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Snowed in? Cozy up with our blogs! Hate football? Have fun anyway!

For all the latest news and commentary on the presi-dential campaigns, check out Student Life’s new blogs at blogs.studlife.com

Not a sports fan? Don’t know (or care) who Eli Man-ning or Tom Brady are? You can still have fun on Sunday. Read Scene, Page 8

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STAFF EDITORIAL | RESCOLLEGE ROUND IS FLAWED | SEE FORUM, PAGE 4

STUDENT LIFE

Student Union (SU) will place a clause on the ballot this coming March approving block funding to eliminate the cardio fee and improve the weight room in the Athletic Complex (AC).

“Our ultimate goal, the long term goal would be to do a com-plete revamping of the athletic facilities available to the ath-letes and students,” said SU Sen-ator Eric Gradel, a senior. “The University does not place a big enough emphasis on its fi tness

facilities.”By eliminating the cardio

fee, SU hopes to take one obsta-cle away from students wishing to stay fi t on campus. Improve-ment of the weight room is di-rected toward the same goal, and SU President Neil Patel is also working to keep the AC open longer.

“One of our goals when we were campaigning [last year] was to improve fi tness facilities on campus,” said Patel, a senior. “[We had] three goals: to improve equipment, reduce or eliminate cardio fees and to extend the

hours of the AC. The goal of the block funding proposal is to achieve all three goals and get the funding in place.”

Patel added that he expects the proposition to pass.

“I feel confi dent that this will get a lot of attention,” he said. “I’ll try my best to get it passed. We have a lot of support. We have the support of athletes on campus.”

In that vein, Gradel noted that students who care about this issue will make sure to vote when the time comes.

“I plan on putting a lot of

hours into advertising and cam-paigning on behalf of the pro-posal,” he said. “We don’t need a majority of all students. We need a majority of people who have voted. The people that vote care about this. That will prob-ably push the vote in favor of the proposal.”

The proposal, according to Patel, is one of the fi rst steps of a longer process to initiate gen-eral improvement of the fi tness options available at the Univer-sity.

BY BEN SALESNEWS EDITOR

SU hopes to eliminate cardio fee for next year

After exchanging heated dialogue until past 1 a.m. on Wednesday morning, a major-ity of the 16 present treasury members voted to approve the College Democrats’ appeal and help fund their protest against Alberto Gonzales, whose up-coming speech on campus will be partially funded by Student Union.

Much of the controversy within the Treasury stems from what some members view as the inherent contradiction of invit-ing Gonzales to campus and then enabling another student group to protest his policies.

“It will make us look fool-ish on a national scale, though I support the Democrats’ right to protest,” said senior John Ablan, a budget committee member.

The College Democrats origi-nally appealed for $3,605.63. However, the treasury voted to give the student group $636.74 for supplies.

Included in the original pro-posal were food for the protest-ers and T-shirts that would have potentially said “Waterboard-ing: Not just for fascist dictators anymore.”

The group had intended to use the shirts as a way to iden-tify protestors as Washington

University students for security purposes. In the approved ap-peal, Treasury did not allocate money for the group to purchase shirts or food.

“We’re just happy to have Treasury support and have Student Union backing of our protest. We’re happy treasury

recognizes the importance of what we’re doing,” said College Democrats Treasurer Eric Reif. “We asked for a third of what treasury approved for Alberto Gonzales, so we are a little dis-appointed that they didn’t ap-prove our number when they so blatantly improved the other

number.”During the meeting, Reif and

College Democrats President Ben Guthorn said that they and the 500 anticipated participants are not protesting Gonzales speaking on campus, but rather

BY PERRY STEINNEWS EDITOR

SU to fund College Dems protest of Gonzales

It is estimated that one in three young American Jews will go on a Taglit-Birthright Israel trip, according to Rabbi Hershey Novack of Chabad on Campus.

With a $10,000 grant from a private philanthropic founda-tion, Novack will establish post-Birthright Israel programs, with the mission of empowering, “Birthright Israel participants to advance their engagement with Israel and Judaism upon their return to campus.”

Birthright trips run through-out the year, often timed for Uni-versity break, and come in doz-ens of variations; several campus organizations lead Birthright trips including Chabad on Cam-pus and Hillel.

Participants can choose be-tween everything from hiking to meeting Israeli soldiers. All trips include visits to historical sites and extensive touring of the country.

“Having been to Israel, I do feel I can relate a bit more when I read about it in the news,” said

senior Zachary Steinert-Threkeld. “I was at the Golan Heights, drove through the West Bank, went to the Western Wall [and] went to the Holocaust Museum.”

But to Rabbi Novack, there’s a catch in the organization of the program.

“The great fl aw of the trip is inherent to its being a trip,” said Novack. “When participants come back to America, the question is, what does the American-Jewish enterprise provide to allow these young adults to express their sense of Jewish identity and on-going Israel involvement?”

Taglit-Birthright Israel aims to strengthen worldwide Jewish solidarity, and Novack said he thinks it should not stop once students return to campus.

“I don’t believe the Ameri-can-Jewish community has fully reaped the benefi ts of the sense of heightened Jewish identity and Jewish awareness that stu-dents gain from the trip,” said Novack.

The project that Chabad on Campus is undertaking is not the fi rst of its kind nationally, but it will be the fi rst follow up

BY CAMILLE FISHERCONTRIBUTING REPORTER

Chabad looks to enhance Birthright experiencev Newly funded program will provide

post-Birthright programming

Washington University hired almost 30 new professors in the College of Arts & Sciences last year. A search for new faculty is underway in the School of Engi-neering, and several other Uni-versity departments are seeking new members.

All potential candidates face a long and highly competitive se-lection process.

University departments an-nounce available positions about one year before the appointment is set to begin. Professors who lead the search for new faculty post notices of openings on the Internet and in academic jour-nals. Depending on the needs of their department, these search committees also contact other professors and graduate school advisors.

Thomas Sattig, an assistant professor in the department of philosophy, taught at UCLA and Tulane University before coming to the University in 2007. He was motivated by the strength of the department.

“I learned about the opening from Jobs for Philosophers, the central publication for philoso-phy in the U.S.,” said Sattig. “My sense was that everyone was working on making an already very good department a really great one.”

Charly Coleman, an assistant professor in the department of history, discovered that a ten-ure-track position was available by using the H-Net Job Guide, an

online resource for historians.Applicants for faculty posi-

tions—from the College of Arts & Sciences to the School of Engi-neering—require a résumé, cover letter, at least three academic ref-erences and recommendations and samples of scholarly writ-ings and research. Then come the interviews.

“I was asked to meet members of the search committee in early January at the annual meeting of the American Historical Associa-tion,” said Coleman. “I spent sev-eral tense weeks waiting to learn whether I would progress to the penultimate stage of the hiring process, the campus visit.”

Applicants who are invited to visit campus spend several days exploring the campus and dis-cussing their research interests with potential coworkers.

Sattig, who was also inter-viewed at a major academic con-vention, described the campus visit as an important factor in his decision to attend the University.

“It became clear quickly that the department and indeed the University on the whole current-ly have a lot of momentum,” said Sattig.

Coleman was also busy dur-ing his 48-hour visit to campus. He gave a lecture, led a discus-sion about teaching in the In-terdisciplinary Project in the Humanities and met with his potential coworkers.

Though the University com-petes with other top schools for these elite applicants, the selec-

BY GREGG RESTAFF REPORTER

As departments grow, faculty selection remains competitive

program available at the Univer-sity.

“I think it would be a great op-portunity to continue the ques-tions and dialogue about what is going on in the State of Israel and the Middle East because those is-sues have been opened up from visiting Israel,” said senior Laelle Busch.

Busch added that because the question is by defi nition an open-ended dialogue, there are no easy clear-cut answers, and there should be no conclusion to the conversation.

Novack has yet to design his post-Birthright program, but he knows its general shape. Upon return from Israel, fellow Jew-ish students will greet Birthright Israel participants and help par-ticipants translate their experi-ences to the United States.

