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BY AMANDA KEEFE Lifestyle Editor For the first time in St. Louis’ history, citizens will have the op- tion to vote on a county-wide smoking ban on Nov. 3. e ban would prohibit smoking in public places, though smoking would still be allowed in drink- ing establishments that earn three-fourths of their income through the sale of alcohol. If the county ban passes, a similar ban in the city intro- duced earlier this year will go into affect as well. e city ban would remove smoking in all restaurants and bars without exception. If passed, the county ban would not go into effect for another year. Councilmen voted Aug. 25 for the county ban, introduced by Councilwoman Barbara Fra- ser, to appear on the ballot this November. e smoking ban referendum passed with a vote of 4-3. “We’ve learned over the last 20 years how dangerous cigarette smoking is,” said Suzanne Mad- dox, a registered nurse at Web- ster University’s Student Health Services. “If we can pass laws to protect those people who don’t want to be exposed to (smok- ing), I think that’s right.” Although Maddox agrees with the ban, she doesn’t think it’s en- tirely fair. She believes the ban should cover all smoking estab- lishments and not just a select few. Bill Hannegan, founder of Keep St. Louis Free, an organiza- tion to protect St. Louis citizens’ rights, especially with smoking bans, has concerns with the ban invading property rights. “(My biggest concern) with the ban is our freedom of prop- erty rights being stripped,” Han- negan said. “Businesses have a right to allow a legal product to be used on their property as long as they can deal with present health effects and secondhand smoke.” Hannegan started Keep St. Louis Free in response to the county smoking ban proposed by former Councilman Kurt Od- enwald in February 2005. Since then, he has gone around the country to prevent smoking bans from going into affect in other cities and counties. “A smoking ban is a type of eminent domain,” he said. “Peo- ple are looking at bars and saying it would be better if there was no smoking. It’s not their business. ey don’t own it. Why should they be telling a bar owner how he should run his business?” BY MATT BLICKENSTAFF Managing Editor To many in the world, Sad- dam Hussein was a monstrous man, guilty of inflicting death and devastation to enemies and innocents alike. Master Sergeant Robert Ellis had a different per- spective as Hussien’s army nurse. During the eight months El- lis was charged with caring for America’s highest valued target, he formed an unlikely bond with Iraq’s brutal dictator and found parallels between his captor’s life and his own. Ellis and Hussein’s relation- ship is the subject of a new book, “Caring for Victor: A U.S. Army Nurse and Saddam Hussein.” El- lis and the book’s coauthor, Mari- anna Riley, spoke to a group of about 25 students in the Emerson Library Conference Room Oct. 12. “As we explored Robert’s com- plex relationship with Saddam Hussein, he uncovered more than one area of commonality he shared with a man that some called the ‘Butcher of Baghdad,’” Riley said. “Robert and Saddam grew up in hostile environments; Robert in the projects of St. Lou- is, and Saddam in a squalid vil- lage of thieves and thugs near Ti- krit. ey both grew up watching their backs at all times.” Ellis grew up in St. Louis in the infamous Pruitt-Igoe housing projects where he encountered bullies, gang violence and drugs. Ellis grew out of these chaotic roots and joined the military as a nurse. Near the end of his career, Ellis’ unit, the 439th Military Po- lice Battalion, was mobilized in response to detainee abuse at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison. “Our job was to go to Iraq and ensure all detainees received hu- mane treatment,” Ellis said. “All of them, and that included Sad- dam Hussein.” e army was short on medical personnel and Ellis was brought on to treat Hussein, codenamed “Victor” by the mili- tary. e night of their first meet- ing, Ellis was told to act confident and avoid displays of nervous- ness or fear because of Hussien’s ability to catch non-verbal cues. “When I saw Saddam for the first time we shook hands, I ad- ministered his evening medica- tions and that was it,” Ellis said. Twice a day, everyday, El- lis would check Hussein’s blood pressure and dole out