Student Life

Student Life Student Life is the independent newspaper of Washington University in St. Louis.
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Some people eat to live, but I live to eat. I would be lying if I said that I didn’t carefully schedule my days to ensur...
09/29/2025

Some people eat to live, but I live to eat. I would be lying if I said that I didn’t carefully schedule my days to ensure that I get to eat three full, satisfying meals. However, getting those three meals in has been much more difficult since I arrived at WashU.

I know I’m only a first-year and it’s a little early for me to be complaining, but the Dining Dilemma, as I’m calling it, has already proven to be a real challenge for me. There are two main problems within the broader Dilemma: a lack of dining facilities open on the weekend and early closing times for the retail options open during the week.

On Saturdays and Sundays, every dining option in the DUC is closed except for Cafe Bergson. As for retail dining, the only places open on the weekends are Corner 17 and Subway, which close at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., respectively. Seven out of the nine retail dining options and seven out of eight of the DUC’s eating choices are closed every weekend.

What does this mean for students? Well, for two days a week, we must choose from the same six options in Bear’s Den, or the same five options from the Village. There’s also Cafe Bergson, Subway, and Corner 17, but none of them are open for dinner, and I don’t know many people who eat sesame chicken for breakfast.

Don’t get me wrong, the food that is open on Saturday and Sunday is great; there’s just very little variety on the weekends. I have legitimately alternated between chicken tenders and quesadillas for most meals, which isn’t the most sustainable lifestyle.

The second big issue with WashU dining is the early closing times of most options outside of BD and the Village. During the week, five stalls in the DUC close at 3 p.m., eliminating them as options for dinner. Four of the retail dining options close by 3 p.m., and most others close by 6 p.m.

I recognize it’s not easy to feed over 3,000 people, and I’m very grateful to the hardworking staff who keep me fed every day. I do, however, know that this lack of variety is not sustainable and has been a source of frustration for many others besides me.

✍️ Lily Rulnick
📷 Erica Shi

The Business of Health program consists of a variety of courses, both experiential and classroom-oriented, designed to e...
09/29/2025

The Business of Health program consists of a variety of courses, both experiential and classroom-oriented, designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills to make an impact across the healthcare industry.

“The Kents’ gift is a catalyst … and one that is expendable support, where we can spend the money immediately in order to accelerate the growth of the initiative,” Mike Mazzeo, Dean of Olin and Knight Family Professor, said.

While the Business of Health program is still young, there are many ideas on the horizon and much to look forward to. Mazzeo expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the Kents and all other supporters of Olin.

“The supporters we have at WashU…people like the Kents and many others who are supporting what we’re trying to do: that’s what makes WashU amazing.”

Read more at https://www.studlife.com/news/2025/09/24/olin-receives-10-million-to-fund-new-business-of-health-program.

✍️ Eli Gaffin

Rudolph Clay and Clara McLeod, two longtime WashU subject librarians, were let go over the summer as part of WashU Libra...
09/25/2025

Rudolph Clay and Clara McLeod, two longtime WashU subject librarians, were let go over the summer as part of WashU Libraries’ budget restructuring.

Mimi Calter, Vice Provost and University Librarian, confirmed in a statement to Student Life that University-wide budget cuts have impacted the library. Calter wrote that she “cannot comment on matters related to specific personnel.”

“The Libraries were asked by University administration to make budget cuts for fiscal year 2025-2026. That cut resulted in reductions to our library materials budget (i.e. collections) along with position eliminations and some administrative changes,” Calter wrote in an email comment to Student Life.

The Libraries’ website indicates that Clay and McLeod’s former subject librarian positions are filled in an interim capacity by other librarians. Calter declined to answer a list of questions including inquiries into new hires and the future of Clay and McLeod’s research specialties at the library.

Read more at the link in bio.

✍️ Ava Giere
📷 Rachel Benitez-Borrego

In its seventh year, PorchFest STL has become a neighborhood tradition that transforms Skinker Debaliviere into an open ...
09/25/2025

In its seventh year, PorchFest STL has become a neighborhood tradition that transforms Skinker Debaliviere into an open air concert venue. Photos captured by Student Life photographers Ben Ganz, Bri Nitsberg, Helen Kim and Rachel Benitez-Borrego.