In the upcoming weeks, Rabbi Novack plans to hire University students who understand and support the mission of Birthright Israel as Peer Fellows.

See BIRTHRIGHT, page 2

See PROTEST, page 2

A protestor dressed as a prisoner interrupts former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’ speech in the Phillips Center of Performing Arts at the University of Florida at Gainesville on Nov. 19, 2007. On Wednesday night, the Treasury granted funding to the College Democrats for a protest of Gonzales’ speech; College Democrats has stated that their protest will not disrupt the event.

Dulé Hill, who played Charlie Young on NBC’s “The West Wing,” spoke on Thursday at Kayak’s Coffee on Skinker Boulevard to support Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois.

EITAN HOCHESTER | STUDENT LIFE

ACTOR FROM ‘THE WEST WING’ STUMPS FOR OBAMA

COURTESY OF SCOTT ROBERTSON | INDEPENDENT FLORIDA ALLIGATOR

See CARDIO FEE, page 2See FACULTY, page 2

NOMINATIONSREQUESTED

FORHONORARY DEGREE RECIPIENTS

Nominations for Honorary Degree Recipients for theMay 2009 Commencement are being sought by theHonorary Degree Committee.

This committee is composed of students, faculty,administrators and Trustees and will meet this Aprilto consider nominations. Candidates should bedistinguished men and women who have madeoutstanding contributions to their fields or servedWashington University and the St. Louis Communityin an outstanding way.

Nominations, with a brief biography, should be sent to:

HONORARY DEGREE COMMITTEEBox 1081

or by e-mail to:Ida_Early@wustl.edu

DEADLINE: FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2008.IN THEATRES EVERYWHERE FEBRUARY 1

Senior News Editor / Sam Guzik / news@studlife.com FRIDAY | FEBRUARY 1, 20082 STUDENT LIFE | NEWS

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Student Life is a publication of WUSMI and does not necessarily represent, in whole or in part, the views of the Washington University administration, faculty or students. All Student Life articles, photos and graphics are the property of WUSMI and may not be reproduced or published without the express written consent of the General Manager. Pictures and graphics printed in Student Life are available for purchase; e-mail editor@studlife.com for more information. Student Life reserves the right to edit all submissions for style, grammar, length and accuracy. The intent of submissions will not be al-tered. Student Life reserves the right not to publish all submissions.

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STUDENT LIFE

John McCain speechRepublican Presidential Candidate John McCain is set to speak at the Spirit of St. Louis Airport today at 2 p.m.

Black Anthology at EdisonThe annual Black Anthology is tonight and Saturday at 7 p.m at Edison Theatre. The play’s entrance fee is $8 for students and $10 general admission.

Compiled by Sam Guzik

Friday, February 1

Pulse

Mardi Gras ParadeAs a part of St. Louis’s annual Mardi Gras festival, the Lumiere Place Grand Parade will be today from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. from Downtown to Soulard. Tickets are not required to attend the parade.

Barack Obama speechDemocratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama is set to speak at the Edward Jones Dome today at 9 p.m. Admission is free; attendants are encouraged to RSVP online at http://missouri.barackobama.com.

Hillary Clinton speechDemocratic Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton and her hus-band, Former President Bill Clinton, will be coming to St. Louis today. Details are still pending. Visit http://www.hillaryclinton.com/hq/missouri/ for more information.

Sunday, February 3

Saturday, February 2

PROTEST v FROM PAGE 1the immoral actions—including unauthorized torturing—that he supervised while in offi ce.

“We have no intention of inter-rupting Mr. Gonzales or blockad-ing the building. We will not be preventing him from speaking,” said Reif. “We are not protesting Gonzales being here, but we are protesting the things that he did unauthorized as attorney gen-eral.”

Although Student Union Pres-ident Neil Patel did not vote at the treasury meeting, he was pres-ent and said that he supported funding the College Democrats’ protest

“I’m in support of this,” he said. “There is a lot of nuance present in this appeal, and that excites me. We are not endorsing another group. We are empow-ering it. It will not make us look foolish. He will be expecting pro-testors.”

With Wash. U. Police Depart-ment approval and logistics pending, the College Democrats

plan to have a week of discus-sion and sign making that will culminate with a march from the South 40 to the 560 building where Gonzales will be speaking at that time. The students will then peacefully protest while he speaks.

Despite the Democrats’ assur-ance that they will not be pro-testing the fact that the former attorney general is on campus, some members of the Treasury were still wary of the fact that the money will be used to pro-test a speaker that they invited to campus.

“I am not sure how I feel about funding a protest that is protesting a guest at our cam-pus,” said William Osberghaus, Student Group Activities Com-mittee chair.

The Treasury funded approx-imately $10,000 of the event out of a total of $35,000.

In defense, Guthorn men-tioned the possibility that Gon-zales has been making the col-

lege campus circuit to help fund his exorbitant legal fees.

“Technically, Student Union is funding the legal fees of Alberto Gonzales,” he said.

The Treasury said that it ap-proved the funding to bring Gonzales to campus in order to generate political discussion among students.

“We are not funding some-thing that is anti-event,” said Budget Committee Member Da-vid Cohen. “I am impressed with the amount of discussion that has already happened about this on campus.”

Reif said that in his speech, Gonzales will probably not men-tion any of the torturing or other controversies that occurred un-der his leadership in offi ce. Even so, he feels the need to speak out.

“If we stand silently on the day he speaks, then his voice will be the only one that will be heard and our voice will be non-existent,” said Reif.

According to its Web site, trips through Taglit-Birthright Israel intend to “diminish the growing division between Israel and Jewish communities around the world; to strengthen the sense of solidarity among world Jewry; and to strengthen partici-

pants’ personal Jewish identity and connection to the Jewish people.”

In less than a decade, the Birthright Israel Foundation and partners have sent over 120,000 young Jews from around the world for a 10-day trip to Israel,

all expenses paid.The only requirements are

that individuals must be Jewish, between the ages of 18 and 26 and have never lived in or visited the country with a peer-group since age 12.

BIRTHRIGHT v FROM PAGE 1

tion process does not rely on elaborate inducements or extra incentives to attract new faculty members. Instead, search com-mittees emphasize the academ-ic reputation of the University and its faculty.

“The University has little need for extraordinary mea-sures to attract faculty,” said Coleman. “It is a highly well-re-garded institution and my en-counters with the faculty con-vinced me that I would fi nd it a rewarding place to work.”

The University also pro-vides funds to help candidates relocate to St. Louis, and, more importantly, appropriates a sig-nifi cant research budget to pay for books, computers and other necessities.

Jeff Catalano, an assistant professor in the department of earth and planetary sciences, noted that the University’s com-

pensation package was supe-rior to that of other offers he received.

“I can say that they offered a better package than public uni-versities that had made me joboffers,” he said.

Catalano was not required to teach during his fi rst semester of employment to help ease his transition to the University. He is also allowed to take another semester off after his third year as he prepares to gain tenure and continue his research.

Sattig said his experience at the University has been pleas-ant.

“So far, all promises have been kept,” he said. “That is, the students are as good as my col-leagues claimed they were, the research conditions are highly conducive, and the department continues to hire at both senior and junior level.”

FACULTY v FROM PAGE 1

“My ultimate goal is to be part of the plans to create the foundation for the next fi tness complex,” he said. “With that we’ll have a major improvement. Right now my goal is to get the wheels in motion for the long-term goal. Right now this is a pretty successful solution.”

Gradel sees this as a fi rst step because it will prompt the ad-ministration to invest more in fi tness equipment.

“The real purpose of the block funding proposal is not a simple fi x solution,” he said. “This is the fi rst step in a long line of fi xes. The block funding proposal will send a message to the administration. As students, we care about athletic facilities. We care so much about athletic facilities that we’re willing to put our money where our mouths are and begin paying for the changes we want to see.”

The administration did assist with this proposal and will prob-ably match whatever money SU allocates to the AC next year.

