The independent newspaper of Washington University in St. Louis since 1878 THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2023
VOLUME 144, NO. 20
Q&A WITH MARTIN
WWW.STUDLIFE.COM
THE RAT
Student Life sat down with the Chancellor to discuss his vision. (News, pg 3)
The extinct bar on campus you never knew existed! (Scene, pg 5)
SOCCER IN THE CITY
Students react to the new MLS team. (Sports, pg 8)
WashU Graduate Workers Union Campus Creamery protests University’s handling of celebrates its grand opening sexual harassment cases ALIANA MEDIRATTA LILY TAYLOR ZACH TRABITZ JUNIOR NEWS EDITORS
PHOTO COURTESY OF WUGWU
WUGWU protestors march down the hallway in the Friday, March 31st protest at the medical school’s Mid Campus Center.
JOEL SWIRNOFF CONTRIBUTING WRITER The Washington University Undergraduate and Graduate Workers Union (WUGWU) held a march against the University’s handling of sexual harassment and assault cases on Friday, March 31. The march was attended by 50-60 people and began in the medical school’s Mid Campus Center with short speeches. It lasted about an hour. Outcries against sexual assault in the medical school became louder after the details of a sexual harassment case, in which a WashU graduate student dropped her PhD degree after her lab’s principal investigator (PI) Dr. Jonathan Kipnis and the University failed to take effective action on her case, were made public. “It’s critically important that undergraduates are aware of this happening. Sexual assault does not discriminate, and the earlier you can familiarize yourself with it, the earlier you can stop the bullsh*t,” said Talia Lintz, a PhD student and member of WUGWU. WUGWU, though currently an unrecognized union, focuses on issues that can be solved through collective bargaining. Members saw the case as an issue of student safety and felt they had a role in holding the University accountable for its lack of action. “The University hopes that our fragile memory does the job of erasing this colossal failure,” said Alejandro Gonzalez, a PhD candidate and member of WUGWU, in an opening speech for the march. “But we will not forget.” Organizers explained that they circulated a petition which garnered 767 signatures and contained multiple demands for the administration to meet.
Despite the petition, little change occurred, according to WUGWU organizers. Several WUGWU members said difficulties in working with the administration and the HR department had stalled changes from taking place. “We have heard time and again of serious issues being reported to the administration, only to languish in the black box of human resources with no resolution in sight,” said Gonzalez. Jamie Moffa, an MD/PhD student and leader of the march, provided further context for the march. “Everyone is clamoring for clarity,” they said. “We met with the administration, specifically with Dr. Eva Aagaard and Dr. Mark Lowe, and even though they said they were open to changing WashU’s policy of mandatory reporting, nothing has happened yet.” Moffa added that they met with the graduate school’s HR department to bring forward their demands. “We want to strengthen the rules on failures in mandatory reporting. We think that PIs who fail to undertake this role should be put on probation by the University,” they said. Other demands included the usage of a 3rd-party arbiter in conversations with the University when WUGWU members feel that responses to their demands have been inadequate and for more transparency from the HR department. Titi Akinwe, a PhD student and WUGWU organizer, referenced toxic lab cultures as another reason for marching. “This is also a conversation around the culture around sexual harassment here,” they said. “And this is not a new issue here.” Led largely by Moffa, attendees held signs and chanted as they walked through hallways linking medical and graduate school buildings, so as to avoid patient
areas. “I JUST WANT A SAFE PLACE TO WORK,” “SILENT IS VIOLENT,” “WASHU HATES MeToo,” “SUPPORT SURVIVORS, NOT ABUSERS,” signs read. As they marched, attendees chanted “Hold Kipnis accountable!” and “Do more!” — directing these chants at Aagaard, Lowe, medical school Dean David Perlmutter, and Chancellor Andrew Martin. The march was accompanied by WashU Protective Services Officer Steve Manley. Moffa said that they and Manley had agreed before the march on attendees being able to chant, but that if Manley felt the need to call in other officers, march attendees would disperse. As the march continued, Moffa and other organizers led attendees to the Farrell Learning and Teaching Center atrium, so they could unfurl a banner that read “WashU, believe #MeToo” over the balcony for everyone to see. Their chants drew confused looks from some onlookers below while others cheered them on. As they approached the balcony, Manley stopped the group. “There’s an event here,” he said, as chanting continued from the group. “You’re not gonna drop the banner.” Despite Manley’s protest, attendees continued to the balcony and dropped their banner. They remained there for about 2 minutes before turning around and leaving calmly. As they walked back down the hallway, Manley called for backup officers, saying, “Things are getting unruly.” Organizers began leading the group towards elevators that went to administrative offices. Once the group got to the elevators Manley met up with Response Officers Mark Decker and Johnathan Blanchard. Manley and Blanchard
