APRIL 24, 2025 Student Life newspaper, Washington University in St. Louis
For the WashU softball team, 12 might just be their lucky number.
The Bears ranked No. 12 in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll ahead of their weekend series with Brandeis University. They swept the Judges on April 18 and 20, extending a season-high win streak to 12 consecutive games. The streak is their longest since 2010, when they also won 12 games in a row en route to a deep run in the NCAA tournament.
With 12 games in the books against University Athletic Association (UAA) opponents — and an 11-1 record against them — this year’s team has a chance to claim WashU softball’s first outright UAA title since 2017.
Game 1
The first game of Friday’s doubleheader, which also celebrated Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day, ended in a convincing 7-1 victory. The Bears opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning, when senior Natalia Pilpil drove in senior Erin Reardon with a sacrifice fly. The team added more runs in the second inning: sophomore Julia Nicholus stole home on a double steal, and senior Maggie Baumstark scored on a sacrifice bunt by senior Brooke Capparelli.
In the third inning, junior Alexa Hanish drove in Nicholus on an RBI double. Brandeis got their sole run
of the game in the fifth inning via a solo home run. Hanish had another RBI in the bottom of the fifth with a single. Finally, the Bears’ strong day was capped off by a two-run homer from Pilpil.
In the circle, senior Jamie Burgasser pitched all seven innings and gave up only one earned run.
Game 2
Brandeis came out firing in the nightcap, immediately opening the scoring with a two-run double. However, the Bears responded quickly with a two-run home run by Pilpil. In the top of the fourth, the Judges regained the lead with an RBI single to bring the score to 3-2.
Once again, the Bears replied instantly. Baumstark and Capparelli each drove in a runner, reclaiming
the WashU advantage. Now with a 4-3 lead, the Bears tried to close out the game. However, they conceded a tying run in the top of the seventh. The damage was limited to one run, sending the game to the bottom of the seventh inning tied 4-4.
The inning began with Pilpil drawing a walk, and sophomore Kristina Donaldson replacing her as a pinch runner. Senior Taylor Geluck drew another walk, advancing the runners to first and second. Then, looking to advance the runners, junior Sydney Schneider laid down a bunt, but she beat out the Brandeis throw, loading the bases with no outs. Sophomore Kennedy Grippo then hit a flyout to center field that was deep enough for Donaldson to reach home, securing a Bears win, 5-4.
Sophomore Maria Brooks earned
the win in 3.2 innings of relief, conceding just one earned run. Game 3
In the final match that was postponed to Sunday due to rain, the Bears completed the sweep with a mercy rule victory, 8-0 after five innings.
In the bottom of the first inning, Grippo hit a double to left-center field that drove in three runs.
In the second, the Bears added another two runs. Capparelli struck a single that brought Hanish to home plate. Then, Baumstark stole home as Capparelli stole second, increasing the lead to 5-0. The Bears did not stop scoring, as an RBI single from firstyear Harper Nix brought the score to 6-0. Head coach Casey Cromwell praised the team’s approach at the plate.
“It was timely hitting,” she wrote in a statement to Student Life. “We capitalized on opportunities we were given, and the result turned out in our favor. Coach Skeeter takes pride in our offensive approach and getting our hitters ready from week to week, and it’s showing.”
In the bottom of the fourth, the Bears got the final two runs to enact the mercy rule. Pilpil hit a sacrifice fly that brought first-year Emma Dow and Baumstark home. Senior Jordan Rossi closed out a scoreless top of the fifth to end the game, needing just 56 pitches to complete five shutout innings.
Next weekend, the Bears have their final away trip of the season, facing University Athletic Association (UAA) opponents Carnegie Mellon in a three-game series on April 25 and 26. A series win against Carnegie Mellon, who are towards the middle of the pack in the UAA softball standings, will put the Bears in prime position to win a UAA title.
“At this point we are pushing for the regular season UAA title,” Cromwell wrote. “To do this, we need to continue to play to our standard, not letting up when we are given opportunities. We need to continue to share the wealth in the circle, defensively and at the plate. The magic of this team is our depth, and we’re excited to see who shines in the last two series.”
WashU sees increasing number of trespassing and crime reports
through his backpack.”
Less than four months into 2025, WashU has seen five reports of trespassing in student dorms and residential buildings on the Danforth Campus — up from three reports in all of 2024, and one break-in in all of 2023 — according to a Student Life analysis of the crime log updated by the Washington University Police Department (WUPD) every 48 hours.
This March, two separate reports of trespassing were received within a week of each other from Dardick House, one of the dorms on the South 40. In both cases, the trespassers reportedly had “no WUSTL affiliation” and were subsequently arrested by WUPD without further incident.
On April 7, another trespassing incident was reported from The Lofts, a WashU-owned apartment complex on Delmar Boulevard.
According to the crime log, the subject had no affiliation with WashU, and as of the date of publication, an investigation into the incident is still ongoing. It is not known if an arrest has been made.
Further trespassing reports were received on April 13 from Dauten Hall and on April 16 from Gregg House. Both trespassers also reportedly had “no WashU affiliation,” and the Gregg incident resulted in an arrest. However, WUPD did not disclose whether an arrest was made in the Dauten break-in. As of the date of publication, an investigation into the incident is still underway.
Angela Coonce, WUPD’s Chief of Police, declined to comment on the incident at Dauten, given the ongoing investigation.
One Dauten resident, first-year Vivek Venkataraman, told Student Life that he witnessed a man being interrogated and searched by WUPD outside of the dorm while on a walk on April 13.
“I was walking on Big Bend Road, and then I saw cops arresting a dude,” he said. “I zoomed in with the camera on my phone, and then I realized they were looking
Venkataraman then walked closer and saw that the police officers were “looking through tablets and laptops.”
After taking several pictures of the events, he continued his walk. But about 30 minutes later, he began seeing multiple messages on the dorm’s group chat about keeping the doors locked. This was then followed by an email about stolen electronics.
“This was obviously a message I was not used to getting,” he said. “So immediately, I put two and two together and figured that the person whom I saw getting searched was the person who robbed Dauten. It must have been the craziest coincidence if he got arrested for something else, given the timing, the location, and the electronics pulled out of his bag.”
Venkataraman also mentioned that he was never informed by official sources that a break-in had occurred.
“They didn’t even tell us what was going on,” he said. “And there wasn’t a meeting after the fact to reinforce the fact that we need to keep our doors locked. If I hadn’t seen the man getting arrested, I genuinely wouldn’t have known.
I just would have been really confused at these messages about locking our doors and the stolen electronics.”
According to Coonce, if there are repeated instances of trespassing in the residence halls, or if WUPD deems that the trespasser poses a threat, then they will notify the residential community about the incident.
She then explained that the trespassers this semester found their way into the dorms by following students who had swipe access or finding unlocked doors.
“This is why it’s so important to keep room and suite doors locked and not let anyone into a building who is not supposed to be there,” Coonce wrote.
Venkataraman also stated that he has seen unlocked doors in Dauten.
“Whenever I walk up and down the stairs, there’s about 70% of the suite doors that are just propped
open,” he said.
The Dauten incident prompted the Office of Residential Life to send out an email on April 15 reminding WashU students to keep their room and apartment doors “closed and latched at all times.” In addition to the security concerns, the email also stated that closed doors help mitigate the spread of smoke in the event of a fire.
