Dan Goeddel / Staff Photographer

St. Louis is a divided city, something that is not always apparent to the residents of Saint Louis University. The division becomes apparent, however, the farther north one travels.

North of Delmar Boulevard is an area marked by a deteriorating urban environment and stark economic disparity.

“If I were to describe it, there is a line drawn in the city based on things like race and housing opportunities,” Norman White, professor of sociology and criminal justice who has previously spoken on the environment in North City, said. “I don’t think of it as a divide, but more like an entrance to a third world, as it mirrors the outcomes and social ills you see in third world countries.”

According to White, North St. Louis is an example of the result of the “deindustrialization” of cities. Around the 1940s and 1950s, factories and other manufacturing companies began to move out of urban settings to more spacious rural and suburban area to accommodate for extra space needed for new technologies like assembly lines. Along with the factories went the jobs, which left fewer opportunities for employment within cities and contributed to the rise in poverty and economic disparity in cities.

Housing opportunities around this time also contributed to the divide that now exists in St. Louis and other American cities. Though policies that supported residential segregation were no longer viable by this time, there were still certain expectations in existence concerning which people could live where. The result of this was a division of communities built around certain statuses of class and race. These communities still exist and, in some ways, contribute to the continued segregation of cities.

“This sort of divide occurs in almost every city, but it is a very stark north-south divide in St. Louis,” White said. “This is the urban problem, and it has taken its toll.”

The disparity between North St. Louis and other areas of the city, commonly referred to as the “Delmar Divide,” has not gone unnoticed. In March 2012, BBC released a short documentary piece highlighting the division within the city, raising awareness of the issue beyond the limits of St. Louis.

The documentary, which pulled data from a study on urban segregation conducted by the Manhattan Institute, espoused facts such as the extreme difference in housing prices between North and South St. Louis, as well as the sharp divide in the places where certain minority groups live and average yearly income.

Given SLU’s location within the city, it is not easy to ignore the urban problems that exist around campus. The University has, however, fostered initiatives to work with the issues rather than overlook them.

White stated that the School of Public Health has been developing initiatives in North St. Louis to better address the health concerns that often arise in impoverished urban environments. He said that SLU’s strongest asset when dealing with the issues is the student body.

“[Students] come here because they believe we will help them become men and women for others,” White said. “The students involved in Alpha Phi Omega and OneWorld magazine, for example, they’re the kinds of students who get it.”

One student group that is working to bridge the gap between SLU and North St. Louis is SLUCORE. Since its formation four years ago, SLUCORE has partnered with four different service sites in North City at which its members commit to visit once a week for a year. Their sites include Angel Baked Cookies, a bakery that employs high school students, De La Salle Middle School, Northside Community Center and Missionaries of Charity, a site that hosts an after school program.

“While there are many service opportunities on campus, SLUCORE is very intentional about focusing our time, energy and commitment to an often overlooked and misunderstood area of the city,” said Maria Smith, a student coordinator of SLUCORE. “SLUCORE hopes to continue to strengthen our presence on campus and within the North St. Louis community.”

Despite efforts on the part of SLU to address urban poverty, White stated that the University still exhibits some shortcomings.

“We perpetuate this divide by building fences around vacant lots. We tell students in SLU101 not to go past the Fox Theater,’” White said. “We are a Jesuit university, but we don’t talk about the depths to which the problems we see are based in social inequality.”

According to White, the best way to improve SLU’s involvement in the urban community is to begin with an honest conversation about why these problems exist.

“We need to learn that service is best done by listening to what people need as opposed to going in and thinking we know best,” White said. “It will be required for SLU to honor the Jesuit mission, which puts honor into service. We need to create an environment where we can talk about the issues in a real way and provide support to those people who want to make a real change.”

Kristen Miano / Editor in Chief
Lawrence Biondi, S.J., spoke with SGA on April 24, giving his responses to senators’ questions.

Lawrence Biondi, S.J., president of Saint Louis University, gave a special business presentation to the Student Government Association during their April 24 meeting. The purpose of his presentation was to answer questions the senators might have had about the state of the University and address any other concerns they might raise.

