I LOVE YOU, DRUGS! NCAA! Men’s and women’s basketball Cadenza takes a Two Forum columnists take a look MAN are in the Final Four! Check look at the new at the use of illegal drugs and Scene out sports today and a special comedic flick. gives you ‘the skinny’ on diet pills. issue Monday for more. BACK PAGE PAGES 4 & 7 SPECIAL ISSUE + PAGE 8 INSIDE Sthe independentTUDENT newspaper of Washington University in St. Louis LIFE since eighteen seventy-eight Vol. 130 No. 67 www.studlife.com Wednesday, March 18, 2009 Masked gunmen hold up UCollege Men’s and women’s b-ball Costa Rica class Rafa Garcia Febles Contributing Reporter teams ready for Final Four Two masked gunmen assaulted Johann Qua Hiansen a University College class in Costa Sports Reporter seconds to go, all Brandt had to do “I just remember dribbling down region, handed the Titans their fi rst Rica Saturday, shortly after the stu- was hold on to secure a trip to the Fi- the court, smiling, thinking ‘Here we loss of the season and extended their dents and adjunct Professor Mark nal Four. When the buzzer sounded, go again,’” Brandt said. own winning streak to 14 games. Manteuffel had arrived in the coun- Senior Jill Brandt dribbled the Brandt burst into a smile, tossed the No. 6 Washington University ad- Minutes earlier and with more try. ball down the sideline with two Il- ball to the side, and joined the en- vanced to the Final Four for the fi rst than 2,000 screaming Illinois Wes- The Tropical Ecology class had linois Wesleyan players attempting a tire Washington University women’s time since 2007 after defeating No. leyan fans, a student band with more been traveling along the country’s last-second steal. The hard part was basketball team storming the court 1 Illinois Wesleyan 58-53. Wash. U., east coast en route to a biological KRT over. With the score at 58-53 and for celebratory hugs and cheers. a team picked to fi nish fourth in the See FINAL FOUR, page 8 station, when an unidentifi ed vehicle rammed into their bus. recently unsafe for American visi- The van was traveling on lit tors. Robberies of this kind, which roads in a populated area when the target tourists leaving the airport gunmen robbed the class. along country roads, have grown “A car came up, hit us and got more common in recent years. in front of [our] car so it couldn’t But according to the biology sta- move,” said a manager at the bio- tion manager, this is the fi rst time logical station who asked not to be that University students have been named as a matter of job security. robbed while on the way to the sta- “Two people got out of the car. One tion. was wearing all white and one was “I talked to the locals about this wearing all black. They pointed area,” she said. “We talk to the other [guns] at the students and the driv- workers that are here. I’ve never ex- er.” perienced this in my life and the sta- The assailants, who have not tion has been running for 15 years.” yet been identifi ed, took two bags Two members of the Tropical from the travelers and left, injuring Ecology class who had been va- no one. The members of the class cationing in Costa Rica were each then moved 50 meters to a nearby robbed prior to the incident—one of restaurant where they contacted lo- them at machete-point. cal police. Still, the manager at the biologi- Despite being held at gunpoint, cal station emphasized that the stu- the bus did not break out in panic. dents have returned to a normal pace “Surprisingly, everybody was and to their study of native wildlife. extremely calm,” said the manager. “We’re in the middle of the rain- “No one did anything. Everyone forest in this area,” she said. We go was stunned.” out to the forest and walk around Police arrived within 10 minutes every day. Everybody just needed to and escorted the group the rest of the get it out. They’re all better now.” way to the biology station. The professor and students were “It was a little town, there were unavailable for comment, as they a few people there,” the biology sta- were conducting research in the tion manager said. “These are all rainforest. tiny towns around there. It was in Students, many of whom are now a lit area. We had just come from missing wallets, cell phones and a place where there was a dirt road passports, spent much of the week- end wiring money and purchasing and the pavement begins. They hit JOHANN QUA HIANSEN | STUDENT LIFE us right as we got to the pavement.” new passports at the local embassy. According to the United States Police will