October 26, 2023 Student Life newspaper, Washington University in St. Louis

The independent newspaper of Washington University in St. Louis since 1878 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2023

VOLUME 145, NO. 8

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HOOP EQUITY

SWIM SWEEPS

PICS OR IT DID HAPPEN

WashU Res Life enforces ban on public access to S40 courts (News, pg 2)

Bears beat D1 Billikens in meet over the weekend.

(Sports, pg 7)

On the new trend of deinfluencing (Forum, pg 6)

Students and community members rally in support of Palestine, protest Israel’s actions in Gaza VIA POOLOS CLARA RICHARDS EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

A group of over 100 Washington University students, professors, and St. Louis community members gathered on Mudd Field on Friday to protest Israel’s role in the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and show support for Palestine on Friday, Oct. 20.

The protestors stood in front of the Danforth University Center for over an hour, waving Palestinian flags and holding red, black, and green signs: “You don’t need to be Muslim to stand up for Gaza. You just need to be human,” one read.

The event was open-mic, meaning that any of the participants could spontaneously choose to speak.

Protestors took the opportunity to address both fellow rally participants and a crowd of observers who gathered across the sidewalk.

Ayah Hamdan, who graduated from the University in 2023, helped organize the protest.

“This is a genocide, and our voices deserve to be heard, and Palestinians are tired,” she said.

Hamdan said her time at the University was marked by intolerance.

“In my entire life, I’ve never felt more silenced about my identity and being Palestinian [than] in my four years at WashU. And so it’s nice to finally organize something — to have our voices heard on campus,” she said.

One of the first speakers led the crowd in chants like, “Stop the killing, stop the crime, Israel out of Palestine,” and “Gaza, Gaza, don’t you cry, Palestine will never die!” Others, such as junior Afiya Fa’atuono, directly addressed the group of Jewish students on the other side of the walkway in front of

CLARA RICHARDS | STUDENT LIFE

WashU and St. Louis community members hold signs and chant, protesting Israel’s recent actions in Gaza.

the DUC. “It doesn’t mean I don’t love you — just know that being on the wrong side of history hurts,” she said. Fa’atuono called out a few of her friends who were on the other side of the walkway by name.

“I see people who I’ve had so many meals with. I see you,” Fa’atuono said. “And I know you’re going to come around. Peace be with you.”

One of the students who Fa’atuono directly addressed, sophomore Kobe Deener-Agus, crossed over to Mudd Field to give Fa’atuono a hug, eliciting cheers from the protestors. Deener-Agus said he originally came to stand with the Jewish students in order to show support for Israel but was moved by his friend Fa’atuono’s callout.

“She said Kobe — my name — and I was like, ‘Oh my God, she’s speaking to me.’ I just felt so

moved, and I wanted to thank her for speaking and just acknowledge her and her humanity and that we are all just people, and we’re all suffering,” he said.

Deener-Agus said that he wasn’t intending to make a political demonstration, that his views about the conflict haven’t changed, and that he is still mourning the deaths in Israel and believed the war is between Israel and Hamas, not Israel and Palestinians.

“I don’t want to be tokenized,” he said. “I just went over and hugged my friend because she did a very brave thing and stood up in front of hundreds of people and spoke her truth, and I just wanted to acknowledge that.”

Senior Harry Campbell said that they showed up at the rally to show support for Gaza and Palestine. As a Jewish person, they are hoping to inspire other Jewish people to do the

“Exactly where we want to be”: undefeated women’s soccer earns top national ranking RILEY HERRON SPORTS EDITOR

The Washington University women’s soccer team is no stranger to being at the top of the University Athletic Association (UAA) standings.

In the six seasons from 2015 to 2021, the Bears won (or tied for) the conference championship every year. Last season, the Bears fell off their peak, finishing 2-4-1 for their worst conference finish since 1994.

Now, with two games remaining in UAA play, the No. 1 Bears are not only one win away from clinching their 16th UAA title, but they are also the top seed in the nation. In a season-defining road trip this weekend, the Bears proved their worth on a national stage, earning a promotion from No. 2 to No. 1 in this week’s Division III rankings. First, the Bears held on to their top spot in the UAA with a 0-0 draw against Carnegie Mellon University Tartans. The Tartans, who lost to the Bears in last year’s NCAA Round of 16, entered the game ranked No. 2 in the UAA and No. 3 in the nation.

Following the tie, the Bears were quick to return to their winning ways. Two first half goals and a dominant defensive performance resulted in a 2-0 win against No. 7 Case Western Reserve University, last season’s conference champs.

While the draw on Friday was the first time they didn’t win all season,

same.

“I’ve been trying to speak out on this because a lot of vulnerable communities, a lot of brown people — brown women, especially — are targeted. They’re targeted for being antisemitic for speaking out for the liberation of an oppressed group of people,” Feldman said.

“And if Jewish history and Jewish faith teaches us anything, that’s something that we should be speaking out for as well.”

A senior, who requested to be anonymous because of safety concerns, said that they were not Palestinian, but that they showed up to support Palestinian students on campus.

“You just need to be human to feel pain for the people that are passing away in other countries,” he said.

The senior was holding a megaphone and said they knew the

Student Union approves election packet in emergency joint session LEWIS RAND STAFF WRITER

CLARA RICHARDS | STUDENT LIFE

Junior Sara Giannotti dribbles past a Webster University defender in route to a 3-0 win.

the Bears were still satisfied with the results.

“We’re exactly where we want to be. We worked pretty hard and played really well against super talented and very strong opponents. So there were no hard feelings. We’re just looking forward to getting back on the field for our next game,” senior goalkeeper Sid Conner said after the weekend’s matches.

Not only did the Bears extend their undefeated start to the season, they also kept their clean sheet streak alive. Through 15 games, they are the only collegiate soccer team yet to concede a goal. Conner, once again, played a key role, especially in the matchup at Carnegie Mellon. She made three saves, including a highlight reel stop in the 59th minute.

When Tartans midfielder Breana Valentovish unleashed a half volley from near the penalty spot, Conner dove through the air, knocking the strike over the bar to keep the match tied at zero.

When asked about his goalkeeper, head coach Jim Conlon was full of praise.

“She was very good against NYU [last week], [and] then [against] Carnegie,” he said. “[Conner] had to make a couple of really, really great saves to keep not only the shutout, but in that particular game, the tie [too]. Her abilities in the net single handedly helped us get a result,”Conlon said.

While Conner’s play is deserving of the praise, she was quick to credit her teammates for the feat.

SEE SOCCER, PAGE 7

pro-Palestine chants from previous rallies they had attended growing up.

“I’ve been going to stuff since 2014…when the first war [that I could remember in my lifetime] happened in 2014. I was really small,” they said. “And it’s crazy — it’s been nine years, and it’s still going on.”

The event was organized through Campus Life, and there were 10-12 Washington University Police Department (WUPD) officers stationed around Mudd Field.

“We’re just here to ensure that there’s a safe space for everyone to voice their opinions on different matters,” Angela Coonce, Chief of WUPD, said.

Dean of Students Rob Wild, who attended the event as a member of the Student Affairs team, said that the University will be rolling out opportunities for students to engage in dialogue in the coming weeks.

“We just know that some students aren’t ready for those spaces yet. And so we just want to give it a little time,” he said. “Our goal throughout this is just to make sure all of our students feel supported.

And that’s been our priority.”

The senior student who requested anonymity for their safety was one of many voices on Mudd Field during the protest.

“I don’t think any of us are here to support killing of any sort — because we all condemn violence,” they said. The senior felt there was a strong, one-sided narrative about the recent conflict.

“Especially within this country, a lot of people are misinformed about what’s happening,” they said.

“We’re trying to show that there are people on this WashU campus that do support the other side.”

In an emergency joint session on Wednesday, Oct. 25, Student Union (SU) Treasury and Senate passed the fall 2023 Election Packet, a constitutional amendment, and a proposed statutory change regarding election policies and medical leaves of absence (MLOA). This followed a joint session on Tuesday, Oct. 24, during which the two bodies failed to pass a statutory change and Election Packet.

