The independent newspaper of Washington University in St. Louis since 1878 THURSDAY, OCT 20, 2022
VOLUME 144, NO. 7
WWW.STUDLIFE.COM
HAUNTED HOUSE
CAPTION CONTEST
All Student Theater presents a haunted house for the spooky season. (Scene, pg 3)
Submit a caption for this week’s caption contest (Forum, pg 6)
FOOTBALL STILL UNDEFEATED
The Bears have outscored opponents 315-93 this season. (Sports, pg 8)
WILD canceled due to capacity issues AVI HOLZMAN, LILY TAYLOR, ZACH TRABITZ, JULIA ROBBINS CONTRIBUTING WRITERS AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
CAPACITY OF ATTENDEES The University’s semiannual concert, Walk In Lay Down (WILD), was canceled this semester following concerns over student safety at the event and the administration’s inability to find a solution for a late-in-the-game attendee capacity restriction from the University’s Emergency Management (EM) department. Administrators received word on Sept. 30 from EM that, based on newly received guidelines from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the capacity for Brookings Quad could not exceed 3,500 people for the event. WILD has not previously had an attendee cap. Three days later, on Oct. 3, Campus Life administrators informed SPB of this new capacity limit. According to administrators, WILD planners were unable to find a ticketing solution that would guarantee that only 3,500 people could gain entrance to Brookings Quad, largely due to how late in the planning process the EM department gave Campus Life notice of the NFPA guidelines. SPB wrote in an email sent out by their President Miri Goodman that administrators told SPB that the limit on concertgoers was 3,000, and Goodman then negotiated that number up to 3,500, which was EM’s original cap based on NFPA guidelines. The 3,500 cap falls short of the 7,800 undergraduate population, which SPB and administrators both expressed a desire to be able to fully serve at WILD concerts. Between the time SPB received the order of a 3,500-person limit and the public announcement of WILD’s cancellation, SPB and administration met multiple times to explore solutions that would allow the concert to take place. “They came to us and said ‘we want you to try to [create] a ticketing system,’” Goodman said. SPB countered by telling administrators, “This is your rule, you’re the paid professionals, can you please [set up a] ticketing system — it was not within our scope.” With that, Coordinator for Programming and Marketing at Campus Life Jasmine James set out to find a ticketing system that would control crowds. “To be honest, we were a bit too close to the date of the show to implement something that would allow us to make sure that only
the email three times throughout the week leading up to it being sent and had opportunities to request changes to its content. Wild added that the administration made edits to the statement based on feedback from SPB. “We had no intention of putting any blame on SPB, ever.” SPB’s email also asserted “[Goodman] was forbidden from disclosing this information [about WILD getting canceled] to anyone else, until an official statement was released” when she found out on Oct. 10th that the event was canceled, two days before Wild and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Dr. Anna Gonzales made the announcement to members of SPB. When asked if the administration had told Goodman she was not allowed to tell people about the cancellation, Hermes said “That was PHOTO BY ALICE GOTTESMAN | STUDENT LIFE not my understanding of how that conversation went.” This is the fifth of the past six WILD concerts to be cancelled, after four were cancelled due to the pandemic. SPB also wrote in their email WashU students were in the quad, proposed, but Assistant Director looking to increase student safety that “There was never any explanaand that the tickets couldn’t be for Campus Life Peggy Hermes said without limiting how many people tion provided for why the capacity replicated — that was a really big that there were too many logistical could attend the concert. was limited to 3,500 persons, yet we barrier,” she said. “We found one issues to solve in time for this semes“The advising staff from Cam- have had approximately 50 years of pus Life had worked out what we WILDs with more than that limit of system, but it wasn’t secure enough. ter’s WILD. I think if we had a bit more time we “We probably are going to have believed were two good solutions to attendees.” could’ve gone that way.” to [use Mudd Field] for the Spring,” safety related to the crowd,” Wild Along with NFPA’s guideThe University and SPB stressed Wild said. said. “The ideas were a proposed lines, Wild said that out of the that WILD has historically been Additionally, the planners dis- redesign of the stage into a T-shape 40-50 WILDs he’s been to, last accessible to every undergraduate cussed moving the event to Nov. 11, and increased security presence to Spring’s concert was the most heavstudent, so limiting the number of but the chosen artist Swae Lee was decrease crowd crushing issues, ily attended, which created “pretty attendees raised concerns about not available for that day. especially near the stage.” significant safety concerns with the equity and inclusivity. Before receiving the 3,500 capac- front of the stage area.” CROWDING DILEMMA ity limit notice, Wild said they Freshman Cole Bernstein said He said that “multiple people had PRE-CAPACITY WILD is advertised as one of the moved ahead with both of those to be pulled out for getting crushed University’s main school-wide solutions “in a way that I think was … [and there were] some people CONSTRAINT events, and that limiting attenvery productive and that all of us felt who required some minor medical dance would defeat the point of the Before news of the 3,500 person fairly comfortable with.” attention on site as a result.” concert. cap, SPB and administrators were Additionally, student leaders DISCOURSE included in their SPB email that “I remember when WashU was already faced with mitigating issues sending all their promotional stuff surrounding overcrowding after a “Jasmine James and Peggy Hermes SURROUNDING to get us to apply, one of the big record-breaking attendance at the [told Goodman on Oct. 10] that EMAILS WILD was officially canceled for things was the ‘every semester con- previous concert. cert,’” Bernstein said. “WILD was Last semester’s WILD boasted Campus Life released their state- reasons of ‘student safety.’ Truthan attendance of over 5,000 stu- ment regarding the cancellation fully, it was due to the fact that the seemingly an inclusive thing.” Dean of Students Rob Wild dents, resulting in overcrowding of WILD via an Instagram post administration could not come up said that SPB was unwilling to help inside Brookings Quad where on Oct. 14. SPB sent out an email with solutions for their requirewith figuring out a ticketing system WILD has been held since its incep- responding to the cancellation of ments for the event.” because they did not want to limit tion in 1978. WILD and how they felt the adminThe only requirement that the capacity of an event that is supFollowing the event, Wild, along istration had handled the event on administrators told Student Life they were unable to solve was the posed to be open for all students. with other administrators and Oct. 16. “The fact that we didn’t have a WUPD, met at a standing WashU SPB’s email heavily criticized capacity limit that Emergency Mangood ticket system is relevant,” Wild Cares meeting on May 2. Wild and both how the University han- agement told them about on Sept. said. “But the bigger issue is that the several others, including last year’s dled their communication with 30. students that we were working with Interim Police Chief, stayed behind the student body surrounding the All parties expressed hope for were not interested in the tickets.” to discuss WILD-specific safety cancellation of WILD, and their the success of spring WILD. Goodman said that she would concerns. communication with SPB throughDespite the cancellation of fall have supported holding the event WILD, Goodman said she hopes “We had a very high-level dis- out the planning process. even “If [ticketing] was the only cussion about some of the things In their email to the student that the rollover of funds from the option.” However, she added that that we would need to have in place body, SPB said that “[We] asked event will help SPB bring in an even the “rudimentary” system that as we move towards fall WILD,” [the administration] to cut out cer- more in demand artist for WILD administration was forming didn’t Wild said. “That's where Jasmine tain paragraphs [in their email] due next semester. allow for the transfer or denial of and the team started work in the to their misleading natures, they did “I'm committed to trying to help tickets, and that there was no way summer about some of those safety not.” SPB … provide great opportunito re-allocate forfeited tickets. measures.” SPB confirmed with adminis- ties for WILD and other activities,” SPB and administrators also Administrators attempted to trators that they did not want to Gonzales said. “My hope [for] stuexplored alternative locations come up with solutions for over- sign on to Campus Life’s joint state- dents is that we're going to have a as possible options for WILD to crowding prior to the cap put on ment about WILD’s cancellation, WILD in the spring.” still take place. Mudd Field was attendance. At this point, they were although Hermes said that SPB saw
Expungement policy altered after student opposition ALIANA MEDIRATTA CONTRIBUTING WRITER Administrators altered the Washington University expungement policy to no longer allow students with interpersonal violence violations on their record to submit appeals for expungement on Oct. 11, after vocal opposition from numerous student groups. On Sept. 8, Student Life published an article overviewing the University’s expungement policy, noting that students who were found to be in violation of sexual assault, stalking, and physical abuse were eligible to have those offenses
expunged from their permanant record. When the expungement policy was initially instated in fall 2021, it allowed students to submit appeals to remove student conduct violations from their permanent record, with the exception of academic integrity violations, which students are still unable to contest. Four specific offenses were initially eligible to be expunged five years post-graduation; physical abuse or the threat of abuse, interpersonal violence, sexual assault or rape, and a range of drug offenses. Now, with updated changes, only drug offenses are eligible to
be expunged five years after a student graduates, with the three other categories of violation not allowing student appeals. Dean of Students Rob Wild said he believed many students were not aware of the expungement policy until the article came out. “That caused us to have a number of discussions with lots of different people,” Wild said. “People who would be eligible for expungement, people who are faculty, people who are administrators, students, and we listen to feedback.” The decision to change the policy was made by the Student Affairs leadership team, which
includes Wild; Nicole Gore, Associate Dean for Student Conduct and Community Standards; and Anna Gonzalez, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs. On October 3, MeToo WashU, a group that centers survivors of sexual violence, took to Instagram to voice the organization’s opposition to the policy. Its post emphasized the importance of giving survivors power and agency, and included a focus on restorative justice and the dangers of what the group referred to as a “sexual violence epidemic.” The statement read, “We’re demanding an end to expungements of interpersonal violence
CONTACT BY POST
CONTACT BY EMAIL
CONTACT BY PHONE
ONE BROOKINGS DRIVE #1039 #320 DANFORTH UNIVERSITY CENTER ST. LOUIS, MO 63130-4899
EDITOR@STUDLIFE.COM NEWS@STUDLIFE.COM CALENDAR@STUDLIFE.COM
NEWSROOM 314.935.5995 ADVERTISING 314.935.4240 FAX 314.935.5938
[and] restorative justice options and increased investment to support survivors.” The MeToo WashU page also linked to a petition for University
Read the rest!