Alumni Weekend planned for April 19-21

Alumni celebrating their 1st, 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, 25th, 30th, 35th or 45th reunion will be returning to campus April 19-21 for a weekend of activities that coincides with the university’s Thurtene Carnival. More than 2,000 alumni and guests are expected to attend.

Prestigious recognition from French government

Alumna Anna DiPalma Amelung, PhD, a facilitator in WUSTL’s Lifelong Learning Institute (LLI), was inducted as a Chevalier dans L’Ordre des Palmes Académiques (Knight in the Order of Academic Palms) for outstanding contributions to the development of French culture and language. Amelung received a medallion on behalf of the French government during a March 22 ceremony and reception at the West Campus Conference Center. Amelung earned a PhD in French from WUSTL in 1980.

Cynthia Brinkley shares her thoughts on climbing the corporate ladder for April 17 Assembly Series

Anyone with aspirations for climbing the corporate ladder knows that the best advice comes from the insiders at the top, and Cynthia Brinkley has occupied the top rungs at some of the largest and most established companies for more than a quarter-century. For the next Assembly Series program, tomorrow at 11 a.m. in Graham Chapel, Brinkley will share her experiences and insights.

Senate votes to limit STOCK Act’s web-based publication of employees’ financial information

On Thursday, April 11, the Senate voted to roll back the STOCK (Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge) Act, limiting the web-based publication of government employees’ personal financial information. This action comes in response to a federal court ruling that such publication violated employees’ right to privacy and a critical report by the National Academy of Public Administration. “The court recognized that the federal employees have a legitimate right to privacy regarding their personal financial information and ruled that the federal government failed to identify a compelling government interest that would justify posting that personal information on the internet,” says Kathleen Clark, JD, government ethics expert and professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis.

Filibuster abuse destabilizes government and is unconstitutional

Filibuster has become a popular tool for legislators. “Republicans have held the U.S. Senate hostage despite their minority status and losses in the last election,” says Merton Bernstein, emeritus professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis. “Indeed, the threat of a filibuster enables the minority to exact concessions that the electorate had already rejected in several elections. This sabotage of the democratic process not only shuts down the legislative process, short circuits the confirmation of presidential nominees, but also threatens large foreign purchases of U.S. bonds that lower interest rates for federal, state and business borrowing.”

Thirty-four ‘Green Offices’ earn certification

Two WUSTL offices earned gold-level certified in the first year of the Green Offices Program: the Institute for Public Health and Environmental Health & Safety. The program uses a points-based, self-assessment checklist so offices across the university can become sustainability champions. The plaques, made out of reclaimed lumber, embody the values of sustainability.