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University News - Volume 100, Issue 001 (September 17, 2020)
No full textMislabeled as Volume XCVV. 24 pages.VOL. XCVV No. 1 / September 17th, 2020 UTHE UNIVERSITY NEWS The
New
Normal
COVER DESIGN BY REBECCA LIVIGNI
exual assault. Those
who have survived it
know just how devas-tating
such an expe-rience
can be, yet it
occurs daily on college
campuses across the
country. According to
the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services, one in five women
are sexually assaulted while in college,
and according to the Rape, Abuse &
Incest National Network, 5.4 percent
of men are also victims of sexual as-sault
during this time. We students are
no strangers to these facts—there are
few things more chilling than receiving
SLU’s mandatory e-mail reports of as-sault
cases.
While most universities actively
work to curtail this prominent issue,
resources are often limited, and given
the dynamic nature of sexual assault
it is impossible to find a “one size fits
all” solution. However, some students
are working to reverse this narrative by
creating the student-run sexual assault
hotline, SAM.
“SAM is a peer-to-peer hotline run
by students that are completely anon-ymous
who are training this semes-ter
for operation next semester,” said
Alapi Shah, a leader in SAM’s Finance
team. “Basically what we are trying to
do is make a comfortable space for stu-dents,
regardless of their ethnic back-ground
or their sexual orientation, to
come and report something like a sex-ual
assault or anything that is a breach
of Title IX.”
Elle Aronson, the organization’s
leader, has been working for several
years to build SAM and define its role
on SLU’s campus. “Sexual violence has
been a very consistent part of my life
over a decade now and there was nev-er
anything I could really do about it,”
Aronson said. “Advocating for the pre-vention
of sexual violence, hopeful-ly
everywhere, is what I’m basing my
career off of and this is just a starting
point for that.”
SAM is composed of three tiers with
an advisory board. The tiers consist of
hotline operators, finance and recruit-ment.
In a nutshell, recruitment works
to find new volunteers and increase the
outreach of the organization, while fi-nance
focuses on maintaining the fiscal
stability of SAM. Hotline operators are
anonymous students that voluntari-ly
commit their time to speaking with
sexual assault survivors regardless
of the recency of their assault. Last-ly,
the advisory board is a collection
of SLU faculty mentors that use their
past work experience and education
to offer guidance and advise current
SAM members. These teams are led by
handpicked CORE board members—
seasoned volunteers that work directly
with Aronson.
Unlike most resources for SLU stu-dent
survivors, SAM is not associat-ed
with the university, yet primari-ly
serves its student body. As SAM’s
founder and leader, Aronson assumes
liability for the organization entire-ly.
“SLU is not liable for anything that
happens, I am liable for anything that
happens so that’s why everyone signs a
contract, a confidentiality sheet, and a
conduct waiver,” she said. When asked
if she worries about being responsible
for such a powerful operation, Aronson
explained, “I am not ever worried be-cause
I know I am providing the best
training possible and I vet each poten-tial
operator”...“all finalized with roll
playing prior to ever taking a call.”
Given the serious nature of their
work, hotline operators must go
through a rigorous application pro-cess
to ensure well-fitting individu-als
are selected. Hotline operators are
required to participate in at least 50
hours of training from experts in the
fields of sexual assault, peer-to-peer
SAM: EVERYONE’S FRIEND
s
02 NEWS
By MARTIN SHARPE
Contributor
(Riley Tovornik/The University News) counseling, suicide prevention and
crisis intervention. Since SAM places
an emphasis on its mission to provide
peer-to-peer support, maintaining the
confidentiality of operators is corner-stone
to SAM’s successful operation
and is something all hotline operators
are contractually bound to.
One of these hotline operators, who
must remain anonymous, explains
that peer-to-peer conversation serves
as an advantage when speaking with
survivors. “I think the act of talking to
someone that’s on the same page as
you, you know I’m an undergrad you’re
an undergrad, instead of this is a thera-py
session, is something more comfort-ing,”
they said. “With SAM, you don’t
have to see me and you’re not going to
get that hesitation to talk because you
won’t be afraid of what we might say.”
For SAM to obtain university ap-proval,
Aronson had to accomplish a
number of things to ensure that the
organization was properly equipped
to assist sexual assault survivors. “We
had to create the handbook, the foun-dational
documents, and the very very
specific rules that we’re going to have
within the organization,” Aronson said.
“Then we had to get approval from the
SLU lawyers which is called the OGC
(Office of the General Counsel) to op-erate
on campus. We had to give them
everything.”
Despite beginning at SLU, SAM is
determined to expand its reach and
provide support to those who may lack
valuable resources. Róisín Mulkerrins,
a leader in SAM’s Recruiting team, is
actively participating in this endeav-our.
“Networking to other campuses
is a big thing. Harris Stowe is one that
we hope to reach out to soon because
they’re right across the street,” she
said. “We want to hit a point where this
resource is available to people on all
campuses.”
All in all, SAM has set out to pro-vide
a sense of comfort and reassur-ance
to survivors of sexual assault and
has proven itself an invaluable asset to
our campus. “There’s a huge spectrum
of what entails sexual assault. It’s not
just what we see in the movies,” Mulk-errins
said. “That’s what SAM is going
for. Anyone who has any questions or
confusion or just feelings, call SAM
and there’s a person who is trained and
wants to talk to you about anything
you might need.”