medica- tion. His orders were to keep him alive and healthy, so he could be interrogated and, later, face the executioner. BY AMIR KURTOVIC News Editor Former Webster University President Richard Meyers’ pay and expenses, recently reported by e Journal, prompted meet- ings between the administration, faculty and staff to discuss bud- get issues and transparency. Five faculty members, one representing each school, met with Presi- dent Elizabeth Stroble, Mark Burkhart, chair of the Board of Trustees, and Ed Glotzbach, a for- mer trustee chair, on Oct. 8. e 90-minute meet- ing produced new information regarding issues raised by e Journal article, which focused on Meyers’ steep pay increases and unanswered ques- tions about his expenses. e faculty representatives at the meeting were John Aleshunas, associate professor in the math and computer science depart- ment; Glen Bauer, associate pro- fessor in the music department; Scott Jensen, a professor in the communications and journalism department; Ralph Olliges, asso- ciate professor in the multidisci- plinary studies department; and Gwyneth Williams, professor in the history, politics and interna- tional relations department. “We wanted to know two things,” said Olliges, the new Faculty Senate chair. “One, why the salary jumped so high in a relatively short period of time from year to year. And two, about the expense account and if there were any improprieties.” During the meeting, it was revealed that Meyers’ compensa- tion package included a possible bonus, up to 50 percent of his base salary, dependent on hitting certain goals such as growth in the number of students, growth in endowment, financial integ- rity and growth in the number of campuses, na- tionally and in- ternationally. “Dr. Mey- ers did have a base salary, as well as the abil- ity to make per- formance com- pensation, based upon goals and objectives,” said Mark Burkhart, chair of the Board of Trustees, in a phone interview with e Journal before the meeting with faculty. Burkhart added that the bo- nus could account for some of the pay increases reflected in the 990 tax documents, but was not certain. “at’s the part that really con- cerns a lot of the faculty,” Olliges said. “Does it make sense academi- cally to expand? If it does, then we should be doing that. If it doesn’t make sense to expand, then why are we doing that? To simply pro- vide someone a bonus?” In the past, faculty members have voiced concerns about too much global expansion and the possibility of depriving the home campus of needed improvements. e ultra-right has a new his- torical text to distort beyond recognition. Guess what it is. UPFRONT The News Source for Webster University October 15-28, 2009 Source: The National Weather Service OUTSIDE SUNDAY Mostly Sunny 62/45 SATURDAY Partly Sunny 52/39 Volume 63 • Issue 9 ONLINE NEWS INDEX RECYCLE THIS PAPER www.webujournal.com search: www.webujournal.com The See Meyers Page 2 Sports | 10 News | 3 Senior midfielder sets positive example for Webster Univer- sity’s women’s soccer team. Steiner in charge Webster Works Over 1,300 Webster students volunteer their time for Web- ster Works. — Check e Journal blog for coverage on Media Literacy Week. Opinion | 5 See Nurse Page 2 See Smoking Page 2 News 1 Editorial 4 Op/Ed 5 Lifestyle 6 Health 7 e Venue 8 Sports 10 THURSDAY Rain Likely 48/42 FRIDAY Cloudy 52/41 Journal Jesus W. Christ Follow e Journal on Twitter Meeting with faculty, administrators addressed questions about former president’s pay, expenses Presidential pay issue leads to talks Gay Rights March KENDRA HENRY / e Journal Protestors band together to march for gay rights during the National Equality March in Washington, D.C. Oct. 11. The march marks the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, which sparked the gay rights movement in New York City in 1969. See page 5 for more on this issue. U.S. army nurse reveals hidden side of Hussein Nursing a Dictator ROBERT WUJCIK / e Journal Master Sgt. Robert Ellis and Marianna Riley discuss their book Caring for Victor: A U.S. Army Nurse and Saddam Hus- sein in the Emerson Library Conference Room Monday Oct. 12. County citizens to vote on smoking ban MEYERS Smoking Ban First FallFest Carnival JOSH MAASSEN / e Journal A Nov. 3 vote will decide if smoking will be banned in St. Louis County. Cotton candy, games and a Ferris Wheel Lifestyle | 6

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MEYERS Jesus W. Christ www.webujournal.com search: www.webujournal.com SUNDAY Mostly Sunny 62/45 Opinion | 5 Volume 63 • Issue 9 News | 3 SATURDAY Partly Sunny 52/39 Sports | 10 THURSDAY Rain Likely 48/42 BY AMANDA KEEFE BY MATT BLICKENSTAFF BY AMIR KURTOVIC Lifestyle | 6 Over 1,300 Webster students volunteer their time for Web- ster Works. FRIDAY Cloudy 52/41 Cotton candy, games and a Ferris Wheel — Check The Journal blog for coverage on Media Literacy Week. See Meyers Page 2 News Editor

Transcript of Page 1- Front Page

BY AMANDA KEEFELifestyle Editor

For the first time in St. Louis’ history, citizens will have the op-tion to vote on a county-wide smoking ban on Nov. 3. The ban would prohibit smoking in public places, though smoking would still be allowed in drink-ing establishments that earn three-fourths of their income through the sale of alcohol. If the county ban passes, a similar ban in the city intro-duced earlier this year will go into affect as well. The city ban would remove smoking in all restaurants and bars without exception. If passed, the county ban would not go into effect for another year. Councilmen voted Aug. 25 for the county ban, introduced by Councilwoman Barbara Fra-ser, to appear on the ballot this November. The smoking ban referendum passed with a vote of 4-3. “We’ve learned over the last 20 years how dangerous cigarette smoking is,” said Suzanne Mad-dox, a registered nurse at Web-ster University’s Student Health Services. “If we can pass laws to protect those people who don’t want to be exposed to (smok-ing), I think that’s right.”

Although Maddox agrees with the ban, she doesn’t think it’s en-tirely fair. She believes the ban should cover all smoking estab-lishments and not just a select few. Bill Hannegan, founder of Keep St. Louis Free, an organiza-tion to protect St. Louis citizens’ rights, especially with smoking bans, has concerns with the ban invading property rights. “(My biggest concern) with the ban is our freedom of prop-erty rights being stripped,” Han-negan said. “Businesses have a right to allow a legal product to be used on their property as long as they can deal with present health effects and secondhand smoke.” Hannegan started Keep St. Louis Free in response to the county smoking ban proposed by former Councilman Kurt Od-enwald in February 2005. Since then, he has gone around the country to prevent smoking bans from going into affect in other cities and counties. “A smoking ban is a type of eminent domain,” he said. “Peo-ple are looking at bars and saying it would be better if there was no smoking. It’s not their business. They don’t own it. Why should they be telling a bar owner how he should run his business?”

BY MATT BLICKENSTAFFManaging Editor

To many in the world, Sad-dam Hussein was a monstrous man, guilty of inflicting death and devastation to enemies and innocents alike. Master Sergeant Robert Ellis had a different per-spective as Hussien’s army nurse. During the eight months El-lis was charged with caring for America’s highest valued target, he formed an unlikely bond with Iraq’s brutal dictator and found parallels between his captor’s life and his own. Ellis and Hussein’s relation-ship is the subject of a new book, “Caring for Victor: A U.S. Army Nurse and Saddam Hussein.” El-lis and the book’s coauthor, Mari-anna Riley, spoke to a group of about 25 students in the Emerson Library Conference Room Oct. 12.

“As we explored Robert’s com-plex relationship with Saddam Hussein, he uncovered more than one area of commonality he shared with a man that some called the ‘Butcher of Baghdad,’” Riley said. “Robert and Saddam grew up in hostile environments; Robert in the projects of St. Lou-is, and Saddam in a squalid vil-lage of thieves and thugs near Ti-krit. They both grew up watching their backs at all times.” Ellis grew up in St. Louis in the infamous Pruitt-Igoe housing projects where he encountered bullies, gang violence and drugs. Ellis grew out of these chaotic roots and joined the military as a nurse. Near the end of his career, Ellis’ unit, the 439th Military Po-lice Battalion, was mobilized in response to detainee abuse at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison. “Our job was to go to Iraq and ensure all detainees received hu-

mane treatment,” Ellis said. “All of them, and that included Sad-dam Hussein.” The army was short on medical personnel and Ellis was brought on to treat Hussein, codenamed “Victor” by the mili-tary. The night of their first meet-ing, Ellis was told to act confident and avoid displays of nervous-ness or fear because of Hussien’s ability to catch non-verbal cues. “When I saw Saddam for the first time we shook hands, I ad-ministered his evening medica-tions and that was it,” Ellis said. Twice a day, everyday, El-lis would check Hussein’s blood pressure and dole out medica-tion. His orders were to keep him alive and healthy, so he could be interrogated and, later, face the executioner.

