VOLUME 145, NO. 21
The independent newspaper of Washington University in St. Louis since 1878
IN MEMORY MFA students choreograph dynamic show (Scene, pg 3)
THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 2024
“IT WAS REALLY SPECIAL” Swim and dive excels at NCAA Division III Championships (Sports, pg 7)
WWW.STUDLIFE.COM
BOTANY 101
Learn more about the trees and flowers blooming on campus (Scene, pg 4)
Washington University announced that it would purchase Fontbonne University’s campus, March 11.
Fontbonne University announced in an online statement that it would not be admitting a new freshman class in the fall of 2024. Nancy Blattner, Fontbonne’s president, wrote that Fontbonne was unable to continue operations due to financial strain and a decreasing student population.
Board of Trustees voted to cease operations effective summer 2025.
“After many years of declining enrollments and a shrinking endowment, the financial position of the university is no longer able to be sustained for the long term,” Blattner wrote. “The university’s
The private Catholic university has shown signs of stress in the past few years. At the beginning of the 2023-24 academic year, Fontbonne introduced a new sprint football program in an effort to boost enrollment. After the first season, however, half the team had dropped out. The St. Louis Post Dispatch reported
that the school has experienced a 60% drop in enrollment in the past decade.
The University wrote in its own online statement that it will buy Fontbonne’s 16-acre campus and lease it back to them “for a nominal amount as they wind down operations.” In a March 5 interview with Student Life, University Chancellor Andrew Martin answered “no”
A petition to recall sophomore Sonal Churiwal as the current Student Union (SU) Speaker of the Senate due to allegations of improper conduct, was uploaded onto Washington University’s Group Organizer (WUGO) website, March 26.
The petition asks that Churiwal be removed “for the sake of unity, justice, and tolerance” due to alleged abuse of power, violation of neutrality rules, threats to expel senators, and generally creating a “culture of fear.” The petition does not have an author’s name attached to it.
Per the SU Constitution, any constituent may petition for a recall. If at least 5% of the undergraduate student body signs the petition, it would then be put to a vote in which the proposed recall must pass by a majority vote by students.
Churiwal told Student Life that she believes the petition is clearly a political retaliation for the public stances she has taken.
“I’m confident this is a direct reaction to the meeting that happened last week, the passing of the [resolution to] divest from Boeing and me taking an openly pro-Palestine stance,” Churiwal said.
On March 19, Churiwal
led a Senate meeting where representatives voted to pass a resolution, which she co-sponsored, calling on the University to divest from Boeing. During the meeting, Churiwal also gave a speech in support of it during the discussion portion of the meeting.
In addition to general criticisms of her behavior, the petition cites three different SU rules Churiwal has allegedly broken.
Per Article II Section III of the SU Statutes, the body follows Robert’s Rules of Order, a set of rules governing parliamentary procedure. The petition alleges that Churiwal broke two rules in the Rules of Order and one in the SU Constitution.
Both of the Rules of Order she allegedly broke focus on whether the presiding officer, in this case the Speaker of the Senate, should offer their opinion on the topic of the meetings they run.
The first section states that unless the presiding officer is in a committee or small board, they do not “enter into discussion of the merits of pending questions.”
The second section states that president officers have the same rights to debate as any other students but that the impartiality required of their role means that they are not meant to exercise those rights while presiding.
An earlier part of the petition stated that Churiwal
“threaten[ed] to unilaterally expel Senators if they failed to fill out a specific form, despite the fact that (with only one exception) it is unconstitutional for the Speaker to unilaterally expel someone from the Senate.” The exception referenced is written at the bottom of the petition, where a section of the Constitution states that the Speaker may “have the power to remove a Senator from office after two unexcused absences.”
Churiwal told Student Life that she believes this is referencing an incident where Senate did not meet the necessary number of representatives necessary to be present at a joint meeting with the other branches of SU, which led her to send out a reminder to Senators telling them that if they failed to fill out an absence form for a joint session, barring emergencies, they would be removed.
“This email was sent with the advice and consent of members of Senate leadership,” Churiwal said. “It was not unilaterally done, and I did speak to Constitutional Council about it afterwards.”
Other allegations in the petition included statements that Churiwal has inappropriately attacked Senators in public comments made to Student Life, posted the names of how Senators voted on a particular resolution despite the fact that the petition says that was not common practice, and openly stated her
desire that certain groups ought to feel unwelcome on campus.
“I think all students should feel welcome and have a space on WashU’s campus,” Churiwal said. “What I have said and what I will continue to say is that I view my job to advocate for the groups that are the most marginalized on campus.”
Churiwal said that the petition is a misrepresentation of her role and her actions as Speaker.
“A majority of the things cited in the petition are topics that have already been addressed within Senate and therefore I don’t particularly see a need to go through the whole recall process to address those issues,” Churiwal said.
Churiwal said that on her Senate name placard she chose to write the phrase: “to advocate is to love all and to love loudly, free Palestine and fire perpetrators.”
“I wrote this on my placard because, to advocate for everyone and to advocate loudly and not hide my beliefs is something I believe is a core tenet of advocacy work and leadership,” she said. “I stand by all of my statements and if the consequences of that are that I am recalled from Student Union — I already lost my election for executive vice president which I do also believe was in large part influenced by my pro-Palestine stance — I have absolutely no regrets for that.”
to a question about whether the University had any plans to buy Fontbonne’s campus.
Julie Flory, Vice Chancellor for Marketing and Communications, said that at the time of the interview, the deal was not in place.
In its statement, the University wrote that it did not have “any definite plans at this time for our potential use of the property.”
AVI HOLZMAN MANAGING NEWS EDITOR
During the annual Senior Toast, Chancellor Martin announced that Jennifer Coolidge will speak at the 2024 commencement ceremony, March 27.
Coolidge, who recently won an Emmy for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Tanya McQuoid in White Lotus, will deliver her speech on Francis Olympic Field. She also gained recognition for her roles in “American Pie” and “Legally Blonde.”
The ceremony will be full in-person and include speeches from Coolidge, Martin, and senior Alejandro Ramirez.
The University also released a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, set to spoof White Lotus theme music, that included a message from Coolidge.
“I cannot wait to see all of your beautiful faces,” Coolidge said. She also expressed her excitement about coming to deliver the speech. “If you don’t know who I am, that’s too bad because I am coming to your campus on May 13 to give the commencement speech for the Class of 2024.”
Washington University juniors Logan Flori, Isaac Seiler, and Amelia Letson have been named finalists for the prestigious Truman Scholarship for public service, which provides up to $30,000 to put towards graduate or professional programs.
