Into the streets

Thirty freshmen in the School of Architecture's new Hewlett Program, "Community Building, Building Community," have taken to the streets to examine firsthand the complex interrelationships between St. Louis' inner city, nearby municipalities and outlying suburbs.

In walking tours, interviews with residents and visits with key St. Louis figures, the students have been wrestling with the role of architecture and what it means to be a neighborhood, a city, a community.

The freshmen have come face to face with abject poverty. They have spent the night in an inner-city housing development and, through a dramatic simulation, they have experienced the plight of those who lack the most basic human resources.

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Study shows addictions often overlap

Women are more likely than men to become addicted to caffeine and chocolate, whereas men are more likely to get hooked on alcohol, cigarettes, gambling, television and Internet use, according to a new study from the Department of Psychology in Arts & Sciences.

"Our analysis revealed a clear tendency among college students to become addicted to more than one common substance or activity," said David K. Dodd, Ph.D., co-author of the study and senior lecturer in psychology.

Titled "Overlapping Addictions and Self-Esteem Among College Men and Women," the study examines whether there is a tendency for individuals to have multiple, overlapping addictions to common substances and activities and whether patterns of addiction can be linked to self-esteem. Other co-authors were undergraduate psychology students Joshua L. Greenberg and Stephen E. Lewis, both of whom graduated from the University in 1998.

The study, published in the journal Addictive Behaviors, is based on surveys asking college students to rate their personal levels of addiction to common substances (alcohol, caffeine, chocolate and cigarettes) and activities (exercise, gambling, Internet use, television and video games).

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Community meeting

Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton has invited residents from the University's surrounding neighborhoods to a presentation and question-and-answer session Thursday, Nov. 4, in Steinberg Hall Auditorium. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. and will conclude no later than 7 p.m.

Wrighton will open the meeting with a "state of the University" talk, outlining important initiatives under way on the campus and ways that the University plans to enhance its mission of teaching, research and service. He also will explain the changes already taking shape.

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Football Bears best Chicago, claim UAA title

Washington University's football team has won University Athletic Association (UAA) co-championships before (1994, 1995 and 1996), but Saturday the team was in no mood to share.

The Bears captured their first outright UAA title in front of the home fans, defeating the University of Chicago 20-3 at Francis Field. The Bears improved to 7-2 with a third consecutive victory and recorded their first-ever 4-0 conference finish.

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