“Leaving doors propped open or unlocked can pose serious safety and security risks — not only for you, but for your suitemates and neighbors as well,” it read.
WUPD has not published any additional information about the Dauten break-in or any of the other incidents aside from the location, time, and whether the investigation is still ongoing.
Rising Number of Reports
Based on Student Life’s analysis, from 2012 to 2018, the number of reported trespassing incidents in student dorms hovered steadily at around zero to two each year, with no incidents reported from 2018 to 2022. There was also a notable decrease in the total number of oncampus crime reports from 2012 to 2018, as the total number of crimes reported on campus dropped from 320 to 62 over that time period.
However, since in-person classes resumed after the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of crime and trespassing reports have steadily
increased. In 2022, a total of 93 incidents were reported, and in 2024, that number rose to 171, nearly double the amount in 2022.
The reports range from harassment to fraud, with larceny comprising the majority — accounting for about 46% of the total number of on-campus crimes reported in 2024.
“[Larceny is] the most common crime that we see on campus,” Coonce wrote in an email statement to Student Life. “WashU PD often responds to theft of bicycles, backpacks, or other personal items.”
As of the date of publication, 12 of the 79 larceny reports from 2024 resulted in a return of property. One was subsequently deemed to be unfounded, and investigations into another 10 were closed later on without recovering the lost items. A number of these cases were marked as an “exceptional clearance,” in which they were considered closed, even without an arrest or recovery, due to circumstances beyond the law enforcement agency’s control. This leaves 56 reports still pending.
According to Coonce, WUPD has a very high clearance rate in terms of closing cases.
“We successfully close around 80% of our cases. The majority of the cases that do not get solved are low level property crimes such as larcenies,” wrote Coonce in an
email statement. “We leave criminal cases status as “open” until they are closed due to arrest, expiration of statute of limitations, or in the event the victim does not wish to prosecute.”
WashU also maintains public records of its Crime Alert system, which warns students and faculty in the event of an active threat on or near campus. As of the date of publication, no Crime Alerts have been issued for the 2024-2025 academic year, compared to six during the 2023-2024 academic year.
The alerts from last year included a break-in at Shepley House, in which four male subjects followed a student into the building and knocked on the door of a second-floor suite. The students inside looked through a peephole, partially opened the door, then closed it after the subjects had reportedly said “something unintelligible” to them. Moments after returning to their individual rooms, a loud noise was heard. They returned to find that someone had damaged their door.
Nothing appeared to have been taken and no injuries were reported. WUPD subsequently confirmed that all four individuals had been located and that charges were pending.
SEE CRIME, PAGE 2
CHRISTIAN KIM
JUNIOR SPORTS EDITOR
VICTOR HUANG STAFF WRITER
First-year Emma Dow prepares to go up to bat.
LUC NEACY | CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Postdoctoral research fellows discuss funding cuts to the humanities
cultural, [and] legal situation.”
Four postdoctoral researchers — Marc Blanc, Jessica Samuel, Jesse J. Lee, and Danielle Williams — spoke in a panel titled “Humanities Politicized” on April 17 to address the status of humanities research in academia amid funding cuts and restrictions to the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) by the Trump administration that began in early April.
The event drew a small crowd of attendees consisting primarily of professors and fellow researchers. Postdoctoral research fellows are contracted by universities for periods of typically no more than two years. Some are experiencing increased anxiety about their career prospects in the midst of funding cuts.
Lee, a fellow who works within the John C. Danforth Center for Religion and Politics, was one of the organizers of the event and said that the impetus for holding it was to bring together postdoctoral researchers to reflect on the current moment in academia and politics.
“I wanted us to be able to reflect on the uncertain situation that we’re in, because we have no idea what next year will look like, so I wanted this to be a place of solidarity and a place where we could talk about having a voice together,” Lee said. “We have expertise to help give a better perspective of the current political,
During the panel, Blanc, a fellow in the English department, spoke about how he sees the humanities as a vehicle of resistance against controlling political structures.
“The funding cuts right now are not incidental to slice the government budget, it’s a tactic employed by authoritarian regimes throughout history,” Blanc said. “The value of the humanities is self-defense against creeping fascism.”
In response to being asked what he views as the biggest threat to the humanities, Blanc said that there are widespread consequences when funding sources are cut off since funding precludes those in academia from being able to engage in research.
“The NEH has lost a massive amount of its funding and its staff and so, practically, that means that the money that was formerly there for those kinds of projects are no longer there, and so the work isn’t getting done,” Blanc said. “Without that money, it grinds the profession of the humanities to a halt.”
Aside from direct funding cuts, Blanc also noted that there is an ideological threat to the humanities as a result of the current presidential administration.
“The Trump administration is hostile to the pursuits of humanistic inquiry. Critical thinking and the sustained attention and thought that humanities programs develop in people are a threat to
authoritarianism, because programs produce free thinkers, and free thinkers aren’t good for authoritarianism,” Blanc said.
Blanc noted that one of the reasons why the administration has been able to leverage attacks on higher education fairly easily is because there is a stark disparity in the U.S. to accessing higher education and a disconnect regarding the purpose of education.
“To a fair amount of Americans, the purpose of higher education, especially with humanities, is niche,” Blanc said. “Academic humanists, I think, have a responsibility to try to remedy that distance between campus and communities that might not have a financial stake in what’s going on on campus.”
Lee echoed Blanc’s sentiment, stating that being in academia alienates people from wanting to talk to him because of a the gap in accessibility and understanding.
“[We need] to articulate better who we are, what we are doing, exactly what our purpose is … and advocate for the humanities more outside the academy,” Lee said. “Our role as humanities instructors and humanities researchers is not just to our students in the classroom, but to society as a whole.”
In regards to his view on the future of the humanities, Lee said that his personal opinion is that the statuses of academia and the humanities are going to suffer and will have a hard
time recovering.
“Things are going to get really bad, and when things get really bad at that time, we’ll realize that the way we’re doing things is not sustainable;, this hyperpolarization, dismissal of authority, anti-intellectualism, anti-institutionalism, the way that social media operates,” Lee said. “We just have not wrestled with it enough.”
Lee said that his advice for undergraduate and graduate students who are looking to support the humanities is to get involved in small ways like taking a class.
“You don’t have to major in a humanities major, but so much about university politics is about enrollment, and with an institution like WashU that
really emphasizes STEM, enrollments for classes are down,” Lee said. “Humanities are getting squeezed out at both sides, so there needs to be an intentional decision of undergrads to take classes and an intentional decision of administrators to support the humanities.”
Samuel, whose work focuses on race, education, and the environment within African and African-American Studies, said that people want to engage in higher education and that it is essential to keep access open to students who are interested in pursuing degrees in the humanities.
“[Students] choose to come here, they choose to sign up, they choose to stay in the class, and they choose to engage in
conversation,” Samuel said. “Clearly it is an indication that this is what the market wants. This is what our students want; they want to learn and understand more about why things are the way they are.”
Sophomore Betty Lee affirmed that an education in the humanities provides depth to her education and new perspectives on her work and the world around her.
“I think, especially in undergraduate education, humanities open a forum of thought—to challenge our own thinking, and to situate our skills in a broader context to ponder what it means to be studying, to be pursuing careers we are pursuing, and to be in communities,” Lee said.
