inning, Geluck and Nix were both on base. Geluck scored off of Nicholus’ single to center field, and soon after, Cendana made a triple play, allowing Nicholus and Nix to score as well.
With a 5-1 lead, the Bears
continued their scoring streak.
Cendana gained an RBI after junior Sydney Schneider singled and reached second on a centerfield error by the Violets. Following graduate student Dawson Dabboussi’s walk, Grippo made a double play, giving Schneider and Dabboussi RBIs to make the game 8-1.
The Violets were quiet for the rest of the game, allowing the Bears to secure their third straight win.
The team extended their win streak on Wednesday, April 9 with two wins over Illinois College. Led by sophomore Hattie Bond and Burgasser on the mound, the Bears outscored Illinois College 8-2 over two games. After a successful week, the Bears established themselves as the No. 1 team in the University Athletic Association with an 8-1 conference record and a 23-5 overall record.
No. 1 women’s and No. 6 men’s track and field perform strongly at the Illinois College True Blue Invite
HANNAH MUCH
JUNIOR SPORTS EDITOR
The No. 1 women’s and No. 6 men’s WashU track and field teams competed at the Illinois College True Blue Invite in Jacksonville, Illinois, on April 5. The women’s team competed well this weekend, as did the men’s team, in the second outdoor track meet of the season. This was impressive because the meet was regrouped on the fly. This weekend, the Bears won in seven different events, with many new runners and personal bests.
Head coach Jeff Stiles praised his team’s performance despite the nonideal conditions.
“We had our meet canceled,” he said. “Originally, we were supposed to compete in Carbondale in Illinois but it was canceled, so we had to wing it, and we were able to get into this meet. And the weather was less than ideal. We ended up not competing quite a few kids who were dealing with injuries, but the kids [who] competed did excellent.”
Women’s Track and Field:
The team started strong with its field events. Senior Yasmin Ruff won her eighth pole vault event in a row with a height of 3.95 meters, her third time in a row winning this event at the Illinois College True Blue Invite. Ruff remains the top female pole vaulter in the University Athletic Association (UAA).
Ruff reflected on her goals for the rest of her season.
“It’s less about winning for me, and more about trying to compete against myself and increasing my personal best,” she said.
“I’m trying to break our school record. So I feel like that’s more so my goal going into these meets.”
WashU dominated the pole vault with junior Makenzie Stock finishing in third, junior Mackenzie Walker finishing in fourth, and sophomore Meredyth Barr and first-year Madison Elhaik tying for fifth.
The Bears also placed well in the hammer throw, with senior Taylor Simpson placing second with a distance of 44.35 meters and junior Kally Mack finishing fourth
with a 41.73-meter throw.
That same dominant performance was seen in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
First-year Maddy Lee finished in first place with a time of 11:31.17.
“Maddy Lee in the steeplechase had the fifth-best steeplechase in the UAA, when it was the first one that she’s ever done,” Stiles said.
First-year Sally Carrington finished right behind her in second place with a time of 11:45.05.
Both women currently hold two of the fastest times in the UAA this season.
In her first collegiate outdoor 800 meters, first-year Lauren Raley came in first place with a time of 2:16.72.
Sophomore Isabel Erdmann also made the podium, finishing in second place with a time of 2:21.63.
The last event that the women’s team competed in was the 1,500 meters.
Sophomore Amelia Maltz finished in fourth place with a time of 5:00.74 and senior Isabel Boufarah finished in ninth place with a time of 5:20.34. This was Boufarah’s college-best for this event.
Men’s Track and Field:
The men’s team had a dominant performance in the field events, winning three.
Junior Eli Goldman won high jump with a height of 1.85 meters, which is his first win of the season. Senior Davin Hickman-Chow, who is a two-sport varsity athlete competing in his first-ever collegiate meet, finished eighth with a height of 1.65.
The Bears continued their dominant performance by taking three of the top
five spots in the pole vault.
Junior George Bourdier won the event with a height of 5.10, a new personal record for him. Graduate student Tommaso Maiocco finished in second place with a height of 5.00 meters. First-year Zachary Duckworth took fourth place with a height of 4.60.
“George Bourdier in the pole vault cleared the highest height in the United States,” Stiles said. “Our men are now ranked one, two, and three for the pole vault in the nation, which has never been accomplished, to my knowledge, in the history of WashU in any event for either gender.”
Bourdier explained that the pole vaulters work together as a team, with the women’s vaulters, and support each other towards victories.
“The vaulters provide a kind of core for the rest of the team, because we provide guys that go to the big meets pretty consistently,” he said. “To be there with a group of really uplifting, happy, easygoing guys who are just like my brothers, at every meet, the most stressful meets of your life, you just feel at home.”
The Bears also won the javelin event with a dominant 52.12 meter throw by senior Loucas Xenakis. WashU competed strongly in the 800 meters with a win and a fifth-place finish. Sophomore Will Elder came in first place with a time of 1:58.63. First-year Will Sylvester came in fifth place with a time of 2:00.39.
The winning continued in the 1,500 meters, with sophomore Calvin Crossland crossing the finish line first
with a time of 4:05.99. Firstyear Josh Poeschel finished the race in ninth with a time of 4:17.06. It was Poeschel’s first time competing in the 1,500-meter race in his collegiate career. First-years Dionte Obertein, Gavin Zeitz, and Alex Feingold-Black finished in 10th through 12th place, with times of 53.17, 53.26, and 53.32 in the 400 meters, which was collectively their first time competing in this event at the collegiate level. The Bears will travel to Greenville, Illinois, next Saturday, April 12, to the Greenville University Select Meet. The 5,000 meter runners will travel to the University of Wisconsin–Platteville Invite on Friday, April 11, instead.