News 03
By PENELOPE GARDNER
Contributor
eriods have
never been en-joyable,
but
they have be-come
even less
so during the
COVID-19 pan-demic.
While many Americans
have been focused on finding
toilet paper and hand sanitizer,
many impoverished women have
also struggled to access necessary
menstrual products over the last
six months.
According to Plan Internation-al,
a humanitarian organization
centered on equality for girls, 73
percent of people who menstru-ate
are experiencing restricted
access to the products they need
to manage their period because of
COVID-19. This is due, in part, to
stores being out of stock, and also
due to the economic downturn
leaving many consumers with-out
jobs and funds for menstrual
products.
The St. Louis Alliance for Peri-od
Supplies (STLAPS), a program
created through the St. Louis Area
Diaper Bank, partnered with the
St. Louis County Library to form a
drive-thru dispensing emergency
period supplies for families and
individuals in need, according to
the STLAPS website, on April 3.
However, this service was discon-tinued
as of Aug. 21.
STLAPS has continued to work
to fulfill its mission of providing
period supplies to those in need
even when the COVID-19 pan-demic
has left many young girls
who formerly depended on their
school as a source of menstrual
products without such access.
“Most schools have now been
closed since mid-March, and
so you’re talking about seven
months, so seven or eight cycles
where girls haven’t been able to
access those types of resources,”
Anne Sebert Kuhlmann, Ph.D.,
said.
Kuhlmann, while working as an
Associate Professor in Behavioral
Science and Health Education at
SLU, has extensively researched
menstrual hygiene management
and reproductive health in the St.
Louis area.
Two years ago, Kuhlmann’s
research inspired a group of stu-dents
to start Project Period at
SLU, with the goal of increas-ing
accessibility to products and
destigmatizing menstruation
across campus. This year, SLU ju-niors
Kruti Kadiwala and Naomi
Mayer have taken over Project
Period. They lamented how pe-riod
accessibility has decreased
further because of the pandemic.
“A lot of people were buying in
bulk when the pandemic started,
and it’s limiting to the people who
can’t buy in bulk and can’t get to
the store,” Kadiwala explained.
“They have to buy the products
that are too expensive or not even
the ones they want to use.”
“It’s plain unfair, and with
that, the price is already so high
for a product or any feminine
care item,” Mayer expanded. “We
should have easier ways to access
these products.”
These disparities are the reason
why Kadiwala and Mayer joined
Project Period back in their fresh-man
year. Such accessibility con-cerns
are also what drive Kuhl-mann
in her mission to educate
about and advocate for menstrual
equity.
“There were many families in
St. Louis and across the U.S. that
were already living very much on
the brink and your basic needs,
goods like period products, were a
stretch and a stressor, and if you
think about how the pandem-ic
has increased that number of
families living in that situation
and yet we are not doing things
to meet those needs,” Kuhlmann
said.
Kuhlmann also suggests a way
for those concerned to take ac-tion,
saying “Donations, aware-ness-
raising, and advocacy would
be the three-pronged approach
that I think students could take.”
P
ong after a
vaccine is
rolled out and
case numbers
decline, the
effects of the
virus will lin-ger
in the lives of the homeless
and economically disadvantaged.
Individuals and families who are
homeless, as well as those cur-rently
living in poverty, will feel
the current recession for years to
come, in the St. Louis community
and beyond.
COVID-19, in the economic
sense, will undoubtedly have the
same effect for those living in
poverty as it did during the 2008-
2009 recessions.
“One thing that is absolutely
certain is that there will be a pro-found
increase in homelessness
over time because of COVID-19”
said Tim Huffman, Ph.D., associ-ate
professor in the department
of communication and faculty
mentor for Labre, an organization
that conducts outreach to the un-housed
of St Louis. “Part of the
reason that happens is because
if you’re on the boundary of pov-erty
and you have a series of bad
months, there are probably things
you can do to stabilize for the
time being … [but it] only works
for so long.”
For those who are currently ex-periencing
homelessness and for
those who will potentially expe-rience
it, efforts are being made
to assist them even amidst a pan-demic
like COVID-19.
“We’re all about building rela-tionships
and building connec-tions.
We don’t want to be just the
people that stop by every week
and drop off food. We want to be
the people that build relation-ships
with people we meet and
build lasting friendships,” said
Sophie Mueller, senior within the
Labre organization.
Unfortunately, due to the pan-demic,
there are less individuals
doing outreach overall, and the
shelters have fewer people help-ing
out. However, many outreach
programs and heroes in their own
right have risen to the challenge
of supporting and coming up with
plans to continue to provide to
homeless individuals. “For the
last six [or] seven months, every
nonprofit [organization] has been
busting their butt to try to change
the way that it responded to is-sues
because of the pandemic,”
said Huffman.
Many shelters have reconfig-ured
to allow for social distanc-ing,
and outreach organizations
have changed their practices so
that they limit spread of the vi-rus.
St. Louis County built an
entire quarantine and isolation
shelter system for people who
lack permanent housing through
collaboration at a regional level.