The statutory change that was passed says that people planning to take an MLOA during their term will be able to run for SU elections, which SU did not previously allow.

The constitutional amendment states that if a representative takes MLOA, the candidate receiving the most votes, who was not elected to SU, will fill that role for the duration of the representative’s MLOA. During the joint session on Oct. 24, the bodies passed a constitutional amendment that students will vote on in the fall 2023 election to change the appointment procedure for representatives who are replacing those on MLOA. The amendment says that individuals appointed to fill in for representatives on MLOA will serve until the representative

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on MLOA returns, instead of for the full remainder of their term.

This exempts SU candidates from the current qualifications requiring them to serve the duration of their term.

Debate during the Oct. 24 meeting surrounding the Election Packet and the statutory change centered around disability justice and accessibility in the SU election process, which sophomore Sonal Churiwal, Diversity and Inclusion Chair, and junior Braeden Rose, Health and Wellness Chair, who both introduced the change, said currently discriminates against students.

“Candidates for legislative office taking a medical leave of absence for a portion of their term shall be exempt from this qualification, and be permitted to have an interim appointed,” the statutory change reads.

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NEWS AVI HOLZMAN | MANAGING NEWS EDITOR | NEWS@STUDLIFE.COM

THURSDAY, OCT 26, 2023

Residential Life closes South 40 Seminar on aging basketball and volleyball courts to public offers an antidote to ageism

VIA POOLOS NINA LASER LEWIS RAND

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF STAFF WRITERS

Washington University’s Residential Life posted signs on the South 40 basketball and volleyball courts officially closing them to everyone except University students, staff, and faculty.

The signs outlined rules for use, including: requiring University identification, releasing the University from liability for injuries suffered on the courts, and prohibiting the use of the courts in the dark. The signs were posted the week of Oct. 2.

First-year Andre Leger plays basketball on the South 40 courts three to four times a week, often at nighttime.

He frequently sees St. Louis residents from outside the WashU community shooting around and playing organized games.

“The South 40 is kind of the [campus] bubble everyone talks about,” Leger said.

“So [when] you’re playing with these people from the community, it’s a really fun way to engage with them — and they play good basketball.”

The decision to install the signs was made over the summer, and they were put up this fall. The signage on the South 40 is consistent with other University athletic facilities.

In the past, Dr. Anna Gonzalez, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, said students had complained to her that the courts were overcrowded and that there was not enough space for them to play. She said the courts have always been reserved for the University community only.

“We’ve actually had these rules forever, ever since we’ve had the basketball and volleyball [courts],” Gonzalez said. “[The courts] are meant to be for our South 40 residents because [they pay] a different fee. It’s like your rent,” Gonzalez said.

Leger said that, in his experience, the South 40 courts are rarely overcrowded.

“No courts [on] the 40 — or in Sumers — have ever been [so] full that you cannot use them,” he said.

Noah Cohan is the Assistant Director of American

Culture Studies and the cocreator of Whereas Hoops, an organization with the mission of spreading information about the racial and class history of basketball in St. Louis. He said that the closure of the South 40 basketball courts specifically impacts the greater St. Louis community, given the layout of courts in the city.

The placement of basketball courts in the city, Cohan said, is related to racial segregation.

The north side of Delmar Boulevard has a majority Black population, while the south side of Delmar is mostly white.

“Most of St. Louis’ publicly available basketball facilities are north of the Delmar Divide,” Cohan said.

“What the lack of hoops is structured by, especially in St. Louis, is a stereotype that would suggest that most of the people that play basketball — or the most prominent people in [playing] basketball — are Black men,” Cohan said.

Cohan said that the University’s decision to close the basketball courts could be detrimental for community members south of Delmar that don’t have easy access to hoops.

“I think given the Chancellor’s recent emphasis on being ‘in St. Louis, for St. Louis,’ there is a path forward that is more willing to engage the St. Louis Community and [an] understanding of how this restriction is perceived as an exclusive illusionary action on potentially racialized terms,” Cohan said.

However, Gonzalez said that the University’s goal of reserving the courts for students is not to distance itself from the community. She said that the University is “doing things with the community, and we want to be doing more.”

Specifically, Gonzalez pointed to the In the Lou initiative, which allows students — and especially first-years — to engage in the St. Louis community. She also said that the decision to put up the signs coincided with the future construction of a new facility in Forest Park and the newly-open courts in Tower Grove Park.

“The good news, too, is that the city is opening two basketball courts nearby

ELIZABETH STUMP CONTRIBUTING WRITER

ALAN ZHOU | STUDENT LIFE

Campus Life installed signs on the South 40, emphasizing that only WashU community members are allowed to use the basketball courts.

at Forest Park and Tower Grove. And we knew this was going to happen, so it actually worked out great,” Gonzalez said.

Sheryl Mauricio, Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, said that the rule about courts being closed at night is to have quiet hours for students who need it.

“The noise amplifies at night, and so we wanted to make sure there’s a balance of both experiences outside and quiet time for students who want to study,” she said.

The sign also outlines a rule around sportsmanship, which Gonzalez acknowledged was vague. The sign reads, “Users are expected to practice good sportsmanship at all times and to be mindful of others who are waiting to use or share the court.”

“It’s enjoying the game and playing the game and being well — and not being violent and not being disrespectful,” Gonzalez said.

Cohan said that in basketball, the tradition of trash talk is seen as a part of the culture surrounding pickup games, particularly in Black communities.

“I think good sportsmanship in the abstract is a great thing,” he said. “But there have been many ways in which the white basketball establishment, in many different contexts, has tried to police that kind of behavior and associate it with criminality and all kinds of other negative stereotypes.”

“I’m not suggesting that this sign is necessarily doing that, but I do think anytime you speak — or write, in this case — with emphasis about sportsmanship in relation to basketball, it draws

to my mind some of those associations.”

Gonzalez said that, even with the publication of the restrictions on recreation facilities, the South 40 is still open to the public.

Unlike the Sumers Recreation Center — where all students have to show their ID to employees at the desk and swipe in, and other community members must purchase guest passes — access to most facilities on the South 40 do not require an ID swipe. This includes the basketball and volleyball courts.

While the University, as a private university, can legally close any and all facilities to the public, Cohan still believes the courts’ accessibility has an impact on the St. Louis community.

“Certainly, WashU is within their rights to [close the courts]. But I don’t think it’s perhaps the wisest move.

And I think given that new emphasis on being a university that is enmeshed in larger St. Louis and [that] cares about the larger St. Louis community, they can take steps to show that a little better,” Cohan said.

According to Gonzalez, at this point in time, there are no plans to open the courts to the public. However, she said her office will continue to monitor the situation and evaluate how access to the courts should be allocated.

“I am thankful for the support of St. Louis and Clayton for opening up basketball courts for community members,” Gonzalez said, “Because the four or six courts at WashU cannot even meet the needs of our own students.”

Washington University’s Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging hosted its fifth annual Crash Course in Aging event in Hillman Hall on Monday, Oct. 16.

The crash course aimed to provide information about how to increase longevity in aging populations. Each speaker was limited to a five-minute speech and 20 powerpoint slides. There were eight speakers in total, and they covered multiple facets related to the topic, including the power of creativity and the versatility of neurons, both of which can play a role in increasing a person’s longevity.

Liz Pollina, the third speaker and an Assistant Professor of Developmental Biology at WashU, explained the ability of neurons to adapt to stimuli overtime, a concept known as neural plasticity.

“My lab identified a new protein complex in neurons that is very important in protecting against DNA damage. [This finding] helps us to answer the question of how we can identify and harness new mechanisms that maintain plasticity with age and then use these mechanisms to rejuvenate the nervous system,” explained Pollina.

Ann Marie Mohr, another speaker and a drama professor at WashU, spoke about her background in improvisational techniques and the benefits of creativity in increasing longevity. She is also the founder of Project Present, an organization

that offers improvisation and training sessions for patients with Alzheimer’s or other dementias and their families.

