OSCARS PREVIEW 8 SCENE, PAGE BASEBALL PREVIEW 6 SPORTS, PAGE DRUVE-BY TRUCKERS 7 SCENE, PAGE the independent newspaper of Washington University in St. Louis since 1878 Friday, February 25, 2011 Vol. 132, No. 56 www.studlife.com Washington University in St. Louis In Pluralism Week, no voice Relay planners address for nonreligious students Mardi Gras overlap KELSEY TIMES compared to the 1,500 to 1,700 CONTRIBUTING REPORTER in previous years. So far, Relay has raised $148,843.57 for the Students planning the Relay American Cancer Society. for Life fundraiser at Washington “At first, we had an issue University are worried that with getting people to sign up, Mardi Gras will keep fellow stu- but I don’t attribute it to Mardi dents from attending. Gras,” said team captain Sarah The events, which will lead Samborn, a sophomore. students to opposite sides of St. Two hundred people have Louis, are both scheduled for registered within the last week, March 5. and Relay coordinators expect Because Relay will occur at this trend to continue. Their night and Mardi Gras will occur main goal is to have as many during the day, Relay organizers participants as possible, and reg- are encouraging students to par- istration will remain open until ticipate in both. the day of the event. “There were some people Freshman Rachel Howard said that approached us concerned that the events’ overlapping dates because they wanted to partici- will not prevent her from attend- pate in both,” said Relay co-chair ing both. Joanna Perdomo, a senior. “I’m really excited about being “We’re embracing the fact that involved in Relay, and I’m also MATT MITGANG | STUDENT LIFE there’s a coincidence, but we looking forward to Mardi Gras,” Deliverance, the Christian a cappella group at Washington University, performs at Rhythm, Rhymes, N’ Reli- don’t want people to see it as a Howard said. “I’ll probably end gion as part of the second annual Pluralism Week. The event at Ursa’s Stageside also feature WU-SLam, conflict.” up going to both, but I’ll be really Staam, the Jewish a cappella group on campus, and the Sensasians, the Asian a capella group on campus. According to Perdomo, such a tired afterward.” coincidence has never happened Despite the conflict with ALLYSON SCHER introduced a variety of lectures and programming after similar concerns in the past, and this year’s sched- Mardi Gras, Perdomo said she’s STAFF REPORTER events for the sake of creating a dia- over their exclusion were voiced uling conflict wasn’t intentional. confident that the University logue between members of different after the inaugural Pluralism Week Mardi Gras occurs later this year community will make this year’s Students who identify as atheist religions. in 2010. than it has for the past few years. Relay a success. or agnostic have voiced resentment According to junior Hannah The groups contacted by the Relay must occur on a field with “Relay at Wash. U. is really over not being included in the pro- Rabinowitz, the student who led event organizers, however, did not a track, and the weekend of special,” Perdomo said. “There’s gramming for the second annual coordination of this week’s pro- respond, according to Rabinowitz. Mardi Gras was the only time just so much energy and enthusi- Pluralism Week at Washington gramming, event organizers had Graduate student Edward Francis Field was available. asm that I don’t think you get on University. attempted to incorporate aethiest Currently, 1,489 partici- The week, which ends Sunday, and agnostic groups into this year’s SEE WEEK, PAGE 3 pants are registered for Relay, SEE RELAY, PAGE 2 Wave of outsiders run Politics needs more civility, for SU after Palin fi asco Mo. politicians tell WU crowd power and how much change SU Cite discontent representatives can bring.” KATE GAERTNER with SU, body’s That sense of power motivated EDITOR IN CHIEF the candidates. funding of speech “The reason I first became inter- A bipartisan trio of Missouri con- ested in Treasury was because of gressmen came to campus Thursday by Bristol Palin the Bristol Palin fiasco,” sophomore to outline a course for political civil- Treasury candidate Aron Lurie said. ity based on disagreeing in a more MICHAEL TABB & “I thought that it was a waste of agreeable way. MICHELLE MERLIN money because it was going toward U.S. Reps. Jo Ann Emerson NEWS EDITORS marketing for the event instead of (R-Cape Girardeau), Russ Carnahan going toward someone who would (D-St. Louis) and William Lacy Clay Students signed up in larger num- provide good discussion.” (D-St. Louis) told a public forum in bers this spring to run for Student Many candidates noted that the the Knight Center that the way politi- Union Treasury and Senate, with problem is greater than just the cians interact with one another holds many taking motivation from the one SU decision and stems from major implications across political fallout over Treasury’s vote to fund an overall lack of communication