All across the city, housing or-ganizations
have been trying to
figure out ways to allow for more
individuals to utilize their re-sources
quickly, especially for the
approaching winter season.
“There are people trying to
figure out how we can create in-creased
shelter capacity to ex-pand
our shelter operations and
get people to survive the winter
and the pandemic at the same
time,” said Huffman.
L
By KLAUDIA WACHNIK
Staff Writer
(Andrea Porter/The University News)
LATEST PANDEMIC PERIL:
PERIOD PRODUCT ACCESS
HOMELESSNESS ON THE
RISE IN COVID ERA
04 NEWS
By ABIGAIL HOFFMAN
Contributor
s COVID-19
casts its shadow
over the school
year, it is im-portant
to ad-minister
tests to
prevent an out-break
of the virus on campus.
Because of this, many in the SLU
community are wondering about
the experiences of isolation and
sickness of the students tested
positive. Where are they living?
What do they eat? What are the
symptoms? What is isolation like?
With a small percentage of stu-dents
at the University testing
positive and going into isolation,
it is hard to find the answers to
these questions from someone
who has actually been through
it. As of Sept. 14, there have been
a total of 22 SLU students put
in isolation at the Grand Forest
Apartments.
The University News was for-tunate
enough to be able to talk
with one of these students who
was recently removed from iso-lation
and is now back in action
and attending classes as normal
on campus.
The University News inter-viewed
an anonymous student
who received notice of a positive
COVID-19 test result two weeks
into the new semester. His friends
received the same outcome.
“I believe I contracted COVID
from going out with some friends
without using a mask” he admit-ted.
After he suspected he had the
virus due to his symptoms, the
anonymous student was moved to
Hotel Ignacio where he stayed for
one night. The next morning he
was tested, and moved to Grand
Forest Apartments after testing
positive that afternoon.
“They keep you in Hotel Ignacio
if you are negative or are awaiting
a test. Isolation was in Grand For-est
apartments. I was moved from
Hotel Ignacio to Grand Forest
apartments when they found out
I was positive, and DPS escorted
me safely,” he stated.
This student represents just how
important it is to watch for symp-toms
and contact someone imme-diately.
“I self-diagnosed myself. My
symptoms were a mild cough, loss
of taste and smell, stomach prob-lems,
body aches, shivers, and
tiredness. It wasn’t the worst I
ever felt, but was definitely a ter-rible
experience” he wrote.
His symptoms started to gradu-ally
go away, and lingering on for
a while was his loss of taste, smell
and tiredness. As with any sick-ness,
every case will have its own
unique experiences, and luckily
he didn’t experience the virus at
its worst.
While isolation may sound un-pleasant
to many people, like
many things, it is not all bad, the
anonymous student explained.
During his isolation, he became
very productive and efficiently
stayed on top of all of his school
work, in addition to making study
buddies by meeting people in his
Zoom classes.
“I watched YouTube and went
out on my balcony to talk to one
of my friends that was my down-stairs
neighbor. He was also posi-tive,”
explained the student after
being asked how he spent his free
time other than schoolwork.
Some of his least favorite parts
of isolation were constant feel-ings
of loneliness, not being able
to leave his room (although walks
were a must every now and then),
and the food that was provided.
“On some days the food was al-right
but was very bad most of the
time. They gave me chicken, as-paragus,
and potatoes. I had to or-der
food on most days,” he shared.
When asked to share one thing
he wanted everyone to know, he
replied, “COVID-19 is not a hoax!
Take it seriously, wear your mask,
and be safe. The symptoms are
not a joke!” Wearing a mask and
social distancing are a critical
part of life right now, and just as
the recovered patient said, every-one
should be participating.
A
ith the threat
of COVID-19
looming over
college cam-puses,
many
schools are
taking ex-traordinary
measures to keep stu-dents
safe and the virus in check.
SLU has seen success in the first
five weeks on campus, with the
infection rate holding steady at
0.5 percent. This is highly en-couraging
compared to the infec-tion
rates of other colleges, both
private and public, who, due to
going overcapacity in designated
quarantine housing, are having
to quarantine large groups of stu-dents
in hotels.
One facet of SLU’s plan is to
provide the students, parents,
faculty and staff with updated
testing statistics on it’s new in-teractive
dashboard. This site,
which is updated every Monday
and Thursday, displays the num-ber
of tests administered since
Aug. 10 (when move-in began),
in the last 10 days, and how many
of these tests came back positive.
The dashboard goes further in de-tail,
breaking down the tests ad-ministered
into the categories of
“diagnostic” and “surveillance.”
All the information is presented
as a table and bar graph, making
it easy to understand and quick to
navigate.
According to the site, the num-ber
of students in isolation and
quarantine is currently very low,
and only five cases have been
reported amongst the faculty
and staff. Past the informational
graphics, SLU has provided links
to their policies on masks, the re-turn
of faculty/staff and the plan
to increase asymptomatic testing.
There is also an attached article
highlighting the work happen-ing
on SLU’s medical campus and
how they are contributing to the
hunt for a vaccine.
In addition to the dashboard,
SLU has begun cracking down on
students who have not been us-ing
the Campus Clear app, where
students input any symptoms and
receive immediate feedback on
whether or not it is safe for them
to go out on campus. While it was
highly encouraged when classes
began, the student body has be-come
lax, and daily activity has
gone down significantly.
