The independent newspaper of Washington University in St. Louis since 1878 VOLUME 147, NO. 14
THURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 2026
WWW.STUDLIFE.COM
‘Forgetting about it is how it happens again’: WashU community members reflect on safety and gun violence after Brown University shooting ALIZA LUBITZ ZACH TRABITZ INVESTIGATIVE NEWS EDITOR MANAGING NEWS EDITOR
When WashU junior Soma Amaechina received a call from her mom saying there had been a shooting on Brown University’s campus, Amaechina was “shocked.” The Providence native lives about 15 minutes away from the Brown University campus, her mom works there, and several of her friends attend the university. Although her loved ones are safe, she described the experience as a “wake-up call” that forced her to confront the possibility that she or someone close to her could experience a mass shooting. “It felt a lot more real. Nothing like that has ever happened before in Rhode Island, [and] this was something that was happening in my hometown,” Amaechina said. “I’m always on Thayer Street. People from my middle school and my high school go to that street all the time. My siblings could have been there. Anyone could have been there. That was just really frightening.” The shooting at Brown occurred on Dec. 13, when a gunman opened fire inside an engineering building on campus, killing two students and injuring nine others. The victims were attending a final exam review session for an economics class at the time of the shooting. The suspect, 48-year-old Claudio Neves Valente, attended the university from 2000 to 2001. Amaechina told Student Life that she thinks many people have become desensitized to school shootings because of how often they occur, but emphasized the importance of trying not to forget about them. “I think the whole situation [at Brown] got swept away kind of fast. Because it didn’t happen here, it just became one of the many events that [have] been happening, with ICE and all of the police brutality also going on. Just trying not to push it aside and forget about it is important because forgetting about it is how it happens again,” Amaechina said. Julia Fleckman, an associate professor at the School of Public Health with expertise in firearm violence prevention, said that when
ZACH TRABITZ MANAGING NEWS EDITOR
SYDNEY TRAN | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Washington University Police Department (WUPD) participated in an active threat training exercise on Jan. 7 that involved a realistic on-campus shooter scenario. she is teaching, she sometimes finds herself thinking about where exits are in a classroom and what she would do if a shooter opened fire. “Those are things, psychologically, we should not be having to process. And yet, here we are,” she said. A few weeks before the shooting at Brown, a shooter opened fire at the Westfield Valley Fair mall near where senior Joyce Tan lives in San Jose, California. Tan said that one of her close friends was shopping at the mall when the shooting happened, and that she also has several friends who are Brown University students. Tan noted that in the past, she had felt somewhat desensitized to mass shootings in the U.S., but learning that friends were close to both incidents led her to reflect on how easily she herself could experience a shooting. Although Tan loves to travel and enjoyed studying abroad in Hong Kong last spring, she never previously considered moving abroad permanently because her friends and family are in the U.S. However, since the shootings at Brown and at the Westfield Valley Fair mall, she has begun to reconsider whether she would do so. “I don’t know, seriously, if I would actually do those things, but I just never really thought about it before until recently,” she said.
“Recent events have made me start thinking, ‘Do I want to be here? What is holding me here?’” Though she fears how common mass shootings are in the U.S., Tan said she generally feels safe on WashU’s campus and believes it to be safer than certain similar schools. She came to this conclusion after visiting friends who attend Brown and the University of Pennsylvania over fall break last semester. “You would only wander upon the inside of WashU’s campus if you are trying to go there. With Penn and Brown, there [are] streets running through [their campuses],” Tan said. “You might not even be wanting to go to Brown or Penn, but you end up walking through or driving through the campus, and I feel like that just kind of invites strangers [and] random people.” Sophomore Alan Velasco said that he was particularly upset about the Brown shooting since he knows people who attend the university. “I was really saddened by the whole thing, and then I started to get worried,” Velasco said. “I do know people who attend that institution, so I texted them throughout the entire time, and I was looking at their locations. It was very worrisome and also tiresome, because that experience is something they shouldn’t have to have.” Since the shooting at Brown,
framework of “inclusive excellence,” a term used in University communications, strategic planning documents, and program descriptions. In 2024, the University’s Center for Diversity & Inclusion (CDI) announced a reorganization that consolidated several student-focused offices under CDI, including Cross-Cultural Connections (CCxN), Spectrum, and the Office for International Student Engagement. CDI also oversees Dialogue Across Difference (DxD), an eight-week facilitated dialogue program and credit-bearing course focused on structured discussions about identity, power, and difference. In addition to student affairs programming, WashU supports research and teaching related to race and equity through the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity (CRE²). CRE² provides funding for faculty research, grants and fellowships, and course development initiatives that examine race and ethnicity as areas of academic inquiry. In May 2025, WashU
leadership announced the formation of a University-wide committee to review programs and activities related to DEI, citing changes in federal law and guidance. By summer and early fall 2025, The Source reported that the effort had developed into the Inclusive Excellence Advisory Committee (IEAC), which was tasked with reviewing DEI-related initiatives across schools and administrative units. AFL’s complaint argues that institutions receiving federal funds, like WashU — which receives hundreds of millions annually in federal research grants and other federal support — may not allocate benefits or opportunities based on protected characteristics such as race or sex under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The complaint challenges WashU’s supplier diversity and procurement practices, citing programs that promote engagement with minority-owned, women-owned, and other demographically defined businesses. AFL argues that considering demographic status in supplier
WashU’s administration has not addressed the incident. Several students told Student Life they wish the administration had done so. “I think they should have addressed it and just said, ‘Hey, there’s no immediate threat,’” Velasco said. “Or, ‘You guys shouldn’t be worried, we’re gonna do some more security measures.’” Julie Flory, vice chancellor for University Marketing and Communications, explained the University’s decision not to issue a statement addressing the Brown shooting in a statement to Student Life. “We generally do not issue statements about matters that are not directly related to the core function of the University,” she wrote. Gun violence research at WashU Many school shootings have been perpetuated by young adults. According to a 2024 study conducted by researchers at Johns Hopkins and the University of Arizona, nearly two-thirds of school shooters are under the age of 17. Fleckman said this may be due to ongoing developmental changes during adolescence and early adulthood.
SEE SAFETY, PAGE 2
Conservative legal group asks DOJ to review WashU diversity initiatives VICTOR HUANG NEWS EDITOR
America First Legal (AFL), a conservative legal advocacy organization, announced on Jan. 7 that it had filed a 165-page federal civil rights complaint asking the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate WashU for alleged race- and sex-based discrimination in University programs and operations. The complaint, submitted to DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, accuses WashU of incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusion criteria into multiple institutional functions, including admissions-related activities, faculty hiring, academic curriculum, contracting and procurement, and student services, while continuing to receive federal funding. The filing itself does not represent a finding of wrongdoing, and the DOJ has not indicated whether it will open an investigation. WashU has publicly described equity, diversity, and inclusion as institutional priorities under the
CONTACT BY POST
New 24/7 convenience store to come to the South 40
ONE BROOKINGS DRIVE #1039 #320 DANFORTH UNIVERSITY CENTER ST. LOUIS, MO 63130-4899
CONTACT BY EMAIL EDITOR@STUDLIFE.COM NEWS@STUDLIFE.COM
outreach or contracting may disadvantage vendors who do not meet those classifications. The filing also references WashU’s Race and Ethnicity Cluster Hire Initiative (20202023), a faculty recruitment effort that supported hiring across multiple departments in an effort to promote scholarship on race and ethnicity. AFL argues that the initiative incorporated race-based considerations into faculty hiring through University-level funding, coordination, and recruitment priorities, citing public announcements and program materials. A separate section of the complaint focuses on Olin Business School, alleging that DEI frameworks are integrated into required MBA coursework and evaluation. The filing references courses such as “Leading Across Differences” and other required leadership and organizational behavior classes that address identity, equity, and power.