The students each earned one of the University’s five nominations and were then considered among over 800 nationwide applicants before being named three of the 193 finalists. The application process asked them to envision their futures and create a policy proposal to solve a problem they are passionate about.
As finalists, the three were flown out to different cities to meet other finalists and be interviewed.
Flori, whose application focuses on jail incarceration and pretrial detention, said her experience working with St. Louis law firm Arch City Defenders in the civil litigation department opened her eyes to the injustices occurring in the incarceration system.
“My first day, I sat down, and they were like, ‘Can you review this video footage?’ and I was just watching tons of inmates getting beat. I went home and cried that day,” Flori said. “I just started to develop a passion for the general goal of seeing
incarcerated people as people rather than the dehumanized labels of ‘criminal,’ ‘inmate,’ ‘offender,’ that they are usually labeled with — especially pretrial detainees who are not necessarily even guilty of the crime they’ve committed yet.”
Seiler, who spent two years at Calvin University before transferring, centered his application around tax enforcement for religious non-profit organizations.
Seiler decided to leave Calvin after a professor was fired for officiating a same-sex wedding and took a gap year to oversee digital operations for a congressional campaign, eventually becoming the youngest person to serve as Director of Communications for a campaign on Capital Hill.
Seiler said his experience at his former school, which was a religious 501(c)3 organization, shaped his policy proposal.
“When the University began to participate in discriminatory activity, like firing faculty for supporting LGBTQ+ students, I began to think about the role that religious nonprofits play in the U.S.,” Seiler said.
He said that currently, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) only conducts a handful of inquiries into the 1.4 million religious 501(c)3s in the country.
“That needs to change,” Seiler said. “My policy proposal is, I believe, the first
step in the right direction; it closes enforcement loopholes for organizations already breaking U.S. tax law.”
For her application, Letson proposed a new inclusive trauma-informed sex education program for Missouri public schools, aligning with her broader interest in reproductive rights. As co-president of WashU’s Planned Parenthood Generation Action and an intern at Abortion Action in Missouri, Letson said her public service work centers around communities she is a part of.
“The most important thing for me was to get off of campus and really work with the St. Louis Community. Working at [Abortion Action] really made me feel like I was a part of St. Louis and that I was living in St. Louis, not just living at WashU,” Letson said. “A lot of people are like, ‘Oh, I’m in St. Louis for four years,’ but I was like, ‘I’m living in St. Louis right now.’”
For Flori, Seiler, and Letson, a phrase that has become very familiar in the past six months is, as Assistant Dean of Advising, Brooke Taylor, says, “the prize is in the process.” Taylor, who provides guidance to students interested in applying for external scholarships, said she focused on this message when working with the students to ensure that they understand the personal
merit of undergoing an application process such as this one.
All three finalists have come to realize the truth in this quote, as Flori said the application jump-started the process of creating a plan for her life after college.
“They kind of pose it as a thought experiment; they make you pick a grad school that you want to go to; they make you pick exactly what you’re going to do after that grad school; they make you say what your dream job is,” Flori said. “They recognize that even if that doesn’t play out, it’s really valuable to see how candidates think.”
Taylor said completing this exercise well before graduation gives students the opportunity to take things they have dreamed about and break them down, step-by-step.
“The Truman asks you to not just imagine it but to really follow the path of, ‘If this is my ultimate goal, what are the concrete steps
I would have to do to get there,’” Taylor said. “Doing that in your junior year, whether or not they ended up becoming a finalist, empowers them.”
This process helped Letson see what elements of a future in public policy are most important to her.
“I knew I was really passionate about reproductive rights, but it helped me think a little bit more clearly about what that might look like for me in the future in terms of pursuing a career in public policy,” Letson said. “Something that’s been so influential to me in my time at WashU is the connection with my community and working with grassroots organizations.
Seiler said being a finalist is merely an “added side benefit,” and that the true merit has been the journey.
“Through this process, I’ve learned how to talk about myself more. I’ve learned how to talk about
what I’m interested in. At this point, obviously winning the scholarship would be pretty awesome, but I feel like I’ve gained so much from the process already,” Seiler said. To Taylor, the finalists exemplify intelligence, drive, and leadership — all traits she believes will bring them success in the future, regardless of whether they are selected or not.
“They are all really positioned to make great changes. That is part of what makes it so inspiring,” Taylor said. “Sometimes the political landscape can feel sort of bleak, but working with students like this gives me hope for what could change as the next generation comes into their own.”
The Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation will announce 55-65 winners on April 19.
otherwise, with Boeing and to reallocate those resources to first-generation and lowincome students through a more transparent endowment.
In a meeting attended by nearly 200 total students, Student Union (SU) Senate passed a resolution 15 to 5 with one abstention, via an unprecedented anonymous vote, calling on Washington University to divest from and cut professional ties with Boeing, March 19.
During the community input section of the meeting, 44 students and two professors spoke, with 32 were in favor of the resolution, while 14 were opposed to it, with many saying they thought it was antisemitic.
The resolution calls for the University to remove all affiliations, financial or
The resolution was sponsored by Senators and sophomores Natalia LeonDiaz and Sonal Churiwal, first-years Emaan Sayied and Saara Engineer, as well as Vice President of Engagement, junior Andrew de las Alas.
Diaz, Churiwal, and de las Alas read the resolution at the beginning of the meeting and said that the University was being hypocritical by stating that they follow ethical funding practices but continuing to provide money to Boeing.
Due to the 70-person capacity of the room, not all students who wanted to attend were able to at the same time.
Members of the Washington University Police Department (WUPD) and Rob Wild,
Dean of Students, helped Senate leadership rotate students from the room to the hallway outside periodically to ensure those waiting were able to speak. Towards the beginning of the open forum, students in the hallway began to chant “Free, free Palestine” and “Divest from Boeing.” Students also held signs that read “Boeing Kills” and “Free Palestine” to the glass next to the doors of the room. One of the speeches had to be paused due to the noise in the hallway, and Wild went outside to ask the students to quiet down.
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Over the past two years, three Master of Fine Art (MFA) in Dance students poured their hearts and souls into choreographing and bringing their artistic visions to life. Finally, on March 22 and 23, their dedication culminated in a mesmerizing performance at Edison Theater for the seventh annual MFA Student Dance Concert. This event marked the finality of projects by Emily Duggins Ehling, Caroline Gonsalves Bertho, and Amarnath Ghosh — who each not only choreographed a 30 minute performance, but also handbuilt their stage props, designed their costumes, and picked their music.
On Feb. 27, Ghosh tragically passed away just two months shy of completing his MFA degree at Washington University. However, before his untimely departure, Ghosh had meticulously crafted a short film as his final piece for the MFA program.