“I want to stress that improv has tremendous benefits for folks living with Alzheimer’s or dementia because it brings people together to joyfully collaborate,” said Mohr.

The event also highlighted the dangers that ageism poses to society. Natalie Galucia, Manager of Operations for the Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging, spoke about reframing the story that is commonly told about aging.

“Ageism is discrimination against your future and past self,” said Galucia.

The Center for Aging partnered with a variety of local organizations to supplement the information in the crash course. One such organization was the Wisdom Cafe at Delmar DivINe, which features programming for older adults living in or around the West End. It was founded in March of 2023 and has already seen success.

Shaniqua Jones, Volunteer and Community Coordinator for the Wisdom Cafe, said, “We are serving Black and brown people in the West End community that have never been served before. They’re coming together. They are learning and are really having their lives transformed and changed by this program.”

The event concluded by emphasizing the power of joy in increasing a person’s lifespan and overall health.

“Seek joy over happiness; happiness includes an external factor, but joy comes from within,” Galucia said.

ALAN ZHOU | STUDENT LIFE

Washington University’s Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging hosted its fifth annual Crash Course in Aging event in Hillman Hall on Monday, Oct. 16.

THURSDAY, OCT 26, 2023

AVI HOLZMAN | MANAGING NEWS EDITOR | NEWS@STUDLIFE.COM

Prison Education Project holds panel discussion on mass incarceration and public health fellowship at NIH LEWIS RAND STAFF WRITER The Washington University Prison Education Project (PEP) held a panel discussion on the public health crisis posed by mass incarceration in Missouri and the United States on Oct. 16.

PEP was established by the University in 2014 and offers college degrees to inmates in two Missouri Prisons. It graduated its first class in 2019.

The event, which focused on the growing public health crisis in prisons, was part of the Gephardt Institute’s Civic Action Week and featured three panelists: George Putney, PEP Alumni and current student in the Brown School, ML Smith, Founder and Director of the Missouri Justice Coalition and Co-Director of Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty, and Ella Siegrist, a PEP Instructor and PhD student at the University.

In Missouri prisons, access to healthcare is a major issue and, tied with an aging inmate population, death in prison has become a pervasive issue.

“From the first of this year to October 11th, 105

people have died in Missouri [Department of Corrections] (DOC),” Smith said.

During his time as an inmate, Putney saw first hand the disparities in prison healthcare.

“I spent the majority of my time at [Missouri Eastern Correctional Center] (MECC). You had one doctor, you had one psychologist, you had a minimal amount of nurses at any given time,” Putney said.

Siegrist, whose research focuses on reproductive healthcare in prison, added that one of the most fundamental issues facing inmates is access to care and the influence reproductive care received, or the lack thereof, as an inmate can affect people’s lives.

“It really shapes people’s reproductive health trajectory and also their access to social services,” Siegrist said.

She further noted that the privatization of prison healthcare has further reduced access for inmates to expensive and potentially life saving treatments.

“The majority of jails and prisons now have privately provided health care services, which means that someone has an economic incentive…to reduce the

A panel discusses the public health crisis caused by mass incarceration as part of the Gephardt Institute’s Civic Action Week.

number of expensive procedures that are happening,” said Seigrist.

She said that The Prison Litigation Reform Act has created hurdles for inmates seeking legal recourse for complaints, including healthcare related complaints. Before being heard by a court, an inmate must go through an administrative process to confirm the legitimacy of their complaint.

Prison healthcare providers are held to a significantly lower standard than hospitals, and some healthcare professionals find themselves working in prisons as a last professional alternative.

During the Covid-19 Pandemic, the disparities in prison healthcare became

apparent. Missouri was one of thirteen states not to institute a compassionate release program, a program hastening the release of nonviolent offenders and those eligible for medical parole.

Today, according to Smith, over 400 inmates in Missouri Prisons are over 70 years old. As the inmate population ages, diseases such as ulcerative colitis become more prevalent, increasing the need for expensive healthcare.

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St. Louis Fellows Program showcases mutually beneficial civic engagement internship for students and local nonprofits NINA LASER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement’s St. Louis Fellows Program hosted a showcase and reception for the fellows to show off their work on Oct. 18. Students, faculty, and community partners alike had the opportunity to learn about the fellows’ experiences with local nonprofits as a part of Gephardt’s Civic Action Week.

The St. Louis Fellows Program is a 10-week internship in which participants work at St. Louis based nonprofits or civic internships full-time over the summer and attend various other community events.

All 32 fellows, divided into four subcategories — including Dr. John C. Morris Fellows, Goldman Fellows, Mosbacher Fellows, and more — receive professional guidance and mentorship in addition to working with their respective organizations.

The internship is run by Sarah Nash, Gephardt’s Community Engagement Manager.

“The program is really twofold. It’s not just focused

Nobel laureate speaks at statistics and data science seminar ELIZABETH STUMP CONTRIBUTING WRITER

CAMI VYNERIB | STUDENT LIFE

on students, and it’s not just focused on community partners. We really want to build partnerships and a fellowship experience that’s mutually beneficial for students and organizations in the region,” Nash said.

“I think the beauty of the program is that we’re really learning about how organizations across the ecosystem in St. Louis collaborate and work together.”

The fellowship has existed since 2008, and this was the first year Nash decided to add the showcase, which included formal group presentations and individual poster-board presentations.

Over 100 people were in the building for the showcase, including the fellows.

“We have community partners here, both those that hosted this year’s fellows [and] folks who didn’t have a fellow this year but are interested in having fellows in the future,” Nash said. “Then, obviously, our 2023 fellows are part of the audience here in addition to sharing their posters and group presentations, and prospective fellows were invited. So this is really like a kick-off event for recruiting next year’s fellows, which is exciting.”

Mosbacher St. Louis Fellow and WashU sophomore Grace Kahler reflected on her experience as a fellow. “I’m really proud of what everyone has done for the community, working together, because we’re much stronger as a whole,” she said. “I hope attendees learn something new about St. Louis and get interested in hearing more about what Gephardt has to offer.”

Susan Colangelo — a representative from the Saint Louis Story Stitchers, Kahler’s community-partner organization — was in attendance at the showcase.

“It was very nice to see her [interacting] with some of the other fellows,” she said.

Colangelo also expressed her gratitude for Kahler’s contributions to the organization as a whole.

“The skill level that Grace brought to us and the energy that WashU students bring into a nonprofit is huge — it makes a huge difference and makes everyone else energized. We miss her a lot,” she said.

Losos Fellow and WashU sophomore Ariel Nochez explained that it was a weird feeling to be done working with his nonprofit at the end of the summer.

Ved Patel Managing Chief of Copy

Mia Burkholder Cathay Poulsen Chiefs of Copy

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STUDENT LIFE 3

Distinguished University of Chicago economics professor and Nobel Laureate Lars Peter Hansen spoke about “Uncertainty” in economics to 150 seminar attendees at the Charles F. Knight Executive Education & Conference Center on Tuesday, Oct. 17.

Hansen is an expert on “Uncertainty” in economic modeling, which includes how factors like risk, ambiguity, and inherent f laws can affect economic models.

His speech, titled “Risk, Ambiguity, and Misspecification: Decision Theory, Robust Control, and Statistics,” focused on how his theories can be applied to global problems like climate change.

The seminar was hosted

by WashU’s Department of Statistics and Data Science and featured a reception following the hour-long speech. Cosponsors for the event included the Center for Dynamic Economics, the Transdisciplinary Institute in Applied Data Sciences, and the Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government, and Public Policy.

Hansen’s theories are considered innovative and interdisciplinary because they utilize mathematical, statistical, and computational methods in order to better understand risky situations and changing environments.

One application of Hansen’s work is climate change research. Because future effects of climate change cannot be precisely

defined, Hansen said that he can apply his theories to it in an attempt to predict outcomes of emissions, for example.

“There’s a lot of evidence that things like geosciences, CO2 emissions, will have a big impact on the climate in 10 years,” Hansen said while explaining how his work can account for variability in these factors.