SEE DIVERSITY, PAGE 2
CONTACT BY PHONE
NEWSROOM 314.935.5995 ADVERTISING 314.935.4240 FAX 314.935.5938
WashU’s dining team announced that a new 24/7 convenience store is being built on the South 40, located in Ursa’s Fireside, and is expected to open in late spring of 2026. The 24/7 store is intended to address issues students had with accessing a variety of food options at all hours. Additionally, the store will utilize Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology, a completely autonomous technology where students can buy items independently. Currently, there are three dining options on the South 40. Bear’s Den is open Monday to Sunday from 7 a.m. to 12 a.m., Paws & Go is open Monday to Sunday from 8 a.m. to 12 a.m., and Cherry Tree Cafe is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. University Services Director of Marketing and Communications, Raven Lumpkins, wrote to Student Life that the store will have a variety of food options, including snacks, drinks, fresh produce, everyday essentials, grab-and-go items, and vending options from Costa Coffee and Farmer’s Fridge. Lumpkins also wrote that students were consulted throughout the process of developing the new store. “Feedback came from student surveys, Dining Services Advisory Team, Student Affairs partners, and dining feedback channels,” Lumpkins wrote. “Students also helped name the store through our December contest.” She added that the store’s name has not been finalized. Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology has triggered controversy in the past, specifically when The Guardian reported in 2024 that much of the “AI-powered” technology heavily relies on human labor. Director of Dining Services Tiffany De La Roche said that, to her knowledge, the technology has evolved from that report. Additionally, De La Roche said Just Walk Out is part of Sodexo’s profile and that the decision to use the technology was introduced by Sodexo. “Based on the information that we’ve received and we reviewed during the vetting process, [Just Walk Out] didn’t really align with that [report] anymore,” De La Roche said. “I am under the assumption that [the technology] has since changed. Also, a lot of this is just us backing our Sodexo partnership. We work together strategically to vet information.” Senior and Student Union senator, Beni Bisimwa, said that while SU was not directly involved in planning the new store, WashU dining issues have been a key focus for the organization. “SU has advocated on behalf of undergrads with Dining Services for nearly two years,” Bisimwa said. “[We recently advocated to] extend hours on the East End for dinner during the week and across the Danforth Campus on weekends.” Bisimwa said that while he sees the 24/7 dining store as a step in the right direction, SU will continue to push for extended hours at retail dining locations. Lumpkins said the new store will not result in any staff cuts.
2 STUDENT LIFE
SAFETY
NEWS
ZACH TRABITZ | MANAGING NEWS EDITOR | NEWS@STUDLIFE.COM
THURSDAY, JAN 15, 2026
from page 1
“When you’re young, you’re still learning how to have things like impulse control, sound decision-making processes. You’re still learning and growing. And when you aren’t in a safe and supportive environment in which to do that, both at home and at school, and you have access to firearms, things happen. And that’s one reason why we see a large amount of school shootings,” she said. In regard to preventing school shootings, Fleckman said recent research suggests that increased police presence or school resource officers on campus, as well as more punitive measures for students, are not very effective at reducing school shootings. Instead, she said meaningful prevention may require
addressing broader cultural and political norms in the U.S. Fleckman pointed to factors that distinguish the U.S. from other countries with significantly fewer mass shootings — including access to firearms, a cultural embrace of guns, and the belief that ownership of the weapons is a basic right. Fleckman said that many aspects of school shootings are still not well understood, in part because federal funding for firearm injury prevention research was very restricted for over two decades. She emphasized that additional research is critical to prevent mass and school shootings. Salma Abdalla, assistant professor at the School of Public Health and co-director for the Global Health Futures Research Network, has
researched how mass trauma impacts communities and larger populations. “We looked into an analysis in six communities: Dayton, El Paso, Parkland, Pittsburgh, San Bernardino, and Virginia Beach, following mass shootings,” Abdalla said. “We found that post-traumatic stress disorder prevalence in them was about 24% in the past year, about 9% in the past month — which is way higher than the national average. The average, usually in the U.S., is about 2 to 3% of people who have PTSD.” Abdalla said that, while it is natural for individuals to want to be educated about a traumatic event, spending too much time consuming media about it could also be detrimental.
Support on campus There are a number of organizations and systems in place at WashU that can support students who are struggling with anxiety or fear in relation to these types of mass shootings. Jessica Dyer, director of WashU Cares, wrote in a statement to Student Life that WashU Cares is available to support students who may be struggling with adjusting back to campus after the shooting at Brown. John Dunkle, interim director of the Center for Counseling & Psychological Services (CCPS), said that students are encouraged to reach out to CCPS for support. Additionally, Dunkle said that, generally, one of the best things campuses can do
to prepare for these types of crises is to have detailed emergency response plans in place. He pointed out that during the shootings at Northern Illinois University, they had an emergency response plan in place. “Back in 2008, when the tragic shootings happened at Northern Illinois University, I was working at Northwestern University,” Dunkle said. “Because I was so close, I was one of many hundreds of staff who went out to Northern to help. I saw firsthand what schools can do, and they did a wonderful job in a very difficult situation and tragedy.” Washington University Police Department (WUPD) hosted an active threat training on Jan. 7, which, unlike past years, featured a medical
component where officers were taught how to treat wounded victims. Chief of Police Angela Coonce told Student Life that WUPD monitors a variety of crises happening both nationally and globally. “WashU PD actively monitors threats at other colleges and universities, like the recent Brown University incident,” Coonce wrote. “We also monitor other events, such as the Bondi Beach tragedy. Preventing an active threat on campus is the priority. We have an experienced detective assigned to conduct threat assessments, and we work with campus partners across the University as a team when conducting threat assessment and threat management.”