In a touching tribute to Ghosh’s memory, Ehling and Bertho chose to dedicate the entire show to him. Reflecting on this decision, Artistic Director Elinor Harrison said, “We consider ourselves fortunate to have a tangible piece from his project that we can showcase in his honor.”
Starting the show was Ehling’s piece “Ark.” With the first song having a slow and eerie feeling to it, the dancers, who were gathered in one corner of the stage, began to move in wave-like motions. Delicate and careful, they slid across the stage, flipped over their backs, and danced in rather irregular movements. As the piece progressed, sounds of wind chimes tinkled into the music, and insertions of child-like laughs and voices filled the stage. Following the new music, the dancers moved at a faster pace and became more synchronized with each other. The dancers seemed to be searching for something as they continuously grabbed towards the floor, which illuminated like gold under the stage lights.
At the end, the music transitioned into a melancholy yet hopeful tone. With the sounds of crashing waves consuming the theater, it seemed like the dancers and the ocean finally found peace and harmony.
When asked where Ehling drew inspiration for this project, she said, “I keep a poetry collection and tend to find relevant poems at the beginning of any new choreographic process. I am interested in Amanda Gorman as a young poet whose work is broadly known by a contemporary audience. After receiving two copies of ‘Call Us What We Carry’”
for Christmas in 2022, I was compelled to use the poetry for an important project such as this one.”
For the second part of the program, Bertho created “Swipe,” a piece focused on the digital world and how we as humans interact and are driven by technology. The dancers stormed onto the stage in strong, bold movements as a sharp, technological beat followed them. As the performance continued, an enormous installation in the shape of a sphere-like web emerged from the background. Dancers flew in and out of it — at first unaware of those outside of the sphere and then later copying those outside. The ensemble moved chaotically, shaking and twisting around frantically within the metal framework. The stark contrast between unfiltered choreography against sharp consistent lines created a duality that almost mimicked the nature of social media — what is behind and in front of the screen.
“We are all here to support the vision of the artist and to bring their final product to fruition with all of the full artistic elements that they desire — even if that includes a 10 feet tall web installation,” Harrison said.
Starting off with summer, the camera led us straight into India. The film’s accentuation of warm and red undertones alongside Ghosh’s sharp and quick motions accurately depicted the burning and dry summer heat. With the transition into monsoon, the audience quickly cooled off as the scene was welcomed by the pitter-patter of rain and the notes of blue scattered around.
As the film progresses into autumn, a sense of
Last, but certainly not least, was Ghosh’s performance, “Seasons.” Ghosh’s film was inspired by the Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore who delved into the exploration of the six seasons in a cyclical manner: summer, monsoon, autumn, pre-winter, winter, and spring.
Preparing
Missouri this past weekend to launch their student-created rocket, WashUWocket.
Starting over the summer, the team has been designing, building, and
predictions made by the team.
“We try to match it while also following a large range of engineering requirements for safety and design. We also have a secondary goal, which is the payload challenge. This year’s is a design challenge where we deploy a payload in flight when given a signal by the NASA people in Huntsville, Alabama, and have it land safely without a parachute,” Chief Marketing Officer and third-year dual degree student Mikayla Jenkins said.
Waking up at 7:30 a.m. on March 23, I left St. Louis and drove to Elsberry to view the test launch in person. After arriving at the location, I was greeted by the leaders of the nearly
60-person team. The team included multiple subteams, such as avionics, recovery, and payload teams.
“People are designing the rocket using CAD, computer-aided design. We’re coming up with ideas for software because we hit the ground running in August, when we give the proposal. The first semester was a lot of finishing the design and making it something that we can really build.
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VOLUME 145, NO. 21
change permeated into the atmosphere. The colors shifted into cooler tones in both clothing and background, and Ghosh’s movements became more deliberate, echoing the gradual transition of nature as it prepared for the colder months ahead.
Moving into pre-winter, Ghosh captured the beauty of community and love as the scene unfolded with older women holding sparklers amidst fireworks, creating a warm and festive atmosphere despite the impending cold months. Ghosh eloquently portrayed the spirit of togetherness and the joy that transcends seasonal shifts.
Winter descended with quiet intensity, and spring emerged with a palpable sense of renewal and rebirth. The colors became vibrant once again, and Ghosh’s movements were imbued with a sense of vitality and energy, mirroring the awakening of nature after the long winter slumber.
Although Ghosh was unable to be physically present, his spirit and passion for dance permeated the theater.
“We were committed to honoring his vision,” Harrison said.
The road through competition season in the world of a cappella has paid its dividends for The Amateurs, one of Washington University’s well known a cappella groups, who placed second at the 2024 ICCA (International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella) Midwestern Semifinals in Harrison, Ohio, on March 16. This marks the best performance both The Amateurs and WashU a cappella groups have performed in competition in eight years, a major mark for the University.
When speaking about the group’s journey throughout the 2023–2024 season, senior and group coordinator Shraya Sandhir described the logistical process behind their competition strategy.
“We usually start off after we accept new members into the group. A couple weeks in, we have our competition discussion, where we kind of decide what our goals for the semester are and whether or not we want to compete. The decision must be a unanimous one among all the team members,” Sandhir said.
“This year we decided to compete in something called the ICCA … that’s like the ‘Pitch Perfect’ competition and there’s several levels. The first is your quarterfinal … This year it was in Kansas City, Missouri, on Feb. 17. The top two groups from quarterfinals move onto the semifinals. So that’s the top ten groups from the whole Midwest.”
When describing the experience at semifinals, senior and soloist Kaitie McGary spoke about the
anxious passion that was felt by the group in the moment.
“Personally, a little anxiety inducing…but, I think our approach going into semifinals was ‘go do it and have fun’, show them the amount of time and effort that we put in, the passion that we put into the set, to make sure that we’re actually enjoying every moment of what we’re doing. Our motto for this was ‘be present in this moment’, ‘be intentional with the work you’re doing and the performance you’re giving.’ And then make sure you’re telling the story we set out to tell.”
Adding onto this, senior and co-music director Aiden Krogh said, “I think it can be really scary to show your set to people for the first time … but it was a really rewarding experience to see that people enjoyed our set, and we had such a good time performing it for everyone.”
The ensuing runner-up victory for The Amateurs at the Ohio semifinals cast a positive light onto the entire a cappella community at WashU, a sentiment and an honor expressed by the team members.
“There’s a big honor associated with the a cappella
community at Washington University. I don’t think this is just an us thing, like we also love the community and we’re a supportive space. It feels good to do well, and it was a really good feeling that something that you put a lot of emotion and hard work and love into was received really well,” explained Sandhir.