“What the [administration] needs from us is to show that there’s ample student support,” said Patel. “We felt that the block funding proposal was a way we could impact the administra-

tion. But they’ve been listening to us and making us a partner in the process.”

The proposal comes in re-sponse to a poll, sent out by SU Senator Matt Goldstein, survey-ing students regarding their concerns about the AC.

“We had a general sense that students were very unhappy about the fee and the equip-ment,” said Patel. “The poll helps us support that. We had a great response rate.”

Gradel said that Goldstein, who is currently studying abroad, was the driving force be-hind this initiative.

“He takes all the credit for this project,” said Gradel. “This is all his idea. There are a lot of people in the senate that are in-volved.”

Gradel added that the initia-tive shifts the focus of the SU budget from funding for individ-ual student groups to allocations toward bigger campus projects.

“Treasury does a good job of allocating money but senate would like to see money allo-cated to bigger projects, bigger concerns,” he said. “Anyone can appeal for money but more of-ten than not it’s student groups. What about campus projects

that no student group can take responsibility for?”

But Patel said that the budget will be more than ample for this project.

“The SU budget will increase pretty dramatically next year,” he said. “The numbers we’re looking at are 20 to 30 thousand for the proposal. It’s not a signifi -cant amount per student.”

In terms of general goals, Gradel believes that the im-proved AC will not only provide for current students, but will also attract more prospective freshmen to the University.

“It makes our campus look that much more appealing to prospective students,” said Gradel. “It’s a crucial factor in the decisions people make. It’s im-portant to students that young people our age have access to fa-cilities that are on par with our peer institutions.”

Patel added that it encourages a healthy lifestyle on campus.

“One of the most important things to be successful in an academic and social setting is to have a healthy mind and a healthy body,” he said. “It’s one of the components of creating a healthy college experience.”

CARDIO FEE v FROM PAGE 1

Washington University graduates and undergraduates volunteering at a day school for recent immigrants to Israel on a Birthright trip through Taglit. The school, located in the in the Yokneam/Meggido region, has been paired with St. Louis by the Jewish Agency for Israel and the St. Louis Jewish Federation.

COURTESY OF ELLIYAHU MELLOULE | YOKNEAM COMMUNITY PHOTOGRAPHER

presents a guide to places of worship in the WU community

Religious DirectoryFor advertising information, call (314) 935-6713 or email advertising@studlife.com

Sundays: 11am & 9pm

6352 Forsyth · 935-9191

Masses at the CSC:

Catholic Student Center

Stop by any time to study, relax or pray!

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We’re here for YOU!

Tuesdays at 5:15pm & Fridays at 11:15am

Sunday Worship Services for Everyone:∙ Casual Worship in Chapel, 8:30 am∙ Contemporary Worship, 9:30 am∙ Classes for All Ages, 9:30 am∙ Classic Worship in Sanctuary, 11:00 am

6199 Waterman (at Skinker)

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Van Service from Shepley Drive at the Clock Tower 10:40 am

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Sunday Worship 10:30am

Wherever you are on life’s journey,you are welcome here!

6501 Wydown - 314.721.5060Right next to the South 40!

www.firstcongregational.org

INSPIRING ETHICAL LIVINGThe Ethical Society is a community of

people united in the belief that an ethical life creates a more just, loving and

sustainable world for all.

Join us on Sunday mornings for the 9:45 Forum and 11:00 Platform Address.

Children's Sunday School meets 10am-noon

Ethical Society of St. Louis(1/4 mile west of the Galleria)

9001 Clayton Rd.(314) 991-0955

www.ethicalstl.org

Learning, Loving, Living in the Spirit of Christ

Lutheran Campus Ministry

7019 Forsyth BlvdSt. Louis, MO 63105863.8140 lcm@sugroups.wustl.edu

www.lcmstl.org

Free Food Fridays 6pm

7019 Forsyth Blvd.

LCM

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Advertise your place of worship for $16 per week.

Contact us to find out how!314-935-6713

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All Saints Catholic ChurchCorner of Westgate & Clemens(One block North of the Loop)

Young Adult MassSunday 6pm

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Wash U Studentsand Staff Welcome!

UNION

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733 Union Blvd. (63108) in the CWEcall 314.361.8844 for info. or rides

study – Sunday worship @ 10:45 – lunch

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"Closest Campus Drugstore"

Corner of Forest Park Pkwy and Big Bend7010 Pershing Ave • (314) 727-4854

WILLIAMS PHARMACY

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Senior Sports Editor / Trisha Wolf / sports@studlife.comFRIDAY | FEBRUARY 1, 2008 STUDENT LIFE | SPORTS 3

SPORTSSPORTS

The Bears remain in the thick of UAA conference play as they travel to Roch-ester, N.Y. and then to Pitts-burgh, Pa. this weekend. The top-ranked men’s team (14-2, 5-0 UAA) looks to build upon its 12-game winning streak, which was capped by an emotional come-from-be-hind 71-69 win over then No. 2 Brandeis University.

Washington University had only 1:39 left to erase a seven-point deficit. Forward junior Tyler Nading started the rally with a trip to the charity stripe, converting one of two shots. Seconds later, center senior Troy Ruths, who was UAA Athlete of the Week, penetrated into the paint and made a layup. With high defensive pres-sure, sophomore forward Cameron Smith stole the ball on the ensuing Brandeis’ pos-session. The Bears missed a shot from behind the arc, but Troy Ruths was there for the rebound, making a three-point play that cut Brandeis’ lead to one with only 29.3 seconds left to go.

Ruths pulled through

with yet another three-point game-winning play. The Judg-es didn’t quit, but their last-second three-point attempt failed. The points placed Ruths sixth on the all-time Wash. U. scoring list with 1,450. Ruths is now only 18 points away from grabbing a share of fifth on the list. The Red and Green current-ly lead the UAA in assists and in three-point shooting with at least one trey in the past 265 games. Third-ranked Uni-versity of Rochester (15-1, 4-1 UAA) has historically been a tough team, producing some of the most exciting games in UAA history against Wash. U. Rochester was unbeaten until Jan. 25 when they were upset by Emory University in an 81-76 overtime thriller. Seven of the last 10 contests between the Yellowjackets and the Bears were decid-ed by five or fewer points. “We respect Rochester very much,” said co-captain Nad-ing. “We know they are a very, very capable team.”

The Bears lost their last match, played a year ago, against the Yellowjackets by five points.

“I have personally never

won there in my experi-ence at Wash. U,” said Nad-ing. “This will be a good one to go out and get.” The game is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. (EST) in the Louis Alexander Palestra. The Bears will also play Carnegie Mellon University (11-5, 1-4 UAA) on Sunday, with tip off at noon EST in the Skibo Gymnasium.

Lady Bears Looking to Bounce Back

The Lady Bears (12-4, 4-1 UAA), who saw their seven-game victory streak halted at Brandeis will look to re-start their winning ways against the No. 10 University of Rochester Yellowjackets (15-1, 5-0 UAA) at 6 p.m. EST Friday night. After this con-test, they will wrap up their road trip by turning their at-tention toward the Carnegie Mellon University Tartans (7-9, 0-5 UAA) on Sunday at 2 p.m. EST. The Bears have not lost to Carnegie Mellon since the 1992-1993 season. Wash. U. had an emotional 66-60 win over arch rival and then eighth-ranked New York University last Friday. On Sun-

day, the Red and Green suf-fered a 66-48 setback against Brandeis University as shots did not fall. The Bears shot 25 percent throughout the game and sent the Judges to the free-throw line 28 times. Brandeis took advantage of the charity shots and the poor shooting with 17 free throws and an unanswered 15-point run in the second period. The Bears have been work-ing extremely hard at prac-tice to correct the mistakes that were made last weekend. “We have a philosophy,” said Head Coach Nancy Fa-hey. “When you get beat, you have to make that push you forward. I know they’ll compete on Friday night.” Wash. U. holds a 34-7 all-time record against Roches-ter entering into the game. The Bears swept the Yellow-jackets last season. However, the University of Rochester, which is first in the UAA, rides a 13-game winning streak after a 75-70 win against Case Western Reserve University last weekend. “We’re all very excited,” said sophomore forward Jan-ice Evans. “We’re ready to come back.”