Students launch new conservative podcast; plan to host Chancellor Martin
COBY RINKE NEWS EDITOR
First-year Arianna Zeldin recently started a new conservative podcast titled Beyond the Ballot and invited sophomore Ella Bruno, the current president of the WashU Republicans, to be a cohost. The podcast, which intends to host Chancellor Andrew Martin in its forthcoming second episode, explains that it will provide “Conservative views, Bold discussions, unfiltered takes on today’s political climate.” Zeldin, who is the daughter of the current Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin, said she started the Beyond the Ballot podcast to encourage conservatives on campus to be more vocal about their beliefs.
“Even if they’re not vocal themselves, it’s so someone [has] a voice for
CRIME
from page 1
Later, several Shepley residents also said to Student Life that they did not receive any official emails or notifications about the disturbance.
The break-in also prompted some students to take the tape off the side of their door frame, a practice that is used to prevent the lock from engaging. The tape allows the door to be pushed open without having to use a key.
As of the date of publication, WUPD has closed the case and presented it
them, because conservatives here on campus are definitely in the minority,” Zeldin said. “Right now, everyone’s pretty much quiet, so my goal is to reach these conservatives on campus [so they] speak out for themselves.”
Zeldin said that she reached out to Chancellor Martin and he agreed to appear on her podcast.
“I won’t reveal my full playbook, but I’m really glad he is coming on for episode two,” she said.
Julie Flory, the vice chancellor for marketing and communications, wrote in an email to Student Life that Chancellor Martin often participates in media like the new podcast.
“Chancellor Martin is often invited to speak to different groups and organizations, including in media interviews. He always welcomes the opportunity to speak with students and since he was available, he agreed to
to the St. Louis County Prosecutor’s Office. When asked about the trends, Coonce replied that there are “many reasons” why the total number of crimes reported might go up or down each year.
“We’d have to take a closer look at a specific type of incident to try to understand what could be going on,” she wrote in a statement to Student Life. “WashU is generally a very safe campus, and we rely on everyone in our community to help prevent crime.”
participate in this podcast,” Flory said.
Bruno said she agreed to co-host the podcast in order to promote more diverse opinions at WashU and specified her perspective on it to be a “Catholic conservative.”
“As a Christian, I consider myself traditional in many aspects which is why I prefer the term conservative… Being Republican is such a minor attribute of myself as I try to focus my efforts on supporting the causes of the Christian faith,” Bruno wrote in a comment to Student Life.
On WashU’s campus, conservative students are in the minority. In a Student Life survey of 696 WashU students before the 2024 presidential election, only 6.64% respondents identified as Republicans, while 77.78% said they were Democrats and the remaining 15.56% identified as independents or members of another party.
According to the Washington University Group Organizer (WUGO) list of student organizations, WashU’s College Democrats club lists over 100 registered members while the College Republicans club only lists 40 registered members.
In the first episode of the podcast, which served as an introduction and did not focus on any specific issues, Zeldin and Bruno discussed what they saw as discrimination against conservatives on campus.
Bruno alleged that she was rejected from Phi Delta Phi, a pre-law fraternity at WashU, for her political beliefs.
According to Coonce, WUPD is also actively working to improve on-campus safety. The Crime Prevention Office currently provides training classes on personal security, including the free 12-hour Rape and Agression Defense (R.A.D.) Program, which is taught in over 40 states and Canada.
Sessions are offered to groups of 20 women or 20 men (assigned, identifying, or transgender) at a time, and are open to anyone in the WashU community. The program begins with
awareness, risk reduction, avoidance, and prevention, before moving on to physical self-defense techniques.
“WashU PD has numerous crime prevention programs in place to educate our community and to ensure we are providing quality service,” Coonce wrote. “The WashU PD Crime Prevention Office is available to provide classes and to answer any questions members of our community might have.”
Coonce mentioned that there are multiple ways to
report crimes to WUPD. For example, the dispatch center is available 24/7 by calling 314-935-5555.
“The WashU PD Dispatchers assess the call, assign a priority, and immediately dispatch WashU PD Officers where needed. We have officers on duty 24-7 to help ensure the safety of our campus community,” Coonce wrote. Anonymous reporting is another option.
According to WUPD, the Silent Witness Form uses an encrypted server to maintain
anonymity, and the WashU Safe App has a feature that allows anonymous reporting.
Coonce encouraged students and faculty to download the WashU Safe App.
“It is FREE and offers many features to promote student, faculty, and staff safety on campus, including important safety alerts and access to campus safety resources,” she wrote. “Campus safety is a community effort, we need everyone’s help!”
Marc Blanc (left) and Jessica Samuel (right) discuss the status of the humanities amid funding cuts.
RACHEL BENITEZ-BORREGO | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Arianna Zeldin, the founder of the Beyond the Ballot podcast.
ISABELLA DIAZ-MIRA | PHOTO EDITOR
Ella Bruno, the co-host of the Beyond the Ballot podcast.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ELLA BRUNO
Read the rest online!
SCENE
Whimsical warfare: Capture the Flag on Mudd Field
RYAN O’CONNOR STAFF WRITER
Wednesday, April 15. 11:30
a.m. The signs of battle were nowhere to be found. On the East End, a few scattered groups of students in red and blue wandered in search of their fearless leaders. I was among them, waiting for the fight to commence. The fight, of course, being a massive game of Capture the Flag.
A few minutes later, they emerged: a dozen students in red, white, and blue berets marched out from behind the Kemper Art Museum, dragging with them three wooden structures. The first structure was a small tower, more than eight feet tall and donning a flag with both teams’ colors. The other two structures held the flags, velcroed to their poles and waving in the breeze.
As the generals (the students with baggy pants and berets) marched, they carried many sashes of red and blue. Some students, like myself, had chosen teams for ourselves. We received the invitations weeks before — tiny envelopes labeled “TOP SECRET” (a QR code for a Partiful link).
Other students were called upon by fate. Whether they were lounging outside Hillman or commuting to classes, the generals indiscriminately tossed sashes left and right, recruiting their troops mere minutes before battle. These new recruits did not know the history of Capture the Flag, but the call to fight was irresistible: Whatever this was, it seemed way more fun than going to class.
By the time we passed Olin Library, the procession had grown from a dozen to nearly 50 students. As we stepped onto Mudd Field, the generals in white ascended the wooden towers and delivered what they called the “famous speech”. I do not know how a speech can be famous before it’s delivered, but the dramatic aura was fit for the occasion.
“You all are not here merely to capture a flag. You are here to capture a moment in time!” shouted senior Clarissa Worthington, a nonpartisan leader of the game. The crowd roared. Every word from our leaders ignited a fierce passion for our randomly chosen colors.
But in the midst of this great address, a threat descended upon the field: “Catherine from Student Affairs.” We soldiers feared that our day of combat ended before it had begun, but the crisis was quickly averted. The games were permissible, by Catherine’s decree, but the leaders were not allowed to place the unsanctioned tower on Mudd Field. Soon after, the teams separated to opposite sides of the field. The red team generals relayed the rules of the game to us, of which there were few. The real goal was to claim eternal glory for the red team. (And have fun!)
When the game began, both teams charged to the dividing line in the center of the field, only to halt just short of the line. Who would dare to cross the line first? Running across in the opening minutes of the game meant certain death (being sent to the other team’s jail). For a
few minutes, not one soldier had the bravery. I could not see who took the first step, but from then it was a cascade of running soldiers, scrambling only a short distance before falling to the other team’s defenses (getting tagged). While most of our team crowded the front line, a few stayed back to defend our flag. Most of us just stood there, waiting for something to happen.
Everyone who crossed the dividing line thought they would be the one to bring glory to the team. Each of us saw the image of ourselves running boldly into enemy territory and returning, gamewinning flag in hand. For all but one, that image would be shattered.
For one young man, however, the story was different. It happened too fast for me to witness. In the time it took me to jog back from the blue team’s jail, the battle had been won. A roar erupted from our entire team. Most of us had just stood there for 15 minutes, but red team chanted and waved the enemy’s flag as though we had fought hard for 15 years.
In the wake of defeat, blue team held their heads high. They huddled together, applauded their leaders, and carried on with the day having taken a much-needed break from their schoolwork.
Senior Ceci Gutierrez, one of the blue team generals, said to her team “I’m so happy we’re here, united, to do what’s
important in life.”
Although I lacked the prestigious “Press Pass” worn by the game’s pre-arranged journalists (with whom plenty of trash-talk was had), I still had the opportunity to talk with some of the students who helped make this game happen.
Elliott Andrew, a senior BFA in the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts, was the mastermind of this grand distraction. As a part of his senior thesis work, he arranged the game to give WashU students a chance to get away from their busy schedules.
“I tried to organize a space within campus to create a time for play and coming together. It’s really nice to
take a step back from our work and routines, and just get together,” Andrew said. Andrew was also excited to talk about how Capture the Flag might live on past his time at WashU.
“I hope that this will be a tradition on campus from now on. Maybe it becomes a myth or a rumor, but it may be carried on in the future. Thank you to everyone that came out,” Andrew said. I don’t know if anyone will make Capture the Flag a tradition at WashU. There may never again be “TOP SECRET” envelopes or campus-wide marches for colorful glory at our institution. But if there are, we must all remember: RED TEAM RULES.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ELOISE HARCOURT
Clarissa Worthington and Adam Kirsch, both generals in the battle, stand at attention.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ELOISE HARCOURT
Maya Torres Colom, Daniela Morera Di Nubila, Emily Shih, and William VanDyke, members of red team, pose after their victory.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ELOISE HARCOURT Junior Sebastien Zeineddin and senior Jeremy Jacobson pull a movable tower to the East End.
‘Up & Atom!’: Mark Glenshaw’s lecture on the owls of Forest Park was a hoot
‘Oh my God, I have to learn everything I can about great horned owls,’” he said. And he did.
On a warm August evening in 2005, the sun was setting over Forest Park. The breeze carried the scent of blooming flowers, and the usual birdsong filled the air until it was interrupted by an unexpected sound — a hoot.
Mark Glenshaw, a former faculty member of WashU’s Brown School and writer for Student Life during his time as a WashU student, who was taking an evening stroll, paused. He had no idea that moment would change his life forever.
“If you had asked me 20 years ago to talk to you about owls, we would have been done in like two minutes,” Glenshaw said. “They were nowhere on my radar. But that first night — I mean, that literally changed my life.”
Glenshaw quickly spotted the source of the hoot: a great horned owl he would come to know as Charles. “I thought,
Since 2005, he has observed and documented the daily lives of these nocturnal birds, analyzing their behaviors, habitats, and social patterns with meticulous care.
Nearly two decades later on April 9, Glenshaw — also known as the “Owl Man” — brought his extensive knowledge to the University City Public Library, where he gave a dynamic lecture on the owls of Forest Park.
“I typically get out there six to seven nights a week, over 300 nights a year,” Glenshaw said.
His main subject is Charles, a 21-year-old great horned owl believed to have spent his entire life in Forest Park. Glenshaw’s lecture highlighted Charles’ routines — his feeding habits, mating rituals, and most notably, his distinct patterns of flying.
“My favorite part is
observing how predictably unpredictable it is,” Glenshaw said. “Every night is different, every night is unique.”
To illustrate this, Glenshaw shared a collection of photos and videos capturing Charles’ behavior. One crowd favorite showed the owl appearing to take a “shower” in the rain, flapping and shaking in a way that mirrored human actions. These small moments helped the audience connect with the owls on a deeper level.
“I have often seen the Owl Man in Forest Park, on walks with my friend Elaine,” audience member Mary Anne Modzelewski said. “I found his lecture so impressive, and the different behaviors of the owls are so fascinating to watch.”
Bibi Vandenbreock, an audience member and wildlife enthusiast, was drawn to the lecture after encountering an owl in her home garden.
“I thought to myself: I love photography. I love wildlife. I like Forest Park. Why not go
and listen? And I can learn something,” she said.
For fellow attendee Sarah Stauffer, the most surprising takeaway was just how large the birds are and how fast they grow.
“I didn’t realize they were so big. The way that they grow so quickly from a tiny little egg to 18 inches tall in less than two months — that’s amazing,” she said.
Also impressive were the physical abilities of the birds which Glenshaw emphasized during his lecture.
“They’ll go 20 to 40 miles per hour. I’ve seen them do 200 yards in 10 seconds. Olympic sprinters do 100 yards in 10 seconds,” he explained.
His personal favorite behavior to observe, though, is flight. “It’s a fascinating optical illusion,” Glenshaw said. “It’s so powerful, fast, and so ethereal that even having seen it thousands of times, there’s still an element of ‘I don’t believe my own
eyes.’”
Among those in attendance was Modzelewski’s friend Elaine Arthur, who recalled reading about Glenshaw years ago, but never followed up until now. “I saw something online that he was going to be speaking tonight, and I thought, this is my opportunity. I’m not going to put this off any longer. And it was well worth it,” she said.
After so many years of observing Charles and his mates, Glenshaw has developed a unique sense of understanding with the owl.
“There have been moments where I have felt a connection,” he said. “Even if there is recognition and maybe a slight degree of trust, I never take this for granted. I try to earn it and build on it every time I’m there.”
He likens their relationship to giving a good presentation: preparation, presence, and care all matter.
“When I go to give a lecture, I’m gonna do my best to be on time, be prepared, and be a good presenter,” Glenshaw said. “So when I’m with the owls, I’m doing my best to be that good guest for them too.”
Glenshaw used his lecture to emphasize the importance of connecting with nature — whether that means
venturing into Forest Park or simply taking a mindful walk through your own neighborhood. For him, owls are not just mysterious, elusive creatures; they are powerful ambassadors for the natural world.
“I think one of the most important things is that since you don’t see them as much, it’s important to know more about something you don’t see,” he said. “These are hugely important animals ecologically. They’re fascinating on so many levels, they are attractive on so many levels, aesthetically, and scientifically.”
He also noted that owls have held a unique place in human imagination for centuries.
“People are fascinated about owls. Across human history and human culture, people respond to owls very strongly,” he said.
For Glenshaw, following Charles and his fellow owls is not just a hobby: It’s a lifelong commitment to understanding and sharing the quiet wonder of the world, just beyond our gaze.
“Owls are a great gateway to learning more about nature, ecology, and conservation,” Glenshaw said. All we have to do is choose to take the step.