Working from within the set, junior and business manager Julia Kirpalani mentioned the role the graduating senior class of The Amateurs played in deciding the vocal direction and showcase of the set.
“This set highlighted our seniors in such a celebratory way that was really special, and I think the way we did so well really has a lot to do with the talent of our senior class. So I think that’s the most special part of it, like how well we’ve done is really because of them.”
Spring has arrived, and with it comes the bloom of Washington University’s trees and flowers! As an intern for WashU’s Arboretum, the body of the 300 species and 6000+ trees on campus, I am constantly learning about the beautiful diversity of our campus’ trees and other plants that exhibit their life cycle processes throughout the year. Learning about plant identification has changed the way I view WashU: I feel the huge fuzzy magnolia buds in the winter between the DUC and Simon Hall, I imagine the corridor of chinkapin oaks that will eventually mature between Graham Chapel and Brookings Quad, and I brag to my friends about the clone of the original Brookings Basswood that I helped plant in a corner of the quad. By teaching about tree identification for our spring blooms, I hope to spread that perspective that has opened my eyes to the vibrant world of plants.
What’s In:
Eastern Redbud — Cercis canadensis
One of the biggest highlights of the early spring in St. Louis is the pink bloom of the Eastern redbuds. These trees may be less well-known than the cherry blossoms and their blooms near Lopata Hall, but they are nothing short of spectacular when they flower. As the Eastern redbud is a member of the pea family, its flowers are edible and make great additions to salads. If you do want to try this, please be mindful of the trees in WashU’s Arboretum and source your flowers off-campus.
To identify: look for pink (or occasionally white) flowers that are irregularly five petalled—the two bottom petals are fused together, the two upper petals stick up like ears or wings, and the central petal has colored stripes on it to guide pollinators to the proper part of the flower. When flowers aren’t available, you can look for the heart-shaped leaves or the dried brown seed pods that may still be persistent on the branches through the past winter.
To find: Eastern redbud trees are scattered across campus and in St. Louis. There are notable trees between Olin Library and Eads Hall, between the South 40 Underpass and the Simon parking lot heading towards the DUC, and there are rows of the white-flowered redbuds along the paths to the East End from main campus.
Flowering Crabapple –Malus spp.
WashU’s campus has multiple different varieties of flowering crabapple on campus. The curling, domeshaped crabapple outside of
Olin Library next to Ginkgo Allee is the most charismatic of these, with many students sitting by or inside the tree on a warm day to relax or create a unique study spot. In the fall, these trees produce their small, namesake crabapples which hang cherry-like from long stems.
To identify: The flowers of the crabapples are similar to others in the rose family but can be distinguished by a couple key characteristics. They have five white petals that are not fused together but wide enough to slightly overlap, numerous long white stamens with yellow pollenbearing anthers at their end, and an ovary that is inferior (below where the flower petals attach) — this can be found as a bulge in the base of the flower.
For the first time in recent history, the Washington University Student Union (SU) Senate cast an anonymous vote (instead of vote by roll call) on a resolution asking the University to divest from Boeing on March 19. The resolution passed 15-5, with one abstention. This staff editorial is a response to SU Senate’s decision to hold an anonymous vote, not a comment on the resolution itself.
SU senators are elected to represent the undergraduate student body on a variety of issues, regardless of how divisive or uncomfortable they may be. The voting records of political officials in the U.S. are public information, to help inform their constituents about their stances when they go to the polls. Anonymity undermines individuals’ abilities, in a democracy, to
make informed decisions about their representatives.
SU’s meetings are open to the public, a fact SU has historically emphasized, including at their most recent meeting. SU is an organization that preaches transparency, yet in one of the most controversial votes in recent memory, they strayed from their core messaging, choosing to conduct an anonymous vote. The motion for anonymity, which passed 17-4, was not without controversy, with some senators and SU advisor, Sarah Edmondson, urging against it. Other senators argued that they did not feel safe having their vote public, due to previous threats made against them.
Threats to any individuals, including those in student government, cannot and should not be tolerated. It is important to
acknowledge that students who have spoken out about what is going on in Israel and Gaza have faced harm from inside and outside of the WashU community.
Regarding student response, the choice to stay anonymous is indicative of a greater student culture. Many people feel uncomfortable or scared about sharing their opinions on such a divisive — and personal, for many — issue, for fear of criticism, backlash, and hate. Without the existence of a respectful dialogue, we understand why SU wanted to vote anonymously on this resolution, especially as they live with their constituents, unlike other political officials. Still, the choice to remain anonymous does not make things better, but instead, reaffirms this harmful rhetoric. By staying anonymous and
creating a precedent for future divisive issues, SU validates, rather than takes a stance against, hateful responses by WashU students.
While SU Senators are students, they made a conscious decision to run for public office, and once sworn in, they chose to take part in that public political body. While student officials should not be threatened, they should also not shy away from tackling important issues, even if they are controversial.
During the SU meeting, many students publicly took the podium to voice their concerns on the resolution during the meeting, aware of potential criticism that may result. Over 50 members of the WashU community, most of whom were students, spoke publicly and on the record. Their names were
recorded and added to the speakers list. The student body should be able to expect the same behavior from their representatives.
Students, like any other constituent body, want to know if their representatives not only share their beliefs, but if they will act on them, especially in tense moments like the vote to divest from Boeing.
However, the impact of this decision spreads far beyond this single resolution. By breaking with precedent SU Senate has opened the door to having future anonymous votes on controversial issues. Anonymous voting could threaten the legitimacy of SU, as students will be unable to determine if their elected representatives truly represent each individual’s beliefs. Students deserve
to know how their representatives vote, just as they deserve to know the voting record of any other elected official. The foundation of democracy is built upon the notion that representatives reflect their constituents. By voting anonymously, SU undermines not only its own legitimacy but also democratic norms at large. Rather than reacting to student backlash by remaining anonymous, SU should vote with their names attached, actively disavowing hatred on campus.
Staff editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of our editorial board members. The editorial board operates independently of our newsroom and includes members of the senior staff.
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Student Union Senate failed WashU’s Jewish community
I write this piece with a feeling of frustration following the passing of the resolution by the Student Union for Washington University to divest from Boeing. Yes: 15; No: 5; Abstain: 1. Disappointed, but not surprised. Only a few minutes in, I could already count 11 of 21 senators clapping at the end of any speech calling Israel a genocidal, apartheid, child-killing war machine. It was quite clear how this vote would go. But those who opposed the resolution stood our ground and continued the discussion for four hours. Why? Because it was important that this all be said out loud.