WashU chemistry professor facing criminal charges following 2024 misconduct allegations ELIZABETH STUMP STAFF WRITER
Editor’s note: This article contains discussion of sexual harassment. Resources and helplines can be found at the bottom of the piece. Associate Professor of Chemistry Jonathan Barnes was removed from teaching after multiple female students accused Barnes of inappropriate touching during private meetings with him in the fall of 2024. Anonymous allegations against Barnes were initially publicized in a post by MeToo WashU, an Instagram account raising awareness about sexual violence on campus. Over a year later, Barnes faces three class C misdemeanor counts of fourth-degree assault referred by the Washington University Police Department (WUPD) to the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. A trial date for the case has not yet been set, and the maximum sentences on each charge are 15 days in jail and a $750 fine. The filing describes the experiences of two anonymous female students in October 2024 who attended one-on-one office hours for the organic chemistry course he taught. Barnes’ alleged contact includes touching their shoulders and lower backs, as well as placing his hand and cell phone on the
thigh of one student. These descriptions are similar to the experiences four female students recounted to Student Life in November of 2024. The charges were referred to the prosecutor’s office by Jeri Hokamp, a WUPD officer. Hokamp’s statement alleges that Barnes poses “danger” to the community and that WUPD believed at the time of the filing Barnes planned to move to Texas. Barnes’ attorney, Christopher Combs, denied all misconduct allegations and alleged that one of Barnes’ accusers stated she did not believe a crime had occurred. “The charges are among the weakest I’ve seen filed by the St. Louis County Prosecutor’s Office. If they want to take this to trial, I cannot wait,” Combs wrote in a statement to Student Life. Barnes’ alleged move to Texas is “just another lie that has been spread around campus,” according to Combs. In addition, Combs maintains that the allegations were exacerbated into a campus-wide “moral panic” by social media, especially by posts made on the anonymous campus-specific app Sidechat. Barnes taught Organic Chemistry (OChem) three times between his hiring in 2016 and his replacement by another professor midway
through his fourth semester teaching the subject. In addition to OChem, Barnes taught an advanced chemistry course on polymers and led the Barnes Laboratory, a research group focused on creating synthetic materials for engineering and medicinal applications. The names and biographies of the three undergraduate student researchers employed by the Barnes Lab were removed from its site as of Oct. 14, 2025. As recently as a year ago, Barnes continued to conduct research after being removed from teaching, but it is unclear if he is still involved with the lab today. In 2023, when asked about allegations of sexual misconduct against two other professors, Chancellor Andrew D. Martin told Student Life that WashU takes allegations of sexual misconduct very seriously. He said the school conducts internal investigations into claims and “sanction[s] individuals appropriately,” if necessary. As to why WashU does not comment on individual cases, Martin cited privacy concerns. WashU’s Vice Chancellor for Marketing and Communications, Julie Flory, and Director of the Gender Equity and Title IX Compliance Office and Title IX Coordinator, Jessica Kennedy, declined to comment and did not confirm if
WashU has an ongoing Title IX investigation into the allegations against Barnes or if he currently has any interaction with students. In an article about why WashU does not comment publicly on sexual misconduct allegations, Kennedy told Student Life that the University is bound by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which limits the information a school can disclose. Kennedy said in addition to the federal regulations that bind them, the Title IX Office believes the retaliatory reaction that might ensue after an investigation is made public could be harmful to both the complainant who filed the report and the respondent. Combs claims that WashU’s Title IX Office violated Barnes’ due process rights during its investigation and believes that the case being unresolved 14 months later is indicative of mishandling. “[The Title IX Office has] shown complete disregard for Dr. Barnes’ due process rights: redacting large portions of his written statements, attempting to suppress key defense witnesses, rewarding complainants with grade accommodation, and threatening students who didn’t want to participate with Code of Conduct violations,” Combs wrote in a
statement to Student Life. WashU’s Department of Chemistry’s webpage and Barnes’ LinkedIn profile list him as currently employed as an associate professor of chemistry. Combs wrote that Barnes will pursue every legal avenue to clear his name. WUPD’s Chief of Police, Angela Coonce, said WUPD will work with the prosecutor’s office as needed, but could not comment further due to the ongoing criminal investigation. The Sexual Assault and Rape Anonymous Helpline (S.A.R.A.H) provides confidential and anonymous support and can be reached at 314-935-8080 24 /7 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 rsvpcenter@wustl.edu. The National Sexual Assault Hotline can be reached at 1-800-6564673 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.
Timeline of Events: OCT. 11, 2024 According to the WUPD police report, Barnes allegedly touched Confidential Victim 1 by rubbing her shoulders and touching her lower back. OCT. 29, 2024 According to the same report, Barnes allegedly touched Confidential Victim 2 by putting his hand over hers and placing his hand on her lower back. OCT. 30, 2024 Per the report, Confidential Victim 2 was again allegedly touched by Barnes on the back of her upper thigh, and she felt him place a cell phone on the back of her thigh. NOV. 14, 2024 Barnes is removed from teaching Organic Chemistry and replaced with another chemistry professor. OCT. 9, 2025 St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office files three misdemeanor charges against Barnes based on the police report of the incidents on Oct. 11, 29, and 30.
DIVERSITY from page 1
It also cites Olin-affiliated scholarships and fellowships that AFL alleges are linked to protected characteristics, arguing that these funding mechanisms affect access to institutional benefits within the full-time MBA program. In addition, AFL’s complaint is directed to the DOJ and requests review under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which governs institutions that receive federal funding. Instead of raising concerns through internal committees or faculty channels, AFL is asking the DOJ to evaluate whether WashU’s policies and programs comply with federal civil rights law. If the DOJ were to act, the process could involve document requests, policy reviews, and assessments of institutional practices tied to federal funding.
AFL also filed an earlier complaint against WashU’s School of Medicine in September 2025, which focused on DEI-related practices within a single school. The new complaint expands its scope to the University as a whole, citing admissionsrelated activities, faculty hiring initiatives, contracting and procurement practices, and required coursework across multiple schools and administrative units. The Jan. 7 complaint also directly references WashU’s recent administrative actions, including the use of “inclusive excellence” language and the creation of DEI review and advisory bodies such as the IEAC. AFL characterizes these changes as structural reorganization rather than substantive policy revision, citing public announcements, committee descriptions, and
University webpages as part of its argument. The filing comes amid broader changes in federal guidance and court decisions affecting higher education, including increased scrutiny of programs that consider protected characteristics. At this stage, the DOJ has not announced whether it will take action on the complaint. The filing itself does not establish a violation, but it places WashU among a growing number of universities facing external legal challenges to DEI initiatives at the federal level. Michael Mazzeo, dean and Knight Family Professor at the Olin Business School, did not respond to Student Life requests for comment. Julie Flory, vice chancellor for marketing and communications at WashU, declined to comment.
THURSDAY, JAN 15, 2026
SCENE WILL ROSENBLUM | MANAGING SCENE EDITOR | SCENE@STUDLIFE.COM
STUDENT LIFE 3
Sitting DUCs: Spending 24 hours in the DUC HANNAH LA PORTE SYDNEY TRAN
Before the challenge
JUNIOR SCENE EDITOR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
On a cold November weekend, Scene editor Hannah La Porte and Editor-in-Chief Sydney Tran decided to be “dumb stupid idiots” (according to a former Editor-in-Chief) and spend 24 hours in the Danforth University Center. By no small miracle, they lived to tell the tale. Here are those 24 hours. They were each allowed three personal items and three shared items, not including their phones, IDs, and charging devices. However, luckily for them, they had one key resource: the windowless Student Life office, a humble abode where they could sleep. Other than that, they were on their own when it came to food, water, and activities from Saturday at 5:25 p.m. to Sunday at 5:28 p.m.
10:31 a.m. Hannah: It’s the morning of our fateful challenge. I’m sitting here desperately trying to cram all of my homework in because it’s really unclear to me how much I’m going to be able to get done in the DUC after being there for more than four hours. It’s only now dawning on me that I’m a little scared. I still haven’t picked my three items. I’ve also had a cold for the better part of the last two weeks, and although it is still dying down, I am still hacking out the occasional cough here and there. Oh Lord, what are we getting into? Syd: I’ve been at work since 8:30 a.m., and as I flip eggs and roll burritos, I think to myself, “f*ck” — I don’t close this coffee shop until 4 p.m.
5:25 P.m. Syd: An orange tote is slung over my right shoulder, weighed down with my three items: soundproof headphones, a water bottle, and a laptop to do homework. I hope this is a good opportunity to catch up on my research portfolio (sorry, Chris) and final essay (sorry, Bethany). But reality hits when the elevator doors from the DUC garage slide open. I’m scared.
5:28 p.m. Hannah: Syd just walked into the DUC. I’ve been perusing the Farmer’s Fridge, and our options are slim. My three items of choice are my laptop, my earbuds, and a book that I’ve been trying to finish for the last three months. Maybe tonight’s the night. Some other things I need to do in the next 24 hours: fill out my study abroad application, study for my Political Violence exam, and try not to lose my mind.
5:46 p.m. Hannah: We’ve made our way upstairs with our dinner items of choice. Syd sort of cheated and brought in tomato soup from work. I suppose there is no explicit rule against that (also, we made the rules, so does it really matter??). She’s also selected a side of White Castle sliders from
VOLUME 147, NO. 14 Riley Herron Sydney Tran Editors-in-Chief editor@studlife.com
Zach Trabitz Managing News Editor news@studlife.com Will Rosenblum Managing Scene Editor scene@studlife.com Sylvie Richards Managing Forum Editor forum@studlife.com
the Just Baked Bistro vending machine. Gross… I’ve opted for the CPK salad (the only salad left) from the Farmers’ Fridge vending machine. How did we forget that all food options in the DUC are closed on the weekends?! We’re in for a long night.