Hansen said that although his models can be used to better understand the uncertainty surrounding climate change, there are still many questions that remain unanswered.

Xuming He, the inaugural chair of the Department of Statistics and Data Science, worked to coordinate the event. He believes the event was successful and said the seminar was so well attended that it even needed an overf low room.

“We had to use the main classroom as well as an overf low room to accommodate the audience from across the WashU campuses, which made it clear that we at WashU are embracing the collaborative and crossdisciplinary spirit of data science in the digital age,” said He. WashU’s Department of Statistics and Data Science was established this year and seeks to utilize data to answer big problems facing the global community, a goal that Hansen’s work exemplifies. “[Hansen’s lecture] demonstrated the value of interdisciplinary approaches in addressing big problems of our times,” said He.

VOLUME 145, NO. 8 Via Poolos Clara Richards Editors-in-Chief editor@studlife.com Avi Holzman Managing News Editor news@studlife.com Annabel Shen Managing Scene Editor scene@studlife.com Reilly Brady Managing Forum Editor forum@studlife.com Hussein Amuri Managing Sports Editor sports@studlife.com

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4 STUDENT LIFE

SCENE ANNABEL SHEN | MANAGING SCENE EDITOR | SCENE@STUDLIFE.COM

The College Chef’s Handbook: Birthday cake ELIZABETH GRIEVE STAFF WRITER In my suite, October is the month of birthdays, with two of my suitemates celebrating about a week apart. Between the business of the semester and the fact that it’s always midterm season, there hasn’t been a lot of time to celebrate. By now, I consider myself a well-seasoned dorm chef, particularly when it comes to baking. So, to help round up all of our friends to celebrate my suitemates’ birthdays, I took on another cooking project. I decided to bake an entire birthday cake — completely from scratch — in our dorm kitchen.

Gathering Materials The process for baking this cake actually began about a month ago. For a while, I wanted to bake a cake at school, and birthday month was the perfect excuse. So, in preparation, I had my parents send some decorating supplies from home, most importantly the pastry bags and icing tips. I also dug my cake pan out of my box of cooking supplies, ordered an offset spatula (a

ILLUSTRATIONS BY ANAELDA RAMOS

type of frosting knife), and bought some food coloring.

By the time fall break rolled around, all of these sat in a pile in our common room, ready to be used.

Deciding on a Flavor Before baking, my suitemates and I needed to decide on a flavor and aesthetic for the cake. With fall birthdays, we wanted to pick a flavor that was subtly seasonal, but not overtly fall, like pumpkin. A few years back, earl grey cake was very trendy, and since none of us had tried it before, we decided it would be a good flavor to experiment with.

A heavily flavored cake like this calls for a simple frosting, so we chose vanilla cream cheese. For the decoration, I thought that anything involving fondant required too long of a process, so I suggested a cake with fancy piping details instead. My suitemates chose blue and purple for the frosting colors.

Getting Ingredients As soon as I traveled back from fall break, I made my way to Schnuck’s to pick up the ingredients. I luckily already had staples like flour, sugar, powdered sugar, and vanilla, so I simply purchased butter, eggs, milk, cream cheese, and, of course, a box of earl grey tea. After getting out all of my ingredients, and quickly decorating our common room with a “Happy Birthday” sign, I was ready to

THURSDAY, OCT 26, 2023

Halloween costumes on a budget

ILLUSTRATION BY ANNIE TIAN

UMA SIMHAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

ELIZABETH GRIEVE | STUDENT LIFE

A cake based (loosely) off the New York Times Cooking recipe for earl grey cake.

begin baking.

Baking For the cake, I loosely followed the New York Times Cooking’s recipe for earl grey cake. I doubled the recipe so that I could make a two layer cake. I began by softening two sticks of butter in the microwave and then beating in the sugar and vanilla. Meanwhile, I cut open seven earl grey tea bags and steeped them in a cup of milk I was heating on the stove. I did this to get a higher flavor payoff, as the recipe calls for the tea to be mixed in with the dry ingredients, which may lead to a less pronounced flavor.

After whisking the butter and sugar for several minutes, I added in four eggs, mixing again after each

addition. At this point, the batter was very pale yellow and fluffy in texture.

Next, I measured out the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, and salt. Then, I slowly mixed them into the butter mixture with a wooden spoon. After cooling down the tea and milk, I added that to the batter as well, mixing until they were just combined.

To prepare the cake pan, I coated it in a bit of extra butter and sprinkled it with flour. I also cut out a circle of parchment paper to line the bottom of the pan, just to ensure that the cake would come out cleanly.

With the oven preheated, I poured half of the batter into the prepared pan and baked it for around 30 minutes, repeating this same process for the second half of the batter. Fortunately, both of the layers baked evenly and came out clean. After cooling, I sealed them in airtight bags and put them in the fridge overnight.

Frosting and Decorating

The second day of cake baking is always more intense than the first.

With the cakes done, I set out more butter and some cream cheese to soften.

After reaching room temperature, both were still too stiff to mix by hand, so I microwaved them a bit as well. However, the two were not quite the same temperature, so when I whipped them together, the frosting base became lumpy.

To fix this, I painstakingly heated and chilled the mixture several times, until finally I whisked the lumps out. During this time, I also prepared the cakes for frosting by trimming off the top layer of each cake so that both sides of each layer were flat. To the butter, I added vanilla and powdered sugar to taste, whipping until a smooth frosting resulted. I then used my offset spatula to frost the top of one layer, placing the other layer on top of this. To make the cake more even, I oriented the layers so that both of the sides I had trimmed faced the middle layer of frosting.

Read the rest online:

Dressing up for Halloween can be super fun but can also get a bit pricey.

No matter how much holiday enthusiasm you have, sometimes it’s not worth dropping $100 on Amazon accessories for a night at a frat and some Instagram pictures. So, here are some budget-friendly costumes to help you celebrate without breaking the bank: GROUPS Groups can be tricky; not everyone is interested in dressing up, and coordinating is always tough.

However, there are always costumes to accommodate the whole friend group, whether you’re in a trio or have 10 people!

Low-effort These costumes can be low-effort, last-minute, and budget-friendly because many elements of these costumes are already in your closet!

The elderly: This costume has almost no requirements other than frumpy, vintage, or outdated clothes and the willpower to hobble around all night. The only components that may need to be purchased for this costume are wigs or gray hair wax.

Adam Sandler: If you’re going for both funny and comfy, Adam Sandler is definitely the costume for you. Just don some extralong athletic shorts, an oversized tee, and a baseball cap.

Mean Girls: Odds are, if you have a friend who wears a lot of pink or you wear the color a lot yourself, most of the elements for this costume are easy to find. Now all you need is the attitude to go with it.

Alvin and the Chipmunks or the Chippettes: As long as you follow the color scheme, have a song or two prepared, and buy some animal ears, this is a super laid-back costume.

Teletubbies: The only materials you’d need to buy for this costume are headbands and pipe cleaners to make the Teletubbies’ antennae. Similar to the Alvin and the Chipmunks costume, all you need is follow the color scheme and wear the headbands.

Thing 1 and Thing 2: The only difficulty with this costume is that you and your partner have to be matching (or at least close to matching) to pull off the twin look. After that, just slap on some “No. 1” and “No. 2” paper circles to your chest (and if you’re feeling adventurous, dye your hair blue with hair wax).

Medium-effort/higheffort Pageant contestants: If you want to still look showstopping, but the amount of Corner 17 you’ve purchased lately has been adding up,

this is a super cute Halloween option. All you need is some fun formalwear that you have from a past event and a cheap sash to write a U.S. state on.

Fairies: Similar to being a pageant contestant, you only need to buy one accessory: wings. The rest of the costume is just fun makeup and whimsical accessories.

Cast of Clue: If done well, this is an S-tier group costume. This could get a bit un-budget-friendly, especially since I assume most of us don’t have a maid costume lying around… however, these characters are distinguished mainly by their trademark colors, so you don’t necessarily have to mimic the costumes from the movie as long as you capture the energy of the character. This would also be a great costume to source elements from either the SWAP or a local thrift store.

