wu team places 4 - student life · priya sury, a 2010 wash. u. alum, was named one of 32 rhodes...
TRANSCRIPT
Priya Sury, a 2010 Wash. U. alum, was named one of 32 Rhodes Scholars in the nation on Saturday afternoon.
The Rhodes Scholarship, named for South African busi-nessman and politician Cecil Rhodes, is an acclaimed inter-national postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford in Oxford, England.
Winners of the Rhodes Scholarship are chosen on the basis of their academic achieve-ments, personal integrity, leadership and physical vigor.
Sury, a Minnesota native, will attend Oxford beginning next year.
Sury will join approximately 80 Rhodes Scholars selected from around the world.
An anthropology and Spanish major, Sury graduated summa cum laude from the University and is currently in her first year of medical school at the
University of Minnesota.Sury plans to take time off
from medical school in order to study medical anthropology at Oxford. She said that her first year of medical school made her realize that she wanted a gradu-ate education beyond training in clinical study.
“Medical school was incred-ible, but I realized that I wanted a more humanistic perspective as well,” she said.
Sury hopes to become a primary care physician for under-served populations. In order to do so, she said, it is important to understand the context of the culture from which her patients come.
Monday, November 22, 2010 Vol. 132, No. 35 www.studlife.com Washington University in St. Louis
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Volleyball’s title run ends with loss to Emory in semifi nals
WU cashed in on credit card sales to students, alumni
There will be no national championship repeat for the Washington University women’s volleyball team.
The third-ranked Bears fell to No. 1 Emory University, 3-1 (18-25, 29-27, 25-21, 25-20), ending the team’s season in the Wash. U. Field House in front of a crowd of 1,722.
The two squads had faced off
twice this year, with the Bears tak-ing the first match-up in University Athletic Association (UAA) regu-lar season play by a 3-2 score on Oct. 16 and the Eagles returned the favor on Nov. 6 with a 3-1 win in the conference championship match.
With two teams very familiar with each other squaring off one last time, Emory took the rubber match and brought Wash. U.’s season to an end.
“One loss…it hurts, but it
doesn’t make our season any-where close to a failure,” head coach Rich Luenemann said. “We lost to a very good team.”
As they had in every game in the tournament, the Bears came out strong in the first set, largely thanks to freshman Tessa Blood’s four kills in the Bears’ first 10 points. After Emory fought back to a 14-14 tie, Wash. U. made a decisive 6-1 run behind freshman
Starting in 1997, Washington University gave Bank of America the names of stu-dents, alumni and others in the University community and received cash back when the bank sold University-sponsored credit cards to students and alumni.
But in July 2009, the University and Bank of America (BoA) changed that agreement. The University would no longer take money for every account sold to students, according to a copy of the agreement, which became publicly available last month.
The change to the agree-ment came three months after President Obama signed into law a bill requiring universi-ties to disclose arrangements like the one the University had with Bank of America. Since the government released agree-ments last month, consumer advocates have criticized uni-versities across the country for the agreements, saying they have been making money while setting up their students to mis-use the credit cards. A recently
released government report also shows the University took about $68,000 in royalties from BoA in 2009. Certain peer insti-tutions took far more, in some cases more than $1 million, through similar agreements in exchange for giving banks access to mailing lists and marketing exclusivity.
In the original contract, which started in 1997, Washington University had to provide the names and contact information of at least 108,000 community members for BoA’s market-ing purposes. Meanwhile, BoA paid the University $3 for each school-promoted, or “affin-ity,” card sold to students and alumni. Under the original con-tract, the bank also had to pay the University 0.4 percent of the value of all purchases students made using the accounts.
The University said it stopped including students’ names in the mailing lists sometime in the early 2000s. The University and BoA then changed royalty fees for student-bought accounts to zero in July 2009, effectively eliminating them. Royalty provi-sions in the contract now apply only for affinity cards opened by alumni. That change came after the federal government enacted the Credit CARD Act in May of that year, a credit-card reform law that, among other things, requires universities to publicly disclose the agreements they make with banks.
When asked how the agree-ment affects students, David
The “Phe-Thr-Trp” isn’t just a bunch of random sounds strung together. Rather, it is the name of a team from Washington University that placed 4th out of 25 teams in the 2010 University Protein Folding Challenge.
This challenge, composed of students from top-ranking universities, was hosted by Foldit, a computer application developed by the University of Washington that enables
people to contribute to scien-tific research in collaboration with computers. MedImmune, an international biologics busi-ness that aims to create drugs to improve health, sponsored the competition.
This contest, which began Friday, Nov. 5, challenged the teams from universities such as CalTech, M.I.T. and Stanford with the structure of an over-expressed protein linked with the expression of pancreatic cancer. The goal of the competition was to use the Foldit software to fold
the protein to optimal structure, essentially curing cancer. The team that returns the protein to a structure closest to its optimal structure wins the competition.
The challenge ended Thursday night, and the winner, “Team Crystallin” of M.I.T., received a prize of $5,000. The Washington University team, “Phe-Thr-Trp,” was composed of gradu-ate students hailing from the departments of immunology, genetics and computational
PUNEET KOLLIPARA
MICHAEL TABB
NEWS STAFF
WU team places 4th in scientifi c challengeALLYSON SCHER
STAFF REPORTER
SEE CREDIT, PAGE 5
SEE VOLLEYBALL, PAGE 8
SEE RHODES, PAGE 5SEE CHALLENGE, PAGE 5
2010 alum named Rhodes Scholar
MATT MITGANG | STUDENT LIFE
MATT MITGANG | STUDENT LIFE
Members of the volleyball team embrace each other moments after being defeated 3-1 by Emory in the
NCAA semifinal match on Saturday evening. The Bears end the season 35-4.
LEFT: Freshman Tessa Blood and senior Jennifer Varriano attempt to block an attack by Emory Univer-
sity’s Jessica McAlvany in Saturday’s NCAA semifinal match. Blood led the Bears with 15 kills in the 3-1
loss. RIGHT: Sophomore setter Marilee fisher sets the ball in Saturday’s NCAA semifinal match. Fisher
tallied 48 assists in the 3-1 loss to Emory University.
KURT ROHRBECK
SPORTS EDITOR
Stopped taking royalties on students’ cards after new disclosure law
KATE GAERTNER
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Priya Sury will study medical anthropology at Oxford
COURTESY OF PRIYA SURY
2 STUDENT LIFE
Victory was made possible by the loyal and unwavering support of my freshman fl oor and their valiant zealotry to stand by the righteous
– freshman Miles Black, on setting a Guinness World Record for the largest Nerf gun fi ght
There were no reports this weekend in WUPD’s daily crime log.
theflipsideMONDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2010
francineproseWashington University In St. Louis honors acclaimed novelist and non-fiction writer
ABOUT THE AWARD
The Medal, awarded biennially and accompanied by a cash prize of $20,000, generously supported by Dr. David and Phyllis Wilson Grossman, is given to honor the lifetime work of a noted scholar, writer, or artist, someone who has made a significant and sustained contribution to the world of letters or the arts. Past winners include Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk in 2006 and journalist Michael Pollan in 2008.