6:32 p.m. Hannah: Syd won’t give me a bite of her White Castle slider. To be frank, they look terrible. But I really want a bite. She has FOUR of them and won’t even let me have a bite of one. This might be where this challenge ends. Syd: This isn’t my first rodeo with the Just Baked White Castle sliders. No, I have run this route during many late studio nights. However, this White Castle dinner was even more delicious after working an eight-hour shift fueled by only coffee. I was peacefully dipping my sliders in tomato soup from work when Hannah asked for a bite. All of a sudden, fear struck my heart. I was scared of how big the bite would be. I only have two left. Would she eat the whole thing? Hannah: Oh my God, Sydney, you are being crazy. You can easily get more downstairs. Why are we tweaking? Syd: We bicker over the size of the bite Hannah would take, and reluctantly, I let her take one because I fear our friendship was on the line.
7:43 p.m. Hannah: We’re so bored. We did a few laps around the DUC and ended up in the fun room, where someone is snoring. Really loudly. He’s the only one around, though, which makes sense considering it’s Saturday at 7:45 p.m. Why the hell am I here? I just beat the high score on a game on the arcade console, but I have no idea what it’s called. It involved me shooting a lot of balloons down.
8:11 p.m. Syd: Thank you to Hannah’s friend for giving me a shrimp tempura they’d dropped on the floor when they came to visit us in this prison.
Syd: For the past two hours, we’ve been watching “90 Day Fiance” and working on the puzzle in the StudLife office. The Just Baked vending machine taste test continues with dumplings. I would give the edamame dumpling a 2/10. Just confusing and bland. I would give the spicy chicken kung pao a 3/10; the spiciness overpowered the questionably-heated chicken. But I was so hungry, so I ate the rest. Hannah: The dumplings were disgusting. I can’t believe that’s considered food.
AnaElda Ramos Managing Illustration Editor Bri Nitsberg Managing Photo Editor photo@studlife.com Grayce Cooper Managing Social Media Editor
Matt Eisner Managing Sports Editor sports@studlife.com
Quinn Moore Managing Newsletter Editor emailedition@studlife.com
Bea Augustine Managing Design Editor designers@studlife.com
Alan Knight Managing Multimedia Editor
Mason Sutton Special Issues Editor
Aliza Lubitz Investigative News Editor
7:06 a.m. Hannah: Somehow, I fell asleep. I don’t really know how much sleep I’ve gotten. The lights are still on. Syd is still fast asleep. We’re over halfway through this godforsaken challenge. Why did we decide to do this to ourselves?
11:42 p.m. 9:45 a.m.
Syd: I was on a puzzle high for 10 minutes until I decided the only solution to surviving the rest of the challenge is to hope sleep takes me over.
12:30 a.m. Hannah: Syd’s fallen asleep on the office couch. Somehow, even though I’m only running on four hours of sleep, I’m powering through this puzzle. I would say I’m maybe 200 pieces in. Everyone in this season of “90 Day Fiance” has gotten married. The bright, inextinguishable lights of the office are starting to get to me, and I’m not really sure how Syd is sleeping. Guess I’m gonna keep working on the puzzle and watching this show. Fun fact: I actually hate reality television.
1:17 a.m. Hannah: I’ve moved on to the second season of “90 Day Fiance.” I can’t find the TV remote, so this might play all night. Syd is passed out. I am envious of her.
2:53 a.m. Hannah: I can’t sleep. I keep coughing myself awake. Life feels like it is in limbo, and I might be losing my mind. I think my cold is getting worse somehow. Ugh. Syd is STILL asleep. I found the TV remote, though, and managed to turn off two of the office lights. I couldn’t figure out how to turn off one of the lights, so it’s just flickering on and off. It’s getting on my nerves.
10:13 p.m. 4:46 a.m. Mia Burkholder Managing Chief of Copy copy@studlife.com
Hannah: Syd has not moved a muscle all night. She is fast asleep with one hand clutching her Aquaphor, the other clutching Jacob, her stuffed dino and Student Life’s unofficial mascot.
Elizabeth Grieve Sophia Hellman Sara Gelrud Sophie Schwartz Laurel Wang Senior Scene Editors Amelia Raden David Ciorba Kate Theerman Rodriguez River Alsalihi Senior Forum Editors Lewis Rand Ian Heft Senior Sports Editors Reeya Sharma Camden Maggard Senior Social Media Editors Sanchali Pothuru Multimedia Editor
Syd: All I can remember since 12 a.m. is Hannah making little noises while she was sleeping. It was less of a “honkshoo” and more akin to a “mewmewmewmew.” I woke up to more people in the office than when I fell asleep, as the staff drifted in to put together the Housing Guide issue. As I wiggle around the sticky leather couch, I realize I took my socks off in my sleep. God help me. My dogs are out, and I can’t find my other sock.
10:32 a.m. Hannah: Everyone is in the office right now, and I feel really vulnerable. Honestly, I feel a little bit possessive over this space. You didn’t spend the last eight hours trying to do a 1000-piece puzzle while watching “90 Day Fiance” and eating terrible things from the Just Baked vending machine.
10:36 a.m. Syd: Unfortunately, only after the challenge began did I realize I’d forgotten my toothbrush. After fingerbrushing
my teeth in the 3rd-floor bathroom, we ran down to Cafe Bergson for coffee. There is nothing like a drip coffee with two packets of aspartame to boost morale. Returning to ol’ faithful (the Just Baked vending machine), I heated up a Naughty Chile Sausage burrito and a turkey sausage biscuit sandwich. The burrito earns a 5/10. It was good breakfast slop wrapped in a soft tortilla. However, the turkey sausage biscuit sandwich gets my only 0/10. The sausage was dry, and unfortunately, the condensation from the paper vessel had turned the biscuit into Play-Doh.
1:47 p.m. Hannah: After four hours, I’ve given up on my puzzle. I haven’t done any homework. I’m eating my third bagel of the morning. Thank God for whoever brought these to the office; I don’t know if I could survive another meal from a vending machine. Syd: The timing of this challenge couldn’t have been worse. Of course, we chose the day when the newspaper would be making the Housing Guide. The office is crawling with strange people. (They’re our friends, but everything seems strange at this moment). Many have left to go watch the women’s soccer game. Before they departed, I begged my dear, dear friend and co-Editor-in-Chief Riley Herron to bring me back two bratwursts and sent him off with my student ID.
3:00 p.m. Syd: This is my formal apology to anyone who was with me and had to deal with me asking where my bratwurst (and Riley) were every 15 minutes for the past two hours. Riley finally came back to the office with two silver prizes
(MY BRATS). As I inhale the bratwursts and push away the fear for my digestive system, Hannah asks for a bite. Flashing back to what felt like our nearly-friendship-ending fight over a slider, I let her. Begrudgingly. Hannah: Begrudgingly is the kindest way to describe how she gave me that bite. She was seething. I made the mistake of asking for more, and I was woefully rejected. I was too greedy; I should’ve waited for her to calm down.
4:07 p.m. Hannah: I need to leave this office. I’m going crazy counting down the hours we have left. I desperately need to pee. I steal Syd to go on an adventure, and we meander down the back staircase in the DUC.
4:11 p.m. Syd: I honestly don’t even know what is happening anymore. One second, I am turning the corner to the next set of stairs. The next Hannah falls down the stairs in the slowest possible way. And then just lies there.
5:00 p.m. Hannah: We have 30 minutes left in this god-forsaken challenge. I’ve done no homework today. I’ve eaten four full bagels. Syd: My stomach hurts so bad. I have been to the bathroom three times in the past 30 minutes.
5:30 p.m. Syd: I run past Hannah and open the door to freedom. And then I turn back around to go back to the bathroom.