Dear Scene,
I’m moving into my first off-campus apartment this June and everyone I’ve talked to says my landlord is terrible. I’ve never had to deal with landlords before, and I’m kind of freaking out
Dear Reproachful,
Welcome to the scam of off-campus college living, where you will get a crash course in dealing with terrible people. For most people, the pros of living without an RA outweigh the cons of dealing with landlords. Even though you must face the inevitable obstacle of communicating with the person (or company) you are renting from, I can guarantee that you will make some of your best college memories in your apartment. From the start, I think it’s best to kill your landlord with kindness. Be quick and responsive to emails, try your best to work on their timeline for security deposits and key pickups, and always say “please” and “thank you.”
But, at the same time, make it clear that you know what you’re doing — even if you don’t. Read up on guides that explain your rights as a renter. Clarify right off the bat about security deposit timing and the conditions of getting your money back at the end of the lease. Ask about privacy rules — is your landlord going to be barging into your space randomly?
Figure out what kinds of extra fees may be added to your bill, like whether or not utilities are included in rent. Determine the best way to reach your landlord, and try to get as many means of communication as possible — a number for emergencies, a tenant portal, a personal number, emails, etc. — they might have several modes of contact and you want to have access to all of them. Throughout the whole process, remember that in this relationship, you and your landlord are both adults. You have equal standing in the business partnership you have entered. Therefore, you have every right to negotiate.
It’s also worth trying to get in touch with the tenants who lived in the space before you. They might be able to give you helpful information about how best to communicate with your landlord, things in the apartment that will likely need work, or even the best time to do laundry. Maybe they’ll have your landlord’s personal number, or maybe they’ll know what causes that weird sound the radiator makes.
Chances are you’re living in a pretty old building, so be prepared for the challenges that come with that experience. Your appliances might
not look like the ones you’re used to. Your toilet may flush slowly, the oven may run hot, the shower may run cold. If something isn’t working perfectly, figure out what is just a characteristic of an old building, and what is fixable. Then, give your landlord a call. It’s almost inevitable that something will come up and you will have to reach out to your landlord. This may be easy, but it also could go in a much more negative direction. The best way to be a tenant is to be prepared for all situations. Be ready to advocate for yourself, and don’t compromise on what you were promised. Read your lease carefully, pay your rent on time, and be respectful. But don’t be afraid to put your foot down and drop the sugar-coating of your words if the situation takes a turn for the worst. This is a big step in your transition to adulthood. Be ready to embrace all the drama that comes with it. And welcome to the neighborhood!
MARIA DIBELLO STAFF WRITER
PHOTO COURTESY OF MARK GLENSHAW
Award-winning naturalist Mark Glenshaw poses for a photo.
PHOTO COURTESY OF MARK GLENSHAW
Charles, a great horned owl, perches on a tree.
ALICE GOTTESMAN STAFF WRITER
OPINION SUBMISSION
Proposition A, labor rights, and a call to action for WashU students
It is easy for students to think of labor rights as something distant — issues limited to union halls, the factory floor, or just part of some far-off episode in history. But for the student barista who makes your coffee, the adjunct professor who leads your lectures, or your friend working weekends to pay rent, our collective rights as workers are quickly encompassed as our rights as humans.
On and off-campus, we face challenges of being overworked, underpaid, and undervalued; never mind our exhausting responsibilities as university students on top of them. If we want to see our conditions improve and create a future we can look forward to, students need to get serious about the fight for labor rights. Fortunately, labor rights saw a win last November when Missouri passed Proposition A, a
crucial piece of legislation approved by Missourians and driven by the will of the people to protect all of us as workers. Not only does it set a $15 minimum wage to take effect January 2026, but it also mandates paid sick days to be earned by workers starting May 1. Unfortunately, the benefits of Prop. A, despite being passed by 57% of Missourians, face a growing risk of being cut by legislators in the state capitol. One lawsuit claims that the ballot initiative violated Missouri’s constitutional law by including two separate subjects, arguing minimum wage and paid sick leave are distinct issues unrelated to the broader umbrella of workers’ rights. Others, like Republican Senator Mike Bernskoetter or Representative Jeff Vernetti, claim the ballot was intentionally confusing for voters and that businesses are not equipped to bear these expenses, conveniently omitting the fact that Prop. A was victorious with a margin of some 450,000 votes and supported by a coalition of over 500 businesses.
The leaders of groups like Missouri Jobs with Justice, Fight for $15, the Missouri Workers Center, or Missouri Voter Protection Coalition, all organizations vocal in the defense of Prop. A, are regularly going out to organize and fight against these attacks. But in my time at Missouri Jobs with Justice working alongside activists, advocates, policy researchers, and affected workers, I am left wondering: Where are all the other students?
We as students must further our involvement in the labor rights movement. The repeated attacks on workers’ rights by legislators in Jefferson City do not exclude us from the consequences in St. Louis. The reality of the situation at WashU demands many of us to have jobs on top of our studies — the rights of workers are, at the same time, the rights of students. Our days spent in part-time jobs or internships do not make us part of the future workforce; we already are the workforce. The benefits we voted for to protect ourselves and our communities cannot be forgotten
about, especially during a time of serious effort levied towards their repeal. The importance of this bill is not lost upon other communities, who are joining in coalition to defend Prop. A. Medical staff attest to the value of keeping our society healthy and safe through paid sick leave. Business owners are speaking out in favor of fair wages for their employees and the role that plays in creating a strong economy. Representatives of religious parishes, members at all levels of the legal system, even people who work in Jefferson City: all of them have come together to protect labor rights because they see the value in its implementation. Students need to be just as involved in this fight, if not more so. Just as we will all feel the impact of our win back in November, so too will we all feel the harm in its repeal.
As a graduate student at WashU, I know that we are all busy and tired at this point in the semester. But the fact of the matter is things are not going to get any easier for us if
we are not getting active in the fight for our rights. We should not have to worry about missing a paycheck because we woke up sick, or risk the health and safety of our communities by forcing ourselves out there to work. Students especially know how hard things get when you have to balance work life with academics; we cannot think of them as being separate from one another. So what is to be done?
The recent attacks against Prop. A have underscored the importance of promoting vigilance and understanding the rights of workers. This fight will require equal parts educating ourselves and others to the benefits of bills like Prop. A, and showing up wherever possible to strengthen coalitions in the labor rights movement. Only together as workers will we have the power and reach to advance as students, and this fight is in dire need of student participation. Students must leverage their dual position as workers, recognize the intersectionality of their situation to the broader struggle for labor rights and use the unique
knowledge, resources, and connections afforded to them to add to the voices advocating for our collective rights. The opportunities to show up are not lacking either; many of the previously mentioned organizations are proactive in planning rallies, phone banks, and canvassing blitzes to get the word out there. They just need us as students showing up, manning the lines, and talking to people about their rights. We have the power, as well as the responsibility, to keep driving progress further for everyone. It is through the combined efforts within this movement that we will further ourselves as workers, as students, and as a society all together — but we at WashU need to get involved now. If you want to start getting involved, any of the organizations listed above are always welcoming to new volunteers or can point you in the right direction. You can also reach me at d.planaj@wustl.edu for questions or opportunities to start showing up in the fight for worker’s rights.
10
God: What the Dutch taught me about American (and WashU) exceptionalism
SYLVIE RICHARDS MANAGING FORUM EDITOR
10 is for God, nine is for the professor, and eight is exceptional. The Dutch grading system is very different from that of American universities, where getting a six or seven out of 10 means a death sentence for your GPA. In the Netherlands, these are solid scores.