The University needed to hear our senators repeatedly follow phrases like, “I know people are concerned about this resolution causing a rise in antisemitism on this campus,” and “I know that Jewish students will feel unsafe if this is passed,” with the word “but” to expose their neglect, and in some cases, unequal treatment of Jewish and Zionist students at WashU. The student body needed to witness senators acknowledging that their action would harm Jewish students, accepting this reality, and then going ahead and doing it anyway.
I understand the desire to pressure the Israeli government to take even greater care to avoid civilian casualties, but actions that do not actually accomplish this and only harm the Jewish community at WashU simply aren’t worth doing.
Before this meeting, the 15 “yes” senators had the outlet to say, “I didn’t know this resolution would be harmful to the Jews on our campus. I thought it was just about divesting from Boeing.” But then I stood at the front of the room as a Jewish student, and explained how rallying hundreds of students behind a resolution that disproportionately demonizes the only opportunity for Jewish selfdetermination endangers Jewish students at WashU. Supporting a resolution that aims to strip the only country dedicated to protecting Jews of the ability to defend itself against a government dedicated to Jewish annihilation causes Jewish students to doubt their safety here. If one advocates for my Jewish family in Israel to be defenseless against Hamas, how can I feel safe sitting next to that same person in class the next day? I looked the senators in the eyes, and said, “This is harmful to Jewish students at WashU. We are scared.”
Yes, someone before me said that they don’t think this resolution was driven by antisemitic sentiments. Yes, someone after me doubted that it would increase antisemitism on our campus. But why do these different narratives necessarily invalidate mine? I shouldn’t be told by others that I’m not feeling alienated or targeted for being Jewish if I truly feel that I am.
In an age of increased acknowledgment and understanding of victims of emotional and psychological
abuse, I demand that my Jewish experience be valued equally to any other victim’s experience. It is incredulous to me that someone who is not Jewish would claim that the resolution isn’t antisemitic after over 2,100 WashU-affiliated people (500+ undergrads, 478 parents, 701 alumni, and 430 community members), most of them Jewish, signed a petition saying that it is. If a person of one race made a racist comment to someone of another race, but then denied that the comment was racist, we would surely reject his claim immediately and defer to the victim to define if it was acceptable to say. Why does that attitude suddenly shift when people discuss hatred towards Jews?
One senator was especially sympathetic to this question in admitting that he did not fully understand why this resolution was antisemitic in nature or how it might contribute to people feeling afraid to be openly Jewish at WashU. Nevertheless, he was listening to the hundreds of Jews voicing their fears and refused to ignore those testimonies — so he voted “no.” I’m deeply saddened that the 15 “yes” senators lacked the same moral clarity and sense of social responsibility.
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The barbarity of civility on genocideSAMI TAYEB LECTURER IN AMERICAN CULTURE STUDIES
The State of Israel is on trial at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for the crime of all crimes: genocide. Though, from the US media you would not know it. In January, the ICJ accepted the South African case against Israel, recognizing that Israel is plausibly committing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. While a final determination of genocide by the court may take several years, as a provisional measure, the ICJ ordered that Israel must prevent genocide from occurring and allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza — neither of which Israel has abided by.
As I am writing this, over 30,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been massacred by Israel, and by the time this gets published, several thousand more Palestinians will likely be murdered. The death count does not end here; there are an additional 8,000 Palestinians declared missing, presumably buried under the rubble and unable to be dug out.
Among the civilians killed, 72% are women (8,400) and children (12,300). The nearly 40,000 Palestinians killed constitute 1.7% of the total population, and if you include the injured, the total number of casualties constitutes 4.8%. Israel is also starving Palestinians to death through a blockade of food aid, and Palestinians are reportedly eating animal feed and
grass to survive. According to former United Nations Assistant SecretaryGeneral for Human Rights, Andrew Gilmour, killing at this rate has not been witnessed since the Rwandan genocide of 1994. Gaza has now been turned into the world’s largest death camp.
In its current genocide, Israel has broken multiple world records: it has achieved the highest number of journalists (95), United Nations workers (160), and healthcare workers (627) killed in a conflict. The magnitude of its urbicide in terms of its scale and intensity has been compared to the Allied bombing of Dresden, the U.S. firebombing of Tokyo, or the U.S. nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In the first month alone of Israel’s war on Palestinians, Israel dropped the equivalent of two Hiroshima nuclear bombs on the Gaza Strip. It has dropped tens of thousands of bombs since then.
More than 50% of the Palestinian built environment in Gaza has been completely destroyed, including 360,000 homes (82% of all homes), 392 educational facilities (including all universities), 23 of the 35 hospitals (with 12 still partially functioning), 267 mosques and churches, more than 200 cultural and heritage sites, and 123 ambulances. As a result, 1.8 million of 2.3 million Palestinians are internally displaced within the Gaza Strip, many living in tents and many seeking shelter in the last refuge
of Rafah, where Israel is now making plans for a massive ground invasion. It is estimated that it will take three years just to remove the rubble before any reconstruction can even begin.
Moreover, this is the first genocide in human history to ever be livestreamed, and we can all see it play out right before our eyes with the click of a button.
Anyone who does not recognize that Israel’s goal is to destroy the Palestinian people in whole or in part is either living in a cave or a genocide denier.
The U.S. response has been to deny and demonize Palestinians and provide diplomatic cover and more weapons for Israel to continue its genocide. The Biden administration has denied the deaths of Palestinians, denied that genocide is even plausible, and denied the humanity of the Palestinian people. The U.S. has promoted some of the most despicable Islamophobic lies and Israeli propaganda that can only make it complicit in the ongoing genocide. The story of the 40 beheaded babies of whom President Joe Biden said he saw pictures was a lie. The systematic mass rape, as reported by the New York Times, during the Oct.
We live in a time when discussions about social justice and morality are at the forefront of public discourse. We advocate for change, fight against systemic injustices, and demand equality for all. However, amidst our noble pursuits, we sometimes overlook a fundamental aspect of social justice: respect.
After a few of my peers and I shared a political post on an Instagram account, someone directly messaged the account saying that we are — excuse my profanity — “actual f*cking bastards.”
Was the purpose of this to intimidate, ridicule, or do something else? Intimidation and ridicule have no place in constructive discourse. They only serve to divide
us further and prevent meaningful dialogue. In order to be productive, we need conversation, not hate. If we don’t even agree to listen to each other, how can we possibly work towards a solution? Technology allows our voices to be heard more easily than ever before. Social media platforms, while offering opportunities for connection and expression, also present challenges. It is much easier to be vicious when we are distant from others, and often anonymous. Anonymous comments are not conversation — they are noise. Are we using Sidechat to engage in meaningful, productive conversations, or is it merely an anonymous platform for being loud and mocking others without facing any consequences? We need to be mindful of our tendency to be aggressive
on social media and double our efforts to use technology responsibly to ensure that our voices contribute to a more inclusive and civil dialogue.