Scooby Doo gang: This costume can be interesting if you dress more for the character’s color scheme than an exact outfit. This makes it both more affordable (use clothes from your own closet, the SWAP, or a thrift store) and unique.

Disney Princesses: It’s super cute and affordable, especially if you take the “modern princess” twist with this costume.

Kiss, Marry, Kill: This costume may be recognized by those who regularly scroll on Pinterest and is a clever trio idea. It is almost entirely up to interpretation and has no costume requirements other than that people can tell which of the three you are.

INDIVIDUAL Angel/devil: Probably one of the most popular Halloween costumes, being an angel or devil can be as low- or high-effort as you’d like. The only necessary accessories are angel wings and/or devil horns. The rest is up to you.

Carrie: This costume is super similar to the pageant costume, except you also need to look like you’ve been doused in blood.

This can be done through makeup, paint, or buying fake costume blood.

Barbie: This is probably going to be one of the most popular costumes you will see this year and is super easy to do. Because Barbie is such a multifaceted character, you can be any version of her you want to be; you could go the allpink route and be classic Barbie, be a career Barbie, or take a more humorous approach and dress normally with a name tag that says “Normal Barbie.”

American Psycho: This is another one for those chronically on Pinterest, who have probably seen this one since it has become super popular this year.

SEE COSTUMES, PAGE 5

THURSDAY, OCT 26, 2023

COSTUMES continued from page 4

This costume shouldn’t be too difficult for the B-school kids since most of you probably own a suit.

All that’s left to do is buy a fake hatchet, a cheap clear poncho or raincoat, and fake blood/red face paint.

Tooth Fairy: I imagine this costume would be exactly like the group fairy costume but all white and maybe with some teeth motifs. But if you wanted to add an extra — and incredibly horrifying — twist to this costume, please hand out fake candy teeth.

COSTUMES I WANT TO SEE THIS YEAR As an avid Halloweenlover, I am a big fan of all costumes niche, funny, or high-effort. So, although these may not fit into the low-budget, low-effort category, here are some costumes I’d pay to see this year for some extra ideas.

- Maxine from “X” - Pearl from Pearl - Mother Gothel - Wendy Williams - Garden gnome(s) - Walter White - Dr. Facillier from The Princess and the Frog - U.S Presidents/Founding Fathers (bonus points if sexy) - Puss in Boots and the Wolf - Kiki’s Delivery Service - Characters from the Spiderverse - Starfire and Blackfire - Hades and Persephone

STUDENT LIFE 5

ANNABEL SHEN | MANAGING SCENE EDITOR | SCENE@STUDLIFE.COM

WU community joins together for “Solidarity Screening” of Palestinian documentary ALICE GOTTESMAN SENIOR SCENE EDITOR

On Thursday, Oct. 19, in a classroom behind the Kemper Art Museum, lights dimmed and about 30 students, professors, and members of the community watched a screening of “Naila and the Uprising,” a documentary film about Palestinian resistance during the First Intifada in the late 1980s. The showing was organized by “Resist WashU” and was advertised as a “Solidarity Screening,” according to the @resist.washu Instagram page.

The film follows the story of Naila Ayesh and several other female leaders as they organize and resist Israeli occupation through means of nonviolent protest. Weaving together Ayesh’s story with traditional, documentarystyle footage and illustrated animations, the film highlighted the role women took in the First Intifada.

Their efforts ranged from leading local communities in creating their own resources to more official political involvement — culminating in the Madrid Conference of 1991 and the Oslo Accords. “Naila and the Uprising” approaches the events and conflict through a feminist lens.

After the film, viewers came together in conversation about the documentary and reflected on the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas: how it has affected them and WashU as a whole. The event organizers, who requested to

remain anonymous due to safety concerns following online threats, hoped that the screening would serve as a space for people to stand in solidarity with Palestine and create an opportunity for education. Differing from more public protests, the screening offered students a more private space to voice their beliefs and feelings.

“We thought that the documentary screening would be a great way to provide a safe, supportive space for people to come together on campus,” one organizer said.

Another organizer added, “We chose this documentary specifically… to highlight the fact that this occupation has been going on for decades. The violence against Palestinians has been going on for decades.”

Sophomore Samira Saleh, a screening attendee whose family is from Palestine, said that conversations on campus have been challenging. She said that the screening offered her an “escape from everything that’s been going on.”

Saleh added, “On campus there’s been a lot of talk and rhetoric surrounding Palestinians being equated with Hamas and everything they have done,” Saleh said. “Yet, I can’t help but feel frustrated…Something like this happens and gets a plethora of media coverage, yet the years and years of what has happened to us has not received the same attention and the same amount of grief.”

Saleh found watching the movie to be an

emotional experience.

“I feel like it’s very hard to explain where you’re coming from, and this documentary does a really great job of talking about it.

I really love that the documentary follows [the events of the First Intifada resistance] by showing that the oppression and discrimination and the occupation still continue,” she explained.

Saleh hopes that the movie and screening offered students an opportunity to learn about the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. “I think this was a perfect [option], especially for students who don’t know a lot about the issue but want to learn more. I think this was a good way for people to have a safe space without feeling like they have to speak out or show themselves in the public space,” she said.

Saleh expanded on her sentiments about voicing opinions on this matter in public. “I’m very afraid to kind of partake in other things involving this, just because there’s a large proIsrael group on campus that has a lot of space...I feel like there’s not that equal space for students who have that different perspective and want to be heard equally.”

Sophomore Shirine Awad and a fellow sophomore who will remain anonymous (Student Z) debated going to the screening due to safety concerns.

Ultimately they decided to come. “When we walked over here, I was like, ‘I feel more nervous to walk into this, more than I would for a test,’” said Awad. “We decided that there comes

a point where you have to take up space…you should have your voice be heard,” Student Z said.

Awad mentioned that though she hadn’t seen the film before, she looked it up beforehand. “The poster didn’t have the words ‘come watch this Palestinian screening,’” she said, so she did some research to better understand what the “solidarity screening” would be.

“I was really happy with the turnout. It’s good to see that people actually care,” she said.

“My main takeaway, and what I hope people take away, is that there’s always been a Palestinian narrative, and then there’s always been the attempt to erase that narrative,” Z said. She also hopes students will understand the longer context of this conflict.

“I hope that they don’t brush aside what Palestinians have been subjected to for decades, what they’ve been fighting against.

I hope they notice that they’re not fighting against Jewish presence in the area — they’re fighting against oppressive forces that subjected them to dehumanization in their own home,” Z said.

Dr. Angela Miller, a professor at WashU, participated in the screening as a facilitator. “There’s a deep crying need for students on campus to be educated about the history that precedes what has just happened,” Miller said.

She, like many other viewers, reflected on the feminist perspective that the documentary offered.

“There was a moment in

the late 1980s, around the First Intifada, where Palestine had the support of the U.S. government, and in which a predominantly women-led movement pushed the West toward a resolution — an ending of the occupation.

And the fact that it was led by women, I think, is extraordinary. It’s a story that really has been lost,” reflected Miller.

Both Awad and Student Z emphasized the importance of the female perspective that the documentary focused on.

“Women always play an important role in Palestinian nationalism and in general,” said Awad. She and Student Z specifically enjoyed the part of the documentary that explained the ways Palestinian women’s resistance efforts affected the larger economy, as well as a section of the film that highlighted instances of solidarity between Palestinian women and Israeli women. They explained that only when the women united did the government pay attention to them.

“That’s when the government was like, ‘Women are now involved, so we probably should look at what’s happening,’” said Awad.

Though Awad thought that the film could have covered more recent history, she overall felt that the screening was a positive event. Student Z also touched on the recent reactions on campus to the Israel-Hamas war. “I wish there was more acknowledgement for Palestinian history and less one sided condemnation” she said.