Keynote Address:“TEN THINGS ART CAN DO FOR US”
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2010, 4:30 P.M.Graham Chapel on the Danforth Campus,
Washington University
Book signing and reception will follow the ceremony in O’Donnell Lounge on the 2nd floor of the
Charles F. Knight Center
Seating is limited. Please Reply: [email protected]
2010 WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY INTERNATIONAL HUMANITIES MEDALIST
Even the best medical schools can’t prepare you for what comes next.
Nobody can teach you about challenge and adventure. But you can experience them for yourself, serving part-time as a health professional in the Air Guard. Whether you’re currently in school or working in the medical profession, you can find success as a vital member of our exceptional medical team. The opportunities are limitless, and could involve everything from providing in-flight care to sick or injured patients, to helping to save countless lives in a field hospital. All while receiving excellent benefits and the chance to work a flexible schedule. Most important, you will experience the satisfaction that comes from serving your community and your country. Talk to a recruiter today, and see how the Air Guard can help you take the next step.
Global Water Brigades Honduras Spring Break Trip Info SessionDUC 233, 5:30-6:30 p.m.Want to do something meaningful with your spring break week? Come learn about the student trip to Honduras, the current focus of Water Brigades, where more than 700 annual student volunteers and professionals travel to implement clean water systems in under resourced communities.
Learn American Pie Baking for the HolidaysBear’s Den, South 40, 6-7:30 p.m.Impress your family and friends at home with your baking skills. Join Bon Appétit’s pastry chef as she demonstrates how to make a delicious apple pie, an American tradition. Free samples for those who attend!
Tuition ForumDUC Tisch Commons, 8 p.m.Have opinions about tuition changes? Come share them at the forum, with presentations by high-profi le administrators including Chancellor Wrighton, Justin Carroll, Jim McLeod, Barb Feiner and Bill Witbrodt. There will also be free food, so come and check it out.
TUESDAY 23Last day of classes before Thanksgiving Break!Everywhere, all day.
MONDAY 22
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SUNNY 56 / 38
MONDAY 22
EDITOR’S NOTEThere will be no issue Monday, Nov. 29. Student Life wishes you a happy Thanksgiving!
3STUDENT LIFEMONDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2010
Kate Gaertnereditor in chief
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WU shoots Guinness World Record out with nerf guns
Washington University has set a Guinness World Record with a bang.
“Puphs” filled the DUC Commons Saturday evening, as students engaged in a Nerf gun bat-tle large enough to break the Guinness World Record.
DUC In/DUC Out, an event hosted one Saturday every month, held the world’s largest toy pistol battle on Nov. 20.
The idea came from a brainstorming session between the Class Councils, the cosponsors of this month’s DUC In/ DUC Out, and Nate Ferguson, a senior who coordinated the entire event.
“I hoped that it would provide some excite-ment for students and just a different program that they probably haven’t experienced in the past,” Ferguson said.
Students said that they enjoyed the event.“It was really fun because there were a ton of
people and I got to take part in the breaking of a world record,” freshman Katie Chin said. “The actual battle itself was just OK. It wasn’t really a battle.”
Other students enjoyed all the parts of the evening.
“The best part of the Nerf gun fight was the thrill of battle and the glory of victory,” fresh-man Miles Black said.
According to participants, event helped to bring friends and floors together.
“Victory was made possible by the loyal and unwavering support of my freshman floor and their valiant zealotry to stand by the righteous,” Black said.
The purpose of the battle was mostly about setting the world record. The excitement came from shooting the Nerf guns rather than through the actual fight. There was little concern for spe-cifically aiming at people.
Although the record had never previously been set, Guinness had many requirements to fulfill.
“Guinness is extremely logistically compli-cated,” Ferguson said. “This is a new category but apparently they already had rules for it so people from Guinness must have thought some-one would try to break it.”
Guinness provided specific guidelines for the record-breaking event, including playing time, the layout of the playing field, type of ammuni-tion, way of keeping time and even methods for counting the number of people.
The DUC funded most of the event, includ-ing the 500 guns that were used, and the Class Councils and the Student Union paid for the Guinness application.
Although not all 500 guns were distributed, the event still boasted a 468-person turnout. The people in attendance included both students as well as younger children, even some under the age of 10.
The Nerf fight, widely advertised through Facebook, garnered much attention for being a world’s largest event.
“It wasn’t actually on my mind to come down to the DUC on a Saturday night, but making a world record sounded kind of cool,” freshman Ben Olasov said.
This is not the first time Washington University students have attempted to set a world record. The graduating seniors of 2010 also attempted and succeeded in breaking the world record of longest massage chain.
“I’m very happy with how it went and I think everyone had a great time,” Ferguson said.
DUC In/DUC Out also brought a laser tag battle, magician, and Toy Story 3 to campus in September, and Ghost Hunters in October.
With additional reporting by Michael Tabb.
Guinness Guidelines for‘Largest Toy Pistol Fight’This record is for the most people involved in a toy pistol fi ght held over a period of fi ve minutes.
1. For a successful attempt, only commercially available toy pistols which launch soft ammunition such as balls or darts may be used.
2. Participants must be at least 6 years of age. Those under 14 must obtain parental permission to participate. If all participants are children, suitable adult supervision must be provided.
3. There is to be a ‘no man’s land’ of 3 meters clearly marked on the ground between the two teams.
4. The soft ammunition associated with each participant’s individual pistol is the only thing to be shot at members of the opposing team.
5. An experienced timekeeper should be present through-out the attempt.
6. Suffi cient witnesses should be involved to ratify that all the contestants fully participate in the attempt—witnesses should be placed in such a way that every part of the re-cord attempt area is visible to the offi cials.
7. The fi ght must last a minimum of fi ve minutes. A loud start and fi nish signal recognised by all participants must be used. Two experienced timekeepers (e.g. from a local athletics club) must time the attempt with stopwatches ac-curate to seconds.
Source: Guinness World Records
JACK CHONG
CONTRIBUTING REPORTER
Write to Jack Chong at
GENEVIEVE HAY & DREW KOCH | STUDENT LIFE
Over 400 students participate in a nerf gun fight for five minutes in
order to set a Guinness record for the “Largest Toy Pistol Fight.” The
battle took place Saturday night in the DUC. .
On Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2010 a New York jury acquitted an accused Al Qaeda operative of all but one of 285 counts primarily
related to his alleged involvement with the terrorist organization. Ahmed Ghailani faced charges of conspiracy and murder stemming from the 1998 terrorist attacks on the American Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya. Al Qaeda, which claimed responsibility for the twin bombings, killed almost 225 people, including 12 Americans, and wounded thousands of others. However, the jury rejected the vast majority of the gov-ernment’s case against Ghailani.
This trial was viewed, and should be seen, as extremely significant because the accused was actually the first detainee transferred from the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to the United States for a civilian trial.
