Maroon

              The Loyola Maroon Volume 71 No. 23 J Loyola University New Orleans, Louisiana 70118 April 23, 1993 Student injured near Freret Street bar By Rhonda Marie Jones Staff Writer Alleged attack may have been racism Eric Thomas, philosophy junior, is in Southem Baptist Hospital recuperating from numerous injuries after being allegedly assaulted early Saturday morning in what many speculate to be a "hate crime." The details and cause of the incident are still under investigation by the New Orleans Police Department. The police have not yet released a report of the incident. However, eye-witnesses of the evening's events gave the following account: Around 1:30 a.m. Saturday, Thomas and a group of his friends walked out of Waldo's bar on Freret Street. As they stood in the street wondering where to go next, four men in a Ford Bronco came from the bar's parking lot with the vehicle's headlights off and drove up to them. When the vehicle tried to pass, the passengers allegedly shouted, "Gel out of the way!" When they saw Thomas, the driver allegedly said, "Get out of the way, nigger." Thomas then walked up to the vehicle to ask the driver what he had said. When he approached the vehicle, the driver allegedly grabbed his arm and sped down Audubon Street, dragging Thomas about 150 feet. As they sped along, Thomas and the driver appeared to be fighting. Thomas's friends tried to chase the Bronco after their shock had subsided, but the driver dropped him after a couple of blocks. Somebody shouted to call an ambulance, and Jennifer Dyer, political science sophomore, ran back into the bar and asked the bartender to call FAn-Ustic— Stella Guillen, business senior, prepares for this weekend s perfomance of Don Quixote with the Loyola Ballet on Wednesday ./Photo by Bruce Hynuui, S.J. Gender-inclusive scripture: Language for the Masses? By Katherlne Howard Assistant Life and Times Editor WOMEN AND THE CHURCH After battling sexism in the work and social sectors, women are beginning to take strides in the Catholic Church, an area which has been a fighting ground for religion and society on  gender discrimination is- Lsues. Allowing women to enter the priesthood is only one issue facing the Catholic Church. They are now being called to recognize the movement to switch to a gender-inclusive language Mass. Loyola's Campus Ministry team has taken an active role in these changes, adding gender-inclusive Masses at Ignatius Chapel several times a week. The Rev. Joseph Currie, S.J., dean of Campus Ministry, sees aneed for it. "I'm very conscious of the fact that there are people who are aware that as women they have been oppressed and if we're trying to build a community, then we need to pay attention to that." In a lime when people are more conscious of women's rights and the J gifts women can contribute to the community, Currie believes that we arc living in "a time of heightened sensitivity." Some women parishioners have complained that Loyola Campus Ministry is going overboard, including Denise DeCristoforo, sociology sophomore. "A lot of women are petty with stuff like this. There is a lot more we could be concentrating on than whether or not a text says he, she, or it," she said. On the other hand, Roma Monlezun, associate campus minister, believes that only referring to the male gender in scripture, "gives an unconscious message to women that God, the allpowerful being, is male." She does not feel that this is something that can be ignored. "Once you become conscious of it, it's like a thorn in your side." Survey says minorities uncomfortable with racial relations at LU By Michelle Hudson Staff writer A racial sensitivity survey conducted in May 1990 indicates that despite Loyola's commitment to social justice, many minority students at Loyola still experience discrimination or racial tension. Silas Lee and Associates, a polling group, conducted the survey to determine the state of racial relations at the university. During the survey, which the group completed in February 1993, there were 505 participants with a numerical break down of 60 percent undergraduates, 19 percent faculty, 20 percent professional staff, 57 percent women, 43 percent men, 17 percent freshmen, 25 percent sophomores, 30 percent juniors and 28 percent seniors. The survey was not administered to City College nor to faculty, professional staff or students in the law school. When students were asked to describe the state of racial relations at Loyola, 38 percent reported good/fair ratings, 4 percent rated the condition as excellent and 14 percent described the condition as poor. While whites and Asians were more likely to rate relations as good, African-Americans and Hispanics gave the highest poor ratings, 25 percent and 32 percent, respectively. Owen Mossy, sociology freshman, said he does not believe racial tension is a serious problem on campus, but does admit that students do not socialize with other races than their own as much as they should. "You tend to hang out and meet people in a particular ethnic group," he said. The survey's questions were divided into three categories: those answered by all participants, those answered only by minorities, and those answered only by faculty and staff. The survey defined prejudice as "unreasonable feelings, opinions, or attitudes of a hostile nature regarding a racial, religious, or national group." It described racial discrimination as "actions or policies based on prejudice or partiality."The survey came about after the Educational and Research Project of the Office of Student Affairs set a goal to encourage the "appreciation for a diverse and culturally rich environment where students understand and appreciate racial and ethnic differences" at its annual planning retreat. See THOMAS, pg. 3 See SURVEY, pg. 4 See CHURCH, pg. 3 J." rngggigg: Is wolrpack baseball % QSS3SSI: Shufflin8 around with | SGAPresidencySeepaße2 playoff bound? See page 7 Fr.McNaspy Seepagel, ——-— — — I— SSSBS x-W: How participants described racial relations at Loyola: