Maroon

              The Maroon ESTABLISHED 1923 VOL. 76 NO. 11 FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1997 Loyola University New Orleans UBC sets 2 percent tuition cap By CHRISTINE ALBERT Contributing writer The steadily increasing cost of a college education remains a large concern for current and incoming college students. The University Budget Committee is currently addressing this issue. The committee aims to reduce the uncertainty of tuition increases for Loyola students, proposing that tuition increases correlate with the rate of inflation plus a maximum two percent increase above that per year. During the past seven years, tuition has increased by as much as 11 percent in 1990 and 1991 and as little as 4 percent in 1992 and 1993 per year. The 2 percent tuition increase cap should keep Loyola competitive with other schools while allowing some flexibility, according to Kevin Casey, Student Government Association president. As the student representative on the ÜBC subcommittee that prepared the idea, Casey said he is a strong advocate for it "I feel this is a very powerful attempt, if not an end all answer, that shows the school is looking at students' concerns," he said. Members of SGA unanimously passed a resolution offering full support to the 2 percent cap at their Nov. 1996 meeting. "The Student Government Association, by passing this resolution, is dedicated to this, and the administration is working for the same thing," Casey said. TUition increases may be one of the key factors affecting Loyola's low retention rate, Casey said. The fluctuation of tuition from year to year makes planning finances for college difficult. "The financial obligations of students today is very different from those of students Jesuit schools may face identity crisis By ROSE FRENCH Copy Editor In the pursuit of academic freedom and national recognition, Loyola University may have to take the pathway leading toward secularization — a pathway becoming more frequently trodden upon by other Jesuit mainstays like Georgetown University and Loyola University Chicago. In this race to the top, some traditional, sacred Jesuit ideals, such as service to the community and following the basic teachings of Christ, and the identity of the university itself may be at stake. Indeed, most Catholic universities still seek certain moral principles and struggle to  progress in a society which, in many ways, is quite "un-Catholic." The path toward secularization and the ideological conflict between methodologies and belief systems often remains unavoidable in attempting to unite Jesuit values and and the pursuit of knowledge. It is a struggle which has not gone unnoticed among academics and critics alike. Along with this alleged erosion in today's Catholic liberal arts universities emerges a flaw some Catholic institutions are guilty of, according to the Rev. Raymond Schroth, S.J., former Loyola communications professor and current Fordam University assistant dean. Jesuit universities, in the attempt to gain national recognition, continue to place less emphasis on the academic aspect of university life and instead treat it as a business devoid of the values a liberal arts institution of any denomination should hold dear, according to some Jesuit academics. By SARAH BARNETT Grace Mineo-Marinello, 3, plays the xylophone (left) while William Whitlock, 3, pounds a bongo drum, at the Little Folks Company music class. See story, Pg. 3 Missing personnel create problems in Information Technology By PIERCE PRESLEY Assistant Sports Editor Installation of a new computer network can prove a bumpy road for some, a smooth ride for others. Information Technology's service division found itself undermanned due to a combination of maternity leave and greener pastures. Paula Ruiz-Saurage, manager of user services for IT, gave birth last month and will not return until after Thanksgiving. To make matters worse, her replacement accepted another job before reporting to work for IT, leaving a huge gap in its already shortstaffed client services division. The missing personnel contributed to a lack of available network support for Loyola faculty. "I just And it frustrating when other universities seem to be sailing along... we've got these continual problems," said Larry Lorenz, communications professor. Retention numbers improve By MICHAEL GIUSTI News Editor Although Loyola's retention improved 4 percent last year, it fell short of the administration's goal. The Rev. Bernard Knoth, S.J., university president, said that while the improvement is good, he would like to see that rate increase. "I would like to see us have a 90 percent retention rate ... with time, that is achievable," he said. Loyola retained 83 percent of undergraduate students last year with 1,725 students out of the 2,533 returning and 442 graduating. Two years ago, the retention rate was 78 percent, meaning 2,708 students enrolled with 1,802 returning and 412 graduating. Student retention is calculated by tracking individuals from year to year. If a student comes back to the university, he or she is counted as being retained. Enrollment differs from retention. Enrollment is merely a head count of enrolled students. This number includes transfer students. Loyola's enrollment rate for freshmen from spring 1996 to fall 1997 was 93 percent. The year before that, the freshman class reduced in size by 82 percent. David Danahar, vice president for Student Affairs, said the increase in retention could be attributed to many things. The Law School has seen a decrease in enrollment despite the increase in retention and enrollment throughout the university. Danahar said the decrease in the enrollment of the law school can be accounted for because fewer students are applying to law school across the nation. "(There has been] a decrease in enrollment in the law schools; that's a national phenomenon. That doesn't mean the school is going down," he said. He said competition for law schools goes in cycles and the reduced demand is not unusual and the enrollment is not a problem. "I think the law ... is where it ought to be," he said. See STUDENT, Pg. 4 See CAP, Pg. 5 See FUTURE, Pg. 5 See NETWORK, Pg. 3 Getting Physical Professor inspired by World War II atomic bombings. Pg-4_ gfgf Who's who at Information Technology: William Cahill — assistant provost for information technology — responsible for coordinating all aspects of computers and telecommunications. Kan Baaalay — director of client services — in charge of dealing with faculty, staff and students' questions and needs. Kay Poole — director of programming services — creates any applications faculty need for classes or research. Joseph Locaaclo — director of system services — oversees the servers that make e-mail and the World Wide Web available. Allan Bparka — director of instructional services — creates and delivers classes about all aspects of computers and networking. Source: Kevin Klein, manager of Web services. fgfgf