Predictably, the response to the acquittal on most charges was quite different for liberals
and conservatives, but reaction was swift and severe. The former enthusiastically embraced that finding as a reaffirmation of the rule of law. As C. Dixon Osburn, a spokesman for the New York based advocacy group Human Rights First, stated, “Those that said [the trial of Guantanamo detainees in civilian courts] would be a circus were proven wrong. [Now] the Obama Administration should move for-ward with other detainees they wanted to try.”
In stark contrast, conservatives lambasted the ruling, pointing to the military commis-sions or tribunals set up by Congress as not only the best but also the only sure place to secure a conviction of these alleged terrorists. Representative Peter King of New York, the incoming chairman of the Homeland Security Committee in the House of Representatives, stated that he was “disgusted with the total miscarriage of justice…in Manhattan’s federal civilian court. [Attorney General Eric Holder] assured us that ‘failure is not an option.’”
It must be admitted that Ghailani faces a minimum of 20 years in prison to a maximum of life in prison, and it is somewhat question-able whether the sentencing would have
been different had he been tried in front of a military tribunal. However, President Obama is now faced with a momentous decision, which undoubtedly will have far reaching consequences for a long time to come: Does the Administration permit these detainees to be tried in federal court, with the concomitant risk they might be set free, or does it sanction the use of the congressionally authorized military commissions, which it claimed to fundamentally oppose? Another option, which officials indicate is gaining favor within the Administration, is that of simply holding detainees, deemed too dangerous to be set free, indefinitely at Guantanamo Bay.
Jack Goldsmith, a former official in the Department of Justice during the Bush Administration, and now a Harvard Law School professor, emphatically endorsed this message. He said, “[The military deten-tion option is a] tradition-sanctioned, congressionally authorized, court blessed, resource-saving, security-preserving, easier-than-trial option for long-term terrorist incapacitation.” In the end, while this may not be the most commendable way to bring these
terrorists to justice, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, it appears it is the most practical.
In the end, the danger lies in the fact that Obama is becoming increasingly distanced from both liberals and conservatives, from Republicans (emboldened by their recent success in the midterm elections) and a more liberal wing of the Democratic Party, where the Blue Dog “Moderates” were almost all defeated in the midterm elections as well.
The final decision could well rest with the acknowledgment by the president that while he spouts lofty rhetoric and believes in admirable goals, one in a position of authority such as he has to make tough decisions, which are neces-sary for the safety and security of this country. Regardless of his decision, the president will have a difficult one to make; but in the end, the time for choosing is now.
4 STUDENT LIFE MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2010
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editor in chief: Kate Gaertnerexecutive editor: Josh Goldmanmanaging editors: Paula Lauris, Shayna Makaron & Dan Woznicasenior sports editor: Alex Dropkin
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studlife.com
RE: Does Wash. U. have a drinking problem?“Adding a bar and grill to the campus is an excellent idea, person-ally [I] believe that the more students are able to drink socially while being in more public environment[s] (frats and dorms) while on
campus, the more student[s] will be able to drink socially without the need to binge.”—Alesio
“The problem is a cul-ture that forces drinking behind closed doors
for years, and then bursts free at college. Wash. U. is at an even higher risk because—let’s be honest—a lot of us were the people in high school working too hard to party. Now, freshmen come here
and are drinking for the fi rst time and they have no idea what they’re doing.”—jreidy
“Hopefully the freshmen will read it and learn that drinking yourself
to the hospital (or even EST) is embarrassing, lame, and immature….Drink responsibly and reap the benefi ts. Drink irresponsibly and you force policy changes to do it for you.”—Senor Senior
An end to civilian trials?ISAAC AMON
STAFF COLUMNIST
Isaac Amon is a junior in Arts and Sci-
ences. Write to Issac at
STAFF EDITORIALSTAFF EDITORIAL
What we’re thankful for...
• Lace-up boots being back in style• Classes that let you do your fi nal presentation early and then skip the last week• Landlords who don’t make you pay for heatingShayna Makaron, Managing Editor
• Bear’s Den open at 2:59 a.m. on weekends for late night munchies• Friends who’ve got your back• Hulu for everything you need, including procrastinationJohann Qua Hiansen, Co-Director of Image & Relations
• Ibby’s lunch buffets• Seasonal lights on the loop• Roomates that throw a blanket on you when you are too cold to get out of bed and get one yourselfAlissa Rotblatt, Forum Editor
• A Student Life staff that impresses me every day with its ingenuity and initiative• Jazz at Holmes• Privilege, and the awareness thereofKate Gaertner, Editor in Chief
• Kayaks Coffee being so close to the new Engineering buildings• Open source software like WordPress• GoogleDavid Seigle, Online Editor
• Extended sweater weather this year• Iced coffee at midnight from Whispers• Dick Blick opening on the LoopEvan Wiskup, Co-Director of Image & Relations
• Great professors and faculty who really want students to thrive• The plethora of fi replaces on campus that keep me warm and toasty• The prospect of fi nally seeing Harry Potter over Thanksgiving breakPaula Lauris, Managing Editor
• Clusters, a Fall Break separate from Thanksgiving, and other sensible University policies
• Physical security, health care and comfortable housing. At Wash. U. we’re among the most privileged human beings on the planet• Tofurkey, turducken, and the wisdom to know the differenceDan Woznica, Managing Editor
As Thanksgiving approaches, the Student Life editorial board gives thanks to Wash. U.
• The workers at Wash. U. who quietly make this a beautiful campus• Wraps at Ursa’s and Indian food at Bear’s Den• My awesome residentsCyrus Bahrassa, Forum Editor
• Awesome late-night Village food• A thriving and active Greek life system• Expanded WUCrsL search optionsAJ Sundar, Senior Forum Editor
• Students smart enough to stock up on Four Loko pre-ban• Cranberry sauce (the canned kind) • Boardwalk Empire Charlie Low, Forum Editor
JENNIFER PRITCHARD | MCT CAMPUS
• Finally being able to wear my wool greatcoat• Buffy the Vampire Slayer for keeping me entertained the past few weeks• Wash U.’s nerdiness for not judging me on the aboveDaniel Deibler, Forum Editor
• All of my friends back from semesters abroad• The new Nordstrom Rack!• Classes that still take fi eld tripsBrittany Meyer, Director of Multimedia
• The Lions playing on Thanksgiving• Reuniting with family pets• Tuna sandwiches at SubwayAlex Dropkin, Senior Sports Editor
• The opportunity to sleep on a weekly basis• Scrabble at Blueberry Hill• Four great years at Wash. U. with great professors, friends, fun and learningPerry Stein, Director of Training
• The winter wonderland Christmas lights in Tilles Park• Professors who are willing to negotiate due dates• The chocolate chip scones at the Law School—best scone ever!Hana Schuster, Senior Scene Editor
• Being surrounded by great students and professors• CPC Happy Hour• Peter Great FireplaceEve Samborn, Forum Editor
• Stuffi ng!• A slightly longer Thanksgiving break• The few days we have left before Christmas music fl oods the airwavesPercy Olsen, Senior Cadenza Editor
“Arthur Kleinman says that the doctor’s experience of the world is as important to her care-giving as evidence is to her tech-nical decision-making,” Sury said. “This experience will inform clinical practice with the underserved.”