When I first received one of these grades, I was frustrated. Why have a grade scale where it is effectively impossible to receive the top two numbers? I thought it was pointless and would disincentivize hard work. But, I have learned that it keeps people from working themselves to the bone.
In Dutch culture, you don’t have to do “the most.” While the Dutch disagree on how much they ought to work, their expectations generally seem more reasonable than those of many Americans.
Dutch students attend class when it is mandatory and they study as much as they have time for. People are not only OK with a low score, but are often OK with failure, as retaking highstakes exams or even entire classes is normal. In their careers, people rarely work overtime and the Dutch have one of the shortest work weeks in the world.
Some people would perceive this behavior as “slacking,” though it doesn’t make Dutch people less intelligent. Most of my classmates at the University of Amsterdam know more about global issues — and America — than any American I’ve met. This is a result of their education
system, which values knowledge more than a test score.
The students I’ve spoken to spend time reading the news, engaging in activities they are interested in, and advocating for issues they are passionate about, rather than dedicating every waking hour to their studies. They learn in classes, but without the pressure of perfection, they also have the time to learn by doing. They don’t sacrifice their lives for their grades and make time to do what they are excited about.
The results of this mindset speak for themselves — the Netherlands is the fifth happiest country in the world. Dutch culture also translates into higher civic engagement, with an average voter turnout of 72.46%, significantly higher than many other countries (including the United States).
The Dutch orientation stands in stark contrast to the culture of exceptionalism that I’m accustomed to in the United States, where perfection is often the expectation.
WashU exemplifies this American exceptionalism: Students are undeniably hardworking and intelligent, but the pursuit of perfection can be debilitating. I don’t use the word “perfect” lightly. Last semester, I overheard a student questioning why they received a 94 instead of a 100.
When we aren’t striving for perfect grades, we are involved in a laundry list of extracurriculars, jobs, and clubs. WashU students’ LinkedIns feature endless posts about their newest internship, award, or invention. At the same time, if you asked any WashU student how they are feeling,
It’s never 50/50
KATIE HANSON STAFF WRITER
Imagine this: you’re sitting with a friend, they need support, you graciously give it to them, and then bam! They refer to themselves as a burden, or say something along the lines of “you don’t have to take this on…I don’t want to put too much on your plate… but how are YOU … blah blah blah.” You know the drill.
If you’re reading this, you’ve probably been on both sides. You’ve been the one to hold a friend’s hands and say, “Let me be there for you.” You’ve also probably been the one to point the finger to them and say, “Enough about me, tell me about you!” And so the cycle goes: We want to be there to support our friends, and they want to be there to support us, yet when we become the focus of that support, we panic.
I’ve had this moment time and time again with one of my best friends, Clara, who always takes the time to remind me of a simple truth: No friendship, or any relationship (romantic, professional, familial, etc.), is ever 50/50.
Our life moves in uncontrollable ebbs and flows that accordingly position us to be the supporter or the supported one in each of our relationships. This manifests in a swaying dynamic. There are moments where the relationship is 70/30, then it’s 30/70, then on a perfect spring day it’s 49/51. Suddenly, one person gets caught in the rain, and it’s 60/40. Quantifying who needs and who can give support is reductive and inaccurate. Just know it varies. And it should. To think we can dictate these ebbs and flows with emotional dams to create a perfectly even dynamic is unfair to ourselves and the reality of our circumstances.
nearly everyone would say “overwhelmed.”
Seeing how Dutch students learn beyond the classroom showed me more than the obvious issues with American exceptionalism. It also taught me about Americans’ ignorance about the world and tendency to stay in our comfort zones, which is reinforced by our values and education system.
WashU students rarely take breaks, which not only harms our mental health, but also our interactions with our communities and the world. With such limited free time, students are prone to staying in the WashU bubble. Rather than interacting with the St. Louis community or reading the news, students will stick to their comfort zones and closest circles, like a WashU party or restaurant on the loop.
Of course, there are drawbacks to fully embracing the Dutch mindset. Our collective drive at WashU (and other American colleges) gives us a stronger community. We feel bonded by the college experience of working hard and spending time together, on campus, and in WashU clubs and activities. Dutch universities are not valued like the American “college experience.” Instead, they are seen as a practical step towards the next stage in life.
We should take a balanced approach. Rather than striving to be exceptional at everything, we should pick and choose our battles. We can do our best to prioritize our studies and work without sacrificing the things that sustain and inspire us. Working hard should not come at the expense
Sometimes, we just need a little help. Other times, we can offer our help to others. Across the board we’re reluctant to receive this scoop of care: 73% of Americans don’t ask for help until they feel like they “absolutely need it.” Plus, we perceive asking for this help as a major favor, not something the people in our lives want to do for us. This wrongful underestimation only furthers our avoidance of saying we need support. We’re also just plain embarrassed. Even worse, when we’re on the other side, we don’t consider the embarrassment our friend, parent, or neighbor feels when reaching out. So when they don’t ask, we assume they might not need us. Wrong! Age and gender further cloud these dynamics. Men often shy away even more from asking for support, and older adults feel like they can’t ask for support without
of learning and trying new things.
This approach is easier said than done; a true cultural change necessitates structural change and a largescale change in mindset, but the current state of WashU (and America) makes this nearly impossible. Some people need to go above and beyond to remain in school or their job, or to survive. Maybe they need overtime to earn a living wage or get a good GPA to maintain their merit scholarship. Working “less hard” at WashU and other American colleges can also feel like a waste of tens of thousands of dollars, and makes it nearly impossible to retake a semester.
The Dutch grading system and working week are great examples of potential structural solutions to the
sacrificing their reputation as a capable person. So, regardless of our circumstances, we need to get comfy with the unevenness of it all, especially long-term.
There are some dynamics that will be lopsided for years, necessarily so. Famously, my parents changed my diapers, then drove me everywhere, and continued to provide my meals for years. As I get older, the dynamic has become a little less skewed (I go to the bathroom by myself and I can make a fairly edible meal), but it’s still uneven. Eventually, as they age, they’ll need more support from me in the same ways that I’ve seen them help out their parents. This is natural.
At the same time, there are some unfair dynamics we all inevitably encounter that are wrongfully lopsided. One person always carries the emotional load, is never the subject of the “how are you’s,”
04/23 CAPTION CONTEST WINNERS
1st place: Me pondering with me mountain of awesome eggs :)
Zach Trabitz, Current WashU Student
2nd place: Cadbury eggs … Reese’s eggs … All are egg-cellent choices … but should I shell out for them if they cannot laugh at my yolks?
Sean Henry, Current WashU Student
3rd place: Here I sit, egging over my life.
Erin Kinsey, WashU Faculty/Staff
ANAELDA RAMOS | MANAGING ILLUSTRATION EDITOR
American education and economy. WashU could also adopt the university’s willingness to allow students to retake final exams or classes, or, thinking bigger, getting rid of a GPA scale.
However, as the current state of the country and world limits these reforms, we can take personal steps to embrace a quasiDutch-American mindset without devaluing ourselves to American society. Take a pass-fail class each semester, whether it’s to explore a subject you are interested in but don’t have time to grind for, or to lighten your workload. Taking on as many extracurricular activities or internships as you can will not make or break your grad school or work application; quit at least one of the activities or jobs that you dislike.
and is the perpetual driver of the relationship. The majority of the dynamic falls on one party, leaving them with 70, 80, or the unimaginable 99. However hard they are to walk away from, we can easily label these relationships. Having these labels of “unfair” or “unhealthy” reminds us that these are usually oneoff, incompatible dynamics, rather than the nature of all relationships.