Biondi requested before he began that faculty members at the meeting leave the senate chambers, as the presentation was meant only for students and SGA.

Questions from senators had been collected the week prior to the meeting and were chosen at random by SGA President Blake Exline to ensure that every senator had a fair chance of getting their question asked.

The first question posed to Biondi regarded the state of the Pevely project. Biondi had announced the purchase of the Pevely Dairy Complex in his August 2011 message to the SLU community. The University received permission from the city of St. Louis to knock down three of the buildings, as well as the Pevely smokestack, but there was a vote by the city to retain the final building in the complex. According to Biondi, the plan for Pevely was to turn the site into an ambulatory care center with parking space, but the plans have since been stalled.

“We’re in a limbo stage,” Biondi said. “We have a challenge ahead of us, especially with the state of health care in this country. No confidence votes are minor compared to the state of health care in the United States.”

The next question asked Biondi to address the no confidence votes of the fall semester and to comment on the unrest that still exists on campus.

Biondi stated the University was following a strategic plan, including things like strengthening the school’s Catholic identity, increasing resources for faculty and students and increasing the University’s prestige.

Another part of the plan included taking a look at faculty development.

“There were questions, ‘What do you do with faculty who have been here for 20 or 30 years who have not been doing the research in their fields?’” Biondi said. “How can we help faculty think outside the box and offer programs and academic courses to help the students in our future and the students currently?”

Biondi said that when the strategic plan documents were released, there was a “perceived threat” that the school wanted to do away with tenure. Though the plan was still being developed, it was requested by the College of Arts and Sciences faculty that they be removed. Biondi said he called a meeting with the deans and vice presidents to reiterate the documents had been withdrawn for further evaluation.

“There was thought that Patankar, because he created the document, they though he should be let go,” Biondi said. “I didn’t think there was sufficient reason for this.”

When Patankar was invited by the deans to meet with department chairs, Biondi said the chairs would not meet with him.

“I think in an academic institution, we can debate, we can dialogue, we can talk. That’s the whole purpose of an intellectual community,” Biondi said. “I was taken aback that they did not want to even sit and talk with the vice president.”

As the situation escalated, Biondi said what he calls “SLUmor bombs” began to drop, particularly ones regarding the endowment and rankings. He said that holding faculty accountable was necessary at SLU.

“We can’t immunize our faculty. Most of our faculty are doing very, very well,” Biondi said. “This got out of control. I think some of you were manipulated by the faculty. Especially when there is a demonstration on the mall. Isn’t it curious that some of the students are related to the faculty member who is giving them a grade? Is there some kind of conflict of interest?”
Biondi said shared governance at SLU has always been in place, as student and faculty voices are always taken into account, but not every proposal can be accepted.

“Shared governance is voicing your ideas and opinions and letting discussions take place. Just because we reject some ideas does not mean there is no shared governance,” Biondi said. “There is no climate of fear. I’ve asked every faculty member on various committees if they feel as though they can’t speak their mind and they say ‘no.’”

The final question asked why student concerns, such as program changes and faculty turnover, were not being taken as seriously as other issues on campus. Biondi stated that there are structures in place throughout campus to assist students in day-to-day concerns. He also reiterated the importance of an open and vocal student body. Biondi also asked SGA continue to reach out and assist students in the SLU community.

Writing Services Director runs marathons, loves coffee

Kristen Miano / Editor in Chief

Jessica Perolio, program director of Academic Support and Writing Services, came to Saint Louis University for a graduate degree in English, but she stayed for the people she found here.

“My favorite part of this is definitely the people I work with,” Perolio said, “The writing consultants are such an energetic, passionate, hilarious group of people. We have so much fun. They’re always so engaging and are seriously devoted to working with students.”

Perolio, who is in the last semester of her doctorate work in higher education at SLU, came into her role on campus after working in the writing center as a graduate student. She took on the job because she really enjoyed the individualized, one-on-one attention she was able to give students who came to her for writing advice. Since taking the job, she has seen the writing service not only grow in way of clients and staff, but also in the diversity of services they offer.