And, for Sury, Oxford—where only one in 20 students is American—was the perfect place to get that experience.
“Oxford has a long and robust history of medical anthropology,” she said. “Its culture is one of understanding different perspectives and experiences.”
At Wash. U., Sury joins the ranks of 26 alumni who have been selected for the Rhodes. She was the first student in Wash. U. history to be chosen for the Danforth Scholarship, the Ervin Scholarship and the Rodriguez Scholarship—all three of
which are competitive, merit-based four-year scholarships.
Sury’s experiences at the University were well in keeping with the Rhodes ethic of service. While tutoring through College Connections, the Rodriguez Scholars tutoring program, Sury created a multimedia science curriculum with the support of doctors at the Mayo Clinic, where she did research one summer. In 2008, she was awarded a Social Change Grant to help prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV in the Dominican Republic.
2010 alum Tegan Bukowski was also a finalist for this year’s Rhodes.
5STUDENT LIFEMONDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2010
Blasingame, executive vice chancellor for alumni and development programs, wrote in an e-mail that the affinity card is meant for alumni and the agreement does not apply to students. “Our contract with Bank of America does not apply to Washington University students, only to alumni,” he wrote.
University representatives didn’t respond to a question about why it removed the provision from the agree-ment in July 2009. But Pamella Henson, associate vice chancellor for alumni and development programs, did say Bank of America makes its affinity card offers based on the information the University provides. She said that students’ informa-tion used to be included, but hasn’t been included since the early 2000s, mean-ing the bank couldn’t have marketed the cards to students after that point.
After the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank issued a report in October showing the payments banks made to universities, commentators and consumer advocates accused universities of exploiting their students, making money as their stu-dents ended up with debt and bad credit from misusing the cards. This comes on the heels of a 2009 study by student-loan company Sallie Mae showing that the average college student graduates with more than $4,000 in credit-card debt.
Banks have responded that critics are blowing the issue out of proportion and that the affinity cards are targeted at alumni—not at students.
Student Life obtained a copy of the agreement between the University and BoA from the Federal Reserve. Universities and banks must give their marketing agreements to the Fed for public disclosure under the new law. In a recent report on universities’ agree-ments, the Federal Reserve predicted that banks and universities would change them in response to the new law: “The terms of some agreements may have been amended during 2010 as a result of new requirements imposed under the Credit CARD Act and the Board’s implement-ing regulations.”
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch first reported in late October that Washington University received $68,093 in affinity-card royalties in 2009 from FIA, the BoA subsidiary that markets affinity cards at the University. University community members opened 57 affinity cards that year, according to the Federal Reserve’s report, but there is no breakdown of stu-dents and alumni.
Among other schools, Emory University received more than $50,000 in 2009. Other university alumni groups received far more money. Northwestern University got $428,572, Duke University’s alumni group received $1.38 million, and Harvard and Cornell univer-sities’ alumni groups pocketed $1 million and $901,900, respectively.
The University does not release how it uses its royalty money. Blasingame wrote that the money “is deposited into an unrestricted gift that supports University priorities.”
The University is renegotiating its con-tract with BoA, Blasingame added.
Consumer advocate Edmund Mierzwinski said that banks have targeted undergraduate students for over-priced credit cards that they might not be able to afford by taking advantage of university budget problems to get admin-istrators to sign up.
Mierzwinski praised the University for eliminating the provision that requires BoA to give it money for each affinity card sold to students.
“Universities should have a best practice of eliminating undergraduate students from school-branded credit card marketing as Wash. U. has done,” said Mierzwinski, who is the consumer program director for Public Interest Research Group, a Washington, D.C., consumer advocacy group.
Columnists such as The Washington Post’s Michelle Singletary have also argued that credit-card-marketing agree-ments between banks and universities often are not made in students’ best inter-est. “Schools also can’t conclude a deal in which the school earns a percentage
of finance charges imposed on students,” she wrote in a recent column. “If a school currently has such an agreement, it must stop accepting payments immediately.”
Bank of America spokeswoman Betty Riess said that BoA has not singled out students. She said the bank has been tar-geting alumni and added that about 98 percent of affinity cards are bought by non-students. The bank doesn’t break down the numbers by school, she said.
“We do not market to students on cam-pus and have not done so for some time, even before the CARD Act,” she added. “We have been amending agreements over the past few years to exclude student names from marketing lists provided by the schools.”
The relationship between BoA and Washington University extends past the range of this contract. After the bank donated more than $1 million to the school in 1998, the University estab-lished the position of Bank of America Professor of Managerial Leadership. Further, University trustee James Hance was chief financial officer of BoA from 1988 until 2004 and vice chairman
between 1993 and 2005. Retired BoA Professor of Managerial
Leadership Stuart Greenbaum said he doesn’t believe that the ties to BoA are linked in any way.
“As far as I know, there’s zero connec-tion between my chair and this affinity agreement,” Greenbaum said. “And Hance is an alum of the business school. I didn’t know him as an officer of Bank of America.”
CREDIT FROM PAGE 1
CHALLENGE FROM PAGE 1 RHODES FROM PAGE 1
MATT LEE | STUDENT LIFE
Washington University had an agreement with Bank of America in which the University received $3 for each card account opened by
students. The agreement was terminated in July 2009.
Write to Puneet Kollipara at
Write to Michael Tabb at
Write to Kate Gaertner at
biology—Ryan Sullivan, Kevin Forsberg, Igor Nikolskiy and Subhajit Poddar—and ranked 4th in the competition.
This competition has significant impli-cations beyond being a competitive game.
Proteins are very important to human life and knowledge: They control every-thing that goes on in one’s body, from enabling blood flow to sending signals between the brain and rest of the body. Proteins are composed of amino acids, which create a unique shape for the pro-tein. Sometimes these shapes are warped from what their forms should be. As the shape of the protein determines the pro-tein’s function, misshapen proteins are often the cause of many biological prob-lems. Foldit uses humans’ puzzle solving abilities to predict the structure of a protein.
“It is difficult for computers to fold proteins,” Sullivan said. “We have these massive super computers folding proteins all day, but there are certain things that the human mind can do better. The goal of the game [Foldit] is to see how humans would solve the problem, what do they do, so you can teach the computer to think like a human.”
Essentially, the participants are shar-ing intuition and logic with computer software. Computers and humans both have unique advantages as well as disad-vantages, and this competition forges a connection between the two in the pursuit of more efficient knowledge.
Given enough time, a computer could find the optimal structure of any pro-tein, but this process is helped by human intuition.
The process of the competition proves itself more significant than the com-petition’s final stage. Foldit holds huge implications for the future of drug design. Problems with proteins are speculated to be the main factor causing diseases such as Alzheimer’s, HIV/AIDS and cancer. Humans’ use of Foldit enhances scientific knowledge about the ways proteins fold. This can allow drug companies, such as MedImmune, to learn more about the pro-teins and thus know how to better target these proteins with drugs.