Basketball Bears travel eastBY JOHANN QUA HIANSEN SPORTS EDITOR

BASKETBALL

LIONEL SOBEHART | STUDENT LIFE

Senior Troy Ruths goes in for a layup during the Jan. 18 match against Emory. The men’s basketball team hopes to build on its 12-game winning streak from the games in Rochester, NY and Pittsburgh, Pa. this weekend.

>>> Studlife blogs are up. <<<

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Senior Forum Editor / Nathan Everly / forum@studlife.com FRIDAY | FEBRUARY 1, 20084 STUDENT LIFE | FORUM

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STAFF EDITORIAL

Every year near the end of February, when Washing-ton University housing deadlines come around,

students who want to continue living on the South 40 are faced with a choice: attempt to get housing in the initial residential college round and have a better chance of predicting what your housing will be, or wait until the second general round and have access to a greater variety of dorms and living partners.

Students encounter two ma-jor problems in their confronta-tion with the residential college round. Their fi rst question is: What if I want to room with friends from other residen-tial colleges? Students cannot participate in the residential college housing round on the South 40 unless all of their po-tential living partners already live in the same residential college.

Their second question is: What if I want to live in a dif-

ferent style dorm than the ones in my residential college? For example, what if I live in Ruby or Umrath this year, but rather than living in the six-person suites in Hitzeman, Hurd or Myers, I would like to live in a new dorm my sophomore year? I would have to wait until the general round, after people already take a large number of rooms in that residential college.

Cheryl Stephens, one of the associate directors of Residen-tial Life, has heard the same concerns from students over the multiple housing rounds on the South 40. She says that Residential Life will be making changes in this year’s resi-dential college round to try to respond to these concerns.

To address those students who would like to live with friends from other residential colleges, Residential Life will lower the percentage of rooms that can fi ll up during the resi-

dential college round. Instead of allowing nearly 80 percent of rooms to fi ll up in this initial round, Residential Life plans to cap the fi rst round at only 60 percent. That means 40 percent of rooms will be left for those in the general round, mostly composed of students who want to live with friends from other residential colleges.

And in response to the desire of some students to live next year in dormitories outside of their residential college, Residential Life will be allow-ing students from traditional residential colleges (old dorms) to sign up in the residential college round for certain fl oors in modern residential colleges (new dorms), so that students have the option of changing the style of their housing even within the residential college round.

Residential Life is correct in recognizing these student concerns about the complicated

multiple housing rounds on the South 40 and trying to ad-dress them. But these concerns require a more drastic solution than tweaking of numbers and opening of certain fl oors to students from other residential colleges.

The residential college system is supposed to establish traditions and inspire pride in students over their multiple years living on the South 40, creating a living experience that is more than just a place to sleep. It is supposed to involve faculty members in student res-idential life and to give students a consolidated unit from which to base their involvement.

But the reality is that the residential college system limits students more than it frees them. Its proposed benefi ts are executed less successfully than its undesirable elements. While pride is a valuable thing in a residential situation, it is gener-ally most widespread in fresh-

man dormitories, which would exist as consolidated wholes even with the residential college system. Post freshman year, the system begins to promote ex-clusivity and isolation. It seems to say that once you have made friends within your freshman dormitory, you can close your-self off to other friendships and remain in what becomes a homogeneous environment.

The system gives a marked disadvantage to those students whose core friend base is out-side of their residential college. It seems to only approve of intra-residential college interac-tion by making those with dif-ferent groups of friends feel out of the loop.

Diversity is a main goal at Wash. U., for the administra-tion, for Residential Life and for students. Diversity is not just racial, sexual, religious and so-cioeconomic. It is also the abil-ity to eliminate exclusive social groups. The residential college

system is a severe hindrance to social diversity. By promoting continuous living situations, it promotes homogeneous, strictly defi ned social groups. It is important for students to have a heterogeneous social experi-ence, and one way for that to come about is to live with a far more random group of people, instead of the same people they lived with the year before.

Residential Life, where it tries to promote community really just allows a socially passive, homogeneous exclusiv-ity to develop among students living on the South 40. The residential college idea is not working as it should. It would be more benefi cial to stu-dents—even if the residential colleges remained nominally and theoretically linked—if the residential college round were eliminated so that the general round was the main mode of acquiring housing on the South 40.

Reform the residential college system

Along with life, lib-erty and the pursuit of happiness, add fame. Andy Warhol

fi rst stated, in 1968, that in the future, everyone would have 15 minutes of fame, a cute allusion to the then-novel power of television to broadcast to a general audi-ence. Said tongue-in-cheek, his witticism rings more true every year.

We live in a society where people expect to excel at whatever they do, receive praise for their work and have importance on a na-tional scale.

I do not know enough about how childrearing prac-tices have changed over the decades, but they are certain-ly indulgent today. Everyone who plays little league sports receives a plaque or trophy, parents constantly remind their children how special they are, and students feel entitled to good grades and teachers fear giving any-thing else. As kids, we are all exceptional. Of course, when everyone is exceptional, no one is, but no one wants to burst the bubble. Not only do we want to be astronauts, baseball players or the presi-dent, we also expect that to happen.

College’s primary purpose, then, is to set us in our place, a job even more important at elite schools like ours, where everyone was a “superstar” in high school, than at most universities. As students compete for a fi xed amount of Latin honors, leadership positions and jobs, the real world intrudes on our child-hood fantasy. Grade curves do an excellent job of this.

We learn that not all of us are geniuses, amazing ath-letes, young poet laureates or students able to outwit teach-ers. Though grade infl ation negates this leveling effect to an extent by giving too many people a 3.5, employers and graduate schools fi nish the job. Not everyone can be at Goldman Sachs, the State

Department or Harvard Law.Unfortunately, college

appears to represent the exception to our right to exceptionality. Moreover, two recent phenomena have made us expect, more than ever, to become famous: reality television and YouTube.

Reality television gives everyone the opportunity to live at a national scale and make one’s face known to a national audience. Whereas actors and actresses require some modicum of skill and luck, reality television con-stantly races to the bottom. As we become inured to in-creasing levels of outbursts, disgusting feats, and stupid-ity, we expect higher levels of it. This gives us people forming primitive island societies (“Survivor”), being buried in insects (“Fear Fac-tor”), revealing incriminating truths in front of those who they will hurt (“Moment of Truth”), comparing intelli-gence to that of a fi fth grader (“Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?”) or letting anonymous men rank their bodies (“Battle of the Bods”). Of course, anyone can try out for these shows, and the lucky ones are those deemed craziest, most disgusting, stupidest, or hottest by the producers, which the con-testants clearly do not mind. After all, if you are the low-est common denominator, you get the reward: your face on television and a chance at a big cash prize.

Whereas television execu-tives can pretend to maintain some modicum of decency and taste, any base stan-dards still left are irrelevant on YouTube. “Broadcast Yourself,” YouTube’s motto, makes its goal clear: with only an Internet connec-tion, anyone can make an attempt at celebrity. Have a deep voice and can convince people you are a poet? Then you are Tay Zonday, and you get a Dr. Pepper commercial after 14 million people watch your YouTube video. Do you and your friends lip sync

We’re all “special”

BY ZACHARY STEINERT-THRELKELDSTAFF COLUMNIST

Although neither of my parents are senators, and I can’t say that I was literally born

holding a silver spoon in my hand, Creedence Clearwa-ter Revival could accurately characterize me as a “Fortunate Son.” I grew up in suburbia, in a milieu of such comfort and amiability that if you didn’t know any better, you’d think your television had sucked you right up into Pleasantville. Yes, Atlanta was nearly perfect, save for one little thing: It was Re-publican territory. Now, in case you’re shaking your head and thinking, “Sheesh, more politi-cal propaganda. Let’s see what’s in Sports,” let me tell you that this isn’t about who you should vote for and why. In fact, I’m not even going to say which

candidate I support or tell you in a few paragraphs why I sup-port them and why you should too, because honestly, if I can change your mind that easily then I should probably switch to pre-med so I can become a spin doctor. No, all I’m going to do is tell you a story.

It was November 2006, and the great state of Georgia was in the midst of a heated gubernatorial race. Republican incumbent Sonny Perdue was seeking reelection, and for the fi rst time in my life I was part of the multitude that would determine if he got a second term. Now, beyond the embar-rassment of having a governor named Sonny (no offense to Sonny Bono or anyone else named Sonny seeking public offi ce), I also opposed Perdue for his stance on race (opposing the removal of a Confederate symbol from the state fl ag and

saying that Georgia needn’t issue a public apology for practicing slavery) and several questionable land purchases which I believed signifi ed a penchant for corruption. Those of you who aren’t particularly interested in Georgia politics (and I certainly wouldn’t blame you if you’re not) might only remember Perdue for his public prayer for rain on the steps of the state capitol. Wouldn’t you have loved to have a man like this as your governor?

I didn’t, but the opposi-tion wasn’t much better. Mark Taylor, or “The Big Guy” as he was often called, was a pretty uncharismatic fi gure who had numerous background issues of his own. Besides, everyone and their grandmother knew that he didn’t stand a chance of winning. I wasn’t much for sup-porting something I couldn’t consider a worthwhile cause,

and all the negative campaign-ing between Perdue and Taylor only hastened my gradual dis-interest in the race. A few days before the election, I happened to mention in the presence of one of my teachers that I wasn’t going to vote because I just didn’t think it was worth it. He took offense at my remark, and promptly lectured me about how voting is not just a right, but a responsibility as well. Af-ter some time pondering this, I came to the conclusion that voting is in fact an obligation as much as it is a luxury. Sure enough, I went to the polls one November morning and made my voice heard.

There are similarities between the 2006 Georgia gubernatorial election and this year’s presidential race. There are and will be people who

To vote or not to vote? There is no question

BY BRIAN PRICESTAFF COLUMNIST

THE CLASSIC JOHNNY CHANG | EDITORIAL CARTOON

This Johnny Chang cartoon was originally published in Student Life on April 21, 2006.

See PRICE, page 5 See STEINERT, page 5

Senior Forum Editor / Nathan Everly / forum@studlife.comFRIDAY | FEBRUARY 1, 2008 STUDENT LIFE | FORUM 5

I’m not a regular viewer of Bill O’Reilly’s pro-gram on Fox News, but I’ll admit that I tune in

every now and then. Dur-ing these times, I’ve noticed a recurring theme: no, not the yelling, cutting off of microphones or refusal to hear anyone else’s opin-ion, but O’Reilly’s condemnation of the Internet as one of the major problems facing the United States.

O’Reilly’s reason-ing is that because there are no standards on the Internet for what can and cannot be posted, “propagan-da and deceit [have] a perma-nent mass market home.” He holds that this leads to the spreading of false reports as being factual and obscures the truth from the American public.

In a sense, O’Reilly is cor-

rect; the Internet does have the extraordinarily negative effect of being a vehicle for the spread of fallacies being presented as truths. Often, the ease with which false news can be created actually

causes people to be-lieve what they read online. Anyone can post anything on the Internet for others to read.

However, this very fact is what makes the Internet arguably the most important invention for free speech in history.

The Internet, I believe, is the Great Equalizer. Everyone (at least in this country) has equal access to it and equal opportunity to express any opinion. It allows for direct expression of opinion, with-out any fi lter. Sometimes that can be a bad thing, though. For example, can we please limit the mindless politi-

cal discussions via YouTube video comments? But in all, it allows a truly free exchange of ideas.

Furthermore, the freedom of the Internet provides a real check against the growing concentration of media own-ership in the United States. Many people do not realize that nearly all of their forms of media are controlled by a select few corporations. ABC, ESPN, CBS, CNN, Time Magazine, Comedy Central, MTV, BET, Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, NBC and many others are controlled by only fi ve corporations. The Internet serves to break up that consolidation, refusing to allow a select few with extraordinary amounts of money, power and infl uence to fi lter the news and opin-ions people can receive.

And what would the alternatives be? What would O’Reilly prefer? Perhaps all Internet postings could

be regulated and be forced to pass specifi c standards before being put online. But who would devise these standards and enforce them? Why should that group have so much power?

This is essentially the purpose of free speech. Yes, a signifi cant downside is that unpopular, unsupported or incorrect views may be spread, but the free market-place of ideas is in itself a check against that, by allow-ing fallacies to be corrected. Freedom of speech (and the Internet) ensures that no view can be suppressed by another. Sure, the Internet has its fair share of problems (I’ll save those for a future column), but I’ll gladly accept them in exchange for true freedom.

Altin is a senior in Arts & Sciences and Forum Editor. He can be reached via e-mail at forum@studlife.com.

The Internet: The best thing to ever happen to free speech

CORRECTIONS:An article in the Wednesday, Jan 30 issue (“University denies request for Obama visit”) incorrectly stated that students met with Vice Chancellor for Govern-mental Affairs Henry Weber. The students, in fact, met with Pam Lokken, the vice chancellor for govern-mental and community relations.

The staff editorial on Wednesday, Jan 30 (“Reconsider Neutrality”) mistakenly said that the University, in conjunction with College Republicans, will be paying for former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’ ap-pearance. Student Union and the College Republicans are paying for the event.

An op-ed submission by William Ronkoski on Wednes-day (“Wash. U.: fair and balanced?”) stated that the University donated to the senatorial campaigns of Democrats Claire McCaskill (2006) and Jean Car-nahan (2002). This is incorrect; the University does not contribute to political campaigns. Most likely the author saw information on individual donors who identify their employer as the University and misinter-preted the data.

Student Life regrets these errors.Altin Sila

Reporting back from the trenches of Oxford once again, it is your humble servant, Dave

Shapiro. Apart from breaks, I am rarely able to leave Oxford. I was able to accompany the Labour Club on a trip to Parlia-ment (a unique opportunity given that non-Britons are pro-hibited from visiting in-session Parliament). I went to a David Gray concert. I went to a castle about an hour or so away. I’ve been back and forth from the airport a few times.

I arrived back at Keble Col-lege the other week to a topsy-turvy room. My corridor mates had somehow gotten into my chamber and did a fair bit of damage. Most importantly, now residing on my wall is a toilet paper cross.

It is certainly strange being one of the only Jews in this en-tire university. There is a sense of pride that comes with it—I guess you could say I’m the Jesse Jackson of the Jews. In that spirit, I defi nitely encour-age all Washington University students to spend a signifi cant amount of time in a place where they need to explain and justify their beliefs and behav-ior. I have learned a lot about myself and my faith (or lack thereof?) by being here. Not in the cliché way that people talk about, mind you, where I’m challenging myself to come up with answers. The initiative is almost entirely external. If you’re the type of person who fails at every sort of self-ex-amination, be it because your ego is too large (as in my case) or too small, an extended academic stay abroad could be perfect for you.

Being abroad can be a trying experience for politics buffs, but England has kept me

insulated from the right-wing ignorance that pervades much of America. One girl asked me if the Constitution mandated that presidential candidates be religious. It isn’t that people here are not religious—they just understand that religion is best in pure form, not corrupt-ed by politics and our nation’s leaders.

Additionally, for Britons, national health care is a given. It’s just something government provides for people, as natural as Giuliani calling universal healthcare “socialist” and re-ferring to 9/11 incessantly.

Arriving back at Oxford sparked interest in not only the religious and political, but also the personal. I was back to the old routine of fretting about the exchange rate. I had to start thinking about living arrangements for my senior year and what I would want to do over the summer. It’s almost my last year of col-lege. At least I had four years. Most students here have three and then they’re off into the real world. How do I success-fully complete the transition? I know it will work out in the end, but there are still prob-lems. For one thing, I can’t make food. Is it OK to order out all the time? Thank God I probably have a few more years of higher education to read some cookbooks.

Going abroad in that sense is like going to college twice; you get another re-do, another chance to redefi ne yourself. Don’t give up on those oppor-tunities. I miss you all.

Finally, a British joke:What do you call sheep tied

to a streetlamp in Wales?A leisure center!

Dave is a junior in Arts & Sciences and staff columnist. He can be reached via e-mail at davidashapiro@verizon.net.

BY DAVE SHAPIROSTAFF COLUMNIST

View from abroad: Redefi ning yourself

while studying abroad

Last week, CNN had a field day over a set of e-mails that claimed Barack Obama was Muslim. In an article titled “Obama battles Muslim rumor head-on,” they reported Obama as describing the e-mails as “dirty tricks” and part of a “systematic political strat-egy.”

While the article is not explicitly anti-Islamic, to me it is clearly religiously bi-ased. The title of the article portrays “being Muslim” as a bad thing. Why is being Mus-lim a “rumor” Obama must “battle,” when any rational person would merely have to “clarify?” If a presiden-tial candidate has to defend himself or herself against being Muslim, it shows how Muslims are not fully toler-ated within our political system. Not only was being Muslim disgustingly used as a political attack by the person behind these e-mails, but CNN caused further damage by acknowledging and labeling it as a rumor, in effect recognizing that being Muslim is somewhat unacceptable.

And let’s not forget the “accusations” by Fox News that Obama attended a madrassa in his youth. CNN, in debunking the so-called myth, stated in an article, “Allegations that Sen. Barack Obama was educated in a radical Muslim school known as a ‘madrassa’ are not accurate.” The problem is, madrassa, contrary to popular yet ignorant belief, is an Arabic word for any type of school, secular or religious. Moreover, CNN continues to use words like “allegations” to describe such issues, which is simi-lar to the language used to address those under scru-tiny for political scandals. At this point, I’m not even going to take the time to criticize Fox News about the original report.

The subtle ignorant lan-guage used by major news sources seems like nothing when compared to com-ments made by John McCain and Fred Thompson at the Republican Presidential Debate in South Carolina on Jan. 10. John McCain, in response to Ron Paul’s ad-vocating of increasing trade as a way to increase global security, said, “I’m not inter-ested in trading with Al-Qa-eda. All they want to trade is burkas. I don’t want to travel with them. They like one-way tickets.” First of all, Ron Paul said nothing of trading with terrorists or Al-Qaeda. Paul was discussing trading with Arab nations in gen-eral, which McCain decided to equate with trading with a terrorist organization. Moreover, McCain seems to suggest that a terrorist organization is only inter-ested in trading cloaks worn by Muslim women. It may be a joke, yes, but it is still disturbing.

Fred Thompson, in ad-dressing a confrontation in the Persian Gulf between the United States Navy and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRG), stated, “I think one more step and they would have been introduced to those virgins that they’re looking forward to seeing.” Thompson was referring to the promises of virgins made by Islamic terrorist or-ganizations to suicide bomb-ers. Thompson makes a clear generalization by equating such suicide bombers with the IRG, a gross oversimpli-fication which contributes to our ignorance about distinc-tions between Muslims.

The words used by the presidential candidates and major news sources are reflective of a much larger trend in politics and the media that continues to degrade and disrespect Muslims. While there are no explicit words that denounce those of Islamic faith, and while I do not believe any of these people are Islamo-

phobic, the language that is used to describe Islam and those who are Muslim continues to carry negative connotations.

At this point, it may seem that I’m just whining about sporadic incidents of anti-Islamic language. But even something as subtle as our language and rhetoric has immense effects and consequences in a world where Muslims are playing a growing part. Islam is the second largest and fast-est growing religion in the world. Millions of Muslims reside within the United States. Muslims will deter-mine the future of Iraq and Afghanistan and have the capability of eliminating the influence of organiza-tions such as Al-Qaeda. Yet, our government continues to struggle to connect with Muslims, even more so in the wake of the War on Ter-ror. We always hear about our government begging for moderate Muslims to speak out against radical Islamists

and to join the United States in our struggle against Al-Qaeda. Any rational person would then assume that if our government truly cared about garnering the sup-port and respect of moder-ate Muslims, they would be especially careful about the language they use when discussing Islam.

But this doesn’t seem to be the case. People like David Horowitz go around preaching about “Islamofas-cism” while expecting mod-erate Muslims to speak out in support of the West, and when that support doesn’t come, they seem perplexed. CNN, John McCain and Fred Thompson are not anti-Is-lamic, but their language shows us why we are con-tinuing to fail so miserably in truly connecting with the people of the Middle East.

Nandan is a freshman in Arts & Sciences and staff columnist. He can be reached via e-mail at nprasad@artsci.wustl.edu.

CLARIFICATIONS:Wednesday’s staff editorial discusses how Republican presidential candidate and former Governor Mike Huckabee spoke on campus on April 4, 2007. Gov. Huckabee was offi cially invited to campus on Jan 19, 2007 and then declared his candidacy on Jan 28. He was invited to talk about his book, “From Hope to Higher Ground,” which he did.

William Ronkoski’s op-ed on Wednesday discussed Chelsea Clinton’s appearance at Kayak’s Coffee, a property owned by the University. Kayak’s leases the property from the University and as such has the right to use the space for its own purposes.

These omissions should have been included in the paper.

The persistent gap between the West and the modern world

BY NANDAN PRASAD STAFF COLUMNIST

CHRISTINE GARVEY | STUDENT LIFE

to bad songs while danc-ing? Then 20 million people might watch your video.

In 1,000 years, when historians look back on our civilization, they might recognize August 24, 2007 as America’s nadir. On that day, Miss Teen South Carolina became famous for fulfi lling America’s favorite cliché, the dumb blonde. Her incoherent sentence about why Americans cannot fi nd themselves on a map in-cluded such eloquent turns of phrase as “U.S. Ameri-cans… like, such as, as in … the Iraq and everywhere like such as …” in only 30 seconds. Twenty-two million Americans have viewed a clip of this performance on YouTube. For her embarrass-ing stupidity, Lauren Upton, as she is known, was inter-

viewed by People Magazine, was a featured guest on “The Today Show”, was in-vited to the MTV Video Mu-sic Awards and now models for Donald Trump. For not knowing English or having a single original thought, she became famous overnight.

This is our society: we seek to be exceptional through our ignorance and baseness. If you are a bril-liant physicist, a courageous lawyer or a selfl ess politi-cian, you rarely merit at-tention. On the other hand, if you are a ditz or a jock, sexy or stupid, then you just might become famous.

Zachary is a senior in Arts & Sciences and staff colum-nist. He can be reached via e-mail at zsteinert@gmail.com.

feel no candidate is worth their vote. Maybe Fred Thompson, Dennis Kucinich or another of the myriad dropouts was “your guy,” and now you’re feeling like it isn’t worth participat-ing in your state’s primary (if it hasn’t already happened). Or maybe your candidate is still around but doesn’t end up get-ting his or her party’s nomina-tion. What then?

You vote, that’s what. If, of course, extenuating circum-stances preclude your making it to the polls, well, that’s a differ-ent story. But here at Wash-ington University, that’s quite unlikely, especially if you live on the South 40 and need only walk to the nearby Wohl Center to cast your ballot. Fortunately, there are enough candidates now that you should be able to fi nd at least one who in some way resembles your vision of an

American president. In No-vember it might even be more diffi cult, and in fact voting for the “lesser of two evils” might be the best option for you. Nevertheless, I implore every-one to make a choice, because especially here in a swing state like Missouri, every vote counts. Like my teacher said, it is our responsibility as the citizens of this nation to choose the per-son we want to lead us for the next four or eight years.

The worst that can happen is that we look back in a few years and realize that our decision was the wrong one. Still, as far as I’m concerned, the wrong decision is always better than no decision at all.

Brian is a freshman in Arts & Sciences and a staff columnist. He can be reached via e-mail at brprice@artsci.wustl.edu.