If we truly want to enact change and promote social justice, we must learn to listen to one another with respect and understanding. Listening does not mean agreeing with everything the other person says. It means acknowledging their perspective as valid and deserving of consideration, or at least trying to learn how others view the issue and why they view it differently from us. It means treating others as equals, as humans, regardless of their differing views.
Sadly, some people seem to relish in having someone to oppose, someone they can feel superior to. This attitude undermines the very foundation of social justice,
Caption this! Enter this week’s contest
which is about leveling hierarchies and empowering each other. If we want others to listen to our perspective, then we have to have the same level of courtesy by listening to theirs. Change cannot happen until we start seeing each other as equals. Moreover, we must be careful not to ascribe negative motives to those who disagree with us. Assuming the worst in others only leads to incoherence, hostility, and extreme reactions. If we want to have conversations, we have to be willing to assume most people have pure motives by recognizing that their perspective is shaped by their experiences and beliefs. Engaging in respectful conversations is not only the ethical thing to do, but it is what will actually be effective in terms of making political progress.
I do believe there are people in this world who have crossed a line and do not warrant respectful discourse — terrorists, Nazis, members of the KKK, etc. But when we misuse these labels to justify acting horribly towards people who are not actually villainous perpetrators, but simply individuals we disagree with, we ironically adopt the characteristics we aim to criticize. This seems to be the single biggest divide on Washington University’s campus and across the nation. When we view the other “side” as villains, our conduct is altered. But if we regard them as individuals with diverse backgrounds, beliefs, experiences, and viewpoints different from our own, then there is considerable scope to identify common ground and engage in constructive dialogue about our disagreements.
In a democracy, the ability to voice differing opinions is essential. A core value in social justice movements is pluralism and the capacity for different ideas. It is what allows us to challenge ideas and grow as a society. This should lead to thoughtful conversations about important issues. However, in order to do so, we must distinguish between challenging people’s ideas and attacking individuals. We should be open to having our beliefs questioned, but we should never resort to hateful or inflammatory language in the process. Promoting social justice starts with how we treat each other in our everyday interactions. Let us remember that true progress in social justice begins not with the loudest voices, but with the most respectful ones.
First place “This is not what I had in mind when you said you were giving up your phone for lent.”
Spencer Kates, Current WashU Student
Second place
Why is she typing so loudly?
Caleb Martonfi, Current WashU Student
Third place
How I feel when the class has a “no laptop policy.”
Mason Shaver, Current WashU Student
New men’s soccer head coach Andrew Bordelon looks to take program to “new heights”RILEY HERRON MANAGING SPORTS EDITOR
For the first time in 27 years, the Washington University men’s soccer program has a new head coach. Months after Joe Clarke announced his retirement in late November after nearly three decades at the helm, WashU Athletics announced Andrew Bordelon as his successor and the seventh head coach in the program’s history in a statement on March 7.
Bordelon brings a wealth of experience coaching as both an assistant and head coach at numerous NCAA Division I, II, and III programs. He most recently worked as the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at the Division I University of Wisconsin.
The coach, who stepped into the WashU role on Monday, March 18, knows that replacing WashU’s winningest men’s soccer coach will not be an easy feat.
“I do understand that I have big shoes to fill. I think Joe Clarke is a legend of the game, that’s certainly not lost on me,” he said. “My plan is to continue to build on what he has built here, and hopefully then take it to new heights as well. It will be tough replacing a legend and a gentleman who I have so much respect for, but at the same time, you know, I have to be myself and introduce philosophies and
expectations that I believe in.”
Bordelon added that his first week on campus has shown him that Clarke has left the program in a good place.
“I see a group that is hungry, that is excited, and is willing to adapt to a new coach,” he said.
“What Coach Clarke has done an amazing job of is that I see a team that is together, that has outstanding academic success. And now we’re hoping to add that next element of competing for championships.”
Sophomore Zach Susee, a forward and team captain, said that the team is already liking what they’re seeing from their new coach.
“I think just the energy at practice has been the biggest thing so far,” he said when asked what has stood out. “I think [the] guys have been really big fans of the first few practices and, you know, what we’ve been getting up to…He seems like a great guy, and we’re really excited to have him.”
Susee added that the transition from the 70-year-old Clarke to the considerably younger Bordelon brings a new level of intensity to the program.
“A little bit of young energy is definitely nice to have,” he said.
Susee and the squad are not the only ones excited about what Bordelon will bring to the squad. Director of Athletics Anthony Azama is confident
that the Athletic Department has found the right man for the job. According to Azama, the search committee was looking for someone with “high character, low ego, [and] high output” and “a track record of developing young people,” and Bordelon ticked all of those boxes.
“Ultimately, I want us to have a program that everybody, when they graduate, they walk outside and take tremendous pride in and they have relationships that will last forever from people who were with this program,” Bordelon said when asked about his coaching philosophy. “So for me, it’s commitments, it’s relationship-driven, and it’s really based on communication.”
Bordelon’s perspective as a coach is shaped not only by his 14 years of coaching experience, but also by his time as a player and his love of the game. Throughout college, Bordelon played as a midfielder for Division II Drury University in Springfield, Missouri, which is also where he got his start coaching.
“I always loved the game; I was pretty inseparable from the game,” he said. “I didn’t necessarily go into college thinking that I would be a college coach, but after my last fall, about halfway through, I knew that was the direction I had.”
After three years as an assistant coach at Drury, Bordelon
became the head coach of Westminster College at the age of 24, where he coached from 2013-2016. During his time there, he led his team to the program’s first ever conference title and its first three NCAA Division III tournament appearances. Bordelon also coached at Stevenson University, another Division III squad, during their 2017 season. From there, Bordelon moved to the Division I level, serving as the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at Northern Illinois University (NIU) from April 2017 to January 2022 under head coach Ryan Swan, who had been the head coach at Drury while Bordelon was both a player and coach. During his tenure at NIU, the team set program highs for wins in a season (15) and national ranking (No. 21), and saw multiple players drafted by
Major League Soccer (MLS) squads.
Bordelon spent the last two seasons as the assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of Wisconsin, where he led recruiting efforts on the Big 10 side. Bordelon’s experience as a recruiter was one of the factors that made him stand out as a great fit for WashU.
“[He’s] somebody that’s willing to take on recruiting at every one of his stops, and do well in that,” Azama said. “I think, to be here, you’ve got to be able to recruit well.”