Drug companies normally test numer-ous random drugs because they do not know what the targeted protein looks like, and this costs billions of dollars. With Foldit and human collaboration, drugs can be tailored more specifically to the known shapes of proteins, saving time and money.
Overall, the competition was a suc-cess. Cash prizes were awarded to the top three teams in the competition, and the Washington University team established themselves as a top competitor among high-ranking universities. This is just the beginning, as major scientific achieve-ments in regard to proteins and diseases are bound to spring from this revolution-ary method.
Write to Allyson Scher at
Curious? Inquisitive? Like to write?Contact Michelle Merlin at [email protected] to join the news staff!
6 STUDENT LIFE MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2010
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sports
The Washington University women’s cross country team fin-ished second overall at the NCAA Division III Championships on Saturday, Nov. 20, while the men’s team came in ninth place.
“Going into nationals, a team can have a lot of potential, and it’s kind of just like a coin toss whether you show all of it or none of it,” senior Taryn Surtees said. “There’s usually not much in between just because if someone has a bad race, a few seconds means a lot of places because it’s such a huge meet and there’s so many people. [On Saturday] we had a good day, and it was just really exciting.”
The women finished with 193 points at the meet, held at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, just eight points behind champions Middlebury College. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (214) placed third, while University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire (218) and Williams College (230) rounded out the top five in the field of 32 teams.
“We missed first by eight points, but…no one was really upset by it. I don’t think that took anything from our [finish] because we were just really happy to be second,” Surtees said. “It’s encourag-ing that we had the potential to be first, but so many teams have the potential to be first that it’s not something you’re ever going to be upset about if you don’t achieve it.”
Surtees, who had struggled this season prior to Saturday’s race, led the way for the Bears, placing eighth overall with a time of 21:26.1. She also earned All-America accolades for the third-consecutive year, the first in school history to do so.
“It was such a relief because I didn’t want to go out with the same feeling as I’ve had after every other race this season,” Surtees said. “It’s strange how one race can turn a whole season around, but this one definitely did it.”
Junior co-captain Elizabeth Phillips, the team’s second scorer, finished in 21:49.1, placing 39th overall, while senior Jessica Londreree placed 48th, clocking in at 22:15.3. Freshman Sarah Fisher (22:15.3, 79th) and junior Molly Wawrzyniak (22:34.9, 123rd) were the fourth and fifth scorers.
The men took ninth place with 297 points, edging out University Athletic Association (UAA) rival New York University by 17 points. The meet’s winner, Haverford College, finished with 87 points, first out of 32 teams.
“We had hopes of coming in at the top four. It didn’t happen, but we still ran well. We were pleased with it,” junior Tucker Hartley said. “It could’ve gone better, it could’ve gone a lot worse. It was a solid day.”
At last year’s national championships, the team finished seventh.
“This year the teams are a lot better than they have been in years’ past,” senior co-captain Dave Spandorfer said. “You can
just look at the teams at the top. They’re scoring less points than almost every other year that they’ve been [competing]. For our team, we raced pretty much as well as we did last year, but the results [weren’t as good this year].”
Junior Michael Burnstein, the Bears’ first scorer, finished in 24:51.8, good for 30th overall. Burnstein garnered All-America honors for the second time, becoming the second men’s runner to do so in school history.
Sophomore David Hamm (25:11.9) took second for the Bears, finishing 57th, while Hartley (25:18.7, 73rd), Spandorfer (25:22.2, 87th) and senior Alden Black (25:41.6, 139th) rounded out the
team’s scoring spots.“We didn’t have our best day, but we all had good days, and
that’s something to be proud of,” Hartley said. The women’s team’s second-place finish is the best in program
history, above three third-place finishes (2004, 2005 and 2007). The men, earning a top-10 finish for the second year in a row, were competing in the National Championship in back-to-back seasons, a school first.
“This is a really big turning point,” Hartley said. “I think we’re finally at the point now where we can expect to be there most years. Instead of focusing on getting there we can start focusing on trying to perform well there. I think this is going to be the start of a big change where we can expect to be perennially one of these contending teams.”
Women take second, men ninth at national cross-country championship meetALEX DROPKIN
SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR
Write to Alex Dropkin at
The Washington University women’s basketball team split two games against Illinois Wesleyan University and DePauw University this past weekend. On Sunday, sophomore Anne Sayers’ put-back at the buzzer gave the Bears a 58-56 victory over DePauw. Senior Kathryn Berger recorded a team-high 15 points, while Hannah Cusworth and Dani Hoover each added eight points. The win snapped DePauw’s 50-game home winning streak, dating back to the 2004 season.
On Friday, Nov. 19, the team lost to No. 3 Illinois Wesleyan 73-68. Berger scored 22 points, her season high, and Jordan Rettig had 15, but it was not enough to overcome the team’s 25 turnovers. The team missed its last five shots and did not record a field goal in the final 4:52 of the game.
Wash. U. (2-1) will host Augustana College on Sunday, Nov. 28.
Women’s basketball hits buzzer-beater against DePauw, splits weekend
The women’s cross country team celebrates its second place finish at the 2010 Division III NCAA Championship meet.
The women finished just eight point behind champion Middlebury College.
COURTESY OF SANGEETA HARDY
The Washington University swimming and diving team continued its season at the Washington University Thanksgiving Invite on Nov. 20-21. The women’s team took second in three-team field, finishing behind Division I St. Louis University and ahead of NAIA member Lindenwood University. The men finished fourth in a tough field that featured Lindenwood, SLU, and DII Missouri University of Science and Technology. Lindenwood won the men’s
meet.The Bears recorded victories in three events. Freshman
Meghan Lam won the women’s 400-yard individual med-ley with a time of 4:42.75, freshman Grace Murray won the women’s 1,650-yard freestyle in 17:58.61 and senior David Chao won the men’s 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:44.24. Chao also finished second in the 50 and 100-yard freestyle races.
The team returns to action at the Wheaton College Invitational on Dec. 3 in Wheaton, Ill.
SPORTS BRIEF
JOSH GOLDMAN
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Swimming and Diving at WU invite
ALEX DROPKIN
SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR
In the second and third games of a five-game, season-opening road trip, the Washington University men’s basketball team defeated the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire on Friday, 62-57, but suffered its first loss to the University of Wisconsin-Platteville on Saturday, 64-49. The team now stands at 2-1 on the season.
In Friday’s game, neither team led by more than four points for the entire first half, but the Bears readjusted in the second half, exploding on a 10-0 run and leading by as much as 14 points with 7:55 remain-ing in the game.
“[At the half] we just settled down and started focusing in on things that were very simple in our offense rather than making it too difficult,” head coach Mark Edwards said. “It was productive, and we were able to get some points that way.”
Senior Caleb Knepper posted a game-high 17 points, featuring a career-high five three-pointers, while senior Spencer Gay contributed 16 points and led the team with nine rebounds. The Bears also shot 48.6 percent from the field.
“It’s very important that the veteran mem-bers of the team come out and set a good tone for the rest of the team,” Knepper said. “It doesn’t always have to be points, but just the attitude and the type of things we want to get on a day-in-day-out basis.”
The Bears could not continue the success on Saturday against UW-Platteville, how-ever, as they shot only 34.6 percent from the field and failed to score at least 50 points for the first time since the 2003-2004 sea-son. The team also committed 17 turnovers in the game.
“We still got pretty good shots on Saturday, we just didn’t make them,” Edwards said. “If we had made some of the big shots we had or made more free throws,
we would have had a much better chance at winning that game.”
While junior Alex Toth posted his second double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 boards and freshman Alan Aboona led the team with 11 points, it was not enough to overcome the Pioneers.
“It’s [about] getting together our offense,” Toth said. “We have young point guards, and some young players. It’s just getting that experience, getting that team chemistry.”
Edwards and Toth specifically pointed out that the defense on Saturday was very strong, but the team is still working on its offensive execution. They agreed that con-sistent scoring will eventually come.
“Obviously in just five weeks of practice, it’s tough to handle game situations,” Toth explained. “It’s just going to be a matter of time before we’re all comfortable playing together.”
As the Bears continue to establish a new identity after losing four of last year’s start-ers, the team has appeared to compensate through depth and scoring off the bench. Non-starters scored 31 points on Friday and amassed 20 points on Saturday. Coming from past teams that largely centered on individual offensive playmakers, the team has embraced this new strategy.
“Every day we are going to learn more about both the team and the individuals that are involved, and I think that’s just part of the process,” Edwards said. “[We’re still working on] figuring out how we are going to get points, who’s going to be able to get them, what the best combination is at one time on the floor, [and] what our strengths are.”
The Bears continue their road trip tonight at 7:30 P.M. as they travel to Rock Island, Ill., to take on Augustana College.
7STUDENT LIFEMONDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2010
Money for college. Career training. And an entire team to help you succeed. These days, it pays to have someone watching your back. That’s what you’ll get serving part-time in the Air Guard — an entire team of like-minded individuals who want to help you get ahead. In the Air Guard you can develop the high-tech skills you need to compete in today’s world. You can choose from nearly 200 career specialties, with the chance to work on advanced computers, networks and electronics — even state-of-the-art aircraft and satellites. You’ll also serve close to home. All while receiving a paycheck, benefits and tuition assistance. Most important, you will experience the satisfaction that comes from serving your community and your country. Talk to a recruiter, and see how the Air Guard can help you succeed.
Senior Caleb Knepper, seen here in a match last season against Case Western, scored a
season-high 17 points against the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire on Friday night. The
Bears split their weekend games with a loss to the University of Wisconsin-Platteville on
Saturday.
MATT MITGANG | STUDENT LIFE
Bears defeat UW-Eau Claire, fall to UW-Platteville
Write to Daniel Kurzner at
Write to Kurt Rohrbeck at
Meghan Byrne’s serve and would take the set on a kill by freshman Kaia Schwartz.
The team hit .324 on the set with 16 kills and five errors. Also of note, on the defensive side, was sophomore All-American Kelly Pang, who registered nine digs – including an incred-ible three on a single rally early in the set.
“We did a really good job scouting,” Pang said. “Our block did a good job closing, so I was able to work around it and dig the shots up.”
But after the first set, Emory slowly started to turn the match in its favor. The Eagles main-tained a slim lead over nearly the entire set, only letting the Bears get more than two points in a row once, and after the teams traded points from 21-21 to 27-27, Emory finally pulled away in the final two points to win the set 29-27.
Sophomore Marilee Fisher’s 15 assists paced the offense in the second set, as Byrne and Blood both picked up five more kills.
The third set went back and forth, as the two teams were tied nine times until the score hit 18-18. The Eagles then inched out to a 22-21 lead before grabbing the last three points of the set to take a 2-1 lead. After the Bears’ strong first set, the team hit .228 in the second and third sets – compared to .309 for the Eagles.
“They had some big swings toward the end of the second game and then into the third game,” Luenemann said. “I think something like that can demoralize a team, but it didn’t demoralize us. We went back to the bench and talked about being more aggressive coming out.”
Down 2-1, the Bears were in familiar terri-tory: they came back from down 2-1 against three ranked teams this year – in fact, most recently against the Eagles on October 16 – and did the same in this round last year against Hope College. Unfortunately for the Bears, they were unable to pull out one final come-back, and the fourth set of the match would be their last of the season.
The set started very similarly to the third, with the two teams trading the lead until the score hit 13-13. Fisher was then called for a double-hit, Emory’s Kelsey Krzyston followed with an ace, and after a Wash. U. timeout, an attack error by sophomore Drew Hargrave put the Emory up 16-13.
From there, the Bears came within one point of tying the match on five different occa-sions, but they couldn’t close the gap. After a Hargrave kill brought the Emory lead to 21-20, a service error and three straight kills ended the set at 25-20 and the match at 3-1.
For the Bears, it was their two freshman out-sides, Blood and Byrne, who led the charge on offense with 15 and 13 kills, respectively, while junior All-American Lauren Budde had 11 and Hargrave had 10. Fisher had 48 assists on the night.
“That was due to excellent scouting, talking on the back-row part, telling me what shots were open at that moment,” Blood said. “Just a lot of communication and a lot of scouting really helped me out with that.”
Defensively, Pang was exceptional, with 30 digs to conclude an excellent run for her to close out the season. Over the team’s final three matches, Pang tallied 85 digs for an incredible 8.5 per set.
“[Kelly is] the best backcourt player in Division III, one of the top liberos in America, regardless of division,” Luenemann said. “She’s the best backcourt player I’ve ever seen in Division III, [and the best that] I’ve ever coached. She’s unbelievable.”
Senior Ali Hoffman also picked up 12 digs in her final match at Wash. U.
While the national player of the year, Emory’s Amelia McCall, was held to a .154 hitting percentage, with 12 kills and 6 errors on 39 attempts, the Bears had no answer for Breanah Borque, who hit .435 and tallied 24 kills – including nine in the clinching set. Natalie Schonefeld picked up 56 assists, which
were key to the Eagles’ offensive success, and Emory was strong on the defensive end as four players registered at least 11 digs.
With the loss, Emory snapped the Bears’ 33-game home winning streak, as the Bears’ sensational run on the season ended at a record of 35-4.
“The kids played well on both sides,” Luenemann said. “You just had two great teams play, and one great team lost and one great team won, and that’s what it’s all about.”
LOSS FROM PAGE 1
Sophomore setter Marilee Fisher attempts to block an Emory University attack in Satur-
day’s NCAA semifinal match. Fisher tallied 48 assists in the 3-1 loss.
MATT MITGANG | STUDENT LIFE
DANIEL KURZNER
SPORTS REPORTER
8 STUDENT LIFE MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2010
Write to Kathleen Heist at
An exhibit in the DUC Visitor’s Lounge, installed by Residential Area Real Art (RARA) in collaboration with WU-SLam, responds to the campus wide smoking ban, the oil spill and global pollution.
