Maroon

              kikiyk THE MAROON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2006 VOL. 84, NO. 4 HTTP://MAROON.LOYNO.EDU Jindal ready to restructure economy, education U.S. Rep. cites Mississippi's planning as an example to follow By Ramon Vargas Staff writer U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal has proposed a plan that would rely on education, business and housing to have the displaced residents and economy return and partake in the city's future. Jindal, R-Kenner, detailed his plan at Roussel Performance Hall last Thursday. "The politically easy answer would be to rebuild New Orleans exactly as it was," he said. "To rebuild New Orleans exactly as it was is to ignore serious, serious problems." Instead, he said he wants to "get it right." "I want to make sure that we don't replicate the bureaucracy that caused all those problems [during the storm's immediate aftermath] as we rebuild New Orleans," Jindal said. Jindal talked about a three-step process plan based on the immediate reactions of Mississippi Gov. Haley Barber in his petitioning for federal aid from Congress. What impressed Washington about Mississippi's disaster response, Jindal said, is that soon after the storm, recovery plans were cemented. By bringing in national planners and having local town meetings quickly, Washington funneled federal funds willingly to their recovery. U.S. Rep Bobby Jindal, R-Kenner, speaks to the crowd at Roussel Performance Hall last Thursday. Jindal outlined plans to revitalize New Orleans' economy and rebuild its school system. STAFF PHOTO BY BRANDON HOLMES Students, faculty will assist local businesses By Tara Tamptoton Assistant News Editor Loyola Corps hopes to rebuild New Orleans businesses and agencies recovering from Katrina using the talents of students, professors, alumni and other groups. The new program, a collaboration among the College of Business, the College of Arts & Sciences and other student groups, helps local businesses and is an opportunity for students to build their resumes. "We're kind of like a dating service. We're matchmakers in the sense of finding the business and matching them with students who can help," said Teri Henley, chairwoman of the Communications Department, Loyola Corps is placing interested students of all majors in a variety of positions. Students can work with the program to find part or full-time employment, internships and volunteer opportunities. According to the Loyola Corps' executive summary, "There is a tremendous desire from the students to be a part of the rebuilding. We can create something akin to the Peace Corp." Loyola students seem to agree — 110 students have already signed up for the program. Student support has not been limited to an individual basis. Students In Free Enterprise has made Loyola Corps its main service project for the semester. SIFE, which usually works with local schools, was forced to find another focus since many schools have not opened after Katrina. Delta Sigma Pi, a business fraternity, and Public Relations Student Society of America are also involved. The program started as an idea proposed by the Visiting Committee for the College of Business, which is similar to a board of directors. The committee works to establish better connections with the community, according to Henley. The committee told J. Patrick O'Brien, dean of the College of Business Administration, to advertise Loyola's readiness to help. According to Henley, this advertisement was placed in The Times-Picayune and City Business last week. The program is already generating interest with local businesses and agencies interested in assistance. Clinic offers legal advice to tenants By Naomi King Chief Staff writer At normal capacity, Loyola's residence halls house approximately 1,400 students, according to the Residential Life Web site. Considering this capacity, a significant number of Loyola graduate and undergraduate students live off-campus, and therefore possibly have come across rent and landlord issues. According to ludson Mitchell, staff attorney at the Loyola Law Clinic, the number of students with issues is in the hundreds. The Loyola Law Clinic set up a program after Hurricane Katrina to help students deal with these landlord-tenant problems by offering free legal advice. Since September, the Law Clinic has provided, through phone calls and e-mails, more than 200 students with free advice on how to handle situations with difficult landlords, said Judson Mitchell, staff attorney at the Loyola Law Clinic. He said the majority of students seeking the clinic's advice have been under leases and want to know their rights, but there have been cases of landlords trying to break a lease, presumably to get rid of pre-Katrina tenants. Increases in rent while under lease are legal under Louisiana law, Mitchell said. Landlords hold the right to raise rent because of increased market values for residences, he said, and raises have been between 25 and 30 percent. If a tenant is renting under a month-to-month lease, Mitchell said the landlord has the right to evict him or her with, at the most, 30 days to vacate. Ultimately, the problem most tenants run into is the disparity between their perceived rights and what the law prescribes. "Landlord-tenant laws in Louisiana do nothing for tenants," Mitchell said. Mitchell said the clinic is currently providing legal services beyond advice to about three or four clients. The cases are still in the early stages of writing letters to landlords and nothing has been formally filed. "We haven't gotten there yet, but we may," he said. To help students protect their rights, the Law Clinic outlines basic tenant's rights on their Web site. • If your apartment is partially destroyed, you may either end the lease or ask for a rent reduction. • If repairs to your apartment require that you move out while they are being made, you do not have to pay See ADVICE, page 2 Common Ground brings life to lower 9th "I'm coming back" — This 9th ward resident is adamant about returning to her neighborhood. With help from a group of volunteers in the area, she can. The Common Ground Collective is a grassroots organization that brings together people from all walks of life to work toward the same goal: bringing back the devastated areas of New Orleans and its suburbs. Photo Editor Alethia Picciola spent time with the volunteers and 9th Ward residents, documenting their efforts to help the commmunity.STAFF PHOTO BY ALETHIA PICCIOLA See JINDAL, page 2 Photo Essay, page 3 See CORPS, page 3 LIFE & TIMES The Ogden presents 'Queen of the south' page 6 MAROON DIRECTORY: CALENDAR, page 2 • OPINION, page 4 • SPORTS, page 6 • LIFE & TIMES, page 9