After a seemingly unsuccess-ful
social media campaign, which
promised the possibility of win-ning
a Starbucks gift card for us-ing
the app regularly, the admin-istration
has set literal boundaries
in campus facilities. As of Friday,
Sept. 11, both the Simon Rec Cen-ter
and Pius Memorial Library
have begun requiring students
to show their open Campus Clear
app with the “Good to Go!” mes-sage
displayed in order to enter.
The response from students has
been somewhat dismal, as this
provides an obstacle for them to
pass during their busy days—how-ever,
adherence to this system
could very well be the difference
between SLU’s doors remaining
open for the semester or not.
W
By BROOKE KENWORTHY
Contributor
THE QUARANTINE REPORT
NEW SLU COVID DASHBOARD
GOES LIVE
(Grace Dunlavy/The University News)
n early May, the
U.S Department
of Education
(DOE) released
its Final Title
IX Rule, a set of
documents out-lining
regulations concerning cam-pus
sexual harassment and sexual
assault. The Rule is a finalization
of regulations that were drafted in
2018 by U.S. Secretary of Education
Betsy DeVos and the DOE, and of-ficially
went into effect on Aug. 14,
2020.
The regulations were is-sued
by the DOE’s Office of Civ-il
Rights, which undertook a year
and a half notice-and-comment
process, and are now federally en-forceable
laws. By contrast, reg-ulations
issued under the Obama
administration in 2011 and 2014,
known as the Dear Colleague Let-ter,
were classified as guidance and
did not carry the force and effect of
law behind them. DeVos had pre-viously
invalidated the Dear Col-league
Letter in 2017, calling for an
overhaul to campus sexual assault
policy.
Once the new law was re-leased
in May, the SLU adminis-tration
convened a fifteen person
Title IX Policy Review Committee.
This group worked through the
updated regulations and integrat-ed
them into our Interim Title IX
Sexual Harassment Policy, which
is currently pending approval from
President Pestello’s cabinet and is
expected to become official policy
this semester.
DeVos has been a strong
proponent of the updated regula-tions,
arguing that they protect the
due process of both the accuser and
the accused, and that the Final Rule
is “clear, predictable and effective
at ensuring schools have the tools
they need to address incidents of
sexual harassment in their pro-grams
and activities.” By contrast,
updated rules has drawn fierce
criticism from activists and sex-ual
assault survivors for failing to
protect the rights of sexual assault
survivors. According to the organi-zation
Know Your IX, Devos’ new
rule “drastically decreases schools’
obligations to prevent, respond to
and remedy sexual harassment and
assault.
Reviewing the updated
rules, especially in comparison to
the Obama administration’s Dear
Colleague guidance, there is a de-finitive
trend of increased protec-tions
for those accused of sexual
assault.
For instance, where the
Obama administration’s guidelines
set the standard of evidence at “a
preponderance of the evidence” in
determining guilt, the new regula-tions
allow Title IX investigations
to opt for a “clear and convincing
standard” instead. The “clear and
convincing” standard is a more rig-orous
standard to meet than the
“preponderance of evidence” stan-dard,
meaning that in many cases,
victims will be required to provide
more evidence than might other-wise
have been expected. That said,
SLU’s Title IX policy will continue
to use the preponderance of the ev-idence
standard.
Another heavily criticized
rule change allows cross examina-tion
of parties and witnesses to the
incident by student advisors and
lawyers. Sexual assault advocates
say that live cross-examination will
likely lead to re-traumatization of
victims and act as a deterrent for
reporting sexual misconduct.
The definiton of sexual ha-rassment
has also been narrowed
in comparison to previous guid-ance.
It is now defined as “any un-welcome
conduct that a reasonable
person would find so severe, perva-sive
and objectively offensive that
it denies a person equal education-al
access.” However, sexual assault,
dating violence, domestic violence
and stalking remain outside of the
“severe, pervasive, and objectively
offensive” requirement.
Critics of the updated Title
IX rules have also taken issue with
DeVos
Bavaria pia / serenissimae quadrigae Albertinae sive quadrigeminis fratribus serenissimis Ioanni Francisco Carolo, Ferdinando Guilielmo, Maximiliano Henrico, Alberto Sigismundo, Alberti filijs, Guilielmi nepotibus, Albert pronepotibus &c. Com. Pal. Rheni, V.B.D. Dominis suis clementissimis nuncupata dicata a Matthaeo Radero, Soc. Iesu presbytero
No full textThe considerations of Drexelius upon eternity / translated by R. Winterton, fellow of Kings Colledge in Cambridge, 1632
No full textUltima funeris pompa extincti Ordinis Iesuitarum
No full textNot before 1773."EPITAPHIUM. Gradum tu Viator siste, Sois quid sibi Lapis iste? Cuius is sit tumulus, Petri quid hic Annulus? hic Societas invicta, à romano Iove icta Fulmine, interiit, pulvis ac favilla fit. Iurgia non foris strepunt, dum Virgulta humi repunt ex prostrata Arbore, icta Iovis fulmine. Sancta Sion loeta ridet, Pacem dum florere videt; Vivat, ait, jubila, Papa Vindex Soecula! Ast e vita Clemens abit Rationem Lætus dabit is supremo Iudici, Æquitatis Vindici. Crede, Christus confirmavit, quod nec morte revocavit Iustus, et intrepidus eius hic Vicarius. Tu Viator, Casum plora, ac, ne cadas, Coelum ora, noli alta Sapere, ne sors par involvat te En, Trophæum hoc Clementi, et infractæ eius Menti, ponit Providentia, huius est Victoria.
Universitas: the magazine of Saint Louis University
No full textWinter 2019 issue of Universitas: the magazine of Saint Louis University.Q&A WITH SLU’S
PRESIDENT
Page 14
ACCELERATING
EXCELLENCE
Page 20
HISTORIC
50 MILLION GIFT
Page 24
FACULTY PREDICT
THE FUTURE
Page 26
A LOOK FORWARD
SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSIT Y 1 BICENTENNIAL
VOLUME 45, ISSUE 1
EDITOR
Laura Geiser (A&S ’90, Grad ’92)
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Amy Garland (A&S ’97)
ART DIRECTOR
Matt Krob
CONTRIBUTORS
Clayton Berry
Marie Dilg (Grad SW ’94)
ON CAMPUS NEWS STORIES
University Public Relations
Billiken Media Relations
ON THE COVER
An illustration of the many facets
of SLU by Aldo Crusher
Universitas is published by Saint Louis
University. Opinions expressed in
Universitas are those of the individual
authors and not necessarily those of the
University administration. Unsolicited
manuscripts and photographs are welcome
but will be returned only if accompanied
by a stamped, self-addressed envelope.
Letters to the editor must be signed, and
letters not intended for publication should
indicate that fact. The editor reserves
the right to edit all items. Address all mail
to Universitas, DuBourg Hall 39, One N.
Grand Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63103. We
accept email at [email protected].
Postmaster: Send address changes to
Universitas, Saint Louis University,
One N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63103.
Website: slu.edu/universitas
Universitas is printed by Breese
Printing and Publishing
Worldwide circulation: 116,500
© 2019, Saint Louis University
All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part
without permission is prohibited.
SLU’s cheerleaders led by Olivia Hargrove, daughter of Troy Hargrove (PS ’03, Grad CSB ’08),
at Homecoming and Famility Weekend’s golf cart parade.
PHOTO BY STEVE DOLAN
F E ATU R E S
D E PARTME NTS
8
A Year in Review
Celebrating Saint Louis University’s bicentennial
took many forms — By Laura Geiser
14
Looking Ahead
A Q&A about SLU’s future with President
Dr. Fred P. Pestello — By Laura Geiser
20
Accelerating Excellence
The details on SLU’s ambitious new
fundraising campaign — By Marie Dilg
24
Giving Back
A historic gift from Dr. Jeanne and Rex
Sinquefield focuses on research — By Clayton Berry
26
Foreseeable Future
Professors discuss what the future holds
for their disciplines — By Amy Garland
2 On Campus
Grand Boulevard crossing /// Interdisciplinary
Science and Engineering Building /// Record
fundraising year /// Macelewane Hall
renovation /// Service challenge numbers
32 Class Notes
33 Alumni Spotlight
Dr. Wilbur “Ken” Manchette (Dent ’50)
38 In Memoriam
40 Feedback
41 The Last Look
ME S S AG E F ROM THE
CH A I RMAN O F THE
BOA R D O F T RUS T E E S
PHOTO BY STEVE DOLAN
Since we’ve closed out SLU’s bicentennial
year, it is a time to look forward — to the
generations of students to come, whom
we hope will experience the same rig-orous
Jesuit education that I and so
many others have shared; to the discoveries that our
leading-edge research will uncover; and to an even
greater commitment to our community and those
most in need.
My connection with SLU goes back to my years
as an undergraduate and then a law student. What I
learned at SLU from legendary professors like Vince
Immel — and how I learned it — changed my life
forever. I am eternally grateful for all that SLU has
given me. And that’s why my wife Daria and I are
deeply committed to sharing our good fortune with
the University.
SLU is launching the largest fundraising cam-paign
in its history — 500 million to be raised by
2021. It is an audacious goal. The trustees knew that
when we approved it, and I’m pleased to say that
every trustee has made a commitment to the cam-paign
during its leadership phase.
Now, we’re entering into the public phase of
“Accelerating Excellence: The Campaign for Saint
Louis University.” It kicked off in grand style on
Nov. 17 at Chaifetz Arena. The campaign launch
came just one day after SLU’s official birthday on
Nov. 16 — making it the very first day of SLU’s third
century. I cannot think of a more promising begin-ning
to the University’s next 100 years.
My fellow trustees Dr. Richard Chaifetz and
Rex Sinquefield are co-chairing SLU’s campaign.
Between them, they generously committed 80 million. Both alumni truly
exemplify how SLU can put a person on the path
to success. And their unwavering support of Saint
Louis University shows their faith in our future.
So, as we begin our third century, I hope you, our
alumni, share the pride in your great University,
and I hope you will consider making a financial gift
to the Accelerating Excellence campaign. Whatever
amount you can give will help ensure that future
generations will have the same opportunities that
you and I had as sons and daughters of Saint Louis
University forever.
