Maroon

              •FINAL FALL SEMESTER ISSUE* THE LOYOLA MAROON Dec. 3/1993* • Loyola University New Orleans, LA 70118* Vol. 72 No. 12 • Fire ruins computer room By Chris Bonura and Amy Arpan Staff writers Biever Hall damage may cost thousands A fire that broke out intheßiever Hall computer lab Nov. 27 caused thousands of dollars in damage. The fire, which occured at about 3:30 a.m., caused between $2000 to $4000 in damage to the room alone, said Robert Reed, director of Residential Life. The damage to the computer equipment in the room—four Macintosh computers and one laser printer— has not yet been assessed. The equipment was sent to the Micro Center to see what could be salvaged. Someone pulled the fire alarm at about the same time that Public Safety dispatchers reported the fire. Public Safety Investigator Roger Pinac said. Public Safety sent out three officers to extinguish the fire and called the New Orleans Fire Department. According to Jeff Brown, psychology senior, and one of the RAs on duty during the fire, even though most of the residents were gone for the Thanksgiving holiday, the RAs had to make sure that every room was vacated. "They (the Public Safety officers) couldn't get the door open, and the flames were coming out from under the door," Pinac said. "So they were shooting the fire extinguisher under the door." The New Orleans Fire Department arrived, broke through the door and helped extinguish the fire. They used fire extinguishers instead of waterhoses to prevent more damage and protect against harmful fumes. "One of the most dangerous things in a fire is the smoke," Pinac said. "It's not that you are going to get burned right away by the smoke....Given the wide range of materials that are used in construction, as far as synthetics, you have no idea what is released in the air." According to Pinac, the fire originated in a waste basket. Its cause is unknown and currendy being investigated. "We haven't been able to discover if it was an arson or not," Pinac said, and added that he wasn't sure if the fire was started by a cigarette. Investigators have not yet found a cigarette among the burned trash, he said. Pinac said that investigators will examine key card records to try to Find out who started the fire. He added, however, that these records are often misleading because students prop the door open. According to Reed, the lab may not be fixed until next semester. Until then, Biever residents can use the Buddig lab. Reed said that Biever residents who want to use the Buddig lab need to leave their student identification at the Buddig desk and pick up an access card for the computer lab. "One of the most dangerous things In a fire Is the smoke...you have no Idea what Is released In the air." —Roger Pinac, Public Safety Investigator No entry—The Blever Hall computer room will remain closed through this semester. A Are swept through the room on Nov. 27. /Photo by John C. Vandover Morial and Copelin enter race By Ryan Rflette Copy Editor By Peter Relchard Assistant Copy Editor THE MAYOR'S RACE Nine-month-old Shane Copelin began to wiggle and cry toward the end of his first haircut "Aw, and I been braggin' that my little man wouldn't cry," State Rep. Sherman Copelin said, reaching out to his chubby-cheeked son from his adjacent chair in a 9th Ward barber's shop. Copelin took his youngest son onto his lap so his barber could finish the last few snips behind his ears. But no sooner had he sat down than his beeper went off for the third time in 10 minutes. He had to put his son back on his mother's lap. Fun must be put aside for business. After all, he's in the middle of a mayoral race. Listed as the second most influential person in Louisiana by New Orleans Magazine, Speaker Pro Tempore Copelin has been considering a run for mayor since 1990. But Copelin was one of the last three State Senator Marc Morial, son of the late Mayor Ernest "Dutch" Morial, New Orleans's first black mayor, is looking to sit behind the desk in City Hall that was once his father's. But he doesn't have a dream for New Orleans. "Not a dream, but a vision," Morial, 36, said in an interview two weeks ago. "It's more of a vision than a dream because a vision is something that you can see and work towards. You know, my vision, succinctly put, is a vision of safe streets, paved streets and streets which lead to jobs." Morial said his vision includes a jazz history museum for the city, apprenticeship programs that would employ the help of high schools and universities, competition with cities like Houston in biomedical research, an "intergovernmental cabinet" that would include representatives from independent government agencies and a light rail system throughout the city. Shenun Copelin These articles are the last two in a series of profiles that have run every week on different candidates in the New Orleans mayoral race. Marc Mortal RA victim of racial slurs By Chris Bonura News Editor Robert Reed, director of Residential Life, is holding an investigation to try to determine who wrote racial epithets on the door of a resident assistant. William Frazier, biology/ pre-med junior, noticed the vandalism over the weekend when he walked out of his room on the second floor of Biever. Frazier said that "nigger go home" and "KKK" were some of the graffiti written on his door. After Senior Resident Assistant Pat Mooney, political science junior, wrote up an incident report Frazier washed the graffiti off his door. Reed said that whoever vandalized Frazier's door violated Loyola's bias-related behavior policy. The policy states that "any person who displays actions which could be construed by a reasonable person to manifest bias-related behavior, shall be subject to disciplinary action."Thepolicy See Copelln, pg. 3 See Morial , pg. 3 See Slurs, pg. 3 Irs sid p This Week SHORTCHANGED? Money set aside for women's sports has been spentdifferently than originally proposed by a student referendum. Pg. 3 PACK PULLS TWO WEEKEND WINS The basketball team has improved their record to 2-4, with two weekend wins against Emory University and the University of Dallas. Pg. 7 A BAYOU CHRISTMAS A drive or stroll through City parte stirs holiday spirits for all ages. Pg. 11 The Maroon will not publish next week due to the Christmas holiday. Publication will resume In the Spring semester.