Closing thoughts
Syd: I was inspired by recent graduates Ally and Saish and their 24-hour Bear’s Den adventure to take on this challenge. I thought to myself, “It couldn’t be that bad.” Still, when I pitched it, I never expected Hannah to say, “I’m game.” Nevertheless, I am so glad she did. These 24 hours in the DUC didn’t feel so bad or long with Hannah. This is my formal apology to Hannah for being unwilling to share food: I’m sorry, and I will get you a meal outside of the DUC. Beyond these next 24 hours, however, I will never be able to look at the Just Baked vending machine the same way again. Hannah: When Syd pitched this idea at a Scene meeting, I was shocked to hear someone respond positively. And I was more shocked when I realized it was me who was speaking. I can’t say I knew what was going through my head. I don’t think Syd and I spoke for a full week after this challenge. My cold that was at the tail end when I came in, came back in full force to torment me for a week after this challenge. My biggest piece of advice? Don’t ever try the CPK salad from the Farmer’s Fridge vending machine.
Jack Warren Amelia Spencer Design Editors Tanvi Gorre Joel Swirnoff Victor Huang Nina Laser Senior News Editors Nicholas Demba Selina Son Junior News Editors Isabella Diaz-Mira Ella Giere Mac Motz Photo Editors Hannah LaPorte Junior Scene Editor Christian Kim Anna Crook Hannah Much Junior Sports Editors
Lyn Wilkins Junior Forum Editor
Samantha Elegant Chief of Copy
Tim Mellman Ashwin Nair Newsletter Editors
Zoe Rhodes DEI Editor
Anna Dorsey Kevin Kan Illustration Editors Eden Levi Designer Jack Yang Georges Gewargis Echo Dong Andrew Tian Web Editors Anna Piasecki Kayslay Cudjoe Julie Kassin Regan Sakai Copy Editors
Adrienne Levin Coleman General Manager a.coleman@studlife.com Sarah Huff Advertising Sales Manager huffs@studlife.com Copyright © 2026 Washington University Student Media, Inc. (WUSMI). Student Life is a financially and editorially independent, student-run newspaper serving the Washington University community. Our newspaper is a publication of WUSMI and does not necessarily represent the views of the Washington University administration.
4 STUDENT LIFE
WILL ROSENBLUM | MANAGING SCENE EDITOR | SCENE@STUDLIFE.COM
THURSDAY, JAN 15, 2026
The Barnes & Noble cookbook section: Testing themed recipes from branded cookbooks FRITZ MURRAY CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Barnes & Noble is a magical place. Row after row of bookshelves fill the store with that new book smell, coupled with a whiff of pumpkin spice from the obligatory on-site Starbucks. However, all is not as it seems. A plague spreads. New and unique books are left languishing on bottom shelves, with prime real estate instead being taken up by the proven sellers: branded merchandise and trendy ideas. Patient zero, the knick-knack section, was first to succumb to the disease. Soon after, the romance section was inundated with a flood of books about hot hockey boys (which is huge right now, for some reason). Perhaps the most egregious case of unoriginality in the whole store, however, is the cookbook section. The humble unbranded cookbook shivers in the corners of shelves in this forsaken place. A horde of branded cookbooks have taken its place — all themed around TV shows, movies, books, video games, and famous musicians. Gone are the days when you could publish a book of Halloween recipes. Now it’s “The Official ‘Wednesday’ Cookbook,” based on the TV show, featuring groundbreaking recipes like waffles (but with black food coloring) and a vaguely Morticia Addams-themed gazpacho titled “The Blood Of My Enemies.” I spent a long time in this section, mesmerized and
slightly horrified by the unabashed cash-grabbing on display. I spent so long, in fact, that I devised a four-tier system for categorizing these books by how much they deserve to exist. And, for good measure, I cooked a recipe for each one of the tiers.
Tier one:
(taking after the in-game seasonal cycle) like apple cider and ginger. It tasted hearty and wasn’t too hard to cook, either. Really makes you feel like you’re living the homestead life. A festive five out of five for this recipe. Great work all around.
Anyway, I cooked sopapillas and honey, a staple of the southwestern U.S. They’re essentially pockets of
of course, being a villainous vampire coven)? Sometimes, even the book gives up on its own theme, leading to strings of increasingly sad recipes like “Wolf Girl Blueberry Muffins” followed by “Mike’s Protein
The cream of the crop Books here are the rare breed that completely justify their existence. For that to be the case, they have to meet some very specific criteria. First, the piece of media they are based on must contain food. Second, the cookbook must tell you how to cook that specific food. My example for this tier is “The Official Stardew Valley Cookbook.” For those unfamiliar, “Stardew Valley” is a cozy farming simulator video game where players may cook with the various crops they grow. When I play “Stardew Valley,” I am overtaken by a great desire to move to the country, manage a plot of land, and forage for various foodstuffs. Hence, this cookbook fulfills a very real need for me: to eat the “Stardew Valley” food. The cookbook features real-world interpretations of the simplistic in-game recipes — a perfect tier one branded cookbook. I decided to cook a dish called “Pumpkin Soup.” Evocative. Though it was made with squash instead of actual pumpkin, the soup was still lovely. It was chockfull of fall flavors
Tier two: Take it with a grain of salt We’re moving out of the realm of media which explicitly contains food. Cookbooks here cannot follow the simple model of tier one. Instead, they solely rely on their source material’s conceptual proximity to food. If you, for example, watch a movie set in Italy, you would expect the cookbook to contain Italian food. This straightforward relationship between source and recipe is emblematic of a tier two. An example is “Ticket to Ride: The Official Cookbook.” If you’re not a board game fanatic, I wouldn’t fault you for not having heard of “Ticket to Ride.” Imagine “Catan” but instead of building roads and settlements, you’re just building railway lines across a map of America. It rules. This game doesn’t contain food explicitly, so the cookbook themes its meals around the various train lines and regions of the United States the trains cross through, vaguely evoking the idea of a cross-country train trip. The cookbook still deserves to exist, but you’re on thin ice, “Ticket to Ride.” I’ve got my eyes on you.
deep-fried dough drizzled in honey. Predictably delicious. “Ticket to Ride: The Official Cookbook” provides a decent recipe for them. Although deepfrying dough in a dorm kitchen was terrifying, this wasn’t the fault of the cookbook, so I have left it out of my overall rating: four out of five. Stay on your toes, “Ticket to Ride.”
Tier Three: The bad apples At this tier, the relationship between media and recipe has become much more abstract. The source material not only contains little to no food in and of itself, but any relationship between it and food is not immediately clear. Cookbooks in this tier must draw from the amorphous vibes of the source material and attempt to replicate abstract concepts like “scary” and “the Pacific Northwest.” I’m talking about “The Unofficial Twilight Saga Cookbook: Flavors from Forks” for this tier. A “Twilight” cookbook is baffling on many levels. For starters, most of the characters in “Twilight” are vampires that physically cannot eat human food. Why, then, would I want to take a vampire’s recipe for “Volturi Vegetable Minestrone” (the Volturi,
Shake” followed by “Breakfast Cereal Bars.” Although some recipes in this cookbook are legitimately things they eat in “Twilight,” others are random red foods renamed to include blood, like the “Bloodred Baked Eggs” (shakshuka) or the “Warm Blood Bisque” (ew). Keeping to an on-theme recipe,
I sampled the “Bloody Beet Salad.” The “blood” in this salad is provided by the titular beets as well as blood oranges. Inspired. Candied walnuts were a welcome addition, and baby arugula kept the base interesting, but I was thoroughly underwhelmed overall. Three and a half out of five. Do better.