I also hope you enjoy this issue of Universitas. And
if you’re wondering why you’re reading a message
from me and not SLU President Dr. Fred Pestello,
that’s because you’ll find him in the pages ahead,
reflecting on his first four years as president, the
future of higher education and the importance of
this forward-looking campaign, in an exclusive
Q&A with Universitas.
Joseph Conran (A&S ’67, Law ’70)
Chairman
Board of Trustees
During the past year, it was an honor for me and for my
fellow Saint Louis University trustees to share in the
celebration of the 200-year history of this great university.
UNIVERSI TAS 2 WINTER 2019 SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSIT Y 3 BICENTENNIAL
ON C AMPUS
For its bicentennial, the
University invited the entire
community to volunteer,
hoping to achieve 200 years —
more than 1.75 million hours —
in just one year. The challenge
exceeded expectations.
1,975,447
hours
collected from Nov. 14,
2017, to Nov. 14, 2018
That’s 225 years,
6 months, 5 days
and 7 hours — and
223,447 hours above
the original goal.
1,537
students
who registered
to submit hours
to the clock
249,364
hours
contributed by
volunteers at area
partner organizations:
the Saint Louis Zoo,
Missouri Botanical
Garden, Haven House
and Assistance
League St. Louis
95
the most individual
volunteer sessions
submitted by a single
user, a student
960 hours
the largest single
submission from
one individual
Campus
Crossroads
The intersection of
Grand and West Pine
boulevards underwent
a transformation last
summer for safety and
aesthetic improvements.
The project was tied to
the University’s campus
master plan. While
soliciting feedback from
the SLU community
during the plan’s
development, many
people expressed
concerns about the
very busy crossing.
The new crossing
features:
A wider median
that can more safely
accommodate
pedestrians waiting for
the light to change
Additional lighting and
improved traffic signals
Bollards placed
along the median and
sidewalks to prevent
cars from encroaching
into those areas
SLU Breaks Ground for New
Interdisciplinary Science and
Engineering Building
In early October, Saint Louis University broke ground
on a new Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering
Building on campus — a 98.7 million during
the 2017-18 fiscal year, which ended June
30, 2018, making it the most successful single
year of fundraising in SLU’s 200-year history.
The previous fiscal year was also one of
the University’s top-three most successful
fundraising years. But this new milestone
more than doubles the previous year’s figure.
And it is 65 million, which was
set during the 2005-06 fiscal year. A record
14,805 donors made gifts to the University
during fiscal year 2017-18.
There were 11 gifts that exceeded 39.5 million in matching dollars since
its launch five years ago.
Saint Louis University Announces
Three New Trustees
Saint Louis University added three new members to its board of trustees.
Their three-year terms began in late September.
B. Todd Jones is senior
vice president and special
counsel for conduct for the
National Football League.
Kristin Robertson
(Grad CSB ’05) is vice
president and general
manager of Autonomous
Systems, a division
within Boeing Defense,
Space and Security.
Dr. Anthony R. Tersigni
is president and CEO of
Ascension, the largest
nonprofit health system
in the country and the
world’s largest Catholic
health system.
New Billikens Start with Service Nearly 1,800
Billikens participated in Saint Louis University’s first New
Student Day of Service in August. The service day is a way
to introduce incoming students to the values of a Jesuit
education. The new students spent about five hours in
service to approximately 40 community groups. The day
consisted of a variety of projects, such as weeding urban
gardens, sorting clothing donations and repairing homes.
Longtime Faculty
Member Makes 2
million from Theodore
R. Vitali, C.P., a longtime
faculty member in the
Department of Philosophy.
The gift, which designates SLU as the beneficiary
of Vitali’s retirement account, was made with the
blessing of his order, the Passionist Congregation.
The gift will benefit the philosophy department,
partially endowing a chair and establishing an
endowed scholarship for a full-time undergraduate
or graduate philosophy student from the Passionist
Congregation. The endowed chair will be named in
Vitali’s honor.
“I believe in the Jesuit, Catholic vision of human
dignity and thus the fostering of authentic Christian
humanism,” Vitali said. “I believe the advancement
of such a vision lies at the essence of SLU’s mis-sion
and the intrinsic role philosophy plays in the
advancement of SLU’s mission. An endowed chair
dedicated to the philosophical advancement of that
mission enhances and propels that mission.”
A SLU alumnus, Vitali (Grad A&S ’74, ’76)
returned to SLU as the chair of the philosophy
department in 1989, a role he held until 2017.
Following a sabbatical during the 2017-18 year, he
was back in the classroom as an associate professor
during the fall.
Eminent Georgetown
Scholar Appointed
Interim Provost
Dr. Chester “Chet” Gillis, a
former dean of Georgetown
College at Georgetown University,
has started a two-and-a-half year
appointment as interim provost of
Saint Louis University.
Gillis is a theologian, profes-sor
and scholar who has written
numerous scholarly works on
Roman Catholicism. He was on
faculty at Georgetown University
since 1988.
Dr. Michael Lewis, associate provost for faculty affairs and development at SLU
and an associate professor of chemistry, served as acting provost beginning in
mid-August. A national search for a permanent provost is expected to begin the
summer of 2020, with the role filled by July 2021.
