Maroon

              THE MAROON VOL. 81, NO. 12 FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2002 Happy holidays Loyola University New Orleans Dorm graffiti attacks race and sexuality By Curie Veronica Jones Staff writer Student says university hushed up act of vandalism "I think the administration swept it under the rug very quickly  because the wing was gay." -ANONYMOUS RESIDENT OF BEIVER HALL, on Loyola's handling of the racist and anti-homosexual writings on a bathroom stall in Biever Hall Racist comments and slurs about homosexuals covered a bathroom stall in the second floor of Biever Hall before the Thanksgiving break, a dorm resident said. According to a Biever Hall resident who wished to remain anonymous, the graffiti said "F— you n— —" and was written about, a Residential Life employee. The graffiti also included comments saying that homosexuals would burn in hell, except for those who are dying of AIDS, because they will face a painful death. Residential life staff members say they haven't located the culprit. "There were racial comments that were scratched into the paint. It's a locked wing, so it's either somebody who lives on the floor or a guest of the floor," said Michelle Andrews, Associate Director of Residential Life. According to the Biever resident, one wing of the second floor is mostly white heterosexual men while the other wing is predominately gay This bathroom stall in a second-floor bathroom in Biever Hall was covered with graffiti with racist and anti-gay comments. Residential life had most of the graffiti removed shortly after it was reported, but some of the comments remained, a Residential Life employee said. The rest of the comments were removed later she said. Some students said they felt that the university swept the incident under the rug and that the school should do more to foster an enviornment devoid of racism. men. "I think the administration swept it under the rug very quickly. I think it was because the wing was gay," he said. Most of the comments were removed after they were reported, but some of the graffiti remained in the stall longer than the rest, Andrews said. Black Student Union members learned of the racist remark written on the stall. "It seemed like it was kept under wraps because nobody knew about it. A lot of people don't talk about it, but it (racism) is a problem on this campus," said Fnan Nuguse BSU secretary. Some see this incident as a setback from the forum held by students last month. Six students spoke about their experiences as a minority at Loyola. "Forums are great, but it happens after the fact,"Nuguse said. Bridging the Gap, an organization that is trying to help end racism among students, joined the BSU and Etcetera, an organization that deals with gay, lesbian and transgender issues, to discuss the incident. "We are working hard to address this. A small campaign will take STAFF PHOTO BY CHARLES COSTELLO THE END IS NEAR Wednesday's beautiful weather brought students out doors, but the sunshine and plesant breeze didn't blow away the piles of homework many students had due as the end of the semester loomed. ABOVE: Elizabeth Cover, psychology junior, highlights her book as she lies in the grass in the residential quad. LEFT: Joe Fredo, communications sophomore, reads one of his textbooks as he sits in the yard near the Monroe library. STAFF PHOTOS BY GILLIAN DICKER Robberies hit Loyola students By Curie Veronica Jones Staff writer Two seemingly unrelated armed robberies victimized Loyola students on the same night during the Thanksgiving holiday, police said. In the first incident, the suspect robbed a Loyola student of his valuables, including his cell phone, then used the phone to call the student's mother and taunt her about the robbery, Loyola University Police said. The suspect called the student's home and told his mother "1 stole your son's phone, [expletive]," a BOLO release from UP said. According to the release, two male students were returning to Loyola's campus from the streetcar stop about 12:30 a.m. when two men in a black pickup truck began following them. According to the police, the students ran into a yard on Palmer Street, but the men got out of their car and followed them on foot. The victims said that one of the robbers had a silver-colored handgun in his pants, police said. The suspects demanded that the students hand over their valuables then ran down Claiborne Avenue, police said.. The first robber was described as a black male, five-feet-ten inches tall, and weighing 150 pounds. He was wearing black pants, a plaid shirt and carrying the gun. The second suspect was a black man with braided hair. A second robbery occurred the same night at 2:15 a.m. at the corner of Freret and Palmer Streets. A male Tulane student and a female Loyola student were walking back to the university area when two men in a gray pickup truck cornered them in a driveway and robbed them at knifepoint, police said. One of the robbers was described as black with braided hair wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt. The other was said to be a black man weighing approximately 150 pounds and wearing a white shirt and dark pants. According to Lieutenant Angela Honora of University Police, the New Orleans Police Department believes the two crimes are not related. " The suspects were just looking for somebody to rob. They saw the students returning home and took the opportunity," she said. See GRAFFITI, Page 2 gcdgdg