BY AMIR KURTOVICNews Editor

Former Webster University President Richard Meyers’ pay and expenses, recently reported by The Journal, prompted meet-ings between the administration, faculty and staff to discuss bud-get issues and transparency. Five faculty members, one representing each school, met with Presi-dent Elizabeth Stroble, Mark Burkhart, chair of the Board of Trustees, and Ed Glotzbach, a for-mer trustee chair, on Oct. 8. The 90-minute meet-ing produced new information regarding issues raised by The Journal article, which focused on Meyers’ steep pay increases and unanswered ques-tions about his expenses. The faculty representatives at the meeting were John Aleshunas, associate professor in the math and computer science depart-ment; Glen Bauer, associate pro-fessor in the music department; Scott Jensen, a professor in the communications and journalism department; Ralph Olliges, asso-ciate professor in the multidisci-plinary studies department; and Gwyneth Williams, professor in the history, politics and interna-tional relations department. “We wanted to know two things,” said Olliges, the new Faculty Senate chair. “One, why the salary jumped so high in a relatively short period of time

from year to year. And two, about the expense account and if there were any improprieties.” During the meeting, it was revealed that Meyers’ compensa-tion package included a possible bonus, up to 50 percent of his base salary, dependent on hitting certain goals such as growth in the number of students, growth in endowment, financial integ-rity and growth in the number

of campuses, na-tionally and in-ternationally. “Dr. Mey-ers did have a base salary, as well as the abil-ity to make per-formance com-pensation, based upon goals and objectives,” said Mark Burkhart, chair of the Board of Trustees, in a phone interview with The Journal

before the meeting with faculty.

Burkhart added that the bo-nus could account for some of the pay increases reflected in the 990 tax documents, but was not certain. “That’s the part that really con-cerns a lot of the faculty,” Olliges said. “Does it make sense academi-cally to expand? If it does, then we should be doing that. If it doesn’t make sense to expand, then why are we doing that? To simply pro-vide someone a bonus?” In the past, faculty members have voiced concerns about too much global expansion and the possibility of depriving the home campus of needed improvements.

The ultra-right has a new his-torical text to distort beyond recognition. Guess what it is.

UPFRONT

The News Source for Webster University October 15-28, 2009

Source: The National Weather Service

OUTSIDE

SUNDAYMostly Sunny

62/45

SATURDAYPartly Sunny

52/39

Volume 63 • Issue 9

ONLINE NEWS

INDEX

RECYCLE THIS PAPER

www.webujournal.com

search:www.webujournal.com

The

See Meyers Page 2

Sports | 10

News | 3

Senior midfielder sets positive example for Webster Univer-sity’s women’s soccer team.

Steiner in charge

Webster WorksOver 1,300 Webster students volunteer their time for Web-ster Works.

— Check The Journal blog for coverage on Media Literacy Week.

Opinion | 5

See Nurse Page 2See Smoking Page 2

News 1 Editorial 4 Op/Ed 5 Lifestyle 6 Health 7The Venue 8Sports 10

THURSDAYRain Likely

48/42

FRIDAYCloudy52/41

Journal

Jesus W. Christ

Follow �e Journal on Twitter

Meeting with faculty, administrators addressed questions about former

president’s pay, expenses

Presidential pay issue leads to talks

Gay Rights March

KENDRA HENRY / The JournalProtestors band together to march for gay rights during the National Equality March in Washington, D.C. Oct. 11. The march marks the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, which sparked the gay rights movement in New York City in 1969. See page 5 for more on this issue.

U.S. army nurse revealshidden side of Hussein

Nursing a Dictator

ROBERT WUJCIK / The JournalMaster Sgt. Robert Ellis and Marianna Riley discuss their book Caring for Victor: A U.S. Army Nurse and Saddam Hus-sein in the Emerson Library Conference Room Monday Oct. 12.

County citizens to vote on smoking ban

MEYERS

Smoking Ban

First FallFest Carnival

JOSH MAASSEN / The JournalA Nov. 3 vote will decide if smoking will be banned in St. Louis County.

Cotton candy, games and a Ferris WheelLifestyle | 6