Student Life

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Collin Maher, who completed his first year in the College of Arts & Sciences, died on Friday, May 15, 2026. He was 19 ye...
05/30/2026

Collin Maher, who completed his first year in the College of Arts & Sciences, died on Friday, May 15, 2026. He was 19 years old.

Collin’s friends remember him for his open invitation to “talk to me.” His dorm balcony on the top floor of Dauten Hall was always filled with conversation, laughter, and the country music he played from his orange-and-white Turtlebox speaker.

“He invited everyone to his room, and he made it a place that we could meet one another and enjoy each other’s company,” rising sophomore and Collin’s friend Jei Han Hall said. “The common denominator between my best friends was that he created those friendships for many of us.”

Collin loved late-night Waffle House runs with friends. He loved anything by Chris Cornell. He loved doing impressions, even if they weren’t always spot-on. And, most of all, Collin loved people.

Read the full obituary at https://www.studlife.com/news/2026/05/30/remembering-collin-maher

✍️ Tanvi Gorre
📷 Photo courtesy of Nathaniel Shalam

Artist The Kid LAROI headlined the spring 2026 WILD performance on Friday, April 24. MKTO was one of the openers alongsi...
05/03/2026

Artist The Kid LAROI headlined the spring 2026 WILD performance on Friday, April 24. MKTO was one of the openers alongside WashU band The Underpass.

Photos captured by Alex Dering, Bri Nitsberg, and Ella Giere

Was “Twisters” (2024) a decent movie? Maybe. Out of the three movies about tornadoes that I can think of, it’s not nearl...
05/01/2026

Was “Twisters” (2024) a decent movie? Maybe. Out of the three movies about tornadoes that I can think of, it’s not nearly as good as the original “Twister” (1996), and nobody can beat out the truly incredible cinematic feat that was “Sharknado” (2013). I don’t think the “Twisters” target audience includes tornado know-it-all Oklahomans like my family and I who spent most of the runtime pointing at the screen and whispering, “Actually, that would never happen,” though, so I’m not sure I get to have an opinion.

Clearly I don’t know much about what makes a good disaster film, but I have spent my entire life living in Tornado Alley (a zone in the Central United States where tornadoes occur most frequently), so I do know quite a bit about real tornadoes. Coming to WashU, I wasn’t too concerned about the tornado threat here in St. Louis — they were scary, sure, but they were also nothing new. It never occurred to me that many people had not experienced tornadoes until a tornado warning was issued during my first semester here back in late 2024, and all I heard about over the next few days were complaints about “fake” tornado warnings and how annoying the WashU alerts were.

Not everyone is from Tornado Alley, though, and I’d be just as oblivious as everyone else if I was experiencing my first tornado in college of all places. As we go into this spring’s storm season, it’s important to be prepared. So, for all of you non-Tornado Alley dwelling students out there, I present to you: a beginner’s guide to tornado safety.

Read more at link in bio.

✍ Audrey Tebow
📸 Courtesy of WashU Emergency Management

Studying abroad should be rooted in genuine curiosity, a desire to learn about a specific culture, language, or region. ...
05/01/2026

Studying abroad should be rooted in genuine curiosity, a desire to learn about a specific culture, language, or region. The culture around studying abroad at WashU seems to have another focus. When talking to people from WashU, it sometimes feels like every decision is weighed by how it will look on your cover letter (CV). It’s less of a transformative life experience and more of another thing to check off a never-ending to-do list. Inform yourself carefully and apply for a program that you are truly interested in instead of choosing what feels like the path of least resistance.

WashU has a responsibility to broaden their presentation of study abroad. When promoting their Study Abroad programs, the places they mention in the first sentence don’t have to be Greece, Australia, and Tokyo. Instead, they should shine some light on the really interesting and diverse programs the university offers, such as going to Jordan, Cameroon, or Tanzania, and highlight their academic and cultural value.

Students, challenge yourselves to think more critically about what you want from your time abroad. Consider exploring less conventional destinations (even if you choose to go to Europe, perhaps choose a program that’s unique and prioritizes intercultural exchange). Ask yourself what cultures, histories, or communities you are genuinely interested in learning about, not which country has the most prestigious university (or the best clubbing scene). Once abroad, make a conscious effort to engage with local residents rather than staying in an American-oriented environment. Most importantly, approach study abroad not just as long-term tourism or travel, but as an opportunity for deeper cultural and intellectual engagement.

Read more at https://www.studlife.com/forum/2026/04/23/rethinking-study-abroad-at-washu.

✍️ Ricarda Furkert and Leilani Billups
🎨 Arya Catna

AD |For the family group chat that somehow turned into a 20-person graduation dinner plan: we’ve got you covered. 🎓 Cele...
04/30/2026

AD |

For the family group chat that somehow turned into a 20-person graduation dinner plan: we’ve got you covered. 🎓

Celebrate graduation at Herbie’s or Kingside Diner🥂 With locations close to campus and private dining options for groups big and small, they’re the perfect setting for everything from brunch to dinner.

Inquire soon to secure your preferred date and time!

For more info & booking, visit:

Herbies.com or Kingsidediner.com

Editors’ Note: Our Special Issues Editor, Amelia Spencer, is involved with Sharing with A Purpose (SWAP) but only influe...
04/29/2026

Editors’ Note: Our Special Issues Editor, Amelia Spencer, is involved with Sharing with A Purpose (SWAP) but only influenced the generation of the topic, not the stance of the editorial team.

Alex Dering | Photo Editor

River Alsalihi | Forum Editor

Laurel Wang | Editor-in-Chief

Maddie Morgan | Forum Editor

Sophie Schwartz | Scene Editor

Campbell Crum | DEI Editor

Amelia Spencer | Special Issues Editor

Hannah La Porte | Managing Scene Editor

Mac Motz | Photo Editor

Jake Isenberg | Scene Editor

Lucia Thomas | Managing Illustration Editor

Kate Theerman Rodriguez | Forum Editor

Many members of WashU’s faculty remain not fully aligned over technology use and collaboration and the development of ar...
04/28/2026

Many members of WashU’s faculty remain not fully aligned over technology use and collaboration and the development of artificial intelligence (AI). After the launch of the provost office’s +AI academic initiative to integrate AI into the classroom, divisions continue to ensue concerning AI and opinions on the University’s largely positive position on the technology.

Read more at https://www.studlife.com/news/2026/04/23/faculty-respond-to-ai-initiatives

✍️Lexi Lawsky

For someone who’s been to space, Amanda Nguyen is incredibly down to earth. Nguyen, a sexual assault advocate and the fi...
04/27/2026

For someone who’s been to space, Amanda Nguyen is incredibly down to earth. Nguyen, a sexual assault advocate and the first Vietnamese woman to go to space, spoke about her journey during a fireside chat on Thursday, April 16.

The event was sponsored by Cross-Cultural Connections, the Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention (RVSP) Center and the Gender Equity and Title IX Compliance Office for Sexual Assualt Awareness Month. It was hosted in collaboration with the Asian Multicultural Collective and the Vietnamese Student Association.

The following resources are available for students at WashU: The Sexual Assault and R**e Anonymous Helpline (S.A.R.A.H) provides confidential and anonymous support and can be reached at 314-935-8080 between 4 p.m. and 8 a.m. during the fall and spring academic semesters.

There are counselors at the Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention (RSVP) Center, located in Seigle Hall, Suite 435, available confidentially to any University student. The office can be reached at 314-935-3445 or by email at [email protected].

The National Sexual Assault Hotline can be reached at 1-800-656-4673 or via online chat at https://hotline.rainn.org/online 24/7.

To reach Title IX, students can contact Title IX Coordinator Jessica Kennedy at 314-935-3118 or go to the Title IX Office in Umrath Hall 001.

Read more at https://www.studlife.com/news/2026/04/23/amanda-nguyen-an-astronaut-a-scientist-and-an-activist-speaks-at-washu

✍️ Flannery P**n
📸 Alex Dering

Another highlight was “Never Go To Bed Angry,” which introduced the concept of a “sound sommelier” and made audience mem...
04/27/2026

Another highlight was “Never Go To Bed Angry,” which introduced the concept of a “sound sommelier” and made audience members realize that they might just need a human Alexa in their lives. “Baseballfather,” Krupnick’s favorite sketch, had the crowd roaring with laughter as little Timmy transformed from a young tee-ball player to an artificially-enhanced baseball pro.

The show’s recurring segment, “Semester in Review,” covered hot topics on the WashU campus and led the performance into its 15-minute intermission. From The Kid LAROI’s impending WILD performance to Mizzou’s up-and-coming theater program, the “Weekend Update” style sketch provided a summary of many once-viral-on-Sidechat subjects.

In addition to on-stage sketches, the show also featured several prerecorded video sketches. One sketch, co-written by first-years Hannah Dorval and Will Benjamin, detailed one woman’s series of disastrous first dates.

“The fact that it was a video sketch made it so that there could be very quick changes in the scenes, which would not have been possible in a regular stage sketch,” Benjamin said.

The show’s sketches were interspersed with performances from the KOC band, which played instrumental versions of popular songs. In between sketches, the audience danced along to covers of “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter, “This Love” by Maroon 5, “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor, and more.

While the line to get into a KOC show could take anywhere between two hours to thirty minutes, each night’s packed performance is proof of its popularity. The show is a representation of the myriad of talent within the student body.

“I’m so grateful that people come and wait for so long,” Malik said. “I hope everyone who wanted to see it [could] see it.”

Read more at https://www.studlife.com/scene/2026/04/26/and-thats-our-show-kids-on-campus-wraps-up-another-semester-of-laughs.

✍️ Lily Rulnick
📸 Courtesy of Alexa Marcus

Five minutes before an interview, a presentation, or a first date, students make the same quiet calculation: Do I look r...
04/24/2026

Five minutes before an interview, a presentation, or a first date, students make the same quiet calculation: Do I look ready? This small question carries a lot of weight. For many students, the answer begins not in a dorm room mirror or in a classroom hallway, but in a barber chair at Bear Cuts, WashU’s on-campus salon and barbershop that has steadily woven itself into student life.

At first glance, Bear Cuts looks exactly as promised. It is centrally located on the South 40 near all the student businesses and it is clearly designed for students. You can book online and leave with a fresh cut in under an hour. But beneath that simplicity is something more intricate. Bear Cuts is not just a place to get a haircut, but rather a student-run system shaped by behind-the-scenes work and coordination.

Inside Bear Cuts, the atmosphere reflects the intersections of academic and personal life at WashU through interactions in the barbershop.

Read more at link in bio.

✍ Miki Canak
📸 Lexi Azrin

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