The independent newspaper of Washington University in St. Louis since 1878 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2024
VOLUME 145, NO. 19
BREAK POINT
WWW.STUDLIFE.COM
OP-ED
CHANGING TRENDS
Calling for stricter gun control after experiencing attempted school shootings. (Forum, pg 3)
Men’s tennis upsets rival No. 1 Case Western at indoor nationals. (Sports, pg 5)
Exploring the evolution of the “pick-me” girl. (Forum, pg 4)
Olin, Simon, Bauer evacuated due to undisclosed threat LILY TAYLOR ALIANA MEDIRATTA JULIA ROBBINS NEWS EDITORS
The Washington University Police Department (WUPD) evacuated Olin Library, Bauer Hall, and Simon Hall at around 10:10 a.m., after receiving a phone call at 9:40 a.m. where an unknown individual made a threat, Feb. 26. The University informed community members that only Olin Library was affected by the threat at 11:20 a.m. via phone call and text. After a two-and-a-half hour investigation including local police departments, WUPD notified community members that they completed their investigation of a potential threat to Olin Library and found no threat. In an email, the University said that students could return to the building and normal library activities would resume. Shortly after the evacuation, several students reported having been told to leave the buildings due to a threat, but WUPD officers did not immediately specify what the threat was. St. Louis County Police dispatchers, including a K-9 unit, were present near the evacuated buildings. Police officers told students to move progressively further away from Olin Library in the hour following the initial evacuation, saying that they needed to move behind the surrounding buildings. Junior Emily Bekesh said she was in Bauer 130 when a woman came in to tell them that they needed to evacuate due to a threat. “People took the time to pack up their stuff and then we all slowly filed out,” Bekesh said. “[It was] not disorderly, I don’t think
CLARA RICHARDS | STUDENT LIFE Police cars and law enforcement on the scene at Olin Library. anyone was really concerned, so it was pretty calm.” Bekesh’s class was canceled shortly after the evacuation occurred. Junior Francisco Lucca was inside Bauer Hall on the top floor when his class was evacuated and similarly said that people did not express significant concern when exiting the building. “It was very nonchalant and chill for a bomb threat,” Lucca said. In a written statement to Student
Men’s basketball beats UChicago to finish the season strong and earn postseason spot JACOB RITHOLZ STAFF WRITER
The script for the Washington University men’s basketball team has been pretty much the same lately: overcome early struggles, make clutch shots, and leave with a win. That’s the pattern they’ve been following for much of the past season, and it’s one they followed once again in their regular-season finale against the University of Chicago. After allowing the Maroons to start the game on a 9-0 run, the Bears dug in and kept the score close all night, with six score ties and nine different lead changes. Once again, it was junior guard Hayden Doyle who came up clutch. His midrange jumper with 47 seconds to go bounced on the rim for what seemed like an eternity before a gratuitous bounce let the ball fall in, giving the Bears a lead they would not relinquish. Ending a game that had been tight the whole way, a layup by
junior Kyle Beedon and a late defensive stand sealed a key 61-58 victory. “Our coach drew up a nice set,” Doyle said after the game. “[Luckily], it bounced in and not out — you know, I didn’t know which way it was gonna go.” Two days after the win, the Bears got some more good news. When the NCAA Division III bracket was revealed Monday afternoon, the Bears were one of 64 teams included, and one of the Top 16 teams who earned the ability to host first- and-second round games.
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Life, Chief of Police Angela Coonce explained WUPD’s response. “Safety is always our highest priority. If there’s a question about the credibility of a threat, we will always err on the side of caution and take action.” At 11:26 a.m., students taking Physiological Control Systems were notified their exam would be canceled, and professors across multiple departments also canceled their afternoon classes. Bauer Hall was reopened to
students at 12:07 p.m. A WUPD officer stationed outside Bauer Hall said that it was temporarily closed as the department was “[erring] on the side of caution.” Simon Hall was also reopened shortly after Bauer. The St. Louis Airport Police Department brought in multiple dogs as part of a K-9 unit to sniff the area around Graham Chapel and the buildings surrounding Olin Library at 12:20 p.m. At 12:39 p.m., the University
issued an alert with an all clear and students were allowed back on the pathways surrounding Olin Library, and in the building itself. WUPD determined that the threat was a “hoax” and is working to identify the caller. “We will continue to work with our partner agencies to identify the caller and refer them for prosecution,” Coonce said.
Women’s basketball defeats UChicago, earns postseason berth ARYAN KUMAR STAFF WRITER
Following a dominant win against Brandeis, the Washington University women’s basketball team needed to close its season with a big win against University Athletic Association (UAA) foe University of Chicago to secure its at-large spot in the NCAA tournament. Entering their game on Saturday, Feb. 24, the Bears knew what was at stake. “Coach told us that it was a big game all week, and we prepped like it was. Since we don’t have a conference tournament, we made our game against Brandeis and then this game, our conference tournament, and knew that if we win we have a good chance of making the postseason,” senior guard Jessica Brooks, the UAA’s leading scorer in conference play, said. The Bears did their part, defeating UChicago 75-58. When asked how she was feeling about their NCAA chances after the
win, Brooks said she was “feeling excited.” “We’re not locked in for sure. But our strength of schedule is really good. We have some really good wins. And yeah, I’m excited. I’m hopeful. I’m optimistic,” Brooks said. Brooks’ optimism was rewarded on Monday, as it was announced that the Bears would travel to Waukesha, Wisconsin to face off against the University of Wisconsin-Stout on Friday, March 1 in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The first quarter was a backand-forth affair, with both teams going on prolonged runs. The Bears kicked things off by taking an early 9-5 lead, but then UChicago came right back with a 7-0 run. WashU scored the final seven points of the quarter to end the first with a 16-14 advantage. Despite ending the quarter with a lead, the Bears were disappointed with their play. “We were unhappy with how we played in the first quarter, but we definitely knew that we could be better guarding their
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actions and making them put the ball on the f loor instead of getting such open looks from the three,” Brooks said. “ So we took a second after the first quarter to kind of reset and make the choice of what kind of basketball we wanted to play.” That reset proved crucial as the Bears dominated UChicago 16-5 in the second quarter. The second quarter was filled with run after run for the Bears, as they first went on a 7-0 run to begin the quarter and then promptly went on another run, scoring nine straight points. This stif ling defense allowed the Bears to extend their lead to 13 heading into the half.
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