culture—from environmental policy a panel featuring Bristol Palin. between SU and the student body. to congressional potlucks. MATT MITGANG | STUDENT LIFE The majority of the candidates “I think that the issue is bigger And they said part of an increased U.S. Reps. Russ Carnahan (D-St. Louis) at left and Jo Ann Emerson (R- are coming from outside SU. The than just Bristol Palin; I think there lack of civility in politics stems from Cape Girardeau), the two co-chairs of the Center Aisle Caucus, joined influx of candidates has made this needs to be more communication an increasingly polarized and sensa- Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay (D-St. Louis) on campus Thursday in a conversa- spring’s elections much more com- about how people want money to tionalistic news media. tion about how to make political discourse more civil. petitive than normal. be spent,” said freshman Leigha “The media gives too much atten- New candidates were motivated Empson, who is running for SU tion to negativity and fighting and Giffords (D-Ariz.) was shot and But he also cited something more by their dissatisfaction with SU. Senate. “There seems to be a lot of not enough to conversations like this wounded severely during a public deeply ingrained in American cul- Incumbents want to continue what disconnect between senators and one,” Carnahan told the audience at appearance in January. ture—“a widely expressed longing they started. constituents they’re supposed to be the discussion, which was sponsored In opening the panel, moderator for a more civil society, one in which Candidates are particularly representing.” by the Danforth Center on Religion Wayne Fields, the center’s founding our behavior is consistent with our focused on increasing communica- According to senior Jasmine & Politics. director and a professor of English most fundamental religious and civic tion between SU and students. Berg, speaker of the Treasury, the Civility in politics—or a lack at Washington University, pointed values.” Seventeen students are running competition is a marked improve- thereof—has entered the national to the recent shooting as a catalyst SEE CIVILITY, PAGE 3 for 13 SU Senate positions, and 13 ment for a race in which write-in spotlight since U.S. Rep. Gabrielle for the representatives’ conversation. are running for nine seats on SU candidates are occasionally elected. Treasury. SU officials hope that the In the fall, there was only one competition will lead to a more rep- contested Treasury seat, an open resentative Senate and Treasury. In only contested executive race, slates Arts & Sciences Senate seat and “It’s a good way to make sure two other contested seats. that the senators who are getting for senior council pledge student input Although the election commis- elected are people students actually sioner, sophomore Sarah Rubin, think will represent their views on MICHELLE MERLIN the location of next year’s senior National Black MBA Association said the Palin controversy wasn’t Senate matters,” said sophomore SENIOR NEWS EDITOR class trip. and a residential adviser. the only motivation for the increase Mamatha Challa, speaker of the The Mission Accomplished In the debate, Cooper presented in candidates in this spring’s elec- Senate. Two slates are vying for Senior slate is composed of the Junior three major goals for his slate: to tions, she added that people have Not all of the candidates are typi- Class Council in the only con- Class Council’s current mem- have programming people care realized what SU can do. cal contenders. tested executive race for the bers, including President Michael about, to advocate and educate, “People realize that Treasury Charles Levenson is 2011-2012 academic year. Offerman and an executive mem- and to create long-lasting memo- can do all these things, and usually running to “represent an underrep- The slates, Mission ber from each school. ries for the senior class. I don’t think people pay that much resented majority at Washington Accomplished and Pup N’ Suds, Pup N’ Suds includes presi- Offerman stressed his slate’s attention to who gets funded,” University”—those dissatisfied pledged at a debate Thursday dential candidate Alex Cooper, experience in programming and Rubin said. “When students see with SU. night in Tisch Commons to base a junior and current Student working together. He recalled his how their money can be spent, and In his candidate statement, he their programming off student Union senator, and others with slate’s past accomplishments of if they’re very against it or very input. They also expressed some experience across campus, includ- pleased with it, they see how much SEE SU, PAGE 3 openness to the idea of changing ing leaders in Greek life and the SEE RACE, PAGE 3 CONTACT BY POST CONTACT BY EMAIL CONTACT BY PHONE ONE BROOKINGS DRIVE #1039 [email protected] NEWSROOM 314.935.5995 #330 DANFORTH UNIVERSITY CENTER [email protected] ADVERTISING 314.935.6713 ST.