Maroon

              The Maroon ESTABLISHED 1923 V0L.77 NO. 13 Loyola University New Orleans FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 1999 Seat Scramble Some students left flailing in wake of five-year trough By ROBERT TREADWAY Editorial Editor Angela Lauve flipped through her spring 1999 course booklet in frustration. The communications freshman frantically tucked the phone between her ear and her shoulder. "There's no other courses I want to take and I have to find something to take before LSTAR closes. It's like there's no good courses that are still open," she said. Lauve has reason to feel that there were fewer choices to be made concerning her courses this semester. According to information from the registrar's office, this semester the university has offered the fewest courses in five yews. Loyola offers 834 classes this spring, down from 899 last semester — a decrease of more than 7 percent. The College of Arts and Sciences suffered the greatest loss, dropping from 547 sections last semester to 469. The departments of English, chemistry, communications, mathematics and visual arts posted the lowest number of offered courses in the past five years this semester. Reasons for the decrease stem mainly from the lack of professors. In the English department, the loss of three faculty members, two to the voluntary retirement plan, meant a decrease from 55 classes offered last spring to 47 this spring. "We lost three faculty members last April, and it takes some time to search for qualified professors," Mary McCay, English chairwoman, said. McCay said her staff knew they would be in a bind in April and dealt with the problem by adjusting schedules and faculty to cover the courses. McCay also said the department dramatically limited its sections of common curriculum courses, since few students needed to take sections of 100 and 122. "This is not a complaint. We are just in a period of transition. Although we would be able to offer nine more courses if we had three more professors," McCay said. The number of faculty members is not the only cause for the lower selection. Other departments said that the voluntary severance plan and/or the loss of faculty did not affect their course offerings. According to Kurt Birdwhistell, chemistry department chairman, a reorganization in curriculum accounts for the smaller course offering. The department has combined some classes, thus reducing the number of courses needed. "We totally revamped the department, so the history will look quite different than our current arrangement. It would be like comparing apples to oranges," Birdwhistell said. Both English and chemistry departments report that almost all courses are filled to capacity. "The one common curriculum course we offer has been requested a lot by students, so we have let enrollment float up," Birdwhistell said. Course enrollment has exceeded capacity in other departments. Ed Renwick, political science associate professor and director of the Institute of Politics, said that some of his classes have doubled in size, adding to his class workload. "I usually give essay tests. It (higher class enrollment) adds to the number of essays I have to read and they take longer to grade," Renwick said. NO WAY IN The total number of courses offered this semester dropped significantly due to a decrease in offerings from the college of Arts and Sciences. Other colleges offered roughly the same number of courses as in past semesters. Source: Registrar's Office The science, English and visual arts departments have less than half the five-year average of spring semester offerings. STAFF GRAPHIC BY PIERCE PRESLEY i Vatican plan risks fed funds By ELIZABETH KEENAN Assistant Copy Editor Catholic universities — including Loyola — may soon find themselves facing new controls from the bishops of their diocese. The National Council of Bishops discussed a proposal from the Vatican, Ex Corde Ecclesiae, at its November 1998 meeting, though it has not yet voted on the measure. This draft of ECE calls for a juridical implementation of Roman Catholic canon law, according to a memo from the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities. Ex Corde Ecclesiae holds that a majority of the board of trustees of a Catholic university should be to be faithful Catholics. In addition, it includes the requirement that universities recruit and hire faithful Catholics as professors so that "those committed to the witness of the faith will constitute a majority of the faculty." All teachers of theology would be required to have a mandate proving their qualification to teach Catholicism. This proposal, if accepted in its present form, could affect Catholic universities in areas of federal funding, hiring, sale and acquisition of land, separation of church and state and nondiscrimination issues, said the Rev. Bernard Knoth, S.J., university president. "The loss of funding would be a real Barnett to leave Loyola for job in South Dakota By BRANDY McKNIGHT Staff writer Tim Barnett, director of the Danna Center for the past six and a half years, recently turned in his resignation, effective Feb. 19. An offer of vice presidency at Northwestern University of South Dakota's department of Student Activities sparked Bamett's decision to leave. Loyola does not plan to replace Barnett immediately. "They'll do a national search over the summer," Barnett said. According to James Eiseman, vice president of Student Affairs, the university has already formed a committee to conduct the search. The committee consists of Eiseman; Vicki McNeil, associate vice president of Student Affairs; Nan Davis, part-time instructor of Rec Plex Programs; Robert Reed, director of Residential Life; and the Rev. Clyde Leßlanc, S J., director of the Mission Identity Office. The committee will place an advertisement and job description in The Chronicles of Higher Education and conduct interviews with potential new directors throughout the spring and summer. Eiseman said he feels the position has a great effect on students and invites their involvement in the selection process. "I've talked with some students who are to meet with the candidates and give me input," Eiseman said. Until next fall, when the new director is expected to be in place, the Student Affairs staff will pool to run the Danna Center. "The primary responsibility is oversight of the university in general. I work directly with the food service contractor, the bookstore, and mall vendors. I also write all of the contracts related to the Danna Center," Bamett said. The position also has an indirect impact See COURSES, Pg. 4 See BISHOPS, Pg. 3 See HARNETT, Pg. 5 MMjgl f | NEWS (f; m(fP",2 SPORTS LIFE & TIMES ® Bobet retiled repairing A Men finally break 23- Tea rituals infuse Pf]ood damage game losing streak. |L d* t campus culture. L_ Page 5 ' -.tP Page 6 | Page 11 "For a Greater Loyola." THE RITE WAYS  Vatican Plan Loyola Now BOARD QP Majority Catholics No requirements PRESIDENT Should be Catholic Must be Jesuit FACULTY Recruit Catholics No requirements THEOLOGIANS Need bishop's OK OK not required Source: Vatican, Loyola University BuWten STAFF GRAPHIC BY TOMMY SANTORA ghgh