Maroon

              THE MAROON Loyola University New Orleans VOL. 81, NO. 9 FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2002 "For a greater Loyola" Students want to stay positive Poll shows negative response to adding minus grades By Vitaliy Voznyak Staff writer Students who responded to a recent SGA sponsored opinion poll about implementation of a plus/minus grading system indicated they were unwilling to switch. Before an official decision is made, every school at Loyola is to make a recommendation by a vote signifying its approval or disapproval of the system. So far, all of the schools except City College and College of Arts and Sciences have voted for implementation of the system in the spring of 2003, according to Bobby Hjorstberg, SGA president of College of Arts and Sciences. The College of Arts and Sciences has decided to table the vote and ask the opinion of the student body, said Hjorstberg, Hjorstberg asked SGA to conduct an opinion poll to "assist in making it known how the student body feels about the plus/minus system," according to the SGA opinion poll report. He said the opinion poll had a large turnout (refer to plus/minus opinion poll results graph). The results show that 77 percent of Loyola students oppose implementation of the new system versus 23 percent who support it. The opinion poll was taken on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of last week in front of the Danna Center. According to Hjorstberg, poll representatives answered questions concerning the proposed plus/minus system objectively and to the best of their knowledge. The plus/minus opinion poll asked students to state their school, their opinion about the possible new grading system and other possible comments that they may have. So what is so different about the proposed grade system? Here is an example: under the current system a student who makes a grade of 80 percent will receive 3.0 grade points. STAFF GRAPHIC BY MARY CHAUVIN A student who makes a "B+" would Percentages represent the answers given by the 187 students polled by the Student Government Association. Source: SGA Loyola student and family robbed at home By Curie Veronica Jones Staff writer Masked intruders hold them at gunpoint Two intruders wearing ski masks and carrying handguns invaded the home of a Loyola student and her family last Friday. The incident happened at approximately 9:30 p.m. on the 7800 block of Hampson Street. According to Lieutenant Angela Honora of University Police, the two entered the house through the front door. One intruder held the student, her son and two daughters at gunpoint while the other searched the house for valuables. A home invasion is defined as a burglary that occurs when the residents of the house are present. A burglary is when a house is robbed, but no one is at home. "When people burglarize your house, they normally do not want anybody at home." Honora said. "In this case they must have been on drugs and desperate for money." The intruders took all the phones in the house along with the student's wallet, which had $80 in it, and her son's backpack. One of the robbers is described as a black man between the ages of 30 and 35 with brown eyes and braided hair and weighing about 1 4 0 pounds. The second is described as a black male between the ages of 13-15. He has brown eyes, is 5 foot 7 and weighs approximately 110 pounds. According to Honora, before the invaders left, one of them said, "The only reason we did not kill you is because of the two young girls." In September The Times- Picayune reported a home invasion in the Irish Channel when intruders pushed their way into the house of a Tulane student and stabbed him to death after he told them he had no money. The New Orleans Police Department crime map shows that for the week of Oct. 20th through 26th, nine burglaries occurred in the Uptown area. The New Orleans Police Department Web site does not distinguish between home invasions and burglaries. "It's something (the home invasion) to think about," Honora said. "They knew those people were home." "In this case, they must have been on drugs and desperate for money." -ANGELA HONORA, LIEUTENANT WITH university police, about the suspects Of a home invasion of a Loyola student Who do the Voodoo? RUNNING MEN Men's cross country team qualifies to be firstever from Loyola to head to national competition. Page 4. African travel inspires students Four share experience of spending summer in distant land By Charles Ezeb Contributing writer Teresa Fernandez, sociology senior, worked three hours a day five days a week digging a ditch in the hot African sun last summer. She even contracted malaria. But she had a mind broadening experience. Fernandez was one of four students who shared their experiences about a two-month-long trip to Africa through a «They taught program me genuine named kindness. They Operation care 0f me Cross Roads. when | was sjc|C They and they barely spoke knew me" Wednesday evening in the _TFRFcA Ignatius ithcaa Chapel. FERNANDEZ, Operation SOCIOLOGY Crossroads SENIOR, about is . ,an her organization started in 6XperienC6S 1957 between during her the united st(jcjy abroad States and , . , ... Africa in trip to Africa order to send during the u.s. citizens summer to Africa to do community service. Heather Morgan, environmental studies senior, Fernandez, Reanda Fields, sociology junior, and Hajad Hassan, a Xavier University student, were the presenters. These four people, although going to Africa by the same means, had very different experiences. Fernandez and Morgan were sent to Gambia, a place known as "the smiling coast of Africa," "We were a part of the construction group," said Fernandez. "Our job was to dig ditches for ten more water taps for the village." "They taught me genuine kindness," she said. "They took care of me when I was sick and they barely knew me." Morgan, while having a similar See AFRICA, Page 3 See MINUS, Page 6 student