The exhibit—“Breathe”—features all types of student art-work including photographs, collages and paintings.
When the exhibit first opened in October, WUSLAM poets performed alongside the art.
Sophomore Gabi Messina, an artist and member of RARA, said the motivation behind RARA’s exhibits is to engage students outside of the Sam Fox School of Art and Design with meaningful student art.
“People actually do notice and take note of the artists,” Messina said. She realized the value of the exhibits when other students approached her after seeing her work. Breathe offers student artists exposure that would otherwise be very difficult to obtain.
RARA is a student-run group, closely affiliated with Art Council. For this exhibit, RARA recognized the importance of the environment and pollution to the student body. “We noticed environmental groups have been gaining attention on campus,” Messina said.
The themes have been purposefully broad. As each individual student’s piece ties in with the theme, it pulls the entire exhibit together. To their delight, many students had created works that were fitting to the exhibition’s theme.
Senior Lane Goodman’s piece is a collage made of a series of photographs Goodman took during a trip to Grand Isle with the
photography department at the end of September. He enjoyed displaying his work alongside the work of other students, saying that the exhibit gives the art a context and theme that makes each piece easier to understand.
The first striking piece is a collograph by senior Rachel Krislov. A collograph is a large stamp made from found materi-als. Krislov used this technique to create a stunning black and white image, which you may recognize as the image on the post-ers for the exhibit. The image depicts tangled bodies with white, blank eyes; there is something breathtaking about it as it looms above the other pieces.
Across the room is a piece by sophomores Mia Salamone and Rachael Tellerman entitled “Rise,” which is composed of acrylic and watercolor on wood. It is constructed of three pieces of wood stacked on top of each other. The color of the wood fades from light to dark as your eyes follow it down. On top of the wooden surface are dark geometric shapes that appear to have fallen on top of each other, and crisp white and blue clouds float above.
As you leave the Visitor’s Lounge, you encounter “Summer Palace” by sophomore Billy Roh. The photograph depicts colorful boats floating through a hazy fog. The contrast of the fog and the vibrant colors embodies the mixture of darkness and color that the exhibit showcases.
“Breathe” will be in the Visitors’ Lounge until shortly before winter break.
Editor’s Note: Lane Goodman is a photographer for Student Life.
KATHLEEN HEIST
SCENE REPORTER
MATT LEE | STUDENT LIFE
The “Breathe” exhibit in the DUC Visitor’s Lounge features
student work. The exhibit opened in October in response
to the campus wide smoking ban, the oil spill and global
pollution.
Taking time to “Breathe”
Food, faith and shared community:Sacred Meals brings students together
Last Thursday, more than 80 students of different cultural backgrounds gathered under the unifying umbrellas of food and faith through a new program called Sacred Meals, sponsored by the St. Louis Hillel at Washington University.
The students joined employees and clergy from Hillel, the Catholic Student Center (CSC), Lutheran Campus Ministry and other University officials for an interfaith dinner aimed at bringing the many religious voices of Wash. U. together for dialogue and community building.
“We wanted to bring people together,” said Brian Blosser, the
Campus Ministry Intern at the CSC and a 2008 alum. “Sharing a meal with someone is sharing community.”
The idea for Sacred Meals stemmed from conversations between Rabbi Andy Kastner, the Silk Foundation Campus Rabbi at Hillel and leaders from the Lutheran Campus Ministry about sustainable eating practices.
“Making that connection of shared value, we just continued the conversation from there. It slowly grew,” Kastner said. “I think the idea originated really organically.”
Student leadership was central to the event’s success. Juniors Hannah Rabinowitz, Kelly Diabagate and Lee-Ann Felder and sophomore Alaa Itani all helped to facilitate group dialogue and plan the event.
Rabinowitz, who helped plan Pluralism Week last year, formulated the idea for some sort of interfaith dinner during the summer, at which point she contacted both Kastner and Father Gary Braun of the CSC.
The dinner, possibly the first of many, was not advertised pub-lically. According to the event’s organizers, this enabled them to bring students together for a more intimate meal.
Every table featured at least one Jewish, Catholic, Protestant and Muslim student or adult.
“I was really excited with the turnout. We got a really diverse group of people of different backgrounds that can comment on different aspects of how food and their religion come together,” Itani, a practicing Muslim, said.
The event focused on dialogue surrounding the sustainable production and consumption of food. The dinner of salad and butternut squash and lentil soups was prepared with produce from the Burning Kumquat, the organic student-run garden. Challah for Hunger provided freshly baked bread, and the CSC provided china plates that could be washed and re-used.
Maddie Earnest, co-owner of Local Harvest Grocery, Café, and Catering, delivered a keynote speech before the meal. Local Harvest showcases local produce and meat from around Missouri and Illinois, with approximately 50 percent of food coming from within 150 miles of St. Louis.
“I think that, regardless of religion, food is something that we can come together on,” Earnest said. Earnest described ways in which omnivores and vegetarians alike can look for sustainably produced food free of chemicals, antibiotics or pesticides.
The junction of food with religious pluralism facilitated a lively discussion, featuring topics ranging from positive and negative interfaith experiences to a debate on the merits of keep-ing kosher.
“I think that food can unite all of us,” said Nadeem Siddiqui, the resident district manager of WUSTL Dining Services. “People are people. If you get to know them, then you can do amazing things.”
Senior Sylvia Johnson expressed an interest in keeping kosher, though she is not Jewish. Johnson’s motivation stems from observation of a friend’s dietary habits.
“I guess it’s the integrity of it,” Johnson said. “To treat some-thing as black and white can be very helpful.”
Responses to the event have been nothing but positive.“There are so many negative examples of religions that to
have such a positive gathering share religious caring about local food, it’s huge,” said Rebecca Boardman, the pastor at the Lutheran Campus Ministry.
Rabinowitz said the event exceeded her expectations. “I just felt like everyone there was really serious and commit-
ted to having a respectful and productive dialogue,” she said.The event’s leaders say that, based on the event’s success,
more interfaith events will likely follow over the course of the year.
“We put evaluation forms for students to fill out, and they were overwhelmingly positive. There was a lot of enthusiasm,” Kastner said. “The language that students used to describe the experience was not ‘program,’ was not ‘event’…but what they think was an initiative. It struck me that there was something more profound about this experience.”
JOSH GOLDMAN | STUDENT LIFE
Rabbi Andy Kastner recites a blessing over bread before
dinner at Sacred Meals on Nov. 18.
JOSH GOLDMAN
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
scene
Write to Josh Goldman at
Before I saw “Love and Other Drugs,” I must have seen the preview at least five times. I would still like to see the movie advertised in that preview. In the trailer, Jake Gyllenhaal plays a slick pharmaceutical sales rep who knows exactly how to get any woman to sleep with him—until he meets Anne Hathaway’s character, who manages to call him on all his womanizing schemes because she demonstrates exactly the same behavior. And from there, they manage to fall in love, with slight complications arising from the fact that Jake Gyllenhaal’s charac-ter, Jamie, becomes phenomenally successful with the boom in sales of Viagra.