PRICE v FROM PAGE 4 STEINERT v FROM PAGE 4

University hiding behind tax laws

Dear Editor:

The administration is lying again. No, not THAT administration. The Wrighton administration. The tax laws do not prohibit being a host to a candidate, provided that opportunity is offered equally

to all candidates. That is quite feasible, especially because the candidates are so busy it is unlikely many (or any) oth-ers would accept.

—Jonathan KatzProfessor of Physics

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

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arts &ZAAZZBY CECILIA RAZAKMOVIE EDITOR

I do recall making some sort of “I’ll see ‘Over Her Dead Body’ over mine” joke when I was first subjected to the trailer of this heinous romantic comedy. Unfortu-nately, my job is to brave the bad ones so you don’t have to and, frankly, this one wouldn’t have been any better posthumously. It’s not as if it is the worst film in cinematic history. It’s stultifyingly bad, it’s pain-ful and it’s boring, but there are worse ways to spend your time in the theater. “Meet the Spartans” comes to mind.

It’s not the film in gen-eral I take issue with (since, really, it’s too easy and not worth my time to criticize it) but with poor Paul Rudd, who used to be so respect-able. Therefore, instead of a review proper, I’ve decided to direct this little bit of newsprint to Mr. Rudd, wher-ever he may be.

Dear Mr. Rudd, wherever you may be:

I know we all have rough times; I sympathize. It’s just that those hard times don’t usually come in the midst of good ones. Your good times were so enter-taining and often witty and whip smart—remember the days of “Clueless,” “Anchor-man” and “Knocked Up”? Yes, those were fine days. Recently, it looked as if you were about to hit your stride in earnest. Usually, when an actor is riding the warm draft of rising salaries and notoriety, he enjoys it and continues to make films

he feels have some value. And yet you’ve made “Over Her Dead Body.” A quick reference of your IMDb.com résumé reveals you are cur-rently in pre-production on not one, but three, terrible romantic comedies. Paul, if you were here, I would roll up this newspaper and swipe you soundly in the nose with it. “Bad Paul Rudd!” I would shout and put you out on the porch. But since you are neither here nor four-legged, this verbal rolled newspaper must suffice. Please, since I esteem you so highly and will see your films until you’ve thoroughly convinced me to do otherwise, please stop with these trashy pay-check providers. We all have to live, I know, but must you do so so shamelessly? Couldn’t you have been in that nice movie about the man and his oil? What was wrong with that one? Give

Daniel Day-Lewis a chance to phone in a sheepish performance for a romantic comedy. It’s his turn.

Sincerely, Cadenza

P.S. I did like the wedding scene in “Over Her Dead Body,” but only because the set was a replica of the church from “Heathers.” You weren’t in that one, were you?

Over whose dead body?

Over Her Dead Body

Rating: ★✩✩✩✩Starring: Eva Longoria Parker, Paul Rudd, Jason BiggsDirected by: Jeff Lowell

MCT

BY BRIAN STITTSENIOR CADENZA EDITOR

Move over, Martin Scorcese. Make way, Woody Allen. It’s high time we start appreciating New York City’s forgotten son. Abel Ferrara never achieved the fame of other artists who consistently use the Big Apple as a backdrop and, quite frankly, that’s pretty fair. He started out making gory exploitation movies like “Nine Lives of a Wet Pussy” and the cult classic “Driller Killer,” and while he moved on to more emotionally complicated movies, he kept enough elements of exploitation to scare away critics and audiences alike. He doesn’t make masterpieces, but Ferrara’s movies stick with you, even when you don’t want them to. Especially when you don’t want them to. His style is very simple but it is frank and unique. His movies aren’t for everybody, but he offers a view of New York and life not often seen in mainstream fi lm.

Ms. 45

The story of a mute seamstress named Thana who, after being raped twice in one day, starts taking out her silent rage with a .45 caliber pistol. More than just trashy fun, “Ms. 45” stands as an early example of Ferrara’s ability to blend exploitation with an almost violently ambiguous moral compass. After Thana bludgeons her second attacker to death with an iron (wow, is it

brutal), actress Zoe Lund skillfully portrays a woman unraveling beneath the weight of the knowledge that she is powerless to avenge the crimes committed against her without resorting to violence. And while she does become consumed by this violence and ends up packing heat at a Halloween party in a sexy nun costume, the fi lm does not wallow in its exploitative elements.

Bad Lieutenant

Considered by most to be Ferrara’s best movie, “Bad Lieutenant” features one the bravest, most disturbing performances in Harvey Keitel’s career, a career fi lled with brave and disturbing performances. Keitel plays a cop whose drug-addictions and gambling are spiraling out of control. Often excruciating to watch, especially a scene during which Keitel forces two teenage girls driving in the city illegally to perform sexual favors for him, “Bad Lieutenant” is also a fascinating portrait of human darkness and a musing on a despicable character’s shot at redemption. Similar in many thematic ways to “There Will Be Blood” (without the scope or the class), this fi lm exemplifi es Abel Ferrara’s willingness to point his camera at anything, without fl inching.

The Funeral

Featuring an especially strong cast for such a small movie, “The Funeral” is a mob-themed ensemble piece starring Christopher Walken, Chris Penn, Isabella Rossellini, Benicio Del Toro and Gretchen Mol. After their little brother is killed by a rival gangster, two gangsters must face the choices of the future and the mistakes of the past as their family comes in for the funeral. The movie focuses on the family aspects of the gangster lifestyle and the guilt that goes with it. Retaliation is inevitable, and yet a war will tear the family apart. A quiet movie and a very personal one, “The Funeral” shows that Abel Ferrara can abandon the seamier themes he’s known for and still craft an interesting movie.

Old Movies: The warped New York of Abel Ferrara

MOVIE REVIEWS

Lake Bell, from left, Eva Longoria, Jason Biggs and Lindsay Sloane arrive to the premiere of “Over Her Dead Body,” at the Arclight Theater in Los Angeles, California, Jan. 29, 2008.

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Senior Scene Editor / Meghan Luecke / scene@studlife.com FRIDAY | FEBRUARY 1, 20088 STUDENT LIFE | SCENE

SCENESCENE

Blackberry Café is a small restaurant not far from campus. The café is known for its

Mediterranean-infused fare as well as its free wireless internet.

When we arrived, the owner greeted my friends and me and took our orders. The menu

is posted on a wall, and orders were taken as they would be at a place like Bread Co. The friendly owner appeared to be running a one-man show, taking orders and preparing the food all on his own. He explained that the café was originally located on Clayton Road but recently moved to Forsyth.

My friend and I decided to

try the French soda, a drink made from carbonated water, fl avored syrup and half-and-half. The owner asked, “Parlez-vous français?” (Do you speak French?), and I responded, “Uh oui.” (I wasn’t lying. I took some in high school and at Wash. U.) He explained that he speaks four different languages and comes from a Greek-Egyptian background.

So there you go: more evidence that the food is authentically Mediterranean.

Now back to the French sodas. I decided to try the blackberry fl avor (to go along with the Blackberry Café theme) and my friend went with strawberry. The whipped-cream-topped sodas were smooth, creamy, fi zzy and frothy. They weren’t too sweet, but they were still fl avorful and refreshing. I would have to say that the strawberry fl avor was better than the blackberry and colored a more fun, bright pink. Many other fl avors are available as well, ranging from the fruity to the chocolaty.

While we waited for our food to arrive, we enjoyed the pleasant ambience of the café. Paintings decorated the walls and soft, relaxing music played in the background. It was a quiet, comfortable atmo-sphere, making it a great place for a gathering with a few friends, a casual date or some studying. However, I wouldn’t recommend the restaurant for a big group. With its small size and only a few tables, the café provides more of an intimate atmosphere.