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Here's To You, Mrs. Robinson

Crossword by Alex Nickel

ACROSS 1 Half of the duo that sang "The Boxer" and "Bridge Over Troubled Water" 6 Like a baboon or a raccoon, but not a balloon or a sand dune 7 Raising _____ Chicken Fingers 8 Pig sound 9 Other half of the duo from 1 Across

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ACROSS 1 4.0 is a great one 4 Uptight, modest person 6 Like San Solution toFrancisco's terrain last week’s puzzle: 7 Basic skateboarding trick 8 Where you may find a pre-med student

10/26/23

DOWN 1 Bear's Den dining option: Grizzly _____ 2 Words with "fast one" or "muscle" 3 Something members of Mama's Pot Roast, Suspicious of Whistlers, or K.A.R.L. do 4 Vietnamese

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DOWN 1 Cul-de-____ (symbols of suburban sprawl) 2 Glazer of "Broad City" 3 "The Business of Social Impact" or "Data Science in the Humanities" at WashU, for instance 4 Plain to see 5 Tree house?

In Case of Fire, Use Stairs

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“In Case of Fire, Use Stairs” Answer Key Crossword by Alex Nickel

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FORUM

6 STUDENT LIFE

THURSDAY, OCT 26, 2023

REILLY BRADY | MANAGING FORUM EDITOR | FORUM@STUDLIFE.COM

OPINION SUBMISSION

Will WashU protect its Arab and Muslim students? Concerned faculty members condemn Seth Crosby’s racist statements and demand action WASHU ARTS & SCIENCES FACULTY MEMBERS We, as academics and educators at Washington University in St. Louis, have been watching with concern as students around the country and on our campus have been censored and punished for speaking out on the issue of Palestinian human rights. As educators deeply invested in our students’ ability to learn, ask questions, organize, and grapple with structures of power, we stand against all forms of institutional repression that stymie student efforts to organize around and learn about Palestine and related issues. We must protect the value universities offer as spaces for mobilizing against injustice and critiquing ongoing forms of oppression.

We have become painfully aware of one such form of injustice and oppression coming from a member of our community. On Oct. 13, Seth Crosby, Assistant Professor of Genetics at WashU, noted on X that “Israel is not targeting humans” and “I believe that rabid animals should be put down.” These words, along with the University’s

silence over them, fill us with extreme horror.

The failure of the Chancellor and the University to condemn Crosby’s genocidal language, equating Palestinians to animals who deserve to be exterminated, sends a message to our Arab and Muslim students and faculty that their lives do not matter. The contrast between the existence of Crosby’s tweets and the repression of Muslim and Arab voices is terrifying.

We are equally troubled by the University’s failure to provide students with support and protection, resulting in the postponement of the Palestinian vigil for “security concerns,” which is disappointing and will have grave results. It breaches every promise we make as a liberal arts institution. It contradicts the University’s commitment to social justice following the 2014 Ferguson uprising. Students and faculty of color need to feel safe to mourn lost lives; to voice their criticism against war and the demonization of Palestinians; and to stand against the role of our country in fostering violence in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Historically, universities have been an essential space

for students to stand in solidarity with anti-colonial, anti-racist, anti-sexist, and anti-extractivist struggles globally. The doxxing, physical targeting, and online harassment of students at Harvard, NYU, and UPenn stifle the critical learning that universities were made to uphold, while exacting a double standard over which students are worthy of protection. We oppose punitive collaborations between University administrators and off-campus institutions geared towards the repression of student activities, whether these partnerships are with police, businesses, future employers, or individuals invested in harming students.

Taking a stand on Palestine is especially important in a moment when the Israeli state continues its indiscriminate bombing and killing of thousands of civilians, many of them children, and targets homes, hospitals, churches, mosques, orphanages, and universities like our own.

These are war crimes. Over the last few days, Israel has called for Palestinians’ forced removal from northern Gaza, a practice of ethnic cleansing that would result in homelessness, mass displacement,

and the worst humanitarian crisis since 1948. As scholars and as people, we know that true safety for everyone in the region will not come from the wholesale killing of entire communities, but rather, from addressing the historical causes of conflict: a 75-year colonial occupation, displacement, and economic and military imperialism.

Alongside Palestinian human-rights groups and concerned Jewish voices, we mourn the lives of Israelis brutally murdered by Hamas. At the same time, we oppose the weaponization of these same tragic deaths in the service of genocide, we stand against the mourning of some deaths as more tragic and worthy of action than others, and we see the value in looking historically at how we got to our present moment.

Our university must support the voicing of these important connections, ones that often become deliberately caricatured and muddled in the news media.

When we stifle some conversations and not others, we normalize such oversimplifications and dehumanize whole populations. Students’ ability to mobilize on

our campus around issues of racial, gender, economic, indigenous, and environmental justice is a part of this puzzle. Honoring the rich tradition of student organizing and learning on college campuses — including at WashU — means unequivocally supporting the right of students to speak out around issues of global concern — whether in or beyond Palestine — without retribution.

We call on the university administration to: Provide safe spaces and resources to all our community members, including our Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students, faculty, and staff to mourn collectively without being intimidated or threatened.

Make a clear statement condemning Seth Crosby’s genocidal language to assure our campus community that racist language will not be tolerated and does not have a place at WashU. Support a campus-wide and long-term initiative for students and faculty to educate and organize around issues of racial justice and decolonization.

On behalf of concerned faculty across Arts and Sciences, Shefali Chandra, Associate Professor Department of Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies Department of History Asian American Studies Andrea Friedman, Professor Emeritus Departments of History Department of Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies Bret Gustafson, Professor Department of Anthropology Nancy Y. Reynolds, Associate Professor Department of History Department of Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies Marlon M. Bailey, Professor Department of African and African American Studies Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Angela Miller, Professor Department of Art History and Archaeology

Pics or it DID happen: Are we finally recognizing the frivolity of content creation?

AMELIA RADEN JUNIOR FORUM EDITOR

Earlier this year, when asked what it was like to go out before social media, actress turned business mogul Gwyneth Paltrow ref lected on nightlife in the nineties. She responded, “It was great — I mean talk about doing cocaine and not getting caught!

Like, you could just be at a bar and be, like, having fun, dance on a table…You could stumble out of a bar and go home with some rando and no one would know.”

This romanticized (even in Paltrow’s LAspeak) ideal of freedom and rebellion before the modern surveillance of the cell phone is forcing a distinction between creating content and having human experiences.

The notion of “pics or it didn’t happen” is more than just an adage that high

school girls use for their Instagram bios. Around the same time Instagram became a beacon for content-creation, designing businesses, events, and activities with the specific intention of having them go viral became the norm.

Crafting perfectly-curated Pinterest boards for an event wasn’t enough; you had to make sure the event would become Instagramworthy in its own right. It became common knowledge to restaurants, bars, and clubs that the way to bring in guests was to have a photo wall, an incredibly photogenic interior, or some kind of gimmick that was sure to go viral.

As consumers, we used to think that social media content was equivalent to a good time, but recently, those things have started to become mutually exclusive.

While there were many reasons for their decisions

to institute no photo policies, museums were some of the first institutions to recognize that photography inside worsens the customer experience.

Many museums and cultural institutions around the world, like the Sistine Chapel, Monticello, and special exhibits at the

Van Gogh Museum don’t allow photography. We’ve all seen photos from inside the Louvre, which houses the Mona Lisa, where the portrait is f looded not with interested viewers, but with cell phones.

If social media represents inclusivity, the lack of it represents exclusivity.

ILLUSTRATION BY ERICA SHI

Caption this!

Enter this week’s contest

Berghain, one of the most famous clubs in the world located in Berlin, recently gained lots of traction on TikTok for its incredibly strict door policy, but it has been suggested that what really gives Berghain its hyper-cool image is its strict no photo policy. It’s not just inside the club that photos are frowned upon.

Bouncers are notorious for turning guests away at the door if they were even on their phones in the line.

When you choose who to admit based on “vibes,” having a phone glued to your hand is a surefire way to lose cool points. Fabric, a popular EDM club in London, has the same rule.

One of the reasons that photo-free experiences are becoming more coveted is the lack of constant surveillance that they foster.

