Maroon

              The Maroon  Loyola University New Orleans VOL. 79, NO. 04 rKILMY, Shi'l r.MBr.K I "D, zUOU I MAROON.LOYNO.EDU Scholars must move or pay up By Matt Walter Contributing writer At least seven Ignatian Scholars received bills from Loyola this fall for nearly twice as much as they paid in the spring. The Ignatian Scholarship, the highest academic award bestowed on an incoming freshman, covers the cost of housing and tuition for its recipients for four years. This year, several scholars found that their rooms are no longer fully covered. Due to an oversight by Loyola, the students had single rooms covered in their scholarships last semester. However, Debbie Stieffel, dean of admissions and enrollment management, said letters sent to scholars last year specifically told students that a double occupancy room would be covered by their scholarship — not a single room. "Several of the students moved into a private room. ... Not one of them came to me last year and said 'Ms. Stieffel, I've been over-rewarded,'" Stieffel said. Now scholarship recipients who want to live in the new hall in a single room have to pay the difference Switch brings mixed reviews By Traci Smith Staff writer A year has passed since 12 members of Loyola's custodial staff were given a choice: work for WFF Facility Services or find other employment. Five of the 12 chose to stay at Loyola despite decreased wages, no dental plan, less vacation time and no retirement package. Loyola has employed WFF under contract for almost 20 years. Before last year, the university maintained the Danna Center, Rec Plex and West Road Garage. WFF acquired a contract to clean the three buildings after the university decided last year to let WFF handle the entire university. Ann Tregle, assistant director of operations for Physical Plant, said they have been pleased with the quality of service WFF provides the university. The contract was renewed in August for another year. However, not everyone is pleased with WFF. Annette Jones, former janitorial employee of the Danna Center, is one of the workers who decided to stay at Loyola under the new employer and she has not forgotten the way she was treated during the transition. Although she was a Loyola employee for 21 years, WFF classified her as a first-year employee thereby nullifying the previous two decades she worked. "It was a slap in the face," Jones said. Besides losing her seniority, Jones also lost some bereavement and vacation pay. Her mother-in-law died July 3 and was buried July 4. Jones said the dau she took off to attend the funeral was classified as Some WFF employees are resentful about cuts in pay, benefits, retirement and vacation time an unpaid vacation day. "I wish I could have told my mother-in-law 'Don't die on Monday night because I don't get paid on Tuesday,'" she said. Jones said things have changed a lot since she first came to work for Loyola in 1979. "When Father Carter was here, things were a lot different. The employees were treated better," she said. Four WFF employees said there have been grumbling among employees for quite a while. They did not want to be identified for fear of losing their jobs. But not everyone said that WFF is treating them unfairly. Another former university employee, Janet Robinson, is working for WFF. She said she is still happy in her job despite the fact her employer has changed. At the time of the transfer, she said rumors circulated around the custodial staff that WFF was indifferent about who stayed and who left. But Loyola employees were officially told, according to Robinson, that they were welcome to come over and WFF was glad to have them. "I felt welcome and that is the way I still feel," she said. "I am glad I made the choice." But Robinson had only worked for Loyola for two years before WFF got the contract so she did not lose much seniority in the transfer. "I probably would feel the same way if I lost those years," Robinson said. However, she said losing the STAFF PHOTO BY PHILLIP PEARSON Mike Dixon, a Loyola custodial employee for 15 years, said that the changeover to WFF did not affect his job - it was mainly a change in management. He sees the WFF takeover as a Loyola effort to save money by subcontracting services. Meal plan pleases some, not everyone By Deirdre Duffey Staff writer Food may not entice all students, but chef says she cooks good grub After two years of restructuring, the meal plan offered by Loyola Dining Services seems to satisfy more students. According to Mark Atkinson, director of Loyola Dining Services, more sophomores than in past years signed up this semester. Atkinson said the meal plan system changed when results of a campus-wide survey in December 1998 found that Loyola students were not happy. The survey, conducted by Consumer Metrics, Inc., found that most students were not satisfied with the former meal plan, which included 9, 14 or 19 all-you-can-eat meals per week. He said that after assessing the survey and complaints, he realized that female students thought that they were unfairly charged for amounts of food that they were not eating. "The girls would complain that they would only want a muffin and juice or coffee for breakfast when a boy would go into the OR and eat one or two full-size breakfasts," Atkinson said. A majority of students liked the prospect of designing their own meal plan. "There is equity in the 'Wolf Bucks plan'," he said. At breakfast and lunch, Monday through Friday, students purchase meals a la carle and pay for everything they eat. And at brunches on Saturdays and Sunday and dinners seven nights a week, students have the all-you-can-eat option. Students can also utilize the Wolf Bucks portion of the plan any time of the day. "I like the new meal plan because there are no time restrictions now," said Jennifer Tobkin, history and classical STAFF PHOTO BY PHILIP PEARSON Charlie Renaud, international business freshman, dines in the O.R. Gore brings message to Jackson Square By Darryl Manning Contributing writer Drizzling rain did noi stop a large crowd from gathering in Jackson Square to hear vice president Al Gore describe his presidential platform September 7. Many of Loyola's faculty, staff, and students were in attendance. In his brief address to the New Orleans crowd. Gore listed education, tax cuts, and health care as his top priorities. He said his plans for education, if elected, are to rebuild schools with the necessary resources to make teaching possible. He also said he would reduce class sizes and have a "universal" preschool for all economic classes. Gore received applause from the crowd when he said he is in favor of teacher pay raises and treating teachers as professionals. Gore's plans for higher education aimed to please college students in the crowd. He said he wants to "open doors" for Pell Grants and student loans and make college tuition tax deductible. "I think that was the best thing that has ever come out of a politician's mouth," said Michael Atkinson, communications senior. Gore said he is in favor of tax cuts for the middle class and vows he will never go along with a tax cut for the wealthy as proposed by "the other side." Orlena Tampira, biology senior, said she was against any kind of tax cuts. "I feel that everyone should be taxed evenly," she said. As for health care, he said that the problems of high insurance and See SCHOLARS, Page 3 See WFF, Page 3 See FOOD, Page 4 See GORE, Page 4 ——X LIFE & TIMES | /^PORTsX ' ?! SNOWBALLS: OLYMPIC laQiLfli I \Aj sumTer?r™tORLEANS' 1 Mr twow^sin~aTlanta •Y2 bother?: Cell phones in class _ _ p« c • Site review: '80s toys for girls and boys Pg. 7 '9* •* NEXT WEEK: A feature on disability services at Loyola - part 1 of our 4-part news series