Back to our typical, swaying relationships: the dance of moving the locus of support is awkward. It’s not a straightforward back-and-forth game of catch. Unexpected hard moments, months, and years are bound to happen. The people in your corner are there in the way you are for them. Accepting support during indefinite, unplanned, and difficult moments is what makes us good friends, partners, and kids. It also prepares us to return that support when the
Try not to take on an extra obligation if it is something that you won’t enjoy. Use some of your free time to learn about current events, engage in your community, try new things, or visit a new place.
American and WashU exceptionalism push us to constantly strive for perfection, leave us overwhelmed, and trap us in monotonous routines of work and study. We owe it to ourselves to take a break and pursue what we enjoy. We also owe it to our communities — and the world — to engage with them, rather than staying confined to our bubbles. The more we all embrace this mindset, the more we contribute to a culture that balances achievement with passion, knowledge, and joy.
moment calls. By taking in the love and care, others might feel more comfortable reaching for us when they need that love and care back. In the last few months, I’ve had to challenge myself to navigate the uncomfortable dance of reaching for this care. I found myself overwhelmed with college ending and the loud crescendo of so many things I love hitting their peak, then ending. Whether it be the peak then conclusion of my classes, this newspaper, or inperson friendships, I needed to talk it out with my friends and family in verbose, winding conversations.
With almost every person I spoke to, I tried to turn the conversation to them immediately. “What about you!!?!?,” I would ask with a tense, off-putting tone. Almost always, they would smile, way more full of ease than me, and calmly say: “What about you?”
WashU combats student-athlete mental health stigma
Student-athlete mental health is an issue at college campuses across the nation. In 2021, the NCAA surveyed student-athletes across all three of its divisions and found that 31% of female athletes and 37% of male athletes did not know where to go on campus with their mental health concerns. The survey results also revealed that 45% of female athletes and 53% of male athletes felt that their university’s athletics department did not prioritize mental health. However, WashU’s Athletics Department and student-athletes, including WashU’s chapter of The Hidden Opponent, have taken action to support their community.
The Hidden Opponent (THO), a national nonprofit organization promoting athlete mental health advocacy, education, and support, was created because colleges and universities were not doing enough to help their student-athletes’ struggles with mental health. THO encourages athletes to prioritize their mental health and crush the stigma surrounding mental health in athletic environments.
“We want to play a role in changing the conversation [regarding mental health], especially on our campus, where there’s so much academic pressure and so much athletic pressure,” senior softball player Maggie Baumstark said speaking on behalf of THO.
The Athletics Department’s Perspective
In 2019, on her first day as WashU’s Senior Associate Athletic Director, Summer Hutcheson began a dialogue with Athletic Director Anthony Azama to find solutions to improve student-athlete mental health. Alongside Azama and the entire athletics department, they have worked to find channels of support for student-athlete mental health.
“One of the things that we’ve talked about since I arrived was trying to provide more sports psychology or mental health support to student-athletes, and we’ve tried multiple different routes to get that,” Hutcheson said.
One of the routes included creating a full-time coordinator position that specializes in the mental health aspect of student-athlete programming. In 2023, the position was filled by Ali Casco, the current studentathlete development and experience coordinator, who has a master’s degree from the Brown School in social work with a concentration in mental health. Casco’s main focus in her role is creating programming that is centered around WashU´s five anchors of Student Affairs: diversity, equity, & inclusion; leadership; career development; healthy excellence; and belonging & engagement. Although the anchors cover many topics, Casco acknowledged the common thread of mental health across these domains.
The programming is designed to span the four-year student athlete experience from
convocation to commencement. She specifically emphasized the importance of assisting graduating athletes with the transition into non-athlete lifestyles. Casco also works with teams and individuals through workshops and resource referrals focused on mental health.
“I am often that bridge to maybe a connection with the speaking lab. Maybe it’s a connection with one of our sports psychologists,” Casco said. “[My role] is not exclusively for mental health concerns. A lot of times it does become that, but it really is a connection to any sort of resource that they could need.”
Around the same time Casco joined, WashU’s Center for Counseling and Psychological Services (CCPS) hired Christie Cunningham as the first of three new full-time sports psychologists. While the psychologists are still being phased in, this was in part due to the advocacy done by the athletics department to bolster support for student-athletes.
Hutcheson noted part of the work that needs to be done is connecting students with current resources.
“I think that the resources are mostly there. It’s just getting people to use them when they need them,” Hutcheson said. “Making sure that [the resources are] more readily available and easy to access is something we still need to work on.”
Beyond connecting students to resources, Hutcheson also emphasized the goal of being proactive and for “student athletes to understand that they don’t have to be in crisis to talk to somebody.” Casco noted that peer advocacy, like The Hidden Opponent, is crucial in expanding the network of support for student-athletes. While the administration can assist in the form of programming and resources, student-athletes are on the grassroots level and can support each other through conversations in the locker room and at team dinners.
Despite the strides the athletics department has made towards providing more mental health support for students, Hutcheson said they are still looking to improve their mental health support.
“If I look back to where we started, to where we are now, I am very pleased with progress, [but] never satisfied,” Hutcheson said. “That’s just something that we as athletes do. It’s like, you can win a national championship, and the very next day, people are like, ‘Okay, how do we do this again?’ It’s just part of our nature.”
The Student-Athletes’ Perspectives
WashU’s chapter of THO has existed since 2022 but did not become a StudentUnion-recognized club until the fall of 2024. At the time of print, the chapter is made up of 40 members and is led by five “campus captains,” each representing their WashU varsity team.
Although THO targets and is run by student-ath letes, anyone — athlete or not — who is passionate about mental health can join. The chapter’s main mission is to increase the visibility of the words “The Hidden Opponent”
on campus, which can be seen on shirts, wristbands, and ribbons—all designed to spark conversations about mental health and promote available mental health resources. To do this, a school-wide effort is needed, especially since, as THO campus captain Baumstark puts it, WashU can feel like a “pressure cooker.”
“We want to be the people [who] are using our voices to be louder than the voices that we’ve all grown up with saying, ‘push through, push through, push through,’” Baumstark said. “Now there’s another narrative saying, ‘Hey, you can take a break,’ ‘Hey, you can talk about this.’”
The chapter has also partnered with the athletic administration to promote their mission, oftentimes through events and mental health awareness games.
For many student-athletes, despite how much they love it, their sport can also be a catalyst for anxiety and depression. It is not uncommon for studentathletes who are struggling with mental health to think they are an anomaly, resulting in them having difficulty seeking mentalhealth support.
When Baumstark learned about THO and realized she was not alone in this experience, her “Earth was shattered.” Since then, it’s been her personal mission to go the extra mile to help other student-athletes realize they, too, are not alone in the fight against mental health.
“Athletics culture is so rooted in pushing through and putting whatever you’re feeling to the side,” Baumstark said. “Dedicating yourself to the grind and pushing and pushing and pushing—that is at least how I was taught you’re a good athlete—to ignore whatever you’re feeling and keep going … That’s the definition of success that’s laid out for you.”