Our food arrived in a timely manner. The homemade hum-mus appetizer was excellent. The chickpea dip intermixed

garlic and lemon fl avors with Mediterranean spices. Its natu-ral fl avor proved to be much better than the pre-packaged hummus that can be found at the store. The dip was served with warm, fresh pita bread, which was garnished with spices. The owner told me that the hummus has won awards consecutively for being the best hummus in St. Louis. While I couldn’t verify this after some Internet search-ing, I’ll hold him to his word because it tasted like award-winning quality to me.

Other enticing appetizers offered at the café include baba ghanouj (a dip similar to hummus, but made with eggplant), homemade spicy tomato zucchini soup and tabouli (a Lebanese dish made with bulgur wheat, parsley, lemon juice, tomatoes and Middle Eastern spices).

We also tried the Mediter-ranean wrap, which the owner announced as one of the café’s specialties. The warm tomato basil tortilla shell was fi lled with grilled chicken, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onion, feta cheese and a mix of black olives and hummus. The café also makes a special spicy tuna wrap. No offense to Wash. U. wraps, but Blackberry Café’s were unanimously voted to be tastier.

Finally, I ordered the traditional gyros sandwich. A homemade piece of pita bread was fi lled with thinly sliced Greek lamb meat and topped with lettuce, tomato, red on-ion, feta cheese and Tzatziki sauce. The main ingredients in Tzatziki are yogurt, cucum-bers, garlic and salt, which create a creamy, fresh-tast-ing white sauce. It added the perfect light fl avor to the sandwich. Although some may shy away from lamb, the sand-wich really was quite savory, delicious and fi lling. I think that anyone who has yet to taste a gyro should head over to Blackberry Café to give this one a try!

The café has many other of-ferings, which I unfortunately didn’t get a chance to try on this fi rst visit. For one, the café serves breakfast from 7-11 a.m. daily. The breakfast menu includes several different types of omelets. In addition, the café serves a variety of desserts. These include cakes, muffi ns, cookies and baklava (a sweet Mediterranean pastry fi lled with walnuts and honey).

So if you’re in the mood for a taste of the Mediterranean, head over to Blackberry Café for some good eats in a relax-ing and pleasant environment.

It’s open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to midnight.

Still at a loss for how to enjoy the Super Bowl? Try out one of these recipes on game day and

you’ll fi nd yourself surrounded by eager fans of your cooking.

BY KATE L. GALLAGHER SPECIAL FEATURES EDITOR

KATE L. GALLAGHER | STUDENT LIFEBlackberry Café offers a Mediterranean variety that includes homemade hummus.

Blackberry Café7351 ForsythSt. Louis, MO 63105(314) 721-9300Price Range: $10-20

Out Rating:

★★★★✩Stepping Stepping

Beer-Cheese SoupIt’s sounds gross, but you’d be amazed. And for those of you who are 21, don’t forget the traditional rule: for each beer you put into the soup, drink another one on the side.Ingredients:1 chicken bouillon cube1 medium-sized brick Velveeta cheese

1 teaspoon fl our2-3 wheat beers (Schlafl y’s Hefeweizen works well)1 potatoWater

Boil the potato for a few minutes or until slightly soft-ened, then dice. Throw all the ingredients into a pot and stir until smooth. Let it cook for up to an hour, adding water (or more beer) as needed to perfect consistency. Serve it up hot!-Courtesy of Eric Castillo and Adam Hayes

BY MEGHAN LUECKESENIOR SCENE EDITOR

Super BowlSuper BowlRecipesRecipes

slices with cream cheese. Cut the pickles lengthwise then crosswise for bite-size pieces, then wrap each piece in a cheese-salami slice. Voila, Pickelami.

Pigs in a BlanketA miniature version of the

classic, homey delight.

Ingredients:Pre-made puff pastry (fi nd it

near cookie dough at the store)Mini hot dogs, or regular

dogs cut into four pieces

Pre-heat oven to 350̊ , or as instructed on pastry package. Open the puff package (and savor that wonderful popping sound. I swear, it’s better than bubble wrap). If you can’t fi nd mini hot dogs, slice regular-sized dogs once lengthwise and once across to make four mini-dogs per regular one. Flavored mini-dogs are great if the store has them, but otherwise, you might want to sprinkle a little grated cheese on top. Next, wrap each dog into a triangle of puff pastry. Place them on a cookie sheet and cook for 5-10 minutes or until golden brown (watch ‘em carefully so they don’t burn!). Serve hot.

Super bowlfor the

disinclined

This Sunday, approximately 100 million people worldwide will sit

down for the most-watched television program of the year: the Super Bowl. It stands to reason that the majority of these viewers are Americans. After all, this annual occasion has practically earned the title of an honorary national holiday. For many Americans, the Super Bowl is one of the most anticipated events of the year.

But then there are those who think “pigskin” must be something used to make pork rinds. If you are one of these people, there’s a good chance that you dread this day when you just can’t seem to get in on the fun. Well, this year, that is all going to end. So listen up, football-haters, because it’s time to learn how to enjoy the Super Bowl.

1. Pick a team. Your best bet is to side with the one that most of your friends like, because there’s no reason for an untrue fan like yourself to cause con-troversy. This year, your two options are the Patriots and

the Giants. Lucky for you, red, white and blue attire is fitting for either team. Jerseys are too expensive to buy on a whim, but some nice eye black is always festive and intimidating. Ev-eryone likes a good themed party.

2. Scream. Even if you feel silly at first, you’ll really get into it—I prom-ise. Scream when someone drops the ball (“You $%#&@ idiot!”), when someone runs really far (“Go baby, go!”) or just when everyone else is screaming. If you’ve decided to root for the Giants, you really only need to know the name Eli Manning, and for the Patriots, you’re good if you know Tom Brady. Be sure to yell at these men as if they can actually hear you and care what you think.

3. Eat! The Super Bowl is one of the greatest con-sumption days of the year, featuring wings, nachos, chili, ribs, potato skins and, of course, beer. Student Life does not condone underage drinking, but for those of you who are of age, I would suggest leaving the Natty in the fridge and going with Budweiser. That way, you won’t regret your choice of beverage when you see all

the great Bud commercials, which brings me to…

4. Commercials. Pay attention to these! Some of the best advertisements will be making their debut, and you don’t want to miss them. Besides, on Monday people will be talking more about the commercials than the actual game, anyway.

5. Enter a pool. It’s like betting on the game, except it’s completely by chance so you don’t actu-ally need to know anything about football. If you win $50, you might just start to warm up to the game.

As difficult as it may seem, and despite whatever past experience is telling you, you must believe that you can enjoy the Super Bowl. Think of pessimism and negativity as the stars of the opposing team, and root against them. Just imagine how good it’s going to feel to have clogged arteries, a sore throat and that coveted sense of belonging at the end of the night.

If nothing else, you’ll have the right to guilt your friends into joining you for the premiere of the next season of America’s Next Top Model.

BY SHAYNA MAKARONSCENE REPORTER

Rainbow Layered DipOK, so don’t tell your foot-

ball friends what it’s called—just put it in front of them while they’re watching the game, and it’ll disappear at an astonishing rate. (Other chefs in the room will notice the cool color-layering effect.)

Ingredients:1 ½ cups refried beans1 ½ cups sour cream1 ½ cups guacamole (store-

bought or homemade)1 cup salsa, divided into

thirds1 ½ cups grated cheddar

cheese2 bags tortilla chips

Pour the refried beans into a serving dish (preferably a wide glass casserole dish at least three inches deep). Shake the dish until the beans are evenly distributed in a smooth layer at the bottom. Carefully pour two-thirds of the salsa over the beans, spreading it out with a knife to make a neat layer. Next, dollop the sour cream as evenly as possible on top of the salsa layer. Continue to layer this way with more salsa and then guacamole. Finally, sprinkle cheddar cheese across the top. Pop the dish into the oven at 350̊ for about six minutes or into the microwave for a minute and a half (or until cheese is melted). Serve with chips.

Brian’s PickelamiAgain, don’t think too much

about this—just make it, and you’ll see the light. This super-easy appetizer is tasty and takes about thirty seconds to throw together.

Ingredients:Salami, slicedSoft cream cheesePickles

Spread individual salami