“We are a lively office,” Perolio said. “We train to consult in writing across disciplines, so we have thousands of students using our services every year.”

Perolio not only manages the staff of writing consultants, but also hosts workshops in writing on campus and teaches a class in the English department specifically on writing consultations.

After she gets her doctorate degree, Perolio said she hopes to continue to work in higher education programming, service and administration. Though she is leaving her job in Academic Support and Writing Services at the end of the academic year, she will be staying at SLU as the assistant director of the honors program beginning next fall.

“I will probably just take opportunities as they come to me and walk through doors as they open,” Perolio said.

Her favorite part of SLU so far has been the variety of students she has encountered here.

“A SLU student is a really interesting person to work with because I’ve never seen a campus with students so committed to service and this idea of social justice,” Perolio said. “Between the students and the staff, that’s why I’m staying here.”

Beyond improving the writing abilities of SLU students, Perolio said she really enjoys running. She has participated in several marathons, half marathons and other races.

“You can always find me in Tower Grove or Forest Park logging miles,” Perolio said.

In her spare time, Perolio enjoys being outdoors, either camping, hiking or rock climbing. She also likes spending time with her friends, hanging out with her two poodles, Scout and Libby, traveling to different wilderness locations and drinking really good coffee.

“I really like coffee,” Perolio said. “I think my favorite coffee shop right now is Sump, which just opened up on Cherokee Street.”

Fraternity president, rapper waxes poetic about life

Kristen Miano / Editor-in-Chief

Junior Roberto Hernandez didn’t know what he wanted to study when he originally came to Saint Louis University.

“For a brief time, I was an international business and French major, but I hated that,” Hernandez said. “Then I considered Psychology, but hated that too. It wasn’t until I took Urban Crisis with Dr. Looker and talked with him about the American Studies department and what you can do with the degree that I realized it was for me.”

With a degree in American Studies, Hernandez said he might like to be the curator of an American history museum, but if he had to pick a dream job, he would peruse his passion for rap.

“I’ve loved rap music since I was a kid,” Hernandez said. “I have four brothers and my older brothers all used to listen it, so it was pretty easy for me to get into it growing up. I like the music, it’s what speaks to me the most.”

Hernandez writes his own raps about all sorts of things he encounters in his day-to-day life. He often writes about things he sees or things he has read.

“I just try to get people dancing and get people thinking,” Hernandez said.

Though Hernandez has yet to perform his music, he has read some of his poems at readings and other creative writing events. He said he does hope to perform rap in the future.

Apart from rap, Hernandez enjoys listening to some rock music, like Gaslight Anthem and Frank Sinatra, who he said is his favorite artist outside of rap.

When not studying America or writing poems, Hernandez enjoys cooking and eating food.

“I like to make Mexican food, or just type a random recipe into Google and seeing if I can make it better,” Hernandez said. “I’m good at making anything with chicken, probably because it is the easiest.”

Hernandez is also the incoming president of his fraternity, Alpha Delta Gamma, a role he’s excited to take on, despite the workload that comes with it.

“It’s a bit more work than I was expecting,” Hernandez said. “It was hard at first because I’m not really organized, but I’m getting into the swing of things. I think our guys are going to have a really good fall semester.”

As president, Hernandez is a member of all the fraternity’s committees, runs chapter meetings and ensures that communication within the organization and with the administration stays consistent and transparent.

“It’s a full-time job,” Hernandez said.

Off-campus, Hernandez is involved with the organization, Ready Readers, which is a non-profit in St. Louis that works with underprivileged pre-school-aged children to aid them as they learn to read.

In spite of his busy schedule, Hernandez maintains that he has a unique sense of humor. He looks for jokes in different places, but also gets a lot of his material from his family.

“I don’t have a filter sometimes,” Hernandez said. “But I just like to get people laughing.”

Kristen Miano / Editor-in-Chief
Ellen Harshman, Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs, presents to SGA.

The Student Government Association looked  both to the future and acknowledged the past with their legislation in an April 3 meeting. The assembly began with a presentation from Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs Ellen Harshman.