Nowhere in the preview does it even mention that Anne Hathaway’s character, Maggie, has early-onset Parkinson’s disease. In fact, at one point it is specifically edited so that instead of saying, “You’re on the fast track. Six hundred girls dying to discuss sales techniques. You can’t do that with a sick person holding you back,” Maggie is simply saying, “You can’t do that with me holding you back.”
Why? Why would the producers of “Love and Other Drugs” work so hard to com-pletely conceal what turns out to be the main premise of the movie? Maybe because they know that this premise just isn’t as exciting or as sexy as love in the time of Viagra.
Don’t get me wrong, Viagra does play a part in setting the scene for Jamie’s personal saga. The director tries to be really clever about framing erectile dysfunction as the body’s way of telling a man that he doesn’t really want to be having sex, and Viagra as a man’s way of fighting back against that biological dictate in order to have lots and lots of empty, meaningless sex. There is one frankly hilarious scene where the undeniably virile Jamie is force-fed Viagra before a three-way, and ends up having to go to the hospital with the dreaded “erection lasting longer than four hours.”
But the Viagra, the flirting games Jamie plays with various receptionists and fellow sales reps, the methods he employs to make sure that his drugs are selling better than anyone else’s, are all amusing sidebars to the main drama of the relationship between Jamie and Maggie. There is some great act-ing that goes on between two very attractive people, and they are even exploring a pretty interesting question: If you knew that the woman you loved was going to slowly lose
her health, her ability to function on a basic level, and largely everything you loved about her, would you still be willing to stay with her? And if you knew that the man you loved would have to watch you waste away, and would eventually have to take complete control over your life, would you let him?
My biggest problem with “Love and Other Drugs” is that it can’t decide what kind of movie it wants to be. It introduces these big, life-changing questions and then sweeps them aside with a few romantic comedy clichés. I would be perfectly willing to see either the light-hearted love story about the guy who has to choose between a perfect life with a good career and all the bimbos he can bang, and the girl of his dreams; or the drama about the guy learning to live with the fact that the girl he loves has a terminal illness. But “Love and Other Drugs,” while both entertaining and touching at times, fails to do justice to either story.
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis
FOR RELEASE NOVEMBER 22, 2010
ACROSS1 Encircled by6 Persian faith
11 One with a cover14 More of a novice15 Lunch hr. end,
often16 A victory may
break one17 Marx as a Druid?19 Rio hello20 PD precinct boss21 Chants of a
lifetime?23 Works26 Cell component27 Lift with effort28 Win by __29 Built up charges31 Parts of personal
music libraries33 Musical intervals36 ASCAP rival37 First rabies
vaccine creator39 Interior
decorator’sconcern
40 Classic breathfreshener
42 Certain counter’swoe
44 Iron supplementbrand
46 Spread out47 Memo opener49 Bengals, on
scoreboards50 Noble address51 Question of
advisability53 There are pins at
the end of one54 Columnist
Landers55 Well-dressed
Swedish actress?60 Biker’s chopper61 Bullwinkle
nemesis62 Stravinsky and a
lab assistant63 Barcelona bear64 Bright65 Not schooled in
DOWN1 Ring piece2 West of
Hollywood3 Athena’s
attendant
4 Discounted price5 Antonius Block’s
chess opponentin Bergman’s“The SeventhSeal”
6 Nuclear NobelistNiels
7 Prefix with gram8 Author Wouk9 Paraphernalia
10 “That’s my cue!”11 Godfather
portrayer turnedshop owner?
12 Dinner side,perhaps
13 It can raisedough
18 Vinyl successors,briefly
22 Chiang Mairesident
23 Ewe kids24 Asian cartoon
genre25 Beatle in a bout?26 Fortification29 Musical seconds30 Not charging for32 Safe place with a
counterintuitivename
34 Less soggy
35 Stop asking forcards
38 Like a USNvolunteer
41 Parakeet’s eats43 Distance on a
tank45 __ del Fuego47 Its southern
border is aboutseven timeslonger than itsnorthern one
48 Prohibitions50 Bad start?52 HQs for B-2s53 Not leading
anyone56 Highest
Russian territory,once?
57 Kerfuffle58 Grille cover59 From Essen
to Leipzig, locally
Friday’s Puzzle Solved
By John Doppler Schiff
(c)2010 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
Complete the grid soeach row, column and3-by-3 box (in boldborders) containsevery digit, 1 to 9. Forstrategies on how tosolve Sudoku, visitwww.sudoku.org.uk
SOLUTION TOFRIDAY’S PUZZLE
Level: 1 2
3 4
© 2010 The Mepham Group. Distributed byTribune Media Services. All rights reserved.
11/22/10
HOW TO PLAY Spell the phrase in the grid above it, writing each unique letter only once. The correct solution will spell the complete phrase along a single continuous spelling path that moves horizontally vertically and diagonally. Fill the grid from square to square - revisiting letters as needed to complete the spelling path in order. Each letter will appear only once in the grid.
11/19 SOLUTION
your AD here.
SPONSORED BY:
maniapuzzle
9STUDENT LIFEMONDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2010
cadenza
for fans ofS-Club 7 and B*witched
tracks to download‘Our Love Was Saved by Spacemen,’
‘Stop the Music’
★✮✩✩✩directed byEdward Zwick
and starringJake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway
★★★✩✩MOVIE REVIEWMOVIE REVIEW
ALBUM REVIEWALBUM REVIEW
Earth vs. the Pipettes
The Pipettes were originally formed in 2003 to revive Phil Spector’s “Wall of Sound” girl-groups from the 1960s, and their debut album “We are the Pipettes” is catchy with just the right dollop of ’60s doo-wop influence. The problem: the lineup has fully changed twice since then, and now that sisters Gwenno and Ani Saunders have taken the reins on “Earth vs. The Pipettes,” that fresh charm has been replaced by an album that is at once over-wrought and oddly detached.
The “Wall of Sound” certainly remains intact throughout, especially on tracks like “Call Me,” “Stop the Music” and “I Vibe U,” but instead of precise, complex harmonies and rhythms, they just pile on synthesizers, incessantly-thumping beats, snaps, whistles, horns, drums, strings, and doo-wop vocals tacked on for good measure. To make matters much, much worse, the Saunders sisters’ vocals are grating and desperately emotive as they croon about nothing (“I vibe you/you vibe me/let’s turn this mother into a party”), making the finished product somehow both boringly forgettable and jarringly tedious. Maybe the Earth is against you for a reason, ladies.
NORA LONG
CADENZA REPORTER
Love and Other Drugs
DAVID JAMES | 20TH CENTURY FOX
Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal star in the emotional comedy “Love and Other Drugs.”
HANNAH SCHWARTZ
CADENZA REPORTER
Write to Nora Long at
Write to Hahhah Schwartz at
10 STUDENT LIFE MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2010