After a long week full of classes, activities, and late nights, Saturday mornings offer a chance to relax, recharge, and...
09/24/2025

After a long week full of classes, activities, and late nights, Saturday mornings offer a chance to relax, recharge, and sleep in. And if your weekend reset could use some pancakes with a side of club music, look no further than Ibby’s Bistro.

This past Saturday, Sept. 6, Ibby’s launched a brand-new brunch menu called “Saturday Morning Magic” ahead of the restaurant’s grand opening for the semester on Sept. 8. This occasion comes as part of a surge of dining changes aimed at improving the campus dining experience (including the increased hours pilot this week).

Unlike Ibby’s normal lunch and dinner menus, the brunch menu charges a flat rate of $18.95 per person. This includes the appetizers, an entree, and a dessert — a pretty good deal, if you ask me. The appetizer spread included fresh berries, sliced melons, an assortment of pastries and bagels, and some savory small plates: heirloom tomato bruschetta on crispy, garlicky bread; smoked salmon deviled eggs; and, my favorite, a roasted beet salad with cucumbers, citrus, and balsamic. It was clear that these small plates were thoughtfully curated, with impressively high-end presentation and a perfect balance of fresh ingredients and salty-savory flavors.

The entrees were equally impressive, with options including a croque monsieur, shakshuka, tiramisu French toast, bacon and kale strata, and an Arabian grilled flank steak. Again, the attention to detail made the meal feel very high-end. The shakshuka was served in its own mini cast-iron skillet and came with a generous sprinkle of feta on top, the French toast was topped with both mascarpone mousse and coffee whipped cream, and most dishes came with a small side salad that added a nice touch of freshness. The standout dish, in my opinion, was the Arabian grilled flank steak: in addition to being cooked to a perfect medium-rare, the steak was sliced and layered on top of a slice of crusty bread, drizzled with a minced herb and garlic chimichurri, and topped with a perfectly poached egg. The dish was filling, but the portion size was suitable, even with the other courses.

✍️ Elizabeth Grieve
📷 Mac Motz

On September 19, hot air balloons magically lit up Forest Park during the annual Balloon Glow. Experience the event thro...
09/24/2025

On September 19, hot air balloons magically lit up Forest Park during the annual Balloon Glow. Experience the event through the lens of Student Life photographers Bri Nitsberg, Charlotte Balla and Dylan Whiting.

Last Thursday evening, Sept. 11, around 30 students gathered in the lamplight outside Graham Chapel to mourn the death, ...
09/23/2025

Last Thursday evening, Sept. 11, around 30 students gathered in the lamplight outside Graham Chapel to mourn the death, celebrate the life, and discuss the legacy of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

A day prior, Kirk — an outspoken ally of President Donald Trump — was shot and killed on a Utah college campus while debating students in a Q&A-style event. Kirk was widely known for organizing debates as the founder of Turning Point USA (TPUSA), a national organization dedicated to advocating for conservative viewpoints in college and high school settings.

The vigil was organized independently by sophomore Arianna Zeldin, who had previously met Kirk at a TPUSA event and is the daughter of United States Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lee Zeldin.

Shortly after the news of the killing circulated, WashU’s College Democrats condemned political violence and reiterated the value of peaceful discussions in a statement shared with their followers on Instagram.

✍️ Tim Mellman and Elizabeth Stump
📷 Tim Mellman

A record number of St. Louis Fellows, 45 in total, held full-time internships at nonprofits around the St. Louis region ...
09/23/2025

A record number of St. Louis Fellows, 45 in total, held full-time internships at nonprofits around the St. Louis region this past summer. Their work culminated in the 2025 St. Louis Fellows Showcase held at the Delmar DivINe on Sept. 11, an event that celebrates their impact on the St. Louis community.

All Fellows are undergraduates, many of whom are members of specific clusters within the Fellows program such as the Goldman Fellows, Democracy Fellows, and others. These clusters pair participants with organizations such as Alzheimer’s-focused nonprofits and LGBTQ+ ones. In addition to working at the non-profits, Fellows learned about St. Louis history through outings called “Engage STL Days” and provided aid to the tornado relief effort.

