Maroon

              THE MAROON egfrwgrewgrewgre Storm wreaks havoc on students By Adam Hennessey Staff writer HURRICANE IVAN SMASHES ■ THE GULF COAST Isabel Mora said it took 25 hours for her to get from New Orleans to Austin, Texas. It was a 13-hour journey for communications senior Megan Kern to drive to Baton Rouge and another nine before she arrived in Houston. Some students and faculty members blamed Loyola and the Hurricane Emergency Preparedness Team, a committee comprised of 15 administrators, for waiting to announce cancellation of classes until 9 p.m. Sept. 13, leaving little time to prepare for evacuation. Xavier University, University of New Orleans, Tulane University and all Orleans Parish schools had already closed as of the time Loyola's closure was made public. James Eiseman, vice president of Student Affairs and chairman of HEPT, contended the committee made the correct decision to close when they did. He explained that the committee met three times on Monday and were in communication with the American Red Cross and the City of New Orleans throughout the day and during their meetings. The committee met at 5 p.m., but opted to postpone an official decision about cancellations until the following morning at 9 a.m. HEPT follows an emergency hurricane plan, which is posted on Loyola's Web site. The plan addresses any storm rated between a tropical storm and a category-five hurricane. "We factor in all kinds of things in making our decision," Eiseman said. He remained adamant that UNO, Xavier and Orleans Parish's closures did not affect Loyola decision to either remain open or close. "Why would we make a decision based on Xavier, UNO and Hurricane Ivan's threat of striking New Orleans, which could have put the entire city under 20 feet of water, led Loyola to cancel four days of classes and spurred a massive voluntary evacuation, clogging the city's highways to an unprecedented level. More than 600,000 residents of New Orleans evacuated the city over a 24-hour period on Tuesday, Sept. 14, according to The Times- Picayune. The traffic extended for more than 80 miles between New Orleans and Baton Rouge for much of the day. "It was a six-hour drive to cover the 30 miles between Uptown and Slidell," English senior Ivan Miller said. He spent the break outside of Nashville, Tenn. Music performance senior Orleans Parish schools? It wouldn't make sense," he said. He pointed out Tulane's cancellation was announced only a short time before Loyola's. Robert Reed, Residential Life director and member of HEPT, agreed with Eiseman on the committee's decision to close when it did. "We got caught off guard by some degree...and the information wasn't perfect," Reed said. "You go with the information you got. It's a hard call to make." Not all people were pleased with the decision the HEPT committee made. According to third-year law student Pamela Stubblefield. no one seemed to know what was going on that Monday evening. Music business senior Kyle Herbert said he was disappointed with the school for waiting as long as they did to cancel classes, but also said that it was necessary for them to remain closed for as long as they did. Loyola came under similar criticism in 2002 when both Hurricanes Isidore and Lili threatened New Orleans within a two-week period. The university cancelled three and a half days of classes when Isidore threatened to make landfall, but then only one day of class when Lili, a stronger storm, hit the city. Isidore was downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it hit New Orleans. Eiseman fervently denied that any decisions made by HEPT this year or in years previous were influenced by a desire to avoid potential inconveniences with the academic calendar. "It's simply not true," Eiseman said. He explained that the decisions Sandella's offers healthy meal choices By Caegan Moore Contributing writer Loyola opened a new franchise, Sandella's at the beginning of the semester, to offer a healthier dining alternative to the university. The restaurant opened on Aug. 30 and was greeted by hungry students and long lines. "The feedback from everyone [students] has been mostly positive," said Rachel Peslan, marketing manager for Dining Service. Peslan, who is conducting a student survey on the Underground, said she thinks one of the reasons for the positive feedback is the variety the menu has to offer, from soups and salads to wraps, quesadillas and paninis. Another reason for the positive reactions is Sandella's healthy menu selections. Not only are the ingredients fresh, Peslan said, but Sandella's also offers a variety of foods for vegetarians. "America is going into a healthier direction, it's important we provide that choice for our students," Peslan said. Deanna Theriot, psychology and pre-med sophomore, agreed about the healthier options. "It is not a fatty as going to the c-store and getting a pizza," Theriot said. International business senior, Barrett Brock, also agreed that he would eat in the Underground before eating at Pizza Hut or in the O.R. According to Vance Howe, director of Loyola's Dining Services, a switch to a restaurant that offered healthier fare was due for the university. The need for a change was made evident through student surveys and food focus groups, according to Howe. They showed that Nawlins Po'Boys, the previous STAFF PHOTO BY KATIE KENNEDY Freshmen Tim Nebel, religious studies, arid Lee Attaway, general studies, chow down on sandwiches. See IVAN, page 3 See FOOD, page 2 INSIDE this week SPORTS page 4 Cross-country profile on Natalie Sargent OP/ED.. page 6 On the Record: Robert Gnuse UFE&TJMES~.paO*9 Clarence "GatemotHh" Brown takes the stage