Cancel culture has solidified the notion that a photo can ruin your life, and the chances of having

an eyewitness to any kind of bad behavior have skyrocketed as photos are shared constantly across platforms. There is no need for an Orwellian Big Brother when we are governing ourselves through the media we create and consume. Having photo documentation of your entire life is terrifying, at least to me, and most of those images will never go away. This is especially true for celebrities, inf luencers, and other media personalities, especially those who became famous at an early age.

Read the rest online:

10/26 WINNERS First place StudLife picking the cartoon caption of the week …

Caleb Martonfi, Current WashU Student

Scan the QR code to enter your submission by 11:59 pm on Monday.

Second place US News and World Report announces the new pumpkin rankings!

Susan Warner, Mom of Current WashU Student Third place UWash vs WashU Neil Chavan, Current WashU Student

ILLUSTRATION BY SOPHIE LEONG

ILLUSTRATION BY JAIME HEBEL

THURSDAY, OCT 26, 2023

SPORTS HUSSEIN AMURI | MANAGING SPORTS EDITOR | SPORTS@STUDLIFE.COM

STUDENT LIFE 7

Swim sweeps Saint Louis University in season opener LEWIS RAND STAFF WRITER In front of a packed crowd, the Washington University men’s and women’s swim teams opened their season against Division I Saint Louis University Billikens on Oct. 20. The men — who placed seventh last year at the NCAA Championship — beat the Billikens with a scoreline of 128.50-105.50 and the women beat the Billikens 129.50113.50. Following this victory, both teams moved to 1-0 on the season.

According to Head Coach Bradley Shively, the team spent this offseason “focusing on competing at the highest level but also taking advantage of the resources available to students at WashU to help our team to support athletic, academic and personal growth.”

The Bears’ work during the offseason was in full display during the meet. The men and women both clinched decisive victories in the 200 medley relay, the first event of the meet.

Soon after, sophomore Rin Iimi made a late surge to the wall, coming out victorious in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:11.00. Iimi

also tied for first place with Billikens swimmer Elena Escalante in the 100 freestyle, going a time of 54.20.

“I am typically a back half swimmer. Typically, I don’t go out super fast,” Iimi said.

“I also tend to have a stronger freestyle than most of my other strokes.”

Another sophomore, Ethan Feng, snagged two first place finishes for the Bears in the 200 freestyle and 100 freestyle, with times of 1:42.82 and 47.91 respectively. Feng led the way for the entirety of the 200 freestyle, but in the 100 freestyle needed an impressive second 50 to take the victory.

Feng noted that the 200 freestyle has been a strong event for the Bears over the years.

“Last year we lost one of our seniors, Mason Kelber, and he was a major contributor. His best event was probably the 200 free, so for me swimming the 200 free in his place is honoring him and his work ethic,” Feng said.

Throughout the meet, the Bears showed their power and strength, coming back in the later stages of races to secure top three finishes. In the final length of the 1000 freestyle, junior Orluke Borjigin made a final push to squeeze into

second place with a time of 9:53.94, only four seconds off his best time in the event.

Similarly, in the 500 freestyle, freshman Marco Minai was able to hold on for second place, while junior Ryan Hillery was able to comfortably cruise to a first place finish for the Bears.

For the women’s team, the impressive freshman class put on a dominant showing in multiple events. Peyton Watson, Elizabeth Chen, Hannah Lee, and Rachel Bello found success in their college debuts, with Watson coming away victorious in the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly, Chen in the 100 backstroke, Lee in the 100 breastroke, and Bello in the 200 freestyle.

These victories by freshmen confirm Shively’s hopes with this year’s recruit class, who he believes will further strengthen the Bears Squad. “They are very strong students and athletes and we’ve been really impressed with their work ethic and sense of camaraderie,” Shively said.

Along with Shively, Iimi is optimistic about what this year’s recruit class will bring to the team in their quest for the UAA and NCAA Championships.

BRI NITSBERG | STUDENT LIFE

The Washington University Bears showed out at their first meet, sweeping Saint Louis University on Oct. 20.

“I think this year we have environment for both swim- Iimi said. “I don’t think I’ve the potential to bring every mers and fans. The energy at ever seen a swim meet so relay and have more girls the Millstone Pool was pal- crowded.” swimming individual events pable as the Bears began their The Bears hope to keep and have a really good turnout season. the momentum going as they there,” Iimi said.

From the first race all the travel to Chicago to faceWith 12 returning All- way through to the end, the off against the University America swimmers and a Bears fans showed out and of Chicago on Oct. 28, and strong recruit class, Shively cheered on the Bears, in part compete in the DIII Shootout hoped the team would use this through WashU SAAC’s on Nov. 3 and 4. “They’re meet to perform well and they Bears Supporting Bears really fast and I just want did just that.

Program and the First-Year to beat them,” Feng said of The pressure and excite- Student Night at Athletics. UChicago. “I just want to beat ment of the season opener “I thought it was great to see them really bad, no other way made for an exciting the volleyball team out there,” to put it.”

Football overpowered by defending national champion #1 North Central in 49-3 defeat

BRI NITSBERG | STUDENT LIFE

The Bears push up the field against North Park in an early season team win.

MATT EISNER STAFF WRITER Before this week’s college football action, ESPN writer Bill Connelly compiled a composite ranking of all 665 college football programs. Connelly rated the Washington University Bears as the 332nd-best program in the country, good for 15th in Division 3 and even ranked higher than three Division 1 programs.

All things considered, within the landscape of Division 3 football, it’s clear that Bears football is among the top programs in the nation. Unfortunately for WashU; they compete in the highly competitive College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW), largely considered the pinnacle of Division 3 football. What makes it even more challenging is that they share this conference with their arch-nemesis, North Central College, who have been a persistent thorn in the Bears’ side throughout their program’s history.

North Central, boasting a remarkable ranking

of 222nd according to Connelly, stands as the undisputed best in Division III. WashU’s frustrations reached their peak in their recent encounter with North Central, resulting in a lopsided 49-3 defeat – marking the Bears’ sixth consecutive loss to their rivals. What’s even more disheartening for WashU is that they haven’t managed to score a single touchdown against North Central since 2021.

Despite the lopsided scoreboard, it would be unfair to call this loss an abject failure on WashU’s behalf. Last year’s result was a disappointing shutout in front of a packed Francis Field, a game in which they looked outmatched in every facet of the game by the Cardinals.

This year, WashU recorded nearly as many first downs as North Central, and WashU had eleven more minutes of possession than the Cardinals. North Central simply took advantage of every opportunity when they did have the ball. The Cardinals averaged over

10 yards per play, did not punt on any of their drives, and found the end zone on all seven of their drives throughout the entire game.

The biggest differencemaker for either team was run defense. North Central found their way through holes in the Bears’ defense for a staggering 351 yards on the ground on 34 attempts. The Cardinals stopped the Bears’ rush with ease, holding WashU to just 29 rushing yards on 35 attempts. While North Central had more difficulty stopping quarterback Matt Rush, who completed 13 passes of 20 tries, the Bears’ quarterback was sacked at five crucial moments. Junior Clark Stephens was successful in relief, passing for 55 yards and to an 80% completion rate. WashU’s sole scoring drive of the afternoon took up ten minutes of the second quarter, with the Bears marching down the field and slowly gaining yardage through short passes and runs. Graduate kicker Chris Vartanian sank a 35-yard field goal to put the

Bears on the board, trimming the North Central lead to 14-3 towards the end of the half. Yet after a North Central score with just a minute to spare in the quarter, the Bears had no answer for North Central’s dominance on either side of the ball.

With the loss, WashU moves to 5-2 on the year, a mark which all but eliminates them from the Division 3 playoffs – the nationwide March Madness-esque tournament which North Central won last season. A strong performance against remaining CCIW opponents Elmhurst University, Wheaton College, and Carroll University could see the Bears sneak into the CCIW’s Isthmus Bowl, though they would need to leapfrog Augustana College, who they recently lost to, in the conference standings to have a shot at the bowl game.