On the pitch, Bordelon likes to employ an aggressive style of play and said he draws inspiration from Premier League managers like Pep Guardiola, Jürgen Klopp, and Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal, Bordelon’s favorite team to watch.
“We want to dictate the games on our terms, so we
want to advance the ball into the opposition’s half. We want to play there [and] we don’t want to let them out. So ideally, we sort of suffocate them and we dictate the game by being aggressive and playing in the opposition half, ultimately leading to creating as many goal-scoring opportunities as possible,” he said.
Off the field, Bordelon is a family man and is excited to be back in the midwest with his wife Andrea, five-year-old son, and two-year-old daughter. While the return to a head coaching position, role at a new school, and responsibility of replacing the void of a legendary coach will not be easy, Bordelon is looking forward to what’s to come for the WashU men’s soccer program.
“I’m excited, very excited,” he said. “It’s something I’m very fired up for, and it’s something I’m very grateful for.”
For Washington University senior Alex McCormick, becoming a national champion was a dream four years in the making. At the 2024 NCAA Division III Championships, he turned that into a reality, swimming a time of 1:43.40 to take home the crown in the 200-yard backstroke.
“It was really special because I have been working for four years for this, and it’s been my goal ever since coming in to win the 200 backstroke, I have always been focused on it these past four years,” he said.
McCormick’s individual accomplishment was part of an impressive team performance as the WashU men’s swim team placed 11th with 155 points at the meet, and the women’s team placed 19th scoring 46 points. Across the fourday, 40-event meet, in Greensboro, NC, the Bears notched 14 All-American finishes in individual events and six in relays.
“Any time you post strong team finishes at the NCAA level you have to feel good as a team,” head coach Brad Shively wrote in a statement to Student Life about the Bears’ results.
“Every strong performance we had at the NCAA Championships was a result of teammates pushing and supporting each other in practice and in meets.”
McCormick also received the Elite 90 Award, an award given to the studentathlete with the highest cumulative grade-point
average at each national championship. McCormick has a 4.0 GPA at WashU while majoring in mechanical engineering, becoming the first WashU swimmer and the 17th student-athlete from WashU to receive the award.
“It obviously meant a lot,” he said about receiving the award. “Obviously swimming is super important to me but also school was one of the main reasons I came to [WashU].”
Alongside his national championship and Elite 90 recognition, McCormick also placed third in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 47.09 seconds and placed 10th in the 400-yard medley relay, alongside junior Nathan Lin, senior Austin Bick, and sophomore Ethan Feng, swimming a time of 3:16.69.
Just as it has been all season, the 200- and 400-yard individual medley (IM) was a strength for the Bears. On the men’s side, McCormick placed fifth in the 200 IM, setting a school record with a time of 1:47.01. In the 400 IM, junior Danny Sibley notched eighth with a time of 3:57.43.
On the women’s side, sophomore Rin Iimi placed 11th and 14th in the 200 IM and 400 IM with respective times of 2:04.58 and 4:29.00 Both finishes were good enough to earn the Maryland native AllAmerican honors.
“I think it’s always exciting to final at nationals because a lot of times [at] other meets it’s more guaranteed that you’ll [make the] final, but at nationals… if you have a bad morning
swim, you’re not gonna get a chance to swim at night,” Iimi said. “It’s just a different environment.”
Backstroke was also a strength for the Bears, with senior Kyle Wolford finishing less than two seconds behind McCormick to finish third with a time of 1:45.23.
In the 100-yard backstroke, McCormick and Wolford both made the finals, finishing third and ninth respectively to earn the duo All-American honors.
Two of the Bears’ AllAmerican finishes came in the final event of the meet: the 400 freestyle relay. In the men’s event, Sibley, Bick, junior Justin Rockaway, and sophomore Ethan Feng swam a time of 2:59.45, 0.10 seconds faster than their prelims time, to notch a 10th place finish and All-American honors.
The young women’s team of Iimi, first-year Peyton Watson, first-year Rachel Bello, and junior Isabella Barrientos posted a time of 3:29.04, finishing 16th and earning the squad
Just as they have all season, the Bears’ depth showed in relay events, where the Bears posted six All-American finishes. In the 800-yard freestyle relay, the men’s team placed fifth with a time of 6:33.66, the highest finish for any Bears relay throughout the meet, while the women’s team placed eighth with a time of 7:29.89. The men’s 200yard freestyle relay, which finished in 14th place, and 400-yard medley relay, which finished in 10th, also both earned All-American finishes.
All-American honors. Iimi noted that the Bears’ depth was a strength for the team at the meet.
“It was really exciting for us to bring 13 girls on the women’s side and we got to bring three divers, which hasn’t happened in like over 10 years,” she said. “It was really exciting.”
Shively, echoed this sentiment, writing that, “We were able to bring a large team to the NCAA Championships in part due to relay strength. Additionally, since relays are double the points of individual events, it helps to add to the tally of our team points so we prioritized relays at the beginning of the season.”
Outside of the swimming pool, WashU found
success in the diving well, where the team has had a record-breaking season. First-years Madison Okon and Shanze Karimi, both of whom finished in the top-12 at the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championships in February, both earned All-American honors in the three-meter dive. Okon placed 15th tallying 394.55 points with Karimi finishing ten points behind in 16th, with a total of 384.50.
The 2024 NCAA Championships concluded a strong season for the Bears that saw multiple swimmers and divers break school records and both teams finish in the top 20 at the national championships for the first time since 2019.
The Washington University softball team seemed to experience deja vú on Sunday, March 24. While the Bears carried an 8-1 lead into the seventh inning, the Spalding University Golden Eagles threatened, loading the bases to begin the frame. A Spalding comeback seemed improbable, but the Golden Eagles had just achieved the improbable the day before, when they scored eight unanswered runs to erase a 7-0 WashU lead.
The game against Spalding was not the only time the Bears found themselves in a familiar situation on Sunday.
Earlier that day, the Bears took on the Wartburg College Knights, a team they had also lost to 4-0 the day before. When Wartburg opened the scoring in the second game with a two-run home run, it seemed as though the teams were headed to a similar result.
However, WashU was able to rebound against both teams on Sunday. Against Spalding, junior pitcher Jordan Rossi was able to escape the jam in the seventh with only one run allowed, securing the Bears’ victory with a score of 8-2. Against Wartburg, the Bears came back for a 4-3 victory.
The Bears’ 2-2 record over the weekend puts them at 11-5 overall entering conference play. After Sunday’s games, head softball coach Casey Cromwell commented on the team’s turnaround.
“Yesterday just didn’t look like WashU softball,” she said. “We’ve grown and learned a lot from the losses that we’ve had.”