Tier Four: I’m going bananas In the deep ocean, creatures that have evolved under the immense pressure and lack of sunlight often look alien and bizarre. The cookbooks this deep into my tier system are no different. They
do not have food from their source material to replicate. They do not even have a possible vibe to follow. Books here are rare, but I did find one: “Godzilla: The Official Cookbook.” Despite originating in Japan, the Godzilla franchise has gone global, meaning the cookbook has no geographical basis for its food. The vibes of a giant citydestroying lizard are so far removed from food that there is no possible dish that could follow them. Under immense pressure, the “Godzilla” cookbook must adapt. You must eat the lizard. Eschewing conventions of the genre, the flavors of the food are not meant to evoke Godzilla. This cookbook is purely shape-based. Recipes include “Guaczilla,” guacamole with the avocado peel repurposed to look like Godzilla’s head. Derailed train cars become the “Tokyo Train Car Sandwich.” I chose to
make the horrifying “Godzilla Loaf,” a normal meatloaf you fashion into the shape of one of Godzilla’s gargantuan feet. The recipe asks you to “place an onion wedge on each toe to simulate claws.” The blurb on the page ominously ends with the question “Will you give it three toes, or four?” I gave it three. I would describe the flavor as thoroughly edible. It’s the only meatloaf I’ve had which used rice as an ingredient, so the texture was novel, but not unpleasant. Has anyone ever had a mind-blowingly great meatloaf ? It’s about what you’d expect. Three out of five. The onions indeed looked like toenails, which was off-putting.
PHOTOS BY MAC MOTZ | PHOTO EDITOR ILLUSTRATIONS BY AMELIA SPENCER | DESIGN EDITOR
FORUM
THURSDAY, JAN 15, 2026
STUDENT LIFE 5
SYLVIE RICHARDS | MANAGING FORUM EDITOR | FORUM@STUDLIFE.COM
We shouldn’t be proud of our T20 status ELEANOR STERNE MADDIE MORGAN CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
When the latest U.S. News & World Report ranking was released, WashU’s return to top 20 status was celebrated across campus. T20 has a nice ring to it, right? Not necessarily. In a talk to WashU students and faculty in midNovember, Professor Evan Mandery of John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY John Jay) argued that rankings don’t reflect schools’ positive impacts on society. And we agree: College rankings revere “elite,” “Ivy Plus” colleges — which include universities in the Ivy League and comparable schools such as MIT and Stanford — that perpetuate class inequity. WashU isn’t necessarily considered “Ivy Plus,” but we are a private institution that was labeled as one of the least socioeconomically diverse colleges in 2017. As WashU continues to grapple with improving national name recognition and school identity, we caution the University against emulating Ivy Plus institutions and prioritizing rankings over becoming an institution that advances social progress. During the presentation, Mandery proposed two possibilities of what colleges’ “true missions” should be: to elevate low-income kids into higher socioeconomic status or to encourage already rich students into becoming “dogooders” (i.e., encouraging wealthy students to use their privilege for good). If college rankings reflected these two principles, then so-called “elite” schools would rank nowhere near as high. Mandery argued that Ivy Plus institutions preserve class inequities and shared some revealing stats on student outcomes from his book, “Poison Ivy: How Elite Colleges Divide Us.” Less
than 3.5% of students at Ivy Plus institutions enter from the lowest income quintile and end up improving their socioeconomic status postgrad. However, Ivy Plus schools have high stability rates, meaning that people who attend these institutions overwhelmingly remain in the socioeconomic status they grew up in. Given that children of parents in the 99.9th percentile of household income are 2.2 times more likely to be admitted into Ivy League schools, Ivies evidently reinforce existing inequalities. In fact, if you rank schools based on “top-mobility,” which measures the share of students who enter college wealthy and then go on to become richer, the resulting list is strikingly similar to the U.S. News & World Report rankings, with Ivy Plus colleges dominating the top spots. In contrast, no Ivy Plus institutions are represented in the colleges with the highest bottom-to-top social mobility rates, which measure the percentage of students who go from low to high socioeconomic status after graduation. Eight of the 12 schools with the actual highest mobility rates are City University of New York (CUNY) schools, which is New York City’s public university system, despite how the CUNYs have a combined endowment of just $1.1 billion. This is a mere fraction of the Ivy League’s combined $177 billion endowment total (larger than many countries’ GDPs). Although these schools have considerably less prestige and fewer resources than Ivy Plus institutions, they lift students out of low socioeconomic status at higher rates, fulfilling Mandery’s first principle of what colleges’ true mission should be. As for his second principle of creating “do-gooders,”
PUZZLE
a multitude of students graduating from Ivy Plus institutions end up going into finance or consulting. These schools use persistent recruiting events to steer undecided students who are, in the words of Mandery, “high achievers receptive to status signals,” into high-income career paths like business instead of social impact-oriented professions. Our T20 status and shrinking acceptance rate should not be something to celebrate. Ivy Plus schools neither meaningfully uplift an economically diverse group of students nor produce “do-gooders.” Many of us were shocked when President Donald
Trump began threatening to revoke federal funding from colleges and universities, but there is a reason why attacking institutions like Columbia and Brown is not a cause for concern for many Americans. People have no reason to trust elite institutions when the narrative that they represent of the opportunity for social mobility is so far removed from reality. It is unsurprising, then, that Americans have a steadily declining trust in higher education. In a survey from May 2025, 27% of respondents were in favor of Trump’s proposed policy of withholding federal funding from noncompliant universities, and 26% were neutral.
MIMI MILORD | STAFF ILLUSTRATOR
Americans distrust higher education because of its elitism, so Trump’s threats are often met with indifference, if not support. WashU must rethink the type of institution we want to be — we can try to mirror these elite schools, or we can build our own path. Historically, WashU has perpetuated the income inequality of Ivy Plus schools — in 2014, WashU had the second highest median family income of universities nationwide. Although the WashU administration has taken steps to shrink this gap, increasing the percentage of Pell-eligible students by almost four times in the last decade, we have been slow to
Warm and Cold
PUZZLE Mania
ACROSS 1 Sleepwear, briefly 4 ___ and aahs 6 Tropical fruit with a green skin and pink flesh 8 Command 9 Shot, as a text DOWN 1 Stick used for jumping 2 Tous les ___ (Bakery on the Loop) 3 It's "thrown" during an insult 5 Kristoff's best friend in "Frozen" 7 ___ Hill, sledding location near campus
do so. For example, we were one of the last schools to adopt need-blind admissions. It’s time, as WashU students, to reframe our vision of what this institution should be. The temptation of prestige and exclusivity is strong, but instead of falling into line with Ivy Plus clones, we should focus on having positive social impacts with our extensive resources. Let’s ditch the reliance on rankings as a measure of worth and amplify pressure on the administration to make policy that widens our socioeconomic diversity, like decreasing the influence of early decision admissions, which advantage wealthy students.
By Naomika Raveendran, Edited by Rena Cohen 1
2
4
3
5
6
7
8
9
Play the StudLife crossword online. By WashU students, for WashU students. New mini crossword every day.