Senior swimmer and campus captain Isabella Barrientos also grappled with the definition of success, causing her to have a panic attack during a swim meet in her first year at WashU. It was not until after the race that Barrientos realized that she needed help.
“My hands were shaking. I was going numb. My fingers were turning purple. I was having a visible panic attack, and I had no idea what that was at the time,” she said. “I just remember feeling like the lights are so bright, the world is shaking, my ears are ringing, and I’m panicking. And I swam through it.”
Although the sports psychologists are still being phased into the athletics department, THO leadership credits the presence of the three new sports psy chologists on campus as a necessary step to shift
the stigma around mental health.
“We [members of THO] want to market ourselves as people who know resources and can get our peers connected to resources or be just a listening ear, but by no means are we going to be trying to offer true mental health support in the way that a licensed professional can,” Baumstark said.
However, if students don’t feel comfortable speaking to a psychologist, THO hosts events like mental health awareness games and journaling nights.
As men are generally less likely to seek mental health help than women, sometimes different strategies need to be implemented to target the stigma experienced by male athletes. To address this difficulty, last year, then-senior and member of the football team Johnathan Smith gathered his teammates for a “mental health and masculinity workshop” to discuss what it means to be a man and to acknowledge mental health.
“I think for men’s sports, it is entirely different, and there is a different stigma around [mental health],” sophomore baseball pitcher and campus captain Owen Block said. “It can be tough to foster a team culture where mental health for all guys on the team is a big priority, along with physical health.”
In the future, THO hopes to have members represent every varsity team as well as
form more cohesive connections among WashU sports teams and with the athletics department administrators.
Slogans like “Bears support bears” and “19 teams, one family” are mottos that are commonly discussed in WashU athletics. Embracing these ideals, which coincide with THO’s mission, is necessary to ending the stigma around student-athlete mental health.
“If you’re not comfortable [speaking up] yet, just
listen and be an advocate by not discouraging someone else who does feel inclined to talk,” junior Xander Georgoulis, a member of THO and a defensive back on the football team, said. “ … Everything is going on differently in someone’s life, and if you don’t have anything great to say about it, then just focus on yourself, and we can all continue to get better, both physically on the field and mentally.”
Student-athletes gather at a swim meet holding The Hidden Opponent signs in support of their peers and mental health.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THO
THO sponsored a mental health awareness baseball game, where they threw out
PHOTO COURTESY OF THO
WashU campus captains Owen Block, Anna Freeman, Isabella Barrientos, Maggie Baumstark, and Ally Hackett (left to right) have been crucial in promoting mental health resources for the University’s studentathletes.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THO
Baseball sweeps UAA conference opponent Brandeis to cap off five wins in one week
RYAN GAWLEY CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Coming off a road series split against University Athletic Association (UAA) opponent New York University, the Bears faced a busy sixgame week at home. They played a non-conference matchup against Eureka College on Wednesday, April 16, four conference games against Brandeis University from April 18-20, and a pivotal nonconference tilt against No. 19 Webster University on April 22. The Bears were victorious in all six contests, outscoring their opponents 45 to 10 this week. This improves their conference record to 8-8 and overall record to 22-13 heading into the last week of regular season play.
The doubleheader on Friday, April 18, was played in honor of Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Heritage Month, and the doubleheader on Sunday, April 20 was played in honor of The HardyStrong Foundation, a charity ded
opened up the game further in the third, adding four runs on six hits. For the rest of the game, the Bears scored at least one run in each inning until they won on a mercy rule.
Sophomore Anderson Gomez started on the mound for the Bears, throwing four scoreless innings with just 33 pitches. Four more of WashU’s pitchers got work on the mound, with junior Miles Quemuel-Labrador earning his third win of the season. The pitching staff limited Eureka to just two runs, both scored in the fifth inning when the Red Devils were already well behind.
The Bears recorded 15 hits on the day, with standout performances including CouillardRodak’s two doubles and a triple and sophomore Carson Cleage’s two hits and three RBIs.
Game Two - WashU: 10, Brandeis: 4
The Bears carried their momentum from the Eureka game into the first game of the Brandeis
RBI double in the second inning, scoring sophomore Anthony Equale and Cleage. Not done yet, Buday homered in the fourth inning, extending the Bears’ lead to 4-0. The power surge continued in the sixth, with Cleage and Reichman adding home runs to put the Bears up 8-0. Buday completed his cycle in the sixth with a single to left.
Senior pitcher Hank Weiss started the game and shut down the Judges for six innings, earning the win while allowing no runs and striking out 11. He was relieved by Gomez, and graduate student Josh Erpenbeck recorded the final out for the Bears. The Bears’ defense was spotless, committing no errors in the game.
Game Three - WashU: 9, Brandeis: 2
Despite the high final score, the second game of Friday’s doubleheader was a pitchers’ duel for the first half of the game. Sophomore pitcher Townsend Stevenson
the sixth on a wild pitch and an RBI single from Reichman. WashU then put the game away in the seventh inning, adding four runs on four hits, including a home run from senior Braden Mazone. Although Brandeis scored another run in the eighth, the Bears responded with three more to cement the final score of 9-2.
Game Four - WashU: 4, Brandeis: 0
This Sunday morning matchup started off similarly to the previous game, with each pitcher holding the other team scoreless for the first three innings. This time, the Bears got on the board first, with first-year Cooper Greene scoring Couillard-Rodak on an RBI groundout. Greene added another run in the sixth with an RBI triple, putting them up 2-0. The Bears made the score 4-0 in the seventh with an RBI walk from Reichman and a sacrifice fly from junior Shane Pellegrino.
Junior Isaac Zhang started the game and had a stellar per
Game Five - WashU: 1, Brandeis: 0
Keeping with the theme of this series, the second game of Sunday’s doubleheader was scoreless for the first four innings. In the bottom of the fifth, the Bears finally put together a rally, beginning with a leadoff walk from first-year Will Taigen.
Sophomore Miles Birke then singled to left field, with Taigen showing off his speed by advancing to third. With runners on the corners, first-year Kevin Stephens layed down a perfect sacrifice bunt to score Taigen, making it 1-0 Bears.
This is where the score remained for the rest of the game, a credit to another excellent performance from the Bears’ pitching staff and defense. First-year Levi Gingerich started on the mound, earning the first win of his career by throwing six shutout innings.
He battled through one hit and five walks, ultimately stranding seven Brandeis runners on base.
Senior Sebastian Guzman
Block. He shut the door on the Judges, recording the final six outs and his first save of the season to complete the Bears’ sweep.
Game Six - WashU 9, Webster 2
In the Bears’ final home game of the year, they dominated nationallyranked No. 19 Webster University on all sides of the ball. The game was scoreless until the third inning, when Buday scored on a Gorloks error. Despite conceding a run in the top of the fourth, the Bears offense exploded for five runs in the bottom half of the frame. Buday and Couillard-Rodak both contributed RBI knocks, and the Bears scored two runs on bases-loaded walks. In the midweek bullpen game, QuemuelLabrador earned his team-highest 6th win, pitching four shutout frames and striking out three.
The WashU pitching staff improved their season earned run average to 3.33, a major improvement from last year’s mark of 6.44. The success of the WashU pitching staff has allowed the Bears to make a strong push for the NCAA tournament late in the season. Baseball travels to RV Emory University in their final series of the regular season April 25-27, playing four games that could determine if they make their first NCAA tournament since their 2021 College World Series run.