After winning two games over Fontbonne University earlier in the week, the Bears started the four-game weekend with the two losses on Saturday, falling first to Wartburg and then blowing a lead against Spalding.
In the Saturday game against Wartburg, the Knights opened the scoring in the third inning. In the next inning, the Knights drove in two more runs, extending the lead to 3-0. Wartburg tacked on another insurance run in the sixth.
Meanwhile, Wartburg’s pitcher held the Bears to
just four hits and no runs in a complete game, shutting WashU out for the first time this season. WashU first-year pitcher Maria Brooks, who had allowed just one run in 22.2 innings entering the game, allowed four runs in seven innings.
Despite the Bears’ lack of offense in the first game on Saturday, the bats responded against Spalding later that afternoon with seven runs in the first four innings.
With two outs in the second inning, the Bears strung together five straight hits to take a 3-0 lead. The burst was led by junior Brooke Capparell and a two-RBI base hit by junior Erin Reardon, and capped off with an RBI single from first-year Kennedy Grippo to score Reardon.
“Something we really emphasize, especially when we get in tight situations, is trusting the person in front of you and behind you,” Reardon said. “Just trying to pass the bat down the lineup instead of trying to do anything too big.”
The Bears stuck to this mentality in the fourth inning, as RBI doubles from juniors Olivia Craycraft and Taylor Geluck stretched the lead to 5-0. First-year Kristina Donaldson and sophomore catcher Alexa Hanish added RBI singles to extend the Bears’ lead to 7-0.
However, the Golden Eagles came storming back one inning later. After six straight singles to open the inning cut the lead to 7-3, the Bears brought in senior Emma Urban to pitch, relieving first-year starter
Hattie Bond. But the pitching change could not stop the Golden Eagles’ momentum, as they added four runs on four more hits, tying the game.
While shortstop Craycraft was able to throw out the goahead run at home to end the fifth inning, Spalding scored on a passed ball in the sixth, taking an 8-7 lead. This held up to be the final score as the Bears went hitless in the sixth and seventh innings.
“I don’t know exactly what was different today,” Reardon said on Saturday. “I think it just gets to a point in the season where you’re really having to fight for every pitch.”
On Sunday, the Bears had the chance to make up for their losses, playing both Wartburg and Spalding in another doubleheader. After the early home run gave Wartburg a 2-0 lead, the Bears came back to tie the game in the second inning. In their next turn up to bat, however, Wartburg took the lead back with an RBI single and was able to hold the score at 3-2 until the sixth inning.
WashU broke through in the sixth with two outs and runners on second and third base. Right after senior pinch runner Emily Talkow scored on a wild pitch, Capparelli drove the Wartburg pitcher’s full-count offering into rightcenter field for a double, giving the Bears a 4-3 lead.
“All I was thinking was ‘You need to hit the ball, you need to get on base,’” Capparelli said. “Your team’s there for you, everyone’s cheering for you, just drive the ball somewhere where it
can land.”
Junior Jamie Burgasser pitched 6.1 innings and got the win for the Bears, improving to 3-1 with a team-leading 1.12 ERA. Brooks secured the final two outs for WashU, earning her first save this season. After taking the loss the day before against Wartburg, Brooks was eager to get back out onto the field.
“She texted me and said ‘redemption day,’” Cromwell said.
The Bears kept their momentum going against Spalding, jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. After junior Natalia Pilpil opened the scoring with an RBI double, senior Ashley Kennedy drove a two-run home run to left center, her second homer of the season.
WashU scored in each of the next two innings to take a 6-0 lead after three. Spalding got a run back in the top of the fifth inning, but in the bottom half, the Bears stretched the score to 8-1. In the seventh, Rossi secured the win for the Bears, earning a complete-game victory on the mound.
After the game, Cromwell spoke about the team’s ability to rebound from the previous day’s losses.
“This resilient and complete change from Saturday to Sunday just shows them, and I think [this win] reminds us all just how good of a softball program we are. And it’s exciting moving into conference with that.”
The Bears will next take the field on Friday, March 29, when they begin conference play against Brandeis University.
The Washington University baseball team was fighting a titan over the weekend of March 23 and 24 when the No. 9 University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Eagles came to St. Louis for a three-game series. The Eagles are a Division III powerhouse who made a deep run in the NCAA tournament last season and have been ranked in the national top 10 all season long.
UW-La Crosse’s strength was on full display over the weekend, as it swept the Bears, outscoring them 37-20. With the three losses, WashU dropped to 14-8 on the season in its final games before beginning its conference season.
Facing an elite opponent wouldn’t stop the Bears, who are on the outside looking in of the national top 25, from attempting to win the weekend. After taking an early two-run lead in the fourth inning, the Bears looked poised to win the first game of the series. However, a sixrun top of the sixth inning for UW-Lacrosse put WashU behind. The Bears tried to mount a comeback, scoring two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. After the Eagles scored two runs in the eighth to take an 8-4 lead, the Bears put runners on second and third in the ninth. UW-Lacrosse’s defense stayed strong, however, ending the game on a groundout to hand the Bears a loss. Sophomore Shane Pellegrino stood out for the Bears, adding two RBIs in the game and boosting his season batting average to .382.
In the second game, WashU was in an offensive slugfest that saw a total of 29 runs scored and 33 hits. In a stunning 16-13 loss, five players had multi-hit games for the
Bears, including senior outfielders Kaden Bernhard and Evan Minarovic, who had the Bears’ only extra-base hits in the game. However, the Bears’ highpowered offense wasn’t supported on the opposite end, with the WashU pitchers being lit up for six runs in the sixth inning and five runs in the eighth. The outbursts gave UW-Lacrosse a 16-10 lead that the Bears would fail to come back from. After play was halted due to darkness Saturday, the teams finished the last inning on Sunday. The Bears never stopped fighting and added three runs in the bottom of the ninth, but a fly out to center field ended the game with the visitors up 16-13. The final game of the weekend was played on Sunday. The contest would see all the steam run out for the Bears as WashU lost 13-3 in seven innings. The Bears’ pitchers struggled against the UW-La Crosse batters in this quick two-hour game, with three pitchers giving up three runs each in three innings to go down 9-1 early in the game. The Bears added two more runs of their own in the bottom of the fifth inning thanks to sophomore Connor Lindsey, but UW-La Crosse added four runs in the top of the sixth.
The Bears will go for a bounceback weekend with a four-game set against New York University (NYU), with the first pitch at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, March 29 at WashU’s Kelley Field. Last season, WashU and NYU finished third and fourth, respectively, in the five-team conference, and WashU won three out of four games against the Violets in a key series. The Bears will look to build off of last year’s success against their conference rivals this weekend.