6 STUDENT LIFE
SYLVIE RICHARDS | MANAGING FORUM EDITOR | FORUM@STUDLIFE.COM
THURSDAY, JAN 15, 2026
COUNTERPOINT
POINT
In praise of weed-out classes Weed-out classes fail students NOAH HUNT CONTRIBUTING WRITER
I am taking zero weedout classes this semester. As a first-year, my course load is easier than most years of high school. I’m not on the pre-med track, I’m not an engineering major, and I probably won’t take a difficult math class for the rest of my life. Why, then, am I qualified to talk about weed-out classes? Because I am evidence that they work. You don’t want me as your doctor. You don’t want me as the architect or engineer of the apartment you’re living in. I have no technical competence, I have shaky hands that would slice indiscriminately during surgery, and my mathematical education stalled in middle school. But here’s the catch: If intro chemistry or intro physics were touted as normal classes with modest courseloads, I might take them. I’d think to myself: “Hell, I passed AP Chemistry just last year — I think I’ll try my hand at the pre-med track in college!” I need not reiterate why you don’t want this. I am illustrative of the first benefit of weed-out classes: They disincentivize students less committed to a difficult career path from pursuing it anyway. Courses that demand genuine effort and aptitude force students to confront whether they care about the subject and are well-suited for it or are simply chasing a prestigious career. Doctors and engineers should be talented, hard-working people passionate about their fields, not those who just want a high-paying and socially admirable job. In this way, weed-out classes are a reality check for prospective students: Am I really able to put in this much work? Am I willing to risk a hit to my GPA? However, people might object that future doctors or engineers will be weeded out in the future anyway. Even if we assume this to be true, first-year weed-out classes still serve a valuable role. It’s generally best for students to change career paths as soon as possible. I would certainly feel angry if it were near the end of college or in postgraduate school that I realized my chosen career path was unsuitable for me. Therein lies the second benefit to weed-out classes: They speed up the inevitable in a way that helps even those who are weeded out. These classes provide students with an early
opportunity to find out what sort of major or career is best for them in a process that, though painful, leads to a better allocation of time and effort. However, there is a third category of students that seem unjustly harmed by weed-out classes — the earnest, hard-working student who lacks the requisite natural aptitude. While we should try to weed out those ambivalent toward a career, we shouldn’t discourage
study resources to students or to arbitrarily discriminate between students on any basis but competence in relevant tasks. Classes that fail to select for the relevant traits — competence, perseverance, and passion — must be called out and eliminated. I only defend weed-out classes in the context of a college experience that emphasizes both rigor and support. The push against justified weed-out classes is part of a
DEAGAN PASQUALETTO STAFF WRITER
When December settles in, students across WashU brace for two kinds of flurries: the winter snow and looming finals. There is a shared tension on campus as everyone’s cortisol levels spike in anticipation of the gauntlet that is finals week. For the pre-meds, engineers, and really anyone else in STEM, I imagine that stress is a whole lot worse. But it
statement, is “to welcome students, faculty, and staff from all backgrounds to create an inclusive, equitable community that is nurturing and intellectually rigorous.” Weed-out classes are rigorous, but nothing about them is equitable or nurturing. Weed-out classes operate on a scarcity model that treats education as a zero-sum game rather than an opportunity for growth. The underlying philosophy suggests that only a
OLIVERY NI | STAFF ILLUSTRATOR those who are genuinely committed to their career and willing to work tirelessly in its service. Still, weed-out classes rarely discourage the truly dedicated, no matter how harsh the grading or lengthy the homework. While someone’s dogged pursuit of a difficult career despite lacking natural talent might seem like the very problem I am trying to solve, this could not be further from the truth. It is precisely those who overcome immense challenges without any special academic skills but through hard work that are most deserving of their position in life. I will, however, make one important concession: A class that weeds out the wrong people is not justified. While academic rigor is important, so are academic resources. It would be senseless and cruel to deny
concerning trend. Students increasingly seem to want an easier college experience — whether that be through grade inflation, lenient attendance policies, or less study time. And, frankly, I can’t blame them. Many of us want the best jobs in the best fields and the most success at the lowest cost. However, the function of a challenging education is to help us discover when that challenge is worth it. College is not meant to open every door for every student. It is meant to show us which doors are worth opening. Weed-out classes provide that insight early, sparing wasted time and money in the process. If we embrace challenge instead of minimizing it, we will eventually find the path where our effort feels worthwhile.
doesn’t need to be this way. It’s a commonly held position that STEM classes are more difficult than humanities classes. Ask around, and you’ll hear the same talking points: STEM classes have the real workload, while humanities classes are luxuries and things you “fit into” your schedule. Brutal curves, problem sets that force students to grind late into the night, and exams that can be the difference between a B- and an A+ all contribute to this sentiment. Still, the most insidious part of STEM academia is the weed-out class. Classes purposefully designed to demoralize students — think organic chemistry or thermodynamics — are antithetical to the goals of higher education. One of WashU’s goals, as stated in its mission
predetermined percentage of students deserve to continue in a field, regardless of their actual mastery of the material. This approach conflates difficulty with quality. Someone’s ability to rotely memorize and regurgitate facts on a test has no bearing on their future success in life, let alone in that field. This is exactly why graduate programs prioritize quality research over class grades. A student who enters college passionate about chemistry finds themselves in a general chemistry class where the curve is so inconsistent that a 75% might be an A on one test and an 88% a C+ on another. The grade depends less on understanding than on outperforming peers. Study groups become obsolete as there is no incentive to aid a fellow student. Instead
of fostering a community of learners working toward intellectual growth, a weedout culture makes one student’s success another student’s failure. The equity issues run even deeper. Students from under-resourced high schools who arrive at WashU without AP experience or expensive, private tutoring face steeper learning curves through no fault of their own. Weed-out classes don’t account for these disparities in preparation; they exploit them. When a course is designed to fail a certain number of students regardless of their absolute performance, those who started with fewer advantages get pushed out before they’ve ever had a chance to compete. There is nothing inclusive or equitable about this. Some proponents of weed-out classes argue they prepare students for difficult professional realities. Medical schools are selective, engineering projects require both depth and breadth of knowledge, and scientific research requires considerable patience. However, there is a significant difference between teaching students to overcome adversity and artificially manufacturing failure. A well-designed, challenging course teaches complex material while supporting students in the struggle. A weed-out class makes struggle the objective. Ultimately, weed-out classes need to be done away with, and students need to learn for the sake of learning. The whole concept of a weed-out class indicates a much deeper contradiction in higher education: people don’t go to college to learn anymore — they go to college to get degrees. The university has become more of a business of vetting students than actually focusing on intellectual development. All this corporate-speak by universities saying they “desire to foster intellectual curiosities” is a virtue-signaling masquerade for their true intentions: to turn a profit. Universities should be in the business of creating scientists, engineers, and doctors, not winnowing them through hazing rituals disguised as pedagogy. When we make STEM education unnecessarily brutal, there is no evidence to show that we get better scientists, and we lose talented people who would have thrived if they were given a chance to learn rather than merely survive.
CAPTION CONTEST Caption this! Enter this week’s contest Scan the QR code to enter your submission by 11:59 p.m. on Monday.
MIMI MILORD | STAFF ILLUSTRATOR
SPORTS
STUDENT LIFE 7
MATT EISNER | MANAGING SPORTS EDITOR | SPORTS@STUDLIFE.COM
THURSDAY, JAN 15, 2026
No. 13 women’s basketball sweeps winter matchups, extends winning streak to five TENLEY SEIRER ANNA CROOK
WashU vs. Southern Virginia
STAFF WRITER JUNIOR SPORTS EDITOR
After a close first quarter, the Bears found themselves down 22-15 versus Southern Virginia. But WashU battled back to take the lead with 5:24 remaining and stayed on top, 39-38 to end the first half. “At halftime, we honed in on what specifically we wanted to do offensively and defensively,” junior guard Alyssa Hughes said. “We knew that to start that third quarter, we had to come out with energy in order to break away.” Midway through the third quarter, WashU held the Knights scoreless for over four minutes, allowing the Bears to take the lead, 57-49. WashU continued to dominate in the fourth quarter, leading by as many as 19 points before solidifying the 83-66 victory. Junior forward Amelia Rosin tallied 17 points and 10 rebounds, both a career high and her first doubledouble, while Hughes led WashU with 22 points, shooting an impressive 6-11 behind the arc.
Some basketball games are won by intense physicality — points in the paint, hardearned rebounds — others by shooting behind the arc or tight defense. And over winter break, the No. 13 WashU women’s basketball team proved that they can do all three. The Bears defeated Westminster College on Dec. 8 and Augustana College on Dec. 19. WashU dominated against Westminster, defeating the Blue Jays 94-31 in their largest margin of victory this season. The Bears’ 82-54 victory over Augustana was a team effort, with four players reaching double digit points. From there, WashU swept their matchups against Southern Virginia University and Christopher Newport University in the St. Petersburg Tournament on Dec. 29-30 and defeated the No. 15 University of Chicago in a 68-39 defensive masterclass on Jan. 10. With these victories, the Bears improve to 10-2 on the season, boasting a current five-game winning streak.