Junior George Bourdier cleared the highest height in the nation at the Illinois College True Blue Invite.
RACHEL BENITEZ-BORREGO | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
The No. 1 women’s track and field team secured multiple podium finishes this past weekend.
RACHEL BENITEZ-BORREGO | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
“Softball continued the team’s win streak in last weekend’s games at NYU.
LUC NEACY | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Athlete of the Week:
Amy Beanblossom shares journey with golf, tournament win, and golf role models
CHRISTIAN KIM
SPORTS EDITOR
JUNIOR
Sophomore Amy Beanblossom has been a key and consistent performer for the WashU women’s golf team over the past two seasons and recently placed first at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) Invitational on March 29-30 marking her first collegiate victory. She has several other secondplace finishes at tournaments and scored a low round of 68 at both the UCSC invitational and the Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU) Fall Classic last year. She regularly finds herself in the team’s top finishers as it looks to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Student Life (SL): Going back to the beginning, how did your journey with golf get started?
Amy Beanblossom (AB): When I was growing up, I played a lot of different sports. Golf was always one of them. I think I started taking lessons and playing golf with other people around the age of eight and then started competing when I was maybe around 10 or 11. I was doing other sports around the same time, but I was not very good [when I started competing], and there were a lot of kids who were really good [golfers]. So I’d go to a tournament and often get last or second to last place, and I’d just be happy if I got second to last place in the tournament. My parents were very supportive of me playing and also playing other sports, and they didn’t really care how well I did, which was really great. Probably around eighth grade, I dropped the other sports I was playing and decided I really loved golf. I couldn’t tell you why, because my parents were definitely pushing for me to play a team sport. But [there was] something about the
game, and how I got really addicted to getting better, and it was really fun to start playing better and start winning tournaments.
SL: Did you always think that golf was something that you were going to be doing in college? Was that one of your main goals?
AB: I would say once I got to my sophomore year of high school, I couldn’t really see myself not playing golf in college. It was something that I wanted to focus on, and I didn’t really want to go to school without playing golf unless it was a school I didn’t like. So that’s when I started thinking about what kind of school I wanted to go to and lay out some options and started the recruiting process.
SL: Talking about the recruiting process, how did you choose to come to WashU? What were some of
the selling points that really attracted you to coming here?
AB: I think one of the big points for me was the size of the school. I really liked the 8,000 student body size.
And then also, the first time I visited [WashU], I just loved the school. The campus was really beautiful; I wasn’t expecting it, for St. Louis, as I’m sure a lot of people have said. But stepping on campus is just so pristine and beautiful, and I thought I could definitely see myself spending four years here.
The last thing I’ll hint on is [that] the team culture was very unique at WashU [compared to] other schools. It just seemed like the team really got along well. We’re all really happy, bubbly people, but … also love to get down and compete, which is definitely how I would describe myself.
SL: How do you think that the transition process to golf your first year went? And now as a sophomore, how has your relationship with golf changed, or are there any goals that you’ve achieved?
AB: I would say my freshman fall was a very different semester than the following three semesters. Every time I had a bad round, I would take it really hard on myself. And then, I ended the season on three really bad rounds, and it was a bad end to the season, but I think that was actually a great learning time for me and time for me to reflect, and come into the spring of my freshman year just feeling a lot more comfortable. And, my mindset was more like, ‘Hey, if I do well on a short, that’s great. But if I do bad, that’s okay.’
I think that really also translated into all [of] my
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sophomore year so far. I think I’ve been a very consistent player. I can shoot low, and I also won’t go too high. So, my mentality has changed a lot.
SL: And then about the UC Santa Cruz Invite this past week, what do you think was the key for you winning the entire tournament?
AB: I would say there were probably three key parts to my win. Two were more mechanical. I’ve been working on a swing change. I wasn’t really hitting the ball with very good contact in my last two tournaments. And then putts just haven’t been dropping recently. I’ve been talking to my coach at home, and I figured out something in my swing.
That Friday before the first round on Saturday, I was at the putting green, putting sixto nine-footers, and I fixed
something with my putting stroke and just started making a bunch of putts. And I think that gave me confidence for the next day, and also allowed me to hit the ball square and make a lot of putts the next day. And then one thing I want to note is playing really well the first day is really hard to do again the second day, especially with the mentality that, ‘Oh, I’m ahead. I really want to win. I haven’t had a win yet.’
SL: What are some of your favorite hobbies or things to do outside of golf?
AB: I love to hike and travel with my family and friends, anything outdoors. I also love puzzles. I really like doing sudokus. Basically, anything outdoors or with the ocean, I love. I would also say at WashU, I’m a co-owner of the Bear-y Sweet Shoppe, so being able to play golf and own my own business is pretty cool. It’s been an awesome experience that I’ve loved doing.
SL: Do you have a professional athlete or golfer that you look up to as a role model?
AB: I love Lexi Thompson on the LPGA Tour. I think a year or two ago, she actually played in a PGA Tour event, and that was super inspiring. She’s a super long hitter on the LPGA Tour. So just showing that an LPGA player can compete with men too and actually make the cut was a really cool thing to see. I also love Nellie Korda on the LPGA tour. She’s just really good. SL: And finally, this is a question that we ask to every athlete of the week. Would you rather have fish for hands or have to adopt a child every time you hear Bohemian Rhapsody?
AB: I think I would adopt a child every time I heard Bohemian Rhapsody because I don’t hear it too much, but I think I really would not want to have fish hands because then I can’t play golf.
2024-25 Athlete of the Week Tracker: Adopt a child: 3. Fish for hands: 3.
Sophomore Amy Beanblossom notched her first collegiate win on March 30.