Probation Lifted for SLU’s Medical School
The Saint Louis University School
of Medicine no longer is on pro-bation
after successfully addressing
all concerns raised by the Liaison
Committee for Medical Education
(LCME), the accrediting body for
North American medical schools.
SLU is fully compliant with a ll
LCME standards, the accrediting body
announced at its regular quarterly
meeting in October.
SLU resolved all issues that led to its
probation within 19 months, ahead of
the LCME’s 24-month deadline.
U.S. NEWS 2019 BEST COLLEGES RANKINGS
106 of all national universities (top-third)
36 of “Best Value Schools”
26 for best undergraduate teaching
among national universities
11 in international business
18 in entrepreneurship
28 in accounting
44 in finance
68 in “Best Colleges for Veterans”
87 in high school counselor rankings
87 in business programs
146 in “Best Undergraduate Engineering
Programs” (at schools whose highest
degree is a doctorate)
THE PRINCETON REVIEW BEST 384 COLLEGES
1 in the nation as the university most
engaged in community service
5 as an impact school
18 for most popular study abroad program
SLU also made the “Green Colleges” and “Best
Midwestern Colleges That Pay You Back” lists.
NICHE
5 in “Best Colleges for Nursing”
8 in “Best Catholic Colleges and
Universities”
8 in “Best Colleges for Kinesiology and
Physical Therapy”
42 in “Best Colleges for Criminal Justice”
47 in colleges with the “Best Professors in
America”
In December, SLU also was named “Best
College in Missouri for Nursing Majors” by
Zippia.com. Career results for graduates, an
emphasis on nursing education and overall
University performance put the Saint Louis
University School of Nursing at the top of the list.
Saint Louis University recently
earned high rankings from
U.S. News & World Report, The
Princeton Review and Niche, a
website that ranks colleges, schools,
neighborhoods and companies.
THREE NEW ACADEMIC MAJORS TO START IN FALL
Three new academic majors were approved by SLU’s board of trustees at their September meeting.
The following programs in the College of Arts and Sciences will start in fall 2019:
BACHELOR OF ARTS in
Bioethics and
Health Studies
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE in
Chemical Biology and
Pharmacology
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE in
Data Science
PHOTO BY STEVE DOLAN
Vitali
Gillis speaks with SLU faculty and
staff at Busch Student Center.
PHOTO BY MAGGIE ROTERMUND
Amazon’s Alexa Devices
Come to Campus
Saint Louis University is the first col-lege
or university in the country to
bring Amazon Alexa-enabled devices
into every student residence hall room
and student apartment on campus.
In time for the start of fall classes, SLU
deployed more than 2,300 Echo Dot
smart devices, and the project garnered
national media attention.
A custom SLU skill deployed on the
devices supplies answers to more than
100 SLU-specific questions — from “What
time does the library close tonight?” to
“Where is the registrar’s office?”
PHOTO BY STEVE LONG
Ring Award Winner
Dr. Anne McCabe, profesora doctora contratada at
SLU-Madrid, was selected as the winner of SLU’s
2018 Nancy McNeir Ring Award for Excellence in Teaching.
McCabe, who teaches English as a Second Language, com-munication
and Spanish courses, was noted for her devotion
to teaching and her ability to impact students’ lives. McCabe,
a researcher in systemic functional linguistics, joined SLU-Madrid’s
faculty in 1990 and has served in various leadership
roles including as department chair, division director and
associate dean. She addressed graduates during December’s
midyear commencement in St. Louis.
PHOTO BY STEVE DOLAN
UNIVERSI TAS 6 WINTER 2019 SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSIT Y 7 BICENTENNIAL
O N C A M P U S
Lyricist and Composer Stephen Sondheim
Receives Literary Award
On Oct. 4, Stephen Sondheim accepted the 2018 St. Louis
Literary Award, given by the Saint Louis University Library
Associates, at Sheldon Concert Hall.
A sold-out crowd packed the hall, and an overflow audience gath-ered
to watch a simulcast as the lyricist and composer was honored.
The evening began with performances of Sondheim songs by
area university and high school students, including SLU senior
Blake Howard who sang “Finishing the Hat” from Sunday in the Park
with George.
After the Literary Award was presented, Mike Isaacson (A&S ’86,
Grad CSB ’96), artistic director and executive producer at the Muny,
led a discussion with Sondheim, asking questions gathered from
the audience.
Sondheim shared anecdotes, memories and advice. He spoke
about his teachers and mentors, calling teaching a sacred profession.
Sondheim, who has won multiple Tony and Grammy Awards,
an Academy Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, wrote the
lyrics for the Broadway classics West Side Story and Gypsy. He was
the composer and lyricist for groundbreaking musicals such as A
Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Company, Follies, A
Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods and Passion. He also
published two volumes of his annotated lyrics.
Macelwane Hall Renovation Completed
In May 2017, a fire broke out in Macelwane Hall and caused
such extensive damage the building could not be occupied.
Macelwane has since undergone a 50 million
Interdisciplinary Science
and Engineering Build-ing
when it opens in 2020.
Those Macelwane labs are
constructed to be easily
retrofitted for biology fac-ulty
researchers who will
move back to the north
campus from their current
temporary quarters.
Cubs Come Calling for
Former Billiken Pitcher
Last summer, the Chicago Cubs called for-mer
Billiken James Norwood from the team’s
Triple-A affiliate in Iowa to join the parent club in
Chicago.
Norwood, a former Billiken standout pitcher, was
a seventh-round selection by the Cubs in 2014. He
got his first taste of major league baseball in July.
Norwood is the 12th Billiken to make it to the
major leagues. The last SLU player to suit up for a
major league game was Len Boehmer in 1971 with
the New York Yankees.
Billikens Share Their
Bounty Through New
Campus Resource
Of all the issues college students face —
homesickness, juggling school and a
social life — where they find their next meal
doesn’t usually come to mind.
By spearheading and organizing SLU’s
first student food resource, Billiken Bounty,
senior Samantha Kiss, senior Madalyn
Leakey and Dr. Mona Hicks, dean of students,
aim to ensure all SLU students have access to
nutritious food.
About 20 percent of SLU’s student body
is at risk for food insecurity at some point during college, according to a survey Billiken Bounty’s
organizers sent to campus. The results showed that some students experienced whole days without
meals or rationed to make their food stretch further. The research tracks with national trends,
organizers said.
Since opening in September, Billiken Bounty has been offering nonperishable food items like beans
and macaroni as well as hygiene and self-care products in a retail-like space in the Busch Student
Center. Shoppers don’t have to demonstrate need and can come and go anonymously. All that is
required to access Billiken Bounty’s stores is a SLU photo ID.
The SLU community has rallied to the cause, organizers said, contributing volunteer hours as well as
items for the shelves. A Billiken Backers drive yielded $5,500, and Billiken Bounty was one of the causes
earmarked for donations from SLU’s second annual SLU Giving Day in November. Several divisions
and departments have hosted food drives. About 20 students volunteered to staff the resource center.
Awards and
Honors
More than 150 physicians
representing SLUCare
Physician Group across more
than 40 specialties made
St. Louis Magazine’s 2018
Best Doctors issue. The list
is based on the annual “Best
Doctors in America” database.
The national board of Alpha
Sigma Nu, the honor society
for Jesuit colleges and
universities, selected the Saint
Louis University chapter as
the 2018 Chapter of the Year.
SLU’s chapter was selected
for its diverse programming
during the last academic year.
MAJOR GRANTS
UNIVERSITY THEATRE
SLU’s University Theatre continues
its affiliation with the Kranzberg
Ar
Dijaspora Bošnjačka: Broj 25
No full textBosniak DiasporaIII25Dijaspora bošnjačka (Bosnian Diaspora) is a Bosniak periodical that was published monthly between May 2004 and December 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri. It was one of the two components comprising the Bosnian Media Group (the other was Radio Behar St. Louis). The publication features original articles by an international group of contributors (including from Bosnia and Herzegovina) and was distributed in the United States and Canada and parts of Europe. The paper was launched to share information and perspectives about the aggression toward Bosnia and Herzegovina and its people between 1992 and 1995, as well as to promote the values, traditions, and culture of Bosnian Muslims.Click on the blue Maximize button in the top right corner of each image to browse the pages of an issue
Plima Magazin 2.4
No full textJuli/August 1998II4Plima Obiteljski Magazin is a bi-monthly Bosnian-language publication that was published in St. Louis, Missouri between 1997 and 2000. It was created by journalist, editor, and publisher Dijana Groth in response to increasing numbers of refugees resettling in St. Louis from her home country of (former) Yugoslavia. With an entertaining and informative format, Groth used PLIMA – translated to Ocean (New) Tide and geared at the whole family – to address the needs and concerns of the newly arrived refugees.Missing: Godina I, Broj 1; none published in August 1999. Click on the blue Maximize button in the top right corner of each image to browse the pages of an issue
Plima Magazin 3.3
No full textJuni/Juli 1999III3Plima Obiteljski Magazin is a bi-monthly Bosnian-language publication that was published in St. Louis, Missouri between 1997 and 2000. It was created by journalist, editor, and publisher Dijana Groth in response to increasing numbers of refugees resettling in St. Louis from her home country of (former) Yugoslavia. With an entertaining and informative format, Groth used PLIMA – translated to Ocean (New) Tide and geared at the whole family – to address the needs and concerns of the newly arrived refugees.Missing: Godina I, Broj 1; none published in August 1999. Click on the blue Maximize button in the top right corner of each image to browse the pages of an issue
Sunrise
No full textScannedII043SabaH is a Bosnian-language weekly newspaper that was published in the United States between December 1997 and October 2014. It was founded in Astoria, NY. In 2006, publishing was relocated to St. Louis, MO, but the newspaper continued its national distribution. A typical issue contains about 50 pages and features bold headlines and many photos, with articles from both Bosnia- and US-based contributors. SabaH was established to help Bosnian immigrants deal with life in their new home and keep them informed of events in their war-torn country. Its name translates to 'sunrise', symbolizing the arrival of a new generation of Bosnian immigrants in the US.Click on the blue Maximize button in the top right corner of each image to browse the pages of an issue. This project was made possible by a generous donation from Susan Powers of St. Louis, MO. Digitization is ongoing