WashU will face Elmhurst on Saturday at Francis Olympic Field, a must-win game for WashU against the struggling Blue Jays.

WOMEN’S SOCCER from page 1 “I think my defense has been very good at making shots predictable, so honestly, the stage shouldn’t only be presented to me,” she said.

“Shutouts are a result of the team defense, starting at the forwards and ending at me.

We all just want to do our jobs and play good team defense.

So the clean sheets are just a result of that mindset.”

Conner wasn’t the only goalkeeper making big plays. Carnegie Mellon goalkeeper, Abby O’Connor, made two crucial saves, including an impressive one to stop a chance by WashU senior Anna Viscovich in the 57th minute. Carnegie Mellon’s stout defense, led by O’Connor, has allowed just six goals all season.

The play by both goalkeepers was enough to keep the potent attacks at bay.

Though both teams average over three goals per game, the scoreline ended 0-0, preserving the undefeated records of both sides. The result also prevented Carnegie Mellon from narrowing the gap behind WashU in the UAA standings.

After the WashU offense was held scoreless in their first game of the weekend, they got out of the gate quickly on Sunday. Twelve minutes into the game, first-year Sophie Viscovich launched a strike from 30 yards out that slipped by the goalkeeper and into the bottom right corner.

Right before the halftime break, fellow first-year Madison Foley doubled the lead.

In the 43rd minute, she controlled a cross from midfielder Tyler Wilson near the top of the box. After moving the ball to her left foot and beating a defender, she curled a shot into the top left corner for the second goal of her career.

The Bears cruised the rest of the way. Though the Spartans tried to mount a comeback, they were constantly stifled by the Bears.

WashU controlled most of the possession throughout the game and outshot Case Western 16-2, with the Spartans’ only shots coming on free kicks. Conner was forced to

make her only save of the game on a free kick from the edge of the box in the 84th minute, and the defense in front of her took care of business for the rest. Led by graduate student Ally Hackett, who played the entire 90 minute match for the fifth time this season, the back three was once again a formidable force.

With the win, the Bears have now earned 13 points (4-0-1) in UAA play, five points clear of Case Western for first place. With just two conference games remaining for each team, the Bears have a chance to clinch the championship, and a berth in the NCAA Division III playoffs, Sunday against No. 10 Rochester.

After the crucial conference matchups, WashU finished their roadtrip Wednesday night at Greenville University. The Bears opened the scoring in the 17th minute when junior Nicole Schmidt scored her first goal of the season. Two minutes later, graduate student Madeline Allburn doubled the lead, before junior Sara Gianotti finished the scoring in the 35th minute. With the 3-0 victory, the Bears extended their clean sheet streak to 15 games, and Conner logged her 32nd career shutout, setting a new program record.

With the team cruising through the conference, it is also nearing time to talk about the Bears’ national aspirations. After falling in the Elite Eight of last season’s tournament, the Bears will have a chance to make an even deeper run this year.

This weekend, they proved that they can go toe to toe with the best of the best. Carnegie Mellon, which was ranked No. 1 in the nation from Sept. 26 to Oct. 10, and Case Western, who made it to the national championship game last season, are far from easy opponents. With two more impressive performances against national powerhouses, the Bears showed why they are deserving of the top spot in both their conference and the country.

8 STUDENT LIFE

HUSSEIN AMURI | MANAGING SPORTS EDITOR | SPORTS@STUDLIFE.COM

THURSDAY, OCT 26, 2023

Men’s soccer earns first conference wins of the season ELAHEH KHAZI STAFF WRITER “[I am really] happy for the players [for winning the past two games]. It is difficult to stay confident knowing you have been the better team in many areas [of] each game but not performing in the key moments that decide the game,” said men’s soccer head coach, Joseph Clarke, after his team logged two crucial wins on the road.

As Clarke mentioned, the WashU men’s soccer team has had a rocky, unprecedented start to the UAA conference this season. This past weekend, however, WashU reversed their losing streak, winning both games against UAA rivals by a decisive margin.

The Bears fought their way to be victorious in both away games against Carnegie Mellon University on Friday, October 20. They then went on to beat Case Western Reserve University this Sunday to collect their first win against the Spartans since 2021. Wednesday night, they topped Greenville 3-0, bringing the win streak to three With these wins, the team’s record has jumped above .500, with an overall 7-6-1 record and a 2-3-1 record for the UAA conference. “[We aim] to continue to improve and strive toward being a complete team no matter the opponent [for the rest of the season and the upcoming games for the UAA conference],” Coach Clarke said.

On Friday, WashU started the weekend by achieving a much-needed victory against the Carnegie Mellon University Tartans (7-4-3) in their fourth game of the UAA season. Though the game was not on home turf, the WashU Bears fought hard for their first win of the UAA season, breaking their losing streak.

Right from the game’s opening minute, the Bears’ dominance shone through as they played with unwavering zeal and confidence, undeterred by the challenging rainy and windy conditions.

Throughout the match, the Bears outshot the Tartans by a commanding 13-7. The first half, however, remained uneventful between the Bears and Tartans as neither team

LYDIA NICHOLSON | STUDENT LIFE

Owen Culver charges away from the goal in an early season matchup. Culver leads the team in scoring and tallied 5 goals in the Bears’ three games this week.

was able to score. After the first half of the game ended, WashU had secured five ongoal shots. In contrast, the Tartans had not achieved any due to the Bears’ magnificent backline defensive display.

After the whistle sounded to mark the beginning of the match’s second half, WashU almost scored in the 62nd minute as senior John Daniels attempted a close shot that went slightly to the right of the goal. Nevertheless, in the 75th minute, senior Owen Culver’s free kick attempt went in, and the match’s first goal was scored. Four minutes later, Culver achieved yet another impressive goal on a long shot. The Bears ended the game strong as junior Eugene Heger assisted junior Joseph Hipskind for WashU’s third goal of the game in the last minute, finalizing the score of 3-0.

“After a big win like this, it’s important to keep momentum going as we push into the last couple of games in the conference [and the season] and build on these results,” Culver relayed.

On Sunday, WashU looked to build on their impressive win when they battled Case Western Reserve University

(7-3-3) in their fifth UAA game.

During the first half of the match, the Spartans showcased a formidable offensive prowess, consistently outshooting the Bears. However, thanks to the remarkable performance of freshman goalie Cal L’Hommedieu, the Bears were able to maintain a level score. L’Hommedieu’s stellar performance earned him his inaugural collegiate full-game shutout.

Complementing this strong defensive effort, the Bears also intensified their offensive play. Senior Owen Culver was instrumental in initiating three of WashU’s shots, while graduate student Christopher Alwang contributed the remaining shot for WashU. In the 34th minute of the game, Culver delivered a shot on goal to the top right corner of the goal, beating the goalie to give the Bears a 1-0 lead.

After halftime came to an end, the second half was controlled by the Spartans’ effort to score a goal. However, due to L’Hommedieu and the Bears’ defensive front, WashU managed to retain their 1-0 scoreline for the victory.

“It was a great weekend.

We always knew that we

could play with any team in the country, and it was only a matter of time until some of these performances turned into results. I’m proud of how resilient we’ve been and the mentality we had coming into this weekend,” Culver said.

After the weekend roadrip, the Bears returned to Francis Olympic Field when they hosted Greenville Wednesday night. Culver scored two more goals, delivering a 2-0 victory over their non conference visitors. Culver has now scored five goals in the team’s last three games, and is the team’s leading scorer with seven on the season. With the victory, the Bears have now won three games in a row for the first time all season, and have recorded shutouts in all three.

With the two wins in the conference, the Bears jumped from last place in the UAA to fourth place. Though the conference title has already been clinched by Emory, the Bears will look to continue to rise up the UAA ranks in hopes of earning a spot in the NCAA tournament at the end of the season. They will continue their UAA campaign on Sunday, October 29 against the University of Rochester.

LYDIA NICHOLSON | STUDENT LIFE

Junior Landon Green takes a header in an early season matchup against Brandeis University.

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