Maroon

              The Maroon "For a Greater Loyola." ESTABLISHED 1923 FRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 1998 V0L.76 NO. 14 Loyola University New Orleans The Lindy Boggs National Center for Community Literacy began as a vision for Loyola to reach out to the community. Now with a $10 million federal grant, that vision is about to become a reality. By MICHAEL GIUSTI News Editor Loyola is about to join Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania as one of three universities in the country to house literacy centers. The Lindy Boggs National Center for Community Literacy will be built on the second floor of the J. Edgar and Louise S. Monroe Memorial Library. It will act as a centralized resource center and will support community-wide efforts toward literacy. "The center would try to support literacy enhancement efforts, to nurture it and promote it," said Lydia Voigt, assistant provost. According to Voigt, the thing that sets Loyola's program apart from the other two is its emphasis on the urban communities. A SIO million federal Housing and Urban Development grant will help pay for the Boggs Center. Of the $10 million, S7.S million will go to the construction of the center and the new library. The other $2.5 million will go to operating costs and will be paid over a threeor four-year period, Voigt said. Mary Lee Sweat, dean of libraries, said it is important to remember the literacy center is not limited to the office space allocated to it. The entire library's resources will be Miller Hall Offices for the new literacy center will be located in the southwest wing of the library. First phase of lab renovation to be completed by March By LARRY GRAHAM Staff writer Since the beginning of the fall semester, students have been plagued with the sounds of construction in Monroe Hall. The chemistry department is renovating its first-floor labs to modernize the outdated facilities. But soon, the noise may come to an end. Though the construction began in September, plans for the new chemistry lab have been in the works since 1995. With the new labs, the department is hoping to put Loyola on the map of technology. "The labs will be a lot safer than in the past," said Kurt Birdwhistell, chemistry professor and chairman. The student labs were built in the 1970s and were suffering from numerous leaks and decay, Birdwhistell said. "We've brought them up to the standards of the day, and they'll provide us with state-of-the-art teaching facilities." Though the renovations are providing extra safety and technology for students, the construction has been a constant pain for instructors stuck teaching near the lab. Last semester, Mary Sue Morrow, music professor, had to move her music classes from Monroe to the Communications/ Music Complex because of the noise. The renovations are only the first phase in a two-phase lab rebuilding process. Phase one is expected to be completed between the end of February and early March. Phase-one construction projects include a new organic chemistry lab and the Keck Instrument Lab. The organic lab will allow students to create new compounds. New fume hoods will help ventilate the "bad" Staff photo by SARAH BARNETT A worker in Monroe Hall installs Sheetrock during the first phase of the renovations to the chemistry labs. The renovations are expected to be completed by early March. Wee to fill position of bio chair By JACKIE WILNEFF Assistant News Editor James Wee, biology professor, has been elected lo fill the long vacant biology chair. Loyola had been without an official biology chair for two and a half years before Wee's appointment. The department had decided to appoint Wee last fall but was unsure when he would be available to fill the position. "The people in the department took a long time to decide because Professor Wee was obviously the right choice, but he didn't want to accept the chair because he was doing a multiple-year research project funded by the National Science Foundation," said Robert Rowland, dean of Arts and Sciences and former interim biology chairman. Wee said he didn't think he would be able to balance the chair position and his research project. His grant ends at the end of this month, and he is now wrapping up his research project. Wee attended Central Michigan University and graduate school at lowa State University. He is in his tenth year of lOth year of teaching at Loyola. He also has taught at Loyola University Chicago, Michigan State University, Lansing Community College and lowa State University. Early in the fall, at the end of freshman registration, Wee decided to accept the chair after he finished his grant work. He developed a document to modify departmental protocol. He then showed the other faculty members the document to garner support for the protocol changes. There is now a term limit on the chairman's position, and a change of protocol may change the length of the chairman's term. The department should be announcing the new limits this spring. 44 Biology is a very strong faculty with a lot of very good teachers and scholars. We are very committed to our mission at Loyola. We're on our way to overcoming any problems that we have. *5 — James Wee See BOGGS, Pg 5 See LAB, Pg. 5 See CHAIR, Pg 3 hghghgh FAQS WHO ELSE HAS A CENTER? Only Harvard Universiy and the Universiy o» Permsytania haw simitar programs. WHO WILL IT HELP? Local institutions specializing in literacy education ghghghg WHAT IS fTS PURPOSE? To help other programs develop ieracy education campaigns. WHO WILL WORK THERE? A director and support staff wigurie student volunteers. , LIFE & T^"^ES