Harshman began by telling SGA a little about herself and her history at Saint Louis University, including her continued tenure as the dean of the John Cook School of Business. Since her move to the office of vice president for academic affairs, Harshman said that she has been doing a lot of listening and learning.

“I’ve been trying to understand what it is that needs to be addressed and how to get the work done,” Harshman said.

Harshman said that in addition to understanding what her office can do, her goal is to keep people more informed and included, particularly in regards to the development of the Center for Global Citizenship and moving the SLU Law School downtown. Harshman also noted that she plans to move forward with search committees to fill vacant spots in SLU positions with more permanent hires.
Harshman encouraged the senators to keep giving her feedback and keep communication open.

“I can help if I know how to help,” Harshman said. “It really would be great if I had a sense of what the office on the fourth floor of Dubourg can do to impact your experience as a student.”

When it came time for questions, several senators had questions addressing various projects already in progress at the University, including the potential creation of a neuroscience major, improving undergraduate academic advising, space concerns in Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology and the revision of the core curriculum.

Next, Chief Financial Officer David Heimburger, and Treasurer and Chief Investment Officer Gary Whitworth, presented the Financial Year 2014 Budget to SGA.  The presentation began with coverage of the key components of the budget, including tuition rates, enrollment, financial aid, endowment spending and compensation.

In regards to the impending 3.9 percent tuition increase, Heimburger said it took into account not only the affordability of SLU, but also where the school stands in terms of ranking.

“We aren’t a Harvard or a Washington University,” Heimburger said, “so we don’t want our tuition to creep up there, but we’re also not a state school. We’re somewhere in the middle.”

Heimburger also presented on compensation rates at SLU. Approximately 72 percent of expenses go to salaries. In FY2014, there will be a 4 percent merit pool for faculty salaries, in addition to a 1 percent increase for retention and tenure pools and a 1 percent increase to ensure that all faculty salaries are at or above the minimum compensation.

Heimburger said recent events at the University have impacted future budget plans a bit.

“The votes of no confidence have impacted the applications from the metropolitan area in St. Louis and Illinois,” Heimburger said. “I would be lying if I said that didn’t have an impact.”

Next, Whitworth presented on the role of the endowment at the University, how the endowment functions and how it is spent.  After the presentation, SGA heard spot-funding bills for the Asian American Association and the Inline Hockey team, both of which passed.

The final piece of legislation was a “secret” resolution, for the SGA to acknowledge Donna Bess Meyer, an SGA advisor, for her 15 years of service at SLU.

Atlas Week intern has passion for writing, social justice

Kristen Miano / Editor-in-Chief

Atlas Week is an annual, one-week program hosted by Saint Louis University to highlight the ways in which the University fosters perspectives and understanding of international issues and education. With over 100 events taking place on campus, Atlas Week takes effort and planning on the part of those involved. Once such individual is junior Mary Shannon.

“I knew about Atlas Week my freshman year, and I liked it a lot,” Shannon said. “After I returned from study abroad my sophomore year, I knew about this internship with the workings behind Atlas Week and I wanted to get involved in that.”

Shannon is a political science major, as well as an international studies and Spanish major, and picked up the internship after she learned she could get political science credit for it. Specifically, Shannon is the co-chair of external publicity for Atlas Week.

“For external publicity, we promote Atlas Week outside of SLU,” Shannon said. “We go to different businesses and other universities in the area and work closely with alumni relations to promote to local alums.”

Shannon hopes to boost attendance for most of the Atlas Week events, particularly those that will feature this year’s keynote speaker, John Prendergast. Prendergast, a human-rights activist who has worked with the National Security Council and the Department of State on peace processes in Africa, will be speaking both April 10 and 11 at SLU.

“The events with John Prendergast are going to be great,” Shannon said. “He’s actually here for two days, and usually the keynote speaker only stays for one. He’s doing some informal events, which will be nice to get to know him on a more personal level.”

Though she is looking forward to Prendergast, Shannon said all the events of Atlas Week serve an important role for students.
“It is easy for students to get caught in the SLU bubble and not really realize the issues going on just a couple of blocks north of us or internationally,” Shannon said. “It is important for students and organizations to bring awareness to global advocacy and the issues they are passionate about.”

Shannon’s focus on global issues doesn’t end with her involvement with Atlas Week, however. She is also the managing editor of One World magazine and is set to take on the role of editor-in-chief next year. Shannon got involved with the publication after the current editor-in-chief, Julia Brucks, invited her to participate as a copy and content editor.

“[One World] becomes like your child, so you have to stick with it,” Shannon said. “We really revamped the magazine this year, and we’re going to try to keep progressing that way into next year.”

In addition to her involvement with One World, Shannon is also the co-president of the Micro-Finance Brigade, of the SLU Global Brigades. The group will be traveling to Honduras next winter to do finical assessments and teach the local communities about sound financial principles.

After SLU, Shannon isn’t sure what she wants to do yet, but she has some ideas.

“I know that I’ll eventually go to graduate school, maybe for public health,” Shannon said. “I would love to work in Latin America [on] some social justice issues, though.”

What happens when two cultures meet? The Center for Intercultural Studies is holding a two-day conference beginning Feb. 28 to address just that question.

“Interculturality is when you have two different cultures meet,” Michal Rozbicki, professor of history and Director of the Center for Intercultural Studies, said. “In the space between them, they negotiate, meaning they try to figure out reciprocal relationships. This is the area of our interest.”

According to Rozbicki, the two-year old Center for Intercultural Studies aims to study not only how other cultures come to understand each other, but also how interaction between cultures can foster change, create conflict or cause societies to evolve. As Saint Louis University looks to create a more global community with the Center for Global Citizenship and the various student groups and programs that address diversity and international studies, Rozbicki hope that the Center for Intercultural Studies will serve as the academic core of the community.

“When I was founding this center, I found that everyone in their own discipline has some knowledge on how to deal with interculturality,” Rozbicki said. “But that knowledge only comes from their discipline.”

With the upcoming conference, entitled “Perspectives on Interculturality,” Rozbicki intends to bring myriad disciplines together to discuss the phenomenon that occurs when cultures meet.

“I asked [the presenters] to do the same thing: find a case study of intercultural relations and explain the mechanism from your discipline’s point of view,” Rozbicki said. “So we’ll have people from the Middle East, from China, from Europe coming in and presenting their case. My hope is that others will learn from that.”

Over the two days the conference will run for, the goal is to hit on several important themes within the subject of interculturality.

“We’ll try to define interculturality,” Rozbicki said. “And from there, I hope we can take the first steps to creating a separate discipline of intercultural studies that will be separate from all other disciplines.”

Another theme of the conference will be globalization, a theme Rozbicki sees as a revival of the Enlightenment idea of creating a “global citizen.”

“A global citizen is an idea of a certain cosmopolitan view where people are guided by reason, and they don’t think narrowly about community,” Rozbicki said. “Responsibility is to society and community and people. Without that, you just have a very self-enclosed culture.”

Building off that theme, the conference will also seek to ask whether cultural globalization, the creation of a uniform culture, is possible. While there will be discussion on the topic, Rozbicki is skeptical.

“I don’t think we can create a unified global culture,” Rozbicki said. “People don’t live in the world, they live in a country or a culture and each is deeply rooted in their world view. You can come from one culture to another and say ‘You can make sense of the world my way now,’ but that’s very hard to do and will get you punched in the face.”

The conference will also be taking a look at what makes a culture a culture. According to Rozbicki, culture is not a fixed prescription for life, but is more of a combination of two opposing forces: the traditional ways of doing things and the new ideas that are born out of contact with other cultures.

“The idea is that tension is good, as it creates change and adaptation and adds vibrancy to a culture,” Rozbicki said. “But it can also lead to bad, like wars and conflict. I’m trying to see the good side that can be encouraged by understanding. We don’t have to approve of other cultures, but we will at least understand why things are the way they are and prevent conflict from happening.”

The conference will feature discussions and lectures by professors and scholars from not only different academic institutions, but also from a variety of different countries. Throughout the duration of the two days, participants will be delving into the theory and philosophy that makes up the idea of interculturality. After the conference, Rozbicki hopes to compile a volume recording the scholarly work of the conference.