The spring before their internships, Fellows met with community leaders throughout St. Louis. Later, they spent three days at the Todd Hall Retreat Center as a cohort. Finally, they had “Engage STL days” throughout the summer, outings that ranged from visiting the nearby Cahokia Mounds to providing tornado relief.

“Being a WashU student, sometimes it’s hard to break out of the WashU bubble,” Anderson said. “And I really thought this was a great way to see new places I haven’t been to before, and to meet community leaders and hear about their perspective [on] St. Louis.”

The Gephardt Institute responded to the devastation of the May 16 tornado by clearing rubble and branches on Saturday, June 21. This was a part of the “Service Saturdays” initiative run by In Saint Louis, For Saint Louis, a commitment made by the school to serve the surrounding region. Thirty-five of the St. Louis Fellows attended the event, along with six Gephardt Institute staff members.

“We helped set this fence back up,” Lucas said. “It was surrounding this garden in this community in northern St. Louis. It was all focused in north St. Louis, and that’s where a lot of the damage of the tornado was focused.”

The St. Louis Fellows applications open in mid-October.

✍️ Robert Gabel
📷 Courtesy of Scott Allen

Former St. Louis mayor Tishaura Jones will join WashU through a newly created fellowship offered by WashU’s Center for t...
09/22/2025

Former St. Louis mayor Tishaura Jones will join WashU through a newly created fellowship offered by WashU’s Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity (CRE2), where among other things she will “engage both campus and community audiences in dialogue around critical issues of race & ethnicity,” according to the center’s goals.

The fellowship, which will begin next spring, comes at a time of heated controversy surrounding discussions of race and ethnicity in higher education. WashU has recently rolled back some DEI-related content on its websites and formed a committee to review some DEI efforts.

Executive Director of CRE2 Dwight McBride emphasized that the center’s work is research-driven rather than pushing for DEI initiatives at the school.

“Whereas DEI refers to organizational strategies for workplace diversity and inclusion, our focus is on generating scholarship, fostering intellectual dialogue, and creating opportunities for academic and community engagement around the study of the functions of race and ethnicity,” McBride said.

A large part of Jones’ role is to host events to foster discussions and research on race and ethnicity. In her role as Visiting Distinguished Fellow, the website says Jones will “help recruit and invite other notable figures to join campus conversations and public programs.”

“She is working with us to curate what are shaping up to be four events that will take place over the spring semester and will engage WashU students, the broader WashU academic community, and broader community publics, respectively,” McBride wrote.

As of now, the exact details of these events and who the speakers will be are still unclear.

McBride said they chose Jones as its inaugural Visiting Distinguished Fellow due to her experience in civil service, especially as a Black woman.

“We see Mayor Jones’s extensive experience as former mayor, former city treasurer, and as a former state representative as especially relevant to the broader study and understanding of how race (and gender) impact civic service and leadership,” McBride wrote.

Read more at the link in bio.

✍️ Lexi Lawsky and Peter Eiswert

Three glass-enclosed study “pods” have been installed on the first floor of Olin Library to provide soundproof environme...
09/22/2025

Three glass-enclosed study “pods” have been installed on the first floor of Olin Library to provide soundproof environments for students working individually or in pairs.

According to WashU Libraries’ 2024 impact report, of the total visitors counted in library public spaces, around one-third studied in collaborative spaces and nearly two-thirds studied in quiet spaces. The new, quiet pods reflect an overall trend in the libraries’ usage.

Paul McArthur, Director of Space Planning & Projects for the University libraries, led the installation of the new spaces in collaboration with campus architects and WashU Furniture & Design Services.

McArthur rearranged the furniture on Olin’s first floor to take advantage of “dead” space in front of the help desk and accommodate the pods. The new pods are equipped with ventilation, lights, outlets, and motion sensors. One pod is a standing desk and the other two have seating.

“The pods are made by a company called Oasis Berco. They’re in St. Louis on the south side,” McArthur said.

If the pods prove to be popular, McArthur said he is “very open” to adding more in the future.

Olin Library staff is measuring the success of the pods. Once an hour every hour for the duration of their shift, students on staff count the number of people in each library space, McArthur said.

Additional changes to Olin include expanded hours on Fridays and Saturdays and new two-person seating on the second and third floors.

✍️ Ava Giere
📷 Justin Rosenblatt

In late August, a group of Kaldi’s employees, along with professional labor organizers, staged a protest inside the Skin...
09/21/2025

In late August, a group of Kaldi’s employees, along with professional labor organizers, staged a protest inside the Skinker location of Kaldi’s Coffee, a popular study spot for WashU students. This development was the culmination of months of disputes over a lack of air conditioning, drainage issues in the kitchen, and an employee who union organizers allege was fired for raising these issues with management.

While the air conditioner is now fixed, the labor dispute is ongoing. The kitchen in this Kaldi’s location remains closed, as it has been for almost two weeks. Simultaneously, labor organizers and Kaldi’s employees are attempting to unionize multiple Kaldi’s locations across St. Louis.

The protest included organizers from the St. Louis chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) and organizers from the Missouri Workers Center (MWC). The MWC is the main force behind the unionization effort but declined to comment on this article.

Addie Gray, an organizer for PSL who participated in the protest, said the issue began when the air conditioner in the Skinker location went out.

“From my understanding, people have been passing out in the kitchen due to the heat, because obviously it’s been an extremely hot summer, and in the kitchen it’s even hotter,” Gray said. “There have been times when there has been sewage water on the floor with no air conditioning, and management [didn’t] do anything to fix either of these problems.”

Kaldi’s denied that any employees passed out over the summer and also said the issues in the kitchen were a grease back up, not a sewage leak. In a statement to Student Life, Cynthia Daniels, the People Director at Kaldi’s Coffee, said Kaldi’s closed the kitchen at the Skinker location to allow for repairs.

When exactly the air conditioning first stopped working is disputed. Kaldi’s claims it was damaged in the May tornado that swept through St. Louis, while multiple employees maintain it had been broken since April.

Kaldi’s also said that by the time of the Aug. 22 protest, the AC had already been repaired.

Read our full coverage of the dispute at the link in bio.

✍️ Coby Rinke
📷 Rachel Benitez-Borrego

In the wake of universities facing financial blows from the Trump administration, Chancellor Andrew Martin, in a Q&A wit...
09/20/2025

In the wake of universities facing financial blows from the Trump administration, Chancellor Andrew Martin, in a Q&A with Student Union, discussed how the University will continue to support need-based scholarships and fill funding gaps caused by the potential cuts to the National Institute of Health’s funding.

Due to the recent increase in the excise tax on endowment tax from 1.4% to 4%, the University estimates that it is losing $37 million that would have otherwise gone to scholarships and, as a result, has pursued some notable fiscal changes, including not giving merit raises to nearly all staff and faculty at the University.

Martin stated the University spends “an extraordinary amount of money” on scholarships given the University’s increase in Pell eligible students from 5% of the student body to 23% over the past 11 years and its recent no-loan financial aid policy.

“[T]he last thing I would want to do is walk away from any of those commitments, right?” Martin said. “And so a lot of the work that we’re doing to make the rest of the University run in a more economically efficient way is designed to protect that work.”

There is one outstanding cost not encompassed by the school’s budget looming large over the University: research funding. Martin said WashU research would nearly grind to a halt if research isn’t federally funded at previous levels.

“We would have to close 80% of [research at] the University if the federal government stepped away from [funding research],” Martin said.

WashU’s most recent construction, the Jeffrey T. Fort Neuroscience Research Building, was also supposed to be partially covered by NIH grant funding, but now a larger portion of the building’s $616 million price tag may fall on the University.

While senators and treasury representatives expressed dissatisfaction and worry after the Q&A over the University’s handling of financial attacks to the school, Martin stated that WashU is well positioned compared to its peers.

“If you look across the sector, many universities are being hammered. I mean, really, really hammered. [W]e’re in a very fortunate situation.”

✍️ Tanvi Gorre
📷 Bri Nitsberg

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