Maroon

              MMaroon VOL. 79, NO. 12 FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2001 Loyola University New Orleans Protestors leave SOA in handcuffs Annual protest at the former School of the Americas leads to mulitiple arrests By Curie Veronica Jones Assistant News Editor Nineteen-year-old Johnna Cohen was arrested protesting the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, formerly known as the School of Americas. "I think it's important to |be arrested| so this issue can be heard, and the school can be closed. It doesn't seem like civil disobedience is enough," Cohen said. As the bus approached, Cohen admitted that she was scared. Cohen was just one of more than 80 people arrested in the protest, which took place Nov. 17 through 18 in Columbus, Ga. On Friday, Nov. 16, about 15 students from Loyola traveled to participate in the 10,000-person protest. While waiting for the bus, Cohen talked about how she and her boyfriend had planned their civil disobedience. THE BACKGROUND The former School of the Americas is at Fort Benning in Columbus. Originally opened in 1946 in Panama with the mission of teaching combat tactics and strategy to Latin American soldiers, the School of the Americas moved to its current location in 1984. For nearly all of its lifetime, the school has been swamped in controversy. Activists claim that it has taught Latin American soldiers terrorist tactics such as murder, rape and torture. The Rev. Roy Bourgeois, founder of the SOA Watch, said, "|The Latin American Soldiers trained there| went back to their countries and committed crime against their people." Bourgeios instituted the SOA Watch to try to close the school. To derail the hostility toward the SOA, Congress decided to close the school on Dec. 14, 2000, and open another on the same base. The Saturday before the protest, the school administration offered tours of its facilities with hopes of convincing the public and protestors that the school isn't as bad as it has been made out to be. STAFF PHOTO BY CURIE VERONICA JONES Johnna Cohen, a nineteen-year-old protestor of the former School of the Americas gets arrested by Military Police for trespassing on Fort Benning, which is federal property. Cohen was one of more than eighty protestors arrested. STAFF PHOTO BY CURIE VERONICA JONES Thousands of protestors hold crosses in remembrance of alleged victims of SOA graduates before marching onto the base. Board of Trustees accepts new tuition proposal By Julia Stackler Staff writer Loyola's Board of Trustees accepted proposals to reposition tuition, increase the salaries of 110 fulltime faculty members andincrease room rates for Biever, Cabra and the New Residence Halls. Tuition for returning students will increase by 5 percent and tuition for freshmen and transfer students will be $18,700. All other students' tuition rates will increase at the same rate. According to Ruston Broussard, mathematics junior and student observer to the Board of Trustees, the idea is to have a large initial increase in tuition so that in following years students can expect the proposed annual increase, making it less of a surprise to them. Loyola's tuition repositioning was established similar to that of Loyola Maryland, whose tuition increases 3 to 5 percent every four years, Broussard said. An ad hoc faculty salary evaluation committee voted to increase the base salaries of 110 fulltime faculty members throughout the university. According to Broussard, the administration of the communications department was at the top of the list to receive those increases. The committee reevaluated faculty salaries in relation to those of comparison universities. Broussard said. Financing for the salary increases is proposed to come from law school funds and from extra funds resulting from increasing student enrollment, Broussard said. Oprah Winfrey, Stephen Ambrose, Wynton Marsalis and Barbara Pierce Bush are among a few people who Loyola has shown interest in making Honorary Degree holders of the university, according to Meredith Cagigal, economics junior and student representative to the Academic Affairs Committee of the Board. The list is a preliminary one that is put into a larger pool that is nominated by the Honorary Degrees Committee of the university. The list then must be approved by the committee and go through other processes before any decisions are made. Cagigal said. According to Cagigal, it could take years for the committee to make any decisions on the matter. "The list is a very preliminary one," Cagigal said. The Student Government Biever fires remain unsolved By Crystal Bolner Staff writer MAROON.LOYNO.EDU University Police and the New Orleans Arson Squad are investigating a string of fires that occurred in Biever Hall on Four North. Four fires started in the floor's communal bathroom, University Police said. The first fire was dicovered Nov. 4 and was not originally reported to UP; the second was reported Nov. 7 at 12:41 p.m.; the third on Nov. 7 at 6:50 p.m.; and the fourth on Nov. 15 at 11:59 p.m. "The first three were in a trash can, and so we took the trash can out, and the last fire was set on « | just knOW the bathroom ,l„, .. ~ that floor with toilet paper," said a Whoever IS Biever resident. doing it, is 3 Cpt. Roger SjCk jD.mac .of individual." University Police said he cannot release information JAMES about whether JARC, police have COMMUNlCAsuspects in the HONS crime. SOPHOMORE Glenn Rice, AND BIEVER English RA Qn the sophomore, said . ■ . Ihal when he Strm9°f found the smoky fil"6S if! trash cans in two Bi6V6r Hall, of the four incidents, the fires were already out, but he reported the fires anyway. "Basically, everyone's a suspect," Rice said. Residential Life has held meetings with the 39 Four North residents after each of the fires and itjl'ormed thein about the seriousness of crime. According to Robert Reed, director of Residential Life, every time there is a fire on the floor, the residents on that floor are fined $1,000. which is divided equally among the 39 students. "Intially we had our suspicions |about who did it|." said Jams Jarc, communications sophomore and Four North R.A. "I worry that it's someone who has a vendetta against the school. Of course that's just a suspicion. I just know that whoever is doing it. is a sick individual." See SOA, Page 3 See TUITION, Page 3 ijjßKyilpi KNATOJS' 7IIIE B&tsSßStt! GREEN WAVE jR WARDROIU WOLnXcK pg. 6