BRI NITSBERG | MANAGING PHOTO EDITOR
But the Bears ultimately won the game through their physicality and close-range shooting, eclipsing the Knights in both points off turnovers (21-12) and points in the paint (44-20). WashU vs. Christopher Newport The Bears took on Christopher Newport the next day and continued to put on the pressure, exploding to 48 points in the first half. “It was a super short turnaround,” Hughes said prior to the game against Christopher Newport. “After the first game, [our recovery] was to get our feet up, get some rest, have a good dinner. So much of our prep was mental prep and having a great culture within our team.”
While WashU led by as much as 19 during this stretch, a late 8-0 run by the Captains in the second quarter allowed them to cut the deficit to 48-35 at the half. WashU hit a drought in the third quarter, shooting only 27.3% from the field. However, the Bears still maintained a strong defensive effort, outscoring the Captains 11-6. Only one minute into the fourth quarter, the Bears retook their 19-point lead on a layup by junior center Lexy Harris. From there, WashU slowly edged ahead to take a 24-point advantage. While the Captains put up a late 5-0 run, the Bears still took the comfortable 72-53 victory. Despite their struggles in the third quarter, the Bears put up a dominant performance, soundly defeating a solid CNU team. While the Captains kept up in the paint, the Bears shot an incredible 59.1% behind the arc, effectively sealing their victory. Hughes again led WashU with 24 points, while Harris and junior guard Sidney Rogers also put up double-digits. “Everyone has great belief in me, which helps me
have that belief in myself,” Hughes said about her offensive consistency. “They are constantly telling me to shoot the ball, even when I just missed a shot. It’s always next play mentality, look at the next one.” WashU vs. UChicago The first quarter against UChicago began exactly as advertised — a close matchup with the No. 14 Bears and No. 15 Maroons fighting for the lead. But the second quarter was all WashU. In an outstanding defensive effort, the Bears held UChicago scoreless for the first four minutes and only allowed 4 points in the entire quarter — the fewest all season. This defense allowed the Bears to take a commanding 36-20 lead at the half. The teams traded baskets for much of the third quarter, and while the Maroons managed to cut their deficit to 12, WashU remained firmly in control, leading 51-34 at the whistle. Despite an early 3-pointer by UChicago, the Bears continued the defensive pressure in the fourth quarter, holding the Maroons
scoreless for over six minutes and preventing them from making another field goal. Meanwhile, WashU continued to build up their lead, ultimately securing the victory, 68-39. WashU forced UChicago to shoot only 25.9% from the field, holding them to their lowest score since the 20192020 season. The Bears also converted defensive pressure into offensive success, leading in points off turnovers (14-3) and fast break points (9-3). Harris and Hughes tallied 19 points each, with five other Bears contributing offensively. “We have a great team as a whole,” Hughes said. “We all kind of know what each other’s strengths are, so we were able to utilize that in order to put our best foot forward. We have played very well off of each other.” This game marked WashU’s first conference game, first conference win, and first victory against a ranked opponent this season. As UAA play continues, the Bears will face Carnegie Mellon University on Jan. 16 and Case Western Reserve University on Jan. 18.
BRI NITSBERG | MANAGING PHOTO EDITOR Senior Jordan Rich and junior Lexy Harris battle for a rebound against a Greenville University player during a game on Nov. 19.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL OVER THE LAST FIVE GAMES 79.8
average WashU points per game
48.6 average opponent points per game
27.8% opponent shooting percentage
78
turnovers forced
8 STUDENT LIFE
MATT EISNER | MANAGING SPORTS EDITOR | SPORTS@STUDLIFE.COM
THURSDAY, JAN 15, 2026
No. 13 men’s basketball wins Van Wieren Classic, falls to No. 2 UChicago BEN GANZ BEN OLLENDORFF STAFF WRITERS
The No. 13 WashU men’s basketball team was put to the test as the Bears started University Athletic Association (UAA) play against their rivals, the No. 2 University of Chicago, on Jan. 10. The Bears lost 85-62 and sit at 10-2 on the season. Despite a strong winning record early in the season, the Bears have struggled against ranked opponents. Last year, the Bears lost both games against the Maroons and still made it all the way to the NCAA Final Four. Now, WashU hopes to achieve similar success with some new key players. So far, it’s been a team effort. Led by junior guard Ryan Cohen and sophomore forwards Connor May and Anthony Przybilla, the Bears’ young team has stepped up after last year’s leading scorers Hayden Doyle and Drake Kindsvater graduated. On average, the trio combines for almost 42 points per game, which is over half the team’s total. To end 2025, WashU faced No. 15 Illinois Wesleyan University. Illinois Wesleyan sophomore forward Noah Cleveland exploded for 36 points, propelling them to beat the Bears on a last-second bucket. Two weeks later, at the Glenn Van Wieren Classic hosted by Hope College, WashU was able to bounce back, winning the tournament with two dominant victories: 72-65 over
Hope and 94-68 against the University of Olivet. In the contest with UChicago, the Bears had four double-digit scorers despite the loss. Senior guard Yogi Oliff led the way with 12 points, nine rebounds, and five assists, providing a spark to a lopsided game. “I think the effort was there, but we just did not execute well,” Oliff said. “Obviously, we know that there are no ‘easy’ games in the UAA with the level of talent and game planning from coaches that we have in the league. Through conference play, we will have to stay mentally and physically tough.” The Maroons jumped out quickly to a 5-0 lead, and it only grew from there, as they shot 55% from the field and 46% from behind the arc. Chicago continued to hold a small single-digit lead over the Bears as the clock ticked down in the first half. With seven minutes left in the first half, the Maroons went on a 16-0 run, putting them far ahead of WashU and giving them momentum going into the break. With three minutes left in the first half, the Bears were down 41-20 and could only cut the lead to 15 before halftime. It only got worse for WashU in the second half, as once again, UChicago came out firing. Just two minutes in, the Maroons hit three 3-pointers to extend the lead to 24 points. From then on, the Bears began to cut into the lead, with buckets from May and Cohen limiting the deficit to 13. Still, WashU
RACHEL BENITEZ-BORREGO | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Graduate student Kyle Beedon drives to the basket in a game against Eureka College on Nov. 14. was never able to overcome Chicago’s dominant offense. As a team, WashU shot just 34% from the field and 27% from three, although they did shoot an impressive 92% from the free-throw line. The Bears outrebounded their opponents, 43-32, but that was not enough to come away with a win on the road. Alongside Oliff, Przybilla
had 12 points and first-year guard Theo Rocca scored 11 with four rebounds. May came just short of a doubledouble, with 10 points and 8 boards. WashU men’s basketball is back on the road next weekend with a pair of games at Carnegie Mellon University and Case Western Reserve University on Jan.
16 and 18, respectively. The Tartans recently defeated the Spartans 87-69 in the first conference game for each team. These upcoming games are important both for the Bears’ UAA standings and to allow them to bounce back and pick up wins. WashU’s ambitions are high, yet they have a very difficult UAA schedule, facing No.
3 Emory University twice, along with a rematch against the Maroons for their final game of the regular season. “Whether we are coming off of a win or loss, our process stays the same,” Oliff said. “We talk about how much better we can be every day than the day before and make incremental improvements to succeed.”
drink. dine. play.
WEEKLY BAR, RESTAURANT AND FUN GUIDE
BREAKFAST + LUNCH! DINE IN CARRY OUT & DELIVERY
6170 Delmar Blvd.