escort the group to the Senior Shanna-Lei Dacanay cuts down a piece of the net after the No. 5 Washington University women’s basketball team upset the No. 1 Illinois Wesleyan Overseas Security Advisory Council, airport when they depart the country Titans on their home court on Saturday, 58-53, to secure a Final Four trip for the Lady Bears. The second-ranked men’s basketball team is also going to the Costa Rica’s conditions have been on Sunday. Final Four for the third consecutive year after it upset the No. 1 St. Thomas University Tommies on their home court on Saturday, 79-64. Olasov mourned New execs take fi rst steps as devoted friend Perry Stein toward adopting Google Apps News Editor Anthony Olasov, a senior who Alan Liu the money saved from providing Vanderbilt and Northwestern uni- be taken with the security of stu- died from accidental drowning last Staff Reporter University e-mail go toward im- versities and the University of dent information. Tuesday while on spring break in proving cell phone reception in Southern California. Nelson is encouraging stu- Costa Rica, is remembered by his the Danforth University Center The Google Apps for Educa- dents to sign a petition online. friends as light-hearted, funny and The incoming Student Union (DUC) or opening an office for tion Suite includes Gmail, Google He hopes that the use of a peti- hard-working. Montana slate has set plans in the prevention of sexual assault. Calendar, Google Talk, Google tion will signal to students that Olasov, 22, was an electrical place to outsource the student e- This initiative has existed for Docs, Google Sites and Google his administration will be more and computer engineering major mail system to Google Apps for months and has been a frequent Video for education. Gmail would inclusive and that it would show from South Carolina who was slat- Education, with hopes of imple- the University administration that ed to graduate with honors in May. menting the change by the start of students support the change. According to Kimberly Shilling, the fall semester. “If we start now, we can use special assistant to the associate In a survey conducted in Feb- Google Apps by the fall semes- dean in the engineering school, An- ruary of last year by the Student ter,” Nelson said. thony will be receiving his degree Union (SU) Technology Resources Among the other issues that posthumously at graduation. Senior Anthony Olasov, 22, died Committee, 79 percent of students Nelson hopes to address is St. Outside of academics, Anthony while on spring break in Costa Rica, chose Gmail in the event that stu- Louis Metro, which is set to im- was actively involved in campus due to accidental drowning. dent e-mail was outsourced. plement service cuts to its bus, life and friends described him as advocated and fought for those be- “E-mail is something that light-rail train and Call-a-Ride “an all-around great guy.” liefs.” students use every day, and I’ve services on March 30 to address Anthony was the former co-pres- Anthony also had a substantial heard so many students talk about its $50 million budget shortfall. ident of the College Libertarians, a impact at Student Technology Ser- how it needs to improve, and the Nelson said, however, that teaching assistant, a technician at vices (STS), where he worked as a fact that University is experienc- topic of conversation among SU provide seven gigabytes of stor- Metro is a more complex issue, Student Technology Services and a technician for four years. ing financial trouble, it makes members. Nelson believes that age compared to the 500 mega- and he said that he wanted to meet member of the Electrical Engineer- “He was just a very nice guy, sense to tackle this first. We can this year, the plan can be put in bytes Squirrelmail provides. with the University administra- ing Student Advisory Board. very light hearted, always kept the save money and improve student place. “I already have all my e-mail tion to develop a well-formulated Senior Mitch Port participated atmosphere upbeat,” said John Bai- government at the same time,” SU “The difference is and why this from my Squirrelmail forwarded and effective plan for helping the in the College Libertarians with ley, a manager at STS who worked President-elect Jeff Nelson said. hasn’t happened last year and why to my Gmail,” said junior Chase agency first. Anthony and remembers him as with Anthony. “He was really a The slate was elected two I think it can happen this year is Sackett, an SU senator.