stood in front of the elevators, and agitation between the two parties began to fester. “The deans represent us, and they should be able to hear what the students have to say,” one attendee shouted. “You’re not going up there,” Manley told the group. “This is a place of business,” he continued in response. “I recommend you go that way quickly,” he said, gesturing behind the group after a back-andforth between himself and several attendees. “What’s gonna happen if we don’t go that way?” Moffa asked, calmly. After a pause, Manley said, “I would expect handcuffs,” yielding scoffs and sighs of resignation from the group. Several attendees left the event at this point, feeling threatened by Manley’s words. Others broke out into more chants. “We want to meet our deans!” they shouted. “Where are you to stop abusers?” After a request to send three people up and continued refusal from Manley and the other officers, WUGWU organizers asked the attendees to disperse. Manley remained by the entranceway to the elevators as attendees walked away. When asked by StudLife what rule stated that students could not visit administrative offices, Manley said, “We’re not gonna do that right now.” When asked to clarify, he turned away and went to speak with other officers. he did not respond to an email request for comment. “They wouldn’t meet with us even though all we’re asking for is peanuts,” Moffa said as they walked away. “This isn’t a secret. WashU knows about abuses. It’s not hard to do the right thing, and they’re choosing to protect powerful men.”
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Campus Creamery, a new Student Entrepreneurial Program (StEP) campus store selling ice cream, celebrated its grand opening outside the Gregg storefronts on March 30. Sophomore Harrison Lieber, founder and owner of Campus Creamery, performed a ribboncutting ceremony alongside Chancellor Andrew Martin in front of over 200 attendees who were eager to try Washington University’s only ice cream store. Students waited in line to try the ice cream and its many mix-in variations. Liber delivered a brief speech to the crowd, expressing his gratitude to his friends, and university members who supported him, including StEP. He also thanked his family, who traveled to be present for the opening. “I love [WashU],” Lieber said. “I love all my friends here, and I wanted to find a way to enhance student life here. And this was my outlet to do that. And seeing all of you here tonight is really, really exciting, so I hope you all enjoy it.” After the opening, attendees stood outside the store, tried the ice cream, and watched the student band, Non-Euclidean Geometry, perform. The ice cream comes in sizes mini, regular, and large, with additional mix-ins available depending on the size. Prices range from $5.50 for a mini ice cream to $8.60 for a large, and students can pay with Bear Bucks, credit or debit cards, or Apple Pay. Lieber said that the existing menu is subject to change and that student suggestions would guide the future of the creamery. “A lot of people are upset that there’s no vegan f lavor,” Lieber said. “We’ll do that. We’ll get a chocolate base if people want. I’ll literally do whatever people want.” Campus Creamery is the newest of the University’s StEP businesses, a University loan program in the Skandalaris Center that provides students loans of up to $10,000 to start their own business on the South 40. Martin said that he supports the StEP initiatives and the students who participate because he believes it benefits the University. “I think opportunities for students to be able to start businesses, to serve students, and to locate it here on the South 40 is a real, positive educational experience for the students who are involved,” Martin said. “I think it can really add a lot to our community.” First-year Simon Horowitz expressed similar sentiments about entrepreneurial opportunities at WashU. “I think it’s cool that we can take an idea and put it into expression through [StEP],” Bridge said. “The reception
